herself as a unique musical presence in the world today. Named by TIME Magazine as, "the thinking man's diva" and awarded by ASCAP and the Center for Contemporary Opera for her commitment to performing the works of living composers she has also been equally recognized as one of the leading interpreters of the early operas of Verdi including Attila, Giovanna D'Arco, Nabucco, Macbeth, I Lombardi, and La Traviata. Her repertory has included performances of more than 100 operas including Nabucco (La Scala, Teatro San Carlo, New Japan Opera, Artscape So Africa, Cincinnati Opera, Carnegie Hall), Macbeth (La Scala, Opera Company of Philadelphia, NYCO), I Lombardi, La Boheme, The Ghosts of Versailles (Metropolitan Opera), Norma (Cincinnati Opera, Manaus), Intermezzo (NYCO, Glimmerglass), Prince Igor (San Francisco Opera), Midsummer Marriage (Bayerische Staatsoper), Euryanthe (Glyndebourne Festival), Venus und Adonis (Santa Fe Opera, Concertgebouw), Maria Stuarda (Opera Orchestra of New York), Roberto Devereaux (NYCO), Rusalka (Metropolitan Opera, Mourning Becomes Electra (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, NYCO), Don Giovanni (Baltimore Opera Company, Seattle Opera, Glimmerglass, Cincinnati Opera), Esther, The Mother of Us All, Seven Deadly Sins, Lillith, Lizzie Borden, Central Park, Mathis der Maler, La Boheme (NYCO), Peter Ibbetson, Merrymount (Seattle Symphony), Regina (Florida Grand Opera, BARD Summerscape), Fierrabras, Oberon, Giovanna D'Arco, Nabucco (Collegiate Chorale). Her diverse concert repertoire has included collaborations with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony in performances of Peter Ibbetson and Merrymount which were released as a live recording on Naxos, and with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco and New World Symphonies in performances of Salome (final scene), Mahler's 8th Symphony, Luciano Berio's Epiphanies, Time Cycle of Lukas Foss, Philomel of Milton Babbitt, The Mouses Tail by David del Tredici and Cantata para America Magica of Ginestera; Il Signor Bruschino and Chants Auvergne with Orpheus; the Four Last Songs with the Indianapolis Symphony; Die Liebe der Danae (Grammy nomination) with the America Symphony Orchestra; Robert Beaser's The Heavenly Feast and Symphony #6 Plutonian Ode, written for her by Philip Glass and commissioned by Carnegie Hall, and performed by the American Composers and Brucknerhaus Orchestras under the direction of Dennis Russel Davies. In 2004/2005 she performed the role of Tulip in the world premiere of A Wedding for the Lyric Opera of Chicago written for her by friends William Bolcom, Arnold Weinstein and director Robert Altman; returned to Cape Town to teach and for performances of Nabucco; collaborated with Leon Botstein, Peter Schneider and acclaimed installation artist Judith Pfaff on Regina for Summerscape at BARD. 2006/07 brought performances of the Foreign Princess in Bilbao for Rusalka, Berio's Epiphanies at the Concertgebouw with RADA, Attila in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, performances with the New York City Ballet in the world premiere of Two Birds with the Wings of One by Bright Sheng, and the world premiere Frau Margot written for her by Frank Corsaro and Thomas Pasatieri for the Fort Worth Opera and recently released by Albany Records, orchestral concerts of Exultate Jubilate and Sheherazade in the US, and critically hailed performances of Vanessa by Samuel Barber for the New York City Opera. In 2008 she will begin teaching a series acting classes for opera singers focusing on creating innovative and dynamic characters for opera, and a project SOLO:The Art of the Monodrama which will take a look a many historically wonderful and long forgotten classical works for solo voice. This September she will perform and record the world premiere of Lady Macbeth written for her by Thomas Pasatieri with Voices of Change, and will return to Seattle to sing with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony in performances of Mahler's 8th Symphony. In October she will debut with the London Philharmonia in performances of Olivier Messien's Poemes Pour Mi conducted by Sylvain Cambreling, and perform a duet recital with tenor Corey Bix for the George London Foundation at the Morgan Library in New York City. November and December bring concerts of Sheherazade and the world premier of Songs for All Seasons by conductor/composer Glen Cortese, and a special guest appearance with the New York City Ballet. In January she returns to the New York City Opera and Carnegie Hall to sing the leading role in performances of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. 2009 ends with the world premiere of the opera Séance on a Wet Afternoon written expressly for Lauren by celebrated composer/lyricist Stephen Schwarz for Opera Santa Barbara. She is the recipient of the Spirit of the City Award from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City in recognition of her ongoing contribution to the musical life of New York City and for her ongoing work on behalf of New York's homeless. She is the recipient of the New York City Opera DIVA Award, as well as the prestigious Betty Allen Award. Recordings and DVD's include: The Ghosts of Versailles (DVD), Nabucco (DVD), Die Liebe der Danae, The Cabildo, The Sun Cantata, Symphony #6 Plutonian Ode, Frau Margot, Monologues and the major motion picture Death to Smoochy (DVD) where she plays the opera singing/ice skating diva. Television appearances include: Live from Lincoln Center performances of Lizzie Borden, Central Park, The Richard Tucker Gala, and I Lombardi (opposite Luciano Pavarotti) and Nabucco from Teatro San Carlo for Italian television. For the past 14 years she has produced Comfort Ye… a concert gala to raise money, food and awareness for New York's Homeless.

Rigoletto, Germont in La Traviata, Enrioc in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore to name a few. He has also appeared at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, most notably as Eddie Carbone in the world premiere of William Bolcom’s A View from the Bridge, and from the standard repertoire Rigoletto, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Marcello in La Boheme.

Elsewhere in the United States, he has appeared with the Seattle Opera as Rigoletto, Jack Rance in La Fanciulla del West, Minnesota Opera as Scarpia in Tosca, Washington National Opera as Eddie Carbone, Houston Grand Opera, Baltimore Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Fort Worth Opera in the title role of Verdi’s Falstaff, Connecticut Opera, the Spoleto Festival, U.S.A., Sarasota Opera, and Tulsa Opera. In Canada, he has appeared with the Vancouver Opera and Opera Hamilton. In Europe, he has appeared onstage at the Vienna State Opera as the Count di Luna in Il Trovatore, Germont, Enrico, Belcore and Marcello. He has also performed in Japan on tour with the Metropolitan Opera.

Josephson is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Houston where he earned Bachelor’s and Masters in Music in Applied Voice. He has studied with Franco Corell, Louis Quilico, Michael Trimble and Jean Preston. He is a recipient of numerous vocal honors including the William Sullivan/George London Foundation Adard, Baltimore Opera Vocal Competition, Enrico Carouse International Vocal Competition, Loren Zachery Foundation Award, Puccini Foundation Award, Bagby Foundation Award, Bruce Yarnell Award, Singer’s Development Foundation Award and a Richard Tucker Career Grant.

under the baton of Maestro Kurt Masur, and in 2000 appeared as a headliner at the International Cervantino Festival. She has performed as a features soloist with The Israeli Philharmonic, New York City Opera, The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, The New Israeli Opera and numerous other orchestras and ensembles in the US and abroad. Recent performances include her debut recital in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, premiering David Del Tredici’s song cycle Lament on the Death of a Bullfighter, Faire’s Requiem with Bobby Mcferrin and The Pacific Symphony; and Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with The Mexico City Philharmonic.

In 2003 she sang in the premiere of Eric Whitacre’s groundbreaking Opera Electronica Paradise Lost in New York and Berlin; she also performed the world premiere of Oscar and Pulitzer prize-winning composer John Corigliano’s Mr. Tambourine Man, with the Minnesota Orchestra and is engaged to appear in several additional international performances of his work.

Plitmann is accumulating an impressive catalogue of Del Tredici recordings, beginning with the highly virtuosic song cycle Ms. Inez Sez, under the CRI label, Vintage Alice and Dracula with the Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, and Lament on the Death of a Bullfighter with the composer on piano.

She received her Bachelor of Music and Masters of Music degrees with high honors from The Juilliard School of Music, and has been awarded the coveted Sony ES Prize for her outstanding contribution to the vocal arts. The New York Times has praised her as "a talented young singer with a brilliant top register." Los Angeles Times calls her "exceptionally gifted." The Chicago Tribune describes her as "...superb, with an expressive range and communicative power,"and the Jerusalem Post calls her "nothing less than bewitching."

Dido and Aeneas, Amahl and the Night Visistors and L’elisir d’Amore. Operetta: The Pirates of Penzance, Die Fledermause, HMS Pinafore and The Mikado. Choral: the Rossini Stabat Mater, Verdi’s Requiem and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

His versatility extends to the theater stages with performances in A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum, She Loves Me, Godspell, Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, Dark At the Top of the Stairs and The Glass Menagerie. He was also seen on TV in The Bold and the Beautiful and Diagnosis Murder.

Nashville Opera, Toledo Opera, Connecticut Opera, Shreveport Opera, Opera Idaho, Boston Bel Canto Opera, and Opera at Florham. His performances have consistently earned him the respect and accolades of discerning critics for the more than 40 roles in his repertoire, among them King Phillip II of Spain, Mephistopheles, Don Giovanni, Count Walter, Colline, Sparafucile, Raimondo, Daland, Sarastro, Hunding and Collatinus.

Mr. Hart’s recent performances include Sarastro for the Portland Opera, and Don Basilio for PORT Opera, the title role in Don Giovanni with Opera Company of North Carolina, Timur in Turandot with Boheme Opera, and Simone in Connecticut Opera’s March 2006 production of Gianni Schicchi. In the spring 2005, some of Mr. Hart's appearances as soloist included the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vaughn Williams Dona Nobis Pacem Washington and a concert of excerpts of the sacred opera I am the Way for Tele Saluto in Rome. This performance was broadcast the morning of and preceding the funeral of Pope John Paul II. This was Mr. Hart’s debut performance in the role of Christ. Jerome Hines chose Mr. Hart to succeed him in the role that was created and performed until that point exclusively by Mr. Hines.

A graduate of the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music, Craig Hart made his Metropolitan Opera stage debut in the production of Prokofiev's War and Peace as the Second Madman in the spring of 2002.

New York City, he went to work as a producer for RCA Records, but shortly thereafter began to work in the Broadway theatre.

His first major credit was the title song for the play BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE; the song was eventually used in the movie version as well.

In 1971, he wrote the music and new lyrics for GODSPELL, for which he won several awards including two Grammys. This was followed by the English texts, in collaboration with Leonard Bernstein, for Bernstein's MASS, which opened the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The following year, he wrote the music and lyrics for PIPPIN and two years later, THE MAGIC SHOW. At one point, GODSPELL, PIPPIN, and THE MAGIC SHOW were all running on Broadway simultaneously.

He next wrote the music and lyrics for THE BAKER'S WIFE, followed by a musical version of Studs Terkel's WORKING, to which he contributed four songs, and which he also adapted and directed, winning the Drama Desk Award as best director. He also co-directed the television production, which was presented as part of the PBS "American Playhouse" series.

Next came songs for a one-act musical for children, CAPTAIN LOUIE, and a children's book, THE PERFECT PEACH. He then wrote music for three of the songs in the Off-Broadway revue, PERSONALS, lyrics to Charles Strouse's music for RAGS, and music and lyrics for CHILDREN OF EDEN.

He then began working in film, collaborating with composer Alan Menken on the scores for the Disney animated features POCAHONTAS, for which he received two Academy Awards and another Grammy, and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. He also provided songs for DreamWorks' first animated feature, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, for which he won another Academy Award for the song "When You Believe".

Mr. Schwartz provided music and lyrics for the original television musical, GEPPETTO, seen on The Wonderful World of Disney. Recently, he released two CDs on which he sings new songs, entitled RELUCTANT PILGRIM and UNCHARTED TERRITORY.

Mr. Schwartz's most recent musical, WICKED, opened in the fall of 2003 and is currently running on Broadway.

Under the auspices of the ASCAP Foundation, he runs musical theatre workshops in New York and Los Angeles, and serves on the ASCAP board; he is also a member of the Council of the Dramatists' Guild.

longest running one-woman show in Broadway history. He also directed Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of the play, and a national tour starring Valerie Harper (2006 Touring Broadway Award, Best Play.)

Other Broadway credits include the musical Jane Eyre, and The Foreigner starring Matthew Broderick for Roundabout Theater Company in New York. Off-Broadway, Scott directed the musical tick, tick…BOOM! by Jonathan Larson (RENT) for which he received the 2002 Outer Critics Award, Best Off-B’way Musical, Drama Desk Award Nomination, Outstanding Director of a Musical. He also helmed Batboy: The Musical (2001 Outer Critics Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award - Best Off-B'way Musical, Drama Desk Award Nomination, Outstanding Director of a Musical). He also directed the off-Broadway production of Franz Kafka’s The Castle starring William Atherton for Manhattan Ensemble Theatre (2002 Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination, Best Director of a Play).

His recent regional credits include London and Los Angeles productions of Tick, Tick… Boom! (2006 Independent Theatre Award, Best Director of a musical), Me And My Girl for Goodspeed Opera House (Connecticut Critics Circle Award, Best Direction of a Musical), the national and British touring productions of Godspell, and the musical No Way to Treat a Lady for the York Theatre in Manhattan and the Signature Theatre in Washingon, DC. Other major regional theaters for which Schwartz has directed include the Alley Theater in Houston, the Ahmanson in Los Angeles, the Berkshire Theater Festival, the La Jolla Playhouse, the Prince Theater in Philadelphia, the Pasadena Playhouse, the Studio Arena in Buffalo, TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, and the Virginia Stage Company.

the company. His conducting activities in Santa Barbara take him on a varied journey in the operas Rigoletto, Un Ballo in Maschera, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, La Boheme and Lucia di Lammermoor. He also serves as Artistic Director and Conductor for Greensboro Opera in North Carolina. On the guest conducting front, Valery Ryvkin made a huge impression leading the 2007 season debut of Boris Godunov for San Diego Opera featuring the Italian bass Feruccio Furlanetto. He returned to San Diego Opera in April of 2008 for a production of Aida. During the 2005-06 season, Maestro Ryvkin conducted the Grand Finale Concert of the famous Merola Program at the San Francisco Opera, followed by a Night of Rising Stars concert at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. During the 2001 season, he led the North American premiere of Rimsky-Korsakoff's opera May Night at the Sarasota Opera, while preparing the Metropolitan Opera of the production of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the personal request of Valery Gergiev.

produced. She designed and co-produced, with Elizabeth Williams, Ken Ludwig's comedy Moon Over Buffalo that starred Carol Burnett and Philip Bosco (1995). She has designed the sets for King Lear, Zhivago, Good Vibrations, Dracula The Musical, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame in Germany, Smokey Joe's Cafe, The Sound of Music (revival), Triumph of Love, and My Fair Lady. Ettinger was a producer and graphic designer for Into the Woods (1987).

February 2009, starring Jane Fonda. Recently David lighted Beast by Michael Weller at NYTW, Edward Albee's Occupant at the Signature Theatre Company, NYC. and Othello at the Alley Theatre in Houston. Lander designed the theatrical lighting for the feature film "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2." which opened August 6, 2008.

Lander’s Broadway credits include I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright directed by Moisés Kaufman, which won the 2004 Tony for Best Play and the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Best Play. dirty BLONDE by Claudia Shear directed by James Lapine and Golden Child by David Henry Hwang also directed by James Lapine. He has been nominated for New York Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and numerous other prestigious theatrical awards.

Lander has collaborated with an array of illustrious directors including: Jo Bonney, Frank Dunlop, Terry Kinney, Paul Blake, Mark Brokaw, Doug Hughes, Pam Hunt, Moisés Kaufman, James Lapine, Arthur Laurents, Pam MacKinnon, Maria Mileaf, Larry Moss, David Saint, Scott Schwartz, and actors including Olympia Dukakis, Mia Farrow, John Glover, George Grizzard, Dee Hoty, Eartha Kitt, Kevin Klein, Frank Langella, Maureen McGovern, Rita Moreno, Michael Nouri, Ana Paquin, Steven Pasquale, Mary Beth Piel, Molly Ringwald, Chita Rivera, Mercedes Ruehl, Michael Rupert, Liev Schreiber, Jean Smart and Louis Zorich.

Measure, Othello, Of a White Christmas.

Most recently he was Costumer Designer for Grace (Off-Broadway ‘08), Witches of Eastwick (Arlington, Va. ’07), Meet John Doe (Chester, CT. ’06) and in New York, he was Associate Costume Designer for Jersey Boys, Julius Caesar, Nerds, and Good Vibrations (2005).

Vietti’s regional credits include work for The Alley Theatre Houston; Hartford Stage; Long Wharf Theatre; Colorado Ballet; Pasadena Playhouse; Cleveland Play House; Ford’s Theatre Washington, DC; Signature Theatre Washington; New York Stage & Film; Pittsburgh Public Theater; Saint Louis Repertory Theatre; TheaterWorks Hartford; San Diego Rep.; Arizona Theatre Company; Goodspeed Musicals; Philadelphia Theatre Company; Barrington Stage Company; Florida Stage; Hangar Theatre; Columbia University; Donetsk Opera Ukraine.

Upcoming projects, in addition to Séance on a Wet Afternoon, include the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Gold Tour- 07/09.

directed by Scott Schwartz. Matt self-produced his first full length dance play, WARD 9, at the 2008 New York Musical Theater Festival, for which he received the festival's award for Best Choreography. Matt holds the title of 'Big Piano Choreographer' at the FAO Schwarz Toy Store in New York City where he continually recreates and reinvents the world famous piano dancing scene from the hit film Big. Matt is the resident choreographer for the East Coast tour of Circus Smirkus. Matt's choreography has appeared at The Alley Theatre, Lincoln Center, Irish Repertory Theatre, La Mama, The Rubicon Theatre, Stamford Center for the Arts, Metrostage, and Geva Theatre. He is currently developing a new musical for Broadway with Tony Award winning producer Jeffrey Richards and director John Rando (Urinetown). Matt holds a BFA in choreography from UC Irvine. www.mattwilliamschoreographer.com

Theatre Company in Ventura which then transferred to Pacific Resident Theatre Company in Los Angeles. Concurrently, Michael produced the World Premiere of It’s Only Life (2008 LA Ovation Award: Best Book/Music/Lyrics of an original work), by John Bucchino (A Catered Affair) directed by Daisy Prince (Songs For A New World, The Last Five Years), with vocal arrangements by Jason Robert Brown, at Rubicon Theatre Company, where he serves as Director of New Works. Other projects in development at Rubicon include Daddy Long Legs by John Caird and Paul Gordon, One Red Flower by Paris Barclay starring Maureen McGovern, Hunter Parrish, David Burnham and Josh Henderson, and The Best Is Yet To Come, the music of Cy Coleman directed by David Zippel, starring Lilias White.

In the commercial theater, Michael has produced the West Coast Premiere of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick…BOOM!, directed by Scott Schwartz, at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles following its successful run at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, CA. In New York, he produced Nicky Silver’s Food Chain at the Westside Theater directed by Robert Falls and starring Hope Davis and Phyllis Newman; Bill Davis (Mass Appeal)’ AVOW at the Century Theater directed by Jack Hofsiss and starring Jane Powell and Chris Sieber; I, Do, I Do at Queens Theater in the Park with Donna McKechnie and regionally: the musical Abyssinia at the Lyric Stage in Dallas, TX.

In addition to his theater and opera projects, Michael has feature film and television projects in development.

Michael is also on the board of the directors of The Directors Company (TDC) in NYC, a non-profit company that develops new projects and highlights new directors. He joined TDC in 1992 and became their musical theater liaison for the Harold Prince Musical Theater Program. During that time he was involved with the development of dozens of new projects including Children of Eden by Stephen Schwartz, Three, Splendora, Eliot Ness in Cleveland, Johnnie Pie and the Foolkiller, Camilla, Ballad of Little Jo, The Molly Maguires and Nightmare Alley. Other TDC projects include: BATBOY and Goodbye My Friduchita with Pricilla Lopez. Michael is a graduate of the Commercial Theater Institute’s Producing Seminar, class of 1996.