Chanticleer Performers

Andy Berry, bass, believes that vocal music is vital because it testifies to the power of collaboration, the importance of the present moment, and the beauty of our shared humanity. He has performed as a soloist with the Santa Fe Opera, the Pittsburgh Opera, the Vietnam National Ballet and Opera Orchestra, and Singapore’s Metropolitan Festival Orchestra. His favorite past roles include the title character in Massenet's Don Quichotte, Isacio in the second U.S. performance of Handel’s Riccardo Primo, and Kōbun Otogawa (cover) in the GRAMMY-winning world premiere of Mason Bates’ The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Andy earned his M.M. in voice/opera from the Yale School of Music and a B.S. in psychology/neuroscience cum laude from Yale College. In 2016, he won second place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council's Northeast Regional Final. As an undergraduate, Andy directed the Yale Whiffenpoofs and served as an assistant conductor to the Yale Glee Club. He was born and raised in Cabin John, MD, just outside of Washington, D.C., and he now celebrates his (half) Japanese heritage living in Japantown, San Francisco. Andy is proud to return to Chanticleer for his fourth season. Andy Berry occupies The Eric Alatorre Chair given by Peggy Skornia.

Zachary Burgess, bass-baritone and Development Assistant, is excited to return for his sixth season with Chanticleer. A native to the Washington D.C. area, Zachary presented solo recitals at the Phillips Collection and Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and has been a featured soloist with the Alexandria Chorale society for multiple performances including Haydn’s The Creation and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem. Zachary has a vast repertoire of opera under his belt, having performed numerous roles throughout his musical career with Opera del West, Eastman Opera Theatre, the CoOPERAtive Program, SongFest, Green Mountain Opera, as well as the Crescendo Summer Institute where his portrayal of Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni was recorded and broadcast on regional Hungarian television. Zachary holds his Bachelor of Music from the Boston Conservatory and his Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music. His simple pleasures in life are video games, happy hours, and Italian greyhounds.

Brian Hiinman has been a part of Chanticleer for nearly sixteen years as both Tenor and Road Manager. In addition to performing on eight studio and twelve live recordings since joining in 2006, Brian has been involved in the production end of Chanticleer Records. He has recorded, edited, and/or mixed a number of Chanticleer’s live recordings and most notably was Co-Producer on Chanticleer’s pop/jazz album Someone New with Leslie Ann Jones and former Chanticleer member Jace Wittig. Brian is also thrilled to have written several pop, gospel, and jazz arrangements for the group in recent years, and he enjoys spending his rare non-Chanticleer hours working as a mixing engineer for other recording artists in the Bay Area. No stranger to committees and conference rooms, Brian has also served as Vice-President of the Board of Governors for the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy, the organization that presents the GRAMMY Awards, and served as the Chair of their Advocacy Committee. Before joining Chanticleer, Brian built a background in theater, studied Vocal Performance at the University of Tennessee and studied jazz and acting in New York City. www.brianhinman.com

Matthew Knickman, baritone, is proud to be in his eleventh season with Chanticleer. Born in Korea, he started singing as a boy soprano at St. Stephen’s Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He holds degrees in vocal performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. As a member of the critically acclaimed Westminster Choir and Westminster Kantorei, he performed with the New York Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, and New Jersey Symphony, and was led by celebrated conductors, including Alan Gilbert, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Harry Bicket, Charles Dutoit, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Richard Hickox, Neeme Järvi, Bernard Labadie, Nicholas McGegan, Julius Rudel, Bruno Weil, Stefan Parkman, Joseph Flummerfelt, and Andrew Megill. He has also performed with Les Violons du Roy et La Chapelle de Québec, Early Music New York, Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, The Clarion Choir, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Theatre of Weston, and Spoleto Festival U.S.A. He has been a soloist in numerous oratorios and Bach cantatas, including the St. John and St. Matthew Passions with early music organizations such as Fuma Sacra, Philadelphia Bach Festival, and Carmel Bach Festival. He has also been a Finalist in the Sixth Biennial Bach Vocal Competition for American Singers. In the Bay Area he has performed as a soloist with Santa Clara Chorale, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, and Symphony Silicon Valley. Matthew also serves on the board of Sing Aphasia, whose mission includes helping people with aphasia and their families build confidence, make connections, and find their voice through song. When not singing, Matthew enjoys strawberry ice cream, is an exercise and nutritional science enthusiast, and revels in eating comfort foods around the world. Buen Camino!

Mathhew Mazzola, tenor, is thrilled to be a part of Chanticleer for his fifth season. Matthew received his Bachelor in Music Education from the University of Houston. During his undergraduate tenure, he sang with the Moores School of Music’s Concert Chorale under the direction of Betsy Cook Weber. He participated with the select group that won first prize ex aequo at the 2013 Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition, and received three gold medals at the 2015 Grand Prix of Nations competition in Magdeburg, Germany. After finishing his degree, Matthew taught elementary music, and sang professionally with Cantare Houston, Houston Bach Society and Houston Chamber Choir. In his free time, Matthew is an avid gamer, foodie and sports fan.

Cortez Mitchell, countertenor, is a native of Detroit, MI. He graduated from Morgan State University with a B.A. in music and a B.S. in mathematics and holds an M.M. in voice from the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music.  As Minnesota Opera's first resident artist countertenor he performed the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and covered Nicklausse in Offenbach's Les Contes d’Hoffman.  With Urban Opera he performed the role of 1st Witch in Purcell’s Dido and Aneas. He has been featured in solo performances of J.S Bach's Cantata #147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben with the Dayton Philharmonic, R. Nathaniels Dett's The Ordering of Moses and Adolphus Hailstork's Done Made My Vow with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Rachmaninov's Vespers in St. Petersburg Russia, and Wynton Marsalis's All Rise with the Lincoln Center Jazz Ensemble. Cortez has received awards from the National Opera Association, The Washington International competition and the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum competition. Mr. Mitchell is in his fifteenth season with Chanticleer.

Gerrod Pagenkopf, countertenor and assistant music director, returns for a seventh season with Chanticleer. A native of Northeast Wisconsin, Gerrod received his Bachelors of music education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and also holds a Masters degree in vocal performance from the University of Houston where he was a graduate fellow under Katherine Ciesinski. A specialist in early music, Gerrod has performed with many early music ensembles throughout Boston and Houston including Ars Lyrica Houston, the Handel and Haydn Society, Blue Heron Renaissance Choir, Exsultemus, and the prestigious Church of the Advent in Boston's Beacon Hill. In his spare time, Gerrod enjoys exploring the San Francisco Bay Area, geeking out over Handel operas, and discovering local coffee shops while on tour. Gerrod holds The Ning G. Mercer Chair for the Preservation of the Chanticleer Legacy.

Kory Reid, countertenor, is excited to begin his tenth season with Chanticleer. Mr. Reid studied Music Education at Pepperdine University and completed a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Southern California. Kory is a sought-after countertenor soloist who has sung for Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale, Los Robles Master Chorale, Catgut Trio, USC Chamber Singers, Pepperdine University Concert Choir and Collegium Musicum, and for many diverse choral recitals and church music programs across the country. Barbershop music is a salient component of his personality; he earned a barbershop chorus gold medal with the Westminster Chorus in the 2010 International Barbershop Chorus Contest, and can often be found singing tags on street corners.  Mr. Reid teaches private voice and stays active as a music educator, clinician, and ensemble coach for all types of vocal ensembles. 

Bradley Sharpe, countertenor, is delighted to be joining Chanticleer for his first season, driven by his deep passion for eclectic musical genres, collaborative projects and travel. As a native of Southern California, he is proud to be employed in his home state. Mr. Sharpe earned an M.M. in Oratorio, Chamber Music and Art Song from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and a B.M. in vocal performance from the California State University, Fullerton School of Music. Several of his most memorable musical experiences took place while he sang internationally with Yale's Schola Cantorum and Voxtet, including performances at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, across India and along the Camino de Santiago. Mr. Sharpe also enjoys working as a church musician, most recently being employed at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. In his free time, Bradley enjoys taking food and wine adventures, camping and spending time with loved ones. 

Logan Shields, countertenor, is elated to begin his sixth season with Chanticleer. A peculiarly proud Michigander, Mr. Shields has studied vocal performance at Western Michigan University and Grand Valley State University. While living in Grand Rapids, he performed with St. Mark's Episcopal, Schola Choir of the Diocese, and OperaGR. Most recently, he worked with an array of singers from many of America's top choirs in the professional ensemble Audivi, based in Ann Arbor, under the direction of Noah Horn. Outside of the classical realm he has been featured in DownBeat Magazine's Student Music Awards, winning "Best Blues/Pop/Rock Group of 2014" for his contributions on the Aaron Garcia Band's album, Glass Girl. Other passions include craft beer, absurdism, freestyle rap, pugs, and spending time with his partner, Gabrielle.

Andy Van Allsburg, tenor, is thrilled to begin his sixth season with Chanticleer. Originally from Holland, Michigan, Andrew received his Bachelors of Music Education from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. During his undergraduate tenure, Andrew performed with the University Chorale directed by Dr. James Bass, and recorded and released an album of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 with the Miami-based professional choir Seraphic Fire directed by Patrick Dupré Quigley. In addition, Andrew conducted the choir of the early music ensemble Collegium Musicum, and won a Downbeat Award with the vocal jazz ensemble, Gold Company, under the direction of the late Dr. Steve Zegree. A versatile performer, Andrew has performed globally for various cruise lines, production companies, contemporary a cappella groups, musicals, and has made TV appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. While living in New York City, Andrew sang with Schola Dominicana at the Church of Saint Catherine of Siena directed by James Wetzel, and was a featured singer in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes, under the musical direction of Kevin Stites. Andrew enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and can throw a mean Frisbee.

Adam Ward, countertenor, is originally from Tecumseh, Oklahoma. At an early age Adam became fascinated with the voice of Patsy Cline. As a child he made a number of television appearances singing Cline’s songs. Mr. Ward began singing countertenor while studying French horn performance at Yale University. There he was also a founding member of the Yale Schola Cantorum under the direction of Simon Carrington. He has since performed as soloist with the International Contemporary Ensemble and was a member of the Choir of St. Mary the Virgin at the famed “Smoky Mary’s” in midtown Manhattan. As a horn player, Adam was a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, winner of the concerto competitions at Yale and Stony Brook Universities, and was a top prizewinner at the Coleman, Fischoff and Yellow Springs national chamber music competitions. As a composer his works have been heard around the world for nearly two decades. He was recently composer-in-residence for the New York City based Choral Chameleon directed by Vince Peterson and the Sacramento based Vox Musica directed by Daniel Paulson. He is also an avid singer-songwriter. Adam holds a B.M. from Manhattan School of Music, M.M. from Yale School of Music and additional years of study at the Hartt School, Royal College of Music (London) and Stony Brook University. Adam is overjoyed to be in his sixteenth season with Chanticleer.

Tim Keeler, Music Director, sang as a countertenor in Chanticleer in the 2017-18 season. In Chanticleer’s history he will be the fourth of its six Music Directors to have been a member of the ensemble. Prior to moving to San Francisco, Tim forged a career as an active conductor, singer, and educator. He performed with New York Polyphony, The Clarion Choir, and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street. He also performed frequently as a soloist, appearing regularly in the Bach Vespers series at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City, as well as with TENET, New York's preeminent early music ensemble. An avid proponent of new and challenging repertoire, Tim remains a core member of Ekmeles, a vocal ensemble based in New York City and dedicated to contemporary, avant-garde, and infrequently-performed vocal repertoire.

While transitioning to his role as music director of Chanticleer, Tim is in the midst of completing his DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Maryland where he studies with Dr. Edward Maclary. As an educator, Tim directed the Men’s Chorus at the University of Maryland, served as director of choirs at the Special Music School High School in Manhattan, and worked closely with the Young People's Chorus of New York City as a vocal coach and satellite school conductor. He was also the choral conductor for Juilliard's new Summer Performing Arts program - a two-week intensive summer course in Geneva, Switzerland.

Tim holds a BA in Music from Princeton University with certificates in Vocal Performance and Computer Science, an MPhil in Music and Science from Cambridge University, and an MM in Choral Conducting from the University of Michigan. While studying with Dr. Jerry Blackstone at the University of Michigan, Tim served as assistant conductor of the Grammy award-winning UMS Choral Union, preparing the choir for performances with Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. His dissertation at Cambridge explored statistical methods used in natural language processing and unsupervised machine learning as applied to musical phrase detection and segmentation.

Philip Wilder, President and General Director, returns to Chanticleer with a career spanning 30 years as an artistic programmer, educator, fundraiser, musician, promoter, and recording and film producer. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Eastman School of Music and the DeVos Institute for Arts Management, Mr. Wilder began his professional career as a countertenor in Chanticleer in 1990. He also served as Chanticleer’s Assistant Music Director and Founding Director of Education. After leaving Chanticleer in 2003, Wilder served as Associate Director of the capital campaign for the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and was awarded a fellowship at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' DeVos Institute for Arts Management. In 2005, Wilder joined 21C Media Group, the New York-based independent public relations, marketing, and consulting firm specializing in classical music and the performing arts. During his tenure at 21C Media Group, Mr. Wilder developed an impressive roster of clients, including Grammy Award-winners Yefim Bronfman, Susan Graham, and Joyce DiDonato; Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steven Stucky; and MacArthur “genius” grant recipient Jeremy Denk. He also advised organizations, including the Dallas Opera, the Grand Teton Music Festival and Google’s YouTube Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, founder Albert Imperato named Wilder vice president of 21C Media Group. Mr. Wilder recently served as executive director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra (NCCO), leading the organization’s strategic planning and day-to-day business. Wilder also worked closely with NCCO’s music directors Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Daniel Hope to guide the orchestra’s ambitious artistic programming, including its acclaimed Featured Composer Program, which commissioned major string orchestra works from some of today’s most prominent composers, including Derek Bermel, William Bolcom, Philip Glass, and Jennifer Higdon.