Soli Deo Gloria!
GUEST CONDUCTOR
Andrew Bruhn, Guest Conductor
Andrew Bruhn is the Director of Choral Activities at Illinois State University, where he conducts Concert Choir, Belle Voix (advanced treble), and teaches conducting. A versatile musician, He has worked as a professional choral conductor, educator, composer, church musician, and trumpeter. His teaching at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels has earned him various awards and recognitions. His school choirs regularly received superior ratings in organizational contests, one of which was a featured performer at the Illinois Music Education Conference. Andrew received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, his Master of Sacred Music degree in choral conducting from Luther Seminary and St. Olaf College, and a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance from Wheaton College. A prolific composer, his music is published by many major publishers. He won the 2017 Illinois American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Composition Contest and has been a finalist in other national composition contests. Andrew loves spending time with his wife, their two daughters, and their golden retriever.
Featured Artists
Polly Brecht, Organ and Harpsichord
Polly Purcell Brecht is a native of Galesburg, Illinois. She moved back to the area last year from Nashville, Tennessee, where she was a Professor at the Blair School/Vanderbilt and Organist/Music Associate at Westminster Presbyterian, Nashville, where she served for over 30 years. She currently teaches at Bradley University and serves as organist at Westminster Presbyterian, Peoria. She received degrees in piano, organ, and harpsichord performance from Indiana University and Florida State University, with additional studies at Oberlin, University of Houston, and the Eastman School. She also holds the performer’s certificate in organ performance and was a finalist in many competitions, including the Detroit AGO Nationals. Prior to her positions in Nashville, Polly was a tenured professor at Middle Tennessee State University for over 10 years. In addition she has served many churches in Tennessee, Florida, Houston, Indiana, and Illinois. She has extensive experience in solo and collaborative work on piano, organ, and harpsichord. On the Peoria Bach Festival 2024 she will be giving a solo organ concert on Sunday, June 2 at 4:00 pm and play continuo on the Thursday noon concert.
Michael Dicker, Baroque Bassoon
Michael Dicker holds degrees in music performance from UCLA, the University of Michigan, and the Juilliard School. He has studied the Baroque bassoon at the Amherst Early Music Festival, and Victoria (BC) Conservatory Intensive Baroque, and workshops at Oberlin College. He served as bassoonist with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, the Colorado Philharmonic Orchestra, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, the Neu Wesphälische Philharmonie, the Belgian Radio Symphony, the Essen Philharmonic, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and the Toledo Symphony. He currently is a bassoonist with the Peoria Symphony, the Heartland Festival Orchestra, and the Illinois Symphony. As a chamber musician he has been a prize winner of the Coleman Chamber Competition and has performed with the Lincoln Center Foundation Woodwind Quintet, the Lieurance Quintet, and Sonneries Quintet. He has presented clinics in Germany, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Thailand, and the United States. He has served as bassoon instructor at Wichita State University and the Musikschule Bochum. From 1986 until 2022 he was Professor of Bassoon at Illinois State University.
S. Blake Duncan, Oboe and Baroque Oboe
S. Blake Duncan has enjoyed a varied career as an oboist, Baroque oboist and English Horn player, a performer of Early Music, and a teacher in Illinois for 30 years. For 17 years he was an affiliate faculty member of the Bradley University Music Department teaching double reeds, Music Appreciation, Music Technology, and serving as Director of the Collegium Musicum, Bradley's early music ensemble. In addition he chaired the Woodwind Department. For 15 years he was a member of the Moveré Woodwind Quintet for the Lutheran Summer Music Program, He was also a member of the Columbus, Ohio based early music ensemble The Early Interval. In the 2000s he was a member of the WiZARDS! A Double Reed Quartet with whom he participated in several recordings, all of which are still available from Crystal Records. He has been a member of the Illinois, Peoria, and Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Symphony Orchestras and was a founding member of the Peoria Bach Festival Orchestra with whom he continues to perform. He began his Early Music studies while an undergraduate at New England Conservatory where he studied Performance Practice, Baroque Oboe, Shawm, Recorder, and early dance with Kenneth Roth, Daniel Pinkham, and Julia Sutton. He has studied Baroque oboe with Geoffrey Burgess and Meg Owens, and performs with the Collegium Vocale of St. Louis and as a free-lance artist on Baroque Oboe. He is currently retired and lives across the bridge from St. Louis in O’Fallon, Illinois.
Kyle Dzapo, Flute
Kyle Dzapo, Professor of Music at Bradley University, has performed recitals in London, Denmark, France, and South Korea, on live broadcasts for Wisconsin Public Radio and Chicago’s WFMT, and at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium. In the coming months, she looks forward to performances in Singapore; Sydney, Australia; and Zagreb, Croatia. She will also present a lecture-recital at the 2025 National Flute Association Convention in Atlanta in August. Her latest book, Joachim Andersen: Flutist, Conductor, and Composer of More than the Etudes, will be released by Oxford University Professor in August as will Au bord de la mer, Op. 9, the sixth edition of music in the “Kyle Dzapo Series” published by Zimmermann-Schott. She is a pre-concert lecturer for the Chicago Symphony, has served as Program Chair and President of the Board for the National Flute Association, and has been recognized with awards for both scholarship and teaching at Bradley University. She earned a Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University where she was a student and teaching assistant of Walfrid Kujala and also holds degrees from New England Conservatory and the University of Michigan.
Lisette Kielson, Recorder
Based in Central Illinois and the Chicago area, Lisette Kielson performs as recorder soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player throughout the Midwest. Former Director of Bradley University’s Collegium Musicum, Lisette serves as Music Director of the American Recorder Society Chicago Chapter, teaches in Wisconsin on the faculties of the Whitewater Early Music Festival and Madison Bach Musicians Summer Chamber Music Workshop, and maintains an active Zoom studio for students of all levels from across the country. Lisette holds Bachelor and Master Degrees in flute performance from Indiana University and a post-master’s Diploma in recorder performance from The Royal Conservatory of The Hague. She has recorded with Centaur Records as well as with her own label. For more information on Lisette’s activities, visit www.LisetteKielson.com.
Adriana La Rosa Ransom, Cello
Adriana La Rosa Ransom is currently Director of the School of Music at Illinois State University, where she was cello professor for 15 years. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from the University of Missouri, where she studied with Nina Gordon. She earned Master and Doctorate degrees in performance from the University of Minnesota, studying cello with Tanya Remenikova and chamber music with Jorja Fleezanis. As a soloist, Adriana has recently appeared with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois State Wind Symphony, and the Illinois State Symphony Orchestra. She has also appeared as a guest artist on notable solo and chamber music recital series, including the Peoria Bach Festival, Chicago Cello Society concerts, the Trinity Lutheran Candlelight Concert Series, and at universities throughout the Midwest. Currently Principal Cellist of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, she formerly was a member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, the St. Cloud Symphony (MN), the European Musical Festival Orchestra (Germany), and Sinfonia da Camera (IL). Adriana has served on the faculty at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Cloud State University, the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, and the Grumo (Italy) Music Festival. She is the recipient of the University Outstanding Teacher Award, University Outstanding Service Award, and the Illinois American String Teachers Association Distinguished Service Award, among others. She is an invited presenter at the American String Teacher National Conference, covering topics such as David Popper’s character pieces, supplementary etudes for intermediate level cello concertos, and the use of visual color as a means towards musical expression.
Carol Wessler, Cello
Carol Wessler earned her Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from the University of Oregon, and her Master of Music degree in cello and organ performance from the University of Nebraska. As a cellist, she performed in the Peoria Symphony for over 30 years, is a founding member and co-principal of the Peoria Bach Festival orchestra, and is active with other Peoria area music ensembles including Bradley University, and was principal cello for many years for the Sing-It-yourself Messiah. She is currently the rehearsal accompanist for the Bradley Community Chorus, the Suzuki School of Music (Youth Music Illinois), and the Trinity Lutheran Church choir. Church music is an important part of her life and she has served as organist for several area churches.
Diane Wuthrich, Viola
Diane Wuthrich enjoys an active musical life of performing and teaching. After graduating summa cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan University studying primarily with Michael Hining and winning the school’s concerto competition, Diane received her Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying primarily under Jeffrey Irvine with additional instruction from several Cleveland Orchestra members. Following her education, Diane won a position with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. She also performed and coached chamber music and taught private lessons in the Tucson area. Since returning to Central Illinois, she has sought to strengthen the musical community through excellence in performance and instruction. She held the position of Assistant Principal Viola with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and currently holds the position of Principal Viola with the Heartland Festival Orchestra. Diane is also a section member of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia da Camera, and she regularly performs chamber music with various groups and individuals. She maintains a small private teaching studio and serves as a clinician throughout the central Illinois region. Diane and her husband Daniel reside in Morton where they homeschool their young family and are actively involved in their church.
Vocal Soloists
Courtney Huffman Frye, soprano
Courtney Huffman Frye, soprano
Courtney Huffman Frye, soprano
Courtney Huffman Frye, soprano, placed first in the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition and made her New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall. She performed in Long Beach Opera's United States premiere of Vivaldi’s Motezuma to critical acclaim. Her stage credits include Yadwiga in Ben Moore’s Enemies, A Love Stor
Courtney Huffman Frye, soprano, placed first in the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition and made her New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall. She performed in Long Beach Opera's United States premiere of Vivaldi’s Motezuma to critical acclaim. Her stage credits include Yadwiga in Ben Moore’s Enemies, A Love Story, Violetta in La Traviata, Betty in Lowell Liebermann’s Miss Lonelyhearts, Frasquita in Carmen, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni. An equally accomplished concert artist, she has been a featured soloist with Boston Baroque performing the role of Amor in a semi-staged version of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and appearing as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Wedding Cantata and Coffee Cantata. Appearing frequently with the Peoria Bach Festival, she has been the soprano soloist in Handel’s Samson and Silete venti and Bach’s Cantata 187 and 172. She has also been a soloist with the Peoria Municipal Band, Symphonic Winds at Bradley University, Colorado Bach Ensemble, High Desert Chamber Music Series, Andover Chamber Music Series, First Church Nashua Concert Series, Centrum’s Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, Masterworks Chorale’s Summer Sings, Classical Music Series’ Live at the Lounge, New York City’s Orchestra Insonica and the Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra in Sunriver, OR, under the baton of Maestro Lawrence Smith.
Her love for recital work has taken her overseas, including a ten-day concert tour throughout Southern China, and her passion for contemporary music has given her the opportunity to work with and premiere pieces by Alan Chan, Lori Laitman, Ben Moore, Timothy Takach, and Marc-André Dalbavie. She taught voice at Gordon College in Boston from 2013 to 2017 and currently serves on the voice faculty of Bradley University.
Alison Meuth, Mezzo Soprano
Courtney Huffman Frye, soprano
Courtney Huffman Frye, soprano
Mezzo Soprano Alison Meuth is a voice teacher, music director, and conductor living in Peoria, Illinois. She spent the early 2000s as a professional opera singer working with Opera Illinois, Utah Festival Opera, Sarasota Opera and Annapolis Opera among others. Alison currently spends her time singing sacred music, musical theater and opera in the Central Illinois area.
Trevor Mitchell, tenor
Gerard Sundberg, baritone
Gerard Sundberg, baritone
Trevor Mitchell’s career has taken him across the United States as well as to Austria, Italy, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and other destinations in Europe. Recently audiences heard him in Bach’s B-Minor Mass, Weihnachts-Oratorium (Christmas Oratorio), St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Cantatas 76, 135, 177, Britten’s Serenade for Te
Trevor Mitchell’s career has taken him across the United States as well as to Austria, Italy, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and other destinations in Europe. Recently audiences heard him in Bach’s B-Minor Mass, Weihnachts-Oratorium (Christmas Oratorio), St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Cantatas 76, 135, 177, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Vivaldi’s Beatus Vir, Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus and Messiah, and in recital. He also sang concert versions of the Handel operas Semele and Ariodante. With Chicago a cappella, he just completed a recording of Hanukah music to be released in the winter of 2023. Trevor, who has frequently performed on WFMT (Chicago), has recorded albums with Cedille Records, Gothic Records, and is a featured soloist on a Sony Classical release of Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Choirs and Orchestra of St. John Cantius. He has sung with the Peoria Bach Festival for many years.
Gerard Sundberg, baritone
Gerard Sundberg, baritone
Gerard Sundberg, baritone
Dr. Gerard Sundberg (MN MFA, DMA) is presently Professor Emeritus of Voice at Wheaton Conservatory of Music (Wheaton, Illinois), where he taught studio voice and vocal pedagogy. He is currently living in the Twin Cities (Minnesota). He has performed frequently with various organizations in Chicago, including Chicago Master Singers, Ars
Dr. Gerard Sundberg (MN MFA, DMA) is presently Professor Emeritus of Voice at Wheaton Conservatory of Music (Wheaton, Illinois), where he taught studio voice and vocal pedagogy. He is currently living in the Twin Cities (Minnesota). He has performed frequently with various organizations in Chicago, including Chicago Master Singers, Ars Viva Orchestra, Chicago Chorale, the Apollo Chorus, and the West Suburban Choral Union. And also with Duke University (North Carolina). He recently celebrated his 20th consecutive performance of Handel’s Messiah with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus. He has been the bass soloist for the Peoria Bach Festival for most of its 22 years.
DIRECTORS
Dr. Martin Dicke, Managing Director
Dr. Martin Dicke helped found the Peoria Bach Festival in 2003 and served as its Co-Director for 14 years while serving as Cantor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Peoria. From 2016-2022 he worked as a Music Specialist with the Office of International Mission for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod serving among other places in Papua New Guinea and Taiwan. He earned a Masters of Choral Conducting from the University of Minnesota (1987) and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Iowa (2008). Early in his career he served schools and churches in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) where he also founded and for 10 years directed a community choir. While studying at the University of Iowa he was Director of the Chamber Singers of Iowa City. He currently serves on the Board of the Bach Society of Minnesota and David’s Harp, an organization dedicated to helping churches train a new generation of musicians. He is dedicated to helping musicians participate in the Eternal Song and to that end blogs occasionally on sacred music at www.jubalslyre.com. His compositions and arrangements are available on www.sheetmusicplus.com and www.jwpepper.com.
Dr. John Jost, Artistic Director Emeritus
Dr. John Jost, Artistic Director, is professor emeritus of music at Bradley University where he directed the Bradley Chorale, Community Chorus, and Chamber Singers, and taught conducting from 1989 until his retirement in 2018. He received his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees from Stanford University. Before joining the Bradley faculty he directed ensembles and taught in California, New York, and Haiti where for several decades he directed a summer music camp for Haitian youth. He has held both principal viola and principal second violin positions in the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, has served as president of the Illinois Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, is co-founder and artistic director of the Peoria Bach Festival, and recently directed the new Peoria-area chamber choir Lumière. He has won awards for teaching and service from Bradley University, the American Choral Directors Association, the Haitian Ministry of Culture, and the Haitian Episcopal Church. He now resides in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife Suzanne. We thank him for helping to found this festival in 2003 and for being its Artistic Director for over 20 years.