Richard D. Mathey is Professor Emeritus at Bowling Green State University. Professor Mathey is a graduate of Capital University, Columbus, Ohio and Bowling Green State University. His various university choirs, Men's Chorus, Women's Chorus, A cappella Choir, and Collegiate Chorale, have appeared on state, regional, and national conventions of the Ohio Music Education Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the American Choral Directors Association and the Michigan Music Education Association. In addition he has conducted All-State Choruses in Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio and over 400 county, district, regional and state choral festivals. He has been a choral/vocal adjudicator for the Ohio Music Education Association for 34 years. He was an adjunct professor at Ohio University during academic year 2001, where he was a private voice teacher and directed the Glee Club, The Singing Men of Ohio. After a two year hiatus with the Bowling Green State University Men's Chorus he has recently taken the helm of the newly formed BGSU Alumni Men's Chorus.

He made his New York singing debut in 1971 with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Alice Tully Hall in the Lincoln Center complex in a performance of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. He has performed 17 leading operatic tenor roles and has soloed with symphonies throughout the mid-west. On July 4 of 1997, he received a service award from the Music Educators National Conference and the Society For The Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America for his service to music education. He assumed the directorship of the Singing Buckeye Chapter (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America), in Columbus, Ohio in January of 1999. Professor Mathey can be heard on the CD album Without A Song, recorded in May of 1994 with his son and tenor, Shawn Mathey.

Mistress of Ceremonies

Karen Adams

The Festival Chorus is thrilled to have local news anchorwoman Karen Adams as our Mistress of Ceremonies

Karen Adams is the award winning anchor at Eyewitness News. Her broadcasting career began in radio, but she quickly moved into television news. She was worked as a reporter, anchor and news director for television stations in Missouri , Maryland and North Carolina.

During her years in broadcasting, Karen has won many awards for her work. She won the coveted Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for Individual Achievement in Anchoring for all of New England. She recently received another Emmy as part of an Overall team effort on coverage of a breaking news story. Many Associated Press awards have come her way for outstanding reporting and feature reporting.

Karen’s community involvement is far-reaching and extensive. She is A director on the board of Bank RI; a board trustee with Community Preparatory School in Providence (an innovative school with provides scholarships and education to inner-city disadvantaged children; a board trustee with Meeting Street; corporate board member for Butler Hospital; Friends of Lincoln School; Friends of the Sophia Academy and an honorary “Big Sister” with the Big Sisters of Rhode Island.

Her past board member positions have included Trinity Repertory Theatre, Providence Animal Rescue League, Diabetes Foundation of Rhode Island and Eastman House.

For a full biography access: Karen Adams

"RISings"

Concert Program

I

Noel Benedictus  - Charpentier, arr. Ehret

Dark of Winter – S. Jackson

North Kingstown Community Chorus

Cabaret – Ebb and Kander – arr. K. Shaw

Bashana Haba’ah - Manor and Hirsch – arr. Leavitt

Feelin' Groovy – Music & Lyrics by Paul Simon (BMI) – arr. Kirby Shaw

Gaudeamus  - Lightfoot

Festival Chorus: