The vocalists of Ars Nova Singers are an adventurous, highly skilled cadre drawn from all over the Denver Metro Area. By retaining upwards of 40 auditioned singers, we’re able to conquer the toughest polyphonic terrain with ease. 8 parts? 16 parts? No problem. (Over the years, we’ve even dared to perform a few 40-part tunes – just for the fun of it.) We believe in strength in numbers, and we’re grateful to our singers for performing the kind of complex works that few other choirs attempt.
Singers
High School Apprentices
Evan Lariviere
He/Him
Tenor & 12th Grader
I have been singing with Ars Nova for all four years of high school. I am now a senior at Watershed school in Boulder. I moved here from Boston, MA,…
Zahnay Marks
Tenor & High School Apprentice
Lucy Penuel
Soprano & 12th Grader
Berkeley Spencer
Alto & 10th Grader
I am currently a sophomore at Monarch high school, and I have been part of the Ars Nova singers for about a year now. When I’m not singing, you can…
Sophia Young
Soprano & 10th Grader
Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Sophia and her family moved to Colorado in 2020, but her love for music has flourished since a young age. Now a sophomore at Fairview High…
Meet the Singers
Elizabeth Swanson
She/Her
Associate Conductor, Alto, & CU Boulder Associate Director of Choral Studies
Current Hometown: Lafayette, CO Originally from Rochester, MN, Elizabeth Swanson is Associate Director of Choral Activities at the University of Colorado–Boulder where she conducts the University Choir and CU Treble…
John Adams
He/Him
Bass/Baritone & Retired Software Engineer
Originally from Pittsburgh and now living in Morrison, John has sung with small and large groups, professionally and otherwise, from jazz to musical theater, to oratorio and opera. Singing with…
Krista Benesch
She/Her/Hers
Soprano & Elementary Music Teacher
Originally from Kearney, Nebraska, Krista Benesch is a Colorado-based singer and educator. Krista received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Master of Music in Voice…
James Boyd
Alto & Educator/Researcher
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO Favorite Outdoor Adventure Around the Front Range? Craft beer-drinking on (healthy, safely separated) patios What brings you peace? The farmer’s market. Sorry, I misread peas! There’s…
Mary Jo Brodzik
Alto & Research Scientist
Current Hometown: Nederland, CO What Keeps You Connected to Ars Nova’s Repertoire? I come to Renaissance music because it draws me in and feeds my soul; but an odd thing…
Andrew Carr
He/Him
Bass & IT Analyst
After living and singing on both coasts, Andrew and his big beard moved to Colorado in 2016 and immediately joined Ars Nova Singers. Andrew enjoys board games, international travel, and…
Ellen DeGennaro
She/Her/Hers
Soprano & Postdoctoral Scientist
Ellen is a scientist and musician originally from the Northeast (Boston, MA). She attended Vassar College and double-majored in Music and Cognitive Science, studying voice, violin, conducting, and interdisciplinary science.…
Bruce Doenecke
Tenor/Baritone & Retired Pediatrician
Current Hometown: Coal Creek Canyon, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? Learning and performing Thomas Tallis’ 40-part motet, Spem in Alium. No question! Favorite Shower-Singing Song? “Never Can Say Goodbye” –…
Brian du Fresne
Bass & Music Director/Massage Therapist/Massage Therapy Instructor
Current Hometown: Thornton, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? Since I am an organist/pianist first, one of my greatest successes was “Pageant“ by Leo Sowerby, a tour de force virtuosic organ…
Brant Foote
Bass & Senior Scientist Emeritus, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO Favorite Outdoor Adventure Around the Front Range? Hiking, biking, skiing, enjoying the blue sky and the big mountains. What’s a COVID-Times Hobby or Skill You’ve Picked…
Jessica Harbeson
She/Her
Soprano & Program Coordinator, Geological Survey of America
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO Jessica Harbeson grew up in the Washington, DC, area, and has been singing in choirs since elementary school. She studied music in college and graduate school,…
Sam Henderson
Tenor
Hometown: Round Rock, Texas. I’ve been in the Denver/Boulder area for 2.5 years, and am just starting in Ars Nova Singers in 2023. I am currently working in various administrative…
Julia Hilton
Alto & Piano Teacher
Current Hometown: Broomfield, CO What’s a COVID-Times Hobby or Skill You’ve Picked Up? Sewing! What Brings You Peace? Playing the piano and reading. Joined Ars Nova: 2017 Round of Applause…
Barry Janzen
Tenor & Software Engineer
Current Hometown: Niwot, CO What Song or Composer Should Ars Nova Cover in the Future? I traveled to Finland and Estonia in 2020 to visit my son, and listening to…
Sarah Kiefhaber
She/Her/Hers
Alto & Retired IT Professional
Current Hometown: Longmont, CO I have been singing in choirs since I was 7 years old, starting in church choirs and then adding community choirs as an adult. Music has…
Steve Kientz
He/Him/His
Tenor & Engineer
Current Hometown: Westminster, CO Joined Ars Nova: 2009 Steve is passionate about singing/performing. He grew up singing Barbershop; and a Favorite Musical Moment was singing the National Anthem with a…
Tara Mianulli U'Ren
She/Her
Alto & Choir and Performing Arts Teacher
Tara U’Ren joined Ars Nova Singers in 2007. She is a performing arts teacher at Westminster High school, where she teaches piano, guitar, and directs the district 4-8th grade honor…
Ellen Moeller
She/Her
Alto & Freelance Singer
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? “Tanti affetti” from Gioachino Rossini’s La Donna del Lago was my 14er. I’d like to conquer the role of Didón in Hector…
Paul Munsch
Bass & Math, Music, Health, and P.E. Teacher
Current Hometown: Westminster, CO What Keeps You Connected to Ars Nova’s Repertoire? I have been drawn to Ars Nova Singers by the vast variety, complexity, emotional content and performance quality…
Jan Osburn
Soprano & Private Studio Music Educator, Retired BVSD Teacher
Jan is a music educator with a strong belief in nurturing creativity. She retired in August, 2022 after teaching 4 years in the Twin Cities, and 36 years in the…
Eric Pahlke
Baritone & Electrical Engineer
Current Hometown: Superior, CO What Song or Composer Should Ars Nova Cover in the Future? Benjamin Britten’s “Rejoice in the Lamb” Favorite Outdoor Adventure Around the Front Range? Snowboarding! Joined…
Julie Poelchau
She/Her
Soprano & Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist
Current Hometown: Golden, CO, (formerly Juelich, Germany and Dallas, TX) Julie grew up immersed in renaissance music at home. Her parents are singers and play several early instruments (recorders, krummhorns,…
Jonathan Raabe
Tenor & Business Owner
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO Favorite Shower-Singing Song? “Wonderful Tonight” – Eric Clapton What Song or Composer Should Ars Nova Cover in the Future? Francisco Guerrero’s Duo Seraphim Clamabant Joined Ars…
Karen Ramirez
She/Her
Soprano & Teaching Professor/Program Director at CU Boulder
Karen sings mezzo soprano and has sung with Ars Nova since 2000. She is a Teaching Professor of Western American and Native American Studies at CU Boulder and the Assistant…
Szilvia Schranz
Soprano
What is your home town? Budapest, Hungary and Boulder, CO. How long have you been with Ars Nova Singers? This is my first year! How long have you lived in…
Levi Spanarella
She/They
Soprano
Levi Spanarella has been heavily involved in creating choral music for the past ten years. Born and raised in Louisville, Colorado she became a member of Ars Nova as a…
Wyatt Smith
He/Him
Bass
Wyatt Smith hails from Southwest Kansas (Garden City) and is excited to make Colorado his home. As a full time Graduate Student at CU Boulder in Choral Conducting Wyatt gets…
Zachariah Smith
He/Him
Tenor
Originally from Thornton, CO, Zachariah Smith is currently a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder studying music education and choral conducting. Prior to that he was the choir…
Emma Isabel Vawter
She/Her/Hers
Alto & Conservation Travel Professional with Natural Habitat Adventures
Emma Vawter is an adventurous musician with a passion for exploring rarely performed works from the Renaissance to music composed yesterday. A frequent soloist with Ars Nova Singers, she has…
Rhonda Wallen
Alto
I’ve been part of Ars Nova Singers for 10 years. In my career I am involved in Board and Advisory roles for emerging growth biotech and medtech companies. My musical…
Louis Warshawsky
He/Him
Tenor & Retired Computer Programmer
Originally from: Morton Grove, IL Current Hometown: Longmont, CO Joined Ars Nova: 1986 Louis Warshawsky is a singer wth more than fifty years of choral experience. He is a founding…
Kathryn Zorman
Soprano & Professional Musician
Hometown: Cleveland, OH. I’ve been in the Boulder area for three years. I have a BA in Music from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. I became hooked on music…