The Eva & Marc Stern Fellowship Program
SongFest wishes to express its most sincere gratitude to our donors.
SongFest awards five singers and pianists merit-based fellowships. This program has been generously underwritten by The Eva and Marc Stern Foundation. Singers demonstrating a commitment for communication of the text, a strong radiant presence and a unique sound will be qualities the panel will look for.
Former Stern Fellows continue to excite audiences across the nation and abroad and are at the front lines of today's musical landscape. Learn more about them below
Female Singers
EMILY ALBRINK, soprano (2003, 2007, 2008)
Washington National Opera Young Artist, 2010-2011
Louisville Opera artist
Baltimore Symphony
Chicago Symphony
KRISTINA BACHRACH, soprano (2010, 2011, 2014, 2016)
Grand Prize Winner, Ziering-Conlon Young Artist Competition
Gotham Chamber Opera, 2011
Opera Company of Philadelphia, 2012
Tanglewood Fellow, 2012, 2013
Mary Ragland Young Artist Program at Nashville Opera, 2013
Marlboro Music Festival, 2017
DANIELLE BECKVERMIT, soprano(2017)
George London Competition: 3rd place
Metropolitan Opera Finals: 2nd Place
EMILY YOCUM BLACK, soprano (2011, 2017)
Louisville Opera Young Artist
MARY BONHAG, soprano (2009)
Artistic Director Scragg Mountain Music Festival
JULIA BULLOCK, soprano (2011)
Juilliard/Metropolitan Opera ADOS program
Winner of Young Concert Artists Competition 2012
Winner of the Naumburg International Vocal Competition 2014
Title role in Peter Sellar’s “Indian Queen” at English National Opera 2015
Here is Julia (with 2011 Stern Fellow pianist Renate Rohlfing) featured in performance by the NY Times
RACHEL CALLOWAY, mezzo-soprano (2008)
Ojai Festival Artist
Gotham Chamber Opera
ANTONINA CHEKHOVSKA, soprano (2013)
Winner Opera Columbus Cooper-Bing Competition 2015
George London Foundation Competition Winner 2016
Gerda Lissner 1st Prize 2016
Metropolitan Opera National Council Great Lakes Regional Finalist 2014, 2015
FAYLOTTE CRAYTON, soprano (2010)
Marlboro Festival
KATHARINE DAIN, soprano (2008, 2011)
Ash Lawn Opera Young Artist Program, 2010
Ravinia Festival Steans Fellow, 2009
The Netherlands Opera
Amsterdam Concertgebouw
SARAH DAVIS, soprano (2006)
SongFest, 2007, 2008
Tanglewood Fellow, 2008 - 2010
DEVON GUTHRIE, soprano (2008)
SongFest, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007
English National Opera Artist
Tanglewood: Don Giovanni with Maestro James Levine
Marlboro Festival Fellow
CHRISTIN-MARIE HILL, mezzo-soprano (2009, 2010)
Tanglewood Fellow, 2006; 2007; 2008
Minnesota Opera
Oper Frankfurt
Theatre de Chatelet
Arkansas, Boston, Atlanta, Memphis Symphonies
Mark Morris Dance Company
Bayreuth
Kansas Opera Theater
HELEN ZHIBING HUANG, soprano
Ravinia Festival Steans Fellow, 2015
Central City Opera, 2016
Metropolitan Opera National Council Upper Midwest Region Finalist, 2017
Portland Opera, 2018
JIHEE KIM, soprano (2012)
Metropolitan Opera
Marlboro Festival Fellow
YOONGEONG LEE, soprano (2015)
Tanglewood Vocal Fellow 2011, 2012
Metropolitan Opera National Council San Francisco District winner 2014
Semi-finalist Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition 2011
ABIGAIL LEVIS, mezzo-soprano (2008)
Joy in Singing 2012 Winner
LA Opera Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program Utah Opera
Cincinnati Symphony
Finalist in the Belvedere International Singing Competition
1st prize 2014 William C. Byrd Competition
2nd prize 2014 Luis Mariano Song Competition
3rd Prize 2014 James Toland Vocal Competition
3rd prize 2014 Wilhelm Stenhammar Competition
MEREDITH LUSTIG, soprano (2010)
Pittsburgh Opera Young Artist Program, 2012-2013
New York City Opera
Glimmerglass Opera
Ravinia Steans Institute
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
CLARISSA LYONS, soprano (2010)
Tanglewood, 2011, 2012
Winner Carmel Music Society Competition
Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development ProgramMetropolitan Opera Artist
Wolf Trap Opera Filene Artist
Steans Ravinia Festival
MARY MACKENZIE, soprano (2010)
SongFest, 2004; 2006
Ravinia Steans Institute
Madison Opera
JAZIMINA MACNEIL, mezzo-soprano (2009)
SongFest, 2007, 2008
Marlboro Festival Artist, 2011. 2012. 2013
Santa Fe Opera Young Artist
Curtis Institute
Philadelphia Opera
Tanglewood
TANIA MANDZY-INALA, mezzo-soprano (2014)
Opera San Jose
Boston Lyric Opera
MARIE MARQUIS, soprano (2010, 2015)
Joy in Singing Winner 2016
Tanglewood: 2012-2013
SIMONE MCINTOSH, mezzo-soprano (2017)
Canadian Opera Company’s 2016 Ensemble Studio Competition first prize
McGill’s Wirth Vocal Prize
CBC’s “Top 30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30” of 2017
JANA MILLER, soprano (2013)
Laureate and prizewinner of the Prix d’Europe Competition, winning the First Prize in Singing, the Claire Charbonneau Clerk Prize, and the prestigious John Newmark Prize
ANNE JENNIFER NASH, soprano (2010, 2011)
SongFest, American Composers Collaboration with Libby Larson, 2011
Concordia College, Faculty
YUNGEE RHIE, soprano (2014)
Tanglewood Vocal Fellow
Gotham Chamber Opera
NOLA RICHARDSON, soprano (2017)
Katarzyna Sadej, mezzo-soprano (2008, 2010)
Ravinia Steans Institute
Los Angeles Opera
KATARZYNA SADEJ, mezzo-soprano (2008, 2010)
Ravinia Steans Institute
LA Opera
RACHEL SCHUTZ, soprano (2012)
Tanglewood
Ravinia Steans Fellow, 2012
Hawaii Opera Theater
Opera Parallèle
Boston Pops
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Santa Fe Opera Apprentice
SARAH SHAFER, soprano (2009, 2010)
IMG Artist
Marlboro, 2012-2013
Glyndebourne Festival
BBC Proms
San Francisco Opera
Curtis Institute
Bard Summerscape
Opera Philadelphia
Philadelphia Orchestra
San Francisco Opera
DEVONY SMITH, soprano (2013)
Steans Ravinia Festival
ALEXANDRA SMITHER, soprano (2014)
Music Academy of the WestTanglewood 2016-2017
LORALEE SONGER, mezzo-soprano (2013)
Tanglewood Vocal Fellow
LAURA STRICKLING, soprano (2012)
Tanglewood (2013, 2014)
Ravinia Steans (2012)
KATE TOMBAUGH, mezzo-soprano (2012)
Utah Opera Young Artist Program, 2010-2011
Santa Fe Young Artist
MARIA VALDES, soprano (2010, 2011)
IMG Artist
San Francisco Opera
Steans Ravinia Festival, 2015, 2016
LISA WILLIAMSON, soprano (2015)
Washington National Opera
Glimmerglass Young Artist
RACHEL WOOD, mezzo-soprano (2008, 2009)
Canadian Opera Company
Male Singers
JAVIER BERNARDO, tenor (2009)
Chicago Opera Theatre
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Tanglewood
GORDON BINTNER, baritone (2009)
L’Opera de Montréal
Opera de Nantes/Angers
Canadian Opera Company Studio
Merola program at San Francisco Opera
IMG Artist
The Grand Prize Winner of the OSM Standard Life Competition (2011)
First Prize and People’s Choice Award recipient of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Competition (2012)
Opera Frankfurt
ADAM BONANNI, tenor (2011)
Ryan Opera Center at Chicago Lyric Opera
Pittsburgh Opera
Chautauqua Opera
Santa Fe Opera
JEONGCHEOL CHA, baritone (2010)
2014 Metropolitan Opera debut as Yamadori in Madame Butterfly represented by CAMI
2014 Wolftrap Filene Young Artist, Achilla in Giulio Cesare
Winner of the 2012 Connecticut Opera Guild Competition
2nd prize in the 2013 Gerda Lissner Competition
Cardiff Singer of the World Competition
KEITH COLCLOUGH, bass-baritone (2007, 2010)
Opera Santa BarbaraLos Angeles Opera
Fulbright Scholar
Tanglewood 2016
STEVEN EDDY, baritone (2014)
Fort Worth Opera
Joy in Singing 2015 Winner
Tanglewood
JOSEPH ELETTO, baritone (2014)
Juilliard
Bard Summerscape
New York Festival of Song
Ravinia Steans Institute 2015
Emerging Artist Virginia Opera 2015
THEO HOFFMAN, baritone (2013)
Los Angeles Opera Young Artist (2016 - 2017)
Marlboro Music Festival (2017)
The Juilliard School
St. Louis Opera
New York Festival of Song
Vocal Arts DC Gerald Perlman Emerging Artist
JOHN KAPUSTA, tenor (2008)
Glimmerglass Young Artist
Music Academy of the West
GRANT KNOX, tenor (2012)
Tanglewood, 2013
Atlanta Symphony
DAVID KROHN, baritone (2009, 2010)
Seattle Opera Young Artist Program, 2010, 2011
DREW LADD, tenor (2015)
Chicago Opera Theater Young Artist
JESSE MALGIERI, bass-baritone (2015)
Munich Philharmonic
Castelton Festival
Sarasota Opera
IAN MCEUEN, tenor (2012)
Fort Worth Opera
Glimmerglass Opera
Washington Opera
DAVID MCFERRIN, baritone (2011)
Marlboro Festival 2013
Tanglewood Festival
Boston Lyric Opera
Santa Fe Opera
MICHAEL ANTHONY MCGEE, bass-baritone (2009)
Seattle Opera Young Artist
Merola Program
Tanglewood Vocal Fellow
Wolftrap Filene Young Artist
2nd Place 2009 Liederkranz Foundation Competition
Winner 2009 Sullivan Foundation Award
1st Place 2009 Mario Lanza Institute International Competition
ANDREW MCLAUGHLIN, baritone (2016)
Washington National Opera
Virginia Opera
Baltimore Lyric Opera
MATTHEW MORRIS, baritone (2010)
Papageno in international tour of Peter Brook’s Magic Flute adaptation
New York City Opera
Aldeburgh Music Festival
Santa Fe Opera Apprentice
Tanglewood Vocal Fellow
Académie du Festival d’Aix en Provence
Winner of the 2013 Vocal Arts DC Competition
JOSH QUINN, bass-baritone
Wigmore Song Competition 2017 (3rd place
Opera St Louis Merola
RICARDO RIVERA, baritone (2010)
El Paso Opera
Santa Fe Opera Apprentice
Philadelphia Opera
Chicago Lyric Opera
Houston Grand Opera
SAMUEL SCHULTZ, baritone (2014)
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Symphony
St. Louis Opera
THOMAS DAVID SHIVONE, bass-baritone (2009)
Curtis Institute
Opera Philadelphia
Glimmerglass Young Artist
NATHAN WYATT, baritone (2010, 2012)
Tanglewood
Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Boston Symphony Orchestras
Pianists
JAVIER ARREBOLA (2012)
Chair of Collaborative Piano program at Boston UniversityTanglewood Faculty
Visiting Assistant Professor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
Ravinia Steans Institute
TINA CHANG (2011)
Vancouver Opera
DIMITRI DOVER (2012-2013)
Metropolitan Lindemann Young Artist Program
EILEEN DOWNEY (2009, 2011)
Lecturer of Piano at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Merola Opera Program
Brevard Music Center
BRENT FUNDERBURK (2011)
Ravinia Steans Institute
TOMASZ LIS (2008)
Wigmore Hall
RENATE ROHLFING (2011)
Ravinia Steans Institute
Bard College
Spoleto USA, Dallas Opera, LA Opera
LIZA STEPANOVA (2009, 2010)
Faculty, The Juilliard School
Founding member of Lysander Piano Trio
Winner of Concert Artists Guild Competition
Visiting Artist in Piano, Smith College
Faculty, University of Georgia (Athens)
KATHLEEN TAGG (2010)
Winner of 2014 Artists International Competition
Recitals at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall
LUCAS WONG (2009)
SongFest, faculty 2011-2014
New York City Opera: Music Staff
Assitant Professor of Piano Soochow University School of Music, China
YOU ZHAO (2010)
Wigmore Song Competition 2017 (3rd place)
