Maggie Blackburn
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A recent graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Maggie has earned both her Masters and Performer Diploma in Vocal Performance. Maggie made her role debut as Ella in Patience with the University Gilbert and Sullivan Society. She studied under the tutelage of Patricia Havranek, which saw her through performances in West Side Story, Dialogues des Carmélites, and L'elisir d'amore. Additionally, Maggie was part of a six-female sextet featuring a work by Gabriela Ortiz titled Rio Bravo. Concert performances include the soloist for Fauré's Requiem at IU as well as Opera Workshop Scenes where she most recently appeared as Lisette in La Rondine.
A recipient of the Thomas J. Smith Scholarship and Clyde William Young Scholarship, Maggie received her undergraduate Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she studied under Dawn Harris. Highly involved in the performance community, she received the IOTE Encouragement Award and Excellence Award. Additionally, she was a finalist in the New York Lyric Opera Theater National Competition. Her roles there include Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Rapunzel in Into the Woods. During the summer, Maggie was a young artist at the Greensboro Light Opera and Song summer program where she performed the role of Rose Maybud in Ruddigore, one of the Bird Girls in Seussical Jr!, an outreach with GLOS for young children, and was involved with the chorus of Trial by Jury. Previous summer excursions also include participating in Scuola Italia's Corso Estivo per Giovani Cantanti Lirici, a summer program located in Sant'Angelo in Vado, Italy. |
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Maggie Braner
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Maggie is a mezzo soprano offering voice lessons as well as piano, guitar, and ukulele to motivated students of all ages. Her focus is on providing a well-rounded education where students learn theory, sight reading, and ear training as well as participate in master classes, research, and recitals. Special needs students are welcome.
Maggie also offers theory and composition lessons. Theory is helpful for the person who wants to study music in college and for the self-taught musician who can play music but not read it. Composition lessons will help the person having difficulty developing their ideas. Maggie holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Millikin University where she studied voice under performer Sherezade Panthaki. Contact information: musiclessonsbymaggie@gmail.com Website: www.maggiebraner.com Telephone: 815-370-2655 |
Marie Groh
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Marie Groh has been teaching private voice, group voice classes, music directing and directing musicals and performing for the past 21 years in and around the Chicago area. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theatre from Millikin University. Additionally, Marie has performed extensively with many theaters locally and regionally including Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Theatre at the Center, Light Opera Works, Porchlight Music Theatre, Steel Beam Theatre, Vero Voce, Summer Place Theatre and two consecutive seasons with Music Theatre of Wichita in Wichita, Kansas. Some of her favorite performance credits include Maria in WEST SIDE STORY at Drury Lane Oakbrook, Aldonza in MAN OF LAMANCHA, Marsinah in KISMET, Sylvia in SWEETHEARTS, Anna Held in TINTYPES, Tzeitel in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and Sara Stone in NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY all at Light Opera Works, Claudia in NINE with Porchlight Music Theatre (Jeff Recommended), Svetlana in CHESS at Steel Beam Theatre, Woman 3 in MIDLIFE: THE CRISIS MUSICAL and Miss Todd in Menotti’s OLD MAID AND THE THIEF at Vero Voce, Louisa in THE FANTASTICKS and her most recent production of MAMMA MIA at Summer Place Theatre playing the role of Donna. While at Millikin, she had the wonderful opportunity of playing such roles as Carlotta in PHANTOM, Sara Jane Moore in ASSASSINS, The Witch in Humberdinck’s HANSEL AND GRETEL and Beatrice in A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE. Marie’s directing and vocal directing credits include: MISS SAIGON and CINDERELLA at Jedlicka Performing Arts Center (Vocal Director), THE KING AND I for Magical Starlight Theatre in Naperville (Director), ANYTHING GOES and BARNUM with Summer Place Theatre (VD), and GREASE at Wheaton Warrenville South High School (VD). Marie was a faculty member of The School of Performing Arts for 5 years until they closed in June of 2019. While at SPA, she served as the group voice instructor and one of the private voice teachers. She had the great honor to vocal direct for several of their main stage productions including, LES MISERABLES, MARY POPPINS, CARRIE, THE MUSICAL, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. In the summer of 2018, she directed and vocal directed The School of Performing Arts production of WEST SIDE STORY. Marie has served as a vocal clinician for many years with Indian Prairie School District 204 for their annual IHSA Solo and Ensemble Festival. She spent a year singing with the big band, Swing Assembly and has been singing with The Festive Singer’s as a Dicken’s Caroler for the past 17 seasons.
Email: mariegroh@gmail.com |
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Jeff Ray
Baritone Jeffrey Ray is an alum of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. He has performed in operatic and concert halls throughout the United States and Europe. Highlights from his career have included numerous performances with Lyric Opera of Chicago and Berlin’s Deutche Oper. He has been heard frequently in the roles of Don Giovanni, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Seviglia, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Marcello in La Boheme, Valentin in Faust, Lescaut in Manon, and the Father in Hansel und Gretel. Jeffrey has performed Handel’s Messiah at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Avery Fischer Hall. He has sung with the Berlin Rundfunks Orchester, the Munich Bach Festival, and has been featured at the Ravinia Festival where he is also an alum of the Steans Institute.
Mr. Ray has an extensive voice studio which includes teaching at The University of Chicago, North Park University, and The University of Saint Francis. His students have gone on to sing on Broadway as well as with National Touring shows. They have also sung with the Lyric Opera of Chicago Chorus, CSO, and the Grant Park Chorus., His students have been chosen as winners of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, the North Shore Opera Idol Competition, as well as the Classical Singer High School Competition. He is in constant demand as a recitalist and clinician. He has been heard Live from the Levin Studio on WFMT, and received accolades for his recital performance at Atlanta’s Spivey Hall where he will return once again to perform in 2014. Jeffrey enjoys having the opportunity to perform with Chicago area orchestras. Over the years he has been heard singing Broadway classics, Operatic hits and oratorio favorites with the Park Ridge Symphony, The University of Chicago Symphony, DuPage Symphony, DuPage Opera, Joliet Symphony and the Elgin Symphony. Mr. Ray can often be heard singing the National Anthem for our Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, and Cubs. Jeffrey lives in Plainfield IL with his wife and three children. Contact info: 815-258-8208 (cell) jeffray7@sbcglobal.net |