Artists
- Jonathan Miller
- Patrick Sinozich
- Hoss Brock
- Klaus Georg
- Matt Greenberg
- Elizabeth Grizzell
- Garrett Johannsen
- Kathryn Kamp
- Alexia Kruger
- Joe Labozetta
- Trevor Mitchell
- Cari Plachy
- Sarah Ponder
- Benjamin Rivera
- Susan Schober
- Brian Streem
Jonathan Miller
Founder and Artistic Director
Since founding Chicago a cappella in 1993, Jonathan Miller has guided the ensemble through more than 130 concerts, seven commercial CD releases, and thirty choral-music demo CDs. His international accolades include the 2008 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America. His skills at presenting a wide spectrum of music are a combined product of his singer’s ear, scholar’s training, and composer’s temperament. He was fortunate to be exposed at an early age to a wide range of music by a remarkable group of mentors, including Christopher Moore, Lena McLin, Max Janowski, Joseph Brewer, Howard Mayer Brown, Richard Proulx, John Nygro, and Anne Heider. He was a founding member of His Majestie’s Clerkes (now Bella Voce) and for ten years was bass soloist with the Harwood Early Music Ensemble. Eager to learn research tools for repertoire, Jonathan pursued musicology, earning his doctorate at UNC-Chapel Hill while remaining an active performer. Since returning to the Chicago area, Jonathan has expanded his role as a conductor and composer. He has led the volunteer choir at Unity Temple and Heritage Chorale in Oak Park and has served several other choirs as clinician and coach. He has written more than fifty choral works in a variety of genres and languages; his music has been sung at venues including St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and the Pentagon. He conducted his piece The Lincoln Memorial at the Lincoln Memorial on the 200th anniversary weekend of Lincoln’s birth. Since 1998, Jonathan has taken a growing leadership role in Chicago-area Jewish music, leading the high-holiday choir and occasional Kabbalat Shabbat services at Congregation Rodfei Zedek in Hyde Park; he now serves there as high-holiday cantor. He is principal guest conductor of Kol Zimrah, the Jewish Community Chorus of Metro Chicago, and holds as a great honor his role as publisher of the late Max Janowski’s catalogue. Jonathan enjoys the blessings of family and neighbors in the woods of Downers Grove, where he loves helping to maintain two shared vegetable gardens.
Patrick Sinozich
Music Director
An acclaimed choral conductor, pianist, vocal coach, and chamber musician, Patrick Sinozich joined Chicago a cappella's musical staff in 2007 as Music Director. He is currently in his 15th season as Artistic Director of the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, and is Assistant Director of Music at St. Clement Catholic Church in Lincoln Park. He is on the musical staff of the Chicago Symphony and has performed chamber music with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony. He has also produced four CDs for Chicago a cappella and three for the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus (which feature many of his own arrangements). Patrick’s association with Chicago a cappella goes back to the ensemble’s very first auditions, which he accompanied, and he has provided musical support as the ensemble’s occasional rehearsal coach since 2005.
Hoss Brock
Tenor
With feats of vocal and linguistic derring-do, Hoss Brock has become a perennial favorite with audiences and critics alike. As a soloist with the Grant Park Music Festival, Hoss earned praise from critic John Von Rhein for his “plaintive, clarion singing” and his command of Slavic texts. When asked to fill in for Warsaw Opera star Adam Zdunikowski in the Lira Ensemble’s “Polish Christmas,” with only days to prepare selections by Paderewski and Moniusko, Brock (who can barely pronounce “Zdunikowski”, much less speak Polish) delivered a “warm and emotional rendition” (Chicago Sun-Times). Sponsored by a grant from the Metropolitan Opera Competition, Hoss traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to compete in the Francisco Viñas International Vocal Competition, from which he was promptly eliminated, and subsequently enjoyed a fabulous week of shopping, sightseeing, and sangria. Recently, Hoss has performed Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s B Minor Mass, and “Baba Yetu” from Civ IV at Video Games Live.
Klaus Georg
Tenor
In his first year with Chicago a cappella, Klaus Georg is an active tenor, conductor, and teacher in the Chicago area. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Voice at Carthage College while pursuing doctoral studies at Northwestern University. Klaus has performed leading tenor roles in Mozart's Zauberflöte, Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites, Loesser's The Most Happy Fella, and Hoiby's Summer and Smoke, as well as the tenor solos in Mozart's Requiem, Händel's Messiah, Haydn's Creation, and Brahms's Zigeunerlieder. Recently, he appeared as the tenor soloist in Mozart's Requiem at the Music Institute of Chicago and as Chibiabos in Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha's Wedding Feast in Park Ridge. An accomplished choral singer, Klaus sings with the CSO Chorus and Music of the Baroque, and has appeared as a soloist with both groups. He also sings with the Grant Park Music Festival and is chorus director at Beth Emet the Free Synagogue.
Matt Greenberg
Bass
Baritone Matt Greenberg has appeared frequently on Chicago’s concert and theater stages, singing everything from Bach to Broadway. His solo appearances include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Mozart’s Requiem, and an evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Matt is a longtime member of the Grant Park Chorus and sang for over 20 years with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, where he made over a dozen solo or small ensemble appearances. A founding member of Chicago a cappella, he has also performed with Music of the Baroque, William Ferris Chorale, and the Harwood Early Music Ensemble. Matt’s work in musical theater includes the Jeff-award winning Sylvia’s Real Good Advice, Hot Mikado, and appearances at Light Opera Works and Wisdom Bridge. He has also appeared with the pop quintet Table For Five. Combining his performing with a career in arts administration, Matt is Chicago a cappella’s Executive Director.
Elizabeth Grizzell
Mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Grizzell has performed with groups both in Chicago and abroad. She has appeared as soloist with the Tunbridge Wells Opera, the Marlow Choral Society, and the Wooburn Singers of England. As a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, she has recorded the role of Apprentice with the late Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. Betsy is also a member of the Grant Park Chorus, and records regularly as a soloist for GIA Publications. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a vocal emphasis from DePaul University. This will be Betsy’s 12th season with Chicago a cappella. She is proud to be programming this year’s All About the Women concert, and she previously programmed the ensemble's 2009 concert, The Birds and the Bees. Of special note is her Betsy’s MusiKids program, a musical education experience designed for children ages 16 months to 9 years old. Her studio in Naperville introduces more than 100 children each year to the fun and beauty of music. Find her on Facebook at “Betsy’s MusiKids”, or at www.grizzell.com.
Garrett Johannsen
Tenor
Garrett Johannsen grew up in Schiller Park, IL. He started singing shortly after learning to play the trumpet at Kennedy School. Garrett decided to take private voice lessons at East Leyden High School which led him to study voice at Roosevelt University. Beyond Roosevelt, he has performed with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Chorus, William Ferris Chorale, Bella Voce, and Lyric Opera Chorus. Garrett has branched out of the city limits to work with Chorus Angelorum in Indiana, Opera for the Young in Wisconsin, and Sarasota Opera in Florida, and to participate in a week-long workshop with the a cappella group Chanticleer in California. He hopes in the near future to continue traveling nationally to share his love of singing opera and Broadway music. One of his favorite moments to date is an invitation to sing the National Anthem for his family’s favorite sports team, the Chicago White Sox…..four times.
Kathryn Kamp
Soprano
A mix of opera, operetta, and musical theater productions as well as oratorio, concert, and choral engagements keeps Kathryn busy when she’s not singing with Chicago a cappella. She has appeared as soloist at the Ravinia Festival, Orchestra Hall at Chicago Symphony Center, Grant Park Music Festival, the Peninsula Music Festival, and Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, among others. Favorite works include Mozart Requiem; Haydn Creation and Dixit Dominus; Handel (Messiah); Poulenc (Gloria) and Brahms (Requiem); Mozart’s Despina (Cosi fan tutte); many Gilbert and Sullivan ingénues (Patience, Rose Maybud, Yum-Yum and Mabel); and anything by Steven Sondheim (especially Anne Egerman and Mrs. Segstrom of A Little Night Music). She has also directed over 15 opera and operetta productions. Free time is spent in the garden, on a bike, cooking, reading, and hanging out with her husband. She always looks forward to the unique vocal demands and wonderful colleagues of Chicago a cappella.
Alexia Kruger
Soprano
Alexia Kruger, soprano, enjoys performing a wide variety of music from the stage to the recital hall. A member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Grant Park Chorus, Alexia has also been a soloist with such groups as the Chicago Chamber Orchestra (J.S. Bach’s Cantata 51), Chicago Sinfonietta at the Shedd and at Joffrey, Mantra Blue Free Orchestra, the Valparaiso University Symphony Orchestra (R. Strauss Beim Schlafengehen and Im Abendrot), and the University of Illinois Percussion Ensemble (Stravinsky’s Les Noces). She loves art song as well and has given recitals at such venues as the Chicago Cultural Center, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and several locations with VOX 3. Past roles have included Susanna and Contessa dAlmaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Giulietta (Les Contes dHoffmann), the title role in Suor Angelica, Lola (Gallantry), and Eve (Children of Eden). She is very excited to sing with Chicago a cappella this season!
Joe Labozetta
Bass
Hailing from Northern California, Joe Labozetta moved to Chicago in 2003 to further his musical studies at DePaul University’s School of Music. After finishing a degree in Sound Recording Technology, he quickly immersed himself into a full-time career as a professional musician. Joe currently holds the position of Director of Music at St. Josaphat Church, where he is kept busy with choirs, pipe organs, handbells and composing hymnody. His local choral activities have included Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Chorus, Bella Voce, and the William Ferris Chorale. Joe is also an award-winning baritone soloist, notably at the International Choral Kathaumixw in Powell River, B.C., Canada. Additionally, as an accomplished keyboardist, guitarist and bassist, Joe performs in venues other than churches and concert halls. In fact, Labozetta sightings have been reported in dive bars, hotel lounges and almost-but-not-yet foreclosed recording studios.
Trevor Mitchell
Tenor
Acclaimed as having "simply the most uniquely beautiful and easily produced tenor instrument most people will ever hear,” Trevór Mitchell’s career has taken him across the U.S. as well as to Austria, Italy, Ukraine, the United Kingdom. Recently audiences heard him in Bach's B-Minor Mass, Weihnachts-Oratorium, St. Matthew Passion, and St. John Passion, Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Ninth Symphony, Vivaldi’s Beatus Vir, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and several recitals, one being a recital for honored guest Paul, Duke of Oldenburg of Germany. Under the baton of the renowned John Rutter, Trevór performed Vaughn Williams’ Serenade to Music. Recent performances also include Messiah with the Baroque Band and Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus. He also recorded Don Meyers’ Meditation in Three Reflections with the Millennium Symphony of Norfolk, VA. Upcoming engagements include Haydn’s Theresienmesse, Mozart’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, a recording of Christmas music and several solo recitals.
Cari Plachy
Soprano
Chicago native Cari Plachy is enjoying splitting her time between choral and opera singing. She has been seen throughout the Midwest with Opera for the Young, DuPage Opera Theater, Light Opera Works and Bowen Park Opera. Her choral work includes singing with the Chicago Symphony Chorus. In 2008, she had an opportunity to step out from the chorus and sing a solo in Bruckner’s Psalm 150. The Chicago Sun-Times recognized it as being a “sparkling, and aggressively sung solo.” Cari received her Bachelor’s degree in music education from DePaul University. Since then, she has been working with the education department of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, bringing music to children all over Chicago. In addition to her work in Chicago, Cari is fortunate to bring her love of music to deaf children at Child’s Voice School in Wood Dale.
Sarah Ponder
Mezzo-soprano
Originally from Nebraska, mezzo-soprano Sarah Ponder found her way to classical singing after early dreams of pursuing a career in jazz. After a fateful trip to the opera house to see Turandot, she was hooked! Although one may not hear her singing the soprano role of “Liu” as she once hoped, Sarah enjoys a busy career as a soloist, ensemble singer, and dedicated teacher in Chicago. Hailed as “Deeply expressive” (Chicago Sun-Times), some of Sarah’s recent favorite performances include a full recital at the Cultural Center as part of the Musicians Club of Women “Award Winners in Concert” series, the alto soloist in Bach’s B Minor Mass with the North Shore Choral Society, and a thrilling rendition of “Row, Row Your Boat” with Yo-Yo Ma at Children’s Memorial Hospital as part of the Citizen Musician Initiative.
Benjamin Rivera
Bass
Bass-baritone Benjamin Rivera appears often as a concert and oratorio soloist. Recent appearances include performances of Bach’s St. John Passion, several Haydn Masses and a local premiere of a song cycle for baritone and instrumental sextet by Stacy Garrop. He is a longtime member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, where he served in the position of section leader for several seasons. Benjamin also sings with the Grant Park Chorus during the summer. He recently completed his tenth season as conductor of the Chicago-area chamber choir Cantate, with whom he performs a wide range of mainly a cappella music. Benjamin holds the Master of Music degree in Music Theory from Roosevelt University and recently left a teaching position at St. Xavier University to pursue doctoral studies in conducting at Northwestern University.
Susan Schober
Mezzo-soprano
Susan Schober is proud to be a founding member of Chicago a cappella. A native Chicagoan, she developed her love of ensemble singing as a member of Chicago Children’s Choir. She has been singing professionally for almost 20 years, performing a wide variety of solo and choral music in Chicago, the Bay area and Hungary. Susan received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, where she studied voice and education, and a master’s degree in Music Education from Holy Names University in Oakland, CA. She is an accomplished music educator and has taught students at every level, from preschool classes to graduate-level teacher training. Susan recently began a new position as Chicago a cappella’s Education Outreach Coordinator and she thoroughly enjoys engaging, educating and entertaining the next generation of music makers and patrons. Susan loves both singing and teaching, but her greatest passion is being a mom to her young twins, Katie and Andrew.
Brian Streem
Bass
A lover of choral music, Brian Streem has been a member of some of Chicago’s finest choral ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Chorus, the Grant Park Symphony Chorus, Bella Voce, the William Ferris Chorale, and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. His theatrical credits have included Pippin (Pippin), Jesus (Jesus Christ Superstar), Sky Masterson (Guys and Dolls), Jack (Into the Woods), Philip (Lion in Winter) and the star of the one-man show All in the Timing. His recent work with Chicago a cappella was praised by critic Cathryn Wilkinson, who noted that he “pattered out a better maraca ostinato with his mouth than many drummers can with two hands.” Brian is a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, studying music theory with Dr. Rudy Marcozzi.
