The Emmanuel Choir

The Emmanuel Choir sings for all major liturgies of Emmanuel Church and is Maryland’s premier liturgical choral ensemble.

Listen to the choir

Soprano

Baltimore based soprano Caitlin Glastonbury is an active solo performer, ensemble collaborator, and arts administrator. Their mission is to create open pockets of community by sharing human experiences through vocal and chamber music and broader performance artistry. 

Caitlin is passionate about performing contemporary music, frequently collaborating with composers to commission, workshop, and premier new works. Last season, they appeared as a soloist in David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion, Missy Mazzoli’s Vespers for a New Dark Age with Mind on Fire, and Steve Reich’s Drumming with the Peabody Percussion Group and Sandbox Percussion. They were honored to join the choir for Tamar-kali’s Freedom is a Constant Struggle as part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City series in 2023. 

Beyond performance, Caitlin is passionate about increasing access and equity in the arts through work in administration and management. They currently hold positions as the Aspen Opera Theatre and VocalARTS Scheduler for the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Community Engagement Intern for the Peabody Institute's LAUNCHPad office, and the Peabody Institute's Vocal Ensemble Intern. Caitlin serves as the Ensemble Manager and soprano of a new vocal ensemble, Center Street Quartet. Caitlin is currently attending the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in pursuit of a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy, studying with Tony Arnold. 

Choral Scholar Lauren Kim, a creative vocalist and collaborative musician, finds inspiration in music’s ability to be a vessel for human expression. An enthusiast of all classical genres, Lauren has performed in numerous productions, including Così fan tutte (Dorabella, 2022), The Merry Widow (Valencienne, 2020), Die Fledermaus (featured soloist, 2019), and Le Nozze di Figaro (children’s choir, 2015). Her performances also include vocal and piano recitals at Steinway Hall and the Riverside Church in Manhattan, along with a virtual recital in collaboration with The Juilliard School & Nord Anglia.

A devotee of the choral arts, Lauren works closely with her colleagues in Baltimore to bring choral repertoire of all genres to life. She co-founded Florence, a women’s chamber ensemble seeking to bridge gaps and unite audiences through the transformative power of music. Additionally, she serves as the assistant conductor of the New Choir of Mt. Vernon, a volunteer ensemble focused on new, secular choral works, and dedicated to the enrichment of its local community.

Currently pursuing her Bachelor's in Vocal Performance at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, Lauren aspires to work as a conductor specializing in vocal ensembles. She has is studying/has studied under instructors Tony Arnold, Elizabeth Farnum, and Young Park.

Soprano Kayleigh Sprouse (she/her) finds artistic expression and liberty in both solo and ensemble performance. She received her Bachelor of Music at Christopher Newport University under Dr. Rachel Holland. During her studies, she performed Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, was a featured soloist in Bach’s Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir under the direction of Dr. John Irving, and won the CNU Aria/Concerto Competition with Handel’s Piangero, la sorte mia. She also performed at the historic Bruton Parish Episcopal Church under the direction of Rebecca Davy as a featured soloist in Charpentier’s Magnificat in G and Purcell’s O sing unto the Lord a new song. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at Peabody Conservatory under Ah Young Hong. Kayleigh actively performs with Peabody’s NEXT Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Beth Willer, where she has been a featured soloist for Saariaho’s Nuits, adieux, Ives’ Psalm 90, and has performed in various chamber ensemble groups.

Kayleigh is also an active teacher and pedagogue, currently teaching with the intent to provide each student with the skills they need to approach each song from an artistic and creative perspective. As a recent recipient of Peabody’s Launch Grant, Kayleigh aims to incorporate her pedagogical research into the voice studio and beyond.

kayleighsprouse.com

Nicole Stover is a vibrant soprano with a passion for collaborative storytelling, holding performance degrees from both Peabody Conservatory (MM) and the University of North Texas (BM). She loves to sing as part of a group and always finds the most rewarding part of a performance to be in discovering the community that makes it possible. Her favorite performances include Miss Jessel from Britten’s The Turn of the Screw with Peabody Opera and Nella in Varna International’s production of Gianni Schicchi. Nicole has also been featured as a soloist in oratorio works including Bernstein’s MASS!, Fauré’s Requiem, Bach’s B minor Mass, and Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard.

Nicole regularly sings dynamic programs with Emmanuel Choir in Baltimore and often finds herself in concert with colleagues in the DMV area. Her recent highlights include Meg Huskin’s Etiquette for Ladies with Tell Tale Opera, a lovely evensong with the early music group, Basso Celestia, and inaugural concerts with The Cecilia Collective and Pitch Craft Collective. Nicole teaches voice and piano lessons in the DC metro area and loves working with new voices of all ages. When she isn’t performing or teaching lessons, Nicole is usually found digging through art song texts or her home garden for inspiration.

Alto

Countertenor and Choral Scholar Lucas Arzayus has a deep love of music and performance. As a soloist, Lucas has featured in works such as Mozart's Missa Brevis, Hasse's Miserere in C Minor, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Mass, and Bach's Mass in B Minor. On the operatic stage, his roles include performances in Amahl and the Night Visitors (Amahl), Flight (Refugee), and La clemenza di Tito (Sextus).

In addition to his vocal achievements, Lucas has demonstrated strong leadership in music performance and education. He currently serves as a Choral Scholar with the Maryland State Boychoir, has interned as a student conductor at Perry Hall High School, and works as a section leader for both Bach in Baltimore and the Towson University Chorale. Beyond his vocal work, Lucas is also an accomplished instrumentalist, pursuing an oboe minor and serving as a principal player in Towson University's Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra.

Scottish-American soprano Claire Galloway’s theatricality covers the gamut of “palpable pain” and “splendid, funny moments” (B.I.T.R.). This season she is a featured artist with Baltimore Musicales, Emmanuel Episcopal's Tuesdays at Six, and Wilmington Concert Opera. She will record a debut album featuring the art songs of composer Erik Franklin, including the premier of a song cycle featuring women of Norse mythology, Mothers of Ragnarok. 

A Fellow from 2022–2024 at the Nordic Song Festival in Trollhättan, Sweden, 2022 Brown Loranger Fellow at Songfest, and 2021 Fellow at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, as well as a winner of the NYC SongSlam, Ms. Galloway is known for her innovative recital programing with a special interest in French and Nordic repertoire as well as commissioning new works for voice and chamber ensemble. Her Grieg & Nordic Fairytales virtual recital was be presented by Wilmington Concert Opera in January 2024.

In recent seasons she has been featured by Market Square Concert Series, Baltimore Musicales, Bach in Baltimore, Andersen’s Nightingale, and Mid-Atlantic Symphony. Having performed with Opera Henriette, Lidal North in Oslo, Saltworks Opera, Baltimore Concert Opera, Savannah Opera, Bel Cantanti Opera, and Stillpointe Theatre, she has presented operatic roles by Mozart, Poulenc, Massenet, Purcell, and Bernstein, as well as premiered roles in works by Arnold Saltzman, Steven Crino, Jonathan Dove, and Frances Pollock. She is currently based in Baltimore, Maryland USA where she is a professor of diction and repertoire courses at the Peabody Conservatory. For the 2023–2025 years she will be Artist in Residence in Music at Bard College teaching voice and coaching the opera workshop production.

Sonya Knussen is a music educator, singer, and artistic director based in Baltimore, Maryland. Her teaching career spans both the UK and US, where she has taught classroom music, led choral programs, outreach initiatives, and currently teaches an online voice studio. As Founder and Artistic Director of Go Compose North America, she offers online and in-person workshops that nurture creativity and empower composers of all levels and abilities to compose in a way that works for them. A passionate advocate for new music, Sonya connects composers, performers, and learners to foster inclusivity in the arts. She launches the first season of Pitch Craft Collective in 2024-25, curating innovative music programs performed by Baltimore’s most versatile musicians. Sonya is delighted to be part of the Emmanuel community, where she enjoys contributing to the choir’s vibrant music-making as an alto in the professional core.

For more information about Sonya, her range of work, and her musical family, visit www.sonyaknussen.com.

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Mezzo-Soprano Kaylee Parker is an avid choir member and teacher based in Baltimore, MD. Kaylee earned her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from California State University, Long Beach at the Bob Cole Conservatory of music where she studied voice with the late tenor Timothy MacDougall. Performances include the American premiere of Phillip Glass’s The Perfect American with Long Beach Opera, Dinah in Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, Old Lady in Bernstein’s Candide, as well as several performances with the CSULB Video Game Orchestra. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Dakota. While at UND, she performed with UND Choral and Opera programs, sang with the Grand Forks Master Chorale, music directed Godspell! and Little Women at a local high school, and maintained a private piano and voice studio.

Kaylee taught elementary and middle school music for five years. She has spent five summers with the Des Moines Choral Festival singing a variety of choral music with graduate conductors. She enjoys traveling to new places with her husband, Dillon, a needlepoint hobby, and spending time with their tuxedo cat, Cleocatra.

Tenor

Cameron Falby (tenor) is an artist and vocalist based in Baltimore. Raised by two choir directors in central Maryland, they went on to study at Manhattan School of Music and then the Peabody Conservatory, where they received a BM in Composition. 

They work as a freelance choral singer and vocalist in the greater Baltimore area, performing everything from sacred music to new music to folk and indie. They regularly appear with local ensembles including Mind on Fire, Chantry, the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble, and as a Vocal Fellow with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society. As a self-taught visual artist, they work in the mediums of photography, performance, film, and digital media – making art that plays with gender, shapeshifting, fantasy, and pop aesthetics. Former teachers include Michael Hersch, Felipe Lara, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, and Marian Hahn.

Andrew Hann (he/him) is a piano and voice teacher, singer, pianist, and yoga practitioner based in unceded Piscataway land colonized as Baltimore, Maryland. He specializes in creating brave spaces for students to develop and explore what interests them. In addition to offering singing and piano lessons, he offers gendered speech work to help individuals discover their authentic voice which aligns with their identity. As a performer, Andrew has demonstrated his versatility by appearing on stage as a vocalist, harpsichordist, and pianist. He holds Masters of Music degrees in both Early Music Voice and Harpsichord Performance (2015) from Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and a BM in Voice Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory. Favorite roles include Arnalta in L'incoronazione di Poppea, Orphée in La descente d'Orphée aux enfers, Pane in La Calisto, and Jimmy Smith in the premiere of Frances Pollock's social justice opera Stinny. 

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Will Myers is a singer and choral conductor based in Baltimore. In all his music making, he explores the potential of music as a recreative process that draws people together and inspires deeper thoughts and feelings. 

Will approaches conducting as a dynamic leader, educator, and technician, and he seeks to drive people around him to be their best, musically and beyond. Since 2017, he has assistant-conducted a range of community, academic, and church choirs and served as interim director for the University of Chicago Glee Club. In 2022, he co-founded the Choral Collective at McGill, a cohort of musicians building their various ensemble techniques through peer-to-peer learning and workshops. In Baltimore, Will is a co-founder and artistic director of New Choir of Mt. Vernon, a volunteer choir centered on new, secular choral music and dedicated to the enrichment of its local community. New Choir has presented three concerts since June 2024 and continues to expand its presence and reputation for creating beauty in the music it performs and the connections in builds. He is also an associate conductor for Bach in Baltimore, and delights in helping another group of volunteer singers connect through excellent historical music.

Will’s conducting is guided and enriched by singing in choirs at a wide range of levels. He has appeared in concert with professional ensembles including Chicago’s Grant Park Chorus and Constellation Men’s Ensemble, sung on CDs with the Choir of the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul and New Muses Project, and soloed in concert with the Emmanuel Choir and the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers. Just as meaningful to him have been his experiences with amateur choirs, notably the Peabody Hopkins Conservatory Choir (PHCC), the University of Chicago Glee Club, Chicago Chorale, and Montréal’s Les Voix Férrées, each of which inspired deep joy and commitment to a community in and around the choir. Will is pleased to be a part of the Emmanuel Choir where he also occasionally conducts and provided assistant direction for the choir’s November 2024 concert of the All Night Vigil by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Will holds degrees from the University of Chicago and McGill University. A member of the inaugural class of graduate choral conductors at Peabody Institute, he will also earn a graduate performance diploma in 2026 under Beth Willer and serves as a graduate assistant for PHCC and Peabody’s NEXT Ensemble. He reads and writes poetry, is a dedicated member of his local running club, and a public transit enthusiast. Outside of choir rehearsal, he is typically found in the homey and understatedly beautiful walking radius of his home in Mt. Vernon.

Bass

Bass-baritone T.J. Callahan (he/him/his) is inspired by the collaborative power of the voice and specializes in creating compelling performances of ensemble music from all eras. Currently based in Baltimore, Maryland, he has recently been active both in England and the United States. While in England he was actively engaged as an ensemble singer, appearing with the Lacock Scholars in the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music, and in the UK premiere of the original 1737 version of Rameau’s Castor et Pollux at both the Sheldonian Theatre. An early music specialist, his recent roles include Bombarda in Scarlatti’s Il Trionfo dell’Onore (Amherst Early Music Festival) and Adonis in Blow’s Venus and Adonis (Peabody Opera Theatre). In 2024, he was selected for fellowships with the Charlotte Bach Festival and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival at Yale University. His interest in innovative presentations of early music has led him to performances with Ignota Medieval Music and Cerberus.

Equally comfortable in liturgical and concert settings, T.J. is proud to be entering a third year in the professional core of the Emmanuel choir. He also serves as a substitute in the Washington National Cathedral Choir. Previously, he served as a Deputy Vicar Choral in the York Minster Choir and for five years he was a soloist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Seattle. He has performed with members of the Tallis Scholars and appeared in Seattle and Portland with the Byrd Ensemble and Sound City Singers, performing repertoire ranging from Renaissance masses to commissioned arrangements of popular music. In 2019, he helped found Radiance, a professional ensemble specializing in early and contemporary American repertoire, alongside Artistic Director Markdavin Obenza. He sang alongside Radiance on the Library of Congress’s Homegrown Concert Series performing Shaker music in 2020.

T.J. is lucky to enjoy frequent engagements as a studio artist with vocal ensembles. He can be heard on the world premiere recording of Nico Muhly’s Small Raine with the Tudor Choir, and has done studio work for Vox16, the Byrd Ensemble, and electronic music duo ODESZA.

In addition to his performing career, T.J. is passionate about arts access and worked for Seattle Opera for four years, supporting community engagement projects including school touring operas, youth programs, and collaborative partnerships. He also wrote and edited enrichment content for mainstage performances including Charlie Parker’s Yardbird. He holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and completed his Master’s in Solo Voice Ensemble singing with distinction in 2022, studying under Robert Hollingworth at the University of York. He completed his Master’s in Historical Performance Voice at Peabody Conservatory in 2024, where he featured regularly as a soloist and chamber vocal performer in NEXT Ensemble and the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble.

“Exciting is an apt description of this talented vocalist. Michael Manganiello… shook the floor with their powerful low notes.” Praised for their enviable resonance, crystalline diction, and stylistic prowess, vocalist Michael Manganiello is an “unstoppable creative force” who focuses their work on breaking down and analysing established preconceptions of identity and artistic expression. “They may be placed in the baritone bin, but they’re far more. That’s the issue with fachs–Michael defies them.” (OperaWire, 2023)

In an era when classical music’s institutions are slowly reconciling with the multiplicity of identities that have always hovered at their margins, Michael Manganiello emerges as both emissary and insurgent—a singer whose work unsettles the binaries, not just of gender, but of genre, tone, and tradition itself. Based in Baltimore, Manganiello moves through the vocal arts with a kind of quiet force, not so much demanding space as remaking it.

Their voice—a burnished bass-baritone with a glinting edge—carries the weight of centuries, yet resists confinement. Trained at the Peabody Institute, where they are now completing their doctoral studies and shaping minds as an educator, Manganiello speaks the language of bel canto as fluently as that of the contemporary cabaret. But they are not interested in mere technical facility. Their art insists on a kind of emotional and philosophical clarity: diction as defiance, phrasing as revelation.A non-binary artist in a tradition that often confuses conformity with excellence, Manganiello crafts programmes that function as both recital and resistance. Their collaborations—especially with pianist Stephanie Baird—interweave lieder and popular song, sacred chant and personal testimony. The effect is not one of juxtaposition but integration: Ralph Vaughan Williams beside Vienna Teng, Hildegard von Bingen beside Tori Amos. In one remarkable recital, they wove BWV 82 and Poulenc’s Chansons Gailliardes among medieval chants, creating a tapestry where sacred and secular voices converse across centuries. In another, they followed Barber's Must the winter come so soon? with Regina Spektor's searching I want to sing—the shift feeling less like rupture than recursion—the same yearning, differently expressed.

There is something inherently radical about their calm. In a field still negotiating how to move beyond gendered casting and costume, Manganiello simply sings—anchored in a body that is their own, unflinching in its resonance, challenging assumptions not through confrontation but through the quiet authority of authentic performance. Their teaching, too, bears the mark of this ethos. At Peabody, they are a vital mentor to students finding their vocal identity and artistic self-definition alike, guiding them not toward the “correct” sound, but toward the true one. This approach extends to their work with Peabody's LAUNCHPad, where, as Breakthrough Curriculum faculty and Career Coach, they help emerging artists navigate the complex intersection of artistic integrity and professional development.

On stage and in the studio, Manganiello most vibrantly reveals what classical music might become—not by abandoning tradition, but by inhabiting it differently. Their voice does not erase the canon; it queers it, queers it with purpose, queers it with love.

In another time, their path might have been obscured or denied entirely. In this one, they sing it forward.

Employing “impressive singing … well-supported tone and supple phrasing,” (Baltimore Sun) baritone Robin McGinness connects characters to ideas, and listeners to sounds.

As a baritone soloist, Robin has performed in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. Other notable performances include Carmina Burana with Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Duruflé Requiem with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, and Brahms Requiem with The Washington Chorus, a performance praised by the Washington Post for its “warm baritone.”

Robin holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Peabody Institute, and currently teaches courses on grant writing and career skills at Peabody. Previously, McGinness has been a resident artist at Opera Theater St. Louis, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Teatro Nuovo, and Bel Canto at Caramoor and was the Baritone Studio Artist in the Arizona Opera Marion Roose Pullin Opera Studio. An award-winning performer, Robin placed first in the Sylvia Greene Vocal Competition, second in the Piccola Opera Competition, and received the Patricia A. Edwards Award in the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition.

www.Rob-McGinness.com