Sopranos

Jurate Svedaite
Pamina, Tosca   

Possesssing a vocal artistry and stage presence capable of transfixing audiences with “moments of opera magic,” Lithuanian soprano, Jūratė Švedaitė, has performed throughout Europe and the United States with the Lithuanian National Chamber Orchestra, the European Baroque Festival Opera, Connecticut Lyric Opera, Kaunas Chamber Orchestra, Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, the Lithuanian National Ensemble “Lietuva,” and Mystic River Chorale, among others.  Her previous roles include Violetta in La Traviata, Mimi in La Bohème, Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Nedda in Pagliacci, Micaela in Carmen and the title role in Floyd’s Susanhah. An active perfomer of sacred works and oratorios as well, her credits include Monteverdi’s and Vivaldi’s Magnificats; Bach’s Mass in B minor, Christmas Oratorio and numerous sacred cantatas; Mozart’s Requiem, Exsultate Jubilate, Solemn Vespers and Missa Brevis; Pergolessi’s Stabat Mater, Brahm’s Ein Deutsches Requiem and Faure’s Requiem. Ms. Švedaitė attended the Lithuanian Music Academy where she earned Bachelors and Masters and Degrees in Opera Performance and Vocal Instruction. She now resides in SE Connecticut where she is on the faculty of Connecticut College and Thames Valley Music School.   

Liane Grasso
Queen of the Night  

Liane Grasso (Queen of the Night) is pleased to be making her Connecticut Lyric Opera debut. Notable roles include Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffman, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and Josephine in H.M.S Pinafore. Concert appearances include the soprano solos in Haydn’s St. Nicholas Mass (Mystic River Chorale) and Handel’s Messiah (Enterprise Opera). Equally at home in both opera and musical theater, Ms. Grasso has performed with Boston’s top theater companies, including the North Shore Music Theatre (Kiss Me, Kate), the Lyric Stage Company of Boston (Anne in A Little Night Music), and the New Repertory Theatre (Johanna in the Elliot Norton-award winning production of Sweeney Todd), and she created the role of Tiger Lee in the world premiere of Mr. Lee’s Fabulous Circus. Ms. Grasso holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music degree from Florida State University.     

Elizabeth Kinder
Papagena

Soprano Elizabeth Kinder (Papagena) is enjoying her fourth season with the Connecticut Lyric Opera Company.  In Fall 2009 she made her formal debut as Giannetta in L’elisir d’amour, after singing with the CTLO chorus in Eugene Onegin (Fall 2008) and La Traviata (Spring 2009).   A senior at Connecticut College and student of Jurate Waller, in December Ms. Kinder will sing Donna Anna in scenes from Don Giovanni with the Connecticut College Orchestra.   Ms. Kinder has sung in the United States and Europe with numerous professional and student choral ensembles, including the Providence Singers, Newport Baroque Orchestra, and the Kronos Quartet.  She has performed at Carnegie Hall, on NBC’S Today Show, and in the 2007 PBS broadcast of the Saint Olaf College Christmas Festival.  Ms. Kinder recently returned from Salzburg, Austria, where she studied voice and opera at the internationally-acclaimed Mozarteum.     

Eden Casteel
1st Lady

A “stunning coloratura soprano” with a “great sense of comic timing,” Eden Casteel has graced venues from the Great Lakes to Graz, Austria. She holds a Master of Music Degree from The University of Maryland at College Park, and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.  A brand new New Englander, Eden taught voice at Hillsdale College and Spring Arbor University in Michigan, and is now an instructor at Courthouse Center For The Arts in West Kingston, Rhode Island. Favorite roles include The Queen of The Night in The Magic Flute, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, an unusual pairing of Susanna and The Queen of the Night in a production of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus. She was a First Place Winner in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Young Musician’s Competition, a Finalist in the 25th Annual Meistersinger Competition in Graz, Austria, a Finalist in the Great Lakes Lyric Opera Competition, and a Semifinalist in the OperaLenawee! Voice Competition.  A former reporter with the Cincinnati Enquirer who earned a journalism certificate along with her voice degree, Eden combined her opera and writing talents in Le Nozze Di Tutte (All Marriages are Like That), a combination of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte and Le Nozze Di Figaro, which was performed to hilarious acclaim in 2005 and 2006. Her one-act Jane Austen musical parody, Bride And Flatulence, was performed by the Tower Players of Hillsdale MI in 2010.   

Jennifer Marshall
2nd Lady

Jennifer Marshall, soprano, received her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, where she performed the title role in the North American premiere of Martinu’s opera, Mirandolina. Other noteworthy operatic performances have been that of Queen Elizabeth I in Maria Stuarda, Masha in Pasatieri’s The Seagull, and the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. Originally from Huntington, NY, Jennifer received her Bachelor of Music from the Purchase College Conservatory of Music, a second Bachelor’s degree in Italian from Stony Brook University, and is also an alumna of Renata Scotto’s U.S. Opera Academy. As a Jenny Lind Competition First Prize winner, she performed in a concert tour of Sweden, which included performing in Stockholm’s famous and historic Confidencen Theatre. She is an active recitalist and concert soloist in both the New York and Connecticut area and has performed with such groups as the Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra and Westchester Choral Society. Ms. Marshall recently made her debut with the Delaware Valley Opera as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and is a 2010 Classical Singer Convention Competition Winner.    

Adrianne Bitting
1st Spirit

Soprano Adrienne Bitting is currently a senior at Connecticut College and a student of Jurate Waller.  She is a frequent soloist with the Connecticut College Chamber Choir as well as the Connecticut College Orchestra in works such as Beethoven’s Mass in C Minor and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. Adrienne has sung with CLO chorus in La Traviata and Elixir of Love, as well as with the Salt Marsh Opera chorus in Lucia di Lammermoor.  This past spring, she spent a semester in Vienna, Austria studying voice with soprano Donna Robin and studying the German Lied with Dr. Morten Solvik. This December, she will sing Zerlina in the finale of Don Giovanni with the Connecticut College Orchestra.  

2nd Spirit – Laura Koroski   

Laura Koroski is excited to be making her solo debut in The Magic Flute. She has sung with CLO in La Traviata and Gianni Schicchi, and studies voice with Jurate Svedaite-Waller. A native of the Chicago area, she plans to graduate in May from Connecticut College with degree in history and music.