Meet our 2024 Alumni
ARTS ADMINISTRATION In Memory of Sidney J. McQueen
Naima Burrs, D.M.A, a violinist and conductor from Richmond, VA, has performed as a section violinist with many ensembles including the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, and the Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra as well as serving as principal second violin with Opera on the James and as concertmaster of Summer Garden Opera. Burrs was selected as a participant in the Conducting Academy of the Domaine Forget International Music Festival (Québec, Canada), where she studied with Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Metropolitan Opera House and Philadelphia Orchestra.
In January 2022, Naima assumed the role of Music Director for the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra in Virginia. In August 2022, she became a member of the University of Richmond's Faculty, where she also currently leads the University of Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Last July, Naima made her guest conducting debut with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and in November, made her guest conducting debut with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, leading eight performances for their educational series at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. In December, Burrs led 6 performances for the Richmond Ballet/Richmond Symphony annual presentation of The Nutcracker, while serving as the assistant conductor.
Naima Burrs serves as the Director of Orchestral Activities at Virginia State University (Petersburg, VA) and has previously contributed to the faculties of Longwood University (Farmville, VA) and Hampden-Sydney College (Hampden Sydney, VA). Burrs holds degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University (B.A. in music), the University of Northern Iowa (M.M. in violin performance), and the Catholic University of America (D.M.A. in instrumental conducting).
Instagram: @naimaburrs
Website: www.naimaburrs.com
Jeanmarie Exel is a fourth year Music Major and WGSS Minor at the University of Connecticut. She has been studying music since the age of four, and has training on flute, piccolo, piano, and voice. She is currently a member of UConn’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble and serves as flute/oboe section leader. She has also represented UConn across the country, performing as part of the UConn Pep Band in cities including New York, Las Vegas, Boston, and Phoenix. Ms. Exel is employed with the Connecticut Repertory Theater as an Assistant Sound Engineer and as a Woodwind and Drum Major Technician with her alma mater, Broad Run High School, where she assists the Band Director in teaching the marching arts. She also has interests in audio production and technology, and hopes to pursue her masters degree in the subject. In 2021, Ms. Exel was awarded the John Philip Sousa Award for Musical Excellence.
Janice Guzman is an aspiring arts manager from Chesapeake, Virginia who strives to make performances a fulfilling experience for both musicians and audience members.
They earned their bachelor’s in music education from Virginia Commonwealth University, which rooted their belief that the performing arts is for and should be accessible to people of all identities. Janice is currently the administrative coordinator for The Belvedere Series, and serves as the choir manager and concert assistant at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
Nadia Lischke, born in Kernersville, NC, fostered her love for music as a dedicated chorister and soloist. She spent much of her young life performing with premier youth choruses and studying private voice with Callie Fleece. She began her undergraduate studies at the George Washington University and began studying voice with Millicent Scarlett. At GW, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences and Music in May 2024. In the summer of 2023, she was honored to participate with the Taos Opera Institute, in Taos, New Mexico, where she worked with Patrick Raftery, Susanne Menzter, Megan Marino and Michael Redding. She also spent time at NYU studying with Harolyn Blackwell during the Classical Voice Intensive, and then traveled to Italy to participate in Bel Canto in Tuscany. There she studied with Giovanni Reggioli, Patrick O’Donnell, Timothy LeFebvre and Dolores Zeigler. Most recently, she was featured as a National Anthem Singer at the GW Men’s Basketball games as well as at The Senate Project’s Debate Series. She also performs art song and arias at the university’s recital program Fridays at Five, as cantor at Epiphany Catholic Church in Georgetown, as a member of University Singers and is president of Black and Gold, the school’s jazz vocal ensemble. In March, she was awarded Third Prize at the Sue Goetz Ross Student Competition for Voice, sponsored by the Friday Morning Music Club in Bethesda, Maryland. This fall she plans to apply to Master of Music in pursuit of a degree in vocal performance and intends to pursue a career in classical singing.
Aidan McCormack is a composer and violinist from Missoula, Montana. He is currently pursuing a double major in Music Theory & Composition and Economics at Vanderbilt University, and his music has been performed by friends at the Blair School of Music and faculty at the University of Montana. Recently selected as the inaugural winner of its composition competition, the Montana Youth Symphony will give an August 2024 premier of his orchestral verture titled “Sun and Shadow on the Blackfoot” — an ode to home and to connection with music, mountains, and friends.
An active composer and aspiring arts administrator, Aidan hopes to continue seeking professional opportunities for creative collaboration and connecting audiences with transformative musical experiences. (He also posts silly classical music memes as @bach2memes on Instagram!)
Beyond “all things music,” he enjoys growing his houseplant collection, baking garlic bread, and reading as much as time allows!
Instagram: @mccomposer
Ana Miranda is a “melodic” soprano whose voice “echoes through a packed theater.” (Windy City Times) She has a particular draw to music that highlights text and text painting, including a passion for recitative and new music. Currently based in Chicago IL, she enjoys collaborating with composers and other musicians in the city. She is committed to singing works that give a voice to those who have been silenced. Most recently she premiered a piece at Rainbow Railroad’s Annual Benefit Concert for guitar and two voices titled Two Months, Two Years, which tells an incredible story of two LGBTQ immigrants who fell in love during their escape to find safety from their country. On the opera stage, she has brought many characters to life including Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea (Haymarket Opera Summer Program), Young Juana in With Blood With Ink (San Francisco State Opera), and Sam in a world premiere of The Groomless Bride.
Currently, she is working on a collaboration with her husband, composer Carlos Jaquez Gonzalez, on a song cycle highlighting Mexican women liberation.
First generation California-born Mexican-American composer, vocalist, guitarist, and pianist Carlos Jaquez Gonzalez left his job as a chef to begin his musical training as a composer and vocalist at San Francisco State University, where he received his Bachelor's degree. As a composition student of Richard Festinger and voice student of Nikolas Nackley, he founded the RGB Arts Festival, programming, securing funding, and coordinating multiple university departments in programs featuring music, dance, film, art song, and poetry. He also helped establish a new curriculum for SFSU's music department during his time there. Now based in Chicago, where in Spring 2021, he received/earned his Master’s degree at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, studying composition with Daron Hagen and voice privately with Alexandra LoBianco.
He has composed multiple works for chorus, soloists, percussion, chamber ensembles, electro-acoustic soundscape and orchestra. Most recently gaining recognition by the Chicago Tribune for premiering his “Immigrant Mass,” in collaboration with the Chicago Composers Orchestra, Roosevelt University – Chicago College of Performing Arts, and documentary photographer Greg Constantine. He is also most known as the primary writer, singer and guitarist of the band "The Silhouette Era."
Leo Wallace is a rising sophomore at the College of William & Mary and is planning to double major in music and economics. He has been playing the violin for 10 years, and he currently plays in William & Mary’s Appalachian Music Ensemble. His senior year of high school, he arranged and conducted music for the school’s top orchestra and, from that, gained serious interest in conducting and music direction as a career. Over the next year, he is very excited to begin conducting lessons with directors at William & Mary. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis, reading, and traveling, and he is a member of the William & Mary fencing team.
Hi! My name is Seven Finckel. I’m from New York City and will be starting my freshman year at Drexel University in Philadelphia this fall, studying Music Industry with a concentration in Recording Arts & Production. I love singing, playing guitar & piano, writing songs, playing in bands, and producing & recording music. I’ve enjoyed participating in the music scene around NYC with my band Electric Dickinson, playing shows through the organization Kids Rock For Kids that raise money for children in crisis. I also love visual art, especially printmaking, photography, painting, and drawing, although I’ve recently gotten into making rice paper lamps with sticks and other natural materials. I'm excited to be on the mountain this summer with the other LEAD Coop students, learning the ins-and-outs of what’s involved in putting on an amazing music festival like Wintergreen. In my free time, I’m looking forward to swimming, hiking, and connecting with nature. Feel free to reach out to me through my Instagram, @skrrrrev . I’m super excited to meet the community!
Hi my name is Zoe! I am a rising freshman at Drexel University where I will be studying music industry with a focus on recording arts and production. I live in Queens, NYC and am very excited to be surrounded by more nature! I play guitar in two bands and love collaborative writing and performing (and really all things music). I am excited to be a LEAD arts admin student this summer and to meet everyone :)
My instagram is @_zoe_lazaros_ feel free to reach out!
COLLABORATIVE PIANO
Anne is pianist based in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she is a sought-after vocal and instrumental collaborator. She currently works for the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Prepatory School as their Suzuki Collaborative Pianist and private instructor. In the fall, Anne will work as a staff accompanist at Northern Kentucky University.
Anne Ziegler received an M.M. in collaborative piano from The University of Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music, where she was a graduate assistant in vocal accompanying. She received a dual B.A. in piano performance and English literature from Hillsdale College.
She was a two-time winner of the Hillsdale College Concerto/Aria Competition in 2020 and 2021. She placed in the Keyboard Arts Festival in 2015 and the Schmitt Piano Competition in 2015 and 2017.
Anne also plays the viola and, hailing from Colorado, she is an avid reader and hiker.
COMPOSITION
Matthew Thomas Brown (b. 2004) is a composer, conductor, pianist, and organist from Vienna, VA. He received much of his early music training in the liturgical music setting, starting his role as regular pianist/organist at St. Mark Catholic Church (Vienna, VA) at the age of 8. His first forays into composition were arrangements of favorite hymns, soon followed by original settings of psalms and Mass acclamations.
This background sparked Brown’s passion for choral music. He has written extensively for vocal ensembles, including both sacred and secular works. He is the founder and director of the Now Chorale, a new-music choir based in Oberlin, OH, which has commissioned and/or premiered 11 new works in just its first season. He is also an active church choir director at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Oberlin.
Brown finds inspiration for his music in nature, stories, moments in his own life, and religious themes. He is especially interested in chromatic harmony and motivic counterpoint, striving to create layered musical dialogues between all players in a given piece. 2024 will see the premieres of his woodwind quintet “Home is a Moment,” guitar duo suite “Two Lives,” and a jubilant anthem titled “May the Peoples Praise You” for chorus, organ, piano, and handbells.
Brown recently finished his second year as a music composition major at the Oberlin Conservatory, where he studies with Michael Frazier, Stephen Hartke, and Jesse Jones. He is also an organ minor in the studio of Jonathan Moyer.
JingXian Chen, a composer and guzheng player hailing from Wuhan, China, is passionate about merging traditional Chinese music with electronic, dance, and theatrical elements. Currently pursuing a Doctorate in Composition at The Hartt School, she holds prior degrees from The Hartt School and Central China Normal University, under the guidance of Dr. Lembit Beecher, Dr. Gilda Lyons, Dr. Kyle Grimm, Dr. Anthony Green, and Dr. Zeng Xu.
As a versatile composer whose work spans multiple genres, her compositions have been featured at the Hartt Theatre, Hart Dance, Guizishan International Culture Festival, and Rostov State Conservatory. She has also collaborated with renowned musicians such as the Haven Trio, Karen Ouzounian, and Loadbang. Chen's music is characterized by a deep understanding of contemporary aesthetics, focusing on capturing the essence of the present moment through emotional depth and innovative approaches.
International pianist Jeremy Davis, is an up-and-coming composer who stands out in a new generation of artists. With over 15 years of playing experience on various instruments, he discouvered a passion for composing original music and music directly. Currently pursuing a Music Composition degree at the University of Hartford, Davis is expanding his horizons and exploring the fascinating world of film scoring. With a dream to work professionally in film scoring, he dedicates his time to honing his craft and creating captivating soundtracks that bring stories to life. Davis’s diverse playing styles allow him to gig and direct with various churches, bands, choirs, etc., showcasing his versatility and creative flair. With a strong foundation in music and a passion for composition, Jeremy Davis strives to make a lasting impact in the music industry.
First generation California-born Mexican-American composer, vocalist, guitarist, and pianist Carlos Jaquez Gonzalez left his job as a chef to begin his musical training as a composer and vocalist at San Francisco State University, where he received his Bachelor's degree. As a composition student of Richard Festinger and voice student of Nikolas Nackley, he founded the RGB Arts Festival, programming, securing funding, and coordinating multiple university departments in programs featuring music, dance, film, art song, and poetry. He also helped establish a new curriculum for SFSU's music department during his time there. Now based in Chicago, where in Spring 2021, he received/earned his Master’s degree at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, studying composition with Daron Hagen and voice privately with Alexandra LoBianco.
He has composed multiple works for chorus, soloists, percussion, chamber ensembles, electro-acoustic soundscape and orchestra. Most recently gaining recognition by the Chicago Tribune for premiering his “Immigrant Mass,” in collaboration with the Chicago Composers Orchestra, Roosevelt University – Chicago College of Performing Arts, and documentary photographer Greg Constantine. He is also most known as the primary writer, singer and guitarist of the band "The Silhouette Era."
CONDUCTING
Jonah Cohen is a composer, conductor, pianist, and cellist from Farmington Hills, MI and currently based in New York City. His compositions tend to revolve around his fascinations with space, time, motion, and stagnation, and how they are relevant in the here and now. Jonah has received recognition from ASCAP, Tribeca New Music, National YoungArts Foundation, Foundation for Modern Music, Interlochen Center for the Arts, National Young Composers Challenge, Chicago College of Performing Arts, Music Teachers National Association, and many others for his music.
Jonah began his formal study of conducting at the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he participated in the Advanced Conducting course and worked with Dr. Matthew Schomer. He participated in the New York Youth Symphony’s Robert L. Poster Apprentice Conducting Program for two years, through which he studied with Music Director Andrew Kim and Assistant Conductor Adrian Rogers.
Jonah graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he majored in composition and studied with Dr. Cynthia Van Maanen. At the Academy, Jonah was honored to receive the Neil Rabaut Memorial Composition Scholarship as well as the Young Artist Award. Jonah is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Composition degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Dr. David Ludwig and Dr. Amy Beth Kirsten.
Website: https://www.jonahcohenmusic.com/
Instagram: @jonahcohen.music
Lina Jeong is a graduate student at the University of Central Florida, where she studies orchestral conducting with Robert Hasty and is the graduate assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra. Jeong earned a master’s degree in music education with an emphasis in conducting and violin from Northwestern University and completed her undergraduate studies in music and French at Loyola University Chicago. Jeong has studied with Victor Yampolsky, MingHuan Xu, and Frederick Lowe. She was selected for the Girls Who Conduct- Early Career Program under the mentorship of Helen Cha-Pyo and Tiffany Chang. She participated in conducting masterclasses with Lina Gonzalez-Granados and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra members and violin masterclasses with Almita Vamos, Liba Shacht, and John Sherba.
As an educator, studio teacher, and clinician, Jeong has worked with students of all ages. Her students have received top ratings at festivals and performed as concertmaster and principal players in youth orchestras. Committed to building community through music and supporting young musicians, Jeong co-founded a community orchestra in Chicago that performed in nursing homes and for benefit concerts. She was the conductor for the Northwestern University Music Academy in preparation for their 2023 Europe tour and has guest conducted the Loyola University Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.
Quinn Mason (b. 1996) is a composer and conductor based in Dallas, Texas. He recently served as the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Artist in Residence. His orchestral music has been commissioned and performed by over 160 orchestras in the US and Europe, including by the San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, New World Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Utah Symphony, in Europe by the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and Sheffield Philharmonic and many more. He has received awards from the American Composers Forum, Voices of Change, ASCAP, Texas A&M University, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and was also named as a finalist for 2020’s Texan of the Year. As a conductor, he studied with Marin Alsop, Robert Spano, Gerard Schwarz, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and has guest conducted many orchestras around the country. He made his debut at age 27 with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and has also conducted the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Houston Ballet Orchestra, Hartford Symphony and many others.
Elliott Weeks is a conductor studying at Baylor University. He has co-led projects with the Baylor Symphony Orchestra, including two children's concerts and a program featuring Beethoven symphonies. Outside of his studies, Elliott has assisted the Charleston and Waco Symphony Orchestras as well as the Fort Worth Opera. He was the associate conductor of the Florida State University Studio Orchestra for its first two seasons. During this project, he helped craft a student-led ensemble that showcased new and existing film and video game music through live performances and studio recording sessions.
Prior to pursuing full-time studies in conducting, Elliott studied violin performance at the undergraduate level. Back in his hometown, Elliott has spearheaded Music Mission: Outreach, a project that focuses on weekly solo and chamber performance engagements at local memory care centers in Charleston, South Carolina.
INSTRUMENTAL STUDIES
Paige Douglas is pursuing a B.M. in flute performance at Florida State University, where she studies with Dr. Karen Large and Dr. Mary Matthews. Douglas frequently performs in FSU’s top bands and orchestras. She is principal flute of the University Philharmonia and was previously a member of the University Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. Douglas is also a member of the Flute Association at FSU and performed with their flute ensemble at the Florida Flute Association Conventions in 2023 and 2024.
In her hometown of Maryville, Tennessee, Douglas studied with Maryville College professor of flute Nathalie Simper. In addition to her music studies, Douglas is an avid painter, having participated in the Knoxville Museum of Art Student Exhibitions in 2018 and 2019.
Social media: Instagram @pgmdouglas
Roselyn Hobbs is a violist and music educator based in New England where she is currently working towards a DMA at the Hartt School as a student of Steve Larson. A dedicated performer of contemporary music, Roselyn was the first violist to graduate from Boston Conservatory with a Master’s degree in contemporary music performance. While at the Boston Conservatory as a student of Lila Brown, she performed with contraBAND under the direction of Vimbayi Kaziboni and toured North America with Evan Ziporyn’s Bowie Black Star Project. Roselyn has performed at New Music Gathering, the SEAMUS National Conference, and the International Viola Congress in Portugal. She received her Bachelor of Music at the University of Tennessee under the tutelage of Hillary Herndon.
Roselyn is passionate about environmental conservation and serves on the board of Daraja Music Initiative, with whom she has spent her summers teaching music and conservation in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania since 2016. In addition to her work in music and conservation, Roselyn is a fiber artist specializing in knotted laces, centering her practice around designing geometric labyrinths and tessellations in lace. Her fiber work has been exhibited as part of “Threaded: Contemporary Fiber in New England” at Mosesian Center for the Arts.
www.roselynhobbs.com
Hi everyone! My name is Nikhila, and I am thrilled to be a 2024 LEAD Cooperative student! I'm from Colorado and just finished my second year studying clarinet performance (and chemical engineering) at the University of Colorado Boulder. I love chamber music and have been playing in a wind quintet at my university for the past couple of years. I can't wait to learn more about it! I'm also especially interested in playing and programming works by underrepresented composers. In my free time, I love to play all the New York Times games and compete with my friends to get the best scores!
Violinist Allison Smith finds her greatest inspiration in musical collaboration and in bringing music to audiences with limited access to performing arts. Originally from Washington state, Allison has spent the last seven years fostering musical community in Pennsylvania.
After completing her B.M. in Music Education from Grove City College, where she studied with Rochelle Agnew, Allison attended the Pennsylvania State University for her M.M. in Violin Performance. She had the honor of being a Graduate Teaching Assistant to James Lyon and continued studying with him for a Professional Performance Certificate completed in 2024.
At Penn State, Allison lead as concertmaster of the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra and performed with graduate chamber ensembles, including the Kalmia Piano Quartet and the Graduate String Quartet. She regularly collaborates with students and professors to premiere new works and present recitals featuring chamber works. Allison has also initiated taking performances to outside venues, including local schools, churches, retirement communities, and hospitals.
Allison runs a private music studio and performs with regional orchestras, including the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, Altoona Symphony, Williamsport Symphony, and Johnstown Symphony. Through her education and festivals attended, Allison has performed in masterclasses with Benjamin Beilman, David Kim, David Chan, Christopher Wu, Kimberly Kennedy, the Dover Quartet, the Fry Street Quartet, and the Eybler Quartet. Outside of music, Allison enjoys baking, running, the outdoors, and visual art.
Willow Stracuzzi has played the cello for thirteen years and the viola da gamba for seven years. She is in her first year at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studies cello with Melissa Kraut. She will also pursue minors in viola da gamba and baroque cello, as well as in French.
Willow is from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she previously studied the cello with Leslie Alperin and Joel Becktell and the viola da gamba with Art Sheinberg and Mary Springfels. In Albuquerque, Willow was the principal cellist of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony and the New Mexico Allstate Symphony Orchestra throughout high school. She was also a leader in the La Cueva High School Orchestra Program, where she led sectionals and taught the beginner-level orchestra. In addition, Willow was also part of a viola da gamba quartet that performed together from 2018 to 2023.
Willow has received numerous awards, including the second prize in the 2023 Jackie McGehee Competition, the first prize in the 2022 Albuquerque Youth Symphony Concerto Competition, a scholarship to the Brevard Music Center from the National Federation of Music Clubs in 2022, and a full scholarship to the 2021 Texas Strings Festival in the 2021 Jackie McGehee Competition. In 2020, she was also granted a bass viola da gamba from the Santa Fe Symphony. Willow has performed as a soloist with the Albuquerque Youth Symphony in the spring of 2023 and with the New Mexico Philharmonic in the fall of 2022.
Brandon will be a third-year undergraduate student at The Ohio State University this fall. He is pursuing dual majors in both Physics and Viola Performance, and also has a minor in mathematics. Brandon is from Pickerington, Ohio and has a twin brother who also attends Ohio State for music. As an undergraduate musician, he is involved in several ensembles and student organizations, including the OSU Symphony Orchestra, Campus Orchestra, Chamber Music Club, and Buckeye Philharmonic Orchestra. As a part of these ensembles, Brandon has had several leadership opportunities, such as being principal violist of the Buckeye Philharmonic Orchestra and concertmaster for Campus Orchestra on his secondary instrument, violin. He has had a longstanding interest in music, starting on piano and recorder in elementary school and later moving to viola as his primary instrument in his middle school orchestra. One of Brandon’s favorite memories of making music was earning a spot in the OMEA All-State Orchestra during his senior year of high school and having the opportunity to perform with Dr. Mark Powell at the conference. Whenever he’s not in the practice room or the classroom, Brandon can be found reading, baking, or attending a Columbus Symphony concert.
Sanga Yoon is a distinguished South Korean cellist who recently completed her Artist Diploma and Suzuki training program under the guidance of Mihai Tetel and Blake Brasch at the Hartt School. She holds both a Bachelor’s and Master of Music degree from the Hartt School, where she studied under Terry King and Mihai Tetel.
Sanga has performed a wide range of music as a principal cellist with the Foot in the Door Contemporary Music Ensemble, Hartt School Collegium, and Hartt Orchestra. She has also served as a substitute principal cellist for the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and Nutmeg Symphony Orchestra, a substitute assistant principal cellist for the Connecticut Lyric Opera, and a substitute section cellist for the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, New Britain Symphony Orchestra, Connecticut Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Norwalk Symphony Orchestra.
During the summer, she attended music festivals such as NYU SummerStrings Camp, Jujube & Lisma International Music Festival in South Korea, Monteux School & Music Festival, Orvieto Musica - Intensive Strings in Italy, and Wintergreen Music Festival.
She has had the privileges to participate in numerous masterclasses for both solo and chamber music, learning from esteemed musicians including David Finckel, Phoebe Carrai, Darrett Adkins, Michael Reynolds, Stephen Balderston, Bjorn Ranheim, Amos Yang, the Attacca Quartet, Cuarteto Latinoamericano String Quartet, the Handel and Haydn Society, Lion Gates Trio, Trio Galan, and QuartetEs.
Beyond her classical music pursuits, Sanga enjoys exploring other instruments such as the viola and piano, and also enjoys nurturing plants and spending time with her Syrian hamster, Bob.
VOICE
Paige Calvert (soprano) just finished her first year of graduate studies at Oklahoma City University, where she is pursuing her master's of music in Opera performance under the guidance of Catherine McDaniel and Jan McDaniel. A native of Central Illinois, Paige received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she won the Thomas J. Smith Performance Scholarship and the Voice Area Achievement award, studying with Yvonne Gonzales Redman. As a crossover artist, a few of Paige’s favorite roles include Charlotte Malcolm (A Little Night Music), the Angel City Alto (City of Angels), 2nd Rusalka (Leontovych’s Rusalka), and Donna Gondola in the world premiere of João Ripper’s children’s opera, Candinho.
Paige is also a passionate choral musician, performing in the United States and Europe with the University of Illinois Chamber Singers. During her time in the ensemble, Paige participated in “Sing for Ukraine,” where a choir of more than four thousand singers in Tallinn, Estonia, raised over €150.000 in relief donations.
Paige spent her first year at Oklahoma City University performing in the Chorus of Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor. She is a member of the Early Music Ensemble and often performs with OPERAtions, a student-led organization dedicated to opera education and performance.
Swedish-American mezzo-soprano Olivia Ericsson, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University with a BM in vocal performance. Most recently, Olivia covered the female lead in the contemporary opera Tickets Please! with Dell’Arte Opera in New York City. She also gave an Early Music recital accompanied by organ at the Juilliard School in New York City. Olivia’s 2022/23 season included her Swedish debut at Drottningholm Slottsteater with the Stockholm konstnärliga högskola as Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. She also joined the Wintergreen Chamber Music Festival in Wintergreen, VA and the Baroque Opera Workshop in Flushing, NY. She looks forward to returning to the Wintergreen Chamber Music Festival in July 2024.
Olivia was named a finalist in the 2023 Kentucky Bach Choir Audrey Rooney Vocal Competition and won first prize in the Great Composers Competition Series. She was the 2019 recipient of the Boston University Opera Departmental Award for outstanding musical achievement and was awarded the University of Michigan Merit Scholarship for musical talent and potential.
Notable opera roles include Dido, Ruggiero, Dorabella, Hansel, Dritte Dame, Cherubino, and the title role in La Susanna.
Ana Miranda is a “melodic” soprano whose voice “echoes through a packed theater.” (Windy City Times) She has a particular draw to music that highlights text and text painting, including a passion for recitative and new music. Currently based in Chicago IL, she enjoys collaborating with composers and other musicians in the city. She is committed to singing works that give a voice to those who have been silenced. Most recently she premiered a piece at Rainbow Railroad’s Annual Benefit Concert for guitar and two voices titled Two Months, Two Years, which tells an incredible story of two LGBTQ immigrants who fell in love during their escape to find safety from their country. On the opera stage, she has brought many characters to life including Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea (Haymarket Opera Summer Program), Young Juana in With Blood With Ink (San Francisco State Opera), and Sam in a world premiere of The Groomless Bride.
Currently, she is working on a collaboration with her husband, composer Carlos Jaquez Gonzalez, on a song cycle highlighting Mexican women liberation.
Soprano, Rebecca Rutkovsky, is a New York based singer hailed for her "attention grabbing voice" (Opera Wire). Favorite roles include Alcina (Alcina), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Princess Ida (Princess Ida), Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice), First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), The Mother (Hansel and Gretel), Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Edith (Pirates of Penzance), Cinderella (Into the Woods) and Rosalia (West Side Story). In addition to singing standard repertoire, Rebecca is passionate about new music and collaborating with composers. Most recently, Rebecca collaborated with composer, Daniel Powers to premiere his concert work for soprano and orchestra, Locations and Times at the Wintergreen Music Festival. In 2021, Rebecca collaborated with composer Steven Belfer and writer Stephen Michaelman to create the role of Sarah for the world premiere workshop of their new musical, Panama. In concert Rebecca has performed as the soprano soloist in a televised Schubert’s Mass in G Major with the St. Agnes Cathedral Singers. A passionate teacher, Rebecca maintains an active private voice studio on Long Island.
