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 In her performance career, Penelope
Shumate has been described as having a “voice with power” and a “welcome fire” on stage. At Carnegie Hall, she has performed as the Soprano Soloist in the Messiah, Carmina Burana, St. Nicolai Mass and Coronation Mass. Also in New York, she performed the title role of Naughty Marietta in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.
She has received critical acclaim for her many performances as Violetta in La Traviata:
“a convincing actress,” “youthful and very beautiful,” “an exquisite Violetta,” “always in control of her powerful and supple voice,” “a beautiful vocal and dramatic performance from start to finish.”
She has been equally praised for her many other roles including Musetta in La Bohème, Fiordiligi in Così Fan Tutte, Galatea in Acis and Galatea, and Hanna in The Merry Widow.
Returning to Opera on the James for their 2010/11 season, she will sing the role of Marie in La fille du régiment. In the upcoming 2009/10 season, she will debut with the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus as the Soprano Soloist in the Messiah. She will also debut with Annapolis Opera in an Opera Gala. She returns to ConcertOpera Philadelphia to perform Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. In the east coast premier of Three Decembers with Center City Opera Theater, she will sing the role of Bea. She will also perform in an Opera Gala for the Lyric Opera House of Baltimore. With the Drexel University Chorus and Orchestra, she performs as the Soprano Soloist in Haydn’s Theresienmesse. Also returning to Schola Cantorum in her home state of Virginia, she will perform as the Soprano Soloist in Carmina Burana.
Recent performances also include Violetta in La Traviata with both Opera on the James and Duluth Festival Opera. Also with Opera on James, she performed the role of Musetta in La Bohème and performed as a soloist in “Opera Cabaret”. Her recent debut with the Berkshire Choral Festival as the Soprano Soloist in Carmina Burana and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was described as “magnificent” and “effortless.” Returning to Carnegie Hall, she performed as the Soprano Soloist in Mozart's Coronation Mass and in Haydn's St. Nicolai Mass. With the Baltimore Opera, she performed in a concert of Cole Porter favorites and well as two other opera concerts. In Philadelphia, she performed as the Soprano Soloist for both Bach's and Vivaldi's Magnificat with the Drexel University Chorus and Orchestra. She was also delighted to return to her hometown of Waynesboro, Virginia to perform as the Soprano Soloist in Elijah with Schola Cantorum.
A favorite of the Baltimore Opera, she has performed the roles of Esmeralda in The Bartered Bride, Lisa in La Sonnambula, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, High Priestess in Aïda, Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel, and the Shepherd Boy in Tannhäuser as well as numerous opera concerts. For Opera Roanoke she has performed the roles of Galatea in Acis and Galatea, High Priestess in Aïda, Cunegonde and Gilda in excerpts of Candide and Rigoletto, and well as performing as the soloist in two other opera concerts. She also sang the role of Cunegonde in excerpts of Candide with the Drexel University Orchestra. She performed the role of Fiordiligi in Così Fan Tutte and was the soloist in two opera concerts with Opera on the James. For the Duluth Festival Opera, she was featured as a soloist for “The Divine Divas of Opera” and two “Opera Cabaret” concerts. She performed the roles of Belinda in Dido and Aeneas, Miss Silverpeal in The Impressario, and Don Ettore in La Canterina for ConcertOpera Philadelphia. At the Lake George Opera she performed the roles of Violetta and Donna Anna in excerpts of La Traviata and Don Giovanni. She performed the role title role of Naughty Marietta and was the soloist in Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus with the Little Orchestra Society of New York. For the Jacksonville Lyric Opera, she performed Hanna in The Merry Widow. With the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, she performed the role of Violetta in La Traviata and was the Soprano Soloist for the Messiah. She also performed as the soloist in the Messiah with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, MidAmerica Productions, the Lynchburg College Choral Union, and the Drexel University Chorus and Orchestra. For her Carnegie Hall debut, she performed as the Soprano Soloist in Carmina Burana for MidAmerica Productions. She has performed as the Soprano Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem for Distinguished Concerts International of New York City and the Drexel University Chorus and Orchestra. With the Luzerne Music Festival, she was featured in a chamber and pops concert. She performed the Queen of the Night in excerpts from Die Zauberflöte with the Kennett Symphony Orchestra. For Rockwell Productions, she sang the role of Magnolia in Show Boat.
Mezzo-soprano Olivia Vote hails from St. Mary’s City, Maryland. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music from the North Carolina School of the Arts and recently received her Master’s degree from Yale University, where she studied with Doris Yarick-Cross and Lili Chookasian. During her time at Yale Opera, Ms. Vote was featured as Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and starred as Judith in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle to great acclaim. Also with Yale, she appeared as Olga in Eugene Onegin, Eva in Martinu’s Comedy on the Bridge, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress, and L’Opinon Publique in Orphée aux Enfers. Among her roles at NCSA, Ms. Vote was especially honored to sing Miss Bingley in the world premiere of the first act of Kirke Mechem’s opera, Pride and Prejudice.
Ms. Vote’s warm and expressive voice has been much in demand in Europe – during the summer she has appeared with the Orchestra Verdi di Milano under Oleg Caetani and for the past three years she has been a featured soloist at the Alba Music Festival. There she performed Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer, Bach’s Cantata 199 Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Beethoven’s Mass in C-major with the Romanian State Orchestra and last summer she portrayed the title role in Constant/Bizet La Tragidie de Carmen. This summer she will sing Dido in Dido and Aeneas and perform in recital with pianist Brain Ganz.
She has also appeared on concert stages throughout the United States in works such as Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Handel’s Messiah. This past summer Olivia returned to the River Concert Series in Maryland, where she performed her first Das Lied von der Erde with tenor Jason Collins, her last appearance was in 2005 as the enchanting heroine of Ravel’s Shéhérazade.
Other achievements include joining The Opera Theater of St. Louis as a member of the Gerdine Young Artist Program. For OTSL she sang the Aunt in Madame Butterfly and covered the role of Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann under the baton of Stephen Lord. In the 2008 Ms. Vote was a New England regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and she also was awarded the prestigious Phyllis Curtin Career award from The Yale School of Music granted to a graduate with enormous potential in the performing arts.
Most recently, Ms. Vote began her studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. This past fall she had great success portraying the role of Giovanna Seymour in Anna Bolena. Reviews commented on her “…theatrical magnetism and steely vocal technique,” “A voice to pay attention to,” and “a sumptuous voice and a vivid stage presence.” Olivia is now a student of Ruth Golden and looks forward to continuing her studies at AVA.
Bass-Baritone, RYAN D. KUSTER, is a third year student at the Academy of Vocal Arts where he has performed the roles of Enrico in Anna Bolena, the title role in Don Pasquale, the Doctor in La traviata, Dikoj in Kát’a Kabanová, Fra Melitone and Sam in AVA's Grand Passions Concert, and Don Alfonso in Cosi fan Tutte. Mr. Kuster recently attended a summer intensive program at Oberlin in Italy where he sang Rambaldo in La rondine. In the summer of 2008, Mr. Kuster was an Apprentice Artist with Chautauqua Opera where he sang The Parson, Badger and Woodpecker in The Cunning Little Vixen, The Doctor in La traviata, and Carl Olsen in Street Scene. Mr. Kuster has also covered two roles at Chicago Opera Theater, Don Pedro in Béatrice et Bénédict and Bluebeard in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle (covering Samuel Ramey). Mr. Kuster has sung Count Ceprano in Rigoletto and Betto in both Gianni Schicchi and Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost with Opera New Jersey. He also has appeared with Opera North for two seasons, singing Ferrando in Il trovatore, Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Fr. Laurent in Roméo et Juliette. Upcoming roles include: Angelotti in Tosca with Annapolis Opera and Schaunard in La bohème with the Academy of Vocal Arts.
On the concert stage, Mr. Kuster has performed the bass solos in the Mozart Requiem with the Neumann College Choir, the bass solos in the Messiah (pt 1) with the Tindley Temple Choir, the title role of Handel’s oratorio Saul with the Marsh Chapel Choir and Collegium, and Adam in Haydn’s The Creation with the BU Symphonic Chorus. He has also appeared as a featured soloist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Ocean City Pops, New Jersey Master Chorale, and Concert Operetta Theater of Philadelphia. Mr. Kuster received an Encouragement Award in the Philadelphia region of the Metropolitan Opera Competition in 2008, the Harmon Award from Chautauqua Opera, and was a finalist in the New England region of the Metropolitan Opera Competition in 2007.
Mr. Kuster received his M.M. at Boston University where he performed the roles of A Man with a Cornet Case in Argento's Postcard from Morocco, Benoit in La bohème, Garrido in Massenet’s La Navarraise, and Amantio DiNicolao in Gianni Schicchi. Mr. Kuster received his B.M. from Westminster Choir College.
Tenor Jin Hwan Byun received a Performer’s Diploma in Professional Opera Studies from Indiana University where he was a recipient the Indiana University Music Merit Award and worked as a graduate assistant. His Bachelor of Music degree is in Voice Performance from the Seoul National University, College of Music, South Korea. He is currently in the roster of Anthony George Artist Management and Professor in Department of Music in Kean University.
Mr. Byun has performed major roles in many operas. He recently performed Alfredo in La Traviata with New Rochelle Opera in June 2009. He performed with Florida Grand Opera where I finished the Young Artist Program in Showcase as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Lippo in Street Scene, Nadir in Pearl Fishers and Don Carlo in Don Carlo. With the Florida Grand Opera, He made his main-stage début as Trin in La Fanciulla del West, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Remondado in Carmen. He also covered the Duke in Rigoletto and Tonio in La fille du régiment. In the School Opera Program of Florida Grand Opera, He also performed Rodolfo in La Bohème.
He performed with other companies, in roles such as the First Jew in Salome and Remendado in Carmen with Toledo Opera, Borsa in Rigoletto with Indianapolis Opera, and as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Nashville Opera. While He was still enrolled as a graduate student at Indiana University, He sang the role of Fenton in Falstaff with Timothy Noble, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Alfredo in La Traviata. He finished the St. Louis Young Artist program, where I covered the role of Nicias in Massenet’s Thaïs. He will perform Alfredo in La traviata with Opera Forth Collin in May 2010.
Mr. Byun has won several major competitions including the top prize at the Marie E. Crump Vocal Competition 2009 and the Audcomp by Classical Singer Magazine in 2008, Winner at the Connecticut Opera Guild Competition in 2008, the top prize in 2005 and an award in 2004 and at the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) music competition, the first place in 2005 and the Primavera Award in 2004 at the Bel Canto Foundation Competition. He has been recognized in many competitions as a finalist for the Metropolitan National Council in the Chicago District 2004, a finalist in the Austin Lyric Opera Competition in the spring of 2003, and a semifinalist in the Washington International Competition in 2003.
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