Praised by OperaWire for their “bright and glimmering soprano,” Elisse Albian finds delight in presenting oratorios, opera, choral compositions, and all that resonates in between.
Elisse’s artistic collaborations extend to prestigious groups like The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Seraphic Fire, Apollo’s Fire, Opera Lafayette, The Clarion Choir, Ensemble Altera, Voices of Ascension, Musica Sacra, Teatro Nuovo, Artefact Ensemble, and The Benedict XVI Choir. A crowning achievement in Elisse's journey was securing first place at the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition hosted by the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall.
Recently, Elisse made their Lincoln Center debut in the role of Etelia in the modern premiere of Anna di Resburgo, an opera by Carolina Uccelli, with Teatro Nuovo. In the upcoming season, Elisse looks forward to performing as a soloist frequently with The Choir of Trinity Wall Street in their performances of BWV 32 Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen, Handel’s Messiah, and J.C. Bach’s cantata Meine Freundin, du bist Schon. Other season highlights include performing as the soprano soloist in Bach’s St. John Passion with the American Classical Orchestra.
Elisse had an exciting 2023-2024 season performing as a featured soloist in works such as Handel's Solomon alongside Princeton Pro Musica, Handel’s Dixit Dominus with Musica Sacra, and Britten’s Les Illuminations with Kollective366. In the winter, Elisse made their Kennedy Center debut joining Opera Lafayette for a performance of Moreau and Handel’s Esther.
Elisse completed a Bachelor’s of Music at the University of California, Los Angeles and recently graduated with a Master of Music in Voice at Mannes (The New School). They reside in Brooklyn, New York.
Praised for his “lovely tone and deep expressivity” by The New York Times, GRAMMY® nominated tenor Brian Giebler radiates “shine and clarity” (Opera News) in every phrase using “his high-placed tenor with great skill” (Opera Magazine). His debut solo album a lad's love garnered high praise from Gramophone, Opera News, and San Francisco Classical Voice, and earned him his first GRAMMY® Award nomination for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
Highlights of Mr. Giebler’s 2024/25 season include debuts with the Colorado Symphony and Austin Symphony (Orff Carmina Burana), Handel Messiah with the Asheville Symphony, Handel Theodora with Ars Lyrica Houston, and return engagements with Voices of Ascension (Bach St. Matthew Passion; Evangelist), and Conspirare (Considering Matthew Shepard).
“The sweetness of Giebler's impressive high tenor” and his "expressive and elegant phrasing" (Cleveland Classical) have been heard as Apollo in Handel Semele with The English Concert under Harry Bicket; Stravinsky with The Cleveland Orchestra; Aeneas in Purcell Dido and Aeneas with Atlanta Baroque Orchestra; Arnalta in Monteverdi Poppea with Boston Baroque; Evangelist in Bach St. Matthew Passion with Trinity Wall Street; Bach Cantatas with the Grand Rapids Symphony and Handel & Haydn Society; Handel Messiah with Music of the Baroque (available on recording), internationally with the Seoul Metropolitan Chorus, and with the Charlotte, Rhode Island, and Memphis Symphonies; Orff Carmina Burana with the Milwaukee and Virginia Symphony Orchestras; Haydn Creation with Santa Fe Pro Musica; and on stage with Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Boston Early Music Festival. Other highlights included a tour of the Ravinia and Caramoor Festivals with Apollo’s Fire, and multiple works with Mark Morris Dance Group including Handel L’Allegro, il Penseroso. www.briangiebler.com
Bass-Baritone Edmund Milly is sought after for his “annunciatory power” (New York Times), “perfect diction” (Los Angeles Times), and distinctive “delicacy and personal warmth” (Boston Classical Review). This season brings his solo debuts with the Baltimore Symphony (in Stravinsky’s Renard) and the Lancaster Symphony (in Handel’s Messiah). Other recent solo engagements include Britten’s War Requiem with the Yale Symphony, Haydn’s Creation with the Washington Bach Consort, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor at the Oregon Bach Festival, and world premieres by Benedict Sheehan and Luna Pearl Woolf.
Edmund’s education began with cello lessons at age 3 and continued at the American Boychoir School, where he became steeped in the concert repertoire while singing under conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and André Previn. Edmund holds degrees from McGill University and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where he studied with James Taylor. In his Lincoln Center solo debut with Yale Schola Cantorum led by Masaaki Suzuki, Edmund portrayed an "authoritative and confident" Jesus in Bach's St. John Passion (Seen and Heard International). He has since sung the role at Trinity Wall Street and the Oregon Bach Festival, and performed over 100 of Bach’s cantatas. Edmund made his Bachfest Leipzig debut in 2024, and cherishes his work with many of the organizations committed to bringing Bach’s music to life, including the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Bach Akademie Charlotte, and Cantata Collective.
A veteran of the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Edmund has been a soloist at the White House, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Supreme Court. His recorded work includes solo credits on the BBC and CBC, and appearances on several GRAMMY-nominated albums. Edmund often has the good fortune to sing with his wife, mezzo-soprano Sylvia Leith, notably in their work with the Polyphonists, a vocal quartet they co-founded. For a full calendar of upcoming performances, see www.edmundmilly.com.
