RONALD ZOLLMAN, Conductor
Born in Antwerp, Belgium, Ronald Zollman began his musical training at the age of four. After attending the courses of the Royal Conservatories of Antwerp and Brussels, he became a pupil of Igor Markevitch and Nadia Boulanger in 1967, in Paris. After 1973, his career has expanded rapidly with appearances with orchestras on all continents.

Zollman not only dedicates himself to the great symphonic works of the traditional repertoire, but is also active in the field of opera and particularly noted for his commitment to contemporary music. He has a rising reputation as an opera conductor, having conducted performances at the Belgian National Opera (Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, La bohème, Albert Herring and The Rake’s Progress). In 1984, he made his debut at London’s English National Opera with La traviata, which was soon followed with performances of The Turn of the Screw with The Scottish Opera. For the BBC, he recorded Henze’s Der Prinz von Homburg and performances of Don Giovanni.

From 1989 to 1993, Zollman was musical director of the National Orchestra of Belgium, a position he then held since 1993 with the Philharmonic Orchestra of UNAM in Mexico City. In September 2002, he took the music directorship and principal conductorship of the Northern Israel Symphony, Haifa.

During recent years, Zollman added several CDs to his discography. Also active in the world of film music, he recorded the soundtrack for Le Maître de Musique (The Master of Music), the award-winning motion picture featuring José Van Dam, a nominee for the Best Foreign Picture at the Academy Awards in Hollywood. The musical quality of this particular soundtrack was recognized with the award of a Golden Record.

In July 2001, Zollman premiered John Casken’s opera God’s Liar at the Almeida Festival (London). In March 2003, he conducted the National Orchestra of the Polish Radio for an EBU concert commemorating the 50 th anniversary of Prokofiev’s death. He also took part in the Festival “les Folles Journées” in Nantes, conducting 10 concerts there, all dedicated to Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Liszt. More recently, he debuted with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon, as well as with the Dortmunder Philharmoniker, the National New Russian Orchestra in Moscow, and the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec in Canada. During the 2005-2006 season, Zollman performed in Europe, in North and South America, and returned visit to the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra for the sixth time.

Elizabeth Koontz is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Voice and studies with Patricia Stiles. She graduated with her Bachelor of Music in Voice from the IU Jacobs School of Music in May 2006. Koontz has been the recipient of several awards, including the IU Jacobs School of Music Graduate Merit Award, IU Jacobs School of Music Undergraduate Dean’s Award, IU Foundation Scholarship, Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Voice Competition, NATS Great Lakes Regional Auditions, and The National Federation of Music Clubs Gwladys Comstock First Place Award. She performed Tytania in A Midsummer Night's Dream and a nun of the convent in Les Dialogues des Carmélites. Her other roles include Anne Trulove in The Rake's Progress at Bel Canto Northwest Vocal Institute in 2004.

Meredith Taylor graduated summa cum laude with her B.M. in Voice from Millikin University. Hailing from Solon, IA, Taylor made her professional operatic debut in June 2004 with the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, singing the role of Barbarina in W. A. Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. She returned to the company in 2005 to perform the role of Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff. Additionally, Taylor sang with the CROT Young Artist Program in 2003 and 2004, performing in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, in addition to numerous scene productions. In 2005, she was engaged as the assistant director for the CROT Young Artist Program’s production of The Mikado. Her past credits with the IU Jacobs School of Music include Sister Anne of the Cross in Dialogues of the Carmélites. In July 2003, Taylor traveled to Urbania, Italy, to participate in La Musica Lirica International Music Festival, where she performed the role of Gheradino in Gianni Schicchi and covered the role of Nella in the same production. Other roles include Mrs. Segstrom in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Mariane in Kirk Mechem’s Tartuffe, and the title role in Samuel Barber’s Little Red Ridinghood. Taylor studies with Robert Harrison.

Amanda Starr Bean is currently completing the last year of her Master of Music in Voice at IU. This performance marks her IU Opera Theater debut. She completed her undergraduate work at Northwestern University, where she graduated with honors with degrees in Vocal Performance and Italian. This past summer, Bean performed the role of Blanche de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites with the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute. Other roles include Polly Peachum in The Three Pennyopera, Lady Psyche in Princess Ida, and Madame Lidoine in Dialogues of the Carmélites. She is a student of Patricia Wise.

Abigail Mary Mitchell is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Voice. This performance is her debut with IUOT, after having appeared in the chorus of several IUOT productions. She has performed with the IU Opera Workshop and is a frequent recitalist, having given five solo art song recitals thus far at IU. She also performed Susanna in an ad hoc student production of Le nozze di Figaro last fall. In the summer of 2006, she studied at the Scuola Italia Program for Young Opera Singers in Urbania, Italy, and the Bel Canto Institute in Florence. In the summer of 2005, she participated in the Charley Creek Vocal Workshop. She is a student of Patricia Wise.

Abigail Peters, is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Voice at IU. This is her debut with IU Opera Theater. Last year at IU, she appeared as a soloist with the chamber orchestra, singing the Milosz Songs by John Harbison. Peters has also performed the roles of Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Oberlin Opera Theatre), Juno in Orpheus in the Underworld (Oberlin Opera Theatre), and Nancy in Albert Herring (Oberlin Opera Theatre). She is a student of Dale Moore.

James Ivey, of Spartanburg, SC, is a second-year doctoral student in vocal performance and literature. He received his bachelor’s degree in music education (piano) from Shorter College and his master’s degree in voice from the University of Illinois. Recent roles include the title roles in Don Giovanni and Gianni Schicchi, Morales in Carmen, and Maximillian in Candide. He has been a district winner for the Metropolitan National Council auditions, a NATS winner at the state and regional levels, and a finalist in the Mobile Opera competition. Ivey is a recipient of the Nancy Wustman Memorial accompanying award and the Joseph Schlanger memorial opera award. Last summer marked his second year on staff as vocal coach and accompanist for the Scuola Italia program for opera singers in Urbania Italy. He is a student of Dale Moore.

Baritone Michael Weyandt is a second-year master's student from Plymouth, MN, in the studio of Dale Moore. He appeared as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette last fall. In February 2007, Weyandt will perform the role of Pete Dayton in the U.S. premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s opera Lost Highway, after the David Lynch film. He received his B.M. in Voice and Composition from the Oberlin Conservatory in May 2005, where he performed the roles of Sid in Albert Herring, Peter in Hänsel und Gretel, Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, and Micha in The Bartered Bride. He performed as an Apprentice Artist at the Des Moines Metro Opera in the summer of 2005. In January 2005, he made his New York City debut in Merkin Hall as the soloist in a staged performance of Peter Maxwell Davies' Eight Songs for a Mad King with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble. Later that spring, he sang numerous outreach performances with the Lyric Opera of Cleveland.

Sara Flores recently completed her Bachelor of Music with High Distinction in Voice from the IU Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Virginia Zeani. In the fall of 2005, she began a Performer Diploma in Voice in the studio of Patricia Havranek. In 2003, Flores was chosen to participate in a summer program in Oderzo, Italy, under the directorship of Claudia Pinza, Maria Chiara, Maestro Maurizio Arena, and Enza Ferrari. In the same year, she was invited to perform for the Golden Key National Honor Society at the McCormick Center Grand Ball Room in Chicago.  Since then, Flores has performed in master classes conducted by Carol Vaness and has been chosen for IU Jacobs School of Music’s Student Ambassador Program. She performed the role of Frasquita in IU Opera Theater’s production of Carmen in April 2006. She has also given various performances for events throughout Indiana and is currently studying under Carol Vaness.