Verdigris Ensemble Artists

Conductor — Sam Brukhman

Sam Brukhman is a conductor and artistic director known for blending innovative programming with narrative-driven performance. As the founding Artistic Director of Verdigris Ensemble, he curates transformative vocal music experiences that have been praised for their emotional power and creative ambition. He has led ensembles including the Arts District Chorale, Capital Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Institute of Napa Valley, and presented on creative concert programming for the Missouri Choral Directors Association. A Westminster Choir College graduate and ACDA National Conducting Competition semifinalist, Brukhman has also performed as a tenor with leading orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and Vienna Chamber Orchestra.

Sopranos

Julie Biffle

Julie Biffle, a soprano and voice teacher originally from Kittery, Maine, is known for her versatile artistry and commitment to vocal excellence. As a University of North Texas graduate, she gained recognition as a soloist on international tours to the Czech Republic, Austria, and South Korea. Julie has performed with renowned ensembles, including Verdigris Ensemble, Orpheus Chamber Singers, and Vermont Chamber Artists. She has appeared as the soprano soloist in Allegri’s Miserere fifteen times over ten years.

Passionate about contemporary music, Julie has premiered works by composers Nicholas Tran and Jane Kozhevnikova, while her poetry has been adapted into compositions performed by Quince Ensemble and loadbang.

Cami Everitt

Cami Everitt is a versatile and in-demand soprano based in Austin, TX, with a deep passion for chamber singing and choral music. She has been seen performing with regionally recognized ensembles such as the San Antonio Chamber Choir and Conspirare Symphonic Choir, and on innovative programs with Austin Cantorum, Opus Ensemble, and Inversion Ensemble. Upcoming engagements include Betty’s Notebook with Verdigris Ensemble and Aeternum’s Christmas in the Vineyards. She was selected as a VOCES8 US Scholar in 2024 and has participated in choral festivals hosted by Yale and Aspen Music Festival. In her free time, Cami loves to read, go on walks, and spend time with friends, family, and her cat, Evie. She holds a BM in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas and completed graduate coursework in the University of Redlands’ Vocal Chamber Music program.

Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones is a DFW-based soprano known for her clear tone, expressive musicality, and verticality. She performs regularly with Verdigris Ensemble and Incarnatus, and is on the roster of nationally acclaimed groups Conspirare and The Crossing. She is also a frequent soloist in the Bach’s Lunch series at Church of the Incarnation. Rachel is thrilled to return to Betty’s Notebook—her first performance with Verdigris in 2022—and can’t wait to jazz it up again!

Briana Salas

Briana Salas is a lyric soprano who has sung with Verdigris Ensemble since 2022. She grew up in Brownsville, Texas, and relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to study music. In 2018, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from The University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor’s in Music with Teacher Certification. In addition to singing professionally, Briana is also an Elementary Music Teacher at Fort Worth ISD. In her free time, she enjoys long-distance running, spending time outdoors with her two dogs, and watching scary movies.

Altos

Julia Amundson

Julia Amundson is thrilled to be a part of her first project with Verdigris. She is a DFW-based mezzo-soprano and will graduate from the University of North Texas with her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education this December. When she’s not in rehearsal, you can find Julia reading a book, admiring her cat, Lorelei, or spending time with her mom and sister. Soli Deo gloria.

Katrina Burggraf

Katrina has been in Verdigris since its very first house concerts. She’s honored to continue on the group’s amazing journey. She’s been a professional full-time singer in Dallas for over 25 years. She is also overjoyed to be a part of Verdigris’ extremely successful outreach program. She spends several hours a week in Oak Cliff’s Greiner Middle School helping with all of the choirs and offering audition coaching to all Booker T High School hopefuls.

Meredith Hinshaw

Meredith Hinshaw is a soprano from Murphy, Texas, and a senior pursuing her Bachelor of Vocal Performance at the University of North Texas. She debuted with Verdigris Ensemble in 2024, singing alto in Dust Bowl. Meredith is active as a performer in the DFW area and teaches private voice lessons, sharing her passion for music with others.

Kassidy Montán

Kassidy Montán is a professional vocalist and elementary music teacher in Frisco ISD. Her musical journey began with a love of singing and all things music at a young age. This led her to pursue education at the University of North Texas, where she performed with the A Cappella Choir, taught voice and piano lessons at Musicology Denton, and joined Verdigris Ensemble in 2023. Kassidy is excited to share this program with you!

Tenors

Tim Anderson

Timothy Anderson is a blossoming young tenor from Plano, Texas. He is a multidisciplinary vocalist with specialties in both operatic singing and choral singing. After returning from his summer spent with the Wolf Trap Opera Company, he now teaches private voice lessons and sings in professional choirs and church choirs.

David Bone

David Bone is a Tenor from West Des Moines, Iowa, and has been singing with the Verdigris ensemble since moving to Dallas in 2023. Outside of singing professionally, David is a full-time software engineer at Goldman Sachs. In his free time, he loves to read, go on walks, and watch live music.

Jack Forden

Jack Forden is a Tenor and private voice teacher from Plano, Texas, who regularly performs in choral music and opera around DFW. His last collaboration with Verdigris Ensemble was Song from the Uproar, and he is thrilled to be singing with Verdigris Ensemble again in Betty's Notebook. Later this season, catch him in This Place Called Dallas and The Velveteen Rabbit.

De’Courtneyous Miller

De’Courtneyous Miller, a tenor from Camden, Arkansas, has performed with UNT Opera, LAH-SOW at the Academy of Vocal Arts, and international festivals, singing roles such as Steve (A Streetcar Named Desire), Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro), and Vašek (The Bartered Bride). He has toured China, appeared with the Muses Creative Artistry Project, and performs with Dallas–Fort Worth ensembles, including Verdigris Ensemble and Orpheus Chamber Singers. He holds degrees from the University of North Texas and Henderson State University.

Basses

Conner Allison

Connor Allison is a singer, conductor, composer, and Oxford comma enthusiast living and working in Dallas. He is an Adjunct Professor of Voice at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he works with fantastic music theatre students preparing for exciting careers in the arts. Connor also owns and operates a private coaching studio called Lidell Vocology, which focuses on the intersection of music-making, creativity, and personal development. Favorite performances include: Sea Symphony by Vaughan Williams, Messe cum jubilo and Requiem by Duruflé, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress, and Jud Fry in Oklahoma. In his free time, Connor likes to work on metabolic health coaching, sharing what he’s learned over the 150 pounds he’s lost in the last couple of years and helping diabetics understand their condition and get the right resources to live a beautiful, healthy life.

David Carriaga Hobbs

David Carriaga Hobbs is a Texas native who performs and records as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist throughout the U.S.A. in a variety of genres. Recently, he has been heard as Dancairo in St. Pete Opera's production of Carmen and playing electric bass as a musical director for various artists around DFW. David also composes and arranges music in a broad range of styles, from his own electronic productions to children's choir, all of which is available on his website.

Connor Lidell

Connor Lidell is a multi-hyphenate professional singer and performer local to Dallas. He sings with many high-level choirs in the area and is on the faculty at UTA. Connor has done some cool projects, chief among them performing the St. Luke's Passio with K. Penderecki conducting. He also premiered Songs from Bedlam by Jess Turner with the Indiana University Chamber Orchestra and sang the baritone solo in Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony. Favorite Operatic performances include Swallow in Peter Grimes and one of the priests in Philip Glass's Akhnaten. In his spare time, he is a coach and writer on creativity and high performance. 

Dean Willis

Dean Willis, bass-baritone, lives in Burleson, TX, with his wife, Kristen, and his two children, Chloe and Camden. He holds a BA in Vocal Performance from Abilene Christian University, where he studied under Dr. Paul Piersall, an MM in Vocal Performance from SMU under the direction of Virginia Dupuy, and an MM in Choral Conducting from SMU, studying under Dr. Pamela Elrod-Huffman. He sings with Verdigris Ensemble and The Dallas Opera Educational Outreach while working as the Music Minister at the Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ in Arlington, TX.