by Richard Gray
Over the past few months, we have been featuring brief bios of St. John’s staff singers. Now we want to give you the chance to get to know the wonderful volunteer singers in our talented choir! Today we’d like to introduce you to our Alto section.
In a choir, the voices are divided into sections based on vocal range (how high or low someone sings). Alto is the lower female-leaning voice part and usually fills in harmony underneath the sopranos.
For each of the four sections, music can often be split 1st or 2nd. The 1st part usually sings the higher and maybe more prominent line, while the 2nd part sings notes slightly lower that support the harmony. This creates a more rich and full sound.
Priya Schulze sings first alto and this is her fifth year. She originally hails from the Kansas City area. She lives in Saint Paul with her two extremely spoiled dogs, and one equally spoiled cat! At the moment she considers volunteering to be her work. At SJE, she directs the handbell ensemble and represents music ministry on the vestry. In her free time she enjoys walking her dogs, reading just about anything, and knitting. Her guilty pleasure is chocolate and sometimes too much coffee.
Emily Wiant sings second alto. She’s originally from St. Cloud. She is an auditor for the state legislature. In her free time she loves to bake, binge TV shows, play instruments, and travel. Her cat, Simon, is her housemate.
Jaena Smith sings first alto and has been with the choir for almost three years. She grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (She’s a Yooper!). Most of her family is still there. Jaena and her husband Andrew have three cats: Kitty, Mulder and Scully! Jaena works as a research librarian at a medical school near Chicago. She helps faculty and students find scholarly literature. She is fully remote which is rare in the library world. She’s always been a huge reader…you’ll never find her without a current read (or three). She loves to knit, sew, quilt, crochet, cross-stitch…pretty much anything that involves stitches. She also really enjoys getting out for hikes and doing puzzles. Her guilty pleasure is reality TV but especially any Real Housewives franchise!
Margaret Dexter sings first alto and has been in the choir for 26 years. She is the youngest of four and the only girl so she is considered a double princess. She moved from Macomb Illinois to St. Paul in 1987, so she has lived here longer than anywhere else. She joined St. John’s in 2000. She works for the state department of natural resources with the wildlife health program in wildlife research; her main area of focus is chronic wasting disease and avian influenza. In her free time, she loves to knit, quilt, and bake. Her guilty pleasures are watching too much antenna TV and PBS.
Beth Rhodes has sung in the alto section for seven years now. Originally from Ohio, she grew up in many different places but has called Minnesota “home” for over 30 years now. She is a passionate scrapbooker and also loves other types of art. She lives with her daughter Kali, Kali’s boyfriend, and their two dogs and a cat. She currently teaches middle-school Spanish in the St. Paul Public Schools. Her guilty pleasure is traveling around the world visiting friends, learning about history firsthand, and enjoying the culinary delights each place has to offer.
Marilyn Conklin sings second alto and has been in the choir for almost 17 years. She is married to husband John Docherty, and mother of adult children Charlie (23) & Helen (20). She is a lawyer who works as a career law clerk to a federal trial judge; in other words, she does legal research and writing. For fun Marilyn enjoys planning theme parties, preferably involving costumes and excessive decorations; visiting the Presidential Libraries & Museums; watching old screwball comedies; and “managing” the complicated relationship between two new kittens. Her guilty pleasures include Grim Scandinavian mysteries, true-crime TV shows & home improvement shows, and Haagen Dazs Belgian Dark Chocolate ice cream. Although she hails from South Dakota, specifically West River, she has lived in MN for 39 years, so she feels like she’s from St. Paul.
Emma Schultz sings in our alto section. This is her second year. She lives in St. Paul, but grew up in Indiana. She is the older of two children in her family. She is an intellectual property attorney and works on patent and trademark lawsuits. In her free time she enjoys doing pilates, reading, and taking care of her plants. When not actively engaged in these activities she is watching TV or exploring restaurants in the Twin Cities. Her guilty pleasures include ice cream, chocolate, and the TV.