The Choir

Meet the people behind the choir…

James Klein, Artistic Director

Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Choral Music and Piano Performance from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD, and a Master of Arts degree in Music Education from the University of Iowa. He taught secondary choral music in Iowa for seven years and was the Minister of Music at American Lutheran Church in Huron, SD from 1978-1990.

From 1990-2016 Jim served as full-time Minister of Music at American Lutheran Church in Prescott where he directed seven vocal choirs, five handbell choirs, and various instrumental ensembles. He conducted the Yavapai College Master Chorale from 1993-2007, leading the Chorale on three international tours to Central Europe in 1998, Italy in 2002, and Scandinavia in 2007.

He and his wife Eileen, who served with him as organist in his church positions, are officially retired, but they are not REALLY retired! Besides serving as Artistic Director of Camerata Chamber Singers (CCS), Jim sings in the YC Master Chorale , directs the High Desert Ringers (advanced community handbell choir), and plays piano/keyboard for the Prescott Pops Symphony. In addition, he and Eileen sing in the Mountain Reformed church choir.

Jim and Eileen have two children, Eric and Julie, and three grand dogs, Bill and Ted, Paddles, and Ripley. They also are proud owners of Marco, a sweet Maltipoo who provides daily entertainment.

Ezra Hawthorne, Accompanist

Ezra Hawthorne is a pianist and organist. Born in Hayward, Wisconsin; he grew up in Prescott.
Home-schooled alongside his five siblings, he spent his extra time fostering an interest in music. This led him to Yavapai College, where he sought out lessons in music theory, voice and piano.

Here he began to accompany Yavapai Youth Choirs, perform with ensembles and learn from many inspiring artists.
Nowadays, Ezra can be found playing with various bands around town, working with choirs and providing liturgical music for St Paul’s Anglican church. He is grateful for all the support he gets from the community which allows him to continue to pursue his passion full time.

Our Singers…

Eileen Klein

Eileen Klein

Soprano

Eileen has accompanied and performed vocal music on the piano and organ in schools and churches in SD, IA, and Prescott. She has sung in church choirs, YC Master Chorale, Prescott Chorale, Camerata Chamber Singers, and played in numerous handbell choirs. After 26 years, she retired as organist at American Lutheran Church in Prescott and 24+ years as administrative assistant in the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Eileen also enjoys international travel with her husband, Jim, walking their Maltipoo dog, Marco, reading, hiking, and doing crossword puzzles.
Staci Knotek

Staci Knotek

Soprano

Stacia (Staci) Knotek is a retired Elementary teacher of 31 years and now a local Real Estate Agent. She graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN with majors in Elementary Education and in Music. She earned her MA in Elementary Education at NAU. She has been involved in church choir, Master Chorale, and Yavapai College Choir throughout her 31 years in Prescott. She enjoys playing the piano and has accompanied various groups throughout her life.

Sopranos

Eileen Klein
Staci Knotek
Pat McCarver
Emily Spencer
Diane Thornbrugh

Patricia McCarver, PhD

Patricia McCarver, PhD

Soprano

Patricia McCarver has lived in Prescott since 1989. She has sung with Yavapai College Master Chorale since 1991. Pat has been a featured soprano soloist for performances of Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, John Rutter’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat in D, Faure’s Requiem and Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Vesperae solennes de confessore. Pat has sung with the Camerata Chamber Singers since 2017.
Emily Spencer

Emily Spencer

Soprano

Emily holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy and a Master of Arts in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy. She co-founded and directed the Tri-State Choral Society in Sinsinawa, WI and served as soprano section Principal with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Emily’s many solo concert credits include J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Mass in Time of War, and Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore. She resides in Prescott with her husband and five children.
Diane Thornbrugh

Diane Thornbrugh

Soprano

Diane Thornbrugh holds a Masters in Business with a Music Minor. She is retired with a career in Finance, and currently Camerata Treasurer. Diane currently sings with Womansong, CCS, Arizona Musicfest, and Yavapai College Master Chorale. Other past choral affiliations include Prescott Chorale, and Santa Clara Chorale in California. Diane plays the piano for home enjoyment, has a passion for gardening, is a volunteer Master Gardener with Yavapai County extension office and Sharlot Hall Museum garden.
Gayle Gregory, M.D.

Gayle Gregory, M.D.

Alto

Gayle is a retired child/adolescent psychiatrist. In her youth she played the oboe. She has sung with YC Master Chorale and Renaissance Choir, and Prescott Chorale. Currently ringing with 2 handbell choirs, she has also performed with smaller handbell ensembles. She loves hiking in the forests surrounding Prescott.
Linda Hoover

Linda Hoover

Alto

Linda Hoover is a lifelong lover of all things music! She is a graduate of Ithaca College School of Music with degrees in Vocal Performance and K-12 Music Education. Linda’s first love was musical theatre and lucked into several dozen much-coveted roles. Linda has been featured as a soprano soloist with various groups, among them the Southwest Consort led by Joseph Place, Camerata Singers directed by Dan Boyce, and the Prescott Chorale under the baton of Dennis Houser. Linda currently serves in music ministry with Mountain Reformed Church and Trinity Presbyterian Church. While music holds a special place in her heart, nothing makes Linda happier than time spent with her beautiful husband, children and grandchildren.

Altos

Gayle Gregory
Linda Hoover
Ember Larson
Helen McDowell
Katie Staudt

Ember Larson

Ember Larson

Alto

Ember Larson is a classically trained vocalist, music educator, and lifelong singer-songwriter. She holds a Master of Music Degree in Music Education from ASU. Ember is the director of the choral union and guitar program at Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott Valley and has sung with several choirs including the Master Chorale, YC Chamber Singers, and Angelorum. In addition, Ember performs as a singer-songwriter and teaches songwriting at ASU during the summers.
Helen McDowell

Helen McDowell

Alto

For this early childhood teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, music goes beyond the auditory experience to visual and sign language interpretation of melody and lyric. Helen uses her love of music, as expressed through her involvement in instrumental and vocal ensembles since childhood, to develop language skills with the children with whom she works.
Katie Staudt

Katie Staudt

Alto

Katie Staudt joined Camerata Chamber Singers in 2019 and is a member of the Mountain Reformed Church choir. She has a strong passion for playing handbells and choir chimes, which she utilizes in the High Desert Ringers (an advanced community handbell choir), as a soloist, duettist, and occasionally in a small ensemble. She, Rich, and their son Michael moved to Prescott in 2015, which was their 11th move. She is frequently seen knitting and loves to be with her friends.
Ryan Gastonguay

Ryan Gastonguay

Tenor

Prescott native Ryan Gastonguay wears many different hats in the musical realm: sacred, choral, chamber, orchestral, conducting, brass, barbershop, wind band, you name it! He is a well-known face on the scene in our quad cities area. Ryan currently serves as the Minister of Music for Mountain Reformed Church as well as being the Associate Music Director/Conductor for the Prescott Pops. He is a proud Sun Devil alumnus, having earned his Bachelor’s from Arizona State University.
Timothy Jordheim

Timothy Jordheim

Tenor

In the late 1960s in a small town in western Minnesota an amazing school music program planted in Tim the seed of love of classical music and of singing. This was followed by a hiatus or germination period of 46 years, but when he and his wife Mary arrived in Prescott in late 2016 Tim joined the Unity Church choir and that seed began to grow. Since retiring from his IT career, Tim has sung with the Yavapai College Master Chorale the past several years, that growth has blossomed, and singing has become a beloved and essential part of Tim’s life. He is very grateful for this and excited to have the opportunity to sing and grow further with the Camerata Chamber Singers.

Tenors

Ryan Gastonguay
Timothy Jordheim
James McCarver
Wesley Traver
Bill Wollam

James McCarver, M.D.

James McCarver, M.D.

Tenor

Jim is a physician in practice in Prescott for over 40 yrs. He has had a lifelong interest in music. He has sung in Master Chorale at Yavapai College for 20+ years, he recently performed in the musical “Beauty and the Beast” at PCA. He has been a member of Camerata for several years. Singing and strumming in a local ukulele group has been a fun musical outlet for him. Other interests include competitive cycling and volunteering at Sharlot Hall Museum.
Wesley Traver

Wesley Traver

Tenor

Prescott area native, Wesley is an alumni of Yavapai College and has been singing for as long as he can remember. He started out singing in church choirs and since 2014 has continued his pursuit of singing and performing in choirs, solo’s, and musicals at YC, PCA, Prescott Pops, and more. Singing is Wesley’s biggest passion in life and is even how he met his wife Maya Traver.

In 2017 he discovered his love for musical theatre and has since performed in 12 musicals between PCA and YC his most recent being as Cornelius in Hello Dolly.

Bill Wollam

Bill Wollam

Tenor

Bill has been singing in church choirs most of his adult life and has been a guitar player and vocalist since his early teen years. Bill and his wife Pat moved to Prescott in 2004 and after retiring from a career in the computer industry in 2013, began singing with the YC performing arts Community Chorus and the YC Master Chorale. Bill also has been a singer with the Prescott Pops Chorus since retirement. He performed in his first stage musical in YC’s production of Phantom of the Opera in 2019. He is excited to be singing with such a talented group of singers as the Camerata Chamber Singers.
Don Brenneman

Don Brenneman

Bass

Don and his wife Sue Ann both recently retired and moved to Prescott Lakes after living in California for over 60 years. For 43 years he was a full-time choral conductor in 3 California churches. The last 29 years were at the Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego where he oversaw and led a music ministry of graded choirs with blended services and concerts often including members of the San Diego Symphony. Don has a music degree from Whittier College and is also a member of the Yavapai College Master Chorale.
Dave Cavanaugh

Dave Cavanaugh

Bass

Dave is a recently retired aerospace engineer with a lifelong interest in music. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry. He has sung with numerous performing choral groups over the years, beginning in college, including King’s Men in San Diego, the Sonoran Desert Chorale in Mesa, Orpheus Chorus in Phoenix, and the San Diego Master Chorale. He performs locally with guitar and vocals in a singer-songwriter style, and his new day job is Audible book narrator. He and his wife Marcia moved to Prescott from San Diego in early 2021. He is very happy to join this distinguished group of Singers in Prescott.

Basses

Don Brenneman
Dave Cavanaugh
Sandy Johnson
Nathan Spencer
John Thompson

Sandy Johnson

Sandy Johnson

Bass

Born in Phoenix, Sandy is a 5th generation Arizonan who grew up on a 1000 acre ranch outside of Chandler, AZ. He graduated from ASU with a degree in Marketing in 1970. While still in college, Sandy joined Motorola Semiconductor Corp in 1966 where he ultimately spent his entire career until his retirement in 2001. Sandy always enjoyed music and started singing and playing various musical instruments at an early age. In addition to the Camerata Chamber Singers, he’s also a member of the Pops Symphony Chorus and Prescott Chorale.
Nathan Spencer

Nathan Spencer

Bass

Nathan is a freshman at Prescott High School where he plays the violin as the orchestra’s concert master. He is also a violinist with the Prescott Pops Symphony Orchestra. An Acker Scholarship recipient, Nathan has won first place in his division for both piano and violin for the Prescott Center for the Arts Youth Scholarship Competition three consecutive years in a row. In Oct. 2021 Nathan was a vocal soloist for the Prescott Chorale’s performance of Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living. Last summer Nathan was the youngest of all applicants selected from around the country and abroad for the piano section of the BYU Musicians’ Institute. Nathan currently serves on the Arizona Youth Arts Council, representing north-central Arizona. This past fall he enjoyed running on the PHS men’s cross country team.

John Thompson, M.D.

John Thompson, M.D.

Bass

John specializes in family medicine and addiction medicine. Husband to Gayle Gregory, he is father of four and grandfather of one. He loves hiking and trail-running. In earlier life chapters he’s been a rock-climber, country doc, home-schooler, Bob Dylan wannabe with guitar and harmonica, and violinist through high school. He’s sung with the Carolyn Eynon Singers and Prescott Chorale and is a novice handbell ringer.

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