Lazara Carmen Perez

Technical Essay

Artistic Thesis Concert

The cast of Les Dames de L’opéra

My artistic thesis concert is a performance of opera scenes and arias that

focuses on the opera diva and is structured in a timeline from the Classical era to the

20th Century highlighting. I selected highlights from operas by Mozart, Puccini, Verdi,

Wagner and Britten. This essay is a behind-the-scenes look at the concert from my

perspective as director.

The preparation of my concert was a challenging endeavor. I was faced with

many decisions such as funding, choice of repertoire and its relevance to my thesis,

casting, marketing and publicity, selecting a performance venue with proper acoustics,

finding the appropriate accompanist and the aesthetic aspect, as well as performer’s

attire, and whether or not to use props.

Before I could make any artistic decisions, I had to address financial concerns.

The cost of funding this production came from my student financial aid. I obtained the

required letters from my adviser and Gallatin's administrative staff in order to prove that

my artist thesis is a degree requirement. I then submitted this to the financial aid office

along with a budget appeal form. I photocopied the rental contract for the performance

hall which cost $2,000. I then began to pay everyone by check in order to have a written

record of the rehearsal costs. I also applied for the Siff grant in hopes of deferring some

of the costs. For this, I wrote an essay discussing my anticipated expenses.

In order to promote the concert, I placed an ad in Classical Singer magazine, a

national publication with most of its readership in New York City. I selected an online

version of the ad for their website and a printed version in the magazine. The cost was

$400. I would later be disappointed by the ineffectiveness of this decision. A total of six

tickets sold after the ad appeared. An article in my local newspaper of Bayonne, NJ also

appeared but this did not affect ticket sales. I also emailed everyone I could with a flier.

One thing I learned from previous concerts that I directed is that performers generally

don't want to get involved with promoting a concert. This seems odd to me because I

rationalized that most singers would want to perform for a large audience but divas seem

to think themselves above administrative duties. Whatever the reason, this concert

wasn't any different from the previous ones I’d put together and I bore the burden alone.

The choice of repertoire was a daunting process. For my research essay I

wanted to focus on the diva within the plot, show how strong and dignified her characters

was, and conclude with her diminished identity in 20th Century opera. I decided on a

timeline from Mozart to Puccini, Verdi, Wagner and Britten. I was able to find numerous

books analyzing the female leading characters in their operas and details about the

composers themselves and why they chose to compose operas about these women.

From a technical standpoint, I knew that Mozart arias are often used by voice teachers

to train young students, for example, and that I would not have any difficulty casting

sopranos to sing that repertoire. The Britten, on the other hand, would require more

experienced singers due to his constant changing meters and syncopation. I also knew

that I could sing a lighter Wagner aria but that any other Wagner scenes would be next

to impossible to cast because singers of that fach are rare. Fach refers to vocal

classification and those darker, heavier voices required to sing Wagner are not as

common and take longer to mature physically.  Originally, I had not planned on singing a

duet from Traviata but a tenor friend suggested it, only to back out of the concert soon

after I’d begun learning it. Determined to sing the duet, I asked another tenor from

Verismo Opera, where I had sung chorus for their production of Tosca, if he knew of

anyone who might be interested. He volunteered and I was quite flattered knowing he

would end up being my most advanced performer because he had already acquired

professional management.

Myself and Phil Alongi as “Alfredo”

Myself and Danielle Davis who portrayed Musetta and the 2nd niece

The Puccini repertoire I chose because I thought Mimi and Musetta were such

different characters and great to compare and contrast. I also had a particular friend in

mind for Musetta’s aria since I had heard her perform it at Symphony Space at a concert

I performed in. I’d also worked on the “Flower Duet” from Madame Butterfly last year and

felt that it would be a good idea to incorporate repertoire that I’d already performed on

stage as opposed to all-new repertoire which would make the process more stressful.

Years ago, when I first started directing concerts, I figured out that it is best to mix old

and new repertoire in concerts that I have to direct because the responsibilities of being

a director can often take me away from working on my own repertoire. Being a concert

director is similar to teaching because it requires patience, the gift of persuasion and the

ability to let go and trust that others will do their homework.

Myself and Alison Zwecker who portrayed Suzuki and Auntie.

Casting is a very personal thing. I always choose to cast based on vocal talent

and not physical appearance or age. Older singers are often turned down because they

don’t “look the part” and younger singers are often turned out because they “lack

experience”. And while talent is important, I gravitate towards singers who are

responsible and show up to rehearsals because they are truly dedicated to the art form

rather than people with incredible voices and lackadaisical attitudes. Fortunately, I met

many of my singers at opera companies that I had sung with including Amato Opera,

Amore Opera, and Bronx Opera. I was surprised that none of the graduate students in

the Opera Program at Steinhardt had any interest in performing in my concert but I

ended up with more experienced singers on my roster than I had originally hoped for.

My youngest cast member, Allegra Durante, as Susanna

When it came to selecting a venue, I decided to ask my accompanist for his

suggestions. Others had already suggested different spaces around Manhattan, but I

wanted something elegant with good acoustics. I decided upon the “Van Alen Mansion”

which is also known as “The Polish Foundation” but, for marketing purposes, I used the

former and not the latter. I rented both floors; the downstairs for the wine and cheese

reception and the upstairs to sing in. The second floor also had a private changing area

where performers could relax and wait their turn. The white marble staircase leading up

to the second floor had an air of grandeur fitting for any diva. I sang in the performance

space and the room was a very “live” space, as we say in opera. We know to avoid

rooms with carpeting that absorb sound and look for hard surfaces that will make the

voice sound vibrant.

The elegant concert venue. Pictured is my mom.

With regards to an accompanist, I knew that my colleague Eric who is on staff at

Manhattan School of Music would be ideal. Unfortunately, I had not anticipated that he

wouldn’t be available for evening rehearsals! This presented a number of unexpected

challenges. I had to find rehearsal pianists so I asked my voice teacher at NYU for a list

of recommended accompanists. Little did I know that those people were there by request

and had not auditioned to be on it! Having to deal with less experienced pianists was

very frustrating for me and the rest of the performers. Singers rely on the support of

knowledgeable accompanists. One poor young man gently backed out after one

rehearsal suggesting that if I “found a better sight-reader he would not be offended”. I

think he was too embarrassed to admit that the repertoire was simply beyond his

technical ability. Another pianist I hired played very well. She was on the faculty at

Mannes College of Music. But she was more expensive and, one day, when my tenor

cancelled the night before a scheduled meeting and the mezzo cancelled the morning of,

I had to cancel rehearsal because I would have been unable to sing the scenes without

them. The pianist from Mannes became extremely upset demanding that I pay her. I

informed her that it was unfair to make me pay for a rehearsal we never had and that the

behavior of my other singers was beyond my control. I also had to point out that I notified

her immediately and in writing. Suddenly, she had a “cancellation policy”. I told her that I

was a person of integrity and even if she had only stated this policy verbally, I would

have honored it. But the fact remained that she had not made me aware of any such

policy. Furious, she cancelled the next two rehearsals and left me in quite a

predicament.

Emily Groveman who portrayed Zerlina and me.

At this point, I had also been working with a student pianist at Manhattan School

of Music on alternate evenings. She began to criticize my vocal technique. This is a

professional no-no because coaches are reprimanded at music conservatories for trying

to go above the teacher’s advice to a student singer and their employment can be (and

often is) terminated. Most coaches are aware of these delicate matters but she was

young and perhaps unaware. She simply spent too much time talking about her opinions

instead of playing the piano. I fired her. I didn’t do so out of meanness but for sheer

practical reasons. I knew the experience would teach her to stick to playing and

coaching musical style and diction and not criticize the voice teacher’s work. It was an

important lesson she needed to learn.

I then had the opportunity to try another pianist from the NYU list. This recent

graduate played well as a pianist but there is a difference between playing well and

accompanying well. The accompanist “breathes” with the singer. By this I mean, they

often cue the singers’ entrances with a gesture or an ever-so-slight rubato to make sure

they are in perfect sync. Unfortunately, this pianist began in one tempo and

then accelerated to a new tempo as we were rehearsing the Britten quartet. A lack of

consistent tempo is unfortunately an indication of an amateur musician. Consider that

the greater the number of singers involved, the more complicated it is for everyone to

stay together. Although her rate was affordable, I decided to go back to working with

someone who had more experience with singers and thanked her graciously for her

help.

Finding rehearsal spaces was also a problem. As a Gallatin student I was not

permitted to use the practice rooms at Steinhardt. I don’t think these rooms would have

worked well anyway since they were so small. I did have access to Kimmel but the first

few weeks of the semester the evening slots were completely booked. I observed that

NYU has a major problem: too many students taking music lessons and not enough

rooms with pianos for these students to practice in. I then thought of Ripley Grier studios

which I had gone to for auditions but decided not to use their rehearsal rooms. There are

many kinds of rehearsals going on there in the evenings ranging from musical theater to

dance and the rooms are not sound proof. Also, the pianos are uprights and opera

singers with big voices perform better with baby grand pianos. One of the advantages to

rehearsing with the pianist from Manhattan School of Music was that she was able to get

us rooms and I didn’t need to pay extra for them. I also didn’t have any difficulty parking.

The disadvantage was that the performers had to travel all the way up past Columbia

University which was inconvenient for them. I began to favor “853 Seventh Avenue”

studios. The rooms were pretty much sound proof. The staff was very friendly and every

room had a beautiful baby grand piano in it. The rooms were decorated with beautiful

colors and some even had fireplaces. This had a very positive effect from a

psychological standpoint. My singers sounded as if they were singing in a little concert

hall. One singer was working on her aria, Dove Sono, there and when I heard her sing it

again at Kimmel, it sounded completely different. The rooms at Kimmel not only had bad

lighting but they swallowed the sound and the girl began to compensate by over-singing

because she couldn’t hear the sound bounce back to her. This is why teachers always

tell singers not to listen to themselves and to sing by feeling because “listening can get

you into trouble”.

The day of the concert we were all surprised to learn that there was a Greek

parade with marching bands getting ready to march right past the entrance of the

building! This created some chaos because the police blocked off the streets and my

performers had to walk all the way around the block before they could get in. It was also

very difficult to find parking and I had to park rather far away from the place which made

it a hassle to carry the wine and cheese, the concert gown, the programs, etc. I also had

to transport my mom who is in a wheelchair and the huge crowds on the sidewalk made

for some safety concerns. However, in the end, even a parade couldn’t stop us from

putting on a great show and since the reception lounge was downstairs and we

performed upstairs, the noise was minimal and only once was it so noticeable that we

had to wait a few moments before singing. We laughed about it and had a great time.

At every concert I always learn something. If there was one thing I would do

differently, it would be that I wouldn’t go to a three-hour rehearsal for Il Trovatore the day

before my concert. I was exhausted but sang extremely well in spite of this. The

program was exclusively opera arias and scenes which are more taxing vocally than

classical art songs. In the second half I sang four arias back to back and on the last one

I cut one of the long notes shorter because I was so tired physically. Other than that, it

was truly the best concert I’ve ever put together. All nine of my singers and my

accompanist performed beautifully and the event was memorable. My advice to

someone who wishes to put concerts together as I have done is to expect the

unexpected. View every mishap as a learning experience, never a failure. Over the

years, you’ll eventually figure out what to do and what not to do.

The curtain call.

Concert Program

Marriage of FigaroSull'aria 

Porgi amor Deh vieni

Dove sono

Don GiovanniMadamina, il catalogo è questo

La ci daremAh fuggi traditor

Madame ButterflyScouti quella fronde di ciliego

Un bel di  Quando m'en vo

La Boheme

Donde LietaQuando m’en vo

La TraviataUn di felice

LohengrinEuch lüften

Peter GrimesEmbroidery

From the gutter

CAST

New Jersey native, Philip Alongi, (Alfredo) is an exciting young tenor whose powerful

voice matches his stature. He has performed over a dozen operatic roles, including Cavaradossi in Tosca and Luigi in Il Tabarro with the Lyric Orchestra, Alfredo in La Traviata with Pineda Lyric Opera Company, Canio in Pagliacci with the Center City Opera Theater of Philadelphia, Sam in Street Scene at Rutgers Opera directed by Dona Vaughn, and as Absolom in the Yiddish operetta Shulamith to a newly realized orchestral version of Goldfadden’s masterpiece with the Klezmer Company Orchestra. Under the baton of Maestro Alfredo Silipigni, he made his professional debut as Ruiz in Il Trovatore alongside Lando Bartolini with the New Jersey State Opera, with whom he is listed as a Principal artist and has since been invited back for numerous concerts and galas.

Additionally, Mr. Alongi appeared in concert at the Consulate General of Japan in Miami with The Lyric Orchestra. Alongi was the tenor soloist in the world premiere of Ryan Malone’s Stabat Mater at Duke University and has performed in numerous concert galas with the likes of Coro Lirico of New Jersey, New Jersey State Opera, Bronx Opera, and The Klezmer Company Orchestra. His solo oratorio work includes Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, Handel’s Messiah, Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass, Schubert’s Mass in G, and Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ.

Mr. Alongi was bestowed the honor of being asked to sing the funeral mass of Tim Russert as well as the televised memorial service at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.

Mr. Alongi has twice performed live on the TODAY show from NBC studios in New York. In 2007, he performed ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘E lucevan le stelle’ from Tosca. This past year, he performed ‘Adeste Fideles’ and ‘Ch’ella mi creda’ from La Fanciulla del West. Mr. Alongi sang the national anthem at Republican National Convention in September 2008 in Minneapolis, which was broadcast on every major cable news network for a combined national television audience of 22 million, at the Democratic Presidential Candidates debate, and at the 2010 California Gubernatorial Debate at Dominican University of California which had over 7 million combined media impressions. He has recently recorded 5 songs with internationally acclaimed organist Diane Bish for broadcast on her internationally syndicated show, The Joy of Music.

This summer marked the release of his debut albums. 'Heritage' is a collection of beloved songs and arias of Italy; a mixture of Italian operatic arias and well-known Neapolitan songs. 'New Life: Songs of Faith" is a collection of sacred works, featuring compositions spanning from the 17th century through to contemporary pieces.

Alongi is a graduate of the Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University and of the nationally acclaimed performance seminar ’Operaworks’ in Los Angeles.

Brooklyn based tenor, Juan Blanco, (Alfredo, understudy) has had the great pleasure to take part in The Juilliard Opera Workshop and New York Opera Studio where he has had the good fortune to work with renowned Comprimario Tenor, Nico Castel with whom he

now has a continuing student-mentor relationship. Performance highlights include Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Pedrio (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Ferrando (Cosi fan tutte) and Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor). Juan currently studies with Carol Castel and Violetta Zabbi.

Danielle Elizabeth Davis (Musetta, 2nd Niece) is currently studying with RoseMarie Crouse of Freeport, NY, and performs in Opera Nights in various locations around Long Island, NY. Ms. Davis recently participated in the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and artist-in-residence master class program and final recital with New York Lyric Opera Theatre. She attended the Westchester Summer Vocal Institute in June 2010. Ms. Davis sang The National Anthem for the Queens College Commencement Ceremony in May 2009, and received her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music: Queens College in September 2009. Danielle held her Senior Graduation Recital in December 2008, and an English Recital in the spring of 2009. She portrayed Marcellina in a complete production of “Le Nozze di Figaro” in 2008. Also with the ACSM she performed in many voice recitals, galas, and choral concerts. She sang in various choral works such as Britten’s War Requiem, and performed solos in Vivaldi’s Magnificat, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Verdi’s Requiem. Danielle performed in two opera scenes programs, as Agathe in Der Freischutz and as Mother Marie in Dialogues of the Carmelites. Equally at home, she appeared in numerous musical theatre productions (“Little Shop of Horrors”, “Bye Bye Birdie”, “The Sound of Music”, “Guys and Dolls”, and “Jeremy and The Thinking Machine”), and a drama (“Spat: Motel Scenes”). In 2003-2004 she attended the Nassau BOCES Cultural Arts Center in Syosset, NY as a voice major and dance minor. Ms. Davis also has 16 years of dance experience (ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, pointe, hip-hop, kickline, modern), including 5 years of competitive dancing, and studying with such teachers as Marshall Davis Jr.

Allegra Durante, (Susanna. Zerlina and 1st Niece, understudy) soprano, is a young artist who seeks constantly to expand her vocal and artistic capacities. Since beginning her opera career in 2010 she has performed, among other things, the Sandman and Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel and a Bridesmaid in Le Nozze di Figaro with Amore Opera; the Shepherd in Tosca and the Page in Rigoletto with New Jersey Verismo Opera, with whom she is a regularly featured concert artist; and Eco, una Furia, and a featured dancer in La Calisto with Vertical Player Repertory. Allegra studies voice with Evelyn La Quaif, and currently takes classes at the Lucy Moses School.

Praised by the New York Times for her “distinguished singing” and her “spunky Barbarina”, soprano Deborah Dee (Susanna, Cio-Cio San) has performed many roles including Musetta in La Boheme, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Nedda in I Pagliacci , Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte. She has sung in many concert engagements and also produced Cosi Fan Tutte to full houses and audience’s delight.

Balancing her busy schedule as opera singer and senior business analyst at a multinational corporation, she plans to hold an international recital series.

Soprano, Sarah Dyson, (Countess) lives in Brooklyn, NY where she has had the opportunity of working with companies such as Vocal Productions NYC, Chelsea Opera and The Bronx Opera. Her performances include the Countess Almaviva and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Mimi (La Bohème), Micaëla (Carmen), the title role in Suor Angelica, Valencienne (Die Lustige Witwe) and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte). Sarah will be singing the role of Berta in Rossini’s Il Barbiere de Seville with Opera Productions NYC on May 8, 2012.

Alan Gordon Smulen (Lerporello. Don Giovanni, understudy) is a baritone from Bayonne, New Jersey and has been seen performing in the New York Metro area for many years. Locally, he has performed with Amore Opera, New Jersey State Repertory Opera, Amato Opera Theater, Hudson Opera Theater, Verismo Opera of Northern Jersey and The Little Opera Company of New Jersey. In Europe, Alan has performed in France, Austria, and Italy. He received a Bachelor of arts in Music from Brandeis University in 1982 with the piano as his instrument. Then he received both a Diploma and a Masters in Voice from the Mannes College of Music in 1987/88. Further studies were taken at the School of Music at Fontainebleau in France, the AIMS program in Graz Austria and the IIVA program in Chiari, Italy. Alan has performed over 25 roles at Amato Opera over the last 13 years including Marcello in La Boheme, the title role in Falstaff, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Amonasro in Aida and the title role in The Marriage of Figaro. Recently Alan has performed the role of Doctor Bartolo in both The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville at Amore Opera’s Figaro Festival and the role of Sciarrone in Tosca for Verismo Opera. He also holds a job as baritone soloist at Pettie Memorial Baptist Church in Newark where he also works as substitute music director.Soprano Emily Groveman (Zerlina, 1st Niece) performs regularly in the Tri-State area. Recent roles include Sister Dolcina and Sister Osmina in Suor Angelica, Sally in Die Fledermaus, Peep-Bo in the Mikado, and First Spirit in the Magic Flute. She has performed with New York Lyric Opera Theatre, Amore Opera, the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, Chelsea Opera, Utopia Unlimited, and the Binghamton Savoyards, among others. When she’s not singing, Emily’s alter ego is the Coordinator of International Media Distribution for the National Basketball Association.

Michael McAvoy (Don Giovanni) graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance. He continues to study voice with Dr. Constance Rock and performs regularly in Connecticut, Florida and New York. After winning first place in the Opera Theatre of CT's Amici Competition, Michael played Curio in their production of Julius Ceasar in Egypt. He has since studied with the Franco Amercian Vocal Academie, participated in the Opera Naples YAP and NY Lyric Opera's artist in residence program. Professionally, Michael has performed as Wagner in Faust (CT Lyric Opera), Alessio in La Sonnambula (CT Concert Opera), as a soloist for the Naples Philharmonic Choral (Naples, FL), and has worked with Light Opera of New

York. Recently, he had the opportunity to study and perform the role of Don Giovanni with both the Bronx Opera and Vocal Productions NYC.

Lazara Carmen Perez, Dramatic Soprano. (Countess, Donna Elvira, Mimi, Elsa, Cio Cio San, Ellen Orford) Miss Perez holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Hunter College. She is currently a graduate student at the Gallatin School at NYU where she is combining Opera Performance and Music Business in a unique, self-designed course of study. Miss Perez, an Afro-Cuban soprano, began a successful concert series in Hudson County that spanned over three years and most recently directed “Opera a la carte” at Assumption Church in Bayonne for which she received a standing ovation. For the summer of 2010, she studied intensive French while living in Paris through NYU's Study Abroad program. In 2009, she completed Manhattan School of Music’s Summer Voice Institute where she studied with renowned mezzo-soprano, Mignon Dunn. Prior to that she sang in a recital at Juilliard under the tutelage of Marshall Williamson and was invited by the Mayor’s office of Union City to sing in a concert celebrating the life of Cuban poet, Jose Martí. She has sung in over 70 performances of fully-staged operas including Bronx Opera's Don Giovanni, New York Lyric Opera's Hansel and Gretel as Sandman and Dew Fairy as well as their production of Magic Flute in which she portrayed the Third Spirit,  Amore Opera's inaugural production of La Boheme, Amato Opera's Cavalleria Rusticana, Andrea Chenier, La Boheme, Il Trovatore in which sang the role of Inez, La Traviata in which she portrayed Annina and I Pagliacci. In 2010, she was invited to audition for the Metropolitan Opera chorus.

Miss Perez sings in English, Spanish, Latin, French, English, German, Czech, Italian and recently added Russian to her repertoire. She has won numerous prestigious grants and musical scholarships including the National Hispanic Scholarship based on a 4.0 GPA, scholarship to the Mannes College of Music preparatory division for voice and classical guitar, Berklee College of Music for guitar, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival for voice, the Westminster Choir College Summer Vocal program, Metropolitan Opera star Regina Resnik's Alumni scholarship for vocalists and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. At the early age of 17, she performed on television under the guidance of Jersey City’s Dr. Edith Phillips for New Jersey Network's Images/Imagenes Hispanic Talent Search where she was selected as one of four state finalists. At that time, she was also a state finalist for the NJ Talent Expo where she was only one of two state finalists. She has performed with at least a dozen choirs throughout her musical education including Sound Tapestry of Hoboken and Schola Cantorum of Jersey City, NJ. In 2008 she sang in six concerts on a ten-day concert tour of Vienna, Eisenstadt, Ceský Krumlov, Salzburg and Prague. She has studied voice with Rose Marie Crouse, Neil Rosenschein, Louisa Mara Nadir, Dr. Anne Christopherson, Zehava Gal, Ashley Putnam and Christine Reimer. She is a piano student of Nina Dobkin and enjoys teaching herself classical guitar.

Eric Sedgwick, pianist, holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and Brown University. A native of Worcester, MA, he now performs regularly in and around New York in both classical and cabaret settings, at such venues as Birdland, the Metropolitan Room, and Merkin Hall. Mr. Sedgwick was the recipient of the Buxtehude Premium and

the Margery MacColl awards for excellence in music from Brown University, and was a winner in both the 2004 Brown Concerto Competition and the 2005 Boston Steinway competition. He has performed with American Music Productions, the Broadway Concerts Direct series and America Sings, premiering new works by composers such as Seymour Barab, Joelle Wallach and Louis Hardin. He is a staff coach and accompanist at Manhattan School of Music.

Originally from Connecticut, Alison Zwecker (Auntie and Suzuki) began her studies privately at the Hartt School of Music and Eastman School. Recent past performances include Mother (First Cover - Hansel and Gretel) with New York Lyric Opera Theater, Madelon and La Comtesse di Coigny (Andrea Chenier) with Operesque Classical Concerts, Gerta Gustaffson (The Merry Widow) with Amore Opera, and Echo (Ariadne auf Naxus) with the Brooklyn Repertory Opera. In June 2012, Alison will be performing the role of Marcellina in New York Opera Forum's production of Le Nozze di Figaro. Ensemble credits include Un Ballo in Mascara and Orfeo ed Euridice (Brooklyn Repertory Opera), La Boheme (Brooklyn Conservatory of Music), and her Symphony Space debut in Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera for Humanity. Alison is also a past participant of the Westchester Summer Vocal Institute. She currently studies with Harolyn Blackwell.