Soloists for the 2012 Sing-Along Messiah

Alyssa is a proud SRHS alumni, and she has been hoping to sing as a soloist with the Redwood Empire Messiah Sing-a-long since graduating in 1997. After receiving a B.A. in Music from BYU, Alyssa performed in various community and professional theaters in Utah and Northern California, in such roles as "Mabel" in "Pirates of Penzance," "Baker's Wife" in "Into the Woods," and "Shelby" in "Steel Magnolias." Alyssa has a great love for teaching, and has directed children's productions of "Wizard of Oz" and "Mary Poppins." Alyssa has been the Soprano Soloist for the West Jordan Symphony the past two years and is section a leader for the Utah Symphony Chorus. She was recently seen as "Lady Psyche" in the Holladay Art's Council's production of "Princess Ida." She also has performed with the Utah Opera Chorus, and is currently in rehearsal for Utah Opera's upcoming premiere of "Florencia en el Amazonas." Alyssa feels her greatest accomplishment is the rearing of her three children. She sends her love and thanks to her unfailingly supportive parents, her dear husband, and of course, to Mr. Dan Earl.

Mezzo-soprano Kira Bombace

Mrs. Bombace is now in her 8th year as Director of Choral Music at Santa Rosa High School, from which she graduated as a student of Dan Earl’s in 1995. Inspired by her own high school experience, she continued her musical pursuits at Santa Rosa Junior College with Dr. Curtis Sprenger, and then at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ, where she majored in Choral Music Education under the direction of Drs. Edith A. Copley and Alan J. Rieck.

She began her vocal training at age 13 with local voice teacher Janet Bertoli, and continued with Dr. Sprenger at SRJC, culminating with the training as part of her music degree at NAU with Drs. Karen Brookens and Judith Cloud.

Mrs. Bombace lives in Santa Rosa with her husband, 2-year-old son Dominic, the family’s rambunctious Boston Terrier, Norm – and is expecting her second child in April 2013.

Tenor Andrew Wheelwright

Andrew Wheelwright started his musical career at the ripe old age of eight as Winthrop in Music Man. From there he participated in several productions by the Santa Rosa Players including Mame, Scrooge, Half-past Wednesday, Brigadoon, and 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. Andrew actively participated in the music programs at Rincon Valley Junior High (Oliver, Fiddler) and Santa Rosa High School (Men's Chorus, Concert Choir, and Chamber Singers) interspersed with two murder mysteries put on by Deadly Play. His first venture into opera was as Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors under the tutelage of Dan Earl. Andrew went on to study voice at Brigham Young University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in music. While at BYU, Andrew sang with the Concert Choir under Dr. Mack Wilberg and University Singers under Dr. Ronald Staheli. He also sang in the opera Carmen. Since graduating, Andrew has continued to participate in various community choirs including Seattle Pro Musica and the Wasatch Chorale. He also starred in My Father's Field, a musical about the founding of the Bay Area in Oakland. Andrew has a passionate love for music, conducts choirs for his church, teaches, composes, arranges, and orchestrates.

Baritone Harry Baechtel

Interpreting diverse roles from Lorenzo in Federico Chueca’s zarzuela Agua, Azucarillos, y Aguardiente to Lewis in Holst’s The Wandering Scholar, baritone Harry Baechtel also has extensive experience with the oratorio and art song repertory. He has worked with such early music organizations as Boston Baroque, the Oregon Bach Festival, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, and the Oregon Mozart Players among others. Highlights from his time at Boston University’s Opera Institute, include performances of the roles of Malatesta in Don Pasquale and Prince Tarquinius in Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. Mr. Baechtel was a soloist in Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Massenet’s Thais, and sang the role of Bob in The Old Maid and the Thief with The Berkshire Opera Company, repeating the role with Intermezzo Opera and Opera by the Bay. He performed the roles of Schaunard in La Bohème and Morales in Carmen in consecutive seasons with the Eugene Opera. Mr. Baechtel is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Musical Arts at the University of Oregon where he holds a graduate teaching fellowship, and is a student of Milagro Vargas. He gave the last of his doctoral recitals this past March.

Angel Mikayla Brown

Mikayla is a sixth grader and sign language ambassador at Hidden Valley Elementary School. She has been a member of the Santa Rosa Children’s Chorus, under the artistic direction of Carol Menke, since 2008. She has always had a great love for singing and music. She is very thankful to her teachers, family and to Carol Menke for her many opportunities to sing in public, starting with a solo in a school play in first grade. She studies piano and music with her grandmother, Norma Brown.

Angel Ella Hoffman

10 year-old Ella Hoffman has been singing with the Santa Rosa Children’s Chorus for three years total, and has been singing soprano in the concert group for one year. She is in 5th grade and goes to the Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. Her interests are singing, drawing, painting, swimming, and playing the cello.