St. Thomas Choir ++ (plus plus) is the combined effort of St. Thomas Choir that meets at the church’s sanctuary for practice Thursday nights for the Sunday morning services under the leadership of Music Director Patricia Pietrzyk, and the talented and committed members of the community that rally together when performing new and substantial works. On Christmas Eve 2023, the choir premiered Celestial Prophecy; a multi movement cantata with additional vocal soloists, and for Easter 2024, the Easter Cantata, another multi movement cantata with additional instruments. Both works were written and directed by the same composer as the Requiem.
Tina Paulson (Solo Soprano) holds a BM in Voice Performance from Washington State University, and Masters degrees in Voice Performance and Choral Conducting from San Jose State University. She is currently the Director of Music at Notre Dame High School, San Jose, as well as vocal/music directing musicals for Bay Area theater companies, and has served as a section leader for the Santa Clara Chorale since 2017.
Featured soloist in Celestial Prophecy(2023) by the same composer of the Requiem.
Akane Ota (Solo Alto) holds a B.A. in Vocal Performance from Oita Prefectural College of Arts and Culture and an Artistic Diploma from Shobi Gakuen Tokyo(Japan). Akane has performed extensively as a soloist and choral artist, contributing to the Japanese and international music communities. Currently, Akane is an active member of 21V Choir and Volti and serves as the alto section leader and soloist at the Universalist Unitarian Church in San Francisco. She also serves as the Assistant Conductor, and Pianist for the Ragazzi Boys Chorus and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir.
Featured soloist in Celestial Prophecy(2023) by the same composer of the Requiem.
Finn Goulart (Solo Tenor) is a Bay Area tenor, receiving his Bachelors of Music degree in vocal performance at San Jose State University in 2017. He sings in three groups in the Bay Area: Peninsula Cantare, a community choir based in Palo Alto, the St. Ann choir, a Gregorian chant and early music choir based in Palo Alto, and The Merrie Olde Christmas Carolers, a professional Christmas caroling company that performs all over the Greater Bay Area. Finn adores early vocal music, especially polyphonic music from the medieval and renaissance periods. His favorite composer of all time is Thomas Luis de Victoria.
Featured soloist in Celestial Prophecy(2023) by the same composer of the Requiem.
Gregory Smith (SoloBass) was educated provincially, nationally, and internationally. Some of the works that have prepared him to sing today’s Requiem with joy are as follows: “Bass” Stravinsky’s LES NOCES, “Sid” Britten’s ALBERT HERRING, “Bass”Johnson’s THE FOUR-NOTE OPERA, and “Bob” Menotti’s THE OLD MAID ANDTHE THIEF. In the last 5 years, it has been Gregory’s pleasure to teach ABRSM Piano in the Bay Area and serve as organist with the Christian Science Church.
Featured soloist in Celestial Prophecy(2023) by the same composer of the Requiem.
Raymond Shen (Solo Boy Soprano) is 11 years old, and is making his debut as a boy soprano in the Requiem. In addition to studying voice with Gregory Smith, he has just passed ABRSM 4 piano with distinction.
