About Canto Deo
Canto Deo is dedicated to excellence in performance and carrying on our Christian cultural heritage by exploring choral literature from diverse historical periods and styles. As part of our contribution to our heritage, Canto Deo also supports the creation of new sacred choral works and serves as a community based resource for sacred music.
Each year, we celebrate our tradition of sacred Christian music through providing concerts in which we both highlight traditional genre and debut new works. Through innovative programming and excellence in performance, we hope to rekindle the appreciation of traditional Christian music in both worship services and public venues.
The Canto Deo Choir is a practiced expression of novice and professional musicians coming together in fellowship to share the great tradition of sacred choral music. Canto Deo is non-denominational, and we invite all to join us, either as musicians or as supporters.
Our Board of Directors
Board Members
- Carolynn Erickson – Chair
- Darrell Black – Vice Chair
- Lee Johnson – Treasurer
- Keith Wells – Member
- Kent Scroggs – Member
- Randy White – Member
- Marian White – Member
- Tina Roark – Member
- Sam Keck (Emeritus)
- David McCormick (Emeritus)
- Jennifer Rich (Emeritus)
- Vern Classen (Emeritus)
Our Leadership
Jonathan Brown
Founder, Artistic Director
Jonathan Brown is the founder, artistic director, and conductor of Canto Deo, a Christian community choir dedicated to performing sacred choral music since its establishment in 2007. He has been directing choirs and orchestras since 1974 and has organized several choir tours to Europe. In addition to his work as a conductor, he has performed professionally as a singer in various concerts and recordings. Jonathan holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Southern California.
Our Staff
Connie Brown
Accompanist
Connie Brown is an accomplished pianist who has played for ensembles, soloists, and choirs both in California where she was raised, and Colorado where she has lived since 1990. As a music instructor, she has extensive experience working with very young students in group settings and teaching individual students of varying ages and levels from her private piano studio. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from California State University, East Bay.
Mary Anne Chase
Choir Manager
Mary Anne is a charter member of Canto Deo and has sung with Jonathan Brown since his arrival in Colorado in 1990. As choir manager she keeps track of the membership, orders and supplies music and is responsible for communications. She also keeps the website up to date, records and edits the YouTube videos, as well as helping maintain other social media sites. Mary Anne was raised in a musical household and sang in choirs as soon as she was old enough to carry a tune. She is also an accomplished flutist and has played with Canto Deo many times.
Rebecca Leavenworth
Recorder / Editor
A charter member of Canto Deo, Rebecca Leavenworth sings 2nd Soprano in both the Chamber and Festival choirs and has had the joy of singing with Jonathan Brown since 1990. A musician from early in her life, she also plays the piano, all voices of recorder, handbells, and can usually make her way around dulcimers and other early period instruments. In addition to lending her singing voice, Rebecca generates much of the publicity for Canto Deo and is a lead collaborator on both web and print content. As an amateur music history researcher, Rebecca enjoys diving deeper into the background of composers and compositions. Her all-time favorite Christmas piece is In Terra Pax, with music by Gerald Finzi, text based on the Robert Bridges poem, Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913.