Ruth Cunningham, soprano

Ruth Cunningham is a founding member Anonymous 4 and a sound healing practitioner. She specializes in early music performance as well as improvisational sacred music from varied spiritual traditions in both liturgical and concert settings. She works with individuals and groups on using the voice and music as tools for healing.  With Anonymous 4, Ruth performed in concerts and festivals throughout the United States, Europe and the Far East and made thirteen recordings.  Ruth’s own CD releases are Light and Shadow: Chants, Prayers and Improvisations and Harpmodes: Journey for Voice and Harp. She has released two CDs of multi faith chants with colleague Ana Hernandez: Blessed by Light and  HARC: Inside Chants. She has also performed and recorded renaissance music with Pomerium.  For more information and sound samples go to www.ruthcunningham.com.

Marisa Curcio, soprano

Marisa has been a soprano in the Compostela Choir since September 2021, and joined the lay staff of St. James’ as Director of Communications in February 2022. Originally from near Saratoga Springs, NY, she graduated from Westminster Choir College, earning two Bachelors of Music degrees in music education and sacred music. During her tenure, she sang with Westminster Choir and Westminster Kantorei and regularly appeared with the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra. Prior to singing at St. James’, she sang at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, and worked as their Associate for Communications. Presently, she appears as a chorister and soloist in services and concerts all over NY, NJ, and PA (sometimes all three in one day!), and maintains a private studio of voice, piano, and strings students at a central NJ music school. Marisa lives in Madison, NJ with her fiancée, Megan, and cat, Regina Cæli.

Suzanne Lane, soprano

Suzanne Lane has had the pleasure of singing at St. James’ since moving to New York in 2019. She has a varied career, performing in musicals, plays and operas throughout the region.  She has been seen at Ford’s Theatre, the Tony Award-winning Shakespeare Theatre, Studio Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, and with the In Series, among others.  Suzanne went to the University of Oklahoma, where she was the recipient of the Marilyn Horne Scholarship, and had the honor of studying with the legendary mezzo-soprano regularly in lessons and masterclasses. Suzanne lives in Harlem with her husband and two tabby cats. www.suzannelane.com

MaKayla McDonald, soprano

Soprano MaKayla McDonald is an active performer of opera, art song, and new work. She recently sang with New Muses Project at the Kaufman Center to present a concert of “hidden choral gems and chamber music. Other recent engagements include: contemporary works with ChamberQUEER at National Sawdust, a Juneteenth Concert with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, American Opera Project + New York University/Tisch Opera Lab, and a recital for Butler University, Jordan College of the Arts Black History Month Arts Celebration. To learn more and see upcoming projects, visit: www.makaylamcdonaldsoprano.com.  

 A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, where she was the recipient of many scholarships, including two graduate assistantships, MaKayla holds both a Master of Music and Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance. 

MaKayla currently resides in Brooklyn, NY and when not on singing, she is an Adjunct Lecturer for the Borough of Manhattan Community College Music and Art Department (BMCC-CUNY).  

Christine Papania, soprano

Christine loves singing in the Compostela Choir at St. James’ Church! As a singer and music educator, she has a passion for choral and early music and performs with various ensembles as a choral singer and soloist. Christine also composes and performs with her ensemble, Ariadne, and teaches voice through her private studio and various music organizations throughout the city. She is a graduate of Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and is currently a student at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. When she isn’t singing, Christine enjoys hiking, Brooklyn farmers markets, adventures in the city, and picnics at Prospect Park!

Linda Tsatsanis, soprano

Hailed as “ravishing” (New York Times) and possessing “sheer vocal proficiency, a bright, flexible voice, big but controlled, shaded with plentiful color” (Boston Globe), Canadian soprano Linda Tsatsanis enjoys a career that spans the concert hall, opera stage, movies, and television. Her versatility has made for a distinguished career taking her across the United States, Canada and Europe. Ms. Tsatsanis has appeared as soloist with Tallis Scholars, Toronto Symphony, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Mark Morris Dance Group, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Opera, among many others.  She has recorded extensively, and her debut solo album with Origin Classical, And I Remain: Three Love Stories, was described as a “seductive recital of the darker sides of 17th-century love” by Gramophone Magazine. http://www.lindatsatsanis.com.

Alessandra Craig, alto

Alessandra Craig, originally from Seattle, Washington, has just graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy for musical theatre, and is thrilled to be joining the choir at St. James! While she loves all things singing, acting, and dancing, her first love in the performing arts was always classical voice. Alessandra grew up singing with the youth choirs at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, joining the Cathedral Choir in high school and serving as a cantor and a soloist there for a number of years as well. Outside of singing, she loves to dance (particularly tap and ballet), knit, sew, and draw. Currently she is studying studio art and graphic design through the City University of New York.

Hannah Holmes, alto

Hannah has been singing with the Compostela Choir since 2015, and is very thankful to call St. James a musical home. An operetta enthusiast, she performs frequently with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and the Victor Herbert Renaissance Project. She also sings in choral ensembles including the Bard Festival Chorale and New York Virtuoso Singers. She lives in Inwood with her husband Paul (who is also a singer – they met performing together at the Ohio Light Opera). When not engaged in musical endeavors, Hannah enjoys spending time in Fort Tryon Park, cooking vegetarian delights, and crafting.

Emily Ostrom, alto

Emily is a singer and oboist who has dedicated her life to music. She is currently undertaking a Master’s degree from the Juilliard school, studying Baroque oboe with a full scholarship in the Historical Performance department.  She has sung with a number of professional chamber choirs including the St. James Cathedral Cantorei and Women’s Schola (Seattle), Emerald Ensemble (Seattle), St. Joseph’s Church Yorkville (New York), Lacock Scholars (London), The 24 (York), and as a soloist with the Medieval Women’s Choir. She has performed on tour in New Zealand with Juilliard415, Paris with Les Arts Florissants, and San Francisco with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. She is also passionate about educating the next generation, currently serving as the oboe fellow for Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program. Emily holds degrees in oboe performance from Oberlin College and Conservatory, and vocal performance from the University of York.

Ben Thomas, countertenor

Ben Thomas, a native of Auburn, Alabama, resides in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan and has been a parishioner at St. James’ Church since 2013 and is beginning his 10th year in the Canterbury and Compostela Choirs. When not at St. James’, you can find him teaching private piano and voice lessons to his beloved students, belting out his favorite musical theater tunes, or trying to improve his Olympic weightlifting skills at his CrossFit gym. He is happily married to his husband of 5 years, Tyler Walker, and they have an adorable 12-year-old cocker spaniel, Parker.

Marquis Fuse, tenor

Marquis moved to New York from Boston to pursue a career in Opera, and works in healthcare. Marquis has performed extensively across the New England area, singing opera, chamber and oratorio repertoire. When he isn’t singing, Marquis enjoys baking, reading and going to the movies. Marquis has learned important life lessons since moving here, like not taking deep breaths on garbage day and how New York is the city where umbrellas come to die.

Jonathan Hartwell, tenor

Jonathan Hartwell is a tenor based in Hamilton, NJ who can be seen in performances throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Jonathan is a singer in the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, where he regularly performs with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He also sings with Ryan Brandau in Princeton-based Princeton Pro Musica as well as performing as a soloist in the Princeton Festival with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. Jonathan also had the pleasure of performing with Chanticleer in the Philadelphia Chorale in early July ‘22. Jonathan studied at Westminster Choir College to pursue his Bachelor’s in Music Education where he was a member of the Westminster Choir under the direction of Dr. Joe Miller for three years, touring across the US, Spain, and China. He also performed under Dr. Amanda Quist and Westminster Kantorei, a stellar ensemble specializing in early performance practice, and Westminster Symphonic choir, with whom he performed several major works in premiere venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kimmel Center.

Dean Meyers, tenor

Dean was interested in music since early childhood, learning a variety of instruments from piano to clarinet to string bass (all of which he plays badly). His fascination with opera and composing began when he was about 12 years old, and has been involved with both ever since that age, singing from choirs as a boy soprano to performing lead roles on operatic stages in the US and Europe, and composing music for theater, advertising, multimedia projects, and worship, including works heard at St. James’. Having “done all of that” professionally, his current work isn’t based on music, so Dean is especially grateful to be able to be so actively engaged in the choirs and musical life of St. James’ Church.

Kevin Schneider, tenor

Kevin Schneider is thrilled to join the ranks of Compostela Choir and the New York choral scene! While Kevin is an early music specialist, most often appearing as a chorister in Episcopal churches, they also sing with Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, the Philadelphia Singers, Voce inc., and Downtown Voices. Outside of the realm of music, Kevin enjoys being in nature, baking, snuggling everyone else’s pets until they can adopt one of their own, and tea. You will probably find them drinking a cup of matcha.

Tyler Walker, tenor

Tyler came to St. James’ only a few months ago after moving to NYC with his partner, Ben, and his precious Cocker Spaniel, Parker. He learned to play piano and sing when he was 4 by sitting in his grandmother’s lap on Sundays in a little south Georgia church. Tyler loves church music and has been a church organist for the past 8 years.

Ray Bailey, bass

Ray Bailey grew up in rural southeastern Virginia, where he realized he loved playing the piano and singing by age 5. He’s worked in church music since age 15, and joined the Episcopal Church at Christ Church, New Haven while majoring in theatre at Yale, where he later worked as a music-director and vocal coach in the University’s School of Drama. Since moving to NYC in 2004, he has performed as far afield as New Orleans and Moscow, but finally found his church home at St. James’ in 2011, where the ever-increasing quality of music, liturgy, thought, preaching, and people who love the Lord continually inspires him.

Justin Beck, bass

Justin Beck has had a varied career as an opera singer, concert soloist, and choral scholar. Opera engagements include performances with Austin Lyric Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Opera Company of Middlebury, and Opera Manhattan. Concert highlights include performances with the Austin Symphony, National Chorale in Avery Fisher Hall, Bard Music Festival, American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Long Island Masterworks, and Gregg Smith Singers. Since 2014, Justin has been the bass soloist with Ocean Grove’s Great Auditorium Quartet where he has annually performed in recital each summer as well as sacred masterworks. He lives in Washington Heights where he and his wife relish in the daily physical challenge of chasing around their 5-year-old daughter.

Bruce Saylor, bass

Bruce Saylor is delighted to join the Compostela Choir and the parish of St. James’. A composer of opera, symphony, and chamber music, he loves writing church music. A cradle Episcopalian from Philadelphia, he’s been a New Yorker since the 1960s, is proud of his four accomplished daughters, and teaches at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and at the CUNY Graduate Center.