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2008 Faculty
Martile Rowland, Founder/Artistic
Director of Opera Theatre of the Rockies and Director of the Vocal Arts
Symposium, was catapulted into the international opera scene with her
unexpected debut as Queen Elizabeth in Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux
with Opera Orchestra of New York, Eve Queler Conductor. In the reviews
that followed, Martile was praised for her agility, legato line, high
pianissimo by the New York Times, was called a “real discovery”
by the New York Post, and compared to Montserrat Caballe, Joan Sutherland
and Maria Callas by Peter G. Davis of New York Magazine. Four months later,
Martile made an equally dramatic Metropolitan Opera debut in the treacherous
role of Elvira in Bellini’s I Puritani. Martin Bookspan’s
review hailed her as the successor to Dame Joan Sutherland. During the
years that have followed, Ms. Rowland has sung in the world’s leading
opera houses to rave reviews including returns to the Metropolitan Opera
for such roles as Lucia with Alfredo Krauss, more Puritani Elviras, Musetta
in La Boheme, and I Lombardi’s leading lady, New York City Opera,
France’s Opera de Nice, Mexico’s Palacio de Bellas Artes,
Rio de Janeiro’s National Theatre, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires,
Stuttgart, Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, Bonn, Ludwigsburger International Festival
for 6 seasons, Paris Opera Bastille, Manheim, Basel, Amsterdam for several
seasons, KRO radio international broadcasts, Sudwestfunk German radio
broadcasts, Prague, Brno, Kaiserslautern, Freiburg, festivals throughout
Italy, Austria, Germany, and returns to Carnegie Hall as a leading heroine
in seven other operatic productions. For Martile’s last Carnegie
Hall performance in the New York premier of Donizetti’s Poliuto
in 1998, Joan Sutherland, Richard Boynge, Anna Moffo and Renata Scotto
were in the audience and Martile was privileged to enjoy a face to face
meeting with her Bel Canto idol, Dame Joan Sutherland. United States audiences
have seen Martile’s portrayals with Miami Opera where she was named
Artist of the Year for her portrayal of Lucia, San Diego Opera, Baltimore
Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera for 7 seasons,
Dayton Opera, Opera Colorado and the Colorado Opera Festival where she
sang leading roles in 7 productions and served as Stage Director for Carmen
in 1997.
Martile is known for performing a wide range of repertoire including most
of the early Verdi heroines, Bel Canto rarities including numerous performances
of the Bel Canto pinnacle role of Norma, more than 50 performances of
Lucia, and more dramatic roles such as Puccini’s Turandot. Ms. Rowland
has appeared in concert with Symphonies across the USA, Europe, Mexico
and South America in such signature pieces as Verdi’s Requiem, and
has been featured as a soloist with such international artists as Susan
Grace, piano, William Wolfram, piano, Marina Piccinini, flute, and Jose
Luis Garcia, violin. Currently, Martile’s happiest times are spent
in her voice studio working with incredibly talented singers and with
Opera Theatre of the Rockies, now moving into its ninth season. Her students
are singing with companies all over the world including the Metropolitan
Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Colorado,
Piedmont Opera, St. Bartholomew’s International Festival, the Belle
Ille International Festival, and Salzburg Festival, to name a few. She
has served as Stage Director and/or Producer for OTR’s productions
of The Merry Widow, Hansel and Gretel, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Gianni
Schicchi/Pagliacci, Candide (in which she performed The Old Lady complete
with splits) and as Music Director for OTR’s collaboration with
UCCS Theatreworks, The Lady of the Camellias (voted Best Theatre Production
of the 2002 season by Springs Magazine), and Opera Theatre of the Rockies
Goes to Court, a production utilizing the historic Pioneer’s Museum
courtroom as part of its centennial anniversary, which featured G&S’s
Trial By Jury, scenes from Ward’s The Crucible, and the courtroom
scene from Herman’s Hello Dolly. OTR won the PAPAA award for Best
Small Ensemble Performance for OTR Goes to Court. Subsequent seasons featured
Donizetti’s Daughter of the Regiment, “A Night at the Opera”
with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and a highly acclaimed production
of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, not seen in Colorado Springs
for 30 years. This production, with Conductor James Allbritten and Stage
Director Steven LaCosse, was awarded a PAPAA for Best Large Ensemble Production
for 2005 and gave Soprano Judeth Shay Burns the PAPAA award for Best Solo
Performer for her portrayal of Susanna. OTR’s seventh season sparkled
with Rossini’s Cenerentola and sizzled with OTR’s collaboration
with UCCS Theatreworks, The Threepenny Opera. In May of 2006 OTR presented
it’s first solo production in the Pikes Peak Center with Puccini
Spectacular, conducted by Music Director of the Akron and Orlando Symphonies,
Christopher Wilkins and directed by Martile. Martile is also proud to
lead the award-winning program Opera Theatre of the Rockies Goes to School,
an ongoing collaboration with the Pikes Peak Opera League, a treasured
member of the OTR family and other state foundations. OTR Goes to School
has introduced some 500 area teachers to opera through a series of classes
and, in turn, these teachers have introduced opera into their classroom
curriculum. Martile and OTR performers have performed for some 20,000
area students.
In May of 2006, Martile Rowland was named Classical Singer Magazine’s
“2006 Teacher of the Year.” In addition to accepting the award
at the International Convention in Philadelphia, Martile was featured
in the August 2006 Classical Singer Magazine. In June, Ms. Rowland was
presented The Lifetime Achievement Award by the Pikes Peak Opera League.
Martile is Artist in Residence at The Colorado College and resides in
Colorado Springs with husband, James.
Steven LaCosse, Principal Stage
Director/Assistant Program Director/Tenor, has sung and acted in
over 80 productions. As a stage director, he has directed more than 50
productions including, Beatrice and Benedick, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin,
Don Pasquale, Le Nozze di Figaro, Carousel, The Sound of Music, The Fantasticks,
Die Fledermaus, Carmen, The Devil and Kate, The Tender Land, Un Ballo
in Maschera, La Cenerentola, Cavelleria Rusticana, La Fille du Régiment,
Candide, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
and Madama Butterfly. Recent projects include Bizet’s Carmen and
La Bohème for the Princeton Festival, and the southeastern premier
of Ned Rorem’s Our Town for the Fletcher Institute.
Upcoming projects include Le Nozze di Figaro for Piedmont Opera and a
return for a tenth year to Colorado College as Assistant Program Director
and Principal Stage Director for Opera Theatre of the Rockies’ Vocal
Arts Symposium.
An active singer as well as director, Mr. LaCosse has appeared with many
opera companies, including: Toledo Opera, Opera Carolina, Opera Festival
of New Jersey, Utah Festival Opera Company, and Piedmont Opera.
Mr. LaCosse holds a bachelor's degree in voice from Indiana University
at South Bend, a master's degree in voice from the University of North
Texas, a master's degree in opera stage direction from Indiana University,
and is a doctoral candidate in voice at Indiana University. He is the
Managing Director for the A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute at the North
Carolina School of the Arts.
Zetta Alderman, Choreographer/Dance
Instructor/Director, Zetta Alderman began her training in Houston,
Tx. at the age of 8! She performed in theater, television, film and radio
for the first 22 years her career and spent the past 18 years mentoring
young artists. Her background is filled with diversity from Classical
Ballet training with Robert Joffrey, Tap with Maurice and Gregory Hines,
Jazz with Luigi, Frank Hatchett, Robert Fosse and Gus Giordano and her
primary Dance training with Patsy Swayze (Houston Jazz Ballet Co.) and
James Clouser (Houston Ballet). She attended the High School of Performing
and Visual Arts (Houston, TX) studied at Humphries School of Musical Theatre,
and Actors Theatre of Houston. As a child Alderman could be seen and heard
on television and radio commercials nation wide! She performed and worked
as director/choreographer with Theatre Under the Stars and Actors Theatre
of Houston, before moving to NYC to accept a contract with Luigi's Jazz
Dance Company. Her favorite performance credits include the first International
Touring Company of A Chorus Line and the film Urban Cowboy with John Travolta!!
You may have seen her as "Velma Kelly" in the FAC production
of "Chicago" a few years back. Alderman currently spends most
of her time as artistic director of her company and school "Indigo
Dance Colorado". It is with great pleasure that Alderman returns
as Director/Choreographer of The Vocal Arts Symposium.
James Allbritten, Principal Conductor/Voice
Teacher/Stage Director/Tenor, Originally from Louisville, KY, he
began his operatic career with Kentucky Opera. While a student in Louisville,
he was invited to participate as one of the youngest artists in the San
Antonio Arts Festival, where he was apprenticed to Boris Goldovsky. His
conducting studies began at Indiana University under Jan Harrington, Robert
Porco, and Thomas Dunn. While there he also worked with Glyndebourne Festival
Opera conductor Bryan Balkwill, and MET stage directors, Fritz Busch and
James Lucas.
He came to North Carolina in 1993 to join the faculty of the North Carolina
School of the Arts where his duties now include Artistic Director of the
A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute. There he has conducted many performances
including Donizetti’s Belisario, Mozart's Don Giovanni, and Dvorak's
The Devil and Kate. Composer Kirke Mechem was so pleased with Allbritten’s
reading of his Tartuffe, that he asked him to lead the first act of his
new opera Pride and Prejudice in a workshop premiere.
As a singer, this fine lyric tenor has appeared with Opera Theatre of
St. Louis, Kentucky Opera, Greensboro Opera, Opera Carolina, Arizona Opera,
Huntsville Opera and Opera Theatre of the Rockies. His roles include Alfredo
in La traviata, Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Des
Grieux in Manon, Camille in The Merry Widow, and Tonio in La fille du
Règiment.
As the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for Piedmont Opera, he
has led Verdi’s Aida and Un ballo in maschera, as well as Rossini’s
La Cenerentola. Of Piedmont Opera’s Un ballo in maschera, Opera
News said, “The musical excellence for the entire evening was the
work of the conductor, James Allbritten…His tempos were well chosen,
attacks were precise, and coordination and balance with the singers was
exemplary.”
He has also led performances for Opera Theater of the Rockies, Opera Carolina,
and the Winston-Salem Symphony. Allbritten spent four seasons as Music
Director for NCSA’s illuminations festival on the Outer Banks, and
led the schools Festival Orchestra at Côte Vermeille and for the
Flâneries Musicales d’Ete de Reims in France. Recent projects
include the Southeastern premiere of Ned Rorem’s Our Town, which
was co-commissioned by the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, and his professional
debut as stage director with Piedmont Opera's Die Fledermaus. Future projects
include The Light in the Piazza in its opera house debut with Piedmont
Opera and a return as Principal conductor/voice teacher to Opera Theatre
of the Rockies Vocal Arts Symposium at Colorado College.
Daniel Brink, Vocal Coach/Piano, is in his ninth season
as Music Director for Opera Theatre of the Rockies, having served as Principal
Coach and Accompanist for The Ballad of Baby Doe, Pagliacci, Gianni Schicchi,
The Lady of the Camellias, Candide, Daughter of the Regiment, Marriage
of Figaro, Cinderella, The20Puccini Spectacular, Hansel and Gretel and
Carmen. He has been a member of the music faculty of The Colorado College
since 1987, and has taught in the Vocal Arts Symposium since its inception.
Dan is also Assistant Conductor and Principal Accompanist for the Colorado
Springs Chorale. He served on the artistic staff of the Colorado Opera
Festival from 1984 until its closure in 2000. He has been an active coach,
recitalist and adjudicator along the front range of Colorado for over
thirty years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance
from the University of Southern Colorado, and received his Master of Music
degree in piano accompanying and chamber music from the University of
Colorado at Boulder.
Gloria Parker, Voice Teacher/Scenes
Director/Mezzo-Soprano, is critically acclaimed in both contemporary and
standard operatic and musical theater repertoire, as well as several roles
she created in world premiere. The Washington Post praises her as “…a
sensitive and conscientious musician,” and the New York Times calls
her “solid” in performance. She performs around the globe
in signature roles such as Maddalena in Rigoletto, Nicklausse in The Tales
of Hoffmann, Marguerite in The Damnation of Faust, Lola in Cavalleria
Rusticana, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Prince Orlofsky in Die
Fledermaus, Mrs. De Rocher in Dead Man Walking, Baba the Turk in The Rake’s
Progress, Jenny Diver in Threepenny Opera, the title role in La Perichole,
La Marquise in Les Filles du Regiment, as well as Kate in Kiss Me, Kate!
with companies such as the Washington Opera, Seattle Opera, New York City
Opera, Vancouver Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Michigan
Opera Theatre, Teatro Regio Torino, Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli, among
many others.
Ms. Parker recently triumphed in the role of Hippolyta in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream for Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli, a role she repeated
for Pittsburgh Opera, and in her London debut as featured soloist with
the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall. She has
sung with the New York City Opera as Mrs. De Rocher in Dead Man Walking
and in Dialogues of the Carmelites, and toured to Tokyo & Nagoya,
Japan with NYCO on their tour of Little Women. In the 2006- 2007 season
she was heard as Emma Jones in Street Scene and Queen Henrietta I Puritani
with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Cornelia in Giulio Cesare with Seattle
Opera, Marquise de Birkenfeld in La Fille du Regiment with the Todi Music
Festival. In autumn of 2007 she created and recorded the role of La Duegne
in the world premiere of Cyrano at the Michigan Opera Theatre, with subsequent
performances at The Opera Company of Philadelphia and Florida Grand Opera.
Creating the role of Dahlia in Stewart Copeland's Holy Blood and Crescent
Moon, Ms. Parker performed both in the world premiere with Cleveland Opera
and subsequent performances with Fort Worth Opera. She also created the
title role of Sandra in a world premiere of David MacIntyre’s The
Architect with Vancouver Opera. Other performances include Hänsel
in Hänsel und Gretel with both Minnesota Opera and Fort Worth Opera,
Stephano in Romeo et Juliette with Washington Opera, Kate in Kiss Me Kate
and Lady Thiang in The King and I with Augusta Opera, Jade Boucher in
Dead Man Walking with Michigan Opera Theatre and the Pittsburgh Opera,
Mrs. Grose in a production of Turn of the Screw with Opera Omaha, Cornelia
in Giulio Cesare with Pittsburgh Opera and Seattle Operas, and her debut
with Arizona Opera as Jenny Diver/Narrator in Kurt Weill’s Threepenny
Opera. In 2005 she was invited to sing in the first international production
of the musical Chicago at the famous Baalbeck Festival, in Lebanon.
Ms. Parker made her Avery Fisher Hall debut as the Mother in Amahl and
the Night Visitors, as well as staged performances of Stravinsky’s
Pulcinella with the Mark Morris Dance Company. Other orchestral appearances
include performances of Mozart’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall, and featured
symphonic engagements with The London Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony,
The Little Orchestra Society of New York, Richmond Symphony, Caramoor
Festival, Oklahoma Symphony, Delaware Symphony, and with Riverside Symphonia
in a Mendelssohn program of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Last season
she debuted with the American Symphony Orchestra in the western premiere
of Shreker’s Der ferne Klang, and sang the role of Lady Sangazure
in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Sorcerer at the Bard Summerscape
Festival. Upcoming engagements include a return to the London Philharmonic
, Giulio Cesare at Lyric Opera of Kansas, Little Women with the Syracuse
Opera, Cyrano at Baltimore Opera and Le Nozze di Figaro with Cleveland
Opera. In April of 2008 she sings Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus at
Opera Carolina.
Ms. Parker made her Broadway debut as Julie Laverne opposite Donald O'Connor
in Showboat, a role she performed with Houston Grand Opera, Portland Opera,
Minnesota Opera and the Broadway Company National Tour. She made her Hamburg
Staatsoper debut as Claire de Loone in Leonard Bernstein’s On The
Town to great acclaim. She was heard in performance at The Public Theatre
in the world premiere of Lennie & The Heartbreaker, directed by the
late Joseph Papp, and as Queen Gertrude in the Off-Broadway production
of Ophelia, directed by Ken Cazan. Other musical theatre roles include;
Madame Giry, Phantom of the Opera in a world tour, Anita, West Side Story
at the Caramoor Festival, Abbess The Sound of Music, Nettie Carousel,
and the Stepmother Into The Woods.
Craig Kier, Vocal Coach/Piano,
is currently the resident principal coach/accompanist for Atlanta Opera
in Atlanta, GA. Responsible for overseeing the music staff for Atlanta
Opera, Craig also serves as assistant conductor for the mainstage productions
as well as music director for the Atlanta Opera Studio Program. Prior
to his relationship with Atlanta Opera, Craig was a member of Seattle
Opera’s music staff for two years, serving in a variety of roles
including coach/accompanist, chorus master, and assistant conductor. He
has a wide variety of experience with other companies including Cincinnati
Opera, Opera Colorado, Berkshire Opera, New Jersey Opera Theater, and
Des Moines Metro Opera.
Craig has worked on the music faculties of the Colorado College Vocal
Arts Symposium in Colorado Springs, CO and Clayton College & State
University in Atlanta, GA. In demand as a vocal coach and collaborative
artist, Craig has performed throughout the United States with some of
today’s leading singers in venues which include Spivey Hall and
the Woodruff Arts Center. This past spring, he made his conducting debut
leading Gianni Schicchi in a joint project between Seattle Opera and the
Yakima Symphony Orchestra. Craig earned his Master of Music degree in
Accompanying from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of
Music and his Bachelor of Music Education from the State University of
New York College at Fredonia. His teachers and mentors have included Kenneth
Griffiths, Donna Loewy, and Dean Williamson.
Damien Francoeur-Krzyzek, Vocal
Coach/Piano, participated in Vocal Arts Symposium as a singer in
2002 and 2003. He currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts, where he
has worked as pianist and assistant conductor for Boston Lyric Opera since
2006. In January of 2008, Damien made his Opera Colorado debut as pianist
for Don Pasquale, and returns in 2009 for Les pêcheurs de perles.
In the spring of 2008, Damien joined the music staff at Opera Theatre
of Saint Louis. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in French and Spanish
from the University of Colorado at Denver, a Master’s Degree in
Vocal Performance from the University of Denver and a Specialist Degree
in Collaborative Piano from the University of Michigan. In 2004, Damien
was one of four apprentice coaches at San Francisco Opera’s Merola
Young Artist Program. An avid linguaphile, Damien has studied and coached
more than a dozen languages, and will serve as Czech diction coach for
Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Rusalka in 2009.
Thomas Lindblade, Guest Stage Director/Theatre
Arts Teacher, is the first Schlosser Professor of the Arts and Chair
of the Department of Drama and Dance at Colorado College, Colorado. He
hails from Minnesota, and came to Colorado College after receiving his
B.A. from the University of Wisconsin (1979), his M.A. from the University
of Minnesota (1982), and his Ph.D. from Stanford University in Drama and
Humanities (1989). His academic mentors included Martin Esslin, Charles
Lyons, Eleanor Prosser, and H. Wesley Balk. Since 1982, Professor Lindblade
has been an active theatre professional in the San Francisco Bay Area,
directing, musical directing, conducting, and dramaturging over 40 productions
for TheatreWorks, the Magic Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Solo
Mio Festival (Climate Theatre), and California Shakespeare Festival. His
most recent productions were TheatreWorks’ Smokey Joe’s Café
(musical director), Floyd Collins (musical director/conductor), and You
Can’t Take It With You (director) and California Shakespeare Festival’s
The Tempest (musical director, composer of original score). He has also
worked nationally with Goodspeed Opera House, he Guthrie Theatre, and
the Chicago Humanities Festival. Professor Lindblade writes extensively
on contemporary performance, publishing articles in Comparative Drama,
Theatre Survey, and New Art Examiner on subjects as varied as John Jesurun,
George Coates, Robert Wilson, and David Saunders. He is a contributor
to the anthologies Apocalypse Then and Now (subject: Thornton Wilder),
Brecht and Galileo (DCTC Video, subject: Brecht’s music), and The
Semiotic Bridge (subject: Robert Wilson), and translated Peter Szondi’s
seminal essay “Ibsen” for Ibsen: Critical Essays. His book
Tactical Measures: The Interaction of Drama and Music establishes a cross-artistic
critical vocabulary with which to discuss Shakespeare and Wellmer, Brecht
and Adorno, Beckett and Schopenhauer, and Wilson and Pavis. Professor
Lindblade is a member of the American Society for Aesthetics, the American
Society for Theatre Research, the Associate for Theatre in Higher Education,
and the International Theatre Institute. He has also served as the NEH
Academic Advisor for the Arena Stage in Washington D.C. Prof. Lindblade's
current projects include ongoing stage direction of Ofer Ben-Amots' chamber
opera, The Dybbuk: Between Two Worlds (Montreal's Siegel Centre for the
Arts, premiere in January 2008), and monographs on the staging of Philip
Glass' operas and the history of George Coates Performance Works, respectively.
Lila Mori, Jazz Artist, is a versatile and dedicated
vocal artist, entertainer and educator extraordinaire. For 33 years, 23
of them in Colorado Springs, Lila has actively embraced a vocal career
as both a jazz artist and a classical artist, and as a vocal educator.
Her passion is continual vocal improvement in herself and in the hundreds
of voice students she has instructed in the past 18 years. She pursued
her degree in Music Education at the University of New Hampshire, with
emphasis in both clarinet and vocal music. While at UNH she was very active
in the vocal department and was the first ever vocalist with the UNH Jazz
Band. One of the highlights of her college career was being invited onstage
by the great jazz singer Joe Williams to join him in an impromptu selection.
Her talents were recognized nationally when Downbeat Magazine said “It's
gratifying to hear fine young talent...check out a singer named Lila Mori.”
Lila has appeared at jazz festivals throughout the United States as both
guest artist and clinician. She has been the featured vocalist with The
Frank Fanelli Orchestra of Colorado Springs; The Seacoast Big Band of
Portsmouth N.H.; the Birchcreek Music Center's Academy Orchestra and Big
Band in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin; the Winterfest Jazz Festival at The University
of Wisconsin; and at numerous gala and holiday events, including The Governor's
Inaugural Ball in New Hampshire. As a classical soloist, Lila has performed
with The Opera Theatre of the Rockies, Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble, The
Colorado Opera Festival, The Colorado Springs Chorale and Mosaic, and
the Taylor Memorial Choir. She has appeared as the featured soloist with
The Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Colorado Springs Symphony, The Pikes
Peak Civic Orchestra, the New Hampshire Summer Pops Orchestra, and The
Ken Miller Orchestra. She performs regularly at the Air Force Academy
Chapel in Colorado Springs, where she also instructs and coaches individual
students in The Cadet Chorale. Lila's vocal influence and inspiration
are extensive. A master teacher and mentor, her instruction includes students
involved in jazz, classical, musical theater, barbershop, country, rock
and roll, rhythm and blues, folk and blue grass music. In the world of
a cappella, she has become a highly popular teacher and coach to Sweet
Adeline choruses and quartets throughout the world-wide organization.
She was a featured clinician and performer at their International Education
Symposium in San Antonio, Texas in 2006. Her tutorial CD of vocal skills,
Warming Up to Vocal Freedom, has become an internationally best selling
product for both men and women. For 15 years, audiences have thrilled
to Lila's performances with the Ken Miller Trio and the Penrose Room Trio
every Wednesday through Saturday at the Penrose Room at the world famous
Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. They have recorded three CD's: Penrose
Dancing, I let a Song Go Out of My Heart, and their latest release Moonglow
Dancing. Lila's professional affiliations include NATS (National Association
of Teachers of Singing), MENC (Music Educators National Conference, IAJE
(Internation Association of Jazz Educators), and Sweet Adlines International.
She has taught voice at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado, and
is a summer adjunct professor in the Vocal Arts Symposium at Colorado
College. Additionally, she currently serves as a board member of The Pikes
Peak Jazz and Swing Society. A perpetual student herself, Lila is grateful
to her dear friend and mentor Martile Rowland for years of encouragement
and guidance.
Annie Mullin has been performing and
doing tech work for theater and
vocal performances since she was four. Most recently, she was costume
assistant for Opera Theatre of the Rockies' performance of Carmen. Her
daytime identity entails running her company, Vivia, LLC (vivia-llc.com),
specializing in helping small businesses, nonprofits, libraries and authors
with today's technology demands, including web sites and graphic design.
Angie Norris is new to the world of opera and theater,
having made her Wig/Makeup Design Assistant debut in Carmen for Opera
Theatre of the Rockies. Angie is a Hairstylist for Blanca The Salon in
Denver. She is happy to take on the challenges and excitement of VAS with
her mentor, Sarah Opstad.
Sarah Opstad, Wig and Makeup Designer,
Teacher, is happy to be returning to the Vocal Arts Symposium for
her 5th Season. Sarah Designs for Opera Theatre of the Rockies, her credits
include: Carmen, Hansel and Gretel, La Cenerentola, Marriage of Figaro
and Daughter of the Regiment. The Arvada Center, design credits include:
Buddy, Best Little Whore House in TX, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Heiress,
Intimate Apparel, Aida, Crimson Thread, Raisin in the Sun and Jekyll and
Hyde. She has also Designed for the North Carolina Theatre Company’s
productions of Peter Pan, Man of La Mancha, The Wizard of OZ and Camelot
staring Debbie Boone. Sarah has been a wig and makeup artist for Opera
Colorado for the last 5 seasons including Nixon In China. She has worked
as the Wig master for The Colorado Ballet’s production of Nutcracker
and as a wig and makeup artist for Dracula. Sarah has also worked for
the following company’s in various capacities: Denver Center Theatre
Company, American Repertory Ballet, NYC, The Minnesota Opera, The Hartford
Stage, Opera Omaha, Cleveland Opera, Opera Carolina, South Coast Repertory
Theatre, Knott’s Scary Farm and the Atlanta Opera . Sarah’s
film and TV credits include special effects artist/“frostbite expert”
on the History Channels 4 part series Conquest of America, The Henry Hudson
Story, under key wig and Makeup artist’s Ronell Oliveri and Jason
Allen. Sarah is a free lance Wig Maker and ventilates custom made lace
front Human hair wigs. She attended California State University, Fullerton
where she participated in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre
Festival and was the recipient of The National Award for Excellence in
Makeup Design. For more information check out Sarahopstad.com.
LeAnn Overton, Principal Vocal Coach/Piano,
LeAnn Overton has enjoyed a busy freelance schedule since moving to New
York in 1992. Currently on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music
and the CW Post campus of Long Island University, Ms. Overton has also
served on the faculties of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, the
Chautauqua Voice School, the New York Actor’s Studio and the Mannes
School of Music. Ms. Overton has worked as a musical director/coach for
several opera companies and summer festivals including Oberlin in Italy,
Vocal Arts Symposium of Colorado Springs, Opera Theatre and Music Festival
of Lucca, Italy, Cincinnati Opera, and Tulsa Opera. In addition to her
coaching and teaching, Ms. Overton works at the Metropolitan Opera and
New York Philharmonic as a surtitle operator. In the fall of 2005 she
recorded the cd "Race for the Sky" with soprano Lisa Holsberg
featuring the music of Richard Pearson Thomas. Most recently, Ms. Overton
participated in an Alexander Technique intensive at Sweet Briar, VA and
has collaborated on several occasions with Alexander Technique instructor
Bill Connington on classes specifically for singers. Ms. Overton earned
her Master’s degree in Vocal Coaching/Accompanying at the University
of Illinois with the renowned accompanist, John Wustman.
Christopher Roselli, American bass-baritone,
Christopher Roselli, has performed in a wide range of musical genre and
performing media including opera, oratorio, music theater, concert, recital,
film, television, radio, and recording. His operatic experience includes
performing over forty roles with opera companies throughout the United
States including such roles as Scarpia in Tosca, Count Almaviva in Le
nozze di Figaro, the title role in Don Giovanni, the Bonze in Madama Butterfly,
Colline in La Bohème, Ramphis and the King in Aida, Timur in Turandot,
Zuniga in Carmen, and Alidoro in La Cenerentola. His concert engagements
have included national and international tours in Germany, Austria, France,
Switzerland, Denmark, and Italy. He has made appearances at Lincoln Center,
Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts.
Roselli has sung in many ensembles in and around New York City including
the Metropolitan Opera, Voices of Ascension, New York Choral Artists,
Musica Sacra, and New York Collegium. Many of these performances included
collaborations with internationally acclaimed orchestras and ensembles
including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles
Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Kronos Quartet, and the
American Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded with many of these groups
and in 2005, the recording of John Adams’ On the Transmigration
of Souls won three Grammy Awards including Best Classical Recording. The
film recording, The Fountain, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for
Best Original Score this year. In 2007, Christopher performed in the ensemble
of the critically acclaimed Lincoln Center production of My Fair Lady
starring Kelsey Grammar, Kelli O’Hara, Brian Dennehy and Marni Nixon.
Recently, Roselli performed with the New York Philharmonic in the concert
version of Puccini’s Tosca at Lincoln Center and with the Israel
Philharmonic in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, Israel.
In addition to his varied performing credits, Dr. Roselli is a member
of the voice faculties at New York University (Tisch School of the Arts),
the New School for Drama and The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.
During the summer he serves on the voice faculty of Colorado College’s
Vocal Arts Symposium. He has also taught at Westminster Choir College
of Rider University and the Actors Studio Drama School. Dr. Roselli is
the recipient of the New School’s 2007 Distinguished University
Excellence in Teaching Award. His students are performing on Broadway,
off-Broadway, in Broadways tours, television and film. Finally, Christopher
received his Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University.
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