President: Wendy Hillhouse
Wendy Hillhouse, mezzo soprano and voice teacher, has been involved with
SFBAC NATS for thirty years, first as a student competing in the Singing
Festival, as the national NATSAA winner, as a guest adjudicator, and for the
last twelve years, as a member of NATS.
Wendy has made her home in the San Francisco Bay Area since 9th grade. Born
Wendy Hoggatt in New Orleans, she spent her childhood moving with her family
around the United States, living in 10 states in 13 years, and settling at
last near her parents’ childhood home in Berkeley. She graduated from Albany
High School, and received her first Bachelor’s degree with a double major in
Geology and Paleontology from U.C. Berkeley. While a student at Berkeley,
she began studying voice with Donald Stenberg, and worked with him for more
than thirty years, until his passing in 2004. After graduating from
Berkeley, she moved to the Peninsula and worked for three years at the U.S.
Geological Survey in Menlo Park, mapping earthquake faults and the
structural geology of eastern San Diego County. During this period she sang
lead roles with the Lamplighters and the San Jose Gilbert and Sullivan
Society, and as alto soloist with many local choruses.
Wendy went back to school at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and
received a B.M. in Vocal Performance, studying voice with Donald Stenberg,
and coaching with Susan Webb. While a student at SFCM, she made her operatic
debut with West Bay Opera. She was alto soloist for the first SF
Conservatory Sing-It-Yourself Messiah, which was televised nationally for
many years on PBS, and sang at that splendid event for many subsequent
years.
Immediately after graduation from the Conservatory, she was in the Santa Fe
Opera Apprentice Training Program. A period of several years followed in
which she was quite successful in auditioning for programs and competitions.
They included:
1st place winner, Metropolitan Opera Auditions, SF district, 2 years in a
row
Merola Opera Program: Sullivan Family Award, 1981
San Francisco Opera Center, 1982-1985
San Diego Opera Training Program
American Institute of Musical Studies, Graz, Austria
Académie Maurice Ravel, Saint Jean de Luz, France
1st Place winner, Eleanor Steber Competition
2nd Place winner, Loren L. Zachary Society
1st Place winner, Luciano Pavarotti International Competition
1st Place winner, East Bay Opera League Competition
Wendy was the first place national winner of the NATSAA competition in 1985.
As a result of this award, she presented numerous recitals for NATS chapters
across the United States, as well as at the 1987 NATS National Convention in
Chicago. She made it a personal goal to learn and perform a new recital
program every year, and fulfilled that goal until she began teaching in
1997. She has been a specialist in American song, and has transcribed from
manuscript and performed a number of unpublished songs by Henry Cowell.
As a result of winning the Eleanor Steber Competition, Wendy won
representation in New York City, and began her professional opera and
concert career in the United States and internationally. Career highlights
have included singing at the Metropolitan Opera for six seasons, and at the
opening of the new theater of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Other
engagements have included the Gran Theatre del Liceu of Barcelona, Opéra de
Nice, and most of the major American opera companies, including the Dallas
Opera, San Francisco Opera, and the Seattle Opera Ring Cycle. She can be
seen as Marcellina on the DVD of Le Nozze di Figaro from the Glyndebourne
Festival, and as Grimgerde on the Metropolitan Opera’s Die Walküre. She is
currently represented by Mary Ella Collins Associates of Dallas, Texas.
The concert stage has always been a career focus, and she has achieved a
versatility and mastery of diverse repertoire that is rare. She has
performed with the symphony orchestras of Boston, Seattle, Dallas,
Pittsburgh, and Denver, and the Tanglewood, Cabrillo and Midsummer Mozart
Festivals, as well as maintaining a busy schedule of Bay Area concert
appearances. Recent recordings include the music of Milhaud, Henry Cowell
and Lou Harrison, and the Verdi Requiem with the New West Symphony.
Wendy joined the voice faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in
1997, and has devoted an ever-increasing portion of her time to teaching.
She served as co-chair of the voice department for five years, and currently
serves on the Academic Affairs Committee, the Task Force for Student
Learning, as Faculty Associate to the Dean’s Office, and as an associate
editor of the academic catalogue. Many of her private and collegiate
students are performing professionally, and she is proud that they have been
winners at the SFBAC Singing Festival.
Wendy is an experienced vocal adjudicator and clinician. In addition to
evaluating and writing feedback for numerous juries and auditions at the
Conservatory, she has served as an adjudicator for Classical Singer, San
Jose State University, the Musical Merit Foundation, the Holt Auditions, the
East Bay Opera League Competition, NATS and many others. She has taught
master classes in interpretation, presentation and audition techniques for
the OperaWorks program in Los Angeles, the MTA, and many colleges and
universities across the country. She organized and presented the 2007 Fall
SFBAC Workshop, titled “Inside Admissions,” on auditioning for collegiate
voice programs.
Wendy’s husband Jack Hillhouse is a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological
Survey. They have been married for 27 years, and live in Redwood City. She
is an award-winning quilter, and enjoys sewing art-to-wear garments. She is
a life member of Seed Savers Exchange, and loves walking in the Sierra.
She misses Donald Stenberg very much.
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VP of Student
Recitals: Victoria Rapanan
Victoria Rapanan, a native New Yorker and Filipino-American, is an International Voice Teacher and Vocal Technician. She specializes in the Old Italian School of Singing, with the Swedish influence. Ms. Rapanan has taught voice for 20 years, and trained and apprenticed in New York with the renowned Vocal Pedagogue, David Jones. Her private studio is located in Pleasant Hill (30 minutes east of San Francisco), and she is also a regular guest instructor in Bangkok and Manila. Many of her students have pursued professional careers in opera, musical theatre, recording, teaching voice, and choral conducting, besides winning awards in competitions and performing internationally.
Ms. Rapanan has served as the Vice President (Recitals) of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, since 2006.
A Soprano Zwischenfach, Victoria Rapanan has also been an active performer for most of her life. Her extensive range and artistry encompass music of diverse styles - from opera, including coloratura repertoire, to musical theatre. She has performed principal roles with many opera and musical theatre companies, and has also been a featured soloist in oratorios and concerts throughout California, Italy and Bangkok, Thailand.
For more information, please visit Victoria Rapanan’s website,
www.healthyvocaltechnique.com.
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VP of Programs: Aleicia Byrnes
Aleicia Byrnes, dramatic soprano and voice teacher, was born in Toronto, Canada and emigrated at the age of ten to the U.S. with her parents, first to Michigan and then to Los Angeles. After graduating from Hollywood High School, she studied music and voice at CSUN, UCLA, San Diego Opera Center, the Aspen Music School and Festival and the Bayerische Staatsoper’s Muenchener Singschul.
Winning first place in the 1980 Zachary Competition took her to theaters in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxemburg, including the Munich State Opera, Zurich Opera and opera houses in Hamburg, Mannheim, Nurnberg, Wiesbaden, Oldenburg, Regensburg, Cologne, Berlin and Vienna. She prizes the opportunity this provided to hone her art and stagecraft, beginning with young dramatic soprano roles and growing into the highly dramatic soprano Fach: Agathe in Weber’s
Der Freischutz, Rosalinde in J. Strauss’
Die Fledermaus, Marina in Wolf-Ferrari’s
I Quattri Rusteghi.
Among her favorites were the Verdian soprano roles of
Otello’s Desdemona,
Don Carlo’s Elisabetta,
Il Trovatore’s Leonora,
Un Ballo in Maschera’s Amelia and the title roles of
Aida, and Puccini’s
Madama Butterfly and
Tosca, Santuzza in Mascagni’s
Cavalleria Rusticana, Mutter in Humperdinck’s
Hansel und Gretel, the Foreign Princess in Dvorack’s
Rusalka, Mme. Lidoine in
Les Dialogues Des Carmelites by Poulenc, Mutter in
Reimann’s Ein Traumspiel, Die Saengerin in Boesman’s
Reigen, Leonore in Beethoven’s
Fidelio, Marta in
D’Albert’s Tiefland, Marie in Berg’s
Wozzeck, Magda in Menotti’s
The Consul, and Lady Billows in Britten’s
Albert Herring.
Her affinity for both Strauss and Wagner roles blossomed in Richard Strauss’ heroines Die Faerberin in
Die Frau ohne Schatten, Ariadne of
Ariadne auf Naxos, the title role of his
Elektra, and Wagner’s Irene in
Rienzi, Senta in
Der Fliegende Hollaender, Kundry in
Parsifal, Isolde in
Tristan und Isolde , and
Die Walkure Helmwige and Ortlinde.
Brunnhilde and
Turandot excerpts, the soprano solos in Beethoven’s
9th Symphony, Mahler’s
8th Symphony, Bach’s
Magnificat, Schoenberg’s
2nd String Quartet, Op. 10, R. Strauss’
Four Last Songs, A Charles Ives Evening, Elizabethan Songs and a Multi-Cultural Christmas Music Afternoon form part of her concert repertoire.
Returning to the States to sing the Dyer’s Wife in David Hockney’s production of R. Strauss’
Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, double cast with Gwyneth Jones, was a highlight.
As a testament to her flexible technique and adaptability, she was delighted to be asked to sing Rosalinde in J. Strauss’
Die Fledermaus in the same season in which she sang Tosca, Amelia and Kundry.
Excited by guiding her students’ evolution, she now finds her philosophy of teaching informed by a quote which inspired her artistic development throughout her career: “Imagination expands technique and technique expands imagination.”
She indulges her passion for theater and dancing, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais, all of which shape her teaching, and delights in traveling where her musical adventures lead.
She teaches in San Francisco at the Byrnes-Harris Voice Studio with her husband Paul Harris, currently vocal coach at San Francisco Opera, and formerly of the State Operas of Vienna, Munich and Berlin.
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Webmaster: Meghan Dibble
Meghan Dibble has been teaching privately for 9 years. She began teaching
during her course work at California State University, East Bay. There she
focused on college aged students who were interested in exploring their
singing voice. Ms. Dibble then attended Northwestern University where she
received a master's degree in Vocal Performance and Literature. During her
master's program, Ms. Dibble specialized in vocal pedagogy.
Ms. Dibble worked with a variety of students between the ages of 7 and 52 in
both Chicago and New York City. In San Francisco, she currently teaches
voice in her home studio as well beginning piano lessons at the Chinese
American International School.
Last spring Ms. Dibble sang Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte) with West Bay Opera
under the stage direction of Douglas Nagel in Palo Alto, CA. Last year she
sang Suzuki (Madam Butterfly), Mrs. Page (The Merry Wives of Windsor), and
the Governess (The Queen of Spades) with Pocket Opera. She has sung in the
New York City Fringe Festival opera premiere, A.F.R.A.I.D., Suor Angelica
with Garden State Opera, and Thomas Pasatieri’s Signor Deluso with Brooklyn
Opera. Other roles include Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Fidalma (Il
matrimonio segreto), and Siebel (Faust).
This fall Ms. Dibble will debut with Rimrock Opera singing Cherubino
(Marriage of Figaro) and Mercedes (Carmen).
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Corresponding Secretary: Alison Collins
Soprano Alison Collins' singing has been described as “ effortless and unhurried,”
featuring “high notes with ease.” (Lisa Millegen,
The Modesto Bee). She has recently
returned from Shanghai, where she sang the soprano solos in
Carmina Burana with
Ballet San José on their goodwill tour. Ms. Collins specializes in the light lyric
operatic and concert repertoire, and also relishes roles such as Papagena in
Die Zauberflöte, and the offbeat Sugar Plum Fairy in Rusty Magee's
Flurry Tale.
Ms. Collins' performances include Marie in
The Daughter of the Regiment, Gilda in
Rigoletto, Adele in
Die Fledermaus, and “Ann Page” in Nicolai’s
The Merry Wives of
Windsor. She has performed the soprano solos in Handel’s
Messiah with Symphony
Silicon Valley, and the Fauré
Requiem with the Winchester Orchestra. Recently, Ms.
Collins appeared in the title role of Henry Mollicone’s
Starbird, having had one week
to learn the score as an emergency replacement.
Ms. Collins performed as a young artist with Des Moines Metro Opera, Virginia
Opera, Portland Repertory Opera, and Sarasota Opera where she was awarded the
Richard F. Gold Career Grant. She has performed as a soloist with Opera San José,
Stockton Opera Association, Intermountain Opera Chamber Ensemble, American
Opera Projects, West Bay Opera, Pocket Opera, and Townsend Opera Players.
While serving as member of the voice faculties of San José State University and
Chabot College, she has taught beginning voice class, lyric diction, music
appreciation, ear training, and private voice. She has taught privately for eight years
and taught master classes for Lighthouse International and Townsend Opera
Players’ CameraTeen summer program. She has served as assistant stage director
for Opera San José’s 2006 productions of
Don Giovanni and
La
Bohème, and directed
scenes for Peninsula Teen Opera.
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VP of Singing Festival: April McNeely
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Ms. McNeely has been a featured soloist with
symphony orchestras and choirs both in the Midwest and in California and has
been awarded many honoraria, scholarships and prizes. Operas roles include
Cherubino in Mozart’s
The Marriage of Figaro, Bess in Gershwin’s
Porgy and
Bess, Laetitia in Menotti’s
The Old Maid and the Thief, Gianetta in
Donizetti’s
L'elisir d'amore, the Mother in Menotti’s
Amahl and the Night
Visitors and Cinderella in Rossini’s
La Cenerentola. Musical Theater roles
include Golde in
Fiddler on the Roof, Mabel in the
Pirates of Penzance and
Mary Magdalene in
Jesus Christ Superstar. An active member of the San
Francisco Chapter of The National Association of Teachers of Singing, Ms.
McNeely teaches Applied Musical Theatre Voice at Santa Clara University and
maintains a private voice studio in Hayward. Ms. McNeely holds a Master of
Arts degree in Musicology from California State University, East Bay.
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Newsletter Editor: Anja Strauss
German soprano Anja Strauss has established herself as one of the most
sought-after sopranos in the San Francisco Bay area and beyond. Besides her
signature role Gretel in
Hansel and Gretel, her operatic roles include Oscar
(
Un Ballo In Maschera), Blonde (
Abduction from the Seraglio), Despina (
Così
fan tutte), Clorinda (
La Cenerentola) and Mabel (
Pirates of Penzance), among
others. She sang with Sacramento Opera, Pacific Repertory Opera and the
German companies of Luebeck, Kiel Potsdam and Detmold. She appeared as the
“Governess” in Britten’s
Turn of the Screw with Oakland Opera and San
Francisco Lyric Opera.
In addition to opera, Ms. Strauss has performed a vast repertoire of sacred
music touring Europe with the solo parts of Bach’s
B Minor Mass, Mozart’s
C
Minor Mass, Haydn’s
Seasons, Handel’s
Messiah, Fauré’s
Requiem and the
German Requiem by Brahms. During her tenure at Juilliard in NYC, she
performed Mozart’s
Requiem for the September 11 Commemoration at Lincoln
Center. Most recently she performed as the soprano soloist in Haydn’s
Creation with Santa Cruz Symphony and in Orff’s
Carmina Burana.
A passionate Lied Singer, Ms. Strauss has performed in recitals at Weill
Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Goethe Institute in New York City, with the
Wagner Society in San Francisco, the Olympic Music Festival in Seattle, the
Mozart Society of California in Carmel and in Luebeck, Germany.
She enjoys collaborating with contemporary composers, as in the world
premieres of both Kirke Mechem’s opera
Pride and Prejudice with the
San Francisco Choral Society at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco and
the new opera
The Dawn Makers by Allen Shearer, presented by Composer’s Inc.
at San Francisco’s Herbst Theater. She was the featured soprano soloist for
Pulitzer Prize winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis' song cycle
Awakenings and
a Double Lullaby at various festivals throughout the US with the composer
at the piano. Upcoming appearances will include a performance of Schönberg’s
Pierrot Lunaire with conductor Kent Nagano.
Anja Strauss graduated from the Juilliard School, where she studied with
Cynthia Hoffmann, and from the Musikhochschule Lübeck (Germany), where her
teacher was Prof. Günter Binge. She has appeared in Master Classes of
Christa Ludwig, Bernd Weikl, Ubbaldo Fabbri, Elly Ameling and Barbara Bonney.
In addition to her active performing career she serves on the faculty of the
San Francisco Conservatory’s Preparatory Division and Adult Extension; and
she has worked as a German diction coach at the prestigious San Francisco
Opera’s Merola Program. For more information, please visit
www.anjastrauss.com.
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