2008 NCYC Staff

Camp Administrators

Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, Founder and Chaplain
Fr. Anthony has been a monk of Saint John’s Abbey since 1988. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1993. He teaches in the theology department, both undergraduate and graduate, in the areas of liturgy, liturgical music, and Gregorian chant. He is an abbey organist and directs chant.  He did graduate studies at Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary, and Yale University, and his doctorate in liturgy is from the theology department of the University of Graz, Austria. Fr. Anthony is on the council of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, the council of the Hymn Society of the U.S. and Canada, and served on the Music Subcommittee of the national bishops’ conference Committee on the Liturgy. He has published many articles on liturgical music, and he frequently presents in this area across the country. His 702-page book, Sacred Music and Liturgical Reform: Treasures and Transformations, was published last summer by Liturgy Training Publications. Fr. Anthony does priestly ministry to the neighboring community of Benedictine sisters and at the local county jail.

Dr. Axel Theimer, Choir Conductor
Dr. Axel Theimer, a native of Austria, where he was a member of the Vienna Boys Choir, is now in his 40th year on the music faculty at Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict. He received much of his training in Vienna and completed his studies at the University of Minnesota with a MFA in Choral Conducting and a DMA in Vocal Performance.
He is an active recitalist, has presented master classes, workshops and seminars for state, regional and national and international music conventions and conferences and has conducted All State Choirs, Choral Festivals and Honor Choirs throughout the United States.

At Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s he directs the CSB/SJU Chamber Choir and SJU Men’s Chorus and teaches choral conducting, applied voice, vocal pedagogy and other related classes. In addition to his professional activities at SJU and CSB he is founder and music director of Kantorei, a Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) choral ensemble, of Amadeus Chamber Symphony, a chamber orchestra for Central Minnesota musicians and audiences and is music director of the National Catholic Youth Choir. He is on the faculty, and is currently President as well as Executive Director of The VoiceCare Network.  In 2001, he received the MN - ACDA Choir Director of the Year Award and, in 2004, was elected to the Minnesota Music Educators Association’s “MMEA Hall of Fame”. He is a member of ACDA, CMS, IMC, MENC, MMEA, MTNA, NATS and the VoiceCare Network.

Original compositions and arrangements for Men’s Chorus, Women’s, Mixed and Children’s Choir are published by and available from Alliance Publications, Inc. Fish Creek, WI.

Michelle Plombon, Administrative Assistant
Michelle has two degrees in liturgical music, an undergraduate degree from the College of Saint Benedict and a master's degree from Saint John's University. She has extensive experience in parish and campus ministry work and is on the staff of Saint John's School of Theology.  She is an organist at St. Anne/St. Joseph Hein, the St. Paul Seminary and other churches in the Twin Cities. 

 

Anne Phillips
Anne Phillips is a graduate of both the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University.  She completed undergraduate studies in Liturgical Music and earned an MA in Theology/Liturgy.  Originally from southern MN, Anne is now living and working in the Twin Cities where she serves as organist and coordinator of worship in a suburban parish. This is her sixth year at NCYC.

                                  Chris Angel, Accompanist
 

 

 

Camp Leaders

Lucas Van Leeuwe
Lucas graduated from Saint John’s University with a Communication Arts/Literature 5-12 degree in May 2007. He is currently a high school English teacher and head speech coach at New Ulm High School. This is Lucas’s fifth year with NCYC, and he is excited to be a part of such a life-changing and inspirational experience for another season.

 

Molly Leuthner
Molly is a 2006 alumna of the College of Saint Benedict with a degree in English and secondary education. She currently lives in St. Cloud, MN, and teaches 9th grade English at Annandale High School. Molly has been with NCYC for five years, and can’t wait to get back to camp and greet the new and returning choristers.




Kathryn Bontjes
Kathryn is going to be a senior at CSB, where she is a music major. She is active in Chamber Choir, Pep-band, the Record (school newspaper), and was recently a Residential Assistant in the first year area. She was a member of NCYC in 2004 and 2005, and she is happy to be returning as a camp leader.



 

Brian Walsh
Brian is a senior theology major and secondary education minor at St. John's University. He is from Plymouth, MN and was a chorister with NCYC in 2005. Currently a member of the CSB/SJU Chamber Choir, also directed by Dr. Axel Theimer, singing in choir has been a favorite activity of Brian's since 7th grade! This is his second summer as a camp leader with NCYC.