Meet the Team
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Monday, 2/10/25
Romantic arias presented by Roberts Wesleyan students
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This performance included works by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini and other favorite composers in a charming event to set the mood for Valentine's Day. Program curated by our board member, and RWU Professor of Voice, Constance Fee.
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Bravo Nights at the Little Cafe are free, and perfect for both seasoned opera fans and newcomers who enjoy the casual atmosphere and the chance to see emerging vocal talent.
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MEET OUR PERFORMERS
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Lauryn Beyer
Lauryn is a junior Music Therapy vocal major at Roberts Wesleyan University, where she is a soprano in The Roberts Chorale, and performed on a Schumann Liederabend last
March. Earlier that month, she was a semi-finalist in the 2024 NATS Eastern Region Competition. In April, she saved the Roberts Opera Theatre production of Dido & Aeneas
from being cancelled by learning the role of the Second Witch overnight and jumping in at the last minute for the performances.
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Cecilia Guerra
Cecilia is a senior Vocal Performance major
at Roberts, where she recently performed as soloist with the Roberts Symphony Orchestra as winner of the 2023/24 Roberts Concerto/Aria Competition. Also the recipient of the 2024 Presser Foundation Scholarship, Cecilia sang the role of the Sorceress in the Roberts Opera Theatre production of Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas.
Originally from Portland, Maine, she performed there last summer in the chorus of Verdi’s Aida with Opera Maine.
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Victoria Heffner
Victoria is a junior Music Therapy vocal major
at Roberts Wesleyan University. Winner of the 2024/25 Concerto Aria Competition, she has performed as a soprano soloist in performances of Handel’s Messiah with The
Roberts Chorale and Symphony Orchestra and sang the role of the Spirit in the Roberts Opera Theatre production of Purcell’s Dido &
Aeneas last spring.
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Esther Knappenberger
Esther is a sophomore at Roberts, where she is a Vocal Music Education major. She was a First Place winner at the 2024 National Association of Teachers of Singing District Auditions. A soloist with the Roberts Chorale, she will perform the role of Idamente in a scene from Mozart's Idomeneo in the 2025 Roberts Opera Theatre scenes production.
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Murphy McDermott
Murphy is a senior Vocal Performance major
from Appleton, NY. A soprano in The Roberts Chorale, she has performed with the ensemble as soloist in Handel’s Messiah, and she sang the role of Venus in the 2024 Roberts Opera
Theatre production of Dido & Aeneas. Murphy is currently auditioning for graduate vocal performance programs in NC, VA, and PA.
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John "Jack" Mitchell
Jack is a senior instrumental Music
Education major from Greece, NY. Jack performed the role of Guglielmo in the Roberts Opera Theatre production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and was tenor soloist in recent performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Roberts Symphony Orchestra and Chorale. He was third place winner at the 2023 National Association of Teachers of Singing
Eastern Region Conference auditions.
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Logan Smith
Logan is a pursuing a degree in Music Therapy with a minor in Social Work at Roberts, where she is a member of The Roberts Chorale. Logan was a soloist with the RSO in Handel’s Messiah, and sang the role of Susannah in The Trees on the Mountain by Carlisle Floyd with Roberts Opera Theatre. Alongside her studies, she is an Instrumental and Vocal Coach at Discovery Charter School in Rochester, where she teaches performing arts, leads two choirs, and gives individual music lessons. A finalist in the 2024 NATS District Auditions, Logan sang the title role of Dido in the 2024 Roberts Opera Theatre production of Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas.
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Caleb Williams
Caleb is a sophomore Music Education trumpet major from Syracuse, NY. A member of The Roberts Chorale, Roberts Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble, Caleb was a bass soloist in the RWU Christmas Gala performances of Handel’s Messiah, and has sung in numerous musical theatre productions.
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Julie Runion, Accompanist
Julie is is Adjunct Professor of Piano,
Accompanying, and Piano Pedagogy at Roberts Wesleyan University where she also accompanies instrumental and vocal recitals, guest master classes, and opera performances. Winner of the accompanist prize at the
2023 Civic Morning Musical Competition in Syracuse, she has performed at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC; on WXXI’s Live from Hochstein recital series; on the Friends of Music series at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Buffalo; and with the Rochester
Morning Musicale Society. She holds the MM degree in Piano Performance from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Houghton
University.