OUR STAFF & BOARD
Eric Taeyang Mun, Artistic Director
Praised by critics for his “flawless lightness and grace”, Eric Taeyang Mun has been called “the very model of an elegant cellist” (Dallas Morning News), and his performances of the complete cello suites by J.S. Bach described as "nuanced, thoughtful, and technically sound" (Theater Jones). Eric has concertized throughout the U.S., Mexico, South America, and Europe with some of the nations leading period instrument ensembles, performing on cello and viola da gamba as a soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. In addition to serving as Artistic Director of the American Baroque Opera Co., Eric has collaborated with many ensembles including the Grammy nominated Ars Lyrica Houston, La Follia Austin Baroque, Ensemble VIII, Dallas Chamber Players, Bach Society of Houston, Oklahoma Bach Choir, New York’s Concert Royal, Texas Camerata, and was a guest artist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Eric has appeared as a guest artist and recitalist at festivals including the Boston Early Music Festival, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Red River Lyric Opera, Crested Butte Music Festival, Strings in the Mountains Festival, Renaissance and Baroque Music Festival (Bolivia), Cervantino Festival (Mexico) and Les Nuits Baroques (France). As a conductor and continuo cellist, Eric has numerous operas in his repertoire from Monteverdi to Mozart, including Handel's Guilio Cesare, Alcina, Rinaldo, and Agrippina, Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas and The Fairy Queen, Vivaldi’s Montezuma, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute, and Cavalli’s L’Egisto, among many others.
As a chamber musician, Eric concertizes with Quartet Galant, playing string quartets from the Classical and Romantic periods with gut strings and historical bows. He has appeared in concerts with the Miami String Quartet and principal players of the New York Philharmonic, and appeared at the Austrian Cultural Forum in Manhattan under the auspices of the Arnold Schoenberg family in a concert of the composer's works. His performances have been heard on NPR and Public Radio International, and he was featured in an interview in the 125th Anniversary issue of The Strad Magazine. Eric attended the University of North Texas studying cello under the tutelage of Eugene Osadchy and early music with lutenist Lyle Nordstrom, where he was honored as a Winspear scholar. Eric performs on a rare cello made in 1751 by Leonhardt Maussiell in Nuremberg, Germany.
Miguel Cantú IV, Executive Director
Miguel Cantú’s multi-faceted career has taken him across the U.S. performing orchestral music, chamber music, and early music on period instruments as both a violinist and violist. In addition to serving as Executive Director of American Baroque Opera Co,, Miguel has performed with ensembles and festivals including Oklahoma Bach Choir, Grammy nominated Ars Lyrica Houston, La Follia Austin Baroque, Dallas Bach Society, Orchestra of New Spain, Texas Camerata, Crested Butte Music Festival, Red River Lyric Opera, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and is violist with Quartet Galant, a period instrument string quartet. As a mariachi violinist, Miguel was a featured soloist with the Dallas Wind Symphony, and performed with Mariachi Quetzal, collaborating with artists such as Norah Jones, the Toadies, and Brave Combo. Miguel attended Michigan State University and the University of North Texas, where he studied viola with renowned pedagogue Susan Dubois.
Hillary Coyle, President
Board President Hillary Coyle is a voice and piano teacher and arts manager. She serves on the board of the Richardson Music Teachers Association, served as the Executive Director of the Dallas Bach Society, and volunteers at Incarnation House and the Incarnation Church Choir. She worked in the marketing or development departments of AT&TPAC, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Touhill PAC in St. Louis, and the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. She attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia as a music major, graduating cum laude. There she traveled with the music department to San Juan, Costa Rica, southern Spain, and London, U.K. As a vocalist, she is thoroughly enamored to be a part of the nascent American Baroque Opera Co. as a founding director. Hillary was born in Dallas and lives and works in Richardson, TX.
Board of Directors
Hillary Coyle, President
Luke Fritz, Vice President
NIcholas Garza, Secretary
Jendi Tarde, Treasurer
Karen Almond
Brian Hackfeld
Daniel Medve