About Our Director
CAROL MENKE
Carol Menke joined Cantiamo as Artistic Director in 2002. Well known to Bay Area audiences, she studied at the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria and has been coached by some of Europe’s finest recitalists, including Elly Ameling, Jörg Demus, and Norman Shetler. Upon hearing her perform one of his newly composed chamber works, the renowned composer Alan Hovhaness acknowledged and praised her “perfect musicianship.” Ms. Menke holds an M.A. in Vocal Performance from California State University, Chico. The Santa Rosa Children’s Choral Academy, with whom she has worked since 1984, continues to thrive and has achieved high praise during Ms. Menke’s tenure as Artistic Director. She is now the Director of Music at the Presbyterian Church of the Roses, and was the Director of Music at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation for over two decades. She recently retired from the Santa Rosa Junior College, after having taught voice, musicianship, and piano there for almost three decades. She also teaches at her private studio in Santa Rosa.
About Our Singers
RENEE ARMSTRONG, SOPRANO II
Renee Armstrong is a Family Physician in Santa Rosa who has been committed to musical performance as an avocation since childhood. Trained in classical piano she became interested in choral singing as an accompanist. She has sung with the UC Davis University Chorus and Chamber Singers, the San Francisco Bach Choir, Schola Gregoriana and now Cantiamo.
DREW BOLANDER, TENOR i
Drew Bolander grew up singing with the Santa Rosa Children's Chorus and, recently re-transplanted from New York, is thrilled to be singing with Cantiamo Sonoma. For the last ten years he has been performing in and directing classical theatre in New York including well reviewed productions of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Drew has a particular passion for English Art Song and spends a little too much time singing Vaughan Williams in his living room to the chagrin of his dogs. When he isn't singing he is gardening, and usually singing while he does.
Clare Broussard, soprano II
Clare has been singing in choirs and dabbling in theater all her life. Her Sonoma County experience (since 1989) includes Occidental Community Choir, Cinnabar Opera Chorus, Actors Theater, River Repertory Theater, Sixth Street Playhouse, Cinnabar Singers, and vocal bands Take Jack and The Boon Hikers. She is delighted to be welcomed into the Cantiamo Sonoma family. Clare holds a B.A. in Fine Arts/ History/French from Mount St. Mary's College in Maryland. She recently retired as CFO for an ecological restoration firm in Sebastopol.
KEVEN BROWN, TENOR II
Keven has been singing with Cantiamo Sonoma, and its former incarnation, The Schola Gregoriana, since its formation 20 years ago. A Graduate of Pomona College, Keven was a music major, studying with pianist Peter Hewitt. Keven continued his piano studies with Emile Naoumoff in Paris and with Norma Brown in Santa Rosa. He has sung under the direction of Robert Shaw, Jon Bailey, Greg Wait, Dan Earl, Bob Worth and, of course, Carol Menke. Keven and his wife Jeri manage their family business, Corrick’s, in Downtown Santa Rosa and are blessed with their daughter, Mikayla, who is also an avid singer!
NICOLAS CUSTER, BARITONE
Nicolas Custer holds musicological degrees from UC Berkeley and UCLA. He is a cantor and music director of St. Seraphim Orthodox Church in Santa Rosa for whose choir he has written much, including a setting of the Divine Liturgy for Thanksgiving. Nicolas is pianist in a chamber music circle in San Francisco and a collector of curiosities.
Robin Eschner, alto II
Since moving to Sonoma County, Robin has enjoyed singing with the Occidental Community Choir, Cinnabar Chamber Singers, Take Jack, & Tone Bent—a duo with her late beloved husband, guitarist, Bill Horvitz. Presently, she sings with the Boon Hiker Band, Chimney Full of Birds, and is Creative Director of the Little Acorn MusEcology Project. Eschner is an award-winning composer of choral, instrumental & theater works, including the musical A Song for Vanya, co-written with Bret Martin and John Shillington. She studied composition with Allaudin Mathieu, and at the SF Conservatory of Music with Dusan Bogdanovic & David Garner. Robin works as a painter and treasures time spent gardening, with friends and family, and her dog, Ancho. She is honored to be singing with Cantiamo.
Elizabeth freitas, soprano II
Elizabeth has enjoyed singing since she was a child. She began singing with the Santa Rosa Children’s Chorus as a young girl and continued singing in choirs throughout high school and college, also taking voice lessons and performing in opera workshops. Her childhood piano lessons laid the foundation for playing flute in the Santa Rosa Youth Orchestra and oboe in her college orchestra. Raised on classical music, Elizabeth also loves world music, including Celtic and Japanese melodies, bossa nova, fado, jazz, blues, traditional African songs, and Latin rhythms.
LIESEL HALL, ALTO II
Liesel grew up in a musical family and started singing from an early age. She has performed in community theater, choirs, and entertainment groups throughout her life. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University-Hawaii in 2001. Liesel is a mother of four lovely children who keep her very busy, but makes time for musical performances when she can. She has been a soloist in the Bay Area performances of Rob Gardner's Oratorio, Lamb of God, for the past three years. She has been singing several years with Vinyl Revival, an all women singing group whose focus is on music from the early 20th century. Liesel joined Cantiamo Sonoma in January of 2014, and is enjoying the experience.
lynn keller, soprano ii
Lynn is a recent transplant from Wisconsin, where she taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for many years. She has enjoyed choral singing since high school in Philadelphia, where she also played flute in the youth orchestra of the Curtis Institute. In Madison she sang with the large UW Choral Union conducted by Robert Fountain before shifting to smaller groups. She sang for at least fifteen years with the Madison Chamber Choir, most recently under the direction of Albert Pinsonneault, and with the Isthmus Vocal Ensemble, directed by Scott MacPherson and then by the same Michael MacGaghie whom Emily sang with at Macalester. Lynn enjoyed being a member of the San Francisco Bach Choir when she first arrived in Sebastopol and now is delighted to have discovered Cantiamo.
laura knapp, alto I
Laura was born and raised in Pennsylvania and has sung in choirs since a young age. She was a core member of the Temple University Children’s Choir, which performed at national ACDA conventions and at the Oregon Bach Festival. After graduating from Muhlenberg College and transplanting to Sonoma County, Laura has sung with local groups, including over a dozen seasons with the Sonoma County Chamber Singers. She’s an elementary school teacher in Santa Rosa.
NANCY LA BASH, ALTO I
Nancy earned a B.A. in music from San Francisco State University and an M.A. in humanities from Dominican University of California. She sang with the Masterworks Chorale of San Mateo for 17 years, performing in Europe and Carnegie Hall, at the Cabrillo Music Festival, with San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera and San Jose Symphony. She has been a cantor at Saint Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Greenbrae since 1999. She enjoys life with her husband, Don, and their two Standard Poodles, portrait painting and teaching Zumba®.
blake larson, tenor II
A Santa Rosa native, Blake Larson fell in love with singing in High School and went on to attend CSU Long Beach in 2014. During college Blake taught voice lessons, sang as a professional tenor, and graduated with a double major in Choral Music Education and Vocal Performance. Blake has won notable choral awards both in the US and abroad. After getting married in 2019, Blake sang with a mixed quartet for 3 years while living in Knoxville, Tennessee, performing at competitions, weddings, and other special events. Blake has transitioned to a career as a Software Engineer but continues to sing with Cantiamo and other singers in the Santa Rosa area. He loves singing many genres of a cappella music such as Jazz, Barbershop, and Choral Music.
tom lois, baritone
Tom Lois is a baritone with a rich history of performing with esteemed vocal groups such as Sonoma Bach, Cantare con Vivo, the Tucson Symphony Chorus, and the St. Louis Symphony Chorus. As a graduate of the School of Music at the University of Illinois, Tom earned his vocal performance and choral conducting degree. His enduring passion for the collaborative and joyful art of ensemble singing continues to invigorate his musical journey. In addition to his musical pursuits, Tom is an active REALTOR® in Sonoma County. He takes great pride in his involvement with Cantiamo Sonoma.
Mark Mckelvey, baritone
Mark discovered choral singing about ten years ago in a local church choir, and wishes the discovery had come much sooner! He’s been trying to make up for lost time ever since, singing as a Cantor with the Catholic Community at Stanford University, and as a member of the Stanford Symphonic Chorus and the Stanford University Singers. He’s sung with The Choral Project in San Jose (under Daniel Hughes), and with the chamber choir Convivium In Los Altos (under Eric Tuan). Mark is a recent arrival to Santa Rosa, having retired from a forty year career in technology development for NASA and Department of Energy scientific research facilities. He’s grateful for the opportunity to join Cantiamo.
bill morgan, bass I
Bill is a native of Illinois and came to Santa Rosa by way of Indiana and Pennsylvania. He works as an electrical engineer by day and enjoys singing and long tandem bike rides with his wife Nancy in the off hours. Bill discovered his passion for singing in his mid-thirties and sang with the Sonoma County Chamber Singers for a decade. In addition to Cantiamo Sonoma, he sings with several small ensembles, including many years with The Merrie Olde Christmas Carolers during the holiday season. He has also performed in musical theater with the Santa Rosa Players and 6th Street Playhouse.
Nora peterson, alto I
Nora has been singing since her early childhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she started out in the choirs of Trinity United Methodist Church. She later studied voice privately and at university, although graduating with a different major. Nora has performed in musical theater productions, choral concerts, and cabaret periodically over the years. She enjoys the challenge of singing a cappella with Cantiamo, and loves the blend of modern, Renaissance, and classical choral music in the repertoire. When she is not singing, she is busy with her job as an elementary school teacher, as well as spending time outdoors and enjoying the arts with her family.
Derrick Podlewski, Tenor I
Derrick has had a love for singing, especially choral singing, ever since he was in middle school. After moving to Santa Rosa from Maui, Hawai'i, he attended Santa Rosa Middle School where he attended his first choir classes. He then went on to Santa Rosa High School where he was a part of the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers for 3 years. He had the opportunity to travel to Mexico and also to perform in Disneyland back in 2008. He graduated in 2009 and decided to take a break from school. In the fall of 2012, Derrick decided to attend Santa Rosa Junior College in pursuit of studying music and vocal performance. He has had the privilege of working with the most talented voice teachers of Santa Rosa, including Carol Menke herself.
Radha romero, soprano I
Radha has been immersed in classical music since she was a child. Her mother sang with the SF Symphony Chorus and one of her brothers is a composer and the Head Librarian for the Manhattan School of Music. After taking a break from music performances to raise a family, she went back to school to earn a degree in Music, majoring in Piano where she studied with Rudolf Budginas. She then stayed on to complete another degree in Voice, and studied with Mary Beard and Jody Benecke. Radha is the lead singer of Rock and Roll Rhythm Revue and most recently, Radha and the Romeos. As a fan of Cantiamo for years, she is thrilled to be joining as a member and looks forward to contributing to this vibrant musical community!
chris smith, soprano II
Chris has always loved blending her voice with others in song. As a child, she sang with school/church choirs and with the San Francisco Girl Scout Chorus. After completing college and higher education, she joined Pacific Camerata, an early music group in San Diego, and was with them for 17 years. Upon moving to Sonoma County, Chris joined the Occidental Community Choir. There, in addition to singing, she began composing music for the choir. She studied music theory at SRJC to improve her compositional skills, and performed in musicals there as well as at Cinnabar and Spreckels. She has been with two vocal bands, first with Take Jack and currently with the Boon Hiker Band, where she continues to compose and sing. She is delighted to be singing with Cantiamo Sonoma!
clay spence, tenor II
While a physics major at UC Irvine, Clay started singing with a church choir and the then Saddleback College North Community choir. When he finally finished graduate school at UCI, he and his wife moved to New Jersey for his career in computer science. There he spent over thirty years singing with church and community choirs, including Plainsboro Presbyterian, the Westminster Community Choir, Princeton Pro Musica, and over ten years with the Capital Singers of Trenton (CST). He took five years of voice lessons with the first CST director, Richard Loatman. After moving to Santa Rosa in 2020, he is delighted to be singing with the Presbyterian Church of the Roses choir in Santa Rosa and with Cantiamo.
marla tusa, alto I (on leave)
Alto Marla Tusa grew up in rural Canada where she developed a love of choral music at a young age. She has a Bachelor of Music from Brandon University where she majored in voice and a Bachelor of Education from Vancouver Island University. Marla taught music at Merryhill School (K-8) in Santa Rosa from 2000-2004. She and her husband spent 10 years living on Vancouver Island where she sang with The Island Consort, directed music and choir at Brechin United Church and taught K-10 music and French at Aspengrove School. Marla moved back to Santa Rosa with her husband and two boys in 2014 and taught music and directed choirs for Bennett Valley School District and Santa Rosa City Schools. Marla has been the Director of the Training and Intermediate Groups of the Santa Rosa Children’s Choral Academy since 2016. After teaching elementary school music for almost 20 years, she began her dream job directing the Vocal/Choral Programs at Santa Rosa High School in 2021.
CONNIE VOCATURE, SOPRANO I
Connie, a native of Ohio, came to Santa Rosa in 1984. As a youth, her appreciation for classical music developed while dancing to the piano accompanists at San Francisco Ballet. Beginning in high school, choral music became a constant companion; singing in multiple choirs, performing in summer musicals, church choirs, and culminating in joining Cantiamo in 2006. A retired RN, she especially enjoys her children and grandchildren, and loves living with her husband in the redwoods of Occidental.
Gene Wright, Bass I
Gene has been singing in choirs since he was 8. Upon retiring from his practice of psychiatry in 2013, he completed voice training with Jody & Peter Benecke, and has added opera and oratorio work to his repertiore. He sang 20 years with the Occidental community Choir and 6 years with the vocal band “Take Jack.” He has appeared in operas and musicals with Cinnabar Theater, Pocket Opera, and Verismo Opera. He has been with Cantiamo Sonoma since January 2018.