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My Studio
ZOE BAND BM2
Growing up in Toronto, Canada, Zoe Band started singing at the age of seven. She studied with Norma Tetreau and Elizabeth Pomes of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Karen Rymal of York University, and Jean McPhail of The University of Toronto. She has appeared in Come Into the Parlor television series as a guest artist, performed in the showcase and lobby concerts at the Royal Conservatory of Music, participated in festivals such as the Kiwanis Music Festival and the Peel Music Festival and has been a finalist at the Ontario Music Festivals Association Provincial Finals many times. In the summer of 2007 she attended the Oberlin Conservatory Vocal Academy for High School Students program and in the summer of 2008 attended and performed in The Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy. Currently Zoe is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree program at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University studying with Steven Rainbolt.
CURTIS BANNISTER GPD2
Curtis Bannister, as a young emerging artist, has already begun to establish himself as a versatile performer; portraying roles from the operatic repertoire with both vocal strength and well developed dramatic vigor. With a fairly developed repertoire in the standard opera and operetta repertoire, Mr. Bannister has been praised for his passionate vocal artistry and captivating dramatic interpretations on the operatic and recital stage.
Mr. Bannister’s 2009-2010 season began with his return to musical theatre, portraying the role originated by Andre DeShieds, in Ain’t Misbehavin’ with the oldest touring company in the United States, The National Players, as well as performances with the Washington Summer Concert Opera as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Future season engagements include his debut as Peppe in Donizetti’s Rita with the Peabody Opera in October, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Chesapeake Concert Opera in November, performances in the role of Jimmy in the new opera The Golden Gifts in January 2010, an engagement at the Musée du Louvre in Paris in February 2010, performances as the Tenor 6/Prince character in Conrad Susa’s Transformations, and his debut as the Evangelist in Bach’s Passion of St. John with the Baltimore Baroque Band.
Mr. Bannister has performed the roles of Tamino (The Magic Flute), Arturo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Mr. Erlanson (A Little Night Music), Trio Tenor (Trouble in Tahiti), Barinkay in Johann Strauss’ Der Ziegeunerbaron with the American Institute of Musical Studies Orchestra, which was performed in several cities in Austria, Sheldon Segal in the world premiere of John Musto’s most recent opera Later the Same Evening, the Schoolmaster in Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Pirelli (Sweeney Todd) in New York with OFY Productions, and Pierre in the Gustav Holst opera The Wandering Scholar with Towson University Opera. Outside of his full stage roles, Mr. Bannister has performed in scenes as Ferrando (Cosi fan tutte), Romeo (Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette), Don Jose (Carmen), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), and Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore). Oratorio performances in recent seasons include Beethoven’s Mass in C, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Vesparae Solennes de Confessore, Bach’s Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Britten’s War Requiem.
Mr. Bannister has been awarded a Voice/ Opera Merit Scholarship from Peabody Conservatory, the Opera Performance Fellowship from the American Institute of Musical Studies, Winner of the Henry Sanborn Vocal Competition, 3rd place winner of the Peggy Friedman-Gordon Music Competition, was a semi-finalist in the 2008 Charles Lynam Vocal Competition, and was a finalist in the 2009 Maryland Arts Council Rising Star Competition. Mr. Bannister has had the honor of singing under such conductors as Mo. Eduardo Muller, Dr. Paul Rardin, and Mo. Reifen Seiffarth. He currently studies with Steven Rainbolt.
SIMHA HADDAD BM1
Prior to her Conservatory career she attended both Harvard-Westlake High School, and the Colburn School for performing arts, studying voice under Mike Stevens. Her vast performance experience includes numerous solo and duet recitals both at the Colburn School and Harvard-Westlake, two years of music outreach programs singing for under privileged children, and numerous smaller shows at Harvard Westlake such as her role as Carmen in the Quintet from the opera performed with full orchestra. She was a chorus member in the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas Pirates of Penzance, and Iolanthe, and played the leading role of Lady Angela in Patience. She was also the only singer chosen to sing at the Colburn School’s Honors Recital in 2008. Her choir performance experience also includes the Harvard-Westlake all female Vocal Ensemble (2005-2006), World Youth Honors Choir (2008), Performing Poulenc ‘s Gloria with a second choir at Interlochen (2008), and touring Italy with the Harvard-Westlake Chamber Singers (2008 - 2009). She currently sings in the Peabody-Hopkins Chorus. Her most recent opera role was as a Nymph in the Peabody production of Adonis in October 2009.
STEPHANIE KRUSKOL MM1
Stephanie Kruskol is a native of Londonderry, New Hampshire. She started voice lessons at the age of eleven, with Peggo Horstmann-Hodes at the Concord Community Music School in Concord, New Hampshire. In 1997 she participated in the National Festival for the Arts in Philadelphia, singing in the children's choir under the direction of Henry Leck. The following summer included a tour of Salzburg and Vienna with the Operafest Classical Singers and performing in the children's chorus of I Pagliacci. At age 12, she was cast as Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden at the Papermill Theatre in Lincoln, NH. Ruth Bossie of the Littleton Courier wrote, "It is easy to fall in love with Stephanie Kruskol, who in her role as Mary is a total delight... she perfectly captures Mary's willful, headstrong, irrepressible personality." Through this intensive, fourteen-performance production, she decided that performance would be her career path.
Since then, she has sung solo vocals for television ads for Public Service of New Hampshire, received third place in Division I of the NATS NH Song Adjudications in 2004, second place in 2005, and third place in Division II in 2006. She participated in a six-week summer program in 2004 at Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied voice with Stephen Totter. She transferred to Peabody after a year at Plymouth State University, where she majored in Voice Performance and Pedagogy in the studio of Dr. Kathleen Arecchi. She is making her debut with the Peabody Opera as Flora in this fall's production of Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw, and is in the studio of Steven Rainbolt.
HILLARY LABONTE MM2
Hillary LaBonte, soprano, is a second year Masters student in the studio of Steven Rainbolt at the Peabody Institute. She recently completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Voice Performance at Baldwin-Wallace College, where she studied with Sophie Ginn-Paster. Hillary made her B-W Opera debut in the role of Cupid in their 2008 production of Handel’s Semele. She also appeared in a workshop performance of Robert Ward’s The Crucible as Ann Putnam, and in the Cleveland Opera production of Turandot, as a chorister under the baton of Richard Buckley. Hillary was a finalist in the Baldwin-Wallace Concerto Competition, singing Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. She has been in master classes with Richard Miller, Timothy Noble, William Vendice, Jonathon Field, and Jennifer McGregor, and coached with Martin Katz and Darryl Cooper. Hillary participated in the 75th Annual Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival at Severance Hall. This season, she will appear in Peabody’s production of Janacek’s The Adventures of Vixen Sharp-ears as Terynka.
STEPHANIE MILLER GPD1
A lyric soprano from Washington D.C., Stephanie Miller is in her first year of the Master of Music program at the Peabody Institute. She recently graduated cum laude from Kenyon College where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Music and Drama. While at Kenyon, Stephanie was an active participant in several dramatic productions while also studying voice under Dione Bennett. In 2006, she was awarded the Thomas B. and Mary M. Greenslade Award in Music Performance by the Music Department for her her Junior Recital, and in 2007 she completed her senior exercise in Music with a full solo recital including music from Bach, Handel, Mozart, Brahms, Verdi and others. In addition to her solo performances, Stephanie also performed with The Kenyon College Chamber Singers and was the Soprano Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem performed by the Knox County Symphony.
LAURA REAPER BM4
Mezzo-Soprano Laura Reaper began singing at the age of eight. Originally from Ohio, Ms. Reaper’s earliest roles include Mary Lennox (The Secret Garden) and Bielke (Fiddler on the Roof). Since then, Laura grew to love opera and began her formal vocal training during her senior year of high school, studying with soprano Kay Griffel.
Laura has sung in several productions including the principle role in Seymore Barab’s A Game of Chance with the Peabody Opera Workshop. She has taken part in many scenes, singing Niklaus (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Mercedes (Carmen), Mistress Quickly (Falstaff), and Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro). Ms. Reaper recently performed the role of Alisa in Lucia de Lammermoor with the Bethesda Summer Music Festival. She is currently singing the Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Peabody’s Outreach program.
In her junior year, Ms. Reaper was featured as the mezzo-soprano soloist with the Peabody Singers in Aaron Copland’s “In the Beginning”. That same year, she place second in the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition (NATS). Laura has received a voice merit scholarship from Peabody. She was also awarded the Eisenach Memorial scholarship for her academic and musical achievements. ]
Ms. Reaper is currently a staff singer with the Mount Vernon Methodist Church. Her continuing engagements include singing with the Concert Artists of Baltimore. Ms. Reaper currently studies under the tutelage of Dr. Steven Rainbolt at the Peabody Institute and continues her summer vocal studies with Kenneth Shaw of the Cincinnati Conservatory.
CARMEN SCHMIDT MM1
Carmen Schmidt is a soprano who has sung professionally with Washington Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Washington Concert Opera and Washington Concert Chorale and Baltimore Opera. Winner of the Distinguished Young Artist Award of Northern Virginia Opera Theater, Carmen has sung four leading roles with their company, including the premiere of Hull's Nancy in the title role. She has performed as soloist with orchestra two Puccini operas, Suor Angelica (title role) and Mimi in La Boheme with Lancaster Opera in Pennsylvania, and several sacred works, include Faure's Requiem in Florence, Italy and Mozart's Requiem. Her past first place awards include National Society of Art and Letters, Washington's Friday Morning Music Club, State and Regional (Southeastern division as well as Baltimore Washington) NATS. Carmen Schmidt has premiered and recorded several contemporary chamber works and operas. She performs regularly in the Baltimore Washington area with friend and teacher, pianist Susan Ricci Rogel. Ms. Schmidt's professional affiliations include Amierican Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and Music Teachers Association (MTA). Carmen resides in Anne Arundel County with her husband, and a houseful of four-footed friends where she maintains a private voice studio as she pursues her Master's degree at Peabody Conservatory in Voice and Pedagogy in Baritone, Steven Rainbolt's studio.
JOCELYN THOMAS GPD1
Jocelyn Claire Thomas is a first year Graduate Performance Diploma student of Steven Rainbolt at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland. Originally from Columbia, Missouri, Ms. Thomas grew up singing in the church, both in choirs and as a frequent soloist. She began studying piano at the age of six, and flute at age eleven. In high school, while participating in chorus and orchestra, Jocelyn made a deal with her jazz band director, that she would pick up the baritone saxophone if he would arrange jazz tunes for her to perform with the big band. In summer of 2002, Jocelyn attended the Interlochen summer program for voice, and decided to pursue a career in music.
Ms. Thomas received her Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory in 2007, where she studied with Professor Gerald Crawford. Having also obtained minors in Music Theory and Music Education, Jocelyn enjoys teaching voice, piano, flute and guitar lessons to students of all ages. Ms. Thomas also served as director of the children's choir at the First Church of Oberlin, from 2004-2007. During her time at Oberlin, Ms. Thomas participated in master classes with many esteemed artists, including Julianne Baird and Marilyn Horne. In summer of 2006, Ms. Thomas attended the Oberlin in Italy opera program where she sang in the chorus of Bellini's La Sonnambula.
Roles sung by Ms. Thomas thus far at Peabody include “La Soeur Jumelle” in Milhaud's Les Malheurs d'Orphee, and “2nd Knaben” in Mozart's The Magic Flute, both directed by Roger Brunyate and the later conducted by Hajime Teri Murai. This past spring, Ms. Thomas presented her Masters Recital which consisted of works by Mozart, Strauss, Faure and Britten. Also in spring 2008, Ms. Thomas performed the role of “Frau K.” in Melissa Shiflett's new opera Dora at the Theatre Project in Baltimore, MD. In her spare time, Ms. Thomas is an avid reader, enjoys yoga and loves to travel!
NATHAN WYATT BM4
Baritone Nathan Wyatt is currently completing his third year of undergraduate studies at Peabody in the studio of Steven Rainbolt and Bob Muckenfuss. A native of North Carolina, Nathan began his classical voice training in high school with private teacher Elizabeth Linnartz. He began studying music with the North Carolina Boys Choir and is a former member of the Durham Choral Society. In 2007 and 2008, he received second and first place honors in the classical vocal division of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. At Peabody, Nathan has performed in undergraduate opera scenes as Don Giovanni (“Don Giovanni”) and Count Almaviva (“The Marriage of Figaro”), as well as singing with the Peabody Singers and performing as a chorus member in the Peabody Opera Theater production of “Die Zauberflöte” in Spring 2008. This past summer, Nathan was a featured vocalist at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival and performed scenes from “Cosi Fan Tutte” and “La Traviata” as Guglielmo and Marchese d’Obigny, respectively. In November 2008, Nathan will play the role of the Forester in Janacek’s “The Adventures of Sharp-Ears the Vixen” with the Peabody Opera Theatre.
