Haydn’s The Creation
Lyrics
Artist Spotlight
Artist Spotlight
Raphael: Marques Jerrell Ruff, Bass-Baritone
Marques Jerrell Ruff is an international musician and passionate music educator hailing from New England. Marques has graced the stage as a soloist with numerous organizations, including the National Chorus of Korea, Tallahassee Symphony, Charlotte Symphony & Master Chorale, and the Hartford Symphony. The Hartford Courant marveled, “Ruff has a voice that has power, clarity, and brilliant shades of color.” His unwavering commitment to the Negro spiritual has been a cornerstone of his artistic and scholarly endeavors, ensuring that this vital musical tradition continues to inspire and educate future generations. In addition to his solo career, Marques has sung with some of the most prestigious choral ensembles in the United States. His impressive roster of collaborations includes the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Kinnara, Seraphic Fire, Conspirare, Exigence, and Chanticleer. Marques earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Connecticut State University, where his passion for music flourished. He then pursued dual Master of Music degrees in Choral Conducting and Voice Performance from the University of Missouri, further honing his skills and expanding his expertise. Marques’s dedication to music education culminated in a Ph.D. in Music Education with an emphasis in Choral Conducting from Florida State University. Currently, Marques is a faculty member at Arkansas State University where he serves as an Assistant Professor of Vocal Music Education and the Associate Director of Choral Activities. Marques is a proud member of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association of Negro Musicians, the Society of Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. He can be found on all social media @marquesjruff
Gabriel: Anna Mandina, Soprano 
Hailed as a “true Puccini Lyric Soprano” by Opera News, Italian-American Soprano, Anna Mandina, is quickly making a name for herself in the opera world. Anna recently performed the role of Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and Susannah Polk in Susannah with Opera Fort Collins. Ms. Mandina has often worked with Sarasota Opera, making her mainstage debut in 2019 singing 13 performances of Liù in the company’s Diamond Anniversary production of Turandot. Anna was hailed as “impressive” and “heart-rending” as Liù by Opera News, having conveyed “all that is sweet and good with a robust soprano voice that can float a high B-flat as she sung of Calaf’s smile.” Since 2019, Anna has performed three more mainstage roles with Sarasota Opera including Mimì in La bohème, Serpina in La serva padrona, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni all to great acclaim. Anna has performed with Opera Maine, Opera Company of Middlebury, Opera Fort Collins, and Landlocked Opera. More information regarding Anna’s performing experience can be found on her website annamandinasoprano.com.
Anna’s training includes past apprenticeships with Seagle Festival, the Houston Grand Opera Young Artist Vocal Academy, Opera Company of Middlebury, Opera Maine, the Missouri Symphony, and Sarasota Opera. Ms. Mandina holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Master of Music in Opera Performance from The Boston Conservatory.
Anna is so excited to return to her college hometown to perform The Creation by Joseph Haydn under the baton of R. Paul Crabb with the Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri and the Columbia Chorale. To finish out the year, Anna will perform with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra for their Sounds of the Season holiday concert in December.
Uriel: David Pelino, Tenor
David Pelino, tenor, is a vocal artist well versed in both solo and ensemble repertoire. Some of David’s solo credits include tenor solo repertoire in works such as Theodore Dubois’ The Seven Last Words of Christ, Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, G.F. Handel’s Messiah, and Adolphus Hailstork’s I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes. He most recently made his Soo Opera Theatre debut as Sam Polk in Susannah, in addition to his work in other roles such as King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors and the Evangelist in J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion. Awards he was won for his singing includes the Grady-Rayam 2018 Upper Division Negro Spiritual Prize, the 2019 Central Region NATS Advanced Division 1st Place Winner, as well as being a National NATS semifinalist in 2020.
Equally at home in ensemble singing, David has had the distinct privilege of being able to sing both at home and abroad. He performs with nationally and internationally renowned ensembles such as the American Spiritual Ensemble, Prometheus, Seraphic Fire, and Kinnara.
Emily Edgington Andrews – CAAM Artistic Director
Long an advocate for quality musical arts in the community, Emily Edgington Andrews is extremely active in Columbia, MO working with children and adults at every level of their musical development.
Emily joined the Columbia College Visual Arts and Music faculty in August 2022 where she teaches a variety of courses in music, conducts, and leads recruiting efforts for the music area. Actively involved in the community, Emily is the Artistic Director of Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri, a non-profit organization that offers choral experiences for youth through adults, and is the founder of CAAM’s youth choir subset, Columbia Youth Choirs. Emily conducts Columbia Chorale and Columbia Youth Choirs’ Canta Bella, and serves as the Assistant Conductor for the professional chamber vocal ensemble, Prometheus: An American Vocal Consort. In addition to her work with the non-profit, Emily is the conductor at the historic Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Columbia, MO, where she maintains a thriving music program, conducting the mass choir of volunteer and paid musicians.
Emily regularly serves as a guest clinician and adjudicator, and is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, Missouri Choral Directors Association, and the National Association for Music Education. She received her degrees in Music at Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri (B.A.; M.A.) and at the University of Missouri (M.M.). Emily is a Ph.D. candidate in Music Education at the University of Missouri. Her research interests include investigating gender disparity in collegiate and professional choral ensembles and creating inclusive classroom spaces.
Paul Crabb, Chorale Guest Conductor and Prometheus Artistic Director
R. Paul Crabb is Artistic Director of the professional vocal ensemble, PROMETHEUS and Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri where served as Director of Choral Activities and Chair of Graduate Choral Conducting. His ensembles have sung at state, regional and national conventions, and traveled extensively in Asia, Europe, and Australia. Crabb has served as assistant conductor at the Russian-American symposium at the Moscow Conservatory and as a visiting professor in England, Austria, Sweden,Taiwan, and Poland. He was the first American Visiting Choral Professor at the Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest), and first American lecturer at the Choral Department at the University of Vienna’s Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. Since 2012 Crabb has served as a faculty member at Laudate Dominum in Vienna. As an orchestral conductor, Crabb was resident conductor for the Dante Music and Arts Festival in Nagoya, Japan, and regularly conducts at the Conservatory of Domenico Cimarosa in Italy.
Crabb’s travels facilitate opportunities for students. In December 2017, he organized seminars and performances for graduate students in Italy, culminating at the newly restored Gesualdo Castle. His semester conducting/lecturing in Sweden resulted in collaborative concerts for University Singers in Malmö, Lund, Piteå, Stockholm and Tallinn, Estonia, in May 2018. In 2019 conducted again in Vienna, before additional conducting workshops in Slovenia and Italy. Regretfully, the pandemic resulted in canceled lectures and tours scheduled for Inner Mongolia and Cuba in the past three years.
Crabb’s teaching awards include: Allen Teaching Award (Truman State University), the Missouri Professor of the Year, and Kemper Award for Teaching (MU).
Jeremy Wagner – Assistant Conductor 
Jeremy Wagner is a promising and engaging music educator, with a Master’s of Music in Choral Conducting at the University of Missouri. At the institution, Wagner was able to work alongside and learn directly from mentors, Dr. R. Paul Crabb, Dr. Wendy Sims, and Dr. Brandon Boyd. Wagner has been serving as the Director of Choral Activities at Missouri Valley College, preparing choirs as well as teaching several curricular courses such as Music Appreciation, and Jazz, Pop, and Rock. Wagner also worked individually with students as the applied lessons professor. Additionally, Wagner has been granted opportunities to work with established local educators, including Lee’s Summit North’s George Peng and Jonathan Krinke, Dr. Rika Heruth, Christine Nichols, and Emily Edgington Andrews. Through his participation within the community, Wagner has established himself as a talented conductor, educator, and performer around Missouri. These accolades, in conjunction with his focused work ethic, led to Wagner being named the Director of Music Ministry at several churches, most recently Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia. He also works as the Assistant Chorale Conductor and Co-Chamber Choir Conductor with the Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri. Wagner currently performs in a semi-professional chamber ensemble, Vox Nova, who celebrated their first Missouri Music Educators Association performance in 2018 and won the Ernst Bacon American Prize in 2019.
Zachary Kierstead – Rehearsal Pianist
Zachary Kierstead is a collaborative pianist based in Columbia, MO. He is grateful to the many wonderful musical communities and musicians he gets to work with in the area and strives to bring value as a collaborator to as much of that vibrant community as he can. As a result, Mr. Kierstead holds a wide variety of collaborative positions across various institutions.
Mr. Kierstead is an adjunct instructor in collaborative piano at Central Methodist University, choral accompanist at Columbia College, and a contract pianist with students of University of Missouri – Columbia. Outside of collegiate institutions, he accompanies several ensembles within Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri (CAAM), is a young artist pianist with Landlocked Opera, and frequently performs with area schools for competitions and choir concerts. In addition, Mr. Kierstead is an active musician at two churches, Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Missouri United Methodist Church, works with local instrumental and vocal studios, performs for various visiting guest artist recitals, as well as anything else that might present itself throughout the year.
Mr. Kierstead holds his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Central Methodist University and Master of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Throughout his education, he owes much to those he has studied with as well as those he continues to draw inspiration from: Helen Hendry, Gwendolyn Peiper, Dr. Rene Lecuona, Dr. Melissa Loehnig-Simons (CMU), Dr. Janice Wenger (MU), and Dr. Rachel AuBuchon.
Amelia Lufkin – Soprano Understudy
Renan Leme, Concertmaster/Orchestra Manager
Renan Leme was born in São Paulo, Brazil where he started his studies in music. He holds a Bachelor’s in violin performance from the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel – Brazil) and a Master’s degree in violin performance from the University of Missouri – Columbia (USA), where he studied with Professor Eva Szekely. Since he moved to Columbia, MO, he has been an active musician as a violinist, teacher, arranger, and conductor. He is the Director of Orchestras at Hickman High School, a violinist with the Missouri Symphony, owner of the award winning Leme Ensemble, and a violin teacher at his private studio. Leme is a former Adjunct Professor at the Central Methodist University, former director of the Missouri Youth Orchestra, and former President of the Mid-Missouri Music Teachers Association (MMAMTA). He has conducted in the USA and overseas, with his latest international tour being in Italy, in which he was highly praised by the local critics. As a performer he has worked with many ensembles and orchestras, such as the Missouri Symphony, Mizzou Graduate String Quartet, Mizzou New Music Ensemble, Mizzou Improvisation Ensemble, Mizzou University Philharmonic Orchestra (where he has been principal and concertmaster), Mizzou Chamber Soloists (as principal), Camerata Novitango, Chamber Orchestra of Theatro São Pedro (OCTSP), and Chamber Orchestra of Santa Cruz (as principal) among others. Leme has been awarded with the Kathleen Kabrick String Award for excellence in teaching and leadership. He is also a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society due to his academic and musical performance excellence during his time as a student at Mizzou.
Clara Smith – Soprano Soloist
Clara Smith is an avid musician performing both as a vocalist and conductor around the world. She received her undergraduate degree in vocal music education from Missouri State University where she had the opportunity to travel as a chorister quite extensively both domestically and internationally. She recently received her Masters in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri and plans to pursue her DMA in Choral Conducting. She now serves as an adjunct professor in Music Theory and History at Columbia College as well as the director of Columbia Youth Choirs’ treble choir, Bella Voce. Clara was recently selected as one of twelve members of the Voces8 scholars program. She has performed as a soloist for a wide variety of repertoire and venues including a United States presidential inauguration. Clara is thrilled to perform under the direction of Dr. R. Paul Crabb alongside such talented musicians.
Lyrics
Haydn's Creation Libretto (in English)