Bridget Hogan  (soprano) is credited with having a voice of distinctive beauty and original charm on stage. She has been delighted to perform a wide variety of repertoire throughout Ontario ranging from Musical Theater and Folk songs to aria from Opera and Oratorio. Her operatic credits include Pamina of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Belinda of Purcell's Dido and Aneas. Ms. Hogan's oratorio credits include Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, and Honegger's Le Roi David among others.

Ms. Hogan has enjoyed performing numerous recital engagements throughout Canada. She has been praised for her interpretation of both French Art Song and Canadian chamber music. Bring a Canadian citizen, Ms. Hogan is always thrilled to perform the works of Canadian composers. She has been honored to have works written for her by composers such as Jens Henson and Brent Lee. Currently, Ms. Hogan is anxiously awaiting the completion of an opera about the life of Great Canadian diva Teresa Stratas, composed by Peter Skoggard specifically for her voice.

Ms. Hogan currently resides in New York City, completing a Master of Music degree in New York City. Her upcoming concerts include a concert of Baroque Music touring throughout Manhattan, song repertoire in New York and in Toronto, featured New Music in Florida and various appearances performing Sacred Music over the holiday in the Toronto Area. Ms. Hogan also looks forward to performing in recital and opera in various locations throughout Europe in less than two years' time.

Visit Bridget's website.   [ back ]

Kate Hurney  (soprano) an American soprano, has sung opera in Europe with the Zürich Opernhaus, Theatre Monnaie, Opera Rara, and was the lyric coloratura at Freiberg, Germany for two seasons. In America, she sang with the American Opera Society, the Houston Grand Opera, The Dallas Civic Opera. Equally at home in concert, she has been soloist with the Miami, Buffalo, Houston, and Santo Domingo orchestras. Appearances also include the concerts with Rosalyn Tureck's International Bach Society, and the festivals at Marlboro, Boston, and Tanglewood. Recordings include Decca (with Musica Aeterna), Poseidon (Hovhaness's Saturn, which was written for her), and Sudwest Funk.

In 1972 Kate Hurney co-founded the Public Opera Theatre, and experimental opera producing unit. Her repertoire ranges from Scarlatti, Georg Frideric Handel and Mozart to contemporary works, and her favorite operatic roles are Gilda, Lucia, Violetta, and Norina. She received grants from the Rockerfeller and Avalon Foundation. [ back ]

Katy Sumrow (mezzo-soprano) was born in Gdansk, Poland. At an early age, she received a full music scholarship to the Chopin School of Music. Upon graduating she signed a contract with the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and toured through Spain and Germany. Ms. Sumrow performed in the Polish Requiem with Leonard Bernstein and Liv Ullman at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw on International television. Her repertoires as a Soloist include Baroque, Opera, Jazz, Spiritual and Broadway.

Ms. Sumrow is a founding member of the "Baroque Ensemble Buccina Cantorum" and has recorded a CD "Music of the Italian Baroque". Over the last four years, she's been a member of the State Repertory Opera of New Jersey and performed in productions of "Lucia di Lammermoor", "Il Trovatore", "Elisir D'Amore" and "Don Pasquale". For more information and to hear some of her songs please visit Katy's website.   [ back ]

David Kellett  (tenor) made his operatic debut as Count Belfiore in Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera with the Opera Shop at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City . He has appeared at the Lake George Opera Festival, the June Opera Festival, the Opera Festival of New Jersey and the Banff Centre for the Arts. Having performed over 45 principal and secondary roles in opera and operetta, he has portrayed several roles in some of the obscure Donizetti operas, including Daniele in Betly, Ernesto in Il Giovedi Grasso, and Eutropio in Belisario. David has also the distinction of having performed Count Almaviva in both the Rossini and Paisiello versions of Il Barbiere di Siviglia. His Mozart roles include Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Seraglio, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and Bastien in Bastien und Bastienne.

An active concert soloist, David has appeared at the Charles Ives Center for the Arts, with the Long Island Jewish Arts Festival, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the National Dance Institute under the baton of composer/conductor David Amram. As Mr. Amram's tenor of choice, David has sung in the composer's opera, Twelfth Night, and performed his songs in concert on numerous occasions. He appeared at Lincoln Center in 2007 on a program celebrating the 50th anniversary of Joseph Papp's Shakespeare Festival singing selections that were composed for productions directed by Papp during the first 11 years of its existence.

As an oratorio soloist, he has appeared with the Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut, the Oratorio Society of New Jersey, the Richmond Choral Society, Commonwealth Opera, Concordia Chorale, the Glee Club and Chapel Choir at Princeton University and numerous other organizations in the New York area.

Radio audiences have heard him on WQXR's Listening Room, and WNCN's WNCN's Live including a recreation of Vittorio Giannini's radio opera, Blennerhassett. Recordings of his operatic performances have been broadcast on WKCR and WBAI in New York City.

Since 1995, David has taught private voice at Princeton University. He made his directing debut with the university production of Mozart's Magic Flute in 2002. Since that time he has directed Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience and Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. He has appeared regularly with the Richardson Chamber Players, the resident chamber music ensemble of the university.

In 2005, David began his association with the Princeton Festival appearing as Pirelli in their debut performance of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. Since that time, he has directed their young artist productions of Menotti's Old Maid and the Thief and Man of La Mancha, The Fantasticks, presented audition master classes and served as vocal consultant. He returns this year to direct Three Penny Opera.

Visit David's website.   [ back ]

Robert Aaron Taylor  (bass-baritone) is a native of Chattanooga, TN. An artist of great flexibility, Robert has performed roles in a variety of theatrical productions, including Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, Dr. Bartolo in The Barber of Seville, Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi, Dr. Dulcamara in l'Elisir d'Amore and Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow with Rimrock Opera, the Boatswain in H.M.S. Pinafore, Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Lord Mountarrarat in Iolanthe, Hortensius in The Daughter of the Regiment and Cascada in The Merry Widow with Lyric Opera San Diego, Mityukha in Boris Godunov and the Sergeant in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with San Diego Opera, the Servant in Glass' Fall of the House of Usher with Lyric Opera Cleveland, Count Ceprano in Rigoletto with Indianapolis Opera and Mephistophélès in Faust, Leandro in Love for Three Oranges, Zuniga in Carmen, Simone in Gianni Schicchi and the Bonze in Madama Butterfly at Indiana University.

An accomplished recitalist and concert performer as well, Robert has premiered and recorded German lieder by the Austrian-born composer Robert Fürstenthal, working closely with the composer himself. Robert has sung solos in oratorios all over the country, including Händel's immortal Messiah, Vaughan William's Five Mystical Songs, Schubert's Mass in G, Haydn's Theresienmesse and Requiems by Gabriel Fauré and W.A. Mozart. He has also performed a selection of Japanese folk songs with the Japanese Chicago Oratorio Choir.

Mr. Taylor has been praised by conductors and directors alike for his ability to bring a character to life on the stage with a combination of solid physical and vocal presence. His professionalism, consistency and preparation have been noted by colleague and observer alike; most notably, when he was called in as a replacement in Rimrock Opera's production of l'Elisir d'Amore. Remarkably, he learned, rehearsed and performed the role of Dr. Dulcamara, “the show-stealing quack,” in approximately one month's time, securing him the title role in their production of Marriage of Figaro.

Robert has worked with such artists as Edoardo Müller, Lotfi Mansouri, Robert Shaw, Valéry Ryvkin, Raymond Leppard and Claudia Pinza. He has performed for tens of thousands of children and adults in San Diego County as a member of the San Diego Opera Ensemble, including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He received his Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied voice with the internationally renowned soprano, Virginia Zeani and nationally recognized American baritone, Timothy Noble.

Visit Robert's website.   [ back ]

Warren Helms (accompanist) presently is a faculty member of The Juilliard School and also William Paterson University. He served as opera coach at The Manhattan School of Music for eleven years. Mr. Helms was assistant conductor/pianist for the Broadway production of Showboat at the Gershwin Theatre and has performed off-Broadway with the Vineyard Theatre. He recently performed with the Three Irish Tenors, Aretha Franklin as well as Clay Aiken. Cabaret experience includes The Rainbow Room, Russian Tea Room. He collaborates with Drew University, Kean University and Westminster Choir College. He is also the Director of Music at The Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Wayne, New Jersey. [ back ]

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