Founders

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Praised by the New York Times as a “rich-toned alto who brought a measure of depth to her performance”, Melissa Attebury appears regularly as soloist in concert and oratorio.  She is in particular demand for her skill in music of the Baroque - recent appearances include Messiah, Christmas Oratorio, St. Matthew and St. John Passion, and as a regular soloist in the Bach at One series of complete cantatas with Julian Wachner and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street. Other performances include Elijah (Berkshire Choral Festival),  Israel in Egypt  (The Washington Chorus, Trinity Wall Street and Spire Chamber Ensemble) Beethoven 9th Symphony (Trinity Wall Street, Bach Magnificat  (Grand Rapids Symphony),  Messiah at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and major venues across the US, Mozart’s Requiem at Alice Tully Hall (Dessoff Choirs), Monteverdi Vespers,  Bach B Minor Mass (Montreal Bach Festival).  She was a featured soloist in the Times Arrow: Webern Festival and Trinity’s Total Embrace series of concerts featuring the works of Leonard Bernstein.  Performances this season include Messiah (Kansas City Symphony), Zelenka’s Missa Omnium Sanctorum (American Classical Orchestra) and the pre-pandemics, was scheduled to sing  role of Iphese in Rameau’s Dardanus at St. Paul’s Chapel and Caramoor Center for the Arts. Ms. Attebury is a featured soloist on the Grammy-nominated Israel in Egypt with the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Ralf Yusuf Gawlick's Missa Gentis Humanae for 8 voices, Julian Wachner’s Symphony No. 1, and choral works of Trevor Weston.  A skilled ensemble musician, she appears on Julia Wolfe’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning work Anthracite Fields, recorded with Bang on a Can All-Stars as well as Trinity’s Bach Motets.  Recent releases include Ellen Reid’s p r i s m (Pulitzer prize winner), Reid’s Dreams of a New World, and Symphony No. 5 of Phillip Glass. Ms. Attebury is the Associate Director of Music at Trinity Wall Street.  She directs the chorister program for young singers ages 5-18 at Trinity, as well as the music outreach program in the public schools.  She has conducted performances of the choristers with Josh Grobin, in the film Love is Strange, the US premiere of Seal Songs at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Britten’s War Requiem at Queens College, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden and many events at Trinity Wall Street.  Melissa is now residing part-time in Ludlow, VT with her family and is honored to be bringing music with beloved colleagues in the Zenith Ensemble to the Northeast, an area she now considers home! 

Mr. Dodson’s current and upcoming seasons feature a wide variety of engagements throughout the United States. In the 2016-2017 season, he makes his solo debut with Boston Baroque as Nireno in Giulio Cesare and bows as Perforated in Loose, Wet, Perforated, a new opera by Nicholas Vines, with Guerilla Opera, a role which he also recorded for commercial release by Navona Records. 

Recent seasons: featured countertenor soloist in Purcell's incidental music for Oedipus, semi-staged by the Henry Purcell Society of Boston; alto soloist in the American premieres of Alessandro Melani's Lauda Anima Mea and Giacomo Perti's Magnificat; alto solos in Dixit Dominus (Charpentier) and Missa Sanctae Mariae Magdalenae(Sances) at Duke Chapel in Durham, North Carolina. International: Ottone in L’incoronazione di Poppea, at the Aldeburgh Music Festival in Suffolk, England; member of the prestigious Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme; First Witch/Sailor in Dido and Aeneas with the Klang und Raum Festival in Irsee, Germany.

Mr. Dodson can be heard as alto soloist in works by Charpentier and Sances on Viva Italia released on MSR Classics. He was a 2010 regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (New England Region) and a 2008 National Finalist in the National Society of Arts and Letters National Career Awards Competition in Voice. 

Mezzo-soprano Mary Gerbi is a versatile soloist and chamber musician whose repertoire ranges from medieval chant to new music premieres. She has been praised for her “earthy tone and crisp diction,” “trumpet-like projection,” and “impressive control,” (Boston Musical Intelligencer); and for “project[ing] emotion with easy power” (Boston Globe). She has performed as an oratorio soloist with the Handel and Haydn Society, Emmanuel Music, Arcadia Players, Berkshire Bach Society, Boston Cecilia, and Maryland Choral Society, among others. An experienced interpreter of early music, she has presented lecture-recitals at the Peabody Essex and Concord Museums and is currently a core member of Ensemble Origo, a group that presents early repertoire in historical contexts. A naturally gifted actress, she has performed Baroque operatic roles with Connecticut Early Music Festival, Amherst Early Music, and La Donna Musicale. Also an advocate of new music, she performed David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion for the Boston Modern Orchestra Project “with outstanding sensitivity and skill” (Boston Classical Review). She appears on True Concord’s Grammy-nominated album Far in the Heavens and on a dozen other recordings with groups such as Boston Baroque, Cut Circle, and Lorelei Ensemble. Raised in Millbrook, NY, she studied at Boston University and has resided in the Boston area ever since. 

Mezzo-soprano Erin Grainger moves from opera to concert as a soloist and ensemble musician. Erin loves theatrical repertoire, savoring character mezzo roles and ensemble chamber music. As soloist she has performed with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Burlington Chamber Orchestra, Middlebury Bach festival, L’orchestre symphonique de Longueuil, Ensemble Telemann, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Middlebury Community Chorus, the Opera Company of Middlebury, and as an ensemble musician with Counterpoint and the Chœur de l’Opéra de Montréal. 

Erin teaches at Johnson State and Saint Michael’s colleges in Vermont. She holds a Master of Music from McGill University, and undergraduate degrees in music and education from the University of Western Ontario and University of Toronto. She originally hails from the Ottawa Valley and now calls northwestern Vermont home, where she lives with her husband and children. For more information: www.eringrainger.com

Boston-based mezzo-soprano Katherine Growdon has received critical acclaim for her expressive performances – from “incisively authoritative” (New York Times) to full of “heartrending emotion” (San Francisco Classical Voice). Her voice has been described as “rich, rippling” and “full of dusky colors and pathos” (Boston Globe). A versatile performer in concert and theatrical settings, she is known for her total commitment to music, character and text: “...she used her eyes and expressive face to heighten the meaning of all she sang; I was riveted and felt like she was singing directly to me” (Boston Musical Intelligencer).   Katherine has performed as a soloist with renowned groups including the Handel + Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Emmanuel Music, American Bach Soloists, Mark Morris Dance Group, Bach Collegium San Diego, Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and the Albany Symphony. An ardent lover of song, Katherine has presented numerous recital programs, including at Trinity Wall Street in NYC and LiederAlive! in San Francisco, and she was one of thirty international singers invited to participate in Thomas Quasthof’s first Das Lied competition in Berlin.   Katherine’s fellowships and awards include the Tanglewood Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Carmel Bach Festival as a Virginia Best Adams fellow, first place in the Western regional NATSAA competition, and third place in the American Bach Soloists vocal competition. On disc Katherine appears as a trio soloist in Kati Agócs Vessel on the critically acclaimed BMOP recording The Debrecen Passion (also featuring the Lorelei Ensemble). Katherine's current season includes a performance of Ezra Sims' If I Told Him at Beyond Microtonal Pittsburgh, St. Catherine in Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher with Odyssey Opera, Knüpfer and Bach cantatas with Ensemble Origo, and a 3 week Ireland tour of Gare St Lazare Ireland's Here All Night.

New Hampshire-born mezzo soprano Mellissa Hughes enjoys a busy international career in both contemporary and early music. A dedicated interpreter of living composers, Hughes has worked closely with many composers, and has premiered works of many others. In the classical concert hall she has performed Mozart’s Vespers and Requiem under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner, Handel’s Dixit Dominus with Sir David Willcocks, and the role of Dido under the direction of Andrew Lawrence King. Equally at home in front of a rock band, Hughes has received widespread acclaim in her role as lead vocalist of Newspeak, an amplified alt-classical band, and for her work with Missy Mazzoli’s Victoire.

Recent seasons: Tour with John Zorn for “Madrigals” and “Earthspirit” in Jerusalem, Paris, Alice Tully Hall and the Guggenheim in New York, Montreal, Ghent, Warsaw, at the Barbican in London; star in Jonathan Berger’s double bill opera, Visitations; Silver Threads, a solo cycle written for her by Jacob Cooper at (le) Poisson Rouge; a New York City Opera debut in John Zorn’s The Holy Visions; world premiere of David T. Little’s Am I Born, a solo orchestral work written for Hughes; world premiere of Alex Temple’s Liebeslied with George Manahan and the American Composers Orchestra at Zankel Hall; a Weill Hall performance and NAXOS recording of Mohammed Fairouz’s Tahwidah with the clarinetist David Krakauer; Bryce and Aaron Dessner’s multimedia song cycle The Long Count at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam; US premiere of Adrian Utley and Will Gregory’s score for The Passion of Joan Arc as part of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival. 

 Clifton Massey, countertenor, is known for stylish interpretations of wide ranging musical styles. Praised by SF Classical Voice for "gloriously rounded tone and a measure of heft often missing in proponents of his voice type", his solo and ensemble singing has taken him to many festivals and venues including Tanglewood, the Concertgebou of Amsterdam, Metropolitan Museum of NY, Tokyo Opera City, and the Early Music festivals of Berkeley, Bloomington and Boston.       Also a valued professional ensemble singer, Clifton performs frequently with American Bach Soloists, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Bach Collegium San Diego, the American Classical Orchestra, and has been featured on the Bach Vespers series’ at Holy Trinity Lutheran and Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City. He is an alumnus of the Grammy award winning group Chanticleer, with whom he performed over 200 concerts in a variety of the world's finest concert halls. Clifton has recently relocated to the NYC area and is a member of the professional choir at Trinity Church Wall St.    

Originally from Evian, France; Mezzo-Soprano Joëlle Morris has performed throughout Europe and the United States.  She is admired for her versatility – from the concert stage to the operatic arena; in intimate jazz settings and French cabaret; or simply sharing her gifts as voice teacher and coach.Since relocating to Maine in 2011, Joëlle has appeared with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra; the Mozart Mentor Orchestra; and is regularly a featured artist at Colby College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, the Franco Center, Waterville Opera House, Nordica Auditorium, the Colby Jazz Faculty Ensemble, King’s Chapel in Boston and the Early Music Festival in Portland. Her appreciation of chamber music has led her to be the co-founding member of both the Amethyst Chamber Ensemble and the Resinosa Ensemble. The latter specializes in 21st century and commissioned works. Although a classically trained singer, Joëlle has not shied away from other musical genres, touring with various jazz bands throughout Europe and the United States. In 2017, she was featured at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City with the Colby Faculty Jazz Ensemble. An appreciation of Edith Piaf’s repertoire has led to numerous concerts in Europe and the USA, featuring the grande dame of French chanson, most notably at the 2014 World Acadian Congress in Quebec, Canada. In addition to a busy concert schedule in New England and annual summer appearances in France, Joelle is a faculty member at Colby College and Bates College, and resides in central Maine with her husband and two children.  https://joellemorris.com/

John David Adams began voice studies while growing up in the musically rich greater Boston area. He went on to study voice and opera at Hartt School of Music, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His voice teachers have included Leopold Simoneau, William Metcalf, Dr. Edwin Barlow, Eric Howe, and Malcolm Smith. He established his professional music career on the West Coast where he lived and performed as a soloist and in ensembles for many years. He later returned to New England where, now based in Maine, he enjoys a full schedule of performing engagements and teaching.

Mr. Adams has appeared with instrumental and choral ensembles across the country, including the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, Berkeley Symphony, Berkeley Lyric Opera Orchestra, Marin Chamber Orchestra, Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra, Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra, New England Wind Symphony, Arlington Philharmonic, Colby Symphony Orchestra, Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra, Maine Music Society, Maine Pro Musica, Oratorio Chorale, Androscoggin Chorale, Nashua Choral Society, Bowdoin Chorus, St. Mary Schola, Chorus Pro Musica, Masterworks Chorale, Choral Arts Society, Longfellow Chorus, St. Cecilia Choir, as well as the Blue Hill Bach, White Mountain Bach, and Portland Early Music festivals. He is equally praised for portrayals in diverse opera and musical stage roles, from Handel to Sondheim, in productions by Opera Boston, San Francisco Lyric Opera, Granite State Opera, PORTopera, Berkeley Opera, Apollo Opera, and New England Light Opera, to name a few. 

In recital, he has appeared in programs sponsored by Opera Down East, Longwood Opera, Vanderkay Summer Music Series, Boothbay Opera House, Rangeley Friends of the Arts, and Lincoln Arts Festival. 

​He maintains a private voice studio as well as being a member of the voice faculty at Bay Chamber Music School in Rockport, Maine.

Anthony Burkes Garza, bass, is a native of the Houston, TX area, and has been a proud Boston resident for more than a decade. He graduated in 2010 from New England Conservatory with degrees in Vocal Performance and Music History, since that time building a career that encompasses choral, oratorio, and operatic work. As a chamber musician, he lends his low notes to numerous ensembles in the Boston area, including Cappella Clausura, Labyrinth Choir, and Renaissance Men (for whom he serves as a founding member and General Manager). He can also be found singing for 30+ local religious institutions, including Newton‘s Temple Shalom and Boston‘s Church of the Advent and Emmanuel Music. Favorite operatic roles performed include Pangloss in Bernstein's Candide (Lowell House Opera), Donna Agata in Donizetti‘s Viva la Mamma (New England Conservatory), and Agamemnon in Elena Ruehr‘s Cassandra in the Temple (Cappella Clausura). Outside of music, Anthony enjoys exploring his East Boston neighborhood, going to CrossFit, and leaping into handstands at the slightest provocation. He is a student of mezzo soprano and Bach specialist Pamela Dellal.

Bass-baritone Sam Kreidenweis’ stylistic versatility, rich sound, and engaging stage presence has gained him praise nationally and abroad. As a vocal chamber music artist Sam appears nationally with GRAMMY® Award-winning Conspirare (Austin, TX), Kinnara Ensemble (Princeton, NJ), Santa Fe Desert Chorale (Santa Fe, NM), Skylark Vocal Ensemble (Greater New England), True Concord Voices & Orchestra (Tucson, AZ), Vocal Arts Ensemble (Cincinnati, OH), and has sung previously with the GRAMMY® Award-winning Phoenix Chorale. 

Internationally, Sam works with the Dublin based ensemble Anúna with whom he has toured throughout Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, China, and Japan. While singing with the Phoenix Chorale he recorded the Rachmaninoff All-Night Vigil with Chandos Records alongside the Kansas City Chorale, which received two Grammy nominations in 2016 and won for Best Choral Performance. 

The 2017/18 season includes performances at the BBC Proms, Gothenburg Cathedral and a Christmas Tour of Holland with Anúna; tours with Santa Fe Desert Chorale to Texas,  Oklahoma, and ACDA conferences in both LA and Chicago; and performing at the St. John's Smith Square Holy Week Festival in 2018 with Skylark Ensemble. Sam makes his debut with Boston Camerata (Boston, MA) for an intimate one on a part presentation of Charpentier's Messe de minuit pour Noël, Apollo's Fire (Cleveland, OH) in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, and with the Austin Symphony as a soloist in the Street Chorus of the Bernstein MASS. 

Bass-baritone Edmund Milly sings with the GRAMMY-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street, and is a founding member of Trident Ensemble. Additional recent collaborations as soloist and ensemble member include the  Mark Morris Dance Group, the Clarion Choir, Cantata Profana, Antico Moderno, New York Baroque Incorporated, and Grand Harmonie. He has also contributed solos to various international radio broadcasts on BBC and CBC. 

While at the American Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey from 1997 to 2001, he amassed formative musical experiences under the batons of Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Mazur, James Levine, and André Previn, and gained early exposure to pieces which remain in his repertoire to this day. Later, in his Lincoln Center debut under Maestro Suzuki, Edmund portrayed an "authoritative and confident" Jesus in Bach's St. John Passion (Seen and Heard International). Since then, he has sung the role of Jesus with Trinity Wall Street, the Oregon Bach Festival, and several other organizations. 

From Arrigoni to Zelenka, he has relished an unusual number of opportunities to perform obscure early music gems, yet he also remains an intrepid explorer of vocal repertoire outside of his "Western art music" comfort zone; on tours with Northern Harmony, Edmund has brought stylistically authentic early American hymnody and vocal folk polyphony from Bulgaria, Georgia, Corsica, and South Africa to audiences all over Europe. In a strange twist of fate, he has even sung 140 of Elvis Presley's greatest hits - in alphabetical order - with Quebecois pop phenom Gregory Charles for a crowd of thousands at the Festival Mondial Choral de Laval.

Baritone Paul Max Tipton performs  nationally to acclaim in repertoire ranging from Schütz and Monteverdi  to Britten and Bolcom. He solos under such notable figures as Masaaki Suzuki, Matthias Pintscher, Nicholas McGegan, Leonard Slatkin, Ton  Koopman, Helmuth Rilling and Martin Katz, and has performed with the  Bach Collegium Japan, New York Philharmonic, Apollo’s Fire, Seraphic  Fire, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. 

Recent engagements include Britten’s War Requiem, Rameau’s La Lyre Enchantée, and a recording of Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 which earned a 2012 Grammy nomination. His singing of the Bach Passions  are noted in particular for their strength and sensitivity. He studied  at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and Yale University, and is a  Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Fellow at Emmanuel Music in Boston. www.paulmaxtipton.com