Geoffrey Williams, D.M.A. |Workshop Director

Dr. Williams serves as Assistant Professor of Church Music and Director of St. Mary’s Chapel at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. Acclaimed for his “deeply hued countertenor” (New York Times), he is in demand as a singer, conductor, teacher, and early music specialist throughout the United States and abroad. He is founder and artistic director of the GRAMMY-nominated male classical vocal quartet New York Polyphony, and also performs regularly with Vox Vocal Ensemble, Early Music New York, the Clarion Music Society, and each summer serves on the faculty of the Amherst Early Music Festival.

Scott Dettra|Organist-in-Residence

Acclaimed as one of America’s leading concert organists, Mr. Dettra combines an active performance schedule with his post as Director of Music at the Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, Texas, where he leads a vibrant music ministry in one the country’s largest Episcopal parishes. His work is praised for its clarity, rhythmic intensity, and elegance, and has been described by The American Organist as “music making of absolute authority and sophisticated expression.” In addition to his post at Incarnation, he is a member of the organ faculty at Southern Methodist University and is organist of The Crossing, the GRAMMY award-winning professional chamber choir based in Philadelphia. Prior to his appointment in Dallas, he was organist of Washington National Cathedral.

Andrew Smith|Composer-in-Residence

GRAMMY-winning British-Norwegian composer, organist, and chant specialist Andrew Smith will serve as CMW’s composer-in-residence. As a composer, he has a growing international reputation for choral and vocal music that links tradition with a contemporary idiom. Smith’s works have been performed by ensembles Trio Mediaeval, New York Polyphony, and Gothic Voices, and he has been commissioned and performed by numerous Norwegian choirs, including most recently the Norwegian Girls Choir, and Oslo Cathedral Choir, who performed a piece in a nationally televised church service to celebrate the golden wedding anniversary of the king and queen of Norway. In addition to providing classroom instruction and feedback on participants’ own works-in-progress, Smith will compose a new anthem and set of canticles to be premiered by workshop participants. As part of their tuition, workshop participants will receive scores, including multiple copies of the commissioned works, to be used by their home choirs and parishes.

Sarah Brailey|Vocalist-in-Residence

Hailed by The New York Times for her “radiant, liquid tone,” and “sweetly dazzling singing” and by Opera UK for producing “a sound of remarkable purity,” singing instructor Sarah Brailey is a DMA candidate at UW-Madison. Ms. Brailey enjoys a career filled with diverse projects, from soloing in Handel’s Messiah with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra to performing with Kanye West and Roomful of Teeth at the Hollywood Bowl. Co-founder of Just Bach, a monthly concert series in Madison, Ms. Brailey also co-hosts Musica Antiqua on 89.9 FM and serves as the Artistic Director of the Handel Aria Competition.

Fr. Matthew S.C. Olver, Ph.D|Liturgist-in-Residence

Fr. Matthew S.C. Olver, Ph.D. serves as Assistant Professor of Liturgics and Pastoral Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. Fr. Olver completed his doctoral work at Marquette University on the influence of Hebrews on the origin and theology of the Roman Canon. Prior to moving to Wisconsin, Fr. Olver served as the assistant rector at Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, where he oversaw adult formation as well as the parish’s renowned music and liturgy program.