Artist BiosJohn Bayless
John Bayless has an extraordinary imagination, sly wit, tremendous musicality and an imposing technique, according to High Fidelity Magazine, and has been In 2004 he recorded his first Christmas Album entitled Christmas Rhapsody for Koch Entertainment Records. It has received accolades and tremendous reviews in its debut year and was selected as one of the top five favorite Christmas Albums of 2004 by Minnesota Public Radio. Lynnette Ellen Chambers
Natasha Farny
An avid chamber musician, Dr. Farny has given sonata recitals in Leipzig’s Mendelssohn Haus Recital Series and participated in a recording and performance project with the Berlin-based Manon Quartet. She has appeared at the Leipzig Internationales Kammermusikfestival 2000, organized by Christian Giger, principal cellist of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and chamber music tours with Gewandhaus Orchestra members in the Berlin, Frankfurt, and Heidelberg metropolitan areas. She has appeared in numerous venues in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and across the American Midwest that included a live sonata recital on Chicago Public Radio at the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series. Music festivals Dr. Farny has attended include the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove, Cornwall England, the Bay View Music Festival in Michigan, the Colorado Music Festival, the Bowdoin Music Festival, Tanglewood, and the Artur Balsam Chamber Music Festival in Indiana. Currently, she is a faculty member at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Sewanee, Tennessee. After pursuing undergraduate studies at the Curtis Institute of Music and Yale University, Dr. Farny earned a master of music degree at the Eastman School of Music and a doctor of musical arts degree at the Juilliard School. Dr. Farny is Assistant Professor of Cello at SUNY Fredonia. Nancy Curtis-Hairell
Leslie Harper
Leslie Harper resides in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband and 2 beautiful daughters. She holds a BM in vocal performance from Ouachita Baptist University and works as a freelance vocal coach, director and choreographer. A soloist for Murry's Dinner Playhouse, The Arkansas Symphony and The Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Leslie is also the music director for The Miss Arkansas Pageant and The Rep's young artist’s productions. She wishes everyone a blessed holiday season! "A special thanks to Tommy at Venue for the beautiful clothes!" Miles Hoffman
Miles Hoffman lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he is Dean of the Petrie School of Music at Converse College. The legendary cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich called him “one of the outstanding violists I have had the privilege to hear and one destined for a brilliant career,” and indeed over the past fifteen years Mr. Hoffman has appeared frequently as viola soloist with orchestras throughout the United States, garnering glowing reviews for performances of concerto repertoire ranging from the baroque to the contemporary. As Music Commentator for National Public Radio’s flagship news program, Morning Edition, he is regularly heard by a national audience of nearly fourteen million people, and he has been a featured lecturer for orchestras, universities, chamber music series, festivals, and other organizations. His musical commentary, “Coming to Terms,” was heard weekly throughout the country for thirteen years – from 1989 to 2002 – on NPR’s Performance Today, and his book, The NPR Classical Music Companion: An Essential Guide for Enlightened Listening, is now in its ninth printing from the Houghton Mifflin Company. Mr. Hoffman is also violist and artistic director of the American Chamber Players, with whom he regularly tours the United States and Canada. With the ACP he has recorded works of Mozart, Bruch, Bloch, Stravinsky, and Rochberg for a series of compact discs produced by the Library of Congress and distributed internationally on the Koch International Classics Label. The American Chamber Players are Artists-in-Residence at the Society of the Four Arts, in Palm Beach, Florida, and the resident ensemble of the June Chamber Festival at the Kreeger Museum, in Washington, DC. In May of 2003 Mr. Hoffman was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Centenary College of Louisiana in recognition of his achievements as a performer and educator.
A graduate of Yale University and the Juilliard School, Mr. Hoffman has won prizes in the National Arts Club and Washington International Competitions. He made his New York solo recital debut in 1979 at the 92nd Street Y, and has since appeared in recital in many cities. He played the first American performance of Krzysztof Penderecki’s “Cadenza” for solo viola and the first Washington area performance of the Penderecki Viola Concerto, and he has had works written for him by composers Bruce Saylor, Max Raimi, Roger Ames, and Seymour Barab, among others. In 1982 he founded the Library of Congress Summer Chamber Festival, which he directed for nine years, and which led to the formation of the American Chamber Players. He has performed and taught at many distinguished summer music festivals here and abroad, appearing regularly in recent years at both the Brevard Music Center and the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival (NC). He is also a frequent guest artist and lecturer at the annual Winter Park (FL) Bach Festival. A recent event of particular note: in March of 2007 Mr. Hoffman appeared as soloist with the United States Marine Band in a rare performance of the Morton Gould Concertette for viola and band. In addition to his duties as Dean, Mr. Hoffman is Associate Professor of Viola at Converse College, and both when traveling as a soloist and on his tours with the American Chamber Players, he presents children’s programs, classes, and master classes in schools and universities around the United States. Andrew Irvin
Matt Newman
Navah Perlman
Known for her lyrical eloquence on the stage, Navah Perlman has established herself as one of the most poetic and admired pianists of her generation. She has performed to critical acclaim in major concert venues throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Ms. Perlman began her piano studies at age six with Ronit Amir Lowenthal and later attended the Juilliard School where she worked with Herbert Stessin. She also studied chamber music with Robert Mann, Felix Galimir, and Dorothy DeLay. Ms. Perlman holds an honors degree in Art History from Brown University. Ms. Perlman has appeared with numerous orchestras throughout North America including the Chicago Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Montreal Symphony, and Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Internationally, Ms. Perlman has appeared with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Mexico, the Israel Philharmonic, the Prague Symphony and the New Japan Philharmonic in Suntory Hall. She has given recitals in Washington, D.C., Dallas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Scottsdale, and Baltimore. In addition to her successful solo career, Ms. Perlman collaborates frequently in chamber music with violinist Giora Schmidt and cellist Zuill Bailey as the Perlman/Schmidt/Bailey Trio. They continue to present energetic and passionate performances at major halls, festivals, and universities across America, including at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and the Ravinia Festival as well as in cities across North America such as San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, Phoenix, Houston, and Mexico City. Ms. Perlman is an active and respected performer of residency and educational outreach activities. Communities in which she has given extended residencies include Raleigh, North Carolina and Vancouver, British Columbia. While in residence, Ms. Perlman teaches students of all ages in master classes, speaks to school assemblies and has also conducted pedagogy workshops for teachers. Ms. Perlman has participated in several chamber music residency programs, including those at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the University of California at Davis, and Stanford University. Ms. Perlman's recital recording of Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin and Prokofiev is available on EMI Classics. Arnold Rawls
Tenor Arnold Rawls has delighted audiences with his unique combination of vocal and dramatic skills in performances ranging from art song to opera. He has been hailed for having a “powerful, clarion-sounding tenor,” a “firm, pliant lyric tenor with ringing high notes,” as well as a “flair for acting.” In the current season Arnold Rawls sings Radames in Aida with Opera Omaha and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Cavaradossi in Tosca with Florida Grand Opera, Sam in Susannah with Opera Pacific and covers the role of Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut with The Metropolitan Opera. He will be heard in the role of San-Lui in Franco Leoni’s L’Oracolo with the Teatro Grattacielo in New York City’s Avery Fisher Hall, and he will participate in a gala concert with the Abilene Symphony as well as the Beethoven 9th Symphony with the Southwest Florida Symphony. In addition, he offers several solo recitals throughout the United States, including Illinois, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Future seasons find Mr. Rawls returning to the Bregenzer Festival as Radames in Aida, as well as singing Manrico in Il Trovatore with the Seattle Opera, Ismaele in Nabucco with Florida Grand Opera, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera with the Des Moines Metro Opera, and both Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and Canio in I Pagliacci with Lyric Opera of Chicago. During the 2006 – 2007 season Mr. Rawls portrayed Radames in Aida for his debut with the Florida Grand Opera, which was their first production in their new theater, the leading role of Standing Bear in the World Premiere of Anthony Davis’ Wakonda’s Dream with Opera Omaha, and Manrico in Il Trovatore at the Bregenzer Festspiele in Austria. He sang Turridu in Cavalleria Rusticanawith Granite State Opera, and also covered the role of Calaf in Turandot with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Concert performances include the role of Cavaradossi in Tosca with the Bridgeport Symphony under Gustav Meier, and a Gala concert with Opera Omaha. He is a 2006 recipient of a major grant from the Olga Forrai Foundation. In the previous three seasons Mr. Rawls sang Manrico in Il Trovatore with the Bregenzer Festival and Teatro Lirico, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with the Granite State Opera, Calaf in Turandot with Opera Omaha, Nevada Opera and Mobile Opera, and Alfred in Die Fledermaus with the Nashville Opera. He also portrayed Don Jose in Carmen with the Madison Opera and the Dona Ana Lyric Opera in New Mexico, the Duke in Rigoletto with Teatro Lirico, and Canio in Pagliacci with the Opera Theatre of Highland Park. He covered the roles of Calaf in Turandot with the Santa Fe Opera and the role of Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In concert he sang the role of Radames and Calaf both with the Arkansas Symphony, participated in Gala concerts with Opera Omaha and the Mobile Opera, and offered a vocal recital tour featuring tenor, harp and horn. Additional career highlights include Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West with the Utah Festival Opera, Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos with the Arizona Opera, and Calaf in Turandot with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Pensacola Opera, and Opera Southwest. He sang Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana with the Pine Mountain Music Festival, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera Southwest and Opera Theatre of Highland Park, Manrico in Il Trovatore with Opera Southwest, and Alfredo in La Traviata with the Natchez Opera Festival. On the concert stage he sang the roles of Manrico in Il Trovatore with the Elmhurst Symphony, Don Jose in Carmen with the DuPage Symphony, and Calaf in Turandot with the Beloit Janesville Symphony. He was a soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with both the Lake Charles Symphony and Southwest Missouri State University, in Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in San Ramon, California and in St. Charles, Illinois. His concert repertoire also includes Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Handel's Messiah, Rossini's Stabat Mater, Schumann's Requiem, and Puccini's Messa di Gloria. Mary Ann Robinson Byron Stripling
Since his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, STRIPLING has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country, soloing with Boston Pops, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Utah Symphony, and The American Jazz Philharmonic, to name a few. He has been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and performs at jazz festivals throughout the world. An accomplished actor and singer, STRIPLING was chosen, following a world wide search, to star in the lead role of the Broadway bound musical, "Satchmo." Many will remember his featured cameo performance in the television movie, "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," and his critically acclaimed virtuoso trumpet and riotous comedic performance in the 42nd Street production of "From Second Avenue to Broadway." Television viewers have enjoyed his work as soloist on the worldwide telecast of The Grammy Awards. Millions have heard his trumpet and voice on television commercials, TV theme songs including "20/20," CNN, and soundtracks of favorite movies. STRIPLING earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster. He has also played and recorded extensively with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, and Buck Clayton in addition to The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and The GRP All Star Big Band. STRIPLING enjoys conducting Seminars and Master Classes at colleges, universities, conservatories, and high schools. His informative talks, combined with his incomparable wit and charm, make him a favorite guest speaker to groups of all ages. STRIPLING was educated at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. One of his greatest joys is to return, periodically, to Eastman and Interlochen as a special guest lecturer. A resident of Ohio, STRIPLING lives in the country with his wife, former dancer, writer and poet, Alexis and their beautiful daughters. Gustavo Tolosa
Argentine-American pianist Gustavo Tolosa maintains an active career as a performer, teacher, and administrator. As a performer, Dr. Tolosa presents several solo recitals every year and also performs with orchestras and with chamber music groups around the country and abroad. He is also in constant demand as competition adjudicator and master class presenter. As a teacher, Dr. Tolosa maintains a busy private piano studio and he also teaches piano at Brookhaven College and at North Lake College both in Dallas. At North Lake College, Dr. Tolosa is the Director of Piano Studies. As an administrator, Dr. Tolosa is the Director of the Arts Academy at Brookhaven College where he is in charge of a thriving non-credit program in music. Children and adults of all ages and levels participate in this program. Dr. Tolosa also manages two Concert Series in Dallas, the Coffee Concert Series at Brookhaven College and the Classical Concert Series at Southside on Lamar. Dr. Tolosa was the Piano Division Director for seven years at Abilene Christian University from 1996 to 2004. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Abilene Christian University. He also holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Redlands, California, and a Doctorate in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. While at Eastman he had the opportunity to study with internationally acclaimed pianists such as Barry Snyder, Nelita True, Natalya Antonova, and Malcolm Bilson. Dr. Tolosa is a member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA), the Dallas Music Teachers Association (DMTA), and the College Music Society (CMS). In March of 2006 Dr. Tolosa was chosen to give a lecture on Argentine Piano Music at the National Convention for MTNA. For a complete list of past and upcoming performances please visit Dr. Tolosa’s web site at www.Born4Piano.com. |
|
Houston-born mezzo-soprano and Associate Professor Lynnette Ellen Chambers, is in her tenth year on the voice faculty of Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University, receiving her D.M.A. in 1998 and a Masters in Vocal Performance in 1996. She also attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she received her Bachelor of Music Education Degree in 1994. Most recently, Dr. Chambers won fourth place and received the Dorthy Kirsten-James Browning award for “Most Promising Singer” at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Award competition in New Orleans, LA. Other competition winnings include fourth place in the 2003 Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition and 2 nd place in the 2002 El Paso Opera Competition. In November of 1999, Dr. Chambers won “Singer of the Year” an annual competition held at the Texoma Regional National Association of Teachers of Singing convention. She also became a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Awards, which took place in March of 1999. In November of 2002, Dr. Chambers was a featured soloist with Lake George Opera in a benefit concert entitled, From Vienna to Broadway . In addition she has also been a featured soloist with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra, participating in such concerts as Mozart’s Mass in c minor, “Mozart Opera Highlights”, “A Tribute to World War II Veterans”, “100 Years of Broadway”, “ A Tribute to Gilbert and Sullivan” and Beethoven’s 9 th Symphony. She has also been a soloist with the Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Abilene Collegiate Orchestra. In 2006, Dr. Chambers made her first appearance with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of David Itkin, singing the solo in Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. Her other operatic/musical theater performance credits include the roles of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly , Flora in La Traviata , Dryade in Ariadne Auf Naxos, Tamiri in Il Re Pastore (cover) , Fidalma in Il Matrimonio Segreto (cover), Mercedes in Carmen , Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte , Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice , Nancy in Albert Herring , Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro , Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus , Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan, Rosina in The Barber of Seville , and Tituba in Robert Ward’s The Crucible . She has also participated as an Apprentice Artist with Lake George Opera Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera and toured with Muddy River Opera’s Educational Outreach performances of Alice in Operaland. 
American cellist Natasha Farny has distinguished herself as a talent of significant versatility and experience among today's younger generation of string virtuosi. An accomplished soloist, Dr. Farny has performed with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Western New York Chamber Orchestra, the Orchard Park Symphony, and the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra. As a doctoral student at Juilliard, she won the prestigious Juilliard Cello Concerto Competition in 2000, and performed Henri Dutilleux's "Tout un Monde Lointain" with the Juilliard Symphony, under the direction of Robert Spano. That same year, she gave the world premiere performance of Norwegian composer Olav Anton Thommessen's Cello Concerto "Through Reflection." 
Houston soprano Nancy Curtis enjoys a multifaceted career as a singer of opera, oratorio, symphonic repertoire, and recitals. Nancy's commitment to her artistry has drawn praise from colleagues, audiences, and critics alike, and she is in demand as a vocalist and teacher. Hailed as a "stand-out", Ms. Curtis enjoys an active opera career and has been featured with opera companies including the Virginia Opera, the Tulsa Opera, the New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and the Lyric Opera of San Antonio. This highly versatile singer has also been presented as the soprano soloist with many outstanding symphony orchestras including the Austin Symphony, the Maryland Symphony, the Arkansas Symphony, The Santa Fe Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, the Tulsa Philharmonic and Ballet as well as the Houston Masterworks Chorus, the Victoria Bach Festival, and the International Festival Institute at Round Top. As a winner of the prestigious Enrico Caruso Vocal Competition, Ms. Curtis was invited to sing concerts in Italy including an appearance at La Scala. Ms. Curtis has been invited to sing for many of our nation's leaders including former Presidents George Bush, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and Texas Governor Rick Perry. She has also had the privilege of singing our National Anthem for the Houston Texans, the Houston Rockets, and Houston Comets and was recently honored to sing for the commissioning of the USS Texas feasturing First Lady, Laura Bush. Upcoming engagements include appearances with the Victoria Bach Festival, Conspirare, Cantare, the St. Cecilia Chamber Music Society, and the Maryland Symphony. But of all of the wonderful experiences she has had, her favorite role is being a mom to R.J., age 6, and Ashton, age 9 months! 
Matt Newman, a native of Missouri, has lived in Arkansas for the past twelve years. He moved to Arkansas to attend college, since then he has appeared as a featured soloist for many central Arkansas churches, and choral ensembles. Mr. Newman has been a regularly featured soloist with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Arkansas Chamber Singers. His repertoire includes: Bach’s Magnificat , Handel’s Messiah , Mozart’s Requiem , Rossini’s Il Barbiere Di Siviglia , and Puccini’s La Boheme , and Gianni Schicchi.
Mary Ann Robinson, an Arkansas native, has appeared professionally as a soloist with symphony orchestras across the country, including the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the University of Kansas Philharmonic. She has made numerous appearances in Boston during the past three years and sang the National Anthem in the Pyramid in Memphis for a Boston Celtics basketball game with the Memphis Grizzlies. She was also chosen to sing the National Anthem for the seven living governors of Arkansas, including President Bill Clinton. In October of 2002, Ms. Robinson toured throughout Italy, including a concert performance in Rome and an audience with Pope John Paul II. As proof of her diversity as an artist, Ms. Robinson has premiered several new works and is much in demand as an oratorio soloist as well. She has been a regularly featured soloist with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Arkansas Chamber Singers and continues to enjoy appearances with numerous chamber ensembles, choral ensembles and churches throughout the United States. 
With a contagious smile and captivating charm, trumpet virtuoso, BYRON STRIPLING, has ignited audiences internationally. As soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Stripling has performed frequently under the baton of Keith Lockhart, as well as being featured soloist on the PBS television special, "Evening at Pops," with conductors John Williams and Mr. Lockhart. Currently, Stripling serves as artistic director and conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra.
