Artistic Staff & Singers

Dr. Mary Kay Geston

Artistic Managing Director

Dr. Mary Kay Geston has led Great River Chorale since 2010 and has previously taught at UW River Falls, U of M Twin Cities, U of M Morris, Concordia University St. Paul, U of Colorado Boulder, University of Northwestern St. Paul, St. Olaf College, and Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD. She has prepared choirs for the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra, directed all-state and honor choirs across the U.S., and was a guest conductor in Taiwan and South Korea. Choirs under her direction have performed at professional conferences of Chorus America, American Choral Directors Association, MN Music Educators Association, and SDMEA. Mary Kay has sung professionally with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, at Carnegie Hall with Charles Dutoit, and as a soprano soloist with the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra, Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra, and Longmont Symphony (CO). Geston is a past president of ACDA North Central Region and ACDA-MN, past chair of the F. Melius Cristiansen Endowment Fund Committee, and received ACDA-MN’s 2012 Choral Director of the Year award. She has a DMA in choral conducting from CU–Boulder, an MM in choral conducting from U of M–Twin Cities, and a BA in vocal performance from NDSU.

Barbara Brooks

Collaborative Pianist

Vocal coach and pianist Barbara Brooks has worked with opera companies in the USA and Canada and is on staff at the Wesley Balk Opera/Music Theatre Institute. She has been a music director for Theatre de la Jeune Lune and The Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company, and coached opera at universities in Texas, Colorado and Minnesota. Barb studied with Gyorgy Sandor, Martin Isepp, and at England’s Britten-Pears School.

Sponsor a singer

Great River Chorale Roster – Fall 2024

Artistic staff

  • Mary Kay Geston, Artistic Managing DirectorSponsored by Anita & Don Fischer, Donna Harris, Charles & Judith Welter
  • Barbara Brooks, Collaborative Pianist Sponsored by Gary Sneide, Eileen & Tom Farrell
  • Stephanie Otremba, Operations Assistant

Soprano

  • Janet AndersonSponsored by Maureen & Nate Anderson
  • Jessica BasolSponsored by Roberta Basol, Donna Harris
  • Rebecca BotzSponsored by Steven Botz
  • Madeline Briekos
  • Jamie DeeringSponsored by Michelle L'Allier, OSF, Janice Wichman, OSF
  • Maria Erceg
  • Anita FischerSponsored by Gina Bystedt, Don Fischer, Deanne & Patrick Hollermann, Heather Latterell, Kristin Wolf, Mike & Jeanne Woods, Ellen Woods
  • Nina Lasceski, OSBSponsored by Deanne & Patrick Hollermann, Fred & Carolina Shermock
  • Darcy Lease GubrudSponsored by John & Nancy Lease
  • Marit Ortega Sponsored by Janis Hovda, Karen Hartjes-Swiontek
  • Stephanie OtrembaSponsored by the Otremba Family
  • Jennifer Stoutenburg
  • Carol ShowalterSponsored by Brad Petry
  • Amy Walker
  • Aera Wenisch

Alto

  • Natalie CopelandSponsored by Linda Ringsmuth, Patricia Welter
  • Eileen FarrellSponsored by Tom Farrell, Molly Warden, Margaret Wilcox
  • Kate Gardner
  • Donna Harris Sponsored by Roberta Basol, Lorraine Cannon in memory of Delores Weatherill, Marc & Cynthia Cannon, Karen Larken, Mary Munger
  • Chris Ann Johnson
  • Erin Rysavy JurekSponsored by the Rysavy Family
  • Ellen Kain
  • Amanda KoubskySponsored by Bob & Cindy Koubsky
  • Jean KraftSponsored by Mark Larcom
  • Emily Kvidt
  • Gayle LarsonSponsored by Lester & Teresa Johnson
  • Maureen Otremba Sponsored by the Otremba Family
  • Gabby Ouedraogo
  • Kendra Penke
  • Lori Roggenkamp
  • Claire StudtSponsored by the Studt Family
  • Lisa WhiteoakSponsored by Joy Reid

Tenor

  • Lucas Ford
  • Calvin Denson Lehman
  • Jake Lohman
  • Chris Nhotsavang
  • Matthew PalmateerSponsored by Amanda Palmateer
  • Mike Schutt
  • Tim Seeman
  • Aelred Senna, OSB
  • Derik Weldon
  • Riley Wenisch
  • Charles Wright

Bass

  • A. Eric Anderson
  • Wayne AndersonSponsored by Nicole Goenner, Maureen & Nate Anderson
  • Chris Brown
  • Bill Cook
  • Dennis Douma
  • Dirk Edmonds
  • Timothy Ostby
  • Brad PetrySponsored by Carol Showalter
  • Tim RysavySponsored by the Rysavy Family
  • Rick RysavySponsored by the Rysavy Family
  • Gary Sneide Sponsored by Ozzie Mayers in loving memory of Stephen Fuller
  • Chris Stadther
  • Mike Stadther
  • Maxwell SvenssonSponsored by Margaret Svensson
  • Charles WelterSponsored by MOverland Consulting, Beste & Associates Ameriprise Financial
  • Matthew Zook