Originally from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Zach moved to Chicago in the fall of 2016 to further his career as a graphic designer/art director. He currently works for an ad agency in the heart of Chicago's downtown and does freelance for a number of musical groups throughout the city, including common pulse.

A musician since birth, Zach was a percussionist and vocalist throughout high school. He performed with a number of groups in college, and currently sings bass with common pulse, Chicago Chamber Choir, and Wicker Park Choral Singers. When he’s not singing, he’s most likely playing his banjo, talking about space, or wandering around in the woods.

Susan is a musician and educator from Niles, IL. She moved to Appleton, WI in 2010 to study voice performance and choral/general music education at the Lawrence University Conservatory. Her main mentors at Lawrence include her private voice teacher, Joanne Bozeman, her choir director, Dr. Stephen Sieck, and former Appleton Area School District Fine Arts Coordinator Jim Heiks.

Since 2014, Susan has been teaching middle school choir. She is a passionate educator who fuses her drive for musical excellence with her fundamental mission to build relationships and cultivate connection within her ensembles. Susan loves being a part of the Chicago choral community. In addition to singing with common pulse, Susan also sang with Wicker Park Choral Singers. She is currently a graduate student working toward her master’s degree in choral music education at Vandercook College of Music. When she’s not teaching or singing, Susan is most likely to be found babysitting her nephews or hanging out with her dog.

A Chicagoland native, Paula sings in several choirs around the city. While she favors the classical genre, Paula also loves jazz and musical theatre repertoire. Her passion for theatre draws her to opera. When Paula is not singing, you can find her going to see plays, exploring the outdoors, playing video games, or bouldering in climbing gyms around Chicago. It is a dream of hers to travel to different places around the world, explore nature, and sing in new and extravagant spaces.

Erik Christensen is the child of working musicians and grew up singing in choirs and with a violin tucked under his chin. He is delighted to return to common pulse for his second season in 2023 and deeply appreciates its artistic mission and its commitment to building communities of justice and beauty. Erik is a Lutheran (ELCA) pastor and serves as Pastor to the Community & Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in Hyde Park. He lives with his husband, Kerry, and their dog, Matilda, in Albany Park.

Erin Coleman Branchaud is a Lutheran pastor and community organizer, originally from Omaha, Nebraska. Her formative choral singing was as a member of the University Choir at Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she majored in Music (Piano) and Spanish. During her college years, Erin's favorite work was as pianist and musical director for Wesleyan's musical theatre productions, and for Nebraska Lutheran Campus Ministries. After college, Erin and her spouse Josh lived as volunteers in Argentina, where Erin was honored to sing in a local chamber music ensemble in Buenos Aires. A recent graduate of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Erin now lives and works in Logan Square. Come by St. Luke's sometime and say hi!

Carey Crows is a K-4 General Music Educator in Winnetka and freelance soprano in the Chicagoland area. In the past, Carey has sung with various vocal ensembles including La Caccina, William Ferris Chorale, Bella Voce, Chicago Chorale, Peregrine Vocal Ensemble, and Chicago Choral Artists. In addition to making music and spending time with her family, Carey loves traveling and being creative in the kitchen; she dreams of the day where she can compete on Chopped and open her own bakery. She is looking forward to her third season as a common pulse member!

Bass vocalist and Chicagoland native, Eric attended Augustana College in Rock Island, IL and performed across the east coast, Midwest, and Northern Europe with the Augustana Choir and Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Jon Hurty. He graduated with his B.A. in Psychology and Music in 2015.

After returning to Chicagoland, Eric sang for two and a half years under the baton of Dr. Eric Johnson in the Dekalb-based professional chorus Cor Cantiamo, a group dedicated to the performance of the newest of choral compositions. In 2017, he moved to Chicago proper and joined the Wicker Park Choral Singers, at the time under the direction of Mark Tomasino. 

Outside of choir, Eric works as a psychotherapist in Andersonville. Eric is passionate about issues of social justice, particularly with regard to issues affecting the LGBTQ+ population, and as such he is thrilled to take part in this season with common pulse.

After graduating from Knox College in 2012 with a Bachelors in Music Performance, Oliver Horton moved to Chicago to pursue a career as a bass player. Oliver currently plays bass in Bowmanville, Gone Valley, Nine Worlds Ensemble, and Bowtime. Oliver is a songwriter and producer for his own solo project, ohm, which is supported by Patreon, and he plays guitar and sings for private events. Oliver is also a founding singer of common pulse, for which he now also writes and arranges music and plays guitar and bass. This ensemble is directed by Oliver's wife, Lydia Lane Stout, with whom Oliver also shares a music studio. Oliver teaches lessons on bass, guitar, piano, voice, composition, and music production.

Luke Lemmeier, countertenor, moved to Chicago in 2017 after graduating from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance. He currently sings with several ensembles in the Chicago area such as Bella Voce and St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church Choir in the Gold Coast. He has been a part of Kathleen Battle’s: The Underground Railroad- A Spiritual Journey at The Auditorium Theater, and was a finalist in the Classical Singer Summer Competition, placing 2nd in the Classical Emerging Professional Division. He has also been a part of the Naked Voice Institute at Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, and most recently received an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Alice started her musical journey in her native Belgium when she was five years old, and there has always been music in her life ever since. Alice played four different instruments in folk bands and has sung with the Wallonia Children’s Choir and the Hodie women’s singing ensemble. In 2011 she joined fifteen talented women to sing in the Kava-Kava vocal ensemble. When she moved to the Chicago area in 2023, Alice was looking for a new musical family to make her feel at home. As soon as she discovered common pulse she felt incredibly moved by their musical, philosophical and personal qualities.

Alice is passionate about languages, each of which sounds like a different music to her ears. They have taken her on many travels and allowed her to encounter fascinating people and cultures. Alice is currently doing research on language learning, with a particular focus on learners’ emotions in the language classroom. When she is not singing she is most likely enjoying a family bike ride, counting squirrels and rabbits along the way.

Tony Moaton is a multidisciplinary artist and UX Researcher who is excited to join common pulse. Growing up in Oak Park, IL, Tony was exposed to a wide variety of music, and has experience singing in many different styles, from renaissance choral music to barbershop quartets to being a backup singer for a touring neo-soul band.

Tony received a graduate certificate from the Pig Iron School of Advanced Performance Training through the University of the Arts and was commissioned to create an audio piece for the Fabric Workshop and Museum: a 20-minute house/gospel setlist of covers honoring those who have lost their lives to COVID-19.

When not singing, Tony is either baking, reading about death technology, or deciding what new hobby to take up and explore.

Aidan Murphy is from Prairie View, Illinois. After being coerced into joining his middle school chorus by some girls who were bigger than him at the time, he had a lot of fun and has been loving choir ever since. He sang with the Knox College Choir in Galesburg, touring Italy, France, and Washington D.C. among other places. Around the same time, he performed with the Nova Singers of Galesburg before graduating in 2018.

Aidan moved to Chicago in 2019 to pursue theatrical and musical opportunities. He is thrilled to join common pulse this year as a baritone! When not singing, you’re likely to find him writing plays, fermenting cider, or playing on his new Nintendo Switch.

Aaron Musser, bass, is a versatile musician from the wind-swept prairies of South Dakota. He arrived for theological study at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2021 after a season as a church musician in Milwaukee. He studied religion, saxophone, voice, and church music at St. Olaf College and has since served as Director of Music and Media, Cantor, and Worship Assistant for various ELCA worshipping communities. Aaron currently sings with the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus and is thrilled to join common pulse this season. He completes his seminary degree this year and enjoys (among many things) forest trails, cribbage, and Brandi Carlile.

Roni Raufer, alto, has been singing and working in Chicago since 2015. She served as Assistant Choir Director at Plainfield East High School and was the Crescendo Chorus Director at the Arlington Heights Senior Center. She then moved to the teaching team at Chicago Opera Theater, where she has since transitioned to serving as the Director of Community Programming. She has been in a number of other area ensembles, including the Wicker Park Choral Singers, Chicago Chamber Choir, and Vox Venti.

When she is not singing, you can find Roni in a vintage market or walking her dog on the beach.

Kelsey is a Chicagoland native who received their B.A. in Music and Anthropology from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. During their studies, they had the privilege of performing across the U.S. and Northern Europe with the Augustana Choir and Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Jon Hurty. Kelsey continued on to perform with numerous Chicago-based choral ensembles, including the Chicago Chamber Choir and the Wicker Park Choral Singers.

Since childhood, Kelsey has ardently wielded a passion for music and the empowerment of others, especially those within disparaged communities. As a proud transgender and nonbinary individual, they posses a deeply personal conviction to use their perspective to create progressive change through the arts. They intend to spend their life devoting their creative skills to help foster the growth of needed visibility, space, resources, and opportunities for all marginalized people.

Liliana Schiller, alto, moved to Chicago in 2014 to pursue a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from DePaul University. Upon graduating, Liliana taught general music and choir in Chicago Public Schools. While she enjoyed teaching, Liliana felt compelled to explore her passion for systems-level change and decided to attend the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. She received her Master’s in Social Work in 2021 and now works for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She still loves to perform and is a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the choir at St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church in the Gold Coast. Liliana’s happy to be a part of the common pulse community and enjoys singing this season.

Baritone, William Spakowski, is thrilled to rejoin common pulse this season after a two year hiatus! Originally from Rochester, New York, William moved to Chicago in 2006 to study vocal performance and music education at DePaul University. Since graduating from DePaul in 2010 William has held several teaching positions in the Chicagoland area working with students of all ages. In 2018 he received his Masters in Music Education and Choral Conducting from Florida State University. William is currently the Director of Choirs at Thornton Fractional North High School in Calumet City, Illinois District 215. When not singing, William can be found renovating his century-old Albany Park home with his lovely wife, Claire and their 2 year old son Liam.

Travis Swinford, tenor, moved to Chicago from Central Illinois in 2014 and has been singing professionally around the city ever since. Travis earned a Bachelors degree in Music Education from Millikin University where he had the honor of touring both nationally and in China with the University Choir under the direction of Dr. Brad Holmes. He was also a member of OneVoice, Millikin's premier vocal jazz ensemble, which was selected to perform at the American Choral Directors Association national conference in Oklahoma City. Currently, Travis also sings with The Marion Consort, a Chicago and Milwaukee based early music ensemble. When he is not singing, Travis enjoys cooking, record collecting, and spending time with his cat, Mister.

Catlin Watts, born and raised on the south side of Chicago, is ecstatic to join common pulse this season. Catlin has a B.A. in Spanish and International Relations and was a member of her college choir and chamber singers ensemble. While choral music is one of her favorite genres, she also loves to sing gospel, jazz, country, and r&b. There is rarely a moment when you will find her not singing, even to herself, but you can also find her practicing yoga, spending lots of time with her family and friends, or planning her next trip, as she loves to travel locally and abroad.

Lily Wirth is a Chicago-based licensed massage therapist and freelance soprano. She currently sings with the choir at St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church in the Gold Coast and with nine-voice women's ensemble La Caccina. In the past she has appeared with a variety of ensembles including Wicker Park Choral Singers, Bella Voce, Chicago Chamber Choir, and Peregrine Vocal Ensemble. A founding member of common pulse, Lily is thrilled to dive into season three!

When she's not singing or giving massages, you can find Lily at the gym working towards her first pull-up, or in her home in Albany Park cooking and watching cartoons. And probably still singing.

Originally from the Chicago area, Madeleine Woodworth currently serves as the Director of Music at Grace Episcopal Church in Oak Park. She also enjoys her roles as a staff accompanist at the Merit School of Music and as an alto in the William Ferris Chorale and La Caccina, a nine-voice professional treble ensemble. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance at the Eastman School of Music. During her time there, she won first prize in the American Guild of Organists' Regional Competition for Young Organists (Great Lakes Chapter) and the Westchester Organ Competition. Her interest in new music led her to collaborate with Wilhelmina Esary, to premiere a new piece called "On Track" for the organ as part of the AGO's Student Commissioning Project. She participated in student government and was inducted into the music fraternity, Sigma Alpha Iota. At the Yale School of Music and Yale Institute of Sacred Music, she completed her Master of Music in Choral Conducting and was awarded the Robert Shaw Prize for excellence in conducting and the Richard Paul DeLong Prize in church music.

Ben Zucker engages in acts of creative juxtaposition and speculation as a composer, audiovisual artist, and multi-instrumentalist. He has contributed to experimental music scenes across North America and the UK with concert works, albums, scores for media, and frequent performances on brass, percussion, voice, and electronics. They currently live in Chicago, working as doctoral student at Northwestern University, student labor organizer, Vice President of New Music Chicago, and as varied and caffeinated a freelance life as possible.