Faculty

	Dr. Sherry Overholt received her performance degrees from the University of Miami and subsequently at Yale University, studying under noted soprano Phyllis Curtin. In addition to teaching at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College since 1995, she has taught at The Hartt School and, most recently, joined the faculties of New York University and Queens College. Her private students have gone on to sing with the Santa Fe, Sarasota, Chautauqua, and Chicago Lyric opera companies as apprentices and young artists, as well as with opera houses in Germany. An active performer, Dr. Overholt has sung with Glimmerglass, Kentucky, Sarasota, Virginia, Toledo, Augusta, Memphis, and Indianapolis opera companies. Her roles include Violetta, Marzelline, Zerlina, Musetta, and Gilda, in addition to the light opera roles of Kathie in “The Student Prince,” Mabel in “Pirates of Penzance,” and Josephine in “H.M.S. Pinafore.” She most recently sang the soprano title role in the world premiere of Frank Lewin’s “Burning Bright,” which drew international acclaim. On the concert stage, Dr. Overholt is a solo artist with Columbia Artist’s Community Concerts Series. Singing in joint operatic recital with Lee Velta, baritone, they have performed more than 200 concerts throughout the United States and Europe. Dr. Overholt sang with the Baltimore Symphony for five seasons and, most recently, debuted with the Portland Symphony and the Philadelphia Virtuosi Orchestra. Her first operatic recording for Albany records was released in January 2002.
	Connie Barnett,, Personal Consultant and Career Coach (Barnett Associates) and former manager at Columbia Artists Management Inc. (C.A.M.I.) has managed many young stars and highly established singers. Currently in her own business, Connie serves as personal coach/consultant and liaison to management and helps market young, emerging artists. Connie has written numerous articles about singers, management and promoting yourself without management, among others. She has conducted master classes for singers for many years. She has, in the past, served as Artistic Advisor to the Intermezzo Young Artist Development Program and has recently presented masterclasses at Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, and the Hartt School of Music. Ms. Barnett has been affiliated with the Washington Wagner Society and served as a judge as well as advisory Board for the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Competition for Singers. Connie serves presently as Program Director for the Westchester Summer Vocal Institute in Westchester, New York. Besides her one-on-one coachings that answer artists' needs, she offers Power Auditions, empowering the artists to make auditions like performances; Radiant Audition Technique, with director James Marvel; Coaching at its Best with conductor/coach William Hicks; Fireside Chats about Management (classes preparing for manager auditions); and the newest class, "PLACEMATTING," a fun class to help with time management to allow for your most creative projects.
	Barbara Meister has interpreted countless leading roles in opera as well as musical theater. She has performed for companies in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, St. Paul, and The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She began her career at the Metropolitan Opera Studio, and also sang leading roles at the New York City Opera. She was brought to Broadway following her discovery by Richard Rodgers, an event which led to her appearance on Broadway as Maria, in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and a subsequent two year NATIONAL TOUR. She has sung with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and in Wolf Trap, Chautauqua, Milwaukee, starring in operetta and the musical theater. She has starred on European television with appearances in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. Gala concerts with orchestras in Vienna, Munich and Berlin have brought international recognition to this "dynamic performer.¾ Together, Barbara Meister and David Bender, drawing on their extensive performing experience, have designed, planned, organized and given over forty master classes in singing, diction, presentational skills, and stagecraft throughout Europe, Canada and the United States. In addition, the Benders have co-produced such productions as The Merry Widow, and The Student Prince. In these productions, they served as stage directors, coaches of singers, and artistic advisors for scenery and costumes.
	David Bender has sung leading tenor roles with the New York City Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Seattle Opera Company, as well as having performed leading operatic roles in Germany for over ten years. He has had a distinguished career in Oratorio singing, with compositions written for him as tenor soloist by Roy Harris, Richard Yardumian, Gian Carlo Menotti and Paul Allen Levi. Professor Bender is a graduate of Columbia University and has received Teaching fellowships at the University of Colorado, and The University of California. He is former Professor of Voice at New York University and at the Conservatory of Music in Vienna.
	Ken Benson, a Vice-President at Columbia Artists Management, started his career in advertising, working with Doyle, Dane & Bernbach. In 1977, however, he decided to channel his strong interest in vocal repertoire and career development into the formation of his own artists' management with Eddie Lew. After nine years, he joined CAMI in 1986, where he now heads his own division, and represents such artists as Marcello Giordani, Harolyn Blackwell, Anthony Dean Griffey, Rodney Gilfry, Aprile Millo, Kurt Ollmann, and Stanford Olsen. In past seasons, he has given classes at Indiana University, Manhattan School of Music, Yale University School of Music, Hart School of Music, and as part of the Susan Ormont Audition Project. In addition, he is a frequent guest on the Texaco - Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcast's Opera Quiz.
	Deborah Birnbaum is an internationally established teacher and performer. Her expertise in breath technique originates from her own private vocal studies with renowned soprano, Montserrat Caballé. Widely sought after as a teacher/clinician, Ms. Birnbaum has a unique ability to help singers assimilate the mechanics of bel canto breath support while working within the context of their vocal technique. Ms. Birnbaum is a committed teacher whose private studio includes singers from the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Covent Garden, Chicago Lyric Opera and other regional American and European opera companies and apprentice programs. Recent master classes include the San Francisco Opera Center (Adler Fellowship and Merola Program), The Juilliard School, Mannes College of Music, University of Miami, The Hartt School of Music, Portland Opera, NATS Regional Convention, and China’s Beijing Conservatory. This season she is scheduled for guest teaching engagements at the Metropolitan Opera (National Council Auditions), Houston Grand Opera Studio, Glimmerglass Opera, and Florida Grand Opera. Recently, Ms. Birnbaum joined a prestigious group of Metropolitan Opera coaches, conductors and stage directors to present the first opera workshops in Shanghai, China and Nagano, Japan. For the past 12 years, Ms. Birnbaum has taught at Tel Aviv's International Vocal Arts Institute, one of the world's foremost summer opera training programs. Currently, she is a member of the voice faculty of the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music and held adjunct associate professor status at the Columbia University and Barnard College. Chosen to participate in former President Clinton's Initiative for Arts Education, Ms. Birnbaum regularly leads teaching residencies throughout New York State. In addition, she has worked with a variety of performing artists, coaching Faye Dunaway for the role of Maria Callas in Terence McNally's Master Class and with cast members of Baz Luhrmann's Broadway hit production of La Boheme. Prior to her teaching career, Ms Birnbaum established an international reputation as a recitalist and opera singer. A gifted performer, Ms. Birnbaum is a versatile communicative soprano, who readily establishes a deep rapport with her audience. Her signature blend of artistry and innovative programming has delighted audiences throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, Israel, Puerto Rico and New Zealand.
	Mr. Burkot served as Opera North's Music Director and Principal Conductor from the company's inception, and was appointed Artistic Director in 1987. He has conducted 32 productions for the company. He served on the musical staff of Houston Grand Opera in 1987 and was an assistant conductor for the Central City (Colorado) Opera Festival in 1988. As musical director for four seasons of Opera New England, now the education/outreach arm of the Boston Lyric Opera, he conducted The Barber of Seville, The Magic Flute, and Hansel and Gretel at sites throughout New England and New York. He has also conducted for Treasure Coast Opera (FL) and the Abilene (TX) Opera Association. As Glee Club Director and Voice Instructor at Dartmouth College, he has conducted major oratorios, operas, and ballets.
	Bill Connington is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. He is former Chairman of the Board of the American Center for the Alexander Technique and co-author of the book "The Alexander Technique", published by Harper Collins, with over 80,000 copies in print. Bill specializes in working with performers. He is a former faculty member of The Juilliard Opera Center, NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, The 92nd Street Y Dance Department, Alvin Ailey, and The Actors Studio Drama School at New School University. In addition to working privately with opera singers and students, Bill has collaborated with a number of coaches and singing teachers. He is a graduate of The American Center for the Alexander Technique, and The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. www.createabalance.org
	Maestro Crawford once again joins the roster of conductors for the Metropolitan Opera this season with two performances of La Bohème. Currently in his eighth year as a member of the conducting staff at the Met, his most recent projects included Faust, the world premiere of An American Tragedy, and the critically acclaimed revival of Cyrano. Maestro Crawford was recently added to the conducting staff of Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance, for which his recent production of Don Giovanni was noted by the New York Times as “lively, taut, and polished.” He recently conducted Kirke Meecham’s Tatuffe in Portland OR, and earlier La Cenerentola with the Cincinnati Opera, where he had been called "the find of the evening" for stepping in on twelve hours notice to conduct Il Barbiere di Siviglia,, simultaneously accompanying the recitatives on the fortepiano. After working as Music Director of the Illinois Opera Theatre, Maestro Crawford was engaged as resident conductor of the Florida Grand Opera for five years. During that time, he conducted fifteen different productions, working with such great artists as Sherill Milnes, Carol Neblett, Justino Diaz, and Barbara Daniels. Maestro Crawford has also conducted productions for Chautauqua Opera, Opera in the Ozarks, Nevada Opera and Opera Northeast. Upon his arrival in New York City, he was immediately engaged by the Metropolitan Opera Guild as Music Director for their production of a newly commissioned opera for young people. An excellent symphonic conductor and proponent of contemporary music, Maestro Crawford was engaged by the New York Philharmonic as cover conductor for Maestro Kurt Masur for the American premiere of Minoru Miki's Symphony for Two Worlds. During the '98 season, he made his New York City conducting debut in the NYC City premiere of A Chekov Trilogy by Richard Wargo. Before leaving South Florida, he was asked to conduct the New World Symphony in the Concerto for Saxophone by Don Martino and returned the following year as guest soloist for the world premiere of John Nelson's Fantasies and Flourishes,, an interactive concerto for disklavier and orchestra. Maestro Crawford continues to have an active career in accompanying when his conducting schedule permits, most recently playing for the Wagner Society of New York's evening musicale in honor of Richard Wagner's birthday, accompanying mezzo Jane Dutton of the Metropolitan Opera, and basso Stephan Kirchgraber. He has in the past accompanied Justino Diaz and Pablo Elvira in Puerto Rico, Aprile Millo in Sao Paolo, Richard Cowan on Belle Île en Mer, and Ortrun Wenkel and Håkan Hagegåard in Miami.
	Scott George, president and founder of one of the world’s finest classical artist management firms, New Century Artists continues to bring the finest American talents to the concert and opera stages of the world. Mr. George has managed the careers of Met stars Carol Neblett, Ellen Shade, Pamela Coburn, Brenda Boozer, Suzanna Guzman, George Gray, Gary Rideout, Gino Quillico, Richard Bernstein and Michael Devlin as well as conductors John DeMain and Paul Gemignani. He served as a producer for the first “Music for Life” Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall in 1985 which was recorded and released by Sony and the “Concert for Planet Earth - 1992“ from the Earth Day Summit in Rio starring Placido Domingo, also recorded by Sony. Upon moving to Sarasota in 1999, he produced “The Grand Finale” for the Sarasota Opera starring Barbara Cook, which netted 1.3 million dollars in one evening, followed by two consecutive galas for the Asolo Theatre Company with Broadway stars Rebecca Luker, Davis Gaines and Howard McGillin. As an educator, Mr. George has given Master Classes in Opera Performance at the Manhattan School of Music, The Catholic University, Florida State University, Cincinnati Conservatory and the Chautauqua Opera among others. He has served as a judge for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions since 1990. On October 6, 2006, he will return to the stage of the historic Asolo Theatre (where he performed in 1975) as the producer of the Opening Gala – starring Met diva Susan Graham, Kristin Clayton and a premiere by America’s foremost opera composer Jake Heggie. At 19, Mr. George graduated from Rollins College. He continued his education with graduate studies in Music at the Curtis Institute with Todd Duncan and the Juilliard American Opera Center with Daniel Ferro and further work with Luigi Ricci in Rome, Nicola Rescigno and Marlene Malas. In 1973, He made his operatic debut as Coppelius in The Tales of Hoffmann opposite Gianna Rolandi at the Brevard Music Center. An award winner of the 1975 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, the young baritone went on to performances with the Washington Opera, Orlando Opera, Baltimore Opera, Virginia Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera as well as extensive concerts throughout the U.S. including Washington D.C.’s prestigious Phillips Collection. In 1980, he directed a critically acclaimed new production of Verdi’s MacBeth for the Virginia Opera before transitioning to opera management. An adjunct to his career in the Arts, Mr. George has passionately renovated historic homes for the past twenty years and now specializes in helping others find and re-create luxury properties in Sarasota, Florida as part of Michael Saunders & Company. He has served on the Boards of the Asolo Theatre Company, the Artist Series of Sarasota, the Tuxedo Park Historical Society, and is a member of St. Mary’s in Tuxedo, the Oaks Club, the Yale Club of New York City.
	Gerard Hecht is a pianist/coach who has worked extensively with singers in the art song and operatic repertoire and in duo performances with instrumentalists. He has performed in Italy, Boston, Washington, D.C. and throughout the New Jersey and New York area. Recordings to his credit include the CD The Complete Songs of Charles Ives with mezzo-soprano Mary Ann Hart on the Albany Records label. Gerard Hecht developed an interest in opera and song repertoire while singing in the children's chorus of the Metropolitan Opera. Inspired by his experiences there, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Yale University, and a Master of Music in Vocal Accompanying from the Manhattan School of Music. In 1995, Mr. Hecht was appointed to the faculty of SUNY Purchase to teach song literature. In 2000, he was promoted to full-time status as Professor of Music and General Education, the youngest professor on faculty. Mr. Hecht designed and launched the humanities curriculum for Purchase College, consisting of courses in Western Culture, designed specifically for students in the performing arts. In addition to the humanities curriculum, Mr. Hecht also teaches Solfege and musicianship skills, serves as accompanist for the brass department, and performs frequently on campus. Mr. Hecht also serves on the Extension Division Faculty of the Mannes College of Music and the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School. He recently began writing a book on teaching Solfege using vocal literature.
	A native of Newark, New Jersey, Dennis Helmrich began his piano studies at the age of five, and both he and his twin brother sang in the famous boy choir of St. Thomas’ Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City. As a boy he studied solfege with Max Goberman, piano with Eugene Hellmer, and flute with George Opperman and Gerald Rudy. During his years at Yale, Helmrich received prizes from the Lacewood and Ditson foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts, having studied piano with Donald Currier. He later pursued doctoral studies at Boston University under Bela Boszormenyi-Nagy. At the age of twenty-four he joined the musical faculty of Antioch College, and subsequently served on the faculties of the State University of New York campuses at Albany and Purchase, the Jewish Theological Seminary, Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School, and New York University. Invited to the Tanglewood Festival in 1969 to aid in the musical preparation of Berg’s Wozzeck under Erich Leinsdorf and Michael Tilson Thomas, in the following year Helmrich was appointed Vocal Music Coach at the Tanglewood Music Center, a position he has held ever since. Almost from the outset of his career Helmrich has concentrated on chamber music and the art song literature. It is a sonata partner and accompanist that he now makes most of his concert appearances in a schedule that has taken him in recent years to thirty states, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, and to stages such as Avery Fisher, Alice Tully, and Carnegie Halls in New York, Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco Symphony Hall in Boston, and Severance Hall in Cleveland. He has performed with such artists such as John Aler, Kathleen Battle, Richard Stilwell, Mary Ann Hart, Eugenia Zukerman, Claire Bloom, Carol Wincenc, Gary Shocker, Roberta Peters, Petra Lang, Roberta Alexander, and the late, legendary Charles Holland. Helmrich has appeared frequently at the Tanglewood, Bard, Yachats, and Caramoor Festivals. A continuing interest in contemporary music has led Helmrich to give first performances of many American compositions. For four years he was co-director of Hear America First, a New York concert series devoted to the performance of American music. He has recorded chamber music and songs on the Orion, Spectrum, Nonesuch, Chesky, Musical Heritage, Albany, Newport Classic, Delos, and Samsung label. His publications include translations of opera libretti and song texts, and he has created supertitles for numerous operatic productions.
	VALERIE M. TRUJILLO has experience in song literature and opera that makes her much sought after as an accompanist, coach, and teacher of master classes. Currently Co-Director of the Young American Artists Program at Glimmerglass Opera, she has been associated with many opera companies including Connecticut Opera, Shreveport Opera, Mississippi Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Theatre at Wildwood, Augusta Opera, Ohio Light Opera and Opera in the Ozarks. Ms. Trujillo has served artist / faculty at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Lake Placid Institute, and Intermezzo Program for Young Artists as well as the academic faculty at the Hartt School, Middle Tennessee State University, Yale University and Central Connecticut State University. She recently made her Weill Recital Hall debut and her work can be heard on the Chandos label release of The Mines of Sulphur (Bennett) and with fellow FSU faculty member Deborah Bish on the Mark Records label. A native of Santa Fe, N.M., she received her musical training from Eastern New Mexico University and the University of Illinois, where she studied with John Wustman. She taught at Florida State University from 1990-1996 and rejoined the faculty in 2002.
	WILLIAM HICKS is an accomplished pianist, voice coach, and conductor. He has served as Assistant/Associate Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, and Santa Fe Opera, among many others; he most recently served as Assistant Conductor to Maestro Lorin Maazel in his production of Benjamin Britten's TURN OF THE SCREW. As voice coach and pianist he has collaborated with some of the leading singers of our time, including Luciano Pavarotti, Franco Corelli, Roberta Peters, Anna Moffo, Catherine Malfitano, and Harolyn Blackwell; he is currently touring with Ms. Blackwell in their GIVE MY REGARDS concert, which inaugurated the new Morgan Library Concert Hall to great critical acclaim.
	JOAN KRUEGER was named “2004 Coach of the Year” by Classical Singer magazine. She has accompanied such artists as Cecilia Bartoli, Sumi Jo, and Vinson Cole through her association with New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, and was seen on A&E’s Breakfast With The Arts, accompanying soprano Carol Vaness. Ms. Krueger has performed collaborative recitals in Avery Fisher Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The United Nations, Weill Recital Hall, the Donnell Library, and numerous other venues in the New York City area where she maintains an active coaching studio. She has been an Assistant Conductor for the Sarasota Opera, Music Director for NYU’s Opera Workshop, and on the faculty of the Intermezzo Opera Festival. Ms. Krueger is the pianist for many prestigious vocal competitions including the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Competition, the Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition, and the Chester Ludgin Verdi Baritone Competition. She was recently a judge for the Classical Singer Vocal Competition. Ms. Krueger is on the faculty of Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance, and the Westchester Summer Vocal Institute. She has been a guest artist at many U.S. Universities and Conservatories. Currently on the faculty of SUNY Purchase, Ms. Krueger teaches French and Italian Diction, Operatic Styles and coaches. She received her Bachelor of Music Degree from Michigan State University and her Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan.
	Regarded as one of the most exciting dramatic sopranos.of the day, Pamela Kucenic recently was engaged by the Tokyo Opera Nomori for a concert and selections from Elektra conducted by Seiji Ozawa in Tokyo, Japan. Considered Maestro Ozawa’s “new find” she was asked back to cover Christine Brewer for the Gurrelieder by Schoenberg for the Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto,Japan. She most recently returned with rave notices for her performances as Turandot with the Fresno Grand Opera. Ms. Kucenic was under contract by the Metropolitan Opera in the 02-03 season for the roles of Elektra in Richard Strauss’ opera which was conducted by James Levine and that of Kundry in Wagner’s Parsifal which featured Placido Domingo in the tiltle role and conducted by Valery Gergiev. She has captivated audiences throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America. She appeared in a new production of Richard Strauss' Elektra for 8 performances in 19 days with standing ovations for the Virginia Opera to rave notices for both her dramatic and singing ability. The soprano returned to the Palm Beach Opera company in the 2002 season, for both roles of Venus and Elizabeth in Wagner's Tannhauser after having had great success there in Turandot. She was again lauded for her performances with standing ovations. The soprano was asked to return to Palm Beach Opera for Madame Lidoine in The Dialogues of the Carmelites conducted by Julius Rudel for the 2003-2004 season,. her perfomance being hailed as “spellbinding” by the Palm Beach Post. After a concert performance of Verdi's Nabucco, the Carnegie Hall public gave her a standing ovation and Opera Monthly Magazine wrote, "Pamela Kucenic challenged the gods ... singing fearlessly over an unusually wide tessitura that exploits all of any soprano's vocal resources, she emerged triumphant." And following a performance of Aida, The Honolulu Advertiser said,” Pamela Kucenic in the title role of the Ethiopian slave is magnificent." She returned to Malta for Amelia in Ballo in Maschera and the Verdi Requiem in the fall of 2002. after having had previously great successes with the title role of Aida and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth , becoming a favorite with the Maltese audiences. With leading roles in her repertoire such as Turandot, Lady Macbeth, Tosca, Aida, Santuzza, Leonora, La Gioconda, Abigaille, Donna Eivira, Senta, Salome and Elektra, Pamela Kucenic's performances are eagerly awaited. In the United States, besides recently being engaged by the Metropolitan Opera, she has been engaged by the New York City Opera, the Opera Company of Boston, the Baltimore Opera, the Atlanta Opera, the New Jersey State Opera, the Buffalo Opera, Fresno Opera and the companies of Palm Beach, Toledo, Arizona, Utah, Mississippi, Hawaii and Virginia. As Abigaille in Nabucco, Ms. Kucenic made her debut in both Oviedo, Spain for the Asociacon Asturiana de Amigos de la Opera as well as at Belgium's Royal Opera de Wallonie. In Madrid, she has sung with the Orquesta Sinfonica conducted by Sergiu Comissiona in a live broadcast of Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs and Wagner's Immolation Scene from Gotterdammerung. As an audience favorite, Pamela Kucenic has been heard at Taiwan's National Theater in Taipei singing Leonora in Il Trovatore, and the title roles of both Aida and Tosca. In concert, she has been a guest soloist with the Taipei City Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Mahler's Symphony No. 2. Pamela Kucenic has been honored by President Lee Teng-hui for her many contributions to Taipei's cultural scene. In the Wagnerian repertoire, Ms. Kucenic has sung the role of Sieglinde in Die Walkure at the Teatro Municipale in Rio de Janeiro. In Caracas, Venezuela her appearances include a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 for the inauguration of President Peres. For her debut at Santiago, Chile's Teatro Municipal she sang the role of Elena in Boito's Mefistofele; in Cairo, Egypt, at the National Theater, she sang Amelia in Un Balto in Maschera .This soprano has also toured extensively throughout the Middle East and Asia in performances with the Ambassadors of Opera and Artists International. The orchestral repertoire is also an important part of Ms. Kucenic's performing schedule including such works as the Verdi Requiem, the Brahms Requiem, Symphony No. 9, Berlioz's La Mort de Cleopatre, Strauss' Four Last Songs, Wagners Wesendonck Songs and the Immolation Scene from G6tterdammerung. She has been a soloist with the Hartford Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, the Westmoreland Symphony, the Corpus Christi Symphony, the Savannah Symphony, the Kalamazoo Symphony and Opera Orchestra of New York. Pamela Kucenic was born and raised in Pennsylvania. Early in her career, she placed first in a field of 500 singers at The American Opera auditions and was chosen to perform in Cincinnati, singing Spontini's rarely heard opera La Vestale. After winning numerous awards and honors (including an appearance on European television as "a new star on the horizon" at the International Recontre Competition in Belgium), she made her European debut at the Arena di Verona as Musetta in La Boheme. Miss Kucenic is now embarking on even more in the operatic field. Besides reopening her vocal studio in NYC, she has founded Espresso Opera of NY, an opera company that gives opportunity to new and promising singers to try themselves out with full roles, fully staged, coupled with more experienced artists who wish to reprise roles they have done before or to venture into new repertoire. She is the acting stage director and lighting designer. Drawing upon her own experience in the operatic world, she hopes to build the company into one of high standards and opportunity for both the musical community in NYC and for emerging artists, fulfilling some of their dreams.
	Arthur J. Levy is a graduate Manhattan School of Music and has had additional studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is on the faculty of Mannes College of Music and has also taught at the State University of New York at Purchase and at the opera house in Stuttgart, Germany. He works with singers who appear in all the major opera houses of the world, as well as a number of Tony award–winning musical theater performers. He has also taught for the Metropolitan Opera Young Artists Development Program and has been invited to give master classes throughout the United States. He has appeared as tenor soloist in both opera and oratorio.
	James Marvel was born and raised in New Orleans and received his B.A. in World Literature from Sarah Lawrence College and Oxford University, England. He holds an M.F.A. in Theatre Arts from the International Actor Training Academy and conducted additional studies at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Recent engagements include new productions of THE RAKES PROGRESS for the San Francisco Opera Merola Program; TOSCA for Opera Santa Barbara and Opera East Texas; TURANDOT for Utah Festival Opera; and IDOMENEO for University of Southern California. Upcoming engagements include LES PECHEURS DE PERLES for Opera Boston; AIDA for Sacramento Opera; LE NOZZE DI FIGARO for Utah Festival Opera; LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR for Syracuse Opera; and L’ELISIR D’AMORE for Cedar Rapids Opera. Other recent engagements include FAUST for Opera Santa Barbara and Shreveport Opera; MADAMA BUTTERFLY for Virginia Opera and Opera Tampa; DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE for Asheville Lyric Opera; RIGOLETTO for the Utah Festival Opera; DIE FLEDERMAUS for Knoxville Opera; and Philip Glass’ GALILEO GALILEI for Boston University’s Opera Institute. In 2003, James debuted at Florence Gould Hall in New York City directing Poulenc’s LA VOIX HUMAINE and Menotti’s THE TELEPHONE. The success of this production led to additional performance dates at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium and appearances on NPR. In December, James directed the Southern Premiere of a new Christopher Durang play at the Southern Repertory Theatre in New Orleans. International credits include work at the 5th International Theatre Festival in Budapest, Hungary; the Istropolitana Theatre Festival in Bratislava, Slovakia; the Viola Stage in Prague, Czech Republic; Teatr Wielki in Lodz, Poland; the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland; the Wadham Theatre and Burton-Taylor Theatre in Oxford, England. Theatre credits include repeat engagements with the Passage Theatre Company in New Jersey; Clarence Brown Theatre in Tennessee; Williamstown Theatre Festival; and the Inter-Act Theatre Company of Philadelphia. In addition to his work as an actor and director, James has also played violin in numerous orchestras; composed original music for professional theatre productions; danced in pieces choreographed by members of the Martha Graham company; and published works in a variety of international journals.
	Appointed General and Artistic Director of Connecticut Opera (Hartford) in July, 1999, Maestro Willie Anthony Waters has conducted numerous noteworthy productions and events for the company, including the Arena production of Aïda in 1991, Otello in 1997, Porgy and Bess in 1998, A Capitol Concert in Bushnell Park during the summer of 2000, and Denyce Graves in Concert (which opened the company's 60th anniversary season in the fall of 2001). Maestro Waters has been a guest conductor for the Arizona Opera, Australian Opera, Cologne Opera (Germany), Edmonton Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Houston Ebony Opera, Manitoba Opera (Winnipeg), Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Carolina, Opera Colorado, L'Opéra de Montréal, Opera Festival of New Jersey, Orlando Opera, San Francisco Opera, Vancouver Opera, Kentucky Opera, and the opera companies of Cape Town, Pretoria and Durban, in South Africa. Among his orchestral engagements are performances with the Florida Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Bavarian Radio Orchestra (Munich), Essen Philharmonic (Germany), Brucknerhaus Orchester (Linz, Austria) and Indianapolis Symphony. Maestro Waters also serves as Artistic Advisor and Conductor of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, where he has conducted Otello, Tosca, Suor Angelica and Highway One, USA (William Grant Still), The Barber of Seville, Rigoletto, and La Bohème, set during the Harlem renaissance of the 1920's. In September 2001, Maestro Waters conducted a gala concert with Denyce Graves in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Opera Colorado in Denver. In November of 2002 Maestro Waters made his New York City Opera debut conducting Rigoletto. After rave reviews in the New York Times, he returned to New York City Opera in the fall of 2003 to conduct Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men. Maestro Waters hosts a monthly radio program on Beethoven Radio, Through the Opera Glasses, and is a regular guest on the Metropolitan Opera Quiz during the renowned Metropolitan Opera live broadcasts. The 2004 - 2005 Season marked the 25th anniversary of Willie Anthony Waters' conducting debut at Connecticut Opera. In the 2005-2006 season Maestro Waters will conduct Il trovatore, L'Italiana in Algeri, and the double bill of Cavalleria rusticana and Gianni Schicchi for Connecticut Opera. In September of 2006 he will conduct Aïda for Boston Lyric Opera's Opera on the Common.

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