Frank Martignetti
Artistic Director

Frank Martignetti became the Mystic River Chorale's fourth Artistic Director in 2008. Frank currently serves on the faculty of the University of Bridgeport as Director of Choral Activities and Adjunct Professor of Music, conducting and teaching courses in music and music education, as well as studio voice. He has also been Director of Music at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Bridgeport since 2003, and has served on the faculty of New Haven's Neighborhood Music School.    

As a music educator, Frank has been Director of Music at New Haven's High School in the Community since 2003, where he has built the music program from scratch.   Mr. Martignetti's HSC ensembles have sung under guest conductors including Paul Smith, Francisco Nuñez, Roland Carter, and Josephine Lee, and performed at venues including Woolsey Hall and the Shubert Theatre. In 2006, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra recognized his efforts at HSC by naming him a recipient of its Excellence in Music Teaching Award.    

Frank has been active as a pianist, vocal coach, and conductor for school, community, and regional theater, most recently at the Summer Theatre of New Canaan, where his credits include The Sound of Music, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and the upcoming production of The Music Man. Other credits include Godspell, Fiddler on the Roof, Shenadoah, and Nunsense! Frank is also an active baritone recitalist, most recently performing Schumann's Dichterliebe and Barber's Hermit Songs with pianist Alexis Zingale.

Before his move to Connecticut, Frank served as Director of Music Ministries at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church, Cincinnati, where he directed a thriving music ministry.   During his time at St. Aloysius, he founded the Youth Choir, which is featured on the recording Come to the Feast (GIA Publications.) Under his leadership, the Adult Choir grew into one of the finest parish choirs in Cincinnati, and the parish prepared for a comprehensive renovation of the church, including relocation and expansion of the pipe organ, a new music ministry area, and a new sound system.  

Frank has been a professional church musician since 1993, serving congregations in New York, Ohio, and Connecticut, has taught public school for seven years in both urban and suburban settings, and has taught piano and voice privately. He has also adjudicated for solo and ensemble festivals, including NATS and CMEA/MENC solo competitions, in both Connecticut and Ohio. His writing has appeared in the Choral Journal and the Music Educators' Journal.  

Frank received the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education (vocal emphasis) from the Eastman School of Music, and the Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Rochester. He holds the Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, where he also served as a Graduate Assistant. His major conducting teachers include Stephen Coker and Earl Rivers, and he has conducted in masterclasses with conductors including Simon Carrington, Dale Warland, William Weinert, Janet Galván, and Francisco Nuñez.  

Frank is active in the American Choral Directors' Association, Music Educators' National Conference, the Connecticut Music Educators' Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and serves on the board of the Greater Bridgeport Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.  

A native of New Rochelle, New York, Frank lives in New Haven, CT.

Kathleen Bartkowski
Accompanist

Kathleen Bartkowski graduated in May of 2004 with a Master of Music in Piano Accompanying from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she accompanied the University Chamber Choir, Chorale, vocalists, and instrumentalists. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Connecticut, where she served as accompanist for the choral department, playing for the University Chorale, Concert Choir, and Graduate Vocal Ensemble, as well as for vocalists and instrumentalists. Among the many groups Kathleen has accompanied are the Vermont Opera Theater, American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and Music Educators National Conference (MENC) honors choirs and conference sessions, Mak’hela (Jewish Chorus of Western Massachusetts), and numerous school and community groups. Most recently, she accompanied the Connecticut Eastern Region and All-State Choirs, and was featured in the world premiere of a two-piano piece, Mozart Remixed, written by Anthony Cornicello in honor of Mozart’s 250th birth anniversary.

Presently, Kathleen is kept busy as the Staff Accompanist at Ledyard High School, Ledyard, Connecticut. Besides being the accompanist for the Mystic River Chorale, she also accompanies the Vernon Chorale, an auditioned community choir based in Vernon, Connecticut, and Voce, a professional choir based in Hartford, Connecticut. She is frequently invited to accompany choral festivals, musicals, and other school ensembles. For over twenty years, Kathleen has served churches throughout New England as organist and choir director. At this time, she is the Organist and Celebrate Accompanist for St. Luke Lutheran Church in Gales Ferry, Connecticut. She currently holds the position of Repertoire and Standards Chairperson for Music and Worship on the Connecticut ACDA Executive Board.

Kathleen lives in Colchester with her husband, Doug, and their two cats, Simon and Schuster. This is her fifth year with the Mystic River Chorale.