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
Tenor & 10th Grader
Current Hometown and school: Boulder, CO. I’m a sophomore at The Watershed School. What is your musical background? I began singing at age 5, spent several years at The Rivers…
Meet the Singers
Elizabeth Swanson
Associate Conductor, Alto, & CU Boulder Associate Director of Choral Studies
Current Hometown: Lafayette, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? Verdi’s Requiem performances with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra (Riccardo Muti, conductor). These rehearsal and performance experiences were life-altering! What Brings…
John Adams
Bass/Baritone & Software Engineer
Current Hometown: Northglenn, CO Favorite Outdoor Adventure Around the Front Range? Mountain Biking – new for me when first moving to Colorado in the early 1990’s (when in my 30s).…
Cyrissa Anderson
Soprano
James Boyd
Bass & 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…
Evanne Browne
Soprano & Founder/Artistic Director, Seicento Baroque Ensemble
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO What’s your vocal 14’er? Conducting the monumental Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 was a summit for me. I’m evidently the only person in Colorado to have done so, and I…
John Butterfield
Bass & Retired Journalist/Web Editor
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? The Durufle Requiem was an utter revelation when I first sang it just a few years ago. Not only had I never…
Andrew Carr
Bass & E-Commerce Supervisor
Current Hometown: Denver, CO Favorite Shower-Singing Song? Doc Watson’s “Sittin’ on Top of the World” What Song or Composer Should Ars Nova Cover in the Future? I hope we’ll cover…
Sharon Caulfield
Alto & Lawyer
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? Whitacre’s “When David Heard” and Fowler’s “Yet Another Layer,” and it was so cool to do Bocanegra’s “Hanacpachap cussicuinin” Favorite Shower-Singing Song?…
Daniel J. Cosio
Bass
I am a DMA student in Trombone Performance & Pedagogy at CU and freelance as a brass/vocal performer and private lesson teacher. My degrees are BM Trombone Performance, University of…
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…
Jason Gallardo
Tenor & Conductor, Singer, Audio Engineer
Hometown: Brownsville, TX. I’ve been in Boulder since late July, 2022. Currently, I am working on a DMA in Choral Conducting and Literature at CU Boulder. I have a Master…
Jessica Harbeson
Soprano & Church Administrator
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. I got to perform it in Washington, DC, with the Cathedral Choral Society in the late 1990s. I…
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…
Scott Isaacs
Baritone/Bass
I’ve been a member of Ars Nova Singers for one year. I work as a copy editor. I attended St. Olaf College in Minnesota. I’ve been a lifelong choral singer…
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
Alto & Retired IT Professional
Current Hometown: Longmont, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? Mason Bates’ “Observer in the Magellanic Cloud” What Song or Composer Should Ars Nova Cover in the Future? I would love to…
Steve Kientz
Tenor & Engineer
Current Hometown: Westminster, CO Favorite Shower-Singing Song? Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” Favorite Outdoor Adventure Around the Front Range? Chautauqua Joined Ars Nova: 2009 Round of Applause…
Tara Mianulli U'Ren
Alto & Choir Teacher
Current Hometown: Brighton, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? The hardest a cappella choral piece I have ever done was Friede auf Erden, Op. 13 by Schoenberg. I performed it memorized…
Ellen Moeller
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…
Ann Marie Morgan
Alto & Freelance Musician
Current Hometown: Broomfield, CO What Keeps You Connected to Ars Nova’s Repertoire? As I spend most of my musical time in the Baroque and prior, the repertoire of Ars Nova…
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…
David Nesbitt
Tenor & Chemistry/Physics Professor at CU Boulder
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO What Keeps You Connected to Ars Nova’s Repertoire? I sang in a Renaissance a cappella men’s group in college, which always made me enjoy/appreciate the Renaissance…
Jan Osburn
Soprano & Retired Music Teacher
Current Hometown: Lafayette, CO What Song or Composer Should Ars Nova Cover in the Future? Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. It touches my soul! What Keeps You Connected to Ars Nova’s…
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…
Shannon Pennell
Soprano & Music Teacher
Current Hometown: Lyons, CO What Keeps You Connected to Ars Nova’s Repertoire? Choral music can be transcendent in a way that little else can for me. Being a small yet…
Lorena Perry
Soprano & Choir, Orchestra, and Dance Teacher
I live in Castle Rock and have been in the Denver area for 19 years, and this is my second season as part of Ars Nova. My career is music…
Julie Poelchau
Soprano & Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist
Current Hometown: Golden, CO What Keeps You Connected to Ars Nova’s Repertoire? My parents are singers and play several early instruments (recorders, krummhorns, viol, sacbut). I grew up with groups…
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
Soprano & Teaching Professor/Program Director at CU Boulder
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO What Brings You Peace? Being outside, especially with family; and, working with amazing, inspiring students. I teach and mentor about 75 students through CU Boulder’s Miramontes…
Erin Stone
Soprano & Programmer/Analyst
Current Hometown: Arvada, CO Favorite Outdoor Adventure Around the Front Range? I’m just learning to ski, and finding new hikes is one of summer’s best features. What’s a COVID-Times Hobby…
Emma Vawter
Alto & Conservation Travel Professional
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? I’m dying to sing Mahler’s 2nd with orchestra someday. Mahler is my favorite composer (by a lot) and I know WAY too…
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
Tenor & Retired Computer Programmer
Current Hometown: Longmont, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana What’s a COVID-Times Hobby or Skill You’ve Picked Up? Getting rid of electronic junk on Craigslist. Joined Ars…
Andrea Weidemann
Soprano
Dan Wessler
Bass & UC Boulder Choral Graduate Assistant
Current Hometown: Thornton, CO Favorite Shower-Singing Song? The bass part to whatever arrangement my barbershop quartet is currently learning. What Song or Composer Should Ars Nova Cover in the Future?…
Don Wilson
Baritone & Retired
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO What Brings You Peace? Being in the middle of the choir rehearsing on a lovely Spring Thursday evening. May it soon come back to us all.…
Steve Winograd
Bass & Retired Computer Consultant
Current Hometown: Boulder, CO (since 1968!) What Brought You to Ars Nova? I heard about Ars Nova from a friend in the group, and I went to my first concert…
Chris Wolfrom
Tenor & Photovoltaic Systems Engineer
Current Hometown: Lafayette, CO What’s Your Vocal “14er”? Guillaume de Machaut’s Messe de Nostre Dame What’s a COVID-Times Hobby or Skill You’ve Picked Up? Buying too many plants. Joined Ars…
Joshua Young
Bass & Engineer in Physics Technology
Hometown: Boulder, CO. I’ve lived in Boulder for 25 years. Attended college at Amherst. I started singing regularly during my first year in college. After auditioning for the venerable old…
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…