Jaspreet Bains
Jaspreet Bains is a Grand Rapids transplant. Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he fell in love with choral music when it was first introduced to him at Baton Rouge Magnet High School. This joy allowed him to sing in various church, community, and professional choirs as a tenor in cities across the country including Baton Rouge, LA, Dallas, TX, and Phoenix, AZ. In Baton Rouge, he helped create Cantus Voce, an octet comprised of LSU students, performing choral music across campus. While in Texas, Jaspreet sang with and served on the Board of the Orpheus Chamber Singers, a premier professional choir comprised of singers from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Upon relocating to Phoenix, he continued to perform with many community and professional choirs. This wonderful long exposure to choral music has allowed him to perform works of music ranging from early period music to contemporary choral works from today’s greatest composers.
Jaspreet is an Electrical Engineer with L3Harris where he has worked since 2006 working in the aviation field. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University. Additionally, he received a Master of Science in Management at Texas A&M, Commerce. He has worked with various organizations in both music and youth engagement since entering the professional field. Jaspreet is excited to carry on his love for music in helping to create and establish Vox GR as the premier choral ensemble in Grand Rapids.
EDUCATION
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Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Louisiana State University
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Master of Science, Management, Texas A&M Commerce
CONTACT
Hannah DeBoer
Hannah DeBoer is a professional singer and voice teacher from Grand Rapids, MI. Hannah earned a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Grand Valley State University, where she studied with Dr. Min Jin and Dr. Kathryn Stieler, and was coached by Robert Byrens. At Wichita State University, Hannah earned a Master of Music in Voice Performance, where she studied with Dr. Pina Mozzani and was coached by American bass-baritone Samuel Ramey. Additional training was also completed at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music’s Summer Opera Studio and with IES Abroad’s Vienna Music History and Performance program. An active performer of both opera and musical theatre, favorite roles include First Lady (The Magic Flute), Rose (Street Scene), La bergère (L’enfant et les sortileges), First Witch (Dido and Aeneas), April (Company), and Soupy Sue (Urinetown). Concert work includes John Rutter’s Gloria (soprano soloist), John Adam’s Grand Pianola Music (first soprano), Hadyn’s Lord Nelson Mass (soprano soloist, Gloria), and Bach’s Magnificat (second soprano soloist). Hannah was awarded teaching assistantships at Grand Valley State University and Wichita State University, where she taught applied voice lessons and created WSU’s first musical theatre voice class. Now settled back in Grand Rapids, Hannah is an instructor and recruitment coordinator at Grand Rapids Voice Collective, where she specializes in musical theatre voice for teens and adult students. Hannah also teaches core musical theatre classes at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre and can be seen performing around town at various community theatres (currently, in Shakespeare in Love at Civic Theatre) and is a “soprano-for-hire” in the GR area, popping up at various church services, recitals, and concerts as gigs appear.
Her love of choral music was sparked by Professor Ellen Pool at Grand Valley State University and grew under the baton of Dr. Michael Hanawalt while singing with Wichita State University’s Concert Chorale (soprano section leader). It was her time singing in this ensemble that Hannah began to mourn how she would likely never have the opportunity to sing with a choral group of such a high caliber again. Years later, Hannah met Jaspreet Bains, and together they crafted a wild plan to form Grand Rapids’ first professional choral ensemble.
EDUCATION
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Bachelor of Music in Voice, Grand Valley State University
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Master of Music in Voice, Wichita State University
CONTACT
Emily Volz Mills
Lifelong performer and educator, Emily has pursued music making at the professional level and spent equal time in the classroom as on the stage. Currently she serves as a vocal coach and collaborative pianist with Grand Rapids Voice Collective. GRVC is an inclusive vocal community that offers individualized instruction and small group classes in everything from vocal technique and physiology, interpretation, functional piano for singers, and more!
A certified music educator, she has had the pleasure of working with students K-12 in Illinois, California and Michigan from the general music classroom to choral settings, specializing in subjects from performance arts to keyboarding. Growing up in Illinois, Emily was extremely active in community theatre and found herself lucky enough to be cast in the Circle of Friends Musical at the (former) American Girl Theatre in Chicago! Now a Teaching Artist with Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, Emily enjoys leading Core Acting and Core Musical Theatre classes for different age groups.
Outside of performing, Emily is a proud mama, yogi, and interior design Wanna-Be who often buys too many plants. When feeling brave she dabbles in song writing for a local band project, The Love Dogs (vocals, keys/accordion). Emily is currently in the process of wrapping up her 200 HR Yoga certification in hopes of developing and leading a Yoga series specifically for performers.
EDUCATION
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Bachelor of Music Education, Bradley University
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Master of Music in Vocal Performance, North Park University
CONTACT