ALEXANDER R ADAMS

Bass-baritone singer, composer, and voice teacher

Alexander R Adams is a classically trained bass-baritone singer and voice teacher, born and raised in the Seattle area. He received his Master of Music from the University of Southern California and his Bachelor of Music from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Alexander's opera roles include King Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos, Publio in La clemenza di Tito, Minister in Iphigénie en Tauride, Mr. Plunkett/Judge in The English Cat, and Sprecher/Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte, and Sergeant of the Police in Pirates of Penzance. In 2018 Alexander started a private voice studio where he currently teaches online lessons to students of a variety of ages and skill levels. Alexander is also a composer. His most recent project is a collection of art songs based on poems by Edgar Allan Poe.

In 2023 recent roles of Alexander were  Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Aquilon Music Festival and Doctor Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro with Vashon Opera.

Contact Alexander at alexander@adams-voice.com

Visit Alexander R Adams' website

ANTON BELOV

Baritone and music educator

The voice of baritone Anton Belov has been called rich and mellifluous by the New York Times, while the Philadelphia Inquirer calls it that of an emerging star. A graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center and Boston University, he has appeared with numerous companies and orchestras throughout the United States and has earned critical acclaim for his portrayals of Count di Luna, Don Giovanni, Escamillo, Count Almaviva, Doctor Malatesta, and Eugene Onegin. Equally at home with opera, oratorio, and concert repertoire, Mr. Belov presented hundreds of recitals throughout the United States appearing at such venues as Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Mr. Belov is First Place winner of eight vocal competitions including the George London Competition, the Young Concert Artists International Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Dr. Belov is an associate professor of music at Linfield University in McMinnville, OR.

Visit Anton Belov’s website

EMMA BURGE

VIOLINIST, EDUCATOR

Violinist Emma Burge is an avid supporter of contemporary and new music, seeking to combine her classical training with improvisation. Emma is a founder of the new music ensemble Alinéa, formed at the New England Conservatory. She has premiered thirty new chamber works in the past two years, including Arturo O’Farril’s Tiny Little Walls. She also recently recorded with artist Heather Maloney on her newest album, Soil in the Sky. In Boston, Emma was a member of the Phoenix Chamber Orchestra, Fermata, the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Coda Ensemble. She also teaches through From the Staff, providing lessons to students in need.

Emma has performed at a chamber musician and soloist at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati Symphony Hall, Northern Kentucky Greaves Hall, The William Taft Theater, Ithaca College Hockett Recital Hall, The Oberon, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Bowdoin College, Orford Music Center, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, and the Meadowmount School of Music. She has played in master classes with Merry Peckham, Max Levinson, Pei-shan Lee, Robin Scott, Helen Grime, Tyshawn Sorey, Michael Finnissy, Steve Drury, John Heiss, Donald Palma, Nathan Cole, Helen Pohl, Gerardo Ribeiro, Steve Rochen, and the Cavani Quartet. Emma just completed her bachelors degree at the New England Conservatory with Ayano Ninomiya and Lucy Chapman.

Emma is a third generation Suzuki violinist, whose grandparents Sandy and Joan Reuning were pivotal in bringing the Suzuki method to the US. Emma recently moved to Seattle from Boston, where she got a degree from the New England Conservatory and was an active freelancer/teacher. Because of her intense performance education, Emma learned a lot about balance and how to use music as a positive force. She cares about fostering a healthy and beautiful relationship with music through teaching young musicians the importance of self confidence, understanding and navigating emotions, and using the body in a relaxed and natural way. Emma cares about developing children as people as well as musicians.

Emma Burge's Youtube Channel

JUSTINE BIRCHELL

Baritone, Choral Conductor, Composer, and Educator

Justin Birchell is a baritone and choral conductor from Anchorage, Alaska. He is a graduate of UCLA, and is currently a graduate student and an instructor at UW. Justin Birchell’s recent solo engagements include bass soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with Harmonia Orchestra and Chorus, and baritone soloist in Finzi’s In Terra Pax with University of Washington Choirs. Notable opera roles include Figaro in UAA Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro, Dr. Falke and Herr Frank in Portland State University’s Die Fledermaus, Silvio in Opera Fairbanks’ I Pagliacci, and numerous roles through Opera UCLA, including creating the roles of Manfred in Janice Hamer’s Lost Childhood and Padre Antonio in Carla Lucero’s Juana, both world premieres. Justin was a 2020 winner of UCLA Philharmonia’s All-Stars Concerto Competition and a 2018 recipient of Anchorage Festival of Music’s Ted Stevens Young Alaskan Artist Award. Birchell holds a Masters in Voice Performance from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. He also remains active as a composer, choir director, ensemble singer, and educator; he is the Music Director of Wallingford United Methodist Church, a member of Choral Arts Northwest, and has been engaged as a pre-concert lecturer by the Seattle Symphony. Birchell is currently a doctoral student at the University of Washington, where he studies choral conducting.

Instagram @justin.tonation
youtube.com/operadood

visit Justin birchell's website

ANNE BOTKA

Cellist, educator

Anne Botka is a cellist in Symphony Tacoma and is assistant principal cellist of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra. She holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and lives in Olympia, Washington. 
 

A native of Olympia, Washington, Anne Botka has performed across North America and Europe as a soloist, chamber musician, and as an orchestral cellist. While earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she studied with renowned French cellist and chamber musician Jean-Michel Fonteneau as well as Elisabeth Reed on the baroque cello and viola da gamba. She has participated in masterclasses given by the Emerson String Quartet, the Silk Road Ensemble, Kim Kashkashian, Marc Coppey, Norman Fischer, and Robert DeMaine. In addition, she has worked with a number of highly sought-after conductors including Nicola Luisotti, Rossen Milanov, James Feddeck, and James Gaffigan, as well as composer Nico Muhly. 

Anne has been assistant principal cellist of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra since 2017 and has been a section cellist in Symphony Tacoma since 2019. She has spent two summers studying and performing at the Chautauqua Institution and recently participated in masterclasses at Le Domaine Forget in Quebec. She currently lives in Olympia and has a large studio of private students. 
 

HYEYEON KIM

PIANIST

Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Mia HyeYeon Kim began her piano studies at age seven. Her accomplishments include prizes competitions including the Frances Walton Competition founded by Ladies Musical club of Seattle, the Metropolitan International Piano Competition, Texas International Piano Competition, Memphis International Piano Competition, Universal Music Competition, and Seoul Philharmonic Competition. Recently, she won the concerto competition at University of Washington, and performed Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 with UW Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Rahbee. She has performed as a soloist at venues such as Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall in New York, Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory in Boston, Cypress Hall at California State University Northridge, Youngsan Art Hall in Seoul, and the Palazzo del Vignola with the Napolinova Orchestra in Todi, Italy. She also presented at masterclasses for legendary pianists including Richard Goode, John Perry, Julian Martin, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Enrico Elisi, Boris Slutsky, Jason Kwak, Hieyon Choi, and Gary Graffman.


 

VISIT HYEYEON KIM'S WEBSITE

Valentyn Lysenko

Ukrainian bandurist, music innovator, and composer

Valentyn Lysenko brings back to life the 17-century Bandura, the iconic Ukrainian psaltery. He graduated from  Kyiv National Music Academy. Valentyn is a master builder of his own instruments. Valentyn has appeared as a headliner on numerous events in Ukraine and the United States including live TV shows, solo and gala concerts, and art exhibitions. He  performs classical works for the academic bandura and variations of folk music as well as his own compositions. The unique and wonderful sound of Valentyn's bandura creates a lofty and festive atmosphere. 

https://www.facebook.com/valentin.lysenko.56

https://www.youtube.com/@bandurystv

Listen and watch Valentyn Lysenko's performance at King 5

Dmytro Ollinychenko

Accordionist

Dilyara Oliver

Pianist and Music educator

Dilyara Oliver is a classical pianist. She completed her training in Piano Performance at Kazakh National Conservatory. Then she attended University of New Orleans with a full merit-based scholarship, where she earned a Master of Music in Piano Performance degree.

Prior to her move to Olympia, WA in 2022, Dilyara was a faculty member at Loyola University New Orleans and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. She also served as the president for the New Orleans Music Teachers Association. Her students have won city and state competitions, and have also performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

While in New Orleans, she has made guest appearances at the French Quarter Festival, Jazz and Heritage Festival, Snug Harbor, New Orleans Vocal Arts Chorale performances, MetroPelican Opera productions, Jefferson Performing Arts Society, Trinity Recital Series, Loyola Montage Series and others.

Email - dilyara.oliver@gmail.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/the.pianistproject

Visit Dilyara Oliver's Pianist project at instagram

ALLISON POHL

SOPRANO, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF VASHON OPERA

Soprano Allison Pohl's vivacious stage presence and spirited singing have inspired enthusiastic responses across three continents.  Her work has received positive reviews for her “sparkling voice” (outerstage.com) and “exuberant” performances (Opera News).  Of her performance in L'elisir d'amore at Virginia Opera, The Washington Post wrote: “Allison Pohl stood out with a ripe, flavorful soprano and ample character.”

Her 2023-2024 season includes Violetta in La Traviata at Opera Bend, Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire at Tacoma Opera, Tatyana in highlights from Eugene Onegin with SkyOpera, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro at Vashon Opera, a solo recital in Freeport, New York, Handel’s Messiah with Symphony Tacoma, and several concerts curated by Maestro Keith Lockhart of the Boston Pops.

Allison has appeared with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States, including Boston Lyric Opera, New York City Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Saratoga, Tacoma Opera, Vashon Opera, Opera in the Heights, Opera Providence, Opera on the James, Seattle Symphony, Canton Symphony, Symphony Tacoma, Bremerton Symphony, Seattle Philharmonic, Garden State Philharmonic, Harmonia Seattle, and SkyOpera, and has been a soloist for orchestral tours in both Italy and China.  As a member of Soprello, Allison has performed chamber music across North America with cellist Alistair MacRae.

Recently performed roles include both Countess and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Blanche de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Nannetta in Falstaff, Norina in Don Pasquale, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Musetta in La Bohème, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado. 

In 2023, Allison was appointed Artistic Director of Vashon Opera,  building on a history of leading roles at the company. She is a Seattle Opera Career Grant recipient, winner of the Seattle Philharmonic Concerto Competition, is on faculty at Brevard Music Center, and holds degrees from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music and Boston University.

VISIT WEBSITE OF ALLISON POHL