Masterclass Video Library
Click on a link below to watch the class of your choice. Refer back to www.csmusic.info/masterclasses for upcoming live classes.
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.
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.
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.
Acting, Schmacting: How Much Should You Do in Auditions?
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.
This musical theatre masterclass bridges the elements of singing and storytelling. Liz Gray and Christine Brown 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.
Presenter: 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.
Presenter: 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.
In this hour presentation, Respiro Opera, NYC faculty 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.
Presenter: 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.
Presenter: 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.
Presenter: 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.
Let’s discover together the many layers of meaning in the exquisite miniature of the American Art Song. By combining your musical talent with your interpretative abilities, we will explore the many ways art song can bring us joy, offer solace, and show us hope during these challenging times. Participants are encouraged to submit Art songs, Spirituals, or other sacred songs for this class. Presenter: Liana Valente
Dr. Liana Valente is Assistant Professor and Classical Voice Area Coordinator at Howard University in Washington, DC where she teachers both undergraduate and graduate courses in diction, vocal pedagogy, song literature and applied voice and directs the HU Opera Theater Workshop. A versatile soprano, she is admired for her work singing traditional opera, oratorio and song literature and is praised as an exciting performer of new music. She regularly commissions and premieres works written by emerging and established composers, appearing in concert and as a conference presenter throughout the US and abroad. Dr. Valente is committed to supporting United Nations Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and uses her talents to speak for those without a voice. Learn more about Dr. Valente: https://drvalente.omegatower.com/
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.
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.
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.
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.
Learn to: Make the “pitch”, Be a “hit”, and Never “Strike Out”
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.
Opera Memphis Music Director Cris Frisco works with singers who want to audition for opera houses. Learn the ins and outs of how to present yourself, the best repertoire to highlight your strengths, and behind-the-table tips for navigating the business overall.
Pianist and conductor, CRIS FRISCO, is a collaborative musician equally at home in the worlds of classical and popular music. He is currently the Director of Musical Activities at Opera Memphis. In past seasons, he has worked on productions on Broadway, at the Philadelphia Orchestra, McCarter Theatre, Walnut Street Theater, Opera Birmingham, Opera Fayetteville, Kentucky Opera, The Princeton Festival, and the Bucks Country Playhouse. A committed educator for the next generation of artists, he has served on the faculties of Rutgers University, Westminster Choir College, the New School for Drama, and Hunter College.
Members of the casting team from Royal Caribbean Productions discuss the in’s and out’s of auditioning for the commercial theater.
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 America’s 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.
Presenter: Nicollete Hart
Nicolette Hart has been working with students of all ages since 2013 when she opened Nicolette Hart Studios, 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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
University of Alabama faculty members Paul Houghtaling, Alexis Hazell-Davis, and Susan Williams discuss key points of nailing your college audition.
Presenters:
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.)
Susan Williams, soprano, is Associate Professor of Voice at The University of Alabama. In 2019, she performed with the President’s Orchestra of Tajikistan through the Pitch Pipe Foundation and gave masterclasses in Kathmandu, Nepal as a grant recipient of the U.S. Embassy. Twice she has toured in Kolkata, India with Kolkata Classics. She has been a soloist with the Akron Symphony, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the Cleveland Bach Consort, the Tuscaloosa Symphony, the Duke Symphony Orchestra, the Huxford Symphony, the Master Chorale of South Florida, the Frost Symphony Orchestra, and the Johnson City Symphony. In 2018 she was a faculty artist with the Bassi Brugnatelli Symposium for Conductors and Singers in Robbiate, Italy. In 2019 she made her third trip to Havana, Cuba to teach and perform as part of the University of Alabama Center for Cuba Collaboration and Scholarship. She holds a DMA from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Bass-baritone Paul Houghtaling is the Director of the Druid City Opera Workshop at Alabama. Career highlights include several Carnegie Hall solo appearances; U.S. tours with the Waverly Consort, including Kennedy Center appearances; European tours as Papageno with Teatro Lirico d’Europa; and “Opera Buffa: Comedy On Stage” on Lincoln Center’s “Meet the Artists” series. Recently, Houghtaling made an acclaimed debut with Opera Birmingham as Dulcamara in L’elisir d’Amore. He has also appeared with the Baltimore, Boston Lyric, Cedar Rapids, Knoxville, Long Beach, Mississippi, Nashville, Natchez, and Santa Fe Operas, among others, and has created roles for Philip Glass, Lee Hoby, Michael Ching, and other American composers. Dr. Houghtaling holds the D.M.A. degree from the City University of New York and is currently Professor of Music and Director of Opera at the University of Alabama. www.paulhoughtaling.com
Join vocalist and esteemed voice teacher at Skokstudio, Heidi Skok for a fun-filled class to learn more about how to connect yourself to your chest voice and carry that chest dominance up higher without involving the throat, and with no strain and learn your belting range. Exercises that Heidi Skok uses will be taught and interactive work with eager singers will happen! An exploratory class for you to engage in pure chest voice and begin to learn how to sing in that chest voice with no judgment. Heidi Skok is a diverse teacher and artist who has sung at the Metropolitan Opera and globally. Heidi struggled as a soprano, she was a low voice and in 2006, she returned to the lower voice roots, her true voice. Heidi has returned to pop singing. She is the Founder and Director of Resonanz Opera and has launched In Fine Leather, a student-teacher Duo of a talented Skokstudio student that offers public concerts and makes recordings with Heidi Skok. Heidi helps singers advance in their careers whether they are talented high school singers, Emerging Artists, accomplished artists who are now embarking on a new journey with their voice, singers who can’t find their voice and are stuck, needing help technically and singers with vocal issues from singing in the wrong range. She works with all genres and teaches Classical singers how to belt. Please see www.skokstudio.org.
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.
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.
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.
Singers work with star Alex Finke from Broadway’s Come From Away.
Cast Member of Come From Away
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.
Video 1 (Cabaret, High School)
Video 2 (Cabaret, Univ/YA)
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.
Get 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!
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!
Singers 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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Video 2
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.
Singers work with Broadway performer Jake Swain.
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Presenter: Jake Swain
Broadway: Mean Girls (Tyler Kimble, u/s Aaron Samuels). Regional: Oklahoma! (Will Parker) & Bye Bye Birdie (Harvey Johnson) at Goodspeed. National Tour: Elf the Musical. Other favorites: Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Collins), Our Town, and a character mask production of The Crucible. BFA in Acting, BYU. TV: “Hysterical Women.” Film: Zombied, Now Again. Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Irene Ryan National Finalist. Other skills: a MEAN belch, a handstand, and a decent (but not too special) whistle. Instagram: @jacobmonte
With work Broadway lead Sharon Wheatley from Come From Away.
Presenter: Sharon Wheatley
Sharon currently appears nightly as Diane and others, roles she originated, in the new musical Come From Away on Broadway. Playing at The Schoenfeld Theater, it opened on March 12, 2017 to critical acclaim, it is a The New York Times “Critic’s Pick” and a Tony© Award Winner. Sharon is also on the Original Cast Recording of Come From Away. Sharon has enjoyed many years in New York City as a professional actress. Her Broadway credits include her current role in Come From Away (Diane and others, original cast) Avenue Q (Kate Monster/ Lucy T. Slut, Mrs. T. Yellow Bear), the final company of Cats as it finished its record breaking run at The Winter Garden Theater (Jennyanydots, The Gumbie Cat), Les Miserables (Cosette and Eponine), and The Phantom of the Opera (Madam Firman). Sharon holds the distinction of being the only actress to appear in all three of these Broadway blockbusters on Broadway. She has also toured nationally and internationally with Come From Away, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Sound of Music, and also originated Avenue Q at The Wynn Casino and Resort in Las Vegas (Mrs. T/Yellow Bear/ Kate and Lucy). Her film credits include Gods Behaving Badly. On TV, she has been seen as “Mary Jo” in My Life Is A Lifetime Movie.
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!)
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.
Performing arts is about PROCESS and not RESULT. It’s about the “journey” and not the “destination.” An artist is never done evolving and learning. In this class, explore how to tell a clear, connected, emotionally-engaging story through song. In 2010, he starred as Angel in RENT at the Hollywood Bowl opposite Wayne Brady, directed by Neil Patrick Harris. Television audiences will remember him as Wes the Warbler on “Glee”. Telly is featured as a coach for the Jimmy Awards in the PBS documentary, “Broadway or Bust”. He can be heard on many original Broadway cast recordings and has released two solo albums – I’ll Cover You (2012) and Songs for You (2016) – on The Yellow Sound Label. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. He has taught master classes and courses at American universities like NYU, Nazareth College, The University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon and Point Park and has been a guest teacher at drama programs all over the world, from Edinburgh to Tokyo.
Presenter: Telly Leung
Telly Leung is a New York City native, Broadway performer, recording artist, producer, & theater arts teacher. His Broadway & national touring credits include Aladdin in Disney’s “Aladdin” on Broadway, In Transit, Allegiance (with George Takei & Lea Salonga), Godspell, Rent (final Broadway company), Wicked (Boq, original Chicago company), Pacific Overtures, and Flower Drum Song.
Presenter: Scott Wojcik
Wojcik| Seay Casting, llc casts the full spectrum of styles of musical with a strong presence in contemporary MT and Pop/Rock. They currently have the off broadway show SuperYou (delayed due to Covid), The JCS tour (heading back out end of 2020 or in 2021) and RENT tour celebrating its 25th anniversary. Additionally, they are currently in development on a musical version of An Officer and A Gentleman….all 80s Pop.
Feedback in this class applies to all levels of ability and experience. Singers will come prepared with one piece to work on, though the entire selection may not be performed.
Originally from Bristol, RI, Scott has lived in NYC since 1992. He attended Bentley College in Waltham, MA where he studied Management & Marketing and did his graduate studies in Arts Management at Texas Tech University. While at TTU, he also did extensive undergraduate course work in acting and directing. Scott started performing again in grad school. Upon moving to Dallas, he worked at the Deep Elum Theater Garage and then booked a six month tour. Following the tour, he moved to NYC. He supplemented his acting career with work as a freelance Casting Assistant for several Independent Casting offices until 1999 when he joined Charles Rosen Casting full time. Scott became partner of Rosen & Wojcik casting in 2005. In 2009, the company transitioned to Wojcik | Seay Casting. His work as an Arts Presenter during college and grad school led to an interest in producing. To further that interest, Scott aligned his skills with two partners to form CRW Productions, a company that creates customized theatrical events. From 2002 till 2007 CRW produced projects that ranged from corporate fundraisers, philanthropic events to new musicals and developmental readings as well as a multi-million dollar product launch in South America. In addition to casting, Scott pursues his interest in education by teaching audition skills and application on the concept of the business of acting. Some of Scott’s educational work includes a 10 week “Business of Acting” course and a 5 week On Camera commercial technique class. He teaches regularly for SAG/AFTRA and has been a regular guest monologue coach for Vassar’s summer program, Powerhouse. Along with co-teacher Susan Pilar, he developed a 6 week curriculum called “FUSE”, designed to help recently graduated acting students bridge the gap between the academic and professional acting environment. Scott also works with college theatre departments to help them better prepare for their NYC showcase.
Presenter: Angela Myles Beeching
The author of “Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music,” Angela Myles Beeching is the former director of career and entrepreneurship programs at Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University, and New England Conservatory. Ms. Beeching teaches musicians how to get more of their best work out into the world. She maintains a thriving online career coaching practice helping musicians become the artists they are meant to be. Her guest speaking at festivals, conferences, and music schools has taken her to Oslo, Tokyo, London, Vienna, and Helsinki. The third edition of her book Beyond Talent was recently released. And you can find information on it and grab a copy of her 5 Step Start-up Guide at http://AngelaBeeching.com.
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.
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.
Learn about new best practices and proven strategies. Join Opera Career Coach Zenaida des Aubris in this one-hour lecture with many actionable tips.
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.
Dr. Susan Hochmiller is Assistant Professor of Voice at the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College and Director of Orvieto Musica’s Art of Song summer vocal chamber music festival in Orvieto, Italy. She is an avid recitalist and has performed chamber music in Italy and across the United States. She holds a BM in Vocal Performance from Susquehanna University and an MM and DMA in Voice Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Hochmiller is the author of So You Want To Sing Chamber Music published by Rowman & Littlefield.
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.
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.
Repertoire options and technical vocal tips for making the most of your college auditions.
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
The Soul of the Singer masterclass explores pop music styles coming from a Musical Theater or Classical background. Singers work with repertoire from the popular music canon as the foundations of this course will look at the historical origins of this music which is rooted in Black Music of America. We also explore how your soul is primary in creating a successful vocal performance.
Presenter: Singer, Songwriter, and Producer Adrian Dunn
Adrian Dunn is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and producer. Mr. Dunn holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degree in Voice from The Music Conservatory at Roosevelt University with additional musical studies in opera at The Sibelius Academy of Music in Finland.
Mr. Dunn has sung with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Symphony Chorus, Blossom Festival Chorus, and as a soloist with the North Shore Choral Society. He has sung in the CCM Spoleto Opera Festival in Spoleto, Italy and is a frequent soloist in Handel’s Messiah. He sang the lead role in the 2017 Chicago premiere of the Paul Laurence Dunbar opera The Poet and in 2016 served as the opera chorus master for the midwest premiere of the opera Harriet Tubman – When I Crossed That Line to Freedom with the South Shore Opera Company of Chicago.
As an active professional singer, producer, and songwriter, Mr. Dunn has had the privilege of working with gospel greats such as Tremaine Hawkins, Myron Butler, Melonie Daniels, Troy Bright, Lamar Campbell, Damien Sneed, Walt Whitman and the Soul Children of Chicago, Smokie Norful, Jonathan Nelson, and many more. He was awarded Album Producer of the Year for AME Live featuring the AME International Mass Choir from the Rhythm of Gospel Awards. He has served on music staff for the AME General Conference in Philadelphia (2016) and in Nashville (2012). He opened the 2014 Thomas Dorsey National Convention of Choirs and Choruses for the AME Mass Choir. He is the album producer for the 2015 release AME 200: Celebrating 200 years of the AME church.
Mr. Dunn is a MacArthur grant recipient for his original work Hopera: A Hip Hop Opera. He was nominated for Best Music Director from the Black Theater Alliance Awards for his work Hopera: a Hip Hop Opera. He has opened for international Hip Hop Recording Artist The Roots at Indiana University. He served as principle vocal coach for Kanye West’s artist development program Donda’s House. He was a featured artist and vocal coach for the live DVD recording of the Higher Ground Gospel Choir in Helsinki, Finland. He has toured throughout the US, South Africa, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Scandinavia.
Mr. Dunn has been a guest artist and presented lectures at The University of Wisconsin Madison, The School of the Art Institute, McCormick Theological Seminary, Clark Atlanta University, Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Columbia College Chicago, Bowling Green State University, University of California Irvine, California State University, West Virginia University, The University of Calgary, Governors State University and The University of Chicago. He is the former Artistic Director of the Legacy Black Music Project. He completed writing his first book in 2014 entitled Your Voice Unleashed: A Singers Guide to Healthier, Smarter, Sustainable Singing.
Currently, Mr. Dunn released his most recent album and second book entitled Redemption: A collection of spirituals & gospel songs in seeking justice for Black lives. He recently wrote the opening music for WWE’s Wrestle Mania 35 and completed a national album & book tour of the Redemption. He is a voice faculty member at the Theater Conservatory at Roosevelt University & The New Music School in downtown Chicago, IL. Mr. Dunn’s private voice students can be seen in Broadway National tours of LION KING, GHOST, KINKY BOOTS, RENT, BET’s show Sunday Best, Drury Lane Theater, The Paramount Theater, Black Ensemble Theater, and as background vocalists for major record label artists on tour throughout the US and abroad.
Work on contemporary vocal material (Musical Theater and Pop/Rock) and find the connections to both!
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.
Date: February 22, 2023
Crossover masterclass with Broadway and Opera Star, Meghan Picerno! Currently starring as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic leading, Christine Daaé, in Broadway’s longest running musical, The Phantom of the Opera, fan favorite Meghan Picerno (recently nominated for Broadway Replacement of the Decade: Broadwayworld) will guide you on how to use your classical background to translate over to music theater like the multi-talented rockstar you are!
Presenter: Meghan Picerno
Coloratura Soprano Meghan Picerno recently made her highly-anticipated Broadway début, and currently stars as iconic leading lady, Christine Daaé, in Broadway’s longest running production, The Phantom of the Opera after delighting audiences with her performances as Christine on the World Tour of The Phantom of the Opera, and in the US Premiere/1st National Tour of Love Never Dies. Fan favorite, Meghan was prestigiously named Top 10 Broadway replacements of 2019 (Broadway Box). Meghan’s impeccable portrayal and vocal performance as Christine Daaé led to special invitations from Andrew Lloyd Webber to represent his body of work in performance on the ITV television broadcast of the Classic BRIT Awards, and on the Live at Chelsea Concert Series honoring his 70th birthday.
Recorded Thursday, January 20, 2022
Presenter: Korianne Johnson, Brigham Young University
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.
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).
Video 1
Navigating through a professional performance career is no easy feat, especially in opera. “No longer can we just stand at the proscenium and sing. We must really act” says star Denyce Graves. Providing moving and affective portrayals of characters, while producing a stunning voice, is highly desired. In this masterclass, watch opera legend Denyce Graves to learn what truly allows a song to ascend with searing, unforgettable emotion and how to achieve beyond what you believe is possible through music.
Video 2 (High School level)
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.
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.
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.
Presenter: Stefano de Peppo
Bass-baritone Stefano de Peppo was born in Italy and made his professional debut in Mexico City in 1990. He has sung at major Opera Houses in Italy, Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Germany, Israel, England, Finland, France. In USA at Los Angeles Opera, Washington Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, Carnegie Hall among others. He resides in New York City.
He is a specialist of the buffo roles of the Italian repertory of 19th century, and known for the richness of his voice, his crips diction and talented singing-actor.
He is often invited for Masterclasses or 1-on-1 classes on Italian diction and Italian repertory for young and advanced singers at Music Colleges and for Young Artist Programs at Opera Houses.
Bass Marc Webster joined the voice faculty in the School of Music at Ithaca College in 2010 where his studio graduates are currently singing in professional venues across the country. As a master teacher and recitalist, Mr. Webster has given recent masterclass and recital performances at Boston University, Songe d’été en Musique in Quebec, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, DePaul University School of Music, Wake Forest University, Pacific Lutheran University, University of Texas at Brownsville, Sam Houston State University, Binghamton University, University of Southern Mississippi, Eastern Kentucky University, Cornell University, and University of Incarnate Word. Recent concert, opera and oratorio performances for Mr. Webster include soloist engagements throughout the United States and as a guest artist at summer festivals in Canada and Italy. Mr. Webster holds graduate degrees from Juilliard and Eastman and completed his opera apprentice training at the Merola Studio at San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera Studio, Florida Grand Opera Studio and as a Filene Artist at Wolf Trap Opera. For more information, please visit https://faculty.ithaca.edu/mwebster/
Lori McCann from Montclair State University addresses all aspects of diction as they relate to overall vocal technique such as optimal pronunciation and articulation, vowel tuning, consonant efficiency, word stress and dramatic intent.
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.
Native French-speaking Maria Todaro, a stage director, opera singer, and general director of The Phoenicia International Festival of Voice, with beginner and advanced singers on their French repertoire and diction.
Presenter: Maria Todaro
A versatile artist and art entrepreneur, Maria is not simply a stage director, but a fight choreographer, stunt artist, writer and conductor. She is also training a new generation of singers and serves as general director of The Phoenicia International Festival of Voice after being one of its founder in 2010. Maria Todaro made her US stage directing debut in 2015 with “Cavalleria Rusticana” for the Westfield Symphony Orchestra under the baton of British maestro David Wroe and was immediately invited back to direct “La Boheme”.
Among her own productions:
Don Giovanni”, “La Traviata” A Mad Max “Die Walkurie”, “Pagliacci set in the Wild West, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, her ” Spanish Civil War Carmen” in Fargo, and a ground-breaking production of Elixir of Love set in Ghana with an exclusive African American cast at FofV, August 2019.
Get expert advice on German diction as you work with German-born and raised Nils Neubert. The class focuses on diction, phrasing, and interpretation.
Presenter: Nils Neubert from Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, and Mannes Faculty
Tenor Nils Neubert maintains active careers as a performer, educator, and scholar in the United States and abroad. Born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, he is based in New York City, where he teaches German diction at The Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Mannes School of Music.
He also serves as German coach at the Music Academy of the West, and at the Glimmerglass Festival. BM, The Juilliard School; MA, Teachers College, Columbia University; DMA, CUNY Graduate Center; Vice President, NATS-NYC.
Russian vocal repertoire is known for being very beautiful but, oh, so hard to pronounce. Unfamiliar sounds and a strange alphabet make us even more confused. Is it easier to just let it all go and not to approach Russian vocal repertoire at all? Well, as Nikolai Gogol said, “the devil is not as black as he is painted.” There are many basic observations, which will help you to improve your pronunciation efficiently and quickly: the relative role of vowels and consonants in singing and comparisons to other languages in this aspect, the reduction of unstressed vowels, difference between hard and soft (palatalized) consonants…and inflection, inflection, INFLECTION. These aspects will be our main focus in the class and you will see that Russian diction is much easier than you thought!
Presenter: Tatiana Lokhina
Tatiana is a doctoral candidate in collaborative piano at Indiana University. She holds degrees from Lynn Conservatory (Florida), the Ippolitov-Ivanov Music Institute (Moscow), and the Moscow State Linguistics University. She also studied piano in Hamburg and performed extensively in Europe. Tatiana is an avid harpsichordist and an experienced continuo player. She has recorded for NAXOS, appeared at SongFest, Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar, and Summer Opera Tel Aviv, and has worked with Martin Katz, Stephanie Blythe, Carol Vaness, and Joshua Bell. She has developed and taught a highly successful course entitled “Russian diction for singers and vocal coaches.”
Discovering the Vocal Repertoire in Spanish: Diction & Vocal Literature. In this class, Latin American and Iberian Song expert Patricia Caicedo will present an overview of the art song genre in Spanish. She’ll discuss composers, repertoire and diction.
Presenter: Patricia Caicedo, soprano and musicologist
A multifaceted artist, soprano and musicologist Patricia Caicedo is one of the leading interpreters of the Iberian and Latin American Art Song Repertoire, having performed around the world.
She has recorded ten CDs dedicated to the art song repertoire in Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese and published nine books considered reference in the area. She often visits universities and conservatories around the world as a guest artist and teacher.
Caicedo is the founder and director of the Barcelona Festival of Song®, a 10-day Summer Course and performance series on the history and interpretation of the Latin American and Spanish Vocal repertoire that reaches its 17th edition in 2021. Patricia holds a Ph.D. in musicology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a Medical Doctor´s degree from the Escuela Colombiana de Medicina. www.patriciacaicedo.com www.barcelonafestivalofsong.com www.mundoarts.com
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/
Work 1-on-1 with Jamibeth from Margolis Casting And Productions LLC.
Presenter: JamiBeth Margolis
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.
Jamibeth’s operatic directing credits include productions of Tosca, Pirates of Penzance, Amahl and the Night Visitors, La traviata, The Merry Widow, Dance of Death, and The Tender Land. An advocate of developing new voices for the stage, she directed several new chamber operas by Martin Halpern including The Lock of Hair, The Inseparables and most recently, What the Babe Said. Jamibeth was the recipient of the competitive SDCF Directing Observership on Mark Lamos’ production of Tosca at New York City Opera and served as Assistant Stage Director for La traviata and Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera New Jersey. In prior seasons, she assisted with the casting for The Merry Widow at the Metropolitan Opera starring Plácido Domingo.
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.
Presenter: Michael Cassara
Michael Cassara, CSA (Casting Director) recent credits include Mr. Holland’s Opus (dir. BD Wong, upcoming/2021), An American In Paris (international tour, dir. Christopher Wheeldon), The Mad Ones (Prospect Theater Company, dir. Stephen Brackett), Spamilton (NYC/Chicago/Pittsburgh CLO/current tour), Gigantic (Vineyard Theatre, dir. Scott Schwartz), Enter Laughing (York Theatre), Forbidden Broadway (last three editions/cast albums), The 12 (Denver Center/world premiere). Regional credits include productions for Gulfshore Playhouse, Asolo Rep, Argyle Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Ogunquit Playhouse, Hangar Theatre, San Jose Rep, and many others. Resident Casting Director for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) since 2013, and previously for the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) from 2007-2019. Native Clevelander, member of the Casting Society of America. BFA, Otterbein University. MichaelCassara.net / @michaelcassara
Presenter: Quinn Patrick Ankrum
Celebrated for her strong lyric voice, sizzling coloratura facility and engagingly sincere personality, Mezzo-Soprano Quinn Patrick Ankrum has performed a wide variety of repertoire spanning the centuries from Claudio Monteverdi to John Harbison. She has sung with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States, as well as with the National Orchestra of Mexico in Mexico City. She has been a finalist and winner in numerous regional and national competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions (Rocky Mountain Region) and the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards competition (2nd place winner, 2006). She has served on the faculties of the State University of New York at Fredonia, Nazareth College (Rochester, New York) and Texas Tech University (Lubbock). She currently is on the Voice Faculty at College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. She uses the principles of Body Mapping and the Alexander Technique in her teaching.
Deborah Voigt is increasingly recognized as one of the world’s most versatile singers and one of music’s most endearing personalities. Through her performances and television appearances, she is known for the singular power and beauty of her voice, as well as for her captivating stage presence. Having made her name as a leading dramatic soprano, she is internationally revered for her performances in the operas of Wagner, Strauss, and more, and is also an active recitalist and performer of Broadway standards and popular songs. Besides boasting an extensive discography, she appears regularly as both performer and host in the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series, which is transmitted live to movie theaters around the world.
Dr. Andre Campelo will present a masterclass 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.
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.
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: Jeffrey Springer
Tenor, Jeffrey Springer, has performed across Europe, Asia and North America in theaters such as the Chicago Lyric Opera, Florida Grand Opera, the German National Theater, Netherlands National Touring Opera, and Opéra de Nantes in France among many others. Dr. Springer has also appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras performing works such as Verdi’s Requiem, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
In addition to performing, Dr. Springer is a frequent master teacher, adjudicator and speaker on issues related to voice and opera. Having recently joined the faculty at Florida State University, he lives in Tallahassee with his wife and two children.
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Presenter: Frederica von Stade
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.
Your Authentic Story: Integrating Subtext in Song
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.
Presenter: Katherine Johnson
In the words of one reviewer, Katherine Johnson was “the absolute singing actress”. During her career she was heard at throughout North America and Europe including roles at The Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Edmonton Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, L’Opéra de Nice, Canterbury Opera (New Zealand), and L’Opéra de Québec, in a wide range of repertoire including the title roles of Tosca, Donna Elvira, Countess Almaviva, Elektra, Miss Jessel, and Jenufa. Ms. Johnson has presented her solo cabaret ‘Weill, Weiber and Gesang’ throughout North America and at the London Opera Festival. Her concert career included performing Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and the Verdi Requiem with organizations including the Boston Philharmonic, L’Orchestre Metropolitain (Montreal), Edmonton Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Orchestra London (Canada), and the National Arts Center Orchestra (Ottawa). Since retiring from the stage she has been on the faculty of the University of Miami and currently at Westminster College of the Arts at Rider University in Princeton.
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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Presenter: Andrew Gerle
Andrew is a composer/lyricist, librettist, pianist and author. His works for the theater include the musicals Meet John Doe (Jonathan Larson Award, cast album on Broadway Records), Gloryana (Kleban Award, Richard Rodgers Award), The Tutor (3 Rodgers Awards) and La Tempesta (with Fantasticks lyricist Tom Jones, Tokyo premiere 2019). He has performed as piano soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra (as winner of their Young Artists Competition), the Yale Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and on programs for National Public Radio and Television. He has served as musical director for many Off-Broadway, touring and regional theater productions, and been a pit and rehearsal pianist for Broadway productions including An American in Paris, Matilda and Ragtime. Andrew is also the author of The Enraged Accompanist’s Guide to the Perfect Audition and Music Essentials for Singers and Actors (Hal Leonard/Applause Books), and is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. www.AndrewGerle.com
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: 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.
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Presenter: Justin Moniz
Dr. Justin John Moniz currently serves as Associate Director of Vocal Pedagogy and Music Assistant Professor of Vocal Performance at New York University’s (NYU) Steinhardt School, where he teaches courses in pedagogical theory and practice, applied voice, and supervises the graduate vocal pedagogy program. Prior to joining the NYU faculty, Dr. Moniz served as Chair of Vocal Studies at Millikin University and Visiting Instructor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. For more information: www.justinjohnmoniz.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.
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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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.
Presenter: 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.
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.
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.”
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Presenter: Christine Anderson
Christine Anderson is Associate Professor of Vocal Studies and the Coordinator of the Voice and Opera Area at the Boyer College of Music and Dance of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She holds a B.M. in Voice from Illinois Wesleyan University and earned both M.M. and D.M.A. degrees in Voice at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. Dr. 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. In 2014, Dr. Anderson was given the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Music and Dance Teaching Academy Committee of Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. Last spring, she received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Dr. Anderson also taught in the Musical Theater Department at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. An active pedagogue, Dr. Anderson has presented masterclasses and papers at national and international conferences such as the Australia Voice Symposium, the Music Teacher’s National Association, The National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Sino-American Vocal Education Symposium, and the International Conference of Voice Teachers. She has also served as clinician and adjudicator for several organizations including the Taipei Philharmonic Foundation for Culture and Education, NATS, CS Music (Classical Singer), The Marian Anderson Historical Society, and The Voice Foundation. In the summer of 2018, she taught voice at The Silk Road: The Sound of Piano, Strings & Voice International Music Festival in Xi’an, China. Dr. Anderson has served as pre-concert lecturer for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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Presenter: Robert Holden
Baritone Robert Holden has been performing opera, operetta, and oratorio for the past 35 years internationally. He has sung over 65 leading roles including creating the roles of Chillingworth in Lori Laitman’s opera The Scarlet letter. Critics have called his singing, robust, exciting, exhilarating, and his acting, riveting, spot on, and full of emotion. As a teacher, Holden has been teaching voice and opera at the University of Central Arkansas and is in demand for masterclasses and recital. Many of his students are singing around the world.
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
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.
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.
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.
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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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.
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.
Bringing Lieder to Life
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.
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.
Carnegie Mellon University Professor of Voice Daniel Teadt will explore the inner workings of how we all resonate. Whether in vocal technique, collegial relationships or increasing your influence in the music business Daniel will work with vocalists on how best to find their authentic resonance and work to apply these techniques in performance and the professional world.
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.
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.
Jonathan Yarrington
A native of Idaho Falls, ID, tenor Jonathan Yarrington is Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Southern Mississippi. Prior to joining the faculty at USM, Dr. Yarrington was a member of The Dallas Opera Studio from 2011-2014, singing nearly one hundred performances in the title roles of their education and outreach productions. An active recitalist and concert performer, he has commissioned and performed new music for tenor and oboe, and he specializes in German and Czech art song. Dr. Yarrington holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance degree from the University of North Texas.
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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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.
Rethinking Performance Anxiety
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!
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.
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!
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.
World renowned mezzo soprano Marianne Cornetti will present an online masterclass featuring only Mezzo sopranos singing operatic arias. She will focus on vocal technique and how the language enhances it. Presenter: Marianne Cornetti
Marianne Cornetti* is internationally recognized as one of the leading Verdi mezzo-sopranos of her generation. She has appeared as Amneris in Aida, Azucena in Il Trovatore, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and Princess Eboli in Don Carlos at prestigious opera houses across the world, garnering rave reviews and winning the hearts of audiences globally. Opera Magazine claims, “If her timbre did not sear itself into the memory, her vocal command of this redoubtable role was complete” and Seen and Heard International raves, “[Her] voice is a miracle of power and flexibility from top to bottom. It is the emotion which she imparts into her singing, however, that makes her Azucena so memorable… Cornetti imbues each [role] with an emotional force all its own… The cheers and applause that rained down upon her at the end were well deserved.”
Dr. Hugo Vera, Director of Vocal Arts and Opera at California State University Northridge leads a class on mock auditions, resumes, head shots, and the overall audition package. Vera holds a D.M.A. in voice/opera/musical theatre and choral conducting from the University of Kansas, an M.M. in voice/opera from the University of Kansas, and a B.M. in voice from the University of Utah. His main areas of expertise are vocal chamber music, concert vocal works, and foundational vocal teaching.
A native Texan, tenor Hugo Vera has performed 45 roles and more than 50 large choral orchestral works with distinguished companies throughout the United States. Vera spent seven seasons on the Metropolitan Opera roster and has appeared with dozens of additional companies in seasonal and festival productions while remaining active as a recitalist and clinician. Vera is featured on world premiere recordings and broadcasts, most recently recording the 2020 release Romances & Poems of Sergey Ivanovf Tanayev with an elite ensemble for the Centaur Records label. He has served as music faculty at Presbyterian College, the University of Kansas, the Midwest Summer Music Institute, and New York University’s Tisch and Steinhardt programs. He continues as artistic director of Italy’s Vocal Academy of Orvieto and Kansas’s Lawrence Opera Theatre.
Adrian Dunn is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and producer. Mr. Dunn holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degree in Voice from The Music Conservatory at Roosevelt University with additional musical studies in opera at The Sibelius Academy of Music in Finland. Mr. Dunn has sung with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Symphony Chorus, Blossom Festival Chorus, and as a soloist with the North Shore Choral Society. He has sung in the CCM Spoleto Opera Festival in Spoleto, Italy and is a frequent soloist in Handel’s Messiah. He sang the lead role in the 2017 Chicago premiere of the Paul Laurence Dunbar opera The Poet and in 2016 served as the opera chorus master for the midwest premiere of the opera Harriet Tubman – When I Crossed That Line to Freedom with the South Shore Opera Company of Chicago. As an active professional singer, producer, and songwriter, Mr. Dunn has had the privilege of working with gospel greats such as Tremaine Hawkins, Myron Butler, Melonie Daniels, Troy Bright, Lamar Campbell, Damien Sneed, Walt Whitman and the Soul Children of Chicago, Smokie Norful, Jonathan Nelson, and many more. He was awarded Album Producer of the Year for AME Live featuring the AME International Mass Choir from the Rhythm of Gospel Awards. He has served on music staff for the AME General Conference in Philadelphia (2016) and in Nashville (2012). He opened the 2014 Thomas Dorsey National Convention of Choirs and Choruses for the AME Mass Choir. He is the album producer for the 2015 release AME 200: Celebrating 200 years of the AME church. Mr. Dunn is a MacArthur grant recipient for his original work Hopera: A Hip Hop Opera. He was nominated for Best Music Director from the Black Theater Alliance Awards for his work Hopera: a Hip Hop Opera. He has opened for international Hip Hop Recording Artist The Roots at Indiana University. He served as principle vocal coach for Kanye West’s artist development program Donda’s House. He was a featured artist and vocal coach for the live DVD recording of the Higher Ground Gospel Choir in Helsinki, Finland. He has toured throughout the US, South Africa, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Scandinavia. Mr. Dunn has been a guest artist and presented lectures at The University of Wisconsin Madison, The School of the Art Institute, McCormick Theological Seminary, Clark Atlanta University, Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Columbia College Chicago, Bowling Green State University, University of California Irvine, California State University, West Virginia University, The University of Calgary, Governors State University and The University of Chicago. He is the former Artistic Director of the Legacy Black Music Project. He completed writing his first book in 2014 entitled Your Voice Unleashed: A Singers Guide to Healthier, Smarter, Sustainable Singing. Currently, Mr. Dunn released his most recent album and second book entitled Redemption: A collection of spirituals & gospel songs in seeking justice for Black lives. He recently wrote the opening music for WWE’s Wrestle Mania 35 and completed a national album & book tour of the Redemption. He is a voice faculty member at the Theater Conservatory at Roosevelt University & The New Music School in downtown Chicago, IL. Mr. Dunn’s private voice students can be seen in Broadway National tours of LION KING, GHOST, KINKY BOOTS, RENT, BET’s show Sunday Best, Drury Lane Theater, The Paramount Theater, Black Ensemble Theater, and as background vocalists for major record label artists on tour throughout the US and abroad.Singer, songwriter, and producer Adrian Dunn leads an interactive masterclass celebrating the contributions of black artists in the popular music space as well as black composers in musical theatre and classical music. This class explores how black artistry and black art aesthetics are valued and realized in vocal performance.
Nic Rouleau is best known for his record-breaking run in the “The Book of Mormon” where he played Elder Price for over 2500 performances on Broadway, in Chicago, and in London on the West End. After performing Elder Price for 6.5 years, Nic most recently went on to open the First National Tour of “Hello, Dolly!” starring Tony-winner Betty Buckley. On television, Nic was featured on the 2012 Tony Awards live broadcast alongside Neil Patrick Harris. He can also be seen as Daddy’s Boy in “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” Season 1 on Netflix.
Nic Rouleau, star of Broadway’s Book of Mormon, takes singers through the entire Musical Theatre Audition process, from finding the right material to making a solid impression in the audition room. He discusses the importance of the “actor’s process” as it relates to songwork and guides singers through the ins and outs of auditioning via Zoom during Quarantine.
Singers work with Broadway and the West End music director, conductor, pianist, sub and vacation conductor Steven Gross.
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Video 2 (High School)
Video 3 (Univ/Young Artists)
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.
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.
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.
Work your skills with the music director/ conductor of the Broadway show WICKED and take the opportunity to ask whatever questions you may have about the business, auditions, Wicked, or anything else!
Presenter: Dan Micciche
Dan Micciche is the current music director/ conductor of WICKED on Broadway and has been with the show for 6 years and counting including the national/ international tour. For the first 6 years of living in NYC he started out as an actor and played Mary Sunshine in CHICAGO for 2000 preformances on Broadway as well as the national tour/ Japanese/ Thailand companies. Carnegie Hall/ The Kennedy Center: Bernstein’s MASS. Recordings: Bernstein’s MASS (Grammy nom 08’) 54 Below shows: Jessica Vosk/ Patrick Page. Workshops: Stu for Silverton. Masterclasses at major Universities/ Colleges as well a voice coach here in NYC. Education: The Boston Conservatory of Music ‘07. Instagram: @danmicciche/ Twitter: @danpmicciche
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!!!
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!!
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.
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.
Learn how to maximize your online teaching and singing experience with Appcompanist, the accompaniment and practice app endorsed by thousands of top voice teachers and singers. Darin Adams, Broadway/Crossover voice teacher and founder of Appcompanist, works with singers in a masterclass setting using Appcompanist. He demonstrates the wide range of tools on the app, including the Video Recording feature. 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.
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.
Courtney Crouse, Oklahoma City University
Presenter: Courtney Crouse
Dr. Courtney Crouse has been trained by the world famous soprano, Carol Vaness, and with one of America’s leading vocal pedagogues, Paul Kiesgen. She is a Professor of Voice at Oklahoma City University, teaching there since 2012. She was an Assistant Instructor of Voice at America’s largest operatic training ground, Indiana University, and has taught private lessons throughout the United States for over 20 years.
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.
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.)
Russian repertoire: diction, interpretation and stylistic idiosyncrasies
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
360° of Opera founder Eugenia Forteza discusses how to become friends with social media & marketing. How can you use these free tools to your advantage as a performer and/or entrepreneur in the arts, and have fun doing so? Presenter : Eugenia Forteza Recent career highlights include the Award-Winning Radio Drama Series Etched Glass Decanter with The Evening Crane Theatre, the release of the short film Beautiful Neighbor, Opposite with La Cuarta Productions and the filmed production of Fedora with Teatro Grattacielo. Eugenia is the Founder and Lead Editor of the popular social media platform, 360° of Opera and has done Digital Marketing work with Lenny’s Studio, IVAI and Bel Canto in Tuscany. She now freelances as a performer and Digital Marketing Consultant and has been a guest speaker at Premiere Vocal Arts Institute, Atelier d’Excellence, Teatro Grattacielo, Shoperatic’s Live with The Divas, Antes de Salir TV, OperaLife Magazine, AA Opera Podcast, Let’s Talk Off the Podium, Escenarios Podcast, My So Called Opera Life Podcast and Opera Reality Podcast. Eugenia is represented by CPM Talent Management for acting and Spotlight Artists Management for classical music. She is available for consulting work on the Resonance App. For more information, please visit www.eugeniaforteza.com and follow Eugenia on social media at @fortezaeugenia & @360ofopera.
Eugenia Forteza is a French-Argentinean mezzo-soprano, actor, model and entrepreneur based in NYC. She has trained at Boyer College of Music (Temple University), Mason Gross School of the Arts (Rutgers University), The International Vocal Arts Institute, Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy and with Betty Buckley at T. Schreiber Studio.
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.
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.
Professor Kimberley Davis of University of Southern Mississippi aspires to enlighten attendees and performers on the background and performance practice of this genre of American music. As with any master class, the objective would be to address matters of diction, rhythm, interpretation, text and subject matter, and technique where it may be warranted. Presenter: Dr. Kimberley Davis
Soprano Kimberley Davis has performed nationally, throughout Europe, in South America and Mexico, Bermuda and Hawai’i. In addition to a repertoire of major orchestral and chamber works, Davis has several touring programs of specialized music highlighting French Mélodie and those that focus on music by Black Americans—one of which is A Spiritual Journey and Contemporary Song. Davis made her Carnegie Hall debut in a special concert program featuring the arrangements of composer Hairston in February of 2012. Dr. Kimberley Davis has been part of The University of Southern Mississippi and School of Music voice faculty for twenty-eight years; she is the Chair and Coordinator of the Voice Area and is the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in the School of 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
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.
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.
Presenter: 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 to
urs, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Butler University Professors Dr. Dana Zenobi and Dr. Oliver Worthington work together to help students realize growth through breath focused 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: JULIANA GONDEK, UCLA Distinguished Professor of Voice, has starred in 150+ operatic and symphonic roles with such renowned conductors as Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, and James Levine. Her 40-year performance and recording career has taken her to the world’s most celebrated stages. including the Met, New York Philharmonic, Houston, San Francisco, and New York City Operas, Edinburgh and Salzburg Festivals, and Carnegie Hall. She is in demand worldwide as a master teacher, with students performing in the greatest international theaters, on Broadway, and on TV (“The Voice,” “America’s Got Talent”).
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.
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 Brunssen
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.
This class addressed the unique challenges of training the developing young tenor, baritone and bass voices. Topics included appropriate repertoire and exercises to successfully access the top of the voice. Read more in the CSmusic.net article “Training the Young Male Voice.” View Article
Presenter: Robert Swenson, Eastman School of Music
Robert Swensen received his BM from the University of Arizona and graduated MM cum laude from the University of Southern California. He went on to participate in the San Francisco Opera’s Merola program and to have contracts with the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, and with Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin. He won first prize in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and presented his New York debut recital in 1987. He has received prizes in other competitions including Premio Giuseppe Borgatti Concorso, Italy, ARD Munich Competition, Walter Naumberg Competition, ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, Puccini Foundation, and George London Foundation.
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.
“Yahoo! and Hey!”: Playing with Classical and Musical Theater Vocal Resonance: Singers will be able to sample a variety of vocal resonance methods on both their classical and musical theater repertoire to develop their best vocal strategy. Get ready to take risks with new sounds!
Presented by Carol Mastrodomenico: Longy School of Music
Carol maintains an active schedule as a guest soloist with choruses, orchestras and other ensembles. She excels in the interpretation of oratorio, and has appeared in Poulenc’s Gloria, Beethoven’s Mass in C and Ninth Symphony, Brahms’ Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, Mahler’s Second Symphony, Mendelssohn’s Psalm 42, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Fauré’s Requiem.
Ms. Mastrodomenico is the stage director of both the Tufts University Opera Ensemble and the Longy School of Music of Bard College’s Opera Theater.
Ms. Mastrodomenico’s students can be heard singing throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. They have been accepted into graduate and undergraduate programs at Julliard, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Miami, Frost School of Music, Michigan State University, University of Maryland at College Park, Ithaca College, Guild Hall and The Royal Academy of Music in London. Her singers regularly attend young artist programs at Houston Grand Opera Outreach Program, Central City, Berlin Song Festival, Edinburgh Music Festival and Halifax Opera Festival.
Ms. Mastrodomenico received her Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at New England Conservatory of Music. She is on the voice faculties of Longy School of Music of Bard College and Tufts University and the Dramatic Voices Program Berlin.
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.
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.
Part 1, Science and Sensation
Part 2, Sensation and Inflection
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.
Watch singers work with the versatile and critically-acclaimed soprano Analisa Leaming. As a past winner and recent semi-final judge of the Lotte Lenya Competition for Singers, Analisa can work with both classical and musical theatre repertoire. This class addressed everything that inhibits artists from showing up fully with their unique, creative, artistic voices. Topics included practices for grounding, how to work with the “trance of unworthiness” and how to activate our Star Power.
Watch this Class
Analisa Leaming is known for her outstanding performances, her captivating singing voice, and her versatility in opera, musical theatre, and on concert stages. After a successful run as Principal Rosalie Mullins in Broadway’s School of Rock, she hit the road as Irene Molloy in the national tour of the 2017 Tony Award-winning revival of Hello, Dolly! In 2015, Analisa made her Broadway début as Anita in the revival of On the Twentieth Century alongside Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher. She went on to make her Lincoln Center début taking over the role of Anna in the Broadway revival of The King and I and performed in the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! as Irene Molloy for select performances alongside Bette Midler. Analisa is a Second Prize Winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition and also served as a judge/coach in the 2021 semi-final round. Equally as passionate about supporting artists in navigating the uncertainty of a career onstage, Analisa is a coach, speaker and host of the podcast A Balancing Act.
Video 1 (Masterclass)
Video 2 (Q&A)
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.