Roster of artists:

Nicole Besa ~ soprano
Aine Hakamatsuka ~ soprano
Heather Hill ~ soprano
Amaranta Viera ~ soprano
Tanisha Anderson ~ mezzo-soprano
Guadalupe Peraza ~ mezzo-soprano
AnnMarie Sandy ~ mezzo-soprano
Hai-Ting Chinn ~ alto

Jessica Park ~ violin
Maria Romero Ramos ~ violin
Amelia Sie ~ violin
Patricia Ann Neely ~ viola da gamba
Duangkamon "Wan" Wattanasak ~ harpsichord

About the Artists:

Tanisha Anderson is a two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano and National Marian Anderson Scholar Artist who has sung all along the east coast and in Europe with companies including but not limited to The Crossing, Opera Philadelphia, The Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds, VoxAma Deus Ensemble, and Philadelphia Symphonic Choir. www.tanishalanderson.com

Praised for her “metallic voice,” Soprano Nicole Besa is winner of the 2021 Franc d’Ambrosio Talent Search and 2020 Musician’s Club of Women Farwell Award. 2021 highlights: Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte), Christine (Phantom of the Opera), Morgana (Alcina), Maria (Maria La Ó), Cunegonde (Candide!), Maria (West Side Story), Carla (NBC’s Chicago Fire). nicolediana.wixsite.com/2018a

Mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn performs in a wide range of styles and venues, from Purcell to Pierrot Lunaire, Cherubino to The King & I, J.S. Bach to P.D.Q. Bach. She has performed with New York City Opera, The Wooster Group, Philip Glass/Robert Wilson, OperaOmnia, American Symphony Orchestra; on the stages of Carnegie Hall, the Mann Center in Philadelphia, and London’s West End; and at Festivals including the Edinburgh, Verbier, Grimeborn, Tête-à-Tête, and Festival d’Autumne. Of mixed Chinese and Jewish ancestry, Hai-Ting is a native of Northern California and currently resides in New York City. She holds degrees from the Eastman and Yale Schools of Music. www.hai-ting.com

Japanese soprano Aine Hakamatsuka is the winner of the 2013 Yokohama International Music Competition. As a soloist, she appeared in Paukenmesse (Haydn), Magnificat (Schubert), Requiem (Faure), 9th Symphony (Beethoven), Cantata No. 51 (Bach), and Gloria (Vivaldi). She has performed in venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Kennedy Center. www.ainehakamatsuka.com

Heather Hill's career encompasses work in opera, concert, Broadway and voiceovers. Performances include Knoxville, Summer of 1915, by Barber with York Orchestra, The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway company and Carmina Burana at Carnegie Hall. Heather loves early music and is thrilled to perform with the Open Gates Project. www.heatherhill.com @msheatherhill 

Patricia Ann Neely is an early bowed string player and music teacher. She holds a BA in music from Vassar College and an MFA in Historical Performance from Sarah Lawrence College. She has performed with many early music ensembles including Sequentia, Tempesta di Mare, Washington Bach Consort, Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, Rheinische Kantorei Köln, among others. She is currently director of Abendmusik – New York’s early music string band. Patricia has been a member of the Board and Chair of the Equity and Diversity Task Force of the Board of Early Music America and is currently on the Board of the Viola da Gamba Society of America and Chair of its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. She teaches at many early music workshops and was a long-time member of the music faculty at The Brearley School, in New York City. www.abendmusik.net/about.html

Praised as an “exceptional talent” by the Frankfurter Neue Presse, violinist Jessica Park is in high demand as an interpreter of Baroque and Classical repertoire. She can be heard performing with the country’s premier period instrument ensembles including The Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, and The American Classical Orchestra, among others. Her duo with fortepianist Ji-Young Kim was recently featured at the Boston Early Music Festival, and in 2017 Jessica founded the Cramer Quartet, a period-instrument string quartet. www.jessicaparkviolin.com

Mexican mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Peraza has been a featured performer across the Americas and Europe. She has sung at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and performed with New York City Opera and Bard Summerscape. Guadalupe will be a featured soloist with American Classical Orchestra in February 2022. “When Peraza sang one could momentarily forget the troubles of the world... [She exhibits] appealingly pure, direct storytelling. Peraza was unfailingly engaging and fully connected to the text”. – Opera News
Facebook:@perazaguadalupe

Nashville-based violinist Maria Romero Ramos is concertmaster of Music City Baroque. Maria has collaborated with Atlanta Baroque, Les Délices, and Orchester Wiener Akademie, among others, and has performed at Valley of the Moon Music Festival, Boston and Bloomington Early Music Festivals. She has appeared as soloist with the Princeton Festival, Mountainside, and Indianapolis Baroque Orchestras. Maria holds a doctorate from Indiana University and is on the faculty at Vanderbilt University, where she teaches modern and baroque violin.

AnnMarie Sandy, mezzo-soprano, is garnering praise for operatic, concert, and recorded work. She is featured on New World Records recording of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha. In 2007 she made her Lincoln Center debut performing the alto solo in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, and made her 2013 Carnegie Hall debut singing the role Ursula in the Strauss opera Feuersnot. AnnMarie features on Voices Fall from the Sky, an album of renowned free jazz bassist William Parker. The magazine PopMatters, describes AnnMarie as: "stretching her operatic range to sing notes of freedom, healing, and peace." She grew up in Houston, Texas and is based in Brooklyn, New York. www.annmariesandy.com

Based in New York City, Amelia Sie is a virtuosic and adventurous performer of modern and Baroque violin. She received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Violin Performance from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Paul Biss, Miriam Fried, and Soovin Kim. She is currently a student at The Juilliard School, where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Historical Performance. ameliasie.wixsite.com/violin

“Excellent” (Greenwich Sentinel) Cuban-American soprano Amaranta Viera performs in the Unites States and abroad with ensembles ranging from the Choir of Trinity Wall Street to The New York Philharmonic in repertoire spanning a millennium. She specializes in music of the German and Italian early Baroque, and is passionate about engaging modern audiences with old music through the exploration of shared social and historical threads. She lives in Queens, New York with her husband and son. www.amaranta-viera.com

Duangkamon “Wan” Wattanasak, a native of Thailand, currently pursues a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in harpsichord performance at Stony Brook University. A recipient of numerous awards in recognition of her musical and academic excellence, Wan enjoys a varied career performing across the United States and abroad, sharing her historical research at symposiums and workshops, teaching lessons and community classes, and directing diverse vocal and instrumental ensembles. 

A native of London, Biraj Barkakaty has held positions with some of the world’s leading choral ensembles including St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, and the Washington National Cathedral Choir. Whilst specializing in the music of Baroque and Renaissance composers, he has also sung roles in many new and contemporary operas, most recently the role of Fidele in Diary of a Madman with Seattle’s LowBrow Opera Collective last November, and the role of Merlin in the staged world premiere of The Loathly Lady at the Vienna Summer Music Festival in Florida last June. In October 2021, Biraj performed with the London-based Siglo de Oro Ensemble at the Tage Alter Musik Festival in Regensburg. He is also a member of the newly formed professional ensemble The Union in Cincinnati. Future engagements include Bach Cantata 12 with the Heifetz Institute in March, and the role of the Shepherd in Blow’s Venus and Adonis with Fireside Theatre in Cambridge, England.
www.birajbarkakaty.com

Wei En Chan is a Singaporean countertenor whose singing is lauded for its “time-stopping” beauty and technical finesse. He leads an active career in Asia and North America performing the major works of Bach and Handel and has appeared in leading roles with numerous organizations including the Singapore International Festival of Art (SIFA), The Opera People (TOP, Singapore), Bachfest Malaysia, Red Dot Baroque (RDB), First Lutheran Church of Boston, Boston Opera Collaborative, the American Bach Soloists, and others. Highlights include the title role in Handel’s Oreste with SIFA, conducted by Tian Hui Ng, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Bachfest Malaysia, conducted by Dr. David Chin, and Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina with TOP & RDB. Wei En earned his Masters in Music in Voice Performance from New England Conservatory, studying with Dr. Ian Howell, and his Bachelors in Music from Ithaca College, studying with Prof. Carol McAmis.
www.weienchancountertenor.com Facebook: @ChanWeiEnCountertenor, Instagram: @weiencountertenor

Patrick Dailey has been described as possessing “a powerful and elegant countertenor voice” (Los Angeles Daily News) and as a “vocal standout” (Boston Classical Review). He has appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Opera Memphis, Pacific Opera Project, Tête à Tête New Opera Festival (UK), Austin Baroque Orchestra, Shreveport Opera, Chicago Philharmonic, Opera Louisiane, Woodhouse Opera Festival (UK), Il Festival de Ópera Barroca de Belo Horizonte (Brazil), among others. A versatile artist, Dailey has performed with the likes of Jason Robert Brown and Aretha Franklin and featured in Ben Gregor’s film, Fatherhood (FUSE TV) as well as recording projects from Louis York (American Griots), Adrian Dunn (Redemption Live in Chicago), to The Aeolians of Oakwood University. Patrick is on the voice faculty and director of the Big Blue Opera Initiatives at Tennessee State University, founding director of the W. Crimm Singers (aka Wakanda Chorale), and co-founder of Early Music City. www.patrickdaileyct.com.

Iván Maria Feliciano, Jr. is an operatic countertenor of Afro-Puerto Rican descent, and is regarded as a rising star in both Baroque Opera and Oratorio. Audiences recently heard Iván as the Sorceress in Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at the Aaron Copland School of Music. Iván Maria has been described as having a voice that is dramatic in size, that is full, and rich with an extraordinary range. He has made appearances with the SouthWest Symphony Orchestra of Naples, Florida and was a primary soloist within the chamber choir of Ave Maria University. He has also performed scenes from Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito, and made his debut as the first countertenor soloist to perform Mozart’s Requiem in d minor in Southwest Florida. Iván Maria has a profound adoration for Early Music and its abundant musical repertoire. Outside of performing, he also has an avocation for transcribing obscure Baroque repertoire and aspires to be an archivist and Baroque specialist. He is currently completing his degree in vocal performance with the Aaron Copland School of Music.

Jonathan May, countertenor, performs regularly with ensembles including Early Music New York, Mark Morris Dance Group, Ensemble VIII, and The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys. He was most recently featured as a soloist in Cantatas BWV 70, 147 and Bach’s Magnificat with Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity. He appeared with New York City’s TENET Vocal Artists in unconducted performances of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, featuring only twelve singers and the instrumental ensemble the Sebastians. He also appeared as Testo in Academy of Sacred Drama’s modern premiere of Vincenzo de Grandis’ Il Nascimento di Mose. Other highlights include appearances as alto soloist in C.P.E. Bach's Magnificat with American Classical Orchestra and in Handel’s Dixit Dominus with Canticum Scholare; singing the role of Spirit in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Mark Morris Dance Group; singing Philip Glass' Madrigal Opera at National Sawdust; and performing Tallis' Spem in alium with The Tallis Scholars. He holds a degree in music from Dartmouth College.

Motomi Igarashi plays the viola da gamba, violone, baroque double bass and lirone with various groups like the American Classical Orchestra, Anima, ARTEK, Boston Baroque, Orchestra of St. Lukes, performs on contemporary albums with Brad Mehldau and Nathalie Merchant, and cares for the Gamba Society of America rental program instruments.

Lawrence Lipnik has performed with many acclaimed early music ensembles from Anonymous 4 to Piffaro and the Waverly Consort, and is a founding member of the viol consort Parthenia and vocal ensemble Lionheart. He has served as gambist and recorder player for staged opera productions including Monteverdi's Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria at Wolf Trap and Telemann's Orpheus with the New York City Opera, and has prepared an authoritative edition of Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto, commissioned by The Juilliard School. Recent performance highlights include concerts with lutenist Paul O’Dette of Dowland’s complete Lachrimae at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, concerts at the Venice Biennale and Berkeley Festival, appearances with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, the Folger Consort, ARTEK, TENET, the Indiana University Historic Performance Institute at the Bloomington Early Music Festival and early opera residencies at Carnegie Mellon University. He is a contributor to The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Contemporary Dramatists, and The Cambridge Guide to the Worlds of Shakespeare, as well as the journal Comparative Drama.

Rosamund Morley performs a wide-ranging repertoire on all sizes of the viola da gamba family with renowned ensembles as diverse as ARTEK, The Boston Camerata, The Crossing, The Folger Consort, Piffaro and the Yale Schola Cantorum under Masaaki Suzuki. She is a member of Parthenia, New York’s premiere consort of viols, with whom she enjoys playing both early and new music. For many years she toured worldwide as a member of the Waverly Consort. She has played Vivaldi with the Venice Baroque Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Charpentier at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with Les Arts Florissants, and 13th century motets on tour in Europe with Sequentia. She studied in her hometown of Toronto and at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague.

Patricia Ann Neely is an early bowed string player and music teacher. She holds a BA in music from Vassar College and an MFA in Historical Performance from Sarah Lawrence College. She has performed with many early music ensembles including Sequentia, Tempesta di Mare, Washington Bach Consort, Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, Rheinische Kantorei Köln, among others. She is currently director of Abendmusik – New York’s early music string band. Patricia has been a member of the Board and Chair of the Equity and Diversity Task Force of the Board of Early Music America and is currently on the Board of the Viola da Gamba Society of America and Chair of its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. She teaches at many early music workshops and was a long-time member of the music faculty at The Brearley School, in New York City. 

Dongsok Shin performs exclusively on early keyboard instruments and has been a member of the internationally acclaimed baroque ensemble REBEL since 1997. He has appeared with American Classical Orchestra, ARTEK, Carmel Bach Festival, EMNY’s Grande Bande, and Modern Musick among others. He has accompanied artists such as Renée Fleming, Rufus Müller, and Barthold Kuijken. He has toured throughout North America, Europe, and Mexico, been heard on many radio broadcasts, and recorded for many labels. Dongsok has parallel careers as engineer, producer, and editor of audio and video recordings, and as a tuner/maintainer of early keyboards in the New York area. He is harpsichord technician for The Metropolitan Opera, curator of the Flintwoods Collection in Delaware, and often tunes, demonstrates, and performs on the antique keyboards at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His YouTube videos performing on the earliest surviving Bartolomeo Cristofori fortepiano of 1720 produced by The Met Museum have over 400,000 views.