Mezzo-soprano Stefanie Bester is, by trade, a pediatrician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, but her musical career started when she was very young. Having started violin at age 4, piano at age 5, and singing in choirs in grade school, she has striven to stay involved with music in some capacity all her life. Stefanie graduated with a Bachelors of Music degree in Violin Performance (and a BA in Neuroscience) from Oberlin College and Conservatory. She was a fellow at Tanglewood in the summer of 1996, playing with the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa. She did graduate study at New England Conservatory before switching gears and moving on to medical school at The Ohio State University and residency at Columbus Children’s. Since moving to Columbus, she has sung in the choir at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church and has been part of Fior Angelico since its inception in 2006. She continues to play violin when she can, and will occasionally play in church—most recently, she played all four Vivaldi Seasons concertos in separate services at Saint Mark’s. She lives in Dublin, Ohio, with her husband, Matthew, their three children, and pup, Penny.
Betsy Gillespie, soprano, grew up performing in Columbus, Ohio. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Voice from The Ohio State University and spent several years teaching and singing before transitioning to a career in nonprofit management. Betsy now serves as the Community Engagement and Philanthropy Director at Friendship Village of Dublin. She is grateful for opportunities like Fior Angelico that allow her to keep music in her life. Betsy joined Fior Angelico in 2020 and also sings with the choir at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church. Previously, she was a member of the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra Chorus and the St. Joseph Cathedral Choir and Schola. She lives with her family in Clintonville and can often be found at local sports fields cheering on the young athletes in her life.
Soprano Emily Noël, praised for her “sparkling performances” and “sheer vocal beauty” by The Washington Post, concertizes throughout North America and Europe in a wide variety of repertory expanding from the Medieval to the contemporary. Highlights of recent seasons include Davenant’s Macbeth at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, The Merchant of Venice with the Gabrieli Players at the Wanamaker Theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, and Measure for Measure with the Folger Consort at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC, where she played Mariana opposite Derek Jacobi’s Angelo. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Noël is a long-time collaborator with The Early Interval, Folger Consort, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Washington Bach Consort, and Washington National Cathedral Choir. In March, Ms. Noël traveled to Poland to perform and record with the Wind Orchestra of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków. She has served on the Faculties of Franklin & Marshall College and the Community College of Rhode Island, and currently teaches voice and aural skills at Denison University.
Kelly Riley, soprano, has been performing with Fior Angelico since 2009. She earned a Bachelor of Music from Capital University in 2002, and taught elementary music in various Central Ohio public schools from 2002 to 2014. During that period Kelly also served as a guest instructor and clinician with the Columbus Children’s Choir, taught early childhood musicianship classes with the Suzuki Violin School of Columbus-Worthington, and served as an education advisor with the Jazz Arts Group and Opera Columbus. Kelly earned a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning from The Ohio State University in 2009 and later completed further graduate studies in school administration and gifted education at OSU and Arizona State University, respectively. She is currently an Innovation and Discovery Specialist in the Hilliard City Schools. In 2025, Kelly returned to her music education roots serving as co-director of the Washington Elementary School Choir. Kelly resides in Dublin with her husband and daughter.
Margaret Wells, soprano, has been a member of Fior Angelico since its founding in 2006 and also serves as the treasurer of its board. She is the soprano section leader at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington. She has been a featured performer with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra and has performed with ProArteOHIO (formerly LancasterChorale), the Saint Joseph Cathedral Schola, the Pontifical College Josephinum’s Schola Cantorum, The Early Interval, and the First Congregational Church Choir, where she was the soprano soloist for Mozart’s Requiem and Bach’s St. John Passion. She has traveled with various groups to England, participating in choral residencies at cathedrals in Lincoln, Wells, Gloucester, Worcester, and Norwich. Known for her expressive voice and versatility, she has performed a wide range of repertoire, from early music to contemporary choral works. Margaret holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and music from Valparaiso University. She currently resides in Dublin with her husband and their two children.
Emelie Bensing, alto, holds degrees in English and Latin from St. Olaf College, where she also sang under John Ferguson in the St. Olaf Cantorei. She went on to earn her MA in School Counseling from Ohio State, and MFA in Creative Writing from the University of the South. Since 2012, she has been a member of the Saint Mark’s Choir, and since 2013, has sung with Fior Angelico. Currently, she works as a school counselor for Columbus City Schools. When she’s not singing, Emelie enjoys spending time with her husband and their 2.5-year-old daughter.
Alto Heather Chute is a graduate of Capital University where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in vocal music education. She has taught her entire career with Hamilton Local Schools, leading the choirs in grades 7-12. She is the alto section leader at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church and an alto with ProArteOHIO (formerly LancasterChorale) and The Columbus Choral Artists. She recently participated with the Converging Arts Columbus performance of Considering Matthew Shepard. Heather was also a 2023 recipient of the Manilow Music Project Award.
Mary Rebekah Fortman, alto, attended Capital University for her undergraduate and graduate studies. She holds a Master of Music Education with a Kodaly Emphasis. She teaches elementary music for Westerville City Schools. Mary Rebekah also sings with the Indianola Presbyterian Chancel Choir. She has sung with LancasterChorale and the Capital University Choral Union.
Mezzo-soprano Gretchen Rutz Leist is a Columbus-born vocalist and transactional attorney. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Capital University, where she focused on tuba and voice, and later received her Juris Doctor from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. As a mezzo-soprano, Gretchen has performed with notable local musical groups such as ProArtOHIO, Opera Project Columbus, Fior Angelico, the Sacred Music Institute of America, the Columbus Symphony Chorus, and Converging Arts Columbus. She also serves on the Friends of Early Music Board of Trustees. Alongside her musical endeavors, she has built a successful legal career, specializing in commercial contracts and data privacy law.
Tenor Steve Barker moved to Columbus in 2012 to study Old English literature. He has been the tenor section leader at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington since 2015, and sings occasionally with other church choirs in the area. He is also a longtime member of ProArteOHIO (formerly LancasterChorale). He has taught English and Latin and was recently a writer for a finance startup. He is currently writing and studying Japanese, and his daughter is in middle school.
Ryan Jenkins, tenor, is a high school choral director, an active choral conductor, and vocalist from Columbus, Ohio. He has been teaching choral music since 2017 and is currently the Choral Director at Columbus Academy, where he teaches middle school and high school choir. Along with his teaching, Ryan is the Director of Traditional Music at Trinity United Methodist Church. As a vocalist, Ryan has sung with Opera Columbus, ProArteOHIO (formerly LancasterChorale), the Sacred Music Institute of America, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, and the National Anthem for the Columbus Crew. Prior to his current appointments, Ryan has experience working with a wide variety of groups including chamber ensemble, children’s choir, competitive a cappella and show choir, community choir, sacred music, and high school/collegiate groups. Ryan holds degrees from The Ohio State University (B.M. in Vocal Performance) and University of Toronto (M.M. in choral conducting) where he studied with Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt.
Andrew LeVan is a tenor from Dublin, Ohio. He attended The College of Wooster and received his Master’s Degree in vocal performance from Indiana University, where he studied with Dr. Brian Horne. Andrew premiered the role of Nô in P. Q. Phan’s opera The Tale of Lady Thi Kính and has performed as MR UPFOLD in Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring and a Priest in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten. Mr. LeVan has performed with the Indiana University Opera Theater, the Indiana Festival Theatre, and the Ohio Light Opera. He was most recently seen as a soloist in Gallery Player’s production of Sondheim on Sondheim, GRIMSBY in the Butterfly Guild production of The Little Mermaid, and as NJEGUS in Opera Project Columbus’ production of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow.
A native of Long Island, New York, tenor Ted Meyers has been immersed in music since childhood. He began his formal choral training under the late Gerre Hancock with the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys at Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue in New York City. Transitioning from boy soprano to tenor, Ted went on to sing with various church choirs in New York. Now based in Columbus, Ohio, he sings regularly in the choir at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington, where he also serves on the vestry. Beyond his vocal endeavors, Ted is an instrumentalist, playing piano, organ, and clarinet; he studied music theory, piano, and organ at the Eisman Center for Preparatory Studies in Music at Queens College/CUNY. He earned a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Marketing from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University, a background that deepens his appreciation for the interplay between musical artistry and structural precision. Outside his musical pursuits, Ted is an Institutional Relationship Manager for Nationwide’s mutual funds family and Vice President at Cliff Hill Music, a printed music distributor based in suburban Cleveland. As a board member of Fior Angelico, he is committed to sustaining and advancing traditional choral music in Central Ohio and beyond.
Jacob Conrad is a bass-baritone from Columbus, Ohio. During (and following) his music education studies at The Ohio State University, he has arranged and composed pieces for multiple A cappella choruses under his baton. Mr. Conrad currently serves as bass section leader for Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington, but also regularly sings with ProArteOHIO (formerly LancasterChorale), the Columbus Symphony Chorus, St. Joseph Cathedral schola, Our Lady of Victory parish, and Fior Angelico.
Billy Edwards, bass, has enjoyed singing with Fior Angelico since 2023. A native of Newark, Ohio, he studied music at Alderson-Broaddus College in West Virginia before moving back to the area. Over the past several years, Billy has served as Director for Newark’s Land of Legend Barbershop Chorus and has been involved with music leadership at several churches including Bremen United Methodist Church, Maple Street United Methodist in Lancaster, and currently Bass Section Leader at Holy Trinity Lutheran in Upper Arlington. He has been in productions with Opera Columbus, Weathervane Playhouse in Newark, Rise Up Arts Alliance in Lancaster, and performed with Lancaster Chorale and the Singing Buckeyes. Billy has found a new appreciation for Early Music while singing with Fior Angelico.
Bass Hannibal Hamlin grew up in Toronto, where he studied singing with Gary Relyea and Patricia Kern and participated in masterclasses with Emma Kirkby and Julianne Baird. He performed as a soloist and ensemble singer with Tafelmusik, Opera Atelier, the Toronto Chamber Society, the Exultate Chamber Singers, and Sexti Toni, a Renaissance vocal ensemble he and his late wife founded. While pursuing a PhD in Renaissance Studies at Yale, he lived for several years in New York, was a member of the choir of the church of St. Luke in the Fields, and sang regularly with the choir of St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, VOX, and the Ensemble for Early Music. Hannibal is a Professor of English Literature at The Ohio State University, specializing in Shakespeare, Renaissance poetry, and the English Bible.
Baritone John Schlabach is a native of the Columbus area and a graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in Vocal Music Education. He has performed in the area for over 20 years with many organizations including ProArteOHIO (formerly LancasterChorale), Fior Angelico, Opera Columbus, Opera Project Columbus, Columbus Symphony Chorus, Converging Arts Columbus, and the Sacred Music Institute. John is ever thankful to his wife and two children for allowing him the time to perform, as well as to Dr. Bester for extending the invitation once again to sing with this extraordinary group of musicians.
Baritone Jim Vaigl has sung with Fior Angelico since its founding in 2006. A long-time chorister at Saint Mark’s Episcopal church, he has had the opportunity to sing at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the Washington National Cathedral, and in England at cathedrals in Wells, Lincoln, and Worcester. A computer engineer specializing in software for aviation, he’d rather be singing Tallis on most days.