David Gresham serves as Director of Choral Activities at Brevard College. During his tenure, he has greatly increased participation in the choirs and has overseen a significant influx of voice majors at the College.
He is a frequent guest clinician with choirs of all age ranges, and he enjoys helping singers work toward a vibrant and healthy vocal tone while exploring the musical demands of choral literature. In Brevard, he also serves as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Transylvania Choral Society, Minister of Music at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, and chorus master with the Brevard Music Center. Dr. Gresham has composed, edited, and arranged several pieces for choir. In addition to his conducting and composing, Dr. Gresham is an active singer and studio teacher.
Lauren Boozer is a lyric soprano from Lookout Mountain, Georgia, currently pursuing her Master’s of Music in Voice Performance at the University of Tennessee. Most recently, she appeared as the Soldier in The Falling and the Rising by Zach Redler at the Brevard Music Center’s Janiec Opera Company, also covering Susanna in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.
Since graduating from Mississippi State University in 2023, Lauren has been heavily involved in the opera community in Knoxville. She made her mainstage debut with Knoxville Opera as Frasquita in Carmen, having sung in the chorus of several Knoxville Opera productions since 2023. In 2022, she made her international debut as Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at the Festival of International Opera Italia. At the University of Tennessee Opera Theater, Lauren sang the Vixen in their production of The Cunning Little Vixen by Janáček, and Abigail in their production of The Crucible.
Mezzo-soprano Ella Clark is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, pursuing a double major in Vocal Performance and Music Education under Dr. Angelique Clay. She is the First Place recipient of the Alltech Scholarship, one of the university’s top music honors.
Ella recently made her debut in the title role of Hanna in the premiere of Paul Moravec’s A Nation of Others. She has also performed the role of Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and Principal Mezzo in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Rappahannock County. Last summer, Ella was a member of the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center, where she covered the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and performed Cousin Hebe in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. Ella placed first in the Undergraduate Division of the Matinee Musicale Nancy F. Walker Memorial Scholarship Competition. In addition to classical performance, she has a special interest in jazz and musical theater, and performed a jazz solo on live television as part of the University of Kentucky’s Celebration of Song.
Tenor Juan Tello has performed with the Tri-Cities, Cedar Rapids, and First Coast Opera Companies. Roles have included the Soldier in All Is Calm, Borsa in Rigoletto, Prince in The Littlest Mermaid, an adaptation of Dvořák’s Rusalka, and Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus. His most recent role was Oronte in Handel’s Alcina at the Schwob School of Music. He will perform with First Coast Opera as Pepe in Donizetti’s Rita, and the Narrator in Bach’s Coffee Cantata.
A native of Mexico City, Tello studied at the National Conservatory of Mexico while earning a business degree at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He moved to the United States for graduate studies, earning a Master of Music from Binghamton University completing an Artist Diploma program at the Schwob School of Music in Columbus, Georgia. His festival experience includes Festival du Périgord Noir in France, Music On Site in Kansas, Miami Music Festival in Florida, Savannah Voice Festival in Georgia, and the Brevard Music Center.
Mexican tenor Juan Tello has performed with Tri-Cities, Cedar Rapids, and First Coast Opera Companies. With Tri-Cities Opera, he covered Tamino in The Magic Flute, performed the Soldier in All Is Calm, and Borsa in Rigoletto. With Cedar Rapids Opera, he sang the Prince in The Littlest Mermaid, an adaptation of Dvořák’s Rusalka, and Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus. His most recent role was Oronte in Handel’s Alcina at the Schwob School of Music. He will perform with First Coast Opera as Pepe in Donizetti’s Rita, and the Narrator in Bach’s Coffee Cantata.
A native of Mexico City, Tello studied at the Conservatory there while earning a business degree at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He then moved to the United States for graduate studies, earning a Master of Music from Binghamton University and completing the Artist Diploma program at the Schwob School of Music in Columbus, Georgia. His festival experience includes Festival du Périgord Noir in France, Music On Site in Kansas, Miami Music Festival in Florida, Savannah Voice Festival in Georgia, and the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, where he was a student during their 2026 Summer Festival.
Deshawn Stevens, Bass-Baritone, is originally from Augusta, Georgia, and was raised in Aiken, South Carolina. He developed a passion for singing and stage performance at an early age, taking part in concerts and theatrical productions throughout his youth. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance with a minor in Business from the University of South Carolina, where he built a strong foundation as a performer and musician. In 2026, Stevens earned a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
During his undergraduate career, Stevens performed in numerous productions and special events. Notably, he was featured as a soloist in the Southern Exposure New Music Series production of At War with Ourselves, composed by Michael Abels with poetry by Nikky Finney. His stage credits include roles in Carmen, Gianni Schicchi, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Through the University of South Carolina, he also traveled internationally, performed as a narrator with the USC Symphony, sang for the university president, and was nominated to perform the National Anthem at commencement.
Following his undergraduate studies, Stevens broadened his life experience by becoming an EMT, deepening both his commitment to service and his personal growth. Since moving to Knoxville, Tennessee, he has established himself as a rising artist. He has appeared in multiple productions with the University of Tennessee Opera Theatre, Knoxville Opera, and Brevard Music Center’s Janiec Opera Company—where he played the Homecoming Soldier in The Falling and the Rising and Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro. He also made his main-stage debut with Knoxville Opera as Fiorello/Un Ufficiale in The Barber of Seville.
