Am Donaustrande

He sang the role of Demetrius in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov with the Milwaukee Symphony, the role of Froh in Wagner’s Das Rheingold with the Arizona Opera and the Dallas Opera. Most memorably, he performed the role of Lennie in Carlisle Floyd’s opera, Of Mice and Men, with the Cleveland Opera. He has appeared in Australia, Italy and the United States playing the role of the Evil Astrologer in New York’s Ensemble for Early Music’s production of Daniel and the Lions. Mark made his Broadway debut as a member of the on-stage chorus in Coram Boy. Mark appears frequently with many of the major professional choruses in the New York City area. He is also an avid song composer. Shawn Bartels, Tenor, has been a soloist with Musica Viva NY since 1996. Roles include Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Nanki-Poo (Mikado), Vain Man/Snake (Little Prince), Quint (Turn of the Screw), Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Nicolas in Britten’s Saint Nicolas. Mr. Bartels sang Uriel (Creation) with Robert Shaw, in Jonathan Miller’s staging of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and as a soloist at Carnegie Hall. Shawn has appeared with the Victoria Bach Festival, the Society of Musical Arts and the New Orchestra of Washington. He received his BM in Vocal Performance from the University of Northern Colorado and his MM in Vocal Performance from FSU. Shawn is a member of the guitar-pop band Portraiture. Soprano Emily Donato, born and based in New York City, most recently appeared as the soprano soloist in Bach’s B Minor Mass with Voices of Ascension. In 2021, she was awarded first prize in the Lyndon-Woodside Oratorio Competition held at Riverside Church in NYC. Ms. Donato has performed as a soloist with Maestros Masaaki Suzuki, Simon Carrington, David Hill, and Nicholas McGegan. Emily is an alumna of the Grammy award winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, holds her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Bard College, and her Master’s in Music from the Yale School of Music. Madalyn Luna is a Mexican-American mezzo-soprano from Chicago, Illinois. Heralded as having a “distinctive, caramel-colored” voice by Opera News, Ms. Luna has been recognized for her work in contemporary opera and early music. This is her second year with Musica Viva NY and the All Souls Choir, and she has served as an alto soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Magnificat, excerpts from Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, and Rachmaninoff’s All Night Vigil. This season, she will premiere with the choir at Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph’s in Brooklyn, NY for featured events and concerts. She resides in the city with her wife and two dogs.