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TARA MARLENA LABERGE

Soprano Tara Marlena Laberge is originally from Calgary, Alberta,
Canada. Ms. Laberge has performed as a soloist and actress across
Canada and the US with History Theatre, Troupe America, Actors Theatre
of Minnesota, Prather Family of Theatres, the Victoria Opera Studio,
the Calgary Festival Chorus and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra,
among others. Favorite roles include Anna-The King and I, Elsa (Maria
U/S)-The Sound of Music, Delphinia -Babes in Toyland, Antonia-Tales of
Hoffman, Nella-Gianni Schicci, Polly-The Beggars Opera, and
Julie-Carousel. She is currently a Doctoral candidate in Voice at the
University of Minnesota.

Obed Floan, Tenor, began his singing career at the very early age of 3. Through his studies as a music major at Luther College in Decorah, IA, Obed performed in numerous Opera productions, such as; First Armored Man in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro, The Mayor in Britten's Albert Herring. In the spring of 1997, Mr. Floan moved to the Twin Cities where he performed with The Minnesota Chorale, Voce Magna and The Dale Warland Singers. Many of his oratorio performances occurred during this period. He was also a featured soloist with the Bach Society of the Twin Cities on numerous occasions. Mr. Floan was awarded The 2000 Twin Cities Opera Guild Scholarship and was a featured guest artist in a performance with the St. Martin Chamber Players in Peoria , Illinois . He was also a charter member of the Twin Cities' opera company, Opera Vivace. While residing in the Twin Cities, Obed studied with Elizabeth Mannion.

Obed immensely enjoys, and finds great fulfillment sharing what he has learned throughout the years teaching his private vocal studio, M-OStudio, in a joint effort with his wife, Megan Wagner Floan.

Maggie Lofboom, mezzo-soprano Maggie is a local girl, hailing from North Branch, MN. She holds degrees from Augsburg College and the University of MN, where she performed roles in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins, and Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, among others. She has worked professionally with the Minnesota Opera (La donna del lago and The Grapes of Wrath), as well as the former North Star Opera (Iolanthe), and the Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company (Princess Ida and The Mikado). When not singing, she enjoys gardening, keeping bees, cheering on the Minnesota Twins, and spending time with her family and their Hereford cattle.

Baritone Chandler Molbert

holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Minnesota and has continued study there in the D.M.A. (Doctor of Musical Arts) program. He has appeared in several operas with the University Opera Theater; his most recent roles include Colline in La Boheme, Frank Maurrant in Street Scene, and Masetto in Don Giovanni. Also an avid oratorio soloist, Mr. Molbert has recently appeared in the Twin Cities as the bass soloist with the St. Mark's Cathedral Choir in Bach's St. John Passion and Faure's Requiem, and with the Minnesota Oratorio Society in Bach's Magnificat and Mozart's Requiem. Mr. Molbert's upcoming local performances include the Fringe Festival with Opera Bob.

Poised at the beginning of her singing career, soprano Tricia Van Ee has recently completed her tenure with Opera Omaha as one of their Voices in Residence where she appeared as Kate in The Pirates of Penzance. A native of Pella, Iowa, Ms. Van Ee holds a B.A. from Dordt College and a M.M. from the University of Minnesota, where her recent opera roles included Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Mimi (La BohÃ¨me), Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw), and Antonia (Les Contes d' Hoffmann), among others. Of her performance as Mimi, The Duluth News Tribune reviewed, "Her instrument is what you would hear if lilies could sing: pure, dignified and controlled beauty." Ms. Van Ee has also recently appeared as Konstanze (Die EntfÃ¼hrung aus dem Serail, excerpts) in concert with the Rochester Aria Group. Other recent concert work includes Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra, as well as Poulenc's Gloria and various opera excerpts with The Omaha Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Ernest Richardson. Her many awards include First Place in the Schubert Club's Vocal Competition and First Place in the Nebraska District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Ms. Van Ee's upcoming performances include Handel's Messiah with the Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra and the Minneapolis Fringe Festival with new Twin Cities group Opera Bob.

Parker Anderson-Genne is a native of Minneapolis and earned a BM in performance from Lawrence University. She performs as a singer-actor-dancer in numerous venues and produces her own cabaret shows with Ruby Moon Cabaret. Past favorite roles include Frasquita (Carmen), Tzeitel/Grandma Tzeitel (Fiddler on the Roof), Margy Frake (State Fair), Polly (The Beggars Opera) and Louisa Tetrazzinni (Stilettos and Straps). Parker spent last summer at the Guildhall Hall School of Music and Drama in London, studying acting based in musical theatre. Along with Opera Bob's Fringe Festival show she is producing and performing in Gluckâ€™s Orfeo sometime soon at a bar near you. Parker loves to cook, ride her bike, picnic in the park and practice yoga.

A native of Minnesota, Soprano Anna Brandsoy's operatic roles include Mimi (La BohÃ¨me), the Governess (The Turn of the Screw), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Elle (La Voix Humaine), Giulietta (Les Contes d' Hoffmann), Lady Billows (Albert Herring), and Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos). She spent two summers training and performing in Europe, the first at the world-famous Mozarteum and the second in the Tyrolean region of Austria, and holds a D.M.A. in voice performance from the University of Minnesota. Awards include first place in the 2004 District Metropolitan National Council Auditions and the Encouragement Award in 2006. She was a member of the Minnesota Opera Chorus for two seasons and is frequently seen on stage with the Rochester Aria Group. In addition to opera, Ms. Brandsoy is an avid recitalist, recently featured in Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs, a new

In 2008 Ms. Keeton was a member of the Festival Ensemble of Helmut Rilling's Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart. In the 2006-2007 season she was a member of the Indianapolis Opera's Education Ensemble, where she sang Mercades in Carmen on the main stage, in addition to performing a children's opera for students across the state of Indiana. In 2006, she was an apprentice with Lake George Opera in Saratoga Springs, New York and with The Minnesota Opera, Ms. Keeton has sung the roles of Kate Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly and the Second Secretary in Nixon in China. Her concert and oratorio experience includes performances of Handel's Messiah, Bach's Mass in B Minor, Mozart's Mass in C Major and Vivaldi's Magnificat, among others. She has sung as soloist with the the Bach Society of Minnesota, The St. Catherine Choral Society, Minnesota Center Chorale, Rochester Aria Group, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Keeton has received awards in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Palm Beach Vocal Competition and the Florida Grand Opera Vocal Competition. She is currently the Teaching Artist for The Minnesota Opera where she performs residencies in schools across Minnesota and Wisconsin.