Susan Collins, alto, began singing with church and school choirs at age five. Music became a lifelong passion from Madrigal Singers and All-State high school experiences, through college choirs, to present day involvement with the Choir of The Cathedral Church of St. John and Chamber Choirs, Santa Fe Masterworks Chorale, Cantat. She has enjoyed opportunities to work with John Rutter, Sir David Willcocks,  Bruce Neswick, Dr. Mary Badarak and Dr. Maxine Thévenot in such diverse venues as Carnegie Hall, Grace Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral and St. George's Chapel, Windsor. In 2005, she sang with the International Handel Festival Choir broadcast on NPR from Albuquerque and looks forward to participating in the International Haydn Festival in Vienna, summer 2009. A Registered nurse by profession, Susan and her husband live in Placitas with two golden retrievers. She enjoys tennis, travel, sailing and spending time with friends and family. This is Susan's debut season with Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.

Brianne Conner holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Baylor University and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with a minor in Behavioral Science from East Texas Baptist University. Brianne is currently a member of the St John’s Episcopal Cathedral Choir and Chamber Choir, having also sung locally with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Her choral experiences have taken her to England, Italy, South Korea, and China, as well as throughout the United States to participate in choral festivals and performances. She maintains a small private piano studio and adjudicates piano festivals throughout the Southwest.

  

Monika Cosson-Sheppard, mezzo-soprano, has per-formed the operatic roles of Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, both at Loyola University; the High Priestess in Aida and Cronie in The Ballad of Baby Doe with New Orleans Opera; and Flora in La Traviata with Jefferson Parish Performing Arts Society. Featured artist and concert appearances include; Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Superior Music Festival in Marquette, Michigan; Brahm's Ein Deutches Requiem at the University of Southern Mississippi; Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans; Kodaly's Te Deum conducted by Victor Yampolsky with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra on their Classics Series; Faure' Requiem and Rutter Requiem with Loyola University; and Britten's Ceremony of Carols with Pensacola Chorale Society and Santa Fe Desert Chorale. Her Santa Fe appearances include "Lisa" in Nino Rota's I due Timidi with The Santa Fe Opera; Verdi's Requiem and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with Santa Fe Community Orchestra; Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem and Schubert's Mass No. 6 with Sangre De Cristo Chorale; Felix Mendelssohn's Psalm XLII (As the Hart Pants) and Hear My Prayer, both with Canticum Novum; La Vergine Degli Angeli from Verdi's La Forza Del Destino with The Santa Fe Men's Camerata. Upcoming engagements include Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's Salve Regina with Canticum Novum. A student of Regina Rickless, Ms. Cosson-Sheppard resides in Santa Fe where she teaches voice. This is her debut season with Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.

Jennifer Edwards is currently a student at the University of New Mexico studying in the vocal performance major degree program under the direction of Sam Shepperson, as well as pursuing a minor in German. As a soprano, she performs with the women’s choir of UNM, Las Cantantes. She has played the violin for six years, three of them being with the Katy High School Orchestra, Texas, under the direction of Mike Wells. Deciding to switch to vocal performance, Jennifer made the regional mixed choir and the All-State women’s choir in 2006, New Mexico. In 2007, she sang with the newly premiered UNM chorus, Dolce Suono, which was given the honor of singing with the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, featuring Antonin Dvorak’s Stabat Mater. Jennifer is pleased to be a part of Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico in their debut performance as an SATB ensemble.

Anacelie Verde Claro began singing as a chorister at the age of four.  Since then music has taken her from church choirs in Baltimore, Maryland, to college choir and orchestra in Clinton, New York.  Her favorite musical memory is performing Handel's Concerto in G Minor as an oboe soloist her senior year at Hamilton College.  She currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, keeping busy as a writer, singer, and teacher. 

 

Ceri Gerrish is a lyric soprano who began her studies in her undergraduate degree at the University of New Mexico. She has sung with the University of New Mexico Concert Choir and UNM Las Cantantes women’s ensemble. In 2007, she sang Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with the University of New Mexico Opera Studio. Ceri is also an honor student. She won the Comeford E. Modesta School of Music scholarship in 2007-2008 and graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of New Mexico. She is currently looking to further her education and career through graduate studies. This marks her debut season with Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.

 

Caroline Lane Halter made her debut with Polyphony in 2007. She is a graduate of St. Pius X High School (SPX) where she performed in musicals, the annual production of “Broadway Ole” and was a member of the Advanced Vocal Ensemble, performing locally and in competition. In addition to her participation in musicals and vocal ensemble, she performed in the Opera Unlimited production of Brundibar and was a member of the New Mexico All-State Chorus, the combined chorus of SPX and Bosque School, and the Albuquerque Girls Choir. Caroline was a recipient of the Chavez Merit Award Scholarship at SPX for exceptional vocal talent and studies voice with Jeanne Grealish and piano with Oscar Ellis. Aside from her musical talent, Caroline was an honors student at SPX and earned letters in cross-country, community service and choir. During the summer of 2007 she completed a community health service project in Nicaragua with Amigos de las Americas and in 2008 she will participate in a health service project in Tanzania. She plays piano and enjoys recreational running and swimming. Her plans are to study and perform music in college with a double major in foreign language.

 

Essence Johnson, soprano, had her first solo in a choir at the age of 7. Ms. Johnson has been singing in school and church choirs ever since then. "I owe all my musical talents to my great-grandmother who is no longer with us." Currently she is earning her Bachelors degree in Music Performance at the University of New Mexico, and is a member of Las Cantantes women's choir, the only women's collegiate choir in the State of New Mexico. She hopes to continue her career working with professional choirs around the world as well as pursuing opera singing. Musical theatre is a passion of hers and she recently played the role of Dorothy in "The Wiz" with Musical Theatre Southwest. Essence says, "I want to thank my family for their love and patience for supporting me in what I love." Essence is excited and looking forward to her debut season with Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.

Alyssa Landahl is a recent transplant from the Boston, MA area and is enjoying immersing herself in the New Mexico music scene. In New Mexico she has sung with the UNM Chorus, Las Cantantes, and Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.  In Boston she sang with the Back Bay Chorale (inc. conductors Julian Wachner, Scott Jarrett, and Jim Olesen), the Berkshire Choral Festival, the Boston Pops Holiday Chorus (conductor Bruce Hangen), and the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus.  In her "free time" she has been a high school history teacher and the operations manager for the Back Bay Chorale.  She and her husband, Andrew, are new parents as of October; baby William hasn't started singing yet, but who knows?

 

Julia Lindquist-Bland graduated from UNM with a degree in English. After teaching in Japan, she moved to Washington, D.C., and received her Masters in English Education from The George Washington University. Music has been a part of her life all along. She started out playing piano and expanded her musical endeavors to study voice and perform in chorus and professional ensembles in the D.C. area. She sang with the Master Chorale of Washington in the Kennedy Center, traveling to Prague to sing in the Dvořák Festival. She was a member of the Washington Bach Consort, performing Handel’s Messiah with the National Symphony Orchestra. She sang the role of “Adina” in the Elixir of Love , and “Pamina” in The Magic Flute at the Crittenden Opera Studio. Last year she returned to New Mexico with her family, and is currently a member of the Cathedral Choirs of St. John. Julia is pleased to return for her second season with Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.

 

Kathie MacDonald-Vargo began started singing at the age of 8 as a chorister and has sung with various choirs ever since including; Indianapolis Pro Musica, Butler University Alumni Chorus, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and Santa Fe Pro Musica.  She has had the pleasure of singing under the batons of such distinguished conductors as Sir David Willcocks, Bruce Neswick, Gerald Hancock and Gerald Near, and several others. She was a member of the select International Handel Festival Chamber Choir which recorded and broadcast for NPR. For close to 20 years, she sang with St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Indianapolis, during which time she undertook several choir tours to the UK, before moving to the Southwest. Currently, a section leader at the Cathedral Church of St. John, Albuquerque, Kathie is a founding member of Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico. 

 

Renée Motteler is a Grammy ® Award winning member of the Los Angeles Chamber Singers & Cappella, who received the award for Best Small Ensemble in 2006 for the album Padilla: Sun of Justice.  She recently moved to Albuquerque from Southern California and is now a section leader for St. John’s Episcopal Choir. Renée received her Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies with a concentration in vocal performance from California State University, Long Beach in 2006.  Renée has performed all over the world with jazz choirs and as a soloist at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Ozone Jazz Festival, Neuchatel Jazz Festival, IAJE, Cuesta College Jazz Festival, and the Berkeley Jazz Festival, among others. In California, she was the cantor, alto section leader, and assistant conductor at St. Cyprian Catholic Church in Long Beach for 15 years. Renée has been a classroom teacher from elementary up through college age students, teaching vocal jazz, beginning music, choir, band, orchestra, and private voice lessons. She was also a lead/back up singer with the rock groups Gregg Young and the 2nd Street Band and the Gypsy Beggars. Renée has appeared in television commercials and has worked in the studio recording demo tapes for composers of classical, show tunes, jazz, and rock music, as well as recording jingles used commercially. Renée is a returning member of Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.

 

Mika Proctor has had a passion for singing since she was a small child. She is a native of eastern New Mexico and has lived in the Albuquerque area since 2001. Mika received her Bachelor's degree in Music with emphasis in Vocal Performance from Eastern New Mexico University in 2000.  She received a Master's degree in Education from Wayland Baptist University in 2006. She began her teaching career in Clovis, and currently teaches elementary music at Cielo Azul Elementary in Rio Rancho. She is a member of First Baptist Church in Rio Rancho where she is the Director of the Children's Choir and sings on the praise team. During the summer, she enjoys directing at the Baptist Convention's Music Camp at Inlow camp. Summer 2009, she will be the head clinician for the music camp. Mika is currently the President-Elect of the new NM chapter of Kodály Educators (Enchanted Educators of Kodály-EEK). She is married to Corey and they have two precious daughters. Mika is delighted to be a returning member of Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.

 

Elizabeth Rincon, a classical guitarist has played for private engagements given by The National Science Foundation, various charitable organizations as well as for past and present UNM presidents and various departments at UNM. She had the honor of being picked to play for Governor Richardson’s reception for the first Presidential Democratic debates held at the University of New Mexico in 2004. Miss Rincon is also the Assistant Sound Engineer at the UNM Keller Hall Recording Studio and for UBIK Sound. In addition to the guitar and recording she has sung in the UNM Concert Choir, University Chorus and Las Cantantes. A member of the Cathedral Choirs of St John’s, Miss Rincon has sung under the baton of Sir David Willcocks, Bruce Neswick, Thomas Foster, and most recently the International Handel Festival, which was recorded for and aired on NPR. This past summer she traveled with the choirs to England where they sang week-long residencies at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle and Canterbury Cathedral. She is also an assistant stage manager for Yjastros, the American Flamenco Repertory company, and for Festival Flamenco Internacional de Albuquerque – the largest flamenco festival outside of Spain.

 

Johanna Sindelar, Soprano, began singing in high school and studied vocal performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has performed both solo and choral work with a variety of New Mexico ensembles including Santa Fe Pro Musica, the Cathedral Church of St. John Choir, the Sangre de Christo Chorale, Cantat and the Santa Fe Women's Ensemble. In Spring 2007, Johanna performed the soprano solos for Mass in B Minor by J.S. Bach with the Diablo Valley Master Choral in Lafayette, CA, and the soprano solo in Faure's Requiem with the Santa Fe Masterworks Chorale. In addition to singing, Johanna plays violin with small ensembles in Santa Fe. She lives near Cerrillos with her husband, three children and an assortment of cats and dogs. She is pleased to be a returning member of Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.

 

Monica Whitaker began singing in an Episcopal church choir as a teenager in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. She graduated with a B.A. degree in Vocal Performance from Kalamazoo College and later attended Bay View Summer Music Conservatory (Michigan) as a scholarship recipient. Ms. Whitaker earned a M.Mus. degree in Vocal Performance and a M.A. degree in Theatre Management from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. She has performed with the Portland’s Choral Arts Society, Albuquerque’s Soli Deo Gloria and Opera Unlimited – a small touring troupe which brings children’s opera to schools throughout New Mexico. For more than a decade, Ms. Whitaker has served as a soloist and member of the Cathedral Choirs of St. John. Ms. Whitaker is a charter member of Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico and serves as Treasurer on its Board of Directors.

 

Meredith Wilder graduated from Eldorado High in 2007 and is currently attending the University of New Mexico. As a member of Faith Lutheran Church, Meredith has spent some time working with the church choir and praise band. Ms. Wilder was in the New Mexico All State choir three years in a row, which gave her a true appreciation for the inner workings of a choir and the choral sound. At UNM, she sings in the women’s choir, Las Cantantes, and is working toward a degree in music education. Outside of school, Meredith is a singer/songwriter and performs her music around Albuquerque. This marks her debut season with Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.

 

Marni Wilson first started singing in choirs in High School. Discovering that this created a pleasant balance in her life, she continued to sign up for choir in College. At Fort Lewis College in Durango she sang in both the Concert Choir and Women’s Choir. For the past 9 years, Marni has been singing with the Cathedral Choirs’ of St. John. Marni is happy to be a returning member of Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico.