Presented by Eastern New York Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and Skidmore College The Eastern New York Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (ENY/NATS) is pleased to announce our annual Art Song Festival to be held on October 12, 13, and 14, 2018 at Skidmore College. It is being co-sponsored by The Skidmore College […]
2018 ENY/NATS Art Song Festival, October 12-14, 2018 Read More »
Presented by Eastern New York Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and Skidmore College The Eastern New York Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (ENY/NATS) is pleased to announce our annual Art Song Festival to be held on October 12, 13, and 14, 2018 at Skidmore College. It is being co-sponsored by The Skidmore College
2017 ENY/NATS Art Song Festival, October 20-22, 2017 Read More »
An artist and administrator with nearly 20 years of experience in arts administration, Jean holds a BA in Psychology and Vocal Performance from SUNY Geneseo. She began her career in western New York as a Human Resources professional for Kelly Services and Allstate Insurance Company. Shortly after arriving in the Capital Region in 1997, she held a variety of positions with Albany Pro Musica, including administrative manager, production coordinator, and ultimately executive director. Jean joined Proctors Collaborative in 2012, overseeing staff, artist and presenting contracts, cross-functional programs, and programming initiatives Collaborative wide.
When she is not working, she puts that voice degree to work, singing chorally and as a soprano soloist throughout the Capital Region. Jean lives in Delmar with her husband and their three teenage children.
Dr. Elizabeth Gerbi is well known across the country as a performer, singing teacher, author, and music director/pianist (200+ productions). She has taught voice and musical theatre on the faculty of SUNY Dutchess/New Paltz/Schenectady, Southern Utah University, and The American University. Recent projects include co-authoring the acclaimed audition manual “88 Keys to Successful Singing Performances” with Broadway coaching legend Bob Marks, music directing the Eastern Regional Premiere of Unexpected Joy, The Snow Queen at the Ancram Opera House, accompanying masterclasses for Broadway performers Ken Jennings, Lisa Howard, and Lindsay Mendez, adapting Starmites for Broadway composer Barry Keating, and teaching workshops for EdTA, NYSTEA, NETC, ATHE, and MTEA. Come say hello at www.elizabethgerbi.com.
John Kramar has displayed his sensitive artistry in a wide variety of concert and operatic repertoire. This season includes performances of Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s Mass in b minor with the Choral Socity of Durham, and the role of Horace Tabor in ECU Opera Theater’s production of The Ballad of Baby Doe. Recent seasons included recital appearances at University of Iowa, Fredonia State University, and David Lipscomb University, as well as performances of Haydn’s The Creation and Handel’s Messiah with the Middle Tennessee Choral Society, and Dvorak’s Te Deum with the East Carolina University Chorale and Symphony Orchestra. Past seasons featured the release of his latest recording The Collected Songs of Alva Henderson, recorded on the Albany label, as well as appearances as baritone soloist in Samuel Barber’s The Lovers with Concert Singers of Cary, and as bass soloist in Sir Michael Tippett’s A Child of our Time with the Choral Society of Durham and the NC Master Chorale. He has sung performances of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Nashville Symphony and the NC Master Chorale, Wolf’s Spanisches Liederbuch with pianist John Wustman, and recitals throughout America with pianist Eric Stellrecht. He sang the title role in the world premiere showcase of Alva Henderson and Dana Gioia’s opera Nosferatu in Chattanooga, TN, as well as performances of Messiah, Carmina Burana, Haydn’s The Creation, Elijah, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and Brahms’ A German Requiem with the Middle Tennessee Choral Society. He is featured on recordings of Gary Smart’s The Major’s Letter, Brahms’ Vier Ernste Gesänge and Solo Vocal Quartets, Folk Song Settings of Beethoven, and Solo Vocal Quartets by Schubert with pianist Raymond Beegle and the New York Vocal Arts Ensemble, with whom he performed across America for eight seasons. Notable solo credits include Bach’s B Minor Mass, and Brahms’ A German Requiem with the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, Messiah, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Bruckner’s Te Deum, Gorecki’s Beatus Vir, and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the East Carolina University Chorale and Symphony Orchestra, and premieres of works by composer William Vollinger at New York City’s Merkin Concert Hall. He has sung Mozart’s Requiem and Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem with the North Carolina Symphony, and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and The Creation, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solenelle, Dvorak’s Requiem, and Handel’s Jephtha with the Choral Society of Durham. He performed as soloist and section leader for ten consecutive seasons with the Bermuda Choral Workshop. In 1997 he made his debut with both the Washington Summer Opera Theatre and Opera Delaware as Mozart’s Figaro, and his Nashville Opera debut in their production of Gianni Schicchi. Mr. Kramar has performed with Texas Opera Theatre, Sarasota Opera, Santa Fe Opera, The Elysian Opera Group, in Faust with the West Virginia Symphony, and in a production of The Medium directed by Gian Carlo Menotti at the Philadelphia Academy of Music. His New York debut was in a gala concert honoring Ned Rorem at Alice Tully Hall.
A native of Maryland, Mr. Kramar received his undergraduate degree in vocal performance, as well as performers’ certificates in both voice and opera from the Eastman School of Music where he was a student of Jan DeGaetani. He completed his graduate studies in opera at the Curtis Institute. His various awards and scholarships have included the first Helen Jepson Dellera Award from the Sarasota Opera, second prize in the prestigious Kneisel Lieder Competition, and two Apprentice Achievement Awards from the Santa Fe Opera. Mr. Kramar joined the voice faculty of East Carolina University School of Music in 1998, where he is an associate professor of voice, and also serves as chair of the Department of Vocal Studies. He was director of the ECU Opera Theater from 1998 until 2019. From 2005 until 2008 he served as interim Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at ECU.
He has taught voice and theater arts at the New York State Summer School of the Arts and was a member of the voice faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. Mr. Kramar was on the directing staff of the Chautauqua Opera from 2003 to 2008.
Bass-baritone Robert Osborne has been called by the New York Times “a singer who goes all the way” and Opera News has lauded his “world-class singing.” He has sung over fifty roles in operas by Bernstein and Glass to Rameau and Weill with companies in Paris, Lyon, Berlin, New York, Houston, Santa Fe, and Los Angeles. He sang the title role in the Ridge Theater production of Partch’s Oedipus and created the role of François Mignon in Zinnias: The Life of Clementine Hunter, directed by Robert Wilson. His concert career has taken him to London’s Royal Albert Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Singapore’s Victoria Hall, Havana’s Gran Teatro, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall, and he has sung under such distinguished conductors as Bernstein, Ozawa, Spivakov, Tilson Thomas, John Williams and Russell Davies. He has appeared with the Tanglewood, Schleswig-Holstein, USArts/Berlin, Aspen and Marlboro Festivals as well as on PBS Great Performances. His discography includes recordings of operas , as well as solo recordings of Schubert’s Winterreise, songs by Sowerby, Carpenter, and Cowell, and the recently released Cabaret and Film Songs of Franz Waxman. He is on the faculties of Vassar College and Columbia University/Barnard College. (RobertOsborne.net)
New York City native Katrina Fasulo (she/her/hers) is a mezzo-soprano, arts leader, and fundraiser; currently serving as the Director of Development at Opera Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her passion lies in the nexus of uniting constituents with opera in engaging and impactful ways, and is delivered through a philosophy and practice rooted in transformational and servant leadership.
As a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.M.A. in vocal performance, arts management, program in entrepreneurship) and Seattle University (M.F.A. in arts leadership), Fasulo leverages a background at the intersection of artist/administrator and practice academia to achieve strategic goals. Within her local community, she is an active arts volunteer and advocate, having served on multiple granting and artistic funding panels alongside participation on a steering committee working to diversify classical arts audiences and bolster community engagement. She volunteers with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, WMHT community advisory board, the New York State Council on the Arts community regrant panel, and the 2022 MAP Fund review panel, among others.
Fasulo has previously worked with organizations including Opera NexGen, Seattle Opera, Seattle Symphony, the 5th Avenue Theatre, University Musical Society, Opera MODO, The Glimmerglass Festival, and Loft Opera. She finds fulfillment in supporting artists, fostering belonging and inclusivity on and off stage, and building audiences for sustainability through authentic cultural experiences. She envisions operatic engagements that reflect and celebrate diverse lived experiences which uplift, heal, and hold positive societal impact. In 2021, she participated in the Of/By/For All cohort, to deepen her learning and propel DElA efforts in her organization with care. With a firm belief in lifelong learning, she recently participated in the inaugural cohort of Aubrey Bergauer’s leadership development course. Katrina’s projects and research have been highlighted and /or quoted in interviews, panels, and guest speaking engagements with OPERA America, OperaWire, U-M SMTD Excel, the Crescendo Club and entrepreneurship cohorts facilitated by peers and colleagues. Her commitment to understanding field trends and growing audiences of opera in intentional ways is a palpable continuation of her thesis “Opera Under Reconstruction: Strategic Responses for Audience Engagement in the 21st Century.”
She is an active individual member of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Racial Justice Opera Network, and the Women’s Opera Network. Expanding her leadership capacity, Katrina was selected as one of three protégés in the 2022 Mentorship Program for Women Administrators, the fifth iteration of this competitive development program, facilitated by OPERA America. She will spend the year working closely with mentor Julia Noulin-Mérat, CEO & General Director of Opera Columbus, on targeted obiectives that further build upon her decade of practical field experience.
Visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-fasulo to learn more or connect!
Elizabeth (AGMA/SDC) is a Chicago based multiple Jeff Award-nominated stage and movement director. Selected directorial credits include: Silent Sky for Peninsula Players (Door County, Wisconsin), Queen of the Mist for Firebrand Theatre, The Scarlet Ibis for Chicago Opera Theater, Miss Holmes for Peninsula Players, Machinal for Greenhouse Theater (Movement Director), nominated for seven Joseph Jefferson Awards including her nomination for Artistic Specialization/Movement Direction, The Bridges of Madison County for Peninsula Players, Uncle Philip’s Coat for Greenhouse Theater, Haymarket: The Anarchist’s Songbook for Underscore Theatre, Twelfth Night and Rossini’s L’Occasione Fa Il Ladro for DePaul Opera Theatre, The Girl in the Train for Chicago Folks Operetta, Goldstar, Ohio for American Theater Company, The Merry Wives of Windsor for Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Assistant Director to Barbara Gaines), The Last Cyclist for Genesis Theatrical Productions, Death Takes a Holiday for Circle Theatre, Opus 1861 for City Lit Theater, nominated for three Joseph Jefferson Awards, including her nomination for Best Adaptation, Violet for Bailiwick Chicago, nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Awards, including Best Musical and her nomination for Best Director of a Musical, and Bernarda Alba and Songs for a New World for Bohemian Theatre Ensemble. Elizabeth has been a guest director, master artist, and adjunct professor at numerous colleges and universities including: Viterbo University (Wisconsin), the University of Northern Iowa, University of Nebraska, Converse School of Music (South Carolina), DePaul University (Chicago), SUNY Albany, and Skidmore College (New York). Elizabeth is an alumna of the 2004 and 2005 Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and the Co-Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of DirectorsLabChicago.
Jennifer Lefsyk is an American actor, vocalist, and artist based in Upstate NY. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia (‘11) and has toured nationally directing & performing musical theatre for children. Some favorite past roles include Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, Sheila in HAIR, and Maria in The Sound of Music.
Jennifer has performed in many theatrical productions, web series, and short & feature-length films. She has also worked as stunt coordinator, stunt double, and fight choreographer on several projects.
Outside of performing, Jennifer has a passion for fitness, DIY projects, writing, and has been working on her drawing/painting skills. Recently, she became a first-time homeowner alongside her boyfriend John and their adorable rescue cat, Sora!
Joseph is a seventh grade English teacher at the Ballston Spa Middle School where he is also the producer and director of their drama club, Launching Pad Productions. Mr. Shaver worked at a day camp for two years during college and then spent another eight summers in Wisconsin as a counselor at Camp Timberlane for Boys. His love of camping and theatre drove him to create his own production company that would allow both worlds to collide, establishing the Summer Stars and Carpe Diem Kids programs. Mr. Shaver recently produced and directed Honk! Jr. with Launching Pad Productions and will produce and direct Frozen Jr. this winter.
Leah earned her Bachelor of Music degree at Oklahoma City University where she performed in both operas and musicals, as well as studied with renowned teacher, Florence Birdwell. During her undergraduate studies, Leah also studied drama at Edge Hill College, England.
A proud member of Actor’s Equity Association, Leah has performed at regional theaters across the country (North Carolina Theatre, Kansas City Rep, Music Theatre of Wichita), on the high seas (Princess Cruises), and off Broadway (Triad Stage, Laurie Beechman Theater) in NYC where she is based. Always working on the craft, Leah continues to study acting and voice with many different teachers in NYC. Leah can also be seen on tv shows, commercials, and national print campaigns. Check out the latest at www.leahdarby.com.
Leigh is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a double major in Directing and Performance. She is currently the Executive Director of Saratoga Children’s Theatre. Leigh has been directing, choreographing and producing in the Greater Saratoga Springs Area for the past 10 years. Her previous Assistant Directing credits include Importance of Being Earnest (TWAS), The Tempest (Hip to Hip), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Hip to Hip), Geography of a Horse Dreamer (MMC), Betty’s Summer Vacation (MMC) and Only Make Believe Gala (Rodgers & Hammerstein Productions). Some of her Directing credits include Buck Simple (MMC), Discredited (MMC), Calvin Berger (SSHS), Meet Me in St Louis (SCT), and Loserville (SCT). A few of her Choreographer credits include Newsies (Spa City Theatre), The Wiz (SSHS), Bye Bye Birdie (SSHS), Phantom (ShenHS), A Chorus Line (HMT), and Oklahoma (SCT). Leigh has worked for Broadway Teacher’s Group, Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation and Union, and Broadway Student Summit.
Each participant will sing two memorized art songs, ONE OF WHICH MUST BE IN ENGLISH.
*This year we are encouraging exploration of the classical vocal literature by or inspired by Leonard Bernstein.
NOT ACCEPTABLE:
In order to comply with copyright laws, the ORIGINAL PUBLISHED MUSIC must be brought to both the rehearsal and the performance. Music downloaded from the internet which is in public domain satisfies the copyright law. Students may be disqualified from participating if there has been an infringement of copyright law.
Mark a “copy” with:
These will be the copies that the accompanists will be using to prepare for the festival so it is essential that they are clean, readable copies with no music notation cut off (especially the sides of the pages and the bass clef of the piano accompaniment).
Musical Coaching, Dramatic Master Class, Performances, and Collaborative Pianists:
Participants will need to sign in on each day and there will be practice rooms available in which to warm-up. Everyone should make it a point to arrive at least 30 minutes in advance of the assigned rehearsal and performance time in order to feel properly prepared. Directions to Skidmore College and the Zankel Music Center will be included in this e-mail.
Festival Performances will take place on stage in the Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall in the Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College on Sunday, October 14th, from 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM. All singers as well as the public are invited and encouraged to attend the performances for as long as they wish.
Coach/Collaborative Pianists are provided for the singers (cost included in the application fee), and will be individually assigned based on coaching and performance times. We are not able to honor requests for a specific pianist. Your pianist will be working with you during each aspect of the festival.
Monday, September 17th, 2018: Deadline for all materials.
Please note that all applications, biographies and music* will be submitted online.
There will be an additional $10.00 fee if your application as well as materials are received after September 17th. Checks should be made payable to ENY/NATS. Cash and money orders are also acceptable.
*Teachers please review biographies before students submit them.
Frances Wittmann
32 Pheasant Lane
Delmar, NY 12054
Questions may be directed to Fran Wittmann at (518) 478-9054.
Online Application
Each participant will sing two memorized art songs, ONE OF WHICH MUST BE IN ENGLISH.
*This year we are encouraging exploration of the classical vocal literature by or inspired by Leonard Bernstein.
NOT ACCEPTABLE:
In order to comply with copyright laws, the ORIGINAL PUBLISHED MUSIC must be brought to both the rehearsal and the performance. Music downloaded from the internet which is in public domain satisfies the copyright law. Students may be disqualified from participating if there has been an infringement of copyright law.
Mark a “copy” with:
These will be the copies that the accompanists will be using to prepare for the festival so it is essential that they are clean, readable copies with no music notation cut off (especially the sides of the pages and the bass clef of the piano accompaniment).
Musical Coaching, Dramatic Master Class, Performances, and Collaborative Pianists:
Participants will need to sign in on each day and there will be practice rooms available in which to warm-up. Everyone should make it a point to arrive at least 30 minutes in advance of the assigned rehearsal and performance time in order to feel properly prepared. Directions to Skidmore College and the Zankel Music Center will be included in this e-mail.
Festival Performances will take place on stage in the Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall in the Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College on Sunday, October 14th, from 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM. All singers as well as the public are invited and encouraged to attend the performances for as long as they wish.
Coach/Collaborative Pianists are provided for the singers (cost included in the application fee), and will be individually assigned based on coaching and performance times. We are not able to honor requests for a specific pianist. Your pianist will be working with you during each aspect of the festival.
Monday, September 17th, 2018: Deadline for all materials.
Please note that all applications, biographies and music* will be submitted online.
There will be an additional $10.00 fee if your application as well as materials are received after September 17th. Checks should be made payable to ENY/NATS. Cash and money orders are also acceptable.
*Teachers please review biographies before students submit them.
Frances Wittmann
32 Pheasant Lane
Delmar, NY 12054
Questions may be directed to Fran Wittmann at (518) 478-9054.
Online Application
In order to comply with copyright laws, the ORIGINAL PUBLISHED MUSIC must be brought to both the rehearsal and the performance. Music downloaded from the internet which is in public domain satisfies the copyright law. Students may be disqualified from participating if there has been an infringement of copyright law. If you are using copies, please be prepared to show that they have been licensed to you.
Participants will need to sign in on each day and there will be practice rooms available in which to warm-up. Everyone should make it a point to arrive at least 30 minutes in advance of the assigned rehearsal and performance time in order to feel properly prepared.
2019 Musical Theater Competition Application
Each participant will sing two memorized art songs, ONE OF WHICH MUST BE IN ENGLISH.
*This year we are encouraging exploration of the classical vocal literature by or inspired by Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.NOT ACCEPTABLE:
In order to comply with copyright laws, the ORIGINAL PUBLISHED MUSIC must be brought to both the rehearsal and the performance. Music downloaded from the internet which is in public domain satisfies the copyright law. Students may be disqualified from participating if there has been an infringement of copyright law.
Mark a “copy” with:
These will be the copies that the accompanists will be using to prepare for the festival so it is essential that they are clean, readable copies with no music notation cut off (especially the sides of the pages and the bass clef of the piano accompaniment).
Musical Coaching, Dramatic Master Class, Performances, and Collaborative Pianists:
Participants will need to sign in on each day and there will be practice rooms available in which to warm-up. Everyone should make it a point to arrive at least 30 minutes in advance of the assigned rehearsal and performance time in order to feel properly prepared. Directions to Skidmore College and the Zankel Music Center will be included in this e-mail.
Festival Performances will take place on stage in the Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall in the Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College on Sunday, November 3, from 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM. All singers as well as the public are invited and encouraged to attend the performances for as long as they wish.
Coach/Collaborative Pianists are provided for the singers (cost included in the application fee), and will be individually assigned based on coaching and performance times. We are not able to honor requests for a specific pianist. Your pianist will be working with you during each aspect of the festival.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019: Deadline for all materials.
There will be an additional $10.00 fee if your application as well as materials are received after October 1.*Teachers please review biographies before students submit them.Questions may be directed to Sylvia Stoner.
2019 Art Song Festival ApplicationKyle West has three decades of creating award-winning theatre under his belt, working as a producer, director, choreographer, designer, and performer. His work has been seen all across the US, from Cape Cod, to Boston, Arizona and Dallas, to New York and has been recognized by the AriZoni Awards of Excellence, BroadwayWorld Awards, Column Awards, Annie Award, MET Awards, and MHSDG Awards, among others.
Best known for creating larger-than-life musicals, some of Kyle’s credits include Hairspray, Next to Normal, Evita, White Christmas, I Love You Because, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, The Music Man, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Man of No Importance, West Side Story, Footloose, Into the Woods, RENT, The Rink, The Boyfriend, Schoolhouse Rock Live, Little Shop of Horrors, A Chorus Line, Chicago, Grease, La Cage aux Folles, The World Goes ‘Round, Cabaret, Pirates of Penzance, My Favorite Year, Annie, and Fame.
Kyle’s favorite onstage appearances include Footloose (Ren), West Side Story (Action), Godspell (Judas/John the Baptist), Grease (Eugene), and in commercials for Sony, American Eagle Outfitters and others.
In 2005, Kyle became manager of concessions for Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre, which was home to Mary Poppins at that time, before moving on to Broadway productions of Chicago and The Color Purple. He has since worked on marketing and social media for dozens of Broadway national tours and regional theatres. In June 2019, Kyle was asked to present to Broadway touring presenters about theatrical marketing and social media strategy at the Southwest Presenters conference. In attendance were leaders from Irving Arts Center, Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts, Children’s Performing Arts Series, Cross Timbers Fine Arts Council, The Strand Theatre of Shreveport, MSC OPAS, Angelina Arts Alliance, Stephen F. Austin State University SFA School of Theatre, Corsicana Palace Theatre, Navarro Council of the Arts / Corsicana Palace Theatre, Grand Prairie Center, Mansfield ISD Center for the Performing Arts, Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts, Piney Woods Fine Arts Association, UT Tyler Cowan Center, Reynolds Performance Hall, Letourneau University, Grand 1984 Opera House, Oklahoma City Community College, Banners at McNeese State University, Coppell Arts Center, McKinney Performing Arts Center, Courtroom Theater, Walton Arts Center and more!
Kyle has served on the Board of Directors of Mesa Encore Theatre, and as a board liaison for Phoenix Youth Ballet Theatre/Legacy Ballet Foundation.
FUN FACT: Kyle is also a certified wedding planner, and his face appears in the marketing campaign for Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen!
Owen is a proud resident of the City of Albany and former Park Playhouse student, and has served as the Producing Artistic Director of Park Playhouse for the last 11 years. From 2012-2018 Owen also served as the Managing Director of the Palace Theatre where, alongside Holly Brown and the wonderful Palace team, he helped to lead significant growth in the historic venue’s programming and financial performance. In 2014, he was pleased to be named one of the Albany Business Review’s 40 Under 40, and he received The Norman Rice Arts, Culture & Education Award from the Downtown Albany BID in 2015. Before returning to the Capital Region in 2010, Owen was a founding member of The Clockwork Theatre in New York City, and directed several productions off-Broadway for the company. During his time in New York, Owen served as the Assistant General Manager at New York’s Theatre for a New Audience, and his work as an actor was seen in the 40th Anniversary National Tour of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Owen is a native of the Capital Region and was inducted into the Bethlehem Central High School Hall of Fame in 2017.
Frank Leavitt, originally from Burlington, Vermont, has been living in the Capital District since 1990. Music has spoken to him all of his life, as has teaching. As a result, he has a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam), and a Master of Music degree in Music Education from the University of Connecticut at Storrs.
It was at Potsdam that he did his first professional work, doing several seasons of summer stock with Music Theater North.
While teaching in the Bethlehem (NY) school district, he took over the Middle School musical program, running it with considerable success from 1992 to 2006. During that same time, he did stage or vocal direction for four seasons of musicals at the High School, as well as creating a new theater program (Encore) of Children’s Theater
Following his career in teaching, he served in the education department of Capital Repertory Theater (Albany, NY), working particularly in a program designed to help teachers use theater and the arts as tools to enhance and amplify teaching.
Since 2008, he has focused on directing, music directing and acting in the Capital Region, and has over 50 performances to his name. He has also become involved with several individual film projects, as a Casting Director and Assistant Director.
In addition to expressing his passion for storytelling via theater, Frank has adjudicated voice students at NYSSMA, has been directing the choir at Trinity United Methodist Church (Albany, NY) since 2007, and is also a long-time member, a former Vice President, and Past-President of Albany Pro Musica, the Capital Region’s premier community chorus.
These days, Frank teaches and coaches voice (specializing in the adolescent voice change), as well as teaching music theory, music history, sight reading, NYSSMA preparation, acting, audition preparation for straight and musical theater. He also consults with theater groups to help them improve their process.
Frank retired from his last regular job in June of 2022, and has moved back to Potsdam, where it all started for him.
Michael Musial, Edith McCrae Professor of Fine Arts and Professor of Music, is past chair of the Creative and Performing Arts Department and founding director of the Theatre Institute at Sage. He is the composer and co-lyricist of the award winning musical Backbeard: The Musical. Directing and music directing credits include Candide, Children of Eden, The Secret Garden, A Chorus Line, Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd among others. Musial also musically directed A Tale of Cinderella for NYSTI’s 2001 New York State tour. A member of the duo-piano team Musial and Musial, he is also the director of the Sage College Singers.
Lauren is an actor, singer, and teaching artist originally from Scottsdale, Arizona. She has performed and taught throughout the U.S. and internationally, from Argentina to Switzerland. After receiving her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Boston Conservatory, Lauren studied theater at L’Ecole de Comédie Musicale in Paris, France. In Paris, she performed with companies American Musical Theater LIVE! and Broadway au Carré, premiering new musical theater works in Europe. She also had the opportunity to teach English through theater and song to children of all ages in French schools. Since returning to the states in 2016, Lauren has directed various junior productions and performed regionally throughout the U.S. Favorite performance credits include Into the Woods, Ordinary Days, Next Thing You Know, Rock of Ages, and singing at Carnegie Hall, Feinstein’s 54 Below, and on Radio France! She is currently teaching voice and theater at SPAC School of the Arts. www.spacschool.org, www.laurentaylorberkman.com
With a radiant voice, intense theatricality and a profound understanding of art song and operatic literature, tenor Isaí Jess Muñoz has collaborated with some of the world’s leading ensembles. Highlights have included performing with the Israel Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival (Lincoln Center), Voices of Ascension (New York), Verbier Festival (Switzerland), Bard Music Festival, New York City Opera and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre on Broadway. Dr. Muñoz has performed frequently with New York’s Center for Contemporary Opera; premieres include James Dashow’s electronic opera Archimides and McClatchy and Thorne’s Mario and the Magician.
A champion of contemporary and underrepresented works, Dr. Muñoz recorded the 2009 Grammy-nominated album Song of the Stars with Voices of Ascension, as well as world premiere releases of Pasatieri’s The Seagull (Albany), J.D. McClatchy and Francis Thorne’s Mario and the Magician (Albany), Hafez Nazeri’s Rumi Symphony Project Untold (Sony Classical) and David Lang’s Prisoner of the State (Decca Gold). His latest solo album titled Visca L’Amor: Catalan Art Songs of the XX and XXI Centuries, is available on Bridge Records and distributed worldwide on all major platforms by Naxos. Fanfare magazine awarded the disc its Five-Star rating, calling it “A perfect recording” and a “Cultural Milestone.”
Dr. Muñoz currently serves as associate professor of voice and opera at the University of Delaware, as vice president of the National Opera Association (NOA), and as chair of the Sacred in Opera Initiative— a division of the NOA that explores, through research and performance, the interplay between music-drama and the ideologies of world religions. Dr. Muñoz is also a proud member of the NATS National Committee on Advocacy— an initiative geared to support inclusion and diversity in the fields of singing. In Fall 2018, Dr. Muñoz was named associate artistic and executive director at Musiktheater Bavaria (MTB) in Germany, which provides advanced singers and instrumentalists with mentorship from some of today’s leading scholars and artists in the field of opera, musical theater and early music. MTB’s students have gone on to win important competitions and secure positions in prestigious young artist programs, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Jensen Foundation Competition, the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and the Merola Opera Program.
For his ongoing creative activities in education and performance, Dr. Muñoz has been recognized by the American Prize, the National Opera Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Delaware Division of the Arts and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. As a much sought-after educator, he enthusiastically works with a vast array of students—from young collegiate singers to celebrity clients performing in music theatre, opera, and other varied areas of contemporary and classical commercial music. Actively maintaining a busy teaching studio in New York City and Delaware, Dr. Muñoz has had students appear in opera houses throughout America, in the Broadway and National companies of many shows including A Chorus Line, Chicago, Gypsy, Oklahoma, On The Town, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Finding Neverland and Jesus Christ Superstar, and on major recording labels including SONY, RCA, Atlantic, and Time Life.
Dr. Muñoz is graduate of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and Stony Brook University. He is married to pianist Oksana Glouchko of Tel Aviv and they divide their time between Delaware and New York City. They consider their greatest accomplishments to be their three children, Giovanni, Marco and Salomé. Visit: www.JessMunoz.com
Described as “Powerful and moving”, soprano Angela Haas is an active member of the voice faculty of SUNY Fredonia. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Dr. Haas has taught extensively in the states of Florida and New York, including the New York State Summer School of the Arts. She was also the guest American vocal teacher at the Stockholm Vocal Academy in Stockholm, Sweden. She has participated in the prestigious NATS Summer Intern program, where she worked with Barbara Hill-Moore. As a performer, Angela is a member of ANA, a trio with Natasha Farny, cello and Anne Kissel, piano. Part of ANA’s mission is to commission and premiere new works. ANA has premiered pieces by Sean Doyle, Donald Bohlen, Daron Hagen, John MacDonald, Caroline Mallonée, Robert Deemer, and James Piorkowski. In addition, she has appeared as guest soloist with the Chautauqua Institute, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tanglewood Orchestra, the Western New York Chamber Orchestra, the Midland-Odessa Symphony in Texas, the Eastman School of Music, and the New Orleans Chorale. She continues to pursue an active career as both voice teacher and performer. She earned her Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University, where she studied with Dr. Jerrold Pope. Other degrees include a Master of Music from New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Tulane University.
Tenor Dr. James Hall joined the voice faculty at the University of North Florida in 2011. A graduate of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and the Maryland Opera Studio, Hall enjoys an active and varied career that includes opera, oratorio, chamber music, and solo recital. A specialist in high tenor and haute-contre repertoire, Dr. Hall is frequently called upon as tenor soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana. He has performed the work to rave reviews in some of the nation’s most prominent concert halls, including Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center, and Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
Consistently praised for his soaring upper register and vocal beauty, Hall has performed operatic roles throughout the United States, including Brighella and Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, Linfea in La Calisto, the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro, and Damon/Corydon in Handel’s masque Acis and Galatea. Equally at home in chamber music, Dr. Hall has made guest appearances with Mercury Baroque (Houston), St. Matthew’s Cathedral Singers of Washington, DC, and Jacksonville’s St. Mark’s Bach Ensemble. In 2012, he performed as tenor soloist with the UNF Chamber Singers in a concert tour throughout South Africa. Upcoming engagements include the role of Aenaes in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, tenor soloist in the Mozart Requiem with Valdosta Symphony, and tenor soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Coastal Symphony of Georgia.
Well-regarded as an accomplished vocal pedagogue, Dr. Hall has presented lectures at Iowa Music Educators Association Conference, Florida ACDA State Conference, Tennessee Music Educators Association Conference, and at the World Symposium on Choral Music (IFCM) in Seoul, South Korea. He has given guest master classes at universities across the United States and abroad and is frequently sought after as an adjudicator. In 2015, Dr. Hall joined the summer faculty at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, where he teaches voice and lyric diction.
Soprano Lauren Athey-Janka serves on the voice faculties of Rowan University, Westminster Choir College, and West Chester University and has private voice studios in New York City, New Jersey and Europe. In the summers, she serves on the voice faculties of Opera Viva! in Verona, Italy and the Florence Voice Seminar in Florence, Italy. She formerly taught at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Vocal Program. Her students have performed with and been accepted to Nederlandse Reisopera, Nordrhein-Westphalia Opera Studio (NWR Opernstudio), Oper Dortmund, Oper Wuppertal, Aalto Musiktheater Essen, Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirche, Stadttheater Gießen, Opernfest Berlin, Wad Opera in The Netherlands, The Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen, Academy of Vocal Arts, New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera North, Wolf Trap Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Saratoga, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Iowa, Opera Delaware, Seagle Music Colony, the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, and more. Her students have placed in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, Lotte Lenya, Classical Singer, Schmidt, and NATS competitions.
Sabrina Learman’s enormous passion for teaching is undeniable. Her voice students have been heard and seen on (and off-) Broadway and in international tours; they have been accepted to prestigious, intensive conservatory and summer programs in opera and musical theatre, both nationally and abroad; and they have taken prizes in a myriad of local and national competitions.
Sabrina is on the voice faculty of Emerson College’s BFA Musical Theatre program, as well as New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School, where she created and taught their first-ever musical theatre classes for teens. She has presented master classes in performance and audition techniques at many colleges and music programs, and has been an adjudicator for countless competitions. Summer teaching/vocal directing includes Emerson College, Summer Institute for the Vocal Arts, My College Audition, Newton Summer Theatre, Fusion Arts Exchange, Hotchkiss Summer Portals Vocal Chamber program, and New York State Summer School for the Arts. (Former faculty posts: Entrepreneurial Musicianship, New England Conservatory; University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth).
Sabrina has enjoyed a career as a soloist with countless New England area chamber groups, choruses and orchestras – touring, championing new works, and collaborating with composers. She was a founding member of Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston for over 12 years. For over 25 years, she has performed with the prestigious Boston Baroque chorus, with whom she has also recorded and been a soloist. Sabrina has performed live on WGBH Radio and has recorded for Albany Records, the Discovery Channel, Cakewood Records, and the Zamir Chorale. Holding degrees from the Eastman School of Music and New England Conservatory, Sabrina’s teachers have included Kathleen Kaun, Ruth Falcon, Thomas Paul, Lucy Shelton and Tamara Brooks, with chamber music studies under the tutelage of Jan DeGaetani. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
J. Michael Zygo was an original Broadway cast member/musician of the 8 Tony Award winning musical Once. Prior to that, he and his wife Jill performed (often together) in 49 of the 50 states in various national tours and regional theatre productions. His credits include: Broadway: Once, School Of Rock; Off-Broadway: Once (NYTW) Tours: Rock Of Ages – 1st National, The Wedding Singer, Bridges of Madison County – 1st National, Annie – 30th Anniversary tour, and Oklahoma! – 1st National. He has also directed, music directed, and choreographed several productions of Once, including Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Virginia Repertory Theatre, The Fulton, and the most recent national tour which was a full restaging of the original Broadway production.
Mike is currently living in Burnt Hills with his wife Jill and 7 year old daughter Maizy. After Broadway life, Mike got his Real Estate license and is now a Realtor with the Jeffrey Keith Team at Keller Williams Capital District. www.gowithZYGO.com!!!
Directing credits include: Emojiland, the musical (The Duke Theatre, 2020; NY Times Critics Pick, 4 Drama Desk Award Nominations, Original Cast Recording on Broadway Records), Southern Comfort, the musical, (The Public Theatre; NY Times Critics Pick, Lucille Lortel Award & Outer Critics Circle Award nominations: Best New Musical), Dynamo: Seeing Is Believing (West End, U.K. Tour, Australian Tour); Brave New World, the musical, by Tony Award nominee Bill Russell & Grammy Award-winner, John McDaniel (NC Stage); Southern Comfort (Barrington Stage – Jonathan Larson & Glaad Awards – Best New Musical).
Broadway Associate Director credits include: A Christmas Carol, Groundhog Day, Matilda, Ghost, Mamma Mia!, Bombay Dreams, Follies and Master Class. Thomas directed the Broadway National Tours of Matilda, Ghost, and Master Class.
Other select directing credits include: David Blaine: Real or Magic (Asia Tour); Jack Heifner’s Earth To Bucky (Bay Street Theatre), the premiere of Terrence McNally and Israel Horovitz’s Off Season (Gloucester Stage), Shipwrecked, Clever Little Lies, Syncopation, Don’t Talk To The Actors, Greetings, Around The World In 80 Days, and Over The Tavern (Penguin Rep). Zombie (Off-Broadway), Don’t Talk To The Actors (Studio Arena Theatre, Buffalo – Cornell Award, Best Play), Master Class (TheatreWorks, Palo Alto); Diagnosis (The Play Company), Bingo (Off-Broadway); China Dolls (Ensemble Studio Theatre); Two Boys (Rattlestick);
Amanda Chmela, soprano, of Lindenhurst, NY, received her BFA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia and her MM in Opera Performance from Binghamton University. She attended the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College where she worked towards an Artist Diploma Certificate for Opera Performance. Ms Chmela is a member of NATS, NYSTA, NAfME, The Voice Foundation, and is Certified in Somatic Voicework™, The LoVetri Method. In addition to her collegiate teaching, she maintains a private voice studio, www.LongIslandVoiceLessons.com, where she specializes in teaching Contemporary Commercial Music with a strong focus on musical theatre and pop/rock styles. Since the summer of 2018, Ms. Chmela has been a faculty member at The LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework™, held at Baldwin Wallace University. Past teaching experience includes voice faculty at Rider University (2014-2018), voice faculty at Molloy College (2014), and adjunct faculty at Binghamton University (2010-2013).
Ms. Chmela has been the female vocalist for the Savoy Swing Band since August of 2013 and in 2020 joined Rock Island Sound as their female vocalist. She has participated in the Westchester Summer Vocal Institute and is an alumnus of Tri-Cities Opera’s Resident Artist Training Program. Performance highlights include Lucille (Parade), Anne (A Little Night Music), Nancy (Oliver!), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), Josephine (H.M.S. Pinafore), Despina (Cosi fan tutti), Latitia & Ms. Pinkerton (The Old Maid and the Thief), Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Beth (Little Women), Hodel/Fruma Sarah (Fiddler on the Roof), Alice (Addam’s Family), Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Fire Cover/Chorus (L’enfant et les sortilege). As a soloist, Ms Chmela had the opportunity of performing Antonín Dvořák’s Op. 55, Gypsy Melodies, at the Bohemian National Hall.
Mary McNulty is a New York based actor, coach, and voice over artist. Her career has given her the opportunity to perform in NYC and across the country. Reviews of her performances have described her as charismatic, vivacious, vulnerable, with excellent comedic instincts and a voice that is expressive, and effortless.
Mary has enjoyed select credits such as Guenevere on The National Tour of Camelot, June in Into the Breeches, Lilli/Katherine in Kiss Me Kate, Fiona in Brigadoon, Judy Denmark in Ruthless! The Musical, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, and Charlotte in A Little Night Music. Mary is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
Hannah Corneau made her Broadway debut as Elphaba in Wicked. She recently starred as Edna St. Vincent Millay in the critically-acclaimed Transport Group production of Renascence. Previously, she traveled around the country as Yitzhak in the First National tour of Hedwig and The Angry Inch. Her Off-Broadway and regional credits include Daddy Long Legs, Evita, Fiddler on the Roof, Harmony (Ovation nomination), Les Miserables (Joseph Jefferson Award), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and A Little Night Music. She is also a member of RANGE a cappella.
Who: High School seniors who will be completing college auditions for vocal performance, music education, musical theatre, and other similar majors. Juniors welcome to observe.
When: Friday, October 2, 2020 (Application Due: September 25, 2020)
Where: Virtual Zoom meeting, link to be shared with participant confirmation
Time: 6:30-8:45 p.m. (or later, if necessary)
Fee: Seniors who would like to complete a mock audition: $15; Any high school students who would like to observe: $10
Format: This seminar will give high school seniors the opportunity to complete a mock VIRTUAL live audition in addition to observing peer auditions. Topics addressed will be making introductions, recording tips, appropriate dress, and how parents can help support their child through the audition process, (among others). Students will receive both written and verbal feedback. Please dress appropriately for an audition. Parents are welcome to observe.
Song requirements:
Classical Auditions – Two songs in two different languages that represent contrasting styles and eras using piano accompaniment. One MUST be in English.
Musical Theatre Auditions – Standard 16/32 bar audition repertoire using piano accompaniment. Must include one up tempo and one ballad.
ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST USE PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT (EITHER PRE-RECORDED OR LIVE) AND USE ORIGINAL SCORES FOR ALL SONGS PERFORMED
Please direct any questions to Heather Baird.