KATHRYN KAMP, STAGE DIRECTOR - is pleased to be returning to Chicago Folks Operetta, where she directed Mitislav the Modern in 2007 and 2009, and sang the role of Peter in CFO’s 2010 operetta Peter and Paul in the Land of Nod. She held the position of Stage Director for Bowen Park Opera from 2000-2010, and prior to that served as Production Stage Manager for Lyric Opera Cleveland and Memphis Opera. Directorial works include: The Marriage of Figaro, Hansel and Gretel, Carmen, The Impresario, The Telephone, The Secret of Susanna, Trouble in Tahiti, Gallantry, The Elixir of Love, and Cosi fan Tutte. Ms. Kamp also leads a busy singing schedule, and has appeared as a soloist with several top orchestras in the midwest including the Grant Park Music Festival, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and The Peninsula Music Festival. Favorite opera and operetta roles include Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), Frasquita (Carmen), Kathie (The Student Prince), Despina (Cosi fan Tutte), Adina (Elixir of Love), and the G & S ingenues Mabel, Yum-Yum, Patience and Rose Maybud. She played the role of Mrs. Segstrom in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of A Little Night Music. Oratorio engagements include Mozart Exsultate, jubilate and Requiem, Handel Messiah and Theresienmesse, Poulenc’s Gloria and a staged version of Bach’s Coffee Cantata. Ms. Kamp is a regular member of the Grant Park Chorus and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and sings with Table for 5 and Chicago a cappella.

John Frantzen is an award-winning composer and conductor whose distinctive style, which combines exciting electro-acoustic soundscapes with a diverse orchestral palette, has earned high praise from audiences throughout the United States.

On the concert stage Frantzen has fulfilled commissions from a variety of professional and university ensembles. Notable premieres have included the orchestral work Big City, for the Manhattan School of Music, Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, for the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra in Boston, In the Half Light for a consortium of ten university wind ensembles from across the United States, Where Rivers Bend for the Oakwood Chamber Players, and music for the play Son at the Front, premiered at the Athenaeum theater in Chicago.

Equally conversant in acoustic and electronic music, John has collaborated with directors and visual artists in New York City and Los Angeles. Recent credits include Suavecita premiered at the New York International Latino Film Festival, Dumgrot (short) premiered at Columbia University, Auction Day (documentary), Portrait of Maquoketa (documentary), and Subtone premiered at New York’s Symphony Space. Frantzen’s music and sound design was featured in a multi-media art exhibition Portraiture Now: Communities at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC from November 2009 to July 2010.

Frantzen’s honors and awards include the Ridgewood Symphony Fanfare Competition, second prize in the 2nd International Frank Ticheli Composition Competition, first prize in the Penfield Music Commission Project, nine ASCAP Special Awards since 2001, a Subito grant from the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the American Composers Forum, and finalist in the G. Schirmer Young American’s Band Competition. The German wind ensemble Blaserorchester Sudwind featured Poem for wind ensemble on their Sound Circus CD release Poem. Frantzen’s music has received performances at the National Flute Convention in Washington, DC and the College Band Directors National Association’s National Convention in Denton, Texas.

John completed graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City working with composer Richard Danielpour along with conductors David Gilbert and Giampaolo Bracali. Published by Manhattan Beach Music and Falls House Press, he currently resides in Los Angeles where he operates his own music production company Frantzen MusicPress.

Joe Schermoly is a set designer, technical director and painter and is pleased as punch to be working with CFO.  His design work has been seen around Chicago at Griffin (No More Dead Dogs, Port, Constant Wife), Strawdog (Master and Margarita, Richard III), Sinnerman Ensemble (Sweet Confinement) and more.  He has also designed and built shows in London for The Finborough, Bush and Gate theatres among others.  Joe studied set design at Northwestern University.  Upcoming work includes The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek with Eclipse Theatre this summer and The Count of Monte Cristo at Lifeline and The Spirit Play with Strange Tree Company at the DCA this fall.

Ms. Tye began her dance training with former Royal Winnipeg Ballet member, Therese Bullard in Kalamazoo MI..  She studied ballet, modern, highland dance, Irish dance, and performed with The Kalamazoo Ballet Company where she danced lead roles in Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and The Nutcracker.  At the age of 15 she was awarded Best Young Choreographer through Regional Dance America.  Ms. Tye is a two-time recipient of the Monticello choreographers award which has garnered her invitations to choreograph on companies throughout the country.  Currently Ms. Tye is Associate Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer for the Kalamazoo Ballet where she has been a co-creator of three Bullard/Tye Productions including Dracula, Alice in Wonderland and Jane.  In 1991 Tye moved to Chicago and trained at the Joel Hall Dance Center.  While in Chicago Tye has danced with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Joel Hall Dancers, Salt Creek Ballet, and Second City Ballet.  In 1993 Tye founded The Hyde Park School of Dance where she is the artistic director and a principal instructor of ballet.  The Hyde Park School of Ballet was honored as Partners at the Barre with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago in 1998.  In 1997 Tye founded her own dance company Tyego Dance Project with her sister Aimee Tye as principal dancer.  Ms. Tye worked with the Lyric Opera of Chicago 04/05 season as assistant choreographer to Patricia Birch on the world premiere of Robert Altman’s A Wedding.  In 05/06 she was Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ballet Mistress for Midsummer Marriage, choreographed by Wayne McGregor directed by Sir Peter Hall.  In 06/07 Tye continues her work with LOC as Ballet Mistress and Assistant Choreographer for Iphigenie, director Robert Carsen, choreographer Philippe Giraudeau, Salome, director Francesca Zambello, choreographer Jane Comfort, Die Fledermaus, director Bruce Donnell, choreographer Danny Pelzig and Dialogues of the Carmelites, director Robert Carson, choreographer Philippe Giraudeau.  In 2008 Tye produced Level 41 a dance concert featuring a 20 year retrospective of her choreographic works  presented in Chicago, IL and Kalamazoo, MI. The Rose of Stambul  is Ms. Tye’s fourth production with Chicago Folks Operetta.  In December 2008 Ms. Tye premiered her choreography with CFO in the production of Peter and  Paul In The Land of Nod. Upcoming events for Tye include the Nutcracker at the Hyde Park School of Dance and continued work at the Lyric Opera of Chicago 2009/10 season as Ballet Mistress for Merry Widow and Assistant Choreographer for Damnation of Faust.

Rose Freeman has been stage managing, directing and writing for the stage in Chicago since 2003. She is honored to be working with Chicago Folks Operetta for the first time. Previous favorite productions include Alice, a Walking tour of North Pond with Nothing without a Company and The Professional with Moving Stories Theatre.  Freeman is currently the Production Manager of Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre. She would like to thank her wife, Jenn, for her support and love.

Dennis Northway is a very active musician, organbuilder, teacher and author. Most recently he has written an anthology of inspirational music thoughts for choral groups entitled To Touch the Garmen’s Hem; he also was the editor of the ChicAGO Centenary Anthology celbrating the 100th anniversary of the Chicago chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He is also the co-author, with Stephen Schnurr, Jr., of the critically acclaimed Pipe Organs of Chicago and Pipe Organs of Chicago Volume Two. He is National Councilor for Research and Publications of the Organ Historical Society. Dr. Northway is also the chair of the 2012 National Convention of the Organ Historical Society and Treasurer of the Chicago Midwest chapter of the OHS. Dennis is also Artistic Director of the annual Handel Week festival in Oak Park, Illinois, and Parish Musician at Grace Episcopal Church. He is currently employed by the well-respected firm of John Paul Buzard Organbuilders headquartered in Champaign, IL.

As a recitalist, Dennis was heard at the 2009 National Convention of the Organ Historical Society; he was also featured by the Chicago Midwest Chapter of the Organ Historical Society to play a recital on the large 1927 W. W. Kimball Organ in First Baptist Congregational Church in Chicago. He returned this last spring from recitals in Scotland for the 50th anniversary conference of the Scottish Federation of Organists and also played a concert on the magnifigent organ at Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow. In 2008, he played at the convent in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin on the Phelps Casavant instrument and was an organ teacher at the American Guild of Organists “Pipe Organ Encounter” for young people, held in Wheaton, IL in 2009. As an organist, Dennis’ favorite recitals are all-Bach programs, though he plays many eclectic performances as well. His teachers include Ronald Arnatt, Kathleen Thomerson, Herbert Gotsch, Richard Enright, and Wolfgang Rübsam.

Dennis Northway received a Doctorate in Choral Conducting from Northwestern University, where he also attained candidacy for a Ph. D. in Musicology. He received his Masters Degree in Church Music from Concordia University, in River Forest, Ill. where he concentrated on Composition. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, where he studied both organ and voice and received a Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in Education.

Active as a composer, Northway has more than two hundred works to his credit; his organ works are published by Belwin Mills, and he is regularly commissioned to write special or occasional compositions. His biography may be found in the International Who’s Who of Music and Musicians (11th, 12th, 17th, and 18th editions), Who’s Who in the World (15th edition), Who’s Who in Entertainment (3rd edition), Who’s Who of Educators, and Who’s Who in the Midwest (25th, 26th editions). He is proud to have been nominated and included twice in Who’s Who Among Teachers.

As a conductor, Dr. Northway has wide ranging experience with a vast array of forces. He has conducted four year-olds as well as a Senior Chorus, he has worked with hundreds and hundreds of singers in mass choirs and intimate chamber ensembles as well. Dennis has been associated with the Chicago Children’s Choir for a decade in a variety of capacities. He conducted the Concert Choir and conducted in the in-school program, and further conducted the Chicago Children’s Choir at Rogers Park (a satellite training choir). In demand as a choral clinician and guest artist, he has lead many, many seminars and performances. As a lecturer, Dr. Northway has presented numerous series on music appreciation throughout the metropolitan Chicago area.

Earlier in his active career, he was Dean of the venerable Chicago Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and also served on the steering committee, for eight years, in preparation and presentation of the highly successful 2006 AGO National Convention in Chicago. He taught at Jack London Middle School in Wheeling, IL also for eight years. Dr. Northway was chorus master of the Owensboro (KY) Symphony Orchestra Chorus and director of Choral Activities at Kentucky Weslyian College. He has been a panelist for the Illinois Arts Council, and for nearly fifteen years, was Chorus Master and Conductor at Light Opera Works. For two years he was Music Director at St. Patrick’s High School in Chicago and for three years, he was Associate Professor & Director of Choral Activities at VanderCook College of Music. In addition, Dr. Northway is the founder of Fleur de Lys, a professional chamber choir, originally dedicated to the music of the Romantic and former Artistic Director of the Park Forest Singers and conductor of the Lutheran Choir of Chicago.

A singing musician, Dr. Northway has appeared in lead roles with Light Opera Works, Chamber Opera of Chicago, The Chicago Chamber Choir, The College of DuPage, The Gilbert and Sullivan Society, the Pamiro Opera and others. He also enjoys the performance of art song cycles such as Schubert’s “Die Schöne Müllerin,” “Winterreise,” or Schumann’s “Dichterliebe.” Some of his favorite roles are Fe-ni-han in Offenbach’s Ba-ta-clan, Detlef in The Student Prince, Captain Fitzbattleaxe in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia Limited, Micah in Carlisle Floyd’s Slow Dusk, Alexis in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Sorcerer, Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff, and Sou Chong in Lehar’s The Land of Smiles.

Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Mr. Torchinskiy began his piano studies over thirty years ago. As a small child, he won numerous competitions and eventually studied at the Central Ukrainian Music High School for Gifted Children. He studied with Olga Liforenko, Violetta Chernyshova and Boris Archimovich. He performed as a concert pianist with both the Ukrainian Chamber Orchestra and the Ukrainian Symphony Orchestra on Soviet television.
After immigrating to the United States in 1992, Mr. Torchinskiy continued his studies at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University under Pawel Checinski, earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance. He began accompanying professionally in 1997 and has been heard in Italy , New York , Michigan , Wisconsin , and the Chicago area with companies such as da Corneto Opera, Chamber Opera Company Chicago, Genesis Opera and Bellissima Opera to name a few as well as playing live on WFMT radio.
Although known primarily as an accompanist, Mr. Torchinskiy has developed a reputation as a versatile pianist who coaches both instrumentalists and singers alike. For the last five years, he has enjoyed being a part of the opera at the Acorn Series as the accompanist. He is pleased to be playing his second solo concert at the Acorn. In the summer of 2008 he played under the baton of Maestro James Conlon as a rehearsal accompanist for Ravinia’s production of Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio.

Mr. Torchinskiy recently participated as the principal pianist for Chamber Opera of Chicago’s 2009-2010 season productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors by Menotti, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen as well as Maria La O by Ernesto Lecuona.
He was the rehearsal accompanist for daCorneto Opera’s production of Gounod’s Faust in July/August and played a production of Carmen for Mezzo-Soprano Isola Jones with Opera at the Acorn in August. In September Anatoliy performed as the rehearsal accompanist for the world premiere of the musical reading of “Lily” and in September/November he presented two solo recitals at Byron Colby Barn in Grayslake.
In December he returned to Three Oaks, Mi. to play for Opera in the Acorn’s annual Christmas concert, just finished two solo recitals in January, and in March, he acted as both rehearsal and peformance pianist for Verismo Opera Club’s production of The Magic Flute. In May, he played for Chicago Folks Operetta’s children’s performance of Pinnochio. In June, he acted as rehearsal accompanist and performed with the orchestra in Chamber Opera Chicago’s The Sound Of Music, as well as a solo performance at Central United Methodist Church. He is pleased to be returning to act as rehearsal pianist for Chicago Folks Operetta’s production of The Rose Of Stambul.

He currently divides his time between teaching, coaching, and accompaniment.

Gerald Frantzen (Tenor, Artistic Director of CFO) sings with the Lyric Opera of Chicago chorus where he made his solo debut as the Peasant in Eugene Onegin in 2008. He recently received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Grimoaldo in the opera Rodelinda, as part of the Handel Week Festival in Oak Park, Il. He has also performed roles at Glimmerglass Opera, Natchez Opera, Sarasota Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Light Opera Works and Ohio Light Opera. He was heard on NPR as Giove in the opera Il Ritorno D’Ulisse in Patria with Glimmerglass Opera.  Internationally, he has performed in Jekyll/Hyde in Bremen, Germany, The Phantom of the Opera in Hamburg, Germany and Chess in Bergen, Norway. Regional credits include Dorsey & the Young Confederate Soldier in Parade - which won 8 Jeff Citations, Tony in West Side Story and many others. Operetta roles include Roy in the American premiere of Arizona Lady (2010), Maxime in the American premiere of Cloclo, Karel in the American premiere of The Girl in the Train, Lorenz in the American premiere of Springtime, Sparkeion in the world premiere of Thespis, Frederic in Pirates of Penzance, Jonel in Gypsy Love, and Marco in The Gondoliers. Film credits include “Return of the Night Porter” as an editor which won the Gran Prixe at the Karlovy Film Festival in Europe. Recordings include John Frantzen Compositions and Another Autumn, which he recorded with his wife, Alison Kelly.  His two favorite stars are Joseph and Clara.

The Peruvian tenor, Javier Bernardo, has been well received for his performances at Symphony Center, Chicago Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Juilliard Opera Theatre. Recent roles include: The Pony Express Rider/La Fanciulla del West, First Noble/Wagner’s Lohengrin with Lyric Opera of Chicago; Der Offizier/Ariadne auf Naxoswith Tanglewood Music Festival; L’Aumônier/Dialogues des Carmélites, Don Basilio/Le Nozze di Figaro with Juilliard Opera Theatre; Ferrando/Cosi Fan Tutte with the Janiec Opera Company.
It has been almost a year since Mr. Bernardo moved to Chicago where he  got to perform two solos at Symphony Center in the Siamsa Na nGael celtic celebration. He also participated in the Outreach Program of The Music of the Baroque organization throughout the year. He was recently awarded the Sing for Hope grant that promotes future performances for the community at large. As a former fellow of the Tanglewood Music Festival, Javier has sung in several recitals and had the opportunity to sing ’Der Offizier’ in Ariadne auf Naxos under the baton of the great conductor Christoph von Dohnányi in Tanglewood’s 2010 summer festival.
Javier Bernardo is an avid musician and started his career as a Sound Engineer and a Songwriter. Songwriting spiked his interest and he decided to further explore the world of music. Little did he know, that music was to take him on a journey to perform in countries like the United States, France, and Hungary for more than ten years. The part of Achmed Bey in The Rose of Stambul takes a special place in Javier’s heart. It reminds him of the peculiarities of each culture and its differences, and how when people become more aware of these peculiarities, they also become more open minded and able to understand, accept, and even accommodate their differences.

Soprano Kimberly McCord is making her debut with Chicago Folks Operetta. In addition to operatic work as a member of the chorus at Lyric Opera of Chicago, she enjoys singing oratorio. She has appeared with Music of the Baroque in Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Solemn Vespers and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. She recently sang Handel’s Messiah with the Alabama Symphony and Mozart’s Exultate jubilate in a program with the St. Charles Singers.
After receiving a Fulbright grant to study Baroque music in London with Dame Emma Kirkby, Kimberly lived in Europe for eight years. Baroque operas performed there include Medée in Lully’s Thesée with William Christie conducting, on tour through Europe, Dido in Dido and Aeneas with the Gabrieli Consort and Créuse in Medée (Charpentier) at the Dartington Festival, England.
Kimberly has recorded the Bach Magnificat and Oster Oratorium for Deutsche Grammophon with the Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh conducting. Other oratorio performances include Messiah with the Croydon Bach Society in London, Handel’s Israel in Egypt with the Dutch Bach Society and the Fauré Requiem also in the Netherlands.
Since returning to the States, Kimberly has appeared as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte for Milwaukee Opera Theatre. She has also sung in Oak Park’s Handel Week Festival where she performed Dalila in Samson and the title role in Rodelinda. Kimberly was heard with the Columbia Chorale in Verdi’s Requiem and Mozart’s Requiem and more recently in an operetta program including excerpts from Guiditta and Die Fledermaus.
Kimberly is an accomplished recitalist having performed throughout England and the Netherlands. She maintains a private teaching studio in Oak Park and participates in the outreach teaching program with Music of the Baroque at Kelly High School in Chicago.

Soprano Desirée Hassler graduated this spring with a Doctorate in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she received a Master’s degree in 2003. In addition to singing in the full-time chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Hassler has enjoyed singing recitals, concerts and conducting master classes in voice throughout the United States and Canada. A California native, Desirée has successfully competed at the regional, national and international levels including the Bel Canto Competition, Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the International Franz Liszt Competition and is the recipient of many distinguished awards. Hassler enjoys performing music from the Renaissance to the 21st century. Recent performances included soprano soloist in Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915 with the Prairie Ensemble, Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony, as well as Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Wichita Symphony. She was honored to record the first complete recording of Final Alice by David Del Tredici and looks forward to its upcoming commercial release. When she’s not making loud operatic noises around the house, Desirée enjoys going on dates with her husband Dan, and digging in the garden with her two little boys Jackson (7) and Sammy (4).

Alison Kelly (Midili/General Director of CFO) has performed in over 75 operas, operettas, musicals and plays. Her most notable role has been Christine in The Phantom of the Opera - Hal Prince, Dir. in Hamburg, Germany for 2 years. Her favorite operetta roles have been in Arizona Lady, Girl in the Train (U.S. premiere), Mitislav the Modern, Springtime (U.S. premiere), Gypsy Love, The Merry Widow, Student Prince, The Great Waltz, The Song of Norway, The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, Mikado, HMS Pinafore, Thespis (world premiere) and The Gondoliers. Ms. Kelly’s operatic leading roles have been in The Barber of Seville, Don Giovanni, The Daughter of the Regiment and Street Scene. Her favorite musical theater roles have been in West Side Story – 3 times, Brigadoon, Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, Once Upon a Mattress, The Music Man, Nunsensations, Ripper (world premiere) and Jane Eyre – the Jeff recommended Chicago premiere. As a concert soloist she has been heard in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’Été, Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5. On television: scenes and interviews from “The Phantom of the Opera” on the RTL Network (German National Broadcast). She received her M.M. from Manhattan School of Music and her B.M. from Cleveland Institute of Music. Ms. Kelly is a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and a member of AGMA. Her most precious role to date though is that of mom to Joseph and Clara.

The Rose of Stambul is Erich Buchholz’ s tenth production with Chicago Folks Operetta. With CFO he has sung in Mitislav the Modern, The Girl in the Train, Arizona Lady, CloClo, Peter and Paul in the Land of Nod, Snow White and Pinocchio. He sings in the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and has also sung with Lyric Opera of Chicago. He has toured in the United States and Japan with Hudson Shad, a male vocal ensemble specializing in the style of the Comedian Harmonists. Other credits include Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, DuPage Opera, Bowen Park Opera, Muddy River, American Girl Theater and Light Opera Works.

Sarah Bockel is thrilled for her debut with Chicago Folks Operetta! She recently graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a BFA in music theatre. Past Chicago credits include Johnny Boy’s Graduation with the makers of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Enter Love with Quest Ensemble, and Escape from Haltzburg Boys Choir with The Ruckus. Sarah spent the last two summers performing at The Lost Colony in Manteo, North Carolina and also at Post Playhouse in Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Past favorite roles include Fosca in Passion, Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly, and Catherine Stockmann in Enemy of the People. “Love to my wonderful family and friends who keep my head on straight.”

Khaki is excited to be performing with CFO! Recent Chicago credits: A Little Night Music (Petra/Circle Theatre) Handel’s Messiah Rocks! (The Bank of America Theatre) and A Tale of Two Cities (Seamstress Claudan/Chicago Premier). She has performed in Germany doing Bastien und Bastienne (Bastien) and Pyramus und Thisbee with the Mittelsaesiches Theater. Love to her fam and friends!

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Malia Ropp made her way to Chicago to pursue her education, first as an undergraduate student at Wheaton College where she received a Bachelor of Music and next at Northwestern University where she earned her Master of Music degree. Most recently, Malia sang the role of Helena in Dell’Arte’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten in New York City, where she also covered Micaela in Carmen for the same company. Other roles Malia has sung include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Elisetta in The Secret Marriage by Cimarosa, Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Meg in Little Women and Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte. Her solo oratorio repertoire includes Vivaldi’s Gloria, Faure’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. Malia currently sings with Music in the Parlour, a west suburban ensemble that indulges in everything from opera and oratorio to art song and musical theater. She has participated in summer programs with Des Moines Metro Opera, International Institute of Vocal Arts (Italy), Siena Study of Music and Art (Italy) and the Kentucky Institute for International Studies (Austria). She currently resides in Chicago with her husband, Daniel, and their two cats, Oskar and Sinclair. Her teacher is Jo Rodenburg and her coaches include Richard Boldrey, Alan Darling and Marta Johnson.

Baritone Robert Morrissey has spent his life in the relentless pursuit of the unobtainable. It’s really worked out well. Among the goals he has inadvertently achieved are a career as a chorister with Lyric Opera of Chicago, and a potential appearance on the reality show “Hoarders.” Life is considerably amazing.

Stambul is Aaron’s first show with Chicago Folks Operetta, and his second appearance on stage in Chicago.  Previously, he appeared in the premiere of Mattress Matters by Adam Guerino at the Dank Haus.  In New York, Aaron appeared in the off-off-Broadway play Dark of the Moon with Phareplay.  In Massachusetts, Aaron has appeared in productions of A Chorus Line, Company, The Wild Party, Floyd Collins, and Crazy for You.  As a music director, Aaron has been a part of a local production of The Fantasticks (Promethean Theatre Ensemble), and two cabarets at Davenports (It’s an Art: the Songs of Stephen Schwartz and Nobody’s Side: Broadways Lost Treasures).  In Massachusets, he music directed productions of Into the Woods, Cradle Will Rock, and The Life.  Aaron has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Emerson College, Boston.  By day, Aaron teaches piano lessons and coaches for vocal performers out of his private studio.  He also serves as the music and theatre teacher at the Black Bear Academy, a private therapeutic kindergarten/preschool in Northcenter.  He is a proud member of the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus.  Special thanks to Mom, Dad, and Matt.  Soup…

Eric Casady is thrilled to be involved in his third production with Chicago Folks Operetta. Previous shows with the company include: Arizona Lady and Peter and Paul in the Land of Nod. Eric is a recent graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He has performed at such theatres as Steppenwolf, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Theatre Wit. Some favorite shows include: Good Boys and True, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well…, Urinetown, Corpus Christi, and The Tempest. Here is to a fantastic show!

Michelle Buck is thrilled to be making her first appearance with Chicago Folks Operetta! Previous credits include ensemble in The Phantom of the Opera with the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center, Viola in Twelfth Night with Shakespeare on Clark, and ensemble in Pagliacci with the Greater Chicago Opera Guild. Michelle recently graduated from Millikin University, where she performed Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Cupid in Venus and Adonis, and the Narrator in Sweet Betsy from Pike. Thank you Mom, Dad and Jenna for the constant love and support!

Pamela Williams, mezzo-soprano, enjoys singing in recital and with orchestra in Chicago and throughout the Midwest and Southeast. As a concert soloist, she made her Chicago debut at Symphony Center’s Orchestra Hall as Alto Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Apollo Singers. Most recently, she most performed as a soloist in Columbia Chorale’s Vienna to Broadway concert in Columbia, Missouri. Other recent performances include Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Armstrong College Choral Union in Edmond, Oklahoma and Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace with Columbia Chorale in Columbia, Missouri. She has also been a featured Alto Soloist in performances of Mozart’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Durufle’s Requiem and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. In addition, Williams has performed as a soloist in various works with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Fayette Chamber Orchestra, Missouri Chamber Orchestra, the Capitol City Chamber Players, and numerous other university and chamber orchestras.
Pamela, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, enjoys being a member of the chorus at LyricOpera of Chicago, where she has performed and understudied roles in Lohengrin, Katya Kabanova, Die Frau ohne Schatten,, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Der Rosenkavalier, Manon Lescaut, The Cunning Little Vixen and The Marriage of Figaro. At opera companies across the Southeast and Midwest, her repertoire has encompassed roles in operas of Mozart, Bizet, Janaczek, Offenbach, Humperdinck, Debussy, and Puccini, ranging from Hansel to Carmen.
Pamela earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Georgia State University. She also studied at University of Missouri-Columbia and completed a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at Indiana University. Her world premieres include the song cycle A Life Filled With Flowers by Daniel Michalak and Sid Selvidge’s children’s opera RiverSongs premiered at Opera Memphis in which she created the role of Gloriana.

Philadelphia-born soprano Julia Tarlo has appeared in numerous opera productions and recitals throughout the East coast and Midwest. She was most recently seen as Mabel in the Pirates of Penzance with the Opening Night Arts Group. Other roles include: Zorah (Ruddigore), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Casilda (Gondoliers), Constance (Dialogues des Carmélites), Dew Fairy (Hänsel und Gretel), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas) and Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief). She is currently an associate member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and recently traveled to Carnegie Hall with them this past April to sing Verid’s Otello and Berlioz’s Lélio. During the week, Julia is a section leader with the United Methodist Temple Choir in downtown Chicago, and teaches voice and piano at the American Music Institute in Hinsdale. Julia has her Bachelor of Music from SUNY Purchase in New York and a Master of Music degree from the Chicago College of Performing Arts.