Musical Notes – October 2019

Categories: Carillon Newsletter,Music,News

Musical Notes

Meet Our UConn Choral Members

Jonah GarciaTenor is a Senior in the IB/M Music Education Program at UConn. He has performed with the UConn Chamber Singers and Concert Choir throughout his time at UConn, including as a soloist for Eric Whitacre’s Alleluia and Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard. He has been a participant in the King’s Singers Summer School at Royal Holloway and the Songfest Vocal Institute in Los Angeles. He has appeared in several productions with UConn Opera Theatre and UConn Opera Outreach, including as the Constable in Les Mariage aux Lanternes and the waiter in She Loves Me. He was also the Stage Manager for UConn Opera Theater’s 2017-18 season. He worked as a Choral Scholar at Trinity Episcopal Church in Hartford for three years, and is currently a Choral Scholar at Storrs Congregational Church as well as the assistant conductor for the UConn Festival Choir. He studies voice with Meredith Ziegler.

Tyler Panek,  baritone, is a senior at UConn, studying voice performance under Rod Nelman. Mr. Panek is a resident of Oxford, CT with a passion for choral and theatrical performing. He is currently a member of UConn Choirs and Chamber Singers and has performed with UConn Men’s Choir, Festival Choir, and Collegium Musicum in years past. Some of his recent theatrical projects include Fiddler on the Roof (Tevye), In the Heights (Piragua Guy), Children of Eden (Father) and Annie (Oliver Warbucks). Mr. Panek has performed with ACDA National and International Honor Choirs in Chicago and London for the Pre-Olympic Ceremonies, and has toured Europe with some of UConn’s select choirs. He would like to thank his friends and family who show never-ending support for all his endeavors.

Sarah Marze is a freshman Vocal Performance major in the Honors Program and hopes to add a double major in Composition. Sarah graduated from Canton High School in CT. There, she was a member of Chamber Singers and Concert Choir. In the second semester of her senior year, she co-wrote and music-directed an original musical: College Road Trip the Musical. She was a Fellow of the Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship at the Bushnell Center for Performing Arts for two years, where she participated in monthly masterclasses and performed a final concert at the Belding stage. Sarah studied voice with Nancy Andersen at the Hartt School of Music for seven years. Her vocal coach was David Chrzanowski and she studied piano with Diana Lawler. She also studied clarinet with Alan Francis at the Hartt School. Sarah was a member of the Connecticut Children’s Chorus for twelve years and sang under the direction of Mark Singleton. She participated in regional and all-state CMEA festivals for band, orchestra and choir. Sarah attended both the Eastman Summer Music Horizons program and the Washington National Opera Institute, which culminated in a performance at The Kennedy Center. She recently won First Place High School Classical in the CT NATS competition, won first place in the classical vocal category for the Hartford Musical Club Competition, and placed as a finalist in the NYC Schmidt Competition. 

Currently, Sarah studies voice with Dr. Constance Rock and coaches with Allan Conway. She is excited to start work on UConn’s mainstage opera Serse in the chorus this semester. She hopes to apply for a research grant this summer, too!

Madison Ruta is a senior at the University of Connecticut pursuing a dual degree in B.M. Voice Performance and B.A. Music History. She is currently under the instruction of Dr. Constance Rock. She has been a part of UConn Opera Theater, Concert Choir, Collegium Musicum, as well as other voice area honors and Songfest recitals. She’s most recently been seen as “Spirit” in Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with UConn Opera. She has performed as a soloist for Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Manchester, CT and loves her position of Choral Scholar at Storrs Congregational Church. 

Celebrating the success of Professor Rachel Feldman! (former Choral Scholar)

Conductor and mezzo-soprano Rachel Feldman joins Connecticut College as the director of Chorale and Camel Heard for the 2019-2020 academic year while Professor Wendy Moy is on sabbatical.

Rachel was also appointed assistant to the director of choral ensembles at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA. Rachel recently earned her master’s degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College under the tutelage of Dr. Joe Miller, Dr. Amanda Quist, and Margaret Cusack. During the 2018 – 2019 season, she acted as graduate assistant conductor for the world-renowned Westminster Choir, assisting in the preparation of the choir’s performances and tours throughout China and Texas, ACDA’s national conference and Spoleto Festival USA. Rachel was also appointed to the faculty at Westminster’s 2019 High School Vocal Institute where she conducted the treble choir and taught advanced music theory.

As a Connecticut native, Rachel began her musical training with the Elm City Girls’ Choir in New Haven. She has since returned to the organization to conduct on tours to Canada, China, and during their annual summer camp. Rachel received her bachelor’s at the University of Connecticut where she studied conducting with Dr. Jamie Spillane and voice with Meredith Ziegler. While at UConn, she assisted in conducting the Festival Chorus and the choir at Storrs Congregational Church.

In addition to conducting, Rachel remains active as a singer. At Westminster, she was a featured member of Westminster Choir, Westminster Symphonic Choir and Westminster Kantorei. She currently performs with the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, the professional choir for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Recent solo work includes Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles, J.S. Bach Cantata 45, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.

Could you be a Ringer or a Singer?

There is always room for more ringers and singers in the SCC Music Ministry. If you are interested in exploring how your talents fit with the Handbell Choir or the Adult Choir, contact Trisha (trisha@storrscongchurch.org).

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