Emily Bender ~ Soprano  Singer from San Carlos, CA

I am a classically-trained soprano and voice teacher, and I would love to make your wedding, special event or concert extra special by bringing you beautiful music, beautifully sung! I can sing proficiently in about 20 languages, so please do not hesitate to ask for what you want. If you are getting married, I can help you create a beautiful ceremony by suggesting songs to create the day you want, as well as sing songs that you already have in mind Recent wedding music has included Ave Marias by Bach-Gounod, Schubert and Saint-Saens; A Thousand Years by Christina Perry, Con Te Partiro (as sung by Andrea Bocelli); the Jazz Standard At Last; and Till There Was You from The Music Man. As an experienced church cantor, I can also work with a house of worship to learn and sing the service music for your service if needed. I will work hard to make your day a reflection of the life you want to create together. I have performed concert solos in such works as the Faure Requiem, Schubert's Mass in G and Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915. I welcome the opportunity to sing in your concert. Allow me to make a funeral or memorial service more meaningful by including beautiful vocal music. I have sung many different things in funerals, from hymns to classical favorites to folk songs. What matters is that it reflects the beauty of the life of the person who has passed. Born into a choral family, I was attending choir rehearsals as soon as they would let me. I sang in school and church choirs growing up, and sang my first church solo at age 3. At age 10, I started performing in musicals, and continued that throughout high school and college. For the past 25 years, I have sung and soloed with numerous groups, including: Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Coro Allegro in Boston; San Francisco Bach Choir, Pacific Mozart Ensemble, and Goat Hall Productions. As a member of the Grammy-nominated Pacific Mozart Ensemble I performed in Carnegie Hall, singing with the ensemble and soloing as part of the celebration of 40 years of Meredith Monk's music. I currently sing with the award-winning women's sextet, Solstice. In addition to Solstice's recordings, you can hear me on AXIOS, a recording of greek hymns. I hold a BA in French from Oberlin, an MA in Interdisciplinary Art from San Francisco State and a Certificate in Kodály Music Education from Holy Names University. I served as Cantor and soprano section leader, in addition to working with their children's choirs, at Saint John's Episcopal Church in Ross, CA from 2011-2015. I am on the faculty of Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley and Clocktower Music School in San Carlos.