KATHLEEN CALLAHAN-HARDMAN (spring 1999 & 2000) and her husband Ray welcomed their baby boy Benjamin to the world last March.  Ray is a host on Connecticut Public Radio. Katy is “on hold” for a while.

RUBIN CASAS (fall 1999)

JASON COLLINS (spring 1996)  participated in the Seattle Opera inaugural International Wagner Competition (2006) and the Aspen Musical Festival.  Jason performed the role of Erik in Arizona Opera’s Die Fliegender Hollander. Also in 2006 he was seen as Zinovy in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk for Austin Lyric Opera.  www.jasoncollinstenor.com

IAN DERRER (spring 2000) moved from New York last summer and is the rehearsal administrator for the Lyric Opera of Chicago. "FBN offered me invaluable experience in bringing opera outside of the "operatic" world. Today - when children often turn on the TV to be entertained - the gift of live theater and opera never fails to excite them. We're all lucky that FBN brings this gift to so many children.”

REBECCA DOPP DEWAART (fall 1997) lives in Hong Kong with husband Edo and their 2 children. Last May Rebecca appeared as Mercedes in Carmen with Opera Hong Kong and is teaching voice and diction.” I enjoyed the colleagues and enjoyed meeting the people of South Carolina.  I remember staying at a lovely house and walking around the neighborhood full of azalea...I think it's great that FBN is still going strong and able to bring opera to the children of South Carolina and other parts of the South.”

 

AMY STATZ DOLAN (fall 1996) Master Sergeant Amy T. Dolan is a soprano vocalist with The Singing Sergeants, the official chorus of the United States Air Force. Stationed at Bolling AFB in Washington, DC, she and husband Ryan have 2 children.

JONATHAN EASON (musical director fall 2004-spring 2006) is serving as musical director for THE SECRET GARDEN at Workshop Theatre in July 2007.

DANIELLE GOLDIN (1994)

JOHNNY LEE GREEN (fall 2001, spring 2002 & 2007) has been a soloist with St. Paul’s Episcopal in Augusta and is one of the Georgia 3 Tenors. He donned his pig snout for the spring 2007 tour of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS for FBN Productions and wowed the kids with tenor arias in CHARACTER THROUGH SONGS.  www.ga3t.com

JOE DAN HARPER (fall 1999, spring 2000) teaches voice at SUNY Fredonia. Joe Dan and his wife Anne Kissel are very active with the Florestan Recital Project. This summer they are in residence at SongFest hosted by Pepperdine University.  www.florestanproject.org

 

CHARLENE HAZIN (spring & fall 1996, fall 2004) is in Law School at USC and is the administrative assistant for the USC Symphony Orchestra.

STACEY A. HOLLIDAY (musical director 2006) continues her graduate work at USC and has been accepted into the SongFest program for pianists and singers in Malibu, California. 

DR. KERRY LEE JENNINGS (spring 2001) teaches voice, and opera workshop at  Old Dominion University.  Dr. Jennings is also a founding member of the newly formed DC based vocal ensemble Icarus. Seen below in Bastien & Bastienne for FBN.

     PAUL J. KAUFMANN (company manager 2005) appeared in The Real Thing for Theatre SC and Sordid Lives for Workshop Theatre. Paul works with the SC Governor’s School for the Arts. Paul and Ellen Schlaefer are working on a production of I AM MY OWN WIFE for Workshop Theatre in Columbia for October 2007.

   MATTHEW. KING (spring 2005) writes from Los Angeles  he sang Edoardo in  Verdi’s "Un Giorno di Regno" with Lyric Opera of LA and was the  tenor soloist in Mozart's Requiem with Center Stage Opera “I wish to express how thankful I was to sing Jack in "Jack and the Beanstalk" back in Spring of '05.  I've always enjoyed performing those children’s shows even if some were way too early in the morning.  But, that goes with the territory.  If one can perform in an outreach program two or three shows a day then one should be able to perform under any circumstances!”

CALVIN LEE (1998-2004) recently sang two productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors with Opera Memphis and Opera Naples (FL). He also sang in Opera Memphis’ production of Porgy and Bess and is scheduled to appear in the Opera Comique (Paris) production of P&B in 2008. In January 2007 Calvin will sing with Opera Company of Philadelphia and be featured as Pang in Atlanta Opera’s Turandot in September 2007.

GREG LEEVY (booking rep) works with the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in the office of Alumni and Diversity affairs. Greg directed the acclaimed productions of Sordid Lives and The Full Monty for Workshop Theatre this year. He will be on the road for FBN at the Raleigh booking conference in August.

WILLIAM LLOYD (spring 1997)

BONNIE HOYT LYNCH (1994)

SCOTT MCLEOD (2005) spent summer 2006 with the Utah Festival Opera performing in La Bohème and Man of La Mancha. This fall he appeared in Gianni Schicchi with the Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan and will be a soloist in performances of The Messiah in Tucson and Chapel Hill this December.  Scott is also the PR director for Opera Company of North Carolina. Upcoming engagements include a production with Greensboro Opera.

CINDY MALLARD (spring 2003)

 

JOSHUA MARR (2006) spent the summer of 2006 with Central City Opera and appeared as the Bartender in The Ballad of Baby Doe and Masetto in the Youth Performance of Don Giovanni. For the last two winters, he was an Apprentice Artist at Sarasota Opera where he sang John Proctor in The Crucible, Michonnet in Adriana Lecouvreur and David in A Hand of Bridge in the scenes program. In 2006 he also played Frosch in Sarasota’s Die Fledermaus and spent this past spring with the Cincinnati Opera Young Artist Program. He returns to Central City this summer where he will be featured as the Master of Ceremonies in Cendrillon

ANNETTE MEDLIN (spring 1997)

LISA SAIN ODOM (spring 2006) spent last summer at AIMS in Graz, Austria and is on the audition trail.

RHODA J. PASCHAL (1993) continues her work with the Palmetto Girls Ensemble which she founded in 2000. In addition she is the International Baccalaureate Music Educator in Richland One and the Director of Vocal Activities at A. C. Flora High School in Columbia.

STEVE PODOLL (fall 2005) is performing Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors in this holiday season. He writes “I was just visiting the Opera for Kids website and wanted to thank you for the opportunity to reach out to kids and hand them a little piece of the art form that I love so much.”

CRAIG PRICE (Spring 2007) is spending the summer at Central City Opera Festival in Colorado where he is appearing as the Marquis in La Traviata.

SHAWNETTE RANEY (1994)

F. MARC RATTRAY (1996 thru 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004)  Marc continues as music director of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. He and his wife Sharon also presented a series of concerts featuring Gershwin songs this past year. Marc has many concerts with baritones Hal McIntosh and Jacob Will lined up for 2007/

JESSICA RIVERA (fall 1999) appeared in the 50^th anniversary Gala for The Santa Fe Opera in August. November 2006 she was featured in the world premier in Vienna of John Adams’ A Flowering Tree, directed by Peter Sellers’ and will repeat the role in Berlin, San Francisco and London. www.jessicarivera.com

KERRI ROBERTS (spring 2001, 2002 fall 2004) and family celebrated the birth of their third child in the spring 2007.

PEGI ROBERTS (spring 1996, fall 1997, 1998, 2000, fall 2004) is director of Church Relations/Young Alumni at Newberry College.

STACEY ROBINSON (spring 2002) participated in FBN's residency in January 2007 at Forest Heights Elementary in Columbia. His interaction with the young people was fantastic.

DANA SCOTT (Music Director Spring 2007)

     JEN SEIGER (fall 1999-2002, spring 2003, 2004) has both daughters in school now and takes an active role in the cultural arts in their schools.  Jen continues to perform in the Raleigh area as well as direct the children and youth choirs of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church.

KATHY SEPPEMAKI (spring 1997)

LISA SHAW (Spring & Fall 2001) Director of Adult Programs for the Levine School of Music, Washington, DC “Performing for children was something I'd never done before.  What inspired me most was how quickly they took to opera.  To see the wonder in their eyes each time I dawned that curly blond wig as Goldilocks, was well worth the early mornings.  The bright smiles and enthusiastic applause from the kids (and teachers!) was something I'll carry with me throughout my life.  It also gave me a peek at what it might be like to work with children, giving me the courage to pursue teaching that I hadn't had before.  Now, I work with kids from 6-96 teaching Musical Theatre, Choral Music, and private voice and I'm loving it!”

BENJY SMOAK (fall 1996)

 

STEVE SOICH (spring & fall 2001) is renewing his Colorado teaching license and performing in outreach shows for Central City Opera.  “Although I didn't always enjoy the hours, I loved performing for kids.  Many times, I felt they were the purest audiences I performed in front of.  They weren't there to be seen by each other and enjoyed the art form more than most adult audiences.  I realized my true gift of teaching and connecting with kids which has helped me to return full circle to my roots. Thanks for the opportunity!”

CATHERINE STAPLETON (fall 1997)

BECKETT SWEDE (spring 2003)

DAVID TOULSON (since 2000) completed his 5^th summer at Central City in August 2006. He directed Don Pasquale for Toledo Opera in November and L’Elisir d’Amore for Asheville Lyric Opera in October, as well as remounting his production of Jack and the Beanstalk for FBN in the spring and fall of this year. Dave is spending the summer assisting Ira Ziff at the Tanglewood Festival.  He will serving as an assistant director for the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center this fall.

AMY VAN ROEKLE (fall 1997) stays busy in New York. She is part of the 2006/2007 American Opera Projects new composers series as well as teaching in an after-school choir program in the Bronx

JOEL WEISS (Spring 2003 & 2004) debuted with the Opera Company of North Carolina as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and returns to OCNC for Rev. Parris in The Crucible.  Upcoming engagements include Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Eugene Opera, Don Ottavio with Cedar Rapids Opera, and concerts of The Messiah. www.joelandrewweiss.com

J. COPELAND WOODRUFF (1993 & 1994) has been an instructor with the Harrower Opera Workshop with Georgia State University and a lecturer in voice at Temple University. Very active in the performing arts in the Philadelphia area, Copeland was a member of Village Productions. He directed The Tales of Hoffmann for Temple this spring and has recently been appointed assistant Director of Opera at Oberlin College.

ANTHONY WRIGHT (1994)