PATRICIA MCCAFFREY - voice teacher - Trish McCaffrey is currently on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, International Institute of Vocal Arts, The VoicExperience at Disney, LidalNorth, National Opera Institute and maintains a private studio in New York City. She has served on the voice faculties of the Hartt School of Music, Arizona State University, University of Michigan and University of Minnesota.

Her students sing regularly in all the major opera houses, festivals and concert houses in the world including The Metropolitan Opera, The Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Covent Garden, Vienna Staatsoper, Berlin Staatsoper, La Scala, Paris Bastille and Chatelet, The Salzburg Festival, Bayreuth, Carnegie Hall and the BBC Proms.

They have also distinguished themselves as winners of numerous competitions and awards including the Metropolitan Opera National Council, Tucker Foundation Awards, Pope Foundation Award, George London Competition, Marian Anderson Competition, MacAllister Competition, Aria Awards as well as Grammy Awards and they have recorded with such labels as Deutsche Grammophon, RCA Red Seal, Sony, Harmonia Mundi, Arabesque and EMI.

In addition to teaching a classical music technique for singing, Trish McCaffrey also teaches Broadway and Pop performers who appear on Broadway, in Motion Pictures, Television and Commercials. She has also prepared numerous students who hold voice positions at many colleges and universities in the United States.

Mezzo-Soprano Patricia McCaffrey has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Miami Opera, Zürich Opera, The Wexford Festival, Starlight Musicals and other venues throughout the world. She is most noted for her portrayals of the title role in CARMEN, Eboli in DON CARLO, Brangäne in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, Santuzza in CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, Octavian in DER ROSENKAVALIER, the Composer in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Amneris in AIDA and Charlotte in WERTHER.

JOHN LIDAL - pianist and vocal coach - As a pianist, chamber musician and vocal coach, John Lidal is a much sought after artist, and has worked throughout the United States and Europe with such artists as Licia Albanese, Thomas Allen, Martina Arroyo, Fedora Barbieri, Ingrid Bjoner, Mignon Dunn, Håkan Hagegård, Marilyn Horne, Tom Krause, Catherine Malfitano, Sherrill Milnes, Anna Moffo, Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz, Gabriella Tucci, and Sarah Walker.

Mr Lidal currently serves on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, New York; the International Institute of Vocal Arts, Chiari, Italy; the Israel Vocal Arts Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Intermezzo Opera Festival, Brugge, Belgium; Casa dei Mezzo Music Festival, Crete. He recently accepted an invitation to join the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet in Oslo. He is also much in demand for master classes worldwide, most recently at the at the University of Stavanger, Norway; Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP); Staatsoper unter den Linden Opernstudio, Berlin; and at the Manhattan School of Music, New York.

With an extensive experience as audition pianist (NYIOP) and coach throughout the US and Europe, Mr. Lidal works regularly with established artists from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and other renowned companies, and collaborates with the new generation of the many outstanding singers in Scandinavia, Germany and in the US, both in recitals, recording and broadcast.

After studies at his hometown conservatory in Trondheim, Norway; he graduated with honors from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London; the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo; and the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) in New York. As well as being recipient of numerous grants, scholarships and awards, he was 1st prize winner in 1999 of two International Piano Competitions in London, UK.

Mr. Lidal maintains coaching studios in New York, London, Berlin, Oslo, and Paris. Additionally, Mr. Lidal created and currently serves as the Artistic Director of the LidalNorth International Opera Workshop, which presented its first program for singers at an advanced level, in June 2006, in Oslo, Norway.

This workshop has received international recognition for being one of the best of its kind.

ELIZABETH NORBERG-SCHULZ - coaching/masterclasses - The Norwegian/Italian soprano Elizabeth Norberg-Schultz is regularly invited to the world's most important opera houses, festivals and orchestras. She has worked with many distinguished conductors including Muti, Abbado, Ceccato, Gatti, Campanella, Chung, Bychkov, Sinopoli, Solti, Gergiev, Davies, Jansons, Masur, Blomstedt, Osawa, Chailly, Pappano, Kleiber, Mazel, and Tate.

Her distinguished opera career includes many performances in Italy at Teatro alla Scala, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Carlo Felice de Bologna, Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, and La Fenice. Elsewhere she has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Opéra Bastille, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, La Monnaie, Teatro Real di Madrid, Opéra de Genève, Bayerisches Staatsoper, Vienna Staatsoper and The Norwegian Opera. With La Scala she has toured to Japan in La Bohème under Carlos Kleiber, Falstaff under Riccardo Muti, and Turandot under Lorin Mazel.

Her festival appearances include the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro where she has sung Corinna Viaggio a Riems, Anais Moise, Jemmy Guilielomo Tell and Giulia La scala di seta, Salzburg, Montreux, Spoleto, Macerata, Glyndebourne Mimì in La Boheme, the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, and the Handel Festival in Halle

Her many concert appearances include the Berlin Philharmonic (Schumann Requiem für Mignon and Brahms Requiem with Abbado), Vienna Philharmonic (Mozart Mass in C minor with Solti, Brahms Requiem with Abbado), I Filarmonici della Scala (Mozart Requiem with Muti, and with Gergiev), Orchestra Nazionale di RAI (Mahler 4 and Der Wein with Tate), Dresden Staatskapelle (Beethoven 9, Strauss Lieder and Mozart Requiem all with Sinopoli), Munich Philharmonic (Pergolesi Salve Regina with Abbado and Lily Boulanger Clarières dans le Ciel with Viotti), Bayersicher Rundfunk (Mahler 8 with Sir Colin Davies), Oslo Philharmonic (Mahler 4 with Sinopoli, opera recital with Jansons), Bergen Philharmonic (Mahler 4, Berg Sieben Furhe Lieder, De Falla Atlantide, Brahms Requiem with Ceccato), I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano ( Mozart Exultate Jubilate with Ceccato) New York Philharmonic (Debussy Le Martyr de Saint Sebastien with Masur), Chicago Symphony (Haydn Creation with Solti), San Francisco Symphony (Brahms Requiem with Blomstedt), Boston Symphony (L'Enfant et les Sortilèges with Osawa), Orchestre de Paris (Mahler 2 and Beethoven 9 with Bychkow).

She has recorded for Philips, Decca, EMI, Ricordi and BMG including Mozart Mass in C minor, Nannetta Falstaff with Solti, Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem with Blomstedt that got the Grammy Award, Marzelline Fidelio and Mahler 8 with Sir Colin Davies, Tebaldo Don Carlos with Haitink, Romilda Serse with W.Christie and Asteria Tamerlano with Pinnock. She has also recorded a recital disc of songs by Grieg with the pianist Håvard Gimse that got the Grieg award.

Future engagements include Brahms Requiem in Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony under de Burgos, Micaëla in Rome and Oslo, Romilda Xerses at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées under William Christie, Elena Cappello di Paglia di Firenze in Torino, Gilda in Bologna with Gatti and on tour in Korea, Norina in Oslo and Catania, Susanna and Despina in Genova and in Napoli, Zerlina in Cagliari. As well as several Liederabender and orchestra recitals in Italy, Norway, Sweden, England (where she will record a liederabend for the BBC),Verona and Malaga with Ceccato.

Norberg-Schulz is currently professor of voice at The University of Stavanger. Norway.

GAÏT SIRGUEY - pianist and vocal coach - The French pianist, Gaït Sirguey, holds diplomas from the Conservatoire National Supérieur du Musique de Paris and New England Conservatory, where she studied with such renowned musicians as Maurice Duruflé, Pierre Sancan, and Allen Rogers. She has performed and recorded extensively both as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, Scandinavia, South America, Japan and the United States where the press has acclaimed her "...an outstanding pianist...her interpretation was an engaging truly moving piece of music." and praised her work as an accompanist "...the collaboration of pianist Gait Sirguey was extraordinary in its suppleness and thoughtful mood painting."

Her collaborators include such artists as Simon Estes, Jan DeGaetani, Hugues Cuenod, Jan Opalach and Robert Routch. She has recorded for Radio France, the Swedish, Norwegian, and Canadian Broadcasting Corporations, Italian National Radio, and Télévision de la Suisse Romande. Recognized as one of the leading experts of French repertory, she has prepared the concerts and recordings of Frederica von Stade, Dolora Zajick, Benita Valente, Judith Raskin, Neil Rosenshein, Susan Davenny-Wyner, Faith Esham, Florence Quivar, and Martha Senn. In 1995, Gaït Sirguey programmed, produced, and performed in all the vocal recitals in the Four Centuries of French Music series at Lincoln Center.

She was the principal coach at the Drottningholm Court Theater in Sweden in 1989 for their production of Gluck's Iphigénie en Aulide and has coached principal singers for productions at La Scala, Covent Garden, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Chicago Lyric, Geneva, Washington, Houston Grand Opera, Opéra Bastille, Paris-Bercy, Toulouse, Barcelona, Madrid, and La Fenice. She was the musical consultant for the American stage premiers of Darius Milhaud's opera Christophe Colomb and Reynaldo Hahn's Le Marchand de Venise. In 1997 the Bonn Opera invited her to be its principal coach for their productions of Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) and Samson et Dalila.

Renowned for her expert knowledge of the mélodie française, Gaït Sirguey is often invited to give master classes in the great music schools of America, Europe, and Scandinavia and is sought after by singers for her interpretation and creative programming of concerts and recordings. Noteworthy among them is the recent New Albion compact disc "Oiseau Bleu," about which Renaud Marchart, music critic of Le Monde, wrote: "a French label really ought to record a series of melodies of this quality, with as accompanist the artist Gait Sirguey, who works in the United States, and who has a talent sorely lacking in France." Also a performer of contemporary music, she has just recorded with Jan Opalach, the vocal works of the American composer Bruce Hobson for CRI Records.

Gaït Sirguey taught French, German, Italian, and English repertory at the New England Conservatory (Boston), the State University of New York at Purchase, and the Oren Brown Voice Seminar. At the New England Conservatory, two great artists, Jan DeGaetani (contemporary music) and Eleanor Steber (opera), chose her as their associate, teaching with them for several years. She coached the young artists at Le Centre de la Voix in the abbaye of Royaumont, France for 10 years and recently joined the faculty of the Daniel Ferro Seminar in Greve, Italy.

For the last fifteen years Ms. Sirguey has taught the mélodie Française, or French vocal literature course, at Manhattan School of Music. This is the only course of its type in the United States covering the entire spectrum of this subject--its evolution from the Romance to contemporary music, as well as the parallel development of poetic movements. She is also in charge of preparing and coaching graduation recitals and is currently the consultant for a special program on French music within its cultural context.

JM CHARBONNET - voice teacher - Having commenced her career in Italian opera, Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet has more recently become recognised as a leading force in the German and contemporary music repertoire. In Europe, Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet has appeared on the stages of the Liceu, Opéra National de Paris, De Nederlandse Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro La Fenice, Bregenz Festival and the Teatro Comunale di Firenze.

Engagements in recent seasons include; Der fliegende Holländer (Senta) Liceu, Barcelona, her return to the Teatro Municipal, Santiago for Isolde in Tristan und Isolde and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Bluebeard's Castle (Judith) Opéra de Nantes, Elektra (title role) Deutsche Oper,Berlin, Der König Kandaules with NPS Zaterdag Matinee (Netherlands), the world premiere of Philippe Fenelon's Judith commissioned by Opéra National de Paris and Tristan und Isolde at the Teatro Real, Madrid.

The 2008/9 season saw performances of King Lear (Goneril) and Elektra at Frankfurt Opera, Siegfried (Brünnhilde) Opéra National du Rhin, concert performances of Bluebeard’s Castle with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, a recital at the Opéra de Nantes/Angers, Lohengrin (Ortrud) Frankfurt Opera.

The 2009/10 season begins with two concert performances of Elektra with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. This is followed in early 2010 by a return to the role of Isolde in Tristan und Isolde at the Canary Islands Opera Festival and Elektra with Polish National Opera.

By mid 2010 Jeanne-Michèle returns to the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino for Die Frau ohne Schatten (Die Färberin) and also reprises the role of Elektra with the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile.

JOHN NORRIS - body and movement coach - More than twenty years ago John Norris began his teaching career at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, where he trained actors in movement and dance. This led to a position at the National Conservatory Theater in Denver, CO. Shortly after, he was invited to train young singers at the Wolf Trap Opera Company. This opportunity enabled him to discover his niche working with singers at the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Metropolitan Opera Young Artist Development Program, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Julliard School, and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Mr.Norris coaches regularly at the Bavarian State Opera Studio and Liz Mohn International Opera Studio at the Berliner StaatsOper Unter den Linden. In addition to giving master classes internationally he maintains a private studio in Berlin.

In his work over the past two decades Mr. Norris has developed his own method for helping singers connect their bodies to their voices. Influenced greatly by the work of F.M. Alexander, Joseph Pilates, and Juliu Horvath, Mr. Norris gives students practical exercises to assist them in releasing old patterns of tension that block their bodies limit their minds and impede their breath. As singers consciously connect to their bodies issues of vocal support and sound production are addressed. This process leads to many discoveries and new choices, which, in turn, enables singers' entry into the emotional, physical, and mental connectivity to their characters. At this stage, Mr. Norris draws on acting techniques of Konstantine Stanislavsky, Ute Hagen, and Wesley Balk. Giving students experiences, which explore intellectual, psychological and kinetic trigger points, they are encouraged to find authenticity in the music and text giving a more visceral expression of each given situation in an aria, scene, or the entire role.

Mr. Norris has a vast experience directing over sixty productions of Theater, Musicals, and Opera. His credits include: Carmen at the Rostok Volkstheater; Don Giovanni at the Connecticut Opera; Lucia di Lammermoor at Ft Worth Opera; Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Edmonton Opera; and Don Carlos Shanghai Opera Company. Young Artist Productions include: Post Card from Morocco at the Manhattan School of Music; Rigoletto and Die Fledermaus at the Academy of Vocal Arts, Cosi fan tutte at Florida Grand Opera Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Ariadne auf Naxos, Zauberflöte at the IVAI Tel Aviv; Don Carlos at the Shangaoi Opera; and City of Angels, Bavarian Theater Academy.

NAJA MÅNSSON - massage therapist - is a classically trained singer from The Carl Nielsen Academy in Denmark. She has since studied with Abbie Furmansky, Trish McCaffrey, Mark Schnaible, Ann Rodiger, and John Norris.

Naja Månsson is a much valued 'body-assistent' at Ms McCaffrey's masterclasses worldwide, as well as coach for television presenters in Denmark. In addition to her singing career, she gives regular workshops in Denmark, Germany, and Belgium.

The massage and body treatment program offered at LidalNorth in Crete, is a great opportunity for singers who desire a more conscious sense of their bodies in their singing.

Body Self Developments System (Body-sds) is a unique, Danish, treatment and exercise system that helps to cure and prevent the defects of the modern person. Body-sds is known to include the whole human being, physically, psycologically, and spiritually, and all age groups can benefit from this form of therapy.

Body-sds originates from a form of treatment which consists of specific massage techniques and freeing of the joints, which strongly influences the body’s self-healing abilities.

Body-sds has helped people improve their

• Contact between body and psyche
• Inhalation and exhalation
• Harmony and inner peace
• Well-being and energy
• Mindset and self confidence

Body-sds has helped improve numerous physical conditions for thousands of people.

BORIS ANIFANTAKIS - pianist and conductor - with the completion of his studies and graduation from the Folkwang Music School in Essen and the Hochschule for Music in Hamburg, he was engaged as a conductor and vocal coach in several theaters in Europe.

He has conducted well-known orchestras, including the Bruckner Orchester Linz, the Staatskapelle Schwerin, the Hamburger Symphoniker, the Orchestra di Teatro Lirico di Cagliari and the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra.

Boris Anifantakis conducted more than 60 opera and ballet productions. For several years, he participated in the Salzburg Festival. He has also performed in the Rheingau Festival, the Musica Sacra Festival and the Schlossfestspiele Schwerin.

He joined the faculty at the Hochschule for Music in Detmold specializing in the training of young singers.

In September 2007, Boris Anifantakis was chosen from General Music Director Daniel Barenboim and the Liz Mohn Culture and Music Foundation as the director for the newly founded Berlin Staatsoper International Opera Studio.

Here famous artists, such as Brigitte Fassbaender, Julia Varady and Francisco Araiza have been invited and have given Masterclasses for the members of the International Opera Studio.

Recently, the international request for Boris Anifantakis as a vocal coach has led him not only to Milan and Amsterdam but also to New York and Damascus.