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My Studio
DIANA CANTRELLE MM2
Diana Cantrelle, Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano has performed at the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, NYC Harmonia Opera, Peabody Opera Theatre, Washington Concert Opera, Young Victorian Theatre, Washington Savoyards, L’Alliance Française, Silesian State Theatre (Czech Republic), Cincinnati Opera, Townsend Opera Players (California), Elysium (German Tour), Pacific Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, Pacific Repertory Opera, Opera Pacific, and the Atlanta Opera.
Her one-woman show Demented Diva — Soir de la Comédie, includes her original work The History of Opera in the Time it Takes to Cook a Hamburger! , showcases her talents as a composer, actress and singer. She has performed in Corfu, Greece (televised), the US and Europe. Some favorite roles are Baba – The Medium, Azucena – Il Trovatore, Suzuki – Madame Butterfly, Witch & Hänsel -Hänsel & Gretel, Charlotte - Werther, Mother - Amahl & the Night Visitors, Martha - The Secret Garden, Lady Thiang – The King & I, and many Gilbert & Sullivan Divas!
A devotee of French repertoire, she is creating a new children’s opera Le Chat Botté (Puss in Boots) © 2009 based on the original Charles Perrault beloved fable. Look for her new CD –Vive la France to be released in 2010 www.dianacantrelle.com resume/sound clips / photos. Miss Cantrelle studies with International Baritone – William Sharp at Peabody Conservatory of Music, coaches with Robert Muckenfuss and Eileen Cornett. The mezzo also works with François Loup (Maryland Opera Studio), Simeone Tartaglione & James Harp (Lyric Opera of Baltimore).
Recent performances/Upcoming include - Trial by Jury - the Council for the Plaintiff - Washington Savoyards in DC, a concert in NYC with Harmonia Opera, sharing the stage with MET Star Lucine Amara (Maddalena & some other Verdi/Bernstein goodies). Other recent works include the Witch in Hänsel & Gretel - Peabody Conservatory, 3rd Lady in The Magic Flute with Opera Anne Arundel. Upcoming is an Aldonza in Man of La Mancha and the Lord Nelson Mass – mezzo soloist with Maestro Edward Polochick.
ELIZABETH HUNGERFORD BM4
Soprano Elizabeth Hungerford has enjoyed significant early success for her interpretations of early vocal literature, performing at the highest levels in the Washington, D.C. area and beyond. Ms. Hungerford specializes in early music, both as a soloist and in small ensembles, though her versatility has allowed her to give commanding performances of repertoire from the Middle Ages to the present day. Ms. Hungerford’s recent performances include the U.S. premiere of Max Keller’s 1851 Jubel Messe in St. Louis, and a performance with the Peabody Conservatory Consort at the Indianapolis Early Music Festival. Ms. Hungerford has also made a prodigious start in her recording career, being featured on nine recordings to date, including one made at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. In addition to numerous live television performances of liturgies at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, Ms. Hungerford has been a featured soloist on Public Radio International’s “Carols for Christmas,” as well as Maryland Public Radio’s “Maryland Morning.” Ms. Hungerford’s upcoming engagements include a concert of selections from Handel’s Neun Deutsch Arien at the Strathmore Mansion in Bethesda, Maryland, a performance of Italian music from 1610 with the Folger Consort, and a series of performances with The Countertop Quartet in Washington, D.C. Ms. Hungerford also appears regularly with the choirs of the Washington National Cathedral. In addition to her busy performance schedule, Ms. Hungerford is presently pursuing a degree in early vocal music at the Peabody Conservatory where she studies with William Sharp.
FRANK MENDOZA BM2
Performances:
Opera Scene recitals with the Concordia Opera 2004-Present
Mozart Requiem (Baritone Soloist) 2008
Concert with the American Boychoir At Fukui Hall in Fukui Japan 2008
Papageno Area performed at the Liederkrans Society New York 2007
All-Eastern Mixed Chorus Performance in Atlantic City 2007
All-State Mixed Chorus Performance 2007
Region II Mixed Chorus X2 Performances 2005, 2007
Memorial Service for fallen firefighters at St Patrick’s Cathedral New York City 2001
Brahms’s German Requiem Carnegie Hall Under the Kurt Masur 2001
Mahler’s 3rd performed at Lincoln Center with the American Boychoir 2001, 2003, 2004
Summer Study:
Tanglewood Summer Program Summer of 2008
Interlochen Summer Program Summer of 2007
ELIZABETH MERRILL MM1
Elizabeth Merrill, soprano, is a first year Masters student in the studio of William Sharp. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Ms. Merrill completed her undergraduate music studies at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she received honors for her performance thesis of Claude Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées, as well as the Billings Performance Award in Music. While at Wellesley she participated in the College Choir, Chamber Singers, and Chamber Music Society, and was a winner of the 2009 Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra Concerto Competition with Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Ms. Merrill has performed with Intermezzo: the New England Chamber Opera Series, the Wellesley College Professional Concert Series, and Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis. She has also performed in master classes led by Christine Brewer and Lisa Saffer. Recently, Ms. Merrill appeared as Vénus in Rameau’s Adonis at the Peabody Institute. Upcoming, she will appear as a soloist in J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion with the Baltimore Baroque Band.
BENJAMIN MOORE MM2
Benjamin Moore, baritone, is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and is a first year Masters student studying with William Sharp. He holds a B.M. in Music Education from Furman University in Greenville, SC, where he studied with Dr. Bingham Vick, Jr. Mr. Moore was an active member of the Furman University Music Department. He was a member and student conductor of the national and international touring choir, Furman Singers, who toured with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra under the direction of Furman alumnus Keith Lockhart in 2007. He also toured Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Switzerland with the Furman Singers in 2006 and 2008. Benjamin was selected twice to participate in Furman University Music Department’s Fall Honors Recital and was one of the soloists in Carmina Burana and in Handel’s Messiah. While at Furman, Benjamin was in the Furman Opera Theatre’s production of The Pirates of Penzance in 2006. In 2006 Benjamin had the opportunity to travel to Philadelphia for coachings with David Arnold, Jeffrey Brillhart, and Randall Scarlata. He has sung in masterclasses for mezzo soprano, Elizabeth Bishop and tenor, Keith Jameson. In the summer of 2007, Benjamin was a young artist in the Lyrique-en-Mer/Festival de Belle-Ile in Belle-Ile, France, during which he performed as a member of the chorus in La Traviata and Les Contes D’Hoffmann. In January 2008 he was a soloist with the Greenville Pops Orchestra.
In 2008-2009, Benjamin can be seen as Harašta in the Peabody Opera Theatre’s production of The Adventures of Sharp-Ears the Vixen and as Dottore Grenvil in La Traviata (also covering Germont).
JAMES PARKS BM4
A young and aspiring artist, James Parks is a native of Frederick, MD. James’ career started when he was but four and sang an innocent rendition of Love Shack at his parent’s square dance. From there he began disrupting second grade classes by breaking out in song. On one occasion the teacher allowed him to get the entire class singing a song from their schools musical. Finally in the third grade, the music teacher told his parents he should be in the Frederick Children’s Chorus and music officially entered James’ life.
In middle school James auditioned for his first musical with the FrederickTowne Players. It was an utter disaster, but somehow he received a quite substantial role. From there he got involved with the Maryland Ensemble Theater which would provide the second most influential thing in his life, the theater. As middle school ended it was very clear to James that he needed to be in the Advanced Music Studies at Governor Thomas Johnson High School and made the appropriate requests to get there.
High school provided a breeding ground for both music and theater and really focused James’ life. In 2004 he became a founding member of a youth acting troupe named Actors Anonymous that would successfully perform from the Maryland Ensemble Theater for another three years. James continued with the Frederick Chamber Singers and was the Conducting Intern for the Frederick Children’s Chorus his senior year. As his senior project he recorded a Christmas album and sold it throughout Frederick, MD giving all proceeds to Christmas Cash for Kids, a local charity. By the end of high school James had performed with many theaters including The Maryland Ensemble Theater, Way Off-Broadway, FrederickTowne Players, MET-X, The Fun Company, SAB Productions, Patriot Point, Village Dinner Theater, and TJ Stage.
After high school James applied and was accepted to the nation’s oldest conservatory, Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins. Thus far his Peabody Career has included performances in Les Contes D’Hoffman, Die Zauberflöte, L’Histoire du Soldat, Ring Dang Doo, and he will be appearing this year in the outreach opera, Hansel and Gretel as the Father. James is also an active member of Peabody’s student government Oasis, and an RA. He is the founder and director of Peabody’s theatrical Improv workshop which has been a success for the past two years.
James has been awarded two finalist positions in the Frederick Talent Search, 1st place in the 2004 Shepherd College Vocal Competition, 2005 MD Distinguished Scholar in the Arts, and Honorable Mention in the 2007 Sue Geots Ross Memorial Competition. James has also participated in a master class with Ruth Drucker.
James currently studies with William Sharp and coaches with Ernest Ligon at The Peabody Conservatory. Past teachers have included Carol DeSantis and Judy DuBose. James plans to continue his studies in the arts after Peabody with the eventual dream of performing in New York even if just on street corners.
When not singing or acting, James can usually be found exploring the urban jungle that is Baltimore, reading historical fiction or theology, having abstract philosophical conversations, or giving out ROCKSTAR energy drinks as he is the Student City JHU Representative.
ANDREW SAUVAGEAU GPD2
Andrew Sauvageau, Baritone, is a first year graduate performance diploma student and a member of the studio of William Sharp. A native of Oregon, Mr. Sauvageau completed his undergraduate at the University of Oregon, studying with Milagro Vargas. There he participated as a soloist for both the opera department and the symphony orchestra. His roles with the opera there included Betto in Gianni Schicchi, Norton in La Cambiale di Matrimonio and Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. With University of Oregon’s Symphony, Mr. Sauvageau performed in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as baritone soloist, and had the privilege to work with Helmuth Rilling as soloist in both Bach’s Magnificat and Mozart’s C Minor Mass.
Mr. Sauvageau’s work at Peabody includes the role of Papageno with both the Opera Mainstage and with the Opera Outreach Program, and the roles of Luther, Crespel and Schlemihl in the Opera Mainstage production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann. He has also appeared as baritone soloist in Haydn’s Harmoniemesse and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria with Peabody Concert Orchestra, as soloist in J.S. Bach’s Johannes-Passion with the Baltimore Baroque Band and as a soloist and speaker with the Peabody Camerata. Mr. Sauvageau was recently selected to represent Peabody at the Marilyn Horne Foundation Auditions for their annual festival, The Song Continues….
BEN SHAVER BM2
Ben Shaver, a native of Richmond, VA, began his musical studies at age ten. Beginning as a pianist, Mr. Shaver began his study of voice at age 16 in the studio of William Gorton. He continued his studies in voice while studying under Deidra Palmour Gorton. He has previously attended in 2006 the Virginia’s Governor’s School for the Performing Arts and in 2007 as well as 2008 he attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute where he studied with George Case and attended the master classes of Stephanie Blythe, Heidi Grant Murphy, Marcus Haddock, Dr. Jerold Pope and Renee Fleming as well as Boston University Faculty such as Penelope Bitzas and Phyllis Curtin. Mr. Shaver has been the recipient of the Virginia Lions Club Bland Memorial Competition scholarship for the 3 years and was recently the first recipient of the Robert Stamback Award. He has also been awarded the title of the number one tenor in Virginia this past year and the number one tenor in the district for the past 2 years. Ben Shaver is a first year Bachelor’s of Music candidate and is studying with William Sharp. Mr. Shaver is preparing for his upcoming Peabody Opera debut in Leoš Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen as the Schoolmaster as well as a chorister in Verdi's La Traviata.
