Singers*
Seth Arnopole * J. Jeff Badger * Will Betts * Naomi Braun * Cheryl Cain * Elisabeth Eliassen * Twila Ehmcke *
Shauna Fallihee * Monica Frame * Claire Kelm * Marisa Lenhardt * Rita Lilly * John Mansfield * Lisa May *
Kaneez Munjee * Jeff Phillips * Diana Pray * Leandra Ramm * Colby Smith * Joey Valkevich *
Helene Zindarsian *
*(See singer bios below)
Seth Arnopole * J. Jeff Badger * Will Betts * Naomi Braun * Cheryl Cain * Elisabeth Eliassen * Twila Ehmcke *
Shauna Fallihee * Monica Frame * Claire Kelm * Marisa Lenhardt * Rita Lilly * John Mansfield * Lisa May *
Kaneez Munjee * Jeff Phillips * Diana Pray * Leandra Ramm * Colby Smith * Joey Valkevich *
Helene Zindarsian *
*(See singer bios below)
Staff
J. Jeff Badger, Executive Director
Previously Mr. Badger was Director of Development for American Bach Soloists. He has worked as a Development Officer with San Francisco Opera, as Concerts House Manager for Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and as Managing Director/Board President of the California Bach Society, and in the spring of 2014 served as the Interim Chorus Manager for the San Francisco Symphony and most recently as interim General Manager for Pocket Opera. He has served on the board of directors for the San Francisco Early Music Society and on the development committee for Early Music America. Additionally, he has served on various non-profit boards including serving five years on the San Francisco Mayor’s Committee for Employment of Persons with Disabilities, and as Executive Chair of the committee for four of those years. He is perhaps best know to Early Music audiences, performing throughout the Bay Area over the past 25 years as a baritone soloist and chorister with various vocal groups including American Bach Soloists, Carmel Bach Festival, the California Bach Society and San Francisco Bach Choir.
J. Jeff Badger, Executive Director
Previously Mr. Badger was Director of Development for American Bach Soloists. He has worked as a Development Officer with San Francisco Opera, as Concerts House Manager for Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and as Managing Director/Board President of the California Bach Society, and in the spring of 2014 served as the Interim Chorus Manager for the San Francisco Symphony and most recently as interim General Manager for Pocket Opera. He has served on the board of directors for the San Francisco Early Music Society and on the development committee for Early Music America. Additionally, he has served on various non-profit boards including serving five years on the San Francisco Mayor’s Committee for Employment of Persons with Disabilities, and as Executive Chair of the committee for four of those years. He is perhaps best know to Early Music audiences, performing throughout the Bay Area over the past 25 years as a baritone soloist and chorister with various vocal groups including American Bach Soloists, Carmel Bach Festival, the California Bach Society and San Francisco Bach Choir.
Katherine McKee, Music Director Emeritus
Ms. McKee joined San Francisco Renaissance Voices in 2007 as Alto Section Lead and was quickly asked to take on the responsibilities of Assistant Music Director as well. She became the group's second Music Director starting for our 2014-15 Season through Season 2017-18.
Ms. McKee holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education and a Master's degree with honors in Choral Conducting from the New England Conservatory and has directed choirs, community orchestras and opera, and school groups since her college years. In the Boston area she directed the children's, youth and adult choirs at Hanscom Air Force Base's Protestant Chapel, taught stringed instruments and conducted orchestras in the Somerset (MA) public schools and served as assistant conductor for the Jamaica Plain Symphony Orchestra. In New York she founded and directed the chamber group Premier, which focused on newly composed works for a cappella voices, and served as an assistant conductor for the Gregg Smith Singers and at St. Bartholomew's Church.
In the San Francisco Bay Area she has served on the conducting faculty of the San Francisco Boys Chorus, as chorus master, prompter and music director for San Francisco Lyric Opera, and as music director of Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church in Noe Valley. Currently, she is director of music at St. Bede's Episcopal Church in Menlo Park.
As a singer she is much in demand as an oratorio soloist, and appears regularly with the San Francisco Opera Chorus, American Bach Soloists, San Francisco Renaissance Voices, and the chorale of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Ms. McKee teaches private vocal students who perform throughout the Bay Area including members of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, San Francisco Opera Chorus, San Francisco Choral Society, Woodminster Theater, and Lamplighters Music Theatre.
Ms. McKee joined San Francisco Renaissance Voices in 2007 as Alto Section Lead and was quickly asked to take on the responsibilities of Assistant Music Director as well. She became the group's second Music Director starting for our 2014-15 Season through Season 2017-18.
Ms. McKee holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education and a Master's degree with honors in Choral Conducting from the New England Conservatory and has directed choirs, community orchestras and opera, and school groups since her college years. In the Boston area she directed the children's, youth and adult choirs at Hanscom Air Force Base's Protestant Chapel, taught stringed instruments and conducted orchestras in the Somerset (MA) public schools and served as assistant conductor for the Jamaica Plain Symphony Orchestra. In New York she founded and directed the chamber group Premier, which focused on newly composed works for a cappella voices, and served as an assistant conductor for the Gregg Smith Singers and at St. Bartholomew's Church.
In the San Francisco Bay Area she has served on the conducting faculty of the San Francisco Boys Chorus, as chorus master, prompter and music director for San Francisco Lyric Opera, and as music director of Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church in Noe Valley. Currently, she is director of music at St. Bede's Episcopal Church in Menlo Park.
As a singer she is much in demand as an oratorio soloist, and appears regularly with the San Francisco Opera Chorus, American Bach Soloists, San Francisco Renaissance Voices, and the chorale of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Ms. McKee teaches private vocal students who perform throughout the Bay Area including members of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, San Francisco Opera Chorus, San Francisco Choral Society, Woodminster Theater, and Lamplighters Music Theatre.
Todd Jolly, Music Director Emeritus
Mr. Jolly received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Trenton State College and holds a Master of Divinity degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary. He serves as Music Director at St. John's Presbyterian Church (Berkeley, CA) and previously served as Director of Liturgical Music at Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church (San Francisco, CA) for a decade. He has studied with such noted figures as Tony DeNicola, Cloyd Duff, Lloyd Pfautsch, Austin Lovelace, and Alice Parker.
A percussionist, a published composer and arranger, and an ordained Presbyterian minister, he also teaches music at Stuart Hall for Boys, third through eighth grade, and directs two boy choirs. Once a member of the directing staff of the internationally renowned San Francisco Boys Chorus, he appears on occasion with them still. During the fall of 2004 Mr. Jolly was Composer-in-Residence at Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, composing two commissioned pieces, To Be Read at a Funeral and The Oath, which were subsequently performed at the school.
Previously a guest conductor with San Francisco Renaissance Voices, he became the group’s regular music director August 2005 and served the group in that capacity for 10 years.
Mr. Jolly received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Trenton State College and holds a Master of Divinity degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary. He serves as Music Director at St. John's Presbyterian Church (Berkeley, CA) and previously served as Director of Liturgical Music at Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church (San Francisco, CA) for a decade. He has studied with such noted figures as Tony DeNicola, Cloyd Duff, Lloyd Pfautsch, Austin Lovelace, and Alice Parker.
A percussionist, a published composer and arranger, and an ordained Presbyterian minister, he also teaches music at Stuart Hall for Boys, third through eighth grade, and directs two boy choirs. Once a member of the directing staff of the internationally renowned San Francisco Boys Chorus, he appears on occasion with them still. During the fall of 2004 Mr. Jolly was Composer-in-Residence at Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, composing two commissioned pieces, To Be Read at a Funeral and The Oath, which were subsequently performed at the school.
Previously a guest conductor with San Francisco Renaissance Voices, he became the group’s regular music director August 2005 and served the group in that capacity for 10 years.
Derek Tam, Director of Educational Programs
A graduate of Yale University, Mr. Tam is also education coordinator for American Bach Soloists and is a faculty member at the NAPA Music Festival; he also played a major role in resurrecting the choral program at Berkeley High School. He currently serves on the Youth Advisory Board of Early Music America.
Also in demand as a conductor and historical keyboardist, Derek Tam performs regularly in the Bay Area and elsewhere. As a guest conductor, he appears frequently with choral and orchestral ensembles. In addition to serving as Artistic Director of the Star Valley Children's Choir (SVCC), he is Director of Music at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, one of the major performance venues for classical music in the East Bay. He is also music director of the Berkeley Community Chorus Chamber Singers.
In addition to his conducting career, Derek is a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist on various historical keyboards, from the harpsichord and fortepiano to the modern concert grand. As a historical keyboardist, he presents solo recitals throughout the Bay Area; upcoming concerto appearances in the 2015-2016 season include performances with the Modesto Symphony and Elevate Ensemble.
Derek is a founding member of MUSA, a San Francisco-based Baroque ensemble. He is also is a member of Ars Minerva, a performing arts organization dedicated to presenting forgotten operas from the Italian Baroque. He has served as a continuo harpsichordist for the symphonies of Merced, Modesto, Napa Valley, and Santa Cruz, as well as at Festival del Sole. An advocate for new music for harpsichord, his ensembles have premiered works by Danny Clay, Sean Harold and Andrew McIntosh.
A graduate of Yale University, Mr. Tam is also education coordinator for American Bach Soloists and is a faculty member at the NAPA Music Festival; he also played a major role in resurrecting the choral program at Berkeley High School. He currently serves on the Youth Advisory Board of Early Music America.
Also in demand as a conductor and historical keyboardist, Derek Tam performs regularly in the Bay Area and elsewhere. As a guest conductor, he appears frequently with choral and orchestral ensembles. In addition to serving as Artistic Director of the Star Valley Children's Choir (SVCC), he is Director of Music at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, one of the major performance venues for classical music in the East Bay. He is also music director of the Berkeley Community Chorus Chamber Singers.
In addition to his conducting career, Derek is a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist on various historical keyboards, from the harpsichord and fortepiano to the modern concert grand. As a historical keyboardist, he presents solo recitals throughout the Bay Area; upcoming concerto appearances in the 2015-2016 season include performances with the Modesto Symphony and Elevate Ensemble.
Derek is a founding member of MUSA, a San Francisco-based Baroque ensemble. He is also is a member of Ars Minerva, a performing arts organization dedicated to presenting forgotten operas from the Italian Baroque. He has served as a continuo harpsichordist for the symphonies of Merced, Modesto, Napa Valley, and Santa Cruz, as well as at Festival del Sole. An advocate for new music for harpsichord, his ensembles have premiered works by Danny Clay, Sean Harold and Andrew McIntosh.
Laura Canavan, Executive Assistant
Laura Canavan is a native of Massachusetts and earned her Advanced Bachelor of Arts degree in music history/theory from Occidental College in Los Angeles where she sang in the Occidental College Glee Club. Laura has also performed with the Los Angeles Bach Festival and at the Grand Teton Music Festival as a member of the San Francisco Festival Chorale. She is currently in her 22nd season as a soprano in the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and also works there as the Chorus Office Assistant. Laura lives in Petaluma with her husband and 15 year old twin sons.
Laura Canavan is a native of Massachusetts and earned her Advanced Bachelor of Arts degree in music history/theory from Occidental College in Los Angeles where she sang in the Occidental College Glee Club. Laura has also performed with the Los Angeles Bach Festival and at the Grand Teton Music Festival as a member of the San Francisco Festival Chorale. She is currently in her 22nd season as a soprano in the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and also works there as the Chorus Office Assistant. Laura lives in Petaluma with her husband and 15 year old twin sons.
John Yeh, House Manager
Mr. Yeh is a native of Hong Kong, enjoys a career as a historical keyboardist and production assistant. Yeh performs as both a solo harpsichordist and a continuo keyboardist, specializing in the Baroque era. His recent solo appearances include Bach’s Concerto for 3 Harpsichords in C Major at the American Bach Soloists Academy and Bach’s Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Major with the UC Davis Baroque Ensemble.Other countinuo works include Mozart’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra and University Chorus, Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the American Bach Soloist Academy Orchestra, Handel’s and Michel-Richard de Lalande’s Dixit Dominus (America Premiere) with the UC Davis Early Music Ensemble. In addition to his performing activities, Yeh worked extensively with the production team of the UC Davis Music Department, and is also a production assistant of the American Bach Soloists. Yeh recently completed his B.A. degree in Music Performance at UC Davis, studying harpsichord with Phebe Craig and organ with David Deffner, with minors in Managerial Economics and Dramatic Art and was named as "Outstanding Senior" by the Music Department.
Mr. Yeh is a native of Hong Kong, enjoys a career as a historical keyboardist and production assistant. Yeh performs as both a solo harpsichordist and a continuo keyboardist, specializing in the Baroque era. His recent solo appearances include Bach’s Concerto for 3 Harpsichords in C Major at the American Bach Soloists Academy and Bach’s Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Major with the UC Davis Baroque Ensemble.Other countinuo works include Mozart’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra and University Chorus, Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the American Bach Soloist Academy Orchestra, Handel’s and Michel-Richard de Lalande’s Dixit Dominus (America Premiere) with the UC Davis Early Music Ensemble. In addition to his performing activities, Yeh worked extensively with the production team of the UC Davis Music Department, and is also a production assistant of the American Bach Soloists. Yeh recently completed his B.A. degree in Music Performance at UC Davis, studying harpsichord with Phebe Craig and organ with David Deffner, with minors in Managerial Economics and Dramatic Art and was named as "Outstanding Senior" by the Music Department.
Singers
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Seth Arnopole, tenor
Seth Arnopole has performed with numerous ensembles in Northern California, including the San Francisco Festival Chorale, San Francisco Boys Chorus and Men’s Chorale, Volti, Skywalker Chorus, the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco, Sacramento Opera Chorus, and the Pacific Mozart Ensemble. He has worked with artists such as Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Kronos Quartet, Meredith Monk, Bob Weir, and Dave Brubeck, and he has participated in recording sessions for several video game soundtracks and film trailers. Most recently, he was the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Missa Brevis in D Minor and Schubert’s Mass in G with the Vallejo Choral Society. In 2012, he performed in the men’s chorus of Wozzeck with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. Mr. Arnopole regularly sings in Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic religious services throughout the Bay Area, most often working as the tenor section leader and soloist with the St. John’s Presbyterian Church choir. He is also a member of the folk/roots/rock band California Zephyr, in which he sings and plays guitar and washboard. J. Jeff Badger, baritone See bio above |
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Will Betts, tenor
Mr. Betts began his musical training at age nine, playing trumpet in the school band. This experience fostered a love of music that continued while enrolled at the University of the Pacific, where he furthered his studies in low brass, while also pursuing voice training. After graduating with a BM in Music Management, he moved back to the Bay Area, where he has sung with San Francisco Renaissance Voices, Pacific Boychoir Academy, and Viva! La Musica. He also continues to play trombone, euphonium, and tuba with groups throughout the Bay Area. |
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Naomi Braun, alto
Ms. Braun earned her B.A. in music from U.C. Davis where she was the Assistant Director of the University Chorus and conducted a 14-voice mixed ensemble. She has taught music in elementary schools in San Francisco and Berkeley and is the Training and Kinder Department Director of the Piedmont Children’s Choirs. Naomi has sung at numerous churches and temples around the bay area and was the alto section leader at St Luke’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco for 12 years. She sang for 19 years with Volti (formerly the SF Chamber Singers) and has also sung with Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, George Coates Performance Works, San Francisco Children’s Opera, Berkeley Opera, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, West Edge Opera, Pocket Opera, American Bach Soloists and the San Francisco Opera Chorus. |
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Cheryl Cain, soprano
Ms. Cain is an accomplished lyric coloratura soprano, violinist and teacher, as well as a native San Franciscan. With her Bachelor of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, she continued her studies in opera at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy and sang for several more years in Florence, Italy. She has sung as a professional chorister with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She has performed in operas in both San Francisco and New York City and as a soloist throughout North America and Europe. She is a regular soloist at the San Francisco Swedenborgian Church and teaches voice, violin and when not singing with San Francisco Renaissance Voices, sings in the choruses of San Francisco Symphony, American Bach Soloists and the extra chorus of San Francisco Opera. |
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Elisabeth Eliassen, mezzo-soprano/alto
Ms. Eliassen has performed regularly throughout the Bay Area as a soloist and chamber musician since 1982. Musical styles have ranged from early music through late 20th Century and new music. In addition to her work with San Francisco Renaissance Voices, she has sung as soloist and ensemble member with many organizations, including the American Bach Choir, Sanford Dole Ensemble, the Pacific Mozart Ensemble, AVE (Artists' Vocal Ensemble), Paul Hillier's Theatre of Voices, the Baroque Arts Ensemble, and the California Bach Society. She is a freelance soloist/ section leader at various churches and synagogues in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Eliassen has recorded for Harmonia Mundi, Koch International, Delos and Dorian Sono Luminous labels. A poetic diarist currently at work on a new collection and a poetic novel, Ms. Eliassen's work from the collection Songs of a Soul Journey and unpublished manuscripts has been set to music by composers James Hurd, Ken Malucelli, Sanford Dole and Carson Cooman. |
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Twila Ehmcke, mezzo-soprano/alto
Twila Ehmcke recently moved to San Francisco after sharing her voice for most of the past decade with New York and East Coast audiences. Prior to her life there, she performed solo and ensemble concerts for German and Italian audiences as well as two years with The Phantom of the Opera in Hamburg. Her concert career has occupied most of her time and has carried her to many well known classical venues such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the Brooklyn Academy of Arts. Her opera career brought her to the stages of Wolftrap, Philadelphia Opera Company, Dallas and Ft. Worth Operas as well as the Hamburg Stella Theater, Germany and the Florence Summer Opera Festival, Italy. Twila participated in the inception of the now flourishing Brooklyn Artists of New York, singing the role of Mama Lucia in Cavalieri Rusticana. She has sung under the baton of international as well as American conductors, of note James Levine, Peter Oundjian, Carlo Maria Giulini, Nicola Rescigno, Ian Robertson, Todd Jolly, Steve Crawford, John DeMain, Richard Kapp, Henry Maleconi, Giuseppe Bruno, Leon Botstein, Richard Westenburg, Lyndon Woodside, Marc Flint, Bruno Nicoli, many of whom have commented "it’s a beautiful instrument in a fine musician." Stage directors such as Fabrizio Milano, Jean-Pierre Ponelle, Franco Iglesias and Dorothy Danner have enjoyed her flexibility and willingness to lend her talent totally to the character portrayed, often observing the beauty of her sound and her ability to color phrases to enhance the drama, commenting "..her ease upon the stage as well as a driving force of nature upon whom heroic themes can be built," "…an asset to any cast…I ask her to sing the phrase in a certain way and she does it so effortlessly, as if she was born to it!" |
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Shauna Fallihee, soprano
Soprano Shauna Fallihee has performed a wide range of repertoire with leading San Francisco Bay Area ensembles. A frequent concert soloist, Ms. Fallihee made her Carnegie Hall solo debut in 2003 in Beethoven's Chor Fantasie with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Bernard Haitink. She has recently been heard with San Francisco Choral Society, Masterworks Chorale, and the Albany Chamber Orchestra. Shauna’s passion for new music has led to numerous performances with The Opus Project, NothingSet Ensemble, San Francisco Composer’s Chamber Orchestra, and the acclaimed chamber choir Volti. Operatic roles include Barbarina and Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Frasquita (Carmen), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors) and Suor Genovieffa (Suor Angelica). As a voice teacher and clinician, Shauna has the pleasure of teaching recreational and professional singers of all ages. Ms. Fallihee holds a B.M with Performance Distinction from New England Conservatory of Music and an M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy from Holy Names University. |
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Monica Frame, alto
Ms. Frame, has sung with ensembles ranging from the National Chamber Choir of Israel to the San Francisco Choral Artists and it is her singing on Valve games and commercials that enjoy the most YouTube hits. She is the alto soloist and section leader at Saint Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco, and is also a member of Volti, Marin Baroque Ensemble, and Lacuna Arts Ensembles. A licensed psychotherapist, Ms. Frame specializes in school-based mental health services. She combines her passions at The Crowden Music Center, where she is the counselor for musical children and their fabulous faculty. |
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Claire Kelm, soprano
Soprano Claire Kelm enjoys singing a wide variety of repertoire. She has been heard as an oratorio soloist with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, San Francisco Boys Chorus, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, San Francisco Bach Choir, Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, Schola Cantorum, Magnificat, and the Stanford University choral ensembles. She has sung with fine choral ensembles including Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, Paul Hillier’s Theatre of Voices, Artists’ Vocal Ensemble (AVE), Sanford Dole Ensemble, American Bach Soloists Choir, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and the San Francisco Opera Chorus, where she is a full-time member. Her favorite opera roles include Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), Anna (The Merry Widow), and Gilbert & Sullivan heroines Princess Ida (Princess Ida) and Elsie Maynard (Yeomen of the Guard), the latter with Lamplighters Music Theatre. Once in awhile she gets to do musical theater too. She holds degrees from Stanford University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. |
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Marisa Lenhardt, soprano
Ms. Lenhardt began her musical training at the age of 7 with the San Francisco Girls Chorus. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has performed with the San Francisco Opera, New York Opera Forum, Opera San Jose, the Stanford Savoyards, Lyric Theatre of San Jose and West Bay Opera. She performs regularly with Velocity Circus, where she can be seen riding her motorcycle onstage before singing, or performing a trapeze act while singing opera over techno. Career highlights including singing the National Anthem for the Oakland Raiders and the Oakland A's, singing for President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, multiple performances and recitals with the renowned mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, singing with the Chris Brubeck Trio and, most recently, singing a scene in a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. When not performing, Ms. Lenhardt teaches voice out of her studio in Alameda (CA), works as a Project Manager at Adobe Systems, and enjoys motorcycling and extensive travel. |
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Rita Lilly, soprano
Ms. Lilly has appeared as a featured soloist with the American Boychoir, American Classical Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Artek, Bachworks, Bach Aria Group, Concert Royal, Levin Baroque Ensemble, and the New York Consort of Viols, among others. As the soprano soloist of the Waverly Consort, she toured throughout the United States and abroad, including performances at Alice Tully Hall and Metropolitan Museum of Art. She made her N.Y. Weill Recital Hall debut in Pergolesi's Stabat Mater with Voci Angeli and has toured in recital with the renowned harpsichordist, Anthony Newman. When not singing as a member of San Francisco Renaissance Voices, Ms. Lilly has been a featured soloist with AVE, Baroque Choral Guild (now Cantabile), California Bach Society, City Concert Opera, New Music Works, Magnificat, San Francisco Concert Chorale, Chora Nova, and numerous early music concerts at MusicSources. Her recordings include three with the Waverly Consort; Handel and Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus with the American Boychoir; Scarlatti's St. Cecilia Mass on Newport Classic; Sowerby's Medieval Poem with the Fairfield Orchestra; A German Baroque Christmas with American Classical Orchestra; Orff's Carmina Burana with the San Francisco Concert Chorale, and Palestrina for Eight Voices with the Schola Adventus. |
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John Mansfield, tenor
Tenor John Mansfield, previously entered the early music scene by singing with the newly founded ensemble Ut Re Mi. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Music Education and teaching credential from San Francisco State University, Mr. Mansfield was hired by the San Francisco Unified School District. He currently teaches recorder, band, orchestra, chorus, drumming, Kodaly-based general music, and ukulele to students ranging in age from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. In addition to his public school instruction, Mr. Mansfield also teaches private voice lessons and leads congregational music in local churches and is a professional member of San Francisco Symphony Chorus. |
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Lisa May, soprano
Ms. May has sung with choral and opera/theater companies throughout the Bay Area, including San Francisco Opera Chorus, Lamplighters Music Theatre, San Francisco Renaissance Voices, Lyric Theatre of San Jose, 42nd Street Moon, and Opera San Jose. Recent oratorio and concert performances include Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, and Danny Elfman's Serenada Schizophrana. Lisa teaches on the music staff of the Lamplighters' Gilbert & Sullivan Summer Camp at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is also co-music director and soprano soloist at Saint Thomas' Anglican Church in San Francisco and holds a master’s degree in voice and opera from Northwestern University. Katherine McKee, alto See bio above |
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Kaneez Munjee, soprano
Ms. Munjee is the founder and music director of the Baroque chamber ensemble Briarbird, which focuses on the vast repertoire of non-operatic music written in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries for one, two, or three voices with instrumental accompaniment. An active choral singer as well, she has sung with the American Bach Choir, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Marin Symphony Chorus, California Bach Society, Chalice Consort, San Francisco Renaissance Voices, Pacific Collegium, and many other San Francisco Bay Area groups, and for several years was the soprano soloist and assistant conductor at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park. She recently completed a joint Ph.D. in music and humanities from Stanford University with a dissertation on the figure of Orpheus in French Baroque cantatas, and is active in the Bay Area musical community as a writer for San Francisco Classical Voice and as a program annotator. Currently, she is also the Managing Director of the Young Women's Choral Projects. |
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Jeff Phillips, bass/baritone
Mr. Phillips began an early singing career, ranking among the top four middle school cambiata tenors in western Tennessee; in Memphis he also made memorable contributions in guitar choir (and if you’ve never heard 40 middle schoolers play “Proud Mary” on guitar, count yourself lucky). He gratefully relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he sang with the Oakland Youth Chorus, the U.C. Berkeley Chamber Chorus, Baroque Arts Ensemble, Sacred & Profane, San Francisco Choral Artists, Chalice Consort, and Euouae, prior to joining San Francisco Renaissance Voices. Mr. Phillips received a B.A. in Music from U.C. Berkeley, and an M.F.A. in Vocal Performance and Literature from Mills College. He enjoys spending his moments of free time with his family of eight females (two young daughters, cats, chickens, and his wife Katie). |
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Diana Pray, soprano
Specializing in early, baroque and modern music, Miss Pray cantors at St. Ignatius Church (San Francisco) and makes her recital and professional choral career with groups that include American Bach Soloists, San Francisco Renaissance Voices and sfSound. Miss Pray recently debuted with the Redwood Symphony in Steve Reich’s Tehillim, and charmed Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra audiences as the soprano Angel in Schütz’s Weihnachtshistorie. Highlights of her Bay Area leading operatic roles are Handel’s Bellezza and Atalanta, Purcell’s Cupid, and Menotti’s Lucy. On the grand stage, those with keen eyes have enjoyed her portrayals of various peasants in the San Francisco Opera Chorus. A feature of many of San Francisco’s special events, Miss Pray has brought classical song to audiences at the York Hotel Plush Room, the Julia Morgan Ballroom, and the Asian Art Museum. In 2009 she delved into her Hungarian heritage musically, joining the concerts of musicians, instruments makers, and ethnomusicologists Ferenc Tobák and Lilla Serlegi. |
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Leandra Ramm, mezzo-soprano
Ms. Ramm has performed in numerous opera, theater, and concert venues throughout the world including as a lead vocalist with Celebrity Cruises; her singing has been described as “beautiful and quite moving” (Nordstjernan Newspaper). Ms. Ramm is currently a professional member of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and also sings with other top Bay Area ensembles such as American Bach Soloists, Cappella SF, and Volti and opera companies such as Opera San Jose and West Edge Opera. She recently had the honor of performing solo works at the Norwegian Consulate as well as at the Swedish National Day Celebration at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. After training at the Manhattan School of Music, Ms. Ramm completed apprenticeship programs with numerous opera companies throughout the nation. In addition to her stage work, Ms. Ramm has released many albums, available on itunes and CD Baby. For more information, please visit www.LeandraRamm.com. |
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Maura Sipila, alto
A Bay Area native who grew up singing with the San Francisco Girls Chorus, she has performed with Ars Cantus, the California Bach Society, Bay Area Classical Harmonies, the Josquin Singers, the San Francisco Lyric Opera, and the Christmas Revels and their Revels Solstice Ensemble in addition to San Francisco Renaissance Voices and many other groups. She has served as the director for the Blue Fire Choir and also performs theater and comedy and is a frequent co-host of Bad Movie Night at the Dark Room. Currently, she is also the alto section leader/soloist for St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley. |
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Colby Smith, soprano
Ms. Smith, is a recent graduate of Westminster Choir College where she had the privilege of performing in world renowned music halls such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Kimmel Center and NJPAC under the batons of Joseph Flummerfelt, David Robertson, Kurt Masur, Christoph Eschenbach, and Bernard Labadie. In these performances Ms. Smith collaborated with the New York Philharmonic, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Smith participated in the select ensembles Westminster Choir and Kantorei under the direction of Joe Miller and Andrew Megill and through Westminster Choir, she performed in the Spoleto Festival, where she took part in the chorus of contemporary opera Amistad, composed by Anthony Davis and conducted by Emmanuel Villaume. |
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Joey Valkevich, bass
A native of Lafayette, CA, Mr. Valkevich graduated in 2011 with a degree in finance and a minor in jazz trumpet from Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA). He has sung with the Gonzaga University Choir and Chamber Choir Singers, Spokane Opera (Tosca '08 and The Magic Flute '09) and was the bass soloist for Mozart's Requiem with the Spokane Symphony. Most recently he sang for three seasons with the San Francisco Choral Artists and is the bass section leader for St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley (CA). |
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Helene Zindarsian, soprano
A native San Franciscan, Helene Zindarsian made her professional debut as the soprano soloist in Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the San Francisco Ballet Company after being “discovered” in Italy during an impromptu performance in a Sienese palazzo. A frequent soloist with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Helene has been featured in Campra’s Requiem, Purcell’s Birthday Ode to Queen Mary, Rameau’s Grand Motet, Handel’s Samson, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Rosenmüller’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Purcell’s Dioclesian. Other recent highlights include the Marin Symphony where she appeared in Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem, Mozart’s Requiem, and is a much loved regular in the popular annual Candlelight Christmas concert series. Helene also performs with many other premier Bay Area ensembles including American Bach Soloists, Mark Morris Dance Group, Sanford Dole Ensemble, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, San Francisco Opera Chorus, and the Carmel Bach Festival Chorale. Helene is also becoming a favorite with audiences in Chicago, where she performed Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été with the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra, a group with whom she earned acclaim for her interpretation of Strauss’s Four Last Songs on a prior tour. Following these performances, Helene received a grant to produce her third solo album, “Janabar”, a collection of Armenian liturgical hymns. The project received its international debut earlier this year in a concert presented by Laudamo Filarmonica in Messina, Italy. Visit: www.zindarsian.com |