A big thank you to everyone who came out to our inaugural concert on June 28th! We enjoyed your hearty applause, and were very excited to experience your enthusiasm for CHUMS!

Here are a few bios of the performers who were in this concert:

Stephen Bomgardner

Stephen Bomgardner combines an active singing career with a dedication to teaching. He has performed 85 solo and chamber music recitals in Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Houston, Wichita, and numerous other cities across the United States. Recent performances include recitals at Pepperdine University (Malibu, CA), Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA), the Weisman Art Gallery (Minneapolis), and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Boston).

In 2009, he presented the lecture recital “Celebrating Haydn’s Chamber Music: Trio Songs for Voice, Violin, Cello, and Piano” at the Texas Music Educators Association convention (San Antonio, TX), the College Music Society South Central conference (Norman, OK), and the College Music Society Great Plains conference (Kansas City, MO).

In opera, he specializes in character and buffo tenor roles, most recently performing Goro (Madama Butterfly) and Mr. Erlanson (A Little Night Music) with Springfield Regional Opera, King Kaspar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) with the Messiah Project (Springfield, MO), and the Major General (The Pirates of Penzance) with the Saint Peter Choral Society (MN). His repertoire includes twenty-three different roles including Basilio (The Marriage of Figaro), Witch (Hansel and Gretel), Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte), Mayor Upford (Albert Herring), and Vasek (The Bartered Bride).

He is Associate Professor of Music at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, where he teaches voice, vocal pedagogy and literature, diction, music history, and directs the opera workshop. Prior to coming to Missouri, he taught at Minnesota State University-Mankato, Gustavus Adolphus College, Pittsburg State University, and the University of Texas-Pan American. He also spent four summers teaching at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), the high school component of the Tanglewood Music Festival.

July 28, 2009

Our inaugural concert was held today at Ridley College Chapel, and I must say, I think it was a great success! Many thanks to the guest musicians, John Butler, Xiaoling Li and Stephen Bomgartner - you were delightful!

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