Classical Voice Technician
Carole FitzPatrick
Carole FitzPatrick is an Associate Professor of Voice and the Voice Area
Coordinator at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the
Arts School of Music, Dance and Theatre.
She began her professional opera career with engagements in Dortmund and
Osnabrück, Germany, and then joined the ensemble of the State Theater of
Nürnberg. Her extensive opera repertoire during her 17 years in Germany
included the leading female roles in Mozart (Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro,
Cosi fan tutte), Verdi (Falstaff, Il Trovatore, Luisa Milller, La Forza del Destino),
Puccini (La Bohème), Strauss (Elektra, Ariadne auf Naxos), and Wagner
(Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Das Rheingold, Die Walküre,
Götterdämmerung), having sung over 60 major roles in German opera houses,
including Hannover, Mannheim, Düsseldorf, Essen, and Berlin. Her concert work
has been extensive as well, including concert tours in France and Spain, and
performances in Finland, Austria, Holland, the Czech Republic, Luxemburg, and
Russia. At its inception, Ms. FitzPatrick was a vocal advisor for the Nürnberg
State Theater’s Opera Studio for Young Singers, giving both master classes and
private voice lessons to the participants. She was selected by the City of
Osnabrück as “Citizen of the Year” and was named by the professional magazine
Opernwelt as one of its “Singer of the Year” candidates. In 2005 she participated
in the premiere performance of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in Beijing,
and in 2006 sang “Donna Anna” in Don Giovanni in the Hong Kong Festival of
the Arts.
Since moving back to the United States in 2005, she has made appearances with
the Chattanooga Symphony, the Chicago Chamber Musicians, the Prager
Sinfoniker, the Berliner Cappella, the Salt River Brass and the Arizona State
Lyric Opera Theater and Symphony Orchestra. In 2008 she created the role of
“La Malinche” in the world premiere of James DeMars’ opera Guadalupe, Our
Lady of the Roses, which was recorded and released by Canyon Records. Ms.
FitzPatrick can also be heard on the CD Two Plus One (Cavalli Records), a
collection of art song duets with colleagues Robert Barefield and Eckart Sellheim.
In 2012 and 2014, she performed and taught at the Vianden Festival, an
international chamber music festival in Luxembourg, and in 2011 and 2015 in the
Saarburg Serenaden, a chamber music festival in Germany. In January 2015,
FitzPatrick and Barefield, along with ASU colleague Russell Ryan on piano,
released a CD called Occident Meets Orient (Albany Records). The recording
explores societal attitudes and misconceptions about life in Eastern cultures
through Western classical and popular music of the 19th and 20th centuries.
In summer 2025, she will teach for the first time at the Frost School of Music Patti
and Allan Herbert Summer School in Salzburg, Austria.
Students of hers have participated in Young Artist Programs like Florida Grand
Opera, Utah Festival, Des Moines, Seagle, Glimmerglass, Brevard, Saratoga and
more. She has had many students starring in national musical theatre tours,
such as Frozen, Dear Evan Hansen, Amazing Grace and Suessical. Many have
sung in shows at Disney and on many cruise ships, and opera houses in
Germany. She also has former students teaching at colleges and universities
around the country.
She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and
two master’s degrees from the Yale University School of Music.
Commercial Music Voice Technician
Jeremy Aye
Jeremy received his Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he studied with the renowned vocal pedagogue, Barbara Doscher, pupil of Berton Coffin. Teachers and mentors include Claudia Kennedy, Richard Miller, Robert Harrison, George Gibson, Bill Schuman, and Brian Gill.
Jeremy has performed in numerous operas, musicals and concerts throughout the United States. His repertoire includes leading roles in Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, La Bohème, Die Zauberflöte, La Fanciulla del West, Un Ballo in Maschera, Camelot, The Man of La Mancha, Street Scene, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls, Kismet, Anything Goes, and The Fantasticks!. Companies include: Arizona Opera, Opera Colorado, Los Angeles Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Opera Omaha, Kansas City Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Fullerton Civic Light Opera, Santa Fe Opera (Apprentice Artist), and Mid-America Productions (2007 Carnegie Hall debut). In addition to solo work, Jeremy sang as an extra chorister for 15 seasons with The Metropolitan Opera since 2005, numbering over 470 performances in 24 magnificent productions such as Aida, Turandot, Parsifal, Les Troyens and Bill Budd.
In 2006, Jeremy became an adjunct voice professor at NYU Steinhardt. In addition to teaching classical, musical theater and contemporary voice majors, he had taught the repertoire curriculum for Steinhardt's thriving Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy, as well as Business Skills for Classical Singers. In 2012, he presented at NYU's International Voice Symposium along with voice experts Johan Sundberg, Ingo Titze, Brian Gill, Lucian Sulica, Milan Amin, Don Miller and Ron Scherer. During his 18 years as a highly sought after voice professor at NYU, Jeremy was the recipient of the Steinhardt Teaching Excellence Award in 2018 for his outstanding credentials, qualifications and contributions to student learning.
In addition to his current and past affiliations with American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), Actor’s Equity Association (AEA), National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and Opera America, Jeremy is the a member of the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) and serves on the board for the Arizona Chapter as Voice Co-Chair.
Along side his private teacher studio, Jeremy is on the voice faculty for Prague Summer Nights, a 4 week music festival that produces recitals, concerts and operas in the Czech Republic. The festival highlight includes a full production of Don Giovanni, in the famous Estates Theatre where Mozart premiered his masterpiece.
Beyond habilitation, Jeremy specializes in vocal rehabilitation for singers with compromised voices and as well as post-surgery singers. Many of his clients have been referred to him by leading laryngologists and speech language pathologists in Manhattan, including the NYU Langone Voice Center as well as the Sean Parker Institute for the Voice at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Jeremy's private students range from emerging talent to professional singers who perform on the stages of Broadway and The Metropolitan Opera. JeremyAye.com
Musical Theatre Voice Technician
Amanda DeMaris
Amanda DeMaris, soprano, has been heard on opera, recital, and concert stages.She holds a B.M. in vocal performance from Ithaca College, M.M. in vocal performance from New England Conservatory, and Ed.D. from Columbia University’s Teachers College.
DeMaris has taught at Cornell University as a visiting lecturer, Ithaca College as a lecturer and assistant professor, and at Columbia University and the New England Conservatory as a teaching assistant. DeMaris is skilled teaching a variety of styles from classical and opera, to musical theatre and popular. She earned her Level 1 certification in Sheri Sanders’ Rock the Audition, and also participated in the musical theatre vocal pedagogy workshop, Bel Canto can Belto at Penn State University. Her students have gone on to perform Off-Broadway, in National Tours, with Forbidden Broadway, Vocal Essence Ensemble Singers, The Metropolitan Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Walt Disney World, Phoenix Theatre, Childsplay Theatre, cruise ships, and numerous regional theatre and summer stock companies. She joined the faculty of Arizona State University as clinical assistant professor of voice in 2015.
DeMaris is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, New York Singing Teachers Association, Music Teachers National Association and Pi Kappa Lambda. She recently performed at the MTNA National Conference and taught a masterclass at the Classical Singer National Convention. Her conference presentations have included the NATS National Conference, the Voice Foundation's Annual Symposium, ISME’s World Conference in Bologna, Italy, CalWestern Regional NATS Conference, and Arizona Music Educators Association. Her research interests include musicianship for singers, and self-directed learning in the applied voice studio. Her work has been published in the Journal of Singing.
Student Workshop Presenters
Emma England
Robyn Frey-Monell
Robyn Frey-Monell
Emma England is the owner and artistic director of Studio 3 Performing Arts Academy in Gilbert, AZ, where she has turned her passion for the arts into a thriving hub for creative education. Through Studio 3, Emma has fulfilled her dream of providing high-quality arts training that empowers youth of all ages to pursue professional careers in the performing arts.
Emma is also the founder, Board President, and Artistic Director of Limelight Performing Arts, a non-profit youth theatre dedicated to inspiring young performers. With a career spanning countless productions, she has worn nearly every hat imaginable—earning multiple AriZoni and National Youth Arts Awards for her exceptional direction and design.
A dynamic artist in her own right, Emma continues to perform professionally while sharing her expertise as a director, choreographer, music director, and voice coach. Whether leading show choirs, directing productions, or teaching private and group voice classes, Emma’s passion for nurturing talent shines through in everything she does
Robyn Frey-Monell
Robyn Frey-Monell
Robyn Frey-Monell
Robyn Frey-Monell is an active and dedicated vocal pedagogue and adjudicator. Her scholarly research has centered on motivation, self-assessment and how students learn. Dr. Frey-Monell spent two decades teaching college level voice, diction, song literature and opera workshop, where she trained students to thoroughly create characters for the stage. She is currently building the music program at Rosary Academy in Fullerton, CA by teaching choir, orchestra, song writing, musical theater and learning strategies. Dr. Frey-Monell received a Doctor of Education degree from Columbia University Teachers College, a Master of Fine Arts degree from University of California Irvine and a Bachelor of Music degree from Westminster Choir College.
Melissa Heath
Robyn Frey-Monell
Valdis Jansons
Soprano Melissa Heath enjoys a varied career of opera, concert and recital work. Hailed as a “soaring, sparkling soprano” with “vivacious stage presence,” recent opera roles include Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème, Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen. Recent concert work includes Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and both Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in c minor with the Temple Square Chorale and Orchestra at Temple Square, Handel’s Messiah with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and both Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate and Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915 with Sinfonia Salt Lake. With the Utah Symphony, Ms. Heath has performed both Nielsen’s Symphony no. 3 and Handel’s Messiah. In 2017 she was the soprano soloist with Ballet West in choreographer Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. She reprised this role with both Ballet West (2022) and Nevada Ballet Theater (2022 and 2023). Ms. Heath is a frequent soloist on Salt Lake City’s NOVA Chamber Music Series, and has performed on the Gina Bachauer International Piano Festival. In 2019 she sang the role of The Water in Utah Opera's Production of The Little Prince, Mahler’s Symphony no. 2 with Salt Lake Symphony, and soloed with Utah Symphony in their Deer Valley Concert Series. In 2023, she appeared again with Ballet West in Stravinsky’s Les Noces and with Utopia, Utah’s premiere early music ensemble. In 2024, she performed with Salt Lake Symphony for the world premiere of John Costa’s The Statuette EP, and with the American Festival Chorus & Orchestra in Merrill Bradshaw’s The Restoration. Ms. Heath was a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions, and was a two-time regional finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing’s biennial art song competition. Ms. Heath is an Associate Professor of music and the Voice Area Coordinator in the Department of Music at Utah Valley University. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in voice from Brigham Young University and her Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees in voice from the University of Utah.
Valdis Jansons
Rachel Stoddard
Valdis Jansons
Valdis Jansons is a baritone and vocal educator. In more than two decades on stage, Latvian-born baritone Valdis Jansons had been praised for his “scenery-chewing intensity” (The Wall Street Journal), “generous and expressive phrasing” (Opera Actual, Spain), and “vigorous voice, with easy high notes and excellent breath control” (Olyrix, France). After making his opera debut in 2002, under the baton of Antonello Allemandi, and winning numerous international singing competitions, Mr. Jansons has conquered audiences worldwide in repertoire spanning from early Mozart to contemporary opera, jazz, and musical theatre. Among more than 50 leading roles in his repertoire, and his almost 20-year long residence in Italy, Jansons specializes in Italian repertoire, especially on that of the 19th century. Mr. Jansons appeared in hundreds of theaters worldwide, including Teatro alla Scala, Teatro San Carlo, Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Theater an der Wien, Teatro São Carlos in Lisbon, and Teatro Regio di Parma.
Rebecca Plack
Rachel Stoddard
Rachel Stoddard
Dr. Rebecca Plack is Professor of Opera Studies and Music History at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where the courses she’s taught include Lieder, Opera on Record, Mozart Role Preparation and Vocal Pedagogy. She has given solo recitals in London and Budapest as winner of the Los Angeles International Liszt Society, and in Hamilton, Canada at the International Great Romantics Festival; she has also performed with Sacramento Opera, Ithaca Opera, and at the Caramoor and Aspen Music Festivals. A passionate educator, she has given invited talks and master classes at Oxford University, King’s College London, and most recently as keynote speaker at the University of Surrey’s Mechanical Recording Workshop. She holds degrees from Princeton University (B.A.), Manhattan School of Music (M.M.) and Cornell University (Ph.D.).
Rachel Stoddard
Rachel Stoddard
Rachel Stoddard
Rachel Stoddard has worked as a music educator in the Valley for the past 30 years conducting choirs of all ages, teaching private voice and piano lessons, directing musicals and performing in various choral groups and musical theatre productions. Currently she runs a private voice studio in North Phoenix. She also directs the junior and teen choirs and teaches voice at Rosie’s House, an afterschool K-12 music program in downtown Phoenix, where the mission is to eliminate barriers to high quality music education. Previous choral directing and teaching positions include Scottsdale Christian Academy, Arizona Christian University, Paradise Valley Community College, the Phoenix Boys Choir (training choir) and the Paradise Valley Unified School District. She holds a Master of Music degree in Music Education from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Susquehanna University and is a member of the Valley of the Sun Chapter of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing.)
Rachel and her husband Mark (Associate Artistic Director at Valley Youth Theatre) are the parents of three grown children. They enjoy working together on musical theatre productions, traveling and exploring new places to hike in Arizona with their dogs.
Melissa Treinkman
Melissa Treinkman
Melissa Treinkman
Melissa Treinkman, DMA, is an assistant professor of musical theatre vocal performance at the University of Southern California. Melissa's works has been published in the Journal of Singing, the Journal of Voice, and the Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance Journal. She has presented her research at conferences given by the Voice Foundation, NATS, the Association for Popular Music Education, Northwest Voice Conference, The Fall Voice Conference, and the Pan American Vocology Association. Melissa was the 2020 recipient of the Voice Foundation's Sataloff Award for Young Investigators and she was the first researcher to win the award in the category of vocal pedagogy. She was also the 2024 recipient of the Richard Sjoedsrma Excellence in Writing Award. She currently serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Singing, where she is the author of "The Vocal Point" column. She is a regular singer with the Los Angeles Opera chorus. www.melissatreinkman.com
Video Presenters
Beatrice Bergér Gee
Beatrice Bergér Gee
Beatrice Bergér Gee
The German soprano Beatrice Bergér has been passionately teaching for 30 years. She received a BA in Vocal Performance (U of A) and two years studying at the Opera Studio in Mainz with Karin Mauksch and Christoph Loy, DE. There she won 1st place in the Bayreuth Competition (Mainz) and started performing professionally throughout Europe. Ten years later, in 1998-99, she did graduate studies in vocal pedagogy at BYU to increase her knowledge. She returned to Europe to continue her career as a singer and voice teacher. In 2021, Beatrice developed ©BeSingGargle, a step-by-step singing method that utilizes gargling with water, while exercising singing. In 2022, she was awarded the national Joan Frey Boytim Award for independent teachers in Chicago. Beatrice currently teaches in her private Voice Studio in Salt Lake City, remotely for the Karl-Berg Music School in Trier, DE, and serves as Vice President for the Northern Utah NATS Chapter.
Matthew Fallesen
Beatrice Bergér Gee
Beatrice Bergér Gee
I come from a diverse background as a performer, educator and entrepreneur. My passions are music, education and financial strategy. I love bringing the gift of music to an audience, teaching people how to become their best selves and helping people reach their financial goals. I'm also the Founder/CEO of Wealth Redy, a financial planning firm; Redy U, a life skills education company; and, I helped start the music entrepreneurship track while working on my DMA at University of North Texas.
With over 14 years of experience in the financial services industry and 20 years as an educator and professional singer, I have the knowledge and unique perspective to work with you on your life's journey and solve problems using creative, personalized strategies. Bottom line, I see things differently than the average financial advisor and I'm in a position to help you build your wealth and realize your dreams.
My educational background includes a Master of Music degree, an MBA in global business, the Series 7 and 66 securities licenses, insurance licenses and over 15 years as a college professor in music, business, philosophy, critical thinking and personal finance. Currently, I teach voice at Cal State University-San Marcos and Palomar College in Southern California.
Erica Glenn
Beatrice Bergér Gee
Michaela Kelly
Dr. Erica Glenn is an Assistant Professor of Music at Brigham Young University - Hawaii where she conducts two choirs and teaches private voice. In May 2025, Dr. Glenn will conduct the world premiere of her Worldwide Requiem at Carnegie Hall. She holds a doctorate from Arizona State University, an EdM from Harvard, and an MM from Longy Conservatory. Prior to BYUH, Dr. Glenn taught at Dean College, the DC Kennedy Center, the Soul Arts Academy (Manhattan), Arizona State University, and the American International School of Utah. Dr. Glenn also co-founded the Arizona Women's Collaborative and Phoenix Singing. She was a 2023 American Councils Scholar in Estonia, a recent finalist for the American Prize (Opera Conducting), and she recently completed a Fulbright in Poland among Ukrainian refugees (2022). As a composer and researcher, she has published with Santa Barbara, Pelican Music, LazyBee Scripts, The Salt Lake Tribune, and USA Today. www.ericakyreeglenn.com
Michaela Kelly
Brian Manternach
Michaela Kelly
Michaela Kelly, soprano, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music. She is on faculty as a lecturer at Scripps College and Chapman University. Additionally, Michaela serves as Vice President of Programs for NATS - Los Angeles. Michaela joined the Los Angeles Opera Chorus in 2024 for Puccini’s Turandot and Madama Butterfly. This summer, she performed at SongFest as a recipient of the inaugural American Art Song Prize. She was a recent poster presenter at the 2024 NATS National Conference. Previously, Michaela has participated in summer festivals such as the Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Classical Music Institute, and the Source Song Festival. Michaela is an avid soloist and recitalist, performing with the Claremont Concert Orchestra, Thornton Wind Ensemble, I Cantori di Carmel, New England Conservatory Opera. Michaela holds a Bachelor’s of Music Education from the UNC Greensboro and a Master’s of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from the New England Conservatory.
Brian Manternach
Brian Manternach
Brian Manternach
Brian Manternach (he/him) is an associate professor in the University of Utah Department of Theatre and a research associate for the Utah Center for Vocology, where he is on the faculty of the Summer Vocology Institute. Honors include the Teacher of the Year Award from Cal-Western NATS, the NATS Clifton Ware Group-Voice Pedagogy Award, the NATS Voice Pedagogy Award, and the Faculty Excellence in Research Award from the University of Utah College of Fine Arts. He serves as both associate editor and advisor to the editor in chief for the Journal of Singing, is a regular contributor to Classical Singer, and has been published in a variety of additional voice-related journals. Originally from Iowa, his degrees include a BA from Saint John’s University/College of Saint Benedict of Minnesota, an MM from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a DM from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. brianmanternach.com
Dr. Joni Y Prado
Brian Manternach
Brian Manternach
Dr. Joni Y. Prado, soprano and associate professor of vocal studies at California State University, Fullerton earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in vocal arts at the University of Southern California where her areas of specialty included vocal performance, choral music, music education and jazz studies. She holds a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from California State University, Fullerton and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and psychology from California Baptist University. Current teaching areas include private vocal studies, foreign language diction, and vocal workshop. In addition to teaching and performing, Dr. Prado is also in demand as an adjudicator, choral clinician and vocal coach for local school programs and festivals. In Spring 2023, she presented a session at CASMEC entitled, “Showing, Not Telling: The Effectiveness of Non-Verbal Communication in Choral Conducting.” Dr. Prado has also assisted on several recording projects as a vocal coach and vocal producer at Skywalker Ranch and Sony Pictures Studios and continues to connect with singers and educators across the country through various singing and speaking engagements.
Erica Waxer
Erica Waxer
Erica Waxer
Erica Waxer lives in California where she teaches private voice and piano. She is also an active performer in both musical theater and opera productions. Erica is also an indie singer songwriter and content creator. Erica is in pursuit of a masters in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in conjunction with the Vocal Study Centre which has allowed her to research the challenges of teaching poor pitch students.