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Susannah Edmonds
Soprano
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Susannah Edmonds, soprano, specializes in music of the Baroque and before. After graduating from Yale University as a music major, Susannah attended the Early Music Institute at Indiana University’s School of Music, studying voice with Paul Elliot and medieval music performance with Thomas Binkley. Susannah spent several years in Chicago, performing with His Majestie’s Clerkes, the Scholars of Cambrai, and the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter’s Church. Since moving to Bryn Mawr, where her husband teaches Classics, Susannah has sung at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, Old St. Joseph’s Church in Old City, St. David’s in Radnor, and with the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia and In Clara Voce. In conjunction with In Clara Voce, she has performed with Piffaro, the Renaissance Wind Band, and the Brandywine Baroque ensemble. A one-year stint in Washington, DC allowed Susannah to sing for St. Thomas of Dupont Circle, Christ Church in Georgetown, and the professional chamber choir Chantry. She currently studies voice with Laura Heimes. Susannah has been a soprano section leader at Church of the Redeemer since 2004.
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Ken Garner
Tenor
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Kenneth Garner is an accomplished tenor performing, these days, almost exclusively in oratorio. He has been a member of the all-professional core of The Philadelphia Singers since 1977, appearing regularly as soloist with the ensemble. A review of a Handel’s Messiah performance with The Singers said “tenor Kenneth Garner sang Ev’ry valley shall be exalted with angelic brilliance.” Recent recordings include the Verdi and Mozart Requiems and the Beethoven Ninth Symphony on the Lyrichord Classical label. He is a regularly sought-after soloist with The Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, VOX Ama Deus Ensemble and The Philadelphia Chamber Chorus and has also appeared with The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, The Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, The Bach Festival of Philadelphia, Choral Society of Montgomery County and other regional performing arts organizations. He is an inherent interpreter of the music of J. S. Bach having performed solos in the Passions, B Minor Mass, Magnificat and nearly all of the Cantatas. He made his west coast debut at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles in an all Bach program with the Los Angles Master Choral and Symphonia. In addition to Bach, Mr. Garner specializes in the oratorios of Handel, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. He sings regularly at Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal), in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He has also appeared in over 30 operatic roles with The Opera Company of Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Opera Theater, Lake George Opera, Chautauqua Opera Company, the Corfu International Festival and The Friends of French Opera at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Mr. Garner is a graduate of the all-scholarship The Academy of Vocal Arts and Temple University, and studied business at Bloomsburg State University.
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Katy Gentry
Soprano
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Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, soprano Katy Gentry completed her undergraduate studies at Haverford College in 2005. At Haverford, Katy sang multiple solos with the Haverford College Chorale and orchestra under the direction of Thomas Lloyd. Works included Bach’s B Minor Mass, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem. Katy graduated with a BA in Music as well as a minor in Educational Studies. At Temple University, Katy recently completed her M.M. in Voice Performance as well as a Professional Studies Certificate under the instruction of Dr. Christine Anderson. While at Temple, Katy produced, directed, and sang the title role in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah and performed the roles of the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium, Semele in Cavalli's L'Egisto, and La Bergere in L'Enfant et les sortileges. Other favorite roles have included Mimi in La Bohème, the title role in Suor Angelica, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and Micaela in Carmen.
Katy has been involved with the Choirs at Church of the Redeemer since the fall of 2005, first by teaching voice lessons to members of the choir and later by becoming a soprano section leader. In 2008, Katy became the administrative assistant to the music director, and in 2009, Katy directed the Cherub Choir, the Redeemer's newest choir for beginning singers.
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Karl Hein
Baritone
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Karl Hein has been a singer at Redeemer since early 2008. He received his MMus in Choral Conducting from Portland State University in 2005, and has performed at numerous choral festivals with college ensembles.
Locally, Karl has performed with the Temple University Concert Choir and Mendelssohn Club, and is currently a member of the Philadelphia Singers. Currently Karl is pursuing a PhD in Philosophy at Temple University.
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Gregory Jacobs
Baritone
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Baritone Gregory Jacobs has performed choral music since his early teens, and participated in Concert Choirs in high school and at North DakotaStateUniversity. While in Minnesota, he was a part of the organizational development of the Minneapolis Vocal Consort. In New York, he was a part of the Chorus of the Southern Finger Lakes and was a section leader with Grace Episcopal Church and The Park Church in Elmira. Since moving to the Philadelphia area, he has been a part of the Choir of St. Paul’s Chestnut Hill a Choral Scholar at Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge and, most recently has been one of the section leaders for the choirs at Church of The Redeemer Bryn Mawr. Representative solo performances include the Requiem of Faure, Cantata 140 and the Kaffee Kantate of J.S.Bach and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasie. Voice teachers have included Margaret Hanegraaf, Robert Olson, and Kenneth Sherwood. Coaches have included Scott Nicholas and Roderick Phipps-Kettlewell. Over the years, he has worked with a variety of Conductors including Michael Diorio, Richard Alexander, Gerald Wolfe, Thom Bohlert, Marietta Cheng, Karin Barrett, Mary Kay Geston, and Edwin Fissinger. Masterclasses have included those with Hanegraaf and Nicholas, as well as Arden Hopkin, Eric Ericson, Gerard Souzay and Håkan Hagegård. He holds B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry and is a Registered U.S. Patent Agent.
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Jim Jordan
Baritone
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Jim Jordan has been singing at the Redeemer since 1996. His musical experiences are varied and he has performed with choirs and orchestras throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. He is a founding member of Conjunto 23; an ensemble that performs the traditional music of Cuba. He is the Musical Director at University City High School in Philadelphia where he teaches vocal and instrumental music. He holds a B.M. from Temple University and a M.Ed. from Eastern University. Jim and his wife Vanessa live in Ardmore, PA.
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Hope Knight
Mezzo-Soprano
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Hope Knight, mezzo soprano, has been active in the Redeemer Music program since October 2001. She was initially hired to sing alto in the Chancel Choir and, throughout her nine years of service at Redeemer, has had the opportunity to take on a variety of responsibilities. In 2004, she began teaching chorister voice lessons, specializing in voice therapy. In January 2008, Hope was appointed as Interim Music Director for a brief period. She took on the position of Interim Choral Director in the fall of 2009 until Dr. Diorio took up the baton officially in January 2010. She is currently working as Alto Section Leader.
When not at church, Hope enjoys teaching guitar and directing three burgeoning choirs at William Allen Middle School in Moorestown, NJ.
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Laurie MacKenzie
Mezzo-Soprano
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In addition to her career as a pharmaceutical research scientist, Laurie has also had a lifelong involvement in music and art. She began her solo career at All Saints Church in Wynnewood and has been a professional mezzo-soprano soloist at the Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr for over twenty years. She has studied voice with Paula Brown and Sean Deibler and flute with Kenneth Scutt of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Laurie has sung as both a chorister and a soloist with the Music Group of Philadelphia and the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, and has been a flute soloist in many concerts at various Philadelphia churches. In addition she has sung with Cantores, a small a capella choral group founded and directed by Peter Sipple. In 1999 she premiered local composer Joseph Nocella's song cycle "Songs for a Season Slowly Dying" in Philadelphia. As an artist, she has provided scientific illustrations for presentations and publications from The Wistar Institute, The Fox Chase Cancer Center, The Atlanta Zoo, and the journal Bioscience. In addition, she has illustrated numerous programs for the Philadelphia Orchestra Children's Concert series. Laurie holds degrees from Eastern University and Villanova University. Her daughter Ariana has been a singer with the Bryn Mawr Girlchoir for nine years. Laurie currently resides in Chester County with her husband Steve, daughter Ariana, and a rescued Catahoula Leopard dog named Bengal.
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