Bellingham Chamber Chorale
2025-2026
Season
NOVEMBER 2025
November 15 at 12:00 p.m. & November 16 at 5:00 p.m.
Church of the Assumption, Bellingham 98225
A Concert of Spirituals
Featuring Guest Soloist and Collaborative Artist
SHELIA TATE, SOPRANO
HOLD ON!
A distinguished graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Ms. Shelia Tate is a three-time First Place Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Council District Auditions. Born in Washington, D.C. and later raised in West Los Angeles, she studied with some of the most revered vocal pedagogues of our time, including Elizabeth Manion—renowned for her work with the legendary Jessye Norman—as well as Marlena Malas, Martina Arroyo, Grace Dela Cruz, and Gladys Jackson.
Ms. Tate has garnered international acclaim for her portrayal of Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, a role she has performed extensively throughout Europe. Her operatic repertoire also includes commanding performances as Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the title role in Puccini’s Tosca, and Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly. She has appeared on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the Los Angeles Opera; the Opera House of Lucerne and the Salzburg Opera House; Vienna State Opera; Grand Théâtre de Genève; and major opera houses in Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen, Hannover, Frankfurt, Friedrichshafen, and Munich. Her artistry has also been featured in celebrated recital performances across Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo.
Ms. Tate’s earliest musical memories are rooted in the resonant spiritual tradition of the Mount Zion Temple Baptist Church in Los Angeles, where she began singing Gospel and Spirituals at the age of five. Deeply connected to the sacred music of her African-American heritage, she brings profound authenticity and reverence to every performance. She is especially grateful for the collaborative and respectful artistic partnership with Dr. Mabalot and the Bellingham Chamber Chorale, with whom she has had the joy of exploring this deeply personal and meaningful repertoire.
APRIL 2026
TRANSCEND!
April 18 at 12:00 p.m. & April 19 at 5:00 p.m.
Church of the Assumption, Bellingham 98225
Solemn Vespers
Great Mass in C Minor
W. A. Mozart
with chamber orchestra
Featuring Guest Soloists
Emilie Kealani, Soprano
Michelle Mariposa, Mezzo-Soprano
*Rodell Rosel, Tenor
Christopher Arceo, Bass
*awaiting confirmation
EMILIE KEALANI
Praised by The Wall Street Journal for her “ideal” title role portrayal in La Calisto at the Glimmerglass Festival, Filipino-American creative Emilie Kealani has been seen on the stages of Staatsoper Stuttgart, The Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and the Curtis Opera Theatre with an upcoming house and role debut with Opera Philadelphia as Corinna in Il viaggio a Reims. Featured in the Soundbites column of OPERA NEWS, 360° of Opera and a returning guest to the PBS WHYY TV-12 programming, Emilie will be the host of the upcoming Kapwa Concert Special airing in May to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month.
A proud Filipina from San Francisco, Emilie is the founder of the Kapwa Passion Project. Kapwa is a word in Tagalog which means to “embrace in shared identity”. The project strives to bring AAPI artists together, creating a space for us to cultivate a shared sense of community through music. Kapwa launched in November of 2024 with a cast of AAPI performers representing Bengali, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Indian and Tongan cultures. The concert featured voice, instrumental, cultural fashion pieces, multimedia, and 2 world premieres of original compositions. In lieu of tickets, the community was encouraged to donate to The Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund. Inspired to continue the initiative, Emilie created the “Kapwa Spirit Discussion Series”. The first panel circled the theme of leadership and advocacy in the arts with panelists representing Wear Yellow Proudly, Asian Opera Alliance and PBS WHYY.
“Eindringlich gezeichnet und vokal erfüllt” (hauntingly drawn and vocally fulfilled), Emilie made her international debut with Staatsoper Stuttgart singing Jano in their Calixto Bieito revival of Jenůfa. Originating the role of Mia in the world premiere of Family Style by Meilina Tsui with the New Works Collective at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and joining their 2025 Gerdine Young Artist Program, Emilie has also been a Glimmerglass Festival Young Artist during the 2023 and 2024 seasons singing Calisto in La Calisto, Musetta in La bohème and Almirena in Rinaldo. As a Santa Fe Apprentice in 2022, Emilie was part of the opera chorus and described as “charmingly sung” in scenes as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier and Zerlina in Don Giovanni.
A Master of Music alumna of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, her performance as Cunegonde in the centennial year detailed that “Kealani demonstrated a joy in singing, an empathy with her outrageous stage personality, and jaw-dropping technique.” Other credits include Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Dalinda in Ariodante, Vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen and Poppea in The Coronation of Poppea and Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw. Emilie also holds a Bachelor of Music from Manhattan School of Music.
Growing up in the Bay Area, Kealani performed with San Francisco Arts Education Project and Bay Area Vocal Academy. After earning her high school diploma and Presidential Education Scholar Award at the age of 16, she has gained recognition from notable organizations as a Philadelphia District Winner of the 2025 Metropolitain Laffont Competition and recipient of the inaugural Stephen de Maio Memorial Award and encouragement award from The Gerda Lissner Foundation. She also holds titles with Opera Mississippi's John Alexander National Vocal Competition, The National Shirley Rabb Winston Competition, Schmidt Undergraduate Awards, Beach Blanket Babylon and National YoungArts Foundation.
MICHELLE MARIPOSA
Michelle Mariposa is an award winning Filipino-Chinese mezzo-soprano, praised for her “rich, powerful mezzo” (Parterre Box), “quicksilver coloratura, attention to detail, and spellbinding dramatic energy.” (The Washington Post) She is a Grand Finals Winner of the 2025 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, awarded the Faith P. Geier Award. Michelle is a Cafritz Young Artist with the Washington National Opera.
This summer, Michelle returns to the Opera Theater of Saint Louis as a Gaddes Festival Artist, singing Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream under the baton of Leonard Slatkin, and covering Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and Zoe in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s This House. She then makes her German concert debut as a young artist with the International Meistersinger Akademie, where she looks forward to singing in concerts with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, as well as in recitals in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz.
In the fall of 2024, Michelle made her Kennedy Center debut as Waltraute in an excerpt of Die Walküre as part WNO’s Gods and Mortals: A Celebration of Wagner concert. Other roles with WNO include Raksha in The Jungle Book, Poly 2 in the world premiere of Mud Girl, the Teacher in The R(E)volution of Steve Jobs, and Anita in an excerpt of West Side Story as part of WNO’s American Rhapsody concert.
Last summer, Michelle made her debut with OTSL, singing Maria Maddalena in Galileo Galilei, and Nirena in Julius Caesar, in a last minute jump-in. As a Gerdine Young Artist with OTSL, Michelle also covered the title role in Julius Caesar, and was awarded the Richard Gaddes Career Award in recognition of her extraordinary vocal potential and contribution to the festival season.
In the 2023-2024 season, Michelle made her company debut with Haymarket Opera as Damigella in Caccini’s Alcina. She joined Chicago Opera Theater and the Chicago College of Performing Arts as a young artist, where sang in the ensemble of Shostakovich’s The Nose, and covered the Countess and Podtochina. With COT, Michelle also premiered Gillian Rae Perry’s new opera, The Weight of Light. Additional engagements this past season include the title role in Carmen and her recital debuts with the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago and Chamber Music at Bethany.
Michelle has been a young artist with the Santa Fe Opera, where she covered Pastore 3 in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, and Teatro Nuovo, where she covered Calbo in Rossini’s rarely performed Maometto Secondo. Her other roles include Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina, Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, and the title role in Menotti's The Medium.
In concert, Michelle has performed as alto soloist in works such as Berio’s Sinfonia, Handel’s Messiah, Bernstein’s Mass, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Bach's Magnificat and Cantatas 82 and 182, and Jenkin’s The Armed Man. As a recitalist, Michelle has enjoyed collaborations the FilAm Music Foundation NFP, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago chamber ensembles. A new music specialist, Michelle has premiered works by composers in both the Philippines and the United States, such as Jose Buencamino, Yanni Robiennol, Jai Saldajeño, and Gillian Rae Perry.
Michelle’s other awards include the Lynne Cooper Harvey Foundation Award (top prize) from the Musicians Club of Women 2024 Vocal Competition and the Sullivan Award from the Sullivan Foundation. Michelle is also a winner of the 2019 National Music Competition for Young Artists in her native Philippines, where she was also awarded Best Interpretation for the contest piece.
Michelle completed her Master's degree in Voice and Opera Performance at Northwestern University, and her Bachelor’s degree in Voice and Psychology at the University of the Philippines, both summa cum laude. Michelle has studied with Stephen Smith, Mark Crayton, Christopher Ong Arceo, Raymond Leslie Diaz, and Katherine Molina.
JUNE 2026
EXULT!
June 13 at 12:00 p.m. & June 14 at 5:00 p.m.
Church of the Assumption, Bellingham 98225
THE MUSIC OF JOHN RUTTER
Gloria
Be Thou My Vision
Open Thou Mine Eyes
I Will Sing With the Spirit
A Gaelic Blessing
Wings of the Morning
O Be Joyful in the Lord
As the Bridegroom to His Chosen
Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep
Look at the World
I Believe in Springtime
For the Beauty of the Earth
The Lord Bless You and Keep You