2017/2018 SINGERS
Please note that all singers do not sing all concerts.
KRISTIN BALL
ALTO
BM in Vocal Performance from Baylor University; MS in Arts Administration from Boston University.
Served as alto section leader and soloist at International Protestant Church in Zurich, Switzerland.
Has sung with the female ensemble Schwung (Zurich) and the Rocktown Consort (Harrisonburg, VA).
Currently a member of the choir, women's ensemble, and select ensemble Vox Caeli at Great Bridge United Methodist Church in Chesapeake.
Served as alto section leader and soloist at International Protestant Church in Zurich, Switzerland.
Has sung with the female ensemble Schwung (Zurich) and the Rocktown Consort (Harrisonburg, VA).
Currently a member of the choir, women's ensemble, and select ensemble Vox Caeli at Great Bridge United Methodist Church in Chesapeake.
CHRISTINA BARTHOLOMEW
SOPRANO
BA in Vocal Performance from East Carolina University; MME from Old Dominion University.
Choral experience includes the ODU Diehn Chorale and Madrigal Singers, the Virginia Symphony Chorus, the East Carolina University Chamber Singers, the Okinawa Ecumenical Chorale, and the Haebaru-kita Women's Ensemble.
Associate conductor for the Craven Community Chorus and rehearsal conductor for the Eastern Carolina Heritage Chorale (2014-15).
Recent solo engagements of note include Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Mrs. Gobineau (Menotti's The Medium), and Belinda (Purcell's Dido and Aeneas).
Choral experience includes the ODU Diehn Chorale and Madrigal Singers, the Virginia Symphony Chorus, the East Carolina University Chamber Singers, the Okinawa Ecumenical Chorale, and the Haebaru-kita Women's Ensemble.
Associate conductor for the Craven Community Chorus and rehearsal conductor for the Eastern Carolina Heritage Chorale (2014-15).
Recent solo engagements of note include Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Mrs. Gobineau (Menotti's The Medium), and Belinda (Purcell's Dido and Aeneas).
CHRISTOPHER BURNETTE
TENOR
BM in Vocal Performance from Lamar University.
Participated in the Chorale's Young Singers Project from 2006-07.
Finalist in the Greater Houston National Association of Teachers of Singing competition in 2011.
Chorister at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Norfolk.
Participated in the Chorale's Young Singers Project from 2006-07.
Finalist in the Greater Houston National Association of Teachers of Singing competition in 2011.
Chorister at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Norfolk.
JULIA COBERLY
ALTO
BS in Music Education from Baylor University; MS in Counseling Psychology from Kansas University.
Has sung with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the Cantata Chorus, the Norfolk Chamber Consort, the Camerata Choristers, and the Virginia Chorale.
Currently sings at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Norfolk, and is a school counselor in Chesapeake.
Has sung with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the Cantata Chorus, the Norfolk Chamber Consort, the Camerata Choristers, and the Virginia Chorale.
Currently sings at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Norfolk, and is a school counselor in Chesapeake.
SCOTT M. CRISSMAN
TENOR
BM in Vocal Performance from Christopher Newport University.
Awarded singing fellowships for the 2012 & 2014 Chamber Choir & Choral Conducting Workshops led by Simon Carrington as part of the Yale Summer School of Music / Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (Norfolk, CT).
Has sung with Virginia Opera, Opera Roanoke (where he made his professional operatic debut as Goro in Puccini's Madama Butterfly), and the Virginia Arts Festival's John Duffy Institute for New Opera (in workshops and the world premiere production of Kristin Kuster's KEPT: a ghost story).
Currently sings as a professional member of the music ministry at Christ & St. Luke's Church (Norfolk) and in the professional core of the Washington Master Chorale (Washington, D.C.), with the Church Circle Singers (Annapolis, MD), and with the Virginia Chorale (he is also the Chorale's Managing Director).
Awarded singing fellowships for the 2012 & 2014 Chamber Choir & Choral Conducting Workshops led by Simon Carrington as part of the Yale Summer School of Music / Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (Norfolk, CT).
Has sung with Virginia Opera, Opera Roanoke (where he made his professional operatic debut as Goro in Puccini's Madama Butterfly), and the Virginia Arts Festival's John Duffy Institute for New Opera (in workshops and the world premiere production of Kristin Kuster's KEPT: a ghost story).
Currently sings as a professional member of the music ministry at Christ & St. Luke's Church (Norfolk) and in the professional core of the Washington Master Chorale (Washington, D.C.), with the Church Circle Singers (Annapolis, MD), and with the Virginia Chorale (he is also the Chorale's Managing Director).
ANNA MAPLES DOMBO
SOPRANO
BM in Vocal Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University; MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Old Dominion University.
Has sung principal roles with Virginia Opera and Opera Theater VCU and was featured as a soloist on PBS.
Currently sings at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Petersburg, and works as a pediatric speech therapist in Richmond.
Has sung principal roles with Virginia Opera and Opera Theater VCU and was featured as a soloist on PBS.
Currently sings at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Petersburg, and works as a pediatric speech therapist in Richmond.
ANNA FEUCHT
SOPRANO
MM in Voice Performance from the University of Florida; BM in Voice Performance from Christopher Newport University.
Operatic roles include Laetitia (Menotti's Old Maid & the Thief), Madame Herz (Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor), Fiordiligi (Mozart's Così fan tutte), Pamina (Mozart's Die Zauberflöte), and Rosalinde (Strauss's Die Fledermaus).
Soloist work includes Handel's Messiah, Fauré's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Orff's Carmina Burana.
Program director and voice teacher at the Academy of Music; sings as a professional member of the music ministry at Christ & St. Luke's Church (Norfolk).
Operatic roles include Laetitia (Menotti's Old Maid & the Thief), Madame Herz (Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor), Fiordiligi (Mozart's Così fan tutte), Pamina (Mozart's Die Zauberflöte), and Rosalinde (Strauss's Die Fledermaus).
Soloist work includes Handel's Messiah, Fauré's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Orff's Carmina Burana.
Program director and voice teacher at the Academy of Music; sings as a professional member of the music ministry at Christ & St. Luke's Church (Norfolk).
KARI DEBLASIO GRIM
ALTO
BM in Choral Music Education from Christopher Newport University.
Resides in Roanoke, VA, where she teaches voice lessons and is a professional member of the music ministry at St. John's Episcopal Church.
Excited to participate in her fifth season with the Virginia Chorale.
Resides in Roanoke, VA, where she teaches voice lessons and is a professional member of the music ministry at St. John's Episcopal Church.
Excited to participate in her fifth season with the Virginia Chorale.
MAX HOLMAN
TENOR
MM in Choral Conducting from Yale University; BM in Music Education from Rutgers University.
Upper & Middle School Choral Teacher at Norfolk Collegiate School.
Artist-in-residence at the Ad Astra Music Festival.
Has conducted in collaboration with Coro Talía (Madrid, Spain), New Music New Haven, the Yale Glee Club, and the New Brunswick Chamber Choir (founder); has served as chorus master at the Castleton Festival (under Maestro Lorin Maazel) and Opera at Rutgers.
Previously accompanied ballet for American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School, New Haven Ballet, Lustig Dance Theatre, and Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Upper & Middle School Choral Teacher at Norfolk Collegiate School.
Artist-in-residence at the Ad Astra Music Festival.
Has conducted in collaboration with Coro Talía (Madrid, Spain), New Music New Haven, the Yale Glee Club, and the New Brunswick Chamber Choir (founder); has served as chorus master at the Castleton Festival (under Maestro Lorin Maazel) and Opera at Rutgers.
Previously accompanied ballet for American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School, New Haven Ballet, Lustig Dance Theatre, and Mason Gross School of the Arts.
JOHN IRVING
BASS
DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of North Texas; MM in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College of Rider University; BM in Music Education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Director of Choral Studies at Christopher Newport University.
Artistic Director of the Ad Astra Music Festival in Kansas.
Previously served as choral music teacher at Fordham High School for the Arts in New York City, founding choral workshop director of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute Count Me In program, and interim music director of the Denton Bach Society.
The New York Times praised his choirs in performance as "not just exuberant but polished and precise."
Director of Choral Studies at Christopher Newport University.
Artistic Director of the Ad Astra Music Festival in Kansas.
Previously served as choral music teacher at Fordham High School for the Arts in New York City, founding choral workshop director of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute Count Me In program, and interim music director of the Denton Bach Society.
The New York Times praised his choirs in performance as "not just exuberant but polished and precise."
BRIAN J. ISAAC
BASS
BS in English from the United States Naval Academy; BM in Music Education from Old Dominion University; MM in Music Education from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.
Serves as Artistic Director of the Alexandria Choral Society (Alexandria, VA) and as Artistic Director and founder of the Church Circle Singers (Annapolis, MD).
Formerly served as Assistant Conductor of the Washington Master Chorale (Washington, D.C.) and Director of Choirs at Damascus High School (Damascus, MD).
Serves as Artistic Director of the Alexandria Choral Society (Alexandria, VA) and as Artistic Director and founder of the Church Circle Singers (Annapolis, MD).
Formerly served as Assistant Conductor of the Washington Master Chorale (Washington, D.C.) and Director of Choirs at Damascus High School (Damascus, MD).
ROB KEENE
BASS
Holds degrees in organ performance from DePauw University and Indiana University.
Moved to Virginia in 2011 to begin work as Organist & Director of Music at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Newport News, and in 2013 became Director of Music at Congregation Emet V'Or, Yorktown.
Serves as an instructor for Christopher Newport University's LifeLong Learning Society, teaching courses on Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.
Moved to Virginia in 2011 to begin work as Organist & Director of Music at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Newport News, and in 2013 became Director of Music at Congregation Emet V'Or, Yorktown.
Serves as an instructor for Christopher Newport University's LifeLong Learning Society, teaching courses on Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.
KATHRYN KELLY
ALTO
BM in Vocal Performance and MM in Vocal Pedagogy & Performance from Westminster Choir College of Rider University.
Recently made her professional operatic debut in Opera Roanoke's production of Rossini's La Cenerentola.
Co-founder of Tidewater Opera Initiative, where she has performed the roles of Despina in Mozart's Così fan tutte and Lauretta in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.
Has covered roles and performed in the chorus with Virginia Opera, and spent a summer as a Professional Artist at SongFest in Los Angeles.
Currently sings at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Norfolk, as their soprano soloist.
Recently made her professional operatic debut in Opera Roanoke's production of Rossini's La Cenerentola.
Co-founder of Tidewater Opera Initiative, where she has performed the roles of Despina in Mozart's Così fan tutte and Lauretta in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.
Has covered roles and performed in the chorus with Virginia Opera, and spent a summer as a Professional Artist at SongFest in Los Angeles.
Currently sings at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Norfolk, as their soprano soloist.
MICHAEL KOTRADY
BASS
Childhood musical studies with conductor and violinist Jorge Gardos, himself a student of Zoltán Kodály.
Vocal instruction began as an undergraduate at the University of Richmond, under James Erb.
Over thirty years of experience as a soloist and chorister with numerous ensembles throughout the region.
Employed since 1997 by wine importer Kysela Père et Fils.
Vocal instruction began as an undergraduate at the University of Richmond, under James Erb.
Over thirty years of experience as a soloist and chorister with numerous ensembles throughout the region.
Employed since 1997 by wine importer Kysela Père et Fils.
ELISE RAMOS KREPCHO
SOPRANO
BM in Vocal Performance from Southeastern University (Lakeland, FL).
Certified music teacher; currently teaching chorus at Grassfield High School in Chesapeake.
Has sung with Lyric Opera of Virginia and served as chorus master for Tidewater Opera Initiative.
Soprano section leader and soloist at Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach.
Certified music teacher; currently teaching chorus at Grassfield High School in Chesapeake.
Has sung with Lyric Opera of Virginia and served as chorus master for Tidewater Opera Initiative.
Soprano section leader and soloist at Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach.
BONNIE LAMBERT-BAXTER
ALTO
Has sung with the Virginia Chorale, Symphonicity, the Williamsburg Symphonia, and Virginia Musical Theater.
Has served as soprano/alto soloist at Larchmont United Methodist Church, Norfolk, First Presbyterian Church, Virginia Beach, First Presbyterian Church, Williamsburg, Ohef Sholom Temple, Norfolk, and as Director of Music at First Christian Church, Norfolk.
Currently a speech/language pathologist for Norfolk Public Schools, private piano teacher, and mother of two fantastic children.
Has served as soprano/alto soloist at Larchmont United Methodist Church, Norfolk, First Presbyterian Church, Virginia Beach, First Presbyterian Church, Williamsburg, Ohef Sholom Temple, Norfolk, and as Director of Music at First Christian Church, Norfolk.
Currently a speech/language pathologist for Norfolk Public Schools, private piano teacher, and mother of two fantastic children.
DOUGLAS LYNCH
TENOR
Studied music education and performance at Virginia Wesleyan College and Christopher Newport University; holds a BA and MA in theater from Regent University.
Has composed an original rock musical titled Jeremiah's Passion, taken verbatim from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, which is currently being developed for production.
Has served as props designer for Tidewater Stage for two seasons and is the current props artisan for the mainstage theater productions at Regent University.
Currently serves as tenor soloist at Ohef Sholom Temple, Norfolk.
Resides in Virginia Beach with his wife, Rachel, and children Madelynn, Morgan, and Chandler.
Has composed an original rock musical titled Jeremiah's Passion, taken verbatim from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, which is currently being developed for production.
Has served as props designer for Tidewater Stage for two seasons and is the current props artisan for the mainstage theater productions at Regent University.
Currently serves as tenor soloist at Ohef Sholom Temple, Norfolk.
Resides in Virginia Beach with his wife, Rachel, and children Madelynn, Morgan, and Chandler.
GARY MONTGOMERY
TENOR
Obtained a BM in Vocal Performance from Christopher Newport University.
Sings in the professional cores of the Virginia Symphony Chorus and the adult choir at Freemason Street Baptist Church (Norfolk), where he is a frequent soloist.
Currently in his fourth season with the Virginia Chorale and is a frequent soloist in the Hampton Roads area and throughout Virginia.
Premiered the opera KEPT: a ghost story with the Virginia Arts Festival this summer.
Has been seen on the opera stage as Don Basilio (Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro), Toby (Menotti's The Medium), Ivan (Strauss' Die Fledermaus), Arnalta (Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea), Belcore (Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore), and many more.
Sings in the professional cores of the Virginia Symphony Chorus and the adult choir at Freemason Street Baptist Church (Norfolk), where he is a frequent soloist.
Currently in his fourth season with the Virginia Chorale and is a frequent soloist in the Hampton Roads area and throughout Virginia.
Premiered the opera KEPT: a ghost story with the Virginia Arts Festival this summer.
Has been seen on the opera stage as Don Basilio (Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro), Toby (Menotti's The Medium), Ivan (Strauss' Die Fledermaus), Arnalta (Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea), Belcore (Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore), and many more.
CAROLINE MORSE
ALTO
BM in Music Education, magna cum laude, from James Madison University; graduated from the JMU Honors Program with a presented lecture recital and thesis titled Selections of Music from the English Reformation, with Emphasis on Pedagogical Applications for the High School Choral Classroom.
Director of Choirs at Warhill High School (Williamsburg).
Assistant Director and Manager of the JMU VocalArts Camp (Harrisonburg).
Professional core alto with the Virginia Symphony Chorus and the Freemason Street Baptist Church choir (Norfolk).
Director of Choirs at Warhill High School (Williamsburg).
Assistant Director and Manager of the JMU VocalArts Camp (Harrisonburg).
Professional core alto with the Virginia Symphony Chorus and the Freemason Street Baptist Church choir (Norfolk).
BRYSON MORTENSEN
BASS
DMA in Choral Conducting & Voice from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; MM in Choral Conducting and BM in Vocal Performance from Brigham Young University (Provo, UT).
Has conducted the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Festival Choir of Madison, WI.
Has sung with the Bach Chamber Choir, the Baroque Artists of Urbana-Champaign, and the Deseret Chamber Singers, and has performed as a soloist in Handel's Messiah, Carissimi's Jepthe, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Schubert's Mass in G, and several other smaller works and cantatas.
Currently serves as Director of Choirs at Virginia Wesleyan College, where he conducts the Virginia Wesleyan Chorale and Virginia Wesleyan Singers and teaches courses in Choral Music Education and Music History.
Has conducted the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Festival Choir of Madison, WI.
Has sung with the Bach Chamber Choir, the Baroque Artists of Urbana-Champaign, and the Deseret Chamber Singers, and has performed as a soloist in Handel's Messiah, Carissimi's Jepthe, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Schubert's Mass in G, and several other smaller works and cantatas.
Currently serves as Director of Choirs at Virginia Wesleyan College, where he conducts the Virginia Wesleyan Chorale and Virginia Wesleyan Singers and teaches courses in Choral Music Education and Music History.
KIMBERLY NICKERSON
SOPRANO
BS in Vocal Performance from Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA).
Has performed with Virginia Musical Theatre in roles including Julie Jordan in Carousel and Laurey in Oklahoma; and with Virginia Opera, as Barberina in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, and in the chorus and as a cover for operas including The Merry Widow, Romeo et Juliette, Carmen, and La Traviata.
Has taught at the Governor's School for the Arts and currently maintains a private voice studio.
Currently serves as Assistant Director of Music and is a frequent soloist at First Presbyterian Church, Virginia Beach.
Mom of two amazing and supportive children.
Has performed with Virginia Musical Theatre in roles including Julie Jordan in Carousel and Laurey in Oklahoma; and with Virginia Opera, as Barberina in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, and in the chorus and as a cover for operas including The Merry Widow, Romeo et Juliette, Carmen, and La Traviata.
Has taught at the Governor's School for the Arts and currently maintains a private voice studio.
Currently serves as Assistant Director of Music and is a frequent soloist at First Presbyterian Church, Virginia Beach.
Mom of two amazing and supportive children.
CORBIN THOMAS PINTO
SOPRANO
MM from Virginia Commonwealth University; graduated magna cum laude from James Madison University with a BM in Music Education.
Directs the children's choir at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Norfolk.
Has sung as a soloist in numerous venues across Hampton Roads, including Handel's Messiah with Symphonicity.
An active and accomplished music educator, she has developed recognized choral programs at Bayside High School and Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach, which has performed with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and was selected to host a masterclass by the world-renowned vocal ensemble Chanticleer in 2011.
Directs the children's choir at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Norfolk.
Has sung as a soloist in numerous venues across Hampton Roads, including Handel's Messiah with Symphonicity.
An active and accomplished music educator, she has developed recognized choral programs at Bayside High School and Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach, which has performed with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and was selected to host a masterclass by the world-renowned vocal ensemble Chanticleer in 2011.
JONATHAN RATHSAM
TENOR
PhD in Acoustics from the University of Nebraska; BA in Physics from Grinnell College (Iowa).
Research engineer at NASA Langley Research Center.
Cantorial soloist at Congregation Emet V'Or, Newport News.
Research engineer at NASA Langley Research Center.
Cantorial soloist at Congregation Emet V'Or, Newport News.
EMILY RUSSELL
ALTO
BM from James Madison University.
Taught music in private and public schools in Hampton Roads; now has a private voice and piano studio.
In addition to singing with the Chorale, performs frequently with Virginia Opera and has performed with the Cantabile Project and Tidewater Opera Initiative.
Currently serves as Virginia Opera's Children's Chorus Master.
Taught music in private and public schools in Hampton Roads; now has a private voice and piano studio.
In addition to singing with the Chorale, performs frequently with Virginia Opera and has performed with the Cantabile Project and Tidewater Opera Initiative.
Currently serves as Virginia Opera's Children's Chorus Master.
MARSHALL SEVERIN
BASS
BM in Vocal Performance from Christopher Newport University.
Has sung in the chorus and covered multiple roles with Virginia Opera, and has performed with Tidewater Opera Initiative as Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosí fan tutte and Marco in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.
Has sung in the chorus and covered multiple roles with Virginia Opera, and has performed with Tidewater Opera Initiative as Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosí fan tutte and Marco in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.
SARAH TAYLOR
SOPRANO
LAUREN TOMPKINS
SOPRANO
BA in International Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Studied voice with Nancy Zylstra and Penelope Jensen at Oberlin Conservatory's Baroque Performance Institute.
Has sung with the James River Singers and as a soloist in concerts of Richmond's chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
Won second prize in the adult category at the Virginia National Association of Teachers of Singing competition in 2017.
Currently sings as a cantor and soprano section leader at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond.
Studied voice with Nancy Zylstra and Penelope Jensen at Oberlin Conservatory's Baroque Performance Institute.
Has sung with the James River Singers and as a soloist in concerts of Richmond's chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
Won second prize in the adult category at the Virginia National Association of Teachers of Singing competition in 2017.
Currently sings as a cantor and soprano section leader at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond.
JOHN TYNDALL
BASS
BA in Vocal Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Made his professional operatic debut as Barone Douphol in Verdi's La Traviata with the Bronx Opera Company.
Performed at Carnegie Hall with Musica Sacra under the direction of Kent Tritle and as soloist with the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble for Beck's Song Reader album, of which two recordings were featured on National Public Radio.
Bass section leader and soloist at Richmond's St. James Episcopal Church and Congregation Beth Ahabah.
Made his professional operatic debut as Barone Douphol in Verdi's La Traviata with the Bronx Opera Company.
Performed at Carnegie Hall with Musica Sacra under the direction of Kent Tritle and as soloist with the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble for Beck's Song Reader album, of which two recordings were featured on National Public Radio.
Bass section leader and soloist at Richmond's St. James Episcopal Church and Congregation Beth Ahabah.
