The Team
Who We Are
Zhanna Alkhazova
Founder & Artistic Director
The original founder and Artistic Director, Zhanna Alkhazova is a fierce advocate of classical music and its relevance in today’s society.
As a dramatic soprano, Ms. Alkhazova has earned accolades and acclaim for her memorable performances in a range of iconic soprano roles. Heralded by Opera News for her "bright, sword-flashing sound," in the title role of TURANDOT, her notable recent engagements include the title roles of MANON LESCAUT, TOSCA, ELIZABETTA in Don Carlos, DONNA ELVIRA in Don Giovanni, TAMARA in Demon among others. She has sung with Sarasota Opera, Commonwealth Opera, Opera Connecticut, Regina Opera, New Jersey Opera, Geneva Light Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera among others.
Beyond the opera house, Ms. Alkhazova is a dynamic presence on concert stages. Her most recent successful Carnegie Hall Mainstage Debut with the New England Symphony Orchestra marked a significant milestone in her growing career. She has performed on some of the nation’s most prestigious concert stages, including Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Bard Music Festival, Jordan Hall, Sanders Theater, Majestic Theater, and most recently, the Perelman Art Center, NYC. Her international performances both in concert and on operatic stages have taken her to Italy, Ireland, Russia, and Canada, showcasing her versatility and artistry.
Zhanna Alkhazova is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions and has been honored with top prizes in the NJ Verismo Opera Competition and the London International Music Competition, as well as an Encouragement Award from the Wagner Society of New York. Additionally, she earned the distinction of being named a semi-finalist in The Montserrat Caballé International Singing Competition and the Elizabeth Connell International Competition for Dramatic Sopranos.
Originally from Moscow, Russia, Ms. Alkhazova grew up in the New England area where she completed her studies, graduating with a Master of Music Degree from Boston University. Ms. Alkhazova resides in CT with her husband and daughter.
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Melynda Davis
Vice President
Lyric soprano Melynda Davis has performed with companies including Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Boston, the Boston Pops, Boston Opera Collaborative, Lowell House Opera, Opera Providence, Empire Opera, New York Lyric Opera, the Martha Cardona Theater and Manhattan Opera Studio. She has placed first in the NATS Competition and second in Boston's Leontyne Price Vocal Arts Competition, and was a finalist in Connecticut Opera Guild’s Competition. Melynda sang in the East Coast premiere of Mary Watkin’s American Opera Dark River with the Mount Holyoke Orchestra. Recently, she performed Dan Shore's Freedom Ride with MassOpera, and performed with Boston Modern Opera Project in their "Roaring Twenties" concert. On the roster of Opera on Tap Boston and member of their Board, she participates in performances in and around the Boston area. She is currently the soprano section leader at the First Baptist Church, Lexington.
Marina Balber
Secretary
Dmitry Isenberg
Board of Directors Member
Carole Farley
GRAMMY-nominated Carole Farley made her Metropolitan Opera debut at age 19 in the title role of Lulu (the Met's first production), a role she has repeated over 100 times in four languages (German, English, French and Italian). Carole Farley returned to the Metropolitan Opera for the title role in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Shostakovich, the only non-Russian in the cast. Her more than 100 performances of Salome in opera houses around the world have been highly acclaimed. As a regular guest of the world's opera houses, she has performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Canadian Opera, Oper der Stadt Köln, New York City Opera, Welsh National Opera, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and in Zürich, Düsseldorf, Paris, Torino, Lyon, Brussels, Nice and Florence, and many other cities. Highlights in her career include the Paris production of The Merry Widow and the Lyubimov-staged Lulu for Torino which was awarded the Abbiati Prize in Italy. She has claimed the role of Jenny in Mahagonny as her own following huge successes in Buenos Aires at Teatro Colón. Her performances of Poulenc's La Voix Humaine and Menotti's The Telephone have been filmed by Decca in co-production with the BBC, and now re-issued on DVD, a best-seller in the New York Times charts. This film, first shown on prime time television by the BBC, is her third for the Poulenc opera. The first two films were done in Sydney by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation with the Sydney Symphony, one in French and one in English
Artistic Advisory Board Member
Vera Danchenko-Stern
Vera Danchenko-Stern is Russian diction specialist with over 50 years of teaching experience. She graduated with honors from Moscow’s prestigious Gnessin Institute of Music where she mastered piano, solo performance, chamber music, vocal and instrumental accompaniment.
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Her expert Russian diction coaching skills are in demand by world renowned institutions such as the Washington National Opera and the Cafritz Young Artist Program, where she has collaborated on highly acclaimed productions (Tsar’s Bride, Boris Godunov, The Queen of Spades, The Maiden of Orleans), The Honolulu Opera (Eugene Onegin, Ivan the Terrible), and the Baltimore Symphony under the baton of Yuri Temirkanov.
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Ms. Danchenko-Stern has taught Russian diction on the faculties of Catholic University in Washington, D.C, and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. She recently conducted master classes at Princeton University, Michigan State University, and Potomac Vocal Institute in Washington, D.C.
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Ms. Danchenko-Stern is a jury member in international competitions and a highly regarded Master Class teacher. Many of Ms. Danchenko-Stern’s former students, Timothy Mix (baritone), Magdalena Wor (mezzo), Natalie Conte (soprano), to name a few, were able to use their Russian repertoire to establish and further their distinguished operatic careers.
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Ms. Danchenko-Stern is included in the Centennial Edition of “Who’s Who in American Women” and is a National Associate Artist of Sigma Alpha Iota.
Artistic Advisory Board Member
Alden Gatt
Artistic Advisory Board Member
Award-winning accompanist, coach and conductor, Alden Gatt has been on music staff at many prestigious opera houses, including the Berlin State Opera, the Vienna’s Theater an der Wien, Opera Leipzig, San Francisco Opera, and The Dallas Opera. Having worked alongside such renowned conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Simone Young, Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle and Emmanuel Villaume, Mr. Gatt has also appeared a collaborative pianist with many well-known artists, including Isabel Leonard and Wallis Giunta, in such venues as Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, WNYC’s Greene Space, the Messiaen Festival, and in Leipzig’s historic Mendelssohn House as part of the prestigious Bach Festival. During his three seasons as vocal coach at Opera Leipzig, Mr. Gatt conducted and performed with the world-renowned Gewandhaus Orchestra.
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Alden Gatt is the recipient of numerous awards, including first place in: the Marilyn Horne Song Competition, the Southwest Florida Symphony Concerto Competition, and the Naples Music Club Competition. Fluent in French, Italian, German, and Mandarin Chinese, Mr. Gatt earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied solo piano with Barry Snyder. ​​
Inna Alkhazova
Website Designer/ Design/ Promotion
L.M. Ritch, Esq. –
Member