About Us
Season Schedule
Frances Dawson
Chamber Singers
Guest
Artists
Program Notes
Reviews
Tickets
Support the CPC
Sponsors
Local Arts
Auditions
Contact Us
April-Joy Gutierrez, soprano
A native of Colorado,
April-Joy Gutierrez is a graduate of the Juilliard School of
Music, Juilliard Opera Center and the University of Northern Colorado,
where was named Outstanding Alumna for 2005 for achievement in the
creative and performing arts. Since her professional debut as Lauretta
in Gianni Schicchi with Opera Colorado, she has sung many of the
most demanding roles in the lyric soprano repertoire. She has sung over
30 performances of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata throughout the
United States with the New York City Opera National Company. Her
portrayal of Mimi has been called “captivating, enhanced by her warm,
smoky timbre”. Operatic performances include Musetta with Opera Festival
of New Jersey and the New York City Opera National Company, Mimi with
Gold Coast Opera and Konstanze in Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail
at the Caramoor Festival with Will Crutchfield. She sang Lucia in
Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Mobile Opera where she was
noted for her “pliant, supple, full dexterous tone and rare dramatic
artistry.” Past seasons include a production of Rigoletto with
the Bob Jones Opera Association, a role she also sang at Colorado's
Union Civic Center with UNC Opera Theater. Her growing Spanish
repertoire includes the role of Rosario in the Spanish opera, La
Goyescas, by Enrique Granados which she sang with I Cantori of New
York.
Mary Ann McCormick, Mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Mary Ann McCormick
is enjoying an international career which already spans
nearly two decades. Her most recent accomplishments
include performances as "Carmen" with Teatro dell'Opera di
Roma, a role she has also performed this past year with
Teatro Regio di Torino, the Staatsoper Stuttgart and the
Connecticut Opera. Other recent highlights have
included Teatro Regio di Torino as "Azucena" in Il
Trovatore, Teatro alla Scala di Milano as "Isabella" in
L'Italiana in Algeria, Teatro Communale di Bologna,
and the Seattle Opera as "Maddalena" in Rigoletto,
Teatro la Fenice as "Waltraute" in Die Walküre,
and a CD recording of "Tigrane" in Pucicini's Edgar
with the Orchestre National de France in Paris.
Maryann has been privileged to work with some of the
greatest conductors of our time including Jeffrey Tate,
Wolfgang Sawallisch, Leonard Slatkin, James Levine, Bruno
Bartoletti, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Kurt Masur, Edo de Waart,
and Sir Nevile Mariner. She has performed with many of
the finest orchestras in the United States as well as
Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands. Maryann has
also appeared with the Metropolitan Opera in New York
frequently over the past several seasons, performing in
Die Walküre,
Don Carlo, E'Enfant et les Sortilèges,
La Traviata, Carmen, Die Zauberflöte,
Madama Butterfly and the world premiere of John
Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles. In
addition to performing at the Met, she has appeared in
operas with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Opera Theatre of
St. Louis, Opera Colorado, The Santa Fe Opera, the
Pittsburgh Opera, The Boston Lyric Opera, The Berkshire
Opera, and the Lake George Opera. Maryann has
recorded with the Emerson String Quartet, the New York
Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, and Sinfonia da
Camera, and she is featured singing in the movie "The
Talented Mr. Ripley".
Lester Lynch, baritone
Lester Lynch is recognized as one
of today's most promising Verdi baritones. Hailed by the New York
Times as "magnificently forceful," for his Carnegie Hall performance at
the Marilyn Horne Foundation Gala, Lynch has been praised for his
performances at major opera companies throughout the world. A
native of Ohio, Mr. Lynch has studied at the Julliard Opera School
before making his debut as Marcello in La Boheme with New York
City Opera. Other important debuts followed, including Gremont in
La Traviata with Houston Grand Opera, Count di Luna in Il
Travatore with Deutsche Oper am Rhein and Seattle Opera and Flint in
Billy Budd with Canadian Opera Company. The baritone has
enjoyed long association with Opera Theatre of St. Louis where he has
received critical acclaim for his performance of Calchas in Le Belle
Helene, Marcello in La Boheme, and the bartender in Susa's
Black River. Just this past summer, Lester was heard as Paolo
in the Santa Fe Opera's new production of Simone Boccanegra,
where the New Mexican said he sang "with imposing force," and that when
he was on stage, "the air snapped." Mr. Lynch has also recently
joined the roster of the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Alfio/Tonio in
Cavelleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci as well as a return to
the company for the High Priest in Samson and Dalila. Mr. Lynch
made an important debut in the title role of Rigoletto with Dayton
Opera, where he was noted for his "powerful and intensely moving"
performance of the tragic jester.
Todd Geer, tenor
American tenor Todd Geer is an accomplished and versatile
artist who is highly regarded for his well-defined characterizations and
musical interpretations. For the past two winter seasons Mr. Geer has
performed with Sarasota Opera, playing Cavaradossi in Tosca and
the title role of Stiffelio to great critical acclaim. The former San
Francisco Opera Adler Fellow returned to SFO for Doktor Faust and
Cunning Little Vixen, followed by return engagements with
Festival Opera as Il Duca in Rigoletto, and Radames in Aida
with Metro Lyric Opera. He reprised Rigoletto for Connecticut
Grand Opera and Aida in his Asian debut with Bangkok Opera. In May of
2005 the tenor sang his first performances of Turiddu in Cavaleria
Rusticana with Montana's Intermountain Opera. The 2005 season
continues with the Mozart Requiem in Carnegie Hall and opera concerts
with the Queens Symphony and the Ocean City Pops. In the fall Mr. Geer
joins DiCapo Opera Theater for La Boheme and Tri-Cities Opera to
sing Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. In January of 2006, Mr. Geer
will visit his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina and will sing Don
José in Carmen. The tenor
then returns to Sarasota Opera where he will add Carlo in I
Masnadieri to his growing list of Verdi roles, followed by
engagements with Bangkok Opera and Tri-Cities Opera to sing Pinkerton in
Madama Butterfly and Edgardo in Lucia. He sings his first
Canio in Pagliacci in 2007 for Opera Carolina.
Amy Van Roekel, soprano
Praised by the Washington Post as a “lovely singer and
accomplished actress” with “limpid tone and agile high notes”, soprano
Amy van Roekel is establishing herself as a vibrant and
captivating performer on both the operatic and concert stage. This past
season Ms. van Roekel made her debut with Lyric Opera Cleveland as
Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia. She returned to Carnegie
Hall to perform her first Brahms Requiem with conductor, John
Rutter. She also made appearances with the Virginia Symphony in Haydn’s
The Creation and the Santa Fe Symphony in Handel’s Messiah.
On the operatic stage, Ms. van Roekel has performed roles with Florida
Grand Opera, Central City Opera, Chautauqua Opera, the Opera Theatre of
Northern Virginia and Metro Lyric Opera in New Jersey. Recently she was
a featured artist with the New York City Ballet, performing American
standards under the baton of George Steel and his Gotham City Orchestra
in St-Rémy, France. During the upcoming year, Ms. van Roekel will
perform with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in a premiere of
Stephen Dankner’s Symphony No. 7, conducted by Klauspeter
Seibel. The Michigan native has been a winner of the National Symphony
Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, a Regional Finalist in the
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and an award winner in
the Washington International Competition for Singers. Ms. van Roekel
holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of
Maryland.
Mark Schowalter, tenor
Mark
Schowalter, tenor, known for his thoughtful
interpretations and rich voice, is at home on both the concert and
operatic stages. Mr. Schowalter has been privileged to sing
with some of the world's finest conductors and their orchestras
including James Levine (Metropolitan Opera, Munich Philharmonic), Seiji
Ozawa (Boston Symphony and Saito Kinen Orchestra), Valery Gergiev
(Metropolitan Opera), Mstilav Rostropovich (National Symphony), and
Charles Dutoit (Montréal Symphony). Mr. Schowalter has performed supporting roles in Der Rosenkavalier,
I Vespri Siciliani, Die
Zauberflöte and Samson et Dalilia with the New York Metropolitan
Opera.
Past season highlights have included performances as Jaquino in
Beethoven's Fidelio, St. Brioche in Lehar's The
Merry Widow, Tchaplitsky in Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame
and roles in four Strauss operas: Der Rosenkavalier,
Die Frau ohne Shatten, Ariadne
auf Naxos and Elektra. Mr.
Schowalter's performance of the Evangelist in Bach's Matthäus-Passion
prompted the reviewer for The Philadelphia Inquirer to call
him "among the best I've heard... with a seemingly effortless vocal
production." Other concert performances include Mahler's Das
Lied von der Erde with the Maverick Chamber Festival,
Mozart's Requiem with William Eddins and the
Minnesota Orchestra, Monteverdi's Vespers 1610 with
Helmuth Rilling at the Oregon Bach Festival, and
Bach's Joannes-Passion, Mozart's Bastien
und Bastienne, and Vespers 1610 with
Chritopher Hogwood and the St. Paul Chamber orchestra and National
Symphony.
Alison Matuskey, pianist
Alison Francis Matuskey is a
music educator, performer and parent who has lived and worked in Howard
County since 1985. Born in Guam, she studied piano performance at
American University at age 9. Alison received her Bachelor's Degree with
honors from the Eastman School of Music, and her Master's Degree from
the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Leon
Fleisher. Alison taught music history, analysis and directed the chorus
at Villa Julie College before accepting a position as Music Specialist
in the Howard County Schools. She
presently teaches vocal music at Bryant Woods Elementary. In 2002-2003
she was awarded Howard County Music Teacher of the Year. She currently
serves on the Music Leadership Team, the Peabody Steering Committee, and
the Artistic Review Panel of the Howard County Arts Council. She is a
past member of the Martin Luther King Holiday Commission. Alison's
strong interest in vocal performance led her to the Columbia Pro Cantare
in 1985. Since that time she has soloed with this group in both piano
and voice. Alison accompanied the Chamber Singers on tours to Prague,
England and Poland. Since 1985 Alison has served as Music Director to
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Glenwood, Maryland. She has written
over 100 original songs for use in worship. Alison studies voice with
Marianna Busching and piano with Brian Ganz, both teachers at the
Peabody Conservatory.
Vikki Jones, Soprano
Soprano Vikki Jones, a Maryland native, is an
emerging young artist with exceptional musical ability. A graduate of
the Catholic University of America she is a
versatile soprano who performs a wide range of repertoire from opera to
oratorio. Her recent roles include Elvira in L’Italiana in Algeri, Bianca in La Rondine, Sandrina in La
Finta Giardiniera, Poppea in Agrippina, Lauretta in Gianni
Schicchi, Mimi in La Bohème, and Pamina in the Die Zauberflöte. In
November 2006 she made her debut in her first principal role with the Baltimore
Opera Company, as Anna in Verdi’s Nabbuco.