Cassandra Lovering is a NY-based Elliot Norton and IRNE award nominated director, producer, dramatic coach, teacher, and dramaturg.  Her work examines gender roles and relationships with a particular focus on the experience of women.  As the former Producing Artistic Director of MassOpera, she headed up new programming like the New Opera Workshop and directed Die Fledermaus in the Spring of 2019. Some directing selections include: It’s not about my mother (new work) Little Dog Laughed (IRNE and Norton Nominated) Suor Angelica, Trouble in Tahiti, Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night and The Beautiful Bridegroom.  This winter she will be part of the National Young Arts Program’s creative team for the classical instrumentalists division.  She received her MA in Theatre from Villanova University with a focus on directing and dramaturgy.  She is a Lincoln Center Director’s Lab 2018 Alum.

J.J. Penna has performed extensively with a variety of eminent singers, including Kathleen Battle, Harolyn Blackwell, Measha Brueggergosman, Denyce Graves, Ying Huang, Susan Narucki, Roberta Peters, Florence Quivar, and Andreas Scholl. He has held fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center, Banff Center, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, and San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program. He received his training under Martin Katz, Margo Garrett, and Diane Richardson. Devoted to the teaching of classical song literature, he has been on the faculties of The Juilliard School, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Bowdoin Festival, Westminster Choir College, the Renée Fleming Song Studio, and Vancouver International Song Institute. He currently teaches at the Yale University School of Music and the New England Conservatory.