Check out the Pre-Concert Lecture Today!

Get the inside scoop on Buxtehude, the baroque era, and a brief introduction to this musical masterpiece. Join Sandra Krueger, our Associate Director, as she helps to make this piece and our performance more meaningful and accessible.  

Meet Our Performing Artists

​Dr. Rachel Gragson (organ) has been making music in Elizabeth City for 50 years. She holds the rank of Professor Emeritus at ECSU. She was the Choirmaster/Organist at Christ Episcopal Church for many years and is currently Director of Music at Cann Memorial Presbyterian Church. She holds degrees in Piano from The College of Wooster, Ohio (BM) and West Virginia University (MM, DMA) and a MM in Organ from ECU. She’s presented organ recitals at Washington National Cathedral, St. Thomas in NYC, and the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. She is also the resident pianist for MUSIC off MAIN. Join her for upcoming performances: Solo Organ Recital on March 24th at Cann Memorial Presbyterian Church and Shakespeare in Song on April 6 & 7th at The Foreman House B&B.

​Kelly Balmaceda (soprano) is the owner and director of MUSIC off MAIN. As performer, entrepreneur, and educator, she has enjoyed the opportunity to create music all over the country. Performance highlights include: River Concert Series with the Chesapeake Orchestra, San Antonio Opera, Sparkling City Light Opera, Lafayette Symphony, and Soloist/Guest Artist at Cathedrals around the nation. She has served on the voice faculties at Georgia Southern University and St. Joseph’s College and continues to maintain a private voice studio at MUSIC off MAIN. She is the founder/director of the Albemarle Youth Choir. She holds a BM in Voice Performance from New England Conservatory (Boston, MA) and a MM from Moores School of Music, Univ. Of Houston (Houston, TX). This April, she will present an intimate song recital, Shakespeare in Song, at The beautiful Foreman House B&B.

​Sandra Krueger (mezzo-soprano) is the associate director of MUSIC off MAIN and Albemarle Youth Choir, an adjunct instructor at the College of the Albemarle, a member of the Virginia Opera Chorus, and coordinates the music at Holy Family Catholic Church in Elizabeth City. She maintains a private voice studio in collaboration with Kelly Balmaceda. Previous local productions include Madame Flora in "The Medium," The Announcer in "Gallantry," and June in "Smoke on the Mountain." She holds a Masters degree in Opera/Music Theatre performance from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and a Bachelors degree in Music from Whitworth University. This April, she will portray Dolly Levi in the College of the Albemarle's COAST production of Hello Dolly!

​Nerissa V. Thompson (mezzo-soprano) is making her first appearance in the Elizabeth City area with MUSIC off MAIN in this presentation of Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri. A native of the Hampton Roads area, Thompson relocated to Princeton, New Jersey and received her training at Westminster Choir College as a candidate for a Bachelor’s in Music Education. There she discovered a love for performance and has since returned to Hampton Roads to continue exploring that passion. Professionally, she has performed with the Virginia Opera Chorus in several productions including Turandot, The Flying Dutchman and Carmen. She has also sung with the Virginia Chorale and currently serves as a section leader and soloist at First Lutheran Church of Norfolk. 

​Brent Hartigan (Tenor) is happy to make his North Carolina debut with MUSIC off MAIN! A Virginia local, Brent has performed with the Virginia Opera, Virginia Chorale, Virginia Musical Theater, Generic Theater, and Theatrix. He has performed the roles of Jean Valjean in Les Mis, Adam/Noah in Children of Eden, Orin the Dentist in Little Shop of Horrors, and Gabriel von Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus. He studied Vocal Performance at ODU and can be found as a regular soloist at First Presbyterian Church at the Virginia Beach oceanfront.

​Walter R. Swan (Baritone) hails from Hazlehurst (It), Mississippi.  He received degrees from Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS; Mississippi College, Clinton, MS and the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS.  He currently resides in Elizabeth City, NC where he assumed the responsibilities of Assistant Professor of Voice at Elizabeth City State University after serving at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA; Hampton University, Hampton, VA; Chowan University, Murfreesboro, NC and currently, at Elizabeth City State University as the Director of Choral Activities. His credits include, but are not limited to the following. He has appeared as a guest soloist with: Moses Hogan Singers, New Orleans (recorded); Leigh Morris Chorale, MN; Cantata Chorus, VA; Mississippi Symphony; Mississippi Opera; Greenville Symphony, MS; Virginia Beach Symphony (Symphonicity), Virginia Opera, Norfolk Virginia and in many churches and universities within the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions.  He can be heard; both as a recitalist in many areas, as well as on his recording of spirituals entitled “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands”, located on ITunes and at CDBABY.COM.