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SOLSTICE - A WOMEN'S VOCAL ENSEMBLE - SINGS A CAPPELLA

DOORS OPEN 3:30 PM CONCERT AT 4:00 PM

Solstice has enthralled audiences with their technically precise and passionate treatment of music for women's voices since 1996. These seven women take pride in sharing their joy of a cappella music and strive for human connection through the power of song with each performance. Their music spans many different genres, with an emphasis on international folk, western classical, pop, and jazz. The group has performed in many Bay Area and Northern California venues, including Freight and Salvage, La Peña, Music on the Hill, the Berkeley Arts Center, Villa Montalvo, Kuumbwa Jazz, the Opus Chamber Music series, and the Mendocino Music Festival.
Solstice has recorded five albums and performed multiple times on KALW radio, including featured appearances on A Patchwork Quilt and Folk Music and Beyond On-Air Folk Festival. They are the 2007 Regional champions of the Harmony Sweepstakes a cappella competition, and took 3rd place nationally that year.

"I've heard Solstice sing many times over the years and I treasure the energy, joy, beauty, and meticulous musicianship they bring to their performances." Mark Schaeffer, Rose Avenue Acoustic Delights concert series host.

Soprano Becca Burrington's first teachers were her trombonist/singer Grandfather and pianist Grandmother. Her solo debut was singing "Away in a Manger" at the age of 3 with her family singing in 4 part harmony. Becca received the Dean's Talent Award at Oberlin Conservatory and graduated with honors in trombone performance. An active freelancer on trombone and voice, she is a founding member of Solstice. She also performs with the Pacific Mozart Ensemble, Mirabai Ensemble, Montclair Women's Big Band, and the San Francisco Sinfonietta.
Born into a choral family, Emily Bender, soprano, was attending choir rehearsals as soon as they would let her. Emily sang in school and church choirs growing up, and sang her first church solo at age 3. At age 10, Emily started performing in musicals, and continued that throughout high school and college. For the past 25 years, Emily has sung and soloed with numerous groups, including Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Coro Allegro in Boston; San Francisco Bach Choir, Pacific Mozart Ensemble, and Goat Hall Productions. As a member of the Grammy-nominated Pacific Mozart Ensemble she performed in Carnegie Hall, singing with the ensemble and soloing as part of the celebration of 40 years of Meredith Monks music.
Kim Warsaw, alto, has been singing her way through life, from a childhood of singing into the bathroom mirror with a brush as a microphone, to a college life of singing with the Indiana University Afro-American Choral Ensemble, to singing with Solstice since 1996.
Krista Enos, alto, is a founding member of Solstice. While earning her B.A. in vocal performance from Mills College, she founded and directed the Mills College Treblemakers, a predecessor to Solstice. Krista teaches private voice, a cappella classes for middle school through college-aged singers, and gymnastics classes to kids ages 1-14.
Sheryl Kaskowitz, soprano, is a founding member of Solstice, and the composer/arranger of some of our most beloved songs. Sheryl left in 2004 to pursue her doctorate in ethnomusicology at Harvard, and we were thrilled to welcome her back to Solstice in 2017. You might be familiar with Sheryl as the author of the book "God Bless America: The Surprising History of an Iconic Song."
Originally from West Virginia, Sara Webb-Schmitz, alto/mezzo, attended Oberlin College and Penn State before moving to the Bay Area. She joined Solstice in 2000, as well as worked with the award-winning theater group Killing My Lobster as a band member (French horn), producer, and board member. In the real world, Sara produces videos on early child development and education for infant/toddler caregivers and preschool teachers. She hopes to one day resurrect her bluegrass band, in which she sang and played mandolin.
Christina Bogiages, alto, began her choral singing experience with the San Francisco Girls Chorus at the age of 9. She has since sung with various Bay Area choral groups such as Voce, Ars Cantus, and Musae. She performed for nearly 10 years as lead singer for the Bossa Nova band "Bossa Five-0". She holds a BA in Oboe Performance from UW-Madison, and an MM in Contemporary Chamber Music from the UFRN (Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte - Brazil). While obtaining her Master's degree, she was 1st Oboist with the RN State Orchestra, and taught oboe at the University. She also started a choir for very young singers (4-8 yrs) through the UFRN. She now teaches Special Education at an SFUSD elementary school.