Violinist Gil Shaham is internationally recognized by audiences and critics alike as one of today’s most virtuosic and engaging classical artists. He is sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances with celebrated orchestras and conductors, as well as for recital and ensemble appearances on the great concert stages and at the most prestigious festivals.

A highly regarded soloist around the world, Shaham played nine violin concertos with top orchestras in the 2008–2009 season. He began the season with the Brahms concerto at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and later with the Atlanta Symphony and the Montreal Symphony. Other highlights last season included the Stravinsky concerto with the Houston Symphony, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra, the Khachaturian concerto with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra, the Berg concerto with the San Francisco Symphony, and Bolcom’s concerto with the Toronto Symphony.

In addition to his many orchestral engagements Mr. Shaham regularly tours in recital with pianist Akira Eguchi. He has the good fortune to enjoy musical collaboration with his family as well, including his wife, violinist Adele Anthony, his sister pianist Orli Shaham and his brother-in-law, conductor David Robertson. In spring 2007 his dream of bringing together friends and colleagues for chamber music came to fruition in a tour of Brahms programs, culminating in a series of three concerts at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall. An encore of this project took place during the spring of 2009.

Among his more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs, are a number of best sellers, appearing on record charts in the United States and abroad. These recordings have earned prestigious awards including multiple Grammys, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diaposon d’or and Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Mr. Shaham’s recent recordings have been produced for his own label “Canary Classics” – Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, The Faure Album, the Prokofiev Album, a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A major, and most recently a recording of Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and David Zinman released in November 2008.

Mr. Shaham was born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, in 1971. He moved with his parents to Israel where at the age of 7 he began violin studies with Samuel Bernstein of the Rubin Academy of Music and was granted annual scholarships by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. In 1981, while studying with Haim Taub in Jerusalem, he made debuts with the Jerusalem Symphony and the Israel Philharmonic. That same year he began his studies with Dorothy DeLay and Jens Ellerman at Aspen. In 1982, after taking first prize in Israel’s Claremont Competition, he became a scholarship student at Juilliard, where he worked with Ms. DeLay and Hyo Kang. He has also studied at Columbia University.

Gil Shaham was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990 and in 2008 he received the coveted Avery Fisher Award. He plays the 1699 “Countess Polignac” Stradivarius. He lives in New York City with his wife, violinist Adele Anthony and their two children.

Coloratura soprano Alison Trainer is claiming her place among the most important emerging singers today. A gifted singing actress, Ms. Trainer has garnered top prizes in several major vocal competitions and is increasingly gaining recognition for her vocal beauty, sensitive and intelligent musicianship, and compelling stage presence.

Alison made her European debut as Fiakermilli in Arabella in St. Gallen, Switzerland in 2009. Also in the 2008-2009 season she joined Tulsa Opera to sing Sandman and Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel. In the summer of 2008, she returned to New Jersey Opera to sing Valencienne in The Merry Widow and sang the role of Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro with the Berkshire Opera. Also in 2008, Ms. Trainer sang Handel’s Messiah with the Pennsylvania Ballet and Symphony at The Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and returned to Albany Pro-Musica to sing Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem.

During the 2006 – 2007 season, Ms. Trainer returned to New York City Opera to sing the Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel. She also sang the Dew Fairy and Sandman with the Phoenix Symphony, performed as a soloist in “Mozart at the Opera” with Albany Symphony and Dayton Symphony, sang the soprano solos in the Poulenc Gloria with the Erie Philharmonic, a Holiday Pops concert with the Asheville Symphony, and Carmina Burana with both the Southeastern Festival of Song (SEFOS) and the Charlottesville Symphony.

For her performance as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, the Baltimore Sun hailed Alison as “a convincing actress with a voice of radiant beauty.” Ms. Trainer received critical acclaim for her debuts with Central City Opera as Tiny in Paul Bunyan, and Cleveland Opera as Adina in L’elisir d’amore.

During the 2005-2006 season, she returned to North Carolina to sing Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem with Asheville Symphony, she had her New York City Opera debut singing Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, her Avery Fisher Hall debut singing Carmina Burana with the National Chorale, and returned to the Aspen Music Festival to sing Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

Ms. Trainer’s professional opera credits include Adele in Die Fledermaus with Annapolis Opera, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, and on the Western Opera Theater National Tour, Rose in Street Scene at the Aspen Music Festival, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Boston Lyric Opera, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro with Glimmerglass Opera. Ms. Trainer won first place in the 2005 Metropolitan Opera Northeast Regional Competition, first place in the 2005 Liederkranz Competition, and was a top prize winner in the 2005 Sullivan Foundation Competition.

Ms. Trainer earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University, a Master of Music degree from Cincinnati Conservatory, and a Performer’s Certificate from the Opera Institute at Boston University. She has been an apprentice artist with Glimmerglass Opera and San Francisco Opera’s Merola program, and a vocal fellow at Tanglewood Music Festival and Aspen Music Festival.

Quickly becoming an in-demand presence on American and international stages, tenor Scott Scully’s engagements in the 2007-08 season included Louis in Angels in America and the Ballad Singer in Of Mice and Men, both for Fort Worth Opera. He also joined the Dallas Opera for The Merry Widow and appeared with Opera Pacific in performances of Die Zauberflöte.

In the 2008-2009 season he sang the Steuermann in the Der Fliegende Holländer with Edmonton Opera, Chevalier de la Force in The Dialogues of the Carmelites with Austin Lyric Opera, and performed Carmina Burana with the Greensboro Symphony.

In the 2009-2010 season Mr. Scully joins the roster of the Metropolitan Opera singing the roles of Remendado in Carmen and the Young Prisoner in The House of the Dead, as well as participating in productions of Ariadne auf Naxos and Turandot. Additional upcoming engagements include appearances with the Alabama Symphony in Handel’s Messiah and the Eugene Symphony in Mozart’s Coronation Mass.

In addition to Nemorino, he sang Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles with Arizona Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Opera Ontario, Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Opera Colorado, and Ferrando, Rodolfo, and Alfredo for the Bar Harbor Music Festival in productions of Così fan tutte, La Bohème and La Traviata, respectively. Mr. Scully made his San Francisco Opera debut as Squeak in Billy Budd after which he joined Pittsburgh Opera for subsequent performances of the role. He has twice portrayed the Chevalier in Dialogues of the Carmelites in performances led by James Conlon and Christopher Larkin, and has participated in Falstaff, Der Rosenkavalier and Handel’s Messiah with the Cleveland Orchestra, under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst. He has previously performed Beppe in I Pagliacci with Opera Pacific, Cassio in Otello with Palm Beach Opera, and the Tenor in Weill in Weimar 1929 with Edmonton Opera.

An alumnus of the acclaimed Houston Grand Opera Studio, Mr. Scully made his company debut as the Messenger in Aida, and was the original interpreter of the Lamplighter, Drunkard, Hunter, and Baobab in the world premiere of Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince. Other performances on the Houston Grand Opera stage include Martin in The Tender Land, Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the Shepherd in Tristan und Isolde, Beppe in I Pagliacci, Yeroshka in Prince Igor, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Ballad Singer in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men. Also a former member of the Wolf Trap Opera Company and the San Francisco Opera Center, Mr. Scully sang Rodolfo in La Bohème for the Merola Opera Program and was immediately re-engaged to repeat the role on the Western Opera Theatre tour.

With a strong voice and even stronger sense of drama, baritone Michael Mayes is making waves in the opera world for his command of the stage and attractive masculine presence.

Originally from Conroe, Texas, Michael has performed with several opera companies across the United States including Madison Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Skylight Opera, Opera Theatre Highland Park, Central City Opera, Union Avenue Opera Theatre, and Fort Worth Opera.

In the 2008-2009 season Mr. Mayes sang the title role in Don Giovanni with Connecticut Opera, Marcello in La Bohème with Skylight Opera Theater, Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore with Eugene Opera, Morales in Carmen and Motorcycle Cop in Dead Man Walking with Fort Worth Opera.

Upcoming engagements include a return to Duluth Festival Opera for Marcello in La Bohème, Valentin in Faust with Opera Birmingham, Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Oklahoma Ballet, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with both Arizona Opera and Virginia Opera, and the title role in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Ft. Worth Opera.

Engagements for 2007-2008 included Dandini in La Cenerentola with Connecticut Opera, Lancelot in Augusta Opera’s Camelot, Top in The Tender Land with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Marcello in La Bohème with Opera on the James, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with PORTOpera, and Peter in Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production of Hänsel und Gretel.

In an extension of his involvement with the development of Margaret Garner, a new opera by Richard Danielpour, Mr. Mayes appeared as the Fisherman and covered Edward Gaines in the world premiere at Michigan Opera Theatre and Cincinnati Opera. In a subsequent performance at The Opera Company of Philadelphia he performed the role of Edward Gaines opposite mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, which he also performed at Opera Carolina with Ms. Graves to critical acclaim.

Other recent engagements include the title role in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Duluth Festival Opera, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with Opera on the James and Ping in Turandot with Michigan Opera Theater.

A graduate of the University of North Texas, his operatic roles include Wagner in Faust, Sciarrone in Tosca, and Marullo in Rigoletto, Silvio in I Pagliacci, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Dandini in La Cenerentola, The Librettist in Viva La Mamma, Lord Capulet in Roméo et Juliette, John Proctor in The Crucible, both Slook and Tobia Mill in La Cambiale di Matrimonio, Escamillo in Carmen, and Malatesta in Don Pasquale. As a participant in the highly prestigious young artist program at The Santa Fe Opera Michael covered the role of Claudio in Tim Albery’s production of Beatrice et Benedict and performed scenes of Rossini’s William Tell.

Mr. Mayes has appeared internationally in conjunction with La Fenice in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy. Mr. Mayes’s honors include 3rd place winner at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in Chicago, the Entergy Young Texas Artist Competition Vocalist Award, John Alexander Award, the John Moriarty Award, and an advanced division winner at the Anton Guadagno Vocal Competition.

The San Antonio Symphony Mastersingers is a highly acclaimed, 120-voice chorus of volunteers from throughout the San Antonio area. Max Reiter, founding Music Director of the San Antonio Symphony, established the chorus in 1944 to support opera productions presented by the Symphony. Today’s Mastersingers are featured in every area of the Symphony’s performance schedule. The chorus also presents independent performances.

The Mastersingers’ reputation for meticulous preparation and professionalism has brought the group frequent invitations for tours and guest appearances. In 1994, the Mastersingers traveled to Carnegie Hall to present the New York premiere of Robert Levin’s edition of the Mozart Requiem. This second appearance of the chorus at Carnegie Hall received the same critical acclaim as their performances throughout Texas, in Monterrey, Mexico, in New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, and in the Royal Festival Hall, London. In May 2008, the chorus performed Mozart’s Solemn Vespers at Carnegie Hall, John Silantien conducting. Later that same year, they were invited to perform a concert version of Cavalleria Rusticana, with Andrea Bocelli in the starring role. The chorus has performed under some of the world’s leading music directors—Zdenek Macal, Jahja Ling, Sixten Ehrling, Nicholas McGegan, Christopher Hogwood, and others.

The Mastersingers have produced two recordings in their history. Their first, a 1978 release on the Telarc label, is an acclaimed album of choral works including Verdi’s “Ave Maria,” John Corigliano’s “Psalm 90,” and a set of six previously unrecorded works by Hugo Wolf. In 1987 the Symphony and Mastersingers released Christmas Festival, an album of holiday music, with James Sedares conducting.

In 1994, then San Antonio Mayor Nelson Wolff proclaimed the Mastersingers “one of the crown jewels within the San Antonio Arts community.” The chorus continues to delight audiences during its upcoming sixty-fifth season.