Featured Artists
Edward Benyas, Conductor
Edward Benyas is the Emeritus Professor of Oboe and Conducting at SIU Carbondale, Music Director of the New Chicago Chamber Orchestra—with which he made his European conducting debut—Executive Director of the Cascade Symphony, and founder and Artistic Director of the Southern Illinois Music Festival, which presents three-dozen concerts annually each June. The Illinois Council of Orchestras named him “Conductor of the Year” in 2005, the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce presented him the inaugural “Keeping the Arts in Business” Award in 2007, the Southern Business Journal named him a “Leader Among Us” in 2012, he received the Legacy Award from Carbondale Community Arts in 2015, the Carbondale Lions Club gave him the David Kenney Award in 2017, and he was named the Southern Illinois University College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Scholar in 2018. A student of Ray Still, Robert Morgan, Victor Yampolsky, and the late Charles Bruck and Georg Tintner, Mr. Benyas holds graduate degrees in Orchestral Conducting and Oboe Performance from Northwestern University, as well as Bachelor and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Michigan. He has conducted orchestras and opera companies throughout North America and in Europe and China. After conducting Mozart’s Magic Flute, Opera Wire wrote, “Edward Benyas indeed worked some ‘magic’ in the pit with his assured baton eliciting stylish results from a sizable orchestra. It is to Maestro Benyas’ great credit that the musical execution was of a very high order throughout.” His conducted repertoire includes nearly 400 works, including a dozen world premieres and several dozen complete operas and ballets. Mr. Benyas also enjoys an active career as an oboe and English horn player, having performed with the Chicago Symphony under Daniel Barenboim, the Lyric Opera under Zubin Mehta, the Milwaukee and Grant Park Symphonies, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, at the Spoleto and Banff summer music festivals, as Principal Oboe of the Des Moines Metro Opera for six seasons and for Andrea Bocelli’s National Tour. He is a member of the state bar of Illinois and has been elected to the Jackson County Board and the Carbondale Elementary School District Board of Education.
Sarah Baer, Choreographer
Sarah Baer began dancing at Sherry’s School of Dance in Herrin, Illinois in the fall of 2002, eventually moving to Susan Barnes Dance Studio in Carbondale, Illinois in 2009 where she focused on ballet and modern. Sarah has also taken jazz, contemporary, character, tap, ballroom, hip hop, African, and vogueing classes. In 2015, Sarah had the honor to begin studying under Alexandra Zaharias at the Alexandra Ballet in Chesterfield, Missouri, where she trained classically in ballet. Sarah has performed in the Southern Illinois Music Festival’s productions of The Nutcracker, Firebird, Petruchka, Swan Lake, Carmen, Mozart in Motion, and Raymonda. She has been a featured dancer in Adam Stone’s short films “Janet: A Silent Ballet,” “Summer Friend: A Ballet Film,” and “Do Not Forget the Lost.”
Michael Barta, Violin
Violinist, Michael Barta, studied at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary and received his degree with highest honors. He was chosen concertmaster of the World Youth Orchestra in 1971 under Karel Ancerl. In 1973, he won the 2nd prize at the Joseph Szigeti International Competition in Budapest and the Gold Medal of the Ysaye Society in Brussels, Belgium. In 1974 he received a prize as Finalist of the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, Russia. He held the title Soloist of the National Philhamonia in Hungary and was first violinist of the Kodály String Quartet. In the United States he became professor of violin at Central Michigan University. Since 1985 he serves as Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Mr. Barta has performed in 32 countries, including most of Europe, China, and Japan. He performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in the United States, Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Radio France in Paris, and many others. He recorded on the Hungaroton, Serenus and Melodia labels and at the Scottish BBC in Edinburgh, Radio France, Radio Bremen, Sender Freies Berlin, Südwestfunk, and Radio Bartók Budapest. He served on the summer faculty of the Central Catalonia Music Festival and Academy and the Festival of the Pyrenees in Spain and regularly teaches masterclasses at conservatories in Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, Malta, Latvia and Austria. He is co-founder of the Southern Illinois Chamber Music Society, and also performers as the Assistant Concertmaster of the Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestra and as Concertmaster of Sinfonia de Camera in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois under the direction of Maestro Ian Hobson.
Liam Battle, Cello
Liam Battle is a cellist, curator and composer based in Cleveland who focuses heavily on the study and performance of contemporary classical music. Liam’s work is focused on illuminating modern aesthetics. Most of this work takes place through performance and artistic direction with the Antigone Music Collective. Through the Antigone Music Collective, Liam regularly performs and curates modern music at nontraditional concert locations. The work of the AMC is dedicated to showing the importance of live modern classical music, creating social concert experiences, and putting the work of living composers in dialogue with great composers of the 20th century. Outside of the performance Liam enjoys writing music, writing about music, and talking about music. He also likes to read.
Jim Beers, Percussion
Jim Beers, percussion, is thrilled to return for his 16th season with the Southern Illinois Music Festival. A native of Chester, IL, Jim moved to Carbondale to study at Southern Illinois University where he earned both his M.M. (2014) and B.M. (2010) in Percussion Performance. He currently teaches drum set at Southeast Missouri State University, percussion at Rend Lake College and John A. Logan College, and works with the local drum line at Carbondale Middle School. Jim works as a freelance percussionist throughout the Southern Illinois region and, in addition to serving as principal percussionist of the Southern Illinois Symphony, is a member of SIU’s faculty jazz group the New Arts Jazztet. He maintains a busy schedule performing with multiple ensembles spanning a variety of genres including orchestral, musical theater, blues, country, jazz, rock, soul/funk, cajun/zydeco, and traditional West-African drumming.
AJ Bernal, Horn
AJ Bernal is an adventurous horn player and teacher. In July of 2023, he made his international debut at the International Horn Symposium in Montréal, performing a rediscovered work by Latin American composer Fulvio Villalobos-Sandoval. AJ also serves as second horn for CityMusic, Cleveland where he has had the opportunity to work with premiere performers from across the country. As a teacher, AJ holds a Part-Time Instructor of Horn position at the University of Kentucky and teaches private horn lessons and chamber horns at the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) in Lexington, KY. In May 2024, AJ will graduate with a D.M.A in horn performance and Music Theory Pedagogy certificate from the University of Kentucky. He holds an M.M. from Southern Illinois University and a B.M.E. from Indiana State University. AJ is excited to be back in Carbondale for his fifth Southern Illinois Music Festival!
Alexandra Billhartz, Soprano
An artist with a love of opera and Baroque music, soprano Alexandra Billhartz is a native of New Baden, IL. She is thrilled to return to SIFest this year as a Young Artist covering Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and singing Gilda in the Rigoletto Quartet! Recent operatic roles include Georgette/Lisette Cover (La Rondine), Apparition (Macbeth), Bianca (La Rondine), Fiametta (The Gondoliers), Gretel (Hansel und Gretel), Cercatrice Prima Sorella (Suor Angelica), Norina (Don Pasquale), Musetta (La Bohème), and Despina (Così fan tutte). Ms. Billhartz also performs choral repertoire with the Bach Society of St. Louis and the American Chamber Chorale (ACC) and is a regular soloist with the ACC. Broadway World recently said she “has the very face of a G&S maiden: lofted delicate brows that express a perpetual delighted surprise.” Ms. Billhartz earned her BM in Vocal Performance from the University of Evansville in 2016, graduating summa cum laude, and her MM in Vocal Performance from Ball State University in 2019. Upcoming performances include singing Zerlina (Don Giovanni) with Opera al Mare and the International Belcanto Academy and singing Apollo (Il Parnaso confuso) with Opera Seme.
Nyghél Byrd, Bass
Nyghél J. Byrd received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with extensive training in Music Education from Berea College in Berea, KY, and his Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting with extensive training in Opera and Musical Theater Performance from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. Byrd comes from a very musical family and has sung, played, and taught in various capacities. He has sung many roles in operas and musicals including Gustavo (Guglielmo) in ‘COVID [Cosi] fan tutte’, Tinman in ‘Oz: A Staged Concert,’ Father (Peter) in ‘Hansel and Gretel,’ Betto in ‘Gianni Schicci’, Father in the musical ‘Children of Eden’, and Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in the musical ‘Ragtime’. Byrd is an Instructor of Musical Theater Voice with the Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance at Southeast Missouri State University and is a music instructor and clinician throughout the Southern Illinois area.
William Cernota, Cello
William Cernota, violoncello, has been a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra since 1982. Since 1994 he has been a member and Chair of the Lyric Opera Orchestra Members Committee. From 1982 to 1996 he was a substitute cellist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. While a student of Chicago Symphony Principal Cellist Frank Miller, he was Principal Cellist of the Chicago Civic Orchestra where he performed as soloist in Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote and Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo. He has also been Principal Cellist of the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Concertante di Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, Peninsula Music Festival, and is currently Principal Cellist of the Southern Illinois Music Festival. He has performed annual recitals since 2011 on international broadcasts from WFMT Chicago with pianist Eric Weimer. He was a soloist on two European tours of the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and is a member of the music faculties at Loyola University Chicago and Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Music. Following graduation in Ideas & Methods and Biology from the University of Chicago, he served three years in the Peace Corps, Sierra Leone as a biology teacher and band director. He appears in contemporary music concerts and has also performed on baroque cello. He performed Witold Lutosławski’s works for solo cello at Orchestra Hall, Symphony Center in Chicago with the composer in attendance. With pianist Joy Doran, he issued a CD: On or About December 1910. He also works as a research scientist at Fermalogic Incorporated in Chicago and completed the Masters in Engineering Degree at University of Illinois Chicago. He resides in Chicago with his wife Maria, daughter Naomi, and cellist son-in-law Aleksei.
Kurt Civilette, Horn
Kurt Civilette is a freelance performer and teacher based in Lansing, Michigan. He serves as principal horn with the South Bend and the Midland Symphonies and 3rd horn with the Flint and Ann Arbor Symphonies. He has performed with Chicago, Detroit, Saint Louis, Utah, North Carolina, Grant Park, Jacksonville and Santa Fe Symphonies, with Lyric Opera Chicago, Michigan, Opera Theater and Santa Fe Opera, and as guest principal with the Ann Arbor, Flint, Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Windsor, and West Michigan Symphonies and Michigan Opera Theater. He is the horn instructor at Lansing Community College and Michigan State University’s Community Music School. For 15 years from 1995-2010, Kurt was full-time 3rd horn/associate principal with New Mexico Symphony in Albuquerque, substitution as interim principal horn for the entire 2001-02 season. Before winning the permanent job in New Mexico, he held temporary positions as principal horn with Charleston, Savannah and Honolulu Symphonies, and played many jingles and recording sessions. During the summers, Kurt plays principal horn with the Southern Illinois Music Festival and Baroque on Beaver Island Festival. He has appeared in various US and international summer festivals including Spoleto Festival in USA and Italy, the Assisi Festival in Italy, the Kumamoto Festival in Japan, and Music from Angel Fire.
Jesse Cunningham, Piano
Jesse Cunningham, a versatile pianist, vocal coach, and conductor, boasts an extensive repertoire and a history of collaboration with institutions such as Opera Theatre Saint Louis, SIFest, and Indianapolis Opera. Holding staff positions at schools like the University of Notre Dame, she achieved a milestone with her 2019 Carnegie Hall debut. Currently serving as Chorus Master and Collaborative Pianist at Winter Opera St. Louis, she manages a piano studio in Urbana, IL. Jesse's academic journey mirrors her dedication to music and technology. She holds a Doctoral degree in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, complemented by Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Piano Performance from Florida International University. Notably, she earned an Associate in Computer Science specializing in Data Systems and Development from Parkland College in 2023. Jesse's commitment to excellence extends beyond rehearsals, as she thrives on problem-solving in all her endeavors.
David Dillard, Baritone
David Dillard, Professor of Voice and Director of Graduate Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, teaches voice, voice pedagogy, and opera history. He has performed at Union Avenue Opera, Winter Opera St. Louis, Florida Grand Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Lake George Opera, Dicapo Opera Theater, the San Diego Opera Ensemble and the Tanglewood Music Center. In 2023, he portrayed Robert Kincade in Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Bridges of Madison County. As a scholar, his interests include voice science, song and operatic literature. His article on La solita forma appeared in the NATS Journal of Singing. He presented in Vienna, Austria at ICVT and at several NATS and College Music Society regional conferences. His arrangements of operatic arias with obbligato instruments are available from Classical Vocal Reprints. He was a participant in the NATS Intern Program and was a semi-finalist in the New York Oratorio Society’s Aria Contest.
Grace Yukiko Fisher, Soprano
Japanese-American soprano Grace Yukiko Fisher is a St. Louis native that has performed extensively in the metro-region for over a decade. She has performed with Union Avenue Opera, Winter Opera St. Louis, and Opera Edwardsville in their festival seasons as well as concertizing and performing for private events. Ms. Fisher holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music, vocal performance, from Mckendree University and a Master of Music in vocal performance along with a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in vocal pedagogy from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Ms. Fisher has served as a teaching assistant at SIUE and as an adjunct professor of voice at Blackburn College where she was awarded the E. Ann Reichmann Outstanding Adjunct Award in 2022. She currently serves as an adjunct professor of voice at St. Louis University and as the Director of Opera and Musical Theater Workshop at St. Charles Community College.
Gina Galati, Soprano
Gina Galati made her professional debut as Musetta with the Wichita Grand Opera and has since performed leading roles in The Barber of Seville, La Bohème, I Pagliacci, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, La Cenerentola, and more. Other career highlights include roles as Alexandria in the world premiere of O Pioneers, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Violetta in La Traviata, and the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro. As Founder and General Director of Winter Opera St. Louis, Ms. Galati has an active career, performing across the country with companies such as Opera Naples, Opera Medellín, Union Avenue Opera, and Opera Company Brooklyn. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Music from Washington University, a Masters in Opera from the University of Kansas, and an Artist Diploma from the Academia Verdiana in Italy, where she studied under tenor Carlo Bergonzi. In addition to her opera career, Ms. Galati has performed with the St. Louis Symphony and other ensembles. She also supports charitable causes, raising thousands for organizations like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Habitat for Humanity.
Mel Goot, Jive with Jazz
Pianist Mel Goot was born in San Diego, and spent his early years in Mexico City. Self-taught, he was still a teen when he played his first professional job and record date with the Teddy Picou Quartet. Mel later attended San Diego State University, where, for four years, he was the top pianist with the award-winning SDSU Jazz Ensemble. Following college, he gave jazz history presentations and jazz improvisation clinics at schools under the auspices of the National Endowment for the Arts.Mel Goot has appeared at various national and international festivals, including Monterey, San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, Reno, San Felipe, Borrego Springs, Cairo, and Tijuana. He has performed with artists such as Charles McPherson, Mark Dresser, Nathan East, Hollis Gentry III, Daniel Jackson, Luis Gasca, Cal Tjader, Poncho Sanchez, John Heard, Carol Kaye, Dee Dee McNeil, Kevyn Lettau, Peter Sprague, Jaime Valle, Abraham Laboriel, Leon Pettis, Bobby Shew, and Dave Valentin. Mel has also performed with big bands behind Solomon Burke, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Steve Allen. In 1995, Mel began playing piano with the New Arts Jazztet, an SIUC faculty group, and is currently on “tenured reserve player” status for them. He remains active performing solo as well as with various groups and artists. From schools throughout the region, he is honored to assemble the youth jazz groups for the “Jive with Jazz” concerts of the SIMFest.
Liz Hartman, Bass
Cryptic sightings of multi-genre bassist Liz Hartman (MLIS, CA) have been reported in Southern Illinois since 2014. Hartman has been seen serving as Principal Bass of Southern Illinois Music Festival and Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, as well as performing in chamber, jazz, noise, and fusion groups. Most sightings originate from musical pits throughout the Heartland; some eyewitness statements even recount the cryptic attempting to sing, most notable as a member of the progressive rock trio Porch Fire. It is rumored that Hartman hails from the Hoosierland where, as the legend goes, they played with orchestras in state competitions before moving to Illinois for graduate studies. By day, some say they’ve seen the cryptic masquerading as a Librarian at Carbondale Public Library.
Diana Higbee, Soprano
Diana Higbee is considered to be one of the most convincing Mozart singers of her generation. She has sung Donna Anna - Don Giovanni, Contessa - Nozze di Figaro, Pamina - Magic Flute, Fiordiligi - Cosi fan Tutte… A native French speaker she specializes in the French repertoire: Micaela in Carmen, Gabrielle or Metella - La Vie Parisienne, Thaïs by Massenet or Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy. In 2016 she founded the MUSICA Opera Festival and became a Cultural Ambassador for Le Mans. She is the first opera singer to sing the French National Anthem for the 24 hours of Le Mans car race for an audience of 250,000 and broadcast worldwide for 18 Million viewers. In March 2024, Diana premiered the first ClipMe Video on the blockchain which received Best Innovative Artificial Intelligence Music Video. Diana Higbee is invited to Opera houses in Montpellier, Toulon, Rouen, Rennes, Massy, Avignon, Besançon, Marseille, Nancy. In Europe at the Vienna Musikverein, Konzertgebouw Brugge, Den Nye Oper Norway, the Stadthalle Bayreuth, the Margräfliches Opernhaus, the Komische Oper de Berlin, Wiener Kammeroper, the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Gulbekian Foundation in Portugal and Aix-en-Provence, Lourdes, Ambronay, Utrecht Festivals. She has also toured extensively all over China.
Emily Hughes, Mezzo-Soprano
Mezzo-Soprano Emily Hughes’ recent performances include her debut at Carnegie Hall as the alto soloist for Vivaldi’s Gloria, the title role of La Cenerentola with Bel Cantanti Opera, La Suora Zelatrice in Suor Angelica with Opera on the James, a staging of Jake Heggie’s song cycle Camille Claudel: Into the Fire with New Camerata Opera, Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Long Island Lyric Opera, and Musette in Leoncavallo’s La Bohème with Teatro Grattacielo, for which Opera News called her “delightful and coquettish Musette” a performance of “particular note.” Other roles include Ruggiero in Alcina, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and the title role of Handel’s Teseo. Emily has been a young artist with Teatro Nuovo, Opera on the James, and Charlottesville Opera. A versatile performer, Ms. Hughes has sung with early music groups such as Artek and has also premiered many works, including Lingbo Ma’s The Pile at National Sawdust.
Anita Hutton, Piano
Anita Hutton came to SIU to pursue a Master’s degree in Music and she never left. She held several positions on campus and maintained an active schedule accompanying students, faculty, and guest artists for the School of Music. She is the organist/pianist at First United Methodist Church in Carbondale and continues to share her talents in the southern Illinois area, much of the time in the pit, playing for various musicals. Anita has participated and coached at several chamber music workshops in the US, Germany, and England. She earned her B.M.E. at Idaho State University and her M.M. at SIU.
David Katz, Violin
David Katz is an active performer and teacher of violin and viola for over 40 years in the Chicagoland area and Hilton Head, South Carolina. In the South, David performs regularly with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Savannah Philharmonic and Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra. He performed solo violin in the shows Evita and American in Paris at the Performing Arts Center on Hilton Head Island. He also performs regularly with the Chicago Sinfonietta. Recently, he traveled to New York City to perform at the Lincoln Center with the Joffrey Ballet. David has also been a substitute for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Lyric Opera and Grant Park Music Festival. He also performed with the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Opera Company and the Pennsylvania Ballet Company. David has performed with the San Francisco Ballet and The American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in Chicago. For many of these orchestras, Davis has stepped in as Concertmaster. David has also been all over the globe performing and touring with orchestras such as Orchestra Sinfonica de Galicia (Spain), Caracas (Venezuela), Philharmonic (Principal 2nd Violin), The Princeton (N.J.) Chamber Orchestra (in Egypt and Jordan), and many years with the Spoleto (Italy) Music Festival. He toured East Germany just before the “Wall” came down (1988) with the Chicago Chamber Orhcestra, and many tours with the Chicago Sinsfonietta in Germany, Switzerland, the Canary Islands, and Southern California. On the other side of the performing spectrum, David has performed for many top performers such as Frank Sinatra Sr., Natalie Cole, and Smokey Robinson to Led Zeppelin, Chicago, The Who and Styz, to name a few. David studied with Jascha Brodsky at the New School of music in Philadelphia. David is a certified teacher in the Suzuki method. David has two adult children who also play violin, and he is happily together with his sweetheart Karen who played principal flute with her high school band.
Theresa Kesser, Soprano
San Diego native Theresa Kesser is a soprano who recently performed the title role in The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelacewith Marble City Opera. In 2022, she covered the title role of Salome at the Southern Illinois Music Festival, marking her shift to soprano repertoire. Theresa earned a Master of Musical Arts from Yale University in 2020, studying under Doris Yarick Cross. At Yale Opera, she performed roles in Florencia en el Amazonas, Eugene Onegin, and The Old Maid and the Thief, and participated in a workshop of The Snowy Day with Houston Grand Opera. She was a Studio Artist at Wolf Trap (2018-2019), covering roles in Romeo et Juliette and Ariadne auf Naxos, and appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Theresa holds a Master of Music from Indiana University and has performed leading roles in multiple opera productions.
Eunice Koh, Cello
A versatile cellist from Singapore, Eunice Koh believes in sharing memorable and diverse experiences with a global audience through the curation of engaging programs and cross-cultural collaborations. She is also passionate about sharing her experiences through maintaining extensive chamber music activities and performing with different musical genres locally and internationally. Eunice was invited to perform in a recital at the South Carolina Chamber Music Festival, and premiered a newly commissioned work, Festivals: from Sounds of Singapore by Chee-Hang See. Eunice is a firm believer of exploring various styles and genres of performing. As an avid advocate for world music, she regularly curates solo and chamber programs that represent different heritages. Eunice is a member of fusion ensembles, Stringwerkz, a Chinese string quintet, and Open Score Project, a syncretic ensemble that uniquely converges different music cultures in Singapore. She is also the cellist of Some Strings Attached, an ensemble that values creativity, flexibility, and diversity in their music programming, juxtaposing classical and popular styles. She graduated from University of South Carolina (DMA), Southern Illinois University (MM), and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore - Royal College of Music, London (BM). Her teachers include Claire Bryant, Eric Lenz, Zhao You Er, Amanda Truelove, and Chen Yang Guang.
Amelia Korbitz, Violin
Amelia Korbitz is an American violinist with a passion for new music and collaboration through chamber music. She is the executive director and founder of the Antigone Music Collective, an organization committed to performing music by underrepresented composers and making classical music accessible to modern audiences. Amelia’s solo performance highlights include Vivalid’s le Quattro Stagioni: Primavera with the West Suburban Symphony, L’Inverno with the Southern Illinois Music Festival Orchestra and Piazzolla’s Los Cuatros Estaciones Porteñas with the CCM Philharmonia Orchestra. She has also performed in the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, the Southern Illinois Music Festival, and Musica Le Mans in France. Amelia earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Won-Bin Yim with a Spanish language minor from the University of Cincinnati. She will begin her Master of Music studies in the Fall at the Cleveland Institute of Music under Dr. Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler.
Kiril Laskarov, Violin
Kirik Laskarov is in his 25th season as Concertmaster of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. A native of Bulgaria, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State Academy of Music in Sofia and a Master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where he studied with Michael Barta. Laskarov has appeared as a soloist with the Arkansas Symphony, Las Vegas (NV) Philharmonic, Monroe (LA) Symphony, Southern Illinois Symphony, Abilene (TX) Philharmonic, Symphony Irvine (CA), and Texarkana (TX) Symphony and also as a guest concertmaster with the Arkansas Philharmonic, Monroe (LA) Symphony, Texarkana (TX) Symphony, and McCall (ID) Festival Orchestra. He is scheduled to perform the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Southern Illinois Festival Orchestra in June 2024.
Chris Leverenz, Bass
Chris Leverenz is a 2006 Southern Illinois University graduate currently living in Lexington, Kentucky. After graduating from SIU Chris attended the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where he earned his Masters and Doctorate in double bass performance. Chris has performed with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Springfield (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Arts Festival and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. While living in Virginia he served as Adjunct Professor of Double Bass at Christopher Newport University teaching bass, string masterclass, string pedagogy, jazz combo, and directed the jazz big band. Chris spent four years living in Germany performing with the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck and Heidelberger Kantanenorchestre. Chris is currently attending the University of Kentucky, GoBigBlue, pursing a degree in Music Education. Chris has always enjoyed returning to Southern Illinois and has performed with the Southern Illinois Music Festival in ten prior seasons including the inaugural SIFest of 2005. Chris looks forward to hiking in Giant City, eating Quatro’s pizza, and making beautiful music with the Southern Illinois Music Festival once again.
Javi Ojeda, Bass
Javi Ojeda is from Edwardsville, Illinois and is a student at SIUE where he is studying Classical Vocal Performance. He studies with Dr. Marc Schapman and formerly studied with Dr. Emily Truckenbrod. Javi is grateful for the opportunities that SIUE has offered him as a student and the connections he has made during his studies. He has participated in and received high marks at the National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions including a second-place finish in the Central Region competition. Javi recently participated in the Interharmony music festival in Acqui Terme, Italy. Javi’s roles include Uberto from La Sera Padrona, Il Maggiordomo from La Rondine, and L’Oste from Manon Lescaut. He has sung in the choruses of Manon Lescaut, Macbeth, La Rondine, Ernani, Ragtime, and The Desert Song. Javi has also featured as a soloist in Faure’s Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah with the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis where he is a member of the Schola Cantorum.
Matthew Oliphant, Horn
Hornist Matthew Oliphant is a new music and chamber music specialist living in Chicago, IL. Oliphant is known as an adventurous and courageous young player. As solo hornist with new music group Ensemble Dal Niente, he performs the music of our time by established and emerging composers, as well as classics of the new music repertoire. Oliphant is also a member of the Grossman Ensemble, part of the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition (CCCC). In residence at the University of Chicago, the ensemble presents 12 world premieres a year. Composers have included luminaries like Shulamit Ran, David Rokowski, Tania Leon, and Kate Soper. In demand as a freelance chamber musician, he has performed with Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Access Contemporary Music, Present Music, the New Millennium Woodwind Quintet, and on the Rush Hour concert series. Also an orchestra player he regularly plays with the Lyric Opera (Chicago), Grant Park Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, and has served as guest principal horn of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestra Prometheus. Oliphant is a faculty member at Midwest Young Artists, coaching talented middle and high school students in chamber music. As a member of Axiom Brass from 2007-2014, he traveled the country performing for and engaging with audiences through music. Far from being constrained by the classical tradition, he regularly performs with experimental ensemble a.pe.ri.od.ic, and performed as a member of the free jazz/classical/improv hybrid ensemble the Tomorrow Music Orchestra.
Alisha Owner, Viola
Alisha Owner is a violist, violinist, and high school orchestra director in Fort Worth, Texas. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from Baylor University in Waco, TX and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Alisha has held the position of principal violist in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Waco Symphony, and section viola in the Richmond Symphony. She has performed with the Chicago Symphony, the Virginia Symphony, and most recently the Fort Smith Symphony. Alisha just finished her thirteenth year of teaching orchestra in the Texas public school system, and she is married to her husband Tim, a trombonist. They have two beautiful daughters, ages 8 and 5, and have recently begun taking family camping/road trips, which they have all enjoyed very much.
David Peshlakai, Cello
David Peshlakai was born and educated in Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Music from Michigan State University and his Master of Music from the University of Michigan. David Peshlakai was Principal Cellist with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2017 where he held the Diether Haenicke Principal Cello Chair. Mr. Peshlakai is also in great demand as an extra cellist with several regional orchestras throughout Michigan, including performing as principal cellist with the Battle Creek, Flint, Jackson, and Lansing Symphonies. He has performed in many chamber recitals and festivals throughout Michigan and the Midwest. His coaches have included members of the Juilliard, Alban Berg, Concord, Vermeer, Emerson, Muir, and Kronos String Quartets. Mr. Peshlakai has been teaching cello at Hillsdale College since 1992. In 2010 he was invited to teach at Kalamazoo College as well. he previously taught at Albion and Alma Colleges and Grand Valley State University.
Kristin Sarvela, Oboe
A native of Southern Illinois, Kristin Sarvela joined the faculty of Sam Houston State University as Assistant Professor of Oboe and Music Theory in 2021. Previous appointments include Professor of Oboe and Music Theory at Eastern Illinois University and Instructor of Oboe at the University of Illinois at Springfield. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Illinois with a Minor in Mathematics, a Master of Music in Oboe Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University with a Masters Minor in Music History, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Oboe Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois with a Cognate in Musicology. Dr. Sarvela has an active performing career and has held many positions in orchestras around the Midwest, including principal oboe of the Danville Symphony Orchestra, second oboe in the Sinfonia da Camera, English horn in the Heartland Festival Orchestra, and oboe and English horn in the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in Le Domaine Forget, Ad Astra, Outside the Box, Madeline Island, and Southern Illinois Music Festivals and has performed with such artists as Menahem Pressler, Emmanuel Ax, and the Mark Morris Dance Group. She has performed in such halls as the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and Carnegie Hall.
Charles Shapera, Bassoon
Charles Shapera is a musician of many talents. Primarily a bassoonist, Charles also enjoys playing piano, flute, clarinet, sax, trumpet, and trombone. When not dreaming of playing an all Saint-Saëns & Poulenc recital on flute, clarinet, oboe, & bassoon, Charles is the Executive Director of Temple Har Zion, in River Forest, IL. A founding member of the Oak Street Winds and NCCO Wind Quintet (along with maestro Benyas,) Charles and the quintet will premiere a Benyas arrangement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto #1 for piano solo and wind quintet in June 2024 at Har Zion. If you are in Chicago on June 11, please plan to join us. Charles will be joined at this year’s festival by his wife Zoe, daughter Arza, and son Micah (who will be helping with the SIFest stage crew.)
Abby Simoneau, Flute
Dr. Abby Simoneau, a New Hampshire native, received her Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is on faculty at Alamance Community College, Guilford College, and Central Carolina Community College. Abby earned her Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Hampshire. She also performs regularly with the Western Piedmont Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, Piedmont Wind Symphony, Hickory Choral Society, Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Opera, and the North Carolina Symphony. Abby is thrilled to be back for her 12th season with SIFest!
Juan Carlos Siviero, Viola
Juan Carlos Siviero was born in Argentina. He studied viola with several teachers in Buenos Aires before moving to Chicago to pursue advanced degrees. He received a Master in Viola Performance from Roosevelt University under the tutelage of Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s violist Richard Ferrin. Juan Carlos also earned a Performance Certificate at DePaul University where he studied with Rami Solomonof, former principal viola of the Lyric Opera of Chicago orchestra. Juan Carlos has been a member of several ensembles: National Symphony of Argentina, 1st Latinoamerican Youth Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Tucuman, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, South Bend Symphony, Rockford Symphony and many others in the American Midwest. Currently, Juan Carlos is a member of the Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, The Gainesville Orchestra and many other groups in and around Central Florida. Juan Carlos enjoys teaching viola and violin as well as playing chamber music.
Brooklyn Snow, Soprano
Praised for her “remarkably beautiful soprano voice and stunning combination of vocal athleticism and theatrical smarts,” soprano Brooklyn Snow has delighted audiences with her exceptional performances in both opera and musical theater. She is thrilled to be singing Susanna with SIFest. Following this performance, Ms. Snow will sing Cinderella in Into the Woods with Union Avenue Opera. Most recently, she sang Adele in Die Fledermaus with Eugene Opera, Musetta in Eugene Opera’s La Bohème, Clara in The Light In the Piazza with Opera Santa Barbara, and debuted at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall as the Soprano Soloist for the premiere of Dan Forrest’s choral piece, Jubilate Deo. Ms. Snow has performed a variety of roles including: Cunegonde from Candide, Anne in A Little Night Music, Nannetta in Falstaff, Maria in West Side Story, and all three heroines in The Tales of Hoffmann. Ms. Snow and her husband live in Newberg, Oregon with their 18-month old daughter, London.
Kenneth Stavert, Baritone
Baritone Kenneth Stavert, praised for his "sense of theatricality," is a prominent performer across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Known for his bold, dramatic style, he is celebrated as a "classic Verdi baritone" with resonance, flexibility, and vigor. The 2023-24 season includes returning to Vero Beach Opera as Masetto in Don Giovanni, a concert performance of Sweeney Todd with HALO Opera, and reprising Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at Pacific Opera Project in Los Angeles. Recent highlights include the title role in Macbeth with Heartbeat Opera and Don Carlo in Ernani at the Southern Illinois Music Festival. Other notable performances include Marcello in La Bohème (Dayton Opera, Gulfshore Opera), Scarpia in Tosca (Opera In The Heights), and Ponchel in Silent Night (Opera San José). Kenneth has also appeared in previous productions at Vero Beach Opera, including Schaunard in La Bohème and Belcore in L’elisir d’amore.
Jonathan Stinson, Baritone
Jonathan Stinson, baritone, has appeared in leading and supporting roles with opera companies throughout the United States and in Europe, including Cincinnati Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Central City Opera, Winter Opera St. Louis, Kentucky Opera, Opera Omaha, Opera Memphis, Dayton Opera, Cleveland Opera, and Ozarks Lyric Opera. Abroad, he sang the title role of Don Giovanni in Cortona, Italy, the title role of Rigoletto in Manchester, UK, and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and the title role of Gianni Schicchi in Varna, Bulgaria. During the 2023-2024 season, Jonathan performed Marcello in La bohème at Delaware Valley Opera, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut with Winter Opera St. Louis, and appeared as a soloist with TACTUS chamber ensemble for Bach’s Johannes-Passion in Oklahoma City. This August, he will return to Delaware Valley Opera to sing Olin Blitch in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah. Jonathan is a past Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and received the “Bel Canto Award” at the Orpheus National Voice Competition. He is represented by MIA Artist Management.
Kelly Sulick, Flute
Flutist Kelly Sulick currently teaches at the University of Virginia and at Longwood University, and serves as Principal Flute in the Charlottesville Symphony. She earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Peabody Conservatory, her Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan, where she graduated with highest honors and was name a James B. Angelo Scholar for her academic achievements. A champion of new music, she has commissioned and recorded dozens of works for solo flute with electronics, and has premiered several additional works for solo flute and chamber ensemble. She can be heard on the Centaur, Equilibrium, Other Minds, Naxos, and Ravello record labels, including on William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience under Leonard Slatkin, a Naxos release that received four Grammy awards including Best Classical Album. Her CD of American works for flute and piano, recorded with pianist John Maywood, was recently released on Centaur Records.
Thomas Taylor, Tenor
Thomas M. Taylor IV is a Tenor known for his comedic demeanor, vocal power, and vibrant stage presence. Recently, Thomas performed his debut with Winter Opera St. Louis as Edmondo in the St. Louis premiere of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. His performance was hailed by critics as “charming” and “…a rousing way to start the opera.” Thomas also covered the role of Ruggero in SIFest’s production of La Rondine and as Samuel in MiOpera’s production of Pirates of Penzance in 2023. Thomas has also performed such roles as Gobin in La Rondine (2022), Flavio in Norma (2019) in which critics said he “shined as Pollione’s companion,” Chevalier de le Force in Sialogues of the Carmelites (2018), and Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd (2016). Thomas also performed as the Tenor Soloist for Handel’s Messiah at Greenville University (2019), and placed 2nd in the NATS advanced men’s division (2017).
David Tuttle, Clarinet
David Tuttle is an active freelance musician who has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Honolulu Symphony, Ars Viva Chicago, and the Lake Forest Symphony. He has been performing as an extra player with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 50 years! He can be heard on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s recordings of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Wagner’s Prelude and Love Death, and Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite. In addition to his extensive freelancing, David currently serves as principal clarinetist in the New Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Light Opera Works, and the Southern Illinois Music Festival, for which he is also personnel manager. He is the founder and director of Chicago Winds, Inc., which has presented more than 2,000 programs in Chicago Public Schools. Tuttle has been on the roster of Vandoren Performing Artists since 2011.
Linda Veleckis, Violin
Violinst/violist, teacher, and conductor Linda Veleckis has performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician throughout the United States and Europe. In recent recitals, she has performed the complete sonatas of Beethoven and Brahms, composers of the Baltic diaspora and several programs commemorating composers lost in the Holocaust. During her varied and colorful career, Linda has performed with many orchestras in the Chicago area, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Illinois Philharmonic, New Philharmonic and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. In 2020, she curated a performance of Beethoven’s first and last string quartet as first violinist of the Fermi String Quartet, in honor of the composer’s 250th birthday! A dedicated teacher, Linda serves as Director of Orchestras at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois, where she conducts three orchestras serving young musicians. She also serves as the Chair of the Honors All State Orchestra during the Illinois Music Educators Conference, and operational role which has her taking care of conductors, young musicians, tons of music and solving every type of imaginable issue. During the summer, she performs at the Southern Illinois Festival, the International Academy of Music (Italy), Burgos Music Festival (Spain) and Summit Music Festival (New York). When not making, teaching or thinking about music, Linda enjoys travel, yoga and obsessing about opera.
Joe Walczyk, Trumpet
Joe Walczyk is an active trumpet player in both the classical and commercial music scenes. After receiving his master's degree from Southern Illinois University in 2020, Joe moved to northern Virginia where he taught and regularly. While maintaining his playing and teaching career, Joe also acted as operations manager and DJ for Summit Events from 2021-2023. Joe's recording career includes soundtracks for Novel Effect, multiple rock bands, projects for classical composers, and the virtual ensemble Cinematic Brass, who recorded the Big Ten Saturday Night theme for NBC. He is currently working on his D.M.A in trumpet performance at West Virginia University where he teaches trumpet and chamber music. Joe is excited to return for his fourth year with the Southern Illinois Music Festival!
Robert Weiss, trombone
Robert Weiss is Professor Emeritus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he taught for 29 years, the last 13 of which he was Director of the School of Music. Prior to that he taught in the public schools of Puerto Rico and Quincy, Illinois. Bob is currently (and for 44 years) Director of Music of First United Methodist Church in Carbondale, Illinois, and remains active as a performing trombonist. He has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Benjamin Werley, Tenor
Benjamin Werley, praised for his “gleaming, flexible tenor” (Opera News), discovered his passion for opera after attending a performance of Puccini’s Tosca. A graduate of the Jacob’s School of Music at Indiana University, he was a semi-finalist in the 2012-2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Werley has participated in top young artist programs, including Merola Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He has sung with renowned orchestras such as the Pittsburgh Symphony and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Recent highlights include roles as Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Cavaradossi (Tosca), and Don José (Carmen). This season, he debuts at San Diego Opera as Narraboth (Salome), returns to Virginia Opera for Loving v. Virginia, and sings with the Southern Illinois Music Festival. He will also perform as the tenor soloist for Verdi's Requiem with the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale.