Anne Nonnemacher ~ Soprano

Anne Nonnemacher's solo concert work includes St. Matthew's Passion and Elijah at the Oregon Bach Festival and she has performed in acclaimed performances across the United States and Europe, including Helmuth Rilling's Grammy Award winning debut of Krzysztof Penderecki's Credo.

A versatile performer, Ms. Nonnemacher has appeared in a wide variety of classical

and popular music venues with many talented and recognized directors and conductors. She has worked under the batons of Eve Queller and Kurt Masur, among others.

In addition to her work at the Metropolitan Opera, her operatic appearances include Volpone in Lo Speziale with Will Crutchfield, Pamina in Die Zauberflote and Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro with Jim Robinson directing and Philip Brunelle conducting.

Ms. Nonnemacher's popular performances include numerous operettas with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP), Noel Coward's After the Ball with Irene Worth, and other musical theater work. She has worked with Carolyn Marlow, Warren Helms, and Albert Bergeret.

She has also frequently created original programs that she has performed in the New York area.

Natalya Kraevsky ~ Soprano

A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Natalya Kraevsky received her Masters Degree from the St. Petersburg Conservatory and Artist Diploma from Carnegie Mellon University.

In 1996 she was offered a principal contract with the National St. Petersburg Opera Theater as a soloist. She performed the roles of Violetta in La Traviata, Adele in Die Fledermaus and Dorina in Tartuffe.

In addition, she hosted a popular television program about young opera singers, shown in St. Petersburg, Moscow and across Russia.

In the 2000-2002 seasons she performed the Vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen and La Voix Humaine in Pittsburgh, Verdi's Requiem in the concert tour of the Robert Page Festival Singers with St. Petersburg State Orchestra in Europe, Haydn's Creation with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh conducted by Robert Page, the title role in the world premiere of the opera Hadassah by Pulizer Prize-nominated Normand Pepin and Dona Anna in Don Giovanni with Lyric Opera Cleveland. She made her world premiere CD recording for Naxos label of Hangman, Hangman and The Town of Greed by L. Ballada.

Future engagements include Desdemona in Otello and Violetta in La Traviata with St. Petersburg National Theater and Pamina in Magic Flute with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh.

She has worked with distinguished coaches, conductors and stage directors including Maurizio Arena, Enza Ferrari, Jonathan Eaton, Jonathon Field, John Burrows, Andrey Anikhanov, Stanislav Gaudasinsky, Margarita Heifetz and Kirill Tchernozemov.

Natalya is a Winner of the Pittsburgh Concert Society Auditions (1997, 1999 & 2001) and Regional finalist at the Metropolitan Opera National Council. Arriving in the United States a few years ago, Natalya won a scholarship from the Ezio Pinza Council for American Singers, a full scholarship at the Chautauqua Summer Institute and has worked with Marlena Malas, Michael Eliasen, Charles Reiker and Ken Merrill. She was a Diplomant in the Jaume Aragail International Voice Competition in Spain, finalist in the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Competition in Montreal and finalist in the Czech and Slovak Music Competition.

Daniel Clark Smith ~ Tenor

Tenor Daniel Clark Smith, a member of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, is also heard regularly as a concert soloist, and has performed such varied repertoire as Rachmaninoff's Vespers, Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, Mozart's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzer, and Handel's oratorios, Messiah, Israel in Egypt and Alexander's Feast.

Mr. Smith recently made his debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra as tenor soloist in Bach's B Minor Mass. Mr. Smith has also appeared as the Evangelist in Bach's St John Passion with Johannes Somary and the AmorArtis Chamber Chorus & Orchestra in New York. Mr. Smith has appeared as soloist with Richard Westenburg's Musica Sacra, and with the Stamford (Connecticut) Symphony Orchestra.

A member of the American Guild of Musical Artists, Mr. Smith's operatic engagements have included the roles of Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff and the First Jew in Strauss' Salome with the New York Opera Project. In addition to his work at the Metropolitan Opera, he has also performed with the New York City Opera Chorus, and appeared on PBS' Live from Lincoln Center series with both companies, most recently in the broadcast of Verdi's La Forza del Destino at the Metropolitan Opera. He has also performed with the Center for Contemporary Opera and Cincinnati Opera.

Mr. Smith has also performed with such groups as the New York Virtuoso Singers, the Connecticut Early Music Festival, and Voices of Ascension, where he can be heard on their most recent Delos recordings, The Duruflé Album and Berlioz' Te Deum. He spent two years with The Gregg Smith Singers as soloist and assistant conductor, touring the United States and Italy, and recording Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Perséphone, Canticum Sacrum and Les Noces as part of Music Masters' Stravinsky series.

A graduate of both University of Cincinnati/College-Conservatory of Music and SUNY at Fredonia, Mr. Smith holds degrees in Vocal Music Education and Choral Conducting, and currently studies voice with Fredrick Martell.

Jason Stearns ~ Baritone

Metropolitan Opera baritone Jason Stearns has appeared in opera, operetta, concert and "cross-over" engagements throughout the United States and abroad. Mr. Stearns has just completed his first season at the Metropolitan Opera where his sings in the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Chorus.

Jason Stearns has appeared in leading and supporting roles with the Washington

Opera, where he sang the principal baritone role in Massenet's Le Cid. He also appeared there in Boris Godunov, I Puritani and Wolf-ferrari's Sly. Last year he appeared with the DiCapo Opera (NY) as Scarpia in Tosca, with the Mississippi Opera as Sharpless in Madame Butterfly, with the Gold Coast Opera as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor and with the Boston Pro Musica in the title role of Macbeth. He also appeared with the Capital City Opera in Washington DC as the Father in Hanzel and Gretel, with the Cleveland Opera as Montano in Otello and with the Illinois Opera as Billy Bigalow in Carousel.

Mr. Stearns has sung the lead baritone roles in Don Pasquale, Poliuto, Lecrezia Brogia, Maria di Rohan, Adriana Lecouvreur, Arieta's Marina and Marino Faliero with Opera Camerata of Washington. Other leading roles performed are in the operas Falstaff, Pagliacci, La Traviata, Il Trabarro, Die Fledermaus, La Vida Breve, Goyescas, La Boheme, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Manon, Le Villi, Le Nozze de Figaro, Cosi fan Tutti and Carmen.

Mr. Stearns made his Carnegie Hall debut (2000) in Brahm's German Requiem and sang Handel's Messiah in Avery Fisher Hall with the National Chorale. With the National Symphony Orchestra he sang the baritone part in Weill's Seven Deadly Sins with Uta Lemper.

His recording credits include the baritone solos on the 1996 Grammy Award-winning recording of John Corialano's Of Rage and Remembrance, also with the National Symphony.

As a former member of the US Army Chorus, Mr. Stearns appeared regularly at the White House and as featured soloist with the US Army Band entertaining the President, dignitaries and for eight heads of state.