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Co-Founder Bios

Christine Alfano

Executive Artistic Director & Co-Founder

Praised for her "enticing strength and marvelous vocal character" (Arts Knoxville), Christine Alfano's powerful and sparkling voice has charmed audiences at home and abroad. Often described as possessing an "important" and "luscious" Verdian instrument by top coaches and conductors, her voice is particularly at home in the music of the bel canto, romantic and veristic periods.  She is an alum of the Knoxville Opera Studio, Palm Beach Opera Studio, and the Gulfshore Opera Emerging Artists Program, and will be an Apprentice Artist with Sarasota Opera during their Winter 2025 season. She has worked on the production side of opera with organizations including Marble City Opera, Lakes Area Music Festival, and the Vienna Summer Music Festival.

 

Christine received her Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from the University of Tennessee. She attended Florida State University College of Music for her undergraduate work, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Music and Italian. She maintains a private voice studio and is a member of the Musical Theatre faculty at Florida School of the Arts.

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To visit her website and to read her full bio, click here.

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Brandon Michael Smith

Music Director & Co-Founder

Brandon Michael Smith has performed across the country as a conductor, keyboardist, and vocalist. Born and raised in Northeast Florida, he first trained as a vocalist with emphases in opera and musical theatre before moving into collaborative piano and organ studies. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Jacksonville University with emphases in Music Education and Choral Studies, and also holds a Master of Music in Conducting from Ithaca College with emphases in Musical Theatre, Opera, and Choral Music. He has taught at Florida State College of Jacksonville, Ithaca College, Jacksonville University, and has been sought after by several academic music programs as vocal coach and choral clinician. Prior to returning to Jacksonville, FL in 2018, he held a multi-year residency at The Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY. 

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NYC: Pagliacci (Assoc. Conductor/Chorus Master/Pianist). National Tour: Wicked (Keyboard4). Regional: HMS Pinafore with First Coast Opera (Conductor), Mamma Mia! with Cape Fear Regional Theatre (Music Director), Pagliacci with Opera Ithaca (Assoc. Conductor/Chorus Master/Pianist); Xanadu (Music Director), Pride and Prejudice (MD), Chicago (Assoc. MD), A Christmas Carol (MD/Arranger/Pianist), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Assoc. MD) and In The Heights at the Hangar Theatre (Assoc. MD). 

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To visit his website, click here.

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