Brian Bartsch
Holiday
Bass
Corey de Danann
Holiday
Soprano
Matt Ferguson
Festival & Holiday
Bass – Matt grew up surrounded by music from a young age and completed a BS in Music Performance from North Central University. Matt has previously sung with VocalEssense, Singers in Accord, The Twin Cities Master’s Chorale, and has been part of music projects for Art-a-Whirl and the documentary Risking Light. Matt joined DeCantus in 2021 and sings for both the festival and holiday seasons.
Justin Harl
Festival & Holiday
Tenor – Justin’s musical journey began at 12 years old when he started to get really bored with traditional piano lessons and realized it was much more fun manipulating the sounds coming from the piano by ear. He accidentally started playing and singing Barry Manilow one day for his mom, (because it was her favorite singer) added Billy Joel, Elton John and eventually everything he liked on radio. A few years later, he learned the guitar and mandolin while playing and singing with extended family groups at reunions. A bunch of church and school choirs, special groups, barbershop quartets and one very mediocre performance of “Nicely-Nicely Johnson” in Guys and Dolls later, he joined DeCantus in 2010. He contributed to both festival and holiday seasons for a couple of years then took a 10 year vacation until the opportunity arose to re-join and gladly jumped at the chance. Justin lives in New Prague, MN, where he serenades his wife Sara and their dog Harley with his newest obsession… singing & playing classic rock on the Ukulele.
Laurel Hove Tausend
Festival & Holiday
Alto – Laurel is a lifelong musician and has a passion for singing and music. She began piano lessons at the age of nine and joined her church choir the year after eventually making her way as a vocal performance major at the University of Minnesota. She has been with DeCantus since 2003 and is currently its Music Director. She also has sung with Exultate Chamber Chorus since 2002 and is also the alto section leader.
Kellie Hultgren
Holiday
Alto
Jennifer Lindquist
Festival & Holiday
Mezzo – Jennifer has been singing since she was a child. Earliest memories include singing age-inappropriate songs from Grease and trying to be Linda Ronstadt in Pirates of Penzance. Her performance experience ranges from choral, musical theater, madrigal, folk and karaoke, with the highlight being performing as a member of Rosemary Clooney’s Chorus for her White Christmas show at Orchestra Hall. As one of the original members of DeCantus (with a break in the middle), Jennifer has found lifelong friends while performing with these wonderful musicians at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
Shana Marchand
Holiday
Mezzo – Shana has been a member of DeCantus since 2004. She attended Carleton College, where she majored in music with a focus on vocal performance. She also performed in the Carleton Singers for 3 years and studied voice with Margaret Brand and Ben Allen. After graduating from Carleton, she joined the Minnesota Chorale in 2004.
Lindsey Marth
Holiday
Alto
Loren Monroe
Festival & Holiday
Soprano – Loren has been singing in a choral capacity since 2001, graduating from Saint Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. A Festival Cast member beginning in 2018, she has been a member of DeCantus since the holiday season 2021. When she is not singing with DeCantus, she is either teaching piano, playing board games with friends, or hanging out with her cat, Nutmeg!
Adam Priebe Cole
Festival
Tenor – Adam has been singing and making music for as long as he can remember. He sang in choir all through high school and was a member of the Minnesota All-State Choir twice. He sang with the Chamber Singers at Tufts University in Boston before moving back to Minnesota to go to law school. Some of his singing highlights have been Bach’s B-Minor Mass in college and Les Miserables in high school. Adam joined DeCantus in 2011 and also sings with Exultate.
Brad Scarp
Holiday
Tenor
Liz Schlesky
Holiday
Alto – Liz started her professional musical career by joining DeCantus in 2010. Prior to that, she had been an enthusiastic amateur, dabbling in music wherever she saw an opportunity. This included a few years playing the trombone and singing in choir in grade school, singing in the chorus of theatrical performances in junior high, joining the marching band in high school, and many years of singing in the congregation at church. She even made it to the finals in a singing contest for all the passengers on a recent cruise! She also has been a member of the street cast of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival since 2003. In addition to street entertainment, she spent six years with Mayor’s Entourage, acting as co-Director and leading the group in daily singing lessons, and two years with the Royal Navy Experience stage show.
Chris Sibilia
Holiday
Tenor
Casey Skaarup
Festival
Mezzo – Casey has been a musician and performer for most of her life. She was always involved in school musicals in some facet, be it pit orchestra or a chorus member. In her adult life, Casey spent several years playing French horn in Brio Brass. She started performing at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival as a member of the Royal Trumpets in 2011 and joined DeCantus in the 2016 season.
Dan Skaarup
Festival
Bass – Born to and raised by a very musical family in Germany, Dan has been singing in various music ensembles since the age of four. Since moving to Minnesota in 2000, he has sung in his high school choirs in which he served as section leader for three years and received an honorable achievement award, three church choirs, the MMEA Men’s All-State choir, and Augsburg University Cedar Singers. He also performed with the Augsburg University Choir under the direction of Peter Hendrickson in which he served as both section leader and ensemble manager as well as in the chamber group Schola Goliardi under the direction of Jordan Sramek. In addition, Dan studied composition under Carol Barnett and is responsible for many of the arrangements DeCantus performs. He has sung all across the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, China, and Hong Kong, and has performed on stage in Our Town, Anything Goes, and The Fantasticks. Dan has been with DeCantus since 2010.