Celebrated not least for the invention of their original genre, the reed quintet, Calefax is known internationally for their virtuosic playing and their “pop” sensibility as they arrange, recompose and interpret music from eight centuries to suit their unique constellation. From early music to classical and jazz to world premières, in the hands of Calefax it all sounds fresh and new. The Amsterdam-based ensemble has received many prestigious awards, including the 1997 Philip Morris Arts Prize, the 2001 Kersjes van de Groenekan Prize, the 2005 VSCD Classical Music Award, and the 2012 German Junge Ohren Prize for the family musical show De Muziekfabriek. They perform frequently throughout Europe, as well as in Russia, China, India, Turkey, Japan, South Africa, Brazil, and the USA. The Times (UK) has called them “five extremely gifted Dutch gents who almost made the reed quintet seem the best musical format on the planet.”

Steven Tharp has been praised by Opera News for the "bel canto flexibility and sweetness" of his voice, while the New Yorker has described his voice as “strong, free, and forward in tone, verbally sure, lyrical in utterance.” In the 2017-18 season he sings as soloist in Handel’s Foundling Hospital Anthem with the Grand Rapids Symphony and in Haydn’s The Creation with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Recently he sang Britten’s War Requiem with the Winnipeg Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem under the auspices of the Defiant Requiem Foundation in New York and Oklahoma City, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Wyoming Symphony.

Grammy nominee Stephen L. Bryant’s distinguished career in concert and opera has taken him around the world, with acclaimed performances in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In the 2017-18 season he sings as soloist in Tan Dun’s Water Passion after St. Matthew with Soundstreams Canada. His engagements during the 2016-17 season included Handel’s Messiah with the Virginia and Pacific symphonies, Bach’s B Minor Mass with Orchestra Iowa and the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, as well as performing in a pair of concerts with the Grand Rapids Bach Festival.  

Fusing together elements of cirque acrobatics, classical dance and contemporary theater, Troupe Vertigo brings audiences on a spellbinding journey through the world of artistic movement. Consisting of world-class aerial artists, contortionists, and ballet dancers, Los Angeles based Troupe Vertigo was founded in 2009 by artistic director Aloysia Gavre, formerly of the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil, and technical director Rex Camphuis, whose background is with the fabled Pickle Family Circus. Recent highlights include working with Rebel Wilson in Pitch Perfect 2 and with Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz in Water for Elephants. 

“If the angels in heaven really sing, please let them do it like Nassief. Her voice combines the best of two worlds: It has bel canto size, warmth and height, and yet is svelte, with a youthful sparkle.” So wrote the Leipziger Volkszeitung when Kelley Nassief sang Elijah with the Gewandhausorchester and Kurt Masur on the occasion of the sesquicentennial of Mendelssohn’s death. In demand internationally as a concert soloist, in the 2017-18 season Kelley Nassief sings Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Orquestra Filarmonica de Boca del Rio (Mexico), Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3 (“Kaddish”) with Orchestre National de France and with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.