Fourth Coast Ensemble is a classical vocal quartet specializing in the unique style and repertoire of vocal chamber music. Celebrated for "doing everything an organization can to sustain the viability of art song in Chicago” (Vocal Arts Chicago), Fourth Coast Ensemble embraces a repertoire that spans the history of the genre, from Schubert and Brahms to composers of the present day, including Lita Grier, Andrea Clearfield, and Lori Laitman. Founded in 2013, the ensemble commissioned its first world premiere song cycle in 2018, I-Thou, by Chicago composer Wayland Rogers. In 2019, Fourth Coast became the first and exclusive Chicago presenter of songSLAM, a competition for new art song. In addition to producing its Chicago-area concert season, Fourth Coast has accepted residencies with the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago and Baroque on Beaver festival (Beaver Island, MI); led panel discussions at Northwestern University and Olivet Nazarene University; and performed as guest artist at College of DuPage, Lewis University, and Roosevelt University.
Fourth Coast Ensemble has cultivated a loyal and growing audience through imaginative programming and intimate performances, and earned a reputation of excellence “built on the quality of its small roster of artists” (Vocal Arts Chicago). The ensemble's core members - soprano Sarah van der Ploeg, mezzo-soprano Bridget Skaggs, tenor Ace Gangoso, and bass-baritone David Govertsen - perform regularly with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, Haymarket Opera, Chicago a cappella, Chicago Fringe Opera, Chicago Folks Operetta, the Chicago Ensemble, and Music of the Baroque. Fourth Coast Ensemble performs with a roster of elite collaborative pianists, including Dana Brown, Kuang-Hao Huang, Mark Bilyeu, Andrew Rosenblum, and Marianne Parker. The ensemble will record music by Lori Laitman for a future CD release in 2020.
MISSION STATEMENT
Fourth Coast Ensemble is a vocal chamber quartet committed to performing programs of creative and accessible vocal chamber music. With a repertoire spanning Romantic to Contemporary, Fourth Coast Ensemble presents salon-style performances in venues ranging from parlor to concert hall. The goal at each performance is to communicate an atmosphere of warmth, variety, and genuine expression. Fourth Coast Ensemble creates a dialogue that invites each audience member to feel comfortable, as though they were listening to music in their own living room surrounded by friends.
Fourth Coast Ensemble has cultivated a loyal and growing audience through imaginative programming and intimate performances, and earned a reputation of excellence “built on the quality of its small roster of artists” (Vocal Arts Chicago). The ensemble's core members - soprano Sarah van der Ploeg, mezzo-soprano Bridget Skaggs, tenor Ace Gangoso, and bass-baritone David Govertsen - perform regularly with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, Haymarket Opera, Chicago a cappella, Chicago Fringe Opera, Chicago Folks Operetta, the Chicago Ensemble, and Music of the Baroque. Fourth Coast Ensemble performs with a roster of elite collaborative pianists, including Dana Brown, Kuang-Hao Huang, Mark Bilyeu, Andrew Rosenblum, and Marianne Parker. The ensemble will record music by Lori Laitman for a future CD release in 2020.
MISSION STATEMENT
Fourth Coast Ensemble is a vocal chamber quartet committed to performing programs of creative and accessible vocal chamber music. With a repertoire spanning Romantic to Contemporary, Fourth Coast Ensemble presents salon-style performances in venues ranging from parlor to concert hall. The goal at each performance is to communicate an atmosphere of warmth, variety, and genuine expression. Fourth Coast Ensemble creates a dialogue that invites each audience member to feel comfortable, as though they were listening to music in their own living room surrounded by friends.
The Quartet
Sarah van der Ploeg - soprano
Bridget Skaggs - mezzo-soprano
Ace Gangoso - tenor
David Govertsen - bass-baritone
Karen Ann Baron - member emeritus
Zachary Vanderburg - member emeritus
Staff
Gretchen Eng - Executive Assistant
Ashley McKinstry - Production Assistant
Sarah van der Ploeg - soprano
Bridget Skaggs - mezzo-soprano
Ace Gangoso - tenor
David Govertsen - bass-baritone
Karen Ann Baron - member emeritus
Zachary Vanderburg - member emeritus
Staff
Gretchen Eng - Executive Assistant
Ashley McKinstry - Production Assistant
Board of Directors
Dana Brown
Chairman of the Board
Associate Professor of Voice and Opera at Roosevelt University
Chair of Music Faculty at Roosevelt University
Kent Smith Dymak
Vice President of Professional Development for Cambridge Educational Services
Carolyn Pereira
Secretary
Founder and Life Director of the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago
Bridget Skaggs
Executive Director
Fourth Coast Ensemble Mezzo-soprano
Zachary Vanderburg
Assistant Secretary
Founding member of Fourth Coast Ensemble
Stephen Wood
Treasurer
Managing Partner at Clear View Solutions, LLC
Chairman of the Board
Associate Professor of Voice and Opera at Roosevelt University
Chair of Music Faculty at Roosevelt University
Kent Smith Dymak
Vice President of Professional Development for Cambridge Educational Services
Carolyn Pereira
Secretary
Founder and Life Director of the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago
Bridget Skaggs
Executive Director
Fourth Coast Ensemble Mezzo-soprano
Zachary Vanderburg
Assistant Secretary
Founding member of Fourth Coast Ensemble
Stephen Wood
Treasurer
Managing Partner at Clear View Solutions, LLC
Board of Advisors
Jesse Blumberg
Internationally Renowned Baritone
Artistic Director of Five Boroughs Music Festival
Member of Mirror Visions Ensemble
Aaron Gottl
CEO of WS Sound Productions, LLC
Jeremy Johnson
Dramaturg at Houston Grand Opera
Former Executive Director of New Voices Opera
Michael Hall
Internationally Renowned Violist
Co-Artistic Director of the Bandung Philharmonic, Indonesia
Chairman of the Maurice Gardner Composition Competition, American Viola Society
Professor of Viola, VanderCook College of Music
Maria Lagios
Internationally Renowned Soprano
Emeritus Faculty at Roosevelt University
Jennifer Marling
Seasoned Arts Philanthropist and Fundraiser
Financial Services and Cybersecurity Professional
Former Development Officer, Michigan Opera Theater and Performing Arts Chicago
Robert Nordling
Music Director of the Bandung Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Director of the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra
Music Director of the Baroque on Beaver Island Music Festival
Doreen Rao
Internationally Renowned Conductor
University of Toronto Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting Emeritus
Artistic Director of the Chicago Chamber Choir
Editor and Choral Adviser to Boosey & Hawkes