OUR MISSION
Building Community Through Choral Music
Consonare Choral Community is a nonprofit choral arts organization created in 2018 to build community through choral music in Connecticut. Consonare mission is to build and cultivate community, primarily for women and children, through inclusive choral music education and performance opportunities at minimal cost, as well as engage the public in quality, collaborative, creative, and affordable choral programming.
OUR VISION
Consonare Choral Community, Incorporated strives to:
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create affordable opportunities for musicians and community members to experience quality choral music
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explore the practices of consonance and collaboration through creative choral programming
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promote an inclusive and intergenerational atmosphere for all singers
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nurture the creative potential of every singer through the encouragement of healthy vocal techniques and artistic excellence within the choral setting
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enrich the lives of a diverse population of musicians and the greater community through singing
CHOIRS SPONSORED BY CONSONARE:
Meet our Team
OUR TEAM
Meet our team of
qualified music educators
Sarah Kaufold, Artistic Director & Executive Director​​
Sarah Kaufold is an experienced conductor, singer, and music educator who advocates for inclusion on the podium, within the choral ensemble, and in the choir folder. As Founding Artistic Director for Consonare Choral Community, a nonprofit organization created in 2018 to build community through choral music, Sarah currently manages the organization and conducts: Choir Matrix, Consonare Community Choir, and Voices of Concinnity. Voices of Concinnity’s debut album, “Awaiting Golden Light,” received a Gold Medal from the Global Music Awards. In addition to performing at Carnegie Hall and the American Choral Directors Association, Voices of Concinnity has been named a national finalist in the 2025 American Prize Choral Performance.
More about Sarah behind her photo -->
Over her career, Sarah Kaufold has directed choirs for singers of all ages and abilities in various settings, including church choral programs for children and adults, middle and high school music classes, collegiate choirs, adult community programs, and at the professional level. She has also conducted operas, taught Choral Literature and Conducting at local universities, written numerous arts grants, sings professionally, and manages a mentorship program to amplify female conductors. Her philosophy on inclusive practices in choral settings and gender-balanced programming has earned invitations as a choir consultant in addition to presenting interest sessions at conferences.
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With a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from University of Connecticut, extensive graduate choral conducting from Cal State Los Angeles, and B.A. in Psychology from Cal Poly Pomona, Sarah will begin a doctoral program in conducting this Fall 2025 and has been invited to conduct at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2026. She enjoys hiking, photography, and traveling with her family.
Sarah Kaufold
Artistic Director
Executive Director
Jolie Edwards is a junior studying music at the University of Connecticut where she studies voice under the direction Meredith Ziegler. She has also previously studied under Patricia Schuman. Jolie is on the executive board of both UConn’s chapter of American Choral Directors association, and the UConn Choir Board. She has also served as a choral scholar in many settings, including at the Cathedral of St. Joseph as an interim member of of Schola Cantorum. Jolie now serves as a choral scholar at St Mark’s Episcopal Church in Storrs. Ms. Edwards is a member of UConn Chamber singers and Concert Choir, under the direction of Jamie Spillane. Jolie is so excited to return to Consonare Choral Community, after serving as the conducting intern for Choir Matrix from 2022-2024.
Jolie Edwards
Youth Choirs Director
Consonare Youth Choirs (Choir 2)
Dr. Priyeshni Peiris-Perera is an international award winning choral Director, music educator and a classically trained concert pianist. She founded two Community choral groups in her home country –Sri Lanka, which topped the world Choir rankings by winning two Gold medals and the Championship trophy at the “Asia Pacific Choir Games” in 2017. She obtained a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree from Texas Tech University (USA) and a Master’s at the University of Tennessee (USA) where she was awarded the prestigious fellowships of “The AT&T Chancellor’s Fellowship” and the “Texas Tech President Horn Fellowship for Outstanding Academic & Professional Achievement.” She has concertized across the U.S, Australia, Europe & Singapore, China and disseminated her research in Music Performance & Pedagogy through lecture-recitals & workshops at prestigious international Music Conferences in the EU region. She returned to her native country, Sri Lanka, with the mission of fostering music education to motivate and empower the next generation of musicians at the University of Visual & Performing Arts, Colombo where she serves as a full-time Senior lecturer. She’s back in the states on her “Sabbatical” as a Visiting Scholar in Storrs, CT.
Priyeshni Peiris-Perera
Youth Choir Director & Pianist
Consonare Youth Choirs (Choir 1)
Janice Castle has been a renowned collaborative pianist in Mansfield since TrebleMakers first formed. Jan is also a music educator in Willington, as well as sub organist at Storrs Congregational Church.
Janice Castle
Collaborative Pianist
All Consonare Choirs
Meghan Ryan graduated from the University of Connecticut studying under Dr. Constance Rock with her Master of Music degree. Meghan’s previous roles include Meg March in Little Women, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Nancy in Albert Herring and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with UConn Opera Theater, and Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti at the 2016 Nahant Music Festival in Nahant, MA. She has sung with groups including Panopera in Northampton, MA, Boston’s Odyssey Opera, and Vancouver Opera Studio. Additionally, she was chosen as the mezzo-soprano participant for the 2017 Bach Institute at the Emmanuel Church in Boston. Meghan performs with Boston Baroque regularly and has been on their chorus roster since 2017. Recently she was chosen as the Alto Vocal Fellow for the Bach Akademie of Charlotte, NC in June 2024. She has her CT music education teaching certificate and currently teaches elementary music in Avon, CT. She completed her Suzuki piano Book 1 teacher training in 2023 and recently comspleted the Suzuki voice teacher training this summer. She is thrilled to be chosen as the Consonare Choral Conducting Intern and can’t wait to learn and make music with Sarah Kaufold and the other musicians!
Meghan Ryan
Conducting Intern
Choir Matrix
Bobbi Giardina is a musician, choral singer, and certified teacher in early and elementary education. She is currently studying for a Kodaly Certificate in Music Education at NYU Steinhardt. Bobbi has always used singing and music in her classroom to teach, soothe, celebrate, and build community, and she believes that creating music together as a group has the power to help people feel more connected. She wants children to feel this joy of making music with others as they explore their musical competency through singing.
Bobbi Giardina
Teaching Intern
Consonare Youth Choirs
Catherine Scheideman is a graduate of UCONN, having received a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education in 2013. She taught for several years in local schools and graduated with a Master of Music from SUNY Potsdam in 2016. Catherine is passionate about providing musical experiences in her local community. During the pandemic, she started a socially distanced outdoor music class in order to ensure that families could continue singing together and has continued music classes for little ones ever since. She is excited to be partnering with Consonare in order to keep bringing music to this wonderful community. Catherine currently homeschools her three children, has loved singing with Choir Matrix and is principal horn of the Willimantic Orchestra.
Catherine Scheideman
Music Educator
Tuneful Tots
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
Our Board of Directors
Kara Hart, Board President​
Dr. Louisa Baker, Secretary​
Alexandra Walker, Treasurer​
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Theresa Cooper​
Dr. Mary Ellen Junda
Stephanie Summers
Jermaine Woodard, Jr.
Jack Zaino​​
COMMUNITY
Consonare's Impact
Our ensembles have sung for many local community events, as well as had the privilege to perform at Carnegie Hall, Mark Twain House & Museum, New Britain Museum of American Art, Florence Griswold Museum, Hill-Stead Museum, Wadsworth-Athenenum Museum, the Packing House, Charter Oak Cultural Center, Trinity College Chapel, Eastern Connecticut State University, University of Connecticut, and many churches located across Connecticut, including our local senior living facilities.
Our music videos have been viewed in 45 countries over 446,000 times on our YouTube channel alone. We have commissioned new choral music to be composed from the following composers: Melissa Dunphy, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, and Karen Siegel.
We have been honored to collaborate with The Hartt School, UConn Earthtones, ECSU Chorale, UConntabile, Hartford Opera Theater, Conn-Men, Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet, The Unitus Ensemble, Thread City Classical Dance, Novi Cantori Chamber Choir, The Choir School of Hartford, Joshua's Trust, Town of Mansfield, Mark Twain House & Museum, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, Hop River Chamber Music, Beck 'n Call, The Jolly Beggars, the Mansfield Senior Center Chorus, as well as raise donations for The Neighbor Fund, Lift Music Fund, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, F.O.S.T.E.R. Independence Foundation, and the Covenant Soup Kitchen.
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We cultivate a space for women studying conducting and music education to practice their craft with our choirs.
Grant Awards:
2020 Alfred Nash Paterson Grant Recipient
2020 Covid Relief Grant Recipient
2021 Phoenix Award Recipient
2021 CT Support Arts Grant Recipient
2022 Performing Arts Group Grant Recipient
2023 Performing Arts Group Grant Recipient
2022 Quick Grant Recipient from CT Humanities
2022 CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant Recipient
2023 CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant Recipient
2023 Marjorie Jolidon Fund Grant Recipient
2024 CT Supporting Arts Grant Recipient
2025 Alfred Nash Paterson Grant Recipient
Please consider supporting this work through a tax deductible donation
Thank you to these supporters and partners:
With support from the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
First Church of Christ in Mansfield
