Staff Singers

Staff Singers - Muscians In The Temple


This article by Michael Diorio appeared in the October 2012 issue of Voice of The Redeemer.


Musicians come in all shapes and sizes, with varying degrees of ability and differing expectations. Yet for liturgical music, they have one intention: to assist in the praise and worship of God. The origin of liturgical music is attributed to King David. It seems that he was the first Choir Master. I Chronicles tell us that David’s forces were legend: three Levite clans from which he could procure musicians to perform specific duties to assist in worship. 4,000 full-time musicians were employed to praise God in song.


While The Redeemer does not have the same royal resources, nor the need for so many musicians, we still continue the tradition set forth by David and the Levites. We are blessed to offer beautiful liturgical music. Within the choirs we have a wealth of experience and potential, youth and adult alike.

Some volunteers have sung for 40 years. The singers’ backgrounds are greatly varied, but their love for music and God is a shared sentiment. The backgrounds of our staff singers are equally varied: school teachers, chemists, music students, patent writers, scientists, and trained professional musicians. We come together for the sole purpose of being a part of something greater than ourselves and to teach each other as we grow in the love of our work for the church. Having the good fortune to include staff singers within the choir affords a wealth of opportunity, attracts additional choristers, opens a wider breadth of repertoire, and makes music more accessible. A musically strong church choir will invariably draw musically strong participants, and paid staff singers provide consistency to the voice sections. Volunteers have competing obligations of job travel or family commitments which may take them away from the choir on occasion. Staff singers ensure the quality of music in worship regardless of the other obligations of the volunteers. The greatest advantage of having staff singers, however, is the vocal confidence brought to the volunteer members, encouraging the growth of their own musicianship and their sight-singing skills, attracting more volunteers to the group. This allows us to bring the highest possible quality of musical art into our worship as an offering to God.


Our staff singers also have a vested interest in the life and growth of our church. Their volunteerism can be seen throughout the year in the various programs offered, and their good nature and years of experience all contribute to the program we love and support today. Short biographies of these modern-day Levites can be found below.

Robert Flora

Born and raised in Owings, Maryland, baritone Robert Flora graduated in 2021 with a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Binghamton University. He completed his undergraduate degree at Mansfield University. In 2021, Robert was a Resident Artist at Tri-Cities Opera where he covered the role of Dandini in La Cenerentola, and performed the role of Belcore, in L'Elisir d’amore. He also played the role of Max in Tri-cities traveling Opera Stone Soup. At Binghamton University, Robert performed the roles of the Father in Hansel and Gretel, Nardo in La finta giardiniera and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. At Mansfield University, he sang the roles of Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro and Papageno. This previous summer, Robert performed the role of Benoit in Delaware Valley Opera's production of La Bohème. This fall, he will also be singing in the Philadelphia Opera Chorus for Simon Boccanegra.

Ken Garner

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 until its closing in 2013, 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.” Ken can be heard on recordings of the Verdi Requiem, Mozart Requiem and Beethoven Ninth Symphony and J. S. Bach’s St. John Passion on the Lyrichord Classical label. On Good Friday 2014, the St. John Passion was broadcast on Philadelphia's classical radio station WRTI. In May 2014, he performed the solos in Mozart's Vesperae solennes de confessore with The Philadelphia Singers and Symphony in C at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. 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 Angeles Master Chorale 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. 

Wilson Jeffreys

A North Carolina native, tenor Wilson Jeffreys has enjoyed a diverse musical career since completing studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) where he earned both bachelor and master of music degrees. At UNCG, he studied voice with Arvid Knutsen, Charles Lynam, and the late Norman Farrow. He distinguished himself in competitions, including the North Carolina Symphony Young Artist Competition (Finalist), Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist Program (First Alternate) and the Fulbright Scholarship Program (Finalist). Wilson also attended the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied operatic techniques with the late Boris Goldovsky.


Wilson currently lives in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, and performs with The Philadelphia Singers. His past area performances include appearances with Vox Ama Deus, the Philly Pops, the Pennsylvania Pro Musica, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. He has sung with the choirs of The First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Chestnut Hill), and St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Chestnut Hill).


In North Carolina, Wilson sang and recorded with the Bel Canto Company (Greensboro) and is a featured soloist on Dan Locklair: Holy Canticles (Gasparo). He was tenor soloist at First Presbyterian Church (Burlington), and appeared as a guest soloist with the Choral Society of Greensboro, the High Point Choral Society, the Raleigh Oratorio Society, the Tar River Chorus (Roanoke Rapids) and the Hickory Choral Society.

Jim Jordan

Jim Jordan first joined Redeemer’s choirs in 1996 while a student at the Haverford School. He continued during his years of study at Temple University, where he earned a B.M. in Double Bass Performance.



Since 2011 he has served as staff singer and also serves as staff singer liaison to the Music Committee. Aside from liturgical singing, Jim continues to pursue a variety of musical disciplines as an instrumentalist, vocalist, teacher and administrator. He has performed with choirs, orchestras, and world music ensembles in North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Jim holds Master’s degrees in Multicultural Education and Education Administration and is currently the Fine Arts Department Chairperson at the Academy at Palumbo High School in Philadelphia where he leads a robust music and visual art program, directs the Palumbo Orchestra, teaches courses in guitar, music theory and ear training. Jim and his family reside in Wynnewood, PA.

Hope Knight

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.

Laurie MacKenzie

In addition to her career as a pharmaceutical research scientist, Laurie MacKenzie 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.

Brenton Mattox

Brenton Mattox, a Bass-2, hails from Jasper, Texas. Brenton received both his Bachelor of Music (Music Education) and Master of Music (Voice Performance) from Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA). During his time there, Brenton was the graduate assistant in voice and the bass section leader at a local Presbyterian church. His performances included the bass soloist in Messiah and the title role of Mendelssohn's Elijah. Mattox also performed the roles of Simone (Gianni Gianni), Kezal (Bartered Bride), and Falstaff (The Merry Wives of Windsor).” has recently sang Masetto in Don Giovanni with Opera on the Rocks. Brenton has participated as a young artist in Red River Lyric and Russian Opera workshop. His roles include Melissa (Alcina), Kochubey (Mazeppa) and Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte). Brenton is a member of both the Philadelphia Opera Chorus and the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir. Prior to joining the roster of staff singers at The Redeemer Brenton served as a section leader at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Delaware. 

Öznur Tülüoğlu

Praised for her “ravishing voice” and “compelling” stage presence [San Diego Story], Turkish-American soprano Öznur (Oz) Tülüoğlu is establishing herself as a young, rising artist “destined for bigger things,” [BrenSan Diego Tribune].

 

Öznur earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the New England Conservatory where she made her operatic debut as Damigella in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. Her enthusiasm for score study expands to music theory, as Öznur worked with published musicologist, Deborah Stein, in completing a minor in music theory with a focus on Schubert Lieder during her studies at NEC.


She is also a graduate of the University of Maryland, Maryland Opera Studio with her Master of Music in opera performance. Notable engagements she performed with the opera studio includes Mrs. Coyle in Britten’s Owen Wingrave alongside the National Orchestral Institute, and Arminda in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera.

 

Opera companies Öznur has sung with include The Hungarian State Opera, Washington National Opera, Annapolis Opera, Opera Neo, and Mobile Opera. She continues to appear in performances around the nation. Roles Öznur has performed include Gilda from Verdi’s Rigoletto, Micaela from Bizet’s Carmen, Younger Alyce from Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied, Aspasia from Mozart’s Mitridate, Sandrina from Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, and Barbarina from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. She has placed as a finalist in the Jensen Foundation Competition, Opera Mississippi John Alexander National Vocal Competition and Music International Grand Prix competition. In 2022, she won 3rd place at the AIMS in Graz Vocal Competition.

Kelsey Watts

Originally from New York City, Filipina-American soprano Kelsey Watts earned her M.M. Opera degree from Binghamton University in August 2022, where she also earned a B.Mus. in Vocal Performance and a B.S. in Chemistry. Kelsey has performed with Tri-Cities Opera in the roles of Child Singa in Jorge Sosa and Cerise Lim Jacobs’ I am a Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams, Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, and Delia in Joe Illick’s Stone Soup; with Delaware Valley Opera in the roles of Mimi in Puccini’s La bohème and Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto; and with Binghamton University’s Opera Ensemble in the roles of Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Sandrina in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, Gretel in Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and the Sorceress in Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. As part of her graduate degree, Kelsey self-produced a performance of Jake Heggie’s Another Sunrise, paired with a collection of songs written during, in response to, or by victims of the Holocaust.


Kelsey has performed as a soloist with the Philadelphia Chorus, the Binghamton University Symphony Orchestra as winner of Binghamton’s Concerto Competition, the Binghamton Philharmonic, and the Binghamton University Wind Symphony. She won 1st place in the upper division of the Civic Morning Musicals Competition in 2021, placed 1st in her category at the Eastern Regional NATS competition three years in a row from 2017 to 2019, and was a finalist in the Classical Singer competition, and a semi-finalist in the NATS National Competition in 2019.



Currently, Kelsey works as a Scientific Writer in addition to her musical endeavors and is extremely excited and grateful to sing as part of the choir at The Redeemer!

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