Guest Artists Karen Manley Kahler Karen Manley Kahler resides in Belvidere, Illinois and can often be seen on stage at the amazing Starlight Theatre in Rockford. Some of her all-time favorite roles there include Eve in Children of Eden, Gertrude in Seussical the Musical, Mother in Ragtime, Lily in Secret Garden, and Donna in Mamma Mia! Karen received her degree in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan University. She has been a guest artist with the Rockford Concert Band and the Dekalb Municipal Band. One of her favorite things to perform is our country’s National Anthem, which she does often at various events in the community. Karen also serves as Music Director at her Church, First Presbyterian, in Belvidere. During the day she can be seen at the historic Manley’s Ford Lincoln where she is heavily involved in coordinating efforts to raise money for nonprofit organizations and schools through Drive Events sponsored by Ford and Lincoln.
Nicolai Janitzky Baritone Nicolai Janitzky is a native of Northern California, and currently resides in the Rockford area. He began his career with the Santa Fe Opera Young Artist Program, where he went on in the title role in Eugene Onegin on short notice. Since then, he has appeared with many opera companies in the United States and abroad, including San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, and Musica Viva in Hong Kong. He has performed many roles from the operas of Mozart, Donizetti, Verdi, and Puccini, and has a particular interest in Russian repertoire. In addition to opera, he enjoys performing art songs, and has given recitals through the Marilyn Horne Foundation and other organizations at Cleveland Institute of Music Art Song Festival, Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and Carnegie (Weill) Hall in New York City. His recent concerts include baritone soloist in Carmina Burana, Brahms’s Requiem, and Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death. He studied at Yale University Opera Program and Music Academy of the West.
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