SINGERS
“Volti’s enthusiastic approach to new works, facility in extended vocal techniques, and remarkable cohesiveness as an ensemble [make for] an intriguing presentation of some of the most cutting-edge contemporary choral music being written today, and Robert Geary and his singers should be commended for their impeccable musicianship and artistry.”
Meet our singers
Volti is a vocal ensemble comprising 16 to 24 singers, depending on the repertoire of any given concert. Below are brief bios of musicians singing with us currently.
Ben Barr
Tenor
Ben Barr, tenor, has been singing off-and-on with Volti since 1992. He received his B.A. in Vocal Performance in 1994 from San Francisco State University. He has been seen on the stages of the Lamplighters, West Bay Opera, Santa Cruz Opera, and other companies, although it has been a few years since he slapped on the grease paint. He is the father of three wonderful children, and the husband to the most amazing wife ever. He is also the owner of B-Squared Consulting, a firm that specializes in tech support for small businesses.
Will Betts
Tenor
Will Betts studied low brass and voice while at the University of the Pacific, graduating with a degree in Music Management. As a singer, he has performed with a variety of ensembles throughout the Bay Area, including AVE, Clerestory, Volti, and the Kronos and Saint Lawrence String Quartets, and has toured internationally with Pacific Boychoir Academy and The Choir of Oxford. In his other life as a jazz trombonist, he has performed with such artists as Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride, Phil Woods, and Wayne Bergeron. During the day, Will works as the manager of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra.
SIDNEY CHEN
Bass
Sidney Chen is a multi-faceted musician who seeks to dissolve boundaries of all kinds through his work. Recent projects include touring with ODC/Dance as a guest performer in KT Nelson’s Path of Miracles, and creating roles in Anne Hege’s “laptopera” The Furies with SLOrk (Stanford Laptop Orchestra) and Lisa Mezzacappa’s serial podcast opera The Electronic Lover. As a member of composer/choreographer Meredith Monk’s Vocal Ensemble, he has performed internationally and recorded for ECM Records. He has appeared as a soloist with the Oakland and Golden Gate Symphony Orchestras, performed on SF Symphony’s American Mavericks Festival, and sings regularly with the nine-person chamber ensemble Clerestory. He has performed with Volti since 2000. sidneychenarts.com
Stephanie Feigenbaum
Mezzo-Soprano
American mezzo-soprano Stephanie Feigenbaum has appeared with choral organizations, opera companies, and orchestras across the United States in diverse repertoire ranging from Baroque opera to new music. In the 2026-2027 season, Stephanie will make choral and soloist appearances in the Bay Area, including joining the San Francisco Opera Chorus for their production of Simon Boccanegra. She has debuted roles in numerous World and American Premieres over the last few seasons, including works by Dove, Bedford, and Glass. An alumna of the Chautauqua Opera, Opera Saratoga, and Indianapolis Opera Young Artist Programs, Stephanie currently makes her home in San Francisco.
Monica Frame
Mezzo-Soprano
While Monica Frame, mezzo soprano, has sung with ensembles ranging from the National Chamber Choir of Israel to the San Francisco Choral Artists, her singing on Valve electronic games and commercials enjoy the most YouTube hits. She is the alto soloist and section leader at Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Berkeley. A licensed psychotherapist, Monica specializes in school-based mental health services, and she particularly enjoys providing services to music education organizations such as the Crowden School and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Monica is deeply grateful for the regular opportunity Volti gives her to collaborate with composers in what she thinks of as a form of musical midwifery.
Jessica House Steward
Soprano
Korean-American soprano Jessica House Steward has sung with Volti since 2021. She has been recognized for her voice’s outstanding flexibility, range, and warm, yet vibrant timbre. Jessica made her Carnegie Hall debut singing the world premiere of two song cycles by composer Gerald Busby. She has received performance awards from Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, National Opera Association, and The National Society of Arts & Letters. Jessica holds vocal performance degrees from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Manhattan School of Music. She is the executive director of SF Choral Society and lives in Oakland with her husband Lee and their two teenage daughters.
Emily Ryan Kusnadi
Alto
Emily Ryan Kusnadi, alto, has performed with Volti for over ten seasons and is excited to continue collaborating with this group of artists. Since singing as a child with the San Francisco Girls Chorus, Emily has served in a variety of roles with that organization and is currently a Director of the SFGC Prep Chorus. She works with the school partnership program of the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, bringing music education into elementary schools in Richmond, CA. Additionally, she is on faculty at the Pacific Boychoir Academy, where she teaches musicianship at the day school and directs after-school choirs. Emily sings with the Schola Cantorum octet of the Cathedral of Christ the Light and was a founding member of the chamber ensemble Endersnight.
Julian Kusnadi
Tenor
Julian Kusnadi has loved working with Volti since 2013, particularly as faculty for Volti’s Choral Institute, in collaborations with ODC/Dance and with Kronos Quartet on the GRAMMY™ Award–winning album Sun Rings, and on special projects like Luciano Berio’s Sinfonia…and a Super Bowl ad! Other Bay Area artistic projects have included Clerestory, Gaude, and internationally ranked barbershop quartets Brannigan and Artistic License. In 2015, Julian co-founded the Fog City Singers, now one of the world’s leading barbershop choruses and recognized by the State of California for its contributions to San Francisco’s arts community.
Julian earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University and has spent his career building mission-driven technology in education and healthcare. He lives in the East Bay with his wife and two daughters.
Elysha Massatt
Soprano
Elysha Massatt has been a soloist for 18 years with Resmiranda/Opera Non Troppo, a Bay Area repertory ensemble which performs a cappella vocal compositions from 1200-2010, opera, sacred cantatas, masses and oratorios. She performed for two years with vocal ensemble Magdala in Oxford, England, specializing in the interpretation of medieval and renaissance polyphony.
She is a founding member of the chamber ensemble L’Esprit Baroque and regularly performs French, German and Italian cantatas in Los Angeles and Berkeley. She also sings with the 21V Choir.
Andrea Mich
Soprano
Soprano Andrea Mich developed her love for music through singing and playing flute in church and learning old Romanian hymns from her grandmother. She earned her Bachelor’s degrees in Music and in Molecular and Cellular Biology from UC Berkeley, where she was actively involved in Perfect Fifth, Chamber Chorus and Symphony Orchestra. She frequently performs throughout the Bay Area as both a soprano and a flautist, in chamber ensembles and as a soloist, and has performed under the batons of Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Marin Alsop, among others. When not performing, Andrea works in the biotechnology industry, and does her own experiments through baking pastries and cakes.
Ari Nieh
Bass-Baritone
Ari Nieh, bass-baritone, is a versatile performer whose work ranges from medieval plainsong to 21st century opera. She earned an MM in historical performance at Longy School of Music. Her oratorio solo highlights include Handel's Messiah and Bach's Magnificat with the Byrd Ensemble and Seattle Baroque Orchestra, as well as Bach's St. John Passion with Ensemble Musica Humana. A seasoned chorister, Ari has also performed with Seattle's Byrd Ensemble and Tudor Choir, Philharmonia Baroque, AVE, and Volti in San Francisco, The Thirteen in Washington, DC, and GRAMMY-nominated True Concord Voices and Orchestra in Tucson. As a church musician, she has been a staff singer at Church of the Advent and Grace Cathedral.
Akane Ota
Mezzo-Soprano
Akane Ota is a mezzo-soprano, educator, conductor, and collaborative pianist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She performs with Volti and 21V, and serves as a collaborative pianist for the Ragazzi Boys Chorus. A former member of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Convivium (dir. Eric Tuan), she is also a soloist and alto section leader at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Francisco. Her performances include Duruflé’s Requiem with the Kensington Symphony Orchestra and Masterworks Chorale, the Demon Slayer Live Concert at the Golden Gate Theater, and conducting the national anthem at a Golden State Warriors game. She will appear with Pocket Opera in Madama Butterfly (February 2026) as chorus master, in the role of the Mother, and cover for Suzuki. Akane lives in Burlingame with her husband, their two cellist daughters, and their cat, Cocoa.
Akshar Sarvesh
Bass-Baritone
Akshar Sarvesh is a bass-baritone from Saratoga, California, joining Volti for his first season. He graduated from Stanford University in 2026 with bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science and currently works as a software engineer at a San Francisco startup.
At Stanford, Akshar sang bass with the Stanford Chamber Chorale for five years and with the Stanford Fleet Street Singers, an all-original comedy a cappella group, for four years, including one year as Music Director. He has also performed in musical theater productions, including Into the Woods, She Loves Me, and Cabaret.
Akshar is thrilled to continue his musical endeavors in San Francisco as a member of both Volti and the San Francisco Choral Artists!
Philip Saunders
Bass
Philip Saunders, who has sung low bass for Volti since 1997, studied trombone and voice at Indiana University. He played four years for the Fresno Philharmonic, and in various Los Angeles and San Francisco area orchestras. He sang with the Fresno Lyric Opera, Los Angeles Opera Chorus, L.A. Master Chorale, S.F. Symphony Chorus, Creative Voices, AVE and the Josquin Singers, and has twice been guest soloist at the Mendocino Music Festival. He is the bass soloist and Assistant Music Director for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oakland (for whom he has composed two masses and many motets) and is a founding member of Pacific Collegium. He for years has been, and in retirement remains, the only man in California who wears a tie every day.
Tim Silva
Tenor
Tim Silva has sung with Volti since 2014. As an educator, he taught Pre-K through 8th grade music for 7 years at St. Leander School, and has served as instructor and conductor for several of the area's children's choirs. He currently conducts the Throckmorton Theatre Chorus, and is an associate conductor for the National Children's Chorus, and Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir where he also serves as a vocal instructor. An active collaborator and versatile performer, he sings frequently with singer-songwriter Briget Boyle, the Cathedral Choir of Oakland, Temple Emanu-El, and many of the Bay Area's finest ensembles. He was a featured soloist at the Berkeley Early Music Festival with California Bach Society. He has performed and recorded with Kronos Quartet, Marin Symphony, New Century Chamber Orchestra, Oakland Ballet, ODC/Dance, San Francisco Symphony, ZHU, and many others. His debut solo EP, 'Sourdough' is now streaming everywhere!
Colby Smith
Soprano
Colby Smith has had the privilege of performing across the United States with celebrated ensembles such as New York Philharmonic, Kronos Quartet, New Century Chamber Orchestra, and The Knights while at the Ojai Music Festival. Her interest in new music was sparked in 2008 while performing at the Spoleto Festival in Anthony Davis’ opera Amistad. As a member of Volti since 2012, she has continued to explore the complexity of new music and joy of collaborating with composers. A proud New Jersey native, Colby earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Westminster Choir College.
Mark Sumner
Bass-Baritone
Mark Sumner, bass-baritone, is happy to return to Volti after a more than twenty year absence. Leaving singing and teaching careers in Dallas, Tulsa and Los Angeles, he has now retired after twenty-five years as Director of Choral Ensembles at UC Berkeley. He continues as Director of Music at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Francisco. He has sung with Dallas, Tulsa, Los Angeles and USC Opera; Cappella SF; Los Angeles Master Chorale and many other ensembles. He has also been involved as a performer and director in companies such as Dallas Repertory Theatre and the San Francisco Playhouse. His passions include tennis, competitive bridge, fitness, classic film and being a newlywed.
Blythe Tai
Mezzo-Soprano
Blythe Tai is a mezzo-soprano who has been singing with Bay Area choirs for over 30 years. She has been an ensemble member and featured soloist with local groups such as Volti, Convivium, Opera San Jose, Bay Area Classical Harmonies, and Vox Humana. Blythe is also an active volunteer for music arts organizations and has served as a board member with the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, Opera Theater Unlimited, and Bay Area Classical Harmonies. Blythe studied music and English at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Meghan Tozer
Soprano
Soprano, writer, and musicologist Meghan Joyce Tozer uses her voice—which has been called “haunting” and “thrilling” by The Santa Barbara Independent and “dangerous” by Tucker Carlson—to advocate for social justice. Before joining Volti, she performed with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Adelfos Ensemble, and Pacific Edge Voices, and as a featured soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Meghan is also an award-winning #MeToo documentary storyteller and critically acclaimed novelist, with a B.A. from Harvard, a M.M. in voice performance, and a Ph.D. in musicology from U.C. Santa Barbara. She lives in the East Bay of San Francisco with her husband, their two young children, their dog, and three chickens.
Nick Volkert
Tenor
Baritone Nick Volkert can be heard as one of the professional members of the SF Symphony Chorus and SF Opera Extra Chorus, and has performed extensively around the bay in both solo and choral settings. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California, and his Masters in Music from New York University, both in classical vocal performance. A Bay Area native, Nick has many interests; and when not singing, he can be found hiking the many beautiful natural places or hunched over a game board.
Celeste Winant
Mezzo-Soprano
Celeste Winant, in addition to Volti performs regularly with American Bach Soloists, Gaude, Philharmonia Chorale, and Vajra Voices. Her voice has been described by SF Classical Voice as “attractive”, “a true, rich alto.” She toured with SF Lyric Opera’s critically-acclaimed production of David Lang’s the little match girl passion in Denmark, and was featured in the vocal octet for Luciano Berio’s Sinfonia with the UC Davis Symphony in 2015. She has also recently soloed with the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus, North Valley Chamber Chorale (Chico), Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, and the Stanford University Singers. In addition to her singing, Celeste received her Ph.D. in physics in 2003 and presently is a research programmer in formal demography at UC Berkeley.