We are calling the concert we are planning for our 58th season of beautiful classical music in August of 2026 "Go for Baroque". It will feature Bach's Motet 3, "Jesu, meine Freude" (Jesus, my joy) BMW 227, and Vivaldi's "Gloria", RV 589.
David Schildkret gave his first concerts with the Mount Desert Summer Chorale in the summer of 2000. In 2002, he became 
Director of Choral Activities at Arizona State University, where he led numerous choirs and taught courses in conducting and humanities. He retired from ASU in May 2023 and now holds the title of Emeritus Professor. Before going to ASU, he taught at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, Centre College in Danville, KY, and Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC. He continues to serve as Director of Music Ministries at Dayspring United Methodist Church in Tempe, Arizona, and is the conductor of the Arizona Cantilena Chorale.
Colin Graebert
Colin Graebert, is a choral conductor, accompanist, jazz pianist, and singer currently serving as the Director of Vocal Music at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, Choirmaster at St. John's Episcopal Church, as well as the accompanist for the Bangor Area Youth Choir and Mount Desert Summer Chorale. He studied jazz piano at the Berklee College of Music and received his B.M. in Music Education, vocal emphasis, at the University of Maine. He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association for Music Education. He resides in Stockton Springs with his wife, Hilary, and his two children, Eric and Ruth.
Miriam Schildkret
Miriam Schildkret, mezzo-soprano, first sang Vivaldi's Gloria when she was 10 years old 
as a member of the Mount Desert Summer Chorale. She has performed the work as a soloist multiple times since then. Her most recent performance of the Gloria was as the alto soloist with the Union College Choir at Carnegie Hall in 2021. Other favorite concert appearances include Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Beethoven's Mass in C, and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. She has sung in concerts with Arizona Opera, the Scottsdale Philharmonic, and the West Valley Chorale. Miriam’s operatic roles include Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus in addition to the numerous roles she sang during the five seasons she was an Education Teaching Artist with Arizona Opera. A proud advocate for the arts, Miriam is a frequent guest speaker for organizations across the Valley. She has been a lecturer for West Valley Arts Council, Arizona Opera, TedX Scottsdale, and was featured in the Arizona PBS series Desert Canvas.
Melissa Solomon
Soprano Melissa Solomon, praised by Opera Canada as “delightful” and “vivacious,” is exciting 
audiences as a rare and diverse performing actress. She is currently an Ambassador with Arizona Opera and has been a member of the Arizona Opera chorus since 2010. She recently covered the roles of Sandrina in The Secret Gardener and Musetta in La Bohème with Arizona Opera (AZO). Additional roles include Agatha (world premiere of Frankenstein, AZO), Maria cover (The Sound of Music, AZO), Echo (Ariadne auf Naxos, AZO), Johanna (Sweeney Todd, Music Theatre Alliance of Arizona), Despina cover (Così fan tutte, AZO), Maria (The Sound of Music, Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre), Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare, Halifax Summer Opera and ASU).
Equally experienced in oratorio, Ms. Solomon has performed as soloist for the Mozart Requiem and Haydn’s Creation with the Mount Desert Summer Chorale in Bar Harbor, Maine, Bach’s St. John Passion and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with MusicaNova Orchestra in Scottsdale, AZ, as well as as Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s C-Minor Mass, and Fauré’s Requiem with various organizations in the Phoenix metropolitan area. She performed regularly with the Scottsdale Philharmonic as their Soprano Artist in Residence for many years, and currently sings with the non-profit Songs by Heart, where she connects with memory-care patients in meaningful ways through the power of song. Melissa is a graduate of Arizona State University and teaches voice lessons in her home studio in Gilbert, where she lives with her husband and two sons.
Hear a sample by clicking here.
(Miriam Schildkret and Melissa Solomon performing Laudamus Te at Dayspring UMC, Tempe, AZ, on December 6, 2025.)
Join us for wonderful music!
