Dr. GABRIELLE GAUDREAULT, alto
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Gabrielle Gaudreault is a conductor, pedagogue and collaborative pianist. Passionate about contemporary music, collaborating with composers, and innovative concert programming, she currently sings and conducts with Artifice Ensemble, a new-music choir based in Washington D.C. She recently served as the assistant conductor to Kent Nagano at the Staatsoper Hamburg. In Spring 2020, Gabrielle completed her Doctorate in Choral Conducting at McGill University, where her research thesis focused on the analysis of late-20th-century choral works by Québécois composers. She also holds a double Masters Degree in Music Theory and Choral Conducting from Indiana University, where she also worked as Associate Instructor of Aural Skills. Gabrielle is an experienced pedagogue in choral music, piano, ear training and music theory. She has taught privately and in schools, from elementary to college levels. Gabrielle is the co-founder of CG Music Academy, where she teaches private piano and voice lessons. She has previously served as Artistic Director of the South Shore Children’s Chorus and The Carousellers community choir, Co-Director of McGill’s University Chorus, and frequent Guest Conductor of the Saint-Saint-Lambert Choral Society and Les Muses Chorale in Montreal. Gabrielle previously earned a bachelor’s of music in piano and has worked as a collaborative pianist for the past 15 years, playing for a wide range of performers and ensembles, including vocal and instrumental solo recitals, professional opera companies, and many choral organizations.
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SARAH LABRIE, alto
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Boston-based conductor and music educator, Sarah Labrie, serves as the Artistic Director of Vellichor (Professional Vocal Ensemble), the Artistic Director of Quincy Choral Society, and as a Director of Choirs at Stoughton High School in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
Outside of conducting and teaching, she actively sings with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Boston Symphony Orchestra, Viatores Mundi (Croatia), Sarteano Musica Sacra Choir (Italy), Vox Futura (Professional Recording Studio Choir), Labyrinth Choir, and in other various choral performances throughout New England and Europe. She has also sung professionally in choirs with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and has been a soloist with the Farmington Valley Symphony and the Pioneer Valley Symphony. She also is a lead singer for The Boston Rock and Soul Revue, and regularly cantors at St. Leonard's of Port Maurice in the North End, Boston's oldest church built by Italian immigrants. Sarah graduated Summa Cum Laude from Westminster Choir College in 2014 with a B.M. in Music Education, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Messiah University in 2021 with an M.M. and C.A.G.S. in Choral Conducting. She has had the pleasure of studying conducting and rehearsal technique with Simon Carrington, Dr. Joe Miller, Dr. Amanda Quist, Tom Shelton, Dr. Joy Meade, and Dr. Rachel Cornacchio. She studied voice with Dr. Rochelle Ellis. Sarah is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the Massachusetts Music Educator Association (MMEA), the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association (MICCA), and the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME.) |
RYAN DOYLE, tenor
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Ryan Doyle's pedagogical interests lie at the intersection between cultural music and choral singing. His recently defended thesis Beyond ‘Multicultural’: Approaching Culturally Responsible Performance of Music of Other Cultures explores the use of choral music as a medium to deliver cross-cultural education to students, singers, and audiences. Ryan's conducting collaborations include the Varna International Music Academy, the Delaware Choral Academy, University of Delaware Opera Theater, conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, and with the Vermont Chamber Artists.
Ryan is a M.Mus. Choral Conducting student at McGill University's Schulich School of Music under the instruction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Delaware under instruction from Paul Head, Duane Cottrell, Sunmin Yoon, and more. |
HENRY BRANSON, tenor
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Henry Branson is a singer, conductor, and pedagogue based in the Carolinas. He began his musical training at the age of nine as a treble chorister in the North Carolina Boys Choir and has been singing ever since. Henry received his BM in Music Education from Furman University and his MM in Choral Conducting from East Carolina University.
During his time at Furman, he directed The Twelve Peers, a student-led ensemble dedicated to the performance of early and contemporary choral music. While at the helm of the Peers, he initiated a relationship with the composition department, resulting in multiple commissions of Furman composition students annually. In addition to being the student conductor for the Furman Singers, Chamber Choir, and University Chorale, he was also the Herring Music Intern at First Baptist Church Greenville. While at ECU, he served as a graduate teaching assistant in the School of Music and as Assistant Conductor of the Greenville Choral Society. His master’s project consisted of editing and conducting Charpentier’s Messe pour les trépassés with a period orchestra. In August 2018 and 2019, he was a conducting fellow under Simon Carrington at the Yale School of Music Norfolk Choral Workshop. Henry is especially interested in early music. He has completed numerous editions of polyphonic music including Dunstable, Ockeghem, Gombert, Tallis, Sheppard, Victoria, Couperin, and others. His most recent edition, the Michel-Richard deLalande grand motet, Quemadmodum desiderat fontes, received a performance (likely the first since the early eighteenth century) at the Chorworks Young Artists Summer Course in 2019 – a program which he coordinated alongside Duke Chapel Music’s Philip Cave. Henry currently holds the position of Director of Music & Arts at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Durham, NC. He also serves as a Staff Singer at Duke Chapel, where he sings in two choirs and performs in the popular Bach Cantata Series. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, running, and watching sports (especially baseball and college basketball – go Tar Heels!). Henry is the proud dad of Mack, a 1-year old hound/shepherd rescue. |
GRAEME LINTON, tenor
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Graeme Linton is a tenor from Terrace British Columbia. He has a Graduate Diploma and a Bachelors of Music in Voice and Opera from McGill University. Throughout his time at McGill, he performed in choruses, operatic productions, and solo recital works. Through his classes and teachings he developed a keen interest in art song repertoire, and romantic opera. He loves the ability to tell stories through music, and collaborate with other musicians. He has recently performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s second symphony Resurrection, Opera Kelowna in Hector Berlioz’s Beatrice and Benedict, and the Bach Festival Montreal in Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium.
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CHRIS LAROSA, bass
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Christopher LaRosa composes acoustic, electronic, and mixed music that focuses on temporal perception, technology, and climate change. His music lies at an intersection of North American and European styles, exhibiting a fascination for texture and timbre while exploring resonance through an advanced harmonic palette.
LaRosa’s music has received performances throughout North America, Europe, and Asia by ensembles such as the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, United States Army Band, United States Marine Band, Artifice, Boston New Music Initiative, CEPROMUSIC, premier university ensembles, and by soloists such as pianist Thomas Weaver, percussionist Gregory LaRosa, and organist James Kibbie. LaRosa’s electronic music has received performances at the Society of Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, Seoul International Computer Music Festival, and Electronic Music Midwest. He has received commissions from the American Guild of Organists, Atlantic Coast Conference Band Directors Association, Georgina Joshi Foundation, and Hartford Symphony Orchestra. LaRosa holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area, where he serves as Staff Arranger for the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and is the co-founder and co-director of CG Music Academy. |
JUSTIN PARISH, bass
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Justin Parish is an American composer, baritone vocalist, and teacher located on Massachusetts' South Shore. His musical philosophy is rooted in the idea that humans can accomplish more when creating together. Having worked with dancers, poets, filmmakers, visual artists, and performers of several mediums, he values interdisciplinary collaboration, and believes artists of all types can support and encourage one another.
Justin received his BM in composition and voice from Indiana University. In addition to working as a soloist, he is a proud member of et al, (formerly The Brookline Consort) a collaborative, member-run chamber choir reaching audiences across eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Recently, Justin has enthusiastically joined the Vermont Chamber Artists, established by Jessie Pierpont. While a variety of interests take him down many vocational paths, (including real estate and mixology) Justin still strives to keep music alive in his life and the lives of others. In his search for connection with listeners and performers, he seeks to filter musical thought through human experience, and approaches composition and performance by exploring colorful and evocative topics and themes, whether in performance or on the page. |
JESSIE PIERPONT, soprano
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Jessica Pierpont joins McGill University as a doctoral candidate in choral conducting. Her research will focus on Ralph Vaughan William’s Dona Nobis Pacem, Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem as well as girls’ choir performance practice methods.
Jessica Pierpont is currently the conductor, artistic director and founder of the Vermont Chamber Artists and of the Vermont Girls Choir in Vermont started in 2016. She received her Master of Music degree in choral conducting at the University of Arizona and holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in piano from Castleton University. Jessica holds a position at McGill University, as a course instructor teaching choral conducting to undergraduate students. In addition, she currently hold a position as conductor and course lecturer teaching Chorale at Northern Vermont University. Jessica has attended and participated in many music workshops, including Oxford University Workshops, Westminster Choir College summer workshops, Yale University 21C, ACDA regional collegiate workshops, Beyond the Baton with Diane Wittry and was selected as a conducting fellow in the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival hosted by the Yale School of Music. Jessica's primary conducting instructor is Dr. Jean- Sébastien Vallée with previous instruction from Dr. Bruce Chamberlain, Dr. Elizabeth Schauer and Dr. Sherrill Blodget, James Jordan, Gary Graden, T.J. Harper and orchestral conducting with Hugh Keelan. |
PAULINA FRANSICO, soprano
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Paulina Francisco is a versatile singer and interpreter of early music, and scholar of historical performance practices. In the summer of 2022, she was a finalist in the Aria Borealis Bodø chamber music competition in Bodø, Norway, and presented a lecture recital on the music of Francesca Caccini at the International MedRen Conference in Uppsala, Sweden. She has also recently been named one of eight winners of the 11th edition of Le Jardin des Voix with Les Arts Florissants, and will join the ensemble for an international tour of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen in the 2023-2024 season. Paulina enjoys a varied performance career as a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed with early music ensembles throughout the U.S. and Canada, including Bach Akademie Charlotte, Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Bourbon Baroque, Alchymy Viols, and the Bloomington Bach Cantata Project. When not performing, Paulina enjoys cooking, running, traveling, and cuddling with her sweet doggo Juneau.
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ALLISON STEINMETZ, soprano
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Soprano Allison Steinmetz is an active performance artist, voice teacher, and arts administrator with 15+ years in the field. She performs in a range of styles from opera to musical theater and also as a concert soloist. She has sung across the US and Canada, and since relocating to Vermont has appeared with many of the state's most prominent ensembles. Allison also performs as a chorister with Counterpoint Chorus, Vermont's professional vocal ensemble. She has taught voice lessons and classes privately as well as at the university level at St. Michael's College and SUNY Plattsburgh, and she is currently an Affiliate Artist/Professor of Voice at The University of Vermont.
Allison has an affinity for new works and has premiered several roles including Nora (The Sailorboy and the Falcon) alongside Stephanie Blythe. Some additional favorite roles include Cunegonde (Candide), Lucy (The Telephone), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), YumYum (The Mikado), Luisa (The Fantasticks), Sarah (Guys & Dolls), and Kelly (Hands on a Hardbody.) Allison holds degrees in vocal performance and music business administration from The University of Montreal and The Crane School of Music. She is an administrator for the Opera Company of Middlebury, Vermont's only full-scale, professional-level opera company, specializing in creating grand opera in an intimate setting. She has worked formerly at organizations including the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, and the Sarasota Opera Association. Offstage, Allison is a proud wife and mama, and she lives with her sweet family in the Burlington area. |
PATRICIA NORTON, alto
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Patricia Norton, Middlebury College, B.A.
Patricia is a commissioned composer, conductor, and the founder of Juneberry Music Choral Singing School, now Juneberry at UVMC. She has studied with Alice Parker, Bobby McFerrin, Judi Vinar, Melinda O'Neal, and Jennifer Yocom. When recovering from a serious illness eight years ago, she asked herself, "What makes you come alive?" The answer was making music. |
LAURA ALBRECHT, soprano
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Laura Albrecht, a soprano from San Jose, California, is pursing a Master of Music in Choral Conducting at McGill University. She graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance in June 2022, where she conducted a lab choir and a handbell choir. She also attended Westminster Choir College for her first two years of her undergraduate degree. She’s performed in three different collegiate choirs, including the St. Olaf Choir, the Westminster Symphonic Choir, and an early music chamber ensemble, Westminster Kantorei. She’s performed two solo recitals featuring the music of Bach, Poulenc, Rebecca Clarke, Duparc, Britten, Schoenberg, and more. She conducts and sings at Cathédrale Christ Church Montréal, is a teaching assistant for the Schulich Singers at McGill, and works with Choeur Maha, an all-women and non-binary treble choir, in the Plateau. She looks forward to singing with the Vermont Chamber singers over the next few years.
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KEVIN QUIGLEY, bass
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For as long as he can remember, Kevin Quigley has always been making some kind of art. From painting to performing to composing to producing experimental theater and dance, Kevin has been involved in the arts for nearly 40 years. In addition to directing the Thetford Chamber Singers, Kevin sings with Counterpoint (Vermont's stand-alone professional chorus), is an arts teacher at several Upper Valley institutions, and composes for both choral and instrumental ensembles. He also maintains practices as a graphic designer and Tarot counselor and is always looking for new projects and opportunities to collaborate with other artists.
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REBECCA WOOD, soprano
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Musician and educator Rebecca Wood studied both voice and classical saxophone for her Bachelor's of Science in Music Education from the University of Vermont, and recently completed her Kodály certification at the Hartt School of Music. Rebecca has traveled and performed around Europe with Bella Voce Women's Chorus of Vermont and Cantiamo in the soprano section. Active in her community, she directs community and church choirs in her hometown of Hartland, Vermont, where she also serves on the board of Hartland Community Arts. In addition to singing with Vermont Chamber Artists, Rebecca sings with Bel Canto, and plays saxophone in the Vermont Wind Ensemble.
Rebecca is currently working in Special Education at Hartland Elementary School in Hartland, Vermont after three years of teaching music. She looks forward to returning to teaching music in the future. When not happily immersed in something musical, Rebecca enjoys coffee, reading, crocheting, and practicing photography. |
REBECCA VICKERY, alto
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Rebecca Vickery is a born music lover, heavily involved in band, orchestra and chorus from age 8. She attended college at SUNY Plattsburgh where she was involved with Chorus, Madrigal singers, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo and a number of independent groups. Her instruments include soprano saxophone, guitar, and piano. Presently, she is serving as interim worship leader at North Avenue Alliance Church. She is married and has four beautiful children, all of whom she teaches at home. Although her life is at times stressful and busy, a common theme has always been, “How can I keep from singing?”
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DORIAN DE LUCA, bass
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De Luca is a well sought after choral bass, bass soloist, pianist, composer and music pedagogue. He has sung with the Ontario Youth Choir, Ewashko Singers, Festival Chorus Singers (NAC), the Choir of the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul (Montréal), McGill University’s Newman Chapel Choir, the Choir of Knox Presbyterian Church (Ottawa), Capital Chamber Choir (Ottawa) and has performed with OperOttawa’s company.
As a collaborative pianist and coach, De Luca has worked with young singers and instrumentalists across Eastern Canada and Europe in such institutions as Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and the Breno Italy International Music Academy (BIIMA). De Luca’s solo piano performances have been described as some “of the top five performances I have ever experienced” and “in a word...impeccable” (一 The Orléans Star). He has competed in the Canadian Music Competition and won the silver medal in piano at the Ontario Music Festival in 2011. De Luca is currently director of music at Wesley United Church (Montréal) and is founder of his own creative teaching studio, Dorian’s Piano Studio. De Luca holds a Master of Music (M.Mus) degree in piano interpretation from the University of Montréal where he studied under Jimmy Brière. |
HENRY DANAHER
BassHenry Danaher is the Choir Director and Organist at First Congregational Church in Lebanon, and the Choral Accompanist at Hanover High School. He has collaborated as a pianist or keyboardist with many of the Upper Valley's performing arts organizations, assisting with rehearsals, masterclasses, recordings, auditions, choral music and recitals; he performs year-round for weddings, religious services, parties, fundraisers and concerts. While not working as a musician, Henry enjoys drawing and studying foreign languages. He lives in Lebanon, NH with his son Finn.
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