Dr. Mary Kay Geston
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
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.
Great River Chorale Roster – Fall 2024
Artistic staff
- Mary Kay Geston, conductor Sponsored by Gary Sneide, Charles & Judith Welter
- Barbara Brooks, pianist Sponsored by Doug & Mary Kay Geston
Soprano
- Jessica Basol
- Rebecca BotzSponsored by Steven Botz
- Madeline Briekos
- Jamie DeeringSponsored by S. Michelle L'Allier, OSF & S. Janice Wiechman, OSF
- Hayley Elvendahl-Rumley
- Anita FischerSponsored by Gina Bystedt, Don Fischer, Kristin Wolf, Mike & Jean Woods
- Nina Lasceski, OSBSponsored by Fred & Carolina Shermock
- Darcy Lease GubrudSponsored by John & Nancy Lease
- Marit Ortega
- Stephanie OtrembaSponsored by Rachel Otremba
- Lori Satterness
- Jennifer Stoutenberg
- Carol ShowalterSponsored by Brad Petry
- Amy Walker
- Aera WenischSponsored by Maureen & Jerry McCarter
Alto
- Natalie CopelandSponsored by Claude Copeland, Linda Ringsmuth
- Eileen FarrellSponsored by Tom Farrell, Barb North, Annamarie Rametta
- Lisa FinkenSponsored by Joy Reid, Brooke Hullander
- Kate Gardner
- Donna Harris Sponsored by Roberta Basol, Lorraine Cannon, Mary Munger
- Chris Ann Johnson Sponsored by Virginia Shimota
- 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 Jim Otremba
- Gabby Ouedraogo
- Kendra Penke
- Lori Roggenkamp
- Claire StudtSponsored by Larry Studt
- Amber WrightSponsored by Judith Fischer
Tenor
- Lucas Ford
- Calvin Denson Lehman
- Jake Lohman
- Chris Nhotsavang
- Matt Palmateer
- Tim Seeman
- Aelred Senna, OSBSponsored by Give Us This Day
- Derik Weldon
- Riley Wenisch
- Chuck Wright
Bass
- A. Eric AndersonSponsored by Marti Carlson
- Wayne Anderson
- Bill Cook
- Dennis Douma
- Dirk Edmonds
- Seth Miller
- Timothy OstbySponsored by Jay D. Carlson & Mary A. Moran
- Tim RysavySponsored by the Rysavy Family
- Rick RysavySponsored by the Rysavy Family
- Gary Sneide Sponsored by Ozzie Mayers in memory of Stephen Fuller
- Chris StadtherSponsored by Kathleen Stadther
- Mike StadtherSponsored by Kathleen Stadther
- Maxwell Svensson
- Charles WelterSponsored by Charlotte Mae Swalley, MOverland Consulting, Beste & Associates Ameriprise Financial
- Matthew Zook