8-Top

From local Boise choirs to covering rock songs on his guitar, Anthony has been singing for as long as he can remember. In 2019, he received his Masters in Music Performance from Boise State University, taking 6 years of classical training under Dr. Laura Rushing-Raynes. He currently sings with Critical Mass Vocal Artists and Opera Idaho, and you may have heard him
solo in works such as Bernstein’s Mass and Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard. By day, Anthony is a Certified Residential Appraiser and teaches private voice lessons. In his free time he enjoys story rich video games and is known to return to his rock roots on karaoke nights.

Erik Noyce has been singing in choirs since he moved to Boise Idaho when he was ten. Eventually he graduated from Boise State University with a Bachelors in Music Education, and after teaching elementary music for 2 years in the Boise School District, returned to BSU and received his Masters in Choral Conducting Performance studying under Dr. Michael Porter. He is the current artistic director of Common Ground Community Chorus, and 8-Top Vocal Ensemble. He also sings with Critical Mass Vocal Artists and performs with Opera Idaho. During the day, Erik works as the head baker at Goldstein’s Bagels and Bialys, and spends his free time baking sourdough bread at home and reading fantasy novels (currently working on book 10/14 of The Wheel of Time!)

Aubrey Balfour’s choral journey started before she can remember, as a baby in her mom’s arms at church choir. This resulted in a deep-rooted passion since Aubrey has made a point of being in at least one choir at all times ever since! This included when she was earning her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Boise State University, and continues now with her membership in Common Ground Community Chorus, Opera Idaho’s Critical Mass Vocal Artists, and as an alto in 8-Top Vocal Ensemble. When she’s not singing, Aubrey is proud to be stay-at-home mom to the youngest choir member (but if we’re honest, she’s singing then, too).

Greg Watts

Gregory R. Watts  has performed over 30 opera roles including the title roles in Verdi’s Falstaff, Rigoletto, Gianni Schicchi,  Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, both Marcello in La Bohème, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Javert in Les Miserables, among others. He has  performed in multiple countries and once sang for the president of San Marino.  Watts has been heard with Opera Idaho, Utah Opera, Lyrical Opera Theater, The American West Symphony, High Desert, St. George Opera, Grand Junction Symphony, the Orchestra of Southern Utah, and the Sacramento Messiah Society.  He holds degrees in music from Westminster College and The University of Utah.

Kayla Schrader-Downs

Kayla Schrader-Downs has been singing in choir since grade school and has performed in several audition groups, including women’s ensembles, vocal jazz ensembles, and chamber choirs throughout her schooling and beyond. She holds a bachelors and masters of Art in Anthropology from Boise State University where she continued her choral education. Kayla currently sings with Critical Mass Vocal Artists and runs social media content for 8-Top vocal ensemble and works as a Reconciliation Team Lead at Clearwater Analytics during the day. In her free time, she likes to read, cook, travel, snuggle with her kitties, and play lots of soccer.

Cody Bray

Cody Bray is from North Idaho. He holds a Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance: Opera and a Bachelor’s in Theatre Performance Eastern Washington University. Currently, he sings for Critical Mass Vocal Artists and has performed with Opera Idaho in Sweeney Todd as Tobias, as well as performing for Gemma Art’s New Voice festival last summer, playing Aeneas in the New Work ‘Dido & Aeneas & Aeterna.‘ Cody has also been the musical director for Stagecoach Theatre’s Rocky Horror Picture Show and is currently Musical Directing Need a Little Christmas at the Morrison Center this November. You can usually find him in the forest hiking and camping or jumping into way too many theatre/opera projects. He roasts coffee by day, performs by night. He likes to consider himself a swiss army knife, good at many things but not the best at one single thing.

Hannah Lee

Hannah Lee is a Boise native who graduated from Boise State University with a degree in Music. She has sang in many organizations over the years including the Portland Symphonic Choir, Opera Idaho, and is a current member of Critical Mass Vocal Artist. She is the Academic Program’s Coordinator and Advisor for the Boise State Music Department, and In her free time, Hannah likes to read, play video games, and snuggle with her cat. 

Veronica Blake

Veronica Blake entered the choir scene later in life at Boise State, where she received a BA in “English Writing, Rhetoric, with an emphasis on Technical Communications”. She has sung with various professional groups in the valley including Critical Mass Vocal Artists and Opera Idaho, as well as trying to do music for fun, like her therapist told her to, by singing with Common Ground Community Chorus and 8-Top Vocal Ensemble. She spends her days fulfilling her childhood dream of acting as a liaison between individual contributors and management so that she can have health insurance. In her free time she enjoys painting, annoying her cat, reading horror novels, and playing video games.