PROGRAM

Neverball
“He’s a Pirate” from Pirates of the Caribbean by Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer
Movie Pitch #1 Avoiderol
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, VIII Bourrée by George Frideric Handel
Are You Meaner Than a Sixth Grader
“There’s No Business Like Show Business” from Annie Get Your Gun by Irving Berlin
Nail Polish
Requiem in D Minor, Dies irae by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Movie Pitch #2 Family Road Trip
Superstition by Stevie Wonder
Backyard Dirt
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, VIII Bourrée by George Frideric Handell
Zombie Prom Suspicious Doorman
“Nessun Dorma” from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini
Dr. Dan the Dentist
“Big Spender” from Sweet Charity by Cy Colman
Zombie Zumba
“Oklahoma!” from Oklahoma! by Richard Rogers
Parent Babysitting
Groove is in the Heart by Deee-Lite
Brainios
Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, VIII Bourrée by George Frideric Handel
Closing Time at the Bank
Mah-Nà Mah-Nà by Piero Umiliani
Movie Pitch #3
MUSICAL MEDLEY
*All musical numbers created by pairing famous tunes with new comic lyrics devised by the members of the CSC Writing Team

ENSEMBLE OF CELLOS:

Romilly Anderson-Davis, Clara Farrugia, Griffin Frost, Kai Grenier, Adriana McDonald, Ben Puts, Paul Tae, Tracey Tae, Yuna Walker, Zachary Whelan, Alma Wosner, Issaka Yago, Bodhi Yahes

CSC youth troupe

Michael M. Bell, Bradley Cabrera, Brandon Cabrera, Logan Cabrera, Lila Mae Graubert-Dolan, Sasha Graubert-Dolan, Ruby Jennino, Natalie Lazich, Q Nimetz, Natalia Nuñez, Marlie Opa, Ariella Plaks Bonilla, Lyla Pompili, Noa Sage, Dashiell Seuling-Walter, Alyssa Stevens, Lillian Tardie, Itai Tirosh, Scarlett Tsiropinas, Simone Tsiropinas, Liv Williams, Kyrie Winters, Hanna Wolraich, Candy Zeng

CSC High school Troupe

Griffin Faulkner, Alexa Kelly, Agnes Owusu, Veronica Gallagher Russel, Cheick Samake, Abigail Stevens, Zachary Whelan

CSC TECHNICAL TEAM

Amy Axelson, Production Stage Manager

Rosa Tenezaca, Assistant Stage Manager Intern (through our partnership with VISIONS)

Greta Davis, Assistant Stage Manager (CSC Youth Troupe)

Zachary Lu, Assistant Stage Manager (CSC High School Troupe)

Zoe Rullman, Assistant Stage Manager (CSC High School Troupe)

Christina Burke, Prop and Costume Designer

Jessica Zindren, Assistant Prop and Costume Designer

Angela Huff, Assistant Costume Designer

Linnie Hampton, Lighting Designer

Adult artistS

Madeline Bender - Director

Madeline is the Founder and Director of Creative Stage Collective. She has had a rich career as an international opera singer, writer, director and producer and educator. She specializes in devising original work with multi-generational, multidisciplinary groups.

Madeline has created numerous devised performances for CSC including Instrumental Storytellers at Symphony Space, in collaboration with Concert Artists Guild, the annual Creative Stage Spectacular performances at Symphony Space (2018-2025, including via Zoom in 2021), Creative Stage Uptown at the Alvin Ailey Room at the Harry Belafonte Branch of the NYPL; and Musical Madlibs, performed for Carnegie Hall Fall Family Day (2018), and again in Auckland New Zealand with the renown NZTrio (2021).

Originally an operatic soprano, Madeline has worked with notable opera directors such as Sir Peter Hall, Robert Wilson, David McVicar, Paul Curran, and Sir Jonathan Miller. She has appeared as Euridice in Orphée at Le Theatre du Chatelet, with Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting; Helene in A Midsummer Night's Dream (La Monnaie, Brussels, Glyndebourne Festival Opera); Konstanza in Mozart's Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (Baden Baden, Aix en Provence); Violetta in La Traviata (Santa Fe Opera); Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (New York Philharmonic), and Handel's Messiah (Toronto Symphony Orchestra, with Sir Andrew Davis conducting).

Also a passionate performing arts educator, Madeline founded Creative Stage in 2012. Her innovative arts curricula in the fields of music, theater, dance, and filmmaking are taught across Manhattan in esteemed private and public schools, alike.

Madeline, along with partner, CSC Advisory Board member, Timothy Long, is the Founder and Director of Voices of Hope, an annual opera gala event which raised over $250,000 to provide life-changing education to severely underprivileged children around the globe. This gala has hosted esteemed international artists such as: Samantha Hanky, Anna Christy, Erin Morley, Meagan Miller, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Gordon Geitz, John Belemer, Bryan Register, Jonathan Boyd, Christopher Herbert, to name just a few

Madeline received her Masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music. She lives in NYC with her husband, operatic bass Paul Whelan, and their sixteen-year-old son, Zachary.

Madeline is the producer and director of the Creative Stage Spectacular. She also contributes as chief lyricist, and leads the script writing team.

Gordon Gietz

A distinguished Canadian tenor with an extensive international career, Gordon has performed leading roles with esteemed companies such as the Metropolitan Opera in The Nose by Shostakovich and as Daland's Steersman in Der Fliegende Holländer by Wagner with the Canadian Opera Company. His credits include notable performances at the Paris Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Théâtre du Châtelet, and many more. A versatile artist, Gordon is particularly celebrated for his interpretations of roles by the composer Janáček. Most recently, he portrayed the role of Mime in Das Rheingold with Calgary Opera. In addition to his performing career, Gordon maintains a private voice studio, where he mentors and inspires the next generation of vocalists.

Maryum Opa

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. As the oldest of nine children with many relatives, life was full of drama and vivid characters. Performing arts and creative writing are a few ways she loves to express her opinion and voice. She is an advocate for creative outlets for youth. Currently, she lives in Harlem where she and her husband encourage their two children, Miles and Marlie, to be courageous, faithful, and pursue their hearts' desires.

Maryum Opa also contributes to the Creative Stage Spectacular as a lyricist.

MARIA D’AMATO

Soprano Maria D’Amato’s voice was described by Opera News as “beautifully floated” and “a gem” as Desdemona in Otello with the Sarasota Opera. The Shirley, NY native performed the role of Mimì in La Bohéme with Ash Lawn Opera and Sarasota Opera after her successful debut in the role with Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York City. She made her solo role debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 2013 in the world premiere of Two Boys as “American Suburban Mom” and in subsequent seasons sang the “First Noble Orphan” in Der Rosenkavalier, “Madrigal Singer #1” in Manon Lescaut, “Ancelle #1” in Turandot and performed the spoken role of “Natalie” in Die Fledermaus. Other roles with Sarasota Opera include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Thibault in Don Carlos and Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Maria performed Despina in Così fan tutte,and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program; Nannetta in Falstaff, and Poppea and Drusilla in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, all with Opera North, NH. Ms. D’Amato holds a B.M. from Boston University and an M.M. from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music.

Equally at home on the concert stage, she debuted with the Seattle Symphony under Maestro Gerard Schwarz as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem. She was a soloist in Bach’s B-minor mass and Mozart’s C-Minor mass in Cincinnati, and was a soloist in Carmina Burana with both the North Arkansas Symphony and the Eugene Ballet. She was the soprano soloist with the Artist Series of Sarasota in their Golden Age of Operetta concerts and sang the soprano I solos in Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Awards include Opera Index, Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation grants and appearances in concert at Alice Tully and Rose Halls, Giulio Gari Foundation grants, and the Lendon Todd Munday Encouragement Award from the Jensen Foundation.

Maria has been a member of the full-time chorus of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera for eight seasons

Jim Conroy

Jim Conroy is an Actor/Writer/Producer. His 20+ years in the industry runs the gamut from Voice Overs featured in commercials, cartoons, animated film and video games, to OnCamera work in film, television, commercials and interactive gaming. His work for “Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman” on PBS has garnered Jim five Emmy Nominations over the 100-episode series. Currently, Jim can be seen as the spokesperson for TD Ameritrade’s Green Room campaign, heard as the Animated Spokescreature for Xiidra, and is featured in the new HBO MAX Animated Series, JELLYSTONE, where he plays the roles of Huckleberry Hound and Captain Caveman. Other recent credits include The Casagrandes (Nickelodeon), The Cuphead Show (Netflix) and the Marvel audio epic, Wastelanders: Hawkeye. He’s currently working on two animated series for a major network and awaiting the release of two others this year.

andrew Dolan

Andrew Dolan’s acting credits include American Daughter (Broadway), Strictly Dishonorable (Vineyard), Pink, Ted Kaczynski (SPF), What Then (Clubbed Thumb), Tree House (NY Stage & Film), Measure for Measure (Target Margin) UK: Edmond (National Theatre). The Woods (National Studio), Boy from the Book (English Touring Theatre). Regional: Mamba’s Daughters (Spoleto Festival), Burn This, Marco Millions, Cyrano, 12th Night, Hapgood (ACT), Substance of Fire. Savage/Love (Magic Theatre), Loot, Amadeus (Arizona Theatre Co.), Road to Nirvana, Down the Road, Boy’s Life, Coming Attractions (Encore Theatre). TV/Film: “Chicago Med”, “Your Honor”, “Search Party”, “The Good Cop”, “The Americans”, “The Good Cop”, “Elementary”, “Blue Bloods”, “The Tick”, “Bull”, “Good Wife”, “Black List”, “House of Cards”, “Person of Interest”, “Conviction”, all “Law & Orders”, “Madoff”, “Jezebel James”, Handsome Harry (Tribeca ’09) Unstoppable, Partners in Crime, 28 Days, Ash Tuesday. Deal Breakers (Sundance ’07), Training: Bowdoin College, American Conservatory Theatre. Andrew is a former SAG Board Member and former Artistic Director of Encore Theatre Company. As a writer he has written and produced several award winning short films and optioned several film scripts. His play The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King won the Ovation Award for Best Play in Los Angeles. His play That Good Night won the David Calicchio Award at Marin Theatre Company. His work has been developed with Playwrights Horizons, Clubbed Thumb, EST West, NY Stage & Film, Berkshire Playwrights’ Lab, Intar, Road Theatre, Mile Square Theatre, and Barrington Stage Company. In addition to the Stella Adler Studio, Andrew Dolan has taught at ACT, AMDA and the American Academy of Dramatic Art.

MELANIE LONG

Hailed a “standout” by the New York Post, “easily switch- hitting from high coloratura to Broadway belt.” and praised by Opera News Magazine for her “comic perfection”, mezzo-soprano Melanie Long is increasingly known for her vocal prowess and powerful stage command.

Melanie returned to Des Moines Metro Opera this season to perform Petra in the Isaac Mizrahi production of Stephen Sondheim’sA Little Night Music. Des Moines Metro Opera is where she began her career in 2006 as Papagena in The Magic Flute. Other roles with the company include Oscar inUn Ballo in Mascheraand Ännchen inDer Freischütz.

In 2016 Melanie made her New York City Opera debut as Ava in a new production ofHopper’s Wifeby Stewart Wallace. She has since appeared with New York City Opera as Mercédès in their world tour of Bizet’sCarmen.

A former Opera Works artist at English National Opera, Melanie maintains a steady European presence, performing regularly in the UK. Edinburgh Festival Fringe appearances include the title role inMaria Stuarda,RosinainThe Barber of Sevilleand Dorabella inCosi fan tutti.2011-2012 marked Melanie’s UK debut when she performed Mercédès inCarmenwith Impact Opera’s notable touring production. Her performance was praised, “The supporting cast should not go unmentioned; incredibly talented, at times they almost steal the attention away from Carmen and Don José’s romance, particularly Melanie Long, whose mezzo-soprano voice goes beyond expectation and already sky-high standards.”

A devoted physical actor, dancer and yogi, Melanie’s athleticism is integral to all of her projects. She has collaborated physically and vocally for two installments of choreographer Darren Johnston’s contemporary virtual reality pieceZero Pointat the Barbican, London, and is the lead vocalist and artistic director for New York-Vienna based performance troupeThe Hot Box Girls.

samantha greenlund - choreographer

Samantha Greenlund is a graduate of Oklahoma City University, specializing in Dance. Her performance career ranges from large scale residency shows in Las Vegas and Paris, to dancing for names such as Jennifer Lopez and Olivia Newton-John in Los Angeles and New York and everything in-between. Dance has given her the opportunity to both travel and live all over the world! Her Passion is choreographing which has done so for musicals, as well as individual projects and showcases. Along with performing here in NYC, she teaches youth throughout the boroughs. She loves sharing the joy of dance!

Nicole Greevy

Audioverse award-winning actress, Nicole Greevy has performed around the country, and is best known as the voice of Sheriff Rowland in the hit podcast Uncanny County. As a writer, she has worked in TV, film and theater, including Living in Captivity (Official Selection), NY and LA Independent Television Festivals and 28 Years Later (Finalist, Sam French OOB Short Play Festival).

Nicole Greevy is also an invaluable member of the Creative Stage Collective script writing team, and frequently participates in devising sessions with the youth troupe.

sheri graubert

Sheri Graubert is an accomplished Anglo-American actress, who has performed all over the world. Her portrayal of Isabella in Measure for Measure, was described as ‘immaculate,’ by the New York Times.

She has worked extensively, in a wide variety of styles, from the classics to the very new, and with a range of companies and directors on both sides of the Atlantic. Sheri has toured the world performing Shakespeare with Cheek by Jowl, worked on the oldest story known to man (Gilgamesh) with the National Theatre in London, performed at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York City, and originated parts in numerous modern plays with companies such as Clubbed Thumb in NYC and Theatre Royal, Stratford East in London.

Sheri Graubert is also an award-winning, published playwright. Her plays have been produced in New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., London, Tokyo, the Philippines, Australia as well as many other countries and cities.

Sheri’s debut middle grade, historical fiction novel, Molly Shipton, Secret Actress, was published by Clear Fork Publishing on September 27th, 2022. It has already won a LitPick 5-Star Award, a 5-Star review from Author’s Reading Weekly and several 5-Star Amazon reviews. Sheri’s children’s play, Rick Spacey & the Space Cadets continues its eleven year run in New York City children’s hospitals. she was approached Sheri to write the sequel.

Sheri is also a vital contributor to the CSC writing team, and frequently helps in devising sessions with the youth troupe.

Kirk HILL, Jr.

Kirk Hill Jr. is a Harlem native who has always loved performing, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Professional Theatre from North Carolina A&T. He has performed in multiple dinner theatres and currently sings with The Manhattans of Sonny Bivins. However, he is excited to be performing in the Spectacular this evening with his son, Michael Bell who is a member of the CSC Youth Troupe.

Andrew Hadro

Andrew Hadro is a Brooklyn-based musician specializing in Baritone Saxophone, though he also plays Bass Clarinet, Bb Clarinet, Flute, Bass Saxophone, and Contra-bass Clarinet. He leads the project For Us, The Living, presenting works by contemporary composers, with two albums released—Marcescence (2018) and Regarding the Moon (2021). A new solo winds album, ArchMusic, is set for release in 2024.

Hadro has performed with various ensembles in both historical and modern styles, and played on Bianca Reimagined by Dan Pugach, which won a Grammy in 2024. Born in Mexico and raised in Chicago, he studied at the New School for Jazz before settling in New York. In addition to performing, he works as a product specialist for Vandoren and curates JazzBariSax.com. He also directs and teaches at the Litchfield Jazz Camp in Connecticut each summer.

Tiffany Iris

Tiffany Iris is a versatile artist with credits ranging from puppetry (Riddles of the Trilobites at the New Victory Theater and The Wildlife Witches Super Scary Halloween Show at the Bronx Zoo) to Shakespeare (Island Shakespeare Festival).

Tiffany received training from Alan Langdon at Circle in the Square Theatre School, with theatrical projects ranging from straight plays to short films. Also a singer, Tiffany played the role of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors for which she was nominated for an Irene Ryan acting scholarship. As a proud Latina, proving to the world that you can create beautiful, meaningful and fun content without having to be stereotyped drives Tiffany to continue in this unpredictable yet rewarding career path.

Daniel Sumegi

Australian bass-baritone Daniel Sumegi, who made his professional debut in 1988, boasts an impressive career with over 100 roles in his repertoire. He has performed at prestigious opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Covent Garden, and the Paris Opera, as well as major companies in the U.S., Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. Notable recent performances include Fasolt and Hagen in Opera Australia’s complete Ring Cycle, Mr. Flint in Billy Budd at Los Angeles Opera, and Sarastro in The Magic Flute for West Australian Opera. He is also a regular soloist in concert works such as Brahms’ Four Serious Songs and Rossini’s Stabat Mater.

Sumegi’s long list of credits includes leading roles in Salome, Carmen, Rigoletto, Macbeth, Don Giovanni, Elektra, and Die Zauberflöte across various renowned companies. He has appeared in several productions of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, including at Seattle Opera, where he also performed Fafner and Hagen in the 'Green Ring'. His engagements have taken him to such venues as the Teatro Colón, Washington National Opera, and Opera Australia, where he has been a frequent performer in both full productions and concert settings. Most recently, he appeared as the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo with Opera Australia and performed the role of Jokanaan in Salome at Hong Kong Opera.

A recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including the Plácido Domingo World Opera Contest/Operalia, Sumegi has worked under eminent conductors like Valery Gergiev, Sir Simon Rattle, and Sir Andrew Davis. His voice can be heard on CD in Beatrice di Tenda and Seattle Opera’s Ring Cycle, and on DVD/Blu-ray in Don Giovanni and Ring Cycle productions from Opera Australia and Teatro Colón.

Todd Faulkner

Todd Faulkner (actor) has impressive credits ranging from film and television to the New York Film Festival! You may have seen his work on shows such as the Mind Hunter, and Seven Seconds (Netflix), as well as reoccurring roles on The Americans, and Nurse Jackie, among others. His theater credits range from Quince in Midsummer Nights Dream with Vital Theater to Nudists in Love with the New York Fringe Festival! Todd is also the co-producer of the award winning podcast, Uncanny County, an award-winning (4 Parsec Awards, 10 Audio Verse Awards) audio drama—look out for Season 3 coming soon!

dANIEL OAKES

With numerous theater credits to his name, Daniel has portrayed Roy Cohn in Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Robert in Betrayal, and Mr. Antrobus in The Skin of Our Teeth. Passionate about expanding his craft, he is eager to explore film, with credits in several student films at his alma mater, Swarthmore College, and at the New York Film Academy. In his downtime, he’s venturing into songwriting and music creation, and also teaches young performers with the Creative Stage Education Company. He is also developing comedy material with friends in the People's Sketch Revue at the People's Improv Theater in Midtown. You can read more about Daniel on his website: https://danieloakes.org."

Tonna miller

Hailed by the New York Times as “fresh” and “sweet-toned,” and described in Opera News as having a “sugar-tipped soprano,” Tonna Miller is equally at home in the major opera houses of America and on Broadway, Ms. Miller has been heard at the Metropolitan Opera as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and as the fiery Carlotta Giudicelli in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera for her Broadway debut. With New York City Opera, she has been heard as Johanna in Sweeney Todd, as Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Frasquita in Carmen, Helen Niles in Mourning Becomes Electra.

Ms. Miller has been heard as Marilyn Monroe in Do Not Go Gentle with Phoenicia Festival of the Voice, Fortuna in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Los Angeles Opera; Jano in Jenufa and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Houston Grand Opera; Nannetta in Falstaff with Glimmerglass Opera, Naïade in Ariadne auf Naxos with Santa Fe Opera; and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier with Michigan Opera Theatre. She made her debut at 54 Below, singing Music of the Marx Brothers. Ms. Miller was a finalist at the Birgit Nilsson Competition; winner of the Fred Mathias Award and finalist at the MacAllister Awards for Opera Singers; grant winner at the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation competition; and regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Sierra nelson

Sierra Nelson is an innovative singer, dancer and actress with an extensive range and repertoire. She enjoys singing all genres and telling as many stories as possible. In addition to tonight’s performance, she was thrilled to join CSC in the 2023 Summer Shebang!

Sierra also has a growing following on YouTube. She has released 150+ music videos since 2014. Learn more about her body of work at this link.

ty norris

Ty Norris is originally from Yorktown, Virginia and is a graduate of Christopher Newport University with a BA in Musical Theater. He moved to New York to pursue Acting and is happy to say he just closed his first Off-Broadway show, All Because of Infidelity, with Hanging Cow Productions. His favorite roles include Man in Chair from The Drowsy Chaperone and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors. Before moving to the city, he directed and taught acting classes to kids 10-15 for two years.

LIM, Bass Guitar

Bassist Jeong Lim Yang, a native of South Korea, has performed extensively in New York City since 2011 as a sideman with prominent figures in the scene such as Jason Palmer, Oscar Noriega, John Chin, and Kenny Wollesen. Her debut album as a leader and composer, Déjà Vu (Fresh Sound, 2017), won NPR's "Best Debut Album of the Year."

Yang released two albums with the experimental Brooklyn-based collective known as Mute—the self-titled album (Fresh Sound, 2020) and After You’ve Gone (Endectomorph, 2024), both of which garnered international acclaim.

Her latest record, Zodiac Suite: Reassured (Fresh Sound, 2022), is a rendition of Mary Lou Williams's Zodiac Suite(1945), and the Zodiac Trio held their release concert at National Sawdust in Brooklyn in October 2022. Yang’s lyrical and melodic playing is highly sought after by contemporary jazz and improvised musicians alike.

Dimitrie Lazich

The work of Dimitrie Lazich in opera and music theatre is consistently met with critical and popular acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. His Carmen Escamillo for Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw was televised throughout the Netherlands, while his Pops concerts sent Dutch audiences home singing the melodies of Rodgers & Hammerstein. Most recently, he was featured in Pittsburgh Opera’s Summer Festival in both Richard Strauss’ Die Schweigsame Frau and Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate. Other appearances include La Bohème’s Schaunard, The Merry Widow’s Danilo, The Pearl Fishers’ Zurga, La Cenerentola’s Dandini, as well as principal roles in Candide, Madama Butterfly, and A View from the Bridge, with the opera companies of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Sarasota, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Dorset. A busy oratorio singer, he recently appeared with the Masterwork Chorus in his Carnegie Hall debut as soloist in The Messiah. His season is regularly highlighted by performances of Carmina Burana, Messiah, Elijah, St. Matthew Passion, Haydn’s Creation and the requiems of both Fauré and Duruflé. An alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University, Curtis Institute of Music, and Santa Barbara’s Music Academy of the West, he was a Young Artist at Santa Fe Opera. He is represented by Kathy Olsen at Encompass Arts as both a singer and an actor.

Nicole Johnson

Joining the Spectacular team this year as the director of our Ensemble of Cellos, American cellist Nicole Johnson is in the third generation of professional musicians in her family and enjoys a diverse career as chamber musician, soloist, and educator. For 12 years, she was the cellist of the internationally acclaimed Cassatt String Quartet. During her tenure with the quartet she collaborated with many renowned 21st century composers such as Kaija Saariaho, Joan Tower, and Steven Stucky. Ms. Johnson can be heard with the Cassatt on recordings for the Naxos, Albany, Koch, New World Records, and Innova labels. In 2006, their album of works by Sebastian Currier was named by Alex Ross to his “10 Best Classical Recordings” feature in The New Yorker Magazine. Ms. Johnson has performed in celebrated venues including the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and the American Academy in Rome, as well as closer to home at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Symphony Space, and Bargemusic.

Currently, Ms. Johnson devotes most of her time to nurturing young musicians of all levels, from their very first forays into cello music through the college level. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Yale and Syracuse universities, taught at Bowdoin International Music Festival and the National Cello Institute, served as the director of the Cushing Cello Camp, and is currently on faculty at School for Strings, Special Music School and the MSM Precollege faculty. Growing up in the Chicago area, her early studies were with Nell Novak and her father, Marc Johnson. She went on to work with Andres Diaz, Alan Harris (BM from Cleveland Institute of Music), Christoph Henkel in Germany, and Joel Krosnick (MM from Juilliard).

In addition to her commitment to classical music, a recent interest has been a deep exploration of Balkan folk music, including performing on the gadulka, a traditional Bulgarian fiddle.

John panninar - drummer

Jon Panninar: musician/singer/songwriter. Jon is originally from Arkansas and graduated from New York City College with a degree in jazz percussion. He has performed nationally and internationally in all styles of music. He currently co-leads and performs with the Shrine Big Band (jazz) and Johnny Arkansas and Blackout Diamond (country/blue grass). He also performs regularly with Erick Plaks, Ayumi Ishito, and Daniel Carter.

VErONICA

Veronica Hickman hails from the vibrant and historic neighborhood of Harlem, New York. An accomplished actress, gospel singer, writer, director, producer, and proud stage manager at her church, Veronica is dedicated to bringing her many talents to the stage and beyond. She currently serves as an Advisory Board Member for the African-American Day Parade and as the Pre-Parade Show Producer. Last year, she worked as a Local Coordinator for the UniverSoul Circus during its Bronx, New York tour.

Her extensive theater experience includes performing in two Off-Broadway productions, A Fool in Love and A Sketch of New York, as well as extra work in films, voiceover roles, modeling, and coordinating and performing in Denny Farrell's Riverbank State Park Annual Gospel Concerts for over a decade.

Veronica is particularly proud of her play, A Harlem Style Christmas Carol, an adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In May of this year, she wrote, produced, directed, and starred in her own comedy musical, THE USHERS, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the often-overlooked lives of church ushers.

Veronica dedicates her career to the memory of her late husband, Thomas Hickman Jr., her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and her sister, Melinda Hampton.

Satish Robertson

Trumpeter/composer Satish Robertson is a fixture on the NY music scene, blowing his horn in a multitude of genres: jazz, gospel, Latin, funk, blues, R&B, and hip-hop. He has performed in prestigious venues such as Blue Note, Rockwood Music Hall, Brooklyn Bowl, and Sony Hall. In addition to leading his own jazz groups, Satish has performed and/or recorded with such names as jazz saxophonist James Carter, jazz pianist Marc Cary, R&B icon Meli’sa Morgan, and hip-hop artist Skyzoo to name a few.

MARISA RYAN

Marisa Ryan is a veteran performer of both stage and screen. Ryan made her screen debut in the 1983 film Without a Trace. From 1989 to 1993, she starred as Elizabeth Cooper-MacGillis in the NBC sitcom Major Dad opposite Gerald McRaney. She later went to star in the Independent films Love Always, Slaves to the Underground, Taylor's Return, and With or Without You. In 1998, Ryan joined the cast of Fox police drama series, New York Undercover as Det. Nell Delaney, during the show's fourth and final season. Her guest-star credits include appearances on The Practice, Sex and the City, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order. Ryan co-starred as Abby Bernstein in the ensemble cast satirical comedy film Wet Hot American Summer. She reprised her role in the Netflix prequel series, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp in 2015. She has also appeared in films Don's Plum (2001), Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), and Brooklyn Lobster (2005). Ryan made her directorial debut with the independent short film Three Women of Pain, which she also co-wrote.

sarah salzberg

Sarah Saltzberg’s career highlights include: a creator and original cast member of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (now in development with Rideback Ranch/Disney Plus for a live-action film), a creator/actor of off-Broadway's Don't Quit Your Night Job; co-author of off-Broadway's Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage, and additional material author on the Broadway musical Gettin’ The Band Back Together. With Sandy Rustin, she adapted I Married an Angel for New York City Center’s Encores series. Sarah has invested in seven commercial shows, five of which went on to Broadway runs with multiple Tony wins including three for Best Musical. when she’s not on stage, Sarah runs a boutique residential real estate firm which she has co-founded, Bohemia Realty Group, focused on sales and rentals in NYC with an emphasis on employing actors and artists.

Byron Singleton

Byron has sung leading and supporting roles in opera and concert in major venues around the United States, including the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, The Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, and David Geffen Hall. Most recently, Byron was a featured soloist in Tituss Burgess’s “Take Me to the World,” a tribute to Sondheim at Carnegie Hall.

Career highlights include Cavaradossi in “Tosca,” conducted by Maestro Anton Coppola; the title role in "The Tales of Hoffmann”; and Der Steuermann in "Der Fliegende Hollander" with the United Nations Orchestra. Other roles include Rodolfo in La Boheme and Riccardo in "Un Ballo in Maschera" at Symphony Space.

An oratorio and concert enthusiast, Byron performed in and co-produced Dichterliebe at the Mile Square Theater in Hoboken in a fresh exploration of music and poetry through the added mediums of dance and visual art. He has been heard as the tenor soloist in numerous oratorios, including Judas Maccabaeus, Mozart Requiem, The Verdi Requiem, The Messiah, and Beethoven Symphony #9, among others.

Byron made his off-Broadway acting debut as The First Guard/Private Jonas in Jean Anouilh’s “Antigone” on Theater Row with Fusion Theater, and was guest performer with the NY City Slickers’ Bluegrass to Broadway concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Byron is proud to be on the Executive Board of Directors for Creative Stage Collective.

Rob Manning, Jr.

Robert is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Professional Acting Training Program, where he received his MFA in acting. Robert has performed in Television and Film; On Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Regional theaters across the country. 2008 NAACP Theatre Award Nomination: Defiance – Pasadena Playhouse. 2010 NAACP Theatre Award Nomination: Battle Hymn – Ford Theatre. 2012 NAACP Theatre Award Win: Blues for an Alabama Sky – Pasadena Playhouse.
Recent article about Robert below: creative artist and activist

Seth Weinstein - Pianist

Seth Weinstein graduated from Harvard College with honors in music and has been a classical and theatre pianist in New York for more than 20 years. He was the musical director and composer of the Off-Broadway musical How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes (New World Stages, 2006). He has toured internationally with Fosse and Ivan Jacobs’s The Phantom of the Opera and in the USA with Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver. He has been the musical director of Black House (Zagreb, Croatia), Do I Hear a Waltz? (Arvada Center), and Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Connecticut Repertory Theatre), among other shows, and he has played for Holland America Line and Hapag-Lloyd cruises. Seth wrote and recorded “The Chagall Suite” (eight piano movements inspired by Marc Chagall’s artworks) and “Conversations” (a musical meeting between Chagall and Elvis Presley) and has performed them in France, Germany, and the USA. He plays regularly in a burlesque opera show and is the pianist for the MAC and Bistro Award–winning Screen Gems: Songs of Old Hollywood (featuring Sarah Rice) and Operation Opera (baritone Adelmo Guidarelli’s amusing tribute to opera, a participant in the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe). For more information, visit sethweinstein.com.

catalina walsh

Catalina R. Walsh is a triple threat, MELT Method Instructor, and New Jersey native who works creatively across New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. A classically trained Ballet dancer, Catalina began her training at age three and performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet’s The Nutcracker from 2004-2011. She graduated in 2020 from The Institute for American Musical Theatre and earned a BFA in Dance from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in 2018. Catalina has performed in numerous works by Christina Castro-Tauser and has danced with the Willington Ballet and the Philly Fringe Festival.

In 2021, she joined The International Ballet Exchange as a dancer, designer, and board member. Throughout her career, she has interned with BalletX and participated in the Disney College Program. Catalina is a Lifetime and Gold Award Girl Scout, and currently serves as the Girl Champion Coordinator for the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey, fostering relationships between women professionals and future leaders. Outside of her creative work, she enjoys running Disney World half marathons in custom Disney-inspired outfits.

Paul Whelan

Lyric Bass Paul Whelan has performed all over the world in numerous bass roles ranging from Wotan in Das Rheingold (Auckland Philharmonic) to Collatinus The Rape of Lucretia for Opera Norway to Seneca L’Incoronazione di Poppea in Lille and Dijon. He has performed leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera House, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Ópera Nacional De Chile, and Grand Theatre Geneve, to name just a few. Paul is a winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World Lieder Prize. Conductors with whom he has collaborated include Sir Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, Richard Hickox, Yehudi Menuhin, Valery Gergiev, Gary Bertini, and Vassily Sinaisky. Recordings include A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis (Philips), Kurt Weill’s Silber See under Markus Stenz (BMG), recordings with the BBC Philharmonic for Chandos and with the BBC Scottish Symphony for Hyperion.

More recently, Paul spent time in his native New Zealand, where he performed in Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem in his hometown of Christchurch with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra; as Rocco Fidelio with Wellington Opera; the roles of Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Captain James Cook in Ihitai ‘Avei’a —Star Navigator; and the roles of Cadmus and Somnus Semele for Opera New Zealand.

madeleine witmer

Madeleine Witmer is a singer, actor, dancer and songwriter from Broadway, Virginia. She graduated with a degree in Musical Theatre and Dance from Christopher Newport University, and then went on to tour multiple productions, including children’s theatre, with Virginia Repertory Theatre. She spent the last two summers at The Ferguson Center for the Arts as part of the company of the “New Musicals Lab,” workshopping multiple productions, as well as the world premiere of Drew Gasparini’s We Aren’t Kids Anymore. Since moving to the city, you may have caught her singing at The Green Room 42, Feinstein’s/54 Below, or as a featured songwriter in Gasparini’s “New Voices” series—which you can find on YouTube along with more of Mads’ original music.

spectacular writing team

Ella Smith, Nicole Greevy, Sheri Graubert, Tiffany Iris, Ty Norris, Sierra Nelson, Daniel Oakes, Marisa Ryan, Madeline Bender

specIAL THANKS To

Cate Smit and Jessica Svenson, for their invaluable consulting and assistance with fundraising and development

Alan Davis, for helping hang mics on performance day, and other tech support

Nikki Jenninio, for help with the quarterly newsletters, and parent communications

Karen Arsham Tsiropinas, Caitlin Keryc & Olin Williams and Jessica Tardie for their generous help transporting and storing the Spectcular props and costumes

Caitlin Keryc & Olin Williams for serving as liaison with Symphony Space Box Office

Eric Plaks, for connecting us with the extraordinary Jazz artists performing in tonight’s show

Jessica Tardie for invaluable help coordinating logistics for all the Spectacular 25 props and costumes