Cathy Lewis, Alto
Alto Cathy Lewis joined The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus for the 2018-2019 Season, having just moved to Santa Fe from the Bay Area with her husband Jon and their two cats. Her choral singing experience began in Portland, Maine, with her temple’s youth choir. After moving to California, Cathy joined the San Francisco Lyric Chorus, and sang with the choirs of Trinity Episcopal Church in San Francisco and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Belvedere. In 2010, she joined the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Her eight seasons there included dozens of performances, led by Michael Tilson Thomas and guest conductors such as Charles Dutoit, James Conlon, Ton Koopman, and Andras Schiff. Cathy has also sung with the San Francisco Festival Chorus at the Grand Teton Music Festival and participated in the Berkshire Choral Festival in Canterbury, U.K. Choral singing is a source of great joy for Cathy, and she is delighted to be a part of The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus.
Carolyn Ives, Soprano
Carolyn Ives began singing at age 5 in the Children’s Church Choir, in Duluth Minnesota, where her father was minister. Her adult years took her away from singing as she pursued a career in psychology. In 1997, she moved to Santa Fe and joined the choir at Santa Fe Community College and soon after, The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus. For Carolyn, singing in performances of Handel’s Messiah are a marvelous experience of shared joy with Santa Fe’s enthusiastic and appreciative audiences. “Being a member of the chorus is extremely rewarding,” she says, “and I was delighted when the opportunity arose to give something back by becoming a Council member and Chorus Librarian.”
Ellis Grabe
A member of The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus since August 2018, Eilis Grabe sings with the St Francis Pontifical Chorus directed by Carmen Florez Mansi. He also performs for three masses at San Felipe de Neri Parish in old town Albuquerque, and with Lingua Angeli, a group of singers mostly from Our Lady of Assumption in Albuquerque, in addition to singing for the archdiocese’s television masses. Over the years, he has performed with two different folk groups—a Scots Gaelic and a Welsh singing group—as he enjoys singing old Irish songs, brought over from his grandparents who emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland. “It is a blessing to have the gift to sing,” he reports, “but more importantly, to give praise and attention to God.” He is a member of the Pastoral Musicians Association and the National American Association of Catholic Chaplains.
Doug Escue, Tenor
Doug has sung with The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus since moving to the city in 1991. He and his wife, Laura, and their two sons, Nathan and Samuel, came to Santa Fe when Doug was called to serve as pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church. He has enjoyed singing all his life. “I consider it a privilege to sing and support The Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus. For me, singing Handel’s Messiah is nothing less than a spiritual experience! God bless the tenors—the backbone of every good chorus!”
Patricia Emerson, Alto
With parents who both played instruments and sang in church choirs, it was natural that Pat began harmonizing with her Mom early in life. Pat played piano and clarinet as a youth, but reports that she began singing “officially” in a bicentennial chorus in Maine, when she became—in her words, “a singing fool.” In Sacramento, California, Pat sang in three choruses, including the Sacramento Choral Society, where she also served as its first board president. Since retiring and moving back to her native New Mexico, she has been active in Santa Fe’s music community, serving a term on the board of the Santa Fe Community Orchestra (plus singing its every-other-year chorus), and singing in Coro Santa Fe, Zia Singers and The Symphony Chorus. Now in her second term on the Chorus Council, Pat is excited to see the chorus grow in size and musical excellence.
Connie Cummins
Connie Cummins has been a choral musician since 1988. In Denver, she sang with the Cherry Creek Chorale and the Colorado Chorale until moving to Durango, Colo., where she sang with the Durango Choral Society and at summer festivals such as Music in the Mountains. Connie moved to Santa Fe in 2014 and has been singing with The Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus ever since. She has performed at Carnegie Hall twice—once perform Brahms’s Requiem with the Cherry Creek Chorale and again in 2009 to perform Mozart’s Requiem under the direction of John Rutter. In 2010 she performed in Europe—in Budapest, Bratislava, and Prague—with the Durango Choral Society, under the direction of Dr. Linda Mack.
Jacqueline Bell
Singing has always been my passion in life. When I am singing, in any setting, I feel like the world is a better place. In addition to being a member of The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, I am a member of the Young Voices of The Santa Fe Opera. The Young Voices has increased my adoration for music, and has been essential in refining my voice and repertoire. I have been in choir every year since fourth grade. I attended the All State mixed choir for two years in a row, and I’ve been to many honor choirs, masterclasses, and clinics. Last summer I attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where I got to sing with John Williams and the Boston Pops.
David Beatty, Bass-Baritone
David Beatty was born and raised in Albuquerque, where he attended Sandia High School and was first introduced to music theory and composition through an extracurricular class offered by his choir director. He pursued undergraduate studies in music at Indiana University and at Eastern New Mexico University and pursued graduate studies at Oklahoma City University. Throughout his career, he has taught and performed in a number of areas: voice, piano, organ, music theory, composition. Since moving back to New Mexico, David now serves as Associate Musician at First Presbyterian Church, where he also sings in the Chancel Choir and plays in the Handbell Choir. Since 2013, David has been a contract singer with The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus and a member of the Opera Southwest chorus in Albuquerque.
Thomasluke Flórez-Mansi, Tenor
Thomasluke Flórez-Mansi is a leggiero tenor. A native of Santa Fe, he recently graduated from University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music in Denver, with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance in 2021. Flórez-Mansi resides in Santa Fe, where he performs as soloist and part of the Chamber Singers of The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and the Sangre de Cristo Chorale. In addition to serving as a cantor/soloist at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, Flórez-Mansi also teaches voice at New Mexico School for the Arts, serves as a vocal coach at St. Michael’s High School, and teachers guitar and marimba privately.
At the Lamont School of Music, Flórez-Mansi performed the roles of the Song Seller in Il Tabarro, Marco in Gianni Schicci, and was the cover for the role of Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zäuberflöte with Lamont Opera Theatre. He was also the tenor soloist for the Lamont Chorale’s performance of Haydn’s Creation where he performed In Native Worth and Honor Clad in 2021.
From 2015 to 2018, Flórez-Mansi was a selected tenor with the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera. In 2017, he won first prize at the Vocal Artistry Vocal Competition in Albuquerque. He received the award for Outstanding Recital at Lamont School of Music in 2020.
While studying at University of Denver, Flórez-Mansi was a section leader at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, as well as a cantor at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Denver. He is well versed in many different areas of music from art songs by Schubert, Faure, Poulenc to arias from Mozart, Donizetti, and Handel operas, as well as oratorio and liturgical music from Handel and Bach. He plans to continue performing with various groups in New Mexico, as well as auditioning for young artist programs and solo concert opportunities.
Mary Fellman, Alto
In addition to performing with The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus, Mary Fellman is an active member of the Sangre de Cristo Chorale and in her church choir, Trinity-on-the-Hill in Los Alamos. She has performed in several choral concerts with The Symphony Chorus, including Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Requiem and various Choral Masterworks programs.
Bettina Miliken, Soprano
Bettina Milliken was born in Switzerland; growing up her passion was the circus and horses. She dreamt of running away with the Circus! In her earliest school years, she learned to play the recorder and then she began taking piano lessons at the conservatory. Milliken received a degree in Fashion Design …
Kehar Koslowsky, Mezzo-Soprano
Mezzo-Soprano Kehar Koslowsky is an accomplished choral artist, currently singing with The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus, with whom she was a soloist last season in Vivaldi’s Gloria. She has performed extensively in the Washington, DC area with the Cathedral Choral Society, Washington Bach Consort, and Woodley Ensemble. She was a staff singer at St. Michael’s Cathedral, and St. John’s Church Lafayette Square—where she sang for both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Kathleen Echols-Crumbacher, Soprano
Kathleen Echols-Crumbacher graduated summa cum laude from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. As a soprano in the several choirs of the college, she sang at Carnegie Hall and Avery-Fischer Hall under the batons of John Adams, Alan Gilbert, and Sir Roger Norrington. She studied voice and music history in Vienna, Austria, where her love for Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert swelled.
After graduation, Kathleen packed up her car and left New Jersey to start a new life in New Mexico. This trip began her great endeavor to hula-hoop in all 50 states (she currently has 47 completed).
Kathleen has been the music teacher at Santo Nino Regional Catholic School since 2012. At the school, she teaches music to Pre-K through 6th grade and directs the children’s choir which sang at Carnegie Hall in June 2017 under the baton of Carmen Flórez-Mansi. Kathleen provides opportunities for the kids to rock out on the marimbas, arranging songs so that they can play everything from church hymns to Classical and Romantic works, Christmas carols to African and Spanish folk songs, and Maroon 5 to Star Wars.
Kathleen serves as pianist at Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Church and teaches private piano lessons.
Kathleen is thrilled to sing with The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus this year and hopes to have a lifetime of singing with the community.