The Douglas Frank Chorale

Performing Artists

The Chorale's founder and director, Douglas Frank, attended Oberlin College and was trained as a vocalist and conductor at the Oberlin Conservatory. He has performed frequently as an ensemble singer, tenor soloist, and guest conductor following a 10-year professional childhood acting and singing career. In forming the Chorale, he turned his attention from a highly successful business in marketing and advertising to pursue the art form he loves, and to help revitalize the vocal arts audience. (Read an interview with Douglas Frank.)

Douglas Warner Frank

Known for his creativity, integrity, and moving artistry, Douglas Frank began performing professionally at age five. Educational recordings with Rosemary Rice for Allyn and Bacon were followed by six commercial children's albums, a leading role in the award-winning film "A Very Special Day" directed by Richard Beymer, plus dozens of on-camera and voiceover industrials. Millions remember his original solo jingle, "What kind of kids eat Armour hot dogs?" voted by Ad Age as sixth best of all time.

His passion for ensemble singing was ignited by his great teacher and friend, Harold Aks, while attending the Dalton School in New York City. He has enjoyed performing as a tenor soloist for the Dalton School to the Oberlin College Choir to the Dessoff Choirs as well as a guest conductor for the Dalton Chorale. He studied conducting with Harold Aks, Daniel Moe, Robert Shaw and William Weinert, and is an active member of the ACDA. He founded and directed the Oberlin Madrigal Singers while a student there, and today combines a uniquely heartfelt exuberance with the highest artistic standards for the Chorale. He adores and admires his wonderful children, Griffin and Caroline.

Thom Baker (tenor) "Especially pleasing" was the first accolade that the New York Times used to describe the singing of tenor Thom Baker. Known best for his performance in period practice, Mr. Baker excels in the music of the Baroque and Classical eras. Monteverdi and Bach have been his home territory, while Mozart and other operas of that era are a growing part of his repertoire. Mr. Baker is well known as an interpreter of the Evangelist roles in Passion settings, having sung that part in Bach's "St. John Passion" since age 23, and subsequently in settings by seven other composers.

An original member of the Douglas Frank Chorale, Thom Baker has enjoyed associations with many of New York's finest musical organizations, including AmorArtis, Voices of Ascension, Ensemble for Early Music, and the Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble Pomerium. The tenor recently made his debut with NYS Baroque in Ithaca, and is continuing to expand his audience in Central New York.

Grace Check (mezzo-soprano) is an original member of the Douglas Frank Chorale and has appeared with many leading vocal ensembles and orchestras, including the New York Choral Artists, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra and the Charis Vocal Ensemble.

Grace Check

Grace also performs as an ensemble singer and soloist with the choirs of the Church of the Resurrection, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, St. Bartholomew's Church and others. She continues her vocal studies with Drew Minter, and coaching with Grant Henreid and Paul Shipper. Grace is a certified teacher of the Alexander technique.

Nina DeBow (soprano) moved to New York City seven years ago after receiving her Bachelor of Music from DePauw University in Indiana. Since arriving, she has sung with many of New York's finest vocal ensembles, including performances in Carnegie Hall, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Weill Recital Hall.

Nina DeBow

A multidimensional performer in dance, music and opera, roles include Amor in "The Coronation of Pompea," Susanna in "The Marriage of Figaro," and First Lady and Papagena in "The Magic Flute." Nina is a member of Polyhymnia, which performs Renaissance and Baroque music at St. John's in the Village. She also has appeared as a soloist and ensemble singer under the direction of David Hurd at Holy Apostles Episcopal Church in Chelsea.

Megan Friar (mezzo-soprano) is familiar to audiences as a soloist in opera, oratorio and musical theater. She has performed with the national tour of "The Phantom of the Opera" and has appeared with Sarasota Opera, Connecticut Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP), Virginia Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, American Opera Projects and Dicapo Opera. Recent highlights include her New York City Center debut with NYGASP performing the role of Ruth in "The Pirates of Penzance," as well as the role of Verena in Stephen Paulus' opera, "Summer," at the Center for Contemporary Opera in New York City.

Megan Friar

As a concert soloist, Ms. Friar has performed with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and Musica Sacra at Carnegie Hall, as well as being a soloist for the Mozart "Requiem" at Alice Tully Hall. She is a soloist with many New York City ensembles, including AmorArtis, Virgin Consort, Vox Vocal Ensemble, New York Virtuoso Singers and Musica Sacra. Other concert appearances have been with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Cape May Festival Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Eastern Connecticut Symphony, Fairfield County Chorale and the Fairfield Orchestra. She also has performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Sioux City Symphony.

Ms. Friar has been a featured soloist on many recordings, including Stravinsky's "Russian Peasant Songs" with Robert Craft; and has appeared on the "Garrison Keillor Radio Show," "The David Letterman Show," and "The Guiding Light." She performs in concert with her husband, jazz pianist Ron Drotos, singing classic songs of the American musical theater and recently released a CD with him entitled "Songs From The Heart." Ms. Friar is on the faculty of the Fairbanks (Alaska) Summer Arts Festival, performing and teaching classes in musical theater and vocal technique. She and her husband Ron Drotos adore their young sons, John and Daniel.

Steve Friedman (baritone), a lifelong resident of New York City, juggles multiple careers in music, communications, technology and parenting. As a professional ensemble singer, Steve performs with the St. Michael's Choir, Angelus (a six-voice male ensemble), the choir of Park Avenue Synagogue, and with the 92nd Street Y High Holidays Choir. An original member of the Douglas Frank Chorale, he has been an assistant conductor and has sung with the Dessoff Choirs, Cantabile, the Mannes Chamber Singers and Cerddorion.

Steve Friedman

Steve's vocal arrangements have been performed by groups from New York to Tokyo. His arrangements of John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and The Beach Boys' "In My Room" were recorded by the Western Wind on their 1997 CD release, "My Funny Valentine." His "Spiderman" was chosen Best Arrangement at the 1998 New York Harmony Sweepstakes. He was a founding member of the vocal ensembles Pieces of Eight and the Usual Suspects, for whom many of his arrangements were written.

Steve founded and runs Vocal Area Network—an organization promoting vocal ensemble music in and around New York City. He and his wife Julie are the happy (though tired) parents of Matthew and Rebecca.

Gregg Lauterbach (baritone) has performed over 50 leading roles in opera, oratorio and musical theater with L'Opera Francaise de New York, Bronx Opera, Opera Northeast, Opera Carolina, Charlotte Symphony, Lyric Theatre of Iowa, Lubo Opera and Opera Columbus.

Gregg Lauterbach

An original member of the Douglas Frank Chorale, concert repertoire includes Bach's "Mass in B-minor" and "Christmas Oratorio," Rachmaninoff's "The Bells" and the title role in Handel's "Hercules." Stage credits range from Germont ("Traviata") to Danilo ("Merry Widow") to Emil deBecque ("South Pacific") and include most of the Mozart canon—Guglielmo ("Cosi fan tutte") Leporello ("Don Giovanni") Count ("Nozze di Figaro") and Papageno ("Zauberflote"). He performed on the national tour of "The Music Man" as the bass in the barbershop quartet and as the evil King in "The Little Lame Prince" at Henry Street Settlement.

Maura May (mezzo-soprano) is a versatile vocalist with eclectic tastes. She is a member of the innovative a cappella quartet Vox Bop—winners of the 2001 and 2004 New York Harmony Sweepstakes (listen to their "theme song"). With Vox Bop, Maura has performed on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," at the Alandia Jazz Festival in Finland, and as a commercial studio singer.

Maura May

Maura has worked with many distinguished classical ensembles in the New York area, including the New York Virtuoso Singers, Canticum Novum, Cerddorion, the Choirs of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Central Synagogue and St. Thomas More. She has premièred contemporary music at the Bang on a Can Festival as well. Her training in classical piano and voice—earning a B.A. in Music at Yale, and studying musicology at Boston University—is complimented by her interests in traditional and pop music. She currently sings lead vocals with the Prowlers, an eight-piece rhythm and blues band.

Meara McIntyre (soprano) is familiar to audiences as a lead soloist in "Riverdance" on Broadway as well as its national tour, and in special appearances on NBC's "The Today Show" and at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Meara McIntyre

In musical theater and opera, Meara has performed many leading roles including Julie Jordan in "Carousel" with the Natchez Opera Festival, Hodel in "Fiddler on the Roof" with the Colorado Lyric Theatre and Rosabella in "The Most Happy Fella" with the McPherson Theatre. With the Blackman Theatre, she has performed the roles of Susanna in "The Marriage of Figaro," Zerlina in "Don Giovanni" and Adele in "Die Fledermaus." She joined forces with Kate Winslet and Nicholas Cage in the Disney animated film "A Christmas Carol" and has recorded "The Legend of Finn McCool."

Damian Savarino (bass-baritone) is a versatile performer. In opera and operetta, he has appeared throughout the United States performing such roles as Étienne in "Naughty Marietta," Pish-Tush in "The Mikado," and Michael in "I Do! I Do!" with Light Opera Oklahoma, Zuniga in "Carmen" with Ithaca Opera Association, Guglielmo in Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" with Bay View Opera Festival (Michigan), and the Jailor in "Tosca" with Central City Opera. While at the Ohio Light Opera, he sang and recorded Colonel Lester in Victor Herbert's "Eileen" and Lord Dramaleigh in Gilbert & Sullivan's "Utopia Limited" for the Newport Classic label as well as performed roles in "Patience," Eduard Künneke's "Der Vetter aus Dingsda," and "Camelot." Other roles include Betto and Marco in "Gianni Schicchi," Mr. Page in "The Merry Wives of Windsor," and Pooh-Bah in "The Mikado."

Damian Savarino

In oratorio, he was the bass soloist with the Handel & Haydn Society for Schubert's "Mass in G," as well as several concerts of Bach and Handel. He is a graduate of Ithaca College (NY) and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he worked and trained extensively with John Moriarty.

Cynthia Shaw (soprano) is active in New York City as a singer, pianist, musical director and choral conductor. An original member of the Douglas Frank Chorale, she regularly sings with the New York Philharmonic, having sung in the premiere of "Transmigration of Souls" by John Adams—winner of three 2005 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, Best Orchestral Performance, and Best Classical Album. She also sings with the American Symphony Orchestra, recording the Richard Strauss opera, "Die ägyptische Helena." Chelsea Winds recorder ensemble has featured her recently singing works of Michael Altenburg, and she performs regularly with Dr. David Hurd at the Church of the Holy Apostles.

Cynthia Shaw

She has been the musical director for the New York Christmas Revels since 1995 and was featured on "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor at Town Hall and on NPR Radio. She is a well-known accompanist in Jewish choral circles playing concerts with cantors in New York and New Jersey, as well as at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Park Avenue Synagogue. She is the Upper School Chorus teacher at Brooklyn Friends School and conducts the Cadwalader Chorus. She attracts many visitors to her web site with details about her work.

Michael Steinberger (tenor) made his New York Philharmonic Solo debut with Audra McDonald in Kurt Weill's "The Seven Deadly Sins" ("Die Sieben Todsünden"). Highlights of recent seasons include performances of Horatio Parker's "Hora Novissima," Bach's "St. Matthew Passion," and Mozart's "Coronation Mass," the latter performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia and Tallinn, Estonia.

Michael Steinberger

Michael served as special guest clinician with Studio Arsis in Tokyo, Japan—and his sextet Equal Voices served that function along side a series of concerts in the Tokyo area. November marked another appearance as tenor soloist with New York Collegium under the direction of Martin Gester in a program of the music of Charpentier.

Well known to audiences as a member of prestigious ensembles like Pomerium and Waverly Consort, he is increasingly in demand as featured soloist. Recent seasons have included performances with prominent Baroque Orchestras like New York Collegium, Concert Royal, and (as a member of Gandharvas) Musica Angelica—with whom in a recent performance he was praised by The Los Angeles Times as a "clarion tenor" and (his solo) "brilliantly elaborated."

Michael' s credits are varied and, in addition to classical styles from medieval through contemporary, include jazz, pop, and world music. He recently completed a recording of Toby Twining's "Chrysalid Requiem" with Toby Twining Music—famed for his use of extended vocal techniques and alternate tuning systems. Michael appears frequently as both soloist and ensemble singer with most of New York's premiere vocal ensembles including Voices of Ascension, Musica Sacra, Hudson Shad, Anonymous 4, Lionheart, New York Virtuoso Singers, Western Wind and New York Ensemble for Early Music.

Jon Szabo (baritone) has been actively involved as a freelance musician in the New York area since 1993. Working as a soloist, ensemble member, and conductor, he performs and records a wide repertoire ranging from early music to 21st century. Szabo's work has been given special mention in the NY Times, while Cleveland's Plain Dealer described his voice as one "filled with sonorous majesty."

Recent New York solo appearances have included performances of two Bach works, "Wachet Auf" and "Magnificat" on the Holy Trinity Lutheran Bach Vespers series, and soloist with Bach Works on "Lobet den Herrn." Additional solo engagements have been Mendelssohn's "St. Paul" and Durufle's "Requiem." Jon recently was bass soloist in the Saint Saens "Requiem" at St. Patrick's Cathedral. He is a soloist at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, where he appears frequently on the Sacred Music in a Sacred Space concert series.

As an Artist Member of New York's Ensemble for Early Music from 1994-2000, Jon performed medieval and renaissance music extensively both in the United States and abroad. In addition to roles in the group's liturgical dramas and regular concert appearances, Szabo is highlighted on a recording of Gregorian chant with EEM. This recording precedes the group's release, "A Renaissance Christmas," recently completed.

Szabo was recently featured at Italy's Spoleto Festival as a principal in New York's Ensemble for Early Music's production of "Daniel and the Lions." He has also performed at the Tanglewood, Bard, Caramoor, and Boston Early Music Festivals.

Szabo has appeared and/or recorded with Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, Concert Royale, Bach Works, New York Virtuoso Singers, Cantata Singers, Vedantic Arts Ensemble, St. George Choral Society, Clarion Music Society, Musica Sacra, Vox Vocal Ensemble, Toby Twining Music and Ascension Music on the Delos, Sony, New World, Albany, and Ex Cathedra labels.

An Ohio native, Szabo graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1986, obtaining a degree in music education. He then did graduate work at Bowling Green State University, where he completed a dual Masters degree in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting. He then taught high school vocal music for three years prior to being on the music faculty at Bluffton College (Ohio), where he taught voice, opera workshop, and conducted the community Choral Society. During this time he was also actively involved with the Toledo Opera Association as a Resident Artist, and appeared in area productions of "Die Fledermaus" and "Albert Herring" among others.

Jon currently serves on the staff at the LaGuardia School of Music and Art, where he teaches voice, theory, sight-singing, and conducts choral ensembles.

Toby Tumarkin (tenor) has been performing as a professional ensemble singer in New York since 1994. After earning his post-graduate diploma in Voice from the Trinity College of Music in London, Toby has appeared regularly with several wonderful ensembles, including the William Appling Singers, the Dessoff Choirs, and the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola.

Toby Tumarkin

Toby continues his vocal studies with Neil Rosenshein, and also works in artist management as a manager and agent for a leading international artist management agency.

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