Mezzo-soprano Kristin Dauphinais is highly regarded for her artistry and versatility. She has worked in a variety

of genres including musical theatre, opera, concert, oratorio, chamber music and solo recitals. Her performing career has taken her throughout the United States as well as internationally with tours in Italy, China, Australia and additional concert performances in Germany, Spain, Austria and Luxembourg. As an orchestral soloist, Dr. Dauphinais has been often featured in works by Manuel de Falla including Siete canciones populares Españolas, El amor brujo and El sombrero de tres picos with orchestras such as the Phoenix Symphony, Tucson Symphony the Southern Arizona Symphony, and the Catalina Chamber orchestra. Additional performances as a featured soloist with orchestra include Alban Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder with the Arizona Symphony, Mozart’s Exultate, jubilate with the Apperson Strings and again with the Cadillac Symphony Orchestra, and Easy to Love – a review of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Jerome Kern with the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra as well as Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, Mendelssohn’s St. Paul, Haydn’s The Creation, and Handel’s Messiah, narrations with chamber orchestra in William Walton’s Façade, and Stravinsky’s A Soldiers Tale.

On the operatic stage, her recent roles include Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Mrs. McLean in Susanna, Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Farnace in Mitridate Re di Ponto, the title role in Handel’s Xerxes,  and the role of Ottone in the American professional première of Vivaldi’s Ottone in Villa for the 2007 Arizona Vivaldi Festival.

Ms. Dauphinais graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BFA in musical theatre performance from the Lee Harvey Honors College at Western Michigan University, and earned Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in vocal performance from Arizona State University. She has served on the voice faculty of the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria and currently serves on the voice faculty at the Saarburger Serenaden-International Music Festival in Germany and is the chair of vocal studies at of the University of Arizona.

Upcoming performances for Ms. Dauphinais include The London Song Festival, The Tucson Song Festival, Carneggie Hall, Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, Saarburg Serenaden (Germany) and the Oaxaca Opera Festival (Mexico).

Liz is a regular soloist with Austin Opera, The Austin Symphony, Austin Chamber Music Center, Austin Classical Guitar Society, and Chorus Austin.  Each year, Ms. Cass travels to Guatemala City and Antigua, Guatemala to perform Handel’s Messiah.  Dignitaries from all over the world come together for these events in which proceeds benefit various educational efforts throughout Guatemala.

Ms. Cass founded LOLA – Local Opera Local Artists in 2014 with Artistic Producer, Rebecca Herman.  LOLA is a professional opera company dedicated to keeping the art form alive by utilizing local Austin, Texas talent in new and innovative productions.  LOLA’s first opera was the first ever all-female version of Puccini’s La Bohème titled La Femme Bohème.  LOLA has been nominated for and has won 3 Austin Critics Table Awards for La Femme Bohème.  For more information visit LOLAaustin.org.

Liz’s Recent engagements include the role of Carmen in LOLA’s production of Cabaret de Carmen, and Marcello in LOLA’s production of La Femme Bohème.  Liz recently sang the alto solos in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Chorus Austin, and was the soloist in Manuel de Falla’s El Amor, Brujo with the Austin Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to her return to Guatemala for Handel’s Messiah, Ms. Cass’s upcoming schedule includes The Damnation of Carmen with Lawrence Opera Theatre, Austin Opera Gala Concert featuring works by Wagner and Strauss, Handel’s Messiah with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and a remounting of La Femme Bohème with LOLA.  Liz has concert engagements on the horizon with Carla McElhaney of Revel and Patryce King.  Ms. Cass will be performing the premier of an opera centered on the life of Pancho Villa written by award winning composer, Graham Reynolds. This opera will be performed in Marfa, Texas in the fall of 2016.

Liz Cass is a graduate of the University of Missouri at Kansas City Conservatory of Music.  She began studying with Inci Bashar at UMKC in 1997, and continues studying with her to this day.

In the 2014-15 season, Mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht makes her role debut as Sharon Falconer in Elmer Gantry with Florentine Opera; she will sing Jacqueline Onassis in a workshop of David T. Little’s JFK for Opera Philadelphia; then, in the role of Ariel, she’ll sing the World Premiere of Joseph Summer’s The Tempest for The Shakespeare Concerts in Somerville, MA; followed by Covering the role of Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter in Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD commissioned for Opera Philadelphia.  In 2013-14, Pracht made her Carnegie Hall debut as Alto Soloist in Verdi’s Requiem; her debut with Opera Company of Philadelphia as the Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte; sang Der Trommler in Der Kaiser von Atlantis for Central City Opera with the Colorado Symphony and for Chicago’s New Millennium Orchestra; Meg in Little Women directed by David Gately for Opera on the James; two concerts with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra and Chorus singing John Corigliano’s Fern Hill and Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky, Alto solos in Elijah for Blacksburg Master Chorale, Mozart’s Requiem for NYC’s Choral Society of Grace Church, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Black Pearl Orchestra.  Pracht’s 2012-13 season began with the role of Mrs. McLean in Florentine Opera’s production of Susannah, followed by the role of Guenevere in Orchestra Kentucky’s Camelot, and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with Opera on the James. The 2011 season included her Dallas Opera debut as Stephano in student performances of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette; followed by a turn as Rosina in Opera on the James’s Il barbiere di Siviglia; and the role of Julia in the World Premiere of Kirke Mechem’s The Rivals for Skylight Opera Theatre. In the 2010 season, Pracht made her international/Radio France debut singing Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte with Lyrique-en-mer Festival in Belle-ile; and her Avery Fisher Hall debut in Schumann’s Scenes from Goethe’s Faust with the American Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Pracht has been a Metropolitan Opera Competition Regional finalist in San Antonio, Memphis, and twice in Minneapolis, where, in 2006, she won the Outstanding Mezzo Award.

Pracht’s 2009 performances included her debut with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia singing the World Premiere of the late John Tavener’s Tu ne sais pas, a concert piece for mezzo, timpani and chamber orchestra conducted by Ignat Solzhenitsyn; the roles of Grandma Josephine and Mrs. Teavee in a workshop of The Golden Ticket with American Lyric Theater; the role of Der Trommler in Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Greenwich Music Festival, followed by the 2010 film presentation of that production at the Westchester Jewish Film Festival at Jacob Burns Film Center; the voice of Third Lady in Atlanta Ballet’s production of Die Zauberflöte; her role debut as Rosina in The Barber of Seville with Skylight Opera Theatre; the role of Guenevere in Ash Lawn Opera Festival’s Camelot; and the role of Hansel in Hansel and Gretel for her debut with Opera on the James.

Pracht’s 2008 performances included her company debut with Florentine Opera as The Page in Salome; the title role in Bizet’s one-act opera Djamileh for the opera’s Midwest debut at the Chicago Cultural Center, the role of Melanto in Greenwich Music Festival’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria; and Alto solos in Messiah with The Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee.  In 2007, she performed the title role in The Skylight’s production of David Carlson’s The Midnight Angel; Jo March in Oberlin Opera Theatre’s production of Little Women conducted by Christopher Larkin; Constance in The Sorcerer, marking her Bard SummerScape Festival debut; and Handel’s Cantata Ode for the birthday of Queen Anne for her debut with the Greenwich Music Festival.

Her 2012-13 season engagements included singing the title role in Tosca in a return to Kentucky Opera, in her debut with Portland Opera, and with Pensacola Opera; the role of Becky Felderman in Ricky Ian Gordon’sMorning Star with Cincinnati Opera; Sieglinde in a staged presentation of Act I of Die Walküre with Dayton Opera; Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Delaware; Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle with Opera Omaha; and returning to Peoria Symphony Orchestra as soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, Mozart’s A questo seno deh vieni, and Beethoven’s Ah, perfido.

Recent engagements include her return to Sarasota Opera in the title role of Vanessa, her debut with Opera New Jersey as Tosca, joining the roster of Santa Fe Opera for Tosca, soloist with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra in excerpts from Collins’ Daughter of the South, with Quad City Symphony as The Marschallin in excerpts from Der Rosenkavalier, at the Ravinia Festival under James Conlon in Rachmaninoff’s The Bells. Other recent successes include The Woman in Schoenberg’s Erwartung in a return to New York City Opera; Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with Kentucky Opera; the title role in Tosca with Opera on the James; and an appearance as soloist in Dvorák’s Te Deum with the Cincinnati May Festival. She also appeared in recital with both the Cincinnati May Festival and Bethune-Cookman University; as Santuzza with Sarasota Opera; sang the title role in Tosca with Opera Delaware; returned to New York City Opera for Hugo Weisgall’s critically acclaimed Esther; sang Zemphira in Aleko with the Cincinnati May Festival; Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Opera North; Tosca with Sarasota Opera, Central City Opera, and Opera North; Marietta in Die tote Stadt with Washington, DC’s Summer Opera Theatre Company; the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro with Toledo Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and Pensacola Opera; the title role in Madama Butterfly with Colorado’s Emerald City Opera; and Musetta in La bohème with Glimmerglass Opera. Her successful debut as Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia with Chicago Opera Theater was followed by her return as Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw and as Fortuna in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea.

Previous highlights include Die tote Stadt with New York City Opera; Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Dicapo Opera Theatre; Mimi in La bohème with Emerald City Opera; Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Opera Domani; the title role in Iris with Teatro Grattacielo; Micaëla in a fully-staged production of Carmen with the Amherst Symphony; the title role in Regina with Bronx Opera; Violetta in a fully-staged production of La traviata with the Sioux City Symphony; Arminda in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera at Amherst College; the Daughter in a touring production of Strawberry Fields with Glimmerglass Opera; First Lady in The Magic Flute with Opera Festival of New Jersey; Marietta in the world stage-premiere of Chadwick’s The Padrone; Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Boston’s Commonwealth Opera; and a staged interpretation of Schubert’s Die Winterreisewith the Jacques Thibaud Trio.

Concert engagements have included Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the National Chorale at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall; Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Muncie Symphony; Mahler’sSymphony No. 4 with the Green Bay Symphony; Mozart’s Requiem with Albany Pro Musica; both Brahms’Requiem and Carmina Burana with the Lynchburg Symphony; Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with the Amherst Symphony; a Wagner Concert with the Wagner Society of Washington, DC; an Opera Gala with the Green Bay Symphony; Violetta in La traviata (concert) at Wisconsin’s Fox Cities Performing Arts Center; and her Carnegie Hall debut in Bach’s Magnificat with the Manhattan Philharmonic.

Ms. Thomson resides in Cincinnati, Ohio and received her Graduate Diploma in Performance from The New England Conservatory of Music.

On the concert stage he has been engaged by the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra to sing Rene Clausen’s A New Creation, the Lexington Philharmonic for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Southern Ohio Symphony Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for Verdi’s Requiem.

His formative years included engagements with the Southern Ohio Light Opera Company where he performed over twenty leading roles with the company, including Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Camille in The Merry Widow, and Caliph in Kismet.

Mr. Burton studied at Westminster Choir College as well as the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and was a member of Florida Grand Opera’s Young Artist Program.

A committed Earthwatch volunteer, Paula Fan is passionate about bridging the gap between the scientific and musical worlds. She is a founding member of the Solar Storytellers, a solar powered piano trio that has performed on the National Mall in Washington DC, and at the venerable Aspen Science Center. Currently, she is principal pianist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Regents’ Professor Emerita of Music, and the first Senior Fellow of the interdisciplinary Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry at the University of Arizona.