Sopranos

Mara Bonde Ricker, equally at home in both classical and popular styles, has sung with the Boston Pops, Naples Philharmonic, Utah, San Diego, Charlotte, New Haven, Stamford, Ridgefield and Syracuse Symphony Orchestras, Glimmerglass, Utah and Lake George Opera companies, Opera Omaha and Light Opera Oklahoma. A National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, recent debuts include Adina in L'elisir d'amore with Sarasota Opera and Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos with Boston Lyric Opera. Mara and her husband Evan are raising twins, Marina and Elle.

Marilyn Bulli is on the vocal faculty of the Boston Conservatory and is Head of the Voice Department at University of Massachusetts Boston.

In 2007, Sarah Cullins was appointed Chair of the newly established Voice Department at the Universidad Central in Bogotá, Columbia, to develop their professional opera performance program. She was a soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Colombia in 2010.

Virginia (Ginger) Green moved to New York City in 2001, 2 weeks before the September 11 tragedy. One of her first jobs was singing On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams with the New York Philharmonic (Grammy Award winner). Other projects included a concert performance of Carousel with Hugh Jackman and Audra McDonald, and a Broadway recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro. She has sung with choruses of the New York Philharmonic and American Symphony Orchestra, and recorded With Many Voices as a soloist with the Marble Collegiate Choir. She sang recently on Voices of Ascension — Song of the Stars (2010 Grammy nominee.) Ginger is married, with a son and a daughter.

LaTarsha (Long) Mertzic and her husband Ryan are proud parents of their son Samuel. Tarsha was one of four resident artists at the Connecticut Opera in 2007-2008.

Pamela Murray is an Artist-in-Residence for the Foundling Baroque Orchestra, and a founding member of Favella Lyrica. Pamela is on the voice faculty at the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, is a Harvard University Extension School professor, and teaches at Middlesex School in Concord.

Darnelle (Scarbrough) Preston moved to Spokane in 1994, after teaching in Korea for two years. Darnelle was previously a faculty member at Jacksonville State University, Whitworth University, North Idaho College, and is now on the voice faculty of Gonzaga University and Washington State University. She is the Associate Director and Voice Instructor for the Spokane Area Children's Chorus, and has sung with Spokane Symphony, Allegro-Baroque & Beyond, Northwest Bach Festival (where she serves as the chorus coordinator), and Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre. She married her husband Cam in 1991, with whom she has two stepsons and three grandchildren.

Margaret (O'Keefe) Ziegler moved to Colorado in 2004. She’s married to a corporate chef who imports spices and develops spice blends and flavors for chefs nationwide. They recently adopted their 6 year old daughter, Joy, from Taiwan. Margaret has sung with Opera Ft. Collins, the Colorado Repertory Singers, the Lutheran Chorale, and conducts the Wheat Ridge Community Chorale.

Mezzo-sopranos

Donna (Bareket) Breitzer lives in New York City with her husband Joshua. She is the Executive Director of the Five Boroughs Music Festival, which she co-founded with baritone Jesse Blumberg in 2007. 5BMF presents unique, high-quality music programming in every borough of New York City, averaging 7-10 concerts each season. In addition, Donna joined Dicapo Opera Theatre as a Resident Artist for the 2010-2011 season, and has performed in NYC in recital at Merkin Hall, and with dell'Arte Opera, Big Apple Baroque, Alpha Omega Ensemble, and Zamir Chorale.

Luz Bermejo lives in Mexico City, works at Ceuvoz as a Music Director, and has a daughter, Ana.

Pamela Dillard performs with the Atlanta Opera Company, Atlanta Symphony and is an adjunct Professor of Voice at Spelman College. She has been the director of Creative Discovery Atlanta since 2006 and has a son, Paris. She has sung major roles with the San Francisco Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and the Opera Comique in Paris, among many others. Pamela can be heard on “Watch and Pray” a CD of Spirituals and Art Songs (Koch International Classics), and was the soloist on Steven Spielberg’s movie soundtrack, Amistad.

Eleanor Paunovic (Bobbi Kelley) lives in a small town outside of Zurich, Switzerland, with her husband, the Serbian tenor Grujica Paunovic, and their two small children, Kenneth and Katie-Rose. The children, both tri-lingual (English, Serbo-Croat, and Swiss-German) both attend the local Swiss school. She and Grujica sing with Opernhaus Zurich. Eleanor is on the vestry of St. Andrew's Anglican Church, where she is also the Junior Church Choir Director, and is an active volunteer at the Zurich chapter of the American Women's Club. In her spare time, Eleanor is an avid knitter.

Thea Lobo completed her master’s degree in voice from Boston University in 2009. She was recently the alto soloist in St. Matthew Passion on tour in Japan with Cambridge Concentus, under the direction of Joshua Rifkin. Thea was also the alto soloist in Handel and Haydn's Zest for Love concerts in February 2010 at Jordan Hall and Sanders Theatre.

Deborah Rentz-Moore is a specialist in early music, having performed with the Society, Emmanuel Music, Boston Camerata, Boston Early Music Festival, Aston Magna, and New York Collegium, among others. She has recorded for Meridian, Musica Omnia, Centaur and Harmonia Mundi.

During the 2009-2010 season, Krista River performed Copland’s Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Messiah with Cambridge Community Chorus, and Julius Röntgen’s Lyrische Gänge with the Boston Chamber Music Society. She has appeared as soloist with the Boston Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Florida Orchestra, and North Carolina Symphony.

Susan Thomas is an Associate Professor of Music and Women's Studies at University of Georgia; she earned her Ph.D. in musicology from Brandeis University in 2002. A specialist on Cuban music, during her time in the quartet she travelled frequently back and forth to Cuba to research her dissertation. Her book, Cuban Zarzuela: Performing Race and Gender on Havana’s Lyric Stage, was published by the University of Illinois Press in 2008, and she's currently writing a book about contemporary Cuban popular music. She is the mother of a six year old and three year old twins and in her spare time remains an active performer of Baroque and early music.

Lynn Torgove is currently an Adjunct Instructor in Jewish Music at Hebrew College and on the faculty of Longy School of Music and the Boston Conservatory Vocal/Choral Summer Workshop. She is the co-founder of Gabriel Communications, a presentation skills consulting firm.

Susan Trout has appeared in solo roles in productions of Vanessa, Turn of the Screw, and La Clemenza di Tito with Prism Opera. She directs the Women's Choir and teaches ear training at the New School of Music; she also teaches voice privately.

Tenors

Murray Kidd is a Visiting Professor and Director of Choirs (Chamber Singers, University Choir and the Choral Union) at UMass/Lowell. He is also Music Director of the Polymnia Choral Society. He recently collaborated with PBS when his University Choir joined Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops in a DVD recording of Handel’s Messiah Rocks. Murray teaches voice in the NEC Preparatory Division and has a private studio. He recently sang with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at the Metropolitan Museum in a concert of Bach Cantatas.

Samuel Martinborough teaches Una Voce and the Children’s Choir at the Community Music Center of Boston. He is Founder and Artistic Director of Mssing Lnks, Inc. a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting high school vocalists from Metro-Boston’s urban neighborhoods. He is also the Choir Director at the Congregational Church of Weston and serves as the ACDA Eastern Division's Urban Initiatives Co-chair.

Rockland Osgood recently sang in as the Evangelist for St. John Passion at Boston’s Trinity Church and performed in Boston, Cambridge, New York, and Spokane (Northwest Bach Festival) in 2010. Rocky has appeared at the Spoleto Festival USA, Brevard Music Festival, with the symphonies of Boston, Oregon, North Carolina, Colorado Springs and Jacksonville. Mr. Osgood also provides professional insurance services to clients in Greater Boston. He and his wife Deanna Dalrymple have two children, Olivia and Tristan.

Fritz Robertson earned his DMA from Ball University and is a Professor of Music at Anderson University.

Bass-Baritone

Paul Guttry is a member of the Renaissance choir Blue Heron and has also sung with Boston Baroque, Boston Early Music Festival, Cantata Singers, Boston Cecilia, Cambridge Bach Ensemble, Prism Opera, and Collage. Paul can be heard on recordings by Sequentia, Boston Camerata, and Emmanuel Music.

John Holyoke is a chorus member with Hessischen Staattheaters Wiesbaden and performed the role of Graf von Ceprano in HSW’s production of Rigoletto in May 2010.

David Howse joined the staff of the Boston Children’s Chorus in 2004 and was appointed Executive Director in 2009. He was recently named one of Boston's most promising executives as one of the 2010 "40 Under 40" honorees by the Boston Business Journal. David and his wife Charisse have two sons, Kennedy and Channing.

Nikolas Nackley has appeared in solo roles with Boston Baroque, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Carmel Bach Festival, New England Chamber Opera, Opera Boston, Opera Providence, and Opera Aperta. Nik and his wife Bettina have a daughter, Beatrice, and recently moved to San Francisco, where Nik continues to sing and teach.

Damian Savarino is a Senior Lecturer in Voice/Opera at Messiah College. Previous teaching positions have been at Drexel University in Philadelphia and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. As a performer, he is represented by Wade Artist Management and has recently made debuts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He married a singer, Tara Bowers, and they have two sons, Dominic and Luca. More information about Mr. Savarino can be found at www.damiansavarino.com.

Jeffrey Stevens has appeared in comic roles with Opera Southwest, Tulsa Opera, National Opera (Raleigh, NC), Des Moines Metro Opera, Lyric Opera Oklahoma, Amarillo Opera, and Utah Festival Opera. He recently sung in OperaTunity (Phoenix), The Royal Renaissance Singers, Phoenix Bach Choir, and the Phoenix Symphony. He holds a Doctorate and Master’s of Music from Arizona State University.

Donald Wilkinson teaches voice at Harvard University, MIT, and Phillips Academy in Andover. His discography includes the title role in Weill’s Johnny Johnson on Erato Disques, as well as recordings for Koch International Classics, Albany and Dorian Records. Don is also a serious birdwatcher: as a leader for the Brookline Bird Club, Don often conducts out of state birding trips.

Pianists

Michael Beattie has received international attention for his work as a conductor and keyboardist specializing in the music of the Baroque period. He was for many years Associate Conductor of Emmanuel Music, where — in addition to his keyboard duties — he conducted Handel's Ariodante, Bach's complete motets, the St. John Passion, and over 100 sacred cantatas. Most recently he made his Glimmerglass Opera debut conducting Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. In 2011 he conducts Handel's Rinaldo with Pittsburgh Opera and Chatham Baroque in celebration of the 300th anniversary of its premiere.

Sarah Koonce received her M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies from Northeastern University in 2010. She has accepted a position as a neurosurgical PA at the South Shore NeuroSpine Group. Sarah has been the accompanist for the Boston Children's Chorus Premier Choir since 2008, with performances including Boston Pops and a concert tour to Jordan last summer upon invitation of King Abdullah II. Sarah also maintains a small private teaching studio and sings with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.

Sharon Lee moved to California in 2008 and is currently a music faculty member at St. Mary’s College and the Crowden Music School. She also accompanies the Voci Women's Choral Ensemble and the San Francisco Girls Chorus, and teaches privately. Sharon and her husband Eurus have two daughters, Eliani and Emalia.

Pianist Brian Moll has been recently named Chair of Vocal and Keyboard Studies at the Longy School of Music. He also teaches courses in vocal repertoire, diction and chamber music literature. For the last ten years he was Music Director of Opera at the Boston Conservatory, where he continues to teach French Repertoire classes and is a vocal coach. Recitals and masterclasses have taken him recently to France, Austria and Bulgaria.

Rebecca Plummer’s past performances include Boston Ballet Orchestra, Alea II and Pro Arte Orchestra, Music at Eden's Edge and leading synthesizer player for touring Broadway shows. She was a former faculty member at Boston University Tanglewood Institute and Longy School of Music, and Personnel Manager for Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. She currently teaches at Phillips Exeter Academy, Manchester Community Music School (NH) and maintains a private studio. Rebecca was recently heard as an ensemble pianist for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Lyric Stage this September. Rebecca and her husband Peter will celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, with their two children now in college.

Timothy Steele is now in his 20th year on the opera faculty at the New England Conservatory. He is conductor/director for outreach tours with the Boston Lyric Opera throughout New England and has conducted numerous events and productions with Opera Providence as well. He has served as assistant conductor/pianist for over 100 productions with 21 companies, including Central City Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, Teatro Lirico, and Long Beach Opera. He and his wife Elizabeth have twins, Andrew and Katie.

Yukiko (Ueno) Egozy and her husband Eran have two children, Sophia and Joel.

The following musicians performed Ethnic Recital programs as part of our in school performances, which included quartet members Luz Bermejo and Pamela Dillard.

Philip Lima has appeared as soloist with opera companies and orchestras across the country and in Germany, Ukraine, and South Korea. His performance of Schubert's Winterreise was cited as one of Boston's "Unforgettable Classic Events" of 2005.

Clara Sandler is the Vocal Co-Chair for New England Conservatory’s Preparatory Division and also teaches at Boston College. An avid researcher of music from Spain and Latin America, Sandler has presented many recitals in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, and in her native Buenos Aires. Her CD, Alma Apasionada, Songs from Spain and Argentina (Newport Classic) was released in 2006. She and her husband Juan Mandelbaum have two daughters, Mariana and Lucia.

Emery Stephens joined the voice faculty at Wayne State University in fall 2010, where he teaches applied voice, voice class and opera workshops. He was previously a member of the voice faculty at Eastern Michigan University while pursuing his doctorate degree. He earned his D.M.A. in vocal performance from the University of Michigan in 2009, and holds a Master’s degree in voice from Boston University. Prior to his doctoral studies, Dr. Stephens taught voice, opera workshop, and music fundamentals at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. He is currently working on recording a CD of African-American spirituals.

Current Quartet members

With “a voice of lambent beauty,” soprano Teresa Wakim’s performances of opera, oratorio and chamber music have garnered her wide acclaim. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory and Boston University, she enjoys a performance career in Boston and beyond performing and recording music from the Renaissance to the newly composed, and is perhaps best known as “a fine baroque stylist.” She is featured on two Grammy-nominated recordings of Lully operas, Thésée and Psyché with the Boston Early Music Festival, and appeared with them at the 2009 festival as Diane in Charpentier's Actéon, which she recently recorded in Germany. Solo engagements for 2010-2011 include Handel’s Messiah with the San Antonio Symphony, and a title role in Handel’s Acis and Galatea with the Boston Early Music Festival at the American Handel Festival in Seattle. Most recently, she won first prize in the Internationaler Solistenwettbewerb für Alte Musik in Brunnenthal, Austria.

Emily Marvosh, mezzo-soprano, performs regularly with the Handel and Haydn society, as well with Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Boston, L’Académie, Back Bay Chorale, Longwood Opera and Intermezzo Chamber Opera; she is also a frequent soloist with the Marsh Chapel Choir Bach Cantata Series. Forays into new music include the role of Meg in the New England premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women and world premieres with Juventas New Music and the Lorelei ensemble. In the summer of 2010 she performed at the Oregon Bach Festival under the direction of Helmut Rilling, the Berkshire Choral Festival, and the White Mountain Bach Festival.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, tenor Christian Figueroa is a graduate of Syracuse University and received his Masters in Opera Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. In the past few seasons Christian’s career has led him to play Ezekiel Cheever in The Crucible, Alphonse in La Vie Parisienne, Vitellozo in Lucrezia Borgia, Patacha in L’etoile and Toby Higgins in The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny, all with Opera Boston. Christian was a Young Artist at the Opera North Company where he played El Remendado in Carmen and Count Almaviva in their outreach production of The Barber of Seville. Some musical theater roles include Che in Evita, Ike Skidmore in Oklahoma, Manny Muñoz in City of Angels, Lt. Peter Wright in The Secret Garden and Father Bernard in Candide. Christian’s passion for jazz has led him to performances at the Newport Jazz Festival and at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is currently recording his debut album of original music with producer Damian Fernandez.

Baritone RaShaun Campbell is a graduate of Oklahoma City University (B.M. Vocal Performance, Master’s candidate coursework in Opera Performance) and received his Artist Diploma in Opera Performance from the Longy School of Music in 2008. Mr. Campbell has performed title roles in UTA Opera Theatre productions of Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Falstaff. He has also appeared in ensemble casts and smaller roles with the Fort Worth Opera Company, OCU Opera Theatre, UTA Opera Theatre, and Boston Lyric Opera. RaShaun has sung in choral works such as Requiems by Faure, Durufle, and Mozart, Stravinsky’s Les Noces, and Mozart’s Mass in D. He has also studied Meisner and Stanislavski acting techniques.

Pianist David C. Robbins works with educators at the Philips Academy in Andover, the Boston Ballet School, and the City of Newton Public Schools; also, he is the music director for the Unitarian Congregation of Mendon & Uxbridge. In his home state, Mr. Robbins was a Virginia Symphony Orchestra player, featured as soloist on Saint-Saens’s Carnival of the Animals and Stravinsky’s Petroushka. Other organizations he has performed with include the New Bedford Symphony, New England Conservatory’s Choruses, Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice, Broadway Across America, New Music Brandeis, and Urbanity Dance. He holds performance degrees from New England Conservatory and Shenandoah Conservatory.