The Blue Fairy Cast

Robert Frankenberry enjoys a multi-faceted relationship with music as a singer, pianist, conductor, orchestrator, director, and even occasionally as a composer. On stage, he has performed a wide range of roles including Mozart (Amadeus), John Adams (1776), Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos), the tile roles in Don Carlo, The Tales of Hoffmann, Faust, and Willy Wonka, and Orson Welles in Daron Hagen’s filmopera Orson Rehearsed. At the piano, he regularly performs works by living composers with such groups as Pittsburgh’s IonSound and AnimeBOP: New York City’s The Phoenix Players and PRISM Players; and multi-city entelechron and Chrysalis Duo. He has served on the coaching/accompanying staff at Seton Hill, Duquesne, Carnegie Mellon, and Point Park; the voice faculty at Mercyhurst and Point Park; and the Theatre Arts faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, where he provided vocal direction for Pitt Stages’ productions of Nine, Peter & The Starcatcher, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; musical direction for Hair and Little Shop of Horrors; and direction for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Parade. He served as visiting Music Director for the opera program at the University of North Texas, and was significantly involved with Pittsburgh Festival Opera from 2000 – 2021 in various capacities, including Artistic Administrator, Music Director, and Director of the Hans and Leslie Fleischner Young Artist Program. Robert is currently Interim Concert and Communications Coordinator for the Department of Music at the University of Pittsburgh. He can be heard singing and playing on the Naxos, Albany, New World Records, Roven Records, New Dynamic Records, and Innova labels, as well as various streaming platforms

Jenna Ziccardi is based in Pittsburgh and is delighted to perform with Aria412 in the world premiere of The Blue Fairy. Last season, she created the role of the Lady in Aria412's world premiere of Thomas the Rhymer. Jenna has had the pleasure of performing with various companies such as Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Resonance Works, Marble City Opera, Knoxville Opera, Steel City Opera, and Pittsburgh Savoyards. A few of Jenna’s most notable roles include Jennie in the world premiere of The Doctor & The Devils, Annie in the world premiere of Royal Flush, Hildegard Hummingbird/Purple Twirling Kitty in the world premiere of Mister Rogers’ Operas, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Rose Maybud in Ruddigore, Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and First Spirit in The Magic Flute. Jenna earned her Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from West Virginia University and her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from the University of Tennessee. She pursued further studies at the CoOPERAtive program at Westminster Choir College and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, where she received the audience favorite award in the Meistersinger Competition.

Katy Shackleton Williams has made herself right at home with the Pittsburgh music scene with prestigious organizations such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO), Pittsburgh Opera, Civic Light Opera, Quantum Theatre, Front Porch Theatricals, the Mendelssohn Choir, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Pittsburgh Concert Chorale, Resonance Works, Aria 412 and River City Brass Band. Now she is happy to add The Blue Fairy to her list. Across the country, she has had the frequent pleasure of singing with Maestro Larry Loh’s Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Symphor!a and Dallas Symphony. In addition, she has sung with Maestro Lucas Richman’s Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (TN) and with Bangor Symphony Orchestra (ME). Currently, Katy is the special guest vocalist for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's Fiddlesticks Family Concert Series, a chorister in Pittsburgh Opera and is adjunct music staff at Point Park University, Carnegie Mellon University Pre-College program and Washington and Jefferson College. She is the soprano soloist at Rodef Shalom, Oakland, and the soprano soloist at Westminster Presbyterian church Upper St. Clair, PA. She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Vocal Performance. ​ You can discover more about Katy by visiting her website, KatyWilliamssoprano.com.

Mezzo soprano Louise van Mook has entertained audiences around the country in numerous opera and musical theatre productions and concerts, including Madame Flora (Baba) in The Medium, The Witch from Into the Woods, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Fantine in Les Misérables, Katisha in The Mikado, and the Monitor in Suor Angelica. She was a featured soloist in a recital series in England as part of the Cornish-American Song Institute in 2016. Louise graduated magna cum laude and Pi Kappa Lambda with a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Hardin-Simmons University and cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Converse College. She is also an accomplished violinist and has performed with choirs at Boston Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. She currently serves as the alto soloist and section leader at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church.

Baltimore native Loghan Bazan is a versatile contralto who has been praised for her “spirited voice” and “fierce and fantastic” stage presence (Theatre Bloom). Her passion for illuminating truth and unlocking the power within us all has allowed her to breathe new life into her onstage roles. She has garnered acclaim for her portrayal of both operatic and musical theatre characters, being selected as a DC Metro Arts Best of 2016 Honoree for her performance as Maureen Johnson in Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre’s production of RENT, and a DC Metro Arts Best of 2014 Honoree for her “special standout” performance as Dorabella in Maryland Opera Studio’s production of Così fan tutte. Loghan completed an Advanced Music Certificate in Voice at Carnegie Mellon University in May 2022, where she performed in their production of L’enfant et les sortilèges as Maman/La libellule. Other roles include Bridesmaid in Le nozze di Figaro (Pittsburgh Opera), Maddelena (cover) in Rigoletto (Resonance Works), Stepmother in The True Story of Cinderella (The Pittsburgh Camerata), Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Blooming Voce Summer Opera), and Dorabella in Così fan tutte (Opera Camerata of Washington). She is on the professional chorus roster for the Pittsburgh Opera, and recently joined their “Opera Trunks” teaching artists team. Loghan holds a Master of Music in Opera from The University of Maryland’s Maryland Opera Studio and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Voice with a minor in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University. When she is not performing, Loghan can be found baking pies, encouraging others to reach their full potential while teaching cycling classes at Zenergy Cycling, and spending time with her husband and their two children. She also has an affinity for game shows and has been seen as a contestant on CBS’ The Price is Right and ABC’s $100,000 Pyramid. Find her on Instagram @loghz or at www.LoghanBazan.com

Andrew Bloomgarden, tenor, grew up in Los Angeles and has called Pittsburgh home since 2014. He's thrilled to mark his debut with Aria412 with this opera. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Opera Chorus, where he was recently seen in Madama Butterfly, Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci, and La Traviata (Giuseppe, Chorus). He also regularly performs with Resonance Works, including in La Donna del Lago (Bertram, Chorus), Macbeth (Assassin, Chorus), Rigoletto (Usher, Chorus), On The Town (Workman #1, New Sailor #1, Chorus), and various choral works including Reena Esmail's This Love Between Us, David Lang's The Little Match Girl Passion, Bach's St John Passion, and Bach's Mass in B Minor. He is also a member of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, the chorus of choice of the Pittsburgh Symphony, where notable performances include Berlioz's Damnation of Faust, Fidelio, the Grammy-nominated recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and the to-be-released recording of Mozart's Requiem. He lives in Shadyside with his wife, son, and cat.

Thomas Erik Angerhofer has been delighting audiences for over 3 decades, with performances throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. His “powerful and sweet baritone” (Citizen-Times) and “compelling” (Daily Camera) are at home in a variety of genres. As an interpreter of new music, his portrayal of the Rancher in the environmental mystery Locust: The Opera led to performances at the International Orthopterists’ Society in Agadir, Morocco, and was presented in conjunction with the United Nations’ COP21 Council on Climate Change in Glasgow, Scotland. In the role of Sulpice, Opera Fort Collins’ production of The Daughter of the Regiment was awarded The American Prize in Opera. His portrayal of Joseph de Rocher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking was listed in the Top 10 Musical Performances of the Year by the Rocky Mountain News. Other favorite roles include Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor, Figaro and Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Marcello in La Boheme, Lancelot in Camelot, and El Gallo in The Fantasticks; in total, Erik has added over 50 operatic and musical theatre roles to his repertoire. He is a frequent soloist on the concert stage in concerts ranging from Bach to Lloyd Webber. For the past 20 years, Erik has been dedicated to developing future generations of artist-educators. He has been mentored by leaders in voice science, including Donald Miller and Daniel Ihasz (VoceVista), and voice pedagogy, including W. Stephen Smith (The Naked Voice) and Cody Garner (University of North Texas). Erik is an alumnus of the prestigious NATS Intern Program (2017 @ The University of Toronto) and has continued to further his education through programs like The Singing Voice Science Workshop. His classical students have gone on to perform at places like Des Moines Metro Opera, Carnegie Hall, Atelier Lyrique, and with regional companies throughout the United States and Europe. They have also won prestigious awards, including the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, and have gone on to pursue further training at institutions like The Julliard School, The Eastman School of Music, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and The Royal Academy of Music’s Opera Studio. His musical theatre students have gone on to perform on Broadway and in National Tours in productions such as SIX The Musical, Hamilton, Hadestown, Waitress and West Side Story. Erik has also enjoyed working with national acts, local bands, and singer-songwriters. Erik was awarded a DMA in Voice Performance and Pedagogy and an MM in Voice Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder. Other post graduate studies include Opera Stage Direction from the University of Northern Colorado with Brian Luedloff and CU Boulder with William Gustafson. He graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Music from the State University of New York at Fredonia. Erik is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists, Opera America, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He has served as the Director of Opera and Musical Theatre at the University of North Alabama, Director of Vocal Studies at Xavier University, and had been on the voice faculties of Colorado State University, Ithaca College, MWSU, and Metropolitan State University, in addition to teaching voice at the University of Colorado Boulder, SUNY Fredonia, and the Denver School of the Arts.

Roger Zahab enjoys instigating fairly complex and unpredictable interactions through his activities as composer, violinist/violist, improvisor, conductor, teacher, and writer. Born in Akron, Ohio of Lebanese-American ancestry, his interests have ranged far and wide. He has fostered premieres of more than 200 works and his repertoire spans some 700 years—from Guillaume de Machaut to the present. Recent activities include conducting Daron Hagen’s film opera Orson Rehearsed, editing primary and revised versions of Julia Perry’s Concerto for violin which he also gave the world premiere of in February 2022, composing the flute concerto wild woods for Lindsey Goodman, and the role of Strolling Violinist/Charon in Daron Hagen’s film opera 9/10 Love before the Fall. A new album of his music for piano, Roger Zahab – at the piano, performed by Robert Frankenberry, (and recorded and engineered by VCFA alumnx Reed Robins) was released in 2023 and is available on Bandcamp and streaming platforms everywhere. Roger’s work as composer and improvisor is primarily focused on music’s place in society at large. His work for young students to experienced new music specialists approaches more than 400 works. Recordings are available in many locations including Albany, Bandcamp, Crystal Records, Koch International Classics, Naxos, and Truemedia as well as through iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. His own work and his editions of other composers are published by C. F. Peters Corporation, New Music Shelf, Carl Fischer Music, Boosey and Hawkes, and Smith Publications. Roger studied violin and music performance at the University of Akron (BM) and State University of New York/Stony Brook (MM) where his instructors included Vincent Frittelli, Carla Spannbauer, Paul Biss, Louis Lane, Hiroko Yajima, John Graham, Arthur Weisberg, and Paul Zukofsky. His studies in music composition and aesthetics were independently mentored by Tison Street, Ursula Mamlok, and John Cage. After a decade in New York as a freelance musician he founded (and directed for 13 years) the University of Akron’s New Music Group/Daedalus while also teaching at Mount Union College and the University of Pittsburgh. In 2001 he moved to full time work at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is Teaching Professor, Director of the Orchestra, and Director of Undergraduate Studies. In 2011 Zahab was invited by the Vermont College of Fine Arts to join as a founding core faculty member of the Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition program and is currently co chair of the program. www.rogerzahab.net

Violinist Kathleen Andrews holds degrees in violin performance and pedagogy from Eastern Michigan University and The Hartt School. Her primary teachers have included Daniel Foster, Yehonatan Berick and Anton Miller. While attending the Hartt School, Ms. Andrews completed long-term Suzuki teacher-training with celebrated pedagogue Teri Einfeldt. Ms. Andrews performs and teaches throughout the Pittsburgh region, and is especially dedicated to ensembles and programs that emphasize serving and building community. Since 2016, she has had the honor of serving as concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Philharmonic. As a freelance musician, she has performed with Resonance Works, NAT 28, Wolftrap, Guardians of Sound, and many local orchestras. Kathleen has taught violin and viola at Hope Academy of the Arts since 2013, and teaches general music and string instruments at the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh. In addition to all things musical, Kathleen loves baking, gardening, reading, and practicing cello with her amazing daughter, Lizzy.

Jiddu Vega is a 22-year-old violinist and conductor from Miami, FL. He is currently finishing his first year of the master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University. He has won and has been selected as a finalist for numerous awards, including the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition at Carnegie Hall, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Fellowship, X-Factor and Quartet Award with SPHINX at the Curtis Institute of Music, and more. Jiddu holds his Bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University under Andrés Cárdenes.

Violist Maija Anstine is a passionate performer of orchestral and chamber music, committed to inspiring the same love in her students. She has taught students of all ages in Oregon, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, currently serving as Instructor of Violin & Viola at the Carnegie Mellon Music Preparatory School. As a performer, she has played with contemporary ensembles such as NAT 28, Alia Musica, and the Afro Yaqui Music Collective as well as classical ensembles such as the Pittsburgh Opera, Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, Resonance Works, CityMusic Cleveland, the Erie Philharmonic, and the Wheeling, Westmoreland, Lancaster, Oshkosh, Green Bay, Fox Valley and Manitowoc Symphonies. Maija holds degrees in Viola Performance and English Literature magna cum laude from Lawrence University, a Master of Music from Carnegie Mellon University and has spent summers at the Brevard Music Center, the Pierre Monteux School, the Manchester Music Festival, the Berkshire Opera Festival, the North American Viola Institute in Québec, and as a featured artist with the South Beach Up North Chamber Music Festival. She has played under many notable conductors, including Yan Pascal Tortelier, Matthias Bamert, JoAnn Falletta, Leon Fleisher, Manfred Honeck, and Keith Lockhart.

Cecilia Caughman is a multifaceted cellist based in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a member of a rock band (Cello Fury), a contemporary chamber ensemble (Kamratōn), and a string quartet (Academy String Quartet). She also performs with numerous regional ensembles, including the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Butler County Symphony Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, and Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra. Cecilia maintains an active teaching studio in Pittsburgh and is Adjunct Instructor of Cello at Seton Hill University. In addition to performing, she has served as the Librarian for the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. Originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio, Cecilia holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master of Music degree and Advanced Music Studies certificate from Carnegie Mellon University.

Nathan Graham is a versatile freelance double bassist located in Pittsburgh, PA. He frequently performs with numerous regional ensembles, including the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra, Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, and Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. He enjoys championing new music, most notably in a 2024 recital featuring all living composers including a work he commissioned. Nathan also acts as the ensemble crew manager for the Carnegie Mellon School of Music and has served as a sectional coach for the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra. Originally from Fairfax, Virginia, Nathan holds a Bachelor of Music degree from George Mason University and a Master of Music degree and Advanced Music Studies certificates from Carnegie Mellon University.

Billie Miller brings an innate musicality and dynamic energy to her playing as a collaborator, opera pianist, and chamber musician. Ms. Miller was a founding member of the Bell’Art Ensemble, a group that produced the Living Room Chamber Music Project series featuring Vocal and Instrumental chamber music in people’s homes across the greater Pittsburgh area for 10 years. After widening her musical world by entering into the vocal and opera realm, she earned an Advanced Musical Studies degree in Vocal Coaching at CMU and an Artist’s Diploma in Opera Coaching at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Billie was a pianist on Cincinnati Opera Fusion New Works performances and Cincinnati Opera’s Don Giovanni last summer. She performed Songs from the Uproar: the lives and deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt by Missy Mazzoli with the Kassia Ensemble, and has worked with the Pittsburgh Festival Opera Young Artists Program. Billie has performed with Resonance Works Pittsburgh, members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, CMU faculty members, winners of the Pittsburgh Concert Society, as well as performing on many concert series throughout the area. Billie is excited to join Aria412 this summer on the premier of The Blue Fairy and is thrilled to be back home working as a Vocal and Instrumental Coach at CMU. While she does not tap dance or juggle, she does love coffee, an exquisite botanical cocktail, cooking, and gardening. She resides in Pittsburgh with her husband, 2 sons, and their dog, Phineas.