Performers
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Serenata of Santa Fe
PO Box 8410
Santa Fe, NM. 87504
505-989-7988
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Oboist Lucian Avalon, 23, has enjoyed an eclectic musical career beginning at age 6, which has taken him from Zimbabwean marimba, to Santa Fe Opera vocalist, to classical oboist. He is currently completing his Masters of Music degree at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Elaine Douvas, with additional instruction from Nathan Hughes and Linda Strommen (Oboe), Richard Dallessio and Scott Hostetler (English Horn), and is a proud recipient of both the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship and the Michael S. Currier Scholarship. For two years he attended high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy where he studied with Daniel Stolper. Upon graduation he received the Academy’s highest honor, the IAA Young Artist Award, and was named a National YoungArts Foundation Honorable Mention winner. Previously he studied with Pamela Epple, Artistic Director of Serenata of Santa Fe, for seven years.
Lucian has played under the baton of many influential conductors including Alan Gilbert, David Robertson, Jeffrey Milarsky, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Gary Wedow, Edward Gardner, Robert Spano, and Hugh Wolff, and has performed with the Juilliard Orchestras, New York String Orchestra, New World Symphony (FL), Montclair (NJ) Orchestra, Boulder (CO) Symphony, Music and Medicine Orchestra (NY), New York Youth Symphony, and all of the Aspen Music Festival and School orchestras. His chamber performances include the New Juilliard Ensemble, AXIOM, and Aspen Contemporary Ensemble for new music, and Juilliard Chamberfest 2018, Cantori New York, Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall.
Recently, Lucian was recognized as a National Finalist and the Texas Regional Winner of the National Society of Arts & Letters 2018 Woodwind Competition, a Juilliard 2018 Concerto Competition Finalist, a finalist for the Pittsburgh (PA) Symphony and for the New World Symphony (FL).
His summer studies have included the Aspen Music Festival and School, Brevard Music Center, Sewanee Music Center, Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and National Orchestral Institute. He has played side-by-side with leading oboists, including Elaine Douvas, Alex Klein, Mingjia Liu, and Elizabeth Koch-Tiscione; and has performed in Master Classes with Francois Leleux, Olivier Stankiewicz, Stefan Schilli, and John Ferrillo.
Born and raised in the small, rural village of Coyote, New Mexico, Lucian recognizes the value of community. Since middle school he has organized concerts to fund local farmers markets, homeless shelters, and the Santa Fe Food Depot. In NYC, he mentors students from the NY Youth Symphony, Juilliard Pre-College and the Music Advancement Program, (serving underprivileged and underrepresented students), and regularly performs in the Juilliard Lab Orchestra with student conductors.
In addition to oboe, Lucian was trained as a competitive figure skater and became a USFS Moves Gold Medalist in 2013.
Phoenix Avalon, is passionate about his study of the violin, being the proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship at the Juilliard School, studying with Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin.
Previously, he was a scholarship student at the Cleveland Institute of Music Young Artist Program with Jaime Laredo and Jan Sloman. Phoenix studied chamber music with members of the Cavani and Cleveland Quartets and attended the Meadowmount School of Music and the Perlman Music Program.
Phoenix has enjoyed solo performances with the Jena Philharmonic, the Cleveland POPS Orchestra, the Boulder Symphony, the Arapahoe Philharmonic, the New Mexico Philharmonic, and Performance Santa Fe Orchestras. He has been featured on USA national radio programs Performance Today and From the Top, as well as giving a solo presentation for TedXABQ.
Phoenix has won numerous competitions, most recently receiving first place at the Louis Spohr International Violin Competition, third place at the Johansen International Competition and Silver Medal at The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association as a member of the Razumovsky Quartet. He is honored to also be a recipient of a 2019 EMCY Prize.
Actively dedicated to community service, Phoenix has played for numerous fundraisers and outreach programs, and has developed and toured an interactive presentation of classical music history for school children as part of ‘From the Top’s Leadership Training’. Phoenix is grateful to be playing on a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin, c. 1850, generously loaned by Kenneth Warren and Son Ltd. of Chicago. In addition to violin, enjoys philosophy, history and cooking.
Clarinettist Kinan Azmeh has been hailed as a “Virtuoso, Iintensely Soulful” by the New York Times and “Spellbinding, Brilliant” by the New Yorker. His distinction across musical genres has gained him international recognition as clarinetist and composer. He has toured as soloist, composer and improviser, appearing at Carnegie Hall, the UN, Royal Albert Hall, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Kennedy Center, the Mozarteum, Opera Bastille, Moscow and the Damascus Opera House in his native Syria.
Kinan has soloed with the New York Philharmonic, the Seattle Symphony, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and the Syrian Symphony Orchestra among others, and has composed for solo, orchestra, chamber music; film, live illustration, and electronics.
Commissions include works for the New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He leads the Arabic/Jazz quartet CityBand, the Hewar Ensemble, and serves as Artistic Director of the Damascus Chamber Players.
He is a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble with whom he was awarded a Grammy in 2017. He graduated from Juilliard where he studied with Charles Neidich, and the Damascus High Institute of Music. Kinan earned his Doctorate degree in music from the City University of New York in 2013.
Emily Cole joined the Oregon Symphony in 2011. An avid chamber musician, Emily is a member of the Mousai Remix string quartet with fellow Oregon Symphony musicians Shin-Young Kwon, Jennifer Arnold, and Marilyn de Oliveira. She has also performed locally with Third Angle Ensemble, fEARnoMUSIC, 45th Parallel, and Northwest New Music. During the summer months, Emily has performed with the Oregon Bach Festival, the Seattle Opera, and the Apollo Music Festival. Emily is on the faculty at Lewis & Clark College; she also coaches chamber musicians with Portland Summer Ensembles and Seattle’s Music Northwest.
Emily earned her M.M. from the University of North Texas, where she held a teaching fellowship and studied with Emanuel Borok. She received her B.M. from the University of Texas at Austin, studying with Brian Lewis. A native of Seattle, Emily was also a longtime student of former Seattle Symphony concertmaster Ilkka Talvi.
Oboist Pamela Epple is Serenata of Santa Fe’s Artistic Director. She graduated from the Juilliard School in New York City, where she maintained an active freelance career there as a member of the American Composer’s Orchestra, P. D. Q. Bach and the Paul Taylor Dance Company Orchestra among others.
Pamela was a founding member of the Aspen Woodwind Quintet and the New York chamber music group Tafelmusik. In New Mexico, she has played Oboe and English Horn with Musica da Camera, the Santa Fe Opera, the Santa Fe Symphony, the Desert Chorale, the New Mexico Symphony, ChatterAbq, Music from Angel Fire, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival Outreach Program.
In the summer she is a regular Guest Faculty member at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in Nelson, New Hampshire.
David Felberg, violin, is Artistic Director and co-founder of Chatter Sunday, Chatter 20-21, and Chatter Cabaret. He is concertmaster of the Santa Fe Symphony, Music Director of the Albuquerque Philharmonic, and associate concertmaster of the New Mexico Philharmonic and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and conducts contemporary music with Chatter.
Mr. Felberg teaches at the University of New Mexico where he also received a Master of Music in conducting.
Felberg made his New York debut in 2005 and was awarded a fellowship to the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Felberg plays an 1829 J.B. Vuillaume violin.
Diva Goodfriend-Koven has performed worldwide as a soloist, in chamber music, and with major orchestras including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, NY City Opera, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra. She lives in New York City where she is a long time member of the ABT orchestra, American Composer’s Orchestra, and American Symphony Orchestra.
A founding member of the new music group Locrian Chamber Players and Ragdale Ensemble, she frequently performs with Serenata Santa Fe.
Diva has recorded film scores, CDs with pop stars including Sting and John Legend, appeared on Letterman and SNL, backing up Diana Krall, Willie Nelson, Lena Horne, and Lucianno Pavarotti among others.
Diva has been a member of the Bard Music Festival for twenty-eight seasons and has been featured on NPR’s “Performance Today”.
As a teacher she has given master classes and coached at Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music, Montclair State (NJ), and at Carnegie Mellon University. She was a faculty member at the Apple Hill Music Center for ten years. She has recorded her own CD titled “Good Friends”.
Since the pandemic, Diva has created/participated in video performances with American Symphony, American Ballet Theater, Locrian Chamber Players, American Composers Orchestra, Queens Symphony, and Serenata of Santa Fe.
Pianist Judith Gordon explores diverse repertoire in collaboration with a wide range of instrumentalists, singers, and ensembles.
She was a member of the percussion-based Essential Music, and has been soloist in works of Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel, as well as Cage, Harbison, Hyla, and Boulez, with groups including the Boston Pops, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Gordon has been featured at the Apple Hill, Bard, Bennington, Charlottesville, Rockport, and Tanglewood festivals, and is a consulting director at Music from Salem, in Washington County, NY.
A graduate of New England Conservatory, where she received an Outstanding Alumni Award, she was associate professor of music at Smith College from 2006-20. Now based in New Mexico, she plays regularly with Chatter and other groups.
Sally Guenther, cellist, resides in Santa Fe and was educated at Indiana University (Janos Starker) and the Juilliard School (Harvey Shapiro). She has lived and performed with multiple organizations in Europe and the US, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. As solo cellist with the Bergen, Norway Philharmonic for 20 years, she toured with the contemporary music ensemble Bit 20.
Sally has participated in numerous music festivals and ensembles of New Mexico, including Taos Chamber Music Group, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Serenata of Santa Fe, Abiquiu Chamber Music, Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe Symphony, ChatterAbq, Montage, and Santa Fe Pro Musica. She plays a John Betts cello, built in 1790 and recently restored by David Caron of Angel Fire.
Pianist Conor Hanick has performed to acclaim throughout the world with leading ensembles, instrumentalists, conductors, and composers. Hanick recently appeared with The Juilliard Orchestra, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic Biennial. This season he performs concertos, recitals, and chamber music in New York, Boston, Sarasota, San Francisco, Portland, Albuquerque, Seattle, Chicago, collaborating with cellist Jay Campbell, violinist Augustin Hadelich, and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and with the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC), performing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Sawdust, and the American Repertory Theater.
A recent finalist for the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award, Mr. Hanick is a graduate of Northwestern University and The Juilliard School.
Joanna Jenner is a violinist, violist, and teacher born in Seattle who studied at the University of Washington, the Juilliard School and the Mannes College of Music.
1972 saw her becoming a founding member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and since that time she has toured internationally with them as well as making between 40 and 50 recordings.
She has also been a member of the Orchestra of the 20th Century, the International Trio that were resident at the University of Northern Iowa, a founding member of the Roerich String Quartet and The Empire Trio, with whom she performed in the studio and toured nationally.
Very involved in music festivals on a national and international level, she founded the Riverrun Chamber Players who are a resident ensemble at the Vermont Festival of the Arts. She has appeared as a soloist on many occasions and has also commissioned several violin works.
Her album tally is extensive and not restricted to one genre of music with her work being heard on Blue Minor by Elizabeth Brown, Golden Days by Jerry Hadley & Mario Lanza, Gershwin’s Worldby Herbie Hancock, A Set Pieces: The Music of Charles Ives by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Best Of… by Marcus Miller, Dress Casual by Mandy Patinkin, PNYC by Portishead, and Hideaway by David Sanborn to name a few.
In the field of musical education she has been the artist-in-residence at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, on the faculty of Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, Bennington College, Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division and the University of Iowa, and held masterclasses at various venues.
Mike Kelley, Apple Hill String Quartet violist and Co-Artistic Director at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, graduated from The Walnut Hill School for the Arts and has received degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and The Juilliard School. His teachers have included Leonard Matczynski, Jeffrey Irvine, and Karen Tuttle.
A Primrose International Viola Competition finalist at the age of 18, Mike joined the resident ensemble of the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music three years later and has been performing and touring internationally with the group for over 20 years. He is the Music Director and Coordinator of Apple Hill’s Summer Chamber Music Workshop where he directs sessions, performs concerts, and coaches chamber music throughout the summer in New Hampshire.
An active composer, Mike has been a Teaching Fellow in Electronic Music at Juilliard, and a guest lecturer at Harvard on the subject of electronic dance music. Under a pop-disco alias, he has performed worldwide in clubs such as Webster Hall (NYC), the O2 (London), and Berghain (Berlin), and has written and produced music for many pop acts, including Metro Area, Caribou, Madonna, and Pharrell. His albums have been selected for the “best of the decade” lists of music magazines Stylus and Fact, and have been highly recommended by Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, and the Guardian.
Called “first-rate” by the Boston Globe, Elise Kuder is the first violinist of the Apple Hill String Quartet and a Co-Artistic Director of the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music where she has been a resident musician since 1998. With Apple Hill, Elise has performed and taught in venues as diverse as the Curtis Institute of Music, Moscow Conservatory, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Zipper Hall at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, the Institutes of Music in Damascus and Alleppo, Gitameit Music Institute in Burma, the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica in Lima, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, the Royal Irish Academy of Music, the Ketermaya refugee camp outside of Beirut, and the General Store in Harrisville, New Hampshire. With the Apple Hill String Quartet, described as “dashing and extraordinary” by The Strad magazine, recent studio recordings include a premiere of Dana Lyn’s Suite for Fiddler and String Quartet, a revival of Ahmed Adnan Saygun’s String Quartet No. 1, and transcriptions of Purcell Fantasias. Elise serves as a Music Director for Apple Hill’s Summer Chamber Music Workshop.
Elise is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and The Juilliard School where she studied with Marilyn McDonald and Joel Smirnoff. She attended the Tanglewood Music Center where she won the Kohn Award for outstanding musicianship and served as concertmaster of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra under conductors Robert Spano and Bernard Haitink. As a Fulbright Scholar, Elise studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England with David Takeno.
In her spare time away from Apple Hill, she has performed at the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem with disco legends Patrick Adams, Black Ivory, and Donna McGhee and teaches violin in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire.
Katherine Leidlein is a New York based singer and actor originally from Texas where she received a Degree in Vocal Performance from The University of Texas in San Antonio. Her favorite roles include playing Laurie in “The Tenderland” at Seattle Opera Academy, Lily in “The Secret Garden” at The San Antonio Playhouse, Papagena in “Die Zauberflöte” with Manhattan Opera Studio, Adele in “Die Fledermaus” at UTSA Lyric Theatre, and Meg in “Little Women” at The Public Theatre of San Antonio. Her most recent credits include Lena in “One Starry Night” tour of China, Becky US/Ensemble in “It Came From Beyond” at St. Luke’s Off-Broadway Theatre, and The Grand Dame in “Fate Still Rests with Vox Lumiere. She also sang on National Public Radio’s “From The Top” and appeared in the TV show “Evil Lives Here” and the podcast “Last Stop” by Multitude. As well as an industrial for Oxford University Press and other National Commercials.
Keith Lemmons is the Emeritus Associate Dean, Emeritus Distinguished Presidential Teaching Fellow, and Emeritus Professor of Clarinet at The University of New Mexico. He combines an international reputation as a soloist, judge and clinician, chamber and orchestral musician with a distinguished teaching and administrative career. Critics acclaim, “virtuosic and amazing,” “a consummate artist,” “he had the audience in sheer ecstasy, and “he wowed the audience with flawless technique and expressive tone.” He has performed in Italy, Brazil, Columbia, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, Sweden and throughout the United States. He has been an invited guest artist at the International Clarinet Festivals in Assisi, Oporto, Kansas City, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Stockholm, Norman, Lubbock, Quebec City, Minneapolis, and Baton Rouge. He is a member of the San Juan Symphony, Quintessence Orchestra, NM Gay Men’s Chorus Orchestra and has played with the Santa Fe Symphony, New Mexico Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Opera Southwest, Serenata of Santa Fe, Taos Chamber Music Group, Montage Society, Taos Trio, New Mexico Winds Woodwind Quintet, Trio ClariVoce, Abiquiu Chamber Music Festival, Music in the Mountains Festival and Trio NM. His degrees are from Pittsburg State University with pedagogue Robert Schott and Michigan State University with icon Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr. He also has extensive study with Larry Combs (Chicago Symphony), Charlie Neidich (Julliard), Thea King (English Chamber Orchestra) and Herb Blayman (Metropolitan Opera). His CDs are on the Summit, Centaur, Navona, TCMG, alBuZerkQue, Strauss and Katson labels. He is an international artist for Buffet Crampon and D’Daddario. He is the “grandpa on call” for his two beautiful Santa Fe granddaughters.
Jenny Lin is one of the most respected pianists today, admired for her programming, stage presence, and commanding artistry. She has appeared with the American Symphony Orchestra, NDR and SWR German Radio orchestras, and Orchestra Sinfonica Nationale della RAI, and at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center’s Great Performers, SF Jazz, MoMA, Stanford LIVE, and National Gallery of Art. Festivals include Mostly Mozart, BAM’s Next Wave, Spoleto USA, and many in Europe.
Jenny’s discography consists of more than 30 recordings. In 2019-2020 she performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, as well as continuing “Melody’s Mostly Musical Day” children’s concerts; the release of the complete Nocturnes of Chopin, music of Artur Schnabel, and music of Philip Glass. Since 2014, she has joined Mr. Glass in his ongoing world tour of his Etudes.
USA Today has named Cecilia Violetta López one of “Idaho’s Top 10 Most Influential Women of the Century” and has been named one of opera’s “25 Rising Stars” by Opera News. The singing actress is constantly praised for her “alluring voice and incredible range” (Washington Post).
She has received accolades for her signature role of Violetta in La traviata, which she has performed countless times throughout North America. Critic, James Jorden, exclaimed “she is a Violetta fully- formed and, I think, ready for the great stages of the world.” She has now performed the role with, Opera Orlando, Pacific Symphony, Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Tampa, Opera Idaho, Ash Lawn Opera, The Northern Lights Music Festival, Madison Opera and Virginia Opera. Ms. López made her European début as Norina in Don Pasquale with Zomeropera in Belgium, for which Klassiek Centraal exclaimed: “She turns out to be the revelation of the show and wins over the audience with her funny rendition, irresistible charm, and [she is] natural in the different vocals.”
From her performance as Adina in The Elixir of Love with Virginia Opera, The Virginian-Pilot hailed, “Cecilia Violetta López is showing local audiences why Opera News named her one of its ’25 Rising Stars.’ In the lead role of Adina, she hit the highest notes with ringing clarity, performed the vocal runs with precision and grace and showed a particular charm and humanity in the softest passages and lowest ranges.” In her recent performance as Marguerite in Faust with Opera Omaha, the Omaha World-Herald claimed “...López sang Marguerite’s seduction, madness and salvation with an other wordly wisdom and artistry.”
Ms. López’ 2021-2022 season includes several engagements ranging from opera performances to keynote speaking. She will appear as Hanna Glawari in Opera Idaho’s production of The Merry Widow and will be a soprano soloist in Opera Idaho’s “Opera in the Park” concert. Cecilia will be the soprano soloist for Handel’s Messiah with the Boise Philharmonic and will make her to return to Zomeropera in Belgium singing Cio-Cio San in their production of Madama Butterfly as well as Virginia Opera where she will début the role of Beatrice in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers. Additionally, Ms. López will be an Artist in Residence at the University of Central Arkansas, and will present recitals for Opera Orlando, Sun Valley Opera, New Mexico Performing Arts Society, JUMP Center in Boise, Idaho and Chamber Music Silicon Valley. Cecilia will be a keynote speaker for the Migrant Student Leadership Institute as well as the 9th Annual Women and Leadership Conference where previous speakers have included Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Conner and Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell.
Despite the halting effects of COVID-19 in the opera industry, Ms. López’ 2020-2021 season included both virtual and live recitals with Opera Idaho, Opera Las Vegas, Austin Opera, Opera Southwest, Chatter ABQ, Opera America, Madison Opera and Opera Colorado. Ms. López was also a featured soprano soloist in the world premier of Mi Camino, a virtual project with Opera Cultura, and made her company début with Pacific Symphony singing Violetta in their virtual production of La traviata. Ms. López also presented virtual Masterclasses with UC Boulder and The University of Montana.
In past seasons, Ms. López has made several role débuts including her now critically acclaimed role of Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Idaho, Virginia Opera and Opera Las Vegas, the title role in Massenet’s Manon with Opera Idaho, Nedda in I pagliacci with Opera Colorado, Desdemona in Rossini’s Otello with LoftOpera, Maria in West Side Story with Opera Idaho, Marguerite in Faust with Opera Omaha, Mimì in La bohème with Opera Orlando, Rosalba in Florencia en el Amazonas with Florida Grand Opera, Beatrice Russo in Il Postino with Opera Southwest and Opera Saratoga, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, and Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Tampa, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow with Opera Saratoga, Lucy in Fellow Travelers with Prototype Opera Festival, the title role of Suor Angelica with Opera San Luis Obispo, Magda in La rondine with Skylark Opera Theatre, Gilda in Rigoletto with Opera Idaho, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Opera Tampa and Opera Las Vegas. In addition to these débuts, she reprised the role of Micaëla in Carmen with Madison Opera and joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in their 2015 production of The Merry Widow.
Solo concert performances include Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and selections from Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne with the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, and Rutter’s Mass of the Children with the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society. Additionally, Ms. López has performed as a soloist at the reopening of the Idaho Museum of Natural History gala, various Christmas concerts with Madison Symphony, and as a featured soloist in concerts with the Boise Philharmonic, Austin Opera, and the prestigious Bard SummerScape Music Festival.
Ms. López also completed a two-year-tenure as a Soprano Resident Artist at Opera San José where she performed Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Leonora in Il trovatore, the title role in Suor Angelica, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Nannetta in Falstaff, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly.
Additionally, Ms. López is an alum of the Caramoor Music Festival where she covered the role of Hélène in Les vêpres siciliennes. She is also an alum of the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival where she sang the title role in their production of L’incoronazione di Poppea. Her début of the role of Violetta in La traviata, was with Martina Arroyo Foundation’s prestigious summer festival, Prelude to Performance.
In January 2021, Opera Idaho appointed Ms. López as the company’s first Artistic Advisor. “Known to Opera Idaho audiences primarily through her appearances in operas over the last six-plus years, Cecilia takes on added responsibilities to advise and advocate for expanded repertoire, provide insights on diversity in artistic practices and community initiatives, and collaborate with senior management in identifying and securing financial support for the company. Cecilia will work closely with General Director Mark Junkert in helping shape the future of Opera Idaho.”
‘When I think of someone, active in the field as a performer who both knows what’s happening in the field nationally and internationally and knows our state, Cecilia is the perfect fit for the position. Many opera companies have similar positions, and it is a sign of Opera Idaho’s growth that we’re able at this point in our history to add an Artistic Advisor.’
—Mark Junkert, General Director, Opera Idaho
Recently, Ms. López became the recipient of an Idaho State Concurrent Resolution honoring her life as an Idahoan and her work in the world of opera.
“We should be so very proud of Cecilia Violetta López. She exemplifies all that is what America is about: apply yourself, work hard, dream big, and you can achieve those dreams. She tells every Idaho girl and boy that they, too, can succeed ... no matter where they came from, no matter how small they may start out, no matter how long their journey may appear to be. Idaho should be so very proud of this young lady and should hold her up as an example of what all Idaho children might achieve.”
—Senator Cherie Buckner-Webb.
Ms. López, “The Daughter of Idaho,” a Mexican-American native of Rupert, Idaho, is featured in two Idaho state museums and got her musical start at a young age singing mariachi music that she learned from her mother.
Martin Ly is a classically trained guitarist and holds a Master of Music degree from Oklahoma City University. On his journey to become the best guitarist he can be, Martin studied with Daniel Ward, Brian Moore, Michael Anthony, Michael Chapdelaine, Ben Silva, Dr. Lynn McGrath, Calvin Hazen, Brian Belanus, and Dr. Stephen Lochbaum among others.
He placed first in the Guitar Foundation of America Symposium in Plano, Texas. Upon finishing his Master’s degree, Martin returned to Albuquerque to share his knowledge and music with the community that he grew up with.
Like most musicians, Kathleen McIntosh found most of her 2020 engagements cancelled. The Postcard project has been a delightful respite, and she was also invited to “layer in” a continuo part for a production of the Havana based group, Conjunto de Musica Antigua Ars Longa. Another such project awaits with Cuban recorder virtuoso, Raul Zaballa, for a festival in Chile. She is nearly through Bach's monumental “Art of Fugue”, perhaps for a future performance.
Ruxandra Marquardt, violinist, is a versatile musician whose career began in her teenage years after winning several international competitions.
A student of Modest Iftinchi, Stefan Gheorghiu, Joseph Gingold, and Robert Masters, she became the youngest Associate Concertmaster in the U.S., playing in the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. She was also Principal Second Violin and Concertmaster of the Jacksonville Symphony and has appeared as Concertmaster with the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the New Mexico Philharmonic.
Festivals include Bayreuth, Eastern, and the Grand Tetons. Ruxandra resides in New Mexico and collaborates with the Abiquiu Music Festival, ChatterAbq, Montage, and Serenata of Santa Fe.
A devoted teacher, Marquardt prepares her students for competitions and careers. Ruxandra plays a Vincenzo Panormo 1785 violin.
Cellist Laura Metcalf, renowned as a passionate solo and chamber musician, was acclaimed for her “brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and described as “a cellist whose passion for music is as evident as her artistry and talent” (I care if you listen). She has performed throughout the US and on six continents.
Laura’s debut solo album, First Day debuted at #7 on the Billboard Classical Charts. She is cellist of the world famous string quintet Sybarite5, winner of the Concert Artists Guild competition. Ms. Metcalf performs regularly with the popular cello-percussion quartet Break of Reality which is embarking on a world tour for the US State Department.
Laura is founder and co-artistic director of GatherNYC, a weekly Sunday morning concert series in Manhattan. She has joined onstage with artists Adele, John Legend, Cher and Nas.
Laura lives in New York City with her husband and young son Milo.
Alice Norris, viola, recently completed a Graduate Diploma in Viola Performance with Steven Dann at McGill University. In 2017, she finished her Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance at McGill, where she studied with André Roy. She has also studied with Allegra Askew.
Alice is a member of Santa Fe Pro Musica and Serenata of Santa Fe. She has performed with Mark O’Connor, Augustin Hadelich, Jan Lisiecki, and James Ehnes, and participated in master classes with the Brentano String Quartet, Steven Tenenbom, and Rachel Podger, among others, and has attended the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, Centre d’arts Orford, and the Banff Center.
Kathlene is comfortable performing in many different genres – early music, choral, and sacred, to musical theater and cabaret. From having grown up in church choirs and summer stock, with a year in Salzburg studying music after high school, to the halls of the University of Texas in Austin, Kathlene found a common thread in whatever style she was performing…the connection with the audience.
After earning a Bachelor’s of Music Studies degree from the University of Texas at Austin, she moved to New York City where she sang with such noted ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, and the Vienna Philharmonic. In 2001, she made her solo debut at Lincoln Center with the American Symphony Orchestra in Liszt’s Dante’s Inferno.
Kathlene’s true passion, musical theater, has been a lifelong pursuit. Her first role came at the age of 4, when she was cast as Marta in The Sound of Music. Some of her favorite roles include Sandy in Grease, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Maria in The Sound of Music, and Eliza in My Fair Lady. Two of her career highlights were performing Sweeney Todd at Lincoln Center with George Hearn, Patti Lupone and Neil Patrick Harris, as well as the concert version of Carousel at Carnegie Hall with Audra McDonald and Hugh Jackman. She is also an experienced music director, having led from behind the piano for Oklahoma!, Follies, Working, The Fantasticks, and Godspell, to name a few.
In 2011, Kathlene moved to Santa Fe to be the accompanist for the Santa Fe High School Choral Department and the Director of the Royal School of Church Music at the Church of the Holy Faith. In 2012, she became an on-air announcer for Classical 95.5 KHFM Albuquerque/Santa Fe, for which she has received a New Mexico Broadcasting Award. In 2016, Kathlene joined the voice faculty at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design in their musical theater program. She still continues to sing with such groups as the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and the Grammy-winning ensemble Conspirare, with whom she is a featured soloist in their PBS special “Conspirare, a Company of Voices” and their most recently Grammy-nominated “Considering Matthew Shepard” CD.
Nathan Salazar is a native of Santa Cruz, New Mexico, and holds a master's degree in collaborative piano from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Martin Katz. He received his vocal and piano performance degrees from the University of Kansas, where he studied with Julia Broxholm and Jack Winerock. Salazar has performed in England, Scotland, Italy, Russia, and in major performance venues throughout the United States. He performed in the International Festival of Spanish and Latin American Music with renowned mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza and has been featured at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Boston’s Symphony Hall, and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
He received a fellowship to Songfest in Los Angeles where he studied with pianists Margo Garrett and Graham Johnson. Salazar has worked with composers Jake Heggie, John Musto, Libby Larsen, and William Bolcom. In 2014, he was invited to be part of Marilyn Horne’s 80th birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall, where he worked with Ms. Horne, Martin Katz, and the legendary Christa Ludwig. Salazar has worked with such singers and teachers as Julia Faulkner, Maria Zifchak, Stephen King, Susanne Mentzer, Luis Ledesma, Wolfgang Brendel, Joyce Castle, Neil Shicoff, Stanford Olsen, George Shirley, Angela Meade, Jennifer Johnson Cano, and Susan Graham. He has worked and performed with Serenata of Santa Fe, New Mexico Performing Arts Society, Skylark Vocal Ensemble, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Santa Fe Opera, The Handel and Haydn Society, The Boston Symphony, and the Boston Lyric Opera, where he most recently worked on the company’s monumental 2019 production of Poul Ruders’ “The Handmaid’s Tale”.
Most recently, Salazar performed with soprano Cecilia Violetta Lopez in recital for Austin Opera, Opera Idaho, Orlando Opera, Opera Las Vegas, Opera Southwest, Opera America, Madison Opera, and Opera Colorado, where he was recently appointed Principal Repertoire Coach for the company’s distinguished Artist in Residence program.
Salazar has also served as a voice faculty member at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and at the University of New Mexico. Nathan is currently based in Santa Fe, where he enjoys taking care of several chickens and goats.
James Shields, clarinet, is Principal with the Oregon Symphony and has served as principal clarinet of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto and the New Mexico Philharmonic.
A graduate of The Juilliard School, James studied with Ricardo Morales of the Philadelphia Orchestra and appeared as guest principal clarinet with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, and Santa Fe Pro Musica.
Mr. Shields is increasingly becoming known as a performer of chamber music throughout the United States and Canada. James is the co-artistic director of Chatter, an Albuquerque-based chamber music organization that presents more than 60 concerts per year where he is frequently a soloist. Mr. Shields holds an M.M. in composition from the University of New Mexico, and continues to compose regularly.
Soprano Gail Springer is a versatile vocalist who embraces a wide variety of singing styles and has performed musical comedy, extended vocal techniques, jazz, sacred choral music, art song, and cabaret.
From 1980-2016 she served as professor of theatre at the College of Santa Fe and Santa Fe University of Art and Design, where she envisioned and developed one of the first Musical Theatre BFA undergraduate programs in the country.
She directed over 50 productions at the Greer Garson Theatre, and will direct Ofer Ben Amots’ chamber opera, The Dybbuk, in 2020 at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe.
Karim Sulayman, tenor, Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman is consistently praised for his sensitive musicianship, riveting stage presence and beautiful voice. He performs on world stages in orchestral concerts, opera, recitals and chamber music, while forging a standout path in the music of the Italian Baroque.
Mr. Sulayman has appeared with Boston Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, New York City Opera, and at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the International Bach Festival and the Aldeburgh Festival. An advocate of new music, he has given world premieres at Carnegie Hall, the Casals Festival and the Aspen Music Festival.
As chamber musician, Mr. Sulayman participated at Marlboro and the Roman River Festival in the UK. His discography includes his debut solo album, Songs of Orpheus, which received a GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Karim created a social experiment/performance art piece called I Trust You, designed to build bridges in a divided political climate. A video version of this experiment went “viral” and was a prizewinner in the My Hero Film Festival.
He has been invited to give talks and hold open forums with student and adult groups about inclusion, empathy, healing from racism and activism through the arts.
Jeff has been playing for over 45 years, working with many ensembles and songwriters in all styles and venues. He has recorded with Michael Stearns, Erik Darling, Krishna Dass, Ottmar Liebert, Tulku, and ThaMuseMeant. He studied with Paul Wertico and Christopher Shultis (UNM).
He is cofounder and co-producer of “The Drum is the Voice of the Trees”, a series of drumming and percussion concerts begun in 1992. Jeff teaches privately in his home.
Sri Lankan-born Canadian Dinuk Wijeratne is a JUNO award-winning composer, conductor, and pianist. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2004 performing with Yo-Yo Ma and Silk Road Ensemble and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Opera Bastille, Lincoln Center, Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Sri Lanka, Japan, and the Middle East.
Mr. Wijeratne grew up in Dubai and studied composition in Manchester, UK. In 2001, he was invited by composer John Corigliano to join his studio at the Juilliard School in New York. He was composition fellow in Sapporo, Japan and Artist-in-Residence at International House for the 2003/4 season. Conducting studies followed at New York’s Mannes College of Music.
Dinuk has composed for almost all of the artists and ensembles with whom he has performed, and continues collaborative recitals of original works with clarinetist Kinan Azmeh.
As an educator, Mr. Wijeratne has lectured at many universities and is in his twelfth season as Music Director of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. He has conducted the orchestras of the National Arts Centre, Thunder Bay, Prince Edward Island, Scotia Festival Orchestra, and Symphony Nova Scotia during his 3-year appointment as Conductor-in-Residence.
He is the recipient of numerous awards across Canada and New York for his conducting and compositions. Mr. Wijeratne’s music and collaborative work embrace the great diversity of his international background and influences.
Dana Winograd, cellist, is originally from Los Angeles. She received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in performance from the Juilliard School in New York where she studied with Harvey Shapiro and Channing Robbins, as well as members of the Juilliard String Quartet for chamber music.
Ms.Winograd led an active freelance career in New York City, with the American Composer’s Orchestra, the American Symphony and on Broadway with Phantom of The Opera, Cats, Beauty and the Beast, as well as backup for Rod Stewart, Luther Vandross, Lyle Lovett and others.
Dana has been a member of the New Mexico Symphony (now New Mexico Philharmonic), and is principal cellist of the Santa Fe Symphony. As a chamber musician, she plays with the Taos Chamber Music Group, Serenata of Santa Fe, and Chatter. Dana is the orchestra director at St. Michael’s High School and teaches at New Mexico School for the Arts, as well as with the Dream Big program for Santa Fe Public Schools.
Pianist, Yi-heng Yang performs frequently with The Sebastians, The Knights, and The Raritan Chamber Players. Her debut album of Mendelssohn Violin sonatas on period instruments garnered critical praise, and upcoming releases include the Brahms cello sonatas. Her album “Sisters, Face-to-Face: The Bach Legacy in Women’s Hands,” won the 2018 AMS Noah Greenberg Award.
She has appeared at “BeethovenRediscovered” with Apollo’s Fire, The Boston Early Music Festival, The New York Philharmonic Ensembles, Serenata of Santa Fe, ChatterAbq, The Frederick Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Apple Hill Chamber Music, and the Utrecht Early Music Festival Fringe.
Ms. Yang holds a Doctorate in piano from the Juilliard School, and studied there with Robert McDonald, Julian Martin, and Veda Kaplinsky. She studied fortepiano with Audrey Axinn, and with Stanley Hoogland at the Amsterdam Conservatory. She has received grants from The Mustard Seed Foundation’s Harvey Fellowship, and The Dutch Ministry of Culture’s Huygens Award. Ms. Yang is on the piano faculty at The Juilliard School Evening Division and Pre-College.
She teaches fortepiano and piano literature at The Mannes School of Music, and Nineteenth-Century performance practice at Rutgers University.
Bassist Max Zeugner is currently Associate Principal Bass with the New York Philharmonic. Previously he served as Principal Bass with the BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, and was a member of the Netherlands Philharmonic. A native of Worcester, MA, Max attended the Juilliard School and Boston University before working as a chamber and orchestral musician in Europe for 8 years. He now resides in New York City, where he teaches at the Mannes College of Music and is an avid tennis player.
Sterling Elliott began his cello studies at the age of three and made his solo debut at the age of 7. Sterling’s recent accomplishments include being awarded 1st prize in the Senior Division of the 2019 22nd Annual Sphinx Competition in 2019. In October of 2018 Sterling had his solo debut at Carnegie Hall where Frank Daykin of New York Concert Review wrote: “The very fine young cellist Sterling Elliott played two movements from Cassadó’s Suite for Solo Cello with perfect intonation, style, and total involvement.”
Sterling has attended The Taos School of Music, Kneisel Hall, Perlman Music Program, Aspen Music Festival, and will participate in Music@Menlo, Chamberfest Cleveland, and Perlman Music Program.
Additionally, he has soloed with the New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, as well as a performance at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Sterling currently studies with Joel Krosnick at the Juilliard School working towards an undergraduate degree in Cello Performance where he is a recipient of a Kovner Fellowship.
Sam Rosenthal, viola is from Shaker Heights, OH. He is in the studios of Heidi Castleman and Hsin-Yun Huang at the Juilliard School where he is a recipient of the Kovener Fellowship award.
Praised for his sensitive and uniquely beautiful playing, violinist Oliver Neubauer is establishing himself as an artist of great emotional depth and maturity beyond his years.
This past season, Oliver appeared with the Jupiter Chamber Players, performed as guest concertmaster with the Adelphi Orchestra (as winner of their 2020 competition), and performed virtual concerts for Music@Menlo and String Theory at the Hunter. Oliver has been invited to attend the Perlman Music Program Chamber Workshop as well as the Verbier Festival Academy in the summer of 2021. He will also give numerous performances at Bravo! Vail Music Festival and Music from Angel Fire.
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