Sophie Michaux - mezzo-soprano, accordion
Sophie Michaux was born in London and raised in the French Alps. Her versatility and musical curiosity have brought her to be an active performer in many repertoires including French Cabaret songs, 17th century Opera, English Sea Shanties, Oratorios, as well as various world polyphonies: Sophie is passionate about performing folk music, world music, and popular song literature. She is also the co-founder of Culomba, and has toured extensively with Northern Harmony, an ensemble that is renowned for its command of varied world ethnic singing styles from the Balkans, the Republic of Georgia, South Africa, and the United States. She founded Tiny Glass Tavern, an eclectic cross genre ensemble, and Sophie et Adam a folk music duo with guitarist and singer Adam Jacob Simon, which recently presented an Edith Piaf Tribute Night at Cambridge’s Club Passim. More at www.sophiemichaux.com.
Lysander Jaffe - tenor, violin
Lysander Jaffe is a versatile musician based in Boston. Raised by two jazz musicians in western Massachusetts, he studied classical violin and viola from a young age and discovered a love of folk singing as a teenager. A devoted student of traditional music, Lysander has studied with master musicians in Bulgaria, Kosovo, Greece, Corsica, and the Republic of Georgia. He lived abroad in Russia and the U.K. before earning his B.A. in Russian at Williams College and his Masters in Contemporary Improvisation at New England Conservatory. Since graduation, his omnivorous tastes and talents have led him to venues such as the Kennedy Center, National Sawdust, and national television in Kosovo, Georgia, and Greece. He has toured internationally with Northern Harmony and appeared as a soloist with The Christmas Revels. He is a Co Artistic Director of the chamber orchestra Palaver Strings, co-founder of the Yiddish trio Levyosn, and a two-time recipient of the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
As an educator, Lysander is passionate about creating meaningful musical experiences for musicians and singers of all levels. He offers group and private instruction on violin, viola, and voice, as well as choir and ensemble coaching.
Adam Simon - tenor/baritone, plucked strings, composer
Adam Jacob Simon is a composer, baritone and guitarist active in the Boston area. Recent commissions from Conspirare, Lorelei Ensemble, The Rivers Conservatory, WordSong Boston, The Oriana Consort, and The Mak'haylah Choir in Lexington. He is an avid folk music singer as well, performing frequently with VT based vocal ensemble Northern Harmony, traveling throughout Europe, South Africa and the U.S. As a baritone soloist, he has been praised as singing with “wonderful romantic lyricism” and “reassuring warmth” - Rutland (VT) Herald. As co-founder of the folk music duo “Sophie et Adam” alongside French mezzo-soprano Sophie Michaux, he frequently performs a varied repertoire of French, American, and Yiddish folk music. In 2010 he won the St. Botolph Club Emerging Artist Award to record his String Quartet #1 with the Mt. Auburn String Quartet, founded by popular Boston cellist, Rafael Popper Keizer. His compositions have been performed throughout the US, UK, Germany, France, Switzerland and Macedonia. He studied composition with Howard Frazin, and music theory with Judy Ross at the Longy School of Music. Adam was born and raised in Cambridge MA, where he still resides.
Sora Harris-Vincent - alto
Sora Harris-Vincent is a singer currently based in LA. Growing up in Vermont, she attended her first Village Harmony concert at the influential age of 12 and knew she had to join the locally based world music group. Sora has sung with Village Harmony ever since, traveling around the US as well as internationally in Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, Corsica and the Republic of Georgia to learn and perform traditional music. She recently toured around Europe with Northern Harmony where she thoroughly enjoyed performing nightly concerts and teaching workshops to singers of all ages and musical abilities. After studying the French horn in middle and high school, Sora branched out and joined an a cappella group at Smith College where she arranged music and directed her group for four years. As a former elementary school teacher and now postpartum doula, Sora believes in the power of music and singing to educate, inspire, and heal. Sora is currently involved in musical projects on both coasts, traveling between Boston and Los Angeles to perform and teach music for teen camps, singing workshops, and captivated audiences.
Lexi Ugelow - alto, percussion
Lexi Ugelow is a lifelong learner and lover of intergenerational community singing. She is a professional singer, a song writer and has toured with groups such as Northern Harmony, performing and teaching workshops to adults and children. Her interests and experience with music spans from funk, to world folk music, to classical and her heart really lies with anything a cappella. A firm believer that our bodies are our instruments, she encourages the practice of non-judgement during exploration of musical play. She was director of her a cappella group “The Limelights,” for three years before moving to NYC in the fall, where she worked as an Assistant Sound Engineer. Having grown up with the Family Folk Chorale, she now Co-Directs the intergenerational choir SingPositive.
Daniel Fridley - bass, wind instruments
Daniel Fridley, bass, recently relocated to Boston after receiving his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Historical Performance Practice from Case Western Reserve University in 2021, studying with Ellen Hargis and Jesse Blumberg. His “spotless, resonant bass” (Cleveland Classical) lends itself well to a wide variety of musical styles.
Performance credits from recent seasons include Bass Soloist in J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion (Schola Cantorum Boston); Bass Soloist in Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Virgine (Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum); Bass Soloist in Handel’s Messiah (Bourbon Baroque); and Basilio in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia (Teatro Nuovo).
Avery Sherman - bass
Avery Sherman began singing with the world renowned Chicago Children's Choir at 9 years old, studying under the tutelage of Josephine Lee, Judy Hanson, and Mollie Stone. Avery accompanied the CCC on tours to Italy, The Baltics, and Alaska. The CCC introduced Avery to a variety of musical styles including classical works like Faure's Requiem, Vivaldi Gloria, contemporary arrangements, and world music. It was an interest in world music, specifically choral music from South Africa that led Avery to join Village Harmony in 2011. With Village Harmony, Avery has traveled and studyed traditional music in South Africa, Republic of Georgia, Corsica, and Northumberland. Additionally, Avery studied voice at Depaul University under Marc Embree and Jane Bunnell. Avery is excited to continue pursuing a passion for world music with Culomba, and hopes to spread the teachings of all the world musicians that shared their own music and stories with him.