Members' bios, 2011-12 season

Sam Baetzel (bass) is in his second season with the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers. His musical activities include singing Beethoven's Mass in C at Carnegie Hall, Carmina Burana and Mozart's Requiem with the DSO, Shostakovich's Babi Yar with the orchestra of the Marinsky theater, and Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus with AOT at Mendelssohn theater. He first began singing in high school and since then has performed with choirs like Interlochen All-State Choir, EMU University and Chamber Choir. While continuing to sing for Cantata Singers, he is also in his sixth season with UMS Choral Union under Dr. Blackstone. Sam is pursuing a major in psychology and a minor in general music while working part time as an assistant manager at Blockbuster Video.

Reverend Joel Beam (bass) earned a Master of Music Degree in Voice Performance from the University of Michigan in 1980 and has been a choral director and soloist throughout the area for many years. Ordained to the ministry in 1991, he is the retired Minister of Pastoral Care at the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor. Reverend Beam has written poetry extensively, some of which has been published, set as anthem texts and performed in area churches. He especially enjoys the a cappella singing that is afforded by Cantata Singer's repertoire.

Rosemary Caruso (soprano) is glad to return for her fifth season of singing with the Cantata Singers; she truly enjoys the dedication of the conductor and her fellow choir members. In the past, she has sung with various choirs, including the Grail Singers, the Early Music Ensemble, and the Ann Arbor Civic Chorus. She is an experienced Waldorf and ESL teacher, a certified nursing assistant, and has worked for many years as an elder and hospice care provider.

Alan Cooper (baritone) makes his debut this season with the Ann Arbor Cantata singers. He also sings with the Detroit Concert Choir and has sung with several choirs, including the UMS choral union, the Vanguard singers, the Greater Manchester Police Male Voice Choir, the U of M chorus (Manchester, UK) as well as various church choirs. Singing with the GMPMVC and the DCC has led to many wonderful choral experiences throughout Europe as well as on "home" turf. Two special highlights, "Going home" from the Dvorzak new world symphony with Finish, and Swedish police choirs in Turku Cathedral and as a DCC chorister which won the "Choir of the World" title at the Langollen International Eisteddfod. As a Chartered Electrical engineer qualified to the doctoral level from the University of Manchester England, Alan finds great pleasure and solace from singing quality music for those who wish to listen and enjoy a variety of choral music.

Kimberly Craig (soprano) is in her first season with the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers. She has sung with many choirs over the years, including the Hamilton College Choir and College Hill Singers, Novi Cantori and All-State choirs in her home state of Massachusetts, and several church groups. With these choirs, Kim has toured both domestically and abroad to such places as Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, New York City, and Washington, DC. Currently, she is pursuing adegree in Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Michigan.

Robert Douglas (tenor) has sung with the Cantata Singers over the last seven years. Other musical activities have included shows with the UM Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Comic Opera Guild and UM Choral Union. A retired elementary school teacher, Robert raises and shows llamas on his farm near Dexter. He also sings in the Ann Arbor First Baptist Church choir.

Jon Fraser (baritone) is enjoying his second season with the Cantata Singers. He previously sang with Carleton College's Exit 69 co-ed a cappella group for four years, as well as with more traditional choral ensembles in Pennsylvania and Germany. When not singing, Jon works with nonprofit and educational organizations on Google's online marketing team and helps high school foreign exchange students navigate the nuances of American life.

Nic Girouard (tenor) has sung with many different groups over the years including appearances with the Detroit Lutheran Singers, Brazeal Dennard Chorale, and Valparaiso University Chorale. He is happy to be singing with the Cantata Singers and has enjoyed making music every week.

Laura Grey (alto/soprano) has been living in Ann Arbor since 2002, and singing with the Cantata for over three years. Originally from Texas, she has a vocal performance degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She also sings with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ann Arbor. She currently works at the Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan.


Marshall Grimm (tenor) says he has been fortunate to be part of the Marysville, Mich. HS Band, two Interlochen All-State Band sessions, the Oakland University Chorus, the UMS Choral Union, the AA Cantata Singers, and (too few!) voice lessons with David Parks and Barbara Hilbish. He started with AACS in 1977. His musical idols include Leonard Bernstein and Karl Haas.

Amy Harms (alto) rejoined the choir in 2008. She was a member of AACS from 1995-2001 and again in 2005-2006. Amy earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University (EMU), and most recently a Master's of Accounting from Walsh College, Troy, MI. While an undergrad, she sang in the EMU Concert and Chamber Choirs under Dr. Leonard Riccinto and the EMU Madrigal Singers under Professor Emily Lowe. Amy is a Research Administrator for the Anesthesiology Department at the University of Michigan.

Betsy Hill (alto) has sung with AACS for over 20 years, spanning from the 1970's to the present. What brings Betsy back is the excellent ensemble singing of this group. She was a music therapy major at MSU and has a degree from EMU in special education. Betsy met and married her husband, Larry, in Ann Arbor in 1980. Together they raised two beautiful daughters here. For the past 22 years Betsy has been a section leader/soloist in The First Congregational Church Chancel Choir. Betsy has also sung in numerous groups in the area, including UMS Choral Union, Comic Opera Guild, the Vocal Arts Ensemble, and the Washtenaw Community Orchestra Chorus.

Maggi Idzikowski (soprano) was once a voice performance major at Michigan State University, but somehow ended up with a degree in Microbiology and Genetics...and then went on to become a school librarian and a kindergarten teacher. She has not sung in a choir for over fifteen years and is thrilled to join the Cantata Singers this year. In her spare time, she is a writer and also loves to read, do logic puzzles, play board games, fiddle with computers and hang out with her 3- and 5-year-olds.

Jill Karolyi (soprano) is a retired Research Associate from the U-M Department of Human Genetics. She has enjoyed singing with Vanguard Voices in Dearborn and with the Plymouth Oratorio Society in Plymouth. In addition to singing, Jill enjoys her five grandchildren, traveling, and reading. This is Jill's fifth season with the Cantata Singers.

Nancy Karp (alto) is a retired librarian from the UM Ross School of Business. Her favorite choral experiences include singing with the Berkshire Choral Festival, University Musical Society Choral Union, and of course AACS. In retirement, Nancy enjoys reading, photography, piano lessons and travel. She wishes to thank our singers, conductor, board members and audiences for helping to make our season a successful one.

Alison Pereida Knapp (alto) finally got tired of only singing in the shower (great acoustics, tough crowd). She sang with the Ann Arbor Civic Chorus and the Comic Opera Guild, and is thrilled to now be in her second season with AACS. She manages data and produces print materials for the U-M Medical School's development events team. When she's not at work or practicing for choir, she's usually boardgaming, knitting, or playing with her pet rats.

George Leckrone (bass) graduated in 1977 from MSU with a Bachelors degree in vocal performance. This year he is a cantor at St. Francis in Ann Arbor. He is married to Carolyn Kusch who works as a pharmacist. His son Sam is a graduate student at Purdue. He is the owner of Classic Wood Floors.

Tom Lloyd (bass) is Professor of Pediatrics & Communicable Diseases at the University of Michigan and Director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. He and his wife, Kathy, have four children and have lived in Ann Arbor since 1992.

Lawrence Lohr (bass), Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Michigan, is in his tenth season with the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers. He has also sung with choruses in Cambridge, MA, Berkeley, CA, and Washington, DC, and with the University Musical Society Choral Union for over 40 years. He has both lectured and published on German choral music and has served on doctoral committees in vocal performance, choral conducting, and orchestral conducting in the UM School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

Dorothy MacArthur (alto) has just completed her fifth year with Ann Arbor Cantata Singers. She enjoys working with Puffer and appreciates his selection of music covering a variety of periods and styles from major works to little known and rarely performed pieces. She has done choir and choral singing in New Jersey and is a former member of the Arbor Opera Theater Board.

Barbara Mackey (alto) started singing in the children's choir at church and since then has never been without a church, community, college, or professional choir to sing in. She is recently retired from teaching speech and theatre courses at the college level and has returned to Ann Arbor, her home town, to enjoy retirement.

Erin Miller (alto) is happy to join the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers for her first season this fall. She grew up in Grand Haven, MI and graduated in 2010 from Otterbein College in Westerville, OH with a degree in biochemistry. She has participated with choirs all her life, including the top choir at Otterbein her senior year. She is now in her second year of graduate school at University of Michigan, hoping to earn her doctorate in biochemistry. She loves Ann Arbor and is so glad to join a choir again after a year off of choral singing.

Quincy Northrup (soprano), a new resident of Ann Arbor, was delighted to have found Cantata, having just left behind Washington DC and 12 years with a group called Cantate. Before that, there has been a long life of singing in church choirs, college and community choruses, double quartettes and recitals. The dedication and professionalism of AACS's Director and fellow singers is great. Another plus is that it has made it possible to share a singing experience with my husband for the first time in many years. I hold a Masters in Dance, which kept me busy for a number of years and am a retired Family Nurse Practitioner.

Rob Northrup (bass) sang with the Yale Glee Club and sang with and directed and arranged for The Bachelors, a men's a cappella group as an undergraduate. While in medical school at Harvard he sang with the Trinity Church Choir, Copley Square, and with the Chorus Pro Musica, the usual choral group of the Boston Symphony at that time. Subsequently, during a career in international Health and in and out of the US he sang with a variety of choruses, and over a 40 year period sang with, arranged for, and shared the direction of The Augmented Eight, a men's a cappella group in Washington, DC. In 2006 he retired from international and medical work and became a freshman in the music department of Shepherd University in West Virginia in vocal performance and arranging. His Senior Recital was in October 2009. At the same time he created and directed the Men's Chorus at that University as an adjunct Instructor. He also strives to become a jazz pianist.

Sharon Quiroz (alto) has sung with the DePaul Community Chorus, the Berkeley Community Chorus, The American Chorale for Sacred Music, and the Ann Arbor Civic Chorus. A retired English professor, she has also published poetry and short stories, and edited a professional journal, but now concentrates on grandchildren.

Luke Rodehorst (baritone) is in his second season with the Cantata Singers. A graduate of the University of Chicago, Luke sang with Chicago Men's A Cappella and currently serves as Executive Director of their Alumni Board of Directors. Outside of working on the Google Elections and Issue Advocacy Team, Luke enjoys ballroom dance, baseball stats and creative writing.

Joel Seguine (bass) recently returned to AACS, having sung with the ensemble in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Prior to his arrival in Ann Arbor in 1985 to manage the U-M public radio stations, Joel had extensive experience as a choral singer and soloist while pursuing his radio career in Nashville, Tennessee and Norfolk, Virginia.

Samantha Sevick (soprano) is in her first season with the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers. Born into a family of musicians, Samantha has been singing and performing since childhood, and her classical training (as well as performing in rock bands) has instilled in her a deep appreciation for music of all kinds. She sung in her top choirs in both high school and college, and is an awarded soloist, including having had the honor of being selected to perform at Michigan Youth Arts Festival. Most recently, she was a member of the Flint Festival Chorus and has performed with the Flint Symphony Orchestra. When she isn't singing and performing, Samantha is a graphic designer who enjoys cooking, gallery hopping, and spending time with her fiancé Jason and cat Billy.

Chris Shewchenko (tenor) was referred to the Cantata Singers eight years ago by his previous director, and couldn't be more grateful for the recommendation (thanks Dr. B)! A Detroit native, Chris came to Ann Arbor to study English at U-M, but always had a penchant for theater and performance. During college, he sang tenor with the Men's Glee Club, a profound and cherished social and musical experience. He's also been in eight musicals in the last four years and one stage play, and has always enjoyed AACS throughout as much as possible. Much love and thanks to his mom, grandma and sister for their endless love and support.

Alicia Verdier-Hammonds (soprano) is enjoying her first season with the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers. She majored in Opera Performance at both the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Previous musical experience includes the IMEA All-State and Honors Choirs, U of I Women's Glee Club, NATS, SIUE Chamber Choir, St. Louis Municipal Opera, and various operas and musical theater. When she is not singing, Alicia works as a freelance photographer, seamstress, and stay at home mother of two. She is loving the opportunity to sing with her girlfriend, Maggi.

Terri Wilcox (soprano) has A Master's Degree in Voice Performance from Eastern Michigan University. She has sung with, and been a soloist for Plymouth Oratorio Society, The Arbor Consort, Schoolcraft College Community Choir, Orchard Ridge Community Choir, and Vocal Arts Ensemble. Terri teaches voice lessons from her Ann Arbor apartment. She enjoys reading, swimming, and riding roller coasters with her husband Nicholas Wilcox. This is her third season making music with Cantata Singers.