American soprano MELISSA GIVENS (b. 1967) moves and excites audiences and critics alike with a rich, powerful tone, crystalline clarity, and intelligent musical interpretations. Especially noted for her expressiveness and elegance on the stage, she’s been hailed as a singer whose music making is “consistently rewarding” and “a pleasure to hear” (Houston Chronicle). Givens is also an extremely versatile artist, regularly performing repertoire from the Baroque era through music of the 21st century. An Early Music America review of her performance in the 2011 Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Concerts praised her voice as “beautiful and rich, [singing] Baroque music with conviction.” A writer for Classical Net marveled, “Melissa Givens has a voice you imagine coming from the goddess Erda” in a review of Conspirare’s 2012 recording of spirituals on the Harmonia Mundi label, Sing Freedom! A featured artist for the 2016 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists, recent performances also include Mozart’s Requiem with the Concord Chorale, Handel’s Messiah with Ars Lyrica Houston and the Orpheus Chamber Singers, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and appearances with the Greenbriar Consortium and the Bloomington Bach Cantata Project. Givens toured Europe and Africa in Pitié!, an adaptation of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, with the Belgian dance collective Les Ballets C de la B. She can be heard on the soundtrack recording on Cyprès Records and is featured in a documentary film about the tour produced by ZDF/Arté. Givens remains in demand on concert series throughout the United States and internationally, including recent concerts in Minnesota, Indiana, Calgary, and Houston. A champion of collaborative musical endeavors, she performs with various chamber music groups, including Conspirare, the 2015 Grammy Award recipient for Best Choral Performance, and Grammy-nominated Ars Lyrica Houston. Her solo appearances on major label releases from both groups have received enthusiastic reviews. Currently on the voice faculty of Augusta University in Georgia, Givens earned the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, a Master of Music from the Rice University Shepherd School of Music, and a Bachelor’s in Music from Davidson College About the other Artists: JOBY BELL brings to his performances a contagious affability and a keen sensitivity toward increasing an audience’s appreciation for organ music. His recital programming demonstrates a varied and interesting repertoire, always enhanced by illuminating program notes designed to embrace all audiences. His acclaimed blog deals with a comprehensive range of organ-related topics including teaching philosophies, recital preparation, church music, and professional concerns. In 2000 he garnered Second Prize and the Audience Prize in the American Guild of Organists National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance. Since 2004, he has served on the faculty of the Hayes School of Music, Appalachian State University, where he teaches organ and church music studies. His teaching specializes in practice techniques, memorization, service playing, choral accompanying, and maintaining grace under pressure – lessons always best taught by example. He is featured on several recordings. His latest, Sonatas and Variations, features large works by Jongen, Brahms, and Reubke, recorded on the Fritts organ at St. Philip Presbyterian, Houston, and available on the Centaur label. Music City Mixture is recorded on mechanical-action organs of Nashville. Live Performances is a compilation of works played live at Appalachian State University, Rice University, Houston Baptist University, and the Washington National Cathedral. Joby is also featured on let the rain kiss you, a collaborative project with Augusta, Ga.-based soprano Melissa Givens. Upcoming recording projects include Hindemith Sonatas, Tournemire Improvisations, French Classic Noëls, Dupré Preludes and Fugues, and the complete Widor works. Born in 1968, Joby Bell attended high school at the [University of] North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied piano with Marian Hahn and Robert McDonald. He earned the Bachelor of Music degree in organ and piano from Appalachian State University and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in organ from Rice University. His teachers include H. Max Smith and Clyde Holloway, organ, and Rodney Reynerson and Allen Kindt, piano. His church positions have included St. John the Divine (Houston), St. Philip Presbyterian (Houston), First Presbyterian (Houston), First Presbyterian Lenoir, N.C., and First Presbyerian Statesville, N.C. He now serves as organist at St. Luke's Episcopal in Boone, N.C. THERESA HANEBURY, trumpet, has been a member of the Houston Ballet Orchestra since 1983 where in addition to playing with the orchestra she also now serves as Music Librarian and Pianist Manager. She received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Hartford, Hartt School of Music in 1983. Ms. Hanebury toured extensively with Texas Opera Theatre from 1984 to 1987, and has performed with the Texas Chamber Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, Fort Worth Symphony, Lubbock Symphony and the Imperial Brass. In addition to her positions with the Ballet Orchestra, Ms. Hanebury currently performs with the Athena Brass Band, Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera and the Ambient Brass Quintet. She performs with Monarch Brass Ensemble, Houston Chamber Orchestra and the American Pops Orchestra and also serves as Personnel Manager for these groups. She works extensively as a musician’s contractor in the Houston/Galveston area for many churches, schools and touring shows. In addition Ms. Hanebury frequently performs as a soloist and teaches trumpet privately in the Houston area. THE PICASSO STRING QUARTET (Christine Brain Elston, Linda Sanders, Lawrence Wheeler and Steve Estes) is Houston-based. Its members play with the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet Orchestras and are in demand as artist teachers in the Houston area.