DCINY presents Visions of Light, a contemporary choral journey through stories of hope, dreams, compassion, and the power to prevail as told by their composers, conductors, and performers. Leading the Distinguished Concerts Singers International, Dr. Kenney Potter conducts celebrated composer-in-residence and pianist Kyle Pederson's A Vision Unfolding for mixed voices, and Robyn Lana conducts the intergenerational treble music of Composer-in-Residence Susan LaBarr with pianist Kang Ning Yong. Dr. Bryan Baker conducts spotlight ensemble Masterworks Chorale.
Dr. Bryan Baker, Director, Masterworks Chorale (CA)
Masterworks Chorale (CA)
Also Featuring:
Kyle Pederson, Composer/Piano
Susan Labarr, Composer
Shanelle Gabriel, Spoken Word Artist
Participating Groups
Masterworks Chorale
Morris Park Singers
Cary-Apex Youth Choir
Family Folk Machine
Freedom High School Chamber Singers
Lancer Singers
Peninsula Community Chorus
Special Guests
Artist's Name
Kenney Potter
Artist's Name
Kyle Pederson
Artist's Name
Robyn Lana
Artist's Name
Susan Labarr
Artist's Name
Dr. Bryan Baker
Artist's Name
Shanelle Gabriel
Press & Marketing
Click an item below to expand
Participating Group Directors
Masterworks Chorale
Dr. Bryan Baker
Masterworks Chorale is critically recognized as one of Northern California's finest choral ensembles, performing master works of sacred and secular choral music, from Baroque to Broadway, in venues across the Bay Area.
Founded in 1964, the chorale is a much-loved Bay Area institution, treasured for its warmth of tone, technical excellence, and commitment to the local community.
Masterworks has performed with many local arts organizations including the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Redwood Symphony, Peninsula Symphony, San Jose Symphony, and the Cabrillo Festival. The chorale has received various accolades and awards including recent wins of the coveted Best of the Bay award. Our performances have received critical acclaim, at home and abroad, on various tours in Europe, the People’s Republic of China, for our 50th Anniversary performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York City and on our most recent performance tour of the Baltics.
Under Dr. Baker’s leadership, Masterworks has become a committed sponsor of new choral music including new pieces by renowned composers Bob Chilcott and Ola Gjeilo, and by Bay Area composers such as Monica Chew and Nick Carlozzi.
Artistic Director and Conductor of Masterworks Chorale since 2002, Dr. Bryan Baker also holds the positions of Director of Music at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, and founder and director of the chamber choir Serenade. He has led many choral clinics, judged countless choral competitions, and frequently appeared as a guest conductor in the Bay Area. In addition to the Masterworks orchestra, he has conducted the Solaris Chamber Orchestra, the Redwood Symphony, the Peninsula Symphonic Winds, the New Millennium Strings, and the Kensington Symphony.
Having earned bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in music, Dr. Baker served on the faculty of the College of San Mateo for 12 years. He also taught voice at San Francisco State University and Truman University (Missouri), and piano at Foothill College and Arizona State University. He maintains a private studio, and his students have won competitions and appeared in concerts and operas in the Bay Area and across the country.
An accomplished pianist, Dr. Baker has played solo concerts, chamber music and accompanied vocal recitals across the United States and in Europe and South America. Locally he has performed in Davies Symphony Hall, Herbst Theater, and at the Stern Grove Festival. During recent seasons, he played concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Saint-Säens and Shostakovich.
Dr. Baker has won prizes in numerous competitions and received grants for performances of chamber music. He has also spent a good deal of time in the theater. His musical director credits include Godspell, Company, The Apple Tree, Side by Side by Sondheim, Les Miserables, and The World Goes ‘Round.
Morris Park Singers
Danny Dahlquist-Johnson
Formed in 2022 as a temporary Covid placeholder for a local theater company, the Morris Park Singers strived to provide an accessible and supportive choral experience for anyone wanting to (re)introduce a creative musical outlet into their lives. To achieve this, they have never charged dues for singers to join, and they do two mini-seasons a year to keep the time commitment more manageable. They experienced such quick success that they formed their own nonprofit in 2024. Since their founding, they have grown from 18 to 110 singers (with a 25-person waitlist) and even started a monthly pop-up choir series.
Danny Dahlquist-Johnson is the proud Founder and Artistic Director of the Morris Park Singers. He holds a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Music Education from St. Olaf College and a Masters of Music in Music Education from Boston University. He has done everything from teaching in public school classrooms for four years, teaching private voice lessons for eight, serving on the board for a musical theater company, and even music directing some of their shows. He now works for a children’s book publishing company, which gives him time to focus on his family, his growing choir, and his composing/arranging work.
Cary-Apex Youth Choir
Laura Delauney
Cary-Apex Youth Choir was founded in 2018. It has since grown from a single ensemble into a thriving five-ensemble program serving singers from first grade through high school. CAYC is dedicated to music education, developing singers' vocal technique and music literacy through diverse repertoire, while empowering young singers to balance hard work with joyful pursuits in community with others.
CAYC focuses its efforts locally, presenting two annual concerts and performing at local events and retirement homes. Regional appearances include the NC American Choral Directors Association conference, the Piedmont Invitational Children's Choir Festival, and the Queen City Choral Festival.
Laura Delauney is the Founding Director of the Cary-Apex Youth Choir. As a conductor and music educator for over 23 years, she has also taught in several schools, as well as community youth musical theater. She holds a BA in Music from the University of Richmond, an MA in Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and Chorus America. Mrs. Delauney challenges her students to pursue artistic excellence within a supportive environment that celebrates the power of individuals to create something greater together.
Family Folk Machine
Jean Littlejohn
The Family Folk Machine is a nonprofit, intergenerational, non-auditioned choir that welcomes kids and adults of all ages and backgrounds to sing together with a band. We seek to build community through singing songs with our neighbors, to explore American history and culture through song, to foster individual musical growth, and to pursue excellence as an ensemble.
Jean Littlejohn is the Artistic and Executive Director of Iowa City's Family Folk Machine, which she founded in 2013. Jean has an MM in organ performance from Indiana University and a PhD in Music Theory from Northwestern, and she is Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City.
Freedom High School Chamber Singers
Robert Summerell
The Freedom High School Chamber Singers are the premiere, auditioned choral ensemble at Freedom High School in Morganton, NC. The group functions as a three-in-one ensemble and has received consistent Superior ratings at state adjudications. The ensemble has performed for state conferences sponsored by NCACDA and NCMEA. They maintain a full performance calendar that includes community events and regularly scheduled concerts. The mission of Freedom Choral Arts is to reach diverse audiences through informed, artistic performance of a varied repertoire, and its vision is to equip young people with the skills necessary to enjoy a lifelong experience with singing.
Robert K. Summerell is the choral director at Freedom High School in Morganton, NC. Robert holds degrees from Florida State University and Wingate University and is a member of numerous professional organizations. Under Robert’s leadership, Freedom’s choirs have earned consistent Superior ratings at state adjudications. In 2024, Robert was named a finalist for the NC Symphony’s Outstanding Music Educator Award and in 2025, he was awarded the Richard G. Cox Award for Outstanding Emerging Choral Director by NCACDA. Robert is a clinician, adjudicator, and piano accompanist throughout NC and lives in Lenoir with his wife, Miranda and their son, Eddie.
Lancer Singers
Cara Ainge
The Lancer Singers are from Lewis High School in Springfield Virginia. They represent students from three Lewis choirs: Chorale, Good Treble, and Vocal Jazz. The Lancer Singers have received superior and blue ribbon awards for their performances and have consistently performed to the highest standards. They have performed and competed all over the country, and recently represented Fairfax County at the James Madison University annual Choral Festival. The Lancer Singers are ecstatic to make their Carnegie Hall debut.
Cara Ainge is the choir director at Lewis High School and Key Middle School. She got her bachelor of music from James Madison University with her major in Voice Music Education and minor in Jazz Studies. She has also received her Kodaly III certification. In just her three years of teaching, her choirs have received superiors and blue ribbon awards, and she has created two brand new choirs at her schools. Cara has performed all over the country as a singer, and is now so excited to bring her students to Carnegie Hall.
Peninsula Community Chorus
Staci Webb
The Peninsula Community Chorus has been proud to perform fine choral music for Gig Harbor, Washington for over sixty years. The chorus welcomes adult singers of all ages and abilities. Musical skills range from professional to amateur musicians. The chorus size ranges from 60-70 singers. PCC is an all-inclusive community choir dedicated to bringing the joy of choral music to the community and surrounding areas. We strive to perform, create, and enjoy music together, while building community and enriching the lives of our members and audience through the power of choral artistry.
Staci Webb has been a music educator for over 30 years. She has taught all grades from k-12. She received her National Board Teaching Certification in 2015 and is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association for Music Education. Mrs. Webb served as the Music Worship Director for the Brentwood Community United Methodist Church in California for ten years as well as started the Brentwood Community Choir in 2010, which is still going strong. This is Mrs. Webb's tenth year as the director of the Peninsula Community Chorus in Gig Harbor, Washington.
She and her husband Bryan met in band and choir in college and continue to enjoy making music together. In addition to music, Mrs. Webb loves traveling, reading, and going to the theatre. The Webbs have two children, both of who have earned college degrees in the music field.
Visions of Light
DCINY presents Visions of Light, a contemporary choral journey through stories of hope, dreams, compassion, and the power to prevail as told by their composers, conductors, and performers. Leading the Distinguished Concerts Singers International, Dr. Kenney Potter conducts celebrated composer-in-residence and pianist Kyle Pederson's A Vision Unfolding for mixed voices, and Robyn Lana conducts the intergenerational treble music of Composer-in-Residence Susan LaBarr with pianist Kang Ning Yong. Dr. Bryan Baker conducts spotlight ensemble Masterworks Chorale.
Acts
Pederson: A Vision Unfolding
Our Stories
Masterworks Chorale (CA)
Also Featuring:
Participating Groups
Special Guests
Artist's Name
Kenney PotterArtist's Name
Kyle PedersonArtist's Name
Robyn LanaArtist's Name
Susan LabarrArtist's Name
Dr. Bryan BakerArtist's Name
Shanelle GabrielPress & Marketing
Click an item below to expand
Participating Group Directors
Masterworks Chorale is critically recognized as one of Northern California's finest choral ensembles, performing master works of sacred and secular choral music, from Baroque to Broadway, in venues across the Bay Area.
Founded in 1964, the chorale is a much-loved Bay Area institution, treasured for its warmth of tone, technical excellence, and commitment to the local community.
Masterworks has performed with many local arts organizations including the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Redwood Symphony, Peninsula Symphony, San Jose Symphony, and the Cabrillo Festival. The chorale has received various accolades and awards including recent wins of the coveted Best of the Bay award. Our performances have received critical acclaim, at home and abroad, on various tours in Europe, the People’s Republic of China, for our 50th Anniversary performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York City and on our most recent performance tour of the Baltics.
Under Dr. Baker’s leadership, Masterworks has become a committed sponsor of new choral music including new pieces by renowned composers Bob Chilcott and Ola Gjeilo, and by Bay Area composers such as Monica Chew and Nick Carlozzi.
Artistic Director and Conductor of Masterworks Chorale since 2002, Dr. Bryan Baker also holds the positions of Director of Music at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, and founder and director of the chamber choir Serenade. He has led many choral clinics, judged countless choral competitions, and frequently appeared as a guest conductor in the Bay Area. In addition to the Masterworks orchestra, he has conducted the Solaris Chamber Orchestra, the Redwood Symphony, the Peninsula Symphonic Winds, the New Millennium Strings, and the Kensington Symphony.
Having earned bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in music, Dr. Baker served on the faculty of the College of San Mateo for 12 years. He also taught voice at San Francisco State University and Truman University (Missouri), and piano at Foothill College and Arizona State University. He maintains a private studio, and his students have won competitions and appeared in concerts and operas in the Bay Area and across the country.
An accomplished pianist, Dr. Baker has played solo concerts, chamber music and accompanied vocal recitals across the United States and in Europe and South America. Locally he has performed in Davies Symphony Hall, Herbst Theater, and at the Stern Grove Festival. During recent seasons, he played concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Saint-Säens and Shostakovich.
Dr. Baker has won prizes in numerous competitions and received grants for performances of chamber music. He has also spent a good deal of time in the theater. His musical director credits include Godspell, Company, The Apple Tree, Side by Side by Sondheim, Les Miserables, and The World Goes ‘Round.