Music Ministry at Grace Lutheran Church

Michael Hoffman, Grace Music Director, is a native of Minnesota, who graduated from CU-Boulder in 2017. He is an avid performer of German Lieder, oratorio, and recently performed Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin with Mutsumi Moteki, head vocal coach at CU-Boulder. He currently is an Opera On the Go Artist with Central City Opera, and in 2018, placed first in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition for Colorado Singers. He holds a successful voice studio in Evergreen, and has a few cherished students here at Grace. In 2018, he and his wife Nadya founded the Mountain Area Chamber Music Festival, a week-long summer intensive for middle and high school vocalists and string players. He is thrilled to be your new Grace Music Director! 

Boyd Hamilton brings many years of church musicianship to Grace. Boyd began playing in church at an early age and was the director of music at a church in his hometown of Kennett, Missouri at age 16. He received his degree in Piano Performance from the University of Oklahoma, where he continued to play both the piano and organ in numerous congregations. His major teachers were Marilyn Caldwell, J.D. Kelly and Andrew Cooperstock. Boyd was most recently the Director of Music at McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church and in 2010 he helped to found the Norman Philharmonic Orchestra and was the organization's first Executive Director.

Boyd is currently the store manager of Dillards at Flatiron Mall and lives in Louisville with his wife and two sons.

Simon Daum, tenor section leader, has been making music in the Boulder/Denver metro area since he moved here in 2018. With a degree in Music Education from Shenandoah Conservatory, he has over ten years of experience teaching a variety of subjects to students of all ages. Select musical highlights include singing choral music across France, music directing a production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, performing in a production of Next to Normal, and witnessing students’ development and passion. He is on faculty at Parlando School of Musical Arts and is currently singing with Elus Vocal Ensemble and the Boulder Chorale, in addition to Grace.

Melody English, alto section leader, spent her church childhood avoiding Sunday school so she could sing hymns in the adult service. As a teenager she spent a year in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK) where she sang with the Northern Opera Company. She has a degree in Music History from Seattle Pacific University where she studied voice, oboe, and recorder. As an adult, Melody has performed with the Boulder Bach Festival Chorus and the Boulder Renaissance Consort. Melody volunteers to prepare tax returns for AARP. 

Sebastian Schmidt, bass section leader, is a native of Leipzig, Germany.  Music has been part of his life since childhood. He studied the piano for twelve years and joined the children's choir of the Leipzig Opera at age eight.  As an adult, he sang in Leipzig's Gewandhaus and University Choirs. He studied physics in Germany and Scotland, earned his PhD in meteorology in 2005, and has worked at CU's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics since then. He also studied voice with teachers in Germany, Austria and Colorado. In Boulder, he sang with the Boulder Bach Chorale, CU Opera, and Grace, where he enjoys singing choral and solo repertoire.

Simeon Wallace hails from the foothills of North Carolina and attended Appalachian State University, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. In 2022, Simeon earned a B.M. in Choral Music Education, garnering recognition as a nominee for Student Teacher of the Year at both the university and state levels. Passionate about the unifying power of music across cultures and minds, Simeon is particularly dedicated to promoting and honoring the art songs and spiritual works of African American composers. Consequently, he had the privilege of participating in a Masterclass led by Dr. Louise Toppin, the editor of "An Anthology of African and African Diaspora Songs," during which he performed "Monologue of the Working Class" by Florence Price. Simeon recently relocated to Boulder this fall to pursue an M.M. in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at CU Boulder, where he was honored to receive the Ada Spencer Fellowship. Simeon's most recent performance was the role of Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff with Eklund Opera in October. His upcoming plans include portraying the role of Miles Zegner in Missy Mazzoli's 2018 Opera "Proving Up" in April at CU. Eager to embark on new musical endeavors, Simeon is thrilled to join the Grace family as your new Choral Intern!