2025 Voices in the Hall

Festival Schedule

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2025 - Arrival | First Rehearsal

Group and independent travelers arrive at the hotel:

Sheraton Times Square Hotel

811 7th Avenue

New York, 10019

Ph: (212) 247-8000

Independent arrivals: Transfers to the hotel on your own – rooms available after 4:00 p.m.

Time for dinner on your own

07:00 PM Arrive at the rehearsal venue; Greetings, opening comments

07:15 PM Vocal rehearsal begins

08:30 PM Closing comments and instructions for next day rehearsal at the

Sheraton

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2025 - Touring | 2nd Rehearsal

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are on your own

08:30 AM Prompt departure for a ½ day sightseeing tour of New York City

12:15 PM Approximate arrival time back at the Sheraton

Afternoon on your own - you may want to consider attending a matinee performance or exploring the city

07:00 PM Rehearsal at the Sheraton Hotel

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2025 SUNDAY - Carnegie Hall Performance

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are on your own

For those wishing to go to Mass, St. Patrick's Cathedral Morning Mass times: 7:00am / 8:00am / 9:00am / 10:15am (Solemn)

01:30 PM Performers report at Carnegie Hall Backstage Entrance, 161 West 56th St. (between 6th & 7th Ave) (Note: Carnegie Hall is two minute walk from the hotel)

02:30 PM Dress Rehearsal until 4:45 PM. All performers enter on stage from dressing rooms. Casual attire appropriate. 

04:30 PM Final comments by directors for band and chorus

Free time for dinner

06:30 PM Call time for all performers to be in place for procession (musicians can tune their instruments until 7:00 PM). Please arrive at Carnegie Hall Backstage Entrance located on 56th St., proceed to the holding area assigned for your group.

07:30 PM Voices in the Hall Concert with Stephan, Manibusan and Whitaker begins.

10:30 PM Performers must be off stage of Carnegie Hall. Afterwards, we will all join together at the Sheraton Hotel to celebrate with an “afterglow”. Glass of champagne and hors d'oeuvre will be served.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2025 - Return Home (Departures)

Independent departures – on your own, back to the airport

Itinerary is tentative and subject to change

Artist Biographies

Stephen Petrunak is known nationally for his service as President and CEO of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians from 2017-2020. In addition, Stephen sat for two terms as a member of the NPM Board of Directors and as the Vice-President of the Board of Directors for the American Guild of Music. He is also a founding member of the nonprofit Catholic Liturgical Ensemble Formation. Stephen is a guitarist, composer, instructor, arranger, clinician and author. He has recorded and produced several instrumental collections of music and authored several books for GIA Publications. Stephen has a catalog of more than 900 recorded instrumental guitar versions of popular songs across various styles and genres promoted across a myriad of download and streaming platforms. He is known locally for his work as a music instructor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and is currently the Director of Music at St. Blase Catholic Church in Sterling Heights, MI. Stephen lives with his wife Ruth in Washington, MI.

A lifelong musician, Curtis Stephan’s first experience in music formation was as a child, learning from his church organist. By the time he graduated from high school, he was skilled in guitar, piano, and trumpet. He continued his music studies at the University of North Texas (trumpet major) where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s in jazz studies. During his time at UNT, Curtis toured with the Grammy nominated One O’Clock Lab Band and was awarded the Sammy Nestico Award for Big Band Jazz composition. Curtis’ songs have been selected for Mass with the Pope at international youth gatherings numbering in the millions. His jazz compositions have been selected by One O’Clock Lab Band for recording, and UNT students continue to perform his music. Of all of his awards and accomplishments, Curtis is most proud of serving his parish community, leading them in worship on Sunday mornings at St. Ann Catholic Parish in Coppell, TX. He and his wife Lindsay reside in Frisco, TX with their four children.

A native of Berkeley, California, Janèt Sullivan Whitaker served in active parish ministry throughout the Diocese of Oakland for more than four decades. Her sacred liturgical compositions, which feature original texts and music, have come to be widely sung in Catholic Churches throughout the world. As a Director of Music Ministries, Janèt has served many Oakland Diocese parishes. In January 2020, Janèt stepped away from full-time parish work to focus on her freelance offerings which include concerts, retreats, missions, and workshops. In addition to parish work and free-lance ministries, Janèt served for 15 summers as a musician and catechist for the One Bread and One Cup Summer Youth Liturgical Leadership Conferences. In 2021, she was a featured speaker for the Catholic/Jewish Women’s Dialogue in Southern California. In 2022, Janèt joined the leadership team of the Liturgical Music Institute. In addition to her work in music ministry, Janèt is a lover of traditional hula dance, a gardener, an avid cook, and a singer of jazz and R&B music. She resides in Hayward, California with BrianWhitaker, her husband of 40 years, and their two Jack Russell terriers, Kirby and Lucy.

Jesse Manibusan is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller from the San Francisco Bay Area. His heritage is CHAMoru-American (Guam) and is one of nine siblings. Jesse is a selftaught guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and has been a working musician most of his life, serving in churches, nursing homes, schools, shelters, jails, and more. Jesse spent a great of his formative years in the Diocese of Oakland, where much of his music was written, eventually branching out and traveling throughout the world and even different galaxies. Jesse earned a MA in Multicultural Ministries from the Franciscan School of Theology. Over the past 40 years, Jesse has traveled as an encourager and joy cultivator to audiences of every generation around the world. Jesse is a longtime partner of Oregon Catholic Press, and is also published by GIA. A father of three grown children, seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild, Jesse admits he’s no spring chicken, but he’s still kicking. Jesse is the recipient of many awards, but his most cherished is being voted “Entertainer of the Year,” five years in a row by his mom.