Artist Biographies
Brad Caldwell | Artistic Director
Brad Caldwell enjoys an active and varied career as a pianist encompassing solo, chamber, and art song recitals—having performed in the most prestigious concert halls throughout the U.S., France, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Scotland, South America, the French West Indies, and at many national and international conventions and festivals. Among his numerous awards, he was a finalist in the Walter M. Naumberg Chamber Music Competition, and recipient of the Gold Medal for Collaborative Piano at the Conservatoire de Paris. Holding a BS and MM in Piano Performance from Austin Peay State University, and postgraduate studies in Vocal Accompanying from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, Mr. Caldwell was for thirteen years on the Accompanying Faculty at Miami University of Ohio. He is currently Director of Music at Greenhills Community Church, Presbyterian, in Cincinnati.
Howard Helvey | Conductor & composer
Howard Helvey, Conductor of the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, is among the most widely published composers of his generation. Awarded the international choral-composition first prize in 2006 by the John Ness Beck Foundation, and the 2018 Sewanee Church Music Conference Choral Composition Prize, his hundreds of works are published by over twenty major American and British companies, and are regularly performed and recorded throughout the world. Recent highlights include performances of his music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, the BBC Singers, the Choir of King's College (Cambridge, England), Conspirare (Austin), the Kansas City Chorale, The Crossing (Philadelphia), the National Lutheran Choir, the choirs of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (NYC), Chicago a cappella, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and in the English cathedrals of Canterbury, St. Paul's (London), Chichester, Lincoln, Durham, Salisbury, Ely, Southwark, St. Albans, Liverpool, Exeter, Christ Church (Oxford), York, Hereford, Norwich, Bristol, Chester, Wells, Winchester, Coventry, and St. Giles' (Edinburgh). Mr. Helvey also concertizes frequently as a pianist, and in 1998 was appointed as organist/choirmaster of Calvary Episcopal Church in Cincinnati. Additionally, in 2016 he became Editor of the historic publisher, H. W. Gray. With cognate studies in conducting, voice, organ and poetry, he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in composition and piano performance from the University of Missouri (Columbia) and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, and, as a Chautauqua Scholar, studied piano at New York’s Chautauqua Institution.
Tyler Alessi
Tyler Alessi a second year Doctoral student studying Voice Performance at the University Of Cincinnati College Conservatory Of Music. While attending CCM, Tyler has performed as The Jailor in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites, as well as Escamillo in Bizet’s Le Tragédie de Carmen and Aaron in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star. Currently Tyler is preparing the role of Spencer Coyle in CCM's production of Benjamin Britten's Owen Wingrave. Outside of CCM, Tyler has performed many small roles for Cincinnati Opera including; Guccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, 2nd Priest in Mozarts The Magic Flute, The Captain in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Marullo in Verdi’s Rigoletto as well as being a member of Cincinnati Opera’s 2010-2011 Young Artist Program. Tyler was awarded his bachelors in Vocal Performance from California State University of Long Beach and his Masters of Music from the University Of Cincinnati College Conservatory Of Music.
Simon Barrad
The versatility of “gorgeous voiced” baritone, Simon Barrad, has been heard across the United States and Europe in opera, Lieder, and oratorio concerts. His favorite performed roles and pieces include Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Owen Wingrave, Kaiser Overall (Der Kaiser von Atlantis), Carmina Burana, and Sibelius’ Kullervo Symphony. He has recently sung with such companies and festivals as the Tanglewood Music Center, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Bach Festival. This past year as a Fulbright scholar in Helsinki, Mr. Barrad toured southern Finland with his Musical Madeleine recital, and gave lectures and private lessons promoting contemporary American art song abroad. His recent performances of Finnish and American music have brought him wide acclaim as a recitalist, headlining in venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Helsinki’s Musiikkitalo, Finland’s National Opera House, and the American Embassy in Finland. Mr. Barrad holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music where he studied with Kenneth Shaw. His recent coaches include Dawn Upshaw, Alan Smith, Sanford Sylvan, Gustav Djupsjöbacka, and Kenneth Griffiths, and he has sung master classes with Graham Johnson, Gerald Finlay, Margo Garrett, and Julius Drake. Mr. Barrad also holds a Bachelors degree from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach.
Anthony Beck
Anthony Beck, tenor, is from Somers, CT. He most recently sang the tenor solos in Mozart's Mass in C minor with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the role of Third Lackey in Cincinnati Opera’s production of Der Rosenkavalier. He has also sung roles with Cincinnati Opera in La Bohème, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and The Magic Flute. Mr. Beck has twice appeared as a soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, on opening night in 2007 in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasia and in 2010 with the Coronation Mass and the Vesperae Solennes de Confessore of Mozart. He has sung in the chorus of Cincinnati Opera for seven consecutive seasons and with Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble for five seasons. Other operatic roles include Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea and Testo in Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, both operas of Monteverdi. As well as participating in many recitals in the region, he has as appeared as a soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Haydn’s Theresian Mass, Mozart’s Requiem, and the Magnificat of J.S. Bach, among others. Anthony has sung with Opera Festival of New Jersey, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Spoleto Festival USA, and Il Festival de due Mondi, Spoleto, Italy.
Phil Clary
A native Cincinnatian, Phil Clary is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University. He is a music teacher at Indian Hill High School, music director at Indian Hill Church, and artistic director of the Cincinnati Choral Society. He previously sang with the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati for several seasons. Phil also is the choir director at Congregation Beth Adam and an accompanist at Ursuline Academy.
Michael Crandall
For ten years Michael Crandall served as the Choral Director at Teays Valley High School in Ashville, Ohio. He has twice served as Co-Musical Director of the Ohio Honors Chorale, an ensemble of advanced high school musicians who have made concert tours through Europe. He is also a frequent adjudicator and clinician for show choirs and competitions throughout the Midwest. For six years, he served as the Director of Illuminati, the Sacred Men’s Ensemble of the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus. Mr. Crandall is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, and currently serves as an Educational Travel Consultant for Bob Rogers Travel.
susana Diaz
Cuban-American soprano Susana Díaz is an accomplished opera singer and recitalist. Ms. Diaz has been featured by many leading regional companies including the Cincinnati Opera, Dayton Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Orlando Philharmonic and Ballet Florida. In South Florida, Ms. Díaz has appeared with the University of Miami’s Festival Miami, Artist Series of Sarasota, Orchestra Miami, Miami Symphony Orchestra, Miami Lyric Opera, and Miami Piano Festival. Favorite opera roles include Violetta in La Traviata, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Adina in L’Elisir d’amore, among many others. Ms. Díaz specializes in Spanish and Cuban zarzuela and made her Carnegie Weill Recital Hall recital debut in Pasión por la Zarzuela! Ms. Díaz holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Edy Dreith
Edy dreith's voice, style, and range spans many music genres. Classically trained, she has held positions in a wide variety of musical professions: teaching high school chorus, directing church choirs, preschool music, vocal coach, performing in ensembles, and as a soloist. She holds a Music Education Degree and since moving to Cincinnati from Florida in 2000, she has been grateful to continue and enhance her musical experiences. She is currently involved with the Calvary Episcopal Church Choir, Queen City Sisters, and has recently co-founded a jazz trio with other well established musicians in the area. She was featured as the only vocalist on WGUC's Ring! CD in 2010. She has been teaching preschool music at Baldwin Music since 2004, and is proud to be apart of inspiring music in young lives. Her hobbies include throwing parties, cooking, drinking champagne and hogging attention. Most importantly, she is constantly amazed and grateful for her very talented family: David, Abby, and Oscar.
Douglas easterling
Musicologist Douglas Easterling’s research interests include Richard Strauss, the intersection of literary theory and music, and vocal improvisation and ornamentation in popular music. He has taught graduate and undergraduate level classes at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and currently teaches The Art of Listening, a music appreciation course at Xavier University. This year, he will serve as concert lecturer for the Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas. Douglas also sings regularly in choirs throughout Cincinnati, including the Cathedral Choir of St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, May Festival Chorus, Vocal Arts Ensemble, and Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble.
Ben Flanders
Ben Flanders is a former professional horn player and teacher, and now is pursuing a career both as a singer and as a teacher of the Alexander Technique. He trained in Alexander Technique at the Philadelphia School for the Alexander Technique and he was certified to teach in 2010. Beginning during his teacher training, he began studying voice intensively with Kathryn Armour, and, later, with Brad Caldwell. He appears regularly in recital, is a member of Vocal Arts Ensemble, and the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, and has appeared with Nanoworks Opera, Roundabout Opera for Kids, and others.
Ellen Graham
Mezzo-soprano Ellen Graham is a versatile performer who appears regularly in concert, operas, musical theater and recital. Her favorite operatic roles include Meg Page (Falstaff), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte). She has performed in inaugural productions with Undercroft Opera in Pittsburgh and Vital Opera in NYC and has been a core member of the Cincinnati Opera Chorus for eight seasons. Equally at home on the musical theater stage, she has performed at such regional theaters as Pittsburgh Public Theater and the College Light Opera Company and has portrayed such roles as Madame Giry (Phantom of the Opera), Sheila (A Chorus Line) and Katisha in The Mikado. In 2009 she debuted the role of Mama Sairy in the world premiere of Joseph Baber’s new American opera, River of Time at the University of Kentucky. She can be heard singing the role of Orlofsky in the 2010 Albany Records recording of Die Fledermaus. Ms. Graham has appeared in concert as a soloist with many regional orchestras, including the Evansville Philharmonic, the Central Ohio Symphony, the Clermont Philharmonic Orchestra and the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Ms. Graham has a doctorate from the University of Kentucky and teaches at Wittenberg University.
Stephen Michael hanna
Stephen Michael Hanna, native of Texas, recently received his Masters in voice from Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. Having performed throughout Texas and Cincinnati, popular opera performances include The Merry Widow, Die Fledermaus, La boheme, and I Pagliacci. He currently tours with Cincinnati Opera and ROKCincy. When not on stage, Stephen spends his time as a professional photographer and barista.
Sarah Kendall jackson
Mezzo-Soprano Sarah Kendall Jackson has been a featured soloist for several concerts in the Cincinnati area. She sings at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park, Ohio. In addition, she has been section leader and alto soloist at Covenant First Presbyterian Church and Christ Church Cathedral, both in Cincinnati. Her solo work has been heard beyond Cincinnati, in West Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky and Toronto, Canada. Ms. Jackson has been the soloist in several concerts with the Windrush Ensemble and Musica Sacra in Cincinnati, as well as in the Bach Vespers Series in Terrace Park, Ohio. In addition, she has been part of several early music performances at Christ Church Cathedral. She is also an accomplished recorder player. Ms. Jackson began her singing career in Salzburg, Austria before moving on to study with Patricia Berlin at the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. She is a former United Airlines pilot and is a German teacher at St. Xavier High School. She resides in Milford, Ohio with her 3 children.
Maximillian Jansen
MAXIMILLIAN JANSEN is a tenor from Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Performance from Miami University. He has performed the roles of Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Frederick (The Pirates of Penzance), and the titular role in Albert Herring. Maximillian has worked with coaches Christina Haan, Vicki Kirsch, and Brad Caldwell. He was a Schubert Fellow at SongFest at the Colburn School in 2014, where he worked with composers Jake Heggie and Libby Larsen, as well as Graham Johnson and Sanford Sylvan. He has appeared as the cover for The Lamplighter in Cincinnati Chamber Opera’s The Little Princeand as a member of the Festival Chorus in Cincinnati Opera’s Il Trovatore and Turandot.
Audrey Luna
Audrey B Luna has enjoyed a widely varied career singing dozens of opera roles, including Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Adina in L’elisir d’Amore, Gilda in Rigoletto, Musetta in La Boheme, Zdenka in Arabella, Elle in La Voix Humaine, Venus in La Grande Macabre, as well as oratorio, chamber music, solo recitals and contemporary music worldwide. She has concertized with such chamber musicians as: Hagen Quartet, Ravinius Trio, Bennewitz Quartet, Baseler String Quartet, Artis Quartet, Percussion Group Cincinnati, Brad Caldwell, Walter Levine, Allen Otte, Awadagin Pratt, Rainer Schmidt, James Tocco, at international festivals: Salzburger Festspiel, Luzerne Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiel, Mettlach Chamber Music Festival, Jerusalem Festival, Lexington Bach Festival, the Jerusalem Radio Festival, Shanghai Spring Festival, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and in concert halls: Hugo Wolf Saal/Konzerthaus Wien, Berlin Philharmonie,Wigmore Hall, Queens Hall, The Louvre, St. John the Divine, Kennedy Center. She has worked with composers György Kurtag, Xu Xiao-Song, John Corigliano, Mara Helmuth, Wolfgang Netzer, and has commissioned Thomas Larcher, Mara Helmuth, Allen Otte and presently Libby Larsen. Ms. Luna teaches voice and Alexander Technique at Miami University and Songfest.
Lauren mcallister
Mezzo-soprano Lauren McAllister received her Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, in the studio of Karen Lykes. Recent credits include chorus for both Cincinnati Opera (Turandot, Il Trovatore) and Opera Columbus (Armide), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus, Undercroft Opera), cover for Ariodante (Ariodante, Cincinnati Chamber Opera) and Hansel (Hansel and Gretel, ROKCincy). This year, Lauren will perform the roles of La Perichole (La Perichole, Sin City Opera) and Vespone (La Serva Padrona, Cincinnati Chamber Opera), and will sing as a soloist in the Bach B Minor Mass with the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, and in Cincinnati Chamber Opera's staged production of the Pergolesi Stabat Mater.
Linda McAlister
Recent national finalist in the Oratorio of Society of New York's Solo Competition and the National Association for Teachers of Singing Artist Awards (NATSAA), soprano Linda McAlister is equally at home singing opera, oratorio, and art song. Lauded for her stage presence and ability to connect with her audiences, she has impressed German audiences and critics in roles such as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus (Strauss), Venus in Dardanus (Rameau), and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas (Purcell) as well as in concert engagements of works by Mendelssohn, Haydn, Fauré, and Mozart, among others. A native of Minnesota, Ms. McAlister studied International Business and Vocal Performance at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and continued her education at Miami University (Master of Music) and the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (doctoral studies). After singing at the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival, Ms. McAlister furthered her study of German Lieder at the Hochschule für Musik, Nürnberg-Augsburg (Meisterklasse). She is currently on the voice faculty at Miami University of Ohio, Artistic Coordinator of the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie in Neumarkt, Germany, and Director of the Schmidt Vocal Institute at Miami University.
Blake Racer
Blake Racer is from West Virginia, and is a graduate of Marshall University where he studied voice and music education, graduating in 2009. He taught high school choir in Maryland before moving to Cincinnati in 2011. In 2014, Blake completed a graduate degree in Information Systems at the University of Cincinnati, Carl H. Lindner College of Business, and is a business analyst in IT Services at Great American Insurance Group. He currently sings at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati.
Shiloh Roby
Shiloh Roby, a native of Staunton, Virginia, holds degrees in Music and Music Theory from Shenandoah University and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. In 2007, he departed for the United Kingdom, where he served as organ scholar at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. This was followed by a year of serving in the same position at St. Patrick's Cathedral, the national cathedral of Ireland. Shiloh returned to the United States in 2009 and has been the Associate Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati, since December, 2010. While in Cincinnati, he has performed with the Cincinnati Boychoir, Vocal Arts Ensemble, The Lexington Philharmonic, and many other ensembles. He also sings in the Young Professionals' Choral Collective, a group of more than 200 young professionals (ages 21-45) from throughout the greater Cincinnati area who come together to sing, hang out, and connect.
stacey sands
Stacey Sands is a dramatic soprano known as an active performer in the Cincinnati area. Stacey has sung for 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Opera as a member of the core chorus, and sings with Cincinnati's professional chamber choir, the Vocal Arts Ensemble. She also is a professional chorister at Christ Church Cathedral. Stacey's operatic performing credits include the Queen of the Night in Round About Opera for Kids version of The Magic Flute, and the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Autumn in Charles Halka's Layover with NANOworks Opera, the Mother in Amahl and Night Visitors with the Clermont Philharmonic Orchestra. More than just singing opera Stacey is known for her versatility as a classical singer regularly doing cross over work. She regularly gigs as a jazz/popular singer accompanying herself on the piano. Stacey received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music where she studied with Barbara Paver. She graduated magna cum laude from DePauw University with a B.M. in Vocal Performance. She studied with Caroline Smith and Stanley Irwin. Stacey has a large voice and piano studio with students of all ages and musical styles. She is originally from Florence, Kentucky and takes pride in impacting her home community through music.
Rich Schnipke
Richard Schnipke is a member of the faculty at Xavier University where he serves as Director of Choral Activities and Director of Music Education. Schnipke’s duties at Xavier include conducting the Concert Choir and Men’s and Women’s Choruses, teaching Choral Methods and supervising student teachers. Previously, Dr. Schnipke taught at Ohio State University for four years and was a public school choral director in Ohio for fifteen years. He holds degrees from Bowling Green State University and Ohio State University and has done additional studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. As a vocalist, Richard currently also sings with Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble and has previously sung with Cincinnati Opera and Opera Columbus. Richard and his partner, Michael Crandall, a member of the CFE bass section, live in Columbia Tusculum.
krista cornish scott
Soprano Krista Cornish Scott has made her home in Cincinnati since 2007 along with conductor husband Brett Scott and a quartet of children. Originally from Canada, Krista received her Masters of Music in Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario, where she studied with contemporary opera innovator John Hess and teachers Theodore and Irena Baerg. A past prize-winner at the Eckhardt-Gramatté competition, Canada’s premiere contemporary music competition, she continues to support and seek out new music. She is also known as a performer and director of early music, in particular the music of Hildegard of Bingen. Currently Krista’s interest in early and new music is expressed through singing in the Vocal Arts Ensemble, and appearing as a frequent soloist and chamber musician with Schola Cincinnati, the Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas, Coro Volante, Collegium Cincinnati and Musica Sacra.
Mary Southworth Shaffer
Mary Elizabeth Southworth' s repertoire includes opera, oratorio, art song, musical theatre, and symphonic works. She has performed with Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops under Eric Kunzel, John Morris Russell, and Marvin Hammlisch. She has also sung with the Dayton Philharmonic, the Dayton Opera, Nevada Opera, Chattanooga Opera, and Kentucky Opera—and sings around the country with Conundrum, a chamber ensemble. Recordings: Storyteller; Unsung Hero, Top Brass; Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, Live!; That Night and from the Diamond Grid with Conundrum (Albany Records). Mary resides in East Walnut Hills with husband, Jeff Shaffer, twin daughters (her favorite people in the world) and 2 dogs.
Kirsten Smith
Kirsten Smith holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Organ Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Dr. Roberta Gary and taught elective organ lessons. In 2010 she was chosen as the alternate in the Conservatory’s Strader Organ Competition. During her time at CCM, she also pursued elective lessons in piano, viola, and voice. After serving as Choral and Organ Scholar at Calvary Episcopal Church under the direction of Howard Helvey, she became Organist at Montgomery Community Church and Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Cincinnati, OH. She is currently on staff as a Choral Accompanist for the Elkhart Community School District, in Elkhart, IN, where she works with eight choirs and coaches students at the middle and high school levels. As a soloist, she has appeared on recital series at Trinity Episcopal Church in Covington, KY, First Presbyterian Church in Evansville, IN, and Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, OH. Additionally, she was featured in the CCM Concert Orchestra’s performance of Symphony No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns. In addition to her work as a keyboardist, Kirsten regularly performs with several professional and semi-professional vocal ensembles, including the Notre Dame Vocale, the Queen City Sisters, the Bach Ensemble of Saint Thomas, the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble.
Matthew Swanson
Matthew Swanson, a native of Iowa, was Master of the Schola Cantorum at the Chapel of St. John Fisher in Cambridge, UK. Recent conducting engagements include concerts with the Cambridge University Baroque Ensemble, the King’s College Music Society, and various university organizations. In spring 2014, Matthew joined the music staff of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain to work with the Training Choirs of NYC. Matthew has led workshops in conducting for the Faculty of Music at Cambridge and assisted in faculty outreach seminars on the performance practice of early vocal music. While a student at Cambridge, Matthew was a member of King’s Voices and the mixed choir of King’s College, and served as a choral deputy for the choirs of Clare and Jesus Colleges. He holds degrees from King’s College, Cambridge, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and The University of Notre Dame.
John tibbetts
Baritone John Tibbetts is fast becoming known for his mature voice and sensitive musical interpretations in both concert and opera. John graduated from Georgia State University, and is now attending the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music studying with William McGraw for his masters degree. In addition to playing Figaro in The Barber of Seville, John has performed other notable roles including Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, and John Proctor in The Crucible. He was an 'Encouragement Award' recipient in the recent Georgia District Metropolitan Opera Competition. In addition to being a 'Colburn Fellow' for Songfest 2013 in Los Angeles, he was a studio artist in Colorado with Central City Opera in 2014. This past summer he was a Geraldine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
Michael Unger
Michael Unger is a multiple award-winning organist and harpsichordist who appears as a soloist and chamber musician in North America, Europe and Japan. He is a First Prize winner of the International Organ Competition Musashino-Tokyo, a First Prize and Audience Prize winner of the National Young Artists’ Competition of the American Guild of Organsits (NYACOP), and a Second Prize and Audience Award winner of the International Schnitger Organ Competition on the historic organs of Alkmaar, the Netherlands. He received favorable international reviews for his debut solo recordings under the Naxos and Pro Organo labels, and his performances have been broadcast on North American and European radio. Michael holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music, and is a Gold Medal graduate of the University of Western Ontario. Since August 2013, he is Assistant Professor of Organ and Harpsichord at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Audrey Walstrom
Audrey Walstrom has enjoyed a diverse career as a classical singer and voice teacher. She is now pursuing studies at Miami University in Speech-Language Pathology to practice as a clinical voice pathologist. She has appeared in principal roles with Cincinnati Opera, Dayton Opera, and Santa Fe Opera and appeared as alto soloist with the Bach Society of Dayton, Louisville Choral Arts Society, Cincinnati Bach Ensemble, Bourbon Baroque, Vocal Arts Ensemble, concert:nova. Audrey was a National Semi-Finalist in the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. She studied at Rice University (B.Mus, B.A.) and the University of Cincinnati (M.M., D.M.A.) and has served on the faculties of the University of Louisville, Wittenberg University, and Northern Kentucky University.
Daniel weeks
Praised for his Italianate voice and sensitive musicianship, tenor Daniel Weeks has sung with symphonies of Houston, Dallas, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus, Memphis, San Jose, South Dakota, Louisville, Huntsville, the National Youth Symphony of Venezuela, and the National Orchestras of Mexico and Costa Rica. On the operatic stage, he has performed with the Florentine Opera (Milwaukee), the Cincinnati Opera, the Kentucky Opera, Nevada Opera, Mercury Opera, and San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theater. In 1999, he was named the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist, and was a National Finalist in the MONC Auditions. In 2000, the Marilyn Horne Foundation presented him in a New York Recital. In 2009, he released Women of Firsts: A Recording of Art Songs by Lili Boulanger, Amy Beach, Grażyna Bacewicz, and Vítězslava Kaprálová, with pianist, Naomi Oliphant (Centaur Records). In 2015, he released his CD entitled: The Lieder of Franz Liszt, with Centaur Records. In the fall of 2015, Mr. Weeks joined the faculty of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.
Melanie Woodruff
Soprano Melanie Woodruff enjoys performing in a variety of musical styles. She regularly sings with the Cincinnati based 40's jazz trio Queen City Sisters. Her solo oratorio and chamber music credits include Handel's Messiah, Fauré's Requiem and the Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5. Ms. Woodruff has performed with Bayview Music Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, and Cincinnati Opera's outreach touring ensemble as Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute. Awards and recognitions include the Encouragement award for the Kentucky District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions; First place Ohio Federation of Music Competition; and a Two-Time First place Winner of the NATS Great Lakes Regional Voice Competition. Melanie has her M.M. In voice performance from Miami University of Ohio.
michael young
Michael Young is a baritone praised for his dark, molten tones. Mr. Young has recently performed with Cincinnati Opera, Dayton Opera, Opera Western Reserve, NANOWorks Opera, The Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra, and The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. Recent roles include Marcello in Puccini's La Boheme, Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca, and George Milton in Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men. In concert, Mr. Young has recently performed as baritone soloist in Durufle's Requiem, Orff's Carmina Burana, and Handel's Messiah, as well as the title character in Mendelssohn's Elijah. Michael is a first prize winner at the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, and a two time winner of The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music's Corbett Vocal Scholarship Competition. Upcoming performances include Masetto in Mozart's Don Giovanni, and Belcore in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, both with Opera Western Reserve.