Cantus Youth Choirs is proud to present The College of Idaho Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Brent Wells, and Borah High School’s Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Heather Ray.
Dr. Brent Wells joined the faculty at the College of Idaho in 2011. Prior to his appointment, he worked in secondary education, directing choral programs at the middle school and high school levels in both public and private institutions.
He received his DMA in choral conducting at Michigan State University, where he studied conducting and choral methods with David Rayl, Sandra Snow, and Jonathan Reed. His BM in music education and MM in choral conducting were earned at Brigham Young University where he studied with Ronald Staheli, Mack Wilberg, and Rosalind Hall.
His publications include a series of articles appearing in the Choral Journal, discussing the folk-based compositions and collecting methodology of Percy Grainger. In addition, he served as guest editor for a Choral Journal focus issue, dedicated entirely to Grainger’s choral works. Wells also co-authored the book: Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire, Volume II: German Texts—IPA Pronunciation Guide, published by earthsongs.
As a bass vocalist, Dr. Wells has frequently performed as a featured soloist and has enjoyed membership in many acclaimed choral ensembles. He has sung professionally with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Tennessee Chamber Chorus, Redlands Choral Artists, and Mount Marty Choral Scholars. He also performed the Berlioz Grande Messe des morts, Op. 5 with the Carnegie Hall Festival Chorus under the direction of Robert Spano.
The College of Idaho Chamber Singers is a select vocal ensemble that performs choral literature ranging from the Medieval through the 21st century. In keeping with C of I’s liberal arts mission, singers in the ensemble are made up of music majors, minors, as well as those drawn from disciplines across the campus. The Chamber Singers have performed in many top venues across the United States, including Carnegie Hall, and have toured regionally and internationally. The Chamber Singers are frequent collaborators with the Boise Philharmonic, joining them for performances of the Brahms Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and Verdi’s Requiem. Recent honors include winning the Michael J. Trotta Commission contest, and garnering an invitation to perform at the Idaho American Choral Director’s Association State Convention.
Heather Ray has been teaching choral music in the Boise School District since 2002. She spent her first two years at East Junior High and Hillside Junior High in Boise, ID. Her next four years were spent only at East Junior High where she directed four choral ensembles. Under her direction, the choral program at East received awards and honors for excellence at local and regional choral festivals, including an invitation to perform at the 2007 Idaho American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Fall Retreat with guest clinician Andre Thomas and at the 2008 Northwestern ACDA Convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Currently, Mrs. Ray is the choral music educator and music department chair at Borah High School (her alma mater—class of ‘98), also in the Boise School District, where she directs five choral ensembles and one instrumental jazz combo. Under her direction the Borah Choirs have received superior ratings at festivals for the past five years.
Mrs. Ray received her Bachelor of Music Degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN in 2002 where she studied and sang in the Concordia Choir under the direction of world-renowned composer, conductor and clinician, Rene Clausen.
An active member of ACDA and the National Association for Music Education (NAFME) since 1999, she served as the Concordia Student Chapter secretary and president of ACDA during her undergraduate years, and served as the Boy’s Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair for the ACDA Idaho Chapter. She was previously appointed the Women’s Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair for the Nothwestern Chapter, and is currently serving as the Idaho Repertoire and Standards Chair for Men’s Choirs.