About Spectrum
The Spectrum Singers is an acclaimed Boston-area chorus performing repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day. Arts critics have acknowledged the source of the “Spectrum” in our name:
“The Spectrum Singers, directed by John W. Ehrlich, enjoys exploring the less frequented corners of the choral repertoire and finding forgotten treasures to mix in with staples of the genre.”
“Hats off to John Ehrlich and the Spectrum Singers for another fascinating mixture of the cherished familiar, the unjustly neglected, and exciting newer ‘up-and-comers.’”
John W. Ehrlich formed The Spectrum Singers in 1980 and continues to lead the ensemble in concerts at First Church Congregational, Cambridge. The chorus is frequently joined by professional vocal soloists and orchestral musicians, and has been invited to collaborate with Cantata Singers, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Indian Hill Symphony, and several other musical organizations.
We have enjoyed an especially fruitful collaboration with Emmanuel Music, as the chorus for four of their acclaimed operatic productions. The chorus has also been invited to perform on many concert series throughout New England.
In recent seasons, The Spectrum Singers has continued its commitment to contemporary music, offering the New England premiere of a new work by Mohammed Fairouz and the world premiere of Novum Decus Oritur, by our composition contest winner, Joshua Hummel. We have offered rich programs ranging from more familiar, large-scale masterpieces to lesser-known but deserving works of all eras. The chorus has also performed a broad exploration of requiems, from the familiar (Mozart, Fauré, Duruflé) to the lesser known (Alfred Désenclos and John Rutter).
The Boston Globe has praised John W. Ehrlich and The Spectrum Singers for “unfailingly dramatic performances that grappled with real issues in the music and real issues the music is about.” Other reviews have expressed equally enthusiastic praise: “Chorus, soloist, and instrumentalists earned high marks here, by turns vigorous, introspective, ethereal, and triumphant!”
The 2019-2020 concert season was to be Spectrum’s 40th, including a gala 40th anniversary concert to include alumnae/i singers and favorite selections from all forty years of Spectrum’s history. That concert was postponed due to pandemic restrictions, but during this hiatus from in-person concertizing, the chorus’ 41st season was highlighted by several virtual presentations. Visit Spectrum’s YouTube channel for audio and video recordings.
In the 2023-24 season, the chorus honored John Ehrlich in his final season as Music Director, while continuing its mission of performing both familiar and lesser-known works in programs of compelling depth and professional execution for an audience of appreciative listeners.
Founder and Music Director Emeritus
John W. Ehrlich, Founder and Music Director Emeritus of The Spectrum Singers, has been active as a singer and conductor in the Boston and Cambridge areas for more than forty-five years. He is widely admired for his intriguing and adventuresome programming. “From the beginning, it’s been my goal to seek out and perform worthy, important music that is rarely heard,” he says. “As our name suggests, we draw on the whole ‘spectrum’ of master works from the Renaissance to the present day.”
Mr. Ehrlich studied music and conducting while attending the Hartt School of Music, Trinity College, and both Harvard and Boston Universities. His teachers were Robert Shaw, Gregg Smith, G. Wallace Woodworth, Vytautas Marijošius, and Iva Dee Hiatt. Also a singer, Mr. Ehrlich has sung with the Hartford Chamber Choir, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Cambridge Society for Early Music, John Oliver Chorale, Boston Baroque, and the Emmanuel Church Choir. For eight seasons he was music director of The Master Singers of Worcester.
Mr. Ehrlich retired at the end of the 2023-24 season after leading the group for 44 years.
Assistant Conductor & Accompanist
James Barkovic has been active in the Boston area as a conductor, pianist, organist, violist and accompanist for more than thirty years. In addition to serving as the Assistant Conductor and Accompanist for The Spectrum Singers, he is the Music Director of the Westford Chorus. He serves as Music Director at Holy Family Parish and West Concord Union Church, both of Concord, Mass. Mr. Barkovic is the Chapel Organist and Instructor of Organ at Middlesex School, also of Concord. He is also the Choir Director at Congregation B’nai Shalom of Westborough, Mass.
Mr. Barkovic received his Master of Music in Piano Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Stephen Drury, performed in master classes for Leonard Shure and Veronica Jochum, and studied organ improvisation with William Porter. A native of Minnesota, he received his undergraduate diploma from St. Olaf College, with concentrations in music theory and history.
This is Mr. Barkovic’s 33rd season as Assistant Conductor and Accompanist of The Spectrum Singers.
Singers
Soprano: Luellen Best - Jill Fekete - Valerie Gibson - Kaitlyn Hess Jimenez - Jill Hirst - Leslie Horst - Tricia Wells Kennedy - Maki Koto - Isabella Ricciardi - Sandra Shepard - Anna Andrews Smith - Christine Sullivan - Kathi Tighe* - Reeven Wang Dai
Alto: Christine Bishop - Diane Droste - Liz Epstein - Dorrie Freedman - Sara Glidden* - Linda Ingram - Elisabeth Jas - Kristin Leary - Jeannette McLellan - Penny Outlaw - Christine Sullivan -Jane White
Tenor: Thomas A. Best* - Winter Douglass -Paul Dredge - Ian Fox - Steve Groff - Keith Ohmart - David Potts - Srini Raghuraman - John Schumacher - Frank Villa - Maurice Wong
Bass: Ron Armstrong - John Bradshaw - Dan Epstein - Jeff Henton - Ian Hutchinson - Doug Latham - Henry Magno - Dave Meharry* - Richard Scott - Steven Solomon
*Section leader
Board of Directors
Daniel Epstein (Chair), Kathryn Tighe (Chorus President), James Cannon Johnston (Treasurer), Anna Andrews Smith (Clerk), Thomas A. Best, C. Paul Dredge, Kaitlyn Hess, Douglas N. Latham, Richard Scott