About The Singers—Minnesota Choral Artists

Administrative Staff

Brian Fahey, General Manager
, 651.917.1948

Kaija Shaffer, Marketing Director
651.917.1948

Artistic Staff

Matthew Culloton
Founding Artistic Director and Conductor

Matthew Culloton is the Founding Artistic Director and Conductor of The Singers—Minnesota Choral Artists. He holds degrees from Concordia College, Moorhead (B.M. in Music Education) and the University of Minnesota (M.M. in Choral Conducting). He is currently completing coursework towards a D.M.A. in Conducting at the University of Minnesota. Matthew has studied conducting with René Clausen, Kathy Romey, Paul Nesheim, Matthew Mehaffey, and Bruce Houglum.

From 1999-2004, Matthew was a member of The Dale Warland Singers, having served as Music Adviser to Dale Warland, Assistant Conductor, and Bass Section Leader. As Warland's Music Adviser, the two worked closely together on artistic programming and recording projects, including the editing preparation for that organization's final four recordings. Matthew also served as the Music Librarian, managing the library of over 1000 titles.

An experienced and celebrated music educator, Matthew began his teaching career in the Long Prairie - Grey Eagle School District. From 2000-2006, he was Director of Choral Activities at Hopkins High School, overseeing a choral program of six performing ensembles. His Hopkins Concert Choir performed at the 2002 and 2004 MN ACDA Fall Conventions and the 2005 MMEA Mid-Winter Clinic. In November 2004, Matthew was presented with the MN ACDA Outstanding Young Choral Conductor of the Year Award. In the fall of 2003, he was the recipient of the VocalEssence/ACDA of Minnesota Creative Programming Award for his work at Hopkins High School.

As a composer, Matthew has been commissioned by The Singers, the Dale Warland Singers, Choral Arts Ensemble of Rochester (MN), Ames Chamber Artists, Chanson, the Minnesota MMEA All-State Choir, and numerous high school, collegiate, and church choirs. He is co-editor of the Matthew and Michael Culloton Choral Series with Santa Barbara Publishing Company. His music is published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Hinshaw Music, Mark Foster Music (Shawnee), Kjos Music, and Graphite Publishing.

Matthew is a contributing writer to Teaching Music Performance through Literature, Vols. 2 & 3, for which he writes repertoire resource guides in a collection alongside some of America's most respected choral conductors. He has also been published in the Choral Journal, co-authoring a collection of interviews with some of today's leading conductors.

Matthew is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Saint Thomas in St. Paul, teaching a graduate music course, Choral Repertoire for Mature Adolescent Voices. He is also Director of Music at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Minnetonka. Matthew resides in Minneapolis with his wife Melissa and Charlie the Beagle.

Lisa Foland
Accompanist

Lisa Foland has accompanied choirs and soloists throughout the Midwest. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied music performance with an emphasis in accompanying and a minor in voice. Currently, she works as a full-time accompanist, not only for The Singers—Minnesota Choral Artists, but at many local high schools and voice studios.

Lisa serves as the accompanist for the ACDA Men's Chorus, and has accompanied several choirs at MN ACDA and MMEA conventions, as well as masterclasses with The King's Singers, Alice Parker, Chanticleer, and Norman Luboff. She has performed world premieres of choral works by Abbie Betinis, Drew Collins, Matthew Culloton, Jocelyn Hagen, Aaron McDermid, Joshua Shank, and Robert Sieving, and the Midwest premiere of Dominick Argento's "Dover Beach Revisited." A number of her own compositions and arrangements for choir have been performed throughout the Twin Cities.

As a staff member of Plymouth Presbyterian Church, Lisa provides accompaniment for the Chancel Choir and other music during church services. She also has extensive experience in musical theater, both as accompanist and music director, having appeared in productions ranging through high school, college, and professional levels. This is her fourth season with The Singers—Minnesota Choral Artists.

Bryan Blessing
Music Advisor

Bryan Blessing sings in the tenor section of The Singers—Minnesota Choral Artists, and is the vocal music teacher at Oak Grove Middle School in Bloomington. A native of Staples, MN, Bryan has sung with many choirs throughout Minnesota. Bryan received his Bachelor Degree in Music Education from Saint John's University, where he studied under Axel Theimer. Additionally, Bryan is an amateur composer and guitarist who has instructed classical guitar at Crown College.

The Singers—Minnesota Choral Artists | 528 Hennepin Ave., Suite 216 | Minneapolis, MN 55403 | 651-917-1948 |