Richard Todd Adams recently came full circle with the national touring production of Phantom of the Opera, playing the Phantom in the company where he previously played Raoul nearly 10 years ago. Also, in 2008, he was the Jeff Award winner for his portrayal of Javert in Chicago's Marriott Lincolnshire production of Les Misérables. He also appeared as Ravenal in Showboat at Seattle's Village Theater, for which he won Seattle Footlight Award. On Broadway, he has appeared in the original companies of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White and Boublil and Schoenberg's The Pirate Queen. Off-Broadway, he was seen in Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish, David Friedman's Listen to My Heart, and the 2000 revival of Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill. Favorite regional credits include the title role(s) in Jekyll and Hyde, the title role in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Father in Ragtime, and Dickinson in 1776. He was the 2004 winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition and was a 2000 graduate of The Juilliard School, where he earned his Masters in Music. www.rtadams.com
David Arnsperger
Baritone David Arnsperger was born in 1982 in Freiburg im Breslau, Germany. After early artistic experiences in the local circus project Harlekin and the Freiburger Students Big-Band FSJ, he studied Musical Theatre at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) where he graduated with honors in 2007. In 2005 he won the first prize at Germany's national singing competition, the 34th Bundeswettbewerb Gesang Musical/Chanson. Awarded a scholarship by the WestLB (West German State Bank), he continued his studies in 2007 at the Musical Theatre Department of the Royal Academy of Music London. Later the same year he applied for studies in Gesang/Musiktheater (classical singing) also at the UdK Berlin, where he is will complete his Bachelor of Arts this summer. His engagements include, amongst others, Ché in Evita (Lloyd Webber), Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Britten) and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte (Mozart).
Tora Augestad
Tora Augestad (b.1979 in Bergen, Norway), singer and actress, attended the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. She studied singing with Svein Bjørkøy, Torsten Föllinger, Ståle Ytterli and Håkan Hagegård. In 2008 she completes her postgraduate degree in cabaret singing focusing on the works of Brecht, Eisler and Weill. She has participated in various cabarets and opera, including The Magic Flute, The Four Note Opera, the contemporary operas Inside your mouth sucking the sun by Niels Rønsholdt and Ophelias by Henrik Hellstenius and Cecilie Løveid. She sang with the Cikada Ensemble at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in November 2005, and with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2006. She world premiered 4 pieces in 2006, written for her, among them September Songs by Eivind Buene with Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra. In 2006 Tora Augestad was engaged as an actress at the Teater Ibsen where she played in 4 productions. In August 2006 she performed Arnold Schönberg's Pierrot Lunaire at the Oslo Chamber Music Festival with Christian Eggen and Oslo Sinfonietta. In 2007 she played the part of Jenny in a production of the The Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper) by Brecht and Weill. She has sung in the Norwegian Soloists' Choir 2000-2005; she was a member of the vocal group Pitsj from 1999-2006. She is now the vocalist in Trygve Seim Ensemble. She has played with Klangforum Wien in Warsaw, Basel and Vienna and will have her Paris debut with the ensemble in June 2008 when she will world premiere a piece by Beat Furrer. In January 2008 she sang Jenny in a concert version of The Threepenny Opera with Ensemble Modern and HK Gruber in Athens.
In 2008 she will play the main part in a new opera by Marcus Paus based on Roald Dahl's Witches. She will also sing in the new musical The Cityterminal by Håkon Berge and sing Eboli in a modern production of Don Carlos by Verdi.
She is the vocalist in the ensemble MUSIC FOR A WHILE, with some of Scandinavia's finest jazz musicians. They released their debut CD Weill Variations in October 2007 with music by Kurt Weill. She has lived in Berlin since spring 2007. www.toraaugestad.no ; www.myspace.com/musicforaweill
Kyle Barisich
Kyle is currently covering the role of Raoul in the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Upcoming tour engagements include 4 months at the Princess of Wales Theater in Toronto and a stint at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He recently played Barrett in Titanic at the Media Theatre near Philadelphia, earning rave reviews. His lounge act parody A Touch of Vegas finished up a 6-month run in New York last year, and a short film based on the characters Kyle co-created will be making the rounds of film festivals. Kyle is also a published food writer, and has been writing restaurant reviews for the national luxury lifestyle magazine Rave*Sq. He was a winner of the Lotte Lenya competition in 2001, the same year he graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a Masters in Vocal Performance. Kyle is originally from Los Gatos, California, just south of San Francisco.
Jeffrey Behrens
Jeffrey Behrens is currently in his second year with The Juilliard Opera Center in New York City. Recent engagements have included the Britten-Pears Programme, Chautauqua Institution, San Francisco Opera Center, Central City Opera, and Opera Omaha. Roles include Peter Doyle in the World Premiere of Miss Lonelyhearts, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Rodolfo in La Bohème, and Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress. Concert work includes Carmina Burana, and Mozart's Requiem. Jeffrey has been awarded prizes from the Lotte Lenya Competition and Opera Index Inc. Training programs include Music Academy of the West, Central City Opera, and Merola. Upcoming, Mr. Behrens will be a young artist with the Santa Fe Opera.
Liam Bonner
In the 2009-10 season, Liam Bonner returns to Houston Grand Opera as Belcore in L'elisir d'amore, makes his Metropolitan Opera debut as Morales in Carmen and joins the company for its production of Hamlet, and makes his role and company debut as Dottore Malatesta in Don Pasquale with Opera New Jersey. In the 2008-09 season, he made his European operatic debut as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte at English National Opera, returned to Houston Grand Opera for Claudio in Béatrice et Bénédict and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and appeared in a gala concert with L'Opéra de Québec. He has previously joined Wolf Trap Opera for Il Cavaliere di Befiore in Verdi's Un giorno di Regno and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Berkshire Opera for the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, and Aspen Opera Theatre for Sid in Albert Herring. Mr. Bonner continues to maintain a strong relationship with Houston Grand Opera where as a Studio Artist, his mainstage performances included the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, Redburn in Billy Budd, the baritone soloist in Theofanidis' The Refuge, Harašta in The Cunning Little Vixen, Silvano in Un ballo in maschera, Hortensius in La fille du régiment, the Witch in Basil Twist's production of Hänsel und Gretel, and both Morales and Dancaïro in Carmen. Mr. Bonner earned his Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music and is a former participant in San Francisco Opera's Merola Program and a former Studio and Apprentice Artist at Central City Opera. He is the recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from The Shoshanna Foundation, a national semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and an award winner from the George London Foundation and Houston Grand Opera's Eleanor McCollum Competition. www.liambonner.com
John Brancy
Hailing from Mullica Hill, New Jersey, John Brancy is in his third year of undergraduate study at The Juilliard School. Scholarships include the E. & G. Valentine Scholarship, Mary Isabelle Kemp Scholarship, and the Michael L. Brunetti Memorial Scholarship in Voice. Other awards include: a Lys Symonette Award for Vocal Promise in the 2008 Lotte Lenya Competition, First Place in the 2007 National Classical Singer Competition in San Francisco, The Gold Award from NFAA, an encouragement award from Opera Index, and recently, the 2nd Place prize in the Liederkranz Foundation Opera Competition. John's recent engagements have taken him to Carnegie Hall for two consecutive performances in last year's season with Mid-America Productions, and his first full recital at the Caramoor Music Festival, performing with Steven Blier. John wishes to continue his pursuit of a career in vocal performance with imagination, enthusiasm, and passion. He currently studies under Ms. Cynthia Hoffmann.
Rebekah Camm
Hailed for her "unfailingly gorgeous" voice and exceptional dramatic abilities, soprano Rebekah Camm has clearly established herself as a "significant new voice in opera" (The Washington Post). Since making her operatic debut as Micaëla in Carmen with the Houston Grand Opera in 2005, Ms. Camm has performed with the Cincinnati May Festival, LA Opera, Fort Worth Symphony, San Francisco Opera and the National Symphony Orchestra. The 2009/10 season for Ms. Camm began with performances of Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica and Nella in Gianni Schicchi in her San Francisco Opera company debut. Future engagements include her role debut as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro for LA Opera, a return to the Cincinnati May Festival to sing Mozart's C-minor Mass and Bach's St. Matthew Passion, and a role and company debut singing the title role in Suor Angelica with Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival. www.rebekahcamm.com
Sarah Chalfy
Sarah Chalfy recently played the title role in Friedmann/Kellogg's world premiere, Stunt Girl. Off-Broadway: ADA (title role, world premiere); 27 Rue de Fleurus (world premiere). Regional: What to Wear (Madeleine X - Richard Foreman/Michael Gordon world premiere); I Love You, Youíre Perfect, Now Change (Jennifer/Woman 1); Carousel (Carrie); Camelot (Guenevere); The Mikado (Yum Yum); Music Man (Marian). Opera: Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena), Transformations (Anne Sexton), Hänsel and Gretel (Gretel), The Cunning Little Vixen (Vixen), Le nozze di Figaro (Susanna). Soloist/member: Newspeak, NOW, Alarm Will Sound. Recording: Michael Gordon's Van Gogh on the Canteloupe label. TV/Film: Leverage (Monica), Frame (Jane), Snapshots (Ellen). Top awards: Lotte Lenya, Rosa Ponselle, Canticum Dominum, Bach Society of Baltimore competitions. Fellow: Tanglewood Music Center, the Mozarteum, Academie internationale d'été de Nice. Degrees: Peabody Institute (BM), Manhattan School of Music (MM).
Leena Chopra
Leena Chopra, soprano, made her Seattle Opera debut as the Second Priestess in Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride, and returned to play Babarina in Le nozze di Figaro. As a resident artist at Wolf Trap Opera, her roles included Echo in Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, Oberto in Handel's Alcina, and the Bernstein roles of Paquette in Candide and Maria in West Side Story. Other credits include: L'Amour and Clarine in Rameau's Platée at Sante Fe Opera; Alexandra (Zan) in Marc Blitzstein's Regina at the Kennedy Center; and Young Heidi in Follies and Mrs. Segstrom in A Little Night Music on Broadway; Lauretta in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, Ida in Johann Strauss, Jr.'s Die Fledermaus, and Esperanza in Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Ms. Chopra earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the Juilliard School.
Lisa Conlon
A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (M.M) and the Eastman School (B.M.), Ms. Conlon has collaborated in various mediums during the course of her career, specifically classical, jazz and musical theater styles. Most recently in Coral Gables, FL she appeared as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, L'écureuil, La Chat and La Libellule in L'enfant et les sortilèges and at the 2009 Festival Miami as Arietta in Dennis Kam's Opera 101. While at MSM, she participated in the American Musical Theater Ensemble's Cy Coleman Revue and sang in a master class with the late Anna Moffo. In 2002 while at Eastman, Ms. Conlon won the Lotte Lenya Competition. Soon after, she was featured in a winners' concert and sang Minny Belle in a concert version of Kurt Weill's Johnny Johnson, both at the Bruno Walter Auditorium in Lincoln Center. Additional scene and role performances include Donna Elvira, Pamina, Norina, Susanna, Zerlina, Despina, Maria (West Side Story), Julie (Carousel), and Ella Hammer (Cradle Will Rock). Her teachers include Ashley Putnam, David Malis and Florence Quivar. Lisa currently resides in Connecticut, maintains an active performing and teaching career and will continue her Doctoral studies in Vocal Performance in the fall of 2010.
Jennifer Goode Cooper
[B.M., New York University; M.M., Manhattan School of Music; DMA Candidate, University of Memphis] Described by the NY Times as a "soaring soprano" with "great dramatic instincts," Mrs. Cooper has won numerous awards with the following national opera competitions: Met Council Regionals, Eugene Opera, Birmingham Opera, Mobile Opera, MacAllister Awards, Orpheus Vocal Competition, and the First Prize at the Kurt Weill Foundation's Lenya Competition. She sang the role of Musetta in Baz Luhrmann's Broadway and LA productions of La Bohème, shortly after covering Second Lady in The Magic Flute at Opera Theater of St. Louis, and has worked closely with the Memphis and Omaha Symphonies, Orchestra of St. Lukes, Julius Rudel, Warren Jones, Charles Riecker, Pierre Vallet, Martin Katz, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Brian Zeger.
Regional Music Theater credits include: George M. (Fay Templeton) at Goodspeed Opera House, My Fair Lady (Eliza u/s), A Christmas Carol (Meg), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator Standby) at North Shore Music Theater, Pirates of Penzance (Edith) at Kansas City Rep/Arizona Theater Co., Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary Magdalene) at Shreveport Opera, and recently as a guest artist, the role of Anna in The King and I at Theatre Memphis. She also performed the role of Babe Williams (The Pajama Game) at the Goodspeed Opera House, to the approval of its composer, Richard Adler.
Mrs. Cooper resides in Memphis with her husband, Bass Baritone Sean Cooper, and their daughter Hudson.
Paul Corona
Paul Corona, a native of Chicago, was the 2006 Grand Prize Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Paul is currently a member of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In 2007-08 he performed the roles of Dr. Grenvil in La Traviata and Pistol in Falstaff. He also covered the roles the Teller in Dr. Atomic, Bartolo and Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia this past season. Last year he sang Antinoo in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and Somarone in Béatrice et Bénédict with The Chicago Opera Theater. In 2006 Paul sang Osmin in the Chicago Opera Theater's production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the title role in The Mikado with Light Opera Works, and covered two roles with the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singer Program. He was a recipient of a 2006 Sullivan Foundation grant, the Arthur W. Cohen Memorial Award from Opera Index, the Grand Prize Winner of the Monastero Bel Canto Competition, First Place Winner of the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Vocal Competition, the recipient of the Lola Fletcher scholarship from the American Opera Society, a Study Grant Metropolitan Opera National Council, and Lys Symonette Award from the Lotte Lenya Competition. He graduated with his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University in 2006. Paul recently performed the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with the Ryan Opera Center's opera workshop summer production. In the fall of 2009, his Lyric assignments included: The Bonze in Madama Butterfly, Steersman in Tristan und Isolde, Servant in Lulu, and understudied the Count in Manon. He will sing at the Ravinia Festival this summer and return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for two roles in 2010.
Ginger Costa-Jackson
Ginger Costa-Jackson was a Lys Symonette Award Winner in the 2009 Lotte Lenya Competition. A native of Palermo, Italy who grew up in Utah, she is now completing her three-year residency with the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Her roles with the Met include Eine Theatergarderobiere/Der Gymnasiast/Ein Groom (Lulu, James Levine conducting, spring 2010); cover for Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro); Lola (Cavalleria Rusticana); Myrtale (Thaïs); and Rosette (Manon, 2008 Opening Night Gala). She made her San Francisco Symphony debut in 2009 as Celia (Iolanthe). Additionally, she has completed programs with Renata Scotto's Opera Studio in Rome; the Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland, where she performed Dorabella (Così fan tutte); the International Institute of Vocal Arts Program in Chiari, performing Nerone (L'Incoronazione di Poppea); the Utah Festival Opera; VOICExperience at Disney led by Sherrill Milnes; and the Académie d'Aix-en-Provence. Ms. Costa-Jackson is also a prizewinner of the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Loren Zachary Competition, the Opera Index Vocal Competition, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation International Vocal Competition, the Leoncavallo Festival in Montalto Uffugo, and the Giovanni Battista Velluti International Opera Competition. Ms. Costa-Jackson will renew her Lola in a Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona debut in 2011. www.costajackson.com/pages/ginger.html
Margaret Gawrysiak
Margaret Gawrysiak, mezzo-soprano, performed the role of Ann in a recent joint workshop of Nico Muhly's Two Boys with the Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center Theater. Her other favorite engagements include a double bill of Gianni Schicchi and L'enfant et les sortilèges with the Opera Company of Philadelphia were she performed as Zita, Maman, La libellule, and La tasse. With the Seattle Symphony and Maestro Gerard Schwarz she performed Bessie in Kurt Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel. Margaret has appeared with Seattle Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, San Francisco Opera's Merola Program, Eugene Opera, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, Aspen Opera Theatre, the Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. Margaret holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Therapy from Western Illinois University and a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music.
Cooper David Grodin
Cooper Grodin was born and raised on the isle of Manhattan, which means land of many hills. He loves to sing, play piano, compose and play basketball. He has played Danny in Grease, Javert in Les Miz, Mr. Snow in Carousel, Pharaoh in Joseph, and this summer he will play Billy in Carousel with Chicago Light Opera Works. Cooper has sung many a concert with the NY Philharmonic, been in the NY primer of Grendel at City Opera directed by Julie Taymor, and been in Zaide as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival directed by Peter Sellars.
Christopher Herbert
Christopher Herbert, baritone, a performer of opera and musical theater based in New York City, has performed in opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States and the world. Christopher was a finalist in the 2008 Liederkranz Foundation Competition, received an encouragement award from the Sullivan Foundation, and won third prize in the Lotte Lenya Competition. He made his Lincoln Center debut singing Mozart songs with the Christopher Caines Dance Company, and the baritone solos in Carmina Burana with the Collegiate Chorale of New York. Mr. Herbert has also been a Young Concert Artists International semifinalist and a Central City Opera Young Artist. Recent performances include: Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas (with the Mark Morris Dance Group); William Williamson in Bolcom's A Wedding (Music Academy of the West); Sid in Albert Herring and Pluto in Orpheus in the Underworld (Opera Vivente); Sondheim Celebration with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at the Tanglewood Music Center; Curlew River with David Stern and Opéra Rouen at the Japan Society of New York; Njegus in The Merry Widow (Mobile Opera); Gugliemo in Così fan tutte (Bronx Opera); and the Dandy and Barney in The Ballad of Baby Doe (Central City). Christopher received his B.A. in Music from Yale University and his master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. www.christopherdylanherbert.com
Alen Hodzovic
Berlin-based actor/singer Alen Hodzovic, who won First Prize in the 2009 Lotte Lenya Competition, graduated both from the Bavarian Academy of Theatre in Munich and the Royal Academy of Music in London. Following his professional debut in Mozart! at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, he played Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera in Stuttgart, Jack Seward in the European premiere of Frank Wildhorn's Dracula, and Bernhard Spyri in the world premiere of Heidi (by Stephen Keeling and Shaun McKenna) in Switzerland. Regional theatre credits across Europe include West Side Story, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Little Shop of Horrors, Sugar, Sweet Charity, The Last Five Years, and also straight acting parts in plays by Shakespeare, Schiller and Dario Fo. In 2007 he appeared with Sir Elton John in the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium. Alen is putting together a concert of Berlin cabaret songs for the 2011 Kurt Weill Fest in Dessau, Germany. www.alen-hodzovic.com
Morgan James
Morgan is currently in the new Broadway musical The Addams Family (u/s Wednesday and Alice). She starred in The Rock Tenor with Broadway's Rob Evan at the Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia. New York credits include: Soloist in Bernstein's Mass with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center, conducted by Marin Alsop (Grammy nominated cast recording); Godspell and The Addams Family Pre-Broadway Workshops. Regional credits include: Sheila in Hair at Arizona Theatre Company; Pirates!, Paper Mill Playhouse; The Human Comedy, Barrington Stage Co.; Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Co; Micaela in The Tragedy of Carmen, Two River Theater Co. Training: The Juilliard School. www.morganjames.org
Zachary James
Zachary James has studied music and theatre at Florida State University, The University of Tennessee and Ithaca College, and is the founder of NYC's Metropolis Opera Project. He has appeared on Broadway in Coram Boy, the Tony Award winning revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center, and will appear as Lurch in the new Broadway musical, The Addams Family, in 2010. A winner of the 2009 Lotte Lenya Competition, he has sung with Ash Lawn Opera (The Bonze in Madame Butterfly, Buffalo Bill in Annie Get Your Gun), Knoxville Opera (Il Bonzo in Madama Butterfly, Gideon March in Little Women, Joe in The Most Happy Fella), Central City Opera (Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Jacob in The Ballad of Baby Doe, Il Tribuni in L'incoronazione di Poppea), the role of Oberon in the world premiere of Kristin Hevner's Il Sogno in Citta della Pieve, Umbria, and in concert as Colline in La Bohème, Buff in The Impresario, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana. In the theatre world he has performed throughout the United States in roles including Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd, Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing . . . Forum, Rapunzel's Prince in Into The Woods, Joe in The Most Happy Fella, Abner in Li'l Abner, Squash in Victor, Victoria, Petr in The Toymaker, Major General in The Pirates of Penzance and on TV and film as Carl on 30 Rock and Ballion in The Gift. www.ZachJames.com
Lauren Jelencovich
Lauren Jelencovich, soprano, made her mainstage opera debut in 2009 at Tampa Opera as the lead roles of Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica. She made her Off-Broadway debut in Wallace and Allen Shawn's play/opera, The Music Teacher. Lauren won Ed McMahon's Star Search, was a finalist and received a Lys Symonette Award in the 2008 Lotte Lenya Competition, and received Andrea Bocelli's World Scholarship. Lauren has been involved with programs such as Sherrill Milnes' and Disney's "VOICExperience" and the International Vocal Arts Institute performing in Puerto Rico, Montreal, and Tel Aviv with Joan Dornemann. She graduated from The Manhattan School of Music in 2007 and performed in their productions of Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury as Angelina, The Plaintiff, and the American Music Theatre Ensemble. Lauren is a member of AEA and has studied with William Esper at the William Esper Acting Studio. She has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as the MGM Grand and Hard Rock Live in Las Vegas. Lauren has also been featured in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, and TEEN MAGAZINE.
Amy Justman
Amy Justman's performances have spanned the worlds of musical theater, opera, and jazz. She made her Broadway debut in Company, winner of the 2007 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. She can be heard on the Original Revival Cast Recording and seen on the PBS Great Performances DVD, performing the role of Susan as well as playing piano, keyboard and orchestra bells as part of the actor-orchestra. She returned to Broadway in 2008 in White Christmas, playing Tessie and understudying the role of Betty Haynes. Amy's other recent projects include Claire in Ordinary Days (Adirondack Theatre Festival), Music in the Air (City Center Encores!), Bernstein's Mass with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, recording on Naxos), Up Here (Roundabout Theatre reading), and Marisa in Henry's Wife (Center for Contemporary Opera). Other theatrical credits include Mary Turner in Of Thee I Sing (Bard SummerScape Festival), Mrs. Nordstrom/Anne understudy in A Little Night Music (Baltimore's Centerstage), Susan in Company (Cincinnati Playhouse), Martha in The Screams of Kitty Genovese (Theatre at St. Clement's, NYMF), Myths and Hymns (Edinburgh Fringe), Young Heidi in Follies (Maine State Music Theatre), and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls (Forestburgh Playhouse). She has been a soloist with the Ravinia Festival, American Symphony Orchestra (Avery Fisher Hall, Bard Music Festival), the Kurt Weill Fest (Dessau, Germany), Berkshire Bach Society, Orchestra New England, and Natchez Opera Festival. Amy can also be heard on the jazz recordings Songs for Pickles and Hoagy Carmichael: The Stardust Road. She received her BA from Yale University and MM from Manhattan School of Music. www.amyjustman.com
Analisa Leaming
Analisa Leaming was a senior at the Eastman School of Music when she won second prize in the 2007 Lotte Lenya Competition. Upon graduating she was Grace Farrell in the national tour of Annie and Sister Sophia/Maria u/s in the international tour of The Sound of Music. Regional credits include Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Blanche Ingram in Jane Eyre, Elizabeth in Robert and Elizabeth, Princess Maria in Call Me Madam and Maria in The Sound of Music (Ohio Light Opera). Other roles include Lazuli in L'Etoile, Squeaky Fromme in Assassins, Carolina in Il Matrimonio Segreto, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. Analisa is based in New York City where she teaches and is a student of Steven Lutvak.
Erik Liberman
ERIK LIBERMAN has spent the past 15 months touring North America opposite Topol, Harvey Fierstein and Theodore Bikel in Fiddler on the Roof. Prior to that, he received critical acclaim as young Groucho Marx in the Off-Broadway revival of Minnie's Boys, won the 2008 Helen Hayes Award for his performance in Signature Theatre's Merrily We Roll Along, and debuted on Broadway in Harold Prince's LoveMusik. Other stage credits include Off-Broadway's Calamity of Kat Kat and Willie (Best of New York Theatre, 2006), choreography for Obie-winner Mabou Mines Dollhouse, Ovation and Garland awards for Reefer Madness!, The Final Tour with Sally Field and Sundance Cabaret with Carol Burnett. He appears opposite Adam Pascal in the feature film Falling Star (2010), and is the recipient of honors from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, Henry Mancini Institute and Def Comedy Jam. www.erikliberman.org
Rebecca Jo Loeb
Hailed as a "singer to watch" (Opera News) and a "dusky-toned mezzo" (New York Times) Rebecca Jo Loeb is a recent graduate of The Juilliard School. Included in her 2009-10 season are performances as Second Fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the New York City Ballet, her Carnegie Hall debut as the Alto soloist in Bach's Mass in B minor with the Saint Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra, a concert of French art song at Caramoor and Merkin Hall with the New York Festival of Song, performing in a workshop of The Enchanted Island with The Metropolitan Opera, singing the Mezzo Soloist in Mozart's Requiem at Southeastern Louisiana State University, and performing Bolcom's Cabaret Songs at Alice Tully Hall with the Riverside Symphony. This summer she will return to Glimmerglass Opera to perform the role of Beth in The Tender Land and Second Bridesmaid in Le Nozze di Figaro as well as participate in Steve Blier's program The Killer B's. Other roles include: Meg Page in Falstaff, Annina in La Traviata, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Jenny in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Hänsel in Hänsel and Gretel, Paquette in Candide, and Dorothée in Cendrillon. Ms. Loeb has performed with The Boston Pops, The Mark Morris Dance Company, Central City Opera, as fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, and as a Young American Artists at Glimmerglass Opera. Equally at home in musical theater, Rebecca made her Broadway debut in a program entitled Ladies Who Sing Sondheim starring Angela Lansbury, and performed Carrie in Carousel and Petra in A Little Night Music with the Boston Pops. Rebecca has won the Kurt Weill Foundation's Lotte Lenya competition and was a 2009 Career Bridges grant winner.
Timothy J. McDevitt
Baritone Timothy J. McDevitt is enrolled in the Master of Music program at Juilliard, where he received his Bachelor of Music in 2009. Recent operatic credits include Bastien und Bastienne (Colas) in San Jose; Candide (Junkman) and La bohème (Sergente) with the National Symphony Orchestra; Il ritorno d'Ulisse (Secondo Feacio) and A Hand of Bridge (David) with the Wolf Trap Opera Company; and a worldwide broadcast appearance on the Japanese Fuji Television Network. Recent Juilliard Opera credits include Surena in the American premiere of Cavalli's La Doriclea, Roderick and Sam in Hindemith's The Long Christmas Dinner, and Iron Hans (#7) in Susa's Transformations. As a recitalist, Mr. McDevitt has been presented in New York by Alice Tully Hall, the Society of Ethical Culture, and the New York Festival of Song. Upcoming engagements include Thierry in Juilliard's Dialogues of the Carmelites and a 2010 residency with Colorado's Central City Opera.
Michael Anthony McGee
A native of Dallas, Texas, Michael Anthony McGee has trained at some of the most prestigious young artist programs in the nation. He spent the summer of 2006 at the Merola Opera Program at the San Francisco Opera (Alphonse, Donizetti's La Favorite; title role in Borodin's Prince Igor) and 2007 at Santa Fe Opera's Apprentice Singer Program (American premiere, Tan Dun's Tea: A Mirror of Soul; Orest, Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride). From 2006-2008, Mr. McGee was in residence at the Seattle Opera's Young Artist Program (title roles, Verdi's Falstaff and Puccini's Gianni Schicchi) and he spent the summer of 2009 as a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival where he was featured in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg conducted by Maestro James Levine. Recently, Mr. McGee performed the role of Jesus in Bach's St. John Passion with members of the Manhattan School of Music Orchestra as a charity benefit for Classical Action: Performing Arts Against AIDS. Mr. McGee's oratorio repertoire additionally includes the roles of the bass soloist in Bach's Magnificat, Mozart's Vesperae solennes de confessore, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Haydn's Creation and baritone soloist in Fauré's Requiem, which he performed under the direction of JoAnn Falletta for his debut with the Seattle Symphony. In 2008 he was the first American ever to win First Place at the Maria Kraja International Competition for Operatic Singers held in Tirana, Albania. Additional awards include 2nd Place 2008 Opera Index Competition, Winner 2009 Sullivan Foundation Award, 2nd place 2009 Liederkranz Foundation Competition, 1st place 2009 Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, 1st place 2009 Mario Lanza Institute International Competition, and 2009 Encouragement Award from the George London Foundation. Michael Anthony McGee holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. This summer Mr. McGee will be featured in the roles of Geronio in Rossini's Il Turco in Italia and Snug in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream as a Filene Young Artist at the Wolf Trap Opera Company.
Peter McGillivray
Peter McGillivray, a native of Saskatchewan, followed his success at the 2003 Lotte Lenya Competition with wins at the CBC/Radio-Canada Young Performers, Montreal International, and Queen Sonya of Norway singing competitions, as well as Germany's Schumann and Austria's Schubert Lieder competitions. In 2003, he joined the Ensemble Studio of the Canadian Opera Company where he made his professional debut as Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, followed by turns as both Sid and the Vicar (Albert Herring), Schaunard (La bohème), Wagner (Faust), and Dolokhov (War and Peace). He has performed at many international festivals including Ravinia, Aspen, Aldeburgh and notably, Tanglewood, where he played Demetrius in an acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He has appeared with symphony orchestras in Ottawa, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Windsor, Regina, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Liverpool as well as the National Arts Centre, in repertoire ranging from Orff's Carmina Burana to Handel's Messiah. Recent operatic credits include performances with opera companies in Calgary (Carmen and Manon), Victoria (Madama Butterfly) and Hamilton (Die Fledermaus). He is thrilled to be joining the roster of New York's Metropolitan Opera for the 2010-11 season for productions of Puccini's La bohème and Strauss's Capriccio. www.petermcgillivray.com
Michael McKinsey
Michael "Tuba" McKinsey (Baritone) - A native of Battle Ground, WA, and graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, Michael continues to be one of New York City's hardest-working actors. His ongoing project, The Nutty Professor, directed by legendary actor/comedian Jerry Lewis (music and lyrics by Tony Award Winners Marvin Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes) looks to grace a Broadway stage this fall. His NYC, National Touring and Regional credits include: Cameron Mackintosh's Oliver!, The Civil War at Ford's Theatre (Helen Hayes Award Nomination), Lucy Simon's Zhivago (directed by Des McAnuff), Secondhand Lions, For the Glory!, The Dirty Hippie Jam Band Project, The Full Monty, and Yeast Nation (by Tony winners Hollmann and Kotis). Also: Papermill Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Perseverance Theatre, Gateway Theatre, and many others. In 2008, Michael was honored to sing for the President and First Lady in a Gala event at the National Theatre and the White House. Other performers/speakers included Maya Angelou, Hal Holbrook, Clay Aiken, Trisha Yearwood, and Larry Gatlin. Many thanks to Dr. Kim Kowalke and the Weill Foundation for their continued support and development of the Lotte Lenya Competition.
Lucas Meachem
In the 2009-10 season Lucas Meachem returns to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Valentin in Faust, followed by performances of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Los Angeles Opera and Colorado Opera. Later this season, Mr. Meachem will make his debut with the Opéra National de Paris in the title role of Britten's Billy Budd, as well as Fritz/Frank in Korngold's Die tote Stadt with the Teatro Real de Madrid. Upcoming engagements include returns to the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Teatro Real de Madrid and a debut with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. In the previous few seasons, Lucas Meachem performed Fritz/Frank in Korngold's Die tote Stadt at San Francisco Opera. Mr. Meachem also debuted with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, scheduled for commercial DVD release next season. In addition, he appeared as Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with the Bayerische Staatsoper, Valentin in Faust with Minnesota Opera, and the title role in Don Giovanni for the first time with the Santa Fe Opera and New Orleans Opera. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the role of General Rayevsky in Prokofiev's War and Peace, performed the role of Zurga in Les Pêcheurs de Perles at the Florida Grand Opera, and appeared as Valentin in Faust at New Orleans Opera. Mr. Meachem was an Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera and has appeared with the company in the title role of Eugene Onegin and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. www.lucasmeachem.com
Jonathan G. Michie
Praised as "suavely elegant" and "possessing a lustrous, unforced tone and equally easy stage presence," American baritone Jonathan G. Michie is pursuing a versatile performing career. Upcoming engagements include an Apprenticeship with The Santa Fe Opera and a second season as a resident artist with the Florida Grand Opera, singing roles in Turandot, Les Contes d'Hoffman, Don Giovanni, and Cyrano. Highlights of Michie's recent work include three productions with the Florida Grand Opera, Bach's solo cantata Ich habe Genug at Alice Tully Hall, Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel at the Ravinia Festival, and his Off-Broadway debut in Music in the Air with City Center Encores!. Other credits include the Ravinia Festival's Steans Institute, the Lake George Opera festival, the Chautauqua Opera, and the Ohio Light Opera. He has been featured in concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Spoleto Festival USA, and with orchestras throughout North America. Michie is the youngest first prize winner in the history of the Lotte Lenya Competition. He has received awards from the Licia Albanese/Puccini Foundation, the Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges, the Palm Beach Opera Competition, the Charles A. Lynam Competition, the National Orpheus Competition, the Lotte Lehmann Foundation, and the Liederkranz Foundation. He holds a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and is a proud member of Actors' Equity. www.jonathanmichie.com.
Justin Miller
A native of Battle Creek, Michigan, Mr. Miller began his career as a Musical Theater major at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. While there, he studied voice with acclaimed soprano Shirley Verrett. Since then, Mr. Miller has sung both musicals and opera and can be heard on the new Decca recording of Porgy and Bess with the Nashville Symphony. He appeared in the national tours of Kiss Me, Kate and Strike Up the Band, and has performed in various productions of Porgy and Bess around the world. Mr. Miller is currently performing in the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera directed by Harold Prince. www.justinleemiller.com
Ariela Morgenstern
An accomplished singing actor, Ariela Morgenstern has gained recognition in theater, cabaret and opera productions in North America and Europe. Since moving to New York, she was honored to receive second place in the 2008 Lotte Lenya Competition and to perform in the award-winning Off-Broadway musical Adding Machine. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in the premiere of Imant Raminsh's Symphony of Psalms. Regional theater credits include Light in the Piazza (Franca) with Arena Stage; Man of La Mancha (Aldonza) with Flat Rock Playhouse; The Threepenny Opera (Jenny) with West Bay Opera; Sweeney Todd (Beggar Woman), Hairspray (Velma Von Tussle), Curtains (Georgia Hendricks), and Blithe Spirit (Elvira) with Weathervane Theatre; and the title role in Carmen with the San Francisco Lyric Opera. She is also currently serving as a producing artist with the cutting-edge downtown New York theater company, Studio 42. arielamorgenstern.com
Edward Mout
Edward Mout, tenor, is an alumnus of the prestigious Lyric Opera of Chicago's Ryan Opera Center. In his first year with the Ryan Opera Center, Edward was seen in the Lyric Opera of Chicago productions of La bohème and La Traviata and stepped in as Count Almaviva for one performance of Il barbiere di Siviglia. For the 2008-09 season, he was seen in Manon, performed Shepherd in Tristan und Isolde, and played Beppe in student matinees of I Pagliacci. Edward was engaged as a Resident Artist with the Minnesota Opera from 2005-2007, and has also been an apprentice artist with various summer opera festivals. In 2010, Edward will be seen as Orpheus in Orpheus in the Underworld with Central City Opera.
Yannick-Muriel Noah
Fresh from her resounding success as Madama Butterfly with the Canadian Opera Company, Ensemble Studio graduate soprano Yannick-Muriel Noah will sing her first Aida in Klagenfurt in 2010, where she made a stellar Austrian debut as La Wally. With the COC, selected credits include the title role in Tosca, Mona in Swoon, and the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute school tour. She premiered the title role of the new opera Sante in the UK at the Aldeburgh Summer Music Festival. In 2007, Ms. Noah competed in the prestigious Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition, where she won various prizes including the 2nd Prize Opera, the 3rd Prize Operetta, the Audience Prize and the Teatro alla Scala Prize. At the Marmande International Singing Competition, she won the OpÈra Grand Prix, the 2nd Prize Operetta, and the Audience Prize. She was awarded the Theodor Uppman Award by the William Matheus Sullivan Foundation and won the First Prize at the 8th Brian Law Opera Scholarship Competition. This year, Ms. Noah is the recipient of the top Canadian award from the George London Foundation Awards Competition, the Lys Symonette Award from the Lotte Lenya Competition, the 1st Prize Advanced Division from the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition as well as their first-ever Audience Favourite Award. At the 2009 Concours Musical International de Montréal, she won the 2nd Prize as well as the COVC Jean A. Chalmers Award for Best Canadian Artist. A native of Madagascar, Ms. Noah holds a Bachelor of Architectural Studies with a Minor in Italian from Carleton University. www.yannickmurielnoah.com
Elizabeth Reiter
Originally from Chicago, soprano Elizabeth Reiter is currently pursuing graduate studies in opera at The Curtis Institute of Music under the tutelage of Marlena Malas, where her credits include the title role in La Sonnambula, Corinna (Il viaggio a Reims), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni). Upcoming engagements include her debut with Opera Company of Philadelphia as Amor (Orphée et Eurydice), her return to the Chautauqua Institution as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), her role debut as Blondchen (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) with the Teatro Comunale di Treviso, the title role in The Cunning Little Vixen with Curtis Opera Theatre at the Kimmel Center, and Aphrodite in Hans Werner Henze's Phaedra with Opera Company of Philadelphia. Past credits include Zerlina in Don Giovanni with James Levine conducting (Tanglewood Music Center), Adèle in Jane Eyre (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Sir Colin Graham directing) Flora in The Turn of the Screw (Chicago Opera Theater, Aspen Opera Theater Center), Belinda in Dido and Aeneas (Manhattan School of Music), Despina in Così fan tutte and Damigella in L'Incoronazione di Poppea (Chautauqua Institution), and Young Maria Celeste in the World Premiere of Philip Glass and Mary Zimmerman's Galileo Galilei (Londonís Barbican Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Chicagoís Goodman Theatre). www.ElizabethReiter.com
James Benjamin Rodgers
Winner of the Joy in Singing Competition (2008), and the Lotte Lenya Competition (2007), New Zealand tenor James Benjamin Rodgers has performed at the Kauffman Center, Lincoln Center, Riverside Church, Joe's Pub, The Ravinia Festival, Carnegie Hall, The Schwabacher Recital Series, New Music New Haven, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, The Japan Society of New York, Southern Opera, Southern Sinfonia and San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program.
James' roles include: Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte; Monteverdi's L'Orfeo; Pluto in Offenbach's Orpheus and the Underworld; Sam in Kurt Weill's Street Scene; Britten's Albert Herring; Marco Polo in Cerrone's Invisible Cities; Billy in Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel; Nadir in Bizet's Pearl Fishers; The Baker in Sondheim's Into the Woods.
Awards and honors include: Joy in Singing Competition, Lotte Lenya Competition, The Napier Computer Systems Aria, the PACANZ Award and the Wellington Newspapers Ltd. Aria. The Wellington Rotary Scholarship, Marie D'Albini Scholarship, Sir Henry Cooper Memorial Scholarship in Music, a grant from the Lankhuyzen/Whetu Kairangi Masonic Trust, a grant from the Malvina Major Foundation, Les & Sonia Andrews Cultural Foundation Scholarship, The Moyra Todd Scholarship, Orvis Foundation Scholarship, Janet D. Schenck Award.
Brian Charles Rooney is a tenor-based sopranist with an extraordinary vocal range of almost four octaves. He made his Broadway debut in the 2006 revival of The Threepenny Opera, in the role of Lucy Brown, and recently played the role of Candy Darling in Pop! at the Yale Rep. Other theatre credits include Camelot (New York Philharmonic, seen on PBS); Tony in West Side Story (international tour); The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (North American tour); Dionne Salon in Bedbugs!!! (New York Musical Theatre Festival); Piers Gaveston in Edward the King (The Barrow Group); Homer in Floyd Collins (Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre); Younger Brother in Ragtime (White Plains Performing Arts Center); the title role in Batboy! The Musical; The Bully (Vital Theater Company); The Taxi Cabaret (Prospect Theatre Company); Becoming Tennessee (Eugene O'Neill Theater Center); and productions at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Pittsburgh CLO, Paper Mill Playhouse, American Conservatory Theater, and Berkshire Theatre Festival, among others. He received his BA from Duke University and certificate in acting from American Conservatory Theater. He was awarded the Lys Symonette Award for Outstanding Dramatic Excellence in the 2007 Lotte Lenya Competition. www.briancharlesrooney.com
Rodell Rosel
Grammy-nominated tenor Rodell Rosel recently made a successful Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2009-10 season as Valzacchi in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, and later as Nathanaël in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann, both broadcast live in HD in theaters nationwide, under the batons of Edo de Waart and James Levine, respectively. Among his most notable roles are Goro in Madama Butterfly, Prince/Manservant/Marquis in Lulu, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Ong Chi Seng in the world premiere of Moravec's The Letter. He has sung with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Florentine Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera Company (whose recording of John Musto's Volpone was nominated for Best Opera Recording in the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards). Mr. Rosel was a Grand Prize Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and has received top awards from the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, the Lotte Lenya Competition, and the People's Choice Award from the Jose Iturbi International Music Competition. He is the recipient of scholarships from, among others, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), and the Opera Buffs Career Achievement Award. www.rodellrosel.com
Kyle Scatliffe
Kyle Scatliffe, baritone, was born in Washington, D.C., and now resides in Westwood, N.J. He majored in theatre at Bergen County Community College prior to entering the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City, from which he graduated in March 2010. Last semester, Kyle was top musical theatre performer at AMDA in final demonstrations. Under the guidance of his voice teacher, Jacklyn Schneider, DMA, he entered the National Association of Teachers of Singing NYC Chapter competition in November 2009, winning first place in his musical theatre division. In his upcoming first professional engagement, Kyle will sing Mereb in Elton John's AIDA at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Hilton Head, in April-May 2010.
Hallie Silverston
Hallie Silverston is currently a "Wessonnette" (back-up singer) for Florence Henderson in her touring show All the Lives of Me. Most recent projects include performing with Maureen McGovern and Ann Hampton Callaway in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's Yuletide Celebration, covering the role of Johanna in Sweeney Todd at the Geva Theatre Center, and performing in staged readings of the new musical-opera Animal Tales with Ardea Arts and the Family Opera Initiative in NYC. She can be heard with Gavin Creel, Carolee Carmello, Lauren Kennedy, and Kevin Earley on the demo recording of the new show One For My Baby. Other roles include Julie Jordan (Carousel), Magnolia (Showboat), Anne Egerman (A Little Night Music), Adina (L'elisir d'amore), Sandrina (La Finta Giardiniera), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), and the Shepherd Boy (Tosca). She has performed with companies including the Indianapolis Opera and Mercury Opera Rochester, has participated in the Indianapolis Opera Young Artist Program, the Bay View Music Festival, and the Songfest Art Song Program, and has been featured in concert with the Kurt Weill Foundation at Lincoln Center, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the Bay View Symphony Orchestra. Hallie is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Oregon, and she currently resides in New York City.
Maija Skille
Norwegian-Finnish mezzo-soprano Maija Skille graduated in December 2009 with the highest honors from the opera education at The Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. She is a student of the acknowledged Finnish voice teacher Marjut Hannula. Previously, she studied at Trondheim Music Conservatory, NTNU, and Barratt Due Music Institute in Oslo, Norway. In 2009 she won the 1st Prize in the prestigious Finnish Merikanto Singing Competition and in 2008 she was awarded the 3rd Prize in the Lotte Lenya Competition in New York. Her credits include operatic roles such as Polinesso in Handel's Ariodante, Zita in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, 3rd Lady in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Fidalma in Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto, and Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. She has also become a popular oratorio soloist, in such works as Handel's Messiah, Bach's Christmas Oratorio and St. Matthew's Passion and Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle. Maija Skille has received numerous scholarships from both Norway and Finland--most recently from Skipsreder Tom Wilhelmsen's Foundation, Selim Eskelin's Foundation, The Pro Musica Foundation in Finland and Nord-Trøndelag County Council's Young Artists' scholarship (Norway). www.maijaskille.com
Noah Stewart
Tenor Noah Stewart's recent performances include Don José in La Tragédie de Carmen (Chicago Opera Theater), Mozart's Requiem at Carnegie Hall with John Rutter, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas (The Yard Festival on Martha's Vineyard), Tonio in the world premiere of Louis Gioia's I tre compagni (Encompass New Opera Theater), and The Prince in A Flowering Tree (Chicago Opera Theater, conducted by the composer, John Adams). Stewart made his San Francisco Opera debut as Major-domo in Der Rosenkavalier, and returned in the 2007-2008 season as Macduff in Macbeth, the Philistine Messenger in Samson and Delilah, and T. Morris Chester in the world premiere of Philip Glass' Appomattox. Stewart participated in the 2006 Merola Opera Program, where he appeared as the Wizard in Conrad Susa's Transformations, a role he later reprised at Wexford Festival Opera. The following season, he participated in the prestigious San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship Program. Other credits include Ismaele in Nabucco (Michigan Opera Theatre), Narraboth in Salome (Arizona Opera), Rodolfo in La bohème (Opera Carolina; Juilliard Opera Theater), Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas (Juilliard Opera Theater), Don José in Carmen (Mondavi Center with UC Davis Symphony Orchestra), Luigi in Il tabarro and Idamante in Idomeneo (Vertical Players' Repertory), Manrico in Il Trovatore (One World Symphony and with Festival Opera), and Nemorino in The Elixir of Love (Martina Arroyo Foundation). Stewart won a 2008 Encouragement Award from the Sullivan Foundation, 1st place in the 2008 Mario Lanza vocal competition, second prize in the Leontyne Price Competition and the George London Competition, and received the Marian Anderson Encouragement Award, an Opera Index Award, a Licia AlbaneseñPuccini Foundation Study Grant, and first prize in the Florida Grand Opera Competition. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School and the Academy of Vocal Arts.
Misty Ann Sturm
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Misty Ann Sturm moved to New York to attend the Eastman School of Music where she earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in vocal performance. During her time in Rochester, Mrs. Sturm performed in many productions with Eastman Opera Theatre, including the roles of Clara in Passion, Miles in The Turn of the Screw, Cissie Woodger in Albert Herring and Laura in The Goblin Market. A specialist in the music of Kurt Weill, Mrs. Sturm sang the soubrette role in Mahagonny Songspiel at the Kurt Weill Festival in 1998. After winning first place in the Lotte Lenya Competition, Mrs. Sturm presented recitals of Kurt Weill's music in Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center on several occasions. Equally proficient in oratorio, Mrs. Sturm has sung the St. Matthew and St. John Passions, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass and the Haydn Harmonie Messe, Bach's Cantata 140, "Wachet auf," Mozart's Mass in C Minor and Requiem. Mrs. Sturm has performed the role of Lily in The Secret Garden at the Fulton Opera House and with the Atlanta Lyric Theatre. Mrs. Sturm sang the premiere of the Baseball Music Project, performing it with the Seattle and Houston Symphonies. Her voice can also be heard on several TV and radio commercials. www.mistyannsturm.com
Karim Sulayman
Karim Sulayman is consistently praised by audiences and critics for his sensitive musicality, vivid portrayals, and unique vocalism. With a vast repertoire that spans baroque to contemporary music, he enjoys a busy calendar in opera and concert performances throughout the world. This season includes his debut with Opera Lafayette at the Kennedy Center in Charpentier's Les arts florissants and Le mariage forcé. He reprises his celebrated interpretation of Candide with the Boise Philharmonic and returns to the Mansfield Symphony for Mozart's Mass in C minor. He later returns to the Kennedy Center for Philidor's Sancho Pança as Lope Tocho and Le Fermier, which will be followed by the premiere recording of the work on Naxos. He will be in residence at Marlboro Music in the summer of 2010, and in future seasons he debuts with Boston Lyric Opera and returns to Opera Lafayette for performances at Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center, as well as further recordings for Naxos. Recent engagements include New York City Opera, Carnegie Hall, the Casals Festival, Music of the Baroque, Chicago Opera Theater and the Aldeburgh Festival. He has worked with such renowned conductors as Yves Abel, Harry Bicket, Jane Glover, and Helmuth Rilling. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Rice University. www.karimsulayman.com
Amy Van Looy
Amy Van Looy, soprano, received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music, and also studied at the Academy of Vocal Arts and Northwestern University. She has won numerous awards from companies all over the United States, including the Metropolitan Opera Guild, Houston Grand Opera, Portland Opera, Mobile Opera, Opera Birmingham, Connecticut Opera, Shreveport Opera, the Shoshana Foundation, and the Kurt Weill Foundation. She has appeared with Opera Carolina, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Omaha, Sarasota Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Concert Operetta Theater, Ohio Light Opera and The Children's Theatre of Charlotte, to name a few. Past credits include La Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Marguerite in Faust, Maritza in Countess Maritza, First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Mimi in La bohème, Anne Sexton in Transformations, and The Governess in The Turn of the Screw. Ms. Van Looy currently resides in Charlotte, NC.
Siri Vik
Soon after graduating from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 2003 winner Siri Vik landed in her hometown of Eugene, Oregon, and started a family. Siri is mom to two youngsters and is on the Voice faculty at Lane Community College in Eugene. She continues to perform the works of Kurt Weill with some frequency in Eugene and the Northwest region. In May 2009 she presented an evening of Weill and Brecht songs, In the Measuring of Love, at the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, and will perform selected works of Jacques Brel and other French songsters in the fall of 2010 at the same venue. In duet with pianist Nathalie Fortin as Moon Shines Red, Siri will reprise a Kurt Weill program at the Shedd and in Boise, Idaho, in 2011. With the Oregon Festival of American Music, Siri has appeared as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, as Morgan Le Fay in A Connecticut Yankee, and is slated to appear as Vera Simpson in a concert production of Pal Joey in June 2011. Also coming up in 2010-11, Siri will appear in a Shedd Institute revue of contemporary musical theater and will sing the American premier of the songs of Czech composer Petr Eben.
Ethan Watermeier
Baritone Ethan Watermeier most recently performed the lead role of Darby in The New Old American Company's highly praised and historic revival of The Poor Soldier, a colonial comic opera by William Shield and John O'Keefe. Last year, he sang Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Maryland Opera Studio, and performed Ralph and covered Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me, Kate at Glimmerglass Opera. Favorite operatic and musical theater credits include: Javert and Factory Foreman/Combeferre (Les Misérables), Broadway National Tour; The Geographer/Hunter/Baobab (The Little Prince, World Premiere), Houston Grand Opera; Baron Douphol (La Traviata), Santa Fe Opera; Masetto (Don Giovanni), Théâtre Municipal, Castres, France; Lead Soloist (Bright-Eyed Joy with composer Ricky Ian Gordon), Hawaii Performing Arts Festival; Billy Bigelow (Carousel); Joe Harland (Later the Same Evening, an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper), World Premiere, Maryland Opera Studio; Ralph Follet (NY Premiere, A Death in the Family); Tarquinius (The Rape of Lucretia). Awards include: Winner, 2002 Lotte Lenya Competition; Winner, 2002 Anna-Case Mackay Grant. Ethan is a graduate of Northwestern University (BM), the Manhattan School of Music (MM), and is currently a DMA pre-candidate at the University of Maryland. He is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association, Children International, and Greenpeace.
Dirk Weiler
German-born singer/actor Dirk Weiler holds a degree in Musical Theatre from Folkwang University, Germany. From 1998 to 2008 he lived in New York, studied at Manhattan School of Music, City College and Brooklyn College (Masters of Music). He won second prize in the 1999 Lotte Lenya Competition and, as a founding member of the Kabarett Kollektif, the 2006 Nightlife Award for Unique Cabaret Performance. He has worked in dance theatre, opera, theatre, and musical theatre. Credits include Macheath in The Threepenny Opera, appearances in Johnny Johnson, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, Danilo in The Merry Widow, Schaunard in La bohème, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Dutch in The True Last Words of Dutch Schultz, and Dr. Siedler in The White Horse. He has taught tap dance internationally and in New York (Alvin Ailey, Steps on Broadway, Bridge for Dance, Folkwang University, Musikhochschule Leipzig) and has coached and choreographed for Hampstead Theatre in London. As a coach for song interpretation and a director he has worked at Meredith College, Brooklyn, Rutgers University, and the Folkwang University. He is currently playing in the German production of WICKED (Frex, cover Dr. Dillamond, cover Wizard). www.dirkweiler.com
Justin Welsh
From British Columbia, baritone Justin Welsh is a former member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio. He was featured as Ari in the world premiere of the Ensemble production of Swoon and took the role of Fiorello in the mainstage production of Rossini's Il barbiere de Siviglia, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya. He has been seen as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte in the Andrew Porter production for the COC Ensemble and covered the roles of Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and Wagner in Gounod's Faust. In 2009-2010, he is featured by the Canadian Opera Company in Carmen (le Dancaire), Otello (Herald), and Madame Butterfly (Yakuside), and will sing Riccardo in I puritani for Opera in Concert and Messiah for the Mississauga Choral Society. Last season he was heard in Roberto Devereux for Opera in Concert, as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte for the COC Ensemble production, Fauré's Requiem with Choeur St. Laurent, Matthäus Passion with the Guelph Chamber Choir, Beethoven's Mass in C and Bach's Magnificat with the Regina Philharmonic Chorus, "Opera Briefs" with Tapestry New Opera Works and with the Ottawa Choral Society. Justin Welsh's awards include First Place in the Lotte Lenya Competition and an encouragement award from the Louis and Cristina Quilico Competition, as well as placing in the Metropolitan Regional Finals in Seattle. He holds a Master's of Music from the University of British Columbia and has also participated in young artist programmes in the Czech Republic and Germany, with Pacific Opera Victoria, and Opera Nuova where he sang the role of Sid in Albert Herring. At the C.O.S.I. programme in Sulmona, Italy, he was featured as the philandering Spanish count in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro.
Bray Wilkins
A native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Bray Wilkins received his degree from the University of Idaho. He is currently a Seattle Opera Young Artist, where he has sung Ferrando in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Lysander in Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream, and Lensky in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Wilkins recently sang the role of Charlie in Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel at the Ravinia Festival. His operatic roles include Mr. Clayton in Stephen Schwartz's Séance on a Wet Afternoon, Luigi in Bolcom's Wedding, Basilio in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Rinuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, Marco Palmieri in Sullivan's Gondoliers, and Frederic in Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance.
Lauren Worsham
Lauren Worsham has appeared in New York as Cunegonde in New York City Opera's Candide and in Jerry Springer the Opera (Ensemble) at Carnegie Hall. She also performed the role of Olive in the first National tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Lauren has participated in workshops and readings of Picnic at Hanging Rock (Daniel Zaitchik) at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Mermaid in a Jar (Royce Vavrek/Rachel Peters), and The Chemist's Wife (Julianne Wick-Davis/Rachel Jett/Will Aronson) at Tisch, Le Fou (Bekah Brunstetter/Julia Meinwald/Robert Shapiro) at New Georges and Mirror, Mirror (Sarah Treem) at Playwrights Horizons. Her regional theater credits include Into the Woods (Cinderella) directed by Moises Kaufman at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Master Class (Sophie) at Paper Mill Playhouse, The Light in the Piazza (Clara) at Weston Playhouse, and The Fantasticks (Luisa) at Emelin Theatre. Lauren is the 2009 2nd-place award winner of the Kurt Weill Foundation's Lotte Lenya Competition. She is also the co-founder and executive director of the downtown opera company, The Coterie. Lauren graduated cum laude from Yale University, with a B.A. in Spanish Literature. www.laurenworsham.com
