Katy Sumrow (mezzo-soprano) Katy was born in Gdansk, Poland. At an early age, she received a full music scholarship to the Chopin School of Music. Upon graduating she signed a contract with the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and toured through Spain and Germany. Ms. Sumrow performed in the Polish Requiem with Leonard Bernstein and Liv Ullman at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw on International television. Her repertoires as a Soloist include Baroque, Opera, Jazz, Spiritual and Broadway.

Ms. Sumrow is a founding member of the "Baroque Ensemble Buccina Cantorum" and has recorded a CD "Music of the Italian Baroque". Over the last four years, she's been a member of the State Repertory Opera of New Jersey and performed in productions of "Lucia di Lammermoor", "Il Trovatore", "Elisir D'Amore" and "Don Pasquale". For more information and to hear some of her songs please visit Katy's website.   [ back ]

Yeonjune Suh  (soprano) began her voice studies at the age of 14 in her native city of Seoul, Korea. Following graduation from the prestigious Sunwha Art Middle and High School, whose alumni include Sumi Jo and Young Ok Shin, she was awarded a scholarship to the Chicago College of Music of Roosevelt University where she studied with Carmen Mehta. Following her dream to study in Italy, she was then accepted to the esteemed Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milano, where she studied with admired teachers such as Maria Luisa Cioni, Katia Angeloni, and Stefano Gibellato, earned a Diploma, and was granted a Voice Fellowship. After graduating, she was invited to participate in the Conservatorio's selective Post-Graduate teaching program.

She has appeared in concerts and opera productions throughout the Italian cities of Milano, Bergamo, Bari, Tocco dei Casauria and Taranto, Sicilia, and in January 2001, performed a principal role in Die Zauberflote at the Art Center in Seoul. Ms. Suh recently graduated from Mannes The New School for Music in New York City where she was accepted in the Opera Program under the direction of Joseph Colaneri, Susan Caldwell, and Ted Taylor and studied privately with Ruth Falcon. While in New York, she has appeared on stage as Norina in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, as Barena in the Vertical Players Repetoire production of Janacek's Jenufa, as Musetta in the Amato Opera Company's productions of Puccinni's La Bohème, and as Sandrina in Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera with The Little Opera Company. In March 2006, performed the lead role of Adina in the New Jersey State Repertory Opera's production of L'elisir d'amore.

Ms. Suh recently returned from Texas, where she participated in the El Paso Young Artist Program as Papagena in Mozart's The Magic Flute. She has also been a finalist in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition and Camillo de Nardis Competition, and has received third prize in the Mario Lanza Competition as well as an encouragement grant from from the Gerda Lisner Foundation. Her current teachers are Patricia McCaffrey and Kevin Murphy of the Metropolitan Opera.

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Clara Bystrand  (soprano) is a lyric-dramatic soprano with a long list of successful performances across all opera houses in Sweden as well as a few theatres in Europe. Singing and music has always been a part of her life. During her school years she sang with choirs and as a soloist and played the violin in the local symphony orchestra. While working on her thesis in English language history, she studied at Kulturama Opera studio 67 1990 - 92. Clara was admitted at Operahögskolan in Stockholm and graduated in January 1996. During her education she performed in several concerts and productions, for example as Tatjana in “Eugen Onegin”, Rosalinda in excerpts from “The Bat” and the title role of “Suor Angelica”. She also had a small part in “Elektra” at The Royal Opera. Clara has received a number of awards, for example from The Sigvard and Marianne Bernadotte Culture Foundation and The Royal Musical Academy. Besides the opera, she is very frequently engaged in concerts and has also formed a small chamber music group.

Visit Clara's webpage.   [ back ]

Jessica Renfro  (mezzo-soprano) Has been described as “alert and quick in her acting and superb as a singer” with “deliciously playful comic timing” and a “sparkling voice”. “At times Renfro left her audience almost breathless with admiration as she breathed life into her character and spun melodies into charismatic suggestion” (Stephen Neal Dennis, www.allartsreview4u.com, Mark J. Estren The Washington Post, T.L. Ponick The Washington Times). She holds a Master's Degree and Graduate Performance Diploma in Opera from the Peabody Conservatory, and has studied with world renowned singers such as Franois Loup and Phyllis Bryn-Julson. A few of her opera credits include Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Cenerentola in La Cenerentola, Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos, Dorabella in Cos fan tutte, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Concepcion in L'heure Espagnole with such companies as Baltimore Opera Center, Opera Vivente, Bel Cantanti Opera, and many more. She has also enjoyed a busy schedule of concert work with Baltimore Symphony, Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Southern Delaware Choral Society, Chesapeake Youth Orchestra and others.

Ms. Renfro looks forward to playing the role of Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana for Baltimore Concert Opera and Dido in Anne Arundel Opera's upcoming production of Dido and Aeneas this season. In June she looks forward to her Carnegie Hall debut with Pacific Encore Performances.

Visit Jessica's webpage.   [ back ]

Hedy Tukey (soprano) performed in State Repertory Opera's productions of Mozart's The Magic Flute in the role of the First Spirit and in Massenet's Thaïs in the role of Crobyle. In State Repertory Concert productions, she has performed the role of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata, Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto and Susannah in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah. In 2008, Ms. Tukey's recital at Lile Hall in Summit, NJ included songs set to the same poem text by different composers. Songs presented were by Debussy, Fauré, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, Grandos, Rorem, Finzi and Schubert. Previously, she performed with the Savory Singers in productions of Patience, Mikado and Iolanthe, has sung with the New York Choral Society, and is a frequent soloist at Christ Church in Summit and Peddie Memorial Baptist Church in Newark. Ms. Tukey won first prize for her category in the annual NJ NATS voice competition. She studies voice with Dita Delman, Artistic Director of the State Repertory Opera. Ms. Tukey also serves as president of the Board of the State Repertory Opera company.

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Peter J Oliff (cabaret artist) began performing with the Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Co. as principal tenor in 11 operas. Chorus work with the New Jersey State and State Repertory Opera Companies were followed by musical reviews ranging from Noel Coward and George Gershwin to Stephen Sondheim and Jacques Brel at various venues thoughout the state. Favorite musical comedy roles have included the Caliph in "Kismet," the Padre in "Man of La Mancha" at the John Harms Theatre in Englewood, and George in "Sunday in the Park with George" at the Old Library Theatre in Fair Lawn.

While earning his dental degree in New York City, he sang in various denominational churches, and most recently served as cantor in Roseland, New Jersey.

Although several recent cabaret acts in New York clubs have been rewarding, and a very brief appearance on the Joe Franklin TV Show and singing Mass at the Vatican have vied for "career highlights," to say nothing of his former membership in the national barbershop quartet society, it is his association with Dita Delman that has proven most lasting and treasured.

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Warren Helms (accompanist) presently is a faculty member of The Juilliard School and also William Paterson University. He served as opera coach at The Manhattan School of Music for eleven years. Mr. Helms was assistant conductor/pianist for the Broadway production of Showboat at the Gershwin Theatre and has performed off-Broadway with the Vineyard Theatre. He recently performed with the Three Irish Tenors, Aretha Franklin as well as Clay Aiken. Cabaret experience includes The Rainbow Room, Russian Tea Room. He collaborates with Drew University, Kean University and Westminster Choir College. He is also the Director of Music at The Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Wayne, New Jersey.

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Mary Pinto (accompanist) received her Masters in Accompanying with John Wustman at the University of Illinois. She worked for the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists in Chicago, and from there she went to work on the staff of the Dallas Opera, San Antonio Opera, and various other regional operas. She is currently thrilled to be back in her home state of NJ working on the staff of William Paterson University and Montclair State University, and appreciates the support of her wonderful husband Mitchell and her two beautiful children Brittany and Sam.

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