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My Studio
LILIANA CASTELBLANCO MM1
Soprano Liliana Castelblanco currently resides in
Ms. Castelblanco is also a passionate scientist and visual artist but left her position as a biology research assistant to pursue her music career. This spring she will perform in the chorus of La Traviata with the Peabody Opera Theatre.
MI JUNG JOH GPD1
EDUCATION
1999: BM of Voice Performance at University of Ulsan, South Korea
Voice study with Kim, Bang-Sul & Lee, Dae-Woo
Full tuition scholarshop for 4 years
PREVIOUS POSITION
2001: Won a prize from the Korean Newspaper of Music
2002: Performance with the Orchestra of University of Ulsan
2002: Performance for the Music of Young Artists Program
1992-2002: Tuwoolin Choir as a trainer and soloist, South Korea
1999-2003: Ulsan Simin Church Choir as a soloist, Conducted for Youth Group
2009: Performance for the Musical, “The Story of Joseph”
CURRENT & UPCOMING
2003-present: Washington Central Presbyterian Church as a soloist and conductor
2004-present: Washington Soloist Ensemble as a soloist
SARA MACKIMMIE MM2 (ALSO WITH BRYN-JULSON)
Sara MacKimmie, soprano, is a first year masters student at Peabody in the studio of Phyllis Bryn-Julson. She recently completed her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance at Michigan State University, where she studied with Melanie Helton. Sara made her MSU Opera Theatre debut as Cinderella’s wicked stepsister in Rossini’s La Cenerentola. In the fall of 2008, she will be performing the role of “Pepik” in Peabody’s mainstage opera, The Adventures of Sharp-Ears the Vixen. Sara’s professional orchestra debut was with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, performing Bach’s St. John Passion. A great lover of the oratorio literature, she has also been the soprano soloist in works ranging from Charpentier’s Litanies de la Vierge to Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, with ensembles including the MSU Chorale, Collegiate Choir, and Philharmonic Orchestra. In January of 2007, Sara was a member of the Carnegie Hall Festival Chorus, performing Bach’s St. Matthew Passion under the direction of Helmuth Rilling. She was soprano soloist at the Peoples Church of East Lansing for four years and was also a member of the early music ensemble Sine Nomine. In her free time, when she has any, Sara reads avidly and attempts to keep up her piano skills.
SARAH MAHON BM4+
Sarah Mahon, soprano, is in her fifth and last year in the Peabody-Hopkins Double Degree program, majoring in voice performance at Peabody and anthropology at Johns Hopkins University. Hailing from Freeport, New York, she grew up as a performing child, appearing in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live and the PBS childrens' show Sesame Street. She began formal voice lessons with Rosemarie Guariglia-Crouse in her 9th grade year, and discovered her love for classical music and the classical voice. As a musical theater performer, she starred as "Lola" in Damn Yankees, "Dorothy" in The Wizard of Oz, "Ronette" in Little Shop of Horrors, and as a leading singer and dancer in a musical revue with Joan Roberts, the original "Laurie" in Oklahoma! With the Johns Hopkins Barnstormers, she has appeared as "Joanne" in Company and "Cinderella" in Into the Woods . Sarah is also a lover of straight theater, and has appeared as "Maggie" in The Man Who Came to Dinner and as three different characters in The Good Doctor . She participated in NYSSSA (New York State Summer School of the Arts) held at SUNY Fredonia for concentrated study of choral music, opera scenes, and musical theater. There she appeared as "Countess" in several scenes from Le nozze di Figaro, "Timoune" in Once on this Island, and a featured singer and dancer in scenes from The Merry Widow and The Mikado.
In the realm of opera, Sarah has branched out to make her opera chorus debut in Opera Vivente's production of Handel's Alcina and continued her work with the company in the North American premier of Jonathan Dove's sacred opera, Tobias and the Angel. She premiered the role of "Woman 1" in One, a short opera by Peabody composer Nicholas Werner, as part of Peabody's Opera Etudes program and was honored to perform the piece for Peabody's Gala celebration. Her most recent engagements included the role of "Knitter 1" in Seymour Barab's A Game of Chance with Peabody's Opera Potpourri and the chorus in Peabody Opera Theater's La Traviata. Sarah has been playing the cello for over 10 years and dancing since she was 8 years old. She is thrilled to start her last year here!
JULIANA MARIN MM2
Juliana M Marin was born in St. Louis, Missouri but truly hails from Derwood, Maryland. She began studying piano at the age of 7 but deep down she knew she had a love for singing and performing. After her first talent show at age 8, singing a Disney favorite, she knew she was hooked. She continued studying piano throughout high school, was a member of various honor and All-State choirs, and became an active member of the drama club, both on stage and off. Her senior year, Juliana finally began voice lessons to prepare for college auditions. She graduated from Towson University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. She is currently beginning the Master of Music degree program at The Peabody Conservatory in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy.
At Towson University she was able to perform the role of Alison in Gustav Holst’s, The Wandering Scholar, as well as Pamina in Mozart’s, The Magic Flute. She most recently had the pleasure of music directing Jason Robert Brown’s, Parade with the Wildwood Summer Theatre, a youth-run theatre company in Bethesda, MD. She sings locally as a soprano soloist for Roland Park Presbyterian Church.
JULIANNE MCCARTHY BM TRANSFER
Soprano Julianne McCarthy was born on a U.S. Naval Base in the Republic of the Philippines. From a young age, she trained intensively as a swimmer before focusing exclusively on music in high school under the direction of Jeffrey Clayton at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2007, the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts recognized Julianne as the top-ranking classical vocalist in Florida.
Following high school she studied vocal performance at University of Florida and performed in scenes from Die Zauberfloete (Pamina), and Le Nozze di Figaro (Susanna). Julianne performed in master classes for Denyce Graves and Jennifer Larmore. She also attended Sherrill Milnes’ VoiceExperience, and Rice University’s summer vocal program.
In addition to musical studies, Julianne works as an intern for Medical Development International and continues to study German.
EMILY MCCULLOUGH MM2
Emily McCullough, a Maryland native, is a soprano graduate student at Peabody Conservatory and is enjoying her first busy year there. She has recently been cast in the school’s production of Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen as the Vixen cover. Emily received her undergraduate degree in performance from Towson University, graduating with the distinguished honor of Magna Cum Laude and the honor of haven been chosen to sing at the graduation ceremony. There she was very involved with the school’s Music for the Stage and choral program, receiving various roles and solos. She most recently played Geraldine in Samuel Barber’s Hand of Bridge and was in the trio of Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti. Emily also won several competitions at Towson University including first place in The Talent Award and the Anne Arundel County Notables Award two years in a row. Emily looks forward to her stay at Peabody and plans to make the most of it!
LUCY SIRIANNI BM3
Soprano Lucy Sirianni, a native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, began studying voice with Roderick Teh at the age of eleven; she is currently a second-year student at The Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, studying with Ah Hong. Lucy has spent the last several years performing in recitals and operatic productions, including Die Zauberflóte (Pamina), Le Nozze di Figaro (The Countess), La Clemenza di Tito (Vitellia), and Giulio Cesare (Cleopatra). Lucy has won many awards and competitions, including the Joyce Walsh Award and the University of Eau Claire's Young Artists' Competition. She is a two-time winner of Ars Musica Summer Institute's Director's Award of Excellence, and the first-place winner of its Young Artists' Competition, in the solo aria category. Lucy has participated in numerous music examinations conducted by Trinity College, in London. She was one of the youngest vocalists ever to be awarded an FTCL (Fellowship Trinity College London), the highest diploma offered by Trinity College. She has also obtained the other two diplomas offered by Trinity: the LTCL (Licentiate Trinity College London), and the ATCL (Associate Trinity College London), as well as numerous other certificates of achievement for both voice and piano, not only from Trinity, but also from the London College of Music, and the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music In addition to her musical activities, Lucy has been involved in many theatrical productions, in which she has portrayed such roles as Beatrice in Much Ado about Nothing and Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. She has also studied several languages, including Italian, German, French, and Spanish, and has received numerous awards for her involvement in language studies.
JESSICA THOMPSON GPD1
Jessica Thompson is currently a first year Master’s student at Peabody Conservatory in the studio of Ah Hong. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at Syracuse University in Voice Performance with a minor in Music History, graduating magna cum laude. At Syracuse University, her roles included “Barbarina” in Le Nozze di Figaro, “Snow White” in Luigi Zaninelli’s Snow White, and the “Defendant” in a reversed gender-role production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury. Syracuse University awarded her the Joanna and Roger Moore Award for Vocal Excellence in Opera in 2007.
She has also appeared in the Syracuse City Opera Chorus in Carmen, as well as attended the Oxenfoord International Summer School in St. Andrews, Scotland. Her two summers with Oxenfoord provided opportunities to work with artists such as Malcolm Martineau, Linda Ormiston, and Paul Wynne Griffiths, in master classes and opera scenes. During her first year at Peabody, Jessica appeared in the production of Milhaud’s Les Malheurs d’Orfee as Le Renard, and as the first Knabe in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. This fall she will be performing the role of the Vixen in Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen.
