Chad DeMaris has been recognized as a “strong lyric tenor” and for his “beautiful, warm tone with a strong sense of sincerity”. His repertoire spans opera, recital, and concert works. Chad most recently made his mainstage debut with Seattle Opera, singing the roles of Cop/Reporter 2 in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. Other recent engagements include performances as tenor soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Bach’s Jesu, meine Freude, King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Eduardo Jr/Mr. Xoloti in Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World.
In addition to Emerald Ensemble, Chad is a member of Cantorei at St. James Cathedral, a staff singer at Epiphany Parish Seattle, and has performed with several choral ensembles throughout the Puget Sound area, including Byrd Ensemble, Opus 7, Cascadian Chorale, and Seattle Jewish Chorale. Upcoming engagements include the role of Monkey in Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers with Seattle Opera, as soloist in the premiere of the oratorio Cassandra with Harmonia Seattle, and performances of Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s Gloria with the Epiphany Choir. Chad holds a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Simpson College, and a Master of Music from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.
Christine Friday, mezzo-soprano, has sung with many professional vocal ensembles in the Seattle area, including the Byrd Ensemble, Emerald Ensemble, and Corvid Ensemble. She has participated in collaborations with the Seattle Baroque Orchestra and Byrd Ensemble, including performances of Handel’s Messiah, conducted by Alexander Weimann. As a soloist, she has performed with the City Cantabile Choir, Ave Renaissance Women’s Choir, Seattle Bach Choir, and in Handel’s Dixit Dominus under the baton of Karen P. Thomas. Her musical home for twelve years was St. James Cathedral, where she served as a cantor and section leader in the Cathedral Choir and the Women of St. James Schola. She was also a member of its professional choir, the Cathedral Cantorei, under the baton of Joseph Adam. Christine has been seen onstage as Alcina in Cornish Opera Theater’s production of Caccini’s La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina conducted by Stephen Stubbs.
Rebekah Gilmore is a freelance soprano, choral conductor, and church musician in the Pacific Northwest. She performs regularly with the Byrd Ensemble, Canonici Consort of Voices, Cappella Romana, and the St. James Cathedral Cantorei. She has performed with members of The Tallis Scholars under the direction of Peter Phillips and has sung on numerous movie, television, and video game soundtrack recordings.
As a soloist, Rebekah has performed with the Seattle Academy of Baroque Opera, the Seattle Modern Orchestra, Allegro Baroque Orchestra in Spokane, and Baroque Northwest. In 2014, she joined in the formation of the new ensemble Intimate Baroque, specializing in one-on-a-part period performances of Baroque repertoire. She serves on the vocal faculty for Midsummer Musical Retreat held in Walla Walla, Washington.
Praised for her “clarion” (Washington Post), “pure” (Opera Now), and “refreshingly natural” (Göttinger Tagesblatt) sound, soprano Elizabeth Hungerford has been described as a “an outstanding and original interpreter of Purcell . . . and a fine Monteverdian” (Early Music, Oxford University). Elizabeth completed her studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University where she was awarded the Early Music Department’s annual Award for Excellence.
Elizabeth’s solo engagements include performances with Grammy-nominated Seraphic Fire in Florida, Spire Chamber Ensemble in Kansas, the Göttingen Historical Music Series in Germany, multiple recitals at the Santa Cruz Early Music Festival in California, and the Teatro Olimpico in Italy with the European Lute Orchestra. Elizabeth has also featured as a soloist with the Washington Bach Consort and the Folger Consort in Washington DC, and has given solo performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Strathmore Mansion in Maryland.
Elizabeth now lives in Washington state where she sings with various Seattle-based ensembles and is a section leader, cantor and soloist at Saint James Cathedral. Elizabeth is a resident of Vashon Island.
Soprano Natalie Ingrisano enjoys performing as a soloist, chamber singer, and professional chorister in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she was involved in online concerts, including “The Deer’s Cry” and “Art Songs by Black Composers, 1760–1830.” She appears frequently as a soloist in chamber music series throughout Seattle, including Classical Uncorked. Natalie has performed extensively as a Baroque soloist, including prominent concert works by Charpentier, Couperin, Handel, Monteverdi, and Vivaldi. She has also appeared as a guest faculty at Lyon College in Arkanses, and performed Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Northbrook Symphony in Illinois. She has twice performed the United States and French National Anthems at Bastille Day in Daley Plaza, Chicago. As a professional chorister, she joined The Benedict XVI of San Francisco in their inaugural season. She has also sung with the Emerald Ensemble and the Mägi Ensemble, and in concert with The Rolling Stones.
Tenor Timothy Janecke is excited for his debut with Emerald Ensemble. Recently, he sang as tenor soloist in Respighi’s Lauda per la Natività del Signore with Seattle Opera for their Christmas concerts. Also, he sang the roles of Jaquino in Fidelio and Barigoule in Cendrillon with Puget Sound Concert Opera. Additionally, he has been heard recently in recitals with Snohomish Concert Series and Skyline Opera. He has sung regionally for Tacoma Opera, Vashon Opera, Master Chorus Eastside, Sammamish Symphony Orchestra, Thalia Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Northwest, Northwest Symphony Orchestra, and Federal Way Symphony. Timothy is an accomplished ensemble singer as well, as he is current regular tenor chorister with Seattle Opera, tenor section leader with The Pilgrims, and tenor section leader with Bellevue Presbyterian Church. Before moving to Seattle, Timothy was regular chorister with Chicago Symphony Chorus and supplemental chorister with Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Symphony Chorus.
Eric is a classical vocalist and actor living and working in so-called Seattle, Washington, on land that is the ancestral inheritance of the Coast Salish People. Some of his favorite roles include: Dr Frank n’ Furter in The Rocky Horror Show; Matt in b.a.r.e.: a Pop Opera; David Posner in History Boys; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni; Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore; and The Sorceress in Dido and Aenaes. He starred as Tony in #adulting and the world premiere of #adulting2, and debuted the stage version of Achilles and Patroclus as Patroclus with Lowbrow Opera Collective.
Information forthcoming.
Charles Robert Stephens has enjoyed a long career spanning a wide variety of roles and styles in opera and concert music. In his twenty years in New York City, he sang leading roles with New York City Opera and was reported by the New York Times to be “a baritone of smooth distinction.” He also appeared frequently in Carnegie Hall with Opera Orchestra of New York in a variety of roles and was active in regional opera throughout the U.S. On the international stage, he sang opera roles in Uruguay, Taiwan, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
Now based in Seattle, Charles has sung with the Seattle Symphony, Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma and Spokane Symphonies, Spokane Opera, Portland Chamber Orchestra, and many other orchestras and opera companies in the Pacific Northwest. Career highlights include the role of Tiresias in the Boston Early Music Festival’s lavish production of Steffani’s Niobe, Queen of Thebes. With the New York City National Company, he sang Germony in La traviata in forty-three performances across the U.S. Among his ten appearances with the Seattle Symphony include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Messiah, and “Opera Festival.” He premiered and recorded the role of Rudyard Kipling in John Muehleisen’s cantata But Who Shall Return to Us Our Children?: A Kipling Passion. The 2022–23 season included his Paris debut in Bach’s St. John Passion with Les Fetes Galantes.
Kathryn Weld, mezzo-soprano, has performed extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. She has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Osaka Chamber Orchestra, Bayerischen Rundfunkchor, Seattle Symphony, Philharmonia Baroque, and Portland Baroque Orchestra, among others. On the stage she has sung roles with the Seattle Opera, the Regensburg Opera Theater in Germany, Opera Carolina, and Tacoma Opera, in works ranging from Rameau and Mozart to John Adams and Tan Dun.
A favorite guest artist in chamber music concerts and in recital, she has appeared with Trinity Wall Street Concerts in New York, Music of Remembrance, the Seattle Chamber Players, the Nordic Heritage Museum Concerts and the Battelle Artist Recitals, 2nd City Chamber Music and Jacobsen Concerts in Tacoma. She has presented recitals in Paris, St Petersburg, Asahikawa, and Munich.
Since joining the voice faculty at Western Washington University in 2008, she has taught voice and opera, French, German, and Italian diction, and has served both as Interim Opera Director and Advanced Treble Chorale Conductor. She has also served as Affiliate Artist Faculty at the University of Puget Sound and at Cornish College of the Arts.
Robin Wyatt-Stone is a Seattle-based bass-baritone. He earned his Bachelor of Music in vocal arts at the University of Southern California, where he discovered and honed his passion for opera and choral music. Some of his favorite memories from school include touring with the USC Chamber Singers under Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe and performing Bach’s Mass in B minor under the baton of Helmuth Rilling. Robin has continued to pursue classical singing personally and professionally as a member of the Seattle Opera Chorus, section leader at Trinity Parish Church, and featured soloist for Eastside Sings with the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium. Robin has also sung with a number of local choral organizations including the Emerald Ensemble, Byrd Ensemble, Radiance, LUMIA Ensemble, Seattle Pro Musica, Opus 7, and Holiday Harmony. When not singing professionally, Robin spends most of his time being a big nerd, and enjoys tabletop RPGs, board and video games, studying massage therapy, and hanging out with his cat, Millie.
Kathea Yarnell is a freelance mezzo-soprano in the Puget Sound region, routinely performing as a soloist and professional chorister. For over ten years she has been an established soloist, cantor, and section leader at Epiphany Parish of Seattle. Over the decades Kathea has sung with many ensembles including Solaris Vocal Ensemble under Giselle Wyers, whateverandeveramen., The Esoterics, The Fisher Ensemble, Cantatorem, and Seattle Opera Chorus. With a strong interest in new works and adventurous programming, she is regularly featured as soloist with Solaris Vocal Ensemble and The Esoterics, and in numerous individual concert offerings. Kathea earned degrees in music education from the University of Washington and has studied with Tom Harper, Valerie Yockey, Stephen Wall, and Eric Banks. She taught middle-school choir and orchestra for several years before moving to private teaching and performance. She maintains a small piano and voice studio while substitute-teaching, working with special-needs children through music, and volunteering in the Northshore School District.