About Cantiamo
antiamo is a 17-member vocal ensemble directed by the acclaimed soprano soloist Carol Menke. The group’s repertoire ranges from Medieval and Renaissance polyphony to recent work by contemporary composers. Cantiamo has performed throughout Northern California and is particularly well known for its bi-monthly Evensong services at local churches.
The ensemble began in the early 1990s as the Schola Gregoriana, under the leadership of tenor Jeff Morse. The Schola focused on singing Gregorian chant and polyphonic masses and motets in their proper liturgical settings. After Menke became director in 2002, the group renamed itself Cantiamo and expanded its repertoire to include both sacred and secular works.
About Our Director
Carol Menke joined Cantiamo as Director in 2002. Well known to Bay Area audiences, she studied at the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria and developed a passion for German lieder. She has been coached by some of Europe’s finest recitalists, including Elly Ameling, Jörg Demus, and Norman Shetler, and has devoted her vocal instruction and singing career to keeping this art alive. She has appeared in numerous chamber and solo recitals in universities, colleges, churches, and concert halls both here and abroad.
Ms. Menke holds an M.A. in Vocal Performance from California State University, Chico. She is a member of the music faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College and directs the choir at the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa. Ms. Menke also directed the Training and Intermediate Groups of the Santa Rosa Children’s Chorus for eight years prior to becoming the group's artistic director in 1992. As well, she teaches at her private vocal studio in Santa Rosa.
About Our Singers
Renee Armstrong, Soprano II
Renee Armstrong is a Family Physician in Santa Rosa who has been committed to musical performance as an avocation since childhood. Trained in classical piano she became interested in choral singing as an accompanist. She has sung with the UC Davis University Chorus and Chamber Singers, the San Francisco Bach Choir, Schola Gregoriana and now Cantiamo.
Keven Brown, Tenor II
Keven has been singing with Cantiamo Sonoma, and its former incarnation, The Schola Gregoriana, since its formation 20 years ago. A graduate of Pomona College, Keven was a music major, studying with pianist Peter Hewitt. Keven continued his piano studies with Emile Naoumoff in Paris and with Norma Brown in Santa Rosa. He has sung under the direction of Robert Shaw, Jon Bailey, Greg Wait, Dan Earl, Bob Worth and, of course, Carol Menke. Keven and his wife Jeri manage their family business, Corrick’s, in Downtown Santa Rosa and are blessed with their daughter, Mikayla, who is also an avid singer!
Jules Dantin, Soprano I
Jules Dantin began singing before she was 5 in the children's choirs of her church, like it or not. She liked it. She has sung with large and small groups doing sacred, secular, raunchy, jazz, gospel and modern music. Grooving with each other's voices and being goofy in rehearsal are her specialities.
Dan Earl, Tenor II
Retired from 39 years of teaching choral music at the secondary level, the final 28 years at Santa Rosa High School. He continues to teach part-time at Santa Rosa Junior College where he is the director of the Symphonic Chorus. Dan has been the conductor of the Redwood Empire Sing-Along Messiah for 29 years, which this year will celebrate its 30th Anniversary. This year he and his wife Connie will celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary. He is happy to be singing with Cantiamo Sonoma.
Claire Frydenlund, Soprano I
Claire has been singing as long as she can remember. She grew up singing in the Santa Rosa Children's Chorus for 8 years. She spent 4 years in the music program at Santa Rosa High School, including 2 years in their most advanced group, the Chamber Singers. She was privileged to perform with them at the ACDA National Convention in Chicago, 1999. She was also a member of the A Cappella Choir, Chamber Singers, and a student-run jazz choir at California State University, Chico. She has been singing with Cantiamo since her return to Santa Rosa in 2002. She also sings with the Church of the Incarnation's St. Cecilia Choir, led by her mother Carol Menke (yes, the "same" Carol Menke).
Laura McLellan, Alto I
Laura, our newest alto in Cantiamo Sonoma, has recently returned to her native state after many years of playing the cello in professional orchestras back East, including the symphonies of Cincinnati, Montreal, Rochester, and New Orleans. For the past ten years her choral life consisted of singing in Cincinnati's Christ Church Cathedral choir. Laura was privileged to sing with them for three choral residencies in England, at the Cathedrals of Winchester, Salisbury, and Wells. Besides being a free lance cellist in Sonoma County, Laura is enjoying reuniting with the natural beauty of northern California, as well as seeing old friends and making new ones.
Gary Moore, Bass II
Gary has been interested in music since childhood where he learned to play the piano, guitar and accordion. As a graduate of West Point, he served overseas as well as various Army posts in the U.S. where he and his wife Jeanne were involved in Community Theater and performed in number of musicals. After the military, his family moved many times but always participated in the local music scene by joining choirs as well as chamber groups. Currently, he is singing with the St. Eugene’s Cathedral Choir. This choir has toured Europe including a singing competition in Rome. Gary is very excited to be joining Cantiamo Sonoma.
Jeanne Moore, Alto I
Jeanne has participated in choral groups since childhood, plays piano, and performed in joint concerts with the West Point Glee Club and men’s choir of Stevens’ Institute at her alma mater, The College of Saint Rose, in Albany, NY. She was a member of the Western NY Chorale and performed in several community theater musicals in Buffalo, NY. An elementary classroom teacher for over 25 years, Jeanne staged and directed numerous school musical productions. She is thrilled to be a new member of Cantiamo Sonoma, and also continues to sing with the St Eugene’s Cathedral Choir here in Santa Rosa.
Mark Penn, Bass I
Mark joined Cantiamo in 2004. Deeply steeped in choral music since childhood, Mark comes to Cantiamo after numerous musical experiences following his undergraduate music studies at USC. Mark has directed and sung with several choral groups, most recently as a charter member and Artistic Director of the a cappella mens' ensemble "Musaic" in San Francisco. Mark and his beagles happily live in Santa Rosa and Mark is currently enjoying life as a Realtor with Coldwell Banker.
Nick Sanders, Tenor I
Nick enjoys singing at the drop of a hat. He sang a cappella in college with The Brown Derbies and, more recently, he sang with Mostly Motets in Sonoma County. Nick recently changed careers, leaving his software cubicle to open a bicycle shop in Sebastopol. He can often be spotted playing with his family, working on his house, or riding his bike.
Kit Schlich, Alto II
Kit grew up in the Chicago area, learning piano in first grade. A Domincan nun introduced Kit to choral singing in sixth grade, when her love of classical music was born. As a soprano, Kit earned an Award of Achievement in a high school singing contest, which led to voice lessons. She sang in the U. C. Santa Cruz University Chorus and Chamber Choir, then the Marin Community Choir in adjunct with the Marin Symphony. She joined Schola Gregoriana, Cantiamo's predecessor, in 1996. She works in her Petaluma home as a freelance writer and editor and currently volunteers at the Petaluma Museum Association.
Sue Self, Soprano II
Sue came to Santa Rosa in 2003 and was delighted to be able to join Cantiamo Sonoma and work with Carol Menke. Sue received her BA degree from Pomona College where she studied voice with Margery Briggs and music history/musicology with Karl Kohn. She has served as soprano soloist at the First Congregational Church of Cambridge, MA, and after moving to the Bay Area, was soprano soloist at the First Congregati onal Church of Oakland (CA), and has been a member of the High Holy Days octet at Temple Sinai in Oakland since 1973. She sang with the Berkeley Chorus Pro Musica under Jim Cunningham, with the San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir under Harry Carter, and with Coro D'Amici under Michael Senturia before moving to Sonoma County.
Marty Shobe, Tenor I
Marty is our long distance driver, commuting to Cantiamo activites each week all the way from San Pablo. He is an estimator for a residential contractor. Marty has sung since he can remember, probably since five years old. His choral background includes such notable directors as Royal Stanton at DeAnza Jr. College in Cupertino and Dr. Harry Carter at California State University in Hayward. There he was drafted into singing into every group on campus. Marty sang with the San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir under the direction of Harry Carter and Dr. David Stein for seventeen years and became one of the newest members of Cantiamo Sonoma in 2006.
Shafiq Spanos, Bass II
Shafiq is a graduate of Brown University in music history, where he also studied Voice and Flute. Following his high school choral activities, he sang with the Brown Chamber Choir and University Chorus with which he toured Eastern Europe. Later he sang with the Providence Singers and in Gilbert and Sullivan productions. Shafiq came to Sonoma County in 1993 to study massage and hypnotherapy and has sung locally with the Festival Singers of Sebastopol, the New Sufi Choir, and the Monteverdi Choir at Sonoma State University. He joined The Schola Gregoriana in 1999 and has happily continued with the group in its transformation to Cantiamo. An amateur composer, he is Cantiamo's composer-in-residence, with his works appearing occasionally on our programs. You may recognize Shafiq as the host of "Out of the Box" and of "Sunday Classics" on KRCB-FM here in the county. He also works at KRCB and has a small, private massage practice in Santa Rosa.
Jessica Stanton, Alto II
Jessica is a native of Seattle, Washington, and has been singing with Cantiamo Sonoma for three years. She has sung previously with the Northwest Girlchoir, the University of Washington Chorale, the University of Washington Madrigal Singers, Coral Carmina in Barcelona, Coral Ciudad de Granada, and the Seattle Symphony Chorus, as well as appearing as a chorus member for University of Washington productions of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Patience," and Samuel Barber's "Vanessa." She was also briefly a member of the little-known Seattle band, A Blonde & A Brunette & A Redhead What Sing. In real life, she is a family doctor, and in her spare time she enjoys painting, hiking, cycling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Matthew Sundahl, Bass II
Though his childhood was filled with music, at home and at church, Matthew's love for singing didn't really begin to bloom until high school. By his senior year, however, musical pursuits were his focus. Following high school, Matthew spent two years in Los Angeles, where he sang in the Biola University Chorale, and directed the choir at his church. Since returning to Northern California, he has sung with the Santa Rosa Symphonic Chorus, and the Santa Rosa Junior College Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, and Harmony Corporation. In addition to ensembles with more traditional choral repertoire, he has dabbled in pop/jazz vocals with a capella ensembles Vocal Jammin' Toast and, most recently, The Tangents. Matthew was delighted to join Cantiamo Sonoma in the Fall of 2009.
Connie Vocature, Soprano II
Connie has been performing her since childhood. She began at 4 years old competing in tap, ballet and baton. Beginning in high school, she began singing in choirs, musical theater and eventually performed with the Village Singers at Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. She has been a cantor and principal soloist with the Cathedral Choir at St. Eugene’s Cathedral for 20 years and toured Europe several times to sing in the cathedrals of Italy, France and England. She currently sings with the St. Cecilia Choir at the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa. Connie is a Registered Nurse, a mother of three and Nana to three little boys.