Schola Cantorum Staff
Schola Cantorum Staff
Gregory Wait, Schola Cantorum's Music Director since 1989, enjoys a richly varied musical career as a singer, conductor and educator. Recipient of the 1998 Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching, he is a Senior Lecturer on the Stanford Music Department faculty, where he conducts the Memorial Church Choir and maintains a vigorous teaching schedule as Director of Vocal Studies. An active tenor soloist, he is at home in opera, in recital and on the concert stage, having made his Carnegie Hall debut singing the Requiem of Alfred Schnittke. Mr. Wait has been hailed as "one of the leading exponents of (Benjamin) Britten's vocal works," and has premiered works by Lou Harrison and William Kraft. He gained national recognition as soloist in the Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco) televised Sing-it-Yourself Messiah on PBS, and has sung at the prestigious Carmel Bach Festival for over fifteen seasons.
As Music Director of Schola Cantorum, he has received accolades from critics and the public alike for his vivid interpretations of choral masterworks, his imaginative programming, and for his commitment to the performance of new music. Under Wait's leadership, Schola has commissioned and performed numerous premieres, most notably the Missa Gaia (Mass for the Earth) by Libby Larson and the Winter Requiem by Alva Henderson and Dana Gioia, as well as works by Joseph Jennings, Dirk Damonte, Theodore Toews, and Jose Bowen. Mr. Wait is a published arranger and composer, and is in constant demand as a lecturer and clinician for choral and vocal events.
As Schola's Music Director, Gregory Wait is responsible for all artistic matters, including conducting rehearsals and performances, planning concert programs and selecting repertoire, commissioning new works for premiere performance by Schola, and choosing soloists and other guest artists to perform with the ensemble.
Dawn Reyen, Schola's Assistant Conductor and Accompanist, received her undergraduate degree in piano performance from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont and her masters degree in Choral Conducting from Loyola University in New Orleans. She has accompanied professionally since the age of 12, and enjoys working in many different musical styles and genres. In addition to her work with Schola, Dawn teaches music in two Redwood City elementary schools, and is the conductor of Palo Alto-based Aurora Singers. Besides choral music, Dawn enjoys working in musical theatre, and playing showtunes and standards.
As Assistant Director, Dawn assists the Music Director in rehearsal preparation, and also acts as Schola accompanist for both rehearsals and concerts.
Eryl Aynsley joined Schola Cantorum in September 2003 as Operations Manager. Eryl has extensive experience managing the operations side of choral groups. While singing with Masterworks, she was Executive Assistant for 8 years. Following that, she spent 4 years as the Executive Director for Ragazzi Boys' Chorus, and was a consultant for various Bay Area musical groups. Eryl currently sings with Sine Nomine, a Bay Area chamber chorus directed by Galen Marshall.