“a beautiful, angelic experience”

—audience review

APERI | BIOS

Paul Thompson (he/him), conductor

—holds a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado-Boulder, an M.M. in Choral Conducting from UW-Milwaukee, and a B.A. in Voice from Marian University. He joined APERI as conductor in 2023, and also serves as Director of Choral Activities at Ripon College. Previously he has held faculty roles in choral programs at the University of Idaho, Francis Marion University, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and the University of Wisconsin–Manitowoc, among others. Dr. Thompson has appeared as a soloist with the Franklin Chamber Choir, Boulder Philharmonic, The King’s Counterpoint, The North Carolina Baroque Orchestra, Vox Regis, The Green Lake Festival, Bach Festival Florence, and the Florence Symphony Orchestra.

Jackie Willis (she/they), performance designer & alto

—received a B.F.A. in vocal performance from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Jackie succeeded Daniel Koplitz as artistic director in 2021 and moved into her current role in 2023. She has performed in numerous roles around the Midwest, including Hecuba (La Didone) with the Haymarket Opera Summer Course, Third Lady (Zie Magic Flute) with Milwaukee Opera Theatre, First Witch/Enchantress (Dido & Æneas) with UWM Opera Theatre, and Chorus (Tales of Hoffman) in a collaboration with Milwaukee Opera Theatre and Skylight Music Theatre. She also enjoyed participating in the Madison Early Music Festival prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

Daniel Koplitz (they/them), founding director emeritus

Praised for their “impeccable music direction” and “exquisite performances” (Shepherd Express, 2019), Daniel founded the ensemble in January 2017 and served as Executive Artistic Director through May 2021, having directed over thirty concert performances before stepping down to pursue their Ph.D. in Music at Stanford University. They are founder and director of the Stanford-based ensemble Affeccyon. For more information or to contact Daniel, please write to dkoplitz@stanford.edu.