My Studio

Eric Finbarr Carey, BM2

Joshua Diaz, MM2

Josh, a native of San Angelo, Texas, is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance, Music History and Italian Minor. In college he has performed with the Notre Dame Chorale, Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra, and Opera ND. With Opera Notre Dame, Josh played the role of Francis Flute/Thisby in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, understudy for the title role in Gounod’s Faust, Bénédict in Berlioz’s Béatrice and Bénédict, title role in Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, and the comical roles of Don Basilio and Don Curzio in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. Josh also interned at Opera Eugene in Eugene, Oregon, performing in the chorus for Gounod’s Faust.
Josh is currently a Master of Music candidate in voice at Conservatory. He is studying in the studio of Dr. Stanley Cornett. He created the role of Caliban in the premier production of Douglas Buchanan’s Ariel’s Tempest. Josh also performed the role of Judge Danforth in Peabody’s mainstage production of Robert Ward’s The Crucible. Josh is preparing to sing the tenor solos in The Defiant Requiem – Verdi in Terézin in April with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra and the Peabody/Hopkins Chorus.

MacKenzie Florence, MM2

MacKenzie Florence, soprano, was born in Parkersburg, WV where she fell in love with singing at an early age. This love of singing led her to Vanderbilt University to study Vocal Performance under Dr. Jonathan Retzlaff. She graduated from Vanderbilt in 2010 with degrees in Vocal Performance and Human and Organizational Development. Immediately following, she headed to Peabody to study under Dr. Stanley Cornett. MacKenzie will graduate with her MM in Voice in May 2013.

In the summer of 2012 MacKenzie attended SongFest in LA where she received personal coachings from Martin Katz, Libby Larsen, and William Bolcom. She has performed many dynamic roles including Olga Olsen from Street Scene and will be covering the role of Donna Anna in Peabody's production of Mozart's Don Giovanni in November 2012. MacKenzie also premiered the role of Lenore in Michael Rickelton's opera No Balm in Gilead at Peabody in 2012.

Sarah Hayashi, BM4

Sarah Hayashi, soprano, fell in love with opera at the age of three and joined the Peabody Children’s Chorus where she performed in productions of Carmen and Hansel and Gretel with the Baltimore Opera Company. She continued on to study voice at the Peabody Preparatory. In the summer of 2011, she attended the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, where she was chosen to sing Gilda in the quartet “Bella figlia dell’amore” from Verdi’s Rigoletto with the AIMS Festival Orchestra under the baton of Alexander Kalajdzic. Sarah also had the opportunity to sing for Barbara Bonney in a master class while at AIMS. In the summer of 2012, she attended SongFest at the Colburn School where she participated in master classes and concerts given by Margo Garrett, Libby Larsen, Martin Katz, Graham Johnson, among others.

 Her roles include Fire, Princess, and the Nightingale in Maurice Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortileges, Belinda in Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. Upcoming performances include Lucia in Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia in April 2013.

Sarah is currently a fourth–year Bachelor of Music degree student studying with soprano Phyllis Bryn-Julson and tenor Stanley Cornett at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

Shayna Jones, BM1

Shayna Jones, Soprano, is a BM Vocal Performance student at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in the studio of Stanley Cornett. This past summer she participated in The Lotte Lehmann Akademie where she performed partial roles including “Cio-Cio San” (Madama Butterfly), “Suor Angelica” (Suor Angelica), “Clorinda” (La Cenerentola) and “Lady Harriet” (Martha).  Shayna has participated in three master classes taught by Thomas Moser, Karan Armstrong, and Graciela Araya. Her vocal coach is Susan Neves. In March 2012, Shayna was a semi-finalist in The American Prize for Vocal Performance, Opera Division. In 2011, she attended The Crittenden Opera Studio where she performed three partial roles, “Madame Flora” (The Medium), “Augusta” (The Ballad of Baby Doe) and “Fidalma” (Il Matrimonio Segreto).

Elizabeth Kerstein, MM2

Called a “dynamic” performer by the Baltimore Sun, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Kerstein is praised for her riveting stage presence and a musical sophistication beyond her years. Most recently, Ms. Kerstein sang the role of Pitti-Sing with Baltimore’s Young Victorian Theatre Company. Also during the 2011-12 season, she performed the role of The Lady with the Hatbox in Postcard from Morocco, as well as premiered the role of Ferdinand in Doug Buchanan’s Ariel’s Tempest, both with Peabody Opera Theatre.
Noted for her beguilingly boyish abandon when singing pants roles, Ms. Kerstein performed Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro during the St. Olaf Lyric Theatre’s 2010 season. That same year she was also an Emerging Artist with Ann Baltz’s OperaWorks, a finalist in the prestigious Minnesota Schubert Club competition, and the 2nd place winner in the Minnesota NATS competition. She is currently a frequent collaborator within the Baltimore new music scene.
Originally from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Ms. Kerstein is a second-year MM student at Peabody, where she studies with Stanley Cornett. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where she earned a BM in Vocal Performance and studied with Dr. Tracey Engleman.

Laurent Kuehnl, MM2
Leslie Procter, MM2

Leslie Procter, mezzo-soprano, is a promising young singer with a dynamic presence on the recital and operatic stage. She most recently sang Dorabella with the Peabody Mozart Ensemble. During her time in Alabama, she performed Tessa in The Gondoliers, Sally in A Hand of Bridge, the Mistress of the Novices in Sister Angelica, Njegus in The Merry Widow, and the title character of Dan Shore’s The Beautiful Bridegroom. Upcoming roles include Benson in Lakmé and Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte. Ms. Procter’s solo concert engagements include Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, Mendelssohn’s Hymn of Praise, Handel’s Messiah, and a concert of arias with the Capstone Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Procter has been a first prize winner in the Alabama National Association of Teachers of Singing competition, and she was the second-place winner in the first Edward Corwin White voice competition at the University of Alabama.

Ms. Procter is pursuing a Master of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory. She has spent her life in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, apart from early years in Europe, and she holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Alabama. Currently, she studies with Dr. Stanley Cornett, and she has also been a part of the studios of Edward White and Doff Procter.

Alexandra Razskazoff, BM3

Soprano Alexandra Razskazoff was recognized by the Baltimore Sun for her “vibrant work, dramatically and vocally” in the role of Abigail Williams in Peabody Institute Opera Theater’s production of Robert Ward’s The Crucible.  Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. Razskazoff is currently a BM3 student in the studio of Doctor Stanley Cornett at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.
Aside from The Crucible with the Peabody Opera Theater, Alexandra has performed the roles of the Squirrel and Shepherd in Maurice Ravel’s L'enfant et les sortileges in 2011. Alexandra will portray the role of Donna Elvira in Peabody’s upcoming production of Don Giovanni, which will be performed at the Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric in Baltimore (Nov., 2012).
In 2011, Ms. Razskazoff was the 1st-place collegiate-division winner of local competitions, including the Baltimore Music Club competition, the Mu Phi Epsilon Undergraduate Scholarship competition, and Friday Morning Music Club competition.
Most recently, Alexandra was awarded the Colburn full-tuition Fellowship to attend SongFest Music Program in Los Angeles, CA, where she received private coachings with world-renowned collaborators Martin Katz and Graham Johnson. Alexandra is the recipient of the Marc von May Voice Scholarship through the Peabody Institute.

Ha Lim Shon, MM

Halim Shon, a native of South Korea and the Master of Music in Studies student at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Shon is the recipient of the General of the Peabody Scholarship Award. He got a second prize at the Osaka International Competition (2007). Past opera roles include Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Alfredo in La Traviata at Seoul City Opera, Lyric Tenor in Postcard from Morocco at the Theater project. Romeo in Romeo e Juliette (opera workshop) at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Rodolfo(opera workshop) in La Boheme at Maryland Lyric Opera, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana at Sungnam art Center. Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto at the Seoul National University Opera. Mr. Shon has also performed Bach's Mass in B minor with the Chowon Chamber Choir. Mr. Shon is going to sing Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni at Lyric Theatre(MD) on November. He was cast as Gerard in Lakmé for the Peabody Opera Theatre's Spring production as well.

Eric Sweeney, MM2

Eric Michael Sweeney is a versatile performer who has appeared in Musical Theatre, Opera, and in Recital.  He has performed the roles of Agwe in Once on This Island (Valley Theatre Company), John the Baptist/ Judas in Godspell (Valley Theatre Company), and Major General Stanley in Pirates of Penzance (Young People’s Theatre Project).  He has also been a soloist with the Eugene Symphony in their Christmas Show Yuletide Celebration playing the role of Bing Crosby. Sweeney’s opera repertoire includes Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, as well as Prospero in Ariel’s Tempest, a role he created.  Most recently, Sweeney was a member of the acappella quartet The Neptunes aboard the Celebrity Summit.

In addition to his performance credits, Sweeney is a stage director as well as music director.  He is a staff music director for the Portland-based theatre company, The Young People’s Theatre Project.  He has music directed Peter Pan, Seussical the Musical, and Once on this Island.  In addition, Sweeney has been a vocal coach for various musical theatre productions such as Les Misérables and the Drowsy Chaperone at Jesuit High School in Portland, OR.

Sweeney currently attends the Peabody Conservatory and studies with William Sharp and Stanley Cornett.

Laura Whittenberger, MM1

Laura Whittenberger, soprano, is a native of Ellicott City, MD. A graduate of Indiana University, she holds degrees in English and Voice.

Professionally in concert this year, Laura has sung as soprano soloist with the VA Medical-Musical orchestra in their televised Veteran’s Day concert at the National Basilica, and with the Columbia Pro Cantare in Haydn’s Kleine Orgelmesse. This fall, she will join the Pro Cantare again as soloist for Carmina Burana and debut with the Easton Choral Arts Society in the Messiah.

Laura sung leading roles this year at the Bel Cantanti Opera Festival (Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro) and the Bethesda Summer Music Festival (Anna in The King and I). In regional operetta and musical theater, she played Julie Jordan in Carousel, Rose in Meet Me in St. Louis, and recently received a glowing review in DC Metro Theater Arts for her performance as Rose in Sousa’s operetta The American Maid with DC’s Victorian Lyric Opera. In March, she will debut with the Peabody Opera as the title role in Lakmé.

Additionally, Laura is a certified ESL instructor teaching at Howard Community College, and the ESL Graduate Assistant at the Peabody Institute.