The Dallas Pro Musica is dedicated to the re-creation and realization of vocal music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Early Baroque periods, with occasional forays into the 20th and 21st centuries. The ensemble, based at UT Dallas, consists of faculty members Kathryn Evans, soprano, Mary Medrick, mezzo-soprano, and Hoyt Neal, tenor, with Michael Borts, bass with guest artist Rebecca Mitchell, alto.

The evening’s program will include selections from their two programs: “The Italian Way,” based on the secular vocal works of the Italian Renaissance, and “Basically British,” works from the masters of the English madrigal.  The featured works are by such noted Italian composers as Luca Marenzio, Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa, Francesco Landini, Pomponio Nenna, Giovanni Domenico Da Nola and Claudio Monteverdi; and English composers Thomas Morley, Henry Purcell, John Wilbye, Thomas Vautor, and John Bennet; and the infamous P.D.Q. Bach.  

Kathryn Evans joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Dallas in 1994. Currently, she serves as the Associate Dean for the Arts in the School of Arts and Humanities, teaches vocal and choral music, and directs the UTD Chamber Singers. She is an accomplished recitalist and chamber musician, performing in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area and in Europe. Before coming to UTD, she was the Director of the Bach Society Chamber Orchestra and Chorus in La Jolla, California and the Musical Director of the Orpheus Ensemble. She founded and directed the Washington Pro Musica and the Early Music Ensemble of San Diego. She has directed European concert tours of Switzerland, Germany, France and Italy. Ms. Evans holds Master of Arts degrees in Music and in Mathematics from the University of California at San Diego. Ms. Evans has completed tours of music for voice and guitar with fellow faculty member Dr. Enric Madriguera in Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Mexico. Ms. Evans released the CD “Voz y Guitarra” with Dr. Madriguera in October of 2003 and is the Executive Director of the Annual Texas Guitar Competition. She recently appeared as the Mother Abbess in the “Sound of Music” and directed the UTD Chamber Singers in “La Boheme/Rent” at UTD.

Mary Medrick is a writer/arranger who is active as a musical director, keyboardist and vocal coach. Along with graduate study in music at UNT, Medrick holds an M.A. in Arts & Humanities from UTD. As a keyboardist, she has toured 17 countries and has performed under the direction of such conductors as Johnny Green, Christopher Wilkins (San Antonio Symphony), David Stahl (Charleston Symphony) and Graeme Jenkins (Dallas Opera). Along with studio recording, Medrick arranges commercial music, including jazz vocal arrangements, which have been performed by the UTD Chamber Singers. She directed UTD’s 2002 production of the musical Personals. Her original libretto for the opera The Old Majestic, a collaboration with UTD faculty composer Dr. Robert Xavier Rodriguez, was showcased in 2003 by the New York City Opera and will be performed in April 2004 by the opera department of UT Austin. As a composer, Medrick has written two Broadway-style shows based on the Frankenstein legend and, in 2003, was commissioned to write High Popalorum, a musical about Louisiana politicians. Ms. Medrick is Undergraduate Advisor for Arts & Humanities and teaches piano and art courses at UTD.

Hoyt Neal received his Bachelor of Science in Music from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas and Master of Music Education degree from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. After returning from military service in Vietnam, he was admitted to the Doctor of Musical Arts vocal performance program at UNT where he continued his musical studies and studied vocal performance with the late Eugene Conley, former leading tenor with the Metropolitan Opera, and Harold Heiberg, Vocal Coach. As a choir director, Neal has served at all levels in churches, colleges, synagogues, and public school. His conducting credits for choir and orchestra include Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Handel’s Messiah, Faure Requiem, and the world premiere of The Coming of Christ by Paul Lindley Thomas. Neal has served as interim choir director at Lovers Lane United Methodist church (LLUMC) on three separate occasions during his 30 years as a choir member, choir director and professional tenor. In 1999, Neal helped organize and conducted the Master Chorale of Dallas, consisting of highly talented amateur singers. Neal also served as the choir director for Temple Shalom. He has conducted the Community Chorale, UTD since the 2004. In addition to conducting, Neal has participated as a chorister with the Arts District Chorale of Dallas, conducted by Michie Akin, and SMU/Dallas Vocal Arts Ensemble, conducted by Constantina Tsolainou.

Michael Borts has performed the National Anthems of the United States, Canada and Mexico over 350 times since 1978 for 19 professional and collegiate sports teams including the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, and Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball, the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association, the Dallas Stars, Hartford Whalers and Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League and the New York Metrostars of Major League Soccer. As a Barbershop Quartet lead, Michael has won two SWD championships with Inn's-N-Outt's in 1985 and Dallas Knights in 1994, is the President of the Quartet Champions Association of SWD, and has competed at International six times finishing as high as 12th. He's a featured soloist and active singer with the eight-time International Gold Medal chorus The Vocal Majority, and has sung solos accompanied by The Houston Tidelanders Barbershop Chorus, The Houston Pops Orchestra, The Texas Wind Symphony, The Richardson Symphony Orchestra and appeared in the 1998 Dallas Summer Musicals production of "Oklahoma." In January 1999, Michael released his first solo CD of songs self-accompanied by guitar entitled "Y2K Reluctant".