The National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble
Rosa Lamoreaux, Artistic Director


The National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble has been in residence at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC since 2004. Under the direction of Artistic Director Rosa Lamoreaux, the group performs repertoire for 6-12 voices from the Middle ages to the present. The singers are some of the finest soloists from the United States, Great Britain and South Africa. With a love of vocal chamber music they have sung together for over 10 years as soloists in many performances of oratorio works, recitals and chamber music at the Kennedy Center, Washington National Cathedral, National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Library of Congress, Strathmore Center for the Arts and with the Washington Bach Consort, Choral Arts Society, the Washington Chorus and many other fine ensembles.
 

“The entire ensemble sang with great elegance, closing the program with a stunning reading of Monteverdi's "Beatus vir," whose surging power and complex drama rang in the ears long after the standing ovation stopped.” The Washington Post

“… this octet of singers did wonders with such contemporary fare as Ned Rorem’s seven songs “From and Unknown Past”…. To cap the concert off, the singers and pianists, upholstered John Gardner’s “Seven Songs,” Op. 36, with a colorful fabric of sound.” The Washington Post



Rosa Lamoreaux, Artistic Director

Rosa Lamoreaux, is a premiere soprano soloist of the Washington D.C. area, and is in much demand in concert halls and festivals in the United States and Europe. Recent engagements include appearances with the Dallas Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Bethlehem Bach Festival, BBC Proms, Usher Hall and Carnegie Hall. She is a frequent vocalist for the Folger Consort, Chatham Baroque and other distinguished ensembles and venues.

Gisele Becker, soprano II is a fine conductor as well as singer and is currently on the faculty of George Washington University and Catholic University.

Barbara Hollinshead, mezzo-soprano, is sought after for recitals and chamber music, singing many performances with the early music ensemble, ARTEK in New York. Ms. Hollinshead is on the faculty of American University.

Roger Isaacs, counter-tenor, from Cape Town, South Africa maintains a busy solo career performing with many of the area’s most prominent choral organizations in venues ranging from the Kennedy Center Opera House, Concert Hall and Terrace Theatre to the Washington National Cathedral as a member of the Cathedral Choir of Men.

The native German tenor, Ole Hass, has performed as soloist with the Washington Bach Consort, Cantate Chamber Singers, and the New Dominion Chorale. Oratorio highlights include the roll of the Evangelist in the St. John Passion at the National Cathedral. He has sung leading opera roles with the Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia, The In Series, and the Maryland Opera Studio.

Steve Combs, baritone, is an established singer of both early and contemporary concert music, has a busy career in the Washington area and has performed principal roles with the Metropolitan Opera, The Minnesota Opera, the Florentine Opera and the Boston Lyric Opera.

Stephen White, tenor, sings with Washington National Cathedral Choir, Washington Bach Consort, Palestrina Choir, Woodley Ensemble, and Atlantic Echo, a professional male quartet specializing in the music of Finland and Scandinavia. In recent years he has performed solo engagements with the ensemble Musikanten in Eastern Europe, Italy, and Argentina.

Baritone James Shaffran’s versatility has earned him a reputation as a world-class soloist, equally at home on opera and concert stages. The Grammy-winning baritone makes regular appearances with most of the major opera companies in the Washington, DC area, along with regional companies from New England to the mid-Atlantic. His major-label debut, as baritone soloist with Leonard Slatkin and the NSO on John Corigliano’s Of Rage And Remembrance (RCA Red Seal), was awarded the 1997 Grammy for Best Classical Recording.