In its next performance, the Chattanooga Boys Choir welcomes home two notable alumni who will be making a special performance with members of the choir.
Alumni tenor Mark Laseter CBC ’10 and baritone Michael Parham ‘09 will perform with members of the CBC in this special concert featuring works by Franz Schubert, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sarah Quartel, Rollo Dilworth, John Rutter, Moses Hogan, Leonard Bernstein, and more. Laseter and Parham will perform solo pieces and duet selections, as well as special combined pieces with members of the Chattanooga Boys Choir.
The concert will be held on Friday, March 17 at 7 pm at First Christian Church.
“Welcoming them home – both geographically and musically – is a special treat for me,” remarks Vincent Oakes, Chattanooga Boys Choir Artistic Director since 2003. “These guys were in elementary school when I first met them, and they are now making an incredible musical impact throughout the country and around the world. They are the epitome of following your dreams and knowing what can happen when hard work and talent combine.”
Following his time in the Chattanooga Boys Choir, renowned tenor Mark Laster studied Vocal Performance at Westminster Choir College and obtained his Master of Sacred Music degree in Voice from the University of Notre Dame. In addition to singing engagements with numerous professional ensembles including Seraphic Fire, Kinnara, The Crossing, Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, and others, Mark also served a year as a choral scholar in residence at Hereford Cathedral in the United Kingdom.
Most recently, Mark was awarded first prize in the 2021 Audrey Rooney Vocal Competition from the Kentucky Bach Choir. In addition to singing, Mark is an accomplished keyboardist who has served as collaborative pianist for the American Boychoir, Westminster Choir College, Princeton University, and honor and festival choirs
throughout the United States. He currently serves as Director of Vocal Studies at Notre Dame College in South Euclid OH.
Baritone Michael Parham found his passion for music through his choral experiences with the Chattanooga Boys Choir and the Oakwood University Aeolians. He discovered his passion for operatic repertoire after performing the role of Schaunard in Puccini’s La Boheme with the Manhattan School of Music’s Manhattan Summer Voice Festival. Michael’s “resonant and ear caressing” baritone voice has been recently featured in role debuts including Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana with Voccalis Repertory Company, Count Ceprano in Rigoletto with Opera Las Vegas, and as Peter in Hänsel und Gretel with Opera Las Vegas.
Additional recent roles have included the eponymous role of Don Giovanni with UNLV Opera Theater and as Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus with the Martina Arroyo Prelude to Performance. Michael is also comfortable on the choral music and oratorio stage as a featured soloist in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ, and Mozart’s Mass in C, and as a touring member of the American Spiritual Ensemble.
Additional highlights include a solo role in Haydn’s Creation at the Moscow International House of Music, a 2019 Semi-Finalist in the Premiere Opera Foundation Competition, and a 2017 Finalist in the Meistersinger Competition in Graz, Austria. He holds a Masters degree from the University of Nevada - Las Vegas and completed his undergraduate work at Oakwood University.
Tickets to the Brothers in Song Concert are $10 for adults and children under 18 are free. To purchase tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com