“In Normandie” was commissioned as part of the 2018 Source SongBook, celebrating the festival’s 5th anniversary. It was premiered on August 5th 2018 at Westminster Hall in Minneapolis, MN by Jacob Christopher, tenor & Mark Bilyeu, piano.

Though primarily a performer, Justin Anthony Spenner has been commissioned for both art song and choral works throughout his career. He has been praised as a “Standout” with “boisterous comic energy” by the Star Tribune, and is known in new music circles for his artistic honesty and engaging versatility. Recent operatic performances include Schaunard (La Bohéme) with Theater Latte Da, Joey (The Most Happy Fella) and Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte) with Skylark Opera Theatre, John Sorel (The Consul) with Arbeit Opera Theatre, Morales and Dancairo (Carmen) with Pine Mountain Music Festival, 2nd Priest/Armored Man (Zauberflöte) with Lakes Area Music Festival, and Billy Bigelow (Carousel) with American Gothic. As a concert soloist, he has enjoyed performances with St. John’s Music Series (The Messiah, Nikolai Messe, Coronation Mass), ODC Dance Company (The Path of Miracles), Dakota Valley Symphony (In Terra Pax), and South Metro Chorale (Ein Deutsches Requiem), as well as various recital programs throughout the Midwest. In his life as a new music specialist, he has performed world premieres of works by Joey Crane, Tiffany Skidmore, Sam Krahn, and Josh Musikantow. His choreographed staging of Schubert’s Die Winterreise was labeled as “Breathtaking” by the Shepard Express. An avid educator, Justin maintains a full studio, and presents opera immersion classes which highlight the importance of creation, storytelling, and community.

Richard Meacock was a beloved teacher, activist, gardener, poet, painter, and tea drinker. He was a revolutionary educator who fought for LGBTQ+ rights, and, along with his husband Martin Stern, kept the best garden you'll find in the St. Croix River Valley. He also wrote exhaustively, literally stuffing notebooks of poetry and prose into jacket pockets and side-table drawers. These troves of poetry are still being found by Martin, a year after Richard's death in 2019.