RICHARD GAMMON
STAGE DIRECTOR, ELEKTRA
Richard Gammon (he/him), a Filipino American stage director, directed the double bill of Gluck’s L’île de Merlin and Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Wolf Trap Opera; the double bill of Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost at Detroit Opera (formerly known as Michigan Opera Theatre); Madama Butterfly and Jack Perla’s An American Dream with Virginia Opera; Albert Herring and Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg with the Princeton Festival; An American Dream with Opera Santa Barbara; La Cenerentola with Opera Columbus; the American premiere of Scarlatti's Erminia at the Kennedy Center with Opera Lafayette; Garreth Williams’ Rocking Horse Winner, Laura Kaminsky’s As One, and Philip Glass’ The Fall of the House of Usher with the Opera Maine Studio; Susannah with Charlottesville Opera; and Andy Monroe's The Life and Times of Joe Jefferson Benjamin Blow at NYC's Theatre 315 with the National Asian Artists Project. At the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival he directed Much Ado About Nothing after having previously directed a touring production of The Tempest; and for Cleveland Play House's film The CARE Monologue Project Richard directed monologues written by Rajiv Joseph, Lloyd Suh, Karen Zacarias, Tanya Saracho, and Matthew Lopez. He directed the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s electronic opera The Lake at ArtSounds in Kansas City; Trouble in Tahiti with Paul Watkins at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival; the workshop of J Ashley Miller’s pop opera Echosis with Atemporchestra; and was Associate Director for The Grapes of Wrath at Detroit Opera and Porgy and Bess with Greensboro Opera.
Richard recently collaborated (as producer and stage director) with composer Jorge Sosa and librettist Melisa Tien on The Beehive, a comic opera he commissioned for the University of Northern Iowa which premiered in the Spring of 2023 that tells the story of the hair salon industry’s slow death in the Midwest.
Richard is the director of the Opera Maine Studio Artist Program. Productions he directed there include Jack Perla's An American Dream; Mohammed Fairouz’s Sumeida’s Song; Jake Heggie's Three Decembers; Trouble in Tahiti; The Medium; and a site-specific production of Gianni Schicchi at SPACE Gallery. He is also the co-founder and director of Art with Arias, an annual collaborative recital series partnering artists from the Opera Maine Studio Artist Program with the Portland Museum of Art which have included artists such as Raehann Bryce-Davis, Zaray Rodriguez, Gloria Kim, Timothy Steele, and Andrew Pardini.
Richard works extensively with Young Artist Programs around the country. For Opera Theatre of Saint Louis' 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons Richard co-directed Center Stage: a concert of opera scenes featuring the Gerdine Young Artists and Richard Gaddes Festival Artists with the St. Louis Symphony. Spending four years as the Stage Director for the Charlottesville Opera Young Artist Program he directed new productions of Il barbiere di Siviglia, Susannah, La bohème, and Gianni Schicchi. He was a Directing Fellow at Wolf Trap Opera directing the Wolf Trap Opera Studio in An Evening of One Act Operas: Hindemith’s Hin und züruck; Moore’s Gallantry; Barber’s A Hand of Bridge; Pasatieri’s La Divina; and Heggie’s Again. He also directed a warehouse production of La bohème at Work | Release with the Virginia Opera's Herndon Emerging Artist Program. He has been a Young Artist Director at Opera North, a Stage Director for Bay View Music Festival, and a Stage Director/Acting Coach in Greve in Chianti, Italy for Bel Canto in Tuscany.
Richard also enjoys working with young artists at leading conservatories and universities. He has recently accepted the position as Director of Opera at the University of Northern Iowa and has directed Dido and Aeneas, Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda as well as creating and directing an annual collaborative recital program between UNI Opera and the UNI Gallery of Art entitled In The Studio. Other conservatory/university productions include Hindemith’s Sancta Susanna and Rorem’s Three Sisters who are Not Sisters at the Manhattan School of Music; the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s liturgical drama Tonantzin at the University of Missouri- Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance; Silent Night, La traviata, Sweeney Todd, La bohème, Così fan tutte, and Ward’s The Crucible (cancelled midway through the process due to COVID-19) with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre; Sankaram’s Looking At You, Ward's Roman Fever, and Hilliard & Boresi's The Filthy Habit at Carnegie Mellon University; and he recently directed a workshop of Ziyan Yang and Briana Whyte Harris’ Song of the Earth with the Actor’s Lab at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Other creative positions include Creative Associate for the world premiere of Dream’d in a dream with Seán Curran Company at BAM Next Wave Festival, an Artist Resident at Hewnoaks Artist Colony (2018) and the Institute for American Art (2017), Resident Assistant Director at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (2016-2018), and an Assistant Director at LA Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, Detroit Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Virginia Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Charlottesville Opera, Opera North, and Opera Maine working on productions that include the world premieres of Jack Perla’s Shalimar, the Clown; Terence Blanchard’s Champion; Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27 and Rappahannock County; Jorge Martin’s Before Night Falls; and the American premieres of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland; and Jacques Ibert’s Persée et Andromède.
Upcoming productions include two new productions of An American Dream with Hawai’i Opera Theatre and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. www.richard-gammon.com
STAGE DIRECTOR, ELEKTRA
Richard Gammon (he/him), a Filipino American stage director, directed the double bill of Gluck’s L’île de Merlin and Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Wolf Trap Opera; the double bill of Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost at Detroit Opera (formerly known as Michigan Opera Theatre); Madama Butterfly and Jack Perla’s An American Dream with Virginia Opera; Albert Herring and Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg with the Princeton Festival; An American Dream with Opera Santa Barbara; La Cenerentola with Opera Columbus; the American premiere of Scarlatti's Erminia at the Kennedy Center with Opera Lafayette; Garreth Williams’ Rocking Horse Winner, Laura Kaminsky’s As One, and Philip Glass’ The Fall of the House of Usher with the Opera Maine Studio; Susannah with Charlottesville Opera; and Andy Monroe's The Life and Times of Joe Jefferson Benjamin Blow at NYC's Theatre 315 with the National Asian Artists Project. At the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival he directed Much Ado About Nothing after having previously directed a touring production of The Tempest; and for Cleveland Play House's film The CARE Monologue Project Richard directed monologues written by Rajiv Joseph, Lloyd Suh, Karen Zacarias, Tanya Saracho, and Matthew Lopez. He directed the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s electronic opera The Lake at ArtSounds in Kansas City; Trouble in Tahiti with Paul Watkins at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival; the workshop of J Ashley Miller’s pop opera Echosis with Atemporchestra; and was Associate Director for The Grapes of Wrath at Detroit Opera and Porgy and Bess with Greensboro Opera.
Richard recently collaborated (as producer and stage director) with composer Jorge Sosa and librettist Melisa Tien on The Beehive, a comic opera he commissioned for the University of Northern Iowa which premiered in the Spring of 2023 that tells the story of the hair salon industry’s slow death in the Midwest.
Richard is the director of the Opera Maine Studio Artist Program. Productions he directed there include Jack Perla's An American Dream; Mohammed Fairouz’s Sumeida’s Song; Jake Heggie's Three Decembers; Trouble in Tahiti; The Medium; and a site-specific production of Gianni Schicchi at SPACE Gallery. He is also the co-founder and director of Art with Arias, an annual collaborative recital series partnering artists from the Opera Maine Studio Artist Program with the Portland Museum of Art which have included artists such as Raehann Bryce-Davis, Zaray Rodriguez, Gloria Kim, Timothy Steele, and Andrew Pardini.
Richard works extensively with Young Artist Programs around the country. For Opera Theatre of Saint Louis' 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons Richard co-directed Center Stage: a concert of opera scenes featuring the Gerdine Young Artists and Richard Gaddes Festival Artists with the St. Louis Symphony. Spending four years as the Stage Director for the Charlottesville Opera Young Artist Program he directed new productions of Il barbiere di Siviglia, Susannah, La bohème, and Gianni Schicchi. He was a Directing Fellow at Wolf Trap Opera directing the Wolf Trap Opera Studio in An Evening of One Act Operas: Hindemith’s Hin und züruck; Moore’s Gallantry; Barber’s A Hand of Bridge; Pasatieri’s La Divina; and Heggie’s Again. He also directed a warehouse production of La bohème at Work | Release with the Virginia Opera's Herndon Emerging Artist Program. He has been a Young Artist Director at Opera North, a Stage Director for Bay View Music Festival, and a Stage Director/Acting Coach in Greve in Chianti, Italy for Bel Canto in Tuscany.
Richard also enjoys working with young artists at leading conservatories and universities. He has recently accepted the position as Director of Opera at the University of Northern Iowa and has directed Dido and Aeneas, Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda as well as creating and directing an annual collaborative recital program between UNI Opera and the UNI Gallery of Art entitled In The Studio. Other conservatory/university productions include Hindemith’s Sancta Susanna and Rorem’s Three Sisters who are Not Sisters at the Manhattan School of Music; the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s liturgical drama Tonantzin at the University of Missouri- Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance; Silent Night, La traviata, Sweeney Todd, La bohème, Così fan tutte, and Ward’s The Crucible (cancelled midway through the process due to COVID-19) with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre; Sankaram’s Looking At You, Ward's Roman Fever, and Hilliard & Boresi's The Filthy Habit at Carnegie Mellon University; and he recently directed a workshop of Ziyan Yang and Briana Whyte Harris’ Song of the Earth with the Actor’s Lab at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Other creative positions include Creative Associate for the world premiere of Dream’d in a dream with Seán Curran Company at BAM Next Wave Festival, an Artist Resident at Hewnoaks Artist Colony (2018) and the Institute for American Art (2017), Resident Assistant Director at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (2016-2018), and an Assistant Director at LA Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, Detroit Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Virginia Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Charlottesville Opera, Opera North, and Opera Maine working on productions that include the world premieres of Jack Perla’s Shalimar, the Clown; Terence Blanchard’s Champion; Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27 and Rappahannock County; Jorge Martin’s Before Night Falls; and the American premieres of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland; and Jacques Ibert’s Persée et Andromède.
Upcoming productions include two new productions of An American Dream with Hawai’i Opera Theatre and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. www.richard-gammon.com
ELDA LARO
CONDUCTOR, ELEKTRA
One of the most versatile artists of her generation, Elda Laro’s dream was always to one day express herself through the baton. As a conductor, pianist, chamber musician, harpsichordist and accompanist, the child prodigy from Scutari, Albania playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.1 at the age of only 11 with the National Orchestra went on to be selected as one of the most promising young Albanian musicians and was awarded an overseas scholarship allowing her to study with renowned pianist Remo Remoli at Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Turin, Italy. Elda is currently coach, pianist and staff conductor at the prestigious Deutsche Oper in Berlin and has performed with many of the world’s greatest in classical music.
At the helm of the Orchestra of Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, she recently conducted Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.2. In 2015 the National Opera in Tirana invited her to debut Vincenzo Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi. After much success Mozart’s Così fan Tutte directed from the harpsichord and a staged chorus / ballet performance choreographed by Youri Vàmos of Orff’s Carmina Burana soon followed. During her years as Head of Music at the Münster Theatre and vocal coach at the university there, Elda was also chief conductor of the Münster Concert Choir performing regularly concerts and oratorio including an extensive tour of Italy with Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem.
She studied conducting with Rüdiger Bohn in Düsseldorf and masterclasses include Donato Renzetti, Roberto Rizzi Brignoli and Maurizio Arena. Elda’s eclectic passion for learning including 10 years as a violinist, fluency of five languages; Italian, English, German, French and Albanian as well as an avid chamber musician gives her a solid base like many of history’s greatest opera conductors.
Her piano studies have taken her from Paris, where in 1995-96 she was awarded a scholarship to study contemporary music with world renowned pianist Claude Helffer, to Salzburg, studying under Alfons Kontarsky. Elda’s expertise of contemporary music was recently seen when she was chosen to prepare the world premiere of the opera Wir aus Glas by Yasutaki Inamori, a collaboration between the Deutsche Oper and the Biennale in Munich.
A much sought-after accompanist in song recitals, recent concert appearances include distinguished artists such as Ermonela Jaho, Saimir Pirgu, Dimitra Theodossiu with whom she appeared at London’s Wigmore Hall (also on CD) and the late tenor Marcello Giordani at the Athletic Club in New York City. As a pianist, she had also collaborated with Mirella Freni, Carlo Bergonzi, Roberto Alagna, Renato Bruson, Fiorenza Cossotto and Edda Moser.
During the 2019/20 season Elda accompanied on tour, singer and world-leading cabaret star Ute Lemper at the Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg’s spectacular Elbphilharmonie, Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Tonhalle Düsseldorf and other major European venues under the direction of Antonello Manacorda.
Solo performances with leading conductors include Mstislav Rostropovich, Marc Soustrot, Konrad Junghänel, Bruno Campanella, Donato Renzetti, Marc Albrecht, Donald Runnicles. Major orchestras include the Orchestra of Teatro Regio in Turin, Parma’s Orchestra Arturo Toscanini, Turin Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Verdi Milan, I Pomeriggi Musicali Milan, Orchestra of Val d‘Aosta and the RTSH Orchestra Tirana. Concert tours have taken her to Italy, Spain, UK, Austria, France, Japan, Malaysia and the United States.
As a recording artist, Elda Laro received critical acclaim for her Chandos CD of Bottesini chamber music awarded 5 stars by the Financial Times. Numerous awards include First Prize at the Concorso di Moncalieri in Turin (1991), Rassegna di Vittorio Veneto (1996) and Concorso di Grosseto (2000). In 2009 Elda was awarded the prestigous Premio Danzuso by the “Amici della Musica di Catania“. Following her studies with the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, Elda held positions at Festival d‘Aix-en-Provence, Teatro Regio in Turin, Tiroler Festspiele Erl, Arturo Toscanini Foundation in Parma and at the Ravenna Festival before joining Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania for twelve years. Committed to sharing her expertise, Elda regularly gives masterclasses as a vocal coach. For the last 5 years she has taught in Portocomaro, Italy.
In May 2021, Elda will perform in Antwerp with Albanian soprano Ana Naqe and the contemporary dancer Nadine Baboy in two separate live streamed concerts featuring the music of Janaçek and Korngold respectively. In June, she returns to Opera Theater of Tirana to conduct Donizetti’s Elisir d’Amore. This summer, she will also perform at the Festival “Mik” in Korça (Albania) with the Trio Deutsche Oper Berlin and conduct Menotti’s The Medium at Moscow Conservatory. On September 5th, she will perform in recital with star Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho the Palacio de Congresos in Palma de Mallorca.
CONDUCTOR, ELEKTRA
One of the most versatile artists of her generation, Elda Laro’s dream was always to one day express herself through the baton. As a conductor, pianist, chamber musician, harpsichordist and accompanist, the child prodigy from Scutari, Albania playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.1 at the age of only 11 with the National Orchestra went on to be selected as one of the most promising young Albanian musicians and was awarded an overseas scholarship allowing her to study with renowned pianist Remo Remoli at Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Turin, Italy. Elda is currently coach, pianist and staff conductor at the prestigious Deutsche Oper in Berlin and has performed with many of the world’s greatest in classical music.
At the helm of the Orchestra of Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, she recently conducted Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.2. In 2015 the National Opera in Tirana invited her to debut Vincenzo Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi. After much success Mozart’s Così fan Tutte directed from the harpsichord and a staged chorus / ballet performance choreographed by Youri Vàmos of Orff’s Carmina Burana soon followed. During her years as Head of Music at the Münster Theatre and vocal coach at the university there, Elda was also chief conductor of the Münster Concert Choir performing regularly concerts and oratorio including an extensive tour of Italy with Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem.
She studied conducting with Rüdiger Bohn in Düsseldorf and masterclasses include Donato Renzetti, Roberto Rizzi Brignoli and Maurizio Arena. Elda’s eclectic passion for learning including 10 years as a violinist, fluency of five languages; Italian, English, German, French and Albanian as well as an avid chamber musician gives her a solid base like many of history’s greatest opera conductors.
Her piano studies have taken her from Paris, where in 1995-96 she was awarded a scholarship to study contemporary music with world renowned pianist Claude Helffer, to Salzburg, studying under Alfons Kontarsky. Elda’s expertise of contemporary music was recently seen when she was chosen to prepare the world premiere of the opera Wir aus Glas by Yasutaki Inamori, a collaboration between the Deutsche Oper and the Biennale in Munich.
A much sought-after accompanist in song recitals, recent concert appearances include distinguished artists such as Ermonela Jaho, Saimir Pirgu, Dimitra Theodossiu with whom she appeared at London’s Wigmore Hall (also on CD) and the late tenor Marcello Giordani at the Athletic Club in New York City. As a pianist, she had also collaborated with Mirella Freni, Carlo Bergonzi, Roberto Alagna, Renato Bruson, Fiorenza Cossotto and Edda Moser.
During the 2019/20 season Elda accompanied on tour, singer and world-leading cabaret star Ute Lemper at the Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg’s spectacular Elbphilharmonie, Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Tonhalle Düsseldorf and other major European venues under the direction of Antonello Manacorda.
Solo performances with leading conductors include Mstislav Rostropovich, Marc Soustrot, Konrad Junghänel, Bruno Campanella, Donato Renzetti, Marc Albrecht, Donald Runnicles. Major orchestras include the Orchestra of Teatro Regio in Turin, Parma’s Orchestra Arturo Toscanini, Turin Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Verdi Milan, I Pomeriggi Musicali Milan, Orchestra of Val d‘Aosta and the RTSH Orchestra Tirana. Concert tours have taken her to Italy, Spain, UK, Austria, France, Japan, Malaysia and the United States.
As a recording artist, Elda Laro received critical acclaim for her Chandos CD of Bottesini chamber music awarded 5 stars by the Financial Times. Numerous awards include First Prize at the Concorso di Moncalieri in Turin (1991), Rassegna di Vittorio Veneto (1996) and Concorso di Grosseto (2000). In 2009 Elda was awarded the prestigous Premio Danzuso by the “Amici della Musica di Catania“. Following her studies with the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, Elda held positions at Festival d‘Aix-en-Provence, Teatro Regio in Turin, Tiroler Festspiele Erl, Arturo Toscanini Foundation in Parma and at the Ravenna Festival before joining Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania for twelve years. Committed to sharing her expertise, Elda regularly gives masterclasses as a vocal coach. For the last 5 years she has taught in Portocomaro, Italy.
In May 2021, Elda will perform in Antwerp with Albanian soprano Ana Naqe and the contemporary dancer Nadine Baboy in two separate live streamed concerts featuring the music of Janaçek and Korngold respectively. In June, she returns to Opera Theater of Tirana to conduct Donizetti’s Elisir d’Amore. This summer, she will also perform at the Festival “Mik” in Korça (Albania) with the Trio Deutsche Oper Berlin and conduct Menotti’s The Medium at Moscow Conservatory. On September 5th, she will perform in recital with star Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho the Palacio de Congresos in Palma de Mallorca.
CAROL MASTRODOMENICO
VOICE FACULTY
Carol Mastrodomenico maintains an active schedule as a guest soloist with choruses, orchestras and other ensembles. She excels in the interpretation of oratorio, and has appeared recently 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 an accomplished recitalist, and has recently performed programs ranging from premieres of contemporary music to cabaret programs involving interaction with the audience. She recently toured England with her production of John Morrison’s Jane Austin’s History of England singing the role of Emce. She premiered John McDonald’s Put this in your Pipe and Speech Made by Music with the Essex Chamber Players, and premiered Ellen Bender’s Five Emily Dickinson Songs during New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Festival. Other noted composers she has worked with include Robert DiDomenica and David Leisner. Ms. Mastrodomenico has a great love for Spanish Repertoire, and enjoys programing Spanish and particularly Argentinian songs to introduce the repertoire to her recital audiences.
A champion of vocal chamber music, she has worked with noted musicians premiering new works at contemporary festivals sponsored by BMOP and composer groups at Tufts University and Longy School of Music of Bard College. She has been invited to perform at the Tanglewood Music Center, Jordan Hall, Faneuil Hall, the Warebrook Contemporary Music Festival, the Boston Vocal Artists Series, the 1794 Meeting House concert Series in New Salem, and the Music at Noon Concert Series at the Swedenborg Chapel.
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 at Longy. Recent productions she has directed include Le Nozze di Figaro, Der Zwerg, L’amico Fritz, Gianni Schicchi, Three Sisters who are not Sisters, Three Penny Opera, Dido and Aeneas, Old Maid and the Thief, Amelia Goes to the Ball, Riders to the Sea, Gallantry, The Telephone and Doctor Miracle. Ms. Mastrodomenico is a passionate advocate for newly composed works. With the Tufts Opera Ensemble, she commissioned and directed the world premieres of Knave of Hearts by Vartan Aghababian in 2013 and No Onions, nor Garlic by Thomas Stumpf in 2014. With the Longy Opera Workshop, she commissioned and directed the world premiere of Jane Austen’s History of England by John Morrison in 2014. It is her hope to commission a new opera work every year.
Ms. Mastrodomenico is just as passionate about vocal pedagogy and teaching voice. She has participated in panel discussions by the Boston NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Chapter on the different elements of "Teaching Men to Sing", and was invited by the Western Massachusetts NATS chapter to give a solo presentation on Teaching Men. Her master classes at the Classical Singer Convention, Regional NATS workshops and area Colleges are widely attended. At her invitation, renowned pedagogue Ken Bozeman spoke in the Boston area about the Pedagogical Applications of Vocal Acoustics for teaching voice. She developed and annually taught a vocal curriculum for string performers at the Heifetz International Summer Institute in Staunton, Virginia, US.
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.
VOICE FACULTY
Carol Mastrodomenico maintains an active schedule as a guest soloist with choruses, orchestras and other ensembles. She excels in the interpretation of oratorio, and has appeared recently 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 an accomplished recitalist, and has recently performed programs ranging from premieres of contemporary music to cabaret programs involving interaction with the audience. She recently toured England with her production of John Morrison’s Jane Austin’s History of England singing the role of Emce. She premiered John McDonald’s Put this in your Pipe and Speech Made by Music with the Essex Chamber Players, and premiered Ellen Bender’s Five Emily Dickinson Songs during New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Festival. Other noted composers she has worked with include Robert DiDomenica and David Leisner. Ms. Mastrodomenico has a great love for Spanish Repertoire, and enjoys programing Spanish and particularly Argentinian songs to introduce the repertoire to her recital audiences.
A champion of vocal chamber music, she has worked with noted musicians premiering new works at contemporary festivals sponsored by BMOP and composer groups at Tufts University and Longy School of Music of Bard College. She has been invited to perform at the Tanglewood Music Center, Jordan Hall, Faneuil Hall, the Warebrook Contemporary Music Festival, the Boston Vocal Artists Series, the 1794 Meeting House concert Series in New Salem, and the Music at Noon Concert Series at the Swedenborg Chapel.
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 at Longy. Recent productions she has directed include Le Nozze di Figaro, Der Zwerg, L’amico Fritz, Gianni Schicchi, Three Sisters who are not Sisters, Three Penny Opera, Dido and Aeneas, Old Maid and the Thief, Amelia Goes to the Ball, Riders to the Sea, Gallantry, The Telephone and Doctor Miracle. Ms. Mastrodomenico is a passionate advocate for newly composed works. With the Tufts Opera Ensemble, she commissioned and directed the world premieres of Knave of Hearts by Vartan Aghababian in 2013 and No Onions, nor Garlic by Thomas Stumpf in 2014. With the Longy Opera Workshop, she commissioned and directed the world premiere of Jane Austen’s History of England by John Morrison in 2014. It is her hope to commission a new opera work every year.
Ms. Mastrodomenico is just as passionate about vocal pedagogy and teaching voice. She has participated in panel discussions by the Boston NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Chapter on the different elements of "Teaching Men to Sing", and was invited by the Western Massachusetts NATS chapter to give a solo presentation on Teaching Men. Her master classes at the Classical Singer Convention, Regional NATS workshops and area Colleges are widely attended. At her invitation, renowned pedagogue Ken Bozeman spoke in the Boston area about the Pedagogical Applications of Vocal Acoustics for teaching voice. She developed and annually taught a vocal curriculum for string performers at the Heifetz International Summer Institute in Staunton, Virginia, US.
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.
RUPERT DUSSMANN
MUSIC COACH, ELEKTRA
Born in Wales, Rupert Dussmann studied at Kings College London, Guildhall School of Music and the National Opera Studio. He has held permanent positions as a vocal coach and repetiteur at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, the Stuttgart Staastheater, the Hamburg Staatsoper followed by 14 years at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin.
Over the years he has been a regular guest coach at Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam and has also guested in Germany (Deutsche Oper Berlin), Spain (Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Perelada Festival and Orquesta Nacional de España in Madrid), Italy (Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari), France (Opéra de Nice, Opéra du Rhin in Strasbourg, Festival Aix-en-Provence), Austria (Salzburg Easter and Summer Festivals, Theater an der Wien and Bregenzer Festspiele), Australia (Sydney Opera House, Victoria State Theatre in Melbourne), USA (Ravinia Festival), Japan (New National Theatre Tokyo) and Israel (New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv). He has regularly worked with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim and Yannick Nézet-Séguin and many international singers such as Plácido Domingo, Rolando Villazón, Charles Castronovo, Sonia Yoncheva, René Pape and Dorothea Röschmann. He is a fluent speaker of English, French, German and Spanish and has a decent working knowledge of Russian.
MUSIC COACH, ELEKTRA
Born in Wales, Rupert Dussmann studied at Kings College London, Guildhall School of Music and the National Opera Studio. He has held permanent positions as a vocal coach and repetiteur at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, the Stuttgart Staastheater, the Hamburg Staatsoper followed by 14 years at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin.
Over the years he has been a regular guest coach at Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam and has also guested in Germany (Deutsche Oper Berlin), Spain (Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Perelada Festival and Orquesta Nacional de España in Madrid), Italy (Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari), France (Opéra de Nice, Opéra du Rhin in Strasbourg, Festival Aix-en-Provence), Austria (Salzburg Easter and Summer Festivals, Theater an der Wien and Bregenzer Festspiele), Australia (Sydney Opera House, Victoria State Theatre in Melbourne), USA (Ravinia Festival), Japan (New National Theatre Tokyo) and Israel (New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv). He has regularly worked with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim and Yannick Nézet-Séguin and many international singers such as Plácido Domingo, Rolando Villazón, Charles Castronovo, Sonia Yoncheva, René Pape and Dorothea Röschmann. He is a fluent speaker of English, French, German and Spanish and has a decent working knowledge of Russian.
DOUGLAS BROWN
MUSIC COACH, ELEKTRA
Douglas Brown was born in London. After graduating from Cambridge University he was active as a pianist, composer and lecturer in Coventry. From 1979 he worked as a repetiteur and later as chorus master in Pretoria, South Africa. In 1983 he moved to Germany, working first for two seasons at the Stadttheater Bremerhaven and then from 1985 until 2016 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Since then he as continued to work freelance as a coach, conductor, composer and arranger.
MUSIC COACH, ELEKTRA
Douglas Brown was born in London. After graduating from Cambridge University he was active as a pianist, composer and lecturer in Coventry. From 1979 he worked as a repetiteur and later as chorus master in Pretoria, South Africa. In 1983 he moved to Germany, working first for two seasons at the Stadttheater Bremerhaven and then from 1985 until 2016 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Since then he as continued to work freelance as a coach, conductor, composer and arranger.
BRIAN MOLL
DIRECTOR OF LIEDER ACADEMY & FESTIVAL
LIEDER COACH
Brian Moll is Chair of the Piano and Collaborative Piano departments at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he teaches classes in chamber music, vocal repertory and diction. He is also on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory and the New England Conservatory of Music, where he is instructor or repertoire courses and a coach for the opera department. As a keyboardist he has worked with Emmanuel Music, Boston Baroque, and the Handel & Haydn Chorus and Orchestra and has also served as Assistant Conductor for productions by Boston Lyric Opera, Opera North and Boston Midsummer Opera. He has appeared in the ‘Strings in the Mountains Festival” in Colorado, and at the New Hampshire Music Festival and has been on the summer faculty of the Lied Austria Program in Graz.
A magna cum laude graduate of Hamilton College, Moll earned further degrees from the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Austria and the University of Michigan School of Music, where he studied with Martin Katz. While in Vienna, he earned diplomas with distinction in piano and organ and also taught as a Fulbright teaching assistant. He has given recitals as a pianist and organist in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Bulgaria, France, and throughout the United States, and has appeared with singers Barbara Kilduff, Barbara Quintiliani, Sheri Greenawald, Wolfgang Brendel, Sir Thomas Allen, Kevin Deas, Yeghishe Manucharyan, and Kelly Kaduce. Moll has appeared in such prestigious halls as Vienna’s Mozartsaal, the Haydnsaal at the Esterhazy Castle in Eisenstadt, Austria, Tokyo’s Lilia Hall, and Boston’s Jordan Hall.
Brian Moll is the Whiting Fellowship Recipient (Harvard University).
DIRECTOR OF LIEDER ACADEMY & FESTIVAL
LIEDER COACH
Brian Moll is Chair of the Piano and Collaborative Piano departments at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he teaches classes in chamber music, vocal repertory and diction. He is also on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory and the New England Conservatory of Music, where he is instructor or repertoire courses and a coach for the opera department. As a keyboardist he has worked with Emmanuel Music, Boston Baroque, and the Handel & Haydn Chorus and Orchestra and has also served as Assistant Conductor for productions by Boston Lyric Opera, Opera North and Boston Midsummer Opera. He has appeared in the ‘Strings in the Mountains Festival” in Colorado, and at the New Hampshire Music Festival and has been on the summer faculty of the Lied Austria Program in Graz.
A magna cum laude graduate of Hamilton College, Moll earned further degrees from the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Austria and the University of Michigan School of Music, where he studied with Martin Katz. While in Vienna, he earned diplomas with distinction in piano and organ and also taught as a Fulbright teaching assistant. He has given recitals as a pianist and organist in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Bulgaria, France, and throughout the United States, and has appeared with singers Barbara Kilduff, Barbara Quintiliani, Sheri Greenawald, Wolfgang Brendel, Sir Thomas Allen, Kevin Deas, Yeghishe Manucharyan, and Kelly Kaduce. Moll has appeared in such prestigious halls as Vienna’s Mozartsaal, the Haydnsaal at the Esterhazy Castle in Eisenstadt, Austria, Tokyo’s Lilia Hall, and Boston’s Jordan Hall.
Brian Moll is the Whiting Fellowship Recipient (Harvard University).
ALEXANDRA VON ROEPKE
GERMAN LIBRETTO & DICTION COACH
Alexandra von Roepke is a versatile, internationally-recognised mezzo-soprano from Berlin, at home both on opera stages in Europe and Asia, as well as in concert halls such as Leipzig's Gewandhaus and Berliner Philharmonie and other venues including the Vatican.
While training as an actress at the Volksbühne in Berlin she by chance discovered she possessed a rich vocal talent. She spent twelve years in Italy, where she completed an extensive period of study, including at the renowned Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome from which she
graduated with exceptionally high academic and artistic merit, and under the private tutelage of the incomparable Christa Ludwig, Sergio Oliva, a renowned conductor at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, and Francesca Patanè, the world famous soprano. Her ability to intimately identify with a range of musical roles, both vocally and as a performer, is outstanding, as audiences and critics regularly agree to be the case. Her repertoire is extensive, from Pergolesi to Belcanto to Verdi, Mozart to Wagner and Richard Strauss to John Cage, although lately she has focused more specifically upon late romantic and modern repertoire. Alexandra von Roepke has appeared in numerous productions to date, mainly in Italy and Germany (including at Berliner Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin and Berliner Philharmonie), but also outside Europe, including in Japan.
As a writer of librettos she has enjoyed the privilege of collaborating with several composers and won a prize for the Youth Opera „Inside Out“. She has been demonstrating her vast experience of both Italian and German music and language since 1996, when she also began teaching the German language and translating from and to both Italian and English, alongside her already
burgeoning career as an opera singer. She has additionally been a vocal teacher since 1999. During this period she has taught both privately and in language schools (including in partnership with companies such as Bosch, Siemens, Fiat and BMW and with several international embassies, including those of Canada and New Zealand), as well as at Freie Universität Berlin and with music schools and academies in Germany and Italy, and conducted numerous masterclasses, both language-focused and musical. Lately she has directed academic programs in Berlin on the works of Richard Wagner and has given concert lectures on Gustav Mahler’s Lied von der Erde in the United States, in New York City and Concord/NH in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In 2021, she also collaborated with several Japanese universities and conservatoires to provide five intensive courses on the subject of diction and pronunciation in the German Lieder repertoire via Zoom to students and professors alike.
In her teaching she not only aims to convey the words, structures and skills necessary for speaking the German language, but also a deep knowledge of their origins and the reasons for their unique characteristics, to allow her students to profoundly master and own this language, among the most spoken and musically performed languages globally.
GERMAN LIBRETTO & DICTION COACH
Alexandra von Roepke is a versatile, internationally-recognised mezzo-soprano from Berlin, at home both on opera stages in Europe and Asia, as well as in concert halls such as Leipzig's Gewandhaus and Berliner Philharmonie and other venues including the Vatican.
While training as an actress at the Volksbühne in Berlin she by chance discovered she possessed a rich vocal talent. She spent twelve years in Italy, where she completed an extensive period of study, including at the renowned Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome from which she
graduated with exceptionally high academic and artistic merit, and under the private tutelage of the incomparable Christa Ludwig, Sergio Oliva, a renowned conductor at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, and Francesca Patanè, the world famous soprano. Her ability to intimately identify with a range of musical roles, both vocally and as a performer, is outstanding, as audiences and critics regularly agree to be the case. Her repertoire is extensive, from Pergolesi to Belcanto to Verdi, Mozart to Wagner and Richard Strauss to John Cage, although lately she has focused more specifically upon late romantic and modern repertoire. Alexandra von Roepke has appeared in numerous productions to date, mainly in Italy and Germany (including at Berliner Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin and Berliner Philharmonie), but also outside Europe, including in Japan.
As a writer of librettos she has enjoyed the privilege of collaborating with several composers and won a prize for the Youth Opera „Inside Out“. She has been demonstrating her vast experience of both Italian and German music and language since 1996, when she also began teaching the German language and translating from and to both Italian and English, alongside her already
burgeoning career as an opera singer. She has additionally been a vocal teacher since 1999. During this period she has taught both privately and in language schools (including in partnership with companies such as Bosch, Siemens, Fiat and BMW and with several international embassies, including those of Canada and New Zealand), as well as at Freie Universität Berlin and with music schools and academies in Germany and Italy, and conducted numerous masterclasses, both language-focused and musical. Lately she has directed academic programs in Berlin on the works of Richard Wagner and has given concert lectures on Gustav Mahler’s Lied von der Erde in the United States, in New York City and Concord/NH in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In 2021, she also collaborated with several Japanese universities and conservatoires to provide five intensive courses on the subject of diction and pronunciation in the German Lieder repertoire via Zoom to students and professors alike.
In her teaching she not only aims to convey the words, structures and skills necessary for speaking the German language, but also a deep knowledge of their origins and the reasons for their unique characteristics, to allow her students to profoundly master and own this language, among the most spoken and musically performed languages globally.
CHRISTIAN WAGNER
GERMAN LANGUAGE & DICTION COACH
Christian Wagner is a versatile, internationally recognised baritone and studied the cello, modern languages and voice at universities and schools of music in Germany and France, refining his skills in master classes and coachings with teachers like Andreas Scholl, Bejun
Mehta, Helmut Deutsch and Cheryl Studer.
Already beginning his professional career during his early study years, he worked as a choir singer and soloist in professional radio choirs, opera choruses and renowned vocal ensembles, with conductors like Ton Koopman, Masaaki Suzuki, Andrea Marcon, Konrad Junghänel, Marcus Creed and Sigiswald Kuijken.
Currently, he is touring with Andrea Marcon’s orchestras La Cetra and Frau Musika in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.
With over a decade of experience in the European music business, singing at several German and Swiss operas (i.e. the Komische Oper Berlin) and with an extensive schedule of concert performances at European venues, he coaches voice and diction of the German and
French language.
The finalist and winner of several international voice competitions (i.e. ARD German National Television Music Contest and Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition), he performs in and outside of Europe, at venues such as Philharmonie and Konzerthaus Berlin, the big churches in Germany and Switzerland, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tokyo Concert Hall, Maison Symphonique Montréal and Cairo Opera House, and appears on several CD recordings with baroque and romantic music from Bach to Poulenc.
As a scholar of linguistics and literature he specialises in the German and French Lieder repertoire, and regularly performs with some of the finest pianists like Helmut Deutsch, Daniel Heide, Eric Schneider, Schaghajegh Nosrati and Jonathan Ware, (i.e. at the Beethovenhaus Bonn and the German Consul’s residence in Paris), receiving scholarships by the Richard-Wagner-Society and the German National Council of Music.
Recently, he debuted as Marcello (Puccini‘s Bohème) in Montréal (maestro Francis Choinière) and tours German and Swiss theatres as Aeneas (Purcell) with the renowned baroque ensemble Lautten Compagney.
Coaching students and classes privately and for international companies, and writing poetry (of which some has been already set to music) in three languages, he strives to find the best mix of perfect pronunciation and vocal technique for his students.
GERMAN LANGUAGE & DICTION COACH
Christian Wagner is a versatile, internationally recognised baritone and studied the cello, modern languages and voice at universities and schools of music in Germany and France, refining his skills in master classes and coachings with teachers like Andreas Scholl, Bejun
Mehta, Helmut Deutsch and Cheryl Studer.
Already beginning his professional career during his early study years, he worked as a choir singer and soloist in professional radio choirs, opera choruses and renowned vocal ensembles, with conductors like Ton Koopman, Masaaki Suzuki, Andrea Marcon, Konrad Junghänel, Marcus Creed and Sigiswald Kuijken.
Currently, he is touring with Andrea Marcon’s orchestras La Cetra and Frau Musika in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.
With over a decade of experience in the European music business, singing at several German and Swiss operas (i.e. the Komische Oper Berlin) and with an extensive schedule of concert performances at European venues, he coaches voice and diction of the German and
French language.
The finalist and winner of several international voice competitions (i.e. ARD German National Television Music Contest and Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition), he performs in and outside of Europe, at venues such as Philharmonie and Konzerthaus Berlin, the big churches in Germany and Switzerland, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tokyo Concert Hall, Maison Symphonique Montréal and Cairo Opera House, and appears on several CD recordings with baroque and romantic music from Bach to Poulenc.
As a scholar of linguistics and literature he specialises in the German and French Lieder repertoire, and regularly performs with some of the finest pianists like Helmut Deutsch, Daniel Heide, Eric Schneider, Schaghajegh Nosrati and Jonathan Ware, (i.e. at the Beethovenhaus Bonn and the German Consul’s residence in Paris), receiving scholarships by the Richard-Wagner-Society and the German National Council of Music.
Recently, he debuted as Marcello (Puccini‘s Bohème) in Montréal (maestro Francis Choinière) and tours German and Swiss theatres as Aeneas (Purcell) with the renowned baroque ensemble Lautten Compagney.
Coaching students and classes privately and for international companies, and writing poetry (of which some has been already set to music) in three languages, he strives to find the best mix of perfect pronunciation and vocal technique for his students.
BORAM AHN
MUSIC COACH & REHEARSAL PIANIST, ELEKTRA
Boram Ahn is a collaborative pianist based in Berlin. As an experienced opera répétiteur, she has played and coached a wide range of operatic repertoire in German theaters. She was engaged as Solorepetitorin at Theater Osnabrück (Fidelio, Der Bettelstudent), Landestheater Detmold (Der Fliegende Holländer, Rigoletto, Elegies für Junge Liebende by Hans Werner Henze), Thüringer Schlossfestspiel Sondershausen (Anatevka) and Theater Nordhausen (Salome, Anatevka, Luisa Fernanda). She has also taken part in several summer programs and festivals as a pianist and repetiteur including Canadian Vocal Art Institute, Brevard Music Festival, Lyric Opera Studio Weimer, and Narnia Vocal Art Festival.
In Berlin, Boram is actively involved in local projects and collaborates with various musical organizations and groups. She worked as a pianist for Kammerakademie Potsdam’s educational project ‘Stadtteil Macht Oper’, Opera Programs Berlin, Passaggio Oper, Berlin Wagner Gruppe,
Dramatic Voices Program. In August 2023 she’ll join the faculty team of Berlin Opera Academy, where she’ll be working with young artists on Ariadne auf Naxos, Cosi fan tutte, and other operatic repertoires. Maintaining a busy private studio in Berlin, she greatly enjoys supporting singers of different levels in their preparation for roles, auditions, recording sessions, concerts, and Lieder projects.
Boram Ahn was born and raised in South Korea and studied composition, piano performance, and collaborative piano at McGill University. During her time at McGill as a student and later on as a staff pianist, she has served as répétiteur in numerous Opera McGill productions: La Boheme, Dido and Aeneas, Volpone (Canadian premiere), The Rake’s Progress, Turn of the screw. Her mentors and teachers include Jean Lesage, Brian Cherney, Richard Raymond, Kyoko Hashimoto, Michael McMahon, Patrick Hansen, and Julian Wachner.
MUSIC COACH & REHEARSAL PIANIST, ELEKTRA
Boram Ahn is a collaborative pianist based in Berlin. As an experienced opera répétiteur, she has played and coached a wide range of operatic repertoire in German theaters. She was engaged as Solorepetitorin at Theater Osnabrück (Fidelio, Der Bettelstudent), Landestheater Detmold (Der Fliegende Holländer, Rigoletto, Elegies für Junge Liebende by Hans Werner Henze), Thüringer Schlossfestspiel Sondershausen (Anatevka) and Theater Nordhausen (Salome, Anatevka, Luisa Fernanda). She has also taken part in several summer programs and festivals as a pianist and repetiteur including Canadian Vocal Art Institute, Brevard Music Festival, Lyric Opera Studio Weimer, and Narnia Vocal Art Festival.
In Berlin, Boram is actively involved in local projects and collaborates with various musical organizations and groups. She worked as a pianist for Kammerakademie Potsdam’s educational project ‘Stadtteil Macht Oper’, Opera Programs Berlin, Passaggio Oper, Berlin Wagner Gruppe,
Dramatic Voices Program. In August 2023 she’ll join the faculty team of Berlin Opera Academy, where she’ll be working with young artists on Ariadne auf Naxos, Cosi fan tutte, and other operatic repertoires. Maintaining a busy private studio in Berlin, she greatly enjoys supporting singers of different levels in their preparation for roles, auditions, recording sessions, concerts, and Lieder projects.
Boram Ahn was born and raised in South Korea and studied composition, piano performance, and collaborative piano at McGill University. During her time at McGill as a student and later on as a staff pianist, she has served as répétiteur in numerous Opera McGill productions: La Boheme, Dido and Aeneas, Volpone (Canadian premiere), The Rake’s Progress, Turn of the screw. Her mentors and teachers include Jean Lesage, Brian Cherney, Richard Raymond, Kyoko Hashimoto, Michael McMahon, Patrick Hansen, and Julian Wachner.
JORDAN SHANAHAN
MASTERCLASS FACULTY
In recent years, the Hawaiian baritone Jordan Shanahan has been able to make a name for himself internationally, especially with his charismatic interpretations of dramatic roles. He is frequently engaged as the Flying Dutchman, Jochanaan, Telramund, Alberich or Rigoletto, Scarpia and Don Carlo di Vargas. In the 20222/2023 season he also had great success as der Herrscher in Korngold's DAS WUNDER DER HELIANE and Pizarro in FIDELIO, as well as making his successful Bayreuth Festival debut as Klingsor in PARSIFAL. Previously he sang Don Carlo di Vargas / LA FORZA DEL DESTINO at the Graz Opera, Escamillo / CARMEN at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Alberich / RHEINGOLD, SIEGFRIED and GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG and Telramund / LOHENGRIN at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Rodrigo / DON CARLOS at the Aalto Theatre in Essen, as well as Monterone and Rigoletto / RIGOLETTO at the Bregenz Festival. This was followed by his house debuts as Donner /RHEINGOLD at the Zurich Opera House and as Jochanaan / SALOME at Covent Garden in London. Future plans include his debut as Barak in DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN in a new production at Oper Köln, Telramund, Amonasro and Alberich at Deutsche Oper Berlin, his house debut at Teatro Real as Monterone in RIGOLETTO and his role debut as Amfortas, again at Deutsche Oper Berlin. Jordan Shanahan made his professional operatic debut as Silvio / PAGLIACCI at the Natchez Opera Festival in the USA back in 2002. Since then he has sung well over 70 leading roles at major international houses and festivals; including appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera Chicago, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. Jordan Shanahan's repertoire is wide-ranging and includes roles such as Rossini's and Mozart's FIGARO, bel canto repertoire such as Donizetti's Belcore / L'ELISIR D'AMORE or Enrico / LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, but also Tchaikovsky's EUGEN ONEGIN and Yeletsky / PIQUE DAME. In addition to the standard repertoire, Jordan Shanahan has already made a name for himself in contemporary repertoire with roles such as Joseph de Rocher / DEAD MAN WALKING, Robert Oppenheimer / DR. ATOMIC, The Protector / WRITTEN ON SKIN and Il Uomo / SENZA SANGUE, many of the most important composers of our time have placed their trust in him. On the concert stage, Jordan Shanahan has enjoyed equal success in a wide range of repertoire: from Handel's MESSIAH, Mendelssohn's ELIAS, Stravinsky's OEDIPUS REX, to Verdi's REQUIEM; whether at the Palace of Arts in Budapest, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, or with other major orchestras throughout Europe (most recently in 2023 with Daniele Gatti with Santa Cecilia in Rome) and at Carnegie Hall in the United States of America. Jordan Shanahan now lives in Switzerland and performs regularly in Europe, North America, Asia and of course in his native Hawaii.
MASTERCLASS FACULTY
In recent years, the Hawaiian baritone Jordan Shanahan has been able to make a name for himself internationally, especially with his charismatic interpretations of dramatic roles. He is frequently engaged as the Flying Dutchman, Jochanaan, Telramund, Alberich or Rigoletto, Scarpia and Don Carlo di Vargas. In the 20222/2023 season he also had great success as der Herrscher in Korngold's DAS WUNDER DER HELIANE and Pizarro in FIDELIO, as well as making his successful Bayreuth Festival debut as Klingsor in PARSIFAL. Previously he sang Don Carlo di Vargas / LA FORZA DEL DESTINO at the Graz Opera, Escamillo / CARMEN at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Alberich / RHEINGOLD, SIEGFRIED and GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG and Telramund / LOHENGRIN at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Rodrigo / DON CARLOS at the Aalto Theatre in Essen, as well as Monterone and Rigoletto / RIGOLETTO at the Bregenz Festival. This was followed by his house debuts as Donner /RHEINGOLD at the Zurich Opera House and as Jochanaan / SALOME at Covent Garden in London. Future plans include his debut as Barak in DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN in a new production at Oper Köln, Telramund, Amonasro and Alberich at Deutsche Oper Berlin, his house debut at Teatro Real as Monterone in RIGOLETTO and his role debut as Amfortas, again at Deutsche Oper Berlin. Jordan Shanahan made his professional operatic debut as Silvio / PAGLIACCI at the Natchez Opera Festival in the USA back in 2002. Since then he has sung well over 70 leading roles at major international houses and festivals; including appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera Chicago, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. Jordan Shanahan's repertoire is wide-ranging and includes roles such as Rossini's and Mozart's FIGARO, bel canto repertoire such as Donizetti's Belcore / L'ELISIR D'AMORE or Enrico / LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, but also Tchaikovsky's EUGEN ONEGIN and Yeletsky / PIQUE DAME. In addition to the standard repertoire, Jordan Shanahan has already made a name for himself in contemporary repertoire with roles such as Joseph de Rocher / DEAD MAN WALKING, Robert Oppenheimer / DR. ATOMIC, The Protector / WRITTEN ON SKIN and Il Uomo / SENZA SANGUE, many of the most important composers of our time have placed their trust in him. On the concert stage, Jordan Shanahan has enjoyed equal success in a wide range of repertoire: from Handel's MESSIAH, Mendelssohn's ELIAS, Stravinsky's OEDIPUS REX, to Verdi's REQUIEM; whether at the Palace of Arts in Budapest, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, or with other major orchestras throughout Europe (most recently in 2023 with Daniele Gatti with Santa Cecilia in Rome) and at Carnegie Hall in the United States of America. Jordan Shanahan now lives in Switzerland and performs regularly in Europe, North America, Asia and of course in his native Hawaii.
GUNDULA HINTZ
MASTERCLASS FACULTY
Born in Berlin, Gundula Hintz studied at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin with professors such as Aribert Reimann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. She has appeared as an opera and concert singer at numerous German and international venues (Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Naples, Venice, St. Gallen, London, Toronto), at the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, the Venice Biennale and the Berlin Festival Weeks.
Gundula Hintz has worked with conductors such as Constantin Trinks, Gerd Albrecht, Ralf Weikert, Anna Skryleva, Karl-Heinz Steffens, Ulf Schirmer, Anthony Bramall, Josep Caballé Domenech, Patrick Lange and Jessica Cottis.
After first engagements with jugendlich-dramatisch roles (among others the Baroness Liddy in the highly acclaimed world premiere of Detlev Glanert's opera "Scherz, Satire, Ironie und tiefere Bedeutung"), the Sieglinde in the "Walküre" marked the entrance into the Wagner Fach.
In 2011 she made her debut as Fricka in Wagner's "Ring" at the Staatstheater Darmstadt. There she also performed as Herodias in Strauss' opera "Salome" in 2013. In the same year she sang the 1st alto part in Mahler's 8th Symphony in the Berliner Philharmonie.
From 2012 to 2015 Gundula Hintz could be heard as Fricka ("Rheingold" and "Walküre"), Waltraute/2nd Norn ("Götterdämmerung") in the Ring tetralogy of the Theater Halle and Ludwigshafen.
The Royal Opera House Covent Garden engaged her in August 2014 for Turnage’s opera "Anna Nicole" in London. In the same season she made her Halle debut as Adelaide in Strauss' "Arabella". In January 2015 she made her debut at Leipzig Opera House as Fricka in "Rheingold", where in December 2015 she performed Dämonia in Humperdinck's fairytale opera "Sleeping Beauty".
Gundula Hintz played Fräulein Schneider in Kander’s musical "Cabaret" at the Staatstheater Augsburg on the open-air stage Freilichtbühne am Roten Tor in summer 2016.
In March 2017 she sang Mahler's "Lied von der Erde" in the Berliner Philharmonie. The mezzo-soprano made her North American debut in Toronto in autumn 2017. The Canadian Opera Company engaged her as Adelaide in Tim Albery's production of Strauss' "Arabella".
At the Royal Opera House Covent Garden London in June 2018 she performed the leading role of Esther in the world premiere of Na'ama Zisser's opera "Mamzer/Bastard". In the 2018/19 season she made her debut as Zita in "Gianni Schicchi" at the Staatsoperette Dresden. The role of Kabanicha in Lydia Steier's new production of "Katia Kabanowa" brought her to the Staatstheater Mainz in January 2019.
Numerous radio and television recordings document her successful work. With Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and the woodwind instrumentalists of the Berliner Philharmoniker she made a CD recording of Mozart terzets. In addition to her solo engagements, her voice studio in Berlin, in which she coaches numerous professional opera singers and provides technical support for them, as well as international master classes in Bayreuth, Düsseldorf, Tallinn, London and New York are further focal points of her activities.
MASTERCLASS FACULTY
Born in Berlin, Gundula Hintz studied at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin with professors such as Aribert Reimann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. She has appeared as an opera and concert singer at numerous German and international venues (Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Naples, Venice, St. Gallen, London, Toronto), at the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, the Venice Biennale and the Berlin Festival Weeks.
Gundula Hintz has worked with conductors such as Constantin Trinks, Gerd Albrecht, Ralf Weikert, Anna Skryleva, Karl-Heinz Steffens, Ulf Schirmer, Anthony Bramall, Josep Caballé Domenech, Patrick Lange and Jessica Cottis.
After first engagements with jugendlich-dramatisch roles (among others the Baroness Liddy in the highly acclaimed world premiere of Detlev Glanert's opera "Scherz, Satire, Ironie und tiefere Bedeutung"), the Sieglinde in the "Walküre" marked the entrance into the Wagner Fach.
In 2011 she made her debut as Fricka in Wagner's "Ring" at the Staatstheater Darmstadt. There she also performed as Herodias in Strauss' opera "Salome" in 2013. In the same year she sang the 1st alto part in Mahler's 8th Symphony in the Berliner Philharmonie.
From 2012 to 2015 Gundula Hintz could be heard as Fricka ("Rheingold" and "Walküre"), Waltraute/2nd Norn ("Götterdämmerung") in the Ring tetralogy of the Theater Halle and Ludwigshafen.
The Royal Opera House Covent Garden engaged her in August 2014 for Turnage’s opera "Anna Nicole" in London. In the same season she made her Halle debut as Adelaide in Strauss' "Arabella". In January 2015 she made her debut at Leipzig Opera House as Fricka in "Rheingold", where in December 2015 she performed Dämonia in Humperdinck's fairytale opera "Sleeping Beauty".
Gundula Hintz played Fräulein Schneider in Kander’s musical "Cabaret" at the Staatstheater Augsburg on the open-air stage Freilichtbühne am Roten Tor in summer 2016.
In March 2017 she sang Mahler's "Lied von der Erde" in the Berliner Philharmonie. The mezzo-soprano made her North American debut in Toronto in autumn 2017. The Canadian Opera Company engaged her as Adelaide in Tim Albery's production of Strauss' "Arabella".
At the Royal Opera House Covent Garden London in June 2018 she performed the leading role of Esther in the world premiere of Na'ama Zisser's opera "Mamzer/Bastard". In the 2018/19 season she made her debut as Zita in "Gianni Schicchi" at the Staatsoperette Dresden. The role of Kabanicha in Lydia Steier's new production of "Katia Kabanowa" brought her to the Staatstheater Mainz in January 2019.
Numerous radio and television recordings document her successful work. With Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and the woodwind instrumentalists of the Berliner Philharmoniker she made a CD recording of Mozart terzets. In addition to her solo engagements, her voice studio in Berlin, in which she coaches numerous professional opera singers and provides technical support for them, as well as international master classes in Bayreuth, Düsseldorf, Tallinn, London and New York are further focal points of her activities.
STEPHANIE WEISS
MASTERCLASS FACULTY
VISITING VOICE FACULTY
Stephanie Weiss, mezzo-soprano, was a Regional Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation from Mannes College of Music. As the winner of the American Berlin Opera Foundation Competition, she became a member of Deutsche Oper Berlin as a Stipendiatin, where in her first season, while still a soprano, she sang Frasquita (Carmen), Musetta, Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Gerhilde (Die Walküre), and Schlafittchen in the Berlin premiere of Das Traumfresserchen.
Ms. Weiss continues to be a regular guest at Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she has sung Marianne Leitmetzerin (Der Rosenkavalier), Aufseherin (Elektra), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Grimgerde (Die Walküre), Johanna [cover] (Szenen aus dem Leben der Heiligen Johanna), and Venus [cover] (Tannhäuser) in the company’s tour to Beijing. Other appearances include Opera Orchestra of New York under Eve Queler at Carnegie Hall as Rose (Lakmé), Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden as Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) and Marthe (Faust), at Oper Frankfurt as Musetta, and at Stadttheater Bern, San Diego Opera, Oper Dortmund, and Oper Köln as Marianne Leitmetzerin. She debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic as the Cook in Le Rossignol under the baton of Pierre Boulez. Other notable performances have included Venus (Tannhäuser) with Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin, Berta (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) with Opera Las Vegas, and a return to the San Diego Opera as Giannetta (L´elisir d´amore). Concerts include Wesendonck Lieder with the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Symphony No. 4 with the L’viv Philharmonic (Ukraine), and Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana) with Singakademie Potsdam. Recent appearances include Grimgerde (Die Walküre) at Oper Leipzig, Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas) with Opera Company of Middlebury, a return to Deutsche Oper Berlin to sing Zweite Dienerin (Die Ägyptische Helena) and Aufseherin (Elektra), and the title role of Johanna (Szenen aus dem Leben der Heiligen Johanna) by Walter Braunfels at Oper Köln. In the 2017/2018 season, she sang Aksinja in Lady Macbeth of Mzensk at Deutsche Oper Berlin, and returned to Oper Leipzig to sing Grimgerde in Die Walküre.
Along with operatic and orchestral concert repertoire, Ms. Weiss is an avid performer of art song and new music. She has performed recitals in the US, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia, singing the music of award-winning American and German living composers. With pianist Christina Wright-Ivanova, she has sung the world premieres of several song cycles, including Jonathan Stark’s “Passageway”, and Daron Hagen’s “Jaik’s Songs”. In 2018, the duo will release their debut CD of the songs of Daron Hagen.
In addition to her singing, Ms. Weiss is Assistant Professor of Voice at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts School of Music. She holds degrees from New England Conservatory (B.M. voice), Tufts University (B.S. biology and drama), University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M), Mannes College of Music (Prof. Studies Dipl.), and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (D.M.A.). Previously, she was Assistant Professor of Voice at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a Teaching Fellow with the Metropolitan Opera Education Department, and serves on the faculties of COSI (Centre for Opera Studies in Italy) in Sulmona, Italy and AIMS in Graz.
MASTERCLASS FACULTY
VISITING VOICE FACULTY
Stephanie Weiss, mezzo-soprano, was a Regional Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation from Mannes College of Music. As the winner of the American Berlin Opera Foundation Competition, she became a member of Deutsche Oper Berlin as a Stipendiatin, where in her first season, while still a soprano, she sang Frasquita (Carmen), Musetta, Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Gerhilde (Die Walküre), and Schlafittchen in the Berlin premiere of Das Traumfresserchen.
Ms. Weiss continues to be a regular guest at Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she has sung Marianne Leitmetzerin (Der Rosenkavalier), Aufseherin (Elektra), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Grimgerde (Die Walküre), Johanna [cover] (Szenen aus dem Leben der Heiligen Johanna), and Venus [cover] (Tannhäuser) in the company’s tour to Beijing. Other appearances include Opera Orchestra of New York under Eve Queler at Carnegie Hall as Rose (Lakmé), Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden as Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) and Marthe (Faust), at Oper Frankfurt as Musetta, and at Stadttheater Bern, San Diego Opera, Oper Dortmund, and Oper Köln as Marianne Leitmetzerin. She debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic as the Cook in Le Rossignol under the baton of Pierre Boulez. Other notable performances have included Venus (Tannhäuser) with Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin, Berta (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) with Opera Las Vegas, and a return to the San Diego Opera as Giannetta (L´elisir d´amore). Concerts include Wesendonck Lieder with the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Symphony No. 4 with the L’viv Philharmonic (Ukraine), and Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana) with Singakademie Potsdam. Recent appearances include Grimgerde (Die Walküre) at Oper Leipzig, Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas) with Opera Company of Middlebury, a return to Deutsche Oper Berlin to sing Zweite Dienerin (Die Ägyptische Helena) and Aufseherin (Elektra), and the title role of Johanna (Szenen aus dem Leben der Heiligen Johanna) by Walter Braunfels at Oper Köln. In the 2017/2018 season, she sang Aksinja in Lady Macbeth of Mzensk at Deutsche Oper Berlin, and returned to Oper Leipzig to sing Grimgerde in Die Walküre.
Along with operatic and orchestral concert repertoire, Ms. Weiss is an avid performer of art song and new music. She has performed recitals in the US, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia, singing the music of award-winning American and German living composers. With pianist Christina Wright-Ivanova, she has sung the world premieres of several song cycles, including Jonathan Stark’s “Passageway”, and Daron Hagen’s “Jaik’s Songs”. In 2018, the duo will release their debut CD of the songs of Daron Hagen.
In addition to her singing, Ms. Weiss is Assistant Professor of Voice at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts School of Music. She holds degrees from New England Conservatory (B.M. voice), Tufts University (B.S. biology and drama), University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M), Mannes College of Music (Prof. Studies Dipl.), and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (D.M.A.). Previously, she was Assistant Professor of Voice at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a Teaching Fellow with the Metropolitan Opera Education Department, and serves on the faculties of COSI (Centre for Opera Studies in Italy) in Sulmona, Italy and AIMS in Graz.
ANASTASIA INNISS,
FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CASTING DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Anastasia Inniss is a multifaceted artist whose career bridges performance and executive leadership in the classical music. With over two decades of experience, she is internationally recognized as both a commanding performer and a visionary arts leader, celebrated for her work in education, production, and cultural advocacy across Europe and the U.S.
As a performer, Ms. Inniss has appeared in leading roles across major festivals and opera companies, including Judith in Bartok's A kékszakállú herceg vára (Grimeborn Opera Festival London); Woglinde in Wagner's Das Rheingold (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Ariadne in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata (Central Florida Lyric Opera; New London Opera Players, Fine Arts Chorale & Orchestra) Governess in Britten's Turn of the Screw (Opera Seria), Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni (Opera Seria, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Micaëla and Frasquita in Bizet's Carmen, under the directorship of late legendary soprano Licia Albanese (Central Florida Lyric Opera); Contessa in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Serpina in Pergolesi's La serva padrona (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, concertante).
She is a passionate advocate for contemporary music, premiering works by composers such as Vartan Aghababian, Michael Djupstrom, Victoria Ellis, and Eric Sawyer—many written specifically for her. In addition to numerous song cycles and solo concert works with orchestra, she also created the role of Anna von Mildenburg in the new theater piece Geboren Alma Schindler (Berliner Opern Verein); the role of Member of the Chamber in the premiere performance of Eric Sawyer's Our American Cousin (Composers in Red Sneakers); and the title role in the world premiere of Victoria Ellis's multi-media opera Darling (One of Us Foundation). Her concert repertoire includes solo appearances at the Berliner Philharmonie and major venues throughout the U.S. and Europe, performing works such as J.S. Bach's Jauchzet Gott in alles Landen (Berliner Philharmonie), Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut (Old North Concert Series), Magnificat in D (Fine Arts Chorale), Missa brevis in A (Fine Arts Chorale); Mozart's Requiem (Berliner Philharmonie, Fine Arts Chorale), Missa Brevis in F (Sommerville Choir), Exultate Jubilate (Berliner Philharmonie), Vesperae solennes de confessore (Somerville Choir); Händel's Messiah (College Park Players), L'Allego, il Pensieroso, ed il Moderato (Berliner Philharmonie); Pergolesi Stabat mater (Berliner Philharmonie); Schubert's Mass in G (Highnam Choir and Orchestra); Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ (College Park Players); Vivaldi's Gloria (Old North Concert Series); Vaughan Williams's Dona nobis pacem (Tufts University Orchestra, cover); Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream (Longy Chamber Orchestra); Berg Sieben frühe Lieder (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival); Mahler Rückert-Lieder (Berlin Song Festival); Strauss Vier letzte Lieder (Berlin Song Festival, Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival, Walbrook Music Trust, Galerieforum am Meer); Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasilieras No.5 (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival) among others.
In parallel, Ms. Inniss is an accomplished executive arts leader, producer and educator with 25+ years of experience across Europe and the United States. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Opera Programs Berlin and Dramatic Voices Program Berlin. In 2024, she was awarded a grant by Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo Lanzarote to found and direct the Festival de Ópera & Academia Lanzarote at the UNESCO-protected Jameos del Agua Auditorium. As a founding member, she has also served as artistic director of the Berlin Song Festival, as a consultant and director of education for The Opera Stage, and is a frequent contributor to Classical Singer Magazine, where she writes on sustainability and access in the arts. In addition to this she has worked for Gracenote and Harvard University.
Her leadership work centers on equity and innovation in opera and classical music. She has co-produced initiatives like Trans*Voices— a fully funded tuition-free series of masterclasses and concerts for transgender and non-binary artists — and led scholarship programs for underrepresented communities. Her directing credits span opera, music theatre, and concert works, and she has also worked as a casting director, producer, and costume designer.
An educator, Ms. Inniss has over 25 years of experience teaching voice, vocal repertoire, and vocal pedagogy. She was taught at a college level as well as privately. She has guided the voices of numerous transgender voice professionals and is particularly adept to training voices with complex landscape. She studied at the Longy School of Music at Bard College as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship and holds Neue Start Kultur Grants from the Deutscher Musikrat and Dezentrale Kulturarbeit Reinickendorf.
Ms. Inniss’s producing and casting work includes: Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, Berlin, Germany; Strauss's Elektra, Berlin, Germany; The Folk Song Project – Folk Songs for Voice and Steel Drum, online; Wagner's Die Walküre (multi-media film), online; Gebohren Alma Schildler: theatre piece based on the Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, Berlin, Germany; Wagner's Die Walküre, Berlin, Germany; Wagner's Das Rheingold, Berlin, Germany; Trans*Voices Masterclasses & Galas, online; AIDS Quilt Songbook: German Edition (assistant producer), Berlin, Germany; Pathologies of the Image: Sound Installation, Berlin, Germany; Jason Robert Brown: The Last Five Years, Berlin, Germany.
With a foundation in music, theatre, and the visual arts, Ms. Inniss brings a holistic, community-centered approach to her artistic and administrative work—one that reimagines the role of the arts in today’s world.
FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CASTING DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Anastasia Inniss is a multifaceted artist whose career bridges performance and executive leadership in the classical music. With over two decades of experience, she is internationally recognized as both a commanding performer and a visionary arts leader, celebrated for her work in education, production, and cultural advocacy across Europe and the U.S.
As a performer, Ms. Inniss has appeared in leading roles across major festivals and opera companies, including Judith in Bartok's A kékszakállú herceg vára (Grimeborn Opera Festival London); Woglinde in Wagner's Das Rheingold (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Ariadne in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata (Central Florida Lyric Opera; New London Opera Players, Fine Arts Chorale & Orchestra) Governess in Britten's Turn of the Screw (Opera Seria), Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni (Opera Seria, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Micaëla and Frasquita in Bizet's Carmen, under the directorship of late legendary soprano Licia Albanese (Central Florida Lyric Opera); Contessa in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Serpina in Pergolesi's La serva padrona (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, concertante).
She is a passionate advocate for contemporary music, premiering works by composers such as Vartan Aghababian, Michael Djupstrom, Victoria Ellis, and Eric Sawyer—many written specifically for her. In addition to numerous song cycles and solo concert works with orchestra, she also created the role of Anna von Mildenburg in the new theater piece Geboren Alma Schindler (Berliner Opern Verein); the role of Member of the Chamber in the premiere performance of Eric Sawyer's Our American Cousin (Composers in Red Sneakers); and the title role in the world premiere of Victoria Ellis's multi-media opera Darling (One of Us Foundation). Her concert repertoire includes solo appearances at the Berliner Philharmonie and major venues throughout the U.S. and Europe, performing works such as J.S. Bach's Jauchzet Gott in alles Landen (Berliner Philharmonie), Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut (Old North Concert Series), Magnificat in D (Fine Arts Chorale), Missa brevis in A (Fine Arts Chorale); Mozart's Requiem (Berliner Philharmonie, Fine Arts Chorale), Missa Brevis in F (Sommerville Choir), Exultate Jubilate (Berliner Philharmonie), Vesperae solennes de confessore (Somerville Choir); Händel's Messiah (College Park Players), L'Allego, il Pensieroso, ed il Moderato (Berliner Philharmonie); Pergolesi Stabat mater (Berliner Philharmonie); Schubert's Mass in G (Highnam Choir and Orchestra); Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ (College Park Players); Vivaldi's Gloria (Old North Concert Series); Vaughan Williams's Dona nobis pacem (Tufts University Orchestra, cover); Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream (Longy Chamber Orchestra); Berg Sieben frühe Lieder (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival); Mahler Rückert-Lieder (Berlin Song Festival); Strauss Vier letzte Lieder (Berlin Song Festival, Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival, Walbrook Music Trust, Galerieforum am Meer); Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasilieras No.5 (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival) among others.
In parallel, Ms. Inniss is an accomplished executive arts leader, producer and educator with 25+ years of experience across Europe and the United States. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Opera Programs Berlin and Dramatic Voices Program Berlin. In 2024, she was awarded a grant by Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo Lanzarote to found and direct the Festival de Ópera & Academia Lanzarote at the UNESCO-protected Jameos del Agua Auditorium. As a founding member, she has also served as artistic director of the Berlin Song Festival, as a consultant and director of education for The Opera Stage, and is a frequent contributor to Classical Singer Magazine, where she writes on sustainability and access in the arts. In addition to this she has worked for Gracenote and Harvard University.
Her leadership work centers on equity and innovation in opera and classical music. She has co-produced initiatives like Trans*Voices— a fully funded tuition-free series of masterclasses and concerts for transgender and non-binary artists — and led scholarship programs for underrepresented communities. Her directing credits span opera, music theatre, and concert works, and she has also worked as a casting director, producer, and costume designer.
An educator, Ms. Inniss has over 25 years of experience teaching voice, vocal repertoire, and vocal pedagogy. She was taught at a college level as well as privately. She has guided the voices of numerous transgender voice professionals and is particularly adept to training voices with complex landscape. She studied at the Longy School of Music at Bard College as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship and holds Neue Start Kultur Grants from the Deutscher Musikrat and Dezentrale Kulturarbeit Reinickendorf.
Ms. Inniss’s producing and casting work includes: Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, Berlin, Germany; Strauss's Elektra, Berlin, Germany; The Folk Song Project – Folk Songs for Voice and Steel Drum, online; Wagner's Die Walküre (multi-media film), online; Gebohren Alma Schildler: theatre piece based on the Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, Berlin, Germany; Wagner's Die Walküre, Berlin, Germany; Wagner's Das Rheingold, Berlin, Germany; Trans*Voices Masterclasses & Galas, online; AIDS Quilt Songbook: German Edition (assistant producer), Berlin, Germany; Pathologies of the Image: Sound Installation, Berlin, Germany; Jason Robert Brown: The Last Five Years, Berlin, Germany.
With a foundation in music, theatre, and the visual arts, Ms. Inniss brings a holistic, community-centered approach to her artistic and administrative work—one that reimagines the role of the arts in today’s world.
LILIIAN SALPETER, AGENT, CENTRE STAGE ARTIST MANAGEMENT (CSAM)
VISITING FACULTY
Artist Manager Liliia Salpeter is a native of Moscow, Russia. She began studying piano and choral singing at the age of 7. Liliia graduated with the highest honors from Moscow State Linguistics University where she studied English, Spanish and Korean languages. After graduating she combined her passion for classical music and foreign languages by working as an interpreter and administrator at the Bolshoi Theatre where she worked closely with guest singers, conductors and music coaches. During her eight year tenure in the Moscow classical music scene, Liliia worked at multiple international festivals, opera coproductions and theatre tours where she specialised in interpreting during orchestra and stage rehearsals, arranging auditions and running coaching sessions. Liliia has also used her degree in teaching Russian as a foreign language by working as a Russian diction coach both privately and at productions at the Bolshoi Theatre and Teatro Real, Madrid.
After moving to Berlin in 2020, Liliia joined the renowned Centre Stage Artist Management (CSAM) which is part of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company. CSAM specialises in providing individually tailored management services to some of the finest classical singers in the world such as Rolando Villazón, Piotr Beczala and Sondra Radvanovsky. Among the singers Liliia represents are Kathryn Lewek, Serena Sáenz and Jonathan Tetelman.
VISITING FACULTY
Artist Manager Liliia Salpeter is a native of Moscow, Russia. She began studying piano and choral singing at the age of 7. Liliia graduated with the highest honors from Moscow State Linguistics University where she studied English, Spanish and Korean languages. After graduating she combined her passion for classical music and foreign languages by working as an interpreter and administrator at the Bolshoi Theatre where she worked closely with guest singers, conductors and music coaches. During her eight year tenure in the Moscow classical music scene, Liliia worked at multiple international festivals, opera coproductions and theatre tours where she specialised in interpreting during orchestra and stage rehearsals, arranging auditions and running coaching sessions. Liliia has also used her degree in teaching Russian as a foreign language by working as a Russian diction coach both privately and at productions at the Bolshoi Theatre and Teatro Real, Madrid.
After moving to Berlin in 2020, Liliia joined the renowned Centre Stage Artist Management (CSAM) which is part of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company. CSAM specialises in providing individually tailored management services to some of the finest classical singers in the world such as Rolando Villazón, Piotr Beczala and Sondra Radvanovsky. Among the singers Liliia represents are Kathryn Lewek, Serena Sáenz and Jonathan Tetelman.
JULIE WYMA,
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CASTING DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, ELEKTRA
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Julie Wyma has been described as a Renaissance Woman of opera, having worked in both Europe and the United States as a singer, director, stage manager, wig/makeup artist, costume designer, producer, and educator.
As a soprano she has appeared in more than 20 roles, including die Königin der Nacht and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in Die Verkaufte Braut, Musetta in La Bohème, Sophie in Werther, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, and Norina in Don Pasquale. Of her Norina, the Kansas City Metropolis said: “soprano Julie Wyma sparkled with a self-confident air and a strong, beautiful voice.”
Recent performances have included the roles of Marie in Die verkaufte Braut, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde at Kloster Chorin, Germany; Musetta in La Bohème and Belinda in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Puccini's Toaster in Berlin; the Soprano solos in Mozart's Requiem, Händel’s Messiah, and Fauré's Requiem, all in Berlin; and several concerts of music by the American expatriate author and composer Paul Bowles in Munich, Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany. In 2018 she produced a staged concert of The AIDS Quilt Songbook as a benefit concert for the Berliner Aids-Hilfe e.V.
Ms. Wyma has produced and directed operas including Wagner’s Lohengrin, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre (Berlin Wagner Gruppe), Wagner's Ring Cycle (semi-staged, Opera By Request), Massenet’s Werther (Irrational Entertainment), Händel’s Semele (Midwest Early Opera Works), Jonathan Stinson’s The Three Bears and Ryan Oldham’s The Emperor’s Madness (University of Missouri-Kansas City), as well as Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years (Voci Inglesi) and numerous opera scenes programs. She has assistant directed Albert Herring and Giulio Cesare at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, La Traviata at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Carmen at Opera North, and she assistant stage managed La Rondine at Indiana University.
As a costume designer Ms. Wyma worked for Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York for the 2011-2012 Season, which included Tosca, The Consul, Iolanta, The Most Happy Fella, La Cenerentola, Beauty and the Beast, and La Traviata. She has also worked as a bridal alterations specialist in Bloomington, Indiana and New York City. Ms. Wyma has worked as a Wig and Makeup Assistant for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, in operas including Giulio Cesare, La Bohème, and John Brown, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in productions including La Bohème, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, and The Man of La Mancha, and for a national tour of Hairspray. As a young artist, she was a set construction assistant at Opera in the Ozarks in 2004.
As an educator, Ms. Wyma’s passion lies in helping singers make the transition from student to professional, and in guiding talented people to the places where they are needed. She has served as a vocal coach, preparing singers for auditions and talent competitions, as well as an audition panelist and advisor. With organizations such as Irrational Entertainment, Midwest Early Opera Works, Voci Inglesi, Berlin Wagner Gruppe and Berliner Opernverein, she has facilitated performance opportunities for singers seeking additional stage experience and the chance to hone their craft in a supportive, professional environment.
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CASTING DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, ELEKTRA
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Julie Wyma has been described as a Renaissance Woman of opera, having worked in both Europe and the United States as a singer, director, stage manager, wig/makeup artist, costume designer, producer, and educator.
As a soprano she has appeared in more than 20 roles, including die Königin der Nacht and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in Die Verkaufte Braut, Musetta in La Bohème, Sophie in Werther, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, and Norina in Don Pasquale. Of her Norina, the Kansas City Metropolis said: “soprano Julie Wyma sparkled with a self-confident air and a strong, beautiful voice.”
Recent performances have included the roles of Marie in Die verkaufte Braut, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester Eberswalde at Kloster Chorin, Germany; Musetta in La Bohème and Belinda in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Puccini's Toaster in Berlin; the Soprano solos in Mozart's Requiem, Händel’s Messiah, and Fauré's Requiem, all in Berlin; and several concerts of music by the American expatriate author and composer Paul Bowles in Munich, Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany. In 2018 she produced a staged concert of The AIDS Quilt Songbook as a benefit concert for the Berliner Aids-Hilfe e.V.
Ms. Wyma has produced and directed operas including Wagner’s Lohengrin, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre (Berlin Wagner Gruppe), Wagner's Ring Cycle (semi-staged, Opera By Request), Massenet’s Werther (Irrational Entertainment), Händel’s Semele (Midwest Early Opera Works), Jonathan Stinson’s The Three Bears and Ryan Oldham’s The Emperor’s Madness (University of Missouri-Kansas City), as well as Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years (Voci Inglesi) and numerous opera scenes programs. She has assistant directed Albert Herring and Giulio Cesare at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, La Traviata at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Carmen at Opera North, and she assistant stage managed La Rondine at Indiana University.
As a costume designer Ms. Wyma worked for Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York for the 2011-2012 Season, which included Tosca, The Consul, Iolanta, The Most Happy Fella, La Cenerentola, Beauty and the Beast, and La Traviata. She has also worked as a bridal alterations specialist in Bloomington, Indiana and New York City. Ms. Wyma has worked as a Wig and Makeup Assistant for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, in operas including Giulio Cesare, La Bohème, and John Brown, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in productions including La Bohème, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, and The Man of La Mancha, and for a national tour of Hairspray. As a young artist, she was a set construction assistant at Opera in the Ozarks in 2004.
As an educator, Ms. Wyma’s passion lies in helping singers make the transition from student to professional, and in guiding talented people to the places where they are needed. She has served as a vocal coach, preparing singers for auditions and talent competitions, as well as an audition panelist and advisor. With organizations such as Irrational Entertainment, Midwest Early Opera Works, Voci Inglesi, Berlin Wagner Gruppe and Berliner Opernverein, she has facilitated performance opportunities for singers seeking additional stage experience and the chance to hone their craft in a supportive, professional environment.
CLARE GHIGO
ASSISTANT STAGE DIRECTOR, ELEKTRA
Clare Ghigo is a highly accomplished mezzo soprano with an impressive operatic repertoire and a versatile approach to both theater and music.
With a passion for both classical and contemporary works, she has performed numerous roles in operas by Mozart, Puccini, Humperdinck, Monteverdi, Bizet, Rossini, and others, as well as contemporary pieces by renowned composers such as Schoenberg, Morten Feldman, Luciano Berio, Reuben Pace, Karl Fiorini, Euchar Gravina, and Veronique Vella.
In addition to her operatic performances, Clare has also given recitals in various cities around the world, including San Francisco, London, Paris, Berlin, Bethlehem, and Luxembourg. Due to the ongoing events, she has also participated in several video productions, including an adaptation of Beethoven's Fidelio/ Leonora with The Strada Stretta Concept, Trouser Girl, a superhero film with the Teatru Manoel Toi Toi project for Ziguzajg, and chorus in Ravel L'enfant et les sortileges with Virtual Opera. Her most recent project, the Stabat Metric project, was created in collaboration with the Gozitan visual artist Joseph Calleja and funded by the Malta Arts Council.
Clare has participated in various operatic competitions and has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades. She won the Malta International Singing Competition and was a semifinalist of the Alfredo Kraus Vocal Competition, a finalist in the Hans Gabor Belvedere competition, and a semifinalist in the London Handel Competition 2016 and Vincero Competition 2021.
Throughout her career, Clare has had the privilege of working with acclaimed singers such as Joseph Calleja, Bryn Terfel, Anna Tomova Sintova, Nelly Miriciu, Monserrat Caballe, Daniela Dessi, Richard Bonynge, Luciana Serra, Jennifer Larmore, and Anna Bonitatibus. She has also collaborated with various ensembles, including the Jeune Orchestre Atlantique, Guildhall Consort, Karlsruhe duo, Rossini Ensemble, Ensemble Télémaque, La Mancha Philharmonic, Re: Orchestra, and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.
Currently, Clare forms part of the English National Opera chorus, as well as being an ENOA (Aix en Provence) and a Solti Accademia Del Bel Canto scholar. With her dedication to both the classical and contemporary repertoire and her impressive achievements as both a singer and researcher, Clare Ghigo is a true standout in the world of opera.
ASSISTANT STAGE DIRECTOR, ELEKTRA
Clare Ghigo is a highly accomplished mezzo soprano with an impressive operatic repertoire and a versatile approach to both theater and music.
With a passion for both classical and contemporary works, she has performed numerous roles in operas by Mozart, Puccini, Humperdinck, Monteverdi, Bizet, Rossini, and others, as well as contemporary pieces by renowned composers such as Schoenberg, Morten Feldman, Luciano Berio, Reuben Pace, Karl Fiorini, Euchar Gravina, and Veronique Vella.
In addition to her operatic performances, Clare has also given recitals in various cities around the world, including San Francisco, London, Paris, Berlin, Bethlehem, and Luxembourg. Due to the ongoing events, she has also participated in several video productions, including an adaptation of Beethoven's Fidelio/ Leonora with The Strada Stretta Concept, Trouser Girl, a superhero film with the Teatru Manoel Toi Toi project for Ziguzajg, and chorus in Ravel L'enfant et les sortileges with Virtual Opera. Her most recent project, the Stabat Metric project, was created in collaboration with the Gozitan visual artist Joseph Calleja and funded by the Malta Arts Council.
Clare has participated in various operatic competitions and has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades. She won the Malta International Singing Competition and was a semifinalist of the Alfredo Kraus Vocal Competition, a finalist in the Hans Gabor Belvedere competition, and a semifinalist in the London Handel Competition 2016 and Vincero Competition 2021.
Throughout her career, Clare has had the privilege of working with acclaimed singers such as Joseph Calleja, Bryn Terfel, Anna Tomova Sintova, Nelly Miriciu, Monserrat Caballe, Daniela Dessi, Richard Bonynge, Luciana Serra, Jennifer Larmore, and Anna Bonitatibus. She has also collaborated with various ensembles, including the Jeune Orchestre Atlantique, Guildhall Consort, Karlsruhe duo, Rossini Ensemble, Ensemble Télémaque, La Mancha Philharmonic, Re: Orchestra, and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.
Currently, Clare forms part of the English National Opera chorus, as well as being an ENOA (Aix en Provence) and a Solti Accademia Del Bel Canto scholar. With her dedication to both the classical and contemporary repertoire and her impressive achievements as both a singer and researcher, Clare Ghigo is a true standout in the world of opera.
TOM PUGH
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR, ELEKTRA
Australian flautist, conductor and teacher, Tom currently holds the positions of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Peninsula Chamber Musicians, Director of Music at Flinders College, Director of the Mornington Peninsula Chorale and Flute Tutor and Guest Conductor in the Melbourne Youth Orchestras program. Passionate about making music, he has a wealth of experience across many different musical areas from musicals to opera to esoteric contemporary flute repertoire and a vast array of symphonic works.
Tom graduated from the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide as a flautist but having also studied conducting with Professor Heribert Esser (Braunschweig Opera), came to Melbourne in 1995 to study for a master’s degree in conducting at the Victorian College of the Arts where he studied with Robert Rosen, Graham Abbott and Barry Bignell. He was as an assistant conductor in the VCA Opera Studio for three years and worked extensively with various VCA ensembles, making his operatic debut with Purcell's Dido and Aeneas as well as being assistant conductor for productions of Prokofiev's Love of Three Oranges, Ravel's L'Enfants et les Sortileges, Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and VaughanWilliams' Riders to the Sea. He then became Director of Music and Chapel Choir at Queen’s College and conducted extensively at Monash University. In 2000, Tom was appointed Teacher of Flute at Brighton Grammar, one of Victoria's finest schools and then added many other strings to that bow over the following 16 years, ending as Head of Middle School Music, Director of the Senior Choral program and the Senior Symphony Orchestra. Throughout this time he maintained an active performance schedule as a flautist and guest conductor.
Most recently Tom has conducted the Peninsula Chamber Musicians' orchestral series' through works including Sibelius' Pelleas and Melisande, Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, Mozart's Symphony No.40 and Sinfonie Concertante for Winds, Schubert's Symphony No.2, Louise Farrenc's Symphony No.3, Copland's Appalachian Spring as well as works by Australian contemporary composers such as Peter Sculthorpe, Katy Abbott and Anne Cawrse.
Tom has also conducted acclaimed performances of Mozart's Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle, Haydn's Creation and Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music for The Mornington Peninsula Chorale, as well as Guest Conducting the Frankston Symphony Orchestra and Conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra for Melbourne Youth Orchestras. On the theatre stage he has conducted Adam Yee’s opera Carmilla, based on the gothic novella for La Mama and for Victorian Opera's NOVA series. He also prepared the Mornington Peninsula Chorale as part of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Messiah performed at the FAC.
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR, ELEKTRA
Australian flautist, conductor and teacher, Tom currently holds the positions of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Peninsula Chamber Musicians, Director of Music at Flinders College, Director of the Mornington Peninsula Chorale and Flute Tutor and Guest Conductor in the Melbourne Youth Orchestras program. Passionate about making music, he has a wealth of experience across many different musical areas from musicals to opera to esoteric contemporary flute repertoire and a vast array of symphonic works.
Tom graduated from the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide as a flautist but having also studied conducting with Professor Heribert Esser (Braunschweig Opera), came to Melbourne in 1995 to study for a master’s degree in conducting at the Victorian College of the Arts where he studied with Robert Rosen, Graham Abbott and Barry Bignell. He was as an assistant conductor in the VCA Opera Studio for three years and worked extensively with various VCA ensembles, making his operatic debut with Purcell's Dido and Aeneas as well as being assistant conductor for productions of Prokofiev's Love of Three Oranges, Ravel's L'Enfants et les Sortileges, Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and VaughanWilliams' Riders to the Sea. He then became Director of Music and Chapel Choir at Queen’s College and conducted extensively at Monash University. In 2000, Tom was appointed Teacher of Flute at Brighton Grammar, one of Victoria's finest schools and then added many other strings to that bow over the following 16 years, ending as Head of Middle School Music, Director of the Senior Choral program and the Senior Symphony Orchestra. Throughout this time he maintained an active performance schedule as a flautist and guest conductor.
Most recently Tom has conducted the Peninsula Chamber Musicians' orchestral series' through works including Sibelius' Pelleas and Melisande, Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, Mozart's Symphony No.40 and Sinfonie Concertante for Winds, Schubert's Symphony No.2, Louise Farrenc's Symphony No.3, Copland's Appalachian Spring as well as works by Australian contemporary composers such as Peter Sculthorpe, Katy Abbott and Anne Cawrse.
Tom has also conducted acclaimed performances of Mozart's Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle, Haydn's Creation and Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music for The Mornington Peninsula Chorale, as well as Guest Conducting the Frankston Symphony Orchestra and Conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra for Melbourne Youth Orchestras. On the theatre stage he has conducted Adam Yee’s opera Carmilla, based on the gothic novella for La Mama and for Victorian Opera's NOVA series. He also prepared the Mornington Peninsula Chorale as part of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Messiah performed at the FAC.
SERGIO CASTROREALE
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR, ELEKTRA
Sergio Castroreale began studying music at a young age by attending the clarinet class at the local music school, alongside studying the piano. He began to approach orchestral conducting at the age of sixteen under the guidance of M. Paolo Ferrara.
In 2020 he is the youngest selected to attend the orchestra conducting academy of M. Donato Renzetti in collaboration with Filarmonica Teatro Regio di Torino, from which he graduates with top marks in December 2022. He then got his Bachelor degree in orchestral conducting with M. Daniele Agiman at Conservatorio “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan.
In 2023 he made his debut for the “Guido Cantelli” Festival in Novara conducting “The little sweep” by B. Britten. In the same year he won the international competition “Marco Koliqi“ and conducted "L'elisir d'amore" by Donizetti at the Teatro Lirico “Giorgio Gaber” in Milan. He was then selected to attend a masterclass held by M. Oleg Caetani
with I Cameristi della Scala. In July he held the position of assistant conductor for the Pannon Youth Orchestra in Eisenstadt, Austria.
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR, ELEKTRA
Sergio Castroreale began studying music at a young age by attending the clarinet class at the local music school, alongside studying the piano. He began to approach orchestral conducting at the age of sixteen under the guidance of M. Paolo Ferrara.
In 2020 he is the youngest selected to attend the orchestra conducting academy of M. Donato Renzetti in collaboration with Filarmonica Teatro Regio di Torino, from which he graduates with top marks in December 2022. He then got his Bachelor degree in orchestral conducting with M. Daniele Agiman at Conservatorio “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan.
In 2023 he made his debut for the “Guido Cantelli” Festival in Novara conducting “The little sweep” by B. Britten. In the same year he won the international competition “Marco Koliqi“ and conducted "L'elisir d'amore" by Donizetti at the Teatro Lirico “Giorgio Gaber” in Milan. He was then selected to attend a masterclass held by M. Oleg Caetani
with I Cameristi della Scala. In July he held the position of assistant conductor for the Pannon Youth Orchestra in Eisenstadt, Austria.
JAHMAI INNISS
GRANT OFFICER
GERMAN LANGUAGE & DICTION COACH
2024 PRODUCTION MANAGER
Born and raised in Kiel, Germany to immigrant parents from Trinidad and Ireland, Jahmai Inniss showed keen aptitude towards language and music very early on.
Brought up in a truly bi-lingual environment, he has worked as a classroom and a hybrid educator and linguist in the past 25 years. Having extensively studied French, Latin, German and English, as well as phonetics and literature, Mr. Inniss has been described as 'the word wizard' because of his knowledge of the interconnectedness and cultural context of language.
His education included an internship at the United Nations (NYC, New York, US, 2010) and a Train-the-Trainer Certificate at the Oxford Aviation Academy (Oxford, UK, 2009). He went to Christian-Albrecht-Universität Kiel (Kiel, Germany) where he studied English Linguistics (BA), Psychology (BA), Musicology (BA) and Business Administration (BA).
Since 2014, he has worked as a linguist and an educator in a wide variety of organisations in in-person and virtual classroom setting - general, business and IT English & general and business German for WBS Training AG (nationwide, Germany); individual and group language classes for Mont Blanc (Hamburg, Germany), Sp&Se GmbH (Hamburg, Germany), dateup GmbH (Hamburg, Germany); medical English and German for Universitätskrankenhaus Schleswig-Holstein (Kiel, Germany). In addition he has worked as a Speech Optimisation Specialist for Hamburg Airport (Hamburg, Germany) and Blohm & Voss KG (Hamburg, Germany). He has served as a translator and interpreter for both corporate and non-profit organisations for the past 25 years.
Mr. Inniss has also held positions as a marketing, regional and event manager for vivawasser.de AG (Kiel, Germany), 1und1.de (Norddeutschland, Germany), Winzereibetrieb Kapellenhof (nationwide, Germany), Bergmann Gruppe (Norddeutschland, Germany) and Diaz-Soto Events (Kiel, Germany).
In the last 20 years, Mr. Inniss has successfully prepared thousands of students for the following exams and certificates - TOEFL, LCCI, IELTS, Cambridge Certificate and VPED.
GRANT OFFICER
GERMAN LANGUAGE & DICTION COACH
2024 PRODUCTION MANAGER
Born and raised in Kiel, Germany to immigrant parents from Trinidad and Ireland, Jahmai Inniss showed keen aptitude towards language and music very early on.
Brought up in a truly bi-lingual environment, he has worked as a classroom and a hybrid educator and linguist in the past 25 years. Having extensively studied French, Latin, German and English, as well as phonetics and literature, Mr. Inniss has been described as 'the word wizard' because of his knowledge of the interconnectedness and cultural context of language.
His education included an internship at the United Nations (NYC, New York, US, 2010) and a Train-the-Trainer Certificate at the Oxford Aviation Academy (Oxford, UK, 2009). He went to Christian-Albrecht-Universität Kiel (Kiel, Germany) where he studied English Linguistics (BA), Psychology (BA), Musicology (BA) and Business Administration (BA).
Since 2014, he has worked as a linguist and an educator in a wide variety of organisations in in-person and virtual classroom setting - general, business and IT English & general and business German for WBS Training AG (nationwide, Germany); individual and group language classes for Mont Blanc (Hamburg, Germany), Sp&Se GmbH (Hamburg, Germany), dateup GmbH (Hamburg, Germany); medical English and German for Universitätskrankenhaus Schleswig-Holstein (Kiel, Germany). In addition he has worked as a Speech Optimisation Specialist for Hamburg Airport (Hamburg, Germany) and Blohm & Voss KG (Hamburg, Germany). He has served as a translator and interpreter for both corporate and non-profit organisations for the past 25 years.
Mr. Inniss has also held positions as a marketing, regional and event manager for vivawasser.de AG (Kiel, Germany), 1und1.de (Norddeutschland, Germany), Winzereibetrieb Kapellenhof (nationwide, Germany), Bergmann Gruppe (Norddeutschland, Germany) and Diaz-Soto Events (Kiel, Germany).
In the last 20 years, Mr. Inniss has successfully prepared thousands of students for the following exams and certificates - TOEFL, LCCI, IELTS, Cambridge Certificate and VPED.
THE PROGRAM HAS NO AGE LIMIT
⚬
THE HARRIET T. BARTLETT SCHOLARSHIP
⚬
THE JOSH KILLINGSWORTH SCHOLARSHIP
⚬
THE HARRIET T. BARTLETT SCHOLARSHIP
⚬
THE JOSH KILLINGSWORTH SCHOLARSHIP
Because the program has no age limit, young dramatic voices get to share the stage with seasoned professionals who are participating in the program because they want to sing a particular role or are changing Fachs. I established solid professional relationships with people who are in the industry, and working in the opera houses in Europe. And what I have received in lessons, coachings, masterclasses and performance opportunities, headshots, recordings has been one of the most cost effective investments I have done.'
- Stephanie DePrez, Soprano
'Everything that was promised by the program came through beautifully. The daily coachings were impeccable, the voice teaching was fantastic. I feel like I have arrived at another level. I can add Wagner to my repertoire and I owe this to the Dramatic Voices Program Berlin.'
- Marc Molomot, Tenor
'My favorite part were the coachings and lessons, which were at a very high level - they were specific and always done from an encouraging point of view. I did a lot of artistic growth in an environment that is supportive and encourages risk-taking.'
- Jennifer Carter, Soprano
'The first time I sang a solo hojotoho wth orchestra was a highlight of my LIFE! I also absolutely loved being part of such a supportive and talented cohort. What a great bunch of people. I very much enjoyed having the chance to work on my Lieder as well as the Wagner role, and the Masterclasses were also fantastic.It was a perfectly balanced and well-designed program. I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity.'
- Belinda Patterson, Mezzo-Soprano
'Working with Clay Hilley really gave me practical new insights into vocal technique which was underscored beautifully by Carol Mastrodomenico.'
- Pierre du Toit, Tenor
'I loved getting to work with such talented, experienced, and kind singers! It was so educational for me to have the chance to work with professionals that had more experience with me. Their confidence and control of their instruments allowed for deep musical work and inspired me to improve. I also loved how helpful the program was in terms of finding housing for the program. It made coming to a huge new city in a different country as comfortable as it could be! As said before, I also really appreciated the supportive vibe within the program and how connected everyone felt. Having the chance to get to know colleagues from several continents was so special! The program leaders and staff did a fantastic job of bringing in people who were not only talented, but kind and well-rounded as well. They were also extremely understanding and willing to work with any issues that arose during the program. This attitude of positivity and acceptance is how all music programs should be run and I hope to see more programs adopt it in the future.'
- Noah Stone, Pianist
'I absolutely loved all of the faculty and leadership of the program. I wish I could have absorbed more knowledge and gotten to spend more time with you all.'
- Nick Masiello, Tenor
- Stephanie DePrez, Soprano
'Everything that was promised by the program came through beautifully. The daily coachings were impeccable, the voice teaching was fantastic. I feel like I have arrived at another level. I can add Wagner to my repertoire and I owe this to the Dramatic Voices Program Berlin.'
- Marc Molomot, Tenor
'My favorite part were the coachings and lessons, which were at a very high level - they were specific and always done from an encouraging point of view. I did a lot of artistic growth in an environment that is supportive and encourages risk-taking.'
- Jennifer Carter, Soprano
'The first time I sang a solo hojotoho wth orchestra was a highlight of my LIFE! I also absolutely loved being part of such a supportive and talented cohort. What a great bunch of people. I very much enjoyed having the chance to work on my Lieder as well as the Wagner role, and the Masterclasses were also fantastic.It was a perfectly balanced and well-designed program. I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity.'
- Belinda Patterson, Mezzo-Soprano
'Working with Clay Hilley really gave me practical new insights into vocal technique which was underscored beautifully by Carol Mastrodomenico.'
- Pierre du Toit, Tenor
'I loved getting to work with such talented, experienced, and kind singers! It was so educational for me to have the chance to work with professionals that had more experience with me. Their confidence and control of their instruments allowed for deep musical work and inspired me to improve. I also loved how helpful the program was in terms of finding housing for the program. It made coming to a huge new city in a different country as comfortable as it could be! As said before, I also really appreciated the supportive vibe within the program and how connected everyone felt. Having the chance to get to know colleagues from several continents was so special! The program leaders and staff did a fantastic job of bringing in people who were not only talented, but kind and well-rounded as well. They were also extremely understanding and willing to work with any issues that arose during the program. This attitude of positivity and acceptance is how all music programs should be run and I hope to see more programs adopt it in the future.'
- Noah Stone, Pianist
'I absolutely loved all of the faculty and leadership of the program. I wish I could have absorbed more knowledge and gotten to spend more time with you all.'
- Nick Masiello, Tenor