Guest Artists

Christine Brandes

Noted for her radiant, crystalline voice and superb musicianship, soprano Christine Brandes brings her committed artistry to a repertoire ranging from 17th century to newly composed works, performing at many of the world’s most distinguished festivals and concert series in programs spanning from recitals and chamber music to oratorio and opera.

She has sung for the following opera houses: San Francisco, Seattle, Washington National, Houston Grand, Minnesota, San Diego, New York City Opera, Philadelphia, Glimmerglass, Portland, Arizona, Opera de Nancy in principle roles ranging from Handel and Mozart, through Verdi to Bolcom and Britten.

Christine recently appeared with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players in György Kurtág’s Scenes from a Novel and with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Carlo Rizzi in Debussy’s La Damoiselle élue and has sung Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Sacramento Philharmonic and Handel’s Israel in Egypt at Carnegie Hall with the New York Choral Society. She also gave a recital at King's College Chapel, Cambridge with organist, Jonathan Dimmock.

Ms. Brandes has given a series of important premieres including an Eric Moe commission entitled Of Color Braided All Desire with the Brentano String Quartet as part of the South Mountain Concert Series with further performances in New York City at the 92nd Street Y, and Jennifer Higdon’s In the Shadow of Sirius, based on poetry of former American Poet Laureate, W.S. Merwin with the Cypress String Quartet at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

She has sung with the following orchestras: Cleveland, Chicago, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle, Minnesota, National Symphony, with such distinguished conductors as Simon Rattle, Pierre Boulez, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Frühbeck de Burgos, Robert Spano, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Alan Gilbert.

William Sauerland

William Sauerland enjoys a varied career of teaching, singing, and conducting. He is currently the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities at Chabot College in Hayward, CA, and Artistic Director of the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus. For six years, he taught vocal music at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. He has also served as an Associate Music Director of the Pacific Boychoir Academy.

Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for his “limpid tone and astonishing eloquence,” as a countertenor, Dr. Sauerland’s recent solo appearances include the American Bach Soloists, Festival Opera Company, Folger Consort, Handel Opera Project, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, and Oakland Symphony Orchestra. As a former member of the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer, Mr. Sauerland has sung throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.

As an academic, Dr. Sauerland has presented at national conferences for the American Choral Directors Association (2015), Chorus America (2017), and the Society for Music Teacher Education (2017). His doctoral dissertation examined the experiences of trans and gender nonconforming singers and their teachers in the applied voice studio. He received the Doctorate of Education in Music and Music Education from Columbia University in May 2018. As a Marshall Scholar recipient, he earned a Master’s degree in Advanced Vocal Performance from the Royal College of Music in London. Originally from a small dairy farm in Ohio, he received a Bachelor of Music from Miami University.

Kyle Stegall

Kyle Stegall’s performances around the world have been met with accolade for his “blemish-free production” (Sydney Morning Herald), “lovely tone and ardent expression” (NY Times), as well as his “lively and empathetic delivery” (San Francisco Classical Voice). Mr. Stegall’s performances are characterized by an unfailing attention to style and detail, and a penetrating directness of communication.

Mr. Stegall’s successful solo debuts in Japan, Australia, Vienna, Italy, Singapore, and Canada as well as on major stages across America have been in collaboration with many of the world’s most celebrated artistic directors including Manfred Honeck, Joseph Flummerfelt, William Christie, Stephen Stubbs, and Nicholas McGegan, among others.

Heard frequently as evangelist and tenor soloist in the passions and cantatas of J.S. Bach, Mr. Stegall made his Lincoln Center debut as the evangelist in the St. John Passion under the direction of Masaaki Suzuki. In demand as a symphonic soloist, Mr. Stegall’s seasons often include the oratorios of Handel and Haydn, the great masses of Mozart and Beethoven, and works from the Bel Canto and 20th century concert canon.

A dedicated proponent of the song recital, Mr. Stegall personally curates recitals each season which reveal the vast colors and emotional range the collected repertoire has to offer. Recent recitals have included the complete sacred works for tenor and piano by Britten (presented by the Yale Center for British Art), and Lieder with fortepianist Eric Zivian at the Valley of the Moon Music Festival.

This season’s highlights include his return to the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, singing the title role in Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie under the direction of Stephen Stubbs, a solo recital at the Green Music Center in Sonoma, and Bach Evangelists with a number of prominent baroque orchestras.

Nikolas Nackley

In demand on the concert and operatic stage throughout West Coast and beyond, Nikolas Nackley has been heralded by the San Francisco Chronicle as “sonorous and heroic” and praised by the Boston Globe for his his ability to “continually impress with his beautiful voice and acting.” Recent credits include the title role in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, the Badger and Parson in The Cunning Little Vixen and Palante in Agrippina. He has been a featured artist with orchestras and opera companies including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Lyric Opera, and West Edge Opera, working with such conductors as Sir Roger Norrington, Harry Christophers, Pablo Heras Casado, Craig Smith, Gustavo Dudamel, John Harbison and Joana Carneiro in works ranging from the sixteenth to twenty-first centuries.

Equally regarded for his work in academia and as a vocal clinician, Nikolas is on the faculty at the School of Music at San Francisco State University where he directs the chamber singers, teaches lyric diction, vocal pedagogy and opera workshop. Recently he directed Die Fledermaus at San Francisco State University, conducted the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and University Chorus in Fauré’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria at Hertz Hall. He will direct Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera at SF State in Spring 2018. Nikolas is also on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, where he is director of the vocal studies program as well as director of the University Chorus.