Andrew Jonathan Welch, Keyboard Artist
Like Mozart, Fauré, and countless others before him, Andrew Jonathan Welch is a musician whose freelance career combines performance, composition, conducting, and teaching. Intensely committed to his belief that music can be a dynamic force for good in the lives of individuals and societies, Andrew’s voracious performance schedule makes himamong the most active pianists and conductors working today. While his performances have included appearances with the Washington Bach Consort, bass-baritone Kevin Short, sopranos Laura Choi Stuart and Carmen Balthrop, and members of the National Symphony Orchestra, you are also just as likely to see him performing at your niece’s voice recital or your neighbor’s choir concert.
An intensely curious musician, Andrew furthered his aim to explore engaging and challenging programming by founding the Georgetown Epiphany Festival in 2018, which most recently produced a festival of three concert programs in early 2020 that explored the legacy of Beethoven. He is also the chief curator of Perfect Octave at the Hill Center in Washington, DC, which combines seminars with performances to deepen an audience’s connection with music of the western canon.
In addition to his curatorial outlets, Andrew is the Director of Music Ministry at Allin Congregational Church in Dedham, Massachusetts, and the outgoing Artistic Director of the Seriously Fun Singers, an itinerant chamber choir that rehearses in living rooms throughout suburban Washington, DC. He also kindles the flame of discovery that passes from his own teachers through the maintenance of a piano studio, whose students of all ages and abilities constantly challenge him to a more thoughtful, thorough pedagogy. Andrew’s own formal education includes American University, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and, most recently, the University of Maryland, where he completed his doctoral work, centered on the pedagogy of Olivier Messiaen, in May of 2020.
Inspiration comes from the countless experiences of beauty, both subtle and apparent, that surround us every day. Among the countless stewards with which Andrew has been privileged to traverse the frontier of music, he counts Yuliya Gorenman, Rita Sloan, Andrew Harley, and his dear friend, Richard Giarusso, among the most influential.
Allison Mondel, Soprano
Lauded by The Washington Post for her “ethereal soprano” and “spare, otherworldly radiance,” Allison Mondel is a highly versatile performing artist and teacher. She received her M.M. in Early Music Vocal Performance from the Longy School of Music. She has appeared as a soloist or ensemble singer with the Boston Early Music Festival, Washington National Cathedral, Bach Sinfonia, Maryland Choral Society, Georgetown Chorale, Folger Consort, Dumbarton Oaks, American University, Georgetown University, Cathedra, Cathedral Choral Society, and Manassas Ballet Theater.
Allison is a specialist in medieval music, notably in the notation and performance of the chants of Hildegard von Bingen. Allison enjoyed the honor of singing Hildegard’s music at President Obama’s second Inaugural Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral. She is co-founder and director of award-winning Eya: Ensemble for Medieval Music, crafting programs presented at The Music Center at Strathmore, the National Gallery of Art, Washington National Cathedral, Dumbarton Oaks, Georgetown University, Williams College, and The College of William and Mary, among many others. Eya is the proud recipient of the 2013 Greater DC Choral Excellence Award for Best Specialty Group: Early Music as well as a 2015 nominee for Most Creative Programming.
She has led teaching and coaching sessions and offered lectures on early music at the Peabody Conservatory, Williams College, Georgetown University, the Arts Club of Washington, a regional MENSA meeting (!), and the Washington Early Music Festival, among others. She teaches voice in the National Cathedral’s prestigious chorister program, as well as Georgetown University and her own private studio.
Laura Choi Stuart, Soprano
Hailed as “a lyric soprano of ravishing quality” by the Boston Globe, Laura Choi Stuart has appeared on the mainstage with Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Boston, Annapolis Opera, Lake George Opera, the In Series, and Opera North in roles including Musetta, Adina, Gilda, Pamina, and Frasquita. Equally comfortable in recital and concert settings, Laura appears this season in Messiah and Mozart Requiem at the National Cathedral, Bach Magnificat with the Washington Bach Consort, Beethoven Mass in C with Cathedral Choral Society, Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem, and Handel Dixit Dominus. Laura was honored for art song performance as 2nd prize winner at both the 2010 and 2012 National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards and as one of the 2009 Art Song Discovery Series winners for the Vocal Arts Society. Based in the Washington, DC area, Laura appears regularly with the Washington Bach Consort and the Washington Master Chorale, in addition to solo appearances with many area ensembles. She received her training at The Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers, Opera North, and Berkshire Opera, as well as The New England Conservatory and Dartmouth College.
Mark Duer, Baritone
Hailed by the New York Times as a “particularly agile” singer, baritone Mark Duer’s poignant lyric vocalism has been heard in solo engagements with the American Virtuosi, Washington Bach Consort, New York Chamber Ensemble, Cleveland Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, Greensboro Opera, Ensemble for Early Music, Cleveland Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony, Berkshire Choral Festival, Lower East Side Performing Arts, Woodstock Fringe Festival, Apollo’s Fire, Musica Sacra, and at Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, and the La Jolla, CA Streisand Festival. Mr. Duer has also sung and recorded with leading vocal ensembles including the Bach Sinfonia, Washington Bach Consort, Handel & Haydn Society, Voices of Ascension, Chantry and seventeen seasons as a member of the renowned a cappella ensemble, Pomerium. He has recorded on the Gothic, Delos, DG/Archiv, Dorian, and Glissando labels. Media appearances include CBS Sunday Morning, NBC’s Today Show, and radio broadcasts as soloist with Pipedreams (NPR), and the Cleveland Orchestra.