About CVAE

The Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble (CVAE) is a regionally acclaimed chamber choir dedicated to excellence in the choral art. Founded in 1992 by Deborah Jenkins Teske, an accomplished conductor of choral music and opera, CVAE is committed to artistic excellence and community involvement. Although firmly rooted in the rich heritage of the Western choral tradition, CVAE’s programming crosses over established boundaries and provides audiences with surprising and innovative choral experiences. A frequent collaborator with other arts organizations and individual artists, CVAE has performed with The Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale, The Colorado Opera Festival, The Denver Brass, and Chamber Orchestra of the Springs. A 2005 collaboration with local storyteller John Stansfield received rave reviews. The Ensemble’s 2006-2007 season includes plans for joint performances with the Ormao Dance Company and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. The organization regularly seeks out new choral works, particularly from artists residing in Colorado, and a number of composers have debuted their work with CVAE.

In addition to regular concert performances, CVAE has established a wide range of community outreach programs, including their popular The Mysterious Musical Machine, and the award-winning Voice, Verse, and Vision, a multimedia arts collaboration involving student poets, and professional artists and composers. A new high school residency program, The Art of Chamber Singing, allows CVAE members to serve as mentors to outstanding high school choirs in the Colorado Springs area.

About Deborah Jenkins Teske Artistic Director Deborah Jenkins Teske is founder and artistic director of the Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble. She is Director of Choirs at Colorado College, where she conducts the Colorado College Choir and Chamber Chorus and teaches conducting. She served as Associate Director of Music at Grace Episcopal Church from 1992-2005. Although choral music is her primary focus, she has also conducted opera and musical theater, including productions of Handel’s Semele, Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Mozart’s The Magic Flute with the Colorado Opera Festival. From 1993-1998 Ms. Teske served as Chorus Master for the Festival. Other regional engagements have included Opera Theater of the Rockies, the Colorado Opera Troupe in Denver and The Fine Arts Center Repertory Theater Company. Ms. Teske holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Pomona College and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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