AN ADVANCED PROGRAM FOR EMERGING CLASSICAL SINGERS

Announcing the 2025 Vocal Fellows

We are thrilled to announce the 2025 Vocal Fellows, who will be learning and performing with us at the 2025 Charlotte Bach Festival (May 30–June 7).

Charli Mills, soprano
Charli MillsNorth Carolina native Charli Mills enjoys a varied career as a vocalist and church musician. As a singer, Charli regularly appears with the Salem Bach Festival in Winston-Salem, last September soloing as Lieschen in a new English language staging of the Coffee Cantata (BWV 211) and performing Jesu, meine Freude (BWV 227).

Recently, she has also appeared as soloist and ensemble member for Duke University Chapel’s Bach Cantata Series, performing Bach’s St. John Passion, Cantatas 48, 70, 106, 125, 131, 150, and Kuhnau’s Ich habe Lust. She has performed as soloist for area performances of Carissimi’s Jephte (Filia), Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Rutter’s Requiem, and other Bach cantatas. Charli is also active as an ensemble musician, singing regularly with the professional Evensong Octet of First Presbyterian Church, and with the Winston-Salem Choral Artists, who recently performed James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words and Dan Forrest’s Creation.

Charli has worked as a church music director for eleven years and currently serves as Director of Traditional Music at Wesley Memorial Methodist Church in High Point, NC. She earned a Master’s in Church Music from the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Jordan Gascoigne, alto
Jordan Seguin-Gascoigne 230px.jpgJordan Seguin-Gascoigne is a critically acclaimed mezzo-soprano celebrated for her rich, expressive voice and magnetic stage presence. With an international career spanning opera, musical theatre, new and early music, she has performed with esteemed organizations including Portland Opera, Nashville Opera, Pacific Northwest Opera, Tacoma Opera, Amherst Early Music Festival, Cambridge Early Music Festival (UK) and The Seattle Symphony. Her signature roles include Adalgisa in Norma, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Hansel in Hansel und Gretel, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Sesto in Giulio Cesare.

Equally at home in musical theatre, Jordan starred in the 5th Avenue Theatre’s Cry to Heaven, a collaboration between Anne Rice and Matthew Wilder. She also premiered the role of Tomoe in Yoshinaka by Garrett Fisher, alongside Japan’s Takeda Noh troupe.

This season, Jordan will make her debut with Teatro Grattacielo, join Italy’s Valsugana Opera Studio, and embark on a European recital tour featuring songs by Baroque composer Sébastien Le Camus. She’ll also reprise her role as Sesto in Giulio Cesare in France and sing Cherubino in Italy and New York City. Jordan lives in Nashville, TN, with her husband Johann, daughter Mary, two hounds, and a ginger cat.

Wesley Saunders, tenor
Wesley SaundersTenor Wesley Saunders is recognized for his expressive artistry and deep commitment to oratorio and concert repertoire, with a particular dedication to the vocal works of J.S. Bach. Recent collaborations include appearances with the Monroe Symphony Orchestra, the Gulf Coast Messiah Chorus, and The Handel Project. 

A frequent soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Saunders has also performed major oratorios by Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms. In addition to appearing on the rosters of Queen City Chorale, Missouri Choral Artists, and Collegium Musicum Moscow, his artistry also includes extensive experience in musical theatre, opera (including international performances), and tv/film. 

Dedicated to continued refinement of his craft, he has been selected for several young artist programs including the American Bach Academy, the Northwestern Bach Academy, the Berkshire Choral Festival, and the Spoleto Festival USA. His education involved studies at the University of Idaho, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the Chenaniah Summer Music Institute. Now based out of Florida’s Emerald Coast, he lives with his wife Anna–an accomplished musician and professional chef—while remaining committed to his performance career.

Rozime Lindsey, bass
Rozime LindseyRozime Lindsey is a versatile and expressive vocalist with a focus on sacred and operatic repertoire. A recent graduate of Boston University, he holds a Master of Music in Music Education and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance. Rozime has appeared as a soloist with ensembles across New England and beyond, including Boston Baroque, Arcadia Players, Newton Baroque, and the Bach Roots Festival. Recent solo credits include Handel’s Messiah and Chandos Anthems, Mozart’s Requiem and Missa solemnis, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and Schütz’s Seven Last Words of Christ.

Equally at home in ensemble work, Rozime has performed major choral-orchestral works such as Haydn’s The Creation, Fauré’s Requiem, Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, and Rutter’s Requiem. Operatic experience includes roles in Così fan tuttiWhaling WomenFidelio, and The Marriage of Figaro.

Rozime is an alum of the Bach Roots Festival Emerging Artist Program and has been honored with the Ellalou Dimmock Vocal Honors Award and the Clare Hodgson Meeker Fellowship. With a passion for historically informed performance and music education, Rozime brings a thoughtful, stylistically informed approach to every stage appearance.


Vocal Fellows Program

An advanced program for emerging classical singers with interest in Baroque music and Historically Informed Performance Practice.

Our Vocal Fellows Program brings to Charlotte young professional singers who are looking to develop their careers with highly specialized training and collaborating with leading artists in the field of Baroque music. At the Charlotte Bach Festival, Vocal Fellows have the opportunity to experience high-level coaching with our artistic leadership team, to benefit from mentorship from seasoned singers, and to perform the music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries as chamber singers and as soloists in a historically-informed setting. This specialized training provided for Vocal Fellows comes free-of-cost for the singers, thanks to the generous support of the Maurer Family Foundation.

Funding for the Vocal Fellows Program has been generously provided by:

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Previous Vocal Fellows
2024

Sea Han, Soprano
Meghan Ryan, Alto
David Pelino, Tenor
T.J. Callahan, Bass/Baritone

2023

Casey Willassen Kunmann, Soprano
Scottie Rogers, Counter-tenor
Derrick Miller, Tenor
Jared Swope, Bass

2022

Addy Sterrett, Soprano
Eliana Barwinski, Alto
David Morales, Tenor
Christopher Talbot, Baritone

2019

Chelsea Helm, Soprano
Molly McGuire, Mezzo-soprano
Aaron Cates, Tenor
Harrison Hintzsche, Baritone

2018

Olivia Miller, Soprano
Lauren Russell, Mezzo-soprano
Blake Beckemeyer, Tenor
William Marshall, Baritone