GRAMMY nominated conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather is Director of the New York Philharmonic Chorus and Music Director of New York City’s The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra. He is Professor of Music and the Tania León Endowed Chair at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.

He is a sought-after interpreter of symphonic choral works, most recently conducting grand performances of Bach’s St. John Passion, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Handel’s Messiah. In addition to core symphonic works, he is known for the world premiere recordings of The Ballad of the Brown King, Credo, and Simon Bore the Cross by Margaret Bonds (AVIE Records) with The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra. A frequent guest conductor, he has conducted the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, CHINEKE!, and Novus Orchestra.

Ensembles under his baton have performed at venues that include Queen Elizabeth II Hall at Southbank Centre, Disney Concert Hall, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Madison Square Garden, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Westminster Abbey, and at the Vatican before Pope Francis. At the invitation of Solange Knowles, he joined the interdisciplinary studio and creative agency, Saint Heron, for performances with Voices of Harlem and The Clark Sisters in Glory to Glory: A Revival of Devotional Art.

Dr. Merriweather has earned degrees from Eastman, Manhattan School of Music, and Syracuse University and was a fellow at Tanglewood. Connect with him on social media @maestroweather and at malcolmjmerriweather.com.

Renowned for her “luminous tones” and “opulent voice,” and celebrated by Opera News for her “plush soprano bloom,” GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Brittany Renee is enchanting audiences with her exquisite artistry and radiant stage presence. Her performance is a masterclass in sophistication and finesse, affirming her status as a rising star destined for a luminous future.

This season, Ms. Renee continues to shine, bringing her critically acclaimed portrayal of Musetta in La bohème to The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Houston Grand Opera in her house debut. She will also grace the Kennedy Center stage with Washington National Opera as Bess in Porgy and Bess, and will be featured at National Sawdust as Esther in the world premiere of Paula Prestini’s Silent Light. On the concert stage, Ms. Renee will appear as a soloist in Brahms’ Reqiuem with the New York Philharmonic, in addition to Sanctuary Road with the Buffalo Philharmonic. Looking ahead, Brittany Renee is poised to continue dazzling the operatic world with anticipated returns to The Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera in leading roles, solidifying her position as one of the most compelling voices of her generation.

Taylor Raven is a “vocal sensation” (Washington Classical Review) and quickly establishing herself in opera, concert, and recital. In the 24-25 season, Taylor debuts with The Metropolitan Opera in the company premiere of Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra (Charmian), and with Pacific Opera Victoria for La clemenza di Tito (Sesto). On the concert stage she debuts with the Minnesota Orchestra for Mozart’s Requiem, Duisburger Philharmoniker for Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, The United States Naval Academy for Messiah, and Quad City Symphony Orchestra for Giddens’ Omar’s Journey (Fatima), in addition to Sanctuary Road with the Buffalo Philharmonic. In recital, Taylor debuts with the Northwest Sinfonietta performing Jessie Montgomery’s Five Freedom Songs and makes her New York City solo recital debut with the Kaufmann Music Center. Additional appearances include a return to North Carolina Opera for their Opera in the Park series.

Taylor began last season with a return to the San Francisco Opera for a role debut as Fatima in Rhiannon Giddens’ and Michael Abels’ Omar. Other season highlights included returns to Seattle Opera for Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina) and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a fully staged production of Das Rheingold (Flosshilde), with scenic design by Frank Gehry and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.

American tenor Norman Shankle is currently enjoying worldwide acclaim for his portrayals of Mozart and Rossini’s most famous tenors. The Boston Globe called Shankle “a real find, a singer of elegance, grace and conviction,” and the San Francisco Chronicle praised him equally as “clearly a singer to watch.”

The 24-25 season brings Mr. Shankle’s debut with the South Florida Symphony in Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem, and a return to the National Philharmonic for their Messiah, in addition to his debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic in Sanctuary Road. Previous seasons’ engagements of note include his return to the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra for Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël, as well as his performance in Elijah with the Washington Chorus. Mr. Shankle has also been featured in the National Philharmonic’s performances of Berlioz’s Requiem and Adolphus Hailstork’s Symphony No. 5; Mozart’s Requiem with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra; Messiah with the Glacier Symphony Orchestra; the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra’s Classical Christmas concert; and Sanctuary Road with Penn Square Music Festival.

Baritone Sidney Outlaw, described by The New York Times as a “terrific singer” with a “deep, rich timbre,” is an internationally acclaimed vocalist known for his “weighty and forthright” singing (San Francisco Chronicle). Since winning the Grand Prize at the Concurso Internacional de Canto Montserrat Caballé in 2010, he has performed widely in the U.S. and abroad.

In the 24-25 season, Mr. Outlaw performs recitals with pianist Warren Jones at the Brooklyn Art Song Society and Manhattan School of Music. He debuts with the California Symphony in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and with the Bozeman Symphony in Mozart’s Requiem. He also returns to the Jacksonville Symphony for Messiah. On the operatic stage, he reprised the title roles in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni.

This year, Sidney releases his album Black Pierrot, featuring music by William Grant Still and B.E. Boykin, including ”26 Ways of Looking at a Black Man.” His 2024 EP, Brahms’ Zwei Gesänge Op. 91, was also released, both by Lexicon Classics.

Mr. Outlaw’s recent highlights include performances with Boston Baroque, the Chattanooga Symphony, Toledo Opera, National Symphony, and appearances at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall.

Baritone Benjamin Taylor’s 24-25 season includes debuts at the Arizona Opera for La bohème (Marcello), Madison Opera for Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro), Charleston Opera Theater for La bohème (Schaunard), and the Washington National Opera for Porgy and Bess (Jake). On the concert stage, he debuts at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as the baritone soloist in Prokofiev’s Lt. Kije, at the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Buffalo Philharmonic for Sanctuary Road (William Still), at the Dayton Philharmonic as the baritone soloist in Fauré’s Requiem, at Opera Omaha for their Opera Outdoors concert, and he returns to the North Carolina Opera for their Opera in the Park concert.

Additional career highlights include returns to Opera Philadelphia for Simon Boccanegra (Paolo), Detroit Opera for Breaking the Waves (Jan), Bayerische Staatsoper for La fanciulla del West (Bello), and The Metropolitan Opera for Carmen (Moralès), The Magic Flute (Papageno), and Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Chester). He debuted with the Austin Opera for Pagliacci (Silvio) and the Boston Lyric Opera for La bohème (Schaunard).

Paul Moravec, recipient of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Music, has composed numerous orchestral, chamber, lyric, choral, and operatic works. Frequently commissioned by notable ensembles and major music institutions, Mr. Moravec’s next premiere is All Shall Rise, an oratorio about U.S. voting rights to a libretto by Mark Campbell for Oratorio Society of New York (OSNY) at Carnegie Hall. Other recent premieres include A Nation of Others, also for OSNY, and A New Country for mezzo-soprano Jennifer Cano and the South Dakota Symphony. Recent recordings include his opera The Shining (nominated for a 2025 GRAMMY), A Nation of Others, and The Overlook Hotel Suite. 

A native Buffalonian and graduate of Harvard and Columbia universities, he holds the distinguished rank of University Professor at Adelphi University, and recently served as Artist-in-Residence at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, as well as Composer-in-Residence at the American Academy in Rome. His website is paulmoravec.com, and his works are published by Subito Music.

The Pulitzer Prize and GRAMMY Award-winning operas of librettist/lyricist Mark Campbell are among the most successful in the contemporary canon. Mark has written 41 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals, and text for 11 song cycles and 5 oratorios. His works include Silent Night, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, As One, Elizabeth Cree, The Shining, Sanctuary Road, A Nation of Others, Stonewall, The Nefarious, Immoral but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Burke & Hare, A Thousand Acres, The Cook-Off, Bastianello/Lucrezia, Edward Tulane, Dinner at Eight, Unruly Sun, Later the Same Evening, and Songs from an Unmade Bed.

Mark mentors future generations of librettists and composers at the American Opera Project, American Lyric Theatre, and as a founding member of the American Opera Initiative. He created and funds the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize, the first award for opera librettists in the history of the art form, and co-created the True Voice Award to support the training of transgender and non-binary singers. Mark was awarded the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Opera Association.