Bios
George A. Sargeant, Music Director
George A. Sargeant became the Music Director of the A Cappella Singers in the fall of 2014, after accompanying the group for nearly a decade under the direction of Sharon Brown, who retired after the 2013-2014 season.
Mr. Sargeant’s calm and confident demeanor is a perfect fit for this group of women who love to sing! While the music is always challenging, George directs each piece-and the program as a whole–brilliantly in preparation for the ACS performances.
Every concert includes an organ solo from our Maestro that adds a special touch and delights our audiences. Mr. Sargeant has also included an audience “Sing-a-Long” at the end of every performance that is wildly popular among our treasured guests.
Mr. Sargeant is the Associate Organist and Choirmaster at Boston’s historic Old South Church, Copley Square, and Assistant Organist at Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church in Sudbury. Prior to those appointments, he also held positions at Church of the Covenant in Boston, Memorial Congregational Church in Sudbury, and Fisk Memorial United Methodist Church in Natick.
Eliomar Nascimento, Accompanist
Eliomar Nascimento started as a pianist earning a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from the Brazilian Conservatory of Music, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He dedicated his career to the operatic stage and earned another Bachelor’s degree in Voice from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He moved to Boston for a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance and a Certificate Diploma from the Opera Institute at Boston University.
Mr. Nascimento brings his musical experience as a faculty member for the Young Artists Vocal Program for Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, MA. He teaches voice and piano at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) of Metrowest and is the Music Director for PAC summer musical theater workshops. While at B.U., Nascimento tackled roles like Figaro in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte. Praised by the Boston Herald as the owner of a “deep, lush voice” for his portrayal of Don Basilio in Rossini’s Barber of Seville, he has also appeared in La Traviata, Lo Schiavo, I Pagliacci, Elektra, Salome, La Clemenza di Tito, Magic Flute, Bluebeard’s Castle and many others with companies such as Opera Aperta, Real Time Opera, Connecticut Lyric Opera and Boston Lyric Opera.
River Maria Kaplun (they/them), Accompanist Emeriti
River Maria Kaplun was born in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia), in a Jewish family, and began their education in music there at the age of six. They trained as a classical pianist and performed at concert halls around the region, in Riazan’ Oblast, and in Abkhazia. From 1987 to 1990, they attended the Rimsky-Korsakov Music College of the Leningrad State Conservatory.
In 1991, chased by the rabid antisemitism of a collapsing civilization, River and their family left Russia, just as the Soviet Union was about to break apart in the throes of perestroika, and came to the U.S. as refugees. Because of a wrist injury, River could not continue as a concert pianist in America and, after learning English, began their higher education from scratch at a community college in their home state of Pennsylvania. They earned a Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School and have spent most of their career teaching religious studies and philosophy to college students. They have also worked as a medical interpreter for Russian-speaking patients at Philadelphia hospitals, a book review editor for the Journal of Ecumenical Studies, and a liturgical pianist and accompanist.
In 2013 River moved to Massachusetts and now takes care of their family and writes under the pen name River Adams. They are the author of many short stories, essays, and a biography, There Must Be YOU: Leonard Swidler’s journey to faith and dialogue (Wipf and Stock, 2014). Their debut novel, The Light of Seven Days, is forthcoming from Delphinium Books in 2023.