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
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.
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.
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, ELEKTRA
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Anastasia Inniss started her arts education at the age of 5, studying piano. She was a member of the Bulgarian National Theater Youth Ensemble, where she was cast in children's roles in numerous main stage and touring productions. Her training at the National Theatre included acting, improvisation, Latin and folk dance. She also studied percussion and classical guitar.
In addition to her musical interests, Ms. Inniss showed a keen interest in the visual arts & design. Before the age of 10, her watercolor paintings and color pencil drawings were selected for numerous solo and group art exhibitions. At the age of 8, she was the recipient of the City of Plovdiv Portrait Drawing Award having been selected from thousands of entries city-wide.
Ms. Inniss commenced her vocal training in Bulgaria and continued it at the Longy School of Music at Bard College (Cambridge, Massachusetts) as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship for Vocal Studies. She was a member of the Central Florida Lyric Opera Young Artists Program and was later invited to return as a main stage Resident Artist with the company.
Opera roles include: Judith in A kékszakállú herceg vára (Grimeborn Opera Festival London); Woglinde in Das Rheingold (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Elsa in Lohengrin (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Violetta in La Traviata (Central Florida Lyric Opera; New London Opera Players, Fine Arts Chorale & Orchestra) Governess in Turn of the Screw (Opera Seria), Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Opera Seria, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Nedda in Pagliacci (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Micaëla and Frasquita in Carmen, under the directorship of late legendary soprano Licia Albanese (Central Florida Lyric Opera); Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Serpina in La serva padrona (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, concertante).
Ms. Inniss is a champion of new music. She has premiered works by prominent American and British composers such as Vartan Aghababian, Michael Djupstrom, Victoria Ellis, Heather Gilligan and Eric Sawyer; some of these works were written and dedicated to 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' opera Darling (One of Us Foundation).
Solo concert engagements include J.S. Bach Jauchzet Gott in alles Landen (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal), 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 (Fine Arts Chorale), Missa Brevis in F (Sommerville Choir), Exultate Jubilate (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal), Vesperae solennes de confessore (Somerville Choir); Händel's Messiah (College Park Players), L'Allego, il Pensieroso, ed il Moderato (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal); Pergolesi Stabat mater (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal); Schubert Mass in G (Highnam Choir and Orchestra); Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ (College Park Players); Vivaldi Gloria (Old North Concert Series); Vaughan Williams 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 Bachianas Brasilieras No.5 (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival) among others.
As a concert artist, Ms. Inniss has also given numerous concert and solo recitals in the United States and in Europe.
Ms. Inniss is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Opera Programs Berlin and Dramatic Voices Program Berlin. She is also the founder and executive director of Lanzarote Opera Festival & Academy. Previously, she was the Artistic Director of the Berlin Song Festival and an Artistic Consultant for The Opera Stage (now folded into Classical Singer Magazine). She has worked as an educator in higher education as well as in leadership positions in the arts for the last 15 years, both in the United States and in Europe.
Among her directing credits are pieces such as Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years as well as a wide range of scenes from the operatic and musical theatre repertoire. She has served as a casting director and producer for Wagner's Das Rheingold, Wagner's Lohengrin, Strauss' Elektra, Wagner's Die Walküre and Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. She also designed costumes for Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and Rorem’s Our Town.
Ms. Inniss is a consummate educator with over 20 years of experience teaching voice, vocal pedagogy, vocal diction, opera and song repertoire, audition preparation, branding and marketing. She was taught at a college level as well as privately, in an individual and classroom settings. In the last 6 years, her focus has shifted on teaching professionals and emerging professionals. She has guided the voices of numerous transgender voice professionals, and is particularly adept to training voices with complex landscape.
Ms. Inniss is a leader in the classical music industry. She has co-produced and hosted roundtable panel discussions on patterns of discrimination in the classical music industry - Singing While Black In Germany, Race in Opera and Ageism in Opera. In addition, she has spear-headed, produced and hosted Trans*Voices - a series of masterclasses and performance opportunities for transgender and non-binary artists. She often advocates and produces fundraisers for organisations such as Save the Children, Berliner Aids-Hilfe, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler CoronaCare, Black Lives Matter, Chineke! Foundation, Artist Relief Tree.
FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CASTING DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, ELEKTRA
CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACULTY
Anastasia Inniss started her arts education at the age of 5, studying piano. She was a member of the Bulgarian National Theater Youth Ensemble, where she was cast in children's roles in numerous main stage and touring productions. Her training at the National Theatre included acting, improvisation, Latin and folk dance. She also studied percussion and classical guitar.
In addition to her musical interests, Ms. Inniss showed a keen interest in the visual arts & design. Before the age of 10, her watercolor paintings and color pencil drawings were selected for numerous solo and group art exhibitions. At the age of 8, she was the recipient of the City of Plovdiv Portrait Drawing Award having been selected from thousands of entries city-wide.
Ms. Inniss commenced her vocal training in Bulgaria and continued it at the Longy School of Music at Bard College (Cambridge, Massachusetts) as a recipient of the Janet Irving Scholarship for Vocal Studies. She was a member of the Central Florida Lyric Opera Young Artists Program and was later invited to return as a main stage Resident Artist with the company.
Opera roles include: Judith in A kékszakállú herceg vára (Grimeborn Opera Festival London); Woglinde in Das Rheingold (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Elsa in Lohengrin (Berliner Wagner Gruppe); Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Violetta in La Traviata (Central Florida Lyric Opera; New London Opera Players, Fine Arts Chorale & Orchestra) Governess in Turn of the Screw (Opera Seria), Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Opera Seria, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Nedda in Pagliacci (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Micaëla and Frasquita in Carmen, under the directorship of late legendary soprano Licia Albanese (Central Florida Lyric Opera); Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro (Central Florida Lyric Opera), Serpina in La serva padrona (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, concertante).
Ms. Inniss is a champion of new music. She has premiered works by prominent American and British composers such as Vartan Aghababian, Michael Djupstrom, Victoria Ellis, Heather Gilligan and Eric Sawyer; some of these works were written and dedicated to 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' opera Darling (One of Us Foundation).
Solo concert engagements include J.S. Bach Jauchzet Gott in alles Landen (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal), 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 (Fine Arts Chorale), Missa Brevis in F (Sommerville Choir), Exultate Jubilate (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal), Vesperae solennes de confessore (Somerville Choir); Händel's Messiah (College Park Players), L'Allego, il Pensieroso, ed il Moderato (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal); Pergolesi Stabat mater (Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal); Schubert Mass in G (Highnam Choir and Orchestra); Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ (College Park Players); Vivaldi Gloria (Old North Concert Series); Vaughan Williams 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 Bachianas Brasilieras No.5 (Kirchberg Chamber Music Festival) among others.
As a concert artist, Ms. Inniss has also given numerous concert and solo recitals in the United States and in Europe.
Ms. Inniss is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Opera Programs Berlin and Dramatic Voices Program Berlin. She is also the founder and executive director of Lanzarote Opera Festival & Academy. Previously, she was the Artistic Director of the Berlin Song Festival and an Artistic Consultant for The Opera Stage (now folded into Classical Singer Magazine). She has worked as an educator in higher education as well as in leadership positions in the arts for the last 15 years, both in the United States and in Europe.
Among her directing credits are pieces such as Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years as well as a wide range of scenes from the operatic and musical theatre repertoire. She has served as a casting director and producer for Wagner's Das Rheingold, Wagner's Lohengrin, Strauss' Elektra, Wagner's Die Walküre and Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. She also designed costumes for Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and Rorem’s Our Town.
Ms. Inniss is a consummate educator with over 20 years of experience teaching voice, vocal pedagogy, vocal diction, opera and song repertoire, audition preparation, branding and marketing. She was taught at a college level as well as privately, in an individual and classroom settings. In the last 6 years, her focus has shifted on teaching professionals and emerging professionals. She has guided the voices of numerous transgender voice professionals, and is particularly adept to training voices with complex landscape.
Ms. Inniss is a leader in the classical music industry. She has co-produced and hosted roundtable panel discussions on patterns of discrimination in the classical music industry - Singing While Black In Germany, Race in Opera and Ageism in Opera. In addition, she has spear-headed, produced and hosted Trans*Voices - a series of masterclasses and performance opportunities for transgender and non-binary artists. She often advocates and produces fundraisers for organisations such as Save the Children, Berliner Aids-Hilfe, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler CoronaCare, Black Lives Matter, Chineke! Foundation, Artist Relief Tree.
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
ASSOCIATE 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.
ASSOCIATE 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.
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