Non-Resident Colorado Artists

	David Babinet, Lyric Baritone Go to the website of David Babinet Go to Top Derrick Ballard, Bass-Baritone Go to the website of Derrick Ballard Go to Top Tracy Bidleman, Dramatic Soprano Go to the website of Tracy Bidleman Go to Top Mark R. Calkins, Tenor; Instructor of Voice, Northwestern College, St Paul, Minnesota Don Jenkins of the Colorado Opera Festival gave Mr. Calkins his first professional opera experience in the summer of 1982 as Borsa in the Festival's production of Rigoletto staring Tim Noble. The following summer Mark returned to the festival as Remendado in Carmen and Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore. Mr. Calkins moved to Colorado in 1983 to study voice with renowned teacher and pedagogue Dr. Barbara M. Doscher having just completed his Bachelor of Music degree at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. He completed a Master's Degree in voice performance and pedagogy in 1987 at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Mark performed two AGMA apprenticeships with Central City Opera under the direction of John Moriarity in 1985 and 1986 seasons. He competed in the 1987, '88, '89 DLOG competitions and placed second all three times. Mark married Coloradoan, Cynthia Lawrence in 1985. In 1987 they became members of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's young artist development program, the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists. Mr. Calkins was featured as Cassio in Otello an A&E nationwide production of Spotlight Colorado in 1991 and stared in a National PBS broadcast and world premiere of Robert Greenleafs' Under the Arbor in 1992. Mr. Calkins's artistic specialty is the Rossini repertoire. Having performed Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Lindoro in L'Italiana in Algeri, The Prince in La Cenerentola, The Count in Le Comte Ory, and Oreste in Ermione to critical acclaim in houses such as Opera Du Nantes, France; Dublin Grand Opera, Ireland; Cologne Opera, Germany; The Lyric Opera of Chicago; Chautauqua Opera; Chicago Opera Theater; Castle Ward Opera, Northern Ireland; Kentucky Opera; Cincinnati Opera; Toledo Opera; Minnesota Opera and Opera Omaha. In Minnesota he received acclaim for the role of Jason in George Anteils' Transatlantic. Other engagements include Ottavio in Colorado Opera Festival's Don Giovanni, Nemorino in Indianapolis' Elixer of Love, and Prince Ramiro in La Cenerentola for Birmingham Opera and Mobile Opera, and Agenore in a Glimmerglass Opera production of Mozart's Il Re Pastore. Concert engagements include appearances at festivals in Salzburg, Bregenz, Villach, Austria Merano, Italy and Bremen, Germany with Roger Norrington conducting the London Classical Players in Rossini's Stabat Mater. Recent performances include a world premiere as soloist in Peter Hamlin's Sanctus for the Northwestern College Centennial Celebration and joint recitals in Washington State and St. Paul with his wife Cynthia, Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Piedmont and Alfred in Opera Columbus and Tacoma Opera productions of Die Fledermaus. Mr. Calkins has also appeared throughout the U.S. in Broadway touring productions of Phantom of the Opera. He currently teaches Voice at Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota and maintains a private studio of young professional singers. The Calkins family lives in Woodbury, Minnesota close to the St. Croix River where daughters, Rowan (age 8) and Shannon (age 6) like to take their grandparents Judith and George Lawrence boating. Go to Top Wm. Lynn Dixon, Dramatic Baritone Mr. Dixon returns to the USA after performing for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group in the German and Flemish productions of Phantom of the Opera. Most recently he was Warden Frank in Die Fledermaus for Anchorage Opera. Prior to that he sang the MusicLehrer in Washing Summer Opera's Ariadne auf Naxos. Performances for opera companies in Ohio, Indiana, Colorado, Missouri and Illinois include Scarpia, Michele, Rigoletto, Bartolo as well as Dick Deadeye and KoKo the Lord High Executioner. Mr. Dixon was a member of the prestigious Lyric Opera Center for American Artists in 1989-90, performing the roles of Father/Sandman in Hansel and Gretel, Fiorello in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Coronato in the world premiere of the contemporary comic opera The Fan. He also performed minor roles and covered Rodrigo in Don Carlo for Lyric Opera's mainstage season. Performances of Don Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia were with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Opera Festival New Jersey as well as principal roles in such companies as Whitewater Opera, Lincoln Opera and Cincinnati Opera Theatre. Orchestral credits include solo appearances with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Musica Sacra of Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra in such works as Messiah, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Brahm's Requiem, Verdi's Requiem, Faure's Requiem and Seven Last Words. Mr. Dixon was an original cast member of the first national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera touring ten cities in three and a half years while performing principal (Richard Firmin, Ubaldo Piangi) and other featured roles. Mr. Dixon has been a contract artist as a studio voice and announcer for the McDonald's Pizza introductory campaigns in 1989 and 1990 as well as a Proctor and Gamble national advertisement campaign. An artist-in-residence with the Wyoming Arts Council, Mr. Dixon created and developed the multi-disciplinary workshops, Sing! Play! Act! Tell Me a Story! and Suddenly Shakespeare! These workshops have demonstrated great success developing interest in reading, creative writing and audience education in public and private schools. He was a vocal pedagogist for the Stella/R1 Academie and the Hamburger Theater Hochschule while performing in Hamburg as well as an adjunct vocal instructor for the college in his home community. He makes his home in Cheyenne, Wyoming with his wife Linda, a public school educator. RESUME 4/08 Go to Top Herbert Eckhoff, Bass-Baritone Mr. Eckhoff is well known to international opera, symphony and oratorio audiences. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in La Traviata in 1987, was re-engaged for Billy Budd during the 1989 - 1990 season. Mr. Eckhoff has collaborated with many of the world's most celebrated conductors: on the opera stage with Yves Abel, Janos Acs, Bruno Aprea, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Spiros Argiris, Christian Badea, Richard Bonynge, Aldo Ceccato, John DeMain, Klaus Donath, Thomas Fulton, Richard Hickox, Henry Holt, Christopher Keene, Louis Langrée, Andrew Litton, Robert Lyall, Stefan Minde, Imre Pallo, Nicola Rescigno and Marcello Viotti; on the concert stage with Mario Bernardi, James Conlon, Sir Colin Davis, James DePriest, Sixten Ehrling, Philippe Entremont, Daniel Hege, Yoel Levi, Eduardo Mata, Eduardo Müller, Brian Priestman, John Rutter, Robert Shaw, and Lawrence Leighton Smith; and in oratorio performances with John Nelson, Joel Revzen, Trevor Pinnock, Helmuth Rilling, Sandor Salgo and Gerard Schwartz. Mr. Eckhoff has appeared on the stages of the opera companies of Atlanta, Austin, Bremen (Germany), Catania (Italy), Colorado, Dallas, Düsseldorf (Germany), Giessen (Germany), Glimmerglass, Houston, Leipzig (Germany), New York City, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, Spoleto (USA and Italy), and Washington D.C. His symphonic and oratorio engagements include performances with the Atlanta Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic (Canada), the Carmel Bach Festival, the Columbus Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Handel & Haydn Society, the Houston Symphony, the Louisville Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Canada), the New York Philharmonic, the Oregon Bach Festival, the Oregon Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest (The Netherlands). Other significant opportunities have included invitations from Paris Opera Comique (France), the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Komische Oper Berlin (Germany). Mr. Eckhoff's credits span the world of vocal literature, his repertoire ranging from Bach to Walton and beyond. He has received critical acclaim for his personifications of numerous roles, including Daland in Der Fliegende Holländer, Pogner in Die Meistersinger, Padre Guardiano in La Forza del Destino, Seneca in L'Incoronazione di Poppea, Rocco and Don Fernando in Fidelio, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Pimen in Boris Godunov, Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Lord Rochefort in Anna Bolena, Cadmus in Semele, Amfortas in Parsifal, Father Truelove in The Rake's Progress, König Marke in Tristan und Isolde, and King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Additionally, Mr. Eckhoff has performed virtually every role in the symphonic and oratorio literature having received rave reviews for all, including the passions and cantatas of Bach; the masses of Bach, Beethoven, Dvorak, Haydn and Stravinsky; the requiems of Brahms, Durufle, Dvorak, Faure, Mozart, and Verdi; and other great choral works such as the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven, the Eighth Symphony of Mahler, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Die Schöpfung, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Rachmaninoff's The Bells, and Walton's Belshazzar's Feast – nearly 50 works in all, including 24 masterpieces by Bach. In 1997 Eckhoff was engaged by Oper Leipzig (Germany) for the roles of Sarastro and König Marke, and by the Wiener Volksoper (Austria) for the roles of Van Bett and Sarastro. The 1998 season included performances of Verdi's Simone Boccanegra as Fiesco and Menotti's The Consul as Mr. Kofner, recorded live at the Spoleto Festival (Italy) by CHANDOS. Performances for the 1999 - 2001 seasons included Daland in Der Fliegende Holländer with Opera Columbus and Knoxville Opera, a Russian language rendition of Rachmaninoff's The Bells with the Charolotte Symphony, Lodovico in Otello with Cleveland Opera, Mr. Kofner at Washington Opera, and Hunding in Die Walküre with New Orleans Opera. Recent performances include Sarastro with Teatro de la Opera in San Juan (Puerto Rico), An Old Hebrew in Samson and Delilah with the Opera Company of North Carolina, Commendatore in New Orleans Opera, Timur in Knoxville Opera's Turandot, and Fafner in New Orleans Opera's 2004 production of Das Rheingold. 2004 also saw his debut in Verona, Italy, performing the role of König Marke in Tristan und Isolde. 2005 marked the completion of the role of Fafner, in New Orleans Opera's Siegfried. The operatic credits lauding Mr. Eckhoff's mellifluous voice and insightful characterizations include over 60 roles: 9 Wagnerian roles and 12 Verdian roles, buffo and serioso, early Baroque through 20th century. In addition to his vocal studies with dramatic soprano Helena Braun, pedagogue Berton Coffin, and the renowned art song interpreter, Gerhard Hüsch, Mr. Eckhoff holds degrees in Vocal Performance and German Language & Literature from the University of Colorado. 1/08 Go to Top Damien Francoeur-Krzyzek, Lyric Tenor, Coach, Accompanist Damien began studying music at the age of five. He studied piano for twelve years with Carolyn Shaak of Denver, during which time he won numerous national competitions for young pianists. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Spanish from the University of Colorado at Denver in 2000, he began to pursue a career in opera by enrolling in the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music. Having completed a Master of Music in vocal performance in 2002, he then acquired an Artist Diploma at Lamont, where he studies under Kenneth Cox. Damien pursued an Apprentice Coach degree in Vocal Accompanying with Martin Katz. Formerly a baritone, he studied the tenor repertoire with Carmen Pelton. In the summer of 2004 he was an apprentice Coach with the Merola program in San Francisco. His operatic roles include Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, the Speaker in The Magic Flute, the title role in Gianni Schicchi and Danilo in The Merry Widow with DU Opera, and Bob in scenes from The Old Maid and the Thief, and Rambaldo in Act I of Puccini's La Rondine with Opera Theatre of the Rockies' Vocal Arts Symposium. In 2002 he was a finalist in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild competition. In summer 2006 and 2007 Damien served as a vocal coach with the Vocal Arts Symposium. Damien is pianist and assistant conductor for Boston Lyric Opera. 7/07 Go to Top Michael Griffith, Director of Orchestral Activities, University of Wyoming Go to the webpage of Michael Griffith Go to Top Elizabeth Hagedorn, Dramatic Soprano Go to the website of Elizabeth Hagedorn Go to Top Janice Hall, Soprano Ms. Hall graduated from WC Hinkley High School in Aurora and has a Bachelor's Degree from Colorado Women's College. Her first opera roles were sung with the Brico Symphony in Denver (Frasquita in Carmen, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni). She also was a member of the Colorado Chorale. After studies at the Boston Conservatory, Miss Hall began her career at the age of 19, as Monica in The Medium with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Soon she was singing with companies such as the Washington Opera (Un Ballo in Maschera, La Sonnambula, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia), the New York City Opera (Falstaff, La Clemenza di Tito) the San Diego Opera (Don Giovanni, Carmen, Rigoletto), and the Houston Grand Opera (La Périchole). She spent numerous seasons performing with the Santa Fe Opera (in, among others, Barbiere, Don Pasquale, Handel's Ariodante, Cavalli's La Calisto, and La Traviata), and also performed Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, and La Bohème at the Central City Opera. Janice Hall made her European debut at the Hamburg State Opera as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a role she also sang in Cologne, at the Vienna State Opera, and at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. For several years she was a member of the ensemble of the Cologne Opera, where her repertoire included Lucia, Gilda, Violetta, Adina, Liu, Susanna, Lauretta, Ninetta in Rossini's La Gazza Ladra, and the title role in Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen. Additional European appearances include Micaela in Carmen with the Zurich Opera; Il Matrimonio Segreto at Teatro La Fenice, Venice; La Bohème and Madama Butterfly at the Komische Oper Berlin, and several productions at the Schwetzingen festival, two of which (Agrippina and La Cambiale di Matrimonio) were filmed for German television and later released on video. She appeared at the Salzburg Festival in Monteverdi's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse. Janice Hall's concert appearances include performances with the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the National Symphony of Washington, DC, Rome's Santa Cecilia Orchestra, and orchestras in Zurich, Brussels, Antwerp, and Paris. Concert repertoire has included Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher, Mozart's C-minor Mass, and the Symphonies 4 and 8 of Mahler. More recently, Ms. Hall has appeared with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (Marriage of Figaro), Vancouver Opera (La Bohème), the Flemish Opera, Antwerp (John Blow's Venus and Adonis), and the Festival of Perth, Australia (Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni). She performed as Violetta in the New York City Opera's Emmy-winning telecast of La Traviata, Live from Lincoln Center, directed by Renata Scotto. Janice Hall’s current roles include the title role in Salome, Blanche in The Dialogues of the Carmelites, and the Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. She also appeared recently in I Pagliacci in Cali, Colombia, and in the operatic version of the play Angels in America, at the Fort Worth Opera. 5/23 Go to Top Robert Harrison, Lyric Tenor; Professor, School of Music, Indiana University Go to the webpage of Robert Harrison Go to Top Marc Heeg, Pianist, Vocal Coach, Conductor, Teacher Marc Heeg is an active pianist, conductor, and teacher. After Wittenberg, Heeg earned a masters at the University of Wisconsin- Madison and a DMA at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and he completed additional studies at Cornell, Harvard, and Tubingen University (Germany). Dr. Heeg has performed as a soloist in the U.S., Germany, Austria, Ukraine, Egypt, and Japan. He has accompanied singers associated with many of the world's great opera companies-- the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Wiener and Berliner Volksoper, Chicago Lyric Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Bayreuther Festspiel, San Francisco Opera, Houston Opera, Covent Garden Opera, Cairo National Opera, and Vienna State Opera. As a chamber musician, he has played with instrumentalists from the Pro Arte, Cavani, and Manhattan string quartets, as well as instrumentalists from some of the major orchestras of the U.S. (Chicago Symphony, Colorado Symphony, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony), Germany (Munich Symphony), Austria (Vienna Philharmonic), and Japan (Kyoto Philharmonic and Osaka Philharmonic). Dr. Heeg was resident artist and choral director at Doshisha University in Japan and taught piano in Kyoto. He worked in Egypt under the auspices of the American Embassy and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture as resident-artist at the Cairo National Opera House, and he performed at American University in Cairo. Dr. Heeg taught and performed with the faculty of the Internationales Jugend-Festspieltreffen in Bayreuth, subsequently relocating to this home of Richard Wagner's international opera house. Heeg coached, collaborated, and performed throughout Germany. Dr. Heeg has received many prizes, scholarships, grants, and awards for both his performing and academic talents. His research has addressed a gamut of interests, including Viennese history from Maeterninck and the Biedermeier Era through the Fin-deSiecle; the American avant-garde (Cage, Cowell); Schubert and Liszt; and performance practice of the 1700s-1800s. In the tradition of Taoist philosopher-musicians, Dr. Heeg received certification in both Japan and America in traditional Chinese medicine, Taoist studies, and Zen Shiatsu, with additional studies in shamanistic healing techniques. He has taught Chinese medicine and lead seminars in mental and spiritual healing practices. Through artistic residencies and various appointments, Dr. Heeg has made his home in places as diverse as Kyoto, Cairo, Bayreuth, Tucson, Denver, and now in Cyprus, where Dr. Heeg is Assistant Professor of Piano at Eastern Mediterranean University in northern Cyprus. 1/07 Go to Top Larry Hensel, Lyric Baritone; Director of Opera Theatre Workshop, University of Wyoming Go to the webpage of Larry Hensel Go to Top Jennifer Herzig, Lyric Mezzo-Soprano Originally from Fort Collins, Ms. Herzig completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado State University and her Master's degree in Vocal Performance from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. Jennifer has participated in various educational and apprenticeship programs throughout the country, including, Opera Kansas, Opera North, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Iowa, Opera Colorado and Utah Festival Opera Company. Principal roles include Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Kate Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, the Third Lady in The Magic Flute, Mrs. McLean in Susanna, the Old Lady in Candide, Dame Hanna in Ruddigore and the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Ms. Herzig was a member of the Opera Colorado Artists Outreach Ensemble in the 2002-3 season when she was honored by being given the Harold A. Norblom Award, which is granted annually for "dedication and enthusiasm for perfecting their operatic skills and talents." In June 2005, Jennifer performed the role of Suzuki in the World Premier of Cio Cio San at the Hot Springs Music Festival in Hot Springs, AR. She sang the title role in Handel's Xerxes with the Elysium Concert Opera of Philadelphia and various recitals. Most recently, Jennifer sang the role of Maddalena in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea in Manasquan, New Jersey. Ms. Herzig currently resides in New York City. 5/08 Go to Top Jonathan Hodel, Lyric Tenor Go to the website of Jonathan Hodel Go to Top Wendy Jones, Spinto Soprano Go ti the website of Wendy Jones Go to Top Leslie S. Kittel, Lyric Soprano Leslie S. Kittel emerges this season with Longwood Opera's Summer Concert Series performing Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Susannah (Susannah), Josephine (HMS Pinafore), Violetta (La Traviata), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), and Melissa (Princess Ida); with Loveland Opera Theatre in their Gala Benefit Concert; and with Accelerated Cure Project in their Annual MS Gala Benefit Concert. While versatile in all genres of opera, Ms. Kittel has primarily performed twentieth-century repertoire, including the roles of Countess Maria Luisa in Daniel Crozier’s With Blood, With Ink; Magda in The Consul; Mrs. Nordstrom in A Little Night Music, Lucy in The Telephone; Miss Wordworth in Albert Herring; and Maketaten in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten. Last season Ms. Kittel debuted with Boston Opera Collaborative as the title role in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide. An active soloist throughout Colorado, Wyoming and the Greater Boston area, Leslie performs extensively for churches of the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church; as a regular Hunsaker Soloist at First Parish in Milton, MA; and as a ringer with the Erevan Choral Society in Cambridge, MA. Ms. Kittel has also been featured as an outreach soloist with Opera Fort Collins; a guest artist with the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra; and soloist with the Greeley Chorale singing Rosalinda in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus and Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata. Ms. Kittel holds a Masters of Music in Opera Performance from The Boston Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with Honors from the University of Northern Colorado. Her studies include: Elisabeth Phinney (Voice), Damien Franceour-Krzyzek (Coaching), Michelle Alexander (Coaching), Libor Dudaš (Coaching), Brian Moll (Coaching), Michael Strauss (Coaching), Sanford Sylvan (Opera), William Cutter (Conducting), Lesley Manring (Voice), Melissa Malde (Voice), and Carl Gerbrandt (Opera). In addition to her varied performing credits, Leslie is the Vice President of Boston Opera Collaborative, an organization devoted to supporting the careers of emerging artists as well as expanding the accessibility of opera in the greater Boston community. Ms. Kittel also served as the Stage Manager for BOC’s Children’s Opera, Hansel and Gretel. 8/07 Go to Top Kathryn Krasovec, Mezzo-Soprano Acclaimed for her "pert and feisty" performance and "creamy lyric voice" (Opera News Online), American Mezzo Kathryn Krasovec has been widely recognized for her dramatic intensity and vocal nuance. Kathryn Krasovec has performed throughout Europe, the USA and Israel after winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and making her Metropolitan Opera debut as the second Woodsprite in Rusalka. Kathryn has also been widely acclaimed for her portrayal of Anne Frank in the Czech premiere of Frid's Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank at the Staatsoper Prague. She was also the first American to sing the title role in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen with The National Theater of Prague. Kathryn then returned to the National Theater Prague as the British Dancing Girl in The Death of Klinghoffer that same season. This past summer, Ms. Krasovec made her off-Broadway debut in a role created for her as The Voice of the Forest in Garcia-Lorca’s Blood Wedding with New York’s Woodshed Collective. She recently performed Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro with Metro Lyric Opera in New Jersey under the baton of Anton Coppola and made her debut as Siebel in Faust with Shreveport Opera. She also participated in the production of Dinner and Delusion as Millie/Mother, a new opera produced by The Center For Contemporary Opera presented at Symphony Space and sang in its presentation by New York City Opera’s VOX and Friends. In 2004 she sang Yum Yum in The Mikado with Hawaii Opera Theater after singing the title role in The Cunning Little Vixen in Theater Bremen’s new production. Ms. Krasovec was engaged as a soprano at Das Theater Trier, where she performed a wide variety of roles including Desdemona in Otello, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Musetta in La Bohème, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Anne Frank in Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank and Füchslein Schlaukopf in The Cunning Little Vixen. Kathryn Krasovec has been heard on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Israel Vocal Arts Institute, San Francisco Opera Center, and Western Plains Opera. She is a graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Young Artist Program and holds a Masters degree from Indiana University. 4/07 Go to Top Cynthia Lawrence, Lyric Soprano Go to the website of Cynthia Lawrence Go to Top Kristen Leich, Mezzo-Soprano Ms. Leich is a foremost emerging artist. Her exquisite singing and stunning stage presence have won her rave reviews for her most recent portrayals of Cherubino and Hansel. Ms. Leich completed her pre-college studies at The Colorado Springs Conservatory and received her Bachelors of Music from Oberlin Conservatory Of Music. She has performed with both the Oberlin Orchestra and the Cleveland Opera. In participation with Oberlin Opera Theater, she appeared as Mother Goose in The Rake's Progress, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and Ludmila in The Bartered Bride. As an artist in residence at The Academy of Vocal Arts, her various roles included Dorabella in Cosí fan tutte, Gianetta in L'elisir d'amore, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and Laura in Tchaikovsky's Iolanta. Ms. Leich was a featured artist at The Opera Theater of New Jersey's 2005 Gala and most recently recorded the role of Benjamin Younger from Benjamin by John Carbon on Zimbel Records, available in 2007. Future engagements include the role of the Sandman in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel with New York City Opera, Tisbe in Rossini's La Cenerentola with Opera Birmingham and Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with New York City Opera. Ms. Leich was a 2006 finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Rocky Mountain Region. RESUME 2/06 Go to Top Shannon Taree Magee, Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano Ms. Magee, schooled at Texas Tech University, began her singing career in Texas where she sang Lady Jane in Patience in 1991, Grandmother in Red Riding Hood and Ma Moss in The Tenderland in 1994, Buttercup in HMS Pinafore in 1995, and Ruth in Pirates of Penzance in 1996 with Allen Theater. She was Alto Soloist in The Messiah with Lubbock Symphony in 1997, Alto Soloist in Lord Nelson Mass in 1992 and Alto Soloist in the Bach Kantate 157 in 2001 with the Midland/Odessa Symphony, and was Alto Soloist in the Mozart Requiem with Roswell Symphony in 1991. She was Ruth in Pirates of Penzance with San Diego Comic Opera and was a soloist in an Opera Concert for the AIMS program with the Graz Orchestra in 1997. Ms. Magee performed the Mother in Tales of Hoffman, the Mother in The Consul (scenes), Principessa in Sour Angelica, and Baba in The Medium (act I) in 2001-2, and the Marquise of Berkenfield in Daughter of the Regiment for Opera Theater of the Rockies. She was a Recital Artist at Colorado College in 2001-2002, performed as Frau Schneider in Cabaret with Colorado College Theater in 2002, and was a soloist in Gabriel's Daughter for Central City Opera's "Opera 101" program in 2003. Her awards include Metropolitan Opera Audition Finalist, 1998; Texas Music Club Young Artist Competition 1st Place Winner, 2001; Denver Lyric Opera Guild Fourth Place Winner, 2002, First Place Winner, 2003; Oratorio Society of New York Semi-Finalist, 2003; Metropolitan Opera Audition Colorado Finalist, 2003. Among her teachers and coaches are Thomas Bagwell, Mannes School of Music; Nicco Castel, Santa Fe Opera; Dean Williamson, Seattle Opera; LeAnn Overton, Metropolitan Opera/Cincinnati Opera; Semyon Rozin, Frankfurt Opera/Aspen Festival; Regina Safferty-Rickless, Santa Fe Opera; William Warfield, Master Class; Mara Waldman, AIMS, Graz, Austria; and Martile Rowland, her current teacher. Ms. Magee has recently returned from her second year with Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program where she covered such roles as Ursule in Beatrice and Benedict, and Auntie in Peter Grimes. Shannon has also performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with such organizations as Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Ft. Collins Symphony, and Cheyenne Symphony. Ms. Magee covered Florence Pike in Albert Herring for Gotham Chamber Opera in New York City 2006, and performed Verdi's Requiem with the Jefferson Symphony. Shannon gained rave reviews in performing Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera with Piedmont Opera, and performed Mistress Quickly in Falstaff in Western France with Lyrique en Mer Festival 2006. She made her Amneris debut in Aida with Fort Collins Opera Feb 2007. Her upcoming engagements are Alexander Nevsky with Fort Collins Symphony May 2008, Soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Colorado Springs College Summer Festival June 2008, and Azucena in Il Trovatore with Fort Collins Symphony Spring 2009. 04/08 Go to Top Cynthia Makris, Dramatic Soprano Go to the website of Cynthia Makris Go to Top David Malis, Lyric Baritone; Assistant Professor, Department of Vocal Performance, University of Miami Go to the wepage of David Malis Go to Top Cass Mann, Lyric Soprano Go to the website of Cass Mann Go to Top Keith Miller, Bass-Baritone Go to the website of Keith Miller Go to Top Jeremy J. Moore, Lyric Baritone Go to the website of Jeremy J. Moore Go to Top Clea Nemetz, Mezzo-Soprano Go to the website of Clea Nemetz Go to Top Catherine Nix, D.M.A., Soubrette; Adjunct Voice Professor University of San Anonio, Private Voice Teacher Go to the website of Catherine Nix Go to Top Margaret Ozaki, Lyric Soprano Soprano Margaret Ozaki, raised in Golden, Colorado, is currently pursuing a D.M.A. in vocal performance studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) in Ohio. She received her M.M. from CCM in 2006 and her B.M. from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music (Appleton, Wisconsin) in 2003. She is a two-time recipient of Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition prizes and has appeared as a soloist with Musica Sacra in Cincinnati and Opera Naples in Florida as well as with the Lawrence University and CCM choruses. She has performed opera and musical theater roles including: Lucy in The Telephone (Naples Opera Society); Amalia Balash in She Loves Me (Lawrence); Frasquita in L'oiseau rebele: une petite Carmen (CCM) and Foreign Woman in The Consul (Lawrence). Ms. Ozaki has been on the voice faculty of the CCM Preparatory Department since 2004. 7/06 Go to Top Christopher Pfund, Lyric Tenor Go to the webpage of Christopher Pfund Go to Top Thomas Poole, Lyric Tenor, Voice Teacher A versatile tenor, Thomas Poole has performed with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States, Europe, South and Central America, the Caribbean and Asia. These prestigious companies include New York City Opera, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera, Festival dei due Mondi, (Italy), Cleveland Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, Warsaw Symphony, Teatro Nacional, (Santo Domingo), National Repertory Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony, Rochester Symphony, Opera Colorado, and the Colorado Symphony. Opera News hailed his "Impressive Lyric Tenor" As Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore. Known for his vivid characterizations, Mr. Poole sang the role of Erice in the nationally acclaimed production of Cavalli's L'Ormindo in New York and Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. He was again praised when he recreated the role for the Festival dei due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. Mr. Poole was invited to perform in six concerts in the Republic of South Korea, and also presented Master Classes in six cities there. He later sang in a series of six concerts in Taiwan as a part of "An Evening with Three Tenors." Thomas Poole's large and diverse repertoire includes classical, romantic, verismo and contemporary roles in operas such as Die Zauberflöte, La Traviata, Leoncavallo's Zaza, and Argento's Casanova's Homecoming. Mr. Poole also has recorded Handel's Alessandro in Warsaw, Poland on the Koch label. As a part of the 500th anniversary of Columbus' landing, he sang the lead tenor role in the world premiere of Antonio Braga's 1492 at the Teatro Nacional in the Dominican Republic. Thomas Poole sand the role of Haiman in the Premiere of Constantinides' opera, Antigone. Later at Carnegie Hall, he performed solo portions of Antigone with orchestra. Thomas Poole is equally at home performing in oratorio, symphony concert, music theater, and as a guest recitalist. He has been Chairman of the Department of Voice at the University of Northern Colorado School of Music. RESUME 12/04 Go to Top Andrew Ranson, Tenor Go to the website of Andrew Ranson Go to Top Vale Rideout, Lyric Tenor Go to the website of Vale Rideout Go to Top Scott Root, Lyric Baritone Dr. Scott Root has appeared with regional opera companies and symphony orchestras across the nation and abroad. His current repertoire includes some 85 operatic roles and 25 musical theatre roles, in addition to oratorio and symphonic repertoire. He was a National Finalist in the Bruce Yarnell Memorial Auditions for Baritones in New York City and in both the San Francisco Opera Auditions and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In 2005, Dr. Root was a National Semi-Finalist in the Chester Ludgin Memorial American Verdi Baritone auditions in New York City. He has performed the roles of Don Alfonso in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte and Marcello in Puccini's La Bohème with the Adrian Michigan Symphony Orchestra and OPERA!Lenawee under the baton of Maestro David Katz as a winner of the Friedrich Schorr International Voice Competition. Dr. Root was a leading baritone with Opera Colorado, under the direction of Nathaniel Merrill, where he was acclaimed by the critics for his portrayals of the Ferryman and the evil Astrologer in Benjamin Britten's Curlew River and The Burning Fiery Furnace in Opera Colorado's special productions of Britten's church parables. Most recently he has appeared as the King in Verdi’s Aida with the Annapolis Chorale and Orchestra under the baton of maestro J. Ernest Green. Other performances include solo appearances with Washington East Opera, Marin Opera, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of the Dominican Republic. Dr. Root received his Bachelor of Science degree and his Master of Music degree from the University of Nebraska--Lincoln and his Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado. He has been a professor of voice and Director of Opera Theatre at Western Kentucky University, Drake University, the University of Idaho and was Director of Vocal Studies at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. He has also been a singing voice specialist with the ENT Clinic of Iowa, giving seminars on vocal health and voice building to professional voice users across the state of Iowa. He is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA). He is also a registered songwriter with BMI. Dr. Root currently lives in Hampton, Virginia, with his wife, mezzo-soprano Renee Skrevanos. 4/08 Go to Top Ashraf Sewailam, Bass-Baritone; Voice Teacher The New York Times hailed his debut at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall with Grattacielo Opera as the “stand out performance” and subsequent reviews, including in Opera News, described his voice as “purring and velvety with an easily produced Ramfis-like top range with a majestic tone” and his stage presence as “strong, mysterious and with mesmerizing intensity”. Twice winner of the Spencer Fellowship, Bass-baritone Ashraf Sewailam was born in Cairo, Egypt and, along with a successful performing career, has just received his doctoral degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Originally an architect, then a house soloist with the Cairo Opera Company, Mr. Sewailam had his US debut with Opera Colorado in 2003 and has since sung with several regional and major opera companies and venues around the US such as Seattle Opera, Lake George Opera NY, Opera Theater of the Rockies CO, Piedmont Opera NC, Nevada Opera, Mobile Opera AL, Fresno Grand Opera, Fort Collins Opera, as well as a debut recital at Lincoln Center in April 2007. His first CD recording on Bridge label of songs by Stefan Wolpe (in Hebrew) was released in February 2007. Future engagements include Seattle Opera, Israeli Opera, Virginia Opera, Fresno Grand Opera, Colorado Music Festival, Chattanooga Symphony, The Boulder Bach Festival and a solo CD with Bridge Label. In 2001 he was a prizewinner at the New Voices International Competition in Gütersloh, Germany. In addition to his singing engagements, Mr. Sewailam has taught at the American University in Cairo, and served as music director for Disney Character Voice International (DCVI) dubbing Disney productions into Arabic, as well as performing some of the characters himself, most notably, Mickey Mouse and Ursula the sea witch! 5/08 RESUME Go to Top Maureen Sorensson, Lyric Coloratura Soprano; Vocal Arts Studio, Department of Music, University of Wyoming Go to the webpage of Maureen Sorensson Go to Top Brigham J. Timpson. Lyric Tenor Mr. Timpson, began his vocal studies in 1999 at the University of Utah, performing in numerous productions with the University's resident company, the Lyric Opera Ensemble. Such performances have included Gherardo in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Pluto in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, Fenton in Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor and Jenik in Smetana's The Bartered Bride. His most recent operatic performances included Le Petit Vieillard and La Rainette in Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges and Jupiter in Handel's Semele, both with the University of Colorado Opera. Other roles performed include Don Basilio in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, under the baton of Louis Solemno, stage direction by Lorna Haywood at La Musica Lirica in Urbania, Italy. Other roles studied include Ferrando in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, the title role in Candide, Faust in Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust, and Oronte in Handel's Alcina. Mr. Timpson's oratorio repertoire includes the tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah, Johnathon in Handel's Saul, Uriel in Haydn's Creation, and Obadiah in Mendelssohn's Elijah. His most recent concert performances included Obadiah in Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Lynchburg Chorale and Symphony Orchestra and the tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Utah Symphony, Billings Symphony Orchestra, and the Lynchburg Chorale. Other performances include the tenor soloist from Haydn's Mass in the Time of War with the America West Symphony. Upcoming performances include tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Billings Symphony Orchestra and Obadiah in Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Littleton Symphony Orchestra. In July of 2005, Mr. Timpson was awarded the Virginia Best Adams Fellowship with the Carmel Bach Festival, performing under the direction of David Gordon. Mr. Timpson received both a Bachelor of Music degree and Master of Music degree from the University of Utah and continues his graduate studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder in pursuit of a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree, studying voice with tenor, Curt Peterson. As part of his on-going pursuits, Mr. Timpson plans to educate young children in music and the art of performance. 7/05 Go to Top Tresa Waggoner, Lyric Soprano; Assistant Director of the Youth Opera and Marketing for Tulsa Opera Mrs. Waggoner, a native of Colorado, received her Bachelor's degree in Theatre and Voice from Colorado State University in 1996. Upon graduation, she was selected to participate in The Salzburg Music Festival in Austria. After completing the Master of Music Degree at Oklahoma City University in 1998, Mrs. Waggoner won the Oklahoma District Metropolitan Opera Auditions and then went on to place second in the regional competition held in St. Louis. In 2000, she made her debut with Chicago Lyric Opera in the ensemble of Carmen with Denyce Graves. Principal roles include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Roslinda in Die Fledermaus, Musetta in La Bohème, Baby Doe in The Ballad of Baby Doe, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado. Her recent accomplishments include winning 1st place in the Vocal Solo division at The Gospel Music Competition held in Estes Park in 2003 and placing seventh out of fifty singers for Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition in 2004. Mrs. Waggoner was a member of the Opera Colorado Artists Outreach Ensemble in 2004 and 2005. Tresa Waggoner has two recordings available: Then Sings My Soul and Alleluia! A Christmas Collection. 1/07 Go to Top Stephen West, Bass-Baritone; Artist/Professor of Music in Voice, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Stephen West has appeared with Paris' Opéra Bastille, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the San Francisco, Washington, and Seattle Operas. His Seattle Opera portrayal of Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger inspired Bryan Magee of London's Daily Telegraph to write, "He covered himself with glory. At the end the entire audience rose spontaneously in a standing ovation. I suspect it was one of those special nights of which I shall find myself saying on future occasions: `I was there.'" In the 1999-2000 season he sang Dr. Schön in Lulu at the Opéra Bastille; Méphistophélès with Opera Ontario; Kaspar in Der Freischütz with the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin; the Animal Trainer and Athlete in Lulu with both the Salzburg Festival and the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin; the Rossini Stabat Mater with the Columbus Symphony; and the Mozart Requiem and Coronation Mass with Voices of Ascension at Alice Tully Hall. His engagements during the 2000-01 season included the title role in Boito's Mefistofele with the Columbus Symphony at Carnegie Hall and with the Bayerische Rundfunk in Munich; Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust with Baltimore Opera; the Comte des Grieux in Manon with Dallas Opera; Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Mars in Henze's Venus and Adonis and Monterone in Rigoletto, both with Santa Fe Opera; and Der Rosenkavalier with the Metropolitan Opera on tour in Japan. In the summer of 2000-2001 Mr. West made his Bayreuth Festival debut as Heinrich in Lohengrin. In the 2001-2002 season Mr. West sang Flint and Claggart in Billy Budd and Peter in Hänsel und Gretel with the Lyric Opera of Chicago; the Animal Trainer/Athlete in Lulu with the Metropolitan Opera; and returns to the Bayreuth Festival as Heinrich in Lohengrin. In the 2002-2003 season Mr. West sings Scarpia in Tosca with Cleveland Opera, Don Fernando in Fidelio with Dallas Opera and Dr. Schön in Lulu with the Deutsche Staatsoper. Other operatic highlights of recent seasons include Dr. Kolenáty in The Makropulos Case, Fafner in Das Rheingold, and Monterone in Rigoletto with the Metropolitan Opera; John Quincy Adams in the world premiere of Anthony Davis' Amistad and Dr. Kolenáty with Lyric Opera of Chicago; the title role in Attila, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Andrew Borden in Lizzie Borden, and Sparafucile in Rigoletto, all with New York City Opera; the Prefect in Linda di Chamounix with Washington Concert Opera; and Tiresias in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex with the Cleveland Orchestra. Mr. West has performed Daland in Der fliegende Holländer with the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa; the title role in Boito's Mefistofele in Stuttgart, Köln, and at New York City Opera; Scarpia in Tosca with Seattle Opera; and the Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen with the Washington Opera. With Opera Colorado he has sung Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, the title role in Gianni Schicchi, and Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier. Mr. West has also appeared with many leading orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, and as soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 8 in the 75th Anniversary Gala Concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. He has received many awards, including the 1995 New York City Opera Kolozsvar Award, a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, two National Awards from the Metropolitan Opera, and two prizes from the Seventh Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow. Mr. West has studied extensively with world-renowned basses Hans Hotter and Jerome Hines. Go to Top Katrina Zook, D.M.A., Lyric Mezzo-Soprano; Assistant Professor of Voice, University of Wyoming Go to the webpage of Katrina Zook Go to Top Raouf Zaidan, Lyric Baritone; Assistant Professor of Voice, Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD Go to the webpage of Raouf Zaidan Go to Top