BCI’s summer 2023 faculty are a talented collection of artists and teachers with wide-ranging experience working with choristers and ensembles. They work closely with our choristers and Apprentices throughout their program week. These thumbnail bios give you a sense of their professional lives; full biographies will appear in this summer’s programs.
Megan Friar, mezzo-soprano, is a professional singer based in New York City. As a soloist and a chorister, she has sung with opera companies, orchestras, and choruses around the United States. Most recently, she appeared at Radio City Music Hall performing the film scores of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli (Hisaishi) and Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring (Shore). She received her degrees in Music Education (BS) and Choral Conducting (MM) from the University of Connecticut.
Sarah Koonce is an active freelance musician in Boston and has toured extensively throughout the eastern U.S. and abroad. She was a longtime accompanist for the Premiere Choir of Boston Children’s Chorus, with whom she toured Jordan, the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, and Europe, with performances including national television, BBC/NPR, Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall. Koonce holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from Florida State University. She completed a fellowship in vocal accompanying/coaching at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.
Soprano Rachel Rosales has achieved both popular and critical acclaim on national and international stages in opera, oratorio and solo recital. Upon completion of her undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, she joined the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and later earned her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School in Voice and Opera Performance. She currently a member of the teaching faculty of Vassar College and maintains a private teaching studio in NYC.
A former BCI Apprentice, John Verkuilen is happy to return as a member of the artist faculty. John is a Visiting Associate Professor of Music and the conductor of the Muhlenberg Chamber Choir and College Choir. He is a doctoral candidate in choral conducting at the Manhattan School of Music studying with Kent Tritle and Ronnie Oliver. John earned a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Boston Conservatory and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies, economics, and music from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where his interdisciplinary focus was world music.
Patrick T. Waters, tenor, (B.M. Manhattan School of Music; M.S.M. Boston University) holds degrees in composition, conducting and sacred music, with additional studies in piano and vocal performance. Mr. Waters studied conducting with Dr. Ann Howard Jones, Bruce Hangen, Robert Isaacs, and Paul Brantley, and has worked in master classes with John Alexander, Jane Glover, Frank Nemhauser, and Kathy Saltzman Romey. He completed coursework pursuing the Performance Diploma in voice at Boston University, studying under James Demler. He has collaborated with Berkshire Choral International since 2006. He has been a choral scholar with Music at Boston University Marsh Chapel as a member of its staff since 2009.
Paul Conrad, from North Brunswick, NJ, received a MM in Collaborative Piano and a BM in Piano Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts (MGSA). He is the choir director and organist at Middlebush Reformed Church, a staff pianist and classroom piano instructor at MGSA, and accompanist of the Rutgers University Glee Club (RUGC), Kirkpatrick Choir, and the Highland Park Community Chorus (HPCC). He has joined Berkshire Choral International faculty for festivals in Sonoma, Asheville, Baltimore and Boston, and participated in Sheffield, MA as both BCI scholar and apprentice.
Megan Friar, mezzo-soprano, is a professional singer based in New York City. As a soloist and a chorister, she has sung with opera companies, orchestras, and choruses around the United States. Most recently, she appeared at Radio City Music Hall performing the film scores of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli (Hisaishi) and Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring (Shore). She received her degrees in Music Education (BS) and Choral Conducting (MM) from the University of Connecticut.
A multi-faceted musician, Shohei Kobayashi synthesizes their insights as a conductor, ensemble vocalist, and art song interpreter with their experience as a solo singer/songwriter and bandmate to connect and collaborate with music lovers of all backgrounds. Based in Portland, Oregon, Shohei currently leads the choral program and teaches courses in music theory and musicianship at Reed College and serves as Associate Conductor, Co-Artistic Advisor, and a member of the board for Resonance Ensemble. Shohei currently sings with Resonance Ensemble, Big Mouth Society, and Jecca Jazz Ensemble. Shohei holds a DMA and MM in Conducting (Choral) from University of Michigan and a BA in Music from Lewis & Clark College.
Dr. Sean Taylor is Associate Professor of Voice and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Brownsville where he conducts the Master Chorale and Chamber Singers and teaches applied voice, conducting, and choral literature. A specialist in professional ensemble singing, Sean and his wife Diane founded the professional quartet Alium Spiritum, and Sean currently sings with Conspirare, Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble, Charleston’s Taylor Festival Choir, Chorosynthesis, and Breath Collective. Sean earned a DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music in Conducting from Carnegie Mellon University.
Hailed as a “stand-out voice,” Margaret Woods is based in Richmond, Virginia, and has a passion for performing in local venues and performance spaces. (Even more so now, as she and her husband Eric welcomed their first child in September!) Margaret serves as adjunct voice faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University, Berkshire Choral International, Encore Choral Institute and has been a guest lecturer at Peabody Conservatory, University of Richmond, Georgia College and State University as well as her alma mater, Lebanon Valley College. Margaret holds degrees from Lebanon Valley College in Music Education (B.S.) and Music (B.A.) and an M.M. in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir
Bryan Anthony Ijames, a native of North Carolina, is a doctoral candidate in choral conducting at the University of Michigan, where he studies with Eugene Rogers. Last year he served as the Assistant Conductor of the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club and made his Lincoln Center Conducting debut at Alice Tully Hall. Bryan also serves as Chancel Choir Director at First United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor. He holds Master of Music degrees in Choral Music Education and Choral Conducting from Mississippi State University and Eastern Kentucky University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Voice from High Point University.
Dr. Dwight Bigler is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Virginia Tech and Music Director of the Blacksburg Master Chorale. He has also held positions with the Dale Warland Singers, Colorado State University–Fort Collins, and Trinity University–San Antonio. Under his direction, the Virginia Tech Chamber Singers have performed in Carnegie Hall, for the Virginia Music Educators Association conference, throughout Italy, Ireland, and Spain. Bigler holds degrees from Brigham Young University (B.M. in Piano Performance, M.M. in Choral Conducting) and The University of Texas at Austin (D.M.A. in Choral Conducting).
Diane Walters, a specialist in collaborative music and frequent soloist, has sung with ensembles across the country and in Europe including The Crossing, Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble, Alium Spiritum, Chorosynthesis, RedShift, The Union, Taylor Festival Choir, Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival, Dallas Choral Festival, and JSB Ensemble of the International Bachakademie Stuttgart. She can be heard on several commercial recordings including the 2022 GRAMMY® nominated recording Rising w/The Crossing. Diane is on the voice faculty at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She holds degrees from the Capital University Conservatory of Music and the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University.
Mezzo-soprano Helen Karloski has been praised for her “genuine mezzo timbre” (Opera News) and a voice “beautifully suited for oratorio” (Santa Fe New Mexican). Ms. Karloski’s 2022-23 season includes performances with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Skylark Vocal Ensemble, National Concerts, the Choral Society of Grace Church, and Musica Sacra. Ms. Karloski made her Lincoln Center debut in Mozart’s Solemn Vespers with the Mostly Mozart Festival and her Carnegie Hall debut performing Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with the Oratorio Society of New York. Ms. Karloski was featured on the 2014 GRAMMY-winning recording The Sacred Spirit of Russia.
Mitchell Vines has been a faculty pianist with Berkshire Choral International since 2009. Mitchell lives in New York City where he has a varied career as music director, vocal coach and collaborative pianist. His professional associations have included Brooklyn College, New York Summer Opera Scenes, Trinity Wall Street, NY Chamber Collective, CantaLyrica Chamber Choir, Mannes School of Music, Temple Israel of the City of New York and the Vermont Music and Arts Center. A native of Portland, Oregon, Mr. Vines holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Portland State University and a Master of Music degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music.
Dr. Sean Taylor is Associate Professor of Voice and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Brownsville where he conducts the Master Chorale and Chamber Singers and teaches applied voice, conducting, and choral literature. A specialist in professional ensemble singing, Sean and his wife Diane founded the professional quartet Alium Spiritum, and Sean currently sings with Conspirare, Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble, Charleston’s Taylor Festival Choir, Chorosynthesis, and Breath Collective. Sean earned a DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music in Conducting from Carnegie Mellon University.
Thomas Böttcher, bass, holds a MA degree in Music Education and studied composition and conducting at the “Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst” in Vienna. He has served as choral conductor of the Youth Vocal Festival in Lower Austria and conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Amstetten. He has accompanied the vocal classes of Vienna’s Academy of Music and Performing Arts as well as the “New Opera Vienna” and the “Vienna Summer Opera.” Thomas Böttcher has been conductor and pianist for the Vienna Boys Choir since 1991 in more than 500 performances worldwide. Since 1997 he has taught in the voice department of the University of Music in Vienna. Since 2021 he teaches in the conducting class of the university of music in Vienna. Thomas Böttcher joined many of the BCI singing weeks as section – leader or conductor since they started in Austria Salzburg/Mondsee in 1997.
Alison Gill studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, specialising in piano accompaniment under the guidance of Andrew West and Daniel-Ben Pienaar. Alison has now returned to the North of England to work as a freelance musician and is highly sought after as an accompanist across the region. She works regularly with the Jervaulx Singers, Durham Choral Society, Voices of Hope, The St James Consort, Opera Nova, Voices of the Rivers Edge and the Chorus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia at the Sage Gateshead, and has accompanied choral masterclasses with composers John Rutter, Bob Chilcott, Will Todd and Eriks Esenvalds. Alongside these regular collaborations Alison works as an accompanist in residence at Leeds Conservatoire for their conducting course and also performs with the Northern Ballet Sinfonia.
Madeleine Holmes is a lyric soprano working in opera, concert, musical theatre and song. Concert and oratorio performances include Mozart Requiem (St Martin-in-the-Fields), Orff Carmina Burana and Haydn Creation (St John’s, Waterloo), St John Passion (St George’s Cathedral), Fauré Requiem and Haydn Nelson Mass (Peterborough Cathedral), Mozart Coronation Mass (Anghiari Festival) and Birtwhistle The Fields of Sorrow (Snape Maltings / BBC Radio 3). Having initially studied French and Italian as a choral scholar at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Madeleine worked for several years in arts administration and as a consort singer before training in opera with ENO. Passionate about helping others find and nurture their authentic voice, Madeleine has a PGCE in Secondary Music and is also a 450-hr trained yoga teacher.
Bernadett Nagy, mezzo soprano, appears at the highest level both as a solo and an ensemble singer. Her repertoire covers from baroque to contemporary music. In the past 10 years she had the possibility to work with Iván Fischer, Helmuth Rilling, René Jacobs, Philippe Herreweghe, José Cura, Jos van Veldhoven, Vaclav Luks, among others. Since 2019 she has got the privilege the be one of the core members of the Dutch Bach Society. Bernadett holds a Bachelor and a Master degree in singing and choir-conducting. Her Alma Maters are: Royal Conservatory, The Hague where she studied with Sasja Hunnego and Phyllis Ferwerda; and F. Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest where she studied with Péter Erdei and Éva Kollár.
Michael Schneider was born in Salzburg and started his musical journey at an early age and began his studies at the Mozarteum in piano and voice. Michael Schneider continued his musical education at the Univeristy of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna where he completed his master‘s degrees in both choral and orchestral conducting, graduating with honors. Michael Schneider is the artistic director of the renowned vocal Ensemble Collegium Vocale Salzburg and the Chorus Viennensis, the male choir consisting of former Vienna Boys’ Choir members. Further is he the artistic director of the contemporary vocal ensemble Interpunkt. Since 2017, Michael has also served as the choral director of the Klosterneuburg Opera. Since 2020, Michael Schneider holds a teaching position at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna in choir conducting for orchestral conducting students.
