Table of Contents

Home

Program

Ensembles

Biographies


Start a teleparty NOW!

Guess what? At 7:15pm, the full-length feature and all three of our new music videos will start playing here in the theatre AND on YouTube. Share the love and share the magic by inviting your friends and family to watch with you from home!

Full-length feature (1hr 7m 14s)
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays (3m 1s)
Something To Believe In (4m 27s)
O Holy Night (5m 56s)

Coming soon to worldwide streaming …

Check your Apple Music, Spotify or other streaming service for our three latest singles, O Holy Night, Something To Believe In, and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. Listen to or watch hundreds of music videos, live performances, and singles on the Cantus > Media page.


Behind the scenes …

We shot three music videos in 7 days! Between members, directors, instrumentalists, and crew, over 3,000 man hours were dedicated to these three productions. Take a look at photographer Jen Alvi’s glimpse behind the scenes!

JOIN

We’re back.
Totally and fully.

After three semesters of a modified program (due to the pandemic) Cantus Youth Choirs is proud to present a fully NORMAL semester—though there’s nothing “normal” about what we do in Cantus! Join us for weekly #Cantuesday rehearsals culminating in a LIVE concert at the Brandt Center on Saturday, April 30, 2022.

Biographies

Melissa Heath

Soprano

Melissa Heath enjoys a varied career of opera, concert and recital work. Hailed as a “soaring, sparkling soprano” with “vivacious stage presence,” Ms. Heath has performed the roles of Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women, Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Marianne in Tartuffe, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and First Lady in The Magic Flute.

Ms. Heath has also frequented the concert stage as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Brahms’ German Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Orff’s Carmina Burana and in the Fauré and Rutter Requiems.

In 2003, Ms. Heath was a state finalist and in 2006 was a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions. In 2008, she was the first place winner of her division in the Northern Utah chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition in Salt Lake City.

In 2010, Ms. Heath was the soprano soloist in Ballet West’s (Salt Lake City) production of Carmina Burana, John Rutter’s Mass of the Children with the Salt Lake Choral Artists and in Scarlatti’s Christmas Cantata with the Salt Lake Symphony.

In 2011, Ms. Heath sang the title role in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with the University of Utah’s Lyric Opera Ensemble, and Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto with La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy. She also performed Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock with clarinetist Robert Walzel and pianist Jeffrey Price as part of the Sundays@7 concert series at the University of Utah.

Upcoming performances include Carmina Burana with the Alpine District choir and orchestra in January 2012, Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras with the University of Utah’s Performing Dance Company in March 2012, and the title role in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah with the University of Utah’s Lyric Opera Ensemble in April 2012.

Ms. Heath, whose singing has been described as “gorgeous, wonderfully expressive, lyrical and infused with feeling,” sang for four years with the BYU Singers under the direction of Ronald Staheli, soloing with the ensemble on many occasions.

An accomplished vocal instructor and master-class technician, she has been a guest lecturer for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Temple Square Chorale on several occasions. She has coordinated concerts for the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation and currently coordinates the Virtuoso Series at the University of Utah.

Ms. Heath received her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Brigham Young University, where she studied with Drs. Rebecca Wilberg and Lila Stuart-Bachelder, and her Master of Music degree in voice from the University of Utah, studying with Dr. Robert Breault. She currently coaches with Jeffrey Price and Dr. Paul Dorgan and continues her vocal studies with Dr. Breault.

Patch Crowe

Vocalist

Patch Crowe grew up in Brisbane, Australia, and developed a love for entertaining at a young age. He started his music career putting on Jackson 5 concerts for his stuffed animals. He began entertaining more enthusiastic audiences when he became a member of the Provo-based boy band Beyond 5 in February 2013. His musical influences include Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Sam Smith.

The quintet known as Beyond 5 consisted of Tanner Myler of Eagle, Idaho; TJ Ryan of Salt Lake City, Utah; Ammon Tuimaualuga of Corona, California; Zac Love of San Antonio, Texas, and Patch. The group performed on Season 1 of ABC’s Rising Star and were eliminated in week one.

The boys had a successful international tour in Asia, where they wowed audiences performing 27 awesome shows for tens of thousands of fans in eight countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. They became a huge success performing across the globe, including the United States and Canada. They also released two full-length albums and gave back to their community by delivering anti-bullying messages in more than 50 schools, volunteering at local Food Banks, nursing homes, retirement communities and children’s hospitals. On Saturday, 20 December 2014, the band performed its farewell concert at Murray High School in Salt Lake City, Utah.

On 11 October 2017, he participated in a live Face to Face broadcast for the youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joining him in the broadcast was Nicole Luz, Madilyn Paige, and Lexi Mae Walker.

Patch Crowe graduated from Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs, Utah, in 2013. He participated in many of his school productions. He also enjoys sports, music, reading, and swimming. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in 2015, he served a two-year mission in the Scotland/Ireland Mission. Now that he is home from his mission, he is excited to share his love and testimony in new ways. On 15 July 2017, he married Erin Todd Crowe (Cantus Alumni) for time and eternity in the Payson Utah Temple.

Source: https://www.mormonwiki.com/Patch_Crowe:_Mormon_Singer

David Young

Organist

David Young first discovered the power and beauty of the pipe organ as a teenager. He pursued private organ study during high school in Boise with Patricia Nelson and later continued his studies at the university level.

As a student at Brigham Young University, Mr. Young studied with Dr. Douglas Bush, and later graduated from BYU with a Bachelor’s degree in Organ Performance and Pedagogy in 1997. While an undergraduate student, Mr. Young served as Organ Scholar at the Cathedral of the Madeleine (Roman Catholic) in Salt Lake City, accompanying the choirs and congregation in masses, special feast days, and in concert.

During his university studies, Mr. Young also traveled to Europe where he studied and played over 60 historic pipe organs, in Germany, Holland, England, France and Italy. He later received a university stipend to return to Germany and Holland to study the pipe organs of the Baroque organ builder, Arp Schnitger.

After completing his undergraduate studies, Mr. Young enrolled in law school at the University of Idaho, where he graduated with a law degree in 2001. Simultaneously both an attorney and an organist, Mr. Young has nearly always held an appointment as an organist while also practicing law.

Currently, Mr. Young serves as Principal Organist at Boise First United Methodist Church (the “Cathedral of the Rockies”), a post he has held since 2010. As organist, Mr. Young accompanies the traditional worship services on the Cathedral’s 77-rank Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ–Idaho’s largest–and including accompaniment for the resident choirs.

He is employed as a Deputy Attorney General with the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, and also stays active in the local chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He and his wife, Adria Belnap, live in Boise with their three children.

Krista Carroll

Mrs. Carroll’s passion for music was driven from a young age. She made her first singing debut at the age of 5 as a soloist in front of an audience of hundreds and loved every minute of it. This set the stage …

Brandi Cook

Brandi Cook has a bachelor’s degree in Choral Music Education from Utah State University.  Following college she was hired at Kuna High School, near Boise Idaho, where she built a program and taught for 10 years …

Erika McCauley

Erika McCauley is founder and artistic director of Cantus Youth Choirs, a nonprofit community choir program for Idaho’s Treasure Valley youth. She is a talented individual with an unrivaled passion for working with young people …

Keith McCauley

Keith McCauley earned a BA in Marketing Communications with minors in Music Performance and Japanese from Brigham Young University in 2004. He works with Concordia, VoiceOver, and Fortis, and has been arranging …

Melody Paskett

Melody Paskett earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music, with Choral Education emphasis, and a minor in Japanese from Brigham Young University. Mrs. Paskett has enjoyed performing all of her life, dancing and singing from a young age …

Annie Roberts

Annie Roberts it excited to be a director with Cantus Youth Choirs where she served the first three seasons on the board of directors and helped launch VoiceOver with Keith McCauley. She began singing …

Cara Stewart

Born with a passion for all things music, Cara Stewart has spent her life enthusiastically participating in the performing arts. She began studying piano, dance and voice at a young age and was fortunate to have …

Josh Starita

Josh Starita Associate Director of VoiceOver Josh Starita is currently on sabbatical with Cantus Youth Choirs as he focuses on his primary business ventures and family. Beatboxer, vocalist, and arranger Josh Starita has loved a cappella music and vocal percussion since he was just 10 years old when his family bought a couple of BYU Vocal Point CDs that they listened to while doing Saturday chores. Mr. Starita immediately began…