COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE 2023
Claire Black, Piano
Noted as “a fine pianist with substantial, crystal-clear technique, plenty of power, yet with a sensitive musicality and a penchant for lyricism” (James Lowe, Times Argus), Claire Black is an active performer of classical music as both a collaborator and soloist. Her passion for chamber music synergizes with abundant experience, including many seasons of performance tours with the Stellaria Trio, Vermont Virtuosi, Cialde Quintet, and the Elegua Duo. Ms. Black’s latest solo projects spotlight works by Clara Schumann. She won Second Prize in the 2022 International Clara Schumann Competition.
Though 2019 found Ms. Black in Spokane, WA, where she served for a year on the faculty and as staff accompanist at Whitworth University, her musical life has been based in Burlington, VT, for the better part of a decade. Widely in demand for her work with vocal and instrumental soloists, choirs, and opera productions, Ms. Black plays for Barn Opera of Brandon, VT, and accompanies the Burlington Choral Society. She traces her collaborative roots to Baldwin Wallace University (BWU), where she kept an extensive roster of clients as a staff accompanist and coach. While at BWU, she also worked closely with soprano Jane Eaglen, who selected Ms. Black as pianist for her Wagner Intensive summer institute.
An avid educator, Ms. Black specializes in intermediate- and advanced-level instruction as she fosters 30 young pianists in her bustling private studio. Past teaching engagements include positions at Middlebury Community Music Center, Oberlin Conservatory Community Music School, and the piano festival Summer Sonata.
Ms. Black trained with Dr. Robert Mayerovitch at BWU, and with Margarita Shevchenko at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Ms. Black is an alumna of the Tanglewood Institute, Eastern Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, and the Tuckamore Festival of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Kasey King, Soprano
TBD
Magellan Helm, Mezzo-Soprano
Magellan Helm is a Mezzo Soprano and Alto chorister singing throughout the Midwest and New England. Recently Mx Helm covered the role of Rossweisse in Die Walkure, recorded a new Mass with the Magnificat Institute and performed with the Boston Pops. In January Magellan makes their Carnegie Hall debut with the BSO in the chorus of Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by Shostakovich. Magellan Helm keeps a voice studio in White River Junction and teaches Performing Arts to students K-4 at the Tunbridge Central School.
Rachel Weinfeld, Soprano
Rachel Weinfeld has found a home for herself as a versatile crossover singer in the opera and musical theatre worlds. A Michigan native, Rachel completed her Bachelor’s of Music in Voice Performance at Ball State University under the tutelage of Meryl Mantione and her Master’s of Music in Voice Performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying with Metropolitan Opera regular Yvonne Gonzalez-Redman.
Noted for her outstanding comedic timing and “heavenly soprano”, Rachel has had the opportunity to sing some of musical theater and opera’s great leading ladies including Marian Paroo in The Music Man, Amalia Balash in She Loves Me, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. She made her concert debut singing Julie Jordan in “The Bench Scene” alongside Nathan Gunn. Since graduating with her masters, Rachel has performed across the Midwest in everything from Shakespeare, to new works, to a Rockette-style Christmas show, to musicals and operas of all kinds.
Lillian Broderick, Soprano
A proud 10th generation Vermonter, and hailed as a "lovely, lyrical soprano," Lillian Broderick specializes in Bel Canto repertoire, most recently performing her signature role, Adina in L'elisir d'Amore locally in Calais, VT with Vermont Italian Opera. In October, Lillian returned to the Green Mountain state after being invited by the German embassy to join a pilot opera company whose mission is to bring live opera to rural areas of northern Germany. Here, Lillian made an exciting role debut as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. This group is directed by Bettina Matthias and Stefan Rütter, and after a highly successful launch year, has newly been named "Vox Mare International".
Returning closer to home, Lillian appeared as "Lieschen" in Bach's beloved Coffee Cantata this November with the inaugural performance of the Vermont Contemporary Chamber Collective. Noted for her ability to learn music quickly, Lillian has built a reputation as a "jump in," making her debut as the soprano soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with one hour's notice. In Handel's Messiah, Lillian has been praised for her "brilliant, and lyrical singing [that] proved ideal for Handel, and was most rewarding in the aria 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!' and the beautiful duet, “He shall feed His flock.” (Jim Lowe, Times Argus). Other favorite concert repertoire includes Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Schubert's Mass in G, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Exsultate Jubilate Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore, La Betulita Liberata; Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Weber's Missa Sancta No. 2 in G, and Vivaldi's Gloria RV 589.
Lillian holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre (UKOT). Here, Ms. Broderick performed The Rose in Rachel Portman's The Little Prince and La Prima Cercatrice in Suor Angelica. She prepared the role of Abigail Williams in Robert Ward's The Crucible, which was canceled due to COVID-19.
At UKOT, Lillian was the 2019 Phyllis Jenness Vocal Scholar, and a proud OperaLex Getchell Award recipient.
Lillian is an alumna of the Ezio Pinza Council for American Singers of Opera (EPCASO). Here, she prepared Italian Bel Canto repertoire including Adina in L'elisir d'amore, Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Ilia in Idomeneo and Amina in La Sonnambula with Mo. Maurizio Arena, and the late soprano Claudia Pinza.
Also an alumna of the recently cut music program at what was Johnson State College, Lillian has been a proud student of bass Erik Kroncke and conductor/coach extraordinaire Mary Jane Austin for well over a decade.
Lillian has a long history with operetta roles including Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance), the title role of Princess Ida, Frau Fluth in Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor and Josephine (HMS Pinafore).
In addition to performing, Lillian has a love of teaching Voice, and maintains a thriving private studio in Montpelier, VT.
Lillian is grateful to local organizations including the VT Arts Council and Vermont Italian Cultural Association (VICA) for their generous support of her career.
For more information and upcoming performances: www.lillianbrodericksoprano.com
Sarah Newcomb, Soprano
Sarah is returning to the stage after a 20-year pause. Her previous credits include busking on the streets of Portland, Maine in the late 1990’s and a couple of stints as a singing hostess at Italian restaurants.
Sarah became an empty nester in 2023 and moved from Maine to Vermont where she found Josh [Collier] and the Barn Opera family. She is overjoyed to share a love of singing VERY LOUDLY with such wonderful people, and looks forward to many more performances in the coming years.
Liam Shannon, Baritone
Baritone Liam Shannon has been praised by the South Florida Classical Review for his “strong” voice. He has performed roles such as Ping in Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot, Elviro in G.F. Händel’s Serse, The Minskman in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, The Ferryman in Benjamin Britten’s Curlew River, Artemidore/Ubalde in Jean Baptiste-Lully’s Armide, and Antonio in W.A. Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. He has performed as a soloist with Opera Vermont, the New England Repertory Orchestra, the Utah Valley Vocal Arts Academy, Miami Classical Music Festival, Opera Lucca Festival, and the Bennington County Choral Society.
Liam recently graduated with his Master of Music in Vocal Arts & Opera from the USC Thornton School of Music where he studied with renowned voice teacher, Lynn Helding.
Nessa Rabin, Mezzo-Soprano
Nessa Rabin, mezzo-soprano, has performed in numerous theaters over the last four and a half decades. Favorite appearances include singing in the annual Gilbert & Sullivan productions at the Unadilla Theater in Calais, VT, singing Bach and Gluck in Bread & Puppet shows in New York and Chicago, performing in the first run of Hadestown in Vermont and Boston, and originating the role of Maritza in Doug Anderson’s new musical “Welcome to Paradise” at The Town Hall Theater in Middlebury. Recent concert appearances have included the alto solos in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Handel's Messiah, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, as well as the Mass in C and Choral Fantasy.
Marisa Valent, Soprano
Marisa Valent is a theatre artist and educator based in Rutland, Vermont. She is thrilled to participate in her second performance at the Barn Opera, having played Edith in the “Pirates of Penzance” last New Years. Marisa currently works as the Director of the Fine Arts Center at the Vermont State University Castleton Campus, directs black box shows for VTSU’s Theatre Arts program, and teaches theater and arts administration for the VTSU Killington program. When not working in the VTSU Fine Arts Center, Marisa teaches acting, Shakespeare, and musical theater to elementary through high school age students across Vermont.
Marisa has performed in many venues across both New York and Vermont. Favorite acting credits include Katherine in “The Taming of the Shrew”, Cinderella in “Into the Woods”, Woman One in “Songs for a New World”, Emilia in “Othello”, Estelle in “No Exit”, and Gabriella in “Boeing Boeing”. Favorite directing credits include “The Drowsy Chaperone”, “Macbeth”, “Dead Man’s Cellphone”, and “Dog Sees God”. Several of Marisa’s original short plays have been performed across New York and Vermont, and her original full length play “Letter Writing” has been produced in Binghamton and Syracuse, New York. Her new original play “Eating Richard Parker” will premiere with a staged reading at the Dorset Playhouse this February.
When not performing, Marisa enjoys crocheting, reading, and collecting rubber ducks. She would like to thank her husband Alex for his continues support of her artistic endeavors.
Elizabeth Wohl, Soprano
Soprano-aerialist Elizabeth Wohl is a Brattleboro-based opera singer and acrobat. She delights in developing innovative interpretations of beloved classical pieces. She blends aerial acrobatics with well-loved arias to complement each aria’s inherent dramatic arc. She strives to draw audiences into every performance through the alchemy of vocal and aerial arts--inspiring wonder, delight and awe. You can find the aerial version of “Je Veux Vivre” through a link on her website.
Ms. Wohl’s one-woman show "Three French Birds," was hailed as “an audience favorite,” at the Providence Fringe Festival, and she performs individual aerial-arias separately throughout the New England region for concerts, non-profit fundraising events, and weddings.
When she is not singing in the air, you can find her singing on the ground as a soloist with the Friends of Music at Guilford, the Keene Chorale, and the Windham Philharmonic. In 2020, Ms. Wohl prepared to sing Pamina, in Die Zauberflöte, but the production was postponed indefinitely due to COVID. In 2018, Ms. Wohl had the rare opportunity to sing the traditionally baritone role, Ping, in the Windham Philharmonic’s production of Turandot.
Ms. Wohl believes each of us is an artist, and that we shape the world together through every interaction. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to shape the world with you this evening. An active member of her local community, She’s a mom, a board member for the New England Center for Circus Arts, and the caretaker of an incorrigible labradoodle. You can find her online at www.arcbenderscircusopera.com or on instagram at @soprano_aerials
Bre Valdez, Soprano
Bre Valdez is a 24-year-old soprano and young artist based in Brandon, Vermont. She has attended Westminster Choir College, the Crane School of Music, and is continuing her academics at Castleton University. Bre is an alumni member of the International Honor Music Fraternity of Sigma Alpha Iota.
Bre is a student of Joshua Collier's. Bre has participated in masterclasses given by esteemed composers, coaches, and performers such as Carol Vaness, Scilla Cristiano, Danielle Orlando, Luis Ledesma, Michael Ching, Ailyn Perez, Kirsten and Keith Chambers, Ragnar Conde, Abdiel Vazquez, Jennifer Rowley, Thomas Cooley, Felix Jarrar, Cailin Marcel Manson, and many others.
While studying under Joshua Collier, Bre has performed and understudied in a number of productions with the Barn Opera house in Brandon, Vermont. While performing in the chorus, Bre has covered roles such as Norina in Don Pasquale and Josephine in HMS Pinafore.
Bre has participated in the International Opera Festival of Morelia in 2020, studying the role of "La Contessa" from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Over the years her voice has since developed and is now more suited for light/lyric coloratura repertoire. In late July, Bre Valdez debuted the role of Musetta in Opera al Mare's summer 2023 production of La Boheme, in Teatro Petrella in Longiano, Italy.
On January 18th 2024, Bre Valdez will make her Carnegie Hall debut - performing music from Don Pasquale, L’elisir d’amore, Carmen, and Madame Butterfly in Vincerò Academy's annual opera gala.
Victoria Drew, Soprano
TBD