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 A well respected and experience baritone, Fabio Yepes De Acevedo was born in Medellin, Colombia. Fabio Yepes De Acevedo eagerly began his musical study at “Casa de la Cultura” in Medellin under the professional guidance of Maestro Camilo García and Germán Vélez. In recognition of his distinguished talents and skills, the county hall of Medellín awarded him the prestigious honor, “Honor al Mérito”.
In 1958, Fabio travelled to Italy to the renowned Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella in Naples to complete his musical education as an opera singer under the professional guidance of Ms. Alfani Tellini. In 1963 Fabio graduated Summa cum laude to receive the praise Pagella d’Oro poignant, “Gold Diploma”. He also provided support and direction at Accademia Santa Cecilia in Rome. Also during 1963, he won the international competition for young opera singers, “Avviamento al Teatro Lirico organized by Accademia Santa Cecilia in co-operation with Teatro dell’ Opera in Rome. Between 1959 -1963 Fabio was one of the few foreign students who received a grant from The Ministry of Education in Italy.
1964 brought refined career success for Fabio. He performed at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. This astounding international competition was proudly the stage for which Fabio made his debut as opera singer in Haydn’s opera Il mondo Della Luna.
Fabio has participated in many prominent performances to include, Teatro Massimo, at the Opera in Rome and at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, as well as tours throughout North America, South America, Russia and Europe.
Fabio continued wondrous performances in Denmark at the Jyske Opera in the first performance of the opera Gilgamesh of Per Nørgaard, as well in Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, Danish Radio and Television.
Fabio has been teaching students his ”passion”, singing and opera interpretation, since 1961. Instructing at prominent places such as Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella, Accademia di Canto Alfani Tellini in Rome, Music School in Roskilde, Denmark, and finally Masters classes in Colombia, Spain, Sweden, Finland and Denmark adding to an already impressive portfolio.
Since 2000, Fabio has led the International Opera Festival in Ungskär, Sweden. In the summer of 2002, Fabio was a distinguished member of the jury for the “2002 Puldin” Inter-Atlantic Music Foundation a highly challenging voice competition for young opera singers in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
In August 2004, Fabio gave a remarkable Gala Concert in Marinmuseum in Karlskrona, Sweden, only to resonate with every breath that Fabio Yepes De Acevedo continues to perform at the highest level to blend his devotion, pledge and affection into his life’s vocation.
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Professor of Music Voice, Music History
One of America's most prominent countertenors, Jeffrey Gall made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1988 - the first countertenor ever to sing at the Met. He sang Tolomeo in Handel's Giulio Cesare, and in 1994 returned to the Met for Britten's Death in Venice.
Mr. Gall has won international acclaim for his unique combination of brilliant vocalism, theatrical gifts, and mastery of early-music styles. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he studied voice at the Yale School of Music with Blake Stern; he holds degrees in Slavic languages from Princeton and Yale Universities. First heard in the mid-1970's as countertenor member of such prominent New York early-music ensembles as the Waverly Consort and Pomerium Musices, Gall soon moved to solo roles in Baroque and contemporary opera. His operatic debuts in 1979, in Cavalli's Erismena at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, and in Britten's Death in Venice at the San Francisco Opera, took place in close succession.
His opera credits outside the United States include principal roles at La Scala, Teatro San Carlo (Naples) and La Fenice in Italy; the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Salle Garnier in France; the Monnaie in Brussels; the Netherlands Opera; the Cologne and Frankfurt Operas in Germany; the Canadian Opera, as well as the Spoleto, Edinburgh, Innsbruck, Halle, Schwetzingen, and Bordeaux Festivals. In the United States he has sung at the San Francisco, Chicago Lyric, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Boston Operas, and has made many concert appearances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as at the Kennedy Center in Washington. He has recorded for CBS, Harmonia Mundi, Erato, Nonesuch, Titanic, and Smithsonian Records, and appears in the title role on the London video of Peter Sellars' celebrated production of Handel's Giulio Cesare.
Mr. Gall, coordinator of MSU's vocal program, is a seasoned teacher of studio voice, having taught previously at Harvard University and at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University. He has conducted clinics and master classes in both standard repertory and early-music techniques at music schools across the United States. In addition, he is a founding member of the Italian vocal ensemble Il Terzo Suono, which is dedicated to the performance of Italian vocal literature of the classical period; the ensemble has new releases on the Arts and Symphonia labels.
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 Cynthia Hoffmann is a member of the voice faculties of The Julliard School of Music in New York City, where she has served as chairperson since 1995, and the Manhattan School of Music, where she also teaches a class in Vocal Performance. She directed the Judith Raskin Opera Class at the 92nd Street Y School of Music from 1984-92, and has been a summer voice faculty member of the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria; the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy; the Yong Pyong Music Festival in Korea; the Bowdoin Music Festival in Maine; the Centro Studi Italiani program in Urbana, Italy; the Aria International program in London, Ontario; and the University of Miami School of Music program in Salzburg, Austria.
Ms. Hoffmann has presented master classes across the United States, including several for various regions of the National Association of the Teachers of Singing; the AIMS program; The University of Miami (Ohio and Florida); the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Chapman College; Redlands University; and the University of Southern California. She has been a frequent master teacher for the Voice Foundation’s Symposia on the Care of the Professional Voice. Ms. Hoffmann maintains a professional voice studio in New York City. Her students have appeared with the Metropolitan and New York City Operas, as well as with other major opera companies in the U.S. and abroad, including those in Berlin, Chicago, Covent Garden, Glyndebourne, Houston, and Los Angeles, as well as Paris, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Seattle, Zurich, and Wolf Trap. Ms. Hoffmann’s students have been winners of Metropolitan Opera National Council Awards; Richard Tucker Foundation study grants; the Sullivan, George London and Puccini Foundation grants; the Joy in Singing award recital; the Marilyn Horne Foundation recital awards “On Wings of Song”; the Belvedere Competition; and the Placido Domingo “Operalia” competition.
Ms. Hoffmann received her academic degrees from the University of Redlands and Columbia University, with professional study at the University of Southern California. In 2002 she received an honorary Doctorate in Music from the University of Redlands. Her coaches have included Hugues Cuenod, Judith Raskin, Gerard Souzay, Ralf Gothoni, and Martin Katz. She has studied voice with Margaret Schaper, Vera Rozsa, Margaret Harshaw, Beverly Peck Johnson, Daniel Ferro, Oren Brown, and Larra Browning. She has also participated in the professional acting classes of Sanford Meisner and Wynn Handman. Ms. Hoffmann has studied the Alexander Technique for more than 15 years and considers it an important part of her work.
Ms. Hoffmann has been heard in recital and opera across the United States. She has also appeared in several Off-Broadway plays. She has recorded for the Vanguard Label and has been heard on radio and television in Boston and New York, as well as on NBC Television in Los Angeles.
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 International mezzo-soprano Xiu-ru Liu was born in China. She graduated with distinction from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Beverly Sills called Xiu-ru a "true mezzo" after listening to her sing solo during a master’s class in China. As a result, Beverly Sills quickly encouraged Xiu-ru to enhance her study and talents in the United States. Xiu-ru received full scholarship from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where she successfully earned her Masters degree and Performance Certificate. She studied under many distinguished teachers such as John Malloy, Marcia Baldwin, Jan DeGaetani and Richard Pearlman.
“Her magnificent voice, along with her dramatic ability makes her one of the most sought after mezzos”, as quoted by one advocate. Xiu-ru has appeared as Ramiro in La finta Giardiniera, Endimione in La Calisto, Arnata in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Azucena in Il Trovatore, Ulrika in Un Ballo in Maschera, Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Erda in Das Rheingold, Philipievna in Eugene Onegin, and Amneris in Aida with European and American opera companies. She has consistently exceeded expectations and astounded audiences in numerous prestigious cities, such as Salzburg, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, London, Zurich, Taipei, Boston, and Washington, DC.
A devoted soloist accompanied by orchestra and oratorio societies throughout the United States and abroad, Xiu-ru performed the Verdi’s Requiem, Brahms' Alto Rhapsody, Mozart's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Handel's Messiah, Durufle's Requiem, and Bach's B Minor Mass, St. Matthew Passion. Xiu-ru’s sincere sophistication and elegance for her artistry has extremely influenced and delighted those most willing to appreciate, “Ms. Liu reveals a world of emotions with just a glance...mesmerizing as Suzuki”, Opera Review, May 2000. “A fiery, vengeful Azucena, a level of vocal color and musical discrimination rarely heard”, Ira Schwarz. “Ms. Liu added a sympathetic presence to Filippyevna's every appearance, Opera News, Feb 1999”. Magnificent voice...her dramatic ability created a wonderful feeling of pathos”, Otaria, vol II #4
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 For generations, the Schlote families have been widely associated with the arts. Konzertdirektion Schlote was founded in 1923 by Joachim Schlotes’ grandmother. Joachim Schlotes’ father improved Konzertdirektion Schlote to be able to successfully produce the first opera and drama tours in Germany, yielding more than 25,000 performances in 57 countries around the world. So it was a natural progression for Joachim Schlote, 3rd generation, to embrace and direct one of the oldest European artists’ management companies.
German born, Joachim Schlote and his family have been living in Austria since 1966. Learning from his fathers’ successes, he now manages along with his brother 500 performances per year. In 1995 he took over the responsibility for the yearly productions of Compagnia d`Opera Italiana, one of the few private opera productions in Europe working without any subsidy since 1948. Today Compagnia d`Opera Italiana performs in about 10 European countries each year including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, England, Norway and Denmark. To include performances in Festival places, like Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg, Edinburg etc. The sold-out performances at Salzburg Festival House are always refreshing which symbolizes the excellence and popularity of productions produced by Joachim Schlote.
Independent of his opera touring projects, which encompass many prominent companies from various countries, Joachim Schlote is the producer of a private ballet company, United Dance Company. Additionally, Joachim Schlote is the Co-producer of Operetta, Musical and Drama productions. He has encouraged various companies to produce and tour, having the vision to foresee the success of many organizations, such as the Bellingham-based, American Sinfonietta.
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 Born in Moscow, Elena Zaremba studied at the Gnessin Institute of Music and entered the Bolshoi Theater to perform all the leading roles of the Russian repertory. She appeared for the first time in the West in 1989, when she performed the role of Vania in Glinka’s “Life for the Tsar” at La Scala during a tour with the Bolshoi Theater. Astonished audiences encountered a talented artist with a refreshing stage presence. The following year she made her debut at Covent Garden in “Prince Igor” under the baton of Bernard Haitink. She also rejoined the Bolshoi Theater for “Eugene Onegin” at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and at the Washington Opera.
After Ms. Zaremba’s decision to leave Russia, she began an exciting and highly successful international career. She was invited to Florence to sing in “Ivan the Terrible” with Myung-Whun Chung, then to San Francisco for “War and Peace” with Valery Gergiev. In 1992, she made her dazzling debut in the title role of Carmen at the Bregenz Festival in Austria, followed by performances of Bizet’s gypsy heroine at the Arena di Verona, Vienna, London and Munich with José Carréras.
In 1993 Elena Zaremba sang her first Wagnerian roles in “Das Rheingold” and “Siegfried” at the Vienna State Opera, repeating these performances in a recording for “DECCA” with the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Christoph von Dohnanyi. Later in 1993 she made her debut at the Opera de Paris as Ulrica in “Un Ballo in Maschera”.
In 1996, Ms. Zaremba performed at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, invited by Luciano Pavarotti for the prestigious "Pavarotti Plus!”. Other highlights of this season include the new productions of “Carmen” at the Opéra de la Bastille and the title role of Marfa in “Khovanshchina” in Brussels. In 1998 she made her debut in Tel Aviv as Dalila in “Samson et Dalila” and returned to Paris for Eugene Onegin” with Thomas Hampson.
The 1998-99 season saw Ms. Zaremba in Florence for Willy Decker’s new production of “Falstaff” conducted by Antonio Pappano; in Paris as Dalila with Placido Domingo at his anniversary concert at the Palais Garnier; and in New York for her Metropolitan Opera debut as Azucena in “Il Trovatore,” after which she was immediately reengaged for the same role for the new production in 2002. Highlights of 1999-2000 included two new productions in Paris: “Queen of Spades” and “War and Peace”, which has been released on DVD.
In the 2000-01 season Elena Zaremba reprised her landmark Carmen in Lisbon, Munich, Hamburg and in Berlin alongside Neil Shicoff. She returned to New York for Placido Domingo's gala 60th birthday celebration at the Met, singing with him in “Il Trovatore” conducted by James Levine, and then singing under Domingo’s baton in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
In April 2002, Ms. Zaremba was invited by Luciano Pavarotti to his home city of Modena for the gala celebration his 40 years on the stage, and later sang with him in Monte-Carlo.
In 2004, she sang the complete Ring cycle at the Metropolitan Opera with James Levine. Other notable Wagnerian highlights for Ms. Zaremba are the 1999 Ring cycle in San Francisco Opera, and Fricka in both the new Willy Decker production of “Das Rheingold” in Madrid, 2002 and Francesco Zambello’s “Die Walküre” in Washington, 2003.
Elena Zaremba also appears regularly in Asia. Recently she sang Carmen in Tokyo with Neil Shicoff and in Seoul with Jose Cura in front of 35,000 spectators in the Jamsil Olympic Stadium. This season she has sung Marfa in “Khovanshchina” in Florence, and Ulrica in Nice. Later she returns to Paris for “War and Peace”. Future engagements include “Les Troyens” in Paris and “La Gioconda” and “Khovanshchina” in Barcelona. She will reprise La Cieca and Ulrica in Madrid, appear in the new “Ring” productions in Washington, and also return to New York for “Onegin” at the Met.
Elena Zaremba is continually invited to sing with many famous conductors such as Claudio Abbado, James Conlon, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Vladimir Jurowski, James Levine, Wolfgang Sawallish and Giuseppe Sinopoli among others. She has also worked with such prominent producers as Francesca Zambello, Franco Zeffirelli, Willy Decker, Lev Dodin, and Bob Wilson.
Elena Zaremba on CD, video and DVD:
Just released:
Elena Zaremba “Portrait”, opera arias, BMG/ARTE NOVA VOICES, Conductor: Lior Shambadal, Berliner Symphoniker
Verdi, “Il Trovatore”, Decca (with Andrea Bocelli)
Prokofiev “War and Peace” DVD
Verdi, “Un Ballo in Maschera” Conductor: Carlo Rizzi, TELDEC
“Nabucco”, Conductor: Daniel Oren, AUVIDIS-VALOIS
Mussorgsky, “Boris Godunov”, Conductor: Claudio Abbado, SONY
“Joshua”, Conductor: Claudio Abbado, DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
Shostakovich “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”, Conductor: Myung-Whun Chung, DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
“Six poems of Marina Tsvetaeva”, Conductor: Neeme Järvi, DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
Wagner, “Das Rheingold”, Conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi, DECCA
Rimsky-Korsakov, “Christmas Eve”, LE CHANT DU MONDE
Borodin, “Prince Igor”, DECCA + Video, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Glinka, “A life for the Tsar”, TELDEC
Beethoven, “Missa Solemnis”
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