FOLLIES FEATURED SINGERS

TAMI DAHBURA

Soprano Tami Dahbura has performed previously with Maestro Morgan at Sacramento Philharmonic and Festival Opera. Recently, she played Electra in American Musical Theatre of San Jose's acclaimed production of Gypsy. Dahbura's other AMTSJ roles have been in Children of Eden, and the American premiere of The Three Musketeers. During 2007, she added the parts of Patsy in Center Rep's production of Bingo and The Witch in Crossroads Theatre's production of Into the Woods to her repertory.

 

 

BEN JONES

Ben Jones has appeared as a soloist in concert with the Schola Cantorum at both Notre Dame des Victoires and St. Dominic's Catholic Church in San Francisco, with the San Francisco Concert Chorale and as a section leader and conductor with the University of Illinois Varsity Men's Glee Club. His favorite musical theatre roles include Gaylord Ravenal in Showboat, Tobias in Sweeney Todd, Charlie in Mahagonny Songspiel, Bill Snibson in Me and My Girl and Stephen in Metropolis. Jones received his classical training in voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Cesar Ulloa, on the French Horn at Bradley University with Dr. David Vroman and Illinois State University with Joseph Neisler and on the Cello with Janis Wilkinson and Ko Iwasaki. He continues to train presently in conducting with Michael Morgan.

 

 

 

MINDY LYM

Mindy Lym makes her OEBS debut with this production of Follies In Concert. A San Francisco native, she received most of her training with the San Francisco Academy for the Performing Arts under Mr. Richard Nickol, and with Mr. Robert Weinapple at The Seydways Acting Studio. Ms. Lym most recently work-shopped the new musical Unlock'd at the TheatreWorks Now Works Festival. Other recent credits include: Eliza Doolittle in Foothill theatre's My Fair Lady, Jane Fairfax and understudied for Emma in the Theatreworks production of Emma (World Premier), Marian Paroo (Subscriber's Choice Award) in The Music Man at Hillbarn Theatre, Sister Amnesia in the Willows Theatre's Nuncrackers!, and Shelley in Ray of Light Theatre's productions of Bat Boy: The Musical (Shelley). Look for her this summer in the starring role of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Woodminster Amphitheatre. Please visit: Http://MindyLym.blogspot.com for updates.

 

 

 

CHRISTIAN NOVA

Baritone Christian Nova is Assistant Professor of Music at Los Angeles Valley College in Los Angeles, CA. He holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Vocal Performance from UCLA and a BA from Pomona College. He has sung with the Los Angeles Opera, appeared on Broadway in Cyrano - The Musical and in the U.S. National Tour of Phantom of the Opera. Recently, he appeared in the Getty Villa Theater Lab production of Philoktetes with Henry Goodman, performed the World Premiere of Walt Whitman Songs by Marc Blitzstein at the Sala Vanni in Florence, Italy and appeared in the World Premiere of The First Picture Show at the Mark Taper Forum. Other shows include Closer Than Ever, Evita, Baby, A Little Night Music and Strike Up the Band, among many others. Recordings include Oh, Kay! (with Dawn Upshaw).

 

KATY STEPHAN

Singer and pianist Katy Stephan was a soloist in Bernstein's Mass with Oakland East Bay Symphony in 2005, and on the Grammy-nominated Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester recording of Mass with conductor Kent Nagano and the Pacific Mozart Ensemble. Stephan has created original music for several live theatre productions in association with Upon These Boards, including Word For Word's Three Blooms, Lysistrata Project, Bury The Dead, and The Inkwell Communiques. She won a Bay Area Critics Circle Award in 2005 for her performance as Luisa in The Fantasticks at San Francisco Playhouse. Stephan's first full-length album of original songs will be released in spring 2008.

 

 

   

CLARK STERLING

Clark Sterling performed on Broadway in the original cast of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and was featured in the long-running San Francisco production of Les Miserables. He has starred in musical theater productions throughout the Bay Area, and has been honored with three Critics Circle Awards. Clark is the producer of the CDs Inspirational Broadway, Sterling Ovations and Christmas by the Bay, for which he co-wrote the title song. www.sterlingperformances.com

 

 

 

 

DARLA WIGGINTON

Mezzo-soprano Darla Wigginton has performed as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, and Sacramento Choral Society. Recently she debuted with San Francisco Symphony in Le Rossignol; she's performed the role of Nefertiti in Oakland Opera Theatre's Akhnaten and in the title role in Rape of Lucretia with San Francisco Lyric. She has performed original pieces by new composers including productions at Theatreworks, George Coates' Performance Works, The Marsh and the SomArts Festival in the Bay Area and at the American Opera Projects in New York. Wigginton is the co-creator of the cabaret group Girlkulture.

 

GREG ZEMA

Greg Zema was last seen at Oakland East Bay Symphony where he performed as a member of the Street Chorus in Bernstein's Mass in 2005. Recently, Zema served as music director for Ruthless at The Purple Onion/California Cabaret, Let's Go To Casablanca! at Town Hall Theatre, Urinetown at St. Mary's College, Forever Plaid at Pleasanton Studio Theatre and My Fair Lady at Pleasanton Playhouse. Zema has performed in Sweeney Todd at Solano College, Footloose at Crossroads Theatre, Flora The Red Menace at 42nd Street Moon, Camelot at Pleasanton Playhouse, New Girl In Town at the Eugene O' Neill Foundation, and Assassins at San Francisco State University.

 


BERKELEY BROADWAY SINGERS

Ellen Hoffman, Director, Founder, Music Director

Berkeley Broadway Singers will perform Who's That Woman; Live, Laugh, Love; Beautiful Girls; Lucy & Jesse; and Loveland. BBS is a 90-member community chorus, founded in 1998, under the music direction of Ellen Louise Hoffman.  BBS sings songs from Broadway shows and movie musicals with strong representations of standards from the Great American Songbook, nostalgic tunes from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, as well as jazz, Latin, doo-wop, blues, and other popular music.  Hoffman provides arrangements for many the songs performed by BBS.

Composer/pianist Ellen Hoffman is music director of the Berkeley Broadway Singers, a community chorus of 93 singers. BBS, represented by 35 members, is making its debut with OEBS in Follies. Ellen has frequently worked with Michael Morgan and OEBS as pianist and composer. She has arranged spirituals for chorus and orchestra for "Break Bread" concerts, collaborating with gospel artist Terrance Kelly. A noted composer, her composition, Ragtime Stew for orchestra and handbells, premiered in February by Diablo Symphony and Sonos Handbell Ensemble. She has worked with many artists, including Bobby McFerrin, Mark Murphy, Linda Tillery, Barbara Dane, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir. Her music has been performed across the United States. Ellen directs open mike at Anna's Jazz Island in Berkeley, and teaches privately. She earned degrees in music composition from University of Illinois and Mills College. For more information visit her Web site: www.ellenhoffmanmusic.com.