Mara Adler (Voice) –

By the age of 15, soprano Mara Adler had already sung on one of the world’s premier stages; singing the role Bird Seed Vendor in the San Francisco Opera’s star-studded production of Louise. Propelled by this experience, she has since sung such roles as Papagena in the student production of Mozart’ s The Magic Flute with the Bronx Opera, Servellia with Sing Through Central, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera in the Ozarks, Harry in Albert Herring, and Mere Marie in Les Diologues des Carmelites with the Oberlin Opera Theatre, and numerous other performances of opera scenes.

She has had the privilege of being a part of such festivals and training programs such as the New Jersey Opera Theatre, Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre, the Martina Arroyo- Role Performance Seminar, and New York Lyric Opera Theatre Artsist In Residence program. Most recently she was an Apprentice Artist with Bel Canto at Caramoor in 2010. Taking 1st place in the 2009 5-Towns Competition has enabled her to begin concertizing extensively throughout the New York Metro-area at various community venues. She is a frequent performer with Collegium Westchester’s chamber concert series, and sings with the Central Presbyterian Church choir.

A current Student of Ms. Elizabeth Cole Ms. Adler is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is a 2009 graduate of Teachers College-Columbia University. She is equally comfortable as teacher and a performer, and is passionate about sharing the joy of music with a younger generation as a voice, choir, and piano teacher. Please visit her website for audio clips! (http://www.myspace.com/maraadler1soprano).

Kelly Bennett (Voice/Piano) –

Kelly Bennett has been performing for over 15 years, with vocal experience in Broadway, classical, jazz standard and contemporary vocal music. She holds a BA in Music from Kean University.

Kelly has performed in productions such as Don Giovanni, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel as Hansel, The Ballad of Baby Doe as Augusta Tabor, Amahl and the Night Visitors as Amahl's Mother, Pirates of Penzance as Ruth, A Chorus Line as Christine, Godspell as Joanna, Annie as Ms. Hannigan, The Sound of Music and Children of Eden among others. Kelly has also performed with the renowned Cathedral Basilica Choir, and as a soloist in a number of choral groups. She has performed in venues such as Mill Hill Playhouse and the PNC Bank Arts Center Main Stage.

She has studied with such renowned instructors as Grammy nominee Allison Franzetti on piano, Metropolitan Opera Regional Audition Winner Katherine Harris, as well as Juilliard graduate Steven Schnurman.

Kelly also currently fronts a rock band, 7Envy. The band has performed across the country in cities such as San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York among others.

As a piano instructor, Kelly has studied classical piano repertoire and technique for over 7 years at Kean University and with renowned piano pedagogue Norom Bou of Westminster Choir College and SUNY Potsdam.

Karen Cantor (Voice) –

Karen's professional credits include the role of Venus in the long-awaited revival of Kurt Weill's One Touch of Venus at the Goodspeed Opera House. She played Louisa in The Fantasticks with the Miami Opera, toured as Susan in The Desert Song with Ron Raines, played the title role in an NYC production of Naughty Marietta, Josephine in HMS Pinafore, The Mistress in Evita with Carolee Carmello, Anna in Tintypes, Maria in The Sound of Music, and Starting Here, Starting Now in the Cayman Islands.

Agnes Kim (Voice & Piano) –

Agnes Kim holds Master of Music from Indiana University at Bloomington and Bachelor of Music from University of Colorado at Boulder where she majored in piano performance and minored in voice. She was a recipient of major full scholarships and teaching assistance through her years in CU and IU which led her abundant opportunities to perform and winning local and state competitions. Her career as a performing artist shines through participating summer music festivals such as Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, CO, Adamant piano camps in Vermont, and Arkansas Music Festival in Fayetteville, AR where she performed many solo recitals, chamber music concerts, and appearing as a solo pianist with an orchestra in concerto concerts. Agnes also has been teaching and working actively with students in all ages including experience as an assistant instructor at Indiana University. After moving to New York in 2004, she met many talented students to work with and she looks forward to working with more talented students in New Jersey.

Joanna Hoty Russell (Voice) –

Joanna has appeared in film (One True Thing) and in regional theatre in the area including Buttercup (HMS Pinafore), The Child (L'Enfant et les Sortileges), Hansel (Hansel & Gretel), Ruth (Pirates of Penzance), Anita (West Side Story) and many more. Joanna loves choral music and has performed in many choirs in California, Colorado, New York and New Jersey. She is also a member of The Early Music Players of New Jersey, a chamber ensemble specializing in the performance of music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Eras. Recordings with The Early Music Players include: Bards, Birds and Bawds, Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier, and A Wreath of Carols. Joanna holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in voice performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music.