Cappella Gloriana
M I S S I O N
The primary mission of Cappella Gloriana is to support and encourage the performance and recording of fine choral music in order to reach and educate as wide an audience as possible.
We will maintain a balance in the ensemble between experienced choral singers and those who are novices in the field, thereby providing an educational performing experience for apprentice singers that will further their development into choral artists.
The ensemble is also strongly committed to championing the composition, recording and performance of new choral music.
N E W V I S I O N
Virginia Sublett and Anne Whattoff, co-Artistic Directors
William BJ Robinson. Member, Board of Directors
March 2021
Aesthetic
• In keeping with our original mission: To perform excellent works of choral repertoire from the 16th century to the present day
Philosophical
• To intentionally and consistently celebrate choral works by marginalized composers, including those outside the Western European tradition, and living composers, in a respectful manner that expands both performers’ and audiences’ understanding of the genre
Practical
• To present programs that draw from the above in a satisfying mixture of new and old, familiar and unfamiliar, at the majority of our concerts
Aspirational
• To recruit and maintain a multi-cultural, multi-generational ensemble
• To function as a community of collaborators, where all are empowered to lift their voices in an environment that fosters communication, compassion, and cooperation, and above all, respect
• To seek out and foster newer composers and conductors for collaborations, workshops, and other projects
• To connect and partner with collaborate with local artists of various art modalities
J U S T I C E S T A T E M E N T S
Cappella Gloriana acknowledges that our activities take place on the ancestral and unceded lands of San Diego County’s indigenous peoples: the Luiseño, Cahuilla, Cupeno, Kumeyaay, and northern Diegueño.
Cappella Gloriana acknowledges that Western European supremacy has long operated within systemic racism and oppression, particularly in the traditions of Western music. We acknowledge that the choral field in general, and Cappella Gloriana in particular, have followed historically non-inclusive and racially discriminatory paths. We are committed to changing this paradigm, and pledge to lift up the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC). We recognize the opportunity to use our art form as a tool for necessary social change and are committed to the process of becoming an anti-racist organization:
• To actively seek out BIPOC representation in our leadership, board of directors, and ensemble
• To be proactive in outreach and engagement with BIPOC individuals and groups to cultivate an atmosphere of community and belonging for all.
Who We Are
Virginia Sublett, Artistic Director
Virginia Sublett co-founded and co-directed the San Diego-based professional choral ensemble, Cappella Gloriana, with Stephen Sturk in 1996, and the two collaborated closely until 2004, when she joined the Challey School of Music faculty at North Dakota State University as Professor of Voice and Opera.
During her tenure at NDSU (2004-2017), Dr. Sublett produced and conducted performances of The Marriage of Figaro, Die Fledermaus, Dido and Aeneas, The Magic Flute, HMS Pinafore, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, among others.
Dr. Sublett has led numerous oratorio performances with orchestra, including two productions of Messiah with Cappella Gloriana and three with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Encinitas. She was invited as guest conductor of the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Chorale on two occasions, where she directed performances of Handels’ Dettingen Te Deum and Purcell’s Come Ye Sons of Art.
Virginia Sublett received her Master of Arts (1994) and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees (1997) in Contemporary Music Performance from the University of California, San Diego, conducting the UCSD Chamber Singers and University Chorus in several concerts. Dr. Sublett also served as director of the University of San Diego Choral Scholars from 1997-1999.
As soprano soloist, Virginia Sublett has been a principal artist with opera companies, symphony orchestras, oratorio societies, chamber music ensembles and period instrument ensembles throughout the United States, as well as in Mexico, Canada, and France. She has appeared with New York City Opera, Los Angeles Opera, L’Opéra de Nice, San Diego Opera, San Diego Symphony, Illinois Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra, Mainly Mozart, Vancouver Chamber Chorale, and Phoenix Bach Society, among others.
Virginia Sublett currently resides in Encinitas, California, where she is the Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
Anne Whattoff, Co Director
Anne Whattoff is the Director of the Envision arts program at Canyon Crest Academy, where she directs choir and is Coordinator of the vocal conservatory. She has been directing high school choirs in San Diego for over 20 years. Anne served for one year as Artistic Director for the San Diego Children’s Choir before becoming Executive Director of the Pacific Academy of Ecclesiastical Music (PACEM), where she prepared choirs and worked alongside John Rutter, David Willcocks, and Martin Neary.
Anne Whattoff earned her Master of Education with a focus on Integrated Teaching Through the Arts from Lesley University in 2011.
Ms.Whattoff is a professional soprano who currently sings with St. Paul’s Cathedral, and has performed with Bach Collegium of San Diego, South Coast Chamber Singers, Folklore Guild, and Cappella Gloriana, under the direction of Stephen Sturk and Virginia Sublett.
Board of Directors
Virginia Sublett, President
Anne Whattoff, Vice President
Jim Stiven, Treasurer
Debbie Hickson, Secretary
David King, Member at Large
Pamela Narbona Jerez, Member at Large
William BJ Robinson, Member at Large
Members of Cappella Gloriana 1996—2020
Soprano
Martha Carey, Anne-Marie Dicce Valenzuela, Libby Keller, Christine Lehman, Michela Macfarlane, Elisabeth Marti, Patricia Minton, Pamela S. Narbona Jerez, Carrie Stellflue, Virginia Sublett, Olga Tylman, Anne Whattoff, Kimberly Wright, Kelsey Young
Alto
Anita Colet, Elisabeth Fidler, Wendy Greene, Katie Lundeen, Erin McOmber, Ellie Mout, Katrin Nõgols Genzlinger, Kathy Offerding Maxwell, Carol Plantamura, Keith Rarick, Julie Rieder, Martha Jane Weaver, Ruth Canzoneri Young
Tenor
Gabriel Arregui, Max Chodos, Chris Crick, Nick DeMaison, Trevor Gile, Ron Hardy, Sean Jeffries, Derek Keller, Aaron Lindberg, Ted Ling, Dave McCarthy, Gabriel Nelson, Keith Rarick, Christopher Rieder, Timothy Simpson, Stephen Sturk, Joseph Sundstrom, Joseph Turnbaugh, Kurt Wong
Bass
Ronald Banks, Matthew S. Bennett, Walter DuMelle, Kael Duprey, Jeffrey Genzlinger, Adam Johnson, Philip Larson, Jeremy Martin, Jamie Pommersheim, Erick Rarick, Gordon Shugars, Christopher Stephens, Paul Young, Jr.
News & Announcements
Spring Choral Festival
Cappella Gloriana presents “In Celebration of Song: A Spring Choral Festival” on Saturday, May 7 at 7:00 PM at San Dieguito United Methodist Church, 170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas, 92024. Guest performers will include the choirs of Canyon Crest Academy, Christ United Presbyterian Church, San Diego, and others (TBA). Join us for this family-friendly, multi-generational celebration of music throughout our community. Freewill donation. Funded in part by the City of Encinitas Community Grant Program.
*Please note: for the health and safety of all, masks will be required at the door.
Meet the Composers, “In Celebration of Song: A Spring Choral Festival”
May 7, 7 PM
Cappella Gloriana and Friends
http://rosephanyepowell.com/ (Rosephanye Powell)
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Orlando-Gibbons (Orlando Gibbons)
https://stephenpaulus.com/pages/biography (Stephen Paulus)
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/undine-smith-moore-dean-black-women-composers/ (Undine Smith Moore)
https://www.muziksea.com/composer/17-ken-steven (Ken Steven)
https://www.laphil.com/about/watch-and-listen/get-to-know-clara-schumann (Clara Wieck Schumann)
http://www.victorjohnsonmusic.com/ (Victor C. Johnson)
https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200156440/ (Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel)
https://www.seeadot.com/composers/vera-lugo (Vera Lugo)
https://lyonhazzard.com/ (Matthew Lyon Hazzard)
Upcoming Events
- Sat, May 07San Dieguito United Methodist ChurchMay 07, 2022, 7:00 PMSan Dieguito United Methodist Church, 170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas, CA 92024, USACome celebrate the choral community's ability to reassemble after the present stay-in-place orders have been lifted by the state. The festival will include opportunities for youth ensembles to participate in master classes with CG, and culminate in a concert featuring several local ensembles.
