You met new member Aja Majkrzak, our new Vice-President of the Artist Series, in our last Up-Tempo blog. I would like to introduce you to four more of our new Artist Members from our summer auditions.
A warm welcome to our new Artist Series performers mezzo-soprano Kristina Rodel Sorum, pianist Sara Langmead, cellist Daniel Keeler, and pianist Jonathan Tauscheck!
Kristina Rodel Sorum, mezzo soprano, is a versatile artist, equally comfortable in art song, choral music, sacred music, and opera. She has held membership in numerous Twin City Ensembles and has been heard as a soloist in operas, cantatas, and recitals throughout the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, and the Czech Republic.
Sara Wandrei Langmead made her orchestral debut at age 16, winning many awards including first prize at the International Sigma Alpha Iota Competition in 1977. As a full-tuition Strelow scholar, she received her BM degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds MM and DMA degrees from the Peabody Conservatory.
Dr. Langmead held piano faculty positions at several colleges and universities. After the birth of her second daughter, Sara left her tenure-track position in academia and over the next fourteen years, she raised four daughters. In 2018, Dr. Langmead returned to the concert stage in New Jersey, Texas, and Minnesota as a soloist and in partnership with Dr. Rossitza Goza, concertmaster of the Tulsa Symphony.
Minnesota born cellist Daniel Keeler is a passionate musician, composer, and educator. Praised for his "Lush" and "Energetic" playing, Daniel has performed across the United States as a soloist, orchestral, and collaborative musician. He has won numerous awards in solo and concerto competitions. Daniel is an Orchestra Director for Mounds View Public School and teaches as a private lesson instructor to students of all ages and diverse backgrounds. Daniel is currently a doctoral candidate in cello performance and pedagogy at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia in cello performance, and the University of Minnesota-Duluth in Music Education.
Dr. Jonathan Tauscheck was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he began his training at MacPhail Center for Music. Jonathan is an active composer and has written many works for solo piano. Jonathan's first CD, A Collection of Original Piano Works, was released in 2017 and included on the MNSpin Collection, a streamlining platform through the Hennepin County Library Collection. His second CD, A Collection of Original Vocal Works, has had public performances in venues throughout the Midwest.
Susan Jones
Thursday Musical Vice President of Membership