Having performed as soloist with the Cibao Philharmonic, the Corona Symphony, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, the Dorian Festival Orchestra, Les Sauvages Americains, Symbiosis Chamber Orchestra, among others, Mishkar Nunez-Mejia has delighted audiences nationally and internationally. In the spring of 2012 he was honored with the Cultural Personality of the Year 2011 Award from the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic. Mishkar currently holds a bachelor’s degree in violin performance and composition, and a master’s degree in violin performance. He is currently finishing his doctorate in historical performance with an emphasis on 13^th century French and Spanish musical notation.

Jennifer Paulino, soprano, is celebrated for her “graceful yet powerful” and “sensitive and clear” voice (SF Classical Voice). Specializing in baroque, contemporary, and chamber music, Ms. Paulino has performed as a soloist in Australia, Denmark, Poland, The Netherlands, and across the U.S. Upcoming performances include a premier with new baroque opera company Ars Minerva (San Francisco), and a recital on the A. Jess Shenson Voice Recital series at Stanford University. Ms. Paulino studied early music styles at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Netherlands, and completed her undergraduate studies at Westminster Choir College of Rider University.

John Russell is sought after a tenor soloist whose recent solo performances include Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Lisbon Summer Choral Festival Chorus and Orchestra in Lisbon, Portugal, G.F. Handel’s Israel in Egypt with the Westminster Chamber Choir and Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah with the Bach Collegium San Diego and W.A. Mozart’s Litaniae de venerabili altaris Sacramento with the Hollywood Master Chorale. He is also a regular member of several professional choral ensembles including Pacific Bach Project (San Diego), the Bach Collegium San Diego and the Horizon Music Group Chamber Choir (Los Angeles).

Angela Young Smucker has earned praise for her “rich, secure mezzo-soprano” (Chicago Tribune) and her “powerful stage presence” (The Plain Dealer). Her performances in concert, stage, and chamber works have made her a highly versatile and sought-after artist. Highlights of the 2015-16 season include debut performances with Spire Chamber Ensemble, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and San Diego Pro Arte Voices. Ms. Smucker will make return appearances with Haymarket Opera Company, Newberry Consort, Bach Collegium San Diego, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and Chicago Bach Ensemble. Ms. Smucker holds degrees from Valparaiso University and the University of Minnesota.

Ruben Valenzuela is active as a conductor, historical keyboardist, musicologist, and is the founder and music director of the Bach Collegium San Diego with whom he has led performances encompassing music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. As a musicologist he has undertaken research at the Centro Nacional de Investigación, Documentación e Información Musical in Mexico City, and most recently at the Archivo del Cabildo of Mexico City Cathedral. Mr. Valenzuela holds a PhD in Musicology from Claremont Graduate University and is the Director of Music and Organist of All Souls’ Episcopal Church, Point Loma. (www.rubenvalenzuela.org)

Heather Vorwerck is a cellist and viol player in Southern California. She is principal cellist with Bach Collegium San Diego. She has played with LA ensembles Musica Angelica and Tesserae, as well as Agave Baroque in the SF Bay Area. In summer of 2016, she will be performing as principal cellist for the Baroque Music Festival in Corona Del Mar. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory (1998), Ms. Vorwerck was the recipient of the E. Russell Award for Excellence in Historical Performance. She earned an MFA in cello performance at Mills College and studied at the Royal Conservatory in The Netherlands. She studied with Catharina Meints, Martha Gerschefski, Jaap ter Linden and Anneke Pols. In addition to her performing duties with BCSD, she is also coordinator for the Bach ‪@ Noon series and educational outreach activities.

Katie Walders, soprano, began her career in Washington, D.C., singing with the finest choirs in the city. Performances at home and abroad include the Czech National Orchestra and Chorus, and at such venues as the Washington National Cathedral, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Cadogan Hall (London), Copley Hall (San Diego), Seoul Arts Center (Korea), and the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod (Wales). Katie regularly performs with the Bach Collegium San Diego and the San Diego Pro Arte Voices. Katie Walders is a member of the Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival. Recent engagements include performing at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Seoul, South Korea and at Festival Mozaic (San Luis Obispo).