Singers

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.

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,…

Tenor & High School Apprentice

Zoe Myers

She/Her

Soprano & 12th Grader

Hometown: Boulder, CO. Student at Fairview High School. This is her third year in Ars Nova. What is your musical background? I started doing choir when I was 10, a…

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…

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…

Kim Lancaster

She/Her

Alto, K12 Principal for St. Vrain Valley Schools, & private flute and voice teacher

Kim Lancaster holds a BA in Church Music (Voice and Flute), an MA in Educational Leadership from University of Northern Colorado and Masters in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) from the…

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…

Tenor

Jan Osburn

Private Studio Music Educator

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…

Bonnie Pierce

She/Her/Hers

Soprano

Born and raised in Boulder, Bonnie’s love of all things musical started from day one and continues to this day! She graduated with her bachelors degree in vocal performance from…

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…

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