Meet the Seicento Baroque Ensemble

Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Abby Anderson
Abby Anderson, soprano

Abby was immensely fortunate to have grown up in a musical family, and cherishes her early memories of making music with choirs and orchestras around the Dallas, Texas, area. Although she’s enjoyed living in Colorado for almost 10 years, this is her first season with Seicento and she’s delighted to work and learn alongside such a skillful, passionate group of musicians. When she’s not making music she also loves spending time in nature, learning new crafts (right now it’s weaving), and tackling new recipes (the trickier the better).
Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer David Askey
David Askey, bass

David Askey has sung with the Mountain View United Methodist Church Choir, various other church choirs, the Arvada Chorale, Jubilate Sacred Singers, the Wesley Folk Group, Rocky Ridge Music Center, and the Lincoln Boys Choir. He enjoys classical, baroque, early music, gospel, and jazz music.
Photo of Seicento soprano Hannah Baker
Hannah Baker, soprano

Hannah began singing in Southern California where she earned a BA from California State University, Fullerton in music history and theory. She has performed in numerous ensembles including the Pacific Chorale, John Alexander Singers, Pittsburgh Camerata, Renaissance Project, Boulder Bach Festival Chorus, and St. Martin’s Chamber Choir. Hannah recently moved back to the Boulder area and is excited to be a part of Seicento. She works for the CU Boulder College of Music in administrative and student services. Hannah enjoys all things botanical, a good book, and a long hike.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Derek Berger
Derek Berger, bass

Living in various states post-college has led to some unique musical opportunities for Derek and a full roster of ensembles that he has had the pleasure of working with. Most notable have been Saint Martin’s Chamber Choir and Denver Pro Chorale (now Elus Vocal Ensemble) out of Denver; The Contemporary Choral Collective of Los Angeles and Nova Vocal Ensemble based out of Los Angeles; as well as numerous quartets and small ensembles rendering works from medieval times all the way up to the present day. He works as an IT manager at a climbing gym in Fort Collins.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Stephanie Bonjack
Stephanie Bonjack, alto

Stephanie has been singing since her debut as a 3-year-old n a community variety show on the Lake Erie shore. She grew up performing on local stages and singing in choirs, including the Cleveland Orchestra Blossom Festival Chorus. She discovered her love of early and baroque music at Butler University while studying vocal performance. Stephanie finds her professional home in music libraries, and is the Music, Theatre & Dance librarian at The University of Colorado Boulder. She is excited to be singing with Seicento for the first time this season.
Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Risa Booze
Risa Booze, soprano

Risa’s love of singing was born in the early 1970s in her native Maryland. She has been singing her heart out in Boulder County since 1990 and has been fortunate to sing with Boulder Chorale and Camerata, Boulder Bach Festival, Ars Nova Singers, The Renaissance Project, Cantabile, Colorado Music Festival, Friends of FUMC, St Martin’s Festival Singers, Musikanten Montana and Seicento Baroque Ensemble. The only thing that makes Risa happier than singing is hiking with her dog, Mollie.
Seicento Baroque Ensemble Artistic Director Evanne Browne
Evanne Browne, artistic director

I’m thrilled to have returned to Boulder after my 4-year hiatus in the Washington, D.C., area. Upon returning to Colorado, I thought I would simply hike, bike, sing and enjoy beautiful Boulder. Joyfully, I failed with that retirement plan and became Seicento’s artistic director again last fall. In addition to conducting Seicento, I’m a remote instructor for the Smithsonian Institution. My husband (John Butterfield) and I sing with Ars Nova Singers, Musikanten Montana, and the Boulder Philharmonic Chorus. We thoroughly enjoy living here and all the lessons learned from working in our Boulder Community Garden plot.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer John Butterfield
John Butterfield, bass

John started singing with a youth church choir in Greenhills, Ohio, in 1964 and hasn’t stopped since. Interests range from musical theater to the Great American Songbook to classical choral works. Past pre-Colorado choral experience includes the Washington (D.C.) City Choir, domestic and international tours with the chamber choir Musikantan, and Washington Revels. He moved to Boulder in 2020 with wife Evanne Browne after retiring as a journalist/web editor. He’s performed locally with Seicento, Ars Nova Singers, the St. Martin’s Festival chorus, and the Boulder Philharmonic Chorus.
Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Jasmine Dancy
Jasmine Dancy, soprano

Jasmine is a classically trained cellist (UC Santa Cruz) who likes to jam with musicians in a variety of styles from Irish tunes to blues, Bulgarian Gypsy music to Samba. Most of her public performances these days are as an eight-foot-tall character on stilts, which indulges her costume-designing addiction. Jasmine worked for several years as a music teacher for preschoolers, sharing her love of singing with the youngest members of society. Today she teaches singing to middle schoolers at Boulder Valley Waldorf School. She is delighted to sing with Seicento, grateful for the opportunity to blend her voice with such high-caliber vocalists.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Diana Doyle
Diana Doyle, alto

Professor at CU Boulder. Biologist. Singer all my life. Likes: chocolate, hikes, bumblebees, big dogs.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Mark Filbert
Mark Filbert, bass

Mark has served as cantor (i.e., organist/choirmaster) for Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Denver since 2002. Currently pursuing a doctorate (DSM) through the Graduate Theological Foundation, Mark is a graduate of Oral Roberts University (BM, BME) and Southern Methodist University (MSM, MM) and is a deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Active in the American Guild of Organists and the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, he is an avid collector of hymnals, and resides in Aurora with his husband of 30 years, Thomas Strickland, and their two cats Libby and Brubeck.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Toby Haddow
Toby Haddow, soprano

I grew up in a family where music of all kinds was constantly being played throughout the house. My dad was a stereophile, so there were endless records to listen to. That’s when the love of music, particularly singing, became an important part of my life. I’ve been singing in choral groups and as a soloist since the 6th grade, around the country from Florida to New York, Minnesota, Illinois, and Colorado. The joy of making music continues to be the highlight of my life.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Molly Hardman
Molly Hardman, alto

Although I earn my living as a scientist, music has always been my avocation. I started playing the piano at a young age and also have a passing familiarity with the recorder and the cello. I have sung in choirs most every place that I’ve lived – from Cape Town to Boulder. My two children also sing and play the viola and violin, and my partner of 45 years, Gordon, comes to every performance that I’m in. Additionally, I garden prolifically, cook great vegan food, love to knit, and enjoy trail running and hiking in the mountains.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Orin Hargraves
Orin Hargraves, bass

Orin is a Colorado native who grew up in Creede. A lexicographer by profession, he also alternately lectures at and retires from CU-Boulder. He has sung with several choirs in Boulder as well as with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and at festivals including Europa Cantat, the World Choir Games, and the Alta Pusteria Festival in Italy. Besides singing in the bass-baritone range, he plays piano poorly and accompanies himself on guitar while covering high points in the 1960s C&W repertoire.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Christinne Hildebrandt
Christina Hildebrandt, soprano

I’ve been a singer since 5th grade, when I badgered my music teacher to create a choir. As a manual therapist of 30 years specializing in visceral manipulation and sound healing, I find that through my bodywork practice I can combine my love of sound with my mission to help people. I’ve lived near or in Longmont all my life. I’m happy to be living in a small, familial co-housing community with my father, my sister-in-law and her husband, and my husband Paul, with various animals accompanying us on our journey.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Jacqueline Hooper
Jacqueline Hooper, tenor

Jacqueline started her musical career performing in musicals and children’s choirs, participated in show, concert, snd All-State choirs, and toured Europe with America’s Youth in Concert. She graduated from the University of Colorado‘s College of Music, teaches piano and voice, and has been a soloist for many events. She has performed with the Boise Master Chorale and the Gene Harris Jazz Festival Gospel Choir, and traveled with the Rocky Mountain Chorale to perform in the Alta Pusteria International Choir Festival in 2017. She sings with the Boulder Messiah Chorale and is a member of the Boulder Philharmonic Chorus.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Mary Jarrett
Mary Jarrett, alto

Mary Jarrett sang in the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 under Evanne Browne and was a founding member of Seicento. She began her life as a chorister at 8 by auditioning into an all-girls church choir in Virginia. Later, in New York City, she sang in the Church of the Ascension choir and with the [St.] Cecilia Chorus (her only way to perform in Carnegie Hall). In Colorado, she has sung with Ars Nova Singers, the Boulder Bach Festival, The Renaissance Project, and the CU Boulder Early Music Ensembles, among other groups. She lives near Hygiene with her husband and dog.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Jim Kates
Jim Kates, bass

Jim holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in electrical engineering from MIT. Retired from hearing-aid manufacturer GN ReSound, he now is a scholar in residence at CU Boulder, where he continues his research into hearing and hearing aids. Born near Boston, in his youth he studied oboe with John Holmes of the Boston Symphony, and later studied vooice privately with Diane Durand and Erik Brunner. An original member of Seicento, he has also performed with many local groups, including the St. Martin’s Chamber Choir, Cantabile, the Renaissance Project, the Peak Arts Chorus, the Boulder Bach Festival Chorus, and the Colorado Masterworks Chorus.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Debbie Kaufmann
Debbie Kaufmann. soprano

Deborah (Debbie) is a professor of music history and literature at the University of Northern Colorado with a specialty in French Baroque music; her book on Music at the Maison de Saint-Louis at Saint-Cyr was published in 2019. She helps out on Seicento’s artistic advisory committee to find or create scores for the group. She commutes to rehearsals from Greeley — a trip she would not make for any repertoire other than 17th-century music! Debbie loves gardening and her new tabby kitten, Ketzl.
Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Deborah Kelly
Deborah Kelly, alto

Deborah Goldbaum Kelly returns to Seicento this spring after a pandemic-induced hiatus. Deborah has been singing her whole life. Locally she has sung with the Longmont Chorale, the Boulder Chorale, the Boulder Symphony, the Arapahoe Philharmonic, the Colorado Music Festival, Doina (a Romanian folk choir,) and Boulder’s Jewish choir Shir Ha Lev. While she loves classical music, she also spends a lot of time in the musical theater world, performing in such shows as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “A Chorus Line,” and “Hopscotch,” a musical addressing domestic violence. Deborah is also a Hebrew chant leader, poet, and visual artist.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Linda Lunbeck
Linda Lunbeck, alto

Linda has enjoyed singing with Seicento since its founding, and served on its board of directors. As a professional recorder player, she has performed with the Aspen Music Festival, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Colorado Music Festival, Boulder Bach Festival, and Denver Early Music Consort, among others. Linda co-founded Diverse Passions early music ensemble, directed the Colorado Recorder Academy for accomplished young recorderists, and offers private lessons, ensemble coaching, conference presentations, and workshops. Linda earned degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Delaware. Interests include historical dance, musical theater, and jazz, as well as most anything to do with the outdoors.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Miki Magyar
Miki Magyar, tenor

I’m a desert rat, a writer, a mom (so I know things), and a cat lover. I like to play in the dirt in the garden, read with cats, sit by running water, hike, and have breakfast with friends. There is nothing like singing to lift your spirits and make the world a brighter place. When I finally wrestle one of the fiddly bits into submission, it’s a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. And the music that Seicento performs is my first choice of what to sing. It’s an honor and a delight to be part of such a special group.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Laura Meyers
Laura Meyers, alto

Happily singing with Seicento since my husband and I joined in 2017. I was fortunate to grow up with music. My father played clarinet, and sisters played piano and flute. We sang rounds on car trips. My grandfather was a cantor and my grandmother, we’re told, played in an all-women traveling string ensemble in the late 1800s. Other joyful activities include playing recorder, listening to music, being outside, playing in water (ocean, lake, or river), storytelling, teaching English to adults, and taking time to reflect on all of it.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Meg Miller
Meg Miller, soprano

Colorado native, road cyclist, trail runner, meditator, writer, Meg has degrees in biology, Italian, and English literature, but none in music. Formerly an associate scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research and then an instructor in English/American literature at CU Boulder, Meg now enjoys work as a freelance academic and science editor. She has sung locally also with Ars Nova Singers, Colorado Music Festival, the Boulder Bach Festival, and Cantabile. Meg is most grateful and happy challenging herself out of doors, and for the great privilege of sharing the making of music.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Peter Morrissey
Peter Morrissey, tenor

Peter is a dancer, singer, and artist who is deeply passionate about community. He teaches dance, and is also honored to contribute his graphic design work to Seicento, which is bringing him back to his classical music roots.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Sara Neustadtl
Sara Neustadtl, alto

Sara taught herself to read music at the age of 60 by means of a piano and a Methodist hymnal. She is still baffled by more than two sharps.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Gabrielle Razafinjatovo
Gabrielle Razafinjatovo, soprano

Gabrielle Razafinjatovo, mezzo soprano, is excited to be singing with Seicento again this season! A recent graduate of the M.M. Voice Performance and Pedagogy program at CU Boulder, she is involved with several area organizations singing both solo and choral works. She maintains a private voice and piano studio in Lafayette, Colorado, as well as doing collaborative piano work with CU students. In her free time she enjoys reading fiction, baking, and volunteering on her church’s worship team.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Bob Reynolds
Bob Reynolds, tenor

For 30 years Bob sang with numerous church and concert choirs in Washington, D.C., including the Washington Bach Consort, the Palestrina Choir, the Early English Ensemble, the American Vocal Ensemble, the Woodley Ensemble, Musikanten, and Chantry. Since moving to Denver in 2011, Bob has been a member of St. John’s Cathedral choir, St. Martin’s Chamber Choir, and the Regis University Collegium, and is a founding member of Seicento. In addition to his ensemble work, Bob has performed songs and arias from the Renaissance and Baroque. His other careers have included copy editing and writing, and teaching English as a foreign language.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Marlena Rich
Marlena Rich, soprano

My love of singing was engendered from a young age through my Catholic education, where music was central to everything. Singing with Seicento is a return to my deepest roots in music. When I am not singing one might find me helping someone with a real estate transaction, dancing Argentine tango, swimming, hiking our beautiful foothills, or cuddling my darling granddaughter, Ava.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Britt Ripley
Britt Ripley, bass

Baroque music is such a joy for me to sing! Autumn 2022 marks the beginning of my sixth season with Seicento. I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of the music and the professional level of sound and performance demanded by the ensemble. The music is truly uplifting and healing, and just makes me happy. For the past 25 years, I’ve been singing with a variety of music groups performing classical, contemporary, jazz, and early music. I am also a lifelong guitarist with classical training. I enjoy experimenting with my own compositions blending a variety of music styles.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Melanie Sokhey
Melanie Sokhey, alto

I’ve been singing as long as I can remember—my parents claimed I did a great rendition of “Shrimp Boats Is A-Comin’ ” when I was two, and hey! A lifelong avocation was born. My husband Jack and I moved to Colorado in 2018 to be closer to our family after he retired—our grandsons bring the joy for us! Recent musical life includes singing with the choir at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church and the Boulder Philharmonic Chorus; before that I sang at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Indianapolis for 13 years. Looking forward to great things with Seicento!
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Charles Stober
Charles Stober, tenor

As an avid Boulder cyclist, I am very excited to be performing this amazing work from the Baroque period with this richly talented and accomplished ensemble. It is truly an honor to be a part of this production. Though my creative streak has been utilized primarily as a professional chef the past fifteen plus years, I have long enjoyed making music in choral settings. My vocal experience includes the Moorhead State University Concert Choir, The Continental Singers and Orchestra, The Broomfield Chorale, the Mosaic Gospel Choir, and recording commercial jingles for radio and television.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Tom Strickland
Tom Strickland, bass

Tom has been singing in choirs since childhood and directing them for almost as long. He is music director at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Denver and hymnal and music editor for GIA Publications in Chicago. He telecommutes to that job from the home in Aurora he shares with Mark Alan Filbert and two cats. Tom learned about music at Indiana University School of Music and the Yale University Institute of Sacred Music and continues to learn from inspirational people like Evanne Browne.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Santiago Vallejo
Santiago Vallejo, tenor

Early music polyphony is emotional and expressive. When one sings this music, one needs ears open and to be one with the group dynamics. Singing within the ensemble you are surrounded by multiple sounds and pitches. You tune your emotions to the text and to the drama created by the contrast of the voices. You try to deliver the feelings behind the words. You adapt and give yourself to the music; it becomes personal. And when it works, when all clicks, it is like being one with everything, it is a wonderful feeling. That is why I sing this music.
Seicento Baroque Ensemble bass Gary Williams
Gary Williams, bass

Gary Williams is in his eighth season with Seicento. He has been singing in public since he was 8, which means he’s been doing that for a very long time. He was excited to be invited to join Seicento both because the Baroque is his favorite period for vocal music and because the group is led by his favorite among the 30 or so conductors under whom he has sung. He believes and hopes that although aging cannot be avoided, growing old can be prevented by having activities, challenges, and goals; for him, Seicento is an important element to that end.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Steve Winograd
Steve Winograd, bass

Steve Winograd is a founding member of Seicento. He has sung with the Ars Nova Singers, Seicento, Boulder Bach Festival, Colorado Music Festival, Colorado Masterworks Chorus, and Ye Wanton Singers. He has played early woodwinds with ensembles at St. John’s Cathedral, Regis University, and CU Boulder, and was a recorder soloist, along with Linda Lunbeck, in Seicento’s performance of Bach’s Cantata 106. He has taken recorder master classes from Bernard Krainis, Eva Legêne, and Marion Verbruggen. Steve also plays for dancing (English Morris, English country, New England contra), and is an accomplished performer on the English pipe and tabor.
Photo of Seicento Baroque Ensemble singer Joe Wolfe
Joe Wolfe, bass

Though it began with piano, Joe always had an eye on the guitar, and as a teenager discovered the profound beauty of early music. Though life brought his music studies in and out of focus, he has maintained a dedicated relationship to the expression of this beautiful art form and occasionally still performs with classical guitar. Recently discovering that his voice was suited to ends beyond the shower ballad, Joe has this year begun his first foray into choral music and is extremely excited to be able to share his passion with so many other like-minded individuals with Seicento.