PERFORMING artists

  • Praised by the press for her “richness and roundness of tone" and "on-the-button intonation," Sara MacKimmie is a Washington, DC-based soprano who specializes in historical performance and ensemble singing. Recent highlights include a tour of the southern US with harpist Parker Ramsay and A Golden Wire, Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, many oratorios with the Academy of Sacred Drama in New York, Couperin’s Leçons de ténèbres with the Denver Early Music Consort, and several engagements with New York Baroque Incorporated, with whom she has sung at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and for the San Diego Early Music Society. She also performs regularly with the Bach-Abel Society, Kinnara, The Thirteen, hexaCollective, and the Peabody Consort and sings weekly as a chorister and cantor at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. 

    Sara completed masters degrees in voice and early music at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Phyllis Bryn-Julson and Ah Young Hong. While at Peabody, she coached with Eileen Cornett, Adam Pearl, and Richard Stone. A proud native of Michigan, Sara obtained her undergraduate degree in voice at Michigan State University.

  • Sylvia Ware has been singing since she joined the school chorus in fifth grade. In college, Sylvia worked as a Staff Singer at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, was the President of Emory Concert Choir, and was the Music Director of Dooley Noted A Cappella, Emory's only coed service-oriented a cappella group. She continues to sing at GMUMC and is also a member of the Atlanta Master Chorale, Kinnara, and EarlyBird. By day, Sylvia is a medical social worker specializing in gerontology and palliative care.

  • Caroline LeGrand, soprano, originally from Durham, North Carolina, lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Furman University and a Master of Divinity from Mercer University. She is a PhD candidate at the International Baptist Theological Studies Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She is the Missions Communications Specialist at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as well as a staff and substitute choral singer at several churches around Atlanta.

    Caroline is passionate about ensemble singing and has been honored to be frequently featured as a soloist in various spaces. She has been featured often at All Saints Episcopal in Atlanta, most notably in their performance of Bach Cantata BWV 61, where she was the soprano soloist. She was a participant in the 2022-2023 US VOCES8 Scholars program, where she was featured as a soloist in the Minnesota Public Radio's recordings of "Coventry Carol" and Vivanco's "Veni, Dilecte Mi." Caroline was honored to perform the world premiere of Christopher Tin’s The Lost Birds with the VOCES8 ensemble in 2023. Caroline has also gained considerable training at the programs of Duke Chapel, including the Chorworks Early Music program and the Duke Bach Cantata Series, where she appeared as a soloist in their performance of BWV 192.

    Other professional vocal ensembles she has enjoyed performing with are Servire Chorus, Chicora Voices, Kinnara, Coro Vocati, and the SC Bach Choir. Caroline has been a member of the service ensemble, Servire Chorus, since its inception in 2019, performing benefit concerts around the east coast and featured multiple times as a soloist. Servire recently released its very first recorded single in 2024, “Only in Sleep”, where Caroline is the featured soloist.

  • Morgan Watts is an Atlanta-based soprano, voice instructor, and choral educator known for her versatility across classical, operatic, and contemporary styles. She holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Georgia State University and a BA in Vocal Music Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

    A recipient of multiple scholarships, including the prestigious Robert Shaw Choral Scholar Award, Morgan has built a vibrant performance career throughout Louisiana and Georgia. She has sung with acclaimed ensembles such as Kinnara, The Crossing, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, Coro Vocati, and First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. Her recent operatic roles include Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), and the Second Witch (Dido and Aeneas).

    Morgan has performed at numerous ACDA conferences, and was a featured soloist with the Georgia State University Singers at the World Choral Symposium in Istanbul in 2023. Her career also includes collaborations with artists like Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban, and regular work as a background vocalist in jazz, pop, and R&B.

    She currently serves as Choral Director at Cambridge High School in Milton, Georgia, where she leads three choirs and co-directs the school’s award-winning musical theatre program, inspiring the next generation of vocalists.

  • Elizabeth Johnson Knight, American mezzo soprano, is in demand as both a choral and solo artist. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2010 as alto soloist in Handel's Messiah with Andrew Megill and the Masterwork Chorus. She has appeared recently with Raleigh Bach Soloists, Ars Lyrica, Duke Vespers Ensemble, Sinfonia da Camera, and Winston-Salem Symphony, among others. Elizabeth regularly sings with professional choral ensembles across the US, including the Carmel Bach Festival Chorale, Kinnara Ensemble, and the GRAMMY-nominated South Dakota Chorale. Elizabeth can be heard as mezzo soloist in Duruflé's Requiem on SDC's debut recording In Paradisum (Gothic, 2012), and has also recorded for Naxos, Pentatone, MSR Classics, and Affetto Records.

    Elizabeth holds degrees in voice from the University of North Texas (DMA), Indiana University (MM), and the University of Mississippi (BM). She has been on the voice faculties of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, the University of Louisiana Monroe, Murray State University, and the University of North Texas. She currently teaches at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include the effects of posture on the acoustics of the singing voice, and she has presented at the New Voice Educators Symposium, the Texoma NATS Artist Series, and the Performing Arts Medicine Association. She has published research in the Journal of Voice. Elizabeth is also passionate about improving choral singing at all levels. She is a regular clinician for choral groups, and teaches choral conductors how to apply current voice science and pedagogy in their ensembles.

  • Kerry Ginger, mezzo soprano, is active nationally as a performer, clinician, voice pedagogue, and scholar. Currently Associate Professor of Voice at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, Kerry has appeared as a soloist with the Chattanooga Symphony, Music in the Mountains, The Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, Phoenix Opera, Cal Poly Bach Week, Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, and the Bach Vocal Artists. Also an avid ensemble artist, she performs with the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, and the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park. Dr. Ginger appears on Grammy Award-winning recordings by True Concord and the Phoenix Chorale, and has published liner notes for Albany Records. She maintains an active portfolio of recitals and vocal music research, specializing in early twentieth-century music by women. Kerry earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Voice and Master of Music in Opera Performance at Arizona State University. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she now resides in beautiful Chattanooga, Tennessee with her partner, tenor Erik Gustafson, and their two cats.

    https://www.kerryginger.com/

  • With a voice described as “beautiful, ringing, and agile” (Boston Classical Review), countertenor Doug Dodson is known throughout the country as a sought-after soloist and ensemble singer. Doug’s solo appearances include performances with Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society, the Aspen Music Festival, Boston Baroque, the Oregon Bach Festival, Seattle’s Pacific MusicWorks, Chicago Opera Theater, Boston’s Guerilla Opera, and the Charlotte, South Dakota, and Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestras. Equally comfortable in early and contemporary repertoire, Doug has been featured as a soloist in modern premieres by Baroque composers Giacomo Perti and Alessandro Melani, and in world and American premieres of pieces by living composers Jonathan Dove, Tod Machover, Paul Crabtree, Per Bloland, and Ken Ueno, and world-premiere recordings of pieces by Nicholas Vines and James Kallembach.

    Doug appears regularly with many of the nation’s premier choral groups, including the Handel & Haydn Society, Seraphic Fire, Skylark, TENET Vocal Artists, South Dakota Chorale, and Kinnara. Originally from Spearfish, SD, he has earned degrees in anthropology from the University of South Dakota and in vocal performance from the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, and was a proud member of the prestigious Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in conjunction with Aldeburgh Music in Aldeburgh, UK.

  • Sandy Sharis is an Atlanta-based vocal arranger and active performer of early music, choral music, and oratorio. Her recent solo performances include Bach’s St. John Passion, Magnificat, Weihnachtsoratorium, and Mass in B Minor; Handel’s Messiah and l’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato; Charpentier’s La couronne de fleurs with The Sebastians, and Amy Beach’s Canticle of the Sun, which is available on Hyperion Records. In addition to her solo work, Sandy has enjoyed performing with choral ensembles such as Servire, Seraphic Fire, the VOCES8 US Scholars, Kinnara, and Chicora Voices. On the operatic stage, she has performed the roles of Cherubino in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and Le Prince Charmant in Viardot's Cendrillon. 

    During the 2025-2026 season Sandy is launching a creative ensemble called The Ambiguous, in which each singer helps create the music being performed and reimagine performance itself. She has also founded SingSoutheast, a practical voice education organization for singers, conductors, and teachers, which will release a podcast and other resources this season. Sandy holds degrees in voice and voice pedagogy from Furman University, The Ohio State University, and the Yale School of Music.

    www.sandysharis.com

  • Erik Gustafson, tenor, is active across the nation as an oratorio soloist and choral artist. A native of Portland, OR, he received his education from Arizona State University, and currently resides in Chattanooga, TN, where he is a voice instructor at Sewanee: The University of the South. Previously, he worked as a voice instructor at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO.

    Erik has collaborated on two Grammy-winning recordings with the Phoenix Chorale, as well as albums with Skylark Vocal Ensemble (Boston, MA), Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Bach Collegium San Diego, Conspirare (Austin, TX), True Concord Voices and Orchestra (Tucson, AZ), Spire Chamber Ensemble (Kansas City, MO), and Sounding Light (Detroit, MI). He currently also performs regularly with Kinnara, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Oregon Bach Festival, and the Chattanooga Bach Choir. He was a founding member of the chamber ensembles Quadrivium (Durango, CO) and Helios (Phoenix, AZ).

    As a soloist, Erik has performed as Evangelist for the St. John Passion with Apollo Chorus of Chicago and Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, Evangelist for the St. Matthew Passion with the Arizona Bach Festival, tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Tucson Symphony, tenor soloist for Mozart’s Requiem with Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, and has been featured as a soloist with many other organizations across the nation including the Phoenix Symphony, the Bach Vespers series at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City, Colorado Bach Ensemble, the Delaware Valley Chorale, Abendmusik (Lincoln, NE), Phoenix Opera, and Bach Society Houston.

  • George Case is a conductor and tenor living in Santa Fe, NM. George is a tenor and artist manager with the Desert Chorale, a staff singer at the Church of the Holy Faith, and is the music director for the Sangre de Cristo Chorale. George was formerly Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Boston Conservatory at Berklee where he directed the choral ensembles and the graduate choral conducting program. George has also been the music director for The Boston Cecilia, a semi-professional chorus in Boston and the Newburyport Choral Society, a choral society on the north shore. Previously, George has also been the Director of Choral Activities ad interim at Boston University and the Director of Choral and Vocal Programs at The Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts at Pebblebrook High School in Atlanta, GA. George holds Doctoral and Masters degrees in conducting from the University of Michigan and a Bachelors degree in vocal performance from Boston University. George is an award-winning educator of young musicians who frequently leads clinics and workshops for high school and collegiate singers, as well as professional development sessions for teachers around the country. As a soloist and professional chorister, George has performed with major ensembles across North America and Europe, including the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Handel & Haydn Society, Kinnara, Spire Chamber Ensemble, and Skylark Vocal Ensemble. In addition to his work as a soloist, conductor, and educator, George spends his time raising his goats and chickens on his farm in northern New Mexico and volunteering throughout Santa Fe.

  • With singing described as “poignant...with sincerity and unforced beauty” (The Times, London), “elegant” (Cape Cod Times), and “emotionally devastating” (Boston Music Intelligencer), Cory Klose is a sought-after soloist and ensemble singer in the United States. Cory’s recent solo engagements feature appearances with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Master Chorale, Colorado's Music in the Mountains Festival, and Washington DC's Orchestra of the Hills, performing works such as J.S. Bach’s Magnificat and St. John Passion, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, Schubert’s Mass in Eb, Mozart’s Requiem and Vesperae solennes de confessore, and Handel’s Messiah. As a professional choral artist, Cory has appeared with many noted ensembles across the U.S., such as The Crossing, Kinnara, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Handel & Haydn Society, Bach Collegium San Diego, True Concord, Spire Chamber Ensemble, and The Thirteen. He can also be heard on many acclaimed choral recordings, including the GRAMMY® Award-winning “Songs of Ascension” with Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble and as a soloist on Skylark’s GRAMMY® Award-nominated album “Seven Words from the Cross.”

  • Daniel Shafer serves as the Director of Music Ministries at Ashford Memorial Methodist Church in Watkinsville, GA, and as a Lecturer in Choral Conducting at the University of Georgia, where he is also completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting.

    Originally from Florida, Daniel holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Bachelor of Music Education from Florida State University. Following his undergraduate studies, he led the choral program at Westminster Christian School in Miami, FL, where he directed ensembles on tours to London, Hawaii, the Cayman Islands, Walt Disney World, and Nashville.

    A versatile musician and active performer, Daniel has appeared in stage productions of A Little Night Music, Don Giovanni, and Le Portrait de Manon. He has been featured as a soloist with Kinnara, Alarm Will Sound (in collaboration with Meredith Monk), the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, the University of Georgia’s University Chorus and Hodgson Singers, and the Festival Singers of Florida. In addition to performing, Daniel is an active clinician, regularly working with school and church choirs throughout the region.

    Daniel currently lives in Madison, GA, with his wife, Meghan, along with their dogs, Harry Truman and Lady Bird, and their cats, Big Kitty and Little Kitty.

  • John Arnold has built a reputation for delivering performances imbued with a unique combination of vocal clarity, elegant musicality, and dramatic sophistication. John has performed to great acclaim with opera companies across the United States including the Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Concert Opera, Boston Opera Collaborative, Des Moines Metro Opera, Detroit Opera, Kentucky Opera, Knoxville Opera, Lone Star Lyric, Madison Opera, the Merola Opera Program, Opera New Jersey, and Soo Opera Theatre. In addition to opera, John is in demand as a concert and oratorio soloist. To keep the wolves from the door, he also stays busy as a voice actor, writer, editor, award-winning podcast host, and multi-instrumentalist. John lives in Atlanta’s Kirkwood neighborhood with his wife and three beagles.

  • Christopher Barbee, conductor, baritone, and music educator is one of the choral directors and teaches vocal studies at the Gwinnett County School of the Arts. Prior to SOTA Chris received his master’s degree in choral conducting from Louisiana State University where he studied conducting under Dr. John Dickson and Dr. Trey Davis as well as voice under Dennis Jesse. While at LSU he served as assistant conductor for the LSU Tiger Glee Club and as the choir director at St. Alban’s Episcopal Chapel at LSU. The recipient of a Fulbright Research/Study Grant, Chris spent a year studying choral conducting with Māris Sirmais, orchestral conducting with Mārtiņš Ozoliņš, and voice with Ansis Sauka at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, Latvia while carrying out research relating to Latvia’s tradition of folk music and system of music education. While in Latvia Chris was also a member of the internationally recognized and award-winning Youth Choir “Kamer…” (While…)  and was assistant conductor of the Carnikavas community choir “Veja Balss” (wind voice). He received his bachelor’s degree in music education from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama where he studied under Dr. Philip Copeland and sang with the international award-winning Samford A Cappella Choir. While completing his bachelor’s degree he worked as the choir director, voice teacher, and music theory teacher for the Birmingham music education non-profit organization “Scrollworks” and as choir director at Homewood Cumberland Presbyterian Church. As a professional baritone he also sings with the new-music ensemble “Red Shift” based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana who’ve been invited to perform at national and international choral music conferences such as the College Music Society Conference in Vancouver, Canada as well as premiering Shawn Kirchner’s “A House On High: A Sacred Harp Fantasia”. After completing his graduate coursework Chris was part of the founding arts faculty that opened and established the vocal/choral program at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts in Columbus, Georgia and most recently served as choral director at Pace Academy in the metro Atlanta area. Choirs under his direction have consistently received Excellent and Superior ratings at GMEA’s Large Group Performance Evaluation. Most recently he served as a music history lecturer for Georgia Tech University's Freshman Study abroad program in Europe. Chris maintains an active interest in choral, orchestral, and operatic repertoire as well as being a strong advocate for new music, regularly seeking out new opportunities for artistic collaboration with vocal and instrumental musicians as well as across the spectrum of artistic mediums outside of music. When not teaching or collaborating with other musicians Chris enjoys foraging, gardening, cooking, and hiking with his dog, Lili.

  • Bass-baritone, conductor, composer Steven Berlanga resides in Philadelphia, PA where he freelances and maintains a private studio. Studying primarily conducting, voice, opera, and choral music, he is finishing his doctorate at Indiana University. He has also studied at College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, California State University – Long Beach, and Cabrillo College. As a soloist in opera, oratorio, musical theater, and concert repertoire, Mr. Berlanga has worked with organizations such as Musica Tevere, Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Independent Sounds, West Bay Opera, Cabrillo Stage, New Voices Opera, Arizona Philharmonic, and Santa Cruz Symphony. As a choral artist, has sung with professional chamber choirs in the United States, such as The Crossing, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, The Thirteen, Kinnara, Exigence, and the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati. As an educator he has worked with the Snyder School of Singing, Youth Orchestra Salinas, the Williston Northampton School Choirs, Indiana University Choirs, University of Cincinnati Cabaret Singers, CSULB Bel Canto Chorus, and Cabrillo Youth Chorus. Passionate about accessibility through breaking barriers and traditions within classical music, Mr. Berlanga often works with organizations and programming centered around change within the industry, such as BorderCrosSing, El Sistema, Elevate Vocal Arts, the Sphinx Organization, and the Santa Cruz Opera Project.

  • Michael Grassi Dauterman is an accomplished conductor, singer, and keyboardist. He brings over a decade of rich experience in sacred music and education to his role as Director of Music and Worship Arts at Glenn Memorial UMC in Atlanta, Georgia where he has served for the past years following successful tenures in similar positions at Grace UMC (Midtown Atlanta), Holy Trinity Episcopal (Decatur), and First UMC Melrose (Melrose, MA). Under his baton, the Chancel Choir has achieved remarkable success, providing meaningful music in weekly services and also performing major works by renowned composers like Bach, Handel, Faure, and others. His contributions extend beyond the local congregation, as he dedicated three years to serving as the Worship Coordinator for the North Georgia UMC Annual Conference, curating inclusive and spiritually enriching worship experiences.

    Complementing his church roles, Michael possesses seven years of teaching experience in both private and public schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Atlanta. As the Director of Choral Music at Riverwood International Charter School and The Westminster Schools, he consistently led his ensembles to receive Superior ratings at adjudicated festivals and competitions. His commitment to students' cultural and musical growth extended to international travel, exposing his singers to the rich musical heritage of places like London, New York, Vienna, and Berlin.

    Michael's professional singing career has seen him as a valuable member of prestigious choral ensembles such as Handel & Haydn Society (Boston), Kinnara (Atlanta, GA), Atlanta Master Chorale, Skylark (Atlanta), Cecilia Ensemble (Augusta, GA), and Vocal Arts Ensemble (Cincinnati). As a baritone soloist, he maintains an active performance schedule, collaborating with esteemed ensembles like the Emory University Chorus, Clayton State Masterworks Singers, Kennesaw State University, and the Summer Singers of Atlanta.

    Michael holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where he earned a Bachelor in Music Education, summa cum laude, under the guidance of renowned mentors Dr. Bill McGraw, Dr. Earl Rivers, and Dr. Brett Scott. He holds a Master of Sacred Music, summa cum laude, from Boston University, studying with the distinguished Dr. Ann Howard Jones.

    Beyond his professional life, Michael is proud husband to Jordan and father to Nora and Cooper.