Baltimore Musicales 2014-2015 Artist Roster

Patricia McKewen Amato’s extensive operatic experience includes duties as conductor, coach, and accompanist at the AIMS Institute in Graz, Austria, Brevard Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Peabody Institute, Cumberland Valley Chamber Orchestra, and the Young Victorian Theatre. She served as assistant music director of the Baltimore Opera Company and music director of its touring company; music director/conductor for Annapolis Opera, Maryland Lyric Opera, Brevard Music Festival, Opera Americana, Washington Savoyards, Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, and Rep Stage; and assistant conductor/chorus master for Washington Summer Opera and Opera AACC. A versatile pianist, Ms. Amato frequently performs with the Children’s Chorus of Maryland, Annapolis Opera, Annapolis Chorale, Baltimore Choral Arts, Baltimore Symphony, Maryland Symphony, Baltimore Opera, Prince George’s Opera and Philharmonic, Chesapeake Chamber Opera, and Metropolitan Opera regional competitions. She is a coach/accompanist and assistant music director of Music for the Stage at Towson University. She holds a BM from the Catholic University of America (magna cum laude), a MM from the University of Houston (magna cum laude), and certificates in lieder, opera, and chamber music from The American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.

American baritone Jason Buckwalter is known for his “super-sized characters” (The Sybaritic Singer) and “theatrical fire” (Baltimore City Paper). A native of Landenberg, Pennsylvania, Jason now lives in Baltimore and performs throughout Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Equally comfortable in opera, musical theater, oratorio, and song repertoire, he has performed with a wide variety of companies including the Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera Baltimore, Baltimore Concert Opera, Annapolis Chorale, Young Victorian Theatre Company, and The Figaro Project. Operatic roles include Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Schaunard in La Bohème, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Marcello in La Bohème, and Brühlmann in Werther. www.jasonbuckwalter.com

Soprano Nicole Cascione is currently beginning a Graduate Performance Diploma in Vocal Performance under the direction of Dr. Steven Rainbolt at The Peabody Institute. Nicole holds a MM in Vocal Performance from Peabody and a BM in Music Education from The College of New Jersey. Past roles include Blanche de la Force (Dialogues des Carmélites), The Saint (Ophelia Forever), Ariel (Ariel’s Tempest), Pernille (Captain Lovelock), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) and Despina (Cosi fan tutte).

Soprano Kimberly Christie is a graduate of Peabody Conservatory and sings regularly with well-known Baltimore companies such as Lyric Opera Baltimore, Baltimore Concert Opera and Annapolis Chorale. Upcoming engagements include the fairy Godmother in Massenet’s Cendrillon with Bel Cantanti Opera in D.C. and a recital of Henri Duparc’s songbook as part of the Baltimore German Lieder Weekend at An Die Musik on October 18. To learn more about Kimberly and upcoming engagements as well as listen to recordings and/or join her mailing list, visit www.kimberlychristie.com

Soprano Natalie Conte is a devoted performer in the Mid-Atlantic. She has appeared with numerous companies in the area, and was most recently the first prize winner of the Vocal Arts D.C. Discovery Art Song Competition, as well as a finalist in the Friday Morning Music Club Washington International Competition at the Kennedy Center. She enjoys performing opera, oratorio, and recitals. Beyond the local stage, Natalie has performed in her hometown Detroit, Michigan as well as internationally in Rome, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. This winter, Natalie was honored to participate in Carnegie Hall’s program The Song Continues, performing in a master class with renowned mezzo soprano Marilyn Horne. www.natalieconte.com Mezzo-soprano Erica Convery is already recognized nationally as a major young talent, both in concerts and in operatic performances. Audiences recently heard Ms. Convery as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana with Maryland Lyric Opera, Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos with The Singer's Theater of Washington and as The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Opera Seabrook. Other upcoming engagements include the role of Dorothee with Bel Cantanti Opera in November of 2014, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with Berks Opera Workshop in December 2014 and as the alto soloist in Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore and Regina Coeli with the Harford Choral Society. Ms. Convery resides in Baltimore, Maryland.

Andrew Etherington, tenor, originally hails from Overland Park, KS--a suburb of Kansas City. Andrew was very active in theatre and was introduced to singing via the multiple musicals performed at his high school. It was at this time that he was forced, against his will, to take voice lessons for the first time and would fall in love with the classical singing technique. Thanks, Mom! Andrew would go on to receive an undergraduate degree from Ole Miss, as well as a Master's degree from the Peabody Institute in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. He currently studies with Dr. Steven Rainbolt and coaches with Dr. Robert Muckenfuss. As a performer, Andrew is active in professional choruses in multiple productions in opera houses in Baltimore and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Andrew is actively pursuing his dream of being a professional opera singer and makes his home in Baltimore, MD. He enjoys tremendous support from his wife Elizabeth and his family in Kansas City.

Praised for “astounding technical vocal ability, solid song interpretation and stage presence,” soprano Annie Gill continues to gain recognition as a promising young singer. Most recently, Ms. Gill sang the title role in Suor Angelica and Viclinda in Verdi’s I Lombardi with the Singers’ Theatre of Washington, and appeared as the “Opera Singer” in the Season 2 Finale of House of Cards. Ms. Gill was a First Prize Winner in the 2013 Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition, and made her Carnegie Hall debut for the Winners’ Recital. Ms. Gill also won 3rd in the 2013 National Federation of Music Clubs Biennial Young Artist Awards and the 2013 Russell C. Wonderlic Voice Competition, and was the Grand Prize Winner in the 2012 Singer Recital Competition for the Art Song Festival of Toledo, OH. Past roles include the title role in Massenet’s Manon, Nedda (I Pagliacci), Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), Mimì and Musetta (La Bohème), Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), and The Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors) with companies that include the Baltimore Opera Theatre, Opera AACC, Opera in the Ozarks, and the Washington Savoyards. www.anniegill.com

Originally from London, Ontario, Canada, soprano Julie Hiscox holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music where she studied with Phyllis Bryn-Julson. Her operatic roles include Musetta in La Boheme, Belisa in Kam Morrill's contemporary opera Don Perlimplìn (Peabody Opera), Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and Hebe in HMS Pinafore. Ms. Hiscox has also sung the classical theatre role of Maria in The Sound of Music and enjoys performing in cabarets and song recitals. Orchestral appearances include Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Mozart’s Requiem and his Laudate Dominum from the sacred work Solemn Vespers. Ms. Hiscox is adjunct voice faculty at Anne Arundel Community College and at The Music School: The Bryn Mawr School for Girls. Ms. Hiscox is the recipient of the AACC Teaching Excellence Award and resides in Maryland with her husband, tenor Frédéric Rey.

Colin Brady Johnson, bass-baritone, has performed with numerous opera houses and concert venues across the country, in Germany, and Italy. In the role of Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, he was described as “ebullient in voice and manner.” His Carnegie Hall debut was in 2008 as the Norman Carlberg Award winner in the Liederkranz Foundation Competition. Mr. Johnson also was an award winner in the Connecticut Opera Guild Competition in 2006 and the Denver Lyric Opera Competition in 2005. His roles include Méphistophélès in Faust, Caspar in Der Freischütz, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, and Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro. He has performed with such opera companies as Opera Naples, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Colorado, Connecticut Opera and Sarasota Opera. Mr. Johnson also has performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Rossini’s Stabat Mater. His other concert works include Baritone Soloist in Brahms’ Requiem, Elijah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bass Soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and Handel’s Messiah. Mr. Johnson is also a devoted Lieder singer. He was honored to perform Schubert’s Winterreise in 2010 and Schumann’s Dichterliebe in 2013 with Dr. John Bowen. Mr. Johnson is currently pursuing his Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from Shenandoah University and holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Iowa. Jarrod Lee, bass-baritone, hails from Sylacauga, AL. In 2013, Jarrod was selected to sing for bass-baritone Eric Owens in the classical session of American Voices curated by world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming. On stage, Jarrod has been described to possess a “seemingly effortless bass-baritone voice” by Washington Post, “that seems to glide effortlessly through even the most demanding passages” by Opera Today. Jarrod is an alum of the Aspen Music Festival and School as a participant in the Aspen Opera Theater Center, as well as the University of Maryland as a participant in the Maryland Opera Studio. A few of Jarrod’s operatic roles include: Betto in Gianni Schicchi, Basilio and Fiorello in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Marchese in La Traviata, Simon in Naughty Marietta, Man with the Cornet Case/Puppet Master in Postcard, and Jaggers in Havisham’s Fire. As a featured soloist, Jarrod sang for an audience of President Barack Obama and Rev. Al Sharpton during their respective visits to Metropolitan A.M.E Church in D.C. In addition, Jarrod is a member of the Washington National Opera chorus and the Lyric Opera of Baltimore Education Outreach program. Future performances and inquiries can be found online at www.jarrodleeopera.com.

Rob McGinness is a young lyric baritone and composer currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. In Baltimore, Rob has performed as a concert soloist with several ensembles including the Concert Artists of Baltimore. Rob’s recent performances include a wide range of opera and concert performances including the roles of Jules Goddard in A Wedding by William Bolcom and as Eisenstein in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus with Oberlin Opera Theater, and as Guglielmo in Oberlin in Italy’s production of Così fan tutte. As a composer, Rob has written pieces for orchestra, small ensemble, and musicals. Most notably Rob composed a multimedia song cycle based on the transcripts of the Apollo 11 moon mission, which he premiered at Ingenuity Fest 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. Rob’s other works are an original score for Andy’s Summer Playhouse’s Dick Tracy, and The Tragedians, an orchestral piece performed by the Sage City Symphony, and performed again by the Windham Orchestra, both in Vermont. www.rob- mcginness.com

On both opera and concert stages, soprano Thea Tullman Moore has delighted audiences with her “crystalline voice and natural stage presence” (Wall Street Journal). She has performed roles with Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Festival of New Jersey, and Central City Opera, and has been heard in recital at the Ravinia Festival and the Aspen Music Festival. Thea has been invited to sing roles in several contemporary works, including the title role in Seymour Barab’s The Betrothal of Becky Brown at The Actors Institute of New York, The Assistant in Richard Wilson’s Æthelred the Unready at New York City’s Merkin Concert Hall, and the role of Jenny in Phil Hagemann’s Roman Fever, performed at the Clark Theater at Lincoln Center. As part of the Monteverdi series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, she sang the role of La Musica in Orfeo and was praised by the Chicago Tribune for her “shining vocal grace.” Other roles include Poppea in The Coronation of Poppea, Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia, Mademoiselle Silberklang in The Impressario, and Flora in The Turn of the Screw. A native of Chicago, Thea graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College and received her Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. She currently resides in Towson with her husband and their daughter. www.theatullmanmoore.com

Canadian tenor Frédéric Rey’s vocal and artistic diversity spans from opera and classical concert repertoire to musical theater and “pops.” His operatic performances include Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Goffredo (Rinaldo), Captain Richard Warrington (Naughty Marietta), Ralph (HMS Pinafore) and Frederic (The Pirates of Penzance) among others. Orchestral performances include Messiah (Handel), Voices of Light (Einhorn), Mass in B Minor (Bach), Nelsonmesse and Paukenmesse (Haydn), and Requiem (Mozart). Musical theater and “pops” performances range from Symphonic Pops to Cabaret with a myriad of musical styles from productions such as Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Company, Show Boat, My Fair Lady and West Side Story to name a few. Mr. Rey is also a member of the Washington National Opera Chorus. Companies Mr. Rey has performed with include Washington National Opera, Sarasota Opera, Live Arts Maryland: The Annapolis Chorale, Bay Atlantic Symphony, Columbia Orchestra, Hopkins Symphony, Southern Delaware Choral Society, Washington Savoyards, Baltimore Concert Opera, Lake George Opera, Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia, Opera Vivente, Baltimore Opera and The Peabody Opera Theatre.

Soprano Jessica Satava has appeared as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi with Opera Lancaster, La Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro with Zeiders American Dream Theater, Musetta in La bohème, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Inez in Il Trovatore with Center Stage Opera, Voce dal Cielo in Don Carlo with Repertory Opera Theater of Washington, and as Mimí and Micaëla in concert performances of La bohème and Carmen. While at Peabody Conservatory, she performed the roles of Nella in Gianni Schicchi, and Polly in The Threepenny Opera. Ms. Satava has appeared with The Figaro Project in the premiere of a new opera, Strong like Bull, by Joshua Bornfield, and as Donna Elvira in Who Killed Don Giovanni? both to critical acclaim. In concert, Ms. Satava appeared as soprano soloist in Dvořák’s Stabat Mater with the Lancaster Symphony and Chorus and the Franklin and Marshall College combined choirs, in a series of promotional concerts with Lyric Opera Baltimore, and with The Bach Concert Series as soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and Bach’s Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1. Her New York recital debut took place in Merkin Hall, featuring the premiere of a song cycle written for her. Ms. Satava has taken prizes in competitions such the Baltimore Music Club Competition, the Marian B. and Samuel Bernstein Memorial Prize for Opera, the Wonderlic Competition, the Kennett Symphony Voice Competition, NATS, and was awarded a Peabody Career Development Grant. For more information, please visit www.jessicasatava.com

British-American mezzo-soprano Claire Galloway Weber is becoming very well known in the Baltimore area for her resonant, warm, and inviting tone. Ms. Weber’s 2014 – 2015 season includes a performance of Daron Hagen’s “Sappho Songs,” the roles of Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon and Fanny Price in the U.S. Premier of Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park with Peabody Conservatory. Past operatic performances include the Mother, Dragonfly, and Squirrel (L’Enfant et les Sortilèges), Olga (Eugene Onegin), Hippolyta (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Dritte Dame and Dritte Knabe (Die Zauberflöte). Ms. Weber has also performed as a soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse with the Peabody Concert Orchestra, and with the American Symphony Orchestra and Concert Artists of Baltimore. She is the recipient of the Theodor Presser Foundation Award and the Bard Outstanding Vocal Award. Ms. Weber is in her second year of her Masters of Music at Peabody Conservatory studying with Steven Rainbolt. She received her Bachelors Degree from Bard College and has attended summer programs including the Russian Opera Workshop, Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar, and Chicago Summer Opera. www.clairegallowayweber.com

At home on the opera, concert and recital stage, baritone Jason Widney has performed throughout the mid-Atlantic. His opera credits include Schaunard in Puccini's La Bohème, Dancaïro in Bizet's Carmen, and Wagner in Gounod’s Faust with the Baltimore Concert Opera and Don Inigo in Ravel’s L’heure Espagnole with the Baltimore Opera Company. As a concert soloist, Jason has sung with the Handel Choir of Baltimore in Vaughan William’s Mass in g minor and Handel's Messiah, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Uematsu’s Distant Worlds: The Music from Final Fantasy, and Anne Arundel Community College in Handel’s Chandos Anthem number 9. A specialist in art song repertoire, Jason has given recitals on the Village Music Series in 2006 and 2007, and was happy to return to his Alma Mater Lebanon Valley College in 2010 to give a recital including works by Brahms, Poulenc, and Britten. In 2013 he performed a program of Brahms, Ravel, and Butterworth at Washington and Lee University. Jason holds degrees from Lebanon Valley College and The Peabody Conservatory where he studied with the renowned John Shirley-Quirk. Jason serves on the faculties of Washington and Lee University and Anne Arundel Community College. Jason lives in Baltimore with his wife Lori and their son Avery.

Praised by the Baltimore Sun for his admirable technical confidence and expressive sensitivity, John Wilson is an emerging artist known for his bravura and assured musicality at the keyboard. He has performed extensively on the piano, as well as celesta, organ, and harpsichord, in a variety of roles from soloist to ensemble musician to répétiteur. His 2013-14 highlights include concerto performances with the New Amsterdam Symphony and Concert Artists of Baltimore, as well as a recital at Yamaha Artists Services in New York City. Wilson has served as répétiteur for Baltimore Lyric Opera since 2012. He has also recently collaborated with trumpeter Josef Burgstaller, and violinists Daniel Hope, and Robert McDuffie. As an orchestral pianist, Wilson has worked with conductors Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano, David Robertson, and others, playing for the Baltimore Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, New World Symphony, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Aspen Philharmonic, and Aspen Chamber Orchestra. Wilson earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at Peabody Conservatory as a recipient of the Presser Award and the Clara Ascherfield Award, studying with Marian Hahn and Benjamin Pasternack. Last season, Wilson made his solo performance debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall. www.johnwilsonpianist.com

Ka Nyoung Yoo has served as a vocal coach and master class pianist for Towson University’s Voice Division and Towson Choir since 2010. She received her Master of Music degree and Graduate Performance Diploma in Ensemble Arts/Vocal Accompanying from The Johns Hopkins University Peabody Institute where she studied with Eileen Cornett. She has performed in master classes for Martin Katz, Graham Johnson, Margo Garrett and Rodger Vignoles. She has been a faculty member of Peabody’s Young Voice Student Summer Workshop since 2010. She is also an active piano teacher and accompanist throughout the Maryland area. Originally from South Korea, Ka Nyoung Yoo began studying piano at age 6. She graduated with honors from Hanyang University in 2004 with her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance where she studied with Minsuk, Kim and Mikyung, Yoon. She worked as a school pianist and opera accompanist throughout her undergraduate years at Hanyang University and received a merit scholarship for the length of her study there. She holds a Music Education certification for middle/high school students.