Alaina Brown (Queen of the Night, The Magic Flute) has been praised for her fine musicianship and exquisite coloratura. She has gained national and international recognition for her interpretation of Handel and Mozart. The Cincinnati Post named her as, “The Young Artist to watch”, following her debut with the Cincinnati Opera as Frasquita in Carmen.

Ms. Brown made her European debut as Mary Stone in a new production of Douglas Moore’s, The Devil and Daniel Webster, in Palermo, Italy, under the baton of Maestro Danilo Lambordini. She also released her first recording of rare oratorio works under the Bongiovanni label of Rome Italy. Ms. Brown has made several appearances on the Detroit Opera House stage in roles such as: Inez, from Il Trovatore; Lily and The Strawberry Woman from Porgy and Bess; Marianne from Der Rosenkavalier. With the Great Lakes Lyric Opera, Ms. Brown sang the role of Aurora in the premier of William Grant Stills' opera A Bayou Legend, the role of Adina in The Elixir of Love as well as Roselinda in Die Fledermaus.

She has been a guest soloist with The Dallas Symphony, The Rackham Symphony Choir, the Orchestra Filarmonica Siciliana Palermo Italy, the Festival Orchestra Graz, Austria and the Macomb Symphony to name a few. Ms. Brown is a frequent soprano soloist for Handel’s Messiah with Maestro Dr. Robert Harris of Northwestern University. She is also the winner of several awards including, The William Warfield Scholarship Rochester, New York; The Der Meistersinger Award for Opera Achievement Graz Austria and the Fondizione di Teatro Massimo Award for Opera Performance, Palermo Italy.

In addition to her many vocal credits Ms. Brown made her stage-directing debut of The Wiz in 2006 for the Performing Vocal Arts Center in Santa Barbara California. She has also been Assistant Director for the Michigan Opera Theater’s Learning at the Opera House Opera Workshop for ten consecutive summers.

George Cornelius (Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni, Papageno,The Magic Flute) made his mainstage opera debut in Fort Worth Opera's productions of Salome and Tosca in 2004-2005, and returned in 2005-2006 for Dialogues of the Carmelites. In 2007, an apprentice artist with the company, Mr. Cornelius sang at Fort Worth Opera as Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, Peter in the world premiere of Pasatieri's Frau Margot, and covered roles in both Frau Margot and Falstaff. This year finds Mr. Cornelius performing the roles of Papageno and Don Giovanni with Arbor Opera Theatre, as well as Escamillo in La tragedie de Carmen with Pine Mountain Music Festival. He has also performed such leading roles as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Falke in Die Fledermaus, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte and Count Danilo in The Merry Widow. Mr. Cornelius currently studies at the University of Michigan with Stephen Lusmann, where he recently performed in Argento's Postcard from Morocco, and will next year sing the title role in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.

Rebecca O-G Eaddy (Pamina, The Magic Flute) is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan, holding a bachelor in music: voice performance with teacher certification. Rebecca has been a member and soloist with the Michigan Youth Chamber Singers conducted by Dr. Jerry Blackstone. She was also a finalist in the Verdi Young vocalist competition in Warren, MI, second place winner in the Madrigal Chorale of Southfield vocal competition, first place winner and runner-up for the NANBWP Inc. district vocal competition (formally known as the Leontyne Price Vocal Competition). She has been crowned state Miss Black and Gold, was a finalist in the 2006 National Opera Association Vocal Competition, and has won the local NAACP ACT-SO competition in both classical and contemporary vocal categories. Rebecca is a member of the Michigan Opera Theatre's Opera Chorus, which debuted Margaret Garner by Richard Danielpor, text by Toni Morrison. Rebecca made her University of Michigan's opera production debut as the Sandman in Humperdink's Hansel and Gretel in the of Fall 2004, has performed the title role in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea in the 6th International Music Festival in Novafeltria, Italy (Summer 2005) and has performed the role of Drusilla from the same opera at the University of Michigan.

Mitchell Gillett (Priest, The Magic Flute), a long time resident of Ann Arbor, has sung with Detroit's MOT, Southern Ohio Light Opera, The Colorado Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, the Comic Opera Guild, and with AOT as Donald in Gallantry, Don Basilio/Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro and Boy 1 in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti. He has appeared as a soloist at numerous churches in southern Michigan and Arizona, has sung with the Academy of Early Music (Ann Arbor), the Alma Symphony Orchestra, and the Ann Arbor Civic Band. Other roles include El Rememdado in Carmen, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Orpheus in Orpheus In The Underworld, and Tamino in The Magic Flute.

Chris Grapentine (Commendator, Don Giovanni) has excelled in many types of vocal music, encompassing opera, oratorio, chamber music, Broadway, lieder and even children's programs.

Mr. Grapentine has made numerous oratorio and concert appearances with choirs and orchestras throughout the Midwest & Ontario. As a guest soloist with the Michigan State University Chorale & Orchestra, he performed the Mozart CredoMass at Lincoln Center's Mozart Festival. He was also featured in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's series of children's outreach concerts. On the opera stage Mr. Grapentine has portrayed a wide variety of comic and dramatic roles for both bass and baritone. As a member of the vocal quartet S.A.T.B. for the past eighteen years Mr. Grapentine has sung on many concert series, at colleges, with orchestras, and in schools for educational programs. The International Music Festival in the Cayman Islands highlighted the quartet in a program of opera and musical comedy.

After receiving his BM and MM from the University of Michigan, Mr. Grapentine studied with William Warfield and John Wustman at the University of Illinois. He has taught voice at Hillsdale College, Concordia University-Ann Arbor and Madonna University and was director of choirs and drama at Lake Michigan College. In addition to his singing, he is presently the pastor of Northside Community Church and a piano tuner-technician in the Ann Arbor area.

Robby Griswold (Monostatos, The Magic Flute), a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a 2007 graduate of the University of Michigan, where he studied the liberal arts. In his recent foray into vocal music, Robby has performed the role of Strephon in Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe, participated in several workshops at Detroit Opera House, and sung for other events for Arbor Opera Theater. He would like to thank Professor George Shirley, Minnita Daniel-Cox, Shawn McDonald and Caroline Rogers for their advice and mentorship.

Lori Celeste Hicks (Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni), a native of Detroit, has performed in numerous operas, recitals, and concerts across the country and abroad. She has sung leading operatic roles such as Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme, Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Rosalinda in J. Strauss' Die Fledermaus, Alice in Verdi's Falstaff, and Poppea in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. Ms. Hicks is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan where she studied with tenor George Shirley and obtained a Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree. She also holds degrees in Music Education from Kentucky State University, and a Masters of Music from Bowling Green State University. Lori continues to study with Mr. Shirley and currently resides in Ohio where she teaches at the Ohio University in Athens.

Megan Higle (Second Lady, The Magic Flute) recently graduated summa cum laude from Marygrove College (2007) and continues to study voice in the studio of Caroline Rogers. She has coached with Jacqueline Csugai-Schmidt, Denyce Graves and Roderick Dixon. Mrs. Higle is currently in a conducting internship with Suzanne Mallare Acton (Michigan Opera Theater and Rackham Symphony Chorus) where she is honing her skills as a conductor. Megan lives in Detroit with her husband, sons and pets.

Kelly Holst (Zerlina, Don Giovanni), coloratura soprano, is an active performer of operatic, concert and recital repertoire, appearing with organizations such as the Michigan Opera Theatre, the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, the Battle Creek Symphony, the Lafayette Symphony, the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, the Indiana University Opera Theatre, and the University of Michigan Opera Theatre. Ms. Holst's operatic roles include Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Olympia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Elizabeth Taylor in Michael Daugherty's Jackie O, Tisbe in Hasse's Piramo e Tisbe, and Cupid in Purcell's King Arthur. Most recently Kelly performed the Coloratura Soprano role in Argento's Postcard from Morocco with the University of Michigan Opera Theatre. In February 2008 she made a solo appearance at Carnegie Hall with the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

Kelly has received a number of regional awards including an Encouragement Award at the Metropolitan Opera District Auditions in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was a winner of the Upper Midwest Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 2000. Ms. Holst holds degrees from Luther College, Indiana University and the University of Michigan. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. A dedicated teacher of voice, Kelly has a private voice studio in Ann Arbor and is an adjunct instructor of voice at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan.

Richard Knapp (Leperello, Don Giovanni) baritone, performs actively in opera, oratorio, and concert. He has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera de Lafayette, Chicago Opera Theater, the Comic Opera Guild, Arbor Opera Theater, and many other companies. He has been a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony.

He was a finalist for the Friedrich Schorr Prize and an award winner in the MacDowell Society Vocal Competition. His operatic repertory of more than 20 roles includes Germont, Figaro, Count Almaviva, Don Giovanni, Malatesta, Papageno and Silvio. Richard also danced professionally for over 15 years, performing with the American Ballet Theater, the Kalamazoo Ballet, and Ann Arbor Ballet Theatre. He recently relocated to Michigan from Chicago, where he taught on the faculty of the VanderCook College of Music, and sang the national anthem for the Chicago Cubs, White Sox and Blackhawks.

Sheena Law (Zerlina, Don Giovanni) is a native of Michigan, completeing her Bachelor's degree at Eastern Michigan University and a Masters degree at the University of Michigan, where she was a graduate student instructor and coordinator of the Performance Outreach Program. Most recently Sheena appeared at the University of Michigan as Marenka in The Bartered Bride and as Ilia in scenes from Idomeneo. Some of her past performance experiences include the Role of Serpina in La Serva Padrona , Sister Dolcina in Suor Angelica, Herself in The Proposal, Reeno in Anything Goes, and Liesel in The Sound of Music. She has also performed Sussanah in Le Nozze di Figaro, Cloe from Pique Dam, and Leatitia in The Old Maid and the Thief in summer workshops at Michigan Opera Theater. In the spring of 2004 she played the role of Ruth Putnam in The Crucible with Toledo Opera. In the summer of 2003 Sheena studied German song literature at The American Institute of Music in Graz Austria with Galina Piseranko and Anna Margulise from the Moscow Conservatory. In the summer of 2006 Sheena completed a summer intensive program in Los Angeles called Opera Works where she studied movement, improvisation, and performance acting techniques. In 2009 she will be singing second lady with the Ann Arbor Symphony in a performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute.

Andy Papas (Masetto, Don Giovanni) hails from the Boston area and is entering his 2nd year as a Masters student at the University of Houston. A 2007 graduate of the University of Michigan, Andy recently made his Moores Opera Center debut as Le Mari in Les Mamelles de Tireisias. In April, Andy performed the role of Snooks (Father of the Bride) in the Houston premiere of William Bolcom's A Wedding. Upcoming roles include The Count with Halifax Summer Opera Workshop. Andy thanks his family and friends for their support, Joseph Evans for vocal training, and AOT for this wonderful opportunity.

Curtis Peters (Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni) , tenor, resides in Livonia, Michigan and received his Masters degree in Voice Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music, where he studied with internationally acclaimed soprano Lorna Haywood. Following his graduate work at the University of Michigan, Mr. Peters continued his studies with world-renowned voice teacher and clinician Richard Miller at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Later, Mr. Peters worked with New York voice teachers David Jones and Neil Semer.

Mr. Peters has performed as soloist with many groups throughout Michigan, including recent appearances with the Windsor Symphony, the Detroit Oratorio Society, the Livonia Symphony, the Flint Symphony, the Royal Oak Symphony, the Plymouth Symphony and the Metropolitan Detroit Chorale. In recent seasons, Mr. Peters sang the role of Alfred in the Great Lakes Lyric Opera production of Die Fledermaus and Alfredo in the Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan's production of Verdi's La Traviata. Mr. Peters also recently made his debut with the Rochester Symphony (Michigan), singing Messiah alongside Metropolitan Opera bass James Patterson. In May of 2005, Mr. Peters was chosen to sing "Nessun dorma" for a national television advertisement for Ford Motor Company.

Equally gifted as a concert artist, Mr. Peters recently sang with the Rochester Symphony, performing the tenor solos in Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Other performances included performances of the Dvorak Stabat Mater with the Rochester Symphony and Bach's Magnificat with the combined voices of Vangard Voices and the Dearborn Community Chorus . In March of 2006, Mr. Peters recorded the leading tenor roles in Yanitza and Acis et Galatee, two operas composed by Detroit Symphony director Paul Paray. Mr. Peters was invited back this past spring to perform and record Paul Paray's Mass. Mr. Peters is the tenor soloist and section leader for the First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak and also serves as tenor soloist and section leader for Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills.

Joanna Ruszala (Donna Anna, Don Giovanni) graduated from the Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland, where she studied with H. Januszewska and received a Master of Music degree, later becoming a member of the voice faculty. Ruszala’s awards include the VIII International Ada Sari Competition of Vocal Art in Nowy Sacz ( Poland), where she won the Second Prize and a Special Prize for Outstanding Soprano. She was also a laureate of Polish Vocal Competitions in Duszniki Zdroj and in Katowice, where she received a Special Prize from the artistic director of Silesian Philharmonics. She has given recitals and opera performances in Italy, Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Bulgaria, where she made her operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Varna State Opera. She has appeared in leading roles in Mozart’s Der Schauspiel Direktor and concert versions of Verdi’s La Traviata, Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and DonPasquale, Delibes’ Lakme, Gounod’s Faust, and Moniuszko’s Flis. In the fall 2006 she sang Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and in 2007, the role of Mimi in La Boheme, both productions with David Effron and Tito Capobianco in Indiana University Opera Theater. In addition, Joanna Ruszala has performed oratorios and masses with the National Orchestra of Polish Radio and with many other Polish Philharmonics.

Karl Schmidt (Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni) has been featured in Michigan Opera Theatre Mainstage productions of Orpheus, Die Fledermaus,The Merry Widow, Salome and The Magic Flute. He has also sung leading roles with Toledo Opera and Opera Mid-Michigan. Mr. Schmidt has been a soloist with many Detroit-area symphony orchestras, including singing with the DSO in "The Magic of Opera"� at Orchestra Hall. Karl has been the tenor soloist for performances of Handel's Messiah, the Bach Magnificat, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Honegger's King David. He has also sung the role of Don Jose in Carmen with the SW Michigan Symphony. In 2006 he performed the role of Rodolfo� in La Boheme with Arbor Opera Theater, and last season sang the role of Alfredo� in La Traviata with the same company. Most recently he was the tenor soloist for Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with Dearborn Symphony. Mr Schmidt holds a Master's degree in vocal performance and is a Professor of Music at both Hillsdale College and Concordia University, Ann Arbor.

Angela Torres-Kutkuhn (Third Lady, The Magic Flute) is a second bachelors student at Eastern Michigan University, studying vocal performance. Her first B.A. is from the University of Iowa in Theater Arts with an emphasis on costume design. This is Ms.Torres-Kutkuhn's first role with AOT as well as her first in the professional performing world. Ms.Torres-Kutkuhn serves as a board member for AOT and has performed as a chorus member for their productions of La Traviata, La Boheme, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. She has also performed as a dancer for two productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors. Ms.Torres-Kutkuhn has served as co-costume designer for La Traviata and La Boheme, and in February of 2008 she was the costumer for Comic Opera Guild's performance of The Fortune Teller. Most recently, Ms.Torres-Kutkuhn sang the role of Ciesca and covered the role of Lauretta in EMU's production of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. When not singing or making costumes, Angela works at Zingerman's Bakehouse.

Christopher Vaught (Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni) hails from San Angelo, Texas where he received his Bachelor's degree in Music from Angelo State University. He also holds a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from Bowling Green State University where he studied with Andreas Poulimenos. Mr. Vaught's performance experience includes leading roles in The Marriage of Figaro, Albert Herring, Merry Wives of Windsor, Gianni Schicchi, and La Boheme. He and his wife Tamara currently reside in the Detroit Metro area. Christopher has performed with the Michigan Opera Theatre Chorus since the spring of 2001 and has performed roles in MOT's productions of Margaret Garner, Il Trovatore, Otello, Don Pasquale, and the world premiere production of David DiChiera's Cyrano.

Todd Wieczorek (Leperello, Don Giovanni) is known for his dramatic instincts and versatility as a performer, performing roles with such organizations as the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Indiana University Opera, Opera Lirica Italiana, The Bloomington Early Music Festival, and as a soloist with the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Hamilton, The Guelph Chamber Choir, and the Western Suburban Choral Union (Wheaton, IL). His performance credits are varied with such roles as the title character in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Alfio in Cavelleria Rusticana, Eddie in Bolcom's A View from the Bridge, Dick Deadeye in Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore, Angelotti in Tosca, and Bhaer in Adamo's Little Women, working with such conductors as Robert Wood, David Effron, Ward Holmquist, and Ted Taylor. Other credits found him as the title character in Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado, Judge Turpin in Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, and Cold Genius in Purcell's King Arthur. In 2004, he was selected as Professional Artist for Songfest 2004, in which he worked with Martin Katz and composer John Harbison. In addition to up-coming recital appearances, Mr. Wieczorek will be seen in the roles of Leporello and the Don in future productions of Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Mr. Wieczorek's musical training started in his home town of South Bend, IN. He went on to earn his BM in Voice Performance at Wheaton College's Conservatory of Music, his MM from the University of Kansas, and recently finished his DM at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music (Bloomington).

Mr. Wieczorek holds the rank of Assistant Professor of Music, teaching Voice and Italian Diction at the University of Western Ontario's Don Wright Faculty of Music.

Karin White
karinwhite.com

Karin White (Donna Anna, Don Giovanni) recently portrayed the role Violetta in La Traviata with the Arbor Opera Theater and Cio- Cio San in Madama Butterfly as a guest artist with Ball State University under the baton of Maestra Fiora Contino. Recent 2007 engagements include a concert of Handel arias for the California Music Festival, and the Carmina Burana with the Dearborn Symphony. Other staged roles include Mimi in La Bohème, the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella. 

Her oratorio performances include the Mozart Requiem, Orff's Carmina Burana, Handel's Messiah, the Brahms Requiem, Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the Verdi Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, Mozart's Vesperae Solennes, Bach’s Magnificat, and many others. She has been a guest soloist with for the Battle Creek Symphony, the Dearborn Symphony, the Plymouth Symphony, the Canton Symphony, the Westmoreland Symphony, the Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony, Eastern Michigan University, University of Michigan, The Verdi Opera Theater, and the Saginaw Chorale and Midland Music Society.

Karin is currently under management with Manhattan Artist Representatives, New York, NY.

Warren Puffer Jones, conductor
a2cantatasingers.org

In addition to his work with Arbor Opera Theater, conductor Warren Puffer Jones is in his third season as music director of the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers. Equally comfortable with the choral, orchestral and operatic repertoires, Jones has received acclaim as a rising talent in the new generation of conductors.  In recent seasons he has led productions for the Comic Opera Guild and the University of Michigan Gilbert & Sullivan Society. He has also served as assistant conductor for the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra and Opera Illinois.  His operatic repertoire includes La Traviata, La Bohème, Don Giovanni, Die Fledermaus, Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, and the Gilbert & Sullivan favorites The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado and Iolanthe. Mr. Jones studied at the prestigious Conductor's Institute with the renowned conducting pedagogue Harold Farberman. A native of Oklahoma City, he did his undergraduate work in composition and conducting at Yale University and received a Master's degree in choral conducting from Indiana University. Mr. Jones has directed concerts in twenty-two countries and throughout the U.S., including appearances at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and New York's Alice Tully Hall. He and his wife, soprano Kelly Holst, live in Ann Arbor.

Shawn McDonald, artistic director

As artistic director, Shawn McDonald brings diverse talents and experience to Arbor Opera Theater. As a singer Mr. McDonald has portrayed numerous roles including Rodolfo in La Bohème, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Alfredo in La Traviata, Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Sivgila and Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea. In 2006 he sang “Paul Claudel” in The Promise for the National Opera Association’s national convention, and was a soloist in the 2006 Verdi Marathon in Manhattan, NY. He has also participated in performance art, most notably a production of John Cage’s Europera 5, directed by Jack Behrens. He has performed in concert with the Alma Symphony, the Clarion Symphony, the Ypsilanti Symphony, Friends of the Opera of Michigan, the Verdi Opera Theater, and the Tuesday Musicale of Detroit.

Mr. McDonald trained as a tenor with his mentor, Caroline Rogers of Marygrove College.  He then continued his studies on a full scholarship at the University of Michigan, working under George Shirley and Shirley Verrett, as well as Martin Katz and Joshua Major.  He earned a Bachelor of Music from Eastern Michigan University, studying organ with Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra and Mary Ida Yost and voice with Glenda Kirkland. Additional training included summer apprentice programs at Opera North (NH) and the Brevard Music Center, as well as the Elizabeth Mannion’s Institute of Vocal Arts and private studies with James Berg.  He continued his keyboard studies in Germany at the renowned North German Organ Academy with Dr. Harold Vogel and was the winner of the Ann Arbor chapter of the American Guild of Organists competition in 1997.

He has recently returned to Marygrove College as a vocal coach and instructor in order to re-establish a unique collaboration with AOT that allows the college to produce full, professional quality productions that utilize both students and professional artists. During his previous tenure, he helped to produce, design, and musically direct productions of The Marriage of Figaro, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. He also was musical director for numerous revues and a production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ for the Marygrove Music Department. During his time at Marygrove he was also hired by the University of Detroit Theatre Department to serve as musical director and composer for its summer program in Greece. He spent two summers there, composing original music for Antigone and serving as musical director for Lysistrata and The Long Way Home: A Musical Odyssey.

As a collaborative pianist, Mr. McDonald has also worked with such organizations as Michigan Opera Theatre’s community programs, The Tuesday Musicale of Detroit, Young Peoples Theater of Ann Arbor, Friends of the Opera of Michigan and the Verdi Opera Theater. He has been employed by Westminster Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor as pianist/organist since 1995, and musical director since 2001. He also currently works as staff pianist/choir director and composer/arranger in residence at Temple Israel, West Bloomfield. Temple Israel is currently the largest reform congregation in the United States, and their numerous musical programs and services have grown and flourished with his assistance and musical direction.

Robert Starko, stage director

Robert Starko is very pleased to be working AOT again this season. He has also directed La Traviata, The Telephone, Trouble in Tahiti, and Amahl and the Night Visitors with this group. After finishing his MFA in acting from Illinois State, he worked as an actor and director in the Detroit area for ten years. In addition to commercials, voice-overs and industrial films, some of Robert's stage work includes: Stanton's Garage and Hang the Moon at the Purple Rose Theater Company; The Diary of Anne Frank and 36 at the Jewish Ensemble Theater; America, America and Silence the Court is in Session at the Performance Network; and A Thousand Cranes and Charlotte's Web at Wild Swan Theater.

Mr. Starko is the head of the theater department at Albion College where he teaches acting and directing. Robert would like to thank AOT for the opportunity to continue working with them.