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About the Singers Robert Avrett received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Angelo State University in Texas, and then attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he received his Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance. Additional training included apprenticeships with Chautauqua Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and twice being chosen as a Tanglewood Fellow. He was Adjunct Instructor of Voice and Music History at the College of Mount St. Joseph and also Adjunct Instructor of Voice and Director of Opera at the University of Dayton. Mr. Avrett has sung more than 30 principal roles in opera, and performs regularly as a soloist in oratorio and choral concerts around Denver. M. Susan Brown earned music degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Yale University. She has sung with St. Martin’s Chamber Choir since 1996, as well as having performed with Ars Nova, St. John’s Cathedral, the Peak Arts Chorus, and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Her interests include composing, languages, and reading. Her compositions have been published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Delos, and Note-Able Impressions, and have been performed all over the United States, and in Portugal, Australia, Costa Rica, and the Virgin Islands. Micaëla Larsen Brown is an elementary music teacher who grew up singing…in India and then Denver and Brighton, Colorado. She graduated from Univ. of Sioux Falls with degrees in Music and Speech & Theater, and then lived in Normandy, France for two years. She has sung with St. John’s Cathedral choir, the Colorado Chorale, and served as staff singer at Central Presbyterian Church for 15 years. These days, when not teaching, Micaëla volunteers as a music therapist, singing for nursing home and hospice patients. John David attended Northeast Louisiana University studying Early Childhood Education and Psychology. He moved to Colorado in 1994 after working eight summers at a summer camp West of Boulder. He worked at Boulder Montessori School for four years and went through Montessori training during his fourth year. After teaching for seven years at Fairview Montessori, John David is currently on the staff of Blue Mountain Montessori in Erie. Meg Dudley just received her Bachelor in Vocal Performance from the University of Denver this spring and will be moving to New York to pursue graduate studies at Mannes New School of Music in the fall, where she will be studying with Bonnie Hamilton. Meg just performed the role of Pamina in the Magic Flute and soprano solos in Mendelssohn's Elijah this spring at the University of Denver. In addition to performing, Meg is an avid painter. Brock received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Kent State University, and studied music composition at Denver University's Lamont School of Music. Brock worked for too many years in the computer industry before moving to the nonprofit world. He has been a staff singer at Washington Park United Methodist Church, University Park United Methodist, and currently at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. He is a frequent performer with the early music ensemble Diverse Passions, and has appeared with the Colorado Music Festival and The Playground, a contemporary music group. Brock has been a member of St. Martin's Chamber Choir since 1996, and in 2004 became the choir's Executive Director. JoAnn holds a B.M. in piano from St. Olaf College and an M.A. in piano/choral conducting from the University of Denver. She currently is the Music Director at University Park Methodist Church, choral accompanist at DU, studio teacher and mom of three busy kids. She joined St. Martin’s in the spring of 1996. Rebecca started playing violin at age 3, piano at 7, flute and piccolo in 5th grade, and voice study at 15. Her senior year in high school was spent at Interlochen Arts Academy majoring in vocal performance. During her time at Oberlin College as a biology major, Rebecca sang with the Oberlin College Choir, which performed with the Cleveland Orchestra. In Ann Arbor, MI, she was a first soprano with Vocal Arts Ensemble and sang several solos. Last year for the 25th anniversary of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra Chorus, she was selected to sing with a small chamber group which performed Britten's Choral Dances from "Gloriana". In the fall of 2009, Leila Heil joined the music faculty at Colorado State University as Assistant Professor of Music Education. Prior to this appointment, she served in the same capacity at The Ohio State University. A former high school choral director, Leila has been active as a clinician, adjudicator and conductor for many years. She holds a B.M from Colorado State University, a M.M in choral conducting from Arizona State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Cynthia Henning received her BM in Vocal Performance from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, where she was a member of the Lamont Chorale and Chamber Singers, was cast in principal roles in operas and musicals, and regularly returns to sing with The Evans Choir, a chamber choir of select students and alumni, combined with professional calibre singers from the community. She has sung in the choruses of the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, the UNC Summer Choralfest, the Colorado Music Festival, and the Central City Opera, and has been a staff singer and soloist in several church choirs in the Denver area, including St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Holy Ghost Catholic Church, University Park United Methodist Church, and, currently, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Cindy is employed as a legal administrative assistant at Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz. A graduate of Michigan State University and Miami (Ohio) University, MB is the Acting Director of Choral Activities at Metropolitan State College of Denver, where she directs choral ensembles, teaches conducting, and music directs theatre productions. As a board member of the Colorado chapter of American Choral Directors Association, MB is the editor of a semi-annual newsletter for choral conductors across the state, and regularly presents sessions for music educators at the CoACDA Summer Workshop. MB has been a member of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and the Ars Nova Singers, and has sung with St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Choir and St. Martin's Chamber Choir since 1997. Tim Krueger, Artistic Director and Conductor Susan earned her Bachelor of Music degree at Central Washington University, and subsequently studied vocal technique at the University of Colorado. She has sung with the Opera Colorado chorus, the Seattle Opera Chorus, the Renaissance Festival's Madrigal Quartet, and the early music ensemble Diverse Passions. Sue is an audio editor for Talking Book Publishers, Inc., a non-profit studio that records books for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. A South Dakota native, Chris Maunu holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska and a Bachelor of Music Education from Northern State University. Chris's performing credits include
Central City Opera, Loveland Opera Theatre, Opera Omaha, Augustana Vocal Ensemble (AVE), TADA Productions, The Abendmusik Concert
Series, and soloist with England's Swingle Singers. Chris has performed 17 principal stage roles, was a 1st place winner at the 2003 NDNATS voice auditions, and has appeared as a recitalist all along the front range. He has served on the voice faculty at Doane College and Peru State College, and is currently the Director of Choral Activities at Arvada West High School. Mr. Maunu has a private voice studio and is a staff singer at Augustana Lutheran Church. Julia obtained her B.A. in Spanish from Brigham Young University, where she sang in the Women's Choir and was a founding member of the vocal jazz program. Julia has sung with the church choirs of St. Andrew's Episcopal and Holy Ghost Roman Catholic churches, as well as the Colorado Chorale and Kantorei. When not practicing or performing, Julia works as a Spanish and Japanese teacher, and as the mother of two. In her ‘spare’ time, Julia recently earned a Master’s degree, specializing in Integrating Technology in the Classroom. Devin, a native of Minneapolis, has been singing all his life, most notably with the Plymouth Music Series under Phillip Brunelle, the Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble, Musikanten under Kerry Krebill, and the Ars Nova Singers. He joined SMCC in 2001, after earning an MA in Political Science at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He currently lives in Boulder, works as an academic advisor, and is learning Zimbabwean marimba. Laura Nordson graduated from the University of Denver with a BM in vocal music performance. Now living in Boulder, she teaches classes for Music Together (an early childhood music program) and directs the 5th-8th grade choirs at Shepherd Valley Waldorf School. She also performs regularly in local theater productions. Raymond holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Benedictine College and a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from Arizona State University. This is Raymond's third season with St. Martin's Choir. He also a staff singer at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Denver. Prior to moving to Colorado, Raymond lived in Kansas City where he sang with the internationally acclaimed Kansas City Chorale under the direction of Charles Bruffy. Raymond performed as a soloist with several groups including the Kansas City Symphony and the Liberty Symphony. Raymond also served as a Director for Music and Liturgy for Our Lady of the Presentation Church and director and co-founder of the Lee’s Summit Chorale who were invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in June 2007. Raymond lives in Denver with his wife Holly and six children Molly, Abigail, Lucas, Margaret, Ruth and David. Nathan is currently the Director of Choirs at Bear Creek High School in Lakewood and serves on the Colorado All-State Choir governing board. He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota and his Masters of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Colorado State University. While at CSU, he directed the University Chorus for two years and sang with the United Methodist Church choir in Fort Collins. In addition to singing with St. Martins, Nathan is a member of the Colorado Conductor's Chorus. Erica received her BA in Music from the University of Colorado and is completing her Masters of Music at Eastern Michigan University. Currently she is the Academic Technologist for the CU College of Music, helping music faculty integrate pedagogical uses of technology into their teaching and creative works. She was a professional choral singer in Ann Arbor, Michigan for over a decade - doing both solo and ensemble work around the world with numerous choirs and orchestras. Erica is presently an active member of the Nederland Community Presbyterian Church choir, where she sings, accompanies, and conducts as needed. Ben Riggs is the Director of Worship & Program Ministries at Christ Church United Methodist in Denver, and is the Artistic Director of the Denver Gay Men's Chorus. Ben previously served as an adjunct faculty member at Denver's Iliff School of Theology, where he directed the Iliff Choir. Ben received a B.M. in piano from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, and an M.M. in choral conducting from the University of Colorado. At present, he is completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Literature and Performance at the University of Colorado. Ben has been a member of St. Martin's Chamber Choir since 2003. Terry Schlenker studied music composition at the University of North Dakota and at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, from which he holds a Master of Art’s Degree in Composition. Terry’s choral compositions are widely performed, recorded, and published. His music has been featured on the National Public Radio programs of Sacred Classics and Classical Discoveries, as well as the Colorado Public Radio programs of Colorado Matters and Colorado Spotlight. His work has been performed at the National Conventions of Chorus America and ACDA (The American Choral Director’s Association), the International festival of GALA Choruses and the National Choral Festival. Terry works as a human embryologist and has been a member of St. Martin’s Chamber choir since 1997. Learn more about Terry at www.TerrySchlenker.com. Brian Stone received his BM in Voice Performance from the University of Puget Sound in 2008 and is currently pursuing his MM in Choral Conducting at the University of Colorado at Boulder. At the University of Colorado, Brian serves as the Assistant Conductor of both the Collegiate Chorale and the University Choir. He has been the Choir Director at Westminster United Methodist Church since 2008. Brian is an active member with the Colorado Conductors' Chorus and has served as the
organization's librarian for the past year. Brian has also enjoyed a solo career of recitals, and has played roles in Gilbert and Sullivan's
The Mikado (Pooh-Bah) and Kurt Weil's Threepenny Opera (Mack the Knife). Tom received his BM in Church Music from Rhodes College, and his Master of Divinity degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He also holds an MA in music education and choral conducting from the Lamont School of Music and a degree in School Counseling from the University of Colorado at Denver. Tom has been minister of music in numerous churches, and directed Douglas County middle school and high school choirs for many years. Allison Westfahl Wagner received a BA in Music from Yale University and a MS in Physiology from California University. While at Yale, she sang with the Yale Camerata, the Yale Recital Chorus, and toured nationally with the a cappella group Something Extra. Since moving to Colorado in 2001, she has sung with the Ars Nova Singers, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, the Colorado Summer Music Festival, and the UNC Summer Music Festival. Off the musical stage, Allison is the founder and lead exercise physiologist with The Athletic Edge in Boulder. She lives in downtown Denver with her husband, Brian. A St. Martin’s member since 1996, Donna Wickham holds a BM in vocal performance and an MM in conducting from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. She is the head of the Vocal Jazz program at the Lamont School of Music, teaches music history courses for Colorado Community Colleges Online, and is the music director at Christ Episcopal Church. Her diverse professional activities include work as a jazz composer, arranger and performer, conductor, keyboardist and electric bass player, in genres that range from early music to rock, jazz and avant-garde. Donna’s performance credits include work with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, The Playground, Colorado Music Festival, Santa Fe New Music, the Denver Concert Band, and the Colorado Art Rock Society. |
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