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. |
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. |
JULIE BOWDREN, soprano
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MARIA LAMSON
AltoMaria Weber Lamson, mezzo-soprano, developed a love of choral music in high school (Alden, New York), and college choir (SUNY Geneseo Chamber Singers). Before moving to the Upper Valley she sang with the Norfolk Camerata in Virginia and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in Boston. She performs as a soloist and chorister with numerous groups around Vermont, most recently Counterpoint, Blanche Moyse Chorale, Randolph Singers, Sounding Joy!, North Country Chorus, and Opera North. Maria also enjoys vocal coaching for musical productions in the South Royalton School, and travels to Europe annually with high school students. She is a cantor at St. Denis Church in Hanover, NH. A retired librarian and mother of four, Maria lives in South Royalton with her husband Frank, and can often be found hiking, swimming, and loving four beautiful grandchildren.
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FRANNY EANET
AltoFranny Eanet has been singing in choruses large and small for 40 years. While in high school, she had the good fortune to tour England and Italy with the Phillips Academy Cantata Choir. In college, she toured Northern Europe with the Radcliffe Choral Society, competing at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales and the Koorfest in The Hague, Holland. Later, she sang with the San Francisco Choral Society, the Humboldt Chorale, and the Humboldt State University Madrigal Singers. Since moving to Vermont in 1997, she has sung with the Thetford Chamber Singers, Revels North, and Ensemble Zephyrus. When not singing, she may be found raising her teenage daughters with her partner in their off-grid solar straw bale home in Norwich, Vermont.
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SKIP POTTER
TenorSkip Potter has training and performance in both voice and theater. He often performs as a soloist for many choral groups in the area. Currently, Skip sings with the Mad River Choral, Solaris and Vermont Philharmonic Chorus. Recent vocal works include Vivaldi, Dietrich Buxtehude and Gounod. In the last
three years he has been on stage as Nanki Poo in the Mikado (Unadilla Theatre), Anas in Jesus Christ Super Star (Stowe Theatre Guild), Marco in the Gondoliers (Unadilla Theatre) Skip was on stage for 9 – 5 with (Lyric Theatre) and Cosi Fan Tutte (Echo Valley Community Arts) Skip is a former board member of the Burlington Choral Society and Mad River choral. Currently he is a Tenor section lead with the Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington and the Mad River Choral. His most recent role was as Archibald Grosvenor in Patience (Unadilla Theatre) Skip resides in Barre, VT and is the IT manager for R.L. Vallee, Inc. |
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PATRICIA NORTON
SopranoPatricia 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. |
EMMA AKRAWI
Soprano
Music has been a thread in Emma Akrawi's life since her first quarter-sized cello at the age of 7. She always loved singing, but it wasn't until college that she had the opportunity to perform with multiple ensembles spanning jazz, folk, and choral genres. As a soprano in Yale University's Whim'n Rhythm and Redhot & Blue a cappella groups, she travelled the world from Tokyo to Budapest. In college, she expanded into classical and choral music, performing in a baroque Italian opera and with multiple choirs, including the Yale Camerata. She is delighted to be joining the Vermont Chamber Artists while earning her JD at Vermont Law School. Singing and cooking are her greatest joys.
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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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KEVIN QUIGLEY
BaritoneFor 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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MEGAN HELM
AltoMegan Brown Helm (The University of Kansas, BME Music Education, BA History)
Megan Brown Helm grew up singing in St. Louis, Missouri, honed her skills in Kansas and now lives in Vermont with her husband and two teen aged sons. A compulsive chorister, she sings with Full Circle in Lyme, NH, Voices 21c in Boston and was recently awarded a week at the Berkshire Choral International Festival in Sheffield, MA this summer. As the K-3 music teacher at Crossroads Academy in NH her interests include integrating music into STEM subjects and using meditation to enhance meta-cognition in early learners. |
TOM NORTON
TenorTom Norton is a retired engineer and active musician, performing on both voice and clarinet. In addition to VCA, he sings with Full Circle and with Juneberry at UVMC. He has studied voice with Jennifer Yocom and Patricia Norton. On clarinet, he is a founding member of both the Sunflower Woodwind Quintet and the Euterpe Trio (violin, clarinet, piano). He has also performed as an instrumental accompanist for singers with Full Circle, Thetford Chamber Singers, North Country Community Theater, and Thetford Academy musical theater productions. Tom holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University. He is also an amateur naturalist, land steward, gardener and astronomer.
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REBECCA WOOD
Soprano"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." |
AMBER WIDMAYER
AltoAmber has had the opportunity to sing in many memorable choral performances through the years, including performing at the Kennedy Center with the Montgomery County Youth Chorus, singing with Maryland’s All State Chorus in high school, performing in Germany, France and Switzerland with the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Camerata, and performing with Dave Brubeck and his quartet with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society. Still, her most treasured musical experience remains the summers she spent learning from and laughing with young musicians as the Intermediate Girls Waterfront Director at Interlochen Arts Camp. After a long hiatus from music while completing her graduate degrees in urban studies and land use planning, environmental law, and most recently, energy law at Vermont Law School, Amber is thrilled to return to performing with such a talented group of musicians.
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REBECCA CSUY
AltoRebecca Norton Csuy grew up singing with the Upper Valley Music Center and various school groups. She was part of the UVM Concert Choir when they performed "Carmina Burana" with David Neiweem and the Burlington Choral Society in 2012. She lives in Burlington with her husband Forrest and rescue cat Nate. For her day job, she writes data analytics software at Dealer.com. She is excited to get back into music and would like to point out to her brother Seth that if he joined VCA, the Norton family would nearly have a majority in the group...
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REBECCA VICKERY
AltoRebecca 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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KARL NADEN
BaritoneKarl Naden's earliest memory of being washed away by the joy and beauty of choral music was formed when he sang his first requiem (Fauré's) in high school. Since then he has performed 5 more requiems (by Mozart, Verdi, Brahms, du Caurroy, and Victoria). If only a film had been made out of his performance of Mozart's Requiem with the Pittsburgh Symphony, which included John Lithgow reading letters written by Mozart, Karl would have left computer science graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University with an Erdős/Bacon number. Beyond requiems, Karl has sung a wide range of accompanied and a cappella works with choirs across the country including the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Musica Sacra of Cambridge, MA where he served as bass section leader, and Vermont's Counterpoint Vocal Ensemble. By day, Karl works as a Healthcare IT consultant from his home in Vermont's Mad River Valley.
REBEKAH SCHWEITZER
SopranoRebekah Schweitzer was raised by two avid music-lovers. As a child, her bedtime ritual always culminated in a song sung by her mother. Rebekah began her study of music with the neighborhood piano teacher. She studied cello soon after and also sang in choirs. As an undergrad in Comparative Literature at Oberlin College, Rebekah studied voice at the Conservatory and participated in several ensembles as well. As a lyric soprano, she has participated in many prestigious summer programs, including Oberlin in Italy, SongFest, Opera North ad the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Rebekah is an assistant director for Clamare: The Early Music Singers of Dartmouth College. This is her first year singing with VCA.
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ANDY ROSS
TenorAndy Ross is a singer from Boulder, Colorado who holds a B.A. in Music from Emory University with a focus in Vocal Performance. He currently sings with Counterpoint Chorus and the Vermont Chamber Artists, and works as a software developer in Montpelier, VT.
LEAH ROMANO
AltoLeah Romano also sings with the Thetford Chamber Singers in Vermont. Music has been a part of much of her life and has inspired a love exploring art and all forms of expression. Originally from Philadelphia and now in Norwich, VT, as a young adult she sang in school and community choirs, played the violin, won poetry and spoken word competitions, created soundtracks for films and plays, and danced. As a director, producer, performer, she creates her own work and is an ensemble member of a variety of local theater and performing arts groups.
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