Sopranos

Elizabeth Astle grew up in Los Angeles and has lived in seven states and four countries. After saying goodbye to the military she is now proud to call Alaska home for years to come. From Broadway to Barbershop to Opera Chorus to Oratorios she has dabbled in and enjoyed all kinds of singing groups. One very memorable experience includes singing Mahler's 8th symphony with over six hundred musicians including a children's chorus, two separate eight-part choruses and a double-sized orchestra. Elizabeth is now happy to be creating chamber music. She has a degree in music from Brigham Young University and a Master's in International Relations from Georgetown which she uses to teach her four children Spanish and piano and to conduct her church choir. 

Mary Britton arrived in Anchorage in January 2014, welcomed by a display of Northern Lights, quite a sight for someone who had always lived in the Midwest and had never seen them before.  A piano teacher, music therapist, singer and conductor in her past life, Mary is thrilled to have an opportunity to again participate in musical excellence in this, her first season with ACS.  When not making music, Mary can be found volunteering at a mobile food bank and her church, reading, and exploring Alaska with her newly retired husband.  

Ann McDonald Cherrier is thrilled to be joining the Alaska Chamber Singers this year as a new member.  A 20-year teacher in Anchorage, Ann teaches mathematics and coaches running at Wendler Middle School.  Her love of singing and music began in the 4th grade, inspiring her to play the flute through high school. She was a member of the Anchorage Youth Symphony, sang with the Adelphian Choir at the University of Puget Sound, was a student conductor for the Tacoma Children's Choir, and has sung the National Anthem for the University of Alaska, Anchorage for over 25 years. Ann earned her private pilot's license this summer and can be found sharing her love of flying with family and friends in the beautiful state of Alaska.  

Liesl Davenport-Wheeler is a music educator with training in voice, piano and French horn. She studied music at the University of Oregon and received a master's degree in music education from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is a member of Good Dog, a duo performing original songs for kids. Liesl's fondest musical memory is performing in the opera chorus of Carmen at the University of Southern Mississippi with Denyse Graves as Carmen. Liesl is currently teaching music at Trailside Elementary. 

Andrea Gardner, (*alto section leader)  a native Oregonian, was born and raised in Portland. She attended Oregon State University where she received both her Bachelor of Arts and Masters degrees. While at OSU, Andrea studied choral conducting, vocal performance, and piano performance and was employed as a collaborative pianist for the music department. After graduating, Andrea taught choir at Ridgeview High School in Redmond, OR and elementary choir with the Youth Choirs of Central Oregon for two years before she made the move to Alaska in the summer of 2016.  She currently teaches choir at Dimond High School in the Anchorage School District. Outside of the classroom, Andrea enjoys playing with her dogs, Coda and Forte. 

Carolyn Gordon has been a member of ACS since 1998, after attending a concert led by guest conductor Moses Hogan. She's been a choral singer since elementary school and her experience now extends over 40 years. Singing has seen her through breast cancer and knee replacement surgery and keeps her heart fulfilled. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Carolyn flew into Anchorage in 1990 and plans to stay awhile longer.  

Mary Klebs started singing with the Chamber Singers in 1995, shortly after moving to Alaska.  She took a 10-year hiatus while her children were small, but rejoined Chamber singers in the 2015-16 season.  Mary grew up singing – at home, at church, in school – and enjoyed many high school and college performances, tours and competitions.  Singing with the Chamber Singers has been the most rewarding musical experience for her.  Mary’s heart is her family – her husband Mike, daughters Alli and Lexi, and her church family.  Mary works in the commercial HVAC industry and loves her job and her bosses.  She also enjoys gardening, spending time at the family cabin, and rooting (loudly) for the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Rachel Richardson is excited to share her joy of music by continuing to sing with Alaska Chamber Singers for her second year.  As a graduate of the West High choral program, Rachel received Alto I and Alto II principal chair in the Alaska All-State Music Festivals of 2014 and 2015, respectively.  While she has loved to travel the country singing with various choirs, she still finds her "home sweet home" to be Alaska, where she has participated in performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony at the Atwood Concert Hall, and also joins with the Anchorage Concert Chorus in the winter to perform their annual Handel's Messiah concert.  Rachel is currently studying to be a pilot at UAA, where her end goal is to serve the people and villages of bush Alaska. 

Juli Robinson has had the honor of singing in choirs in six states and four countries. After traveling the world with her husband's career, she is pleased to return to Alaska and call Anchorage home. She first began performing as a young child with her sisters in Idaho. After singing in high school and 6 years of vocal studies, she joined the Ricks College Concert Chorale and Ensemble. She went on to Brigham Young University where she sang with the BYU Women's Choir. Some of her great musical pleasures include touring Ireland with Caliente Choir, soloing in John Rutter's Magnificat, and performing in the "Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns." In addition to singing, she is also plays piano and cello. Formerly a science teacher, she now stays home with her five children, who share her interest in exploring the great outdoors.

Mary Sindorf has sung with ACS since 1990. A few of her most memorable experiences with ACS include the sister-city concert in Magadan, singing on A Prairie Home Companion, and the concert with guest conductor Moses Hogan. After 25 years as a teacher, counselor and administrator in the Anchorage School District, Mary "failed retirement" and is enjoying a second career as a loan officer  for Academy Mortgage. 

Mark S. Bledsoe (*bass section leader) has been a fixture in the Alaska Chamber Singers’ bass section since 1996.  He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Willamette University College of Music, where he majored in organ performance.  Mark performed with many of the musical ensembles there.  He has become a familiar face in the Alaska choral music scene, having sung over the years with not only the Alaska Chamber Singers, but also with the New Madrigal Singers, Basically Bach Chorus, the Anchorage Opera Chorus and the Anchorage Concert Chorus.  We recently asked Mark what he thought about Bach and the Baroque.  He thought for a minute and looked up from his bowl of soup.  He stated that he enjoys Bach’s music, and didn’t think it was broke.  It just has too many notes, so he usually leaves some out, he said.  Then he returned to his soup.

Tim Fosket has been singing all his life and can't seem to stop; he has performed in 46 states and five Canadian Provinces. In Anchorage he has been a member of the Alaska Heritage A Cappella Choir, Batteries Not Included, Anchorage Concert Chorus, the Russian American Colony Singers, Anchorage Opera, Next in Line Productions and now, after a long break, is returning to Alaska Chamber Singers. He moved to Alaska from Seattle where he sang with the Seattle Men's Chorus and Esoterics; prior to that he sang with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in Boston. It all started in high school when a music teacher told him to let go of the cello and join the choir. Secretly he still misses that cello.

Andrew Gonzalez is an Alaska transplant from the midwest who has been involved with music nearly his entire life playing the piano, french horn, and singing. He began voice lessons in high school and sang in the Iowa All-State Chorus and Dubuque Julien Chamber Choir. He went to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa where he sang in the Nordic Choir under Dr. Allen Hightower touring the British Isles. Since college he picked up the ukulele, mandolin, spoons, and a little melodica. He is loving Alaska and is thrilled to be a member of the Alaska Chamber Singers. Andrew is a researcher at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Lyndon Harder has been immersed in choral music since his grade school years. He sang in his high school varsity chorale, college choir in England, and his university's glee club. Numerous church choirs around the country have counted Lyndon as a member. Lyndon has soloed at US government, military, and college events, as well as at weddings and smaller functions. Prior to returning to Alaska in 2004, Lyndon sang with the Augusta Choral Society, Georgia. Lyndon is an analyst with the U.S. government. This follows a U.S. Army career, after which Lyndon and his wife returned to Alaska to make it their permanent home. In addition to singing, Lyndon enjoys photography and high performance computer design and building. 

Teagen Kroon grew up in Wasilla and has always had a love for the arts, especially music.  He began playing the saxophone at a young age and focused mainly on instrumental music until college, where he found a passion for singing. He attended the University of Idaho and performed in numerous college music ensembles including jazz choir and concert choir as well as being part of several stage musicals and operas.  He is excited to be back in Alaska and part of the Alaska Chamber Singers.  

Bob Mitchell began singing in church, school and community choirs in Pennsylvania in the early 1940s. He continued singing through his college and navy years, conducted a barbershop chorus in Montana in the 1960s, and joined the Anchorage Community Chorus when he arrived in 1975. He joined ACS at its beginning in fall of 1986, left town for 10 years, and rejoined in 1998. He also sings in the Anchorage Opera Chorus, and plays hand bells and sings in Anchor Park Methodist Church choir. He is a semi-retired architect and enjoys reading, fishing and skiing. His most memorable musical experiences are singing in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and singing Brahms' Ein Deutches Requiem under Helmut Rilling's baton in Carnegie Hall.  

Chris Nelson is a new addition to ACS in the bass section. He is a recent transplant from the Washington D.C. area, and before that, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Chris has a minor in music and has been involved in music one way or another most of his life, primarily singing and playing percussion. Most recently, he was the Pirate King in a Capitol Hill Arts Workshop production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance and occasionally sang in the choir at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, D.C. Chris looks forward to being a part of the music community in his new home. Chris is an artist and lives in Anchorage with his husband Tim and their two cats, Truman and Daniel.  

Jon Rippe grew up in Northern Virginia and started singing at a very young age.  He discovered chamber music in high school, and had the pleasure of touring Europe with The Sound of America Honor Band & Chorus after graduating in 2004.  From his late teens into his early 20's, he sang with over a dozen different choirs and musical ensembles ranging from jazz quartets to 100+ voice chorales.  After enlisting in the Air Force, Jon took a 6 year hiatus from singing, but is glad to be back on the scene with Alaska Chamber Singers.  On his free time, Jon likes to rock climb, mountain bike, and run up mountains.  He plans on staying in Alaska indefinitely and is looking forward to experiencing everything the state has to offer. 

Guy Schwartz is a transplant from the prairies of North Dakota where he learned to appreciate music under the watchful eye of a very musical family.  His mother is an accomplished pianist/choral director who insisted on piano, band and voice lessons for a young "guy" who just wanted to play football or wrestle.  He grew up singing in countless church choirs, high school choirs, as well as many weddings and funerals.  After graduating with an engineering degree from the University of North Dakota he moved to Alaska over 30 years ago and didn't look back.  Guy has been a long-time member of the Anchorage Concert Chorus and Russian American Colony Singers (RACS) and is looking forward to singing with Alaska Chamber Singers after hearing many of their spectacular performances over the years. 

Dr. Bruce Wood is the Director of Music and Fine Arts for the Anchorage School District. Before arriving in Alaska, Dr. Wood was Associate Professor of Music Education at Texas Tech University. Dr. Wood received his master's and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his bachelor's degree from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. At Texas Tech, Dr. Wood received over $80,000 in grants for teaching and research projects, including the Texas Tech String Project, which he directed. Dr. Wood has been published by the American String Teachers' Journal, Strings Magazine, GIA publications, and has written a book entitled, The Yin and Yang of Teaching Music. In addition, Dr. Wood was the founding Music Director of the Youth Orchestras of Lubbock.