Handel’s Messiah
December 2026 | Artist Bios
Patrick Russell, conductor
Patrick Russell is a conductor, pianist, singer, composer, and educator. As Director of Music at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Duluth, he directs the choir and plays regularly for services, including the harpsichord every chance he gets. He regularly accompanies soloists, cabarets, and choirs, and is a founding member of the Twin Ports Choral Project and Borealis Chamber Artists. Patrick is an active theater artist in the Duluth area as a music director, pianist, and actor at venues including the Duluth Playhouse, UMD, UWS, Zeitgeist, and Lyric Opera of the North.
Recent projects include A Little Night Music (conductor, Lyric Opera of the North), Opera for the Young’s The Elixir of Love (pianist, Lyric Opera of the North), RENT (music director, Zeitgeist), All Days Illumining (conductor, Twin Ports Choral Project), Of Courts and Cathedrals (keyboard and conductor, Borealis Chamber Artists), The Light in the Piazza (pianist, Duluth Playhouse), Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (music director, UMD), The Fantasticks (music director and pianist, UWS), and Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles (tenor, Borealis Chamber Artists). Upcoming engagements: The Stuff of Happiness, an all–women composers program with Borealis Chamber Artists, and Opera for the Young’s The Magic Flute (pianist, Lyric Opera of the North). When not performing, Patrick is usually hiking somewhere up the north shore.
Erin Aldridge, concertmaster
Multi-genre fiddler Erin Aldridge is a highly sought-after performer and teacher who has won numerous awards as both soloist and chamber musician, and has been featured throughout Europe, South America, and the United States. Erin maintains an active performance schedule as a soloist and chamber musician, as well as non-classical genres with her bands Danny Frank & the Smoky Gold and Superior Siren along with several side projects. She has been a soloist with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, the Long Prairie Chamber Orchestra, the Mesabi Symphony Orchestra, and the Itasca Symphony Orchestra. She has been a guest artist at the Indiana University Summer Music Festival, Arizona State University, DePaul University Contemporary Concert Series, Madeline Island Music Camp, Ashland Chamber Music Series, National String Workshop, “Live at the Chazen” Concert Series, and The Third Coast Chamber Collective. Erin has been broadcast on National Public Radio, the BBC, Minnesota Public Radio, and Wisconsin Public Radio, The Current, and featured on television in the Midwest region.
Sarah Lawrence, soprano
Sarah Lawrence enjoys a widely varied career as a singing actor in opera, musical theatre, and in concert, singing everything from Baroque to Broadway. Sarah has performed with the symphonies of Augusta, Omaha, Madison, Milwaukee, Boise, the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, the San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra, Music St. Croix, Oratorio Society of Minnesota, and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, singing repertoire including Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Bach’s B-Minor Mass, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and Prokofiev’s Ugly Duckling. She is also a frequent pops soloist, singing concerts of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, Sondheim, and Bernstein.
Equally comfortable on the stage, Ms. Lawrence has performed more than 30 roles in opera and musical theatre. She has appeared with Madison Opera, Skylark Opera, Light Opera Oklahoma, Opera Omaha, and the Guthrie Theater. In addition to roles with opera and theater companies, Ms. Lawrence appeared as Christine Daaé as a member of the Third National Tour of The Phantom of the Opera and in Phantom: The Vegas Spectacular. Sarah lives in Duluth with husband Cal and daughter Giulia.
Georgia Jacobson, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo soprano Georgia Jacobson, a native of Duluth, Minnesota, has recently appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Lakes Area Music Festival, Kentucky Opera, and Opera Santa Barbara. Recent and upcoming engagements include Hildegard and Siddhartha, She at the Aspen Music Festival, Carmen and A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, A Little Night Music with Lyric Opera of the North, Handel’s Messiah with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and a duo recital with her husband, baritone Ryan Wolfe, at Matinee Musicale and The Schubert Club. An alumna of the apprentice programs at Des Moines Metro Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Opera Santa Barbara, Ms. Jacobson has received multiple awards from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and was a first prize winner of the National Opera Association competition. Recent roles include Margravine von Stade/Angel 2/Clementia (Hildegard), Mércèdes (Carmen), Tisbe (La Cenerentola), Maggie (The Gift of the Magi), Hannah After (As One), Lola (Cavalleria Rusticana), Margaret Johnson/Signora Naccarelli (The Light in the Piazza) and Waltraute (Die Walküre). In previous seasons, she has covered the role of Virginia Woolf in the world premiere/concert version of The Hours by composer Kevin Puts and librettist Gregory Pierce at the The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the roles of Hermia in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Mary Johnson in Fellow Travelers at Des Moines Metro Opera. Born in Nice, Jacobson has a special affinity for French repertoire, and she was proud to make her professional debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in their production of Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges as Maman/Tasse/La libellule under the baton of Maestro Louis Langrée. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and Master’s of Music and Artist Diploma from University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music.
Benjamin Boskoff, tenor
Celebrated for his versatility and dynamic performances, Georgia native Benjamin Boskoff is an accomplished tenor specializing in Bel Canto repertoire, the music of Benjamin Britten, and chamber music. Mr. Boskoff has captivated audiences with his performances in productions, recitals, and chamber concerts. Recent engagements include stepping in at the eleventh hour to sing Count Almaviva in OperaBend’s production of Il barbiere di Siviglia, as well as performances in the Czech Republic, demonstrating his international appeal and commitment to excellence in vocal performance.
Notable roles in Mr. Boskoff’s career include Peter Quint in Turn of the Screw with Red River Lyric Opera, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Lawrence Opera Theatre, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville with Light Opera of New Jersey, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Prince Ramiro in La Cenerentola with Opera MODO, and Count Ory in Le Comte Ory as a guest artist at Lawrence University. Mr. Boskoff was a resident artist with Opera North, where he covered the roles of Macduff and Malcolm in Verdi’s Macbeth and later joined the cast of All is Calm. He has also been featured with Rossini Club of Nantucket in their first venture into vocal repertoire with their presentation of a chamber music version of Schubert’s Winterreise.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Boskoff continued to work with several U.S. opera companies. He made his professional debut as Ernesto in Don Pasquale in Ohio with Opera Project Columbus, and as Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia in Pennsylvania with Penn Square Music Festival.
Other engagements include Dove’s Pinocchio and Puccini’s Il Trittico with Boulder Opera, Don Pasquale with Opera Fort Collins, the Evangelist in Bach’s St. John Passion in San Antonio and several recitals across the United States.
A graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder (DMA), the University of Michigan School of Music (MM), and the University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music (BM), Mr. Boskoff has established himself as a prominent vocal artist and pedagogue both in the United States and abroad. He has studied under esteemed mentors such as Dr. Gregory Broughton, Barbara Clark (Paver), and Dr. John Seesholtz, and has worked closely with renowned artists and educators including Martin Katz, Dr. Timothy Cheek, Kathleen Kelly, Kathryn Wright, Copeland Woodruff, Dr. Stephen Austin, Martha Sheil, Kenneth Bozeman, and Steven McGee. Currently a student of George Smith in the Twin Cities area, Mr. Boskoff is co-founder of the Tenor|Horn Project with Valerie Sly, and works extensively with Rossini Club Nantucket.
Ryan Wolfe, baritone
Arlington Heights, Illinois, native Ryan Wolfe has been commended for his “commanding presence”, “spot-on delivery”, and his “well-tutored, polished baritone”. In 2025, Ryan was National Semifinalist in the Dominique and Eric Laffont Competition and a recipient of a Career Development Grant from The Sullivan Foundation. He is a two-time semifinalist of the Lotte Lenya Competition. During his two years as a Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist at Los Angeles Opera, Ryan amassed over forty performances with the company from leading roles to comprimario roles including a morning-of jump in for the final dress rehearsal as the title role in El último sueño de Frida y Diego. Ryan has been seen with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Santa Fe Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, San Diego Opera, Lyric Opera of the North, The Atlanta Opera, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the Richmond Symphony to name a few.
Coming off of a critically acclaimed performance as Marius in the American premiere of Tobias Picker's Lili Elbe at The Santa Fe Opera, Ryan’s 2026-2027 season begins with a return to Los Angeles Opera to sing Morales in Carmen in a production designed and directed by Thaddeus Strassberger and conducted by new Music Director Domingo Hinodoyan. In the winter, Ryan will join his wife, mezzo-soprano Georgia Jacobson, for a recital presented by Matinee Musicale. He then joins the roster at Lyric Opera of Chicago to cover Marquis D'Obigny and Baron Duphol in La traviata.