About Us

Mission Statement

The Ann Arbor Cantata Singers are dedicated to the presentation of great choral literature at the highest standards of artistic achievement. Our goal is to maintain growth, not only in musical excellence, but also in service to the community.

History

The Ann Arbor Cantata Singers were founded by Dr. Rosella Duerksen, who saw a need in the community for a small, independent, high quality chorus. The chorus was nurtured through the 1960's by directors Robert Pratt, Paul Foelber, Morris Risenhoover and Richard Crawford. Conductor Bradley Bloom, who retired in 1994, led the ensemble for twenty years and solidified its reputation as one of the finest choruses in the region.

In more recent years, the ensemble continued to grow and flourish under the enthusiastic leadership of William Boggs and Thomas Hilbish. The Cantata Singers have collaborated with such organizations as the Ann Arbor, Detroit, and the Flint Symphony Orchestras, Mark Morris Dance Group, the Comic Opera Guild, Galliard Brass and Arbor Opera Theatre. International appearances include Montreal and Quebec City, Canada, and Eisenstadt and Vienna, Austria. The group has sung for academic and professional conferences and meetings. The chorus is a recipient of the Washtenaw County Council for the Arts "Annie Award" for excellence in the performing arts.

Music Director

Conductor Warren Puffer Jones is in his fifth year as Music Director/Conductor of Arbor Opera Theater and Music Director of the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers. Equally comfortable with the operatic, orchestral and choral repertoires, Jones has received acclaim as a rising talent in the new generation of conductors. In recent seasons he has led productions for the Comic Opera Guild and the University of Michigan Gilbert & Sullivan Society. He has also served as Assistant Conductor with the Plymouth Canton Symphony Society, the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra and Opera Illinois. His operatic repertoire includes La Traviata, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Die Fledermaus, Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, and the Gilbert & Sullivan favorites The Pirates of Penzance and Iolanthe. A native of Oklahoma City, Mr. Jones did his undergraduate work at Yale University and received a Master's degree in choral conducting from Indiana University, with further study at the Conductor's Institute at Bard. He is currently working toward the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Michigan, where he studies with Kenneth Kiesler. Mr. Jones has directed concerts in twenty-two countries and throughout the U.S., including appearances at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and New York's Alice Tully Hall. He and his wife, soprano Kelly Holst, live in Ann Arbor.

Board of Directors

  • Amy Harms, President
  • Sharon Quiroz, Vice President
  • Laura Grey, Secretary
  • Jim Willison, Treasurer
  • Nancy Karp, Past President
  • Kelly Malan

Contact Information

Feel free to contact us with any questions, comments or suggestions:
Ann Arbor Cantata Singers
P.O. Box 2574
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-2574