April 12 – Chanticleer

Concert sponsored by BrandTech Scientific, Inc.

Where and When:

VALLEY REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
256 Kelsey Hill Road, Deep River, CT
Click here to view in Google maps.

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Concert begins at 3:00 pm; outer doors open at 2:00 pm; auditorium doors open at 2:30 pm.

Accessible parking, entry and seating are available.

Concert Program:

Our American Journey

Tavian Cox, Luke Elmer, Cortez Mitchell,
Bradley Sharpe, Logan Shields, Adam Brett Ward – countertenor

Vineel Garisa Mahal, Matthew Mazzola, Andrew Van Allsburg – tenor

Andy Berry, Jared Graveley, Matthew Knickman – baritone and bass

Tim Keeler – Music Director

Selections performed will be from the following:

Deus in Adiutorium Meum Intende – Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla (c. 1590-1664)
Lamentatio in Coena Domini – Juan de Lienas (fl. 1617-1654)
Kittery (Our Father Who in Heaven Art) – William Billings (1746-1800)
Jefferson (Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken)† – Alexander Johnson (1791-1832)
My Home Above – W.E. Glanton (fl. 1932)
Happy Shore – Trevor Weston (b. 1967), Commissioned by Chanticleer and Spivey Hall (Clayton State University, Morrow, GA) with the generous support of Marilyn Altman and Dan Gaylord in 2025
There Is a Balm in Gilead† – Traditional African American Spiritual, arr. Joseph H. Jennings
Wade in the Water – Traditional African American Spiritual, arr. Stephen M. Murphy
The Un-Covered Wagon† – Brent Michael Davids (b. 1959), Commissioned by Chanticleer in 2002
Let all the world – Roxanna Panufnik (b. 1968)
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need – Virgil Thomson (1896-1989)
Alleluia – Randall Thompson (1899-1984)
close[r], now† – Ayanna Woods (b. 1992), Commissioned for Chanticleer in 2021 with generous support from Alan Benaroya
I Hear the Siren’s Call† – Chen Yi (b. 1953), Commissioned by Chanticleer in 2012
Hee-oo-oom-ha – Toby Twining (b. 1958)
American Folksong Medley† – Traditional, arr. Steve Barnett
Blue Skies† –  Irving Berlin (1888-1989), arr. Jennings
Brahmamokate –  Shobha Raju (b. 1957), arr. Vineel Garisa Mahal
Calling My Children Home† – Doyle Lawson (b. 1944), Charles Waller (1935-2004), Robert Yates (1936-2015). arr. Joseph H. Jennings
Home – Charlie Smalls (1943-1987), arr. Jared Graveley
If I Had a Hammer – Pete Seeger (1919-2014), arr. Adam Brett Ward
I’ll Fly Away – Albert E. Brumley (1905-1977), arr. Tim Keeler
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair† – Stephen Foster (1826-1864), arr. Gene Puerling
Lovesick Blues – Cliff Friend (1893-1974), arr. Adam Brett Ward
Paraiso Soñado – Manuel Sánchez Acosta (1914-2006), arr. Juan Tony Guzmán
The Trolley Song – Ralph Blane (1914-1995) and Hugh Martin (1914-2011), arr. Graveley

†These pieces have been recorded by Chanticleer.

Artist Biographies:

Chanticleer

The GRAMMY® Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity. Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling over one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the world.

Chanticleer’s repertoire is rooted in the renaissance, and has continued to expand to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz, popular music, and a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements. The ensemble has committed much of its vast recording catalogue to these commissions, garnering GRAMMY® Awards for its recording of Sir John Tavener’s Lamentations & Praises, and the ambitious collection of commissioned works entitled Colors of Love. Chanticleer is the recipient of the Dale Warland/Chorus America Commissioning Award and the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming, and its Music Director Emeritus Joseph H. Jennings received the Brazeal Wayne Dennard Award for his contribution to the African-American choral tradition during his tenure with Chanticleer.

Named for the “clear-singing” rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Chanticleer continues to maintain ambitious programming in its hometown of San Francisco, including a large education and outreach program, and an annual concert series that includes its legendary holiday tradition A Chanticleer Christmas.

Chanticleer — a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation — is the current recipient of major grants from The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation, The Bob Ross Foundation, Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, and The National Endowment for the Arts. Chanticleer’s activities as a not-for-profit corporation are supported by its administrative staff and Board of Trustees.

Tavian Cox, countertenor, is excited to return to Chanticleer for his third season! He majored in Interdisciplinary Studies, combining Music Education, Social Work, and Psychology into one degree at the University of North Florida. During his tenure at UNF, he performed as a soloist numerous times in works such as Handel’s Messiah, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, and Vivaldi’s Gloria, as well as singing the role of Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Così fan tutte with the UNF Opera Theater. Tavian has also been professionally associated with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Voces8. During the 2021 holiday season, Tavian performed in a project licensed by Sony and Extreme Music called A Cappella Nativity, a modern retelling of the birth of Christ. In addition to his love for performing, Tavian is also a conductor, who made his conducting debut at the 2019 Florida American Choral Directors Association President’s Concert with the Don’t Miss a Beat All-Stars led by Grammy Award-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. In his free time, Tavian enjoys playing video games with friends and watching reality TV. Tavian would like to thank his family, friends, and music educators who have forever changed his life.

Luke Elmer, countertenor, was born and raised in Flower Mound, Texas, and is excited for his second season with Chanticleer. Luke earned his undergraduate degree in vocal performance from Brigham Young University. After moving to California and earning his master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Luke made his operatic debut at Long Beach Opera, performing the title role in Handel’s Giustino. The following year, he taught voice, piano, and theater at the Spindrift School of the Performing Arts in Pacifica and sang for the San Francisco Archdiocese as part of the Archbishop’s Schola. He was honored to be an Apprentice Artist at The Santa Fe Opera during their 2023 season, where he performed the role of the Third Pastor in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. He spent a brief year in New York, singing regularly with the Saint Bartholomew’s Choir, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Choir, and The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys. Prior to joining Chanticleer, he was one of the 2024 Gerdine Young Artists at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where he covered Tolomeo in Handel’s Julius Caesar and Cardinal 1 in Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei. Luke is a proud uncle to five nephews, a doting cat dad, and a major consumer of ramen. He is grateful to his family for their tireless support and to his grandmother Dorothy Peterson Elmer Woolf, Connie Riska, Matt Quinlan, and Robin Tercero Montgomery for teaching him to love music. Luke Elmer occupies The Ning G. Mercer Chair for the Preservation of the Chanticleer Legacy, given by Ning and Stephen Mercer.

Cortez Mitchell, countertenor, is a native of Detroit, MI. He graduated from Morgan State University with a B.A. in music and a B.S. in mathematics, and holds an M.M. in voice from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. As Minnesota Opera’s first resident artist countertenor, he performed the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and covered Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. With Urban Opera, he performed the role of 1st Witch in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Most recently, he returned to Minnesota Opera as the Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s Flight and made his European opera debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich as Narisco in Handel’s Agrippina. As a concert artist, he has appeared in solo performances of Purcell’s Come Ye Sons of Art with Symphony Silicon Valley, J.S. Bach’s Cantata 147 Herz und Mund und Tod und Leben with the Dayton Philharmonic, R. Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses and Adolphus Hailstork’s Done Made My Vow with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Rachmaninov’s Vespers in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Wynton Marsallis’s All Rise with the Lincoln Center Jazz Ensemble. Cortez has received awards from the National Opera Association, the Washington International Competition, and the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition. Cortez is in his 19th season with Chanticleer. Cortez Mitchell occupies The Cortez Mitchell Chair, given by James R. Meehan.

Bradley Sharpe, countertenor, is delighted to be returning for his fifth season, driven by his deep passion for eclectic musical genres, collaborative projects, and travel. As a native of Southern California, he is proud to be employed in his home state. Bradley earned an M.M. in oratorio, chamber music, and art song from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, and a B.M. in vocal performance from California State University, Fullerton School of Music. Several of his most memorable musical experiences took place while singing internationally with Yale’s Schola Cantorum and Voxtet, including performances at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, across India, and along the Camino de Santiago. In his free time, Bradley enjoys taking food and wine adventures, camping, and spending time with loved ones.

Logan Shields, countertenor, is elated to begin his tenth season with Chanticleer. Logan studied vocal performance in tenor voice at Western Michigan University and Grand Valley State University. Other passions include craft beer, death metal concerts, cassette tapes, absurdism, pugs, and exploring the West Coast with his wife, Gabrielle.

Adam Brett Ward, countertenor, is originally from Tecumseh, Oklahoma. At an early age, Adam became fascinated with ’80s country superstar Janie Fricke and then later, the legendary Patsy Cline. As a child, he made a number of local TV appearances singing their songs. Adam discovered his countertenor voice while studying French horn performance at Yale School of Music. There, he was a founding member of the Yale Schola Cantorum, directed by Simon Carrington. He has since performed as a soloist with the International Contemporary Ensemble and was a member of the Choir of St. Mary the Virgin in midtown Manhattan. As a horn player, Adam was a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, winner of the concerto competitions at Yale and Stony Brook Universities, a top prizewinner at the Coleman, Fischoff, and Yellow Springs chamber music competitions, and premiered his own “Concerto for Horn and String Orchestra” at the Banff Centre. Adam is also a founding member of the International Pride Orchestra. He was recently composer-in-residence for the New York City-based Choral Chameleon, directed by Vince Peterson, and the Sacramento-based Vox Musica, directed by Daniel Paulson. Adam is a singer-songwriter in multiple genres; he can be found on SoundCloud as Adam Brett Ward. Adam holds a B.M. from Manhattan School of Music, an M.M. from Yale School of Music, and additional years of study at the Hartt School, Royal College of Music (London), and Stony Brook University. Adam is still really into Janie Fricke and Patsy Cline and is overjoyed to be in his 20th season with Chanticleer!

Vineel Garisa Mahal, tenor, is delighted to be joining Chanticleer for his fourth season. An Indian-American, Texas-raised singer, he has served as adjunct voice faculty at New York University, where he received his Post-Graduate Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy. He received his B.M. from Southern Methodist University and his M.M. from the University of North Texas, both in vocal performance. He has performed with Fort Worth Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Casa Mañana, and made his Kennedy Center debut in collaboration with Grammy-nominated artist Chandrika Tandon. He has been featured in works by prominent living composers and originated the role of Roderick in Kamala Sankaram’s the Emperor and the Queen. Some of his favorite past credits include the title character in Britten’s Albert Herring, Fakir in Lucy Simon’s The Secret Garden, and El Gato in Frank Wildhorn’s  . During the 2021-2022 holiday season, he was a Christmas vocalist at Hong Kong Disneyland. Under the alias “Elaichi,” he has released original music which is available for streaming and purchase on most major music sites. In his free time, Vineel loves cooking, playing guitar, reading manga, and being a general nerd. Vineel Garisa Mahal occupies The Tenor Chair, given by an Anonymous Donor.

Matthew Mazzola, tenor, is thrilled to return for his ninth season with Chanticleer, and his second as Assistant Music Director. Matthew received his bachelor’s in music education from the University of Houston. During his undergraduate tenure, he sang with the Moores School of Music’s Concert Chorale under the direction of Betsy Cook Weber. After finishing his degree, Matthew taught elementary music and sang professionally with Cantare Houston, Houston Bach Society, and Houston Chamber Choir. In his free time, Matthew is an avid gamer, reader, and sports fan.

Andy Van Allsburg, tenor, is thrilled to be in his tenth season with Chanticleer. Originally from Holland, Michigan, Andrew received his bachelor’s in music education from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI, where he conducted the school’s early music ensemble Collegium Musicum and won a DownBeat award for his work with the vocal jazz ensemble Gold Company. A versatile musician, Andrew has performed, music directed, and arranged music globally for various cruise lines, production companies, contemporary a cappella groups, and musicals. Andrew was selected to represent the USA in the World Youth Choir in Cyprus and recorded Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 with the Miami-based professional choir Seraphic Fire. In New York City, Andrew sang under James Wetzel with Schola Dominicana and was a featured singer at Radio City Music Hall in The Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes, under the musical direction of Kevin Stites. He has made TV appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and is a proud member of the Recording Academy. In his downtime, Andrew enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and tearing it up on the drums.

Andy Berry, (he/him), bass, believes that vocal music is vital because it testifies to the power of collaboration, the importance of the present moment, and the beauty of our shared humanity. He has performed as a soloist with the Santa Fe Opera, the Pittsburgh Opera, the Vietnam National Ballet and Opera Orchestra, and Singapore’s Metropolitan Festival Orchestra. His favorite past roles include the title character in Massenet’s Don Quichotte, Isacio in the second U.S. performance of Handel’s Riccardo Primo, and Kobun Otogawa (cover) in the Grammy Award-winning world premiere of Mason Bates’ The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Andy earned his M.M. in voice/opera from the Yale School of Music and a B.S. in psychology/neuroscience, cum laude, from Yale College. In 2016, he won second place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council’s Northeast Regional Final. As an undergraduate, Andy directed the Yale Whiffenpoofs and served as an assistant conductor to the Yale Glee Club. He was born and raised in Cabin John, MD, just outside of Washington, D.C., and he now celebrates his (half) Japanese heritage living in Japantown, San Francisco. Andy is proud to return to Chanticleer for his eighth season. Andy Berry occupies The Eric Alatorre Chair, given by Peggy Skornia.

Jared Graveley, bass-baritone, is proud to serve Chanticleer in his third season. While touring and singing with the Grammy Award-winning ensemble, he also writes choral, jazz, and a cappella arrangements for such esteemed groups as Voces8, Kings Return, Midtown, Choral Chameleon, Hyannis Sound, and, of course, his home team Chanticleer. Jared founded and directs the vocal jazz quintet Highline Vocal Jazz, whose debut album was released in 2024. Many thanks to his formative years at UConn with Dr. Jamie Spillane, on Cape with his Hyannis Sound family, and in New York City singing with the wonderful people of the choral freelance community there. He wouldn’t be where he is without learning everything he knows from them. While not touring, rehearsing, or writing, Jared enjoys being physically active, eating well, singing barbershop, dancing, catching concerts, and relaxing with loved ones.

Matthew Knickman, baritone, is proud to be in his 15th season with Chanticleer. Born in Korea, he started singing as a soprano at St. Stephen’s Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He holds degrees in vocal performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. As a member of the critically acclaimed Westminster Choir and Westminster Kantorei, he performed with the New York Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, and New Jersey Symphony, and has been led by celebrated conductors, including Thomas Dunford, Alan Gilbert, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Harry Bicket, Charles Dutoit, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Richard Hickox, Neeme Järvi, Bernard Labadie, Nicholas McGegan, Julius Rudel, Bruno Weil, Stefan Parkman, Joseph Flummerfelt, and Andrew Megill. He has also performed with Ensemble Jupiter (Paris), Santa Clara Chorale, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Silicon Valley, Les Violons du Roy et La Chapelle de Québec, Early Music New York, Choir of Trinity Wall Street, The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, The Clarion Choir, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Theatre of Weston, and Spoleto Festival U.S.A. He has been a soloist in numerous oratorios and Bach cantatas, including St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion with early music organizations such as Fuma Sacra, Philadelphia Bach Festival, and Carmel Bach Festival. Matthew serves on the board of Sing Aphasia, an organization dedicated to assisting individuals with aphasia and their families in developing confidence, fostering connections, and discovering their voices through song. When not singing, Matthew enjoys strawberry ice cream, baking sourdough bread at Rize Up Bakery, loving his mixed Pyrenean Mountain Dog named Polyphony, is an exercise and nutritional science enthusiast, and revels in eating comfort foods around the world. Buen Camino!