Worship > Music

Westminster Chamber Singers

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, March 10, 7:30pm
Christ United Methodist Church, Greensboro
The Chamber Singers will make a guest appearance on the Choral Society of Greensboro’s concert featuring music of Americana!

Friday, April 20, 7pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church

Spring Concert

Meet the singers

Jonathan Emmons is Director of Traditional Music at Westminster Presbyterian Church where he serves as organist and conducts the Junior Choir, Youth Voices, and Chancel Choir, and is artistic director of the Westminster Chamber Singers. Emmons is also assistant conductor of the 100-voice Choral Society of Greensboro. Active both as a conductor and collaborative keyboardist, Emmons is often engaged as a choral clinician, most recently with the Orange County (NC) All-County Children’s Choir and the Randolph County (NC) All-County Middle School Chorus. He served as organist for the 2011 International Boys and Men’s Choral Festival and as accompanist for the North Carolina Music Educators’ Association Elementary Honors Chorus. Additionally, Emmons has written several choral reviews published in Choral Journal, the national periodical for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).

Before moving to Greensboro in January 2011, Emmons served congregations in Virginia, Michigan, and Delaware. Most recently, he was Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Choirs and College Organist at Wesley College in Dover, Delaware. Emmons holds the Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the University of Michigan and the Bachelor of Arts degree from Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia, where he co-founded the Bridgewater College Alumni Choir.

Patti Battani is a native of Des Moines, Iowa, where she received a degree in vocal music from Drake University. She has 40 years of vocal experience in a variety of musical genres including musical theatre, gospel, jazz and Dance-Band singer, freelance vocal work, recording/studio work, 26 years of CBS televised Star Spangled Banners, Austin Lyric Opera Chorus (Austin, Texas), and Music Specialist in the public schools of Iowa, Texas, and Nevada. Highlights of her career include leading lady roles in Musical Theatre, winning the State of Iowa Talent Search, being named Miss Champagne Music of Iowa, and entering the International Christian Artists Competition where she was awarded the Grand prize, the production of her own album. Patti considers her greatest accomplishments are her three, beautiful children, who are working Musicians and Actors in Los Angeles. Brand new to Greensboro, Patti looks forward to fresh vocal opportunities and meeting new friends!

Nancy Campbell holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. She taught elementary music in Virginia before moving to Greensboro with her husband and has now worked in the furniture industry for about 27 years. She has performed at the Eastern Music Festival, in a few garage bands, and in many church choirs. Nancy is currently a member o the Westminster Presbyterian Chancel Choir.

Lucas Cecil graduated from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2010 with a Bachelors degree in choral music education. He is currently completing a Masters of Music Education degree from UNCG. Lucas has sung with the UNCG Men's Glee Club, University Chorale, and the prestigious Chamber Singers. He also performed in UNCG's premiere all male a cappella group, The Spartones, for four years. Lucas instructs three sections of a beginning guitar course at UNCG and directs an extracurricular a cappella group at Grimsley High School. After completing his Masters degree, Lucas plans to seek out any opportunities that will allow him to continue singing and teaching music.

Heidi Fischer joins Chamber Singers from Stadtroda, Germany. Heidi received a Masters of Arts in International Politics from the American University in Washington, D.C., and has been working as an international educator at UNC Greensboro since 2005. Heidi has sung in church choirs since second grade, most recently at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, where she regularly participates in the Wholeness & Healing Service. She has performed Handel’s Messiah in the Festival Chorus with the Winston-Salem Symphony for the past four years. Heidi also joined the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorale for Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream in February 2011 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in May 2009.

After a career of teaching Spanish at Northwest High School, Tom Hardin enjoys the life of full retirement. He has sung with a variety of groups—an a cappella choir in undergraduate school, the Piedmont Men’s Chorus, The Triad Pride Men’s Chorus, the NoteWorthy Ensemble, and currently, the church choir at College Park Baptist Church. Other than singing, he swims competitively for PACE, a U. S. Masters Swim team, but his true passion is writing fiction.

Christopher Hansen is currently the Director of Choirs at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, NC. Hansen was recently named Cedar Ridge High School and Orange County Teacher of the Year. He received his Bachelors in Music Education with a concentration in vocal performance as a bass-baritone from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and is currently pursuing his Masters in Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Hansen is currently a professional chorister at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

As a lifetime North Carolinian, Karen Graham Harrill has been blessed with two wonderful daughters, Amy and Sarah. She married her high school sweetheart, John here at Westminster more than 25 years ago, after earning a Bachelor of Music Education from UNC-G, where she studied clarinet with Mr. Raymond J. Garigilio. After a few years of teaching music in the Rockingham County Schools (4th - 12 grade band and chorus), the desire for family time sent her back to UNC-G to earn a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. An internship with AT&T turned into a job upon graduation and many years working with Department of Defense contractors. She accomplished a long held goal in 2005 by earning a Master's Degree in Information Technology Management. Through all these years, she sang with the Westminster Choir as her schedule permitted.

Meghan Dunham Johnson, a graduate of UNC-Greensboro where she received her BM in Vocal Performance, has sung with the Westminster Presbyterian Chancel Choir as a professional chorister since January 2009. In addition to choral singing, she most recently performed the role of Kathy in the musical Disco Inferno with the Winston Salem Theatre Alliance. Other roles include Jane in highlights of Haydn's The Seasons with the Choral Society of Greensboro and Yum-Yum in the UNCG Opera Theatre's condensed production of The Mikado. She has also performed as a soloist in R. Vaughn Williams' Serenade to Music with the Winston Salem Symphony. In addition to music, Meghan's other interests include studying foreign languages, as she also completed a BA in Spanish at UNC-Greensboro.

Susan Kunar has been a music educator for 26 years at the elementary and middle school levels. She has taught for the last eleven years at Greensboro Day School as the lower school music specialist where she participates in mixed review and supports the middle and high school performing arts. She has taught adult voice at Guilford Technical Community College and has been the choir director for local churches including Monticello UCC and Oak Ridge UMC. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Meredith College and her Master’s in Music Education from UNC-G. A Greensboro native, Susan is married and has two high school aged children.

Gordon Lankenau hails from the Midwest where he completed his K-12 instrumental and vocal music degrees at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Recently, he returned to college for a Masters Degree in Educational Administration. Currently, he is happily employed as an Assistant Principal at Phoenix Academy. Gordon has been a member of the International Barbershop Harmony Society since 1974, competes regularly with his chorus and quartet, and was the Director of the Kansas City Chapter from 1998-2001. Just prior to relocating to Greensboro, Gordon taught elementary and middle school music in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was also a member, soloist, and assistant director of the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society (SNMAS). Gordon is enjoying the mild weather and the beauty of North Carolina. He looks forward to great musical experiences in the Piedmont Triad.

Andrea Lowman, mezzo-soprano, earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2008. Originally from Raleigh, Lowman comes from a musical family, where both parents taught music in the public schools and church. After graduating, Lowman began pursuing a career in teaching Chorus at Randleman Middle School in Randleman, North Carolina. Currently, in her fourth year teaching chorus, she also teaches a piano class, musical theatre class and has become involved in working with the Randolph Youth Theatre Company in Asheboro.

Lindsey McConville is the Choral and Theater Arts Director at Eastern Randolph High School holds degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance from UNC-Greensboro. She has been cast as roles such as Nella from Gianni Schicci, Ida from Die Fledermaus, and premiered the role of Christine in Libby Larson’s The Picnic. Lindsey has appeared as a soloist for the Winston-Salem Symphony orchestra, and has performed under the direction of Robert Moody, Welborn Young, William Carroll, and David Holley. She has placed in several NATS competition, performed as a semi-finalist for the Charles Lynam Vocal Competition, and is the recipient of “Best Performer in Music Education” for the class of 2009. After teaching out-of-state for two years she is thrilled to be back teaching and performing in the Greensboro area once again.

Caroline Oliveira is currently pursuing a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She graduated in 2008 with her Bachelor’s of Arts in Music from Florida State University. She enjoys both Musical Theater and Opera and performance highlights include Adele in Die Fledermaus, Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium, Lily Garland in On the Twentieth Century and Ethel Peas in Thoroughly Modern Millie. In addition to performing, Caroline is a voice instructor and musical theater coach at Greensboro Performing Arts. She is very excited to be a member of the Westminster Chamber Singers for its inaugural year.

Marshall Rollings, tenor, holds the Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His voice teachers have included Dr. Carla LeFevre, Dr. Robert Wells, and Joann Vogen. Marshall has won several awards including first place in the state and regional levels of the 2005 NATS competition and was a semi-finalist in the Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition. Marshall has performed principal roles in “The Ballad of Baby Doe,” “The Mikado,” and “La Vida Breve.” He recently performed as a Concert Artist with the Oberlin in Italy Summer program and has appeared as a soloist with the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Piedmont Symphony. Marshall has been a professional chorister at Westminster Presbyterian Church for 6 years. Also active in administrative positions, he serves as the Conference Coordinator for The Southern Entrepreneurship in the Arts Conference, sponsored by The North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center.

Jan Smith, a 16-year member of the Westminster Chancel Choir, is a Burlington native. She began enjoying choral music in church and school, and had the privilege of singing with the Women's Glee Club at UNC-Chapel Hill, under the direction of Dr. Lara Hoggard. A college highlight was singing UNC alma mater "Hark the Sound" while alumnus Andy Griffith conducted. Jan is married to Bruce Smith, also a Westminster Chancel Choir member. Her fondest music is the voices of her sons Will and Alex. Jan has been in broadcast advertising for more than 30 years in Greensboro and is currently an Account Executive for WFMY News 2.

Olga Tsipis, mezzo-soprano, is currently pursuing a Masters in Vocal Performance at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. She has preformed roles such as Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Carmen in Carmen, and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Most recently she performed the role of Prince Orlofsky in UNCG’s performance of Die Fledermaus.

Jamar Tyree, baritone, is a Virginia native and graduate of Greensboro College with a Bachelors degree in Vocal Performance. He is the director of the Greensboro College Gospel Choir and the chief musician for Gateway Church, Greensboro, North Carolina. He is the recipient of the Alma Dark scholarship which awards $1,000 to the graduate school of his choice.

Tenor Jacob Wright has appeared on both the operatic and musical theatre stages in a number of roles. A part of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Opera Theatre, he will be performing the roles of “Donald Hopewell” in Douglas Moore’s Gallantry, as well as “Kaspar” in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Wright will also be appearing as a soloist in St. Mary’s Episcopal Choir and Symphony’s performance of Mozart’s Coronation Mass in C Major. He has also appeared as “Dr. Blind” in Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus and “The Page” in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Wright is a senior Vocal Performance Major at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and currently studies with tenor Robert Bracey.

Carl Blayne Ziegenfuss hails from Asheville, North Carolina. Ziegenfuss is currently a fifth year senior at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro pursuing a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance. At UNCG Blayne studies with Dr. Donald Hartmann. Blayne has had many leading roles with UNCG opera, including Eisenstein in Strauss' Die Fledermaus, Kaspar in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Edwin (The Defendant) in Gilbert & Sullivan's Trial by Jury. Blayne has also appeared with Greensboro Opera as a slave in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and the ensemble of Verdi's La Traviata. While at UNCG, Blayne has also been a member of both University Chorale and Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Carole Ott and Dr. Welbourn Young, respectively. Upcoming performances included Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors with UNCG Opera in December.

Choral music has been a big part of Sarah Zielinski’s life, and she is very excited to return to the choral scene. As a teenager, she sang in the Youth Choral Academy at the Oregon Bach Festival and continued to sing in the St. Olaf Choir in St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated from St. Olaf College in 2008 with a music education degree and briefly taught middle school choir and private voice lessons in Salem, Oregon. She recently moved to Greensboro in July and is currently studying with Carla LeFevre. Sarah will start in the MM Vocal Performance program next fall at UNCG.