Sunday, December 8

Bach Cantata: Schwingt Freudig Euch Empor

Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am

The Northminster Chancel Choir, orchestra, and soloists present J. S. Bach’s Cantata, "Schwingt Freudig Euch Empor, BWV 36" (Joyful Voices Raise), as part of the Sunday, December 8th worship service at 10:00 a.m. This joyous cantata, set in eight movements, was composed as an offering for the season of Advent.

Soloists for the work are Siyi Yan, Soprano; Sara Dailey Muñoz , Alto; Jonathan Elmore, Tenor; and Sam Spade, Bass.

About the Soloists

Siyi Yan, Soprano

Described as “the absolutely brilliant soprano” by Rutland Herald, Chinese soprano Siyi Yan is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Jacobs School of Music, studying under Heidi Grant Murphy, Kevin Murphy, and Gray Arvin. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the China Conservatory of Music in 2021. She was most recently a resident artist with Opera North, where she performed the roles of Gilda in Verdi’s "Rigoletto," Juno in Offenbach’s "Orpheus in the Underworld," and Florinda in Sondheim’s "Into the Woods." Yan also portrayed the leading role of Setsuko Kobayashi in Jack Perla’s "An American Dream" during the IU Jacobs School of Music’s 2023-24 season.

Yan will be representing the guest artist at the Dallas Opera Showcase Concert in January 2025. She reached the semi-finals of the 2024 National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards Competition and was a finalist in the 2022 Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition in NYC. She has also won first prize in both the Indiana Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters Voice Competition and the Tri-State College Vocal Competition.

In the past season, Yan debuted with the IU Jacobs School of Music Opera Theater, performing Yvette in Puccini’s "La Rondine" and Cunegonde in Bernstein’s "Candide". She has also demonstrated her versatility as Königin der Nacht in Mozart’s "Die Zauberflöte" (2021). Yan’s extensive repertoire includes roles such as Ophelia (Hamlet), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Frasquita (Carmen), Adina (The Elixir of Love), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Violetta (La Traviata), Alice Ford (Falstaff), and Gilda (Rigoletto).

Sara Dailey Muñoz , Alto

Sara Dailey Muñoz is a mezzo-soprano from Chicagoland with a passion for performing new and underperformed works. Sara has sung new and modern pieces with the likes of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Series, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Earlham College, and others. She has appeared on the Indiana University Opera Theater stage as Meg Page in "Falstaff," Alma March in "Little Women," and the Mistress of the Novices in "Suor Angelica." She frequently lends her voice to oratorio works, both as a chorister and soloist. She is a former member of NOTUS, IU’s choral ensemble dedicated to performing new choral works, with whom she sang the world premieres of several new pieces. Sara earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Indiana University.

Jonathan Elmore, Tenor

Hailed as an “…intense, blossoming tenor,” Jonathan Elmore is excelling in opera, oratorio, and recital across the world. In the 2024/2025 season, he appears as Governor & Vanderdendur ("Candide") with the Northern Lights Music Festival, Vocal Fellow with the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Gabriel von Eisenstein ("Die Fledermaus") with IU Opera and Ballet Theatre, and Tenor Soloist/Haydn’s "Creation" with Fresno Community Chorus Inc. Jonathan has previously appeared with Indianapolis Opera, Music Academy of the West, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra, Tel Aviv Summer Opera, and Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra.

Jonathan is currently a Doctor of Music degree candidate at Indiana University, where he also earned his Master of Music degree in Voice. Jonathan is currently studying with soprano Heidi Grant Murphy. A Southwest Virginia native, Jonathan received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance at Virginia Tech (’20) under the tutelage of tenor Brian Thorsett. Jonathan is an Associate Instructor in Voice at Indiana University.

Sam Spade, Bass

Samuel Spade, originally from Des Moines, Iowa, has been commended by the media as a performer “whose eloquent diction and interpretation…and sense of meaning…reminded one of the best among oratorio singers.” Spade earned both his Bachelor's and Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. In 2007, Samuel stepped in with less than 24 hours' notice to perform as the baritone soloist in Brahms’ "Ein Deutsches Requiem" with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Spade has been a featured soloist in Bach’s Cantatas 21, 78, 131, 140, & Part IV of "Die Weihnachts-Oratorium", Händel’s "Messiah", Haydn’s "Die Schöpfung" (Raphael) & "Missa in Angustiis", Mendelssohn’s "Elijah" (Elijah), Orff’s "Carmina Burana", and Vaughan Williams’ "Five Mystical Songs" & "Dona Nobis Pacem".

Spade has also performed several times as a recitalist, including in staged versions of Wolf’s "Italienisches Liederbuch" and Argento’s "The Andrée Expedition" with renowned baritone Håkan Hagegård. Equally at home on the opera stage, Samuel has sung with various opera companies throughout the United States, including San Diego Opera, Central City Opera, and Indianapolis Opera. Notable roles include Sharpless ("Madama Butterfly"), Schaunard ("La Bohème"), Pandolfe ("Cendrillon"), and Mr. Webb in the World Premiere of "Our Town".