Mr. Rodescu made his La Scala debut in 1991 as Titurel in Parsifal, with Riccardo Muti conducting. He was invited back to sing Fafner in Siegfried in 1997 also with Maestro Muti. The Italian press, including Corriere della Sera  and La Nazione used the following words to describe his performance: “Powerful”, “Profound”, “Intense”, “Touching”. Of the same performances, Vienna’s Die Presse wrote: “In Julian Rodescu we meet a profound Fafner, exemplary in each German word.” His appearance in Florence’s Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Schoenberg’s Moses and Aron under the baton of Zubin Mehta led famed Verdi scholar Julian Budden to write in an overview of the entire festival: “Among the excellent basses, I would single out the noble, sonorous basso profundo of Julian Rodescu”. Over the last few years, Mr. Rodescu has performed at the Maggio Musicale with conductors Zubin Mehta and Semyon Bychkov, directors Jonathan Miller and Lev Dodin. 

Among important orchestral appearances, Mr. Rodescu performed Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos with Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia and at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony in Boston, Carnegie Hall and at Tanglewood, and took part in the World Premiere performances of Shostakovich’s Rayok with Maestro Rostropovich and the National Symphony in Washington and Carnegie Hall.  In 1999, he sang and recorded Zemlinsky’s Der Traumgorge with James Conlon and the Koln Gurzenich-Orchester. 

Following one performance as Sarastro in Mozart’s Magic Flute with New York City Opera, one reviewer wrote: “He has a huge bass voice that seems to resonate from 100 feet below the stage, without ever seeming to over-sing or be out of character”. Mr. Rodescu was invited back to City Opera, where he also took part in Verdi’s Rigoletto (Sparafucile). He has performed Sarastro with the Miami, Knoxville and Central City Operas. He made his debut with the Opera Company of Philadelphia in Bellini’s I Puritani, and his first Colline in Puccini’s La Boheme was deemed “a treat for his huge bass voice” by Opera News. 

Mr. Rodescu made his European debut in Aachen, Germany where he performed Sarastro in Magic Flute and Shigolch in Lulu under the baton of Stefan Lano. He was Oroveso in Bellini’s Norma with Dayton Opera, and the Toronto Star praised him as a splendid Caronte in Monteverdi’s Orfeo. He has also received raves for his performances in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (incomparable fullness of tone and sensitivity to text) in London, and Verdi’s Aida with Opera Delaware. 

Mr. Rodescu's students have performed leading roles with the San Francisco Opera, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Wexford Festival, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Cleveland Opera, Atlanta Symphony and many more. He has given Master Classes at The Curtis Institute, Madrid's Teatro Real, Boston University, Universiy of Massachussetts, Bucknell University. He has a private studio in Philadelphia and teaches voice at Swarthmore College, where he also directed and produced a much acclaimed production of Mozart's Magic Flute. He serves on the Audition Panel and Board of Directors of Astral Artistic Services, where he is also Program Director.

Pianist and vocal coach, DEBRA SCURTO-DAVIS, is a native of Newfoundland, Canada.  Her educational credits include a B.M.E. from Evangel College and a M.M. in piano performance from Baylor University. Mrs. Scurto-Davis received her Specialist Degree in vocal coaching and accompanying (1991) from the University of Michigan where she studied with Martin Katz.  From 1992 until 1994, she remained in Ann Arbor acting as a staff pianist for the University of Michigan Opera Theatre productions and as music director of Opera Workshop. She has served as coach and rehearsal pianist for the Des Moines Metro Opera and Sylvan Opera.  Ms. Scurto-Davis spent the last 5 summers in Tuscany coaching students of The Florence Voice Seminar, and is pleased to have played a role in this year’s inaugural season of the CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster Choir College.

MARTHA COLLINS made her directorial debut with the highly praised production of Floyd's Susannah for Opera Mozart in New Jersey, where she has directed The Elixir of Love and where she will direct Don GIovanni in the fall of 2003. She has directed Tosca and Lucia di Lamermoor with New Jersey Verismo Opera, and Il Tabarro and Amahl and th Night Visitors with Opera North in Philadelphia. She returns this fall to direct The Underground Railroad. Her teaching credits include Masterclasses in acting at Swarthmore College, the 'Acting for Singers' class at Manitoba University and the JSANO summer voice program a Northern College in Ontario. his fall she will direct three one-act operas at New York University, where she will also teach acting for singers. In January 2004, she will be the drama coach for Sarasota Opera's Apprentice Program.

Ms. Collins gained much acclaim in her native Canada both as concert and operatic performer. She has appeared with many opera companies including the Canadian Opera Company, Festival Ottawa, Calgary Opera, Prarie Opera, Opera Lyra and Toronto's Opera in Concert in such roles as Mimi in La Boheme, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, the Countess in Marriage of Figaro, Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte, Miss Jessel in Turn of he Screw, Alice Ford in Falstaff, the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Galatea in Acis and Galatea, and the title role in Massenet's Sapho.

Her television appearances include Micaela in the controversial Pinitilie production of Carmen with the Vancouver Opera and she was chosen to perform for Prince Charles and Princess Diana a the opening gala of the World Expo in Vancouver, also televised.

She has been heard on CBC's Arts National in numerous recitals, as well as in oraorio and concerts with the Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary Symphonies and Ottawa's Thirteen Strings in such repertoire as The Messiah, Elijah by Mendelssohn, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mahler's Second Symphony, Barber's Knoxville, Benedicite by Vaughn Williams and excerpts from Alban Berg's Wozzeck.

Martha Collins was a finalist in the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, where she represented Canada, and can be seen in Norman Jewison's film Moonstruck in the role of Mimi.

Conductor MARCO BALDERI has served as assistant to important conductors such as C. Abbado, R. Chailly, C.M. Giulini, H. von Karajan, J. Levine, Z. Metha, R. Muti, W. Sawallisch, at the most important European Theatres including the Teatro Comunale, Florence, the Salzburg Festival and the Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

From 1992 to 1996 he was the Chorus Master at the Teatro Comunale, Florence, with which he carried out more than 270 productions including the Italian première of "Moses und Aaron" ( Schoenberg ) with Z. Metha, "The Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" ( Shostakovich ) and "Fierrabras" ( Schubert ) with S. Bychkov.

His carrier as orchestral conductor was affirmed when he won the International Competitions of Salzburg, Besancon and Alessandria, begining an intense activity which has taken him to Austria, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Poland, Rumania, Russia, Spain and Switzerland, conducting the following orchestras:

Radio France, NSO of Boston, the RAI Symphony Orchestras of Milan, Rome and Turin, the Swiss-Italian Radio-TV Orchestra, the Taiwan and Nijgata Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, The Theatre Orchestras of Cagliari, Roma, Bologna and Verona, the Moskow Radio-TV Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, the Vienna European Orchestra, the Bucharest Radio-TV Orchestra, the Choral and Orchestral Ensembles of the National Accademy ( S. Cecilia ) in Rome, the Padova and Veneto Chamber Orchestra, the Nantes and Toulon Symphony Orchestras, the Mediterranea Orchestra, the Baltic Philarmonic Orchestra, the Symhpnic Pro-Arte Orchestra, the Orchestra Internationale d'Italia, the Theatre Orchestra of Messina, the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra, the Lucca Theatre Orchestra of Giglio, the Spanish Campordà Orchestra, the Nerliner deutches Oper Orchester, the St. Gellen Symphoniker Orkester, the Philarmonic Orchestra of Bucharest, the Niedersachsische Jugendsinfonieorchester of Germany, the Piemontese Regional Orchestra, the Lecce Symphonic Orchestra, ...
He also has an intense activity as pianist-conductor with concert tours in Spain, Taiwan, France, Japan, korea 8 concertos for piano and orchestra-Mozart ); numerous Lieder Recitals with Pietro Ballo, Josè Cura, Ghena Dimitrova, Barbara Frittoli, Nicolai Gedda, Giuseppe Giacomini, Nicola Martinucci, Mariana Nicolesco, Luciano Pavarotti, ... For twelve years he has been invited to Japan as Artistic Director of the Ongakoyoku Festival in Nijgata, and in this capacity he has directed the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago for two years, the Fiesolano Summer Festival in 1998 and the first San Severo Music Festival in Puglia. Recently he has been designated Artistic Director of the Verona Philarmonic Orchestra.

Of his latest engagements, the most important are his acclaimed conducting of Madama Butterfly at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin, two triumphant concerts, respectively in the prestigeous Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow with the Russian National Orchestra and in Danzig ( Poland ) with the Baltic Philarmonic Orchestra; the conducting of Don Giovanni, Bucharest,14performances of Bohème at the Teatro dell'Opera, Rome, Il Matrimonio segreto, Toulon and Arlecchino-Gianni Schicchi- Don Giovanni, Messina.

SCOTT HOERL, administrator, is a native of Delaware. He majored in voice at the University of Delaware, the Vienna Conservatory of Music in Vienna, Austria and attended a summer program at the Britten/Pears School of Music in Aldeburgh, England.  

Scott Hoerl is currently director of Westminster Conservatory of Music, with a student population of 2,700 students and over 130 faculty. In addition, he is director of Westminster Choir College’s Continuing Education Program, which offers courses for adults, as well as special summer residential programs for middle school and high school students. 

NANCY FROYSLAND HOERL, coach and administrator, is an accomplished soprano, who has performed leading operatic roles in Austria, Minnesota, Pennsylavania, Maryland and Delaware. While studying lieder and opera at the Conservatory of music in Vienna, Austria, she created the lead role in Der Krach im Ofen , which premiered at the Theater an der Wien. A recepient of the International Professional Exchange, Ms. Hoerl presented a recital an all-American recital in St. Cecilia Hall at the University of Edinburgh. She was a founding member of the award-winning Grand Chamber Players, performing at the Grand Opera House in Wimington, Del. And is a frequent guest at the Delaware Chamber Music Festival, where she appears with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She appears regularly with the Westminster Community Orchestra. Ms. Hoerl presented a recital in Paris as part of the Atelier Series, and was the featured soprano soloist at the Moramus Singers Mozart Festival last June in Barbados. Ms. Hoerl is an assistant professor in voice at Westminster Choir College.  

GIOVANNA PIERONI, our Italian teacher, was born in Pisa and has lived in Florence for 25 years. She has dedicated herself to teaching children for 15 years, then received her degree in the Italian Language and Literature. She has taught these disciplines for 11 years in Florence. At the Macchiavelli Institue in Florence, she got her degree in teaching Italian to foreigners. She is currently teaching Italian Literature at the Giuseppe Peano Institute in Florence.