Meet our VOCAL SOLOISTS, CLARINET SOLOIST and CHORUS DIRECTOR CANDIDATE for "MOSTLY MOZART"

Vocal soloists for the CBASO and CBA Chorus performance of the Mozart Missa Brevis in D (K194) are all winners of The American Prize national nonprofit competitions in the performing arts, David Katz, chief judge.

 Rosalind Lee, soprano

Rosalind Lee, soprano

Rosalind Lee, soprano, has been described as “rich-toned” and "a beautiful soprano with a glowing voice." Among many other performances, Ms. Lee sang the "Echo" in "Flößt, mein Heiland" from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Kathleen Battle under the baton of Raymond Leppard and was the soprano soloist in the Vivaldi Gloria under Bernard Labadie, both with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Lee has presented Beethoven’s magnificent concert aria, Ah! Perfido with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and has appeared as a soloist in numerous other concert works including Bach’s Magnificat, Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass, Haydn’s Paukenmesse, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, Orff’s Carmina burana, Schubert’s Mass in G, and the Chicago premiere of Mollicone’s Beatitude Mass. Ms. Lee has also appeared in the Kraft Family Concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and in a concert of works by Benjamin Britten at the Glimmerglass Festival. She has also been a featured artist with the Bach Week Festival, Chorus Angelorum, the Chicago Summer Sings festival, the Elgin Choral Union, the Handel Week Festival, the North Shore Choral Society, the Saint James Cathedral Concert Series, the Te Deum Ensemble, and the Windy City String Ensemble.

Recent appearances include Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis (Lord Nelson Mass) with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Bach's cantata BWV 21, Ich hatte viel Bekummernis with the Bach Week Festival, guest soprano soloist with the Fox Valley Orchestra and Chorus in their Baroque for Christmas concert, and her debut with Haymarket Opera Company in concert performances of Stradella’s oratorio San Giovanni Battista both in Chicago and at the Valletta International Baroque Festival in Malta.

Upcoming appearances include a return to the Handel Week Festival in Handel’s motet for soprano and strings, Haec est Regina Virginum, HWV 235 and as the soprano soloist for Will Todd’s jazz mass, Mass in Blue, at St. Paul and the Redeemer Episcopal Church in Chicago.
 
On the opera stage, Ms. Lee has appeared in the baroque opera, La Purpura de la Rosa (Venus) with the Bloomington Early Music Festival, as the title role in Floyd’s Susannah, in Argento’s The Boor (Widow), and in Verdi’s La Traviata (Annina) at Music by the Lake. Ms. Lee is excited to be making her debut with the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Mozart’s beautiful Missa Brevis in D.


Nicolette Nazarowski, mezzo-soprano

Nicolette Nazarowski, mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-Soprano, Nicolette Nazarowski is proud to sing with many churches around the Chicago area. She is a regular cantor and at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, and an alto section leader with First United Methodist Church of Evanston. Nicolette works closely with North Shore Opera Hour, performing operettas and chamber works under the direction of Luis Galvez. Over the summer, Nicolette studied in Italy, working with Orvieto Musica. Nicolette received her Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from North Park University, and a Masters of Music degree in Voice Performance at UMKC Conservatory, where she studied with Vinson Cole.


Christian Ketter, tenor

Christian Ketter, tenor

Tenor Christian Ketter, made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2014, as featured in the Washington Post, in “The Song Continues” with American Mezzo-Soprano Marilyn Horne. The 2013 winner of The American Prize Friedrich Schorr American Prize in Voice, Mr. Ketter has previously appeared as the tenor soloist with the Chicago Bar Symphony Orchestra & Chorus in Bruckner’s Te Deum under Maestro David Katz, making his Symphony Center debut with the orchestra again, in 2015 at Orchestra Hall. Mr. Ketter will be performing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 as tenor soloist with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra this May. Recently, he performed the No. 9 under conductor Jay Friedman with the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest as tenor soloist, as well as Tristan in their performance of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde Act II.

A frequent recitalist, Mr. Ketter recently gave a solo-recital on behalf of the Wagner Society of America, as well as a guest-lecture and recital at Northwestern University of Louisiana. As the 2013 American Prize Chicago Oratorio Winner, his past solo performances include: DuBois’ Les sept paroles du Christ; Händel’s Messiah; Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël. Mr. Ketter was privileged to be musically coached and staged by Carlisle Floyd in a 2011 concert celebrating his operatic works in which he sang Will’s aria from Cold Sassy Tree. Other stage performances include: Northwest Indiana Symphony 2014 Orchestra's Holiday Gala; Che in Evita with the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra; Cavaradossi in scenes from Tosca with the Calumet City Chamber Ensemble; Radamés in scenes from Verdi’s Aida with Music by the Lake; Willy Loman in Rizzer’s adaptation of Death of a Salesman; a televised-concert marking the Chicago-Premiere of Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights as Edgar Linton; Gaylord Ravenal in ShowBoat. At Ravinia in 2010, Mr. Ketter gave a  benefit recital on behalf of the Misericordia Foundation. In addition to teaching voice & piano in the Chicagoland area, as a composer and arranger: he co-wrote a musical stage adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" book, music & lyrics with Paul W. Thompson, and is a featured orchestrator on Canadian-tenor, Riccardo Iannello’s 2015 recording. Mr. Ketter's debut classical recording “Beloved” is available online at iTunes & Amazon. He is also a CALI award-winning dean’s list student at The John Marshall Law School, on Law-Review, and a student-member of the Chicago Bar Association. For more information, go to www.christianketter.com


Stephen Lancaster, baritone

Stephen Lancaster, baritone

Described as “a fine storyteller” (American Record Guide), “varied in tone and alive to feeling” (Fanfare Magazine), baritone Stephen Lancaster engages audiences through diverse repertoire in concert, recital, and opera. Winner and Audience Favorite in the Nico Castel International Master Singer Competition and winner of The American Prize for men in art song and oratorio (2016), he has been featured in venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Chicago Cultural Center, Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Centro Cultural de Belém, Petit Palau de la Música Catalana, and Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall.
 
Recent concert credits include the Fauré & Duruflé Requiems at Carnegie Hall with Distinguished Concerts International New York, Carmina Burana with Lisbon Summer Fest, Warren Symphony, and Oakland Symphony Orchestra at the Max M. Fisher Music Center; Rachmaninoff’s The Bells and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with Holland Symphony; Brahms’ Requiem with Chorosynthesis in Seattle and with the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Chicago, and Duruflé’s Requiem with Macalester College. He has performed multiple roles with Eugene Opera, Apotheosis Opera, Arbor Opera Theater, and Opera Notre Dame, and created the role of Jaques in As You Like It by Roger Steptoe.

A passionate recitalist, Lancaster has performed programs in Paris, Frankfurt, and Gstaad; at Musique dans le Grésivaudan, Festival Musique d’Uzerche, and the Atlantic Music Festival; and for the Brooklyn Art Song Society in New York. He has recorded an album of French art songs with pianist Martin Katz, Le Menu des Mélodies (Centaur Records), and his recital on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series was broadcast live by classical radio station WFMT. Born and raised in Canada, he holds degrees in vocal performance from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan and currently serves as Associate Professor of Practice and head of the graduate voice studio at the University of Notre Dame. www.stephenlancaster.net


John Vishneski, III, clarinet soloist

John Vishneski, III, clarinet soloist

John S. Vishneski III is a Partner at Reed Smith LLP whose practice focuses on insurance coverage litigation. John Graduated from the University of Virginia (College 1985) (Law 1988). He is Principal Clarinet in the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra (CBASO), leader of the CBAs Barristers Big Band and a member of the Fair Use Quintet. John has performed the Mozart Clarinet Concerto many times, including with the CBASO and in a private performance for the Governor of Virginia. John loves Mozart clarinet works, and has also performed Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and Kegelstatt Trio.  


Christopher Windle, chorus director candidate

Christopher Windle, chorus director candidate

Christopher Windle is the Concert Choir Conductor and an Instructor with the Department of Music at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL. Additionally, he is an adjunct instructor at Northwestern Universitys Beinen School of Music in Evanston, IL.

Windle serves as the Assistant Choirmaster of the Church of the Atonement in Chicago, IL, where he conducts the Schola, Atonement Choir, and St. Ceclia Choir. Each week, these choirs sing a different choral mass setting, motets, and chant. Additionally, Windle is a Choral Fellow and the Summer Series Director with the Maryland State Boychoir. He has conducted the Tour and Concert Choirs in summer concerts during both national and international tours. He also programs the Summer Series, which includes the Compline Series and Summer Sings. Last summer, he conducted Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem and this summer he will lead the Summer Sing Choir in Mozarts Requiem.

In previous seasons, Windle has conducted and prepared choirs for numerous and diverse organizations. These include Singing City in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Find Your Instrument! in Philadelphia, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Northfield Youth Choirs, Temple University, and Northwestern University's choral and opera departments. Windle served for two years as the Assistant Director of Music Ministry at First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD. Here, he helped lead a music program of over 200 musicians. He conducted four choirs with singers of ages 10-80, a handbell choir, flute choir, and orchestra. Windle continues to sing professionally in choirs throughout the country.  

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