Daniel Cyr, bass-baritone, student of Malcolm Smith, is a graduate of the USM School of music, and is currently pursuing his master’s degree there as well. In July '09 Cyr had the honor of singing the role of Professor Bhaer in the European premier of Mark Adamo's Little Women, in Brugge, Belgium. At USM Daniel has sung roles including Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi and Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus. Cyr has been a member of PORTopera's Emerging Artist’s program where he sang the role of Sempronio in The Apothecary in 2007 and St. Peter in Too Many Sopranos in 2008. He was also a member of PORTopera's main-stage productions The Barber of Seville and Romeo et Juliette.

Rachel Hauge, mezzo-soprano, from Corvallis, Oregon is currently in residence at the Boston University Opera Institute. Recent performances include the title role in the Boston première of William Bolcom’s Lucrezia, Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Mrs. McLean in Susannah with the Opera Institute. This spring Hauge made her Symphony Hall debut performing Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra. Hauge spent the summer of 2009 as a vocal fellow with the Tanglewood Music Center working with Phyllis Curtin, James Levine, Alan Smith and Kayo Iwama. The 2008-09 season saw Hauge make her professional debut with Chautauqua Opera as Jennie Hildebrand in Street Scene. Hauge joined Connecticut Opera as a resident artist for the 2008-09 season, working with Maestro Willie Waters and Assistant Conductor Christopher Devlin. Hauge was recently awarded the Judith Bardi Rosenthal Award from the Connecticut Opera Guild and the first place prize in the Opera Theater of Connecticut’s 2009 Vocal Competition. Hauge holds degrees from Boston University and the Boston Conservatory.

Joshua Miller, baritone, from Lamoine, Maine is a Senior Vocal Performance major at the University of Southern Maine. He was part of PORTopera’s Maine’s Emerging Artists’ presentation of Cimarosa’s The Secret Marriage last summer playing the part of Geronimo. At USM, he performed the roles of Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi and he has been an active participant in USM’s Opera Workshop scene presentations performing in Verdi’s Falstaff and Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, and the Grandfather Clock in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilleges. He has appeared with the Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra as Figaro in excerpts from The Marriage of Figaro and in April 2009 was selected to sing in the Honors Recital at USM. He studies voice with Ellen Chickering.

Sara Ann Mitchell, coloratura soprano, most recently performed as a Professional Resident Artist with Ohio Light Opera as Fifi in Mademoiselle Modiste. She was hailed as “a delicious Fifi, (whose) low notes are as alluring as her coloratura top” (Opera News), and “all-around excellen(t)” (Coolcleveland.com) . Mitchell received a Career Bridges Grant through the Schuyler Foundation, was a finalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition, sponsored by the Kurt Weill Foundation, and was a semi-finalist in the Jenny Lind competition (Division IV). In 2009, two CDs were released featuring her singing: Mlle. Modiste (Albany Records, Ohio Light Opera) and Yes, Yes, Jeanette (New England Light Opera).

Mitchell attended the University of Oklahoma where she received her Bachelor of Music degree and received a second degree in Spanish. Ms. Mitchell was awarded her Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory of Music where she continues to study with Carole Haber.

Emily Murdock, soprano, a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, performed several roles including Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Lucia (The Rape of Lucretia), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Amor (Orfeo ed Euridice), Adele (Die Fledermaus), and Kitty Hart in the academic premiere of Jake Heggie's opera Dead Man Walking as part of her studies. Other operatic experiences include Phyllis in Iolanthe with Colorado Light Opera and Queen of the Night with the University of Montana Opera Theater.

She has appeared as a soloist with regional orchestras and choral organizations in both Montana and Colorado. She has been a National Semi-Finalist in the NATS Artist Award recital competition in 2008, National Finalist in the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Competition in 2005, and Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2004. Murdock earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice and Flute Performance at the University of Montana in 2004.

Alexanader Nishibun, tenor, a native of Kentucky, is a second year graduate student at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. An active member of the opera department, he has recently finished the year with performances in Mozart's The Magic Flute as Tamino and Ke-ki-ka-ko from Offenbach's Ba-ta-clan. His scenes work from this past year includes excerpts from Verdi's Falstaff and Beethoven's Fidelio. He competes regularly, was a semi-finalist in the Orpheus competition in 2006, and won first place at the Alabama NATS competition in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.