Staff
Grant Johnson
- Executive Director
Minnesota native, Grant Johnson, joined St. Martin’s Chamber Choir in 2022 as Executive Director. He is also Executive Director of the Bach Society of Minnesota. An active musician, Grant is a professional violinist and orchestra librarian. He was previously a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for three years. Prior to that, Grant spent two years with the Phoenix Symphony. He has also held library positions with the Minnesota Bach Ensemble, Aspen Music Festival, and was Interim Executive Director with the Reading Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania. Grant has worked in various capacities with many of the top orchestras in the country including the Atlanta Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Grant Johnson’s musical career began at an early age, starting violin at age four, piano at six, and organ in college. At age ten he became a member of the renowned Minnesota Boychoir, and with them toured and recorded extensively. As a violinist Grant has played with many orchestras around the country and was concertmaster for multiple orchestras while in school at the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado and plays regularly with many other Colorado ensembles including the Boulder Philharmonic, Fort Collins Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic, Seicento Baroque, and frequently serves as guest concertmaster with the Boulder Symphony. With a passion for early music and historically informed performances, Grant specializes in baroque organ music and has appeared as a featured performer for the American Guild of Organists.
An avid supporter of the arts, Grant was Vice President of the Young Musicians of Minnesota, an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting classical music for young musicians. With them, he has been published and featured as a guest on Minnesota Public Radio.
In his free time, Grant likes to stay active and enjoy the outdoors. His hobbies include rock climbing, Nordic skiing, trail running, cycling, tennis, and birding. He also likes to cook, travel, and attempting to golf.
Isaac Kay
- Development Manager
A native of Cleveland, Isaac is a violinist that enjoys a varied career as a performer and educator. A member of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Isaac has performed with the Santa Barbara Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Boulder Philharmonic, and as guest concertmaster for the Santa Barbara Master Chorale, and Longmont Symphony Orchestra. A Lincoln Center Stage Artist, he has performed on the open seas the world over, giving over 400 concerts with Holland America Cruise Line. As a soloist he has performed with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, Roanoque Baroque Ensemble, Westmont College Orchestra on their European Tour, and has performed chamber music alongside Augustin Hadelich, Simone Porter, Stephen Waarts, Robert Chen, Alex Kerr, and Elaine Douvas. He is Artist-Faculty at Westmont College, and is on faculty at Metropolitan State University-Denver. He is the host and executive producer for the upcoming docu-series, Travel Notes. He is thrilled to be with SMCC as the Development Manager and looks forward to finding new ways to bring audiences in contact with this extraordinary choir. Learn more about Isaac: www.isaacjeffreykay.com
Micaëla Larsen Brown
- Education Outreach Coordination
Micaëla Larsen Brown is a singer, substitute teacher, and seamstress in Denver. She has sung with St. Martin’s Chamber Choir since 2006, and still sees it as a high honor! Micaëla taught elementary music for almost 30 years and is committed to making classical music a key part of students’ music formation. She designed and developed the workshops that St. Martin’s has taken to schools throughout the greater Denver metro area and she enjoys being the moderator for most of those. Micaëla also sings both professionally and as a volunteer for multiple senior communities. She sees the need for as much in-person musical performances as possible in our senior communities. Her music education and her senior outreach experiences make her a logical person to lead the Education and Outreach endeavors of St. Martin’s Chamber Choir. She has enjoyed doing so since 2008.
Ashley Hoffman
- Graphic Designer
Ashley has been a graphic designer since earning her MFA from UCLA in 2005. She is a full-time instructor of animation at the University of Colorado Denver, where she teaches 2D and 3D animation. She has been a freelance web designer and graphic designer since arriving in Denver in 2010.
Ashley has been singing with St. Martin’s Chamber Choir since 2010, before which she sang in Los Angeles for 4 years. Ashley’s lifelong love of music includes playing the piano professionally, as well as dabbling in classical guitar and mandolin.
BOARD of DIRECTORS
Jay Mead – President
Terry Platz – Vice President
Shawn Nowlan – Treasurer
Jim Blum – Secretary
Joan Foster
Kristin Gornstein
Alan Gottlieb
Margie Holcomb
Ross Jacobsmeyer
Dennis Johnson
Joseph LaCava
Leslie LaCava
Cody Laun
Kevin Pettit
