Soprano
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Mary Sullivan
Hailed for her “power, suppleness, and expressive depth” soprano Mary Sullivan has appeared as a soloist with numerous ensembles in New England. She has appeared as a recitalist at Bowdoin College’s Studzinski Recital Hall with pianist and Artist in Residence George Lopez, and has been a featured soloist for Opera Maine. Recent repertoire highlights include the Strauss Vier letzte Lieder; Handel’s Messiah; Pergolesi Stabat Mater; the Mozart Requiem; and Mendelssohn’s Elijah.
A gifted teacher and vocal coach, Ms. Sullivan is the Artist in Residence with the Oratorio Chorale, where she teaches vocal technique and coaches section sound and musicianship in collaboration with Artistic Director Emily Isaacson. Ms. Sullivan maintains a private voice studio in Brunswick, Maine. “
Sullivan unfurled her resplendent soprano… her powerful voice and dramatic conviction made her a worthy successor to Marian Anderson” (Bay Windows, 2003). “… crystal clear and perfectly pitched interpretation… simply ravishing” (Christopher Hyde, Portland Press Herald, March 2014)
Jennifer Bates
Soprano Jennifer Bates, a Maine native, enjoys a multifaceted career in the opera, concert and recital worlds. Recent engagements include the role Pepik in the NY Philharmonic production of The Cunning Little Vixen, multiple appearances with NY City Opera, Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg with the American Symphony Orchestra, and as the featured soloist at the Bach Vespers Cantata Series just steps from Lincoln Center for ten years.
Highlights of previous seasons have included performances at Carnegie Hall, singing Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the New England Symphonic Ensemble, and many European engagements, including Elgar’s The Kingdom with Maestro Leonard Slatkin and the Philharmonia in the prestigious Three Choirs Festival, Haydn’s Creation with Robert Tear at the Dartington International Summer Festival, Fauré’s Requiem with Sir David Willcocks at Royal Albert Hall, and Verdi’s Requiem at Windsor Castle.
As a recitalist, she has performed in multiple venues in the US and abroad, including a tour of Great Britain performing Britten’s Holy Sonnets of John Donne, and a recital at the French Embassy in Washington D.C.
Caroline Musica Koelker
Caroline Musica Koelker, soprano, was most recently seen performing with Una Voce Chamber Ensemble. Ms. Koelker performed in Opera Maine’s production of Tosca and as Maria in The Sound of Music with ACT Theatre Company. She sang in the world premiere of Love's Stowaway with the Harvard Musical Association, concert debuts of Debussy arrangements by Morton Hyams, and concert performances and cd recording of Songs Off Museum Walls by Sarah Newcomb and Shari Craig, La Chauve Souris in L'Enfant est les Sortileges with MetroWest Opera, soprano soloist with Masterworks Chorale in Handel's Messiah and in the Mozart Requiem under the direction of Steven Karidoyanes, Siren in the Boston premier of Odysseus and as Mme. Silver peal in The Impresario at the Natick Center for the Arts and Longy School of Music of Bard College, where she received her M.M. in Opera Performance.
Koelker has performed in Strauss's Die Fledermaus and in concert with Maine Grand Opera and in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, as a member of Boston Opera Collaborative. She has appeared in the premier of Beth Weiman's opera Deeds as leading lady, Mary, at the University of Maine, where she was also seen as Belinda in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Sally in Gesner's You're A Good Man Charlie Brown. Koelker received her B.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Maine with honors. She has been a part of the Crittenden, Harrower and Key West Symphony Young Artist Programs. Koelker is Executive Director of Opera Maine. In this role she is responsible for implementing all aspects of the opera company’s productions, community engagement, and fundraising. Koelker is a resident of Westbrook where she resides with her husband, Josh Koelker, and their two children.
Nacole Palmer
A frequent oratorio and concert artist, soprano Nacole Palmer splits her time between Maine, Boston, and New York City. Carnegie Hall debut: Handel’s Messiah with the Oratorio Society of New York. Lincoln Center debut: Bach's Christmas Oratorio with the Riverside Choral Society. Other solo credits include her acclaimed performances with The Clarion Music Society; Bach's St. John Passion and Orff's Carmina Burana with Seraphic Fire of Miami; Haydn’s Creation with the Ulster Choral Society; Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with Trinity Wall Street.
In Ms. Palmer’s first professional recording collaboration, released on the NAXOS label, she joins The Trinity Choir as Soprano Soloist for three Haydn masses (Theresienmesse, Schöpfungsmesse, and Harmoniemesse) conducted by Jane Glover. Ms. Palmer also performed the Theresien and Schöpfungs Masses, as well as Handel’s Messiah, with Ms. Glover and Rebel Baroque Orchestra. In 2018, Ms. Palmer will release an album recording of James Blachly's Songs of Ishmael, featuring songs that were written for her with texts from Moby Dick. A new music aficionado, Ms. Palmer’s other contemporary credits include Stephen Albert’s To Wake the Dead and Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, both performed in the Aspen Music Festival concert series.
A passionate proponent of arts and music as avenues of strengthening communities, Ms. Palmer co-founded the Yale College Opera Company in 1998, and she helped start a music camp in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, LA, in 2009. Both have grown into flourishing organizations with their own leadership and new names: Opera Theater of Yale College and Make Music NOLA.
Erin Chenard
Erin Chenard is a soprano specializing in repertoire of the Baroque and Classical eras. A graduate of Westminster Choir College and the University of Southern Maine School of Music, she holds a B.M. in Voice Performance and an M.M. in Voice Pedagogy and Performance.
Erin regularly performs with the St. Mary Schola, an early music ensemble devoted to the performance of master works from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras. Solo appearances include concerts with the St. Mary Schola, Maine Pro Musica Orchestra, the Calderwood Consort, Music’s Quill, Blue Hill Bach, Downeast Singers, and Maine's Barroom Messiah. As a voice teacher, Erin has served on the faculty at Bay Chamber Music School and the Portland Conservatory of Music.
Mezzo-Soprano
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Joëlle Morris
Originally from Evian, France; Mezzo-Soprano Joëlle Morris has performed throughout Europe and the United States. She is admired for her versatility – from the concert stage to the operatic arena; in intimate jazz settings and French cabaret; or simply sharing her gifts as voice teacher and coach.
Since relocating to Maine in 2011, Joëlle has appeared with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra; the Mozart Mentor Orchestra; and is regularly a featured artist at Colby College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, the Franco Center, Waterville Opera House, Nordica Auditorium, the Colby Jazz Faculty Ensemble, King’s Chapel in Boston and the Early Music Festival in Portland. Her appreciation of chamber music has led her to be the co-founding member of both the Amethyst Chamber Ensemble and the Resinosa Ensemble. The latter specializes in 21st century and commissioned works.
Although a classically trained singer, Joëlle has not shied away from other musical genres, touring with various jazz bands throughout Europe and the United States. In 2017, she was featured at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City with the Colby Faculty Jazz Ensemble. An appreciation of Edith Piaf’s repertoire has led to numerous concerts in Europe and the USA, featuring the grande dame of French chanson, most notably at the 2014 World Acadian Congress in Quebec, Canada. In addition to a busy concert schedule in New England and annual summer appearances in France, Joelle is a faculty member at Colby College and Bates College, and resides in midcoast Maine with her husband and two children.
Jazmin DeRice
Jazmin DeRice, is a Maine-based musician and performer. Known for her vocal warmth and dramatic intensity (on stage, not off), DeRice's approach to the classical genre can be considered left of center.
DeRice holds both Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of Southern Maine, under the tutelage of Ellen Chickering and Margaret Yauger. She also holds an Artist Diploma from Mannes Conservatory in NYC, studying intensely with Bonnie Hamilton. While in the Big Apple, she found a niche working with fledgling opera companies. Performances include "Genevieve" in Floating Opera NY's production of Pelleas et Melisande, "Dryad" in Ariadne auf Naxos with Utopia Opera, and "Nancy" in Albert Herring with Bronx Opera. She has been featured as a soloist for oratorio and concerts throughout New York City, New Jersey and Maine and has received many awards throughout her career including the Lilian Nordica Award.
DeRice fancies herself as a "Jill of all trades." In addition to her music career, DeRice is passionate about food culture, food sourcing, farming with dignity, and animal welfare. Currently, she lives on a small farm in Woolwich with her husband, Chris, their daughter, Wolfe, a handful of goats, an indoor farm dog, and a bushel of birds.
Tenor
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David Myers
Tenor David Myers, Jr. performs throughout New England, receiving praise for his “beautifully polished tone” and “attractive tenor sound” by Portland Press Herald critic Allan Kozinn. He is the manager of the Portland String Quartet Society, the choir director at North Yarmouth Congregational Church, and a private voice teacher in the South Portland and North Yarmouth areas. An active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) as well as an associate member of both the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), David holds a Master's Degree in vocal pedagogy from the School of Music at the University of Southern Maine.
Jesse Wakeman
Tenor Jesse Wakeman is an active vocalist, teacher, conductor, and composer in southern Maine. Jesse has been a featured soloist with groups such as the Portland Symphony Orchestra, St. Mary's Schola, Amethyst Chamber Ensemble, and the White Mountain Musical Arts Annual Bach Festival. He maintains a small private studio at his home in South Portland where he focuses on healthy vocal technique in all styles of music. Jesse also serves as the choral director at Kennebunk High School where he conducts two choirs, teaches piano and voice, and is the music director for theatrical productions. He has conducted choirs for over a decade in the southern Maine area, including groups such as The Boy Singers of Maine, the Colby-Kennebec Choral Society, and is currently the Chorus Master for the WMMA Bach Festival. In addition to performing and teaching, Jesse is also an active composer.
In 2015, he debuted his fully-staged musical, Letters at Sea with the Freeport High School Players, and his choral works have been performed throughout New England as well as by touring choirs in Europe. For more information about Jesse's work and his upcoming events, visit his website at wakemanmusic.com
Bass
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Will Prapestis
Heralded for his "stunning florid flourishes" and his "expressive, beautiful" singing, Baritone Will Prapestis performs frequently as a soloist and ensemble member in the U.S. and Europe. He has had the pleasure of singing as a soloist and chorister with Boston Baroque, Emmanuel Music, Cantata Singers, Renaissance Men — of which he is a founding member — the Orpheus Singers, Exsultemus, BEMF, Cappella Clausura, Labyrinth Choir, Sound Icon, Monadnock Music Festival, Augmented, Copley Singers, Oriana Consort, Boston University Chamber Chorus, and the Fredonia College Choir.
Will is also a very busy bass player, thoroughly active in the Boston and New York City Pop Music scenes, performing with as many as five bands as a bass guitarist, vocalist, writer, and arranger. He is also a highly-sought session artist. Will is a native of Elmira, NY, and he earned his Bachelor of Music in Performance at SUNY Fredonia.
Jonathan Scott
Baritone Jonathan Scott began his musical career as a child chorister which saw him perform in venues around the world and under the artistic direction of notable legends such as Robert Shaw and John Rutter. Highlights of his professional solo and choral career include: the choral role of Judas in Brooklyn Academy of Music’s staged production of Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion directed by Sir Jonathan Miller in 2006 and 2009; choral performances with the American Symphony and the New York Philharmonic; member and featured soloist with the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Choir and soloist of the Bach Cantata Choir both in Portland, Oregon.
Jonathan is a performer and board member for St. Mary Schola based in Falmouth. He made his Colby College solo debut with the Collegium in 2018 and with the Colby Symphony Orchestra in 2019. He is also member of the Amethyst Ensemble based in Brunswick. He received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance in 2002 from Shorter College in Rome, Georgia. In addition to his performance career, Jonathan is a dedicated healing arts practitioner. He is the owner and founder of Within Wellness, an on-site holistic healthcare company dedicated to improving our world through meaningful wellness experiences. He is an acupuncturist and massage therapist living in Portland, Maine with his beautiful wife and two amazing daughters.
Piano & Violin
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Sean Fleming
Sean Fleming is an in-demand pianist, organist, harpsichordist, accompanist, composer, and arranger based in Maine. He performs regularly with over nine choral and instrumental groups, and has been a guest artist with many more. He is the music director for the Forever Young Chorus based in Newcastle, the assistant director of the Midcoast Community Chorus based in Camden, and regularly accompanies many high school and junior high festivals.
Sean has directed or accompanied over seventy musical theater productions nationwide. Most recently he was the orchestral conductor for “Big River” and “Guys and Dolls” with Heartwood Regional Theater Company.
A piano and organ recitalist who has performed throughout the United States, Sean studied organ and piano with Ray Cornils, John Doney, Michael Lindsey, and Gerald McGee. For the past twenty-five years he has served as organist at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Newcastle. Sean performs periodic concerts of Ragtime and early jazz with his 10-piece Ragtime orchestra. He was the recipient of a 2009 St. Botolph Club Foundation grant award for achievements in music.
Scott Nicholas
Scott Nicholas, pianist, has appeared throughout the U.S. and internationally in solo and chamber performances. He has served as pianist for the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, The Three Irish Tenors, Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis, Minnesota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, the Concord Women's Chorus and the Leontyne Price Vocal Arts Competition, among numerous others. He records frequently with E.C. Schirmer's Philovox Vocal Ensemble, has been heard on WGBH-FM and WBUR-FM in Boston, and his commercial recordings are available on Albany records.
Scott has served as music director for several organizations including Central Square Theater, Franklin School for the Performing Arts, Franklin Performing Arts Company, Suffolk University, the New England Conservatory’s Opera Workshop and St. Michael’s Playhouse, VT. Mr. Nicholas is on the faculty of Emerson College and is a senior lecturer at Suffolk University where he teaches piano and coaches opera and music theater.
Heinrich Christensen
A native of Denmark, Heinrich Christensen, was appointed Music Director of historic King's Chapel, Boston, in the year 2000 after serving as the affiliate organist under Daniel Pinkham for the last two years of Dr. Pinkham’s 42-year tenure at the church. Heinrich was a prizewinner at the international organ competitions in Odense and Erfurt and has given solo recitals on four continents. An avid proponent of contemporary music, he has premiered works by Daniel Pinkham, Carson Cooman, Graham Gordon Ramsay, James Woodman and several others.
The solo CD "Heinrich Christensen plays the C.B. Fisk Organ at King's Chapel" (available at www.arsisaudio.com) was hailed by Gramophone Magazine as a "smorgasbord" of "enormous stylistic flexibility". For the past 15 years, he has performed an annual recital as a featured soloist of Boston’s venerable First Night celebrations. In February 2011, he released a recording of Bach’s Clavierübung III. In October 2011, Albany Records released “The Sacred Voice” with works of Graham Gordon Ramsay.
Tracey Jasas-Hardel
Tracey Jasas-Hardel has been studying, performing and teaching violin for 35 years. Her passion for the instrument is notable and has led to numerous awards, performances, recordings, and teaching positions. After graduating from the Interlochen Arts academy, she went on to study with master pedagogues Linda Cerone, Victor Danchenko and David Russell at The Cleveland Institute of Music, earning undergrad and graduate degrees. While in college, Tracey attended Encore School for Strings in Ohio, as well as chamber music programs with the Audubon Quartet, the Cavani Quartet, and the Weilerstein Duo. She was chosen to play in the Sarasota Chamber Music Festival, The Schleswig-Holstein Orchestra Festival, and the National Orchestral Institute. She was awarded a Fulbright grant for violin study in Berlin, Germany, where she attended the Hochschule der Musik and toured around Europe performing both as a recitalist and an orchestra member.
Upon her return to the U.S., she was selected to be a member of the U.S. Marine Band Chamber Orchestra, which performs chamber music in the White House at the President’s request for state dinners, meetings, and parties. While continuing study at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, she was a regular performer with the National Symphony Orchestra, The National Gallery Orchestra, The National Chamber Orchestra, and the Alexandria Symphony. After returning to the Midwest, Tracey became a regular performer with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, and the Bel Canto Choir Orchestra and Waukesha Symphony, as concertmaster and principal second violin.
Currently, Tracey is living in Yarmouth, Maine, where she is teaching and playing chamber music. She continues to travel around the nation for performances and teaching appointments, enjoying every violinistic minute and continuing the legacy of her training.