Guest Artists

After obtaining his Masters degree in Double Bass Performance from Colorado State University, bassist Lou Pappas began his career with the Colorado Springs Symphony, at the same time performing with such visiting jazz artists as Jay McShann, Bill Watrous, Tom Scott and composer Patrick Williams. After three years with the Oklahoma City Symphony, he moved to New York to accept the position as Bassist with the United States Military Academy Band, West Point, New York. As a member of the Jazz Knights, he performed at jazz festivals throughout the United States along with such guest artists as David Liebman, Byron Stripling, James Williams, Claire Fischer, Randy Brecker, Billy Cobham, Steve Turre and fellow bassist John Clayton. He performed regularly with the West Point Chamber Winds, and gave the world premiere performance of Robert BaksaÇs Sonata for Contrabass and Piano. Mr. Pappas retired from the Army during the summer of 2006.

Mr. Pappas regularly conducts workshops and master classes, including appearances at the 1996 IAJE convention, the International Society of Bassists conventions in 2001- 2009, the New York State Music Teachers Convention, and many high school, college and public school districts teacherÇs workshops. He has performed with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, Westchester Philharmonic and the Chappaqua Chamber Orchestra the Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra. He is presently Adjunct Artist Instructor of Double Bass at Vassar College.

Born and raised in Somerville New Jersey, percussionist Andy Csisack began his formal music studies at age 10. In 1977 he enlisted in the U.S. Army as musician, and served with the 77th Army Band Ft. Sill Oklahoma, the 19th Army Band Ft. Dix New Jersey and the 79 th Army Band Ft. Clayton in the Republic of Panama.

In 1985, Andy successfully auditioned for a percussion vacancy with the U.S. Military Academy Band West Point NY. During his tenure, he studied with New York Philharmonic percussionists Buster Bailey and Chris Lamb, vibraphonist Arthur Lipner and Broadway show percussionist Dave Nyberg. He also completed his B.S. Degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Andy retired from active duty in 2007, and has been performing with the Greater Newburgh Symphony since July 2008.He now resides in Newburgh New York with his wife Karen, daughter Kate and son Timothy.

Perry Beekman is a guitarist & vocalist deeply rooted in the classic tradition of jazz. Offering small ensemble and solo formats, he is available for both background music and performances. Perry's swinging, melodic guitar playing beautifully complements his easy-going vocals. Featuring tunes from the Great American Songbook as well as bossa nova favorites, his music is sophisticated, exciting, and fun.

Now based in Woodstock, NY, Perry has been playing in jazz clubs, and at private and corporate events throughout New York City for the past 25 years. He has performed at such prominent venues as the Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel, The JVC Jazz Festival, and the Maverick Concert Hall.

Pianist Babette Hierholzer's debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1978 was followed by numerous performances with this famed orchestra, led by renowned conductors Klaus Tennstedt, Sir Colin Davis, Leopold Hager, and Semyon Bychkov. Ms. Hierholzer has performed extensively in recital and chamber music, and as soloist with orchestras in most of the countries of Europe, the United States, South America, and Africa. In 1986, she gave her American debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony playing the Liszt Concerto No. l. Other engagements have included the Philharmonic Orchestra Kiel, Philharmonic Orchestra Ulm, Hamburg Symphonic Orchestra, touring with the Nordwest-deutschen Philharmonic, Orquestra Sinfonica Bilbao, Festival International de Bordeaux, and the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra. In May 1993, she performed the Liszt Concerto No. 1 with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile; in June 1993, she performed the same work with the Staatskapelle in Berlin, Paavo Berglund conducting. In 1994, she performed the Clara Schumann Piano Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony during its Summerfest, and made her Canadian debut with the Saskatoon Symphony. In 1996 she again performed the Clara Schumann concerto with the Winnipeg Symphony and the Berlin Symphony. In January 1997, she performed the Robert Schumann Concerto with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Maracaibo and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Merida.

Ms. Hierholzer has made a number of recordings with MARUS/EMI Electrola playing works by Schumann (including the recently discovered Exercises, variations on a theme by Beethoven), Couperin, Debussy, Mozart, and Scarlatti: Sonatas Vols. 1, 2 and 3. Her most recent releases were a CD of posthumous works of Franz Schubert, and "Music for Children", Kinderszenen. She performed the sound track and the double/stand-in role for Clara Wieck (Nastassia Kinski) in Peter Schamoni's movie Spring Symphony, about the life of Robert Schumann.

Babette Hierholzer has won numerous first prizes in international competitions, including the Steinway Piano Competition, in Berlin, seven times; the All German National Piano Competition, twice; first prize in the "G.B. Viotti" Concorso Internazionale di Musica in Vercelli, Italy; the Medaille d'Argent of the Festival International des Jeunes Solistes in Bordeaux, France; first prize in the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition plus the prestigious Andy Petlansky Memorial Award in Palm Springs. In February 1992 she played her New York debut recital as winner of the East & West Artists Prize for New York Debut.

Born in Freiburg, Germany, Ms. Hierholzer had her first piano lessons at the age of five with Elisabeth Dounias-Sindermann and Wolfgang Saschowa in Berlin, making her first public appearance at the age of eleven in the Philharmonic Hall in Berlin, playing Mozart's Concerto K. 488. She then studied with Herbert Stessin at The Juilliard School, Precollege Division, in New York, with Paul Badura-Skoda at the Folkwang-Hochschule, Essen and in Vienna, with Maria Tipo in Florence, and with Bruno Leonardo Gelber in Buenos Aires. She was awarded scholarships by the Study Grant of the German People and Oskar and Vera Ritter-Stiftung.

Recent performances include appearances with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, the DeKalb Symphony in Atlanta and Orquesta del Nuevo Mundo in Mexico City. Previously, she stepped in for Horatio Gutierrez in a recital in Berlin's Philharmonic Hall.

Ms. Hierholzer played the opening concert of the season with the South Carolina Philharmonic, playing Liszt No. 1, conducted by Nicholas Smith. On 11 November 2001, she played a recital at the Frick Collection in New York City on very short notice and this season she returned to perform at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, with a recital of music by Clara and Robert Schumann.

Babette Hierholzer is the Artistic Adviser to the GERMAN FORUM.

Lyric Soprano Kimberly Kahan enjoys an accomplished career with opera companies and orchestras throughout the country. She has earned great acclaim for her musical and dramatic interpretations for such signature roles as Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, as well as title roles in Susannah and Arrabella.

Recent critical acclaim for her role as the Merry Widow:
Golden-voiced soprano Kimberly Kahan brings to life the title role of Hanna Glawari; Kahan’s lilting and soaring soprano is perfection. A treat to the eye as well as the ear.-- New York Times Herald –Record

Ms. Kahan is stunning. She has a beautiful voice and tremendous stage presence. When she sings, it appears effortless. Particularly enjoyable is the number “Villa.” Kahan shines on this critically praised Leher song.—Vinncent Alexander.

Other recent roles include Micaela in Bizets Carmen in Tel Aviv Israel with Josh Majors directing; Featured soprano in the world premier of Kyle Gann’s opera Cinderella’s Bad Magic in Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia.

Ms Kahan performs regularly as a soloist at Bard College, including The Lord Nelson Mass under the baton of James Bagwell, The Angel in the Respighi Laudate Nativita with conductor Sharon Bjorndal, and with the American Symphony, Leon Botstein conducting.

A favorite of European audiences, Ms.Kahan has appeared in concert in many cities including Helsinki, Copenhagen, Nice, Naples, Istanbul and Athens where she has performed such pieces as Braham’s’ Liebeslieder Walzer, Debussy's Arriette Oubliee, and Canteloubes’ Chants D’Auvergne.

Equally comfortable in the Oratorio venue, she has performed as the soprano soloist in works by Beethoven, (Mass in C and the Ninth Symphony), as well as Bach’s (B Minor Mass and Magnificat), Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and the Requiems of Brahms, Faure, Mozart and Verdi.

Soprano Susan Holsonbake's most recent operatic portrayals featured her as Adina in L'Elisir d'amore with Opera Santa Barbara, Lisette in La Rondine with Lyric Opera San Diego, Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica and Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Chelsea Opera. She recently made her Houston Grand Opera debut as Alecto and Dika in the world premiere of Mark Adamo's Lysistrata. Other highlights of recent seasons include appearances as Susanna in Greensboro Opera's Le Nozze di Figaro, Nanetta in Falstaff and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel with Amarillo Opera. She was engaged by New York City Opera for two previous seasons covering roles in contemporary works, and has also performed as a soloist in their VOX/Showcasing American Composers series. Ms. Holsonbake will be featured as Nora in the upcoming Leonarda Records release of Marga Richter's Riders to the Sea, a role she created in the world premiere production.

With Pittsburgh Opera, Ms. Holsonbake has sung the roles of Papagena in Die Zauberflöte and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro. She was seen as Peep-Bo in Opera Pacific's production of The Mikado with Stewart Robertson at the podium. According to the Daily Progress, in the Ash Lawn Summer Festival production of Don Giovanni, "she proved an excellent Zerlina... she possesses an unusually fine instrument, which she uses extremely well." With such companies as Orange County Opera, the Palisades Symphony, and Guild Opera of Los Angeles, Ms. Holsonbake performed a number of leading roles including Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in The Daughter of the Regiment, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Despina in Così fan tutte, Laurie in The Tender Land, and Musetta in La Bohème. As a young artist with Pittsburgh Opera, she performed the roles of Suzel in L'Amico Fritz and Diana in Mollicone's Emperor Norton. She was also an apprentice with Opera Pacific and a principal singer with the Aspen Opera Theatre Center, where she sang the role of Mrs. Julian in Britten's Owen Wingrave under the baton of John DeMain.

On the concert stage, Ms. Holsonbake has been soprano soloist in works including the Brahms Requiem, Haydn's Creation, Beethoven's Mass in C, and J.S. Bach's St. John Passion. She was featured in the Crystal Cathedral Concert Series, singing Bach's virtuoso soprano cantata Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen. She was a performer for the Nautilus Music Theater's Playwright-Composer Studio, featuring works by emerging artists. A skilled improvisational performer, Ms. Holsonbake was presented by Euterpe Opera Theater of Los Angeles in a recital of American Songs and Arias spanning the Twentieth Century, which included a set of songs created spontaneously on stage with her accompanist Ann Baltz. She also performed the leading role of Sheila in a musically improvised opera titled "One Child" with OperaWorks in Los Angeles.

Brace Negron has been a prolific performer since his arrival to New York in 1998. Upcoming performances include Colline in La Boheme with Opera Manhattan and performing a concert as part of the Elberon Church Concert Series in New Jersey. Recent performances include Pantaleone in Bronx Opera's Der Drei Pintos this past January, a European debut performing the title role of Donizetti's Don Pasquale and the Bonze in Puccini's Madame Butterfly with Lyrique en Mer Opera Company in Belle Île, France in July of 2009 with a national radio broadcast of Don Pasquale's first act on the radio station, France Musique. In March 2009, Mr. Negron was invited back to Toledo Opera to perform the 1st Nazarene and the Cappadocian in Strauss's Salome. In the Fall of 2008, Mr. Negron had his debut with Toledo Opera as Count Ceprano in Verdi's Rigoletto with a favorable mention in the Toledo Blade Newspaper. In the summer of 2008, Mr. Negron performed Christiano in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera with Des Moines Metro Opera nabbing him a review in Opera News that appeared in the October 2008 issue. He then flew to Beaulieu sur Mer, France to participate in a concert series/competition as a finalist in the Azuriales Opera Festival/Competition this past August. Other recent performances include Jupiter in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld with Bronx Opera which nabbed Mr. Negron a solid review in the NY Times, the Herald in Rigoletto with New Jersey Opera, and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Queens College Opera Studio.

Past accomplishments include a Lincoln Center debut as Ali in December 2007, and in an excerpts program of Rossini's L'Italiana as part of the Melody for Peace UNESCO Concert at Avery Fisher Hall. Mr. Negron had his Asian debut in Singapore with Singapore Theatreworks in 2001 as the baritone lead The Cowherd in The Silver River by Bright Sheng, the Lucerne Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland, performing under Maestro Pierre Boulez and Daniel Reusse in 2006, and Gregorio in Romeo et Juliette and 2nd Armored Man in Zauberflote both with New Jersey Opera Theater in the summer of 2007, and being a 2002 finalist in the Heinz Rehfuss Competition. He has also performed with such companies as Utah Festival Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, DiCapo Opera and Opera North.

Mr. Negron received his master's degree from Manhattan School of Music and his undergraduate degree from Stetson University in Deland, Florida.

The ability to connect with his audience and be understood are the hallmarks of Steven Marking's performances. He is equally comfortable singing in English, German, Italian, and French, and has a current emphasis on the German operatic repertoire of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. He continues his joyous journey through the American Songbook, and enjoys singing many of the great oratorio roles with a variety of orchestras and ensembles.

Marking's recent performances include the roles of Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau in Der Rosenkavalier and Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro with Ian Hobson and Sinfonia da Camera Champaign, Il, and Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in A Little Night Music for Middlebury Opera in Vergennes, VT.

Mr. Marking produces several concerts each year as the Artistic Director of You Gotta Hear This! Presents, Inc including upcoming programs featuring the songs of Duke Ellington and Rogers and Hart. Past YGHT programs include evenings dedicated to Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Steven Marking offers his in-school assembly program America, We Sing to Thee. The program is approved by the New York State BOCES association and is geared to grades 3-6. It uses the music of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Harold Arlen to talk about the positive aspects of cultural diversity. The program includes a vocal warm up and sing along.

Marking recently brought A Night of Italian Opera to The College of Saint Joseph in Rutland, VT for the fifth consecutive year. His other independent productions include an all-Italian program In Bocca al Lupo, an all American song program I've Known Rivers, a program of gospel hymns and spirituals entitled Then Sings My Soul,and his Tribute to Frank Sinatra and Tribute to Elvis Presley.

Steven Marking is the Artistic Director of You Gotta Hear This! Presents, Inc.; directs the choir at All Saints Episcopal Church in Hoosick, NY, and loves guest singing and giving choral workshops to area choirs.

He was a founding member of The Lyric Theatre in Manhattan, where he did a five year operatic internship. He participated in the Artist Diploma program at Yale University, and holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from The Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where he also sang for three seasons in the chorus of the Baltimore Opera. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance from Viterbo University in his hometown of LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Steven Marking teaches voice class and voice lessons at his home and at Hubbard Hall in Cambridge, NY. He loves to garden and cares deeply for the little spot of earth that God has bestowed upon him in Hoosick, NY.

Soprano Julie Aubin Heller, a native of New Jersey, began vocal training at an early age with International soprano, Ana Riera. She continued her studies at New York University where she received her B. Mus. in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Carolann Page. Currently residing between New York City and Providenciales, T.C.I.,

Ms. Heller is a frequent performer on the operatic stage having performed with Chelsea Opera, Regina Opera, Rockland Opera, New York Opera Productions, Opera for Humanity, and the New York Metro Vocal Arts Ensemble. Roles performed include the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, the First Lady in The Magic Flute, Sally in Die Fledermaus, the Sandmann/Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel, and Juliska in The Gypsy Princess.

Equally at home in musical theatre and dance, Ms. Heller has performed regionally as Laurey (Oklahoma!), Julie Jordan (Carousel), Marion (The Music Man), and in various supporting roles. Ms. Heller is presently the Music and Theatre Arts specialist at the Ashcroft School in Turks & Caicos.