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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. Jonathan has enjoyed living in Colorado since 1990. He is the Artistic Director and Conductor of Canto Deo, a choir devoted to singing sacred choral music. As a winemaker, he spends time fine-tuning his vinification techniques and providing wine grapes from California to winemakers on the Front Range. He and his wife recently have established “Constance Cellars” a winery that will be specializing in Reds and Rhones - varieties from the family vineyard in California. He holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Music from the University of Southern California. 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 Concordia Publishing House, Delos, and Note-Able Impressions, and have been performed all over the United States, 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, where she consequently sang four concerts. 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. Jen received her B.A. in psychology with a minor in music from the College of William and Mary, and her M.A. in counseling psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver. She has been a chorister since the age of 8, having sung continuously in a variety of Episcopal church choirs and in St. Martin's Chamber Choir since its inception. Jen retired from counseling to raise her three young sons and now works part-time as an independent consultant for the Pampered Chef. 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 for more than ten years at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Denver. He is a frequent performer with the early music ensemble Diverse Passions, and has appeared with the Colorado Music Festival. Brock has been a member of St. Martin's Chamber Choir since 1996, and is now the choir's Executive Director. Dr. Frank F. Eychaner ABD has been the Director of Choral Studies and Music Education Specialist at Colorado Christian University since 2006. He completed his BA in Music Education and the MA in Choral Conducting at Central Washington University. He is completing his dissertation from the University of Kentucky. Before coming to Colorado, Eychaner taught High School in Meridian, and Jr. College in Oregon. Frank has published original music, many articles on vocal jazz techniques, and regularly presents clinics and workshops. A past member of Male Ensemble Northwest, Eychaner enjoys performing musical theatre, vocal jazz and leading worship. 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. 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 University Chorale and Chamber Singers, was cast in principal roles in operas and musicals, and occasionally returns to sing with the Lamont Festival Chorus and the Alumni Choir. She has sung in the choruses of 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. Tom is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.A. in English) and the University of Michigan (J.D.). During college, he sang and toured with the Men’s Glee Club, serving as the group’s president during his senior year. Following law school, Tom moved to Denver where he sang with the choir at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral for eight years. Tom is a commercial lawyer and a founding member of St. Martin’s Chamber Choir. A graduate of Michigan State University and Miami (Ohio) University, MB is on the faculty at Metropolitan State College of Denver, where she directs the Women's Choir, teaches voice, and music directs theatre productions. MB has been a member of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and the Ars Nova Singers, and has been with St. Martin's 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 helped establish a 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. Julia also speaks Portuguese and Japanese and has lived in Tokyo, Japan. An ardent fan of Brazilian and Latin music, Julia enjoys singing and playing the guitar during her free time. When not practicing or performing, Julia works as a Spanish teacher, as a volunteer reader for the Radio Reading Service of the Rockies, and as the mother of two. 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, Musikantem under Kerry Krebill, and the Ars Nova Singers. He currently lives in Boulder, works as an academic advisor, and teaches contra dancing. 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 is new to Colorado, having spent the past six years in Kansas City, Missouri. In Kansas City Raymond sang with the internationally acclaimed Kansas City Chorale under director Charles Bruffy. Additionally, 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 this past June. Raymond holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance. Raymond lives in Denver with his wife Holly and six children Molly, Abigail, Lucas, Margaret, Ruth and David. Sarah Louise Pieplow was proudly raised in South Dakota and studied multifarious subjects with abnormal earnestness at Middlebury College in Vermont, including voice, chamber composition, ethnomusicology, French, creative writing, and postcolonial and world literature. Sarah has led middle and high school choirs in South Dakota and Colorado. She is a poet, songwriter and composer, and is happy to be making her debut with St. Martin's in their fall concert 2008. Danielle recently received her BM in vocal performance from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, where she was cast as Gianetta in L'elisir d'Amore, and held roles in La Boheme, La Nozze di Figaro, and others. In addition to her classical repetoire, she performed in jazz and commercial music combos and was a member of the Lamont Chorale. Over the summer she performed as a soloist and chorus member in the Central City Opera premiere of the Chinese opera Poet Li Bai. She currently teaches music and thoroughly enjoys this opportunity to perform with the St. Martin's Chamber Choir. 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. Jill received her BA in Music with an emphasis in Horn Performance from Colorado Christian University. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree in both Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance at the University of Denver. Along with the honor of being the Mark Sheldon Conducting Intern, Jill is the Assistant Conductor of DU's Lamont Chorale, Interim Director of the Douglas County Children's Chorus, Orchestra Coach at Foothills Bible Church, and a member of Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra. 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 received a BA in Music from Yale University and is currently working on a MS in Physiology. During her time 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 and is currently a staff singer at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Off the musical stage, Allison is the founder and lead exercise physiologist with The Athletic Edge in Boulder. Donna Wickham holds a BM in vocal performance and an MM in conducting from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. A St. Martin’s member since 1996, Donna also sings with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and is the music director at Christ Episcopal Church in Denver. Donna is also an active jazz performer, composer and arranger, as well as a private studio teacher. She is the vocal jazz instructor at the Lamont School of Music and teaches music history courses for Colorado Community Colleges Online.
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