The Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble is known around the world as "an orchestra of voices" for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity. Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling over one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the world.

Chanticleer's repertoire is rooted in the renaissance and has continued to expand to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz, popular music and a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements. The ensemble has committed much of its vast recording catalogue to these commissions, garnering Grammy awards for its recording of Sir John Tavener's Lamentations & Praises, and the ambitious collection of commissioned works entitled Colors of Love. Chanticleer is the recipient of the Dale Warland/Chorus America Commissioning Award and the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming. 

Chanticleer continues to maintain ambitious programming in its hometown of San Francisco, including a large education and outreach program that recently reached over 8,000 people, and an annual concert series that includes its legendary holiday tradition "A Chanticleer Christmas."

Artist Bios

Andy Berry (he/him), bass, believes that vocal music is vital because it testifies to the power of collaboration, the importance of the present moment, and the beauty of our shared humanity. He has performed as a soloist with the Santa Fe Opera, the Pittsburgh Opera, the Vietnam National Ballet and Opera Orchestra, and Singapore's Metropolitan Festival Orchestra. His favorite past roles include the title character in Massenet's Don Quichotte, Isacio in the second US performance of Handel's Riccardo Primo and Kōbun Otogawa (cover) in the Grammy-winning world premiere of Mason Bates' The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Andy earned his M.M. in voice/opera from the Yale School of Music and a BS in psychology/neuroscience cum laude from Yale College. In 2016, he won second place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council's Northeast Regional Final. As an undergraduate, Andy directed the Yale Whiffenpoofs and served as an assistant conductor to the Yale Glee Club. He was born and raised in Cabin John, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC, and he now celebrates his (half) Japanese heritage living in Japantown, San Francisco. Andy is proud to return to Chanticleer for his seventh season.

Andy Berry occupies The Eric Alatorre Chair given by Peggy Skornia. 

Tavian Cox, countertenor, is excited to return to Chanticleer for his second season! He majored in Interdisciplinary Studies, combining Music Education, Social Work and Psychology into one degree at the University of North Florida. During his tenure at UNF, he performed as a soloist numerous times in works such as Handel's Messiah, Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 and Vivaldi's Gloria, as well as singing the role of Don Alfonso in Mozart's Così fan tutte with the UNF Opera Theater. Tavian has also been professionally associated with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Voces8. In the 2021 holiday season, Tavian performed in a project licensed by Sony and Extreme Music called A Cappella Nativity, a modern retelling of the birth of Christ. In addition to his love for performing, Tavian is also a conductor, who made his conducting debut at the 2019 Florida American Choral Director's Association President's Concert with the Don't Miss a Beat All-Stars led by Grammy-award winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. In his free time, Tavian enjoys playing video games with friends and watching reality TV. Tavian would like to thank his family, friends and music educators who have forever changed his life. 

Luke Elmer, countertenor, was born and raised in Flower Mound, Texas, and is so excited for his first season with Chanticleer. Luke earned his undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance from Brigham Young University. After moving to California and earning his master's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Luke made his operatic debut at Long Beach Opera, performing the title role in Handel's Giustino. The following year, he taught voice, piano and theater at the Spindrift School of the Performing Arts in Pacifica and sang for the San Francisco Archdiocese as part of the Archbishop's Schola. He was honored to be an Apprentice Artist at The Santa Fe Opera during their 2023 season, where he performed the role of the Third Pastor in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo. He spent a brief year in New York, singing regularly with the Saint Bartholomew's Choir, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Choir and Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys. Prior to joining Chanticleer, he was one of the 2024 Gerdine Young Artists at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where he covered Tolomeo in Handel's Julius Caesar and Cardinal 1 in Philip Glass's Galileo Galilei. Luke is a proud uncle to five nephews, a doting cat dad and a major consumer of ramen. He is so grateful to his family for their tireless support and to his grandmother Dorothy Peterson Elmer Woolf, Connie Riska, Matt Quinlan and Robin Tercero Montgomery for teaching him to love music.

Luke Elmer holds The Ning G. Mercer Chair for the Preservation of the Chanticleer Legacy, given by Ning and Stephen Mercer.

Jared Graveley, bass-baritone, is proud to serve Chanticleer in his second season. While touring and singing with the Grammy-award winning ensemble, he also writes choral, jazz and a cappella arrangements for such esteemed groups as Voces8, Kings Return,  Midtown, Choral Chameleon, Hyannis Sound and, of course, his home team Chanticleer. Jared founded and directs vocal jazz quintet Highline Vocal Jazz, whose debut album was released in 2024. Many thanks to his formative years at UConn with Dr. Jamie Spillane, on Cape with his Hyannis Sound family, and in New York City singing with the wonderful people of the choral freelance community there. He wouldn't be where he is without learning everything he knows from them. While not touring, rehearsing or writing, Jared enjoys being physically active, eating well, singing barbershop, dancing, catching concerts and relaxing with loved ones.

Matthew Knickman,  baritone, is proud to be in his 14th season with Chanticleer. Born in Korea, he started singing as a soprano at St. Stephen's Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He holds degrees in vocal performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. As a member of the critically acclaimed Westminster Choir and Westminster Kantorei, he performed with the New York Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic and New Jersey Symphony, and was led by celebrated conductors, including Alan Gilbert, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Harry Bicket, Charles Dutoit, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Richard Hickox, Neeme Järvi, Bernard Labadie, Nicholas McGegan, Julius Rudel, Bruno Weil, Stefan Parkman, Joseph Flummerfelt and Andrew Megill. He has also performed with Santa Clara Chorale, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Silicon Valley, Les Violons du Roy et La Chapelle de Québec, Early Music New York, Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, The Clarion Choir, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Theatre of Weston and Spoleto Festival USA. He has been a soloist in numerous oratorios and Bach cantatas, including the St. John and St. Matthew Passions with early music organizations such as Fuma Sacra, Philadelphia Bach Festival and Carmel Bach Festival. Matthew serves on the board of Sing Aphasia, whose mission includes helping people with aphasia and their families build confidence, make connections and find their voice through song. When not singing, Matthew enjoys strawberry ice cream, baking sourdough bread at Rize Up Bakery in San Francisco, loving his Mixed Pyrenean Mountain Dog named Polyphony, is an exercise and nutritional science enthusiast, and revels in eating comfort foods around the world. Buen Camino!

Vineel Garisa Mahal, tenor, is delighted to be joining Chanticleer for his third season. An Indian American, Texas-raised singer, he has served as adjunct voice faculty at New York University where he received his Post-Graduate Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy. He received his BM from Southern Methodist University and his MM from University of North Texas, both in vocal performance. He has performed with Fort Worth Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Casa Mañana and made his Kennedy Center debut in collaboration with Grammy-nominated artist, Chandrika Tandon. He has been featured in works by prominent living composers and originated the role of Roderick in Kamala Sankaram's The Emperor and the Queen. Some of his favorite past credits include the title character in Britten's Albert Herring, Fakir in Lucy Simon's The Secret Garden, and El Gato in Frank Wildhorn's Wonderland. In the 2021-2022 holiday season, he was a Christmas vocalist at Hong Kong Disneyland. Under the alias "Elaichi," he has released original music which is available for streaming and purchase on most major music sites. In his free time, Vineel loves cooking, playing guitar, reading manga and being a general nerd.

Vineel Garisa Mahal occupies the Tenor Chair, given by an Anonymous Donor.

Matthew Mazzola, tenor, is thrilled to return for his eighth season with Chanticleer, and his first as Assistant Music Director. Matthew received his Bachelor's in Music Education from the University of Houston. During his undergraduate tenure, he sang with the Moores School of Music's Concert Chorale under the direction of Betsy Cook Weber. After finishing his degree, Matthew taught elementary music and sang professionally with Cantare Houston, Houston Bach Society and Houston Chamber Choir. In his free time, Matthew is an avid gamer, reader and sports fan.

Cortez Mitchell, countertenor, is a native of Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Morgan State University with a BA in music and a BS in mathematics and holds an MM in voice from the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music. As Minnesota Opera's first resident artist countertenor, he performed the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and covered Nicklausse in Offenbach's Les Contes de Hoffman. With Urban Opera, he performed the role of First Witch in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Most recently, he returned to Minnesota Opera as the Refugee in Jonathan Dove's Flight and made his European Opera debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich as Narisco in Handel's Agrippina. As a concert artist he has appeared in solo performances of Purcell's Come Ye Sons of Art with Symphony Silicon Valley, J.S Bach's Cantata 147 Herz und Mund und Tod und Leben with the Dayton Philharmonic, R. Nathaniel Dett's The Ordering of Moses and Adolphus Hailstork's Done Made My Vow with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Rachmaninov's Vespers in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Wynton Marsallis's All Rise with the Lincoln Center Jazz Ensemble. Cortez has received awards from the National Opera Association, The Washington International Competition and the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition. Cortez is in his 18th season with Chanticleer.

Bradley Sharpe, countertenor, is delighted to be returning for his fourth season, driven by his deep passion for eclectic musical genres, collaborative projects and travel. As a native of Southern California, he is proud to be employed in his home state. Bradley earned an MM in Oratorio, Chamber Music, and Art Song from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and a BM in vocal performance from the California State University, Fullerton School of Music. Several of his most memorable musical experiences took place while he sang internationally with Yale's Schola Cantorum and Voxtet, including performances at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, across India and along the Camino de Santiago. In his free time, Bradley enjoys taking food and wine adventures, camping and spending time with loved ones.

Logan S. Shields, countertenor, is elated to begin his ninth season with Chanticleer. Logan studied vocal performance in tenor voice at Western Michigan University and Grand Valley State University. Other interests include craft beer, absurdism, freestyle rap, pugs and spending time with his partner, Gabrielle.

Andrew Van Allsburg, tenor, is thrilled to be in his ninth season with Chanticleer. Originally from Holland, Michigan, Andrew received his Bachelor's in Music Education from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he conducted the school's early music ensemble Collegium Musicum and won a downbeat award for his work with the vocal jazz ensemble Gold Company. A versatile musician, Andrew has performed, music directed and arranged music globally for various cruise lines, production companies, contemporary a cappella groups and musicals. Andrew was selected to represent the USA in the World Youth Choir in Cyprus and recorded Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 with the Miami-based professional choir Seraphic Fire. In New York City, Andrew sang under James Wetzel with Schola Dominicana and was a featured singer at Radio City Music Hall in the Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes, under the musical direction of Kevin Stites. He has made TV appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and is a proud member of the Recording Academy. In his downtime, Andrew enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and tearing it up on the drums.

Adam Brett Ward, countertenor, is originally from Tecumseh, Oklahoma. At an early age, Adam became fascinated with 80s country superstar Janie Fricke and then later, the legendary Patsy Cline. As a child, he made a number of local TV appearances singing their songs. Adam discovered his countertenor voice while studying French horn performance at Yale School of Music. There he was a founding member of the Yale Schola Cantorum directed by Simon Carrington. He has since performed as a soloist with the International Contemporary Ensemble and was a member of the Choir of St. Mary the Virgin in midtown Manhattan. As a horn player, Adam was a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, winner of the concerto competitions at Yale and Stony Brook Universities, a top prizewinner at the Coleman, Fischoff and Yellow Springs chamber music competitions, and premiered his own "Concerto for Horn and String Orchestra" at the Banff Centre. Adam is also a founding member of the International Pride Orchestra. He was recently composer-in-residence for the New York City-based Choral Chameleon directed by Vince Peterson and the Sacramento-based Vox Musica directed by Daniel Paulson. Adam is a singer-songwriter in multiple genres; he can be found on SoundCloud as Adam Brett Ward. Adam holds a BM from Manhattan School of Music, an MM from Yale School of Music, and additional years of study at the Hartt School, Royal College of Music (London) and Stony Brook University. Adam is still really into Janie Fricke and Patsy Cline and is overjoyed to be in his 19th season with Chanticleer!