Our History

Orpheus Pagan Chamber Choir was founded in 2009 as an alternative to traditional Judeo-Christian based choirs, and to celebrate the many earth-based spiritual traditions through song. Beginning with 15 singers, the choir’s first performance was at the 2010 Beltania Festival in Colorado. Its first official season featured three concerts: a sold-out 12th Night Yule Concert and Viking Feast, a spring concert, and a second Beltania performance.

Orpheus soon expanded its concert season with a Rite of Remembrance and a Friends and Family Concert. Additional concerts in 2018-2019 included one at the Denver Public Library, as well as being presented on the Westside Live Presents concert series in Golden, CO.

From its humble beginnings in a beautiful backyard, the Orpeus MeadFest has become the premiere showcase for Colorado’s burgeoning mead industry. The Orpheus MeadFest Competition has grown into one of the largest mead competitions in the country, attracting competitors from around the world.

Artistic Staff

Andrew Adams, Founder & Music Director, has been music director of numerous churches and temples in the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. As a professional singer, he has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Opera Ensemble of New York, the St. Thomas Choir, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Spoleto Festival USA, Festivale dei Due Mondi, Italy; and in concert and recital in the US and Germany. As a soloist with the Westminster Choir, he performed frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, and others under Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Kurt Masur, and Robert Shaw.

Mr. Adams holds two graduate degrees from Westminster Choir College, is a published composer/arranger, and maintains a private voice studio in Denver.

Molly Moran, pianist, has received praise as “a musician and pianist of uncommon insight and versatility” with an “intuitive grasp of the intentions of her colleagues.” Molly Moran is one of the Front Range’s most sought-after collaborative pianists. Since graduating with honors from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, Molly has performed with several of Colorado’s orchestras, chamber groups, and choirs. She is the preferred partner of some of the finest singers in Colorado.

The Choir

Sop 1
Michelle Kellogg
Cyrissa Anderson*
Sarah Blackwelder
Emma Day
Angela Shelley
Maria Forlenza

Sop 2
Sara Cummings
Amelia Davis
Gretchen Ela
Allison Gressett
Amethyst Kellogg
Jade Tiller

Alto 1/Sop 2
EC Jarecke (Spring ’25)
Brooke Sassi

Alto 1
Andrea Davis
Sarah Davis
Laura Grant
Elle Laikind
Lisa Steinman
Sam Henderson*

Alto 2
Sonia Ellison
Barbara Ludwig

Chip Onduto
Scotty Tremaine
Ashley Troester* (Spring ’25)
Marti Wedewer

Tenor 1
Heather Austin
Christopher Ellmann
Bonita Lahey
Catherine Mock
Aaron Shelley
Xavier Martinez

Tenor 2
David Carpenter

Doug Warburton
Brian Bickman

Baritone
Alex Breed
Richard Cornelius
Cameron Yanoscik

Bass
Matthew Kellogg
Justin Nickerson*
Rory Taylor

 

*Denotes Section Leader

This is Orpheus

Orpheus Board of Directors

Micayla Bellamy Adams

Micayla Bellamy Adams

President

Michelle Kellogg

Michelle Kellogg

Secretary

Laura Grant

Laura Grant

Treasurer

Andrew Adams

Andrew Adams

Artistic Director

Bonita Lahey

Bonita Lahey

Member-at-Large

Marti Wedewer

Marti Wedewer

Member-at-Large

Gary Suto

Gary Suto

Member-at-Large

Micayla Bellamy Adams

Micayla Bellamy Adams

President

Michelle Kellogg

Michelle Kellogg

Secretary

Laura Grant

Laura Grant

Treasurer

Andrew Adams

Andrew Adams

Artistic Director

Bonita Lahey

Bonita Lahey

Member-at-Large

Marti Wedewer

Marti Wedewer

Member-at-Large

Gary Suto

Gary Suto

Member-at-Large

Our Non-Discrimination Policy

Orpheus affirms its commitment to an open, welcoming envirornment, and equal opportunity for all by not discriminating in its Board of Directors’ policies, administrative actions, programming operations, and public participation in all its activities on the basis of race, ancestry, sexual orientation and identiy, religion, policitcal affiliation, or any other status prohibited by applicable U.S. law.