“At the second of four performances, Pascale Spinney displayed a silken, dark-hued mezzo as Léonor, and acted the role with clarity and poise. Her moving rendition of ‘O mon Fernand,’ the score’s best-known lament, earned deserved cheers from the capacity crowd.” Cameron Kelsall of BroadStreetReview.com

Spinney is a graduate from the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. Following the conclusion of her studies, she appeared as Dido in Dido and Aeneas and as Maddalena in Rigoletto at Central City Opera’s 2021 Summer Festival, made her debut with Tulsa Opera as La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi and performed as a soloist with LyricFest in their recital titled My Letter to the World. While her Canadian contracts were cancelled or postponed in the winter of 2022 due to COVID19 case numbers rising, she was able to cover the roles of Sally and Nelly/Heather in Philadelphia Orchestra’s concert version of Kevin Puts’ The Hours and the role of Sally Bowles in Atlanta Opera’s production of Cabaret. She also sang the alto solo with the York Symphony in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Choral Fantasy and recorded and performed in the music video of Recording Academy / GRAMMY nominated composer Joseph Summer's piece O God, That I were a Man.

In the 2019–20 season, cut short by the measures taken during the COVID19 pandemic, Spinney appeared at the Academy of Vocal Arts as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and as Léonor in La favorite.

Her 2018–19 season included Mercédès in Carmen at Opéra de Montréal and appearing at the Academy of Vocal Arts as First Lay Sister and Infirmary Sister in Suor Angelica, Turnspit in Rusalka, and Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Concert work this season included the alto soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Kennett Symphony and Beethoven’s Mass in C major with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra.

Other notable engagements from past seasons include Ines in Il trovatore and Flosshilde in Das Rheingold, and covering Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Academy of Vocal Arts; Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra and alto soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Thunder Bay and Edmonton Symphony Orchestras. She sang Dora in A Little Too Cozy, a collaboration of the Banff Centre, Against the Grain Theatre and the Canadian Opera Company; Stéphano and Gertrude in Roméo et Juliette with the Jeunesses Musicales Canada; and soloist in Duruflé’s Requiem with the Choeur classique de Montréal. Spinney has also performed Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at the Vancouver Opera. She spent two summers as an apprentice with The Santa Fe Opera, where she covered Clairon in Capriccio and Ruggiero in Alcina, where she received the Outstanding Apprentice Award in 2016.

Spinney has received numerous honours throughout her young career. She was a 2015 finalist in the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage and a 2016 finalist for Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center. She won the People’s Choice Award in the Western Canada District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and went on to become a national semi-finalist in 2017. She received a bursary from the Jeunesses Musicales du Canada in 2017 upon her acceptance at the Academy of Vocal Arts. In 2018, she received an Encouragement Award from the Gerda Lissner Foundation.

Hailing from Montreal, QC, she obtained her Baccalaureate and Master’s degrees from the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. Upon graduating in 2013, she joined the roster of the Atelier Lyrique of Opéra de Montréal and made her company debut as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. As a young artist, she also performed the role of Fatmé with Les Violons du Roy in their production of Zémire et Azor.

In 2022, Spinney initiated the immigration to the US process and is currently awaiting her documents allowing her to work within the US and allowing her to travel for work. In 2023, she will be making her Carmen role debut with the Glacier Symphony Orchestra in Montana.

Praised for his “big, bright voice and agility”, tenor Andrew Surrena performs operas, concerts, and new works with companies across the United States. In 2023, he returns to Sarasota Opera to perform Jules Massenet’s rarely seen Thérèse in the role of Armand de Clerval and will be heard with the Glacier Symphony as Don José in Carmen - a concert production celebrating the company’s 40th season.

In 2022, Andrew was heard as Nadir in Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers with Sarasota Opera. His performance of "Je crois entendre encore was praised as “Melodically mesmerizing and in the hands of a tenor of pleasing voice such as Surrena, this aria leaves the audience transfixed.” (Herald Tribune)

Andrew’s 2020-21 season included performances with Sarasota Opera as Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas (March/April 2021) and as a soloist in their reimagined fall concert “Live from the Sarasota Opera House.” He also received praise for his “captivating performance” (Opera News) of the tenor roles in the newly released studio recording of Voir Dire by Matthew Peterson. Before the Covid-19 pandemic forced companies to cancel their 20-21 seasons, Surrena looked forward to role debuts as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Cavaradossi in Tosca.

In 2019-20 he sang the role of Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette wit Sarasota Opera, receiving praise for his “fine lyric tenor” (Opera News), “whose voice is rich and full through its entire range” (Herald Tribune). Previous appearances at Sarasota include Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Alfredo in La traviata. Surrena performed earlier in the year with Opera on the James in their season opening concert “With Voices Raised.”

In the 2018-19 season, Andrew sang the role of Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Opera in the Heights, Glacier Symphony, and Mid Ohio Opera, and was the guest soloist in Amarillo Opera’s spring gala. In 2017-18, he was heard as Nando in Eugene d'Albert's Tiefland with Sarasota Opera and Don José in La tragédie de Carmen with Tri-Cities Opera after covering the role at Fort Worth Opera and Sarasota Opera.

Andrew holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music from Northern Arizona University. In Arizona he performed the roles of Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), the title role in Albert Herring, and Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore).

Andrew recently relocated to Houston, Texas after a decade living in New York City.

“Even behind a veil, Brammer’s voice shimmers and glows as she prays "O Dieu Brahma," displaying flexibility throughout her range.” Hanna was praised for her role debut as Leïla in Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers earlier this year with Sarasota Opera. “Brammer serves a consistent vocal splendor.” -Gayle Williams, 2022.

Praised by Opera News as “Magnificent” for her portrayal of Pamina in 2019, Hanna has portrayed many of opera’s most beloved soprano roles. Her performance repertoire includes: Nedda (Pagliacci), Violetta (La Traviata), Musetta (La bohème), Gilda (Rigoletto), Leïla (The Pearl Fishers), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Michaëla (Carmen), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Nuri (Tiefland), Woglinde (Das Rheingold), Sofia (Il Signor Bruschino), Giulia (La scala di seta), Valencienne (The Merry Widow), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), and Mabel (The Pirate of Penzance).

After earning a Bachelor's Degree in vocal performance from Manhattan School of Music in New York, and a Masters Degree from Indiana University, Hanna made her professional debut as Rose Maurrant in Opera North’s production of Street Scene. Since then, she has gone on to sing leading roles with Opera Columbus, St. Petersburg Opera, Sarasota Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera Tampa, Mississippi Opera, Opera Memphis, Festival Amadeus, Indianapolis Opera, Opera North, Opera Project Columbus, Painted Sky Opera, and Wichita Grand Opera.

Hanna has received several awards and scholarships; she won First Prize in Opera Tampa’s 2019 D’Angelo Young Artist Vocal Competition, and has been a semi finalist in the Premiere Vocal 2021 competition, the Mildred Miller 2018 Vocal competition, and the 2015 Hans Gabor Belvedere competition in Amsterdam. She has received scholarships from the Sarasota Opera Guild, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and Manhattan School of Music, and was also in a commercial that aired nationally for Indiana University. Recently, Hanna was featured in an Emmy-nominated PBS special about the pandemic’s impact on the arts and opera.

Upcoming engagements include role debuts with two familiar companies; Hanna will return to Sarasota Opera in the Fall to sing the role of Carolina in Cimarosa’s comedy Il Matrimonio Segreto, and she will also be performing with St. Petersburg Opera as Marzelline, in Fidelio, and as The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors.

Alexander Charles Boyd is a "most consistently satisfying" (New York Times) baritone from Purcellville, Virginia. He began his musical studies as a cellist, performing with youth orchestras in Venezuela, Mexico, England, and the United States, where he won the prestigious National School Orchestra Award. After beginning vocal study, he attended the Virginia Governor’s school for the arts, and the Interlochen Summer Arts camp as a vocal student, where he was awarded the “Maddy” award for musical excellence. He continued his studies at Oberlin Conservatory, where he performed his first operatic role in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride.

Mr. Boyd has received scholarships from both the Bradenton and Sarasota opera guilds in Florida, placed second in the New York Lyric Opera’s 2016 vocal competition, and was a semi finalist in both the Mildred Miller 2018 vocal competition, and Opera Tampa's 2019 D'Angelo young artist competition.

This past season, Mr. Boyd returned to Pittsburgh Festival Opera to premier Mr. Rogers’ Operas (two of thirteen one act operas composed by Fred Rogers himself), portraying the elegant roles of King Kittypuss and Robert Redgate. As a member of their Mastersingers program, he performed Donner while covering Wotan in both Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, while working with Wagnerian experts Jane Eaglen and Eric Weimer, performing concerts of Wagner’s music.

Having climbed the young artist ladder at Sarasota Opera, Mr. Boyd "melded a firm baritone with moody acting" (Classical Voice America) as Moruccio in the rarely seen D’Albert opera Tiefland, and has performed Monterone (Rigoletto), Le Dancaire (Carmen), and Haly (L’Italiana in Algeri), while covering larger roles such as Rigoletto, Germont (La Traviata), Dr Malatesta (Don Pasquale), and Manfredo (L’Amore dei tre re).

He made his international debut in 2017 in Cyprus with Kyrenia Opera as King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors. In Los Angeles, Mr. Boyd joined Pacific Opera Project for a hilarious double bill of Salieri’s Prima la musica, e poi le parole, and Josh Shaw’s English meta-libretto set to Mozart’s The Impresario.

In New York, Mr. Boyd sang Schaunard in New York City Opera’s outreach performances of La Boheme, as well as concert performances of Amonasro (Aida) with the Gateway Classical Music Society orchestra, and Scarpia (Tosca) with New York Lyric Opera, and in scenes concerts for Anthony Laciura’s New York Dramatic Voices program.

On the more modern side, he performed Jensen in a revival of Jeeyoung Kim’s 2012 opera From my mother’s mother at Flushing Town Hall in Queens, and recorded scenes for John Young’s new opera The Death of Ivan Ilych. Another revival was Mr. Boyd’s “off Broadway debut;” Jess in Carlisle Floyd’s Slow Dusk, with the Little Opera Theater of NY.

Other credits include Imperial Commissioner (Madama Butterfly) with Tulsa Opera, Monterone (Rigoletto) with Opera Project Columbus, Barone Douphol (La Traviata) with St. Petersburg Opera, Mr. Gobineau (The Medium) with Opera Maine, Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte) with the Glacier Symphony's Festival Amadeus, Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) with Manhattan Opera Studio, and Yamadori (Madama Butterfly) with Prelude to Performance.

Bass Benjamin Sieverding has launched a promising young career that touches upon over three centuries’ worth of repertoire. He has gained notice for his “resonant, expressive bass” (StarTribune) and for a range of characterizations spanning from “wickedly charming” (l’étoile magazine) to “genuinely threatening” (Phindie). In the fall of 2021, Mr. Sieverding made his Tulsa Opera debut as Betto / cover Simone in Gianni Schicchi and his Omaha Symphony debut singing excerpts from Mozart Requiem. In the spring of 2022, he joined The Metropolitan Opera roster as Pit Singer – Bass 1 in Brett Dean’s Hamlet, made his Northern Lights Music Festival debut as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and joined Intermountain Bozeman for The Montana Mikado. During the 2022-2023 season, Mr. Sieverding returns to Minnesota Opera for Edward Tulane, returns to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Boroff in Fedora and Pistola in Falstaff, returns to Madison Opera as Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, joins the Brno Philharmonic as the soloist in the Glagolitic Mass, and returns to Glacier Symphony as Zuniga in Carmen.

In 2020, Mr. Sieverding was slated to return to Minnesota Opera to sing the roles of Bull and Neal in the world premiere of Edward Tulane, his Austin Opera debut as the Mandarin in Turandot, reprises the Dough’s Mate in Companionship with the Virginia Arts Festival, his Out of the Box Opera debut as Dr. Grenvil in La traviata and a return to Mill City Summer Opera as Sparafucile / Count Ceprano in Rigoletto. (COVID19).

In 2019, Mr. Sieverding reprised the role of Alfred Austrian in the world premiere of The Fix with Minnesota Opera, made his debut with Fort Worth Opera as the Dough’s Mate in Rachel Peters’ Companionship, made a company debut with Pacific Symphony performing The Armchair and A Tree in L’enfant et les sortilèges, reprised the role of Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Glacier Symphony, returned to Madison Opera as Dr. Grenvil in La traviata and made his South Dakota Symphony Orchestra debut as the bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah. In the fall of 2018, Mr. Sieverding performed Bernstein’s Songfest at LOFTrecital, the Biblical Songs by Antonin Dvořák with faculty and other alumni at the University of Michigan and a solo recital with Opera South Dakota.

Mr. Sieverding began 2018 with his return to Minnesota Opera as Prison Warden George Benton in Dead Man Walking and has since rejoined the company in the role of Alfred Austrian for a workshop of Joel Puckett and Eric Simonson’s new opera The Fix and as Bull / Neal / Lucius Clark in a workshop of Paola Prestini and Mark Campbell’s new opera Edward Tulane. He continued through the year on a series of debuts with musical institutions: as bass soloist in Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle with the South Bend Chamber Singers, bass soloist in Haydn’s Mariazeller Mass with MidAmerica Productions at Carnegie Hall, bass soloist in Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with Madison Symphony Orchestra, Zuniga in Carmen with Mill City Summer Opera, and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Opera in the Heights. Mr. Sieverding also returned to the Lakes Area Music Festival as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte.

In the summer of 2017, Mr. Sieverding joined the Minnesota Orchestra for Maestro Andrew Litton’s valedictory performances as music director, performing the roles of the Fifth Jew and the Cappadocian in Salome. He closed the year performing Messiah with Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers. Between 2015 and 2017 Mr. Sieverding fulfilled a young artist residency with Minnesota Opera, where his responsibilities included performing the roles of Colline in La bohème, Max Kane in the world premiere of William Bolcom’s Dinner at Eight, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, the Sacristan in Tosca, both Sarastro and the Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, and Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos, in addition to covering Vodnik in Rusalka. During that same period he made debuts with Skylark Opera Theatre as Il Commendatore and Masetto in Don Giovanni, with Madison Opera as Le Duc de Vérone in Roméo et Juliette, with the Lakes Area Music Festival as Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with Consortium Carissimi as Filandro in the modern premiere of Bernardo Pasquini’s 1672 opera Il Tirinto, and with the Minnesota Orchestra as Montano in concert performances of Otello under the baton of Maestro Andrew Litton. Additional recent operatic credits include debuts with Santa Fe Opera and Opera Philadelphia in the world premiere production of Theodore Morrison’s Oscar. As an Apprentice Artist with Santa Fe Opera, Mr. Sieverding also covered Herr Puff in Mozart’s The Impresario, the Chamberlain in Stravinsky’s Le rossignol, and the title role of Don Pasquale. As a Resident Artist with Opera Colorado, he performed Count Ceprano in Rigoletto and Zuniga in Carmen.

Mr. Sieverding is a four-time Regional Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Finalist in the Mary Trueman Vocal Arts Competition (Art Song Preservation Society of New York), and Winner of the Birmingham Musicale, Franco-American Vocal Academy Grand Concours de Chant, and Schubert Club Competitions. Mr. Sieverding completed his Post-Graduate Studies in Vocal Performance at the University of Michigan, where he also received his Master of Music. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from South Dakota State University.

After teaching choir at Skvyiew High School for 16 years, Amy Schendel is now serving as the Fine Arts Education Coordinator for the Billings Public Schools in Montana. She holds bachelors degrees in Clarinet Performance and Music Education, as well as a Master of Music Education from the University of Montana. She is a certified member of the VoiceCare Network and holds her K-12 principal licensure for the state of Montana. Amy is heavily involved in the music community state-wide. In addition to her teaching, she enjoys playing clarinet and singing for the Billings Symphony, singing onstage for Rimrock Opera, Messiah Festivals and local community theaters, music directing and playing in pit orchestra, guest conducting, adjudicating and teaching at camps around Montana and Wyoming. Amy recently completed her term as President of the Montana Music Educators’ Association and will continue to serve her community and state in the future as an advocate for music education. Amy feels honored and proud to share the stage with her son, Jacob Logan, in this production.

Montana native, Brooke Moncada, is thrilled to be on stage with Glacier Symphony. Considered a “swiss army knife” performer, Brooke is active in the Montana music scene in a wide range of genres and styles including featured performances with Billings Symphony, Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective, Montana Public Radio, Rimrock Opera and Magic City Blues Festival. Brooke’s operatic credits include Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte and Fanchette in The Lantern Marriage. Some of her favorite musical theater roles have been Ilse in Spring Awakening, Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Rosalia in West Side Story -Concert Version with Billings Symphony. She is also the lead vocalist in the nine-piece funk and soul band, The Soul Funk Collective - performing everything from Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan to Parliament Funkadelic and Earth, Wind and Fire.

Brooke received her BA in Vocal Performance from MSU-B and is a certified Evidence-Based Voicework teacher with a private voice studio in Billings, MT.

Derek Larson holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Oregon, a Master’s Degree in Education from Montana State University, and is currently taking courses on the Superintendent certification path at the University of Montana. Derek has conducted Gardner’s Lamb of God and numerous school music productions in the last 10 years. He has also won awards for his choral compositions in the Opus 7 competition in Seattle and the recent Missoula Community Chorus competition.

He has performed the role of Hoffmann from The Tales of Hoffmann with the Cascadia Concert Opera, Spoletta from Tosca with the Rimrock Opera, and participated in the Astoria Music Festival as an apprentice singing the roles of Tamino from Die Zauberflöte, Eisenstein from Die Fledermaus, Pedrillo from Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and as Der Knarr in the Astoria Music Festival’s production of Wozzeck. Past roles include the dying swan in Orff’s Carmina Burana, Gherardo in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Aeneas in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Bastien in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne and tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, Mozart’s Requiem, and Britten’s Cantata Academica. Currently, Derek is the Superintendent and band instructor at St. Regis School.

Jacob Logan is a Montana raised performer and all around lover of music. After one more semester at the University of Montana, he will graduate with a bachelor's degree in both bassoon performance and music education. At the University of Montana he has had opportunities to perform in a variety of ensembles, from Caribbean Steel Pan ensembles to full scale productions of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte. Jacob has had the pleasure to play with most symphonies across the state on both bassoon and percussion. Along with performing as a vocal soloist for the Billings symphony’s production of their summer symphony concert and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. His goals include teaching band at a Montana high school, singing arias on a Venetian gondola, and acquiring an autograph from Maestro Zoltek.