Jennifer Swanson, soprano
Soprano Jennifer Swanson teaches voice, Diction, Song Literature, Vocal Techniques and Opera Workshop at Bemidji State University. She also serves as musical director for opera and musical theater productions and Opera Night. An active performer, Ms. Swanson sings regularly in recitals and concerts, and plays violin in the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra.

Currently, Ms. Swanson is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Minnesota where she is a recipient of the Schuessler Vocal Fellowship and a student of Jean del Santo. Ms. Swanson earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois and a Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory of Music. Additional studies include three summers at the International Institute of Vocal Arts working with leading conductors, directors, and singers from opera companies throughout the world.

A frequent prizewinner, Ms. Swanson has participated in numerous national and international competitions including the Washington International Vocal Competition, NATS-Boston Art Song Auditions, and the Connecticut Opera Guild Competition. In 1993 and 1994 she was a New England Regional Finalist in the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Auditions.

For three seasons, Ms. Swanson was engaged by the Florida Grand Opera in the Young Artist Program and as a featured artist. During that time, she performed extensively throughout south Florida in opera and recital. Her work included supporting roles in main stage opera productions, lead roles in Young Artist productions, recitals, and concert appearances.

Research activities include pedagogy and voice science. Last year, Ms. Swanson completed a research project with a team of voice teachers and speech pathologists from the Lions Voice Clinic at the University of Minnesota. In May 2006, they presented their results at the 3rd International Physiology and Acoustics of Singing Conference in York, England.

In addition to her duties at Bemidji State University, Ms. Swanson maintains a private studio of high school singers. Summer teaching activities include Bemidji State MusiCamp and the International Music Camp. Professional affiliations include Minnesota Music Educators Association, Minnesota Music Teachers Association, Music Educators National Conference, and National Association of Teachers of Singing.

His second Boston Pops commission, the exciting “Interplay for 3 Violins and Orchestra,” premiered in May 2002, with performances by violinists Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (classical), Eileen Ivers (Irish) and Regina Carter (jazz). Speaking of Interplay, The Boston Globe said “Vivaldi couldn’t do it better!”. The concert was broadcast on PBS’ “Evening at Pops” in an episode named “Fiddlers Three” and the program won the 2002 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award with Chris also receiving a Deems Taylor award for best composition for television broadcast.

In 2002, Chris also received glowing reviews for his premiere of “River of Song,” penned for famed mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, and performed in California. One such accolade came from von Stade, who says, “Chris’ wonderful orchestrations and arrangements have proven that his understanding of the classical idiom is extraordinary.” The Norwalk, Connecticut Youth Symphony commissioned Chris to write a piece, “Ascension,” which premiered in 2002, and he ended the year with an invitation to compose a piece for Vision Into Arts’ New York International Pianofest. "There were abundant jazz influences,” writes The New York Times reviewer Anne Midgette, “some of the best is Chris Brubeck’s fine ‘Rêverie d’Ivoire’.”The December festival also featured premieres of new works by Philip Glass, Gyorgy Ligeti, Milton Babbitt and others.

Other recent compositions include a piece entitled “On the Threshold of Liberty,” commissioned by The U.S. Army Field Band and in August, 2003 he premiered “Vignettes for Nonet” for woodwind quintet and jazz quartet. Vignettes was commissioned by a consortium consisting of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Bay Chamber Concerts of Rockport, Maine. The St. Paul Pioneer Press called Vignettes “… a triumphant meeting of two styles.”

In January, 2004 he premiered his “Prague Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra” with the Czech National Orchestra (his second trombone concerto), and in May, 2004 he premiered at Carnegie Hall “CityVisions: Concert Overture for Orchestra”,which was the first annual Skitch Henderson Commission by the New York Pops. Chris has been named Music Alive Composer-in-Residence with the Stockton Symphony Orchestra and will be premiering "Mark Twain's World: A Symphonic Journey with Genuine Thespians" Peter Jaffe, conductor, in Stockton, California on April 7th & 9th, 2005.

Since 1970, Chris has also recorded his original music and toured the world with his own rock, jazz and folk groups. He currently performs and records with The Brubeck Brothers Quartet (BBQ), featuring his brother Dan Brubeck on drums, Mike DeMicco on guitar and a variety of favorite musicians on keyboards, among them, Chuck Lamb and Taylor Eigsti and with Triple Play, an acoustic blues/jazz/folk trio with vocals that includes guitarist Joel Brown and harmonica virtuoso Peter Madcat Ruth . The BBQ’s first CD, Second Nature (Blue Forest), includes several of Chris’ original tunes, a spirited treatment of jazz standards, and favorite Dave Brubeck tunes; Triple Play’s first CD, Triple Play Live (Blue Forest, 2000), reveals Chris’ firm, yet fun-loving, grasp of Americana. Triple Play's second CD, Watching the World, also features many of Chris' original compositions.

And, as has been true since his teenage years, Chris continues to play bass and trombone in The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Over the decades, Chris and his family have recorded dozens of albums together, and in December 2000, he and brothers Dan, Darius and Matthew teamed up with their father for a memorable celebration of Dave’s 80th birthday. The Brubecks performed two concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) at The Barbican Theater, later released on CD as Dave Brubeck – Live with the LSO (LSO, 2001).

The trip to England was a nice reunion for Chris who had earlier recorded Bach to Brubeck (Koch International, 2000) with the LSO, conducted by Joel Revzen. The CD features Chris’ “Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra,” which aired on 140+ national radio stations. The score has since been performed by The Boston Pops, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Pops and Chicago Sinfonietta Orchestra, among others.

Chris attended High School at the Interlochen Arts Academy where he was in orchestra 2 hours a day, Big Band Jazz rehearsals three times a week, Concert Band, Small Brass Ensembles and led various student rock-n-roll groups. During his days as a bass trombone performance major at The University of Michigan, Chris led, toured and recorded with his innovative "rock" bands, New Heavenly Blue (with releases on R.C.A. and Atlantic Records) and in 1975 Sky King on Columbia. Sky King was dubbed "thinking man's funk" by one reviewer and the band's Columbia release received 4 stars in Downbeat and reached #11 on the national college radio charts.

The Koch International recording "Bach to Brubeck" featuring Chris, Bill Crofut and Joel Brown as soloists with The London Symphony Orchestra is another reflection of Chris' multiple talents. In addition to creating the orchestral arrangements for the recording, Chris was the soloist in his original composition "Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra". This work is creating a stir in classical music circles, already receiving multiple performances at The International Trombone Festival and with The Boston Pops, The Pittsburgh Symphony, The London Philharmonic Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Czech National Orchestra.

In addition to Interplay for 3 Violins and Orchestra; Convergence: Concerto for Orchestra; and Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchesta Chris has composed and arranged for The Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Aspen Wind Quintette and The Manhattan Choral Festival. He has written 3 musicals, choral pieces and hundreds of songs through the years, many of which have been recorded and released over the years.