Program

La Péri - Fanfare
Paul Dukas

Ave Maria
Johann Sebastian Bach/Charles Gounod

Panis Angelicus 
César Franck

“Carillon” and “Farandole” from L'Arlésienne
Georges Bizet

O Holy Night
Adolphe Adam, arr. René Clausen

Adoration
Florence Price

White Christmas
Irving Berlin, arr. Robert Russell Bennett 

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Meredith Wilson, arr. Daryl McKenzie

Christmas Song
Robert Wells & Mel Torme, arr. Daryl McKenzie

“Arabian dance,” “Dance of the Reed Flutes,” & “Waltz of the Flowers” from The NutcrackerPeter Ilych Tchaikovsky

Sleigh ride
Leroy Anderson

The Prayer
Carole Bayer Sager & David Foster, arr. Larry Goss
Christmas Singalong

Allison Martin received her Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Michigan State University and Bachelors of Arts in Music Performance from Goshen College. She has performed throughout the U.S. and in Italy singing both opera and musical theater. She has performed roles such as Annina in Verdi’s La Traviata, Countess Charlotte in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Casilda in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, Laetitia in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, and Catherine in Schwartz’s Pippin with companies such as Opera in the Rock, Opera Grand Rapids, and The Other Mirror Production Company. On the oratorio stage, she was the soprano soloist for Mozart's Missa Brevis in Fmajor in Vienna and Saltzburg, Austria, Handel's Messiah with the Mennonite Choral Society, Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem with the St. Joseph Valley Camerata, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Goshen College where she was also an invited masterclass clinician. Martin currently serves as Interim Managing Director for the Next Festival of Emerging Artists (www.next-fest.org). 

Stephen Martin has enjoyed engagements spanning throughout Italy, China, Austria, and the United States singing leading roles in staged works such as La Traviata, La Bohème, The Tales of Hoffmann, Gianni Schicchi, The Grapes of Wrath, Les Misérables, and many more. He has performed with companies such as The Santa Fe Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival Opera, Sarasota Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera in the Rock, Chicago Summer Opera Festival, Kenosha Opera, The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Motor City Brass Band, Flint Symphony Orchestra, Saginaw Symphony, and others. Stephen has twice won the East Tennessee District Metropolitan Opera Competition and is the recipient of an Encouragement Award at the Mid-South Regional Metropolitan Opera competition. He was a grand finalist in the Rochester International Voice Competition, a semi-finalist in the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, Opera Index Competition, and Birmingham Opera competitions, was awarded the Mandelker/Harris Award for Outstanding Returning Studio Artist at Sarasota Opera, and won the Charlotte Ruppel Memorial Voice Competition.

In 2019 Stephen took a step back from full-time performing and became an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Central Arkansas where he served for two years until transitioning into full time music ministry. He currently serves as the Director of Music and Fine Arts at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas.

Stephen holds a Doctorate in Voice Performance, Masters Degrees in Voice Performance and Music Theory Pedagogy, and a Bachelor's degree in Voice Performance all from Michigan State University. 

You can learn more about Stephen at StephenMartinTenor.com

Deos Contemporary Ballet

inspire (a) movement.

Deos Contemporary Ballet uplifts artists through a culture focused on diversity, wellness, and empathy. We inspire a broader audience through innovation in education, film and live performances. We make contemporary ballet accessible to all through profound and relatable works of art.

our history

Tess Sinke (Artistic Director) envisioned a professional ballet company named “Deos” in the early 2000’s. After meeting Andrew Hoekstra (Executive Director) in 2016, they formed Deos Contemporary Ballet in 2018.

Deos Ballet began with the first-ever COLLIDE Summer Series, bringing dancers from across the country together for a short-term contract during their summer layoff from year-round commitments.  Since 2018, Deos has continued to host dancers for our annual Summer Series. COLLIDE continues to be Deos Ballet’s largest program of the season, bringing together 12 professional dancers, a handful of collegiate interns, and other guest artists for a fast-paced, short-term rehearsal and performance season.

Since 2018, Deos has expanded to provide our core dancers (those local to Grand Rapids, or those who have relocated to Grand Rapids) performance opportunities and Dance for Film recording contracts throughout the year, with the goal of curating a full season in Grand Rapids and further cementing our footprint in the Michigan dance scene.  This goal was achieved in the fall of 2022 when we announced our first full season of year-round performances: EPILOGUE (fall series), EMBER (winter series), AWAKEN (spring series), and COLLIDE (summer series). During the 2023-2024 performance season, our annual offerings grew to include an instant hit, Cracked Nuts: Not Your Mother’s Nutcracker. The premiere weekend of Cracked Nuts entirely sold out, even when adding an additional performance evening. Deos Ballet continues to grow and participate in outreach performances in partnerships with the Grand Rapids Art Museum, local and touring orchestras/choirs, churches, and other arts organizations throughout the city.

For more information, click here.