About Us
Celebrated as the region’s premier all-professional vocal ensemble, ProArteOHIO has established its role as a vital force in choral music by performing challenging repertoire drawn from the rich treasury of the past, programing new works that inspire the American public to thoughtfully explore its present, and supporting educational programming with young singers to promote the future of the choral arts. The organization seeks to broaden the understanding and enjoyment of the choral art through enriching, high-quality, stylistically diverse choral performances in Columbus, Lancaster, and in communities throughout Ohio.
Engaging the region’s leading professional vocal artists, ProArteOHIO garners high praise in the arts community and in the media for its beauty of tone, musical integrity, remarkable blend, and exceptional commitment to elegant text phrasing. Under the direction of nationally recognized composer Stephen Caracciolo, the ensemble performs an astonishingly wide range of choral literature including plainchant, Renaissance and Baroque motets, German-Romantic part songs, French chansons, the sacred literature of the English and Russian churches, opera choruses, carols of every variety, American folk songs and spirituals, and works by living composers.
Artistic Director: Dr. Stephen Caracciolo
Dr. Caracciolo is a conductor recognized for his passionate artistry and creative leadership in interpreting an expansive range of the choral repertoire, including Renaissance and Baroque motets, German-Romantic part songs, French chansons, the sacred literature of the English and Russian churches, opera choruses, American folk songs and spirituals, carols of every variety,choral-orchestral works, and works by living composers. Under his leadership, ProArteOHIO consistently garners high praise in the arts community and in the media for its beauty of tone, remarkable blend, and exceptional commitment to elegant text phrasing. For twelve years he was a professional choral bass at Washington National Cathedral where he also served as the cover conductor for masses, choral evenings, and special services. He has had the privilege to perform choral masterworks with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Juilliard Orchestra, the American Symphony, and the orchestra of Washington National Cathedral with such renowned conductors as Robert Shaw, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Kurt Masur, Erich Kunzel, Michael McCarthy, and James Levine.
Known nationally as a composer and arranger, Caracciolo’s choral works are performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe. He is a composer with MorningStar Music Publishers, E.C. Schirmer, Kjos Music, and Roger Dean Publishing, and is active as a consultant for various educational, ecclesiastical, and professional organizations. His publications—including commissions for the acclaimed professional vocal ensemble, Cantus—appear on numerous professional, collegiate, and cathedral repertoire lists, and may be heard on nationally distributed recordings as well as syndicated radio broadcasts including the well-known Sunday program, With Heart and Voice.
Dr. Caracciolo concurrently serves as Chorus Director for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, preparing the CSO Chorus for appearances in the Masterworks concert series and conducting community performances of the CSO Chamber Choir. Previous conducting posts include the Maryland Choral Society and choral ensembles at the University of Maryland-Baltimore, Roberts Wesleyan College, the Ohio University School of Music, and Denison University. Caracciolo holds a doctoral degree in conducting from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, a master’s degree in conducting from Westminster Choir College, and a bachelor’s degree in music education from the Capital University Conservatory of Music.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: CRITICAL REVIEWS
Daniel Knaggs - Celebrated American Composer
I’m still feeling the impact of your amazing performance with ProArteOHIO this past Sunday. I was truly blown away by the performance – by your interpretations, your musical selections, and your own compositions. Your interpretation of my ‘Ego sum panis vivus’ took my breath away — your artists brought out things that I never even imagined. I was transported during the whole performance, and I’m just so delighted with the work you are doing! What a special thing you have in ProArte. Keep up the phenomenal work!
Jennifer Hambrick - The Columbus Dispatch
Two of Columbus’ finest classical music ensembles joined forces in one of the world’s best-loved musical works last night at the Southern Theatre. ProMusica Artistic Director David Danzmayr led the orchestra, ProArteOHIO, and four vocal soloists in the orchestra’s first-ever performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Throughout the famous “Ode to Joy” finale of Beethoven’s symphony, the ensemble sang with impressive nuance of sound and with impressively clear and sonorous diction of Schiller’s German text.
Peter Tonguette - The Columbus Dispatch
Conducted with sensitivity and subtlety by artistic director Stephen Caracciolo, the ensemble opened with Johannes Brahms’ song cycle ‘Zigeunerlieder’. Following an intermission, ProArte shifted to a cappella singing — and stirringly so. Highlights included Hugo Alfven’s ‘Aftonen,’ a piece evoking the stillness of dusk in its haunting sotto voce passages. Also lovely was John Clements’ ‘Flower of Beauty’. The singers enunciated such ecstatic verses as “She is my slender small love, my flow’r of beauty, she” in dulcet tones. The ensemble sang each with terrific skill and intense feeling — qualities also apparent in a heavenly encore performance of ‘Danny Boy’.
• Artists For The 2024-25 Season •
Rhuna Byrne
Soprano
Rhuna Byrne holds a degree in Choral Music Education from Miami University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kent State University. Residing in Dublin, Ohio, she teaches Scottish Highland dance and serves as a vocalist at St. Brigid of Kildare and St. Joseph Cathedral. Mrs. Byrne works as a soloist for a variety of liturgical services and has also sung with Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Una Voce and Capital University’s Choral Union.
Katie Di Pietro
Soprano
Katie DiPietro earned her Bachelor of Music in Opera/ Musical Theater Performance from Capital University. At Capital, she was part of the gold medal winning ensemble that competed at The World Choir Games. Following her undergraduate degree, Katie founded a non-profit organization for at-risk high school students, using music and theater to offer opportunities and mentorship to the next generation of leaders in our community. During her work with that organization, Katie was able to develop, produce, and publish six original shows. Katie now performs with the Columbus Symphony Chorus, where she serves on the board. She also performs with organizations like Opera Columbus. With her passion for the arts and for her community, Katie seeks out opportunities to not only share exceptional musical performances with her city, but also include, encourage, and build up the love of these disciplines in the future artists around her.
Abby Jenkins
Soprano
Abby Jenkins is a music educator, conductor, and vocalist from Columbus, OH. She currently teaches 6th grade choir and high school choir at Delaware City Schools. Abby graduated from The Ohio State University (BME in Choral Music) in 2017. She has sung with Sacred Music Institute of America, Converging Arts Columbus, Square One (a professional, pop A cappella group), and was a soprano section lead at Linworth United Methodist Church. Abby has also been involved in local community musical theater productions.
Michaela Huffman
Soprano
Michaela Huffman is a Northeast Ohio native where she attended Kent State University studying Political Science -
Pre-law. Her passion for music and a myriad of genres has been exemplified in her involvement with the Carnation City Players in Alliance, Ohio, the Kent State University Gospel Choir, and the Capital University Choral Union.
Melissa Lawson
Soprano
Melissa Lawson grew up in Nebraska and received her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Nebraska Omaha. She has been a featured soloist with the Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra, UNO Concert Choir European Tour and Opera Workshops, and the Omaha premiere of George Crumb's "Madrigals, Book II."
Since her relocation to Ohio, she has taught and coached studio voice and piano, performed with the Columbus Symphony Chorus, and served as section leader and accompanist at various churches throughout Central Ohio and the Miami Valley, as well as the Champaign County Youth Choir. A strong advocate of all arts, she also serves as a Trustee on the Champaign County Arts Council.
Ms. Lawson's musical interests span a wide range of styles, from classical to contemporary, with an affinity for the avant garde. Current musical projects include the Champaign County Community Choir, performances as a solo accordionist, organizing an All-County Band and Choir Festival, and launching a vinyl record pop-up store. She is thrilled to help continue the legacy of excellent choral music in Central Ohio with her ProArte colleagues.
Elizabeth McConnaughey
Soprano
Elizabeth McConnaughey hails from Columbus, Ohio and has a passion for Baroque and early music literature. She has performed the roles of BELINDA in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, SECOND MIDWIFE in Play of Herod, the title role of THISBE in Lampe's Pyramus and Thisbe, and the role of DAMON in Handel’s Acis and Galatea.
Elizabeth has maintained a strong interest in new music. She has had the pleasure of premiering three characters from Chappell Kingsland’s commissioned opera for young audiences, The Firebringers, while completing her Master’s degree at Indiana University. Ms. McConnaughey maintains an active performance schedule in central Ohio working with Opera Project Columbus, The Early Interval, ProArteOHIO, and First Congregational Church.
Susan Musselman
Soprano
Dr. Susan Musselman hails from Kalamazoo, Michigan and has lived and performed in Central Ohio for 22 years. She has sung with Opera Columbus, the Heisey Wind Ensemble, the OSU Chorale, the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus, and has taught studio voice at Wittenberg University as well as the Red School of Music. She has studied with Dr. Joe Miller, Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, and Dr. Robin Rice, and currently enjoys teaching in her home studio in Marysville, Ohio. Susan holds degrees from Western Michigan University (BM) and The Ohio State University (MM & DMA).
Juliana Rauch
Soprano
Juliana Rauch is delighted to continue singing with ProArteOHIO this season. While at Wittenberg University, Ms. Rauch sang and toured with the Wittenberg Choir. Since then, she has sung with various community and church choirs, including the Marietta Oratorio Chorus, the Denison Concert Choir and the Capital Choral Union. In addition, Ms. Rauch directs a children’s choir at her church. She is a French teacher in the Newark City Schools.
Mary Rizzardi
Soprano
Mary E. Rizzardi is a native of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Ohio University in 2020 with a Masters in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy and received a Bachelors of Arts in Music Education from Marietta College in 2011. Mary has been teaching and directing choir for more than nine years at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. Currently, she is the Director of Choirs and Choraliers Show Choir at Logan-Hocking Middle School, teaches general music classes for grades 5 and 6, and is the Assistant Director of Theatre at Logan High School. Mary is an active member of her church choir, loves being involved in community theatre whenever time allows, and also sings with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Chorus as time permits.
Rhonda Rom
Soprano
Rhonda Rom, soprano holds a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Arizona State University. She is the current Worship Director at Peace United Methodist Church in Pickerington, OH where she leads traditional and contemporary worship.
She enjoys teaching private voice and has served on faculty at Dallas Baptist University, Texas Woman’s University, Kenyon College, and Mount Vernon Nazarene University. As a soloist, she has performed in major works such as Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Magnificat, and she is also an active recitalist. Ms. Rom has sung and recorded with renowned choral ensembles including The Santa Fe Desert Chorale and Orpheus Chamber Singers and is delighted to return to ProArteOHIO for its current season.
Kylie Ryan
Soprano
Kylie Ryan is from Lancaster, Ohio. She holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music Education from Otterbein College and Capital University, respectively. Kylie has performed throughout Central Ohio with Opera Project Columbus, and has also been a featured soprano soloist with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra’s production of Handel’s Messiah and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. She is currently an Education Coordinator at Fairfield Medical Center.
Rachelle Woolston
Soprano
Dr. Rachelle Woolston, holds a bachelor’s degree in voice from Brigham Young University, and master’s & doctoral degrees in voice from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Barbara Honn. A Utah District winner and Rocky Mountain Region finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, favorite stage roles include Angelica (Suor Angelica), Violetta (La Traviata), Nedda (I Pagliacci), Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly), Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute), Mother Abbess (The Sound of Music), and Adina (Elixir of Love). She regularly performs as a soloist and ensemble member with symphonies and choirs, including Indianapolis Symphony Pops, Kokomo Symphony, VOCE, and West Texas Symphony Chorale. In addition to teaching private voice for seventeen years, Dr. Woolston has worked as the Education Director for Indianapolis Opera and on the voice faculties at Marian University and the University of Texas Permian Basin. She is currently on the voice faculty of Ball State University and the Indiana District Coordinator for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
Stephen Barker
Alto/Countertenor
Stephen Barker is a writer and researcher in the field of decentralized finance. He is the tenor section leader at St. Mark's Episcopal in Columbus, Ohio and a member of the early music group, Fior Angelico.
Elizabeth Arteta Cunningham
Alto
Liz Arteta Cunningham is a music educator and vocalist from Galloway, OH. Liz AC is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and double major in General Psychology She is currently teaching in Hilliard City Schools and brings her passion for music to her students every day. Liz also sings with the Columbus Symphony Chorus and First Community Church Cambrige and Marble Cliff choirs. With her strong Peruvian heritage, she is bilingual and believes in the universal language of music to unite and uplift people from all walks of life.
Heather Chute
Alto
Heather Chute is a graduate of Capital University where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in vocal music education. She has taught her entire career with Hamilton Local Schools, leading the choirs in grades 7-12. She is the alto section leader at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and also sings with Fior Angelico.
Anna Murcko
Alto
Anna Murcko is the choir director at Olentangy Berlin Middle School and assistant director of the Olentangy High School Show Choirs. She also serves as the Director of Music at Neal Avenue United Methodist Church in Newark, Ohio. In addition to her performances with ProArteOHIO, she has performed previously as a soloist for the Defiance Choral Society, BGSU Philharmonia, BGSU Men's Chorus, the BGSU Collegiate ACDA Chapter, and at the Cortona Sessions for New Music. She has previously served as the assistant conductor of the BGSU Collegiate Chorale and Volare (formerly known as Women's Chorus) including its most recent appearance at the Ohio Music Education Association's professional development conference in 2023. Anna is the East-Central region chair for the Ohio Choral Director’s Association. She holds a Master's Degree in Choral Conducting and Artist Diploma in Vocal Performance from Bowling Green State University; and a Bachelor's of Music in Music Education from the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University.
Beth Pittman
Alto
Elizabeth Pittman is originally from Lancaster, Ohio and earned her Bachelor of Music Education, Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy and Master of Music in Choral Conducting degrees from The Ohio State University. Beth has served as assistant conductor and conductor at several churches and temples, including St. Martin Episcopal Church in Houston and St. Joseph Cathedral and Advent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Columbus. She has performed as soloist and chorister with many professional groups around the country, including the LancasterChorale, Robert Shaw Festival Singers, Cantari Singers, BelCanto Singers, the Bach Society of Houston, the Houston Chamber Choir, and many church and temple groups.
Gretchen Rutz-Leist
Alto
Gretchen Rutz Leist is an Ohio-born musician and attorney. She received her Bachelors in Music Education from Capital University, and her Juris Doctorate from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Gretchen has performed locally with Opera Columbus, Early Music in Columbus, the Sacred Music Institute of America, and the Converging Arts Columbus.
Holly Lewis
Alto
Holly Lewis is in her ninth year as the Director of Choirs at Worthington Kilbourne High School in Columbus, OH. There she teaches four concert choirs and AP Music Theory and frequently mentors student teachers from various central Ohio universities. Her choirs frequently perform at OMEA Adjudicated Events and earn Superior Ratings, as well as perform out-of-state Concert Tours. Previous to Worthington, Ms. Lewis taught in the Olentangy School District as Director of Choirs at Olentangy High School and Shanahan Middle School.
Ms. Lewis holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Music Education in Choral and Instrumental Music from The Ohio State University, where she performed in The Ohio State University Marching Band. While completing coursework at Michigan State University, she served as the assistant conductor for State Singers and Women’s Glee Club, and graduate assistant for undergraduate conducting courses. She has had the distinct honor to work with inspirational educators and conductors such as Dr. David Rayl, Dr. Sandra Snow, Dr. Jonathan Reed, Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, and Dr. Robert J. Ward.
Ms. Lewis serves on the board for the Ohio Choral Directors Association and is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and Ohio Music Educators Association. She regularly attends professional conferences and has presented several interests sessions at the Michigan Music Conference. She frequently serves as a clinician and adjudicator for concert choirs and show choirs throughout the Midwest, as well as serves as a guest lecturer for vocal music education courses. As a performer, she currently sings with the professional women’s choir, mirabai, and plays Horn in pit orchestras, brass ensembles, and special music church services throughout central Ohio.
Emily Winegard
Alto
Emily, an artist with ProArteOHIO since 2019, is a graduate of Capital University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Industry, with focuses on Theatre and Public Relations. She has received multiple accolades for her solo performances, placing first in the Upper College Music Theater Men and Women category at Ohio NATS, and winning the Concerto Competition at Capital University. In addition to singing onstage, Emily has worked with Opera Columbus as an Assistant Stage Manager for multiple productions. Audiences can also hear her as a choral artist with the Major 7 Singers in Central Ohio.
Dustin Hill
Tenor
Dustin Hill resides in Granville, Ohio, and prides himself as both a powerful professional tenor vocalist and budding Director of Music. He is currently the Director of Music at St. Paul’s Lutheran church in Newark, Ohio. Dustin earned his Master’s in conducting from Bowling Green State University, and has different ensembles at BGSU, and Owens Community College. Prior to earning his Master’s, Dustin earned a Bachelor’s in vocal performance as a tenor. He served as the principal tenor of the Toledo Opera company for several seasons. His other music performance endeavors include ProArteOHIO, the Sacred Music Institute of America, the Alliance barbershop chorus, Licking County Players, and countless others. He is an Employee Owner for bedding, sales for Big Sandy in Dublin, Ohio as well.
Ryan Jenkins
Tenor
Ryan Jenkins is a high school choral director, an active choral conductor, and vocalist from Columbus, Ohio. He has been teaching choral music since 2017 and is currently the Choral Director at Columbus Academy where he teaches middle school and high school choir. Along with his teaching, Ryan is the Director of Traditional Music at Trinity United Methodist Church in Columbus. As a vocalist, Ryan has sung with Opera Columbus, the Sacred Music Institute of America, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, and the National Anthem for the Columbus Crew. Prior to his current appointments, Ryan had experience working with a wide variety of groups including chamber ensemble, children’s choir, competitive a cappella and show choir, community choir, sacred music, and high school/collegiate groups. Ryan holds degrees from The Ohio State University (B.M. in Vocal Performance) and University of Toronto (M.M. in choral conducting) where he studied with Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt.
Andrew LeVan
Tenor
Andrew LeVan is a tenor from Dublin, Ohio. He attended The College of Wooster and received his Master’s Degree in vocal performance from Indiana University, where he studied with Dr. Brian Horne. Andrew premiered the role of Nô in P. Q. Phan's opera The Tale of Lady Thi Kính and has performed as MR UPFOLD in Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring, a Priest in Philip Glass' Akhnaten. Mr. LeVan has performed with the Indiana University Opera Theater, the Indiana Festival Theatre and the Ohio Light Opera. He was most recently seen as a soloist in Gallery Player's production of Sondheim on Sondheim, GRIMSBY in the Butterfly Guild production of The Little Mermaid, and as NJEGUS in Opera Project Columbus' production of Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow.
Chris Martin
Tenor
Christopher Martin, a native of Sandusky, Ohio, currently resides in Columbus. A graduate of the Armed Forces School of Music, where he specialized in trumpet and voice. Mr. Martin has an extensive performance history, which includes engagements with the United States Marine Corps Band - Camp Pendleton, California, Chicago’s Bella Voce, the Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, and ProArteOHIO. He has also contributed to the music ministries at Worthington Methodist Church, The Basilica of Saint Josaphat in Milwaukee, and Trinity United Methodist Church in Columbus. In addition to his choral work, Mr. Martin regularly performs with the Arch City Big Band and currently serves as a section leader at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Upper Arlington, OH.
Paul Melcher
Tenor
Paul Melcher is the co-owner of the RED School of Music, a quality music education school in Marysville, OH that instructs students from the greater Columbus area in voice, piano, and a variety of instruments. Paul co-founded the school in 2015 with his wife Chelsea.
Paul holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from St. Olaf College where he sang with and accompanied the St. Olaf Choir across the globe. He studied piano at Grand Valley State University and earned a Master’s of Music degree in piano and vocal performance from Central Michigan University School of Music. Paul has been in the Columbus area since 2012 where he has directed, performed, and accompanied for Opera Columbus, Red Chapel Concert Series, Opera on the Edge, BalletMet, Opera Project Columbus, The Ohio State University, and the Refectory Dinner Music Series. He founded the “Music on the Hill Concert Series” which hosted numerous professional musicians across the Midwest. Paul previously served as Director of Music at Our Lady of Lourdes in Marysville where he directed the adult choir and children’s choir and served on the Liturgy Committee. He currently serves as the Director of Music at St. Brigid of Kildare Parish in Dublin, OH where he conducts the choirs and guides the music ministry.
Justin Meyer
Tenor
Justin Reeves Meyer, PhD, has pursued a freelance professional choral singing career for over a decade. Justin started his professional choral training as a tenor in the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, singing under the direction of Richard Marlow and Stephen Layton. Justin has performed and recorded with other award-winning groups, such as the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Conspirare, Resonance Ensemble, and ProArteOHIO. Justin is a published social scientist and urban planning scholar. He leads research as a co-principal investigator on National Science Foundation grants, is Senior Personnel on half a dozen other federal grants, and has the position of Senior Lecturer in City and Regional Planning at Ohio State University. Justin holds degrees from the University of Cambridge (MPhil), Stanford University (BSE), and received his PhD and Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan.
Nathan Ogg
Tenor
Nathan Ogg is from Lancaster, Ohio, and specializes in Jazz, Folk, and the American Songbook as well as a variety of A cappella vocal styles. Since his studies at Capital University Conservatory of Music and The Ohio State University, Mr. Ogg has worked throughout the country as a singing judge, clinician, and vocal coach particularly for the Barbershop Harmony Society and Harmony, Incorporated. He has been singing with ProArteOHIO since 2002 and is the Artistic Director of the Greater Cleveland Chorus (Sweet Adelines International).
Matthew Pittman
Tenor
Matthew Pittman’s concert appearances include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, and B Minor Mass; Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass; Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Haydn’s The Creation, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Mr. Pittman has appeared with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Rackham Symphony Choir, Columbus Bach Ensemble, the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, the Southeastern Ohio Symphony, the Woodlands Symphony Orchestra, and the Bach Society of Houston, as well as ProArteOHIO. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Ohio State University and his Master’s Degree in Performance from Rice University. He is the Adult Choir, Bell Choir, and Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Advent Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Zechariah Shrum
Tenor
Zechariah Wm. Shrum serves as the Choral and Musical Theatre Director at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to his role as a Music Educator, Zechariah is an active soloist, ensemble artist, and conductor. Zechariah is a member of the Schola professional vocal ensemble at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Columbus. A native of Michigan, Zechariah grew up in the greater Lansing area and is happy to now call Columbus, Ohio his home. Before relocating to Ohio, he served as the Choral and Theatre Director at Plant City High School in the greater Tampa, Florida area. At Plant City, he took the PCHS Concert Choir to the State Choral Festival for the first time in 22 years. He also took the Theatre troupe to Florida's State One-Act Festival for the first time in the school's history. While in Florida he sang with The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and Opera Tampa. In 2011 Zechariah recorded Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) with Seraphic Fire, a Miami-based professional choir. That recording went on to earn a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Choral Performance. Zechariah is excited to bring his experiences to his students and the greater Columbus community!
Shederick Whipple
Tenor
Dr. Shederick Whipple has sung throughout the US, Europe, and South America. He was most recently seen in Kokomo Symphony’s production of Sondheim on Sondheim. In opera, he was seen as Veteran II in Indianapolis Opera’s 2023 production of Kenneth B. Wells’ contemporary work entitled Veteran Journeys. Other roles Dr. Whipple has played include Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), Frederic in Pirates of Penzance (Gilbert and Sullivan), Ferrando in Così fan Tutte (Mozart), and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi (Puccini). In oratorio and concert, Dr. Whipple has been soloist in Requiem (Mozart), Messiah (Handel), St. John Passion (Bach), Lord Nelson’s Mass (Haydn), Les Illuminations (Britten), and other works. Some performing venues that Dr. Whipple has performed as soloist include: Indianapolis Opera, da Corneto Opera, Kokomo Symphony, Lexington Opera Theatre, Opera of Central Kentucky, Project Opera, Capitol Opera, Library of Fine Arts (in Moscow, Russia), Russian American Christian University, Teatro Sucre (in Cuenca, Ecuador), Bratislava Orchestra (in the Czech Republic), Da Corneto Opera, Capitol Opera, Marion Philharmonic Orchestra, Chagrin Falls Chamber Orchestra, and Macon Civic Chorale. Dr. Whipple is the Senior Development Officer and Education Curriculum Advisor for the Indianapolis Opera. In addition, he also currently serves as Associate Chorus Conductor for Indianapolis Opera Chorus. Previous appointments and Director of Opera at Taylor University and Adjunct Faculty at Cuyahoga Community College.
Eric Gibson
Bass
Eric Gibson is a stage director equally comfortable with opera and musical theatre.
Gibson has directed productions of Die Fledermaus, Madame Butterfly and The Pirates of Penzance, Hansel and Gretel, Trouble in Tahiti, Bastien and Bastienne, and The Barber of Seville for Fargo-Moorhead Opera. Other engagements include The Barber of Seville for Opera Tampa, The Mikado and HMS Pinafore for Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis, Rigoletto for MidAtlantic Opera Company, and The Barber of Seville, The Mikado, Sweeney Todd and The Light in the Piazza for Mobile Opera. Recently Gibson staged la Rondine for Winter Opera in St. Louis after staging The Italian Girl in Algiers for the company.
Gibson was artistic director of LOOK Musical Theatre (Tulsa) directing nearly fifty original productions including Die Fledermaus, Naughty Marietta, The Merry Widow, Sweeney Todd, Guys & Dolls, South Pacific, Candide and multiple productions of nearly the entire Gilbert & Sullivan cannon.
Gibson has taught acting at AIMS in Graz, Austria and the Kashu-do Opera Studios in Harnosand, Sweden. He directed Cosi fan tutte for Varna International in Bulgaria and is the current acting teacher and stage director for the International Performing Arts Institute in Kiefersfelden, Germany.
As Director of Lyric Theatre at Northern Arizona University from 2015-2020, Gibson staged original productions of Signor Deluso, Il Campanello, Beethoven’s Slippers, Dido & Aeneas, Kiss me, Kate, Trouble in Tahiti, The Pirates of Penzance, The Magic Flute, The Light in the Piazza, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi.
Gibson is currently a professor – directing opera and teaching acting – at The Ohio State University and resides in Columbus, Ohio. His productions include Dido & Aeneas, Gallantry, Signor Deluso, Hansel und Gretel, Bastien et Bastienne, Trial by Jury and The Turn of the Screw on the horizon. Gibson is also executive director of Opera Project Columbus, where he directed The Pirates of Penzance this summer.
Kevin Baum
Bass
Kevin Baum has been a member of the Columbus Symphony Chorus for two seasons and made appearances on stage with Opera Columbus in the productions of Rigoletto and Eugene Onegin as a chorus member. Kevin earned a Bachelor of Choral Music Education at The Ohio State University where he was a member of both Chorale/Symphonic Choir and the Men’s Glee Club for all 4 years of his time there. As an active educator, Kevin teaches middle school vocal music at the World Language Middle School within the Columbus City Schools district teaching students from all over the world. Kevin would like to give a special thanks to all of his music teachers for igniting his passion for singing, his directors for pushing him to be a better musician every day, and his family and friends for their constant support of his dreams. He hopes to bring his love of music to the future generations of musicians as well as to audiences tonight.
John Schlabach
Bass
John Schlabach studied music at The Ohio State University where he received his Vocal Music Education degree. He performs all around the state doing chorus, opera, musical theatre, church and solo work. John can regularly be seen singing with ProArteOHIO, Opera Columbus, and Fior Angelico.
Jacob Conrad
Bass
Jacob Conrad is a bass-baritone from Columbus, Ohio. During (and following) his music education studies at The Ohio State University, he has arranged and composed pieces for multiple A cappella choruses under his baton. Mr. Conrad currently serves as bass section leader for St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington, but also regularly sings with the Columbus Symphony Chorus, St. Joseph Cathedral schola, Our Lady of Victory parish, and Fior Angelico.
Associate Conductor:
Dr. Matthew Bester
Bass
Dr. Matthew Bester serves as Associate Conductor of ProArteOHIO. He is the Director of Music at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Columbus and the Artistic Director of Fior Angelico, a Columbus-based early music chorus. He serves as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of The Friends of Early Music in Columbus. He holds a PhD and MA in Musicology from The Ohio State University and a BA cum laude in Music from Harvard University.
Peter Woodruff
Bass
Peter Woodruff is a conductor, composer, organist, pianist, singer, and low brass player. He currently serves as Director of Music Ministry at Zion Lutheran Church in Wooster, OH. Peter has earned the degrees Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Master of Music in Sacred Music and Choral Conducting from East Carolina University. Previous singing engagements include the Canton Symphony Chorus, Columbus Symphony Orchestra Chorus, North Carolina Choral Artists, and Schola Cantorum of the East Carolina Diocese of the Episcopal Church.
2024-2025 | Season 39
Auditions for ProArteOHIO are held throughout the year by invitation or as artists make their interest known. The majority of the artists in the ensemble have earned degrees in Music; all have extensive experience in choral performance in a variety of styles and languages.
What kind of singer-artist does LancasterChorale engage?
ProArteOHIO has a long tradition of cultivating a gentler, non-operatic choral sound. Sopranos and altos often perform with little or no vibrato. Tenors and basses are resonant, lyric, and colorful but not heavy. Countertenors are encouraged to audition. Artists seated in the ensemble are required to prepare the entire program before the downbeat of the first rehearsal. Scores are sent out a month in advance.
What is the rate per call?
The artist rate is $75 per call.
When are rehearsals?
The pattern below is similar for most concert cycles:
(Call 1) Saturday, the weekend before the performances (Columbus)
(Call 2) Sunday, the weekend before the performances (Columbus)
(Call 3) Tuesday, the week of the performances (Columbus)
(Call 4) Friday, the week of the performances (Columbus)
(Call 5) Saturday Dress 1 (Lancaster)
(Call 6) Sunday afternoon performance (Lancaster)
(Call 7) Saturday Dress 2 (Columbus)
(Call 8) Sunday afternoon performance (Columbus)
What are the Performance Dates for the 2024-2025 Season?
Glories of Rome-Splendors of Venice
Palestrina and Gabrieli
Sunday, October 20, 2024. 4:00
Sunday, October 27, 2024. 4:00
O Great Mystery
Motets, Carols, and Spirituals for Christmas
Sunday, December 1, 2024. 4:00
Sunday, December 15, 2024. 4:00
Come Away!
Partsongs, Folksongs, and French Chanson
Sunday, May 4, 2025. 4:00
Sunday, May 11, 2025. 4:00
Artists may be called for one or more of the three projects, and they need not be available for all three concert cycles to be hired during the season.
What may I expect at the audition?
Our vocal artists perform a wide variety of genres, styles, and languages at a high level of proficiency and with very few rehearsals. Those who audition demonstrate expertise in each of the following skills:
· a vocal tone that exhibits beauty, elegance, and clarity
· rolled and stroked Rs
· excellent Latin and German diction
· clean melismas
· multiple legato leaps
· singing in tune at a soft dynamic
· excellent score preparation and a general knowledge of the style of the example and the shape of their line.
Those who audition prepare to sing choral excerpts from the season selected to highlight different languages and aspects of the vocal instrument. Auditioners may choose any part division they like for the audition. Sight reading is not required at the audition. Rather, it is expressive singing and the skill to meticulously prepare scores ahead of time for rehearsals (as if one needed to perform the day of the audition) that will be evaluated. Auditioneers will sing along with the recordings provided below for a variety of valuable reasons.
What is the literature to prepare for the audition?
Download the Prepared Audition Choral Excerpts & Singer Audition Form
(1) Gloria from Missa Papae Marcelli – G.P. da Palestrina
Recording: Evaluation Tips: Sing with a clear, relaxed, molto-legato tone.
(2) O Jesulein Süss– J.S. Bach
Recording: Evaluation Tips: Beautiful, molto-legato singing, and with an undulating dynamic according to syllabic stress. Demonstrate schooled singer’s diction for German.
(3) Here is the Little Door – Herbert Howells
Recording: Evaluation Tips: Sing with a clear, non-vibrato tone and with shapes that follow the syllabic stress of the poetry.
Where are auditions?
Conductor’s home office in Worthington, or otherwise as arranged.
How do I schedule an audition?
Contact Artistic Director Dr. Stephen Caracciolo at:
Audition Information
The organization was established as Lancaster Chorale in 1985 under the initiative of Mr. Craig Jaynes. As a volunteer choir, the ensemble was dedicated to culturally enriching the community with high quality choral performances in the city of Lancaster, Ohio, the charming and historic county seat of Fairfield County located just 30 miles southeast of Columbus. In the spring of 1986 Robert Trocchia, the much-lauded Fairfield Union High School music educator with an intense passion for excellence in choral music, was hired as the conductor of the ensemble, and under his expert direction Lancaster Chorale quickly grew in skill and reputation and was recognized as an organization that served all of central Ohio with engaging performances of choral standards.
Mr. Trocchia’s dedicated leadership and fine taste in programming, including new works commissioned yearly by the organization, led Lancaster Chorale to begin receiving support from the Don Wendel Family Fund of the Fairfield County Foundation, the Ohio Arts Council, Arts Midwest, the Presser Foundation, and SBC Ameritech. In 1989 The Lancaster Chorale realized the aspirations of its Artistic Director and Board of Directors to become a professional ensemble with its ‘pure sound’, excellent tuning, and choral blend attracting attention from national leaders in choral music.
Excerpted recordings of live performances, including the 2007 performance of Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere mei, Deus, were featured on WOSU-FM ‘Music in Mid-Ohio’ with Christopher Purdy in Columbus. Lancaster Chorale performances of Herbert Howell’s Requiem, Barber’s Agnus Dei were featured on ‘The First Art’, the nationally syndicated series broadcast over National Public Radio that showcases excellence in American choral music.
Lancaster Chorale entered its tenth season as Choral Ensemble-in-Residence at Columbus’ historic St. Joseph Cathedral. Performances in subsequent seasons included those with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, notably the fully-staged version of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass under the baton of Timothy Russell, and Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor, with David Danzmayr conducting. After twenty-eight years of dedicated and visionary leadership, Robert Trocchia retired as Artistic Director and was named Director Emeritus of Lancaster Chorale.
At the conclusion of a one-year search process, Dr. Stephen Caracciolo, a passionate conductor and composer whose publications have been widely performed, recorded, and broadcast nationally, was invited in June of 2015 to accept the post of Artistic Director of Lancaster Chorale. At Dr. Caracciolo’s inaugural performance as Artistic Director, the ensemble’s warm tone, splendid balance and blend, and remarkable dynamic range was on call once again for the world premiere of Patrick Hawes’ Psalm 91, a new commission dedicated to Director Emeritus Robert Trocchia.
In the summer of 2016 the ensemble began recruiting many new professionally trained vocal artists from the region, allowing the organization to explore a wider range of the choral literature including plainchant, Renaissance and Baroque motets, German-Romantic part songs, French chansons, the sacred literature of the English and Russian churches, opera choruses, carols of every variety, American folk songs and spirituals, and works by living composers. By 2017 all programs performed in Lancaster were also performed in various venues in Columbus, expanding the ensembles appeal and raising its profile in Ohio. Contracted concerts with Columbus’ ProMusica Chamber Orchestra continued with invitations to perform Saint-Saens’ Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and Handel’s Messiah, leading to radiant critical acclaim in the press. Before the world-wide pandemic of 2020, the organization sponsored side-by-side educational concerts with children and community choirs,allowing the ensemble to engage more closely with the choral community. Columbus’ new Music at Saint Mary’s concert series reached out to the ensemble in 2022 with an invitation to join the roster of fine organizations performing on the series at German Village’s historic church. Performances of an all-German Christmas program including Mendelssohn, Rheinberger, and Bruckner, as well as a subsequent performance of Bach’s Magnificat in D with a chamber orchestra in 2023 strengthened the relationship with the series and spurred the growth of the ensemble’s profile once again.
By 2024 it became clear that the organization needed to develop new branding to reflect the artistic evolution of the ensemble and to clearly describe to the public the kind of exquisite tone, fine tuning, and poetic elegance it could expect of a professional vocal ensemble. Our new name, ProArteOHIO, includes the Latin exclamation ‘for art!’, with ‘pro’ simultaneously signaling the distinctive professionalism of the ensemble.
Seeking to broaden the understanding and enjoyment of the choral art with literaturedrawn from its remarkable 500-year treasury as well as collaborations with new composers, we are excited for the future of ProArteOHIO as we engage with the public through creative programming and truly distinctive choral performances in Columbus,Lancaster and in communities throughout Ohio.
A History of the Ensemble
Director Emeritus: Robert Trocchia
Robert Trocchia served as Artist Director for 29 years under the former banner, Lancaster Chorale. Recognized as one of the more efficacious choral conductors, Mr. Trocchia guided the critically-acclaimed Lancaster Chorale from 1986 to 2015, creating a unique ‘pure sound’ which is the hallmark of his approach to the choral art. His work exhibited a high level of artistic sensitivity, frequently involved imaginative collaborations, and he brought a wealth of experience to the endeavor. While serving as Artistic Director of the Chorale, Trocchia served simultaneously as director of music for the Fairfield Union schools and director of choral activities for Ohio University Lancaster; his forty-nine year career in education was highlighted by his designation as one of America’s top educators (1980), induction in the Ohio University Gifted Education Hall of Fame (2006) and becoming the second recipient of Fairfield Union’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2009). A graduate of Ohio University, Trocchia was a student of Norman Luboff, and his preparation has included study sessions with some of the world’s finest choral musicians, including Michael Korn, Robert Page, Elmer Iseler, Sir David Willcocks and Dale Warland, the latter an honorary member of the Chorale Board.
Board of Directors
Suzy Biehl
Board President
Dublin, OH
David Rodenbaugh
Treasurer & Concert Manager
Baltimore, OH
Wanita Burton
Front of House, Hospitality
Lancaster, OH
Ivan Smith
Education Outreach
Lancaster, OH
Bill Wittman
Education Outreach
Logan, OH
John Long
Community Engagement
Pickerington, OH
Tony Barbuto
Sound Engineer & Lights
Newark, OH
Ronald Kenreich
Community Engagement & Education Outreach
Westerville, OH
Sharon Silleck
Community Engagement
Columbus, OH
Director of Music, The Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, Lancaster, OH
Jason Crabill
Community Engagement
Bexley, OH
Executive Director, Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Lancaster, OH
Kyle Barger
Corporate Funding
Bexley, OH
Gretchen Mote
Corporate Funding
Bexley, OH
Volunteer
Volunteering Your Time and Talent
Serving a non-profit performing arts organization as a volunteer is a very rewarding experience. Working with others who share a similar passion, particularly something as central to the human experience as choral music, is all the more fulfilling as members of a project team lend their time, their expertise, and their hands to build an efficient and effective organization that enriches the entire community.
Some volunteers choose to serve in ways that draw upon their professional training and experience. Others prefer to set aside their day job skills in favor of volunteering on a project where they can work side by side with others and simply do something different and creative on their off hours. Either way of serving as a volunteer is valued, and those with whom you work to meet a new challenge or goal become new friends and colleagues.
Many people have experienced a live ProArteOHIO performance and were delighted in the sound, the precision, and the beauty. Some have actively sought out the Artistic Director, or someone on our dedicated Board, to ask how they might help the organization sustain this lively and worthwhile part of our local and regional culture.
A small sample of the ways in which our volunteers serve ProArteOHIO include:
Taking tickets at performances
Supplying video and still photography
Maintaining the choral library
Assisting with mailings
Working with others to plan and implement a successful fundraising event
Creating opportunities for young singers to partner with the organization
Offering expertise in grant writing, program editing, and radio and television promotion
Lending a hand in a pinch so the organization
can meet a goal on time and on budget
The ways to serve ProArteOHIO as a volunteer are as varied as one’s creativity and time will permit. Documented in-kind contributions of professional services rendered may be claimed as a tax deduction. We urge you to contact us and let the talented members of our organization know of your interest in lending time and talent to bring fine and affordable professional choral performances to Central Ohio.