World-touring mezzo-soprano returns to sing in Newton

By Laurie Gordon
NEWTON — Mezzo-soprano and Stillwater native, Katie Hoyer, will be returning to Sussex County to perform in “Music, Love and Friends,” at Christ Episcopal Church, in Newton, on Saturday, April 28 at 7:00 PM. The music for the evening will feature works of Viennese composers: Karl Goldmark’s Piano Trio in E Minor, Op. 33 and selections from Ludwig von Beethoven’s 25 Scottish Songs, Op. 108. The concert is intended to invoke the idea of a Viennese salon - beginning with Goldmark’s nod to Bach and the art of the fugue ‘descending’ into the the lyricism, romanticism, jollity, and perhaps decadence of Scottish folksongs about love, war, and wine.
Hoyer grew up in Stillwater and said, “I have very early memories of singing “Jesus Loves Me” with my great-grandfather, Herman Kleindienst; I think that was the first song I learned. He was a very devout Lutheran and taught that song to all of us great-grandchildren. My parents tell me that I was always singing something around the house. Our family have been longtime members of Christ Church in Newton, which is an incredibly musical community led by choirmasters Joe and Debbie Mello.”
When Hoyer was seven, her parents asked her if she wanted to sing with Deb Mello at church and after school. She said yes, and joined both the Junior Choir at Christ Church and Mello's independent choir, the Children’s Chorus of Sussex County (CCSC).
Hoyer went on to sing with Mello's choirs for 12 years, all the way through her senior year in high school.
“[Mello] gave her choristers incredible opportunities,” Hoyer said. “We got a comprehensive choral education, sang challenging and engaging repertoire, worked with amazing conductors and hosted other choirs from around the world, and did our own international tours every two years. I toured Italy, Canada, and South America with [Mello] and CCSC. I also sang with Joe Mello both in the senior choir at Christ Church and as his student at KRHS: in the Chamber Chorus, the Madrigal Singers, and in the school musicals. Joe introduced me to most of the music that I love the most: the English folksong repertoire, Renaissance polyphony, late medieval carols and hymns, and much more. He also has a wealth of knowledge on this repertoire that enriches the experience of rehearsing and performing, as well as a collection of well-loved instructional 'gems' delivered with gusto and good humor.”
Hoyer went on to attend Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and sang in the Glee Club and Chamber Singers under Jonathan Hirsh. She toured Italy, Sicily, and Spain with Hirsh and the Chamber Singers, and said she loved being a part of a long-standing tradition at the college, and in American women’s choirs. Hoyer also took voice lessons with Jane Bryden, soprano and teacher who helped her transition from singing as a soprano (high voice) to a mezzo-soprano (medium-high voice) during her second year of college. She also taught Hoyer how to navigate working with new and different voice teachers.
The hard work paid off, and Hoyer won the Concerto Competition at Smith, gave two senior recitals, one of which was a Bach solo vocal cantata with a faculty chamber ensemble, performed as a concerto soloist on the commencement concert, and did an independent study on medieval and 20th century Portuguese music that culminated in a paper and a full recital. She was actually a Portuguese Studies major at Smith, and a music minor, but because Portuguese is an interdisciplinary department, her academic work was in ethnomusicology (the study of music in its cultural context).
Soprano Dominique LaBelle, was Hoyer's first voice teacher after college.
“She is one of the most vibrant and vivacious singers I’ve ever met,” Hoyer said. “She just radiates joy in her performances and in her instruction, and taught me that the purpose of good technique and good preparation is to free yourself up, so you can fully enjoy the process of collaborating with other musicians and engaging with the audience.”
After Dominique moved to Montreal, Hoyer studied with Kendra Colton, a powerful, thoughtful, and intentional singer and teacher.
Hoyer moved to Boston, and one of the first things she did was to seek out a church job which she said is very traditional for young singers.
She said, “My job as an alto soloist and section leader at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Marblehead provides a stable source of income throughout the academic year, as well as a regularly rotating repertoire of music that I enjoy, collaborating with great colleagues and dedicated volunteer singers.”
She added, “I really value the last five years of performance experience and the connections I’ve made with other musicians in the Boston area. I was told once by a teacher that my particular type of voice wouldn’t really be fully developed until my early 30s. I’m twenty-seven now, so I’m excited to see what the next few years bring, and to make some decisions about the kind of career that I want to build going forward.”
Hoyer also works as the Middle School Administrative Assistant at the Innovation Academy Charter School.
Trio Giocoso — Nicholas Currie, violin, Adam Gonzalez, cello, and Diana Greene, piano — celebrated their 10th anniversary as an ensemble last year.
“They are fabulous career musicians who have worked together and known each other for years, and I’m thrilled that they invited us to join them for this concert back at Christ Church,” Hoyer said.
Alicia DePaolo, a soprano who will also be in the concert, is both Hoyer's colleague on this performance and also her partner.
“We met in Jane Bryden’s voice studio and singing in the Smith College Chamber Singers, and have been together for eight years,” Hoyer said. “I thought she was an incredible singer when I heard her during studio classes months before we started dating, and when I hear her perform now, I still sometimes can’t believe how lucky We have very different voice types, but fortunately they complement each other.”
“Performing at Christ Church is a treat,” Hoyer said, “ It’s got a warm acoustic and a beautiful and flexible worship space that easily accommodates a concert performance. It’s a joy to come home and make music for the community that raised me.”
Of music being such a big part of her life, Hoyer said, “Music can help me make sense of difficult concepts, enriches the everyday, and goes beyond words to touch something in our minds and hearts that we need as human beings.”
For additional information and to purchase tickets to the April 28th concert, please contact Mark Hoyer at (973) 903-3780 or amhoyer@icloud.com. Regular tickets are $20 and students and senior citizens are $10. A reception will follow the performance. Christ Church is located at the corner of Church and Main streets in Newton.