2025 vocal competition finals judges

 

Kedrick Armstrong

Kedrick Armstrong is the new Music Director of the Oakland Symphony, becoming the 9th Music Director in the orchestra’s almost 100-year history. He is also the Creative Partner and Principal Conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony. Kedrick's recent highlights include debuting at the Lyric Opera of Chicago to premiere a new opera, The Factotum, by Will Liverman and K Rico. Named by the Washington Post as one of “22 for ’22: Composers and performers to watch,” Kedrick uses his voice and platform as a Black conductor to advocate for classical music’s performance, publication, and preservation of minority voices. This advocacy has led to various speaking engagements and a research fellowship with the American Music Research Center (University of Colorado-Boulder) studying Black female composers within the Helen Walker-Hill archives.

 

Patricia Craig

José Luis Moscovich has been General Director of West Bay Opera since 2006. He has conducted over 40 operas ranging from the baroque to the contemporary. At West Bay Opera he has premiered productions of Samson et Dalila, Turandot, Salome, Fidelio, Pikovaya Dama, Otello, and others. He was music director of the San Francisco Camerata, principal guest conductor of the ARTEA Orchestra, assistant conductor of the San Francisco Choral Society, and guest conductor for Opera Idaho, Opera Santa Barbara, and Teatro El Círculo Opera in Argentina, among others. His recording of Carlos Franzetti’s opera Corpus Evita, for which he wrote the libretto, was nominated for a GRAMMY® in 2005.

 

Rhoslyn Jones

“The delicious diva” with an “unforgettably powerful voice,” Rhoslyn’s captivating performances have graced prestigious stages worldwide, showcasing her exceptional vocal prowess, profound artistry, and emotional depth. “A superb singer and artistic presence,” Ms. Jones is a former Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera and has performed at some of the major opera companies and leading orchestras across North America. Her performances have been described as, “like a bright light cutting through murky skies, Rhoslyn Jones tapped her arresting vocal prowess and vivid stage presence,” and as bringing a “majestic, full-toned dignity” to her roles. Beyond her accomplishments as a singer, Rhoslyn Jones is a distinguished voice teacher, imparting her knowledge and expertise to the next generation of opera singers. Recently appointed to the voice faculty at the San Francisco Opera Center Adler and Merola programs

 

James Toland

After more than three decades teaching private voice in the San Francisco Bay Area, James Toland moved to Riverside, California to take a position as Professor of Voice and Opera Studies at California Baptist University. Assisting in the development of an opera program at the Collinsworth School of Music, Mr. Toland continues his work on the development of JTVA as well as maintaining a private voice studio.

During the 1980s, Mr. Toland was the artistic director of Oregon’s Eugene Opera where he staged opera for more than a decade. His innovative and highly comedic productions of The Barber of Seville and Cosí fan tutte were featured on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." Prior to working in Eugene, he was the company manager of Texas Opera Theater, the touring arm of Houston Grand Opera.

Mr. Toland's keen interest in, and study of, world languages facilitate his work with singers, both individually and in groups. Particularly interested in the specifics of diction, Mr. Toland has undertaken to write a book with the working title "Phonemes First." The book will seek to inform, in easy-to-understand language, how the precision of good diction enables beautiful and healthy singing.

 

Jean Kellogg

Jean Kellogg recently retired from the Merola Opera Program where she had been the Executive Director since 2011. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of the Hylton Performing Arts Center at George Mason University (VA), Director of Education at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dean of the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC, and served on the administrative staffs of Greater Miami Opera, Chautauqua Opera and Westminster Choir College. Jean received her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from Florida State University, and her Masters in Piano Accompanying and Coaching from Westminster Choir. She was honored as one of 50 Influential Women of Virginia (2010) and received the faculty citation from FSU for outstanding teaching and leadership in 2000.

Philip Skinner

 "Mellifluous bass-baritone Philip Skinner" (Opera News) has appeared in performances with the San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Teatro di San Carlo, and La Monnaie in Brussels, as well as prominent orchestras including the Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony.  Skinner has a long association with San Francisco Opera where he has performed over 60 roles, such as Doctor Bartolo in THE BARBER OF SEVILLE in 2021 and Lepidus in John Adam's ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA in 2022.  In January 2024, he sang the bass solos in the Beethoven NINTH at Carnegie Hall.  

 

2025 MASTERCLass Teachers

 Lester Lynch - Tier i

Lester Lynch has become recognized for his charismatic portrayals and commanding voice with rave reviews as some of opera’s most important characters. He has sung on the world’s major stages, including Teatro alla Scala, the Royal Opera House, the Vienna Volksoper, Berliner Philharmoniker, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera and San Francisco Opera. Recent performances include Zemlinsky's Symphonische Gesänge under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Lynch’s recording work is featured on Pentatone, including his debut solo album, “On My Journey Now” and his recently released recording, “Full Circle.”

Carrie-Ann Matheson

 Canadian pianist, conductor and educator Carrie-Ann Matheson is the Artistic Director of the world-renowned San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship and Merola Opera Programs.  She has held prominent positions at the Metropolitan Opera and Opernhaus Zurich and regularly appears on the recital stage where she partners with opera stars such as Piotr Beczała, Benjamin Bernheim, Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, Jonas Kaufmann and Rolando Villazón.  Passionate about the development of young artists, she is a frequent masterclass clinician at leading academic institutions and opera houses across the globe.  Her CD “Douce France” with tenor Benjamin Bernheim was recently released by Deutsche Grammophon.