Artistic Directors
Sarah Sommer
Sarah Sommer is an active choral conductor, vocalist and music educator in Winnipeg. She completed her Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education in June 2017 from the University of Manitoba, and most recently completed a Post Baccalaureate diploma in vocal performance under the tutelage of Tracy Dahl (June 2022). Sarah currently teaches music and drama at Technical-Vocational High School, as well as music lessons from her private studio. In addition to her role as co-founder and co-artistic director of NUOVOCE Chamber Choir, Sarah is also co-artistic director of the Chai Folk Ensemble. She has appeared as choir member and soloist with many local ensembles, including Canzona, Dead of Winter (Camerata Nova), the Winnipeg Singers, and the Shaarey Zedek Quartet. Sarah’s other directing credits, past and present, include: the Etz Chayim Synagogue Choir, Kolot Community Voices , WSD and LRSD divisional choirs, and assisting with the Winnipeg Girls’ Choir.
Sarah has a passion for world music and language-learning, and has experience teaching in Spanish, Hebrew and French. Sarah also enjoys dabbling in choral-arranging, both for NUOVOCE and other ensembles.
Justin Odwak
Justin Odwak is an in-demand choral conductor, tenor and vocal instructor. Justin serves as co-artistic director and co-founder of NUOVOCE Chamber Choir, founded in 2019.
He currently teaches choir, vocal jazz, and musical theatre at Dakota Collegiate, and directs the Louis Riel Divisional Treble Choir and Divisional Senior Concert Choir. Justin is past director of the Winnipeg Jewish Chorus and the Shaarey Zedek Quartet at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, the St. James-Assiniboia Divisional Junior Concert Choir and Divisional Senior Concert Choir. He has also directed the Louis Riel School Division Senior Choir (Choral Celebration, 2019) Rainbow Harmony Project, Kolot Choir, and Interlake Youth Choir. He is in demand as a choral clinician and adjudicator, and also maintains a studio of private voice students.
As a vocalist, Justin has performed as soloist with local organizations such as the Winnipeg Singers, Canzona, Camerata Nova, the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir, and Little Opera Company. Justin has appeared as soloist with the University of Manitoba singers for Soundstreams at Toronto's Koerner Hall along with the Latvian Radio Choir. He has also performed as soloist with the group for the Rocky Mountain Music Festival at the Banff Centre. Justin has performed with the Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble, appearing at Edmonton's Jubilee Auditorium, and in Winnipeg at the Centennial Concert Hall, as well as performing at the International Karmiel Festival in Israel. He has appeared as soloist on numerous occasions with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and has performed as soloist in many Messiah performances with orchestras throughout Canada, including the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Regina Symphony Orchestra, Okanagan Festival Singers and Camerata Orchestra, and has sung under the baton of Tafelmusik's Ivars Taurins with Orchestra London and with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. His recent engagements include performing as soloist in Haydn's The Creation with SummerChör choir and orchestra. In 2015, Justin placed runner-up in the Zita Bernstein Competition for the Performance of German Lieder. Justin holds a Bachelor of Music (Voice) and Bachelor of Education (Choral) from the University of Manitoba.
Caleb Rondeau
Caleb Rondeau is an up and coming face in the Manitoba choral scene. He is completing his bachelor of music - music education at the University of Manitoba with a specialization in senior years choral.
As a chorister, Caleb has sung with NUOVOCE since its first season in 2019, is a current member of the University of Manitoba Singers, and made his professional choral debut with Dead of Winter in 2022. In 2023 Caleb had the opportunity to perform Andrew Balfour’s work, Notinikew at the Place des Arts in Montreal as a member of Dead of Winter, alongside the Winnipeg Boys Choir
As a Métis-Queer individual, Caleb is proud to have done presentations on Choir as a Gender Affirming Space for the Manitoba Choral Association’s IDEA corner as well as BEYOND Symposium. In the future, he hopes to run a choral program that focuses on inclusivity, while fostering the skills students need to make music beyond high school. Caleb is passionate about making choir a safer and more accessible place for all and is excited to bring his experiences to NUOVOCE as Apprentice Conductor.