Great composers of Spain, such as Enrique Granados, Manuel de falla and more, plus traditional songs of Mexico sung by our tenor Sergio Cepeda will be included on this concert. Also, enjoy Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, and Mexican composer Manuel Ponce. As always, we will provide complimentary wine, soft drinks and snacks. Please stay and […]
From Bach (his violin concerto in E),and a bit of Mozart, to passionate romantic songs of Richard Strauss, Schubert and more, rounding out the evening with a few works of living composer of many movie scores, Hans Zimmer! Violinists LeeAnne Chenoweth and Keyreel Raskolenko, cellist Alice JeongA Lee, pianist Heejung Kang, soprano Youna Hartgraves, and tenor Sergio […]
From Bach (his violin concerto in E),and a bit of Mozart, to passionate romantic songs of Richard Strauss, Schubert and more, rounding out the evening with a few works of living composer Hans Zimmer! Violinists LeeAnne Chenoweth and Keyreel Raskolenko, cellist Alice JeongA Lee, pianist Heejung Kang, soprano Youna Hartgraves, and tenor Sergio Cepeda. As always, we […]
Violinist LeeAnne Chenoweth Lawson
Ms. Chenoweth began taking violin and piano lessons at age 5 in her hometown; Enid, Oklahoma. By age 12, her father was taking her to Tulsa, weekly, for violin lessons with the concertmaster of the Tulsa Philharmonic. Ms. Chenoweth graduated from the SMU Meadows School of Arts with a Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance, having been a recipient of the Meadows Artistic Achievement Award Scholarship.
Soon after receiving her degree, she began working with the Dallas Opera Orchestra violin section; two seasons later, she won a violin audition in Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra, working in FWSO from the 90s until 2007. During her orchestral career in Ft. Worth, she shared the stage with great classical artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Van Cliburn, Yo-Yo Ma, Pavoratti, Joshua Bell, Time For Three, and more. Plus, pops artists as diverse as Natalie Cole, Marvin Hamlisch, Pink Martini, Johnny Cash, The Beatles tribute band “Classical Mystery Tour” and even accompanying members of Cirque du Soleil. Early 2007, she imagined a chamber music series like Timeless Concerts, began planning, and produced her first concert summer 2007 in Arlington. In 2010, Ms. Chenoweth was honored by Legacy Of Women of Tarrant County, arts division. Ms. Chenoweth currently works as a substitute violinist for Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and regular with the Waco Symphony, where in 2015 she collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, in 2017 with superstar soprano Renee Fleming and recently with international concert violinist Ray Chen. .
In addition to concert performance work, Ms. Chenoweth contracts ensembles for special events throughout Texas; some examples being wine tastings at the Anatole, Christmas parties at the Ft. Worth Club, weddings and parties in a variety of locations from the Ritz Hotel to a family ranch. She also contracts orchestras for various churches and choral organizations. Ms. Chenoweth plays on a French violin made approximately in 1848 by Nicolas Vuillaume. Her passion is to keep beautiful music alive to be heard by future generations. She frequently performs free educational programs in elementary schools, encouraging children to appreciate music of all eras, pointing out that composers of movie music they enjoy were influenced by the classics. Hear more about Ms. Chenoweth’s mission in the promotional video on the home page of the Timeless Concerts website. She married Richard Lawson while still attending SMU; they live in north Arlington and have two grown daughters.
Dr. Alice (Jeong-A) Lee is the Principal Cellist in the Richardson Symphony and former faculty at Texas Women’s University.
She earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in cello performance from the University of North Texas under Eugene Osadchy.
Dr. Lee has extensive experience in solo, chamber music, and orchestra in the United States, Canada, South Korea, and Taiwan. Over the years, besides giving numerous solo recitals, she has performed professionally at numerous events and venues as a soloist, a chamber musician as well as an orchestra player.
She has played with the Trans Siberian Orchestra and also performed alongside the following famous artists: Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Yoyo Ma, and pop artist Kanye West. Her cello playing can be heard on recordings of famous Korean pop music artists, Seung Hwan Lee and Jun Seun Kim.
In 2017, She appeared as a featured concerto soloist within the Northeast Orchestra in Texas. In addition, her cello solos are frequently heard on national and international broadcasts of the Insights for Living radio program and she was a featured musician on the Insight for Living website in October 2013.
Since February 2024, Dr. Lee regularly appears as a soloist and chamber musician for Timeless Concert Series in Fort Worth area.
Dr. Lee currently is a member of Stonebriar Quartet. Her passion for chamber music is evident in her playing and she has had many international experiences, performing in various string quartets. While in South Korea, she was a member of the Euphonia String Quartet that performed in Seoul. She also toured Taiwan and Korea with the Kyung-won String Chamber Group, recording a CD. While in Vancouver, Canada, she won First Place in the Elsje de Ridder Armstrong Chamber Music Competition and the CDMF Performing Arts Festival. Dr. Lee was also the recipient of the Liberace Scholarship while pursuing her graduate studies at the University of North Texas. As a member of the Liberace Graduate String Quartet, she performed throughout Texas representing the University of North Texas.
In addition to playing as the Principal Cellist in the RSO, she has performed with many other professional orchestras in the DFW area, including the Plano Symphony, East Texas Symphony, Lewisville Lake Symphony, Irving Symphony, and Abilene Phillharmonic. In Canada, she played with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra. In South Korea, with the Royal Symphony Orchestra and New Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She is also Principal Cellist at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, where she frequently appears as a soloist.
Dr. Lee gives Master Classes and she frequently appears as a clinician for All State and All Region Orchestra Competitions for DFW area. Dr. Lee also has her own cello studio in Denton, Texas where she teaches a number of talented young musicians who have won chairs in UIL All Region orchestras, UIL All State Orchestras, the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra (GDYO) and Fort Worth Youth Orchestra.
Tenor Sergio Cepeda
Sergio Cepeda has been highly acclaimed for his exciting, passionate tenor voice and commanding stage presence, making this young and upcoming tenor the “whole package.” Reviewing a recent performance of The Magic Flute, a critic wrote: “Mr. Cepeda’s beautiful tenor voice handled Tamino’s music with elegance, appropriate color, and well balanced tone throughout. His acting was clear and direct. He made a handsome and dashing young prince.” Another critic said about Mr. Cepeda’s Orchestra of New Spain debut, “Sergio Cepeda has a wonderful lyric tenor voice. Pure honey. It is perfectly produced, and even throughout all of the registers.” Mr. Cepeda’s performances on the operatic stage have taken him throughout the USA and Europe, performing such roles as Tamino in The Magic Flute, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Alfredo in La Traviata, Romeo in Roméo et Juliette, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni.
Mr. Cepeda’s most recent performances include an appearance on the Guest Artist Series presented by TCU at the Van Cliburn Hall, The Juliet Letters with Neo Camerata, Flavio in Bellini’s Norma, Manuel Garcia in La Duda Satisfecha for Orchestra of New Spain, and Obadiah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Miscellaneous concert work continues, as a regular performer with Timeless Concerts, as well as various roles with Ft. Worth Opera.
Mr. Cepeda is at ease performing a wide variety of musical genres, such as classical, jazz, tango, and mariachi. In vocal competitions, Mr. Cepeda has been a solid contender and was the 1st prize recipient of the UNT Winspear Opera Scholarship Competition, and 1st Audience Prize (5th Prize with the judges) at Shreveport Opera’s Singer of the Year Competition. Florida Grand Opera/Young Patronesses of Opera awarded him the 2nd Prize. Mr. Cepeda’s formal studies earned him degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington (B.M. Music Business), TCU (M.M. VoicePerformance), and University of North Texas (Post-Graduate Artist Certificate in Opera Performance.) He continues his training with Inci Bashar, Gioacchino LiVigni and his Mediterranean Opera Studio in Sicily and New York.
His professional mariachi career started at age 15, when he began training and performing as a guitarist and vocalist with members of Mariachi de Oro in Fort Worth, Mariachi Cobre of Tucson and Disney World/Epcot, Rigoberto Alfaro of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, and the brothers Jesús and José Hernandez of Mariachi Sol de México, all 3 ensembles considered among the most elite of their genre. At age 17, he was invited to what would become a life-changing event when DECCA recording label invited him to collaborate with the Fort Worth Symphony and the rising star tenor, Juan Diego Flórez, on the album Sentimiento Latino. Mr. Cepeda’s performances for charity and fundraising events helped raise over $600,000 for various local, national, and international organizations and disaster relief programs. He is a regular performer with Timeless Concerts since 2015, as well as a member of the board. Additionally, he is a licensed Dallas/Fort Worth real estate agent.
Curiosity, vivid imagination, passion for travel, and new experiences – are all things that define an open-minded musician. Such is the case with KeyReel, who has traveled and experienced foreign cultures, which has allowed him to broaden his knowledge and confidence in his own way. His experiences have inspired his music, which in turn shines through his performances and inspires audiences all over the globe. Coming from a generous and sunny Uzbekistan – that determined creative way of thinking and zest for life are the basis for a man of the arts.
Keyreel was interested in music from the age of two, playing vinyl records over and over. At the age of six, it was discovered that Keyreel had perfect pitch, and he entered the V.A. Uspensky Republican Central Special Music School to study violin and, later, composition and symphony conducting. He wrote his first composition at the age of eight, and four years later, he gave a local radio interview and performed his first work. At seventeen, he earned the highest score on entrance exams to Gnesin’s Russian Academy of Music and was accepted to study violin under Professor Kh. Akhtyamova. He also attended the class for quartets under the tutelage of Professor V. Berlinsky, the founder and soul of the Borodin String Quartet.
He finished Uspensky school in 2000 (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) with diplomas in violin performance, composition, and symphony conducting. KeyReel graduated from the Gnesin’s Russian Academy of Music in 2005 (Moscow, Russia) with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance and pedagogy and from TCU School of Music in 2018 (Fort Worth, TX) with an artist diploma in violin performance.
Keyreel was eager to learn as much as he possibly could, and attended festivals and workshops in France, Belgium, Holland, and other places throughout Europe. During this time, he never stopped writing music, and his works have been performed and recorded in the Great Hall of the Gnesin’s Academy, The Moscow House of Composers, McKinney Performance hall and at Texas Christian University.
He has performed with the State Symphony Cinema Orchestra, Pavel Slobodkin’s Center Chamber Orchestra, and also arranged music for the Sonore chamber music ensemble and the Just Enjoy String Band. KeyReel is an active member of several orchestras around DFW, including Las Colinas, Plano, Irving symphony and a core member of Chaverim chamber music ensemble with Boriana Savova.
Keyreel is extremely versatile in his playing styles, mastering classical playing and Celtic tradition. Keyreel is the first-ever Russian finalist in the prestigious All-Ireland Fleadh in Tullamore. He has attended many folk music festivals as a student, including Alasdair Fraser’s Fiddle Courses on the Isle of Skye (Scotland) in 2010 and 2012. In 2013, he was one of the creators of Celtic-Music.ru, a website about Celtic Music life in Russia, and that summer, he gave an interview to the Celtic Life Magazine. Cape Breton Fiddler Association annual festival invited KeyReel as a special guest in 2013. In Moscow, he was a member of four different bands playing traditional Celtic music and bluegrass. The Glasach Trio, one of his projects, was Moscow-based and toured concerts in the U.K. in 2014. He was also a guest artist at the Celtic Colours Festival in the Fall of 2016. As a fiddle player, he played with the Reel Treble band at the North Texas Irish Festival in 2018 and 2019. Also, as a core member of Three Pints and a Glass, he played at the same festival in 2019. Currently, I am a member of the Celtic Standard Time duo with Alex Hand on guitar.
Traditional Celtic fiddle is not KeyReel’s only interest other than classical violin. He has an award in the Bob Wills Texas fiddle competition in 2015, Greenville, TX. Occasionally, he plays swing and jazz music in DFW with Glen McLaughlin Band, Two-bit swing band, Kim Platko, Jason Jones, Alex Hand, Ben Katzen, and others.
Currently, KeyReel has his own company, KeyReel Music, which provides music entertainment for events and other music services, including education in DFW. He is the founder and director of North Texas Celtic Strings, a learn-by-ear program. Moreover, he is the founder, arranger, and 5-string violin player for a new project that will be announced soon.
Cellist Oliver Bennett Schlaffer joined Timeless Concerts again in 2021 after having performed with Timeless earlier in its development. Having pursued performance work, Oliver has now created a business that not only involves teaching cello lessons, but coaching other teachers of music instruments in teaching techniques and other forms of mentoring that help aspiring artists gain success in the performing arts and beyond, using simple strategies for mastery. His website is oliverandcello.com.
An expert in teaching the science of achievement through the study of excellence in the performing arts, Oliver helps ambitious young people transform their unique gifts and vision into extraordinary achievement and mastery, through his lessons on life, leadership, and excellence. As a mentor to youth, Oliver’s students learn the true skills for achievement and mastery, consistently ranking within the top 1% of students in the state of Texas for music as well as the top 10% academically, and are regularly accepted into many of the nation’s top learning institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and MIT.
From conformity to Carnegie Hall, Oliver discovered that the journey to mastery in the performing arts reveals the true secrets of living a purposeful life through passion and excellence, which often requires one to become a “non-conformist” in order to be truly exceptional.
He has performed in over a dozen orchestras across the United States, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and on stages around the United States, Europe, and Asia, including seven appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York City. A versatile performer, he has collaborated with a variety of genres and mainstream artists, including live concerts with Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli, in addition to nationally televised appearances with rappers P. Diddy and Snoop Dogg on MTV’s Video Music Awards.
Oliver was honored with a distinguished award in 2017 from the National Academy of Bestselling Authors for his contribution to the recently published book, Mastering the Art of Success, which he co-authored with the legendary New York Times best-selling author Jack Canfield. A champion for excellence, Oliver has captured the imagination of over fifty-thousand students through his live presentations. On a mission to inspire and empower the next generation to master their passions in order to design a life true to themselves.
Oliver holds degrees in cello performance from Southern Methodist University and Northwestern University, and he has studied under the principal cellists of seven major symphony orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Several of his primary teachers include Orlando Cole of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Japanese cello soloist Ko Iwasaki, and Danish cello pedagogue Hans Jørgen Jensen, who was highlighted in the book, The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle in 2009.
This talented artist was born in New York, NY, raised in Dallas, TX, and now resides in Plano, TX.
Harpist Laura Logan received her Master’s and Doctorate of musical arts degree in harp performance from Texas Tech University. A native of New Orleans, she earned her bachelor of music in harp performance from Louisiana State University.
She is the founder and director of the Octavia Harp Ensemble, a performing group of 8 professional harpists. They have released two recordings on the Traditional Sounds Label.
Laura Logan Brandenburg, DMA, served as harp instructor on the Texas Christian University School of Music faculty from 2001-2020. In addition, she maintained an active pre-college studio through the TCU Music Prep Department, teaching Suzuki harp students ages five through young adult.
She currently teaches and coaches private students of all ages in her home studio. A highly regarded freelance harpist with four decades of professional experience, Laura enjoys a wide variety of collaborative performance opportunities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Whether harp solo, in a duo with violin or flute, or in a trio setting including cello, she specializes in providing elegant classical music for your special event.
CELLIST Drew Johnson has played professionally with the Las Colinas Symphony since 2002. He is also a founding member of the 440 Alliance, and performs and records with many local bands. As well as performing, Mr. Johnson teaches a full award-winning private studio in Arlington where he resides. Mr. Johnson has studied chamber music throughout his life at many festivals and schools, including the Chamber Music Festival of Nebraska, Mimir Chamber Music Festival, Heifitz Institute, and the Credomatic Music Festival in Costa Rica. Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Pianist Dr. Heejung Kang was born in Seoul, Korea, and studied at the Seoul Music and Art High School for musically gifted teenagers. She graduated with the highest honors from the College of Music, Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul and later at the same university she earned her Master’s Degree in Piano, receiving the Ewha Graduate Research Fellowship Scholarship. Completing her doctoral dissertation on Rachmaninoff, she received her doctorate in Piano Performance at the College of Music at the University of North Texas in 2004.
In 2002, She made a recording of “Rediscovered Lieder and Piano Pieces by Kletzki, Oppel, and Schenker,” sponsored by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Jewish Federation, and College of Music at UNT. In December 2004, she performed music by Paul Kletzki, Reinhard Oppel, Arnold Mendelssohn and other composers live on Israel Radio. In November 2005, she performed solo piano music by Heinrich Schenker at the inaugural meeting of the Korean Society for Music Theory in Seoul and premiered Kletzki’s Sonata for Piano and Violin with Robert Davidovici on Korean National Radio (KBS FM1). Dr. Kang has recorded Reinhard Oppel’s solo piano music for Toccata Classics in England, which was released in 2011.
Currently a Senior Lecturer in Piano at the University of North Texas, she teaches courses in Piano Literature, Sight-reading, Score Reading, and Keyboard Harmony. She has been a judge for the Lewisville Lake Symphony Young Artists Competition since 2007. She is a guest member of Lewisville Lake Symphony Orchestra. Her latest commercial CD, is of Anton Eberl’s violin/piano sonatas, and is available on Amazon. Dr. Kang’s first performance with Timeless Concerts was February 2012. She is married to UNT music theory prof Timothy Jackson and they have 2 children; a girl and a boy.
The Arlington Today Magazine described Sabrina as bringing ” music to our ears and our souls.” Sabrina recently moved back to Fort Worth after over a decade of performing in San Francisco and is excited to collaborate with Timeless Concerts once again. She has performed with Lamplighters Music Theatre, Opera Parallèle, San Francisco Opera’s Education Outreach, Sing for America, and San Diego Opera. Sabrina was previously the assistant music director and head cantor at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in San Francisco. Highlighted roles include the title role in the world premiere Xochitl and the Flowers, Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore), Sister Catherine (Dead Man Walking), Susanna and Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Claudia Nardi (Nine), and Little Red (Into the Woods). Sabrina holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
What sparked as a passion for working with nonprofits and her enthusiasm to create custom business solutions, Sabrina is the proud founder and owner of Romero-Wilson Consulting, LLC. Her services include strategic marketing, communications, certified Salesforce administration, and non-profit strategy.
For more information about Sabrina’s consulting services please contact romerowilsonconsulting@gmail.com
Korean-American mezzo-soprano, Rachel Moon has appeared on many stages around the world, most notably with The Dallas Opera, Opera Naples, Red River Lyric opera, Opera Breve, the historic opera theater of Cagli in Italy, also including performances in Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth Texas, as well as with the Irving Symphony Orchestra, and many more.
This year, in addition to singing with the Dallas Opera Chorus, Rachel has joined the Miami Classical Music Festival as an Apprentice artist performing the role of Le Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon. The summer of 2019, Rachel has performed the role of High Priestess in Verdi’s Aida, as well as covering the role of Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and the role of Secretary in Menotti’s The Consul with Spotlight on Opera. In 2017-2018, Rachel joined The Dallas Opera’s outreach program as an educational artist covering the role of Despina in Mozart’s Three Little Pigs. Rachel has participated in training programs such as VOICExperience, Opera Naples, OperaWorks, and Opera in Concerts in Italy.
Rachel’s previous appearances include Musetta (La bohème), Beth (Little Women), Madame Pompous (Too Many Sopranos), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), and Ruggiero (Alcina). Her other repertoires include Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Romeo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), and Nicklausse (Les contes d’Hoffmann).
Rachel was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to Texas Christian University, College of Fine Arts. She studied with J. David Brock and earned her master’s degree in Vocal Performance. Rachel’s bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance is from the University of North Texas, where she studied with Dr. Stephen F. Austin. With UNT Opera, she performed the roles of Ruggiero in Alcina, Käthchen in Werther, and Cinderella’s Mother in Into the Woods. At Texas Christian University, amongst other performances, she performed the demanding role as Don Elvira in Don Giovanni and Madame Pompous in Too Many Sopranos.
Erik Barnes was born in Buffalo, New York, raised there and in Seattle, Washington. His formal education in music began with private piano lessons followed by degrees from Yale College (B.A.), Washington State University (M.A.) and doctoral studies at the University of North Texas, where he was both a teaching fellow and part time faculty member.
Mr. Barnes has always been eclectic in his musical tastes. whether classical, jazz, blues or popular styles. He has performed concerts in many of the major cities in the U.S. including, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Antonio, Chicago, New York, Boston, Buffalo, Tampa and Atlanta. He has also played with four orchestras in the southwest.
Mr. Barnes also frequently accompanies vocalists with the Dallas chapter of Opera on Tap. For the past twenty years, Barnes has been the lead entertainer as a pianist-vocalist at the Library Bar in the Melrose Hotel. It is a classic venue featuring an old school charm with a hint of modern hipness. This venue is a perfect fit for Barnes. Whether you are interested in an elegant evening featuring the American song book including Gershwin and Porter, or interested in the latest popular genres – or anything in between, Erik Barnes will perform these with a the touch of class. Don’t just have a party, make some memories!
Soprano Youna Jang Hartgraves
Connect with Youna on social media! (Youna Hartgraves – OperaMyWay on Facebook, Instagram, tiktok, and Youtube) Her content showcases her unique and refreshing take on classical vocal music with impeccable storytelling. Featured as a “piano playing opera singer mama who lost 100 lbs” she strives to communicate with her fellow music lovers and advocates for a healthy lifestyle.
“Youna Jang excelled in the role of Susan B. Anthony—she has a big voice, large range, and well developed vibrato.” – TheaterJones
“Youna Jang displayed a voice of beauty and power that was more than adequate to convey the emotional turmoil of her character in Menotti’s “The Consul” and the needed vocal agility for a fine rendition of Marguerite’s “Jewel Song” from Gounod’s Faust.” -Annapolis Patch
“Mirroring Onegin’s tragic descent into desperate loneliness, Tatyana conversely blossoms into womanhood before the audience’s eyes. It is fascinating to watch how actresses confront this challenge of transitioning from youth to maturity. Youna Jang met this challenge adeptly, singing the famous “Letter Scene” with manic hormonal shifts from lovesick despair to ecstatic bliss. In the final scene, when Onegin begs her not to reject him, Ms. Jang expertly balanced Tatyana’s tortured pathos with a self-assured grace. Her powerful voice effortlessly filled the room, yet her soft singing immediately commanded attention. With a controlled and heart wrenching diminuendo, her exclamation, “Ah, happiness was in our reach. So close…” encapsulated a lifetime of suffering within a single phrase.” – InstantEncore
Acclaimed for her electrifying and passionate performances, soprano Youna Jang Hartgraves has sung leading operatic roles throughout the United States, including the title role of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which she sang when she was 23 years old at Opera Delaware. She was then invited to sing Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème as well as many recitals and concerts.
At Temple University in Philadelphia, she performed Natalia Petrovna in Hoiby’s A Month in the Country, Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Mimì in La Bohème, Climene in L’Egisto, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann. A rare opportunity to sing the role of Susan B. Anthony in Thomson’s The Mother of Us All was given to her at The University of North Texas.
Youna has participated in the young artist programs at Opera Saratoga (formerly Lake George Opera) for two seasons and sung the role of Louise in La Vie Parisiènne and covered the title role of Madama Butterfly. She participated in the apprentice and studio programs at Sarasota Opera and sang the title role of Madama Butterfly at the Sarasota Chalk festival. As a resident artist at The Academy of Vocal Arts, she sung the roles of Amelia in Un ballo in maschera and Tatyana in Eugene Onegin.
She has recognitions from the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation, two-time awards from The Annapolis Opera Competition, Gerda Lissner International Competition, and New Jersey State Alfredo Silipigni Vocal Competition. She was also invited to participate in Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition, Elizabeth Connell prize for Dramatic Sopranos (New York and San Francisco) Compositione dell’opera in Germany and Hariclea Darclée Competition in Romania. She received the Boyer Merit scholarship in recognition of her musical excellence and was the soprano soloist in Bruckner’s Te Deum at the Kimmel Center – Verizon Hall.
Youna earned a Master of Music degree and a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice and Opera Performance from Temple University before appearing as a resident artist at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She received a Doctorate degree in Voice Pedagogy from University of North Texas and held teaching positions at UNT, Texas State University, Tarrant County College, and University of Mary while maintaining her successful private studio for singing and piano.
Simon Petty is a Fort Worth born pianist who holds an active performance schedule in DFW with the top jazz artists in the area. As a recent recipient of the Steinway Top Teacher Award, Simon is a prolific music educator through his lectures, masterclasses, and private lessons.