NVYO meet the composers: Nicolai, Ducasse, Stadem

Otto Nicolai

German composer and conductor Otto Nicolai was one of the founders of the Vienna Philharmonic. His father was determined that he be a musical child prodigy; at 16, he ran away from home after his parents' difficult divorce. After some early success in Germany, he accepted a post as organist at the Prussian embassy in Rome and eventually became very fond of Italy. Though his adult professional career was hampered by his selectiveness and perfectionism, he helped found the Vienna Philharmonic and became quite well known in Vienna as an opera composer. Just two months after the wildly successful premier of "Merry Wives of Windsor" (written in his native German, "Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor"), he collapsed and died from a stroke at the young age of 38.

Christopher Ducasse

A native of Port-au-Prince Haiti, Christopher Ducasse attended Holy Trinity Music School where he learned voice, violin, and piano. Christopher became a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Holy Trinity in 2007 and conducted their main choir "Les Petits Chanteurs" for three years beginning in 2011. He was a BLUME HAITI Scholar in the Haitian student exchange program at Lawrence University; and recently received his degree in Choral Music Education from Silver Lake College. The winner of the WCDA Conducting Competition in 2018, he has composed vocal and instrumental pieces that have been performed by various ensembles, notably Les Petits Chanteurs and

Philharmonic Orchestra of Holy Trinity Music School, the Lawrence University Cello Ensemble, Silver Lake College of the Holy Family Chorale, and most recently, Concordia College. Christopher sings baritone, in addition to playing piano and violin.

Callie Stadem

Callie Stadem is a harpist and composer based in Grand Forks, ND. She is a member of the faculty at Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) as a harp instructor and teaches harp, composition, and voice privately throughout the Red River Valley. She has been a faculty member at the International Music Camp, and director of the Red River Harp Ensemble in Fargo, ND. As a free-lance harpist and composer, Callie maintains a busy performance schedule in the tri-state area. Callie earned her M.M in Music Composition at the University of North Dakota (2016), as well as a B.A. in Music and Philosophy from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD (2013). Previous compositions include the chamber opera "The Ransom of Sophia," and children's musical "Smelly Scallywags."She In her free time, she likes to garden, train for triathlons, and enjoy the outdoors with her husband, daughter, and dog.