JOSH BAUDER is a Minneapolis-based composer, arranger, typesetter, and professor. His choral music has been performed by church, university, and community choirs across the United States and abroad. He has written for professional and semi-professional ensembles, including Indånde (a flute, oboe, and piano ensemble) and Deo Cantamus of Minnesota (a faith-based chorale who premiered his 2014 oratorio Abraham and his 2017 oratorio Tyndale). Josh was awarded the 2010 Jerome Grant for New Music from the American Composers Forum, and his carol "Sleep Softly, Lullaby" won the 2015 VocalEssence Carol Contest. In 2017 Josh completed two years as composer-in-residence at Grace University Lutheran Church, and he has recently fulfilled commissions from Fuller Seminary, the Twin Cities Master Chorale, the University of Minnesota Foundation, the Oratorio Society of Minnesota, and the University of St. Thomas.

Josh holds a B.A. in music and philosophy from the University of St. Thomas, and he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in music composition from the University of Minnesota. He has studied piano under Katherine Faricy; conducting under Angela Broeker, Matthew Mehaffey, and Kathy Romey; theory under David Damschroder; and composition under James Callahan and Alex Lubet. He currently teaches theory and composition at the University of St. Thomas and the University of Northwestern - St. Paul.

Several of Josh's sacred choral octavos are published by the Fred Bock Company, and he self-publishes choral/orchestral and instrumental works. He has engraved scores for the Oratorio Society of Minnesota (Randall Thompson's Requiem), the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (Haydn's "Insanae et vanae curae") and Religious Affections Ministries (Hymns to the Living God).

In his free time Josh pursues interests in theology, history, aesthetics, residential architecture, and fiction. He also serves as worship director at his church, Grace Bible Church of Monticello, Minnesota.

LIEF BJALAND is one of the most dynamic and exciting American conductors now before the public.  As Artistic Advisor to The Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra for the last three seasons, he conducted concerts, led the orchestra on its first statewide tour and administered the recently completed search for a new music director.  He served as the Artistic Director/Conductor of the Sarasota Orchestra from 1997 to 2012, during which time the orchestra experienced unprecedented artistic growth.  Mr. Bjaland is also currently the Music Director of the Waterbury Symphony in Connecticut where he has received enormous enthusiasm and critical praise for his performances and imaginative programming.

Leif is an active guest conductor appearing with the Louisville Orchestra and Las Vegas Philharmonic, and he will lead performances with Cynthia Gregory and Nevada Ballet Theatre, and the Louisville Ballet.  He will also conduct performances with the Pacific Northwest Ballet at the Seattle Opera House (McCaw Hall) as well as performances with the Auburn Symphony.  Recently he as served as conductor for Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center and on two international tours featuring all Balanchine programs. He has also acted as a guest conductor for New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Sarasota Ballet and Miami City Ballet.  He conducted the Florida Grand Opera in three productions including a highly acclaimed Don Giovanni a triple bill of one‐act operas by Manuel de Falla ‐ El Amor Brujo, Master Peter's Puppet Show and La Vida Breve; and Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. Bjaland received great attention and critical acclaim when he gave the world premiere performance of 19th century American composer George Chadwick's opera, The Padrone.

Leif has created a new multimedia presentation that he wrote and narrated called "Journeys to Genius," which explores the creative road taken in writing a masterpiece.  This enthusiastically received performance includes a first half of actors, projected images, and narration leading towards a performance of the full work on the second half of the concert. Works featured so far have been the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, Mozart Jupiter Symphony, Beethoven Eroica Symphony, and Tchaikovsky Pathetique Symphony.

A popular and active guest conductor, Leif made his debut at the Ravinia Festival conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a program titled "Bernstein on Broadway" also involving soloists, a chorus, and dancers. He recently appeared with The Chicago Philharmonic, the Gulf Coast Symphony, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, and the California Symphony. He has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic and the symphony orchestras of Fort Worth, Nashville, Detroit, Rochester, Utah, Madison, Akron, Fort Wayne, Fresno, Des Moines, Mobile, San Jose, Rhode Island, Virginia, Harrisburg, Colorado, Long Beach, New World Symphony. Mr. Bjaland led the Cincinnati Symphony at an opening concert of a Riverbend summer season, and conducted at Chicago's Grant Park Music Festival, the World Youth Symphony at Interlochen, and the Young Artists Orchestra at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute culminating in a performance in Ozawa Hall.

An enthusiastic proponent of music education, Leif has taught for several summers in Venezuela as part of that country’s “el Sistema” program.  He received his Masters degree in conducting from The University of Michigan, where he studied with Gustav Meier.  He is the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Music degree, awarded by Susquehanna University and makes his home in San Francisco.

BRADLEY GREENWALD has performed opera, theater, music-theater, concert, and recital repertoire with several Twin Cities’ arts organizations, including Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Open Eye Figure Theatre, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Guthrie Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, 10,000 Things Theater, Nautilus Music-Theater, Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, VocalEssence, Frank Theatre, and Skylark Opera.  He adapted Madeleine L’Engle’s novel A Wrinkle in Time into a libretto for Libby Larsen’s opera, and wrote the book and lyrics for C., an adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac (Robert Elhai, music), produced by Peter Rothstein and Theater Latté Da.  Bradley is the recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship in music, the McKnight Fellowship for Theater Artists, and a 2006 Ivey Award.

BERNARD KAPLAN of Sherman, Connecticut, and Queens, New York, is a retired educator and school administrator and an active musician. A songwriter and poet, he is also the vice-president and treasurer of the Jewish Community Center in Sherman. He serves as chairperson of the board of the non-profit Samaritan Daytop Village, which provides behavioral health, housing, educational, and rehabilitative services to the most challenged New Yorkers.

MATTHEW MEHAFFEY, an American conductor and educator who enjoys a national reputation in the field of choral/orchestral music through his engaging artistry, collaborative spirit, affirming pedagogical style, and entrepreneurial approach to concert programming.

Matt serves as Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota, where he was the 2015 recipient of the Arthur “Red” Motley Exemplary Teaching Award. In addition to conducting the University Singers, he teaches courses in choral literature and conducting. He has been the Artistic Director of the Oratorio Society of Minnesota since 2008.  During his leadership, OSM has endeavored to make the genre of Oratorio relevant to 21st century audiences.  Immersive programs like The Music of Downton Abbey, Victoria!  Voices of Light, Lest We Forget, and The Greatest Generation have delighted audiences and led to OSM being hailed as “Twin  Cities’  foremost  presenter  of  large-scale  works  for  chorus  and  orchestra.” (Pioneer Press)  From 2016-2023 he was the Music Director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, the “Choir of Choice” of the Pittsburgh Symphony. During his tenure the choir received a GRAMMY Nomination for its recording of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Pittsburgh Symphony.  

Matt has published extensively on the topic of choral rehearsal technique with GIA Publications.  He and his friend Dave Fielding are currently working on The English Heritage Music Series with the University of Minnesota Libraries.  He and his wife Libby have four young children.

BERNARD KAPLAN (b. 1949) of Sherman, Connecticut, and Queens, New York, is a retired educator and school administrator and an active musician. A songwriter and poet, he is also the vice-president and treasurer of the Jewish Community Center in Sherman. He serves as chairperson of the board of the non-profit Samaritan Daytop Village, which provides behavioral health, housing, educational, and rehabilitative services to the most challenged New Yorkers.

ROGER AMES (1944–2022) was an American composer, conductor, and educator known for large-scale vocal works, including the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Requiem for Our Time and the musical Martin Guerre. His diverse portfolio spanned operas, choral music, and musical theater, often characterized by collaborations with librettists and a focus on poignant, dramatic storytelling.