The CoOPERAtive Program’s faculty artists are among some of the most sought after performers, teachers, directors, conductors and artistic administrators in the operatic world today.
They are regularly engaged at such opera companies as the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, The Paris Opera, London’s Covent Garden, Milan’s La Scala, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Sarasota Opera, Washington National Opera and Opera Philadelphia.
Faculty 2022
- Susan Shiplett Ashbaker – Director of CoOPERAtive. Master Coach/Conductor. Former Director of Artistic and Music Administration, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Former General and Artistic Director, Tri-Cities Opera.
- Daniel Belcher, Voice Teacher, International Baritone The Metropolitan Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Houston Grand Opera, The Netherlands Opera
- Kathleen Belcher, Stage Director & Drama Coach, Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicao, Houston Grand Opera
- Jay Carter - Coordinator of Vocal Studies, Voice Teacher. Faculty member of Westminster Choir College. Specialist in music of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque
- Tory Browers - Art Song Recital Coordinator, Voice Teacher. Artist Faculty Songfest Program. Adjunct faculty member of Westminster Choir College
- Sean McCarther – Stage Craft. Faculty member of Westminster Choir College
- Yelena Kurdina – Master Vocal Coach. The Metropolitan Opera
- Debra Scurto-Davis - Diction Teacher/Coach. Adjunct faculty member of Westminster Choir College
- Mark Moliterno - an accomplished professional opera singer, voice teacher, yoga teacher, IAYT-certified Yoga Therapist, workshop leader, and author.
- Brent Funderburk - Praised for his sensitive and nuanced accompanying, Brent Funderburk is one of the nation’s most promising collaborative pianists.
- Ennio Brugnolo - Italian Language Coach. Italian Language coach at Academy of Vocal Arts
- Laetitia Ruccolo - Master Vocal Coach and French Language Coach. Cofounder Bare Opera and faculty member with Mascarade Opera Studio in Florence
2021 Master Class Presenters
Will be updated in Spring 2022.
- Warren Jones
- Johnathon Pape: Creating Your Mission and Vision
- Susan S. Ashbaker: Your Musical Toolbox
- Margaret Cusack: Building on Tradition
- Jay Carter: How to Approach Early Repertoire
- Darren Keith Woods: Strategic Planning for the Singer
- Deborah Birnbaum: Breathing; the source of it all
Past faculty and Master Class presenters have included
- Rainier Armbrust
- Christopher Arneson
- Thomas Bagwell
- Ann Baltz
- Sandra Bernhard
- Deborah Birnbaum
- Lydia Brown
- William Burden
- Pei Wen Chen
- Amanda Consol
- Steven Crawford
- Margaret Cusak
- Kristin Ditlow
- Joan Dorneman
- Matthew Epstein
- Christopher Frisco
- Brent Funderburk
- Christine Goerke
- Robin Guarino
- William Hobbs
- Chuck Hudson
- Amy Hutchinson
- Ellen Jackson
- Warren Jones
- Martin Katz
- Kathleen Kelly
- Hemdi Kfir
- Yelena Kurdina
- Tesia Kwarteng
- Gina Lapinski
- Anthony Manoli
- Sean McCarther
- James Mitchell
- Mark Moliterno
- Matthew Owaza
- Johnathon Pape
- J.J. Penna
- Matthew Polenzani
- Laura Brooks Rice
- Craig Rutenberg
- Debra Scurto-Davis
- Stephanie Sundine
- Erika Switzer
- Nova Thomas
- Pierre Vallet
- Laura Ward
- Keith Wolfe
- Brian Zeger
