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Presenter: Steven Gross

Steven has worked on Broadway and the West End as a music director, conductor, pianist, sub and vacation conductor on such shows as The Life, Urinetown, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Chicago, Miss Saigon, The Wedding Singer, Saturday Night Fever and Dreamgirls and on the New York City Opera productions of A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, The Most Happy Fella and Candide. He has worked Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons and the Algonquin Theater and is a Lortel Award nominee for Best Musical for his adaption of The Pirates of Penzance at the South Street Seaport. His regional theater work includes music direction in St. Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Miami, Philadelphia and Chicago. He has conducted the European premieres of The Life, Urinetown, Falsettos, Beehive, Forever Plaid, Closer Than Ever, Flora the Red Menace and other works. He also works extensively as a classical conductor and has appeared with many national and international opera companies, symphony orchestras and festivals.

Join members of the casting team from Royal Caribbean Productions as they discuss the in’s and out’s of auditioning for the commercial theater.  With over 135 production shows aboard 26 ships (including 7 Broadway-style musicals), Royal Caribbean Productions has become the standard bearer for entertainment-at-sea.  You are invited to listen in to a frank and open conversation about the challenges and opportunities of auditioning, insights into Royal Caribbean’s specific casting needs and wants, as well as one-on-one coaching with masterclass participants on their audition material.

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PRESENTERS:

Ryan Saab, Sr. Manager, Casting Operations

Ryan Saab is the Head of Casting for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and leads all operational responsibilities and strategy for the recruitment of over 1200 performers annually.  He has consulted as a producer, operations and casting strategist for brands such as NBC’s The Voice, Cirque Du Soleil, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Hollywood, Sea World, Six Flags, MTV’s Americas Best Dance Crew, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, FOX’s The Glee Project as well as numerous theatre productions and national ad campaigns.

Ryan has taken his extensive knowledge of theatre entertainment and used it to create resources aimed at guiding and shaping the careers of both professional and pre-professional singers and dancers nationwide. He is the founder of the widely respected, New York City based workshop and audition resource company, Stage Door Connections. SDC houses 1,000’s of audition listings monthly and offers audition technique and career building workshops and seminars with everyone from Broadway, film and commercial directors and choreographers to acclaimed musical directors and dance companies.

Greg Brown, Lead, Talent Casting

Greg Brown is an in-demand music director, arranger, orchestrator, vocal coach, concert and collaborative pianist, as well as teaching artist and professor. His body of work includes The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Broadway, Chicago), Monty Python’s Spamalot (1stNational Tour),The Boy Friend directed by Julie Andrews (International tour), Manhattan Theatre Club, The Atlantic Theater, Theatreworks USA, New York Musical Theatre Festival, National Alliance For Musical Theatre Festival of New Musicals, North Shore Music Theater, Two River Theater, CAP 21, Weston Playhouse, The Music Theatre Company, The Adrienne Arsht Center, Capitol Repertory Theater, and Goodspeed Musicals, among others. He has played nearly 60 touring Broadway productions, including Wicked, Evita, Kinky Boots, Beautiful, Book Of Mormon, and many others.

Brown has served on faculty of the Theatre Arts Department at the University of Miami for the past decade, where he has helped to shepherd in new and developing works. He was the vocal coach for Miami City Ballet’s West Side Story Suite. His arrangement and concert work includes recent collaborations with Lea Salonga, Tommy Tune, Stephen Schwartz, and Il Divo. In addition to his work with the Royal Caribbean Productions’ casting team, Brown has been a frequent vocal director for RCP’s varied slate of productions.

Addressing all aspects of diction as they relate to overall vocal technique.  Optimal pronunciation and articulation, vowel tuning, consonant efficiency, word stress and dramatic intent.

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Presenter: Lori McCann

As Head of the Vocal Performance Program of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, Dr. Lori McCann teaches performance courses and Applied Voice to BM, MM and AD Classical students, and BFA Musical Theater students. She is a lyric soprano and has performed widely in Europe and the US. Dr. McCann gives master classes and presentations internationally in her areas of scholarship: Lyric Diction and Developmental Pedagogy, and is very active in leadership of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) on the local, regional and national levels.

Learn about new best practices and proven strategies. Join Opera Career Coach Zenaida des Aubris in this one-hour lecture with many actionable tips.

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Presenter: Zenaida des Aubris

Zenaida des Aubris has 35+ years experience as an agent, personal manager and producer. She has worked in opera houses such as San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Spain, Hangzhou Grand Theatre, China. Currently living in Berlin, Germany, she now concentrates on giving young opera singers the tools and strategies that will enable them to launch their career at home and abroad.

operacareercoach.com.

Presenter: Nicole Cabell

Nicole Cabell, 2005 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, is known for her interpretation of Violetta (La Traviata), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Micaela (Carmen) and Mimi (La Bohème). She has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Gran Teatre de Liceu among others. Recordings include Soprano, an opera recital disc debut for Decca; Silver Rain, songs of Ricky Ian Gordon; and Chanson D’Avril, an album of French mélodie on Delos.

Nicole was featured on the cover of Classical Singer magazine in May 2017. Read her story here.

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Transformative Coach and Former Metropolitan Opera Baritone Nicholas Pallesen will explore what it is inside us that makes thriving in uncertainty more or less challenging and how to navigate life with more ease and joy, regardless of our circumstances. Bring your questions for an opportunity to be coached by Nicholas!

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Presenter: Nicholas Pallesen

For over 15 years, Transformative Coach Nicholas Pallesen has been known as the “Coach for the Soul” for his ability to help clients create changes and results that looked impossible to them before. A Juilliard-trained, former Metropolitan Opera baritone himself, Nicholas helps performers thrive both onstage and off. In addition to his individual clients, he regularly presents workshops on mental wellness for performers and performance psychology at universities and YAP’s around the US. To learn more, visit www.nicholaspallesen.com.

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Presenter: Ivy Walz

Dr. Ivy Walz joined the voice faculty at Ithaca College School of Music in 2011. For Ivy, teaching and performing have always gone hand in hand. As an experienced pedagogue, she believes in student learning centered teaching that is based in voice science and vitalized by integrative pedagogies as well as her commitment to lifelong learning. Ivy believes that diverse and inclusive learning environments are essential, and she is committed to creating and contributing to safe and welcoming spaces for all individuals.  Mezzo soprano Ivy Walz is an active performer and has been awarded numerous roles, solo performances and featured artist positions with opera companies, orchestras and chamber music groups nationally and internationally. She was a finalist for the American Prize in Art Song in 2019. For more information please visit www.ivywalz.com. She has been a guest clinician for Higher Voice Studio, TCO Teens, College Audition Advantage, Affiliated Choruses of Ithaca, Denver Art Song Project High School Competition, University of South Carolina and other schools, colleges and universities. Graduates of her studio have gone on to attend excellent graduate programs and have emerged as vocal arts innovators, educators and performers. She holds the DMA from the College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati and MM and BM in performance and education from Ithaca College School of Music.

Baritone Dr. Mitchell Hutchings, Florida Atlantic University

Baritone Dr. Mitchell Hutchings has performed throughout the USA and abroad. He holds a doctorate in vocal performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music and was a participant in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program. His students have won prizes in classical voice at the district, regional, and national levels of the National Association of Teachers of Singing student auditions and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Voice at Florida Atlantic University. www.mitchellhutchings.com

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Presenter: Katherine Jolly

Soprano Katherine Jolly focuses on physical and mental wellness in her teaching, using yoga, dance, and mindfulness exercises to support solid vocal technique. She is a winner of the 2006 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finals, and has performed leading roles with New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Opera Theatre Saint Louis, among others. Jolly was previously on faculty at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and joined the faculty at Oberlin Conservatory in 2019.

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Work one-on-one with Broadway and West End music director, conductor, and pianist Steven Gross.

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Presenter: Steven Gross

Steven has worked on such shows as The Life, Urinetown, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Chicago, Miss Saigon, The Wedding Singer, Saturday Night Fever and Dreamgirls and on the New York City Opera productions of A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, The Most Happy Fella and Candide. He has worked Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons and the Algonquin Theater and is a Lortel Award nominee for Best Musical for his adaption of The Pirates of Penzance at the South Street Seaport. His regional theater work includes music direction in St. Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Miami, Philadelphia and Chicago. He has conducted the European premieres of The Life, Urinetown, Falsettos, Beehive, Forever Plaid, Closer Than Ever, Flora the Red Menace and other works. He also works extensively as a classical conductor and has appeared with many national and international opera companies, symphony orchestras and festivals.

Robert will work with university and young artist level singers as they prepare for YAP auditions.

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Presenter: Robert Ainsley

Active as an opera fanatic and factotum since 2001, Rob Ainsley has explored every facet of the art form across the country, and lives to pass on his enthusiasm to others. He is an alumnus of the University of Cambridge, Mannes College of Music, and the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera.

He is now the Director of the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program and the American Opera Initiative, seeking out and grooming the finest young American singers, composers, and librettists for international careers. Robert has inspired hundreds of young artists and thousands of audience members to share his passion, and prides himself on the friendships he has formed along the way.

Butler University Professors Dr. Dana Zenobi and Dr. Oliver Worthington work together to help students realize growth through breath focussed technical training and text-based storytelling resulting in powerful performances.

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Presenter: Oliver Worthington

Oliver Worthington, baritone, has received international, regional and local acclaim for performances in a variety of musical and theatrical performances. In his brief time in Indianapolis, he has performed with the Indianapolis Opera, The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, and several ensembles at Butler University where he teaches. A champion of living composers, he frequently premieres new works on recitals in addition to the standard repertoire. Dr. Worthington is the Vocal Area Coordinator and the Director of Butler Opera Theater at Butler University in Indianapolis. His directing credits include musicals and operas from old favorites to world-premieres in venues throughout the United States. He balances his teaching and performing with philanthropy and serves as president of the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation.

Presenter: Dana Zenobi

Dana Zenobi, soprano, has earned national recognition as an interpreter of Art Song by women composers, and has garnered success in operatic roles ranging from Mozart to Verdi. At Butler University, she teaches Vocal Pedagogy, Vocal Diction, Opera Literature, and Art Song Literature. Zenobi has presented lectures and lecture recitals at numerous conferences and festivals including Texoma NATS, the Music By Women Festival, and the Associated Colleges of the South Gender Studies Conference.

Using the science of first and second formants along with the sensation of “forward vowel production” we will investigate how to find each singer’s optimum vowel placement.  Singing through pieces only on vowels and using a variety of unconventional ways. Come go on a vowel voyage with us.

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Presenter: Carol Mastrodomenico

Carol Mastrodomenico maintains an active schedule as a recitalist and guest soloist with choruses, orchestras and other ensembles and well cabaret and musical theater. She has a great love for Spanish repertoire, and particularly Argentinean songs.  She is on the faculties of Longy School of Music of Bard College, Tufts University, and the Dramatic Voices Program Berlin, teaching voice and vocal pedagogy and directs opera ensembles at both institutions.  She recently produced and directed Thomas Stumpf’s adaption of Oscar Wilde’s Nightingale and the Rose and The Happy Prince.  She recently was co-presenter of an online course “The Whole Instrument” at Opera Progams Berlin.

Presenter: Karyl Ryczek

Karyl Ryczek, soprano, has enjoyed a varied and rich performance career on the opera, oratorio and concert stages. Her singing has been described as intelligent, dramatically informed and in possession of opulent tone. A frequent soloist with the Cantata Singers, Ms. Ryczek has also appeared with Boston Baroque, the Monadnock Music Festival, Boston Musica Viva, Warebrook Festival in addition to numerous orchestral engagements. Ms. Ryczek made her Symphony Hall debut with the Cantata Singers in a world premier of T.J. Anderson’s, Slavery Documents II and in a remounted performance of Donald Sur’s, Slavery Documents.

After 15 years serving as an Assistant Dean and in several Departmental Chair positions in the Academic Affairs division of the Longy School of Music, Ms. Ryczek has returned to full time vocal and classroom instruction at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

While we don’t exactly know what the future holds regarding massive online teaching in the summer and fall, we all have lessons learned from the forced transition to online teaching this year.  Join us for a wide ranging conversation about this experience from the teacher, student, parent, and administrator sides of the table as well as discussion about creating safe environments for teaching upon the eventual return to face to face teaching.

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Presenter: Allen Henderson

Versatile artist, teacher, arts administrator, and baritone Allen Henderson is Executive Director of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the world’s largest professional association of voice teachers; promoting continuing education for voice teachers; publishing a recognized scholarly journal, Journal of Singing; and promoting voice education among a wide array of constituencies, from recreational singers to voice educators and medical doctors.  He is also administrator for the International Congress of Voice Teachers. He is Professor of Music at Georgia Southern University where he teaches voice and foreign language diction.  Increasingly in demand internationally, he has had multiple residencies in Singapore and China.  In 2018 was inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing.  He has performed with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States and his students have graced the stages of venues around the world. Henderson conceived of and is executive editor of the “So You Want to Sing…”  book series (Rowman and Littlefield) with twenty volumes on singing various styles.

Presenter: Karen Brunnson

Karen Brunssen is Professor of Music at the Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she teaches voice and is Co-Chair of Music Performance.  She is a frequent teacher, clinician, and adjudicator for organizations, colleges, and universities throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.  She is the author The Evolving Singing Voice: Changes Across the Life Span which chronicles how changes in respiration, vibration and resonance impact realistic, age appropriate expectations for singing throughout a lifetime.  She has done numerous residencies at Cambridge University, for the Zürcher Sing-Akademie in Switzerland, International Institute of Vocal Arts in Italy, Castleton Music Festival, Shallaway Youth Choir, the Atlantic Music Festival, Brancaleoni Music Festival and more.  Currently she is President of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, served as a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program, has served on the 2016, 2018, and 2020 NATS National Conference Committee, and is a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing.  Her singing career spanned over 30 years throughout the US and Europe.  She received her undergraduate degree from Luther College and has done graduate work at Yale University and Kent State University.  In 2013 she was presented with the Weston Noble Award by Luther College.  

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Presenter: Katherine Ciesinski

The New York Times has called Katherine Ciesinski “a singer of rare communicative presence, and a musician of discrimination and intelligence.” This accomplished American mezzo-soprano pursues a fully integrated career, exploring the world of today’s composers as well as the established classics of the lyric stage. One of the few master performers to also become a master teacher, Ms. Ciesinski is a frequent clinician at the annual International Symposium on Care of the Professional Voice in Philadelphia. She created the Vocal Workshop for the annual International Composition Seminar at the Royaumont Foundation in France, and the vocal chamber institute Close Encounters for the Texas Music Festival.

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Presenter: Louise Lofquist

LOUISE LOFQUIST, pianist and contralto, has become one of Southern California’s most sought-after collaborative pianists, vocal coaches, and voice teachers.  She is Associate Professor of Music at Pepperdine University, where she teaches voice, diction, and vocal accompanying and chamber music.  As a pianist, she has performed in recital with such artists as violinist Gilles Apap, baritone Rod Gilfry, cellist Zuill Bailey, and clarinetist Fred Ormand.  In recent years she has been active as a concert singer.  Her voice students have appeared with the San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the San Antonio Opera, the Heidelberg Opera, Meiningen Staatstheater, Utah Festival Opera, Virginia Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Chautauqua Opera, and at Carnegie Hall.

Presenter: Keith Colclough

Dr. Colclough is on the faculty at Pepperdine University, where he teaches voice and lyric diction, and directs the Flora L. Thornton Opera Program. His directing credits include Gianni Schicchi, Dido and Aeneas, and Die Fledermaus. Dr. Colclough also directs Pepperdine’s opera scenes program in Heidelberg, Germany. In addition to his duties at Pepperdine, he maintains a studio of professional voice students. His students have sung at major venues throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, and Carnegie Hall. As a singer, Dr. Colclough has been a soloist the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opera Santa Barbara, Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, Pacific Opera Project, LACMA Sundays Live, Salastina Society, and the Santa Barbara Choral Society. Dr. Colclough’s training includes a Fulbright Scholarship to Germany, and vocal fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Opera Center, and the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar.  He was also a participant in the NATS Intern Program in 2018.

High School and College level singers are invited to perform art songs or arias for feedback regarding effective communication, interpretation, and presentation – with a special emphasis on embodying the character and creating effective and compelling performance.

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Presenters

Jennifer Trost

Professor Jennifer Trost teaches voice, song literature and opera literature at The Pennsylvania State University. She had an extensive international performing career: Soloist at the Wuppertal Opera for four years and nine years as a soloist at the renowned Bavarian State Opera. As a guest artist, she has performed at the Salzburg Music Festival, the Opéra de Paris Garnier, the BBC Proms in London, the Hollywood Bowl, and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, among others.

Ted Christopher

Dr. Ted Christopher is Artistic Director of Penn State Opera Theatre, a position he has held since the fall of 2008. He has served on the faculties of The University of Memphis and the Eastman School of Music. He has staged productions for companies including Opera Louisiane, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, Cincinnati Opera-on-Tour, Rochester Lyric Opera, among others. Since 2012 he has been Principal Guest Director at The Ohio Light Opera, where he has appeared extensively as a performer. As a singer, he has performed throughout the US, Canada, and Europe.

Class participants will learn crucial information about recruitment, student retention and lesson policies, in addition to the nuts and bolts of set up and maintenance of a private studio business.

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Presenter: Dana Lynne Varga

Dr. Dana Lynne Varga is a sought-after soprano, voice teacher and career coach, as well as the Founder and Artistic Director of MassOpera. She writes regularly for CS. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in April as soprano soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. Dana regularly presents vocal master classes and seminars on entrepreneurship across the country. A fierce advocate for singers, she’s devoted to progressive change in the classical vocal industry. Please visit www.danavarga.com and www.theempoweredmusician.com.

The purpose of this class is to provide the student with the proper skills necessary for the development of good vocal technique. This includes a discussion and demonstration of correct posture, good breath support, resonance, musicality, and good performance techniques. “Putting it all together” is the goal.

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Presenter: Maria Spacagna

Maria Spacagna has been a regular guest artist at many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the Dallas Opera, Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Santa Fe Opera Festival, Florida Grand Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Arena di Verona, Teatro San Carlo, the Puccini Festival at Torre del Lago, the Spoleto Festival, the Zurich Opera,  Bavarian State Opera of Munich, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera Theater of Cologne, Opera Theater of Montreal, Canadian Opera, Shanghai Grand Opera, Capetown Opera of South Africa and many others. She was the first American-born artist to perform the role of MADAMA BUTTERFLY at La Scala.

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Presenters: Jeff Norris, John Bragle, Dr. Laura Osgood Brown

Jeff Norris, John Bragle, and Laura Osgood Brown bring nearly 50 years of cumulative experience of teaching voice to high school aged singers.  As a team, they provide a balanced education in vocal technique, musicianship, repertoire, language, ensemble singing, and singing for the stage.  With a special focus on healthy and appropriate techniques and repertoire for the young singer, their students have gone on to study at the top music colleges and conservatories in the country. 

Learn to: Make the “pitch”, Be a “hit”, and Never “Strike Out”

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Presenter: Carmen A. Balthrop

Acclaimed by The New York Times as “a voice of power and uncommon tonal purity,” Ms. Balthrop has appeared in performance around the world. Her appearances include The Metropolitan, Canadian, and San Francisco operas, as well as the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. In great demand as a recitalist, she has performed at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Internationally, she has performed in Italy, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Russia, China, Mexico and the Bahamas. Ms. Balthrop is Professor and Chair of the Voice/Opera Division of the University of Maryland School of Music.

Presenter: Delores Ziegler

With a repertoire that extends from baroque to bel canto and verismo, American Mezzo-soprano Delores Ziegler has appeared across the globe, at the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, the Salzburg Festival, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Bastille in Paris, the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, and the San Francisco Opera. Delores Ziegler’s discography has over twenty-eight recordings with orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic, and with conductors including James Levine, Riccardo Muti, and Robert Shaw. Ms. Ziegler is Professor of Voice in the Voice/Opera Division of the University of Maryland School of Music.

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Presenter: David Ronis

DAVID RONIS, the Karen K. Bishop Director of Opera at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a nine-time National Opera Association Production Competition winner and two-time American Prize winner. A specialist in teaching performance techniques for singers at programs such as AIMS, La Musica Lirica, and Druid City Opera Workshop, Mr. Ronis is a frequent masterclass presenter at universities throughout the United States. He is a certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique.

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Presenter: Darrell Babidge

Baritone, Darrell Babidge was born in Bournemouth, England. He graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in the U.K in vocal performance and received his Master’s degree from Brigham Young University and his Professional degree in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music, funded by Birgitt Nilsson. While still a student, he performed the title role of Britten’s Owen Wingrave with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and London Philharmonic Orchestra. Darrell has performed in Europe, America and Asia, in venues that include the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and the Royal Albert Hall.

His students have become winners of the following competitions: Metropolitan Opera National Council, George London, Operalia, Eleanor McCollum (Houston Grand Opera), and the Licia-Albanese Puccini competition. Students have also recorded for Decca, Deutsche Grammaphon and Sony, with a recent recording nominated for a Grammy award. Soprano, Rachel Willis-Sørensen will be a guest artist on Jonas Kaufmann’s latest album in 2019.

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Presenter: 

Judith Haddon

Soprano Judith Haddon brings to her teaching the experience and knowledge of a major international career. She has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Chicago Lyric, San Francisco, Barcelona Liceo, Hamburg Stadtsoper, New York City Opera, Israel Philharmonic, Seattle Opera and Houston Grand Opera. Ms. Haddon studied at the University of Illinois and the American Opera Center at the Juilliard School, and was a winner of the prestigious National Opera Institute Grant two years in a row. Her teaching promotes a strong foundation based on her own international education. In addition to her students at CCPA, she teaches privately and has done master classes in Chicago, New York, Wisconsin, Michigan, Santa Fe, Italy, England and Japan. Her students are performing in opera houses and concert venues around the world.

Mark Crayton

Countertenor, Conductor and Director, Mark Crayton is hailed by critics and audiences for the pure beauty of his voice, his expressive and insightful interpretations, his natural musicality, and his crowd-pleasing productions! Mark performs on concert stages and in opera houses throughout the United States and Europe. Mark has created the “First Minstrel” in Onnes’ opera/theatre piece Pantagruel et Gargantua, the Cardinal Inquisitor and Autumn Oracle in Philip Glass’ opera Galileo Galilei in Chicago, New York City and London, and Louis Perch in composer John Kander’s and lyricist Fred Ebb’s in their new musical called The Visit starring Chita Rivera. Past season’s highlights have included performances at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Kennedy Center. He has appeared with the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Sarasota Symphony, Fargo Symphony, Sheboygan Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, Chicago Baroque Ensemble, Ensemble Voltaire, La Pettite Bande, the Netherlands Kammerkoor, El Ayre Español, as well as many others. Mark has developed quite a reputation for his interpretation of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, which he has performed 178 times. Mark loves teaches voice, conducts the CCPA Chorale and RU’s One Voice, stage directs the Junior & Senior opera, and music directs and stage directs the Sophomore Showcase all at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of the Performing Arts.  For more information concerning Mr. Crayton’s career and current season, please visit www.markcrayton.com.​

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Alex Finke made her Broadway debut starring as Cosette in the Broadway revival of Les Miserables alongside Alfie Boe and Montego Glover. Shortly after closing Les Mis, Alex originated the role of Johanna in the critically acclaimed revival of Sweeney Todd at the Barrow Street Theatre which opened in March of 2017. Most recently on Broadway, Alex could be seen performing as Janice & Others in the Tony Award ​Winning Musical Come From Away.

This masterclass is for classical-style singers of all levels.

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Presenter: William Burden

American tenor William Burden has won an outstanding reputation in a wide-ranging repertoire throughout Europe and North America.

He has appeared in many prestigious opera houses in the United States and Europe, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Santa Fe Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera, New Orleans Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Opéra National de Paris, Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Thèâtre du Châtelet, Bayerische Staatsoper, Berliner Staatsoper, Madrid’s Teatro Real and the Saito Kinen Festival.

In concert, Mr. Burden has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Edinburgh Festival, and on tour with Les Arts Florissants at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Barcelona and Lyon.

Mr. Burden’s recordings include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony (SFS Media), Barber’s Vanessa (Anatol) with the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Chandos) and Musique adorable: The Songs of Emmanuel Chabrier (Hyperion). He also appeared in the Metropolitan Opera’s Grammy award winning live HD broadcast of Thomas Adès’ The Tempest.

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Presenter: Christine Anderson

Christine Anderson has sung numerous performances as soprano soloist with several prestigious contemporary music ensembles and has worked with such composers as Lukas Foss and Kristof Penderecki.  In addition, she has had extensive performing experience as a recitalist in programs featuring the premieres of new works.  Notably, she sang George Crumb’s Apparition and Night of the Four Moons on the University of Memphis’ retrospective series of concerts in honor of the composer’s 80th birthday. Anderson also taught in the Musical Theater Department at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is the former director of the Voice Program of the University of Cincinnati’s Summer Music Institute.

Classical or Musical Theater Singers alike are welcome. Why do you sing? What does your music allow you to say? Explore ways that your breath and your technique serve the text, story and emotion of your repertoire. Connect to your breath, connect to your most free, expressive, and inspired singing.

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Presenter: Teresa Winner Blume

Teresa Winner Blume is an accomplished singer, actress, and voice teacher, passionate about guiding young artists to deepen their skill and artistry. She was recently featured as soloist with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops, and previously performed with Opera Carolina, North Carolina Symphony, Lyric Stage of Boston, and more. She has been recognized in The American Prize, New York Oratorio Society, NATSAA, Lotte Lenya and other competitions. Her students have gained acceptance to NEC, CCM, CIM, MSM, Julliard, Eastman, Boston Conservatory and top summer programs. B.M. University of Illinois, M.M./P.C. Eastman School of Music.

Dr. William Hudson “Have I chosen the right songs? Should I sing in a foreign language? Include gestures while I sing? Ornament the repeat?” Here’s your opportunity to have your questions answered and get valuable feedback on musical style, language, and presentation to improve your college audition. Come and sing for the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Music and have the potential of being awarded a scholarship!

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Presenter: William Hudson

As a highly sought after vocal coach, William Hudson has offered master classes and workshops at universities throughout North and South America. Dr. Hudson has performed on four continents and can be heard on multiple recording labels. He is currently the head of the Voice and Choral area at IWU.

This session will focus on the total picture — that best “you” — that you want to put forward. This could involve technique, acting, stage presence, even the way you speak. We can always present a complete picture!  Musical Theatre and Classical, and all levels.

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Presenters: Carole Fitzpatrick

Carole FitzPatrick is Associate Professor of Voice at Arizona State University. She sang over 60 roles over 17 years in Germany, Austria, Finland, The Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Spain and Russia before moving back to the US to teach.  Her students have been in national musical theatre tours, on cruise ships, in summer stock and young artist programs, and are teaching in colleges across the country.  Professor FitzPatrick is active as a performer, adjudicator and clinician.

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Presenter: Nathan Gunn

Nathan Gunn is widely acclaimed for his career as a performer, creator, advocate and teacher.

As a performer, Nathan has performed many of opera and musical theater’s greatest roles on the world’s most prestigious stages, and in television, radio, video, and live simulcast performances, Nathan believes that music is a living art form and has championed dozens of new works in a multitude of venues, often with the Gunns’ production company Shot in the Dark.

Nathan is Professor and Swanlund Chair at the University of Illinois where he is co-director of Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, a comprehensive program embracing a broad continuum of opera and musical theatre.

Presenter: Julie Gunn

Julie Jordan Gunn has performed on many of the world’s most prestigious recital series, with major opera, musical theater and classical artists, and her husband and artistic partner Nathan Gunn.  As co-Director of LyricTheatre@Illinois, she produces several operas or musical theatre works a year at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.  She enjoys teaching performance, composition, and production, and conducting sung theatre.  She is particularly committed to new works as a co-producer, a pianist, or as a conductor.  The Gunns’ production company, Shot in the Dark Productions Inc, engages with communities all over the United States to celebrate American music.

Presenter: Frederica von Stade

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Described by the New York Times as “one of America’s finest artists and singers,” Frederica von Stade continues to be extolled as one of the music world’s most beloved figures. Known to family, friends, and fans by her nickname “Flicka,” the mezzo-soprano has enriched the world of classical music for four and a half decades.

Ms. von Stade has appeared with every leading American opera company, including San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Los Angeles Opera. Her career in Europe has been no less spectacular, with new productions mounted for her at Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and the Paris Opera. She is invited regularly by the finest conductors, among them Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Leonard Slatkin, and Michael Tilson Thomas, to appear in concert with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Washington’s National Symphony, and the Orchestra of La Scala.

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Presenter: Daniel Belcher

Grammy Award-winning baritone Daniel Belcher has performed in many of the world’s musical capitals including Paris, New York, London, Berlin, Madrid, Amsterdam, Tokyo, San Francisco, Stockholm, Toronto, Seoul, Geneva and Houston.  A champion of contemporary opera, he has premiered operas and vocal works by some of the world’s foremost composers and librettists including Kaija Saariaho, Ricky Ian Gordon, Kevin Puts, Tod Machover, Mark Adamo, Mark Campbell, and Royce Vavrek. In August, he will join the faculty of William Jewell College in Liberty, MO as Distinguished Faculty Artist and Director of the new graduate program:Artist Diploma in Voice.

This musical theatre masterclass will bridge elements of singing and storytelling. Liz and Christine offer a safe space for singers to explore the relationship between music and text; and how each element, individually and collectively, influence dramatic choices within a piece.

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Presenters

Elizabeth Gray: Liz has collaborated with notable artists including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Maestro Riccardo Muti. As vocal technician and coach, students under her guidance have signed to major agencies including; Stewart, CESD and Ford with professional credits ranging from the Broadway stage to the big screen. Proud member of AEA & NATS and honored to serve in an inaugural position as voice instructor for Theatre Arts at Interlochen Arts Academy.

Christine Marie Brown: Christine Marie Brown (Presenter) is a full time member of the Theatre Arts Faculty at Interlochen Arts Academy. She’s performed on and off Broadway and in leading roles at the Old Globe, Seattle Rep, South Coast Rep and Shakespeare & Company, among many others. Favorite roles include Juliet at The Guthrie and The Baker’s Wife at Village Theatre. She is a Core Company Member at ACT in Seattle. MFA: Old Globe; Member: AEA, SAG-AFTRA.

Dr. Kerry Jennings will present a master class specifically catered to high school students and the needs of young singers with developing techniques and artistic skill. Classical and Musical Theatre styles are welcome.

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Presenter: Kerry Jennings

Dr. Kerry Jennings (tenor) is the Voice Area Coordinator and Director of Opera at DePauw University. His students have won significant awards at competitions sponsored by Classical Singer, NATS, the National Opera Association, the Metropolitan Opera National Council, and others. They are attending top tier graduate programs, elite summer programs and young artist programs, working as music educators, arts administrators, and are finding their way as professional singers in the states and abroad.

Discover and Recover your Authentic Sound!

Presenter: Daniel Teadt

Daniel Teadt has garnered international acclaim for his work on the opera and recital stage.  A distinguished baryton-Martin, Mr. Teadt appears in major opera houses and concert halls in the US, Europe and South America as well as engagements with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony in addition to his performance on a Grammy Award-winning recording with the London Symphony Orchestra.  A passionate advocate for art songs and new music his recital collaborations include appearances with Festival d’Aix-en-provençe, Ravinia Festival, San Francisco Opera Schwabacher Debut series, Music In A Great Space Recital Series, Pittsburgh Song Collaborative, Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, New York Festival of Song and Lyric Fest.  He records with EMI Classics and Naxos.

As a Master Teacher and Performance Coach, Mr. Teadt gives masterclasses and workshops at major universities and music institutions across four continents and the United States. He is highly sought after as a voice professional and serves as a TEDx Voice Coach and Tepper School of Business Voice Consultant.  He lectures frequently on his work with voices including a TEDx talk on the Authenticity Of Sound.

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Presenter: J. Patrick Raftery

J. Patrick Raftery is the Richard Tucker Music Award recipient of 1981 and has performed with all of the major opera houses of the world. A baritone for the first part of his career Mr. Raftery made his tenor debut with New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival and subsequently has sung with La Scala, The Paris Opera, The Hamburg State Opera, and Covent Garden amongst others. A citizen of both The United States and Canada Professor Raftery is currently a member of the Voice Faculty at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver where he makes his home. Last month saw the release of his album “ A North American Songbook” which was recorded in May 2019 and is now available on Spotify and Itunes.

www.jpatrickraftery.com

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Presenter: Brandon Hendrickson

Brandon Hendrickson, Assistant Professor of Voice at Louisiana State University, is an active performer on the opera, concert and recital stage. Hendrickson’s “mellifluous,” and “beautiful baritone,” as hailed by Opera News, has been heard interpreting standard and contemporary operatic repertoire at an international level. His recent operatic engagements include performances with the Utah Festival Opera, Annapolis Opera, and the Des Moines Metro Opera. Recent concert work includes performances at Carnegie Hall, National Philharmonic, Great Falls Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, and The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. An active recitalist, Hendrickson has been invited to perform in Italy, Malaysia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

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Presenter: Rhoslyn Jones

Described as a “superb singer and artistic presence,” Rhoslyn Jones has established herself as an important presence on the operatic and concert stages of the world.

Career highlights include multiple roles at San Francisco Opera including covering Tosca in their new production of Puccini’s masterpiece, and Strauss’ Elektra where Ms. Jones stood out as the “compassionate Fifth Maidservant, singing in a shimmering, ringing soprano.” As Musetta in La Boheme at both Arizona Opera and Pittsburgh Opera, “her true genius vocally came through in the final scene when she reunites the near-death Mimi with Rodolfo. Her voice was powerful and nuanced, particularly in the upper register, but it was the sheer humanity she brought to the scene that earned her the audience’s resounding applause.”

Book the jobs. Make some real money. Live your dreams.

What if I told you that artists don’t need to suffer? You can live the life of your dreams, book the jobs you desire and have enough money. You can, because I did it!

I struggled for 15 years as a performing artist in NYC before turning my life around, booking dream gigs, traveling the world, and living on Central Park.

A step-by-step class on presenting your authentic self as an artist and creating your own “big break” in a radically changing industry.

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Presenter: Minda Larsen (@mindalarsen)

Minda Larsen is an actor, singer and voice teacher in New York City with nearly 20 years experience. Recently, she appeared on television in Gotham (FOX) and The Deuce (HBO). Minda has sung with the New York Philharmonic (Carousel) and made her Carnegie Hall solo debut in 2019. She has toured the country and world with her solo cabaret shows. Minda’s voice students can be seen on Broadway (Frozen, A Bronx Tale, Harry Potter, Caroline or Change, The Ferryman). Minda holds a Master’s Degree in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music.

www.starvingartistsolution.com

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Presenter: Robert Breault

Tenor Robert Breault’s career features an extraordinary breadth of repertoire.  Opera highlights include numerous appearances with New York City Opera, Utah Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Atlanta Opera, and Arizona Opera.  He’s also appeared with companies such as Portland Opera, Opera New Orleans, and Florentine Opera, and Edmonton Opera.  Robert Breault’s concert career includes performances with orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, and Montreal Symphony, to name but a few.  Robert has served as Director of Opera at the University of Utah since 1992.

Understanding the differences in cultivation of aesthetically applicable resonances in Classical, Musical Theatre and Contemporary singing styles. Strategies for switching modes within the same day and hour for audition, or in performances demanding more than one vocal modality. Singers bring one (1) aria or art song excerpt and one (1) musical theatre or contemporary song excerpt.

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Presenter: Alexis Davis-Hazell

American mezzo-soprano Alexis Davis-Hazell is an experienced teaching artist in the Southeast United States. Performing in diverse repertoire from opera to musical theatre, she regularly collaborates on contemporary works. Alexis has also toured, participating in over 130 performances of Porgy and Bess, in Europe and North America. She co-presents concerts blending classic and contemporary music, through her production company Jazzoperetry, Inc. Dr. Davis-Hazell holds degrees from Temple University (B.M.) and Arizona State University (M.M., D.M.A.)

There are countless methods, therapies, and techniques out there to help people overcome performance anxiety – yet so many still struggle. This workshop explores the question: Could trying to “fix” performance anxiety actually be the problem? Transformative Coach and Former Metropolitan Opera Baritone Nicholas Pallesen explores why thriving in performances and auditions might be simpler and require less “work” than you imagine!

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Presenter: Nicholas Pallesen

For over 15 years, Transformative Coach Nicholas Pallesen has been known as the “Coach for the Soul” for his ability to help clients create changes and results that looked impossible to them before. A Juilliard-trained, former Metropolitan Opera baritone himself, Nicholas helps performers thrive both onstage and off. In addition to his individual clients, he regularly presents workshops on mental wellness for performers and performance psychology at universities and YAP’s around the US. To learn more, visit www.nicholaspallesen.com.

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Presenter: Ben Cameron

Ben Cameron is your Broadway Buddy. Broadway: Wicked (obc), Aida, Footloose (abc). Tours: Sweet Charity opposite Molly Ringwald, State Fair, The Who’s Tommy. Fame and Footloose. Ben is the creator and host of of long running BYC institution, Broadway Sessions now in it’s 12th year (2019 MAC Award recipient). He also the creator and host of Broadway Buskers concert series w/ Times Square Alliance, hit podcast talk show The Broadway Cast, w/Playbill as well as  web series Dance Captain Dance Attack and new streaming series Ben’s 10 (both on BroadwayWorld). Be is the MainStage host of Broadway Con and Emcee for Onstage NY talent competitions. And served as host of long running open mic, Mostly Sondheim at The Duplex in NYC. Ben is a sought after theatre/dance teacher  and choreographer and teaches masterclasses all over the world. Ben served as host of the HQ style trivia app ‘Reward The Fan Broadway trivia series. To keep up with all things Ben Ben-Cameron.nyc and follow on social media at @BenDoesBroadway. Ben likes you.

Come continue on our Vowel Voyage by investigating how using only vowels allows you to find optimal resonance and specific communication. Using a variety of inflection, speech and physical exercises each singer will find new sensations and communicative skills.

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Presenter: Carol Mastrodomenico

Carol Mastrodomenico maintains an active schedule as a recitalist and guest soloist with choruses, orchestras and other ensembles and well cabaret and musical theater. She has a great love for Spanish repertoire, and particularly Argentinean songs.  She is on the faculties of Longy School of Music of Bard College, Tufts University, and the Dramatic Voices Program Berlin, teaching voice and vocal pedagogy and directs opera ensembles at both institutions.  She recently produced and directed Thomas Stumpf’s adaption of Oscar Wilde’s Nightingale and the Rose and The Happy Prince.  She recently was co-presenter of an online course “The Whole Instrument” at Opera Progams Berlin.

Presenter: Karyl Ryczek

Karyl Ryczek, soprano, has enjoyed a varied and rich performance career on the opera, oratorio and concert stages. Her singing has been described as intelligent, dramatically informed and in possession of opulent tone. A frequent soloist with the Cantata Singers, Ms. Ryczek has also appeared with Boston Baroque, the Monadnock Music Festival, Boston Musica Viva, Warebrook Festival in addition to numerous orchestral engagements. Ms. Ryczek made her Symphony Hall debut with the Cantata Singers in a world premier of T.J. Anderson’s, Slavery Documents II and in a remounted performance of Donald Sur’s, Slavery Documents.

After 15 years serving as an Assistant Dean and in several Departmental Chair positions in the Academic Affairs division of the Longy School of Music, Ms. Ryczek has returned to full time vocal and classroom instruction at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Work on contemporary vocal material (Musical Theater and Pop/Rock) and find the connections to both!

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Presenter: Korianne Johnson

Korianne has a BFA in Music Dance Theater and an MM in Vocal Performance. She has been performing, teaching, and workshopping all over the United States for over 20 years. Some of her favorite roles are Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Amneris in Aida, Katherine/Ellie in Disney’s Musical Freaky Friday and Adele in Die Fledermaus.  She is the Contemporary Voice Coordinator at Brigham Young University where she also serves as on the Music Dance Theater committee.

Russian repertoire: diction, interpretation and stylistic idiosyncrasies

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Dr. Briggs-Okunev is a Russian -born, Australian soprano. She has a Bachelor degree in piano performance, Sydney Conservatorium of Music; Masters in vocal performance, Newcastle Conservatorium and DMA in opera, Sydney University and Northern College of Music, UK. Dr. Briggs’ research is focused on training of young opera singers tertiary opera training. Dr. Briggs has sung with Opera Australia, Pacific Opera and Glyndebourne Opera Festival, UK. She joined Fresno State in 2016 as Assistant Professor of Voice. www.okunevmusic.com

Work one-on-one with Broadway and West End music director, conductor, and pianist Steven Gross.

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Presenter: Steven Gross

Steven has worked on such shows as The Life, Urinetown, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Chicago, Miss Saigon, The Wedding Singer, Saturday Night Fever and Dreamgirls and on the New York City Opera productions of A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, The Most Happy Fella and Candide. He has worked Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons and the Algonquin Theater and is a Lortel Award nominee for Best Musical for his adaption of The Pirates of Penzance at the South Street Seaport. His regional theater work includes music direction in St. Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Miami, Philadelphia and Chicago. He has conducted the European premieres of The Life, Urinetown, Falsettos, Beehive, Forever Plaid, Closer Than Ever, Flora the Red Menace and other works. He also works extensively as a classical conductor and has appeared with many national and international opera companies, symphony orchestras and festivals.

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Please join Dr. Michael Hix, Dr. Kristin Ditlow, Dr. Olga Perez Flora, Dr. David Edmonds, Paula Corbin Swalin, and Jamie Flora from the University of New Mexico for this masterclass.  Our faculty have appeared across the globe in opera, musical theatre, concert work, and professional choral engagements with such organizations as the Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Arizona Opera, Columbus Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Company of Middlebury, the Boston Pops, Tanglewood Music Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, and Oregon Bach Festival among others.  We are a passionate group of pedagogues, who nurture and mentor our students toward success.

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Presenter: Nathan Gunn

Nathan Gunn is widely acclaimed for his career as a performer, creator, advocate and teacher.

As a performer, Nathan has performed many of opera and musical theater’s greatest roles on the world’s most prestigious stages, and in television, radio, video, and live simulcast performances, Nathan believes that music is a living art form and has championed dozens of new works in a multitude of venues, often with the Gunns’ production company Shot in the Dark.

Nathan is Professor and Swanlund Chair at the University of Illinois where he is co-director of Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, a comprehensive program embracing a broad continuum of opera and musical theatre.

Presenter: Julie Gunn

Julie Jordan Gunn has performed on many of the world’s most prestigious recital series, with major opera, musical theater and classical artists, and her husband and artistic partner Nathan Gunn.  As co-Director of LyricTheatre@Illinois, she produces several operas or musical theatre works a year at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.  She enjoys teaching performance, composition, and production, and conducting sung theatre.  She is particularly committed to new works as a co-producer, a pianist, or as a conductor.  The Gunns’ production company, Shot in the Dark Productions Inc, engages with communities all over the United States to celebrate American music.

Presenter: Frederica von Stade

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Described by the New York Times as “one of America’s finest artists and singers,” Frederica von Stade continues to be extolled as one of the music world’s most beloved figures. Known to family, friends, and fans by her nickname “Flicka,” the mezzo-soprano has enriched the world of classical music for four and a half decades.

Ms. von Stade has appeared with every leading American opera company, including San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Los Angeles Opera. Her career in Europe has been no less spectacular, with new productions mounted for her at Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and the Paris Opera. She is invited regularly by the finest conductors, among them Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Leonard Slatkin, and Michael Tilson Thomas, to appear in concert with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Washington’s National Symphony, and the Orchestra of La Scala.

Monica Berovides-Hidalgo

Monica Berovides-Hidalgo, mezzo-soprano, is adjunct professor of voice at Florida Atlantic University. Ms. Berovides-Hidalgo is assistant conductor and artist in residence with Schola Cantorum of Florida. She is experienced cross over styles; jazz, musical theater, opera, recital repertoire, contemporary Christian and Latin American popular songs. Certified in Somatic Voicework; and with The Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).

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In this hour presentation, Respiro Opera, NYC faculty will discuss the combined benefits of the body work offered in this intensive program designed for the emerging artist. Our esteemed faculty will examine basic tenants of the Alexander Technique, Body Mapping and Yoga which in this program focuses on the breath and alignment. Come join us!

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Presenters:

LeAnn Overton, Artistic Director and Founder Respiro Opera, NYC. Faculty Manhattan School of Music: Music Director/Vocal Coach, Amato Opera in Brief Educational Outreach, PreCollege, Recitals. Adjunct Faculty Montclair State University: Recital/Opera Vocal Coach, Former Director Opera Workshop. Title caller Metropolitan Opera. Metropolitan Opera Guild/All Stars Educational Outreach. Vocal Arts Festival Colorado Springs. Oberlin in Italy. Lingua e Canto Summer program in Italy.

Dr. Jan Prokop is Associate Musical Theater Voice Coordinator and Adjunct Professor of Voice at Montclair State University. Body Mapping Educator for Respiro Opera, NYC. NATS Master Teacher. Prokop has presented workshops at numerous conferences, universities and training programs. She has performed in U.S.A, Brazil, Europe and Israel in opera, music theater, concert and cabaret. 2020 Guest faculty at Lovetri Institute for Somatic Voicework. Students perform on Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theater. Doctorate of Music from Indiana University.

Alexander Technique teacher Eleanor Taylor, m.AmSAT, is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and Respiro Opera, and maintains a private studio in Manhattan, where she teaches singers and actors to improve performance, prevent injury and reduce anxiety using the Alexander Technique. She holds B.M./M.M. degrees in vocal performance from New England Conservatory and the University of Minnesota.

Barbara Fusco-Spera. Yoga for the Creative Heart. Director of Vocal Studies, Adjunct Professor of Voice Long Island University CW Post campus. Soloist for Musica Viva, NYC. Performed recitals and concerts in USA, Canada, South America, Europe and Africa. Co-founder of program Songe D’été en Musique, Canada. Yoga instructor for Respiro Opera, NYC. Yoga instructor Metropolitan Opera Guild Rising Stars High School program. Yoga instructor at Evolution Yoga Long Island.

Discovering Your Unique Voice in Oratorios, Cantatas, and Motets

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Presenter: Dr. Jessica Victoria Ewell

Dr. Jessica Victoria Ewell has performed with orchestras in the United States, Europe, and South America. Beside traditional repertoire, her concerts feature her original compositions and songs in more than ten languages. Many programs combine music and narrative, drawing listeners into the world of the moment. Along with a thriving performance career, Jessica directs the voice track of the Sacred Music Program at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and gives master classes in voice, improvisation, and songwriting.

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Presenters: 

Judith Haddon

Soprano Judith Haddon brings to her teaching the experience and knowledge of a major international career. She has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Chicago Lyric, San Francisco, Barcelona Liceo, Hamburg Stadtsoper, New York City Opera, Israel Philharmonic, Seattle Opera and Houston Grand Opera. Ms. Haddon studied at the University of Illinois and the American Opera Center at the Juilliard School, and was a winner of the prestigious National Opera Institute Grant two years in a row. Her teaching promotes a strong foundation based on her own international education. In addition to her students at CCPA, she teaches privately and has done master classes in Chicago, New York, Wisconsin, Michigan, Santa Fe, Italy, England and Japan. Her students are performing in opera houses and concert venues around the world.

Mark Crayton

Countertenor, Conductor and Director, Mark Crayton is hailed by critics and audiences for the pure beauty of his voice, his expressive and insightful interpretations, his natural musicality, and his crowd-pleasing productions! Mark performs on concert stages and in opera houses throughout the United States and Europe. Mark has created the “First Minstrel” in Onnes’ opera/theatre piece Pantagruel et Gargantua, the Cardinal Inquisitor and Autumn Oracle in Philip Glass’ opera Galileo Galilei in Chicago, New York City and London, and Louis Perch in composer John Kander’s and lyricist Fred Ebb’s in their new musical called The Visit starring Chita Rivera. Past season’s highlights have included performances at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Kennedy Center. He has appeared with the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Sarasota Symphony, Fargo Symphony, Sheboygan Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, Chicago Baroque Ensemble, Ensemble Voltaire, La Pettite Bande, the Netherlands Kammerkoor, El Ayre Español, as well as many others. Mark has developed quite a reputation for his interpretation of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, which he has performed 178 times. Mark loves teaches voice, conducts the CCPA Chorale and RU’s One Voice, stage directs the Junior & Senior opera, and music directs and stage directs the Sophomore Showcase all at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of the Performing Arts.  For more information concerning Mr. Crayton’s career and current season, please visit www.markcrayton.com.​

Learn how to integrate vowel and consonant knowledge and awareness into your technique. Experience the words and the vocal line as one. Learn awareness of the throat, articulators and larynx in speaking and singing.

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Presenter: Jennifer Casey Cabot

Soprano Jennifer Casey Cabot, Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Maryland, College Park, has enjoyed an impressive international career in Opera and Concert.  Her career began in Germany at the Deutsche Oper and the Staatstheater Braunschweig and then grew to encompass many of the major opera companies in the US and the world. Her interest in teaching voice has been evident throughout her singing career and expanded to University teaching in 2010. Ms. Cabot studied at Oberlin Conservatory with Richard Miller and Yale School of Music with Doris Yarick-Cross.

Bring your 16 bar song selections! In this hands-on workshop, we will discuss and work on the musical theatre audition skills you need to help you stand out in “the room”. The tips and tricks you’ll gain in this class will help you have even more successful auditions whether they are for Broadway or for your next school show. Taught by Jennifer John’s, Broadway Artists Alliance’s Artistic Director, New York’s elite program for connecting young artists with Broadway Guest Instructors and Industry. Bring along your 16 bar song selections. Walk away with a renewed confidence and the tools to book that dream role!

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Presenter: BAA Artistic Director and Pace University Voice Faculty, Jennifer Johns

Jennifer Johns first began her career as a working child performer and created Broadway Artists Alliance of NYC with her childhood interests and passions at heart. As an adult professional, Jennifer has toured with six Broadway National and International Tours as well as performed extensively in NYC and Regional Theatre. Favorite roles include Reno in Anything Goes, Betty in White Christmas, Peggy in 42nd Street, Polly in Crazy for You, Babe in The Pajama Game, The Narrator in Joseph…Dreamcoat, The Mother in A Christmas Story, Margaret in The Light in the Piazza, and as a Singer/Dancer with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. She’s also performed stateside and overseas for our troops alongside many celebrity performers as a part of the USO American Belles vocal trio for over 10 years. TV/film credits include: All My Children, One Life to Live, Saturday Night Live, 3,2,1 Contact, Law and Order, Garden State, Moulin Rouge, Kate and Leopold, Hairspray, and more. Throughout the year, Jennifer is on the Voice Faculty at Pace University in NYC and enjoys teaching Master Classes at Universities, Performing Arts High Schools, Thespian Festivals and Conventions across the country, in addition to maintaining a busy NYC Voice studio with a career coaching/college audition coaching focus. She is proud to see so many of her students currently at top Universities, with Broadway and National Tours credits, and signed to Top NYC Agents and Managers! Jennifer has been a proud member of NATS, AEA, AGVA, and SAG-AFTRA (since 1981). She holds a M.M. in Musical Theatre (Vocal Performance) as well as an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from NYU. In addition to her role of Artistic Director of Broadway Artists Alliance, she’s previously been on the adjunct voice faculty at NYU, is now the NYC Senior Showcase Producer for The University of the Arts, and is currently on the vocal Faculty at Pace University in NYC.

About Broadway Artists Alliance

Broadway Artists Alliance of NYC provides professional training for promising young musical theatre performers – both live in New York City, and online from the comfort of your own home! Participants study voice, acting, and dance with top Broadway performers and NYC professionals, and every BAA intensive culminates in a final showcase for top New York casting directors, agents, and managers. BAA also specializes in summer and winter intensives, a 3-week online weekly class series, college audition preparation workshops, and adult professional training for ages 18 and up. BAA student success stories have included student’s making their debuts on Broadway  and in Broadway National Tours of Dear Evan Hansen, Mean Girls, Hamilton, Frozen, Finding Neverland, Newsies, Hello Dolly, School of Rock, Kinky Boots, Lion King, Anastasia, Billy Elliot, The Ferryman, Annie, Mary Poppins, Matilda, Sound of Music, 13, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Violet, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, West Side Story, and more!  In response to Covid-19, BAA has launched extensive online programming to ensure that everyone has the chance to continue to hone their craft! Admission is still open for this summer and granted by Audition or Special Invitation only. Learn more at broadwayartistsalliance.org!

The Doctor is IN: Technical Trouble-shooting

An interactive opportunity to further your understanding of your singing. Got questions?  Bring them to this session.

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Presenter: Grant Knox
American tenor, Grant Knox is enjoying a varied career in opera, musical theater, concert and recital. He has appeared with the Cincinnati Opera, Atlanta Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Chautauqua Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, Ohio Light Opera, Asheville Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera Atlanta, Rochester Lyric Opera, Indianapolis Opera, and with Maestro Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Opera Festival. Upcoming engagements include the tenor solos in Handel’s Messiah with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus, the tenor solos in Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with the Peninsula Music Festival, and the tenor solos in Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Greenville Chorale and Symphony. Dr. Knox serves as Associate Professor of Voice, Director of Opera, and Vocal Area Coordinator at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina where he was the 2016/17 recipient of the Alester G. Furman Jr. and Janie Earle Furman award for meritorious teaching. In the summer of 2019, he joined the vocal faculty at SongFest, the United States’ premier art song festival and training program held at the Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles.

Why do I care about a somatic approach?

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Presenter: Rachel Velarde

Dr. Rachel Velarde, mezzo-soprano, is Professor of Music (Voice) at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ, where she teaches private voice lessons, Song Literature and Voice Pedagogy courses. She teaches classical and music theater styles at the University and specializes in Contemporary Commercial Music styles in her home studio, Velarde Voice. Her current foray into somatic approaches in the voice studio began with her journey to resolve her own muscle tension dysphonia, exacerbated by TMJ and osteoarthritis.

Join Patrick Hansen, artistic director of Opera McGill at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in Montreal for a masterclass in ARIA AS MONOLOGUE. Using the text of an aria, Professor Hansen will explore character choices, performing an aria out of context during auditions, and acting choices based the textual meaning of an aria. No singing or pianist necessary for this masterclass, but knowledge of the word-for-word translation of the text is required. Arias in English are recommended for this masterclass.

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Presenter: Patrick Hansen

Patrick Hansen is the Artistic Director of Opera McGill, an associate professor of music at the Schulich School, and a member of the board of directors for Opera.CA.

Mr. Hansen has been on the musical staffs of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pittsburgh Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Memphis, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, The Juilliard Opera Center, and Glimmerglass Opera as well as being the Director of Artistic Administration for Florida Grand Opera during the opening of the half-billion dollar downtown Miami arts centre. His productions have been seen all over North America and in Europe. Recently he directed and choreographed the Bulgarian premiere of Weill’s Street Scene. He has directed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Eugene Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Charlottesville Opera, Fargo Opera, Janiec Opera Company, and Opera on the James.

Join in the fun and Allen Henderson, executive director of NATS and professor of voice a Georgia Southern University and Karen Brunssen, president of NATS and professor of music at Northwestern University work with a variety of singers.

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Presenter: Allen Henderson

Versatile artist, teacher, arts administrator, and baritone Allen Henderson is Executive Director of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the world’s largest professional association of voice teachers; promoting continuing education for voice teachers; publishing a recognized scholarly journal, Journal of Singing; and promoting voice education among a wide array of constituencies, from recreational singers to voice educators and medical doctors.  He is also administrator for the International Congress of Voice Teachers. He is Professor of Music at Georgia Southern University where he teaches voice and foreign language diction.  Increasingly in demand internationally, he has had multiple residencies in Singapore and China.  In 2018 was inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing.  He has performed with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States and his students have graced the stages of venues around the world. Henderson conceived of and is executive editor of the “So You Want to Sing…”  book series (Rowman and Littlefield) with twenty volumes on singing various styles.

Presenter: Karen Brunnson

Karen Brunssen is Professor of Music at the Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she teaches voice and is Co-Chair of Music Performance.  She is a frequent teacher, clinician, and adjudicator for organizations, colleges, and universities throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.  She is the author The Evolving Singing Voice: Changes Across the Life Span which chronicles how changes in respiration, vibration and resonance impact realistic, age appropriate expectations for singing throughout a lifetime.  She has done numerous residencies at Cambridge University, for the Zürcher Sing-Akademie in Switzerland, International Institute of Vocal Arts in Italy, Castleton Music Festival, Shallaway Youth Choir, the Atlantic Music Festival, Brancaleoni Music Festival and more.  Currently she is President of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, served as a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program, has served on the 2016, 2018, and 2020 NATS National Conference Committee, and is a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing.  Her singing career spanned over 30 years throughout the US and Europe.  She received her undergraduate degree from Luther College and has done graduate work at Yale University and Kent State University.  In 2013 she was presented with the Weston Noble Award by Luther College.

Husband and wife team Cherry Duke and Brian Downen represent the Voice Faculty of the University of Texas at El Paso, a hidden gem of the southwest. Polish your delivery and your technique with caring guidance from two industry experts.

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Presenters

Cherry Duke, Director of Opera at the University of Texas at El Paso, is an active soloist in opera, oratorio, musical theater, concerts, and recitals. She has performed numerous principal roles with Los Angeles Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Tampa, New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Bard Summerscape Festival, and the Prototype Festival, to name a few. Known for her dynamic portrayals in contemporary American opera, Duke created the role of The Captain in Little and Vavrek’s 2012 opera Dog Days and is featured on the original cast recording. She has performed leading roles in La Cenerentola, Hansel and Gretel and The Magic Flute with El Paso Opera and is a frequent soloist with El Paso Symphony.  Upcoming engagements include Bon Appétit with El Paso Opera. In 2015, Ms. Duke joined the music faculty at UTEP where she teaches voice and opera. In 2019, she was named an Artistic Associate with El Paso Opera.  Learn more at www.cherryduke.com.

Brian Downen, tenor and Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Texas at El Paso, has sung leading roles in more than 70 productions for opera houses worldwide. Mr. Downen is known for his portrayals of leading men in the bel canto operas of Mozart and Rossini including numerous productions of Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, L’Italiana in Algeri, Don Giovanni and Die Zauberflöte.  He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2016 in Roberto Devereux and has since returned as Triquet in Eugene Onegin and as understudy for the four servants in Les contes d’Hoffmann. Recent engagements include the New York City premieres of Hasse’s Piramo e Tisbe and Britten’s Owen Wingrave with Little Opera Theatre of New York; Tamino in The Magic Flute and Beppe in I Pagliacci with El Paso Opera. Upcoming engagements include Il Re Pastore with Little Opera Theatre of New York. Mr. Downen teaches applied voice, choir and diction for UTEP. Learn more at www.briandownen.com.

Stephanie Weiss works with singers to approach their audition with confidence. We will focus on vocal and acting techniques, as well as stage presence, in order to present successful auditions. This class will accommodate singers of all levels: high school, college, and emerging professionals.

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Presenter: Stephanie Weiss

Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Weiss has sung internationally with companies including Deutsche Oper Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, Oper Leipzig, and San Diego Opera. Roles include Komponist, Grimgerde, Leitmetzerin, Marcellina, Santuzza, and Venus. With ‘duo au courant’ partner Christina Wright-Ivanova, she released the CD “Sacred and Profane” with works by Daron Hagen. With degrees from NEC, Tufts University, UMKC, Mannes, and UNLV, she currently teaches at AIMS in Graz and is Assistant Professor of Voice at Arizona State University.

What does it mean to sing in a JAZZ style? What does it mean to sing in a SOUL style? What does it mean to sing in 80s POP style? What does it mean to sing in OLD STYLE BELT? Let’s talk about, work on, and have fun with STYLE!!!

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Presenter: Saul Nache

Saul M. Nache is a performer, voice professor, vocal style coach, and music director in great demand. A trained opera singer who has taught music theater voice at Illinois Wesleyan University for 10 years, and who has been the music director for shows at several universities and regional theater companies, Saul finds joy in honing the sounds and musical qualities of a variety of different STYLES!!

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Presenter: Matthew Worth

Matthew Worth is a Professor of Voice at the prestigious San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His students have enjoyed successes on operatic, musical theater, and popular music stages around the country and world. As a performer, he has recently been featured in the title role in the world premiere of JFK with Fort Worth Opera, the title role in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Boston Lyric Opera, the world premiere of The Manchurian Candidate with Minnesota Opera, and Moby Dick at Washington National Opera. He has performed principal roles at Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opéra de Montréal, Tanglewood Festival, Cincinnati Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, under luminary conductors James Levine, Lorin Maazel, and Sir Andrew Davis.

Work with Broadway Coach and Appcompanist Founder Darin Adams, an experienced opera singer and musical theatre performer, as he focuses on Crossover technique and strategy. Darin has mentored and taught voice to more than 300 Broadway performers and his students have appeared in nearly every recent Broadway show.

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Presenter Darin Adams

As a leading Broadway voice teacher, Darin Adams draws on over 30 years education and experience in performing arts. Darin did his undergraduate, graduate and performance certificate work at Pepperdine University, Azusa Pacific University, Indiana University and Music Academy of the West in music, vocal performance and stage direction. He performed countless leading roles in opera and musical theater in the US and overseas, and worked with his wife, Sheri Adams, as a concert and recording artist, artistic director, church music director, and the couple even spent 3 years traveling the world as headline artists for Seabourn Cruise Lines. They are the founders and co-artistic directors of a New York City based non-profit arts organization called Joemoe Arts, and founding creators of Appcompanist, a revolutionary new app that gives singers and voice teachers total control over the world’s best accompaniment recordings from any mobile device. As a composer and playwright, several of Darin’s works have been commercially produced on the west coast, and one of his full-length musicals is currently in the commercial development process in New York after two successful runs in California. In recent years, Darin has had the opportunity to mentor and train over 300 Broadway performers in shows including Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Phantom of the Opera, The Prom, Chicago, Something Rotten, and many others; teach master-classes with some of the industry’s top casting directors and coaches; and guest teach thousands of aspiring classical and musical theater performers at high schools, universities, and national conventions. Darin and Sheri live on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with their 3 children, Samuel, Sydney, and Jessie.

To find out more about Darin Adams, check out this interview by CS Music.

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Presenter: Steven Nanni

Steven Nanni, Assistant Professor of Music, coordinator of the vocal area at Hartwick College, and is vocal coach and Artistic Director of Foothills Opera Experience. He earned a BMus from the Milan Conservatory, and performance degree from the St. Cecilia Academy in Rome. Steven studied privately with sopranos Renata Scotto and Montserrat Caballé. Steven has performed leading roles with the New York City Opera, Washington National, La Scala, Dublin Opera, and many other regional companies in the U.S. and Italy.

Steven has also performed many roles in musical theatre along with performances at a number of jazz venues, performances with Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra Jr, and Eydie Gormé.

nannis@hartwick.edu

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Presenter: Denyce Graves

Recognized worldwide as one of today’s most exciting vocal stars, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves continues to gather unparalleled popular and critical acclaim in performances on four continents. USA Today identifies her as “an operatic superstar of the 21st Century,” and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution exclaims, “if the human voice has the power to move you, you will be touched by Denyce Graves.”

Her career has taken her to the world’s great opera houses and concert halls. The combination of her expressive, rich vocalism, elegant stage presence and exciting theatrical abilities allows her to pursue a wide breadth of operatic portrayals and to delight audiences in concert and recital appearances. Denyce Graves has become particularly well-known to operatic audiences for her portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. These signature roles have brought Ms. Graves to the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Royal Opera – Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Arena di Verona, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro Real in Madrid, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Los Angeles Opera and the Festival Maggio Musicale in Florence.

Ms. Graves was featured on the cover of Classical Singer magazine. Read her story here.

Presenter: Dr. Anthony Jahn

Anthony Jahn M.D., noted author and professor of clinical otolaryngology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, has offices in New York and is a noted author of The Care of the Professional Voice. For more resources, go to his website www.earandvoicedoctor.com.

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Presenter: Cindy Snyder

Miss Snyder moves with equal ease from opera to pop to musical theater.  She has appeared in several leading roles in musical theater productions, as well as the featured soloist in symphony concerts, and over forty major opera roles throughout her career.  Some of the conductors and directors with whom Miss Snyder has had the pleasure of working with include Nico Castel, William Venice from the Metropolitan Opera and Los Angeles Opera, Frank Fetta, William Yannuzzi of Baltimore Opera, Virginia Zeani at Indiana Universtiy, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Mila Filatova of St. Petersburg Opera in Russia.  Miss Snyder is currently a member of the voice faculty at the University of Redlands in California, and her students of all ages enjoy much success in both musical theater and opera.

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Presenter: Christine Anderson

Christine Anderson has sung numerous performances as soprano soloist with several prestigious contemporary music ensembles and has worked with such composers as Lukas Foss and Kristof Penderecki.  In addition, she has had extensive performing experience as a recitalist in programs featuring the premieres of new works.  Notably, she sang George Crumb’s Apparition and Night of the Four Moons on the University of Memphis’ retrospective series of concerts in honor of the composer’s 80th birthday. Anderson also taught in the Musical Theater Department at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is the former director of the Voice Program of the University of Cincinnati’s Summer Music Institute.

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Presenter: Nicolete Hart

Nicolette Hart has been working with students of all ages since 2013 when she opened NicoletteHartStudios, a private Voice/Acting Studio. In 2017, she began teaching Voice, Musical Theatre Performance and Rock the Audition (certified by Sheri Sanders) at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY.  Broadway: RENT, Wedding Singer, Legally Blonde, and Million Dollar Quartet. Off Broadway/Tours: Mamma Mia, Chix 6 , RENT, Company, A Chorus Line, How to Succeed.., Civil War, Cabaret, Always, Patsy Cline and Grease. TV/film credits include Prescient, Nurse Jackie, Law & Order, Lipstick Jungle, Wildflower and Cherry Crush. Since 2003, Nicolette has had the honor of touring the world as one of the infamous Harlettes with Bette Midler. Proud member of SAG-AFTRA/AEA.

Sign up for a one-on-one career coaching session with Dana Lynne Varga, an in-demand career coach for singers, dedicated to helping singers find their own unique path to a career in singing. Services can include work on singer materials, feedback on recordings, advising on creating and finding singing opportunities, improved success with auditions, getting out of a career slump, relocating, building a better “team” and anything else the individual singer needs.

These are add-on sessions where you get 30 minutes of one-on-one time; $55/session. The exact time of your coaching session will be arranged after registration.

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(Note: These are private sessions. You will schedule an exact time after you register.)

Presenter: Dana Lynne Varga
Dr. Dana Lynne Varga is a sought-after soprano, voice teacher and career coach, as well as the Founder and Artistic Director of MassOpera. She writes regularly for CS. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in April as soprano soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. Dana regularly presents vocal master classes and seminars on entrepreneurship across the country. A fierce advocate for singers, she’s devoted to progressive change in the classical vocal industry. Please visit www.danavarga.com and www.theempoweredmusician.com.

Sign up for a one-on-one coaching session with Transformative Coach and Former Metropolitan Opera Baritone Nicholas Pallesen. For over 15 years, Nicholas has been highly in-demand for his mental wellness and performance psychology coaching. Topics include finding more clarity, reconnecting to confidence, finding freedom from anxiety and fear, overcoming “imposter syndrome” and perfectionism, navigating uncertainty, bringing your dreams into reality, overcoming performance/audition anxiety, and overall mental wellness. No topic is off limits, either in performing or life!

These are add-on sessions where you get 30 minutes of one-on-one time; $55/session. The exact time of your coaching session will be arranged after registration.

Register for a one-on-one Coaching Session
(Note: These are private sessions. You will schedule an exact time after you register.)

Presenter: Nicholas Pallesen

For over 15 years, Transformative Coach Nicholas Pallesen has been known as the “Coach for the Soul” for his ability to help clients create changes and results that looked impossible to them before. A Juilliard-trained, former Metropolitan Opera baritone himself, Nicholas helps performers thrive both onstage and off. In addition to his individual clients, he regularly presents workshops on mental wellness for performers and performance psychology at universities and YAP’s around the US. To learn more, visit www.nicholaspallesen.com.

How to Put Together a Compelling Audition Package for College Musical Theatre Auditions.

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Presenter: Nadine Gomes

Nadine Gomes has spent her career exploring the genres of musical theatre, jazz, and opera as a singer and voice teacher. She is a full-time Lecturer in Voice in the Theatre Conservatory in the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where she has been on faculty since 2004. Nadine received an M.M. in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the Music Conservatory in CCPA at Roosevelt University, she earned a B.S. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, and she was a Vocal Jazz Performance Major at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Her students sing on Broadway, in national tours, in regional theatres, and throughout Chicago.  

This masterclass explores tools and methods singers can use to prepare and perform music from the German art song repertoire. The class will be led by noted singer-teachers and fluent German speakers, Randall Scarlata and Carl DuPont. For university level, or high school singers with a competent grasp of German Diction.

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Presenter: Carl DuPont

Bass-Baritone, Carl DuPont, is in demand internationally as a performer, teacher, and scholar. Recent engagements include recital appearances in Rome, Salzburg, and Portland, Oregon, as well as operatic roles at El Palacio de Bellas Artes, Columbus Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Carolina, and the Leipzig Opera House. The American Record Guide called his solo debut album of art songs by Black composers, entitled The Reaction, “a special album that brings deserved attention to these fine composers. If you enjoy art song, this is not something to miss.”

Presenter: Randall Scarlata

Hailed for his warm, expressive sound and winning way with the audience, Grammy-nominated baritone Randall Scarlata is one of the most highly regarded, versatile singers of his generation. He has appeared as a soloist with top orchestras, opera companies, and on concert stages across the world. Mr. Scarlata is co-artistic director of the Austrian chamber music festival, AlpenKammerMusik, and serves on the faculty of Peabody Conservatory and the Tanglewood Music Center.

Get the inside scoop on YAP auditions with WNO Young Artist Program Director Robert Ainsley.

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Presenter: Robert Ainsley

Active as an opera fanatic and factotum since 2001, Rob Ainsley has explored every facet of the art form across the country, and lives to pass on his enthusiasm to others. He is an alumnus of the University of Cambridge, Mannes College of Music, and the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera.

He is now the Director of the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program and the American Opera Initiative, seeking out and grooming the finest young American singers, composers, and librettists for international careers. Robert has inspired hundreds of young artists and thousands of audience members to share his passion, and prides himself on the friendships he has formed along the way.

Dr. Campelo will present a master class specifically catered to high school students and the needs of young singers with developing techniques and artistic skill. Classical and Musical Theatre styles are welcome.

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Presenter: Andre Campelo

Dr. André Campelo (baritone) is committed to helping young singers achieve their academic and career goals, guiding them towards singing with artistry and reliable vocal technique. His students have recently been accepted and won scholarships to several graduate programs such as Indiana University, San Francisco Conservatory, Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Northwestern University, Manhattan School of Music, and Mannes School of Music.

Master your song interpretation by working one-on-one with two time Tony Award nominee, Laura Osnes from Broadway’s Bandstand, Cinderella, Bonnie and Clyde, Anything Goes, Grease, South Pacific and more! (Please bring a 32-bar cut of your musical theatre audition song!)

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Presenter: Two-time Tony Nominee, Laura Osnes

Laura Osnes is a two-time Tony® Award nominee most recently seen on Broadway originating the role of Julia Trojan in the Tony Award–winning musical Bandstand (Drama Desk, Drama League nominations). Most recently, Laura starred as Maggie in Lifetime’s original film In the Key of Love. Other Broadway credits include the title role in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Drama Desk Award; Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, Astaire nominations); Bonnie Parker in Frank Wildhorn’s Bonnie and Clyde (Tony Award nomination), after creating the role at Asolo Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse (San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award); Hope Harcourt in the Tony Award–winning revival of Anything Goes (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Astaire Award nominations); Nellie Forbush in Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific; and Sandy in the most recent revival of Grease. Other New York and regional credits include Crazy for You (Manhattan Concert Productions); The Scarlett Pimpernell (Lincoln Center Concert Series) The Blueprint Specials; Weill’s The Threepenny Opera (Drama Desk Award nomination) at the Atlantic Theater Company; City Center’s Encores! productions of The Band Wagon, Randy Newman’s Faust, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Pipe Dream; Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music in concert at Carnegie Hall; Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her many concerts and cabaret appearances include performances with the New York Philharmonic, New York Pops, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Boston Pops, and San Francisco and National Symphony Orchestras. Laura is a frequent and favorite Broadway Guest Artist on faculty with Broadway Artists Alliance of NYC, offering advanced Musical Theatre training for High School Students and emerging young artists! To learn more about BAA’s online and in-person Summer Intensive Programs and College Audition Prep Workshops, click here:  www.BroadwayArtistsAlliance.org

Presenter: Broadway Artists Alliance Artistic Director and Founder, Jennifer Johns

Jennifer Johns first began her career as a working child performer and created Broadway Artists Alliance of NYC with her childhood interests and passions at heart. As an adult professional, Jennifer has toured with six Broadway National and International Tours as well as performed extensively in NYC and Regional Theatre. Favorite roles include Reno in Anything Goes, Betty in White Christmas, Peggy in 42nd Street, Polly in Crazy for You, Babe in The Pajama Game, The Narrator in Joseph…Dreamcoat, The Mother in A Christmas Story, Margaret in The Light in the Piazza, and as a Singer/Dancer with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. She’s also performed stateside and overseas for our troops alongside many celebrity performers as a part of the USO American Belles vocal trio for over 10 years. TV/film credits include: All My Children, One Life to Live, Saturday Night Live, 3,2,1 Contact, Law and Order, Garden State, Moulin Rouge, Kate and Leopold, Hairspray, and more. Throughout the year, Jennifer is on the Voice Faculty at Pace University in NYC and enjoys teaching Master Classes at Universities, Performing Arts High Schools, Thespian Festivals and Conventions across the country, in addition to maintaining a busy NYC Voice studio with a career coaching/college audition coaching focus. She is proud to see so many of her students currently at top Universities, with Broadway and National Tours credits, and signed to Top NYC Agents and Managers! Jennifer has been a proud member of NATS, AEA, AGVA, and SAG-AFTRA (since 1981). She holds a M.M. in Musical Theatre (Vocal Performance) as well as an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from NYU. In addition to her role of Artistic Director of Broadway Artists Alliance, she’s previously been on the adjunct voice faculty at NYU, is now the NYC Senior Showcase Producer for The University of the Arts, and is currently on the vocal Faculty at Pace University in NYC.

About Broadway Artists Alliance

Broadway Artists Alliance of NYC provides professional training for promising young musical theatre performers – both live in New York City, and online from the comfort of your own home! Participants study voice, acting, and dance with top Broadway performers and NYC professionals, and every BAA intensive culminates in a final showcase for top New York casting directors, agents, and managers. BAA also specializes in summer and winter intensives, a 3-week online weekly class series, college audition preparation workshops, and adult professional training for ages 18 and up. BAA student success stories have included student’s making their debuts on Broadway  and in Broadway National Tours of Dear Evan Hansen, Mean Girls, Hamilton, Frozen, Finding Neverland, Newsies, Hello Dolly, School of Rock, Kinky Boots, Lion King, Anastasia, Billy Elliot, The Ferryman, Annie, Mary Poppins, Matilda, Sound of Music, 13, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Violet, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, West Side Story, and more!  In response to Covid-19, BAA has launched extensive online programming to ensure that everyone has the chance to continue to hone their craft! Admission is still open for this summer and granted by Audition or Special Invitation only. Learn more at broadwayartistsalliance.org!

Presenter: Courtney Crouse

Dr. Courtney Crouse is an Associate Professor of Voice at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music teaching advanced vocal pedagogy, vocal performance, opera, and musical theater majors. Crouse received her DM and MM from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and her BA from Texas Wesleyan University. She is also an active performer of operatic, musical theater, and jazz repertoire. courtneycrouse.com

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The AAMS and ISMI in Finland will be offering a vocal science and master class with Ulla Raiski,Mezzo, Tampere Conservatoire; Kristjan Mõisnik, Bass-Baritone, Sibelius-Akatemia;  Mira Yang, Soprano, George Mason University & Kennedy Center.  The singers who like to audition for the Finnish National Opera, Zurich Opera, Washington National Opera, etc., may sign up to sing and/or join in the conversation.  All three faculty members will take turns giving comments.

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Presenters:

Ulla Raiskio, Mezzo, Senior Lecturer at the Tampere Conservatoire and former Helsinki Metropolia University. She is the chairwoman of the Lied-academy of Finland. She teaches voice, voice pedagogy, Lied, opera and Contemporary Singing.  She performed with Finnish National Opera, Ilmajoki Music Festival, Savonlinna Opera Festival, International Opera Studio in Zürich.  She earned her Master of Music from the Opera Class of the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki.

Kristjan Mõisnik, Bass-Baritone, Opera singer / Lecturer of vocal performance in Sibelius Academy.  He performed over 40 operatic roles in Finland, Germany, Estonia, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Spain. His most important roles are Sarastro, König Marke, Padre Guardiano, Leporello, Publio, Sparafucile, Gremin, Colline etc.  He also performed  for Faure “Requiem”, Bach “St John-Passion” and “St Matthew-Passion”, Schubert “Winterreise”, Schumann “Dichterliebe”, Brahms “Vier ernste Gesänge”, Mussorgski “Songs and dances of death.”

Mira Yang,  Soprano, earned her D.M.A. from The Catholic University of America, Master of Music from Peabody Conservatory, Artists Diploma from Der Hochschule Mozarteum, Altenbug Academy in Germany, Societa dei Concerti in Italy. She is president of the AAMS, Community Advisory Board of the Kennedy Center, and Voice Professor at the George Mason University. She performed with the Washington National Opera, Washington Concert Opera, and appeared in many leading roles with regional opera companies.

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Presenter: Kevin Wilson

Kevin Wilson is an Associate Professor of Voice and Head of Vocal Pedagogy at the Boston Conservatory of Music. As the Head, he designed and oversees both the Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy and the Masters of Fine Arts in Musical Theater Vocal Pedagogy. Kevin gives masterclasses throughout the world on teaching and singing musical theater. His students have performed in 26 Broadway musicals, 17 National Tours, at the Metropolitan Opera, and have received numerous national and international awards for performance. In 2019 he was named a Master Teacher for the National Association for Teachers of Singing prestigious Intern Program.

Debra Cook shares steps towards a thought-based acting approach that can assist in genuinely representing a character.  You’ll investigate how to monologue, follow the character’s attention from one moment to the next, avoid interpretive traps, and find specificity leading to professional portrayals.

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Presenter: Debra Cook

Debra Cook, Executive Director, Utah Conservatory, was Associate Adjunct Professor for the Actor Training Program at the University of Utah and voice instructor at BYU.  Her 45 years as teacher and performer includes recent critical acclaim for her Off-Broadway Musical, “Jilted to Perfection,” concerts at Carnegie Hall, Amphitheatre Pop’s Concerts, Carmina Burana, La Boheme, & Rutter’s Requiem.  A composer and conductor, Cook recently led three choruses to Carnegie Hall and specializes in choral/solo collaborations.

Presenter: Katherine Jolly

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Soprano Katherine Jolly focuses on physical and mental wellness in her teaching, using yoga, dance, and mindfulness exercises to support solid vocal technique. She is a winner of the 2006 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finals, and has performed leading roles with New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Opera Theatre Saint Louis, among others. Jolly was previously on faculty at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and joined the faculty at Oberlin Conservatory in 2019.

Presenter: Mark McCrory

Mark McCrory, bass-baritone, has garnered attention for his strong, commanding, and wide-ranging voice.  Having just completed his sixth year at the University of Oklahoma, he will continue this fall as Associate Professor of Voice, Vocal Area Chair, and Vocal Arts Division Head.  Still actively performing, notable past engagements have included roles with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Dallas Opera, Tulsa Opera, among many others.  He is a winner of numerous competitions and awards including the George London Foundation Award and National Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

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Presenter: Sarah Wigley

Sarah Wigley is an Assistant Professor of Voice for the Lyric Theatre department at the University of Illinois, specializing in contemporary voice technique. Wigley instructs Lyric Theatre Studio, Singing in Musical Theatre, and private voice while frequently stage directingboth opera and musical theatre. Sarah’s recent workshops and presentations include the International Congress of Voice Teachers, the National Association for Teachers of Singing, and the American Choral Directors Association.

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Nuts, Bolts, and Heart: Beautiful and Efficient Singing

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Presenter: Joel Balzun

Baritone and composer Joel Balzun currently serves on the voice faculty of Biola University, where his students have garnered prizes at various levels of NATS and other competitions in addition to admissions at some of the finest undergraduate and graduate programs in the country. He regularly appears with operas companies from coast to coast in roles including the title roles of Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi and Joe De Rocher in Dead Man Walking, among others. A multiple prize-winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, he has studied vocal performance at the Eastman School of Music and the Tanglewood Music Center. www.joelbalzun.com/

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Presenter: Steven Nanni

Steven Nanni, Assistant Professor of Music, coordinator of the vocal area at Hartwick College, and is vocal coach and Artistic Director of Foothills Opera Experience. He earned a BMus from the Milan Conservatory, and performance degree from the St. Cecilia Academy in Rome. Steven studied privately with sopranos Renata Scotto and Montserrat Caballé. Steven has performed leading roles with the New York City Opera, Washington National, La Scala, Dublin Opera, and many other regional companies in the U.S. and Italy.

Steven has also performed many roles in musical theatre along with performances at a number of jazz venues, performances with Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra Jr, and Eydie Gormé.

nannis@hartwick.edu

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Presenter: Ben Cameron

Ben Cameron is your Broadway Buddy. Broadway: Wicked (obc), Aida, Footloose (abc). Tours: Sweet Charity opposite Molly Ringwald, State Fair, The Who’s Tommy. Fame and Footloose. Ben is the creator and host of of long running BYC institution, Broadway Sessions now in it’s 12th year (2019 MAC Award recipient). He also the creator and host of Broadway Buskers concert series w/ Times Square Alliance, hit podcast talk show The Broadway Cast, w/Playbill as well as  web series Dance Captain Dance Attack and new streaming series Ben’s 10 (both on BroadwayWorld). Be is the MainStage host of Broadway Con and Emcee for Onstage NY talent competitions. And served as host of long running open mic, Mostly Sondheim at The Duplex in NYC. Ben is a sought after theatre/dance teacher  and choreographer and teaches masterclasses all over the world. Ben served as host of the HQ style trivia app ‘Reward The Fan Broadway trivia series. To keep up with all things Ben Ben-Cameron.nyc and follow on social media at @BenDoesBroadway. Ben likes you.

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Presenter: Tyler Nelson

Dr. Tyler Nelson is a tenured Associate Professor of Voice at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. He is also an active performer.  Recent engagements include performances with the Tabernacle Choir, Opera Tampa, Festival Lyrique International, Irish National Opera, Opera Omaha, Saratoga Opera, Dayton Opera and Utah Opera.

Butler University Professors Dr. Dana Zenobi and Dr. Oliver Worthington work together to help students realize growth through breath focussed technical training and text-based storytelling resulting in powerful performances.

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Presenter: Oliver Worthington

Oliver Worthington, baritone, has received international, regional and local acclaim for performances in a variety of musical and theatrical performances. In his brief time in Indianapolis, he has performed with the Indianapolis Opera, The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, and several ensembles at Butler University where he teaches. A champion of living composers, he frequently premieres new works on recitals in addition to the standard repertoire. Dr. Worthington is the Vocal Area Coordinator and the Director of Butler Opera Theater at Butler University in Indianapolis. His directing credits include musicals and operas from old favorites to world-premieres in venues throughout the United States. He balances his teaching and performing with philanthropy and serves as president of the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation.

Presenter: Dana Zenobi

Dana Zenobi, soprano, has earned national recognition as an interpreter of Art Song by women composers, and has garnered success in operatic roles ranging from Mozart to Verdi. At Butler University, she teaches Vocal Pedagogy, Vocal Diction, Opera Literature, and Art Song Literature. Zenobi has presented lectures and lecture recitals at numerous conferences and festivals including Texoma NATS, the Music By Women Festival, and the Associated Colleges of the South Gender Studies Conference.

Presenter: Jamibeth Margolis

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With nearly twenty years of professional experience in theater and opera, Jamibeth Margolis is a stage director based in New York City with credits at prestigious theaters and opera companies around the US including New York City Opera, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Opera, and many more. Recent theatrical directing credits include: National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s Broadway: A Jewish American Legacy gala event, The Whole Megillah at 54 Below, and The Count of Monte Cristo at the Bleecker Street Theatre. She also directed a semi-staged concert production of The Music Man for Pacific Symphony.

In addition to Jamibeth’s career as a stage director, she is also an accomplished casting director and general manager working with various companies in New York before subsequently starting her own company, Jamibeth Margolis Casting. Select casting credits include the Broadway and National Touring Companies of Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Cats, and Jane Eyre and many others. She also teaches musical theater, acting, and audition technique in studios all around New York City and serves on the BFA Acting Faculty at Pace University.

Repertoire options and technical vocal tips for making the most of your college auditions.

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Presenter: Marc Weagraff

Marc Weagraff is Associate Professor of Voice and Voice Department Chair at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music. He holds the D.M.A. degree in Voice from The University of Michigan with M.M. and B.M. degrees in Voice from The Cleveland Institute of Music. His students have performed with national/international opera programs (Hawaii, Italy, Mexico, France, Austria, others), in leading roles on Broadway (Mean Girls, Rock of Ages, Ghost, King King, Bring It On!, others) and national/international tours (Hamilton, Phantom, American Idiot, Book of Mormon, others), and attended top-tier graduate programs including Curtis, Eastman, CCM, NEC and more. www.bw.edu   www.facebook.com/WeagraffVoiceStudio