Internationally celebrated soprano Patricia Schuman continues to garner the highest critical acclaim for her work on the operatic stage. Exceptionally high praise for her stunning singing and riveting portrayals of The Duchess (Powder Her Face) of Opera Philadelphia and Elvira Griffiths (An American Tragedy) for Glimmerglass Music in the most recent season clearly confirm that Ms. Schuman is a brilliant interpreter of newley commissioned 21st century operatic roles.

A former Mozartean singer who has successfully moved through the operatic repertoire of the 19th, 20th and now the 20th centuries, Ms. Schuman has been engaged with the most distinguished opera houses through Europe and the United States, and she has collaborated with the finest conductors and directors in the industry. In Europe she has been seen at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, La Scala, ith Stalzburg Festival, the Glyndeborne Festival, Opera North (Leeds), Edinburg Festival, the Flemish Opera, Rome Opera and major houses in Toulouse, Zurich, Bologna and Cologne. In the US, she has performed on the stages of The Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Pittsburg Opera, Seattle Opera and in the 2013 and 2014 seasons, the renowned Opera Philadelphia and the Glimmerglass Music Festival.

A performer of great breadth, Ms. Schuman began her career in the Mozartean repertoire. She sang Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) and Contessa Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) at The Metropolitan Opera with James Levine, Ilia (Idomeneo) at La Scala with Riccardo Muti, and both Ilia and Pamina at Vienna State Opera under the baton of Nikolaus Harnencourt. She made her debut at the Salzburg Festival singing Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito) to much critical and popular acclaim and reprised her rol for Covent Garden, Glyndebourne, Madrid, and Lyon.

Ms. Schuman has performed previously with Cappella Cantorum MasterWorks Chorus on several occasions, most recently with its production of Bach Magnificat & Vivaldi Gloria in December 2014.

Christopher Grundy, baritone, has been hailed as a “rising star…who brought eloquence and musicality to the performance.” (reichelrecommends.com) A magnetic performer, as Don Giovanni he “made an impact in the part, vocally and dramatically.” (Bloomington Herald-Times)

Other operatic roles include Count Danilo (Merry Widow), Aleko (Aleko), Alfieri (View from the Bridge), Smirnov (The Bear), Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus) and Dr. Gachet (Vincent—world premiere). On one week’s notice he learned the lead baritone role for the world premiere of Decameron with the International Opera Theater of Philadelphia: “the baritone Christopher Grundy, stepping in just days before the premiere, in the lover roles, sometimes with lengthy soliloquy, gives no less than a heroic performance.” (Philadelphia Edge)

Mr. Grundy performed the baritone solos in an 11/11/11 memorial concert of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem with the American Festival Orchestra and Chorus in Salt Lake City. His other concert appearances include Duruflé Requiem, Bach Magnificat and Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols (Fairfield County Chorale), Haydn Große Orgelsolomesse (Great Neck Choral Society) and Charpentier Te Deum (St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York) and Mahler Kindertotenlieder.

A passionate advocate of song and chamber music, Mr. Grundy has given frequent recitals across the United States of repertoire spanning seven centuries. He is currently collaborating with composer and pianist Neely Bruce in a series of recitals of the songs of Neely Bruce, and will premiere “The North Ship,” Bruce’s new work for baritone, flute and string quartet.

Mr. Grundy holds an M.M. from Indiana University, where he studied with Wolfgang Brendel, and a B.A. from Yale University, where he was the Assistant Conductor of the Yale Russian Chorus and the Yale Glee Club. Before attending graduate school, Mr. Grundy was a professional helicopter pilot and flight instructor. He has experience in Sikorsky, Eurocopter, Bell and Robinson helicopters.