MUSICIANS

Bret Amundson

Artistic Director and Conductor

Dr. Bret Amundson is the Dean of the School of Arts and Letters at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN where he also directs Bella Voce, a select treble ensemble. In addition to his work at CSS, Bret is the Artistic Director for the Lake Superior Youth Chorus and the Artistic Director of the Twin Ports Choral Project. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education and Vocal Performance from Saint John’s University, MN, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Saint Cloud State University, MN, a Doctorate of Music in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington, and is currently in his final semester in the MBA in Change and Leadership program at The College of St. Scholastica.

Prior to his appointment as Dean, Bret was the Director of Choral Activities and Director of General Education where he led the College’s General Education program, including the first-year program, Dignitas, and directed the College’s auditioned ensembles, Concert Choir and Bella Voce. Under Bret’s direction, The College of St. Scholastica Choirs have performed regionally, nationally, and internationally. In 2014, Bret was awarded the College’s Benedictine Professorship in General Education and in 2015, Bret was named one of Duluth’s 20 Under 40. 

Choirs under Bret’s direction have performed at state and regional conventions. In 2007, the Cathedral High School Concert Choir was invited to perform at the Minnesota Music Educator Association’s Mid-Winter Clinic. That same year, Bret was awarded the American Choral Directors Association of Minnesota’s Outstanding Young Conductor Award. In 2015, Twin Ports Choral Project was invited to perform at the American Choral Directors’ Association State Conference and, in 2016, the North Central American Choral Directors’ Association Regional Conference. In 2017, Bella Voce was invited to perform at the American Choral Directors’ Association of Minnesota’s State Conference and in 2018, the Lake Superior Youth Chorus’ Cantemus was invited to perform at that same conference. 

Bianca Aspin

Alto

Bianca Aspin, who hails from Hermantown, MN, graduated summa cum laude from The College of St. Scholastica with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Psychology. She performs as a soloist in the area, and has most recently appeared in collaboration with the College of St. Scholastica Early Music Ensemble. She is also a choral scholar at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Duluth.  In addition to her work in the musical world, Bianca is an Administrative Specialist for the Center for Equal Access at St. Scholastica, assisting students with disabilities and advocating for accessibility and equity in campus learning and living environments. 

Derek Bromme

Baritone

Derek is a former graduate of UMD and currently works in the music department as an adjunct trombone instructor. He attended Indiana University after leaving Duluth, and obtained his Masters degree in trombone performance, under the instruction of Peter Ellefson. Along with his teaching responsibilities at the University, he also performs often with the DSSO and travels/records as the solo trombonist for Lorie Line.

Lauren Burton

Soprano

Lauren Burton is a reading and math specialist at Two Harbors High School and enjoys singing in a variety of venues including musical theatre, singer-songwriter events, jazz/swing combos, and best of all, extremely fine choral ensembles. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in music therapy from Tennessee Technological University and a Master’s degree in education from Vanderbilt University. A resident of Knife River, Lauren has performed in Duluth with Arrowhead Chorale, Duluth Festival Opera, Lyric Opera of the North, DSSO Chorus, and she most recently played the role of Guido’s Mother in Nine at The Underground Theatre. 

Jennifer Campbell

Soprano, Choir Manager

Jennifer Campbell is a versatile performer, music educator, and arts administrator who is dedicated to promoting vocal music excellence in the Twin Ports. As a performer, Ms. Campbell has appeared with the Duluth Playhouse, Renegade Theater Company, Duluth Festival Opera, Lyric Opera of the North, UMD Opera Theater, and Glensheen Opera. She has been a featured soloist in concert with the University of Minnesota Duluth Symphony Orchestra, the College of St. Scholastica Early Music Ensemble, University of Wisconsin Superior Music Department, and the Itasca Community Chorus. Ms. Campbell has received accolades from the Minnesota State High School League, National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Schubert Club, and the American Choral Directors’ Association of Minnesota. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Luther College and received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is the Director of Music at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth, a founding member of the Twin Ports Choral Project, is active as an adjudicator for the Minnesota State High School League music contests, and maintains a busy private voice studio at her home in Duluth.

Stacy Carolan

Bass

Stacy Carolan has been performing professionally in one capacity or another for over 25 years. An Iowa native, he put his trumpet performance degree on hold in 2000 to sing bass and vocal percussion with Four Shadow, a nationally touring professional contemporary a cappella quartet based out of Minneapolis. During his seven years with the group, they were featured on NBC’s Today show, worked with Disney composer Alan Menken, opened for Rascal Flatts, put on a personal performance for Christopher and Dana Reeve in their home, and recorded five albums, all while performing over 250 shows per year across the country. He eventually retired from the road and received his bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2010 and his master’s degree in trumpet performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, in 2013. After six years performing and teaching throughout the Upstate area, he is overjoyed to be back in the Midwest, where people actually use their turn signals. He and his wife Lauren (in the soprano section) live in Hermantown with their two children, Liam and Amelia.

Patrick Colvin

Tenor

Patrick Colvin is an active performer and educator based in Duluth, MN. He frequently works with area theater companies as music director, pianist, and vocal coach. Recent shows include Next to Normal, Spamalot, Evita, Seussical, Company, Hair, The Sound of Music, The Fantasticks, Cabaret, Parade, Chicago, Spelling Bee and Man of La Mancha. Children's theater: Cats, Grease, West Side Story, Working and Fiddler on the Roof Jr. As an actor: Les Misérables and The Taming of the Shrew. As composer: Humpty Dumpty: The Musical (Rubber Chicken Theater) with collaborator Chani Ninneman. He is a founding member of the Twin Ports Choral Project. 

Elizabeth Daly

Soprano

Elizabeth is a Duluth native and recent graduate of Luther College. She has loved music and singing from a young age, but more recently discovered a true love of choir. At Luther, she sang in Aurora, Cathedral, Collegiate, and Nordic choirs under the direction of Dr. Jennaya Robison and Dr. Andrew Last. She is currently working at the MN Adult & Teen Challenge and as a nanny.

Otis Faris

Bass

Otis Faris has traveled the US and Canada in various a capella groups. He most recently served as bass section leader for the Great Northern Union. Otis has competed in many international quartet contests placing in the top 20 several times.  His wife, Lisa, and children, Jackson and Ellie, love music, cooking, skiing, and soccer. 

Jen Fuchs

Alto

Recent Duluth arrival Jen Fuchs has enjoyed performing as an amateur and professional chorister around the country.  Past ensembles include The Concordia Choir (Moorhead, MN), Master Chorale of Washington (DC), Princeton Pro Musica (NJ), and Grace Episcopal choir (Newark, NJ), as well as church choirs in New Mexico, Virginia, and Ohio.  By day, Jen is a social worker for Duluth Public Schools and enjoys hiking, camping and visiting National Parks with her husband and two daughters.

Samuel Gray

Tenor

Samuel is currently the Vocal Music Teacher at Stella Maris Academy in Duluth, Minnesota, where he teaches General Music and Middle School Choir. In 2015, he completed his Bachelors of Music Education Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Superior where he studied Voic and Organ. In addition, he served as a student conductor, section leader, and as President of the UW-Superior ACDA chapter. Currently, Samuel was recently hired as the Organist at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Superior, Wisconsin. He is also an active recitalist with the Arrowhead AGO chapter. Samuel is also the founder and director of the Superior Lutheran Choir. Previously, he has also served as an intern with the Lake Superior Youth Chorus.

Jack Gunderson

Bass

According to his Mom, Jack Gunderson began singing before he could talk, and he hasn’t stopped yet. His professional career as a singer/bassist/trombonist/actor and arranger has taken him across the US, Canada, the Caribbean, and several foreign countries. He enjoys many styles of music and has performed in a wide variety of venues, groups, clubs, concert halls, and theaters. He has a bachelor’s degree in vocal music education from the University of MN, and sang with Robert Shaw at the Meadowbrook School of Music, where he also studied with John Wustman and Blake Stern. He studied for several years with Barbara Kierig, who urged him to audition for the MN Opera Chorus, and they hired him for seven productions. Wearing a kilt and sword, and singing right next to James Morris in “MacBeth” was a unforgettable experience! He’s done a lot of studio recording, including three of his own albums, several albums with David Haas, radio and television commercials, and many live concert recordings. Jack is a founding musician and performer of Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua and still performs there. He is also an accomplished goldsmith, silversmith, and does fine jewelry repairs. His current, most favorite gig is singing his second season with Twin Ports Choral Project!

Kim Hedegaard

Alto

Kim is super excited to be singing with the TPCP, which she joined in February of 2017. She started singing professionally with the Schola Cantorum in San Francisco in the last part of the the 1990s and has been been blessed to be singing with a variety of choral groups since then. One highlight was singing with The Minnesota Beethoven Festival under the direction of Dale Warland for eight seasons. 

Before moving to Duluth 10 years ago, Kim received her Minnesota K-12 Teaching Licence from BSU in Bemidji, where she taught choir at Voyageurs Expeditionary High School and sang in groups there. She earned her Masters degree in Vocal Music Education at UMD. In Duluth, she has worked as a substitute teacher, organist and choir director, has enjoyed singing with the DSSO Chorus, and has been lovingly involved in her children’s musical lives. She currently serves as the Music Director at Saint John’s Catholic Parish. 

Regan Hjelle

Soprano

Regan Hjelle is currently teaching general music at Lowell Elementary and Laura MacArthur Elementary in Duluth. She completed her Bachelors of Vocal Music Education from the University of Minnesota- Duluth where she sang in University Singers, Chambers Singers, and Opera Studio. While at UMD, she served as President and Vice President of University Singers, performed at State ACDA 2014, and completed part of her student teaching at an international school in Slovenia. She has since performed in Mary Poppins with the Duluth Playhouse, and hopes to continue in being a part of Duluth's vast music scene. This is Regan's third season with Twin Ports.

Rachel Holte-Christenson

Alto

Rachel Holte-Christenson has been singing in the Duluth area her entire life. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 2016 with a Bachelors of Music Education Degree. During college, Rachel enjoyed singing with the UWS Acapella and Chamber choirs as well as being involved with the campus operas. She has also had the great pleasure of singing with the Duluth Superior Symphony Chorus and has been a chorus member in Lyric Opera of the North productions. Rachel currently works as an Elementary Music Educator in Cloquet, MN. When not teaching, she spends her time with friends, family, and her many pets.

Tasha Kapp

Soprano

Tasha Kapp, a native of Two Harbors, MN, received her Bachelor's in Vocal Performance from the University of MN-Duluth in 2008. There, Tasha sang with University Singers, Chamber Singers, and Vocal Jazz.  Tasha attended Tanglewood Institute, was featured on MPR's From the Top, and has sung with the DSSO both as a scholarship section leader and a soloist.  Tasha participated in productions through the UMD Music and Theater Depts., the Sieur De Luth Summer Music Festival, and the Duluth Festival Opera Company.  Currently, Tasha sings with First Covenant and St. Michael’s churches, performs with the band Black Diary, and works as a Mental Health Practitioner for an Intensive Residential Treatment Center in Duluth.  

Sarah Ludwig

Soprano

Dr. Sarah Ludwig is Director of Choral Activities and Vocal Music Education at The College of St. Scholastica. She holds a BA in Vocal Music Education from the University of St. Thomas, a MA in Music Education with a Choral Conducting concentration from the same institution, and a DMA in Choral Conducting from Texas Tech University. 

At St. Scholastica, Dr. Ludwig directs the Concert Choir, Vox Anima, and Cantus Corde. She teaches courses in conducting, music education, freshman first-year Dignitas course, and supervises vocal music education student teachers. In the Duluth community, she is the Assistant Chorusmaster of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra Chorus and is Assistant Artistic Director and Prelude Program Director of the Lake Superior Youth Chorus.

Choirs under her direction have performed nationally at the Organization of American Kodály Educators conference, regionally in Chicago’s symphony hall, and locally at the Minnesota Music Educators Association convention. Ludwig is an active member of ACDA, serving as the ACDA-MN R&R Chair for SSAA choirs and collaboratively with her LSYC colleagues as the Youth Choir Coordinator and R&S Chair for the North Central Division, and is an active clinician throughout the state. She holds memberships in ACDA, NAfME, NCCO, and The VoiceCare Network.

Allen Odean

Bass

Al Odean has been singing in various groups in the Twin Ports for the past three decades including more than fifteen years with the Arrowhead Chorale and three years with the Twin Ports Choral Project. The son of a choral music director, his interest in choral music has always been at the forefront of leisure activities and he enjoys singing with this professional organization. Al and his wife, Marilyn, have two sons. He is currently employed with the City of Duluth as a Geographic Information Systems professional.

Emily Osborne

Alto

Emily Osborne is a medical student at the University of Minnesota Medical School – Duluth Campus. She graduated from Luther College in May of 2018 with an English major as well as biology and chemistry minors. At Luther, Emily sang in Collegiate Chorale, Cathedral Choir, and Aurora Women’s Choir under the direction of Dr. Jennaya Robison and Dr. Andrew Last. Emily also played trumpet in the Luther College Concert Band and in an all-female brass quintet called The Golden Tones. Emily is thrilled to be singing with Twin Ports Choral Project for her first year!  

Daniel Palmquist

Bass

Dan Palmquist received his MD from the University of Minnesota in 1986 and has been active in family medicine in Cloquet MN since 1989. He attended Gustavus Adolphus College and soloed with the concert band on trombone and euphonium. He received his MD degree from the University of MN and did his residency in family practice in Duluth MN. Besides his involvement in TPCP, he plays trombone in the twin ports wind orchestra and dabbles in music composition. He is married to his lovely wife Naomi, and they have three grown children, Leah, Karl, and Claire.

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Bree Rodrigues

Alto

Bree Rodriguez, A native of Duluth, holds a Bachelor's Degree in Choral Music Education from the University of Wisconsin Superior. Bree currently teaches 7th and 8th-grade choir and 6th-grade general music at Hermantown Middle School where she has worked since 2008. She has been fortunate to have performed, musical directed, and choreographed numerous productions throughout the Duluth/Superior area.

Patrick Sheedy

Tenor

Patrick Sheedy is an IT Professional for Minnesota Power and a Duluth native. He graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from UMN. Pat has consistently been involved in choral ensembles, spanning the Duluth Marshall choral program, the UMN University SIngers, the Oratorio Society, and now TPCP. Through this experience, he has picked up the niche skill of having near-perfect diction in a variety of languages he can't speak at all.

Adam Sippola

Tenor

Adam Sippola is a singer, actor, director, and musician in Duluth, MN. Musical theater roles in the region include Jean Valjean in Lés Misérables at the DECC Symphony Hall, Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Guido in Nine, Bobby in Company, Jamie in The Last Five Years, Roger in Rent, and Leo Frank in Parade. He also performed as the Phantom and others in The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, at the Norshore Theatre. Directing credits include Nine and The Last Five Years at The Underground. Music/Vocal Direction credits include Spring Awakening, Company, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson with Renegade Theater Company. In 2015, Adam released his album, Rising Point, available at adamsippola.com. He organized Zenith City Cabaret from 2015-2018. In 2017, he and soprano Ali Littrell Finstrom developed A Broadway Love Story, performing the show regionally, accompanied by pianist David Packa. In 2018, he premiered a song cycle for tenor voice by composer Wendy Durrwachter, featuring the poetry of W.B. Yeats. Adam is honored to make music with Twin Ports Choral Project.

Emily Valine

Accompanist

Emily Valine is the Staff Accompanist and Music Department Administrative Assistant at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN, where she collaborates with the CSS Choral Ensembles, accompanies vocal and instrumental music majors, and manages the Music Library. Emily also accompanies the Twin Ports Choral Project and the Lake Superior Youth Chorus (Cantemus). She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music (Piano Performance and Pedagogy) from The College of St. Scholastica. As a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, she maintains a private piano studio in Duluth and is active in Minnesota Music Teachers Association, serving as a site administrator for MMTA piano and theory exams and as president of the local Arrowhead Music Teachers Association. Emily received the Advocate for Choral Excellence Award from the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) of Minnesota in 2015, and she is blessed to be surrounded by beautiful choral music nearly every day.

Gudrun Witrak

Alto

Gudrun Witrak has been singing in choirs since she was in her mother's womb.  A native of Cottonwood, Minnesota, she graduated from St. Olaf and sang in the Ole Choir.  Since then she has sung in chorales in Minneapolis, Rochester, and Duluth, notably, the Arrowhead Chorale, the DSSO Chorale, DSSO opera choruses, and Loon Opera.  A retired hospital chaplain, she is a proud founding member of the TPCP.