MacPhail Spotlight Series: 1,000 Years of Sacred Songs

An Evening at The Basilica of St. Mary

“I am so thrilled that we can continue this unique collaboration between MacPhail and the Basilica of St. Mary. What’s more, for this program, we are working together with their fabulous choir and choir director Teri Larson. I personally have been a great admirer of Teri’s artistry, resulting in so many gorgeous performances during mass.

This program is truly a musical arc of a thousand years, featuring some of the earliest installments of what we generally refer to as Western music. Combining Gregorian plain chant with Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary repertoire not only takes us on an epic journey of Spiritual music, but it also exemplifies the evolution of melody, harmony, rhythm, and counterpoint: the basic building blocks of music as we know it today. I cannot think of a better performance space for this program than the glorious Basilica building.

We are joined by stellar MacPhail Teaching Artists Andrea Leap, Miryana Moteva and Walter Tambor, special guest Ivory Doublette, as well as Basilica organist Samuel Holmberg.” -Mischa Santora, MacPhail Spotlight Series Artistic Director

Performers

Andrea Leap, voice

Andrea Leap has taught voice at MacPhail since 2005. She has performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Schubert Club, Minnesota Bach Society, Lyra Baroque, Jungle Theater, Troupe America, Nautilus Music-Theater, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Michigan Opera, Toledo Opera, Skylark Opera, Duluth Festival Opera, Red Eye Theater, Light Opera Oklahoma, LOOK Musical Theater, SummerStage Tulsa, and Minnesota Historical Society.

Andrea is the recipient of the Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Award and the Harriet Hale Wooley Scholarship for study in Paris, France. She is the recipient of Artist Initiative Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board for 2017, 2019, and 2021.

She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University (Voice), a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University (French), a Masters of Music from University of Michigan (Voice), and matriculated post-graduate studies in France and Austria.

Miryana Moteva, piano & MacPhail Staff Accompanist

Pianist Miryana Moteva is an active soloist, chamber musician, and piano teacher in the Twin Cities. Before coming to MacPhail, she has served as a Collaborative and Applied Piano Teaching Assistant at University of Minnesota, and as a Music Theory and Ear Training Teaching Assistant at Lawrence University in Wisconsin.

An actively performing musician, Miryana sets an example and hopes to inspire students through her own playing. She has appeared in concerts at venues such as Sundin Music Hall, the Fitzgerald Theater, the Schubert Club, and the Cowles Center for Performing Arts. Her performances have been featured on Classical MPR. She regularly collaborates with instrumentalists, vocalists, and dancers in recitals across the country and Europe.

Miryana holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota. A native of Bulgaria, she is also a graduate of the National School of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Guest Artist: Ivory Doublette, voice

Ivory Doublette has performed regionally with MainStreet Theatre in Rancho Cucamonga, CA; The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, IL; and locally with Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Penumbra Theatre, Ordway Center, Park Square Theatre, The Playwrights’ Center, History Comes to Life, Intermedia Arts, Children’s Theatre Company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Old Log Theatre, Nautilus Music-Theater, Interact Theater and Illusion Theatre. Ivory is a Faculty member at MacPhail Center for Music. She also sings with her family’s Gospel Quartet, SeVy (Say-V) sevygospelquartet.com. Ivory has a Bachelors in Theatre Arts from the University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

The Cathedral Choir of The Basilica of Saint Mary

Teri Larson, Director of Music and Conductor

The Schola Cantorum of The Basilica of Saint Mary

Samuel Holmberg, Principal Organist

Program