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Karen Thomson Hall is a versatile singer whose performance experience ranges from the opera and musical theatre stage to intimate cabaret performances and chamber music recitals. The Oakland Tribune has raved, "Hall sounded glorious" and the San Francisco Examiner has exclaimed, "Hall's vibrant voice is a delight. " Karen has been the soprano soloist for such works as Handel's Messiah, Vivaldi's Gloria, the Fauré Requiem, the Rutter Requiem, and in highly acclaimed performances of the Verdi Requiem with the Napa Valley Symphony and Leonard Bernstein's Mass with the Oakland East Bay Symphony. She has held leading roles in such operas as Die Zauberflöte, Das Rheingold, Così fan tutte, The Tales of Hoffmann, Albert Herring, and Die Fledermaus. Renowned for her work as a singing actor, she has been seen in musical theater productions of No Regrets: The Songs of Edith Piaf, Jane Eyre, Lady in the Dark, Pal Joey, Sunday in the Park with George, Company and Sweeney Todd to name a few. A strong supporter of contemporary classical music, Karen has premiered new works across the United States, including new works written for her voice by composers Matt Doran and Robert Steel. She performs on the cabaret stage with pianist Christopher Winslow and her latest solo show Continental Drift (the music of Weill & Piaf) was developed and produced at ODC Theater. She also leads a popular annual Broadway Sing-Along at the San Francisco JCC. Karen received her theatrical and musical training from Northwestern University and the University of Texas at Austin, where she was engaged by the Austin Lyric Opera's Young Artist Program for two years. Her principal teachers include Kathleen Kaun, Martha Deatherage, and Sylvia Anderson, and she has performed for such eminent artists as Marilyn Horne, Licia Albanese, Mattiwilda Dobbs and Warren Jones. Karen performs regularly with The Mirage Ensemble and is a founding director of Accendi Performances, a presenting and service organization for the independent artists of the San Francisco Bay Area. |
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Lauded for his "sweet, singing tone...and technical wizardry..." (S.F. Classical Voice), clarinetist Robert Bailis has appeared with orchestras and in chamber recitals across the U.S., Canada, Asia, and the U.K. He joined the Napa Valley Symphony in 1999 and also performs with the symphony orchestras of Stockton, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and Monterey, as well as the Sacramento Philharmonic. A proponent of contemporary music, he has premiered many new works, including pieces by Luciano Berio, Martin Bresnik, and Jack Perla. An emerging leader of major arts organizations in his native northern California, Mr. Bailis is the president of Accendi Performances, a not-for-profit presenting/service organization for independent musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2003 he became the artistic director of San Francisco's historic ODC Theater. Previously he held posts at the Perry Mansfield School for Performing Arts in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond, California; as well as the San Francisco Community Music Center. Mr. Bailis received his early training from San Francisco Symphony clarinetist Don Carroll. He went on to earn degrees from Northwestern University School of Music, where he was a student of Russell Dagon, and the Yale School of Music, where he studied with David Shifrin. The recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, Mr. Bailis was recently nominated for an Isadora Duncan Award, honoring his performances in service to dance for the Composers' and Choreographers' Consortium at the West Wave Dance Festival. Highlights of the 2004-2005 season include recitals in Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and at Cambridge University. |
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Hadley McCarroll piano, appears regularly throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as a solo and collaborative artist, opera coach, clinician, and teacher. Hailed for her "...lively and exhilarating..." pianism, (San Francisco Classical Voice), she performs music in many diverse styles with many ensembles, including the Berkeley New Music Project, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra; Sounding the Margins, a festival of the music of Pauline Oliveros; sfSoundGroup, and as the pianist of the cello/piano duo martha & monica. Ms. McCarroll is in demand as a vocal coach and accompanist; she has collaborated with many local companies, including: San Francisco Opera and Opera Center, Opera San Jose, Berkeley Opera, Festival Opera, and West Bay Opera. She has served on the faculty of the Peninsula Teen Opera since 2005, guiding young singers studying serious classical music. She has accompanied such artists as Linda Watson, Nuccia Focile, and Jane Eaglen. She has also worked on the music staffs of Utah Festival Opera and the Royal Danish Opera. A dedicated pedagogue, Ms. McCarroll is founder of the East Bay Chapter of The California Association of Professional Music Teachers, and has served on the faculty of the San Francisco Community Music Center since 1997, in addition to directing her own music studio in Oakland. She is frequently sought out as a clinician and adjudicator, and has taught musicianship classes for the San Francisco Choral Society. Ms. McCarroll holds degrees in piano performance from the University of Texas at Austin, where she also studied collaborative piano and pedagogy. |