James K. Bass, three-time GRAMMY®-nominated singer and conductor, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Music, and Director of Choral Studies at The Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA. He is the Associate Conductor and Director of Education for the Miami-based ensemble Seraphic Fire and is the Artistic Director of the Long Beach Camerata Singers. Bass is an…

Dr. Ryan R. Brown has been praised for his evocative conducting, flexible vocalism, and charismatic leadership. Committed to broadening the choral audience through captivating programming and innovative performance practices, Brown cultivates passionate and expressive vocal artistry which empowers performers to connect with their humanity and inspire audiences. Brown is a Lecturer of Music at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of…

Baritone John Buffett enjoys a versatile career lending his “warm tone and ringing top notes” (Salt Lake Tribune) to music from the early baroque through the 21st century.  Recent solo engagements include Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Flagstaff Symphony, Bach’s St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion with Musica Angelica, The American Festival Chorus, and the Oregon and Charlotte…

Wendy Caldwell, a native of Canada, graduated with her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Acadia University in Nova Scotia, receiving the Birks Medal in Music as the top graduate. She went on to study at the University of Toronto where she obtained her Artist Diploma. Ms. Caldwell has coached and been a collaborative artist at Acadia University, University…

Internationally renowned Russian baritone Vladmir Chernov joined the Music Department faculty at UCLA In January 2006 as a Professor of Vocal Studies. Vladimir Chernov was born in a small village near the city of Krasnodar in southern Russia. Although there was no established musical tradition in his family, music was an important part of family life. His grandmother had a…

Michael Dean, Professor of Voice Performance at UCLA, has performed to great acclaim worldwide in both concert and operatic repertoire, appearing in leading bass-baritone roles with many of the leading opera houses of the U.S. and Europe. He has made frequent appearances at New York City Opera, where he performed the title role in The Marriage of Figaro, Leporello in…

“Warm, grand, and rich”, Cheryl Lin Fielding’s pianism has been praised by the New York Sun, and throughout the world. Her performances have taken her to major venues including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Recital Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Music Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Juilliard Theater, the…

Juliana Gondek is a renowned vocal pedagogue whose success with students has been informed by a more than 40-year performance and recording career on the world’s most celebrated opera, symphony, festival, and recital stages. She has starred in both soprano and mezzo-soprano roles with renowned conductors, including Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, James Levine, Carlos Kleiber, Nello Santi,…

After pursuing studies at the Hartt and Manhattan Schools of Music on full scholarship, Ms. Hak apprenticed as coach/pianist with the Merola Opera Program. She then joined the Lindeman Young Artist development Program and the Metropolitan Opera music staff as one of its youngest members and the first Israeli in history to do so. During her tenure at the Met,…

Peter Kazaras is the Director of Opera UCLA and was the Inaugural Susan G. and Michel D. Covel MD Chair at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music from 2016 to 2021. A stage director and Professor of Music, he was also Artistic Director of the Seattle Opera Young Artists Program from 2006 to 2013. Earlier in his career, he…

Collaborative pianist/vocal coach Victoria Kirsch has created and performed innovative programs throughout Southern California, including concerts based on museum exhibitions and staged art song/poetry programs. She serves as a vocal and opera coach at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. Victoria has worked with national and regional opera companies, including LA Opera and Long Beach Opera, and served as an official…

Israeli born Mezzo-Soprano, Pianist and Vocal Coach Iris Malkin graduated from the Jerusalem Academy of Music with a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and an Artist Diploma in Piano – with a Vocal Coaching emphasis. Iris has performed widely both as a singer andasa pianist in concerts and festivals in Israel, Europe, and the United States, and her performances have been broadcast…

After apprenticeships at Ravinia and Aldeburgh, and appearances with the New-York Collegium and at the Boston Early Music Festival, Miss Yates made her Italian singing debut as Violetta in a Franco Zeffirelli/Plácido Domingo production of La traviata (Teatro Verdi di Busseto), and was immediately engaged by Gian Carlo Menotti for Spoleto (Monica in The Medium, under his direction) and Francesco…