Performing Artists




Soloists

Maria Kanyova has been considered an extraordinarily gifted singing actress. Critics have hailed Maria for her ability to capture the essence of a character while maintaining exquisite singing. Robert Trussell of the Kansas City star wrote simply about her portrayal of Pat Nixon, “Her voice could stop time.” Throughout Maria’s extensive and busy performing career, she has performed leading roles with Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Dallas Opera, New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Boston Lyric Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, San Diego Opera, Opera Pacific, Portland Opera, New Orleans Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Central City Opera, Opera Colorado, Madison Opera, Tulsa Opera, Chicago Opera Festival, Wexford Opera Festival and Canadian Opera Company along with other prestigious opera companies.
Of the many leading roles Maria has performed, one of her signature roles has been “Pat Nixon” in Nixon in China, which has been recorded on the Naxos Label. Of her many career highlights, one remains the PBS telecast as “Mimi” in La bohème at New York City Opera’s Live from Lincoln Center National Broadcast. Maria’s favorite role to perform continues to be Madama Butterfly for the role itself and the many times she has performed it with her own children as Butterfly’s child, Sorrow.
Maria has enjoyed the opportunity of premiering new operas and reviving more recent operas. She has created the role of “Mary” in Mark Adamo’s The Gospel of Mary Magdalene for San Francisco Opera. For Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Wexford Opera, Maria reimagined the newly reworked role of “Marie Antoinette” in the new production of John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles. Maria enjoyed singing “Blanche” in Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire for Kentucky Opera. She has also recently premiered the role of “Krystyna” in Jake Heggie’s newly reworked opera Out of Darkness/Two Remain with The Atlanta Opera. Other recent engagements include “Nedda” in I pagliacci and “Violetta” in La traviata with Imperial Symphony Orchestra, “Pat Nixon” in Nixon in China with San Diego Opera, the title role of Suor Angelica with Intermountain Opera Company and Opera Santa Barbara, the title role of Madama Butterfly with San Antonio Opera. Along with Maria’s extensive operatic career, she has also been a soloist with Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, Baltimore Symphony, Ravinia Music Festival, Grant Park Music Festival, Minnesota Symphony, Elgin Symphony and Kansas City Symphony. With years of training at the beginning of Maria’s career, she is a proud alumna of Lyric Opera Center for American Artists (Ryan Opera Center), The Santa Fe Opera Apprenticeship Program, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Chorus Apprenticeship, Opera Colorado Young Artist Center and Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony now known as Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point.
Maria received her MM/Voice and DMA/Voice from The University of Kansas and her BME/Choral degree from UMKC where she is currently an Associate Voice Professor. Most importantly, Maria and her husband are dedicated and proud parents to four amazing children.

Chicago-based mezzo soprano Emma Dickens is praised for her intelligent characterizations and rich vocalism. In 2023, Dickens made her mainstage debut with both Chicago Lyric Opera and Santa Fe Opera. In the course of her operatic career, Dickens has been engaged by Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Union Avenue Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago Folks Operetta, Cincinnati Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Tanglewood Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, and South Bend Symphony. Dickens was named Winner of the 2020 Kansas City District MET Council Auditions, and Semi-finalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition presented by the Kurt Weill Institute. Ms. Sorenson is a full-time ensemble member of The Lyric Opera of Chicago, and a proud new mom!

Chicago native David Govertsen has been active as a professional singer for nearly twenty years, portraying a wide variety of opera’s low-voiced heroes, villains, and buffoons. Mr. Govertsen has appeared as a soloist with numerous local and regional opera companies, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Tulsa Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Haymarket Opera Company. He is a member of the vocal chamber quartet Fourth Coast Ensemble, performing art song in Chicago and throughout the Midwest.
As a concert soloist Mr. Govertsen has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Grant Park Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival among many others. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2011 as the Herald in Otello with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti. He is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center and the Santa Fe Opera and Central City Opera apprentice programs and holds degrees from Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University and the College of DuPage. Mr. Govertsen is currently on faculty at North Park University, Lewis University and the College of DuPage.

Steven Michael Patrick (they/them) is a Chicago based singer, actor, and multi-instrumentalist. Steven Michael came to Chicago after finishing degrees at West Virginia University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where they studied a diverse group of vocal styles including classical, musical theater, jazz, and rock. After arriving in the city, they quickly found work as a principal singer in many of Chicago’s storefront companies, as a chorister, and in outreach. Steven Michael was proud to be a part of Opera for the Young’s 50th anniversary season, and has continued their outreach and benefit work as a member of the Lyric Opera Stage Artists. This season, they can be found in the Lyric Opera Chorus and the Chicago Symphony Chorus.
When not singing, Steven Michael is proud to serve their fellow artists as a union delegate for the Lyric Opera Chorus, being a member of the AGMA committee for the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and the AGMA Board of Governors. Outside of the classical music world, Steven Michael can be found participating in or organizing tabletop events at some of Chicago’s many local game stores, playing saxophone with the Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles, and trying to convince the other singers they work with to come to the park and play volleyball.
Conductor

With passionate artistry and innovation, Chicago-based conductor and educator Matthew Sheppard leads orchestras, students, and audiences to transformative experiences across the Midwest. He is the Artistic Director of the award-winning Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras and the Hyde Park Youth Symphony, Music Director of the Danville Symphony Orchestra, and Director of the University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra and the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company of Chicago.
Sheppard has guest conducted orchestras in North and South America, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional del Paraguay, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra, the Danville Symphony Orchestra, the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra, and the Blue Lake International Youth Symphony. In 2022-23, he was visiting faculty at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music, serving as Guest Resident Conductor of the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra and teaching conducting.
As the Artistic Drector of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras, Sheppard leads a team of dedicated educators in providing a comprehensive music education to nearly 400 students and families each year. The professional repertoire and thematic curriculum explored each year is designed not only to help student musicians develop artistically and technically, but also to prepare them for a future of complex ideas, creative risk-taking, and leadership as global citizens. This approach led to EYSO being named 2021 Youth Orchestra of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras (ICO) and to Sheppard being awarded ICO Conductor of the Year in 2022.
As a teacher, Sheppard inspires students to nurture a deep love and understanding of music and performing. His courses on conducting, musicianship, and active listening have been highly received at Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois, and he is sought after as a clinician and coach to young musicians across the Midwest. Sheppard serves as past-president of the IL Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (IL CMP) Committee as it encourages teaching with intention, and performing with understanding.
Sheppard studied with Donald Schleicher as a doctoral candidate in orchestral conducting at the University of Illinois, and before that he earned his master’s degree in orchestral conducting under Gerardo Edelstein at Penn State University. Past positions include Music Director of the Sangamon Valley Civic Orchestra and Youth Symphony, Orchestra Director at Juniata College, and Assistant Conductor of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Liberal Arts, Music Education, and Violin Performance from Penn State where he studied with Max Zorin.
Choir Conductor

Alberto Mantovano is an in-demand musician of great versatility in Greater Chicagoland. As a clarinetist, he played in the Wheaton Municipal Band and performed with them for the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. His clarinet instructors include Trina Gross and the late Achille Rossi of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. As a vocalist, he was invited to sing in the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Grant Park Orchestra Chorus. He has also been asked to adjudicate for ILMEA District choral auditions and for instrumental Solo and Ensemble competitions. As a keyboardist, Alberto has provided piano accompaniment for various choir and musical theater programs and has been asked to play organ for church services. As a conductor, he studied with Henry Leck of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir and Eric Stark of the Indianapolis Symphonic Chorus. He was also invited to participate in Creating Artistry’s Conducting Masterclasses in 2014, in Chorus America’s Conducting Symposium in 2019 as a Conducting Scholar, and he was an assistant director for the Symphonic Youth Orchestra of Greater Indianapolis. Currently, Alberto is a teacher at Hampshire High School, the Choir Director of St. John United Church of Christ in Arlington Heights, and he continues to do freelance work in his various capacities. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras as well as on committees for a variety of non-profit arts organizations. As the Assistant Conductor for the Elgin Master Chorale, Alberto has prepared and conducted works by Brahms, Beethoven, Handel, Dett, and many others. He made his professional conducting debut with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in 2023.
Ensembles
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra is one of the preeminent regional orchestras in the United States. The Orchestra is led by Chad Goodman, who was named the ESO’s Music Director – the fifth in the Orchestra’s history – in May 2023. Since its founding in 1950, the organization has developed a reputation for artistic excellence and innovative programming, as demonstrated through its long history of highlighting the works of world-renowned conductors, composers, and musicians and of promoting the advancement of women in the arts. The ESO became a professional ensemble in 1985 in good part due to the leadership of the late Margaret Hillis, who served as the ESO’s music director from 1971 to 1985. Hillis was one of the first females to break through the male-dominated world of conducting and is credited with being the impetus behind the creation of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra Association, the formation of the ESO’s volunteer core – the Elgin Symphony League, and the start of the ESO’s commitment to music education and enrichment for youth. Today, the ESO continues to draw its creativity and artistry from the Elgin area and gives back to the community through its Adopt-a-School program that provides supplemental music education and in-school performances to local schools; Musicians Care program that brings live music performances to local hospitals, hospices, and retirement homes; informational Listener’s Club events and other free programs at public libraries; In Harmony Program in places of worship; Ainsworth Concerts for Youth; free tickets for youth under 18; open rehearsals; and free community concerts throughout the region. The Illinois Council of Orchestras has named the ESO Orchestra of the Year four times (1988, 1999, 2005 and 2016). The ESO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To learn more or to support the ESO, visit www.elginsymphony.org.
The Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra has a national reputation for providing not only an engaging musical experience for its students, but also a comprehensive learning environment that promotes curiosity, imagination, critical thinking, and collaboration. With six large ensembles, three small ensembles, and a thriving Chamber Music Institute, EYSO creates musical opportunities for hundreds of students each year with its rigorous methods of inquiry and “expert noticing.”
Students in EYSO explore a comprehensive curriculum each season—one that aims not only to help these students develop artistically and technically, but also to prepare them for a future of complex ideas, creative risk-taking, and leadership as global citizens. The dynamic and engaging rehearsals foster musical and personal growth as students develop into well-rounded and thoughtful communicators, and leaders in their sections, ensembles, schools, and communities. EYSO is an in-residence ensemble at Elgin Community College.
The Elgin Master Chorale, a cultural beacon in the Fox Valley, is committed to achieving the highest standards of excellence in choral music. Through joyful and inspiring performances, the Chorale enriches and educates both its members and audiences. Our 85 auditioned singers are passionate about masterworks and fine choral repertoire, bringing exceptional music to the community.
Collaboration and engagement are central to our mission. Partnering with renowned organizations like the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and the Maud Powell String Quartet, we aim to enhance the cultural vibrancy of the area while making music accessible to all. Through initiatives like our annual educational concert, offering free matinees for young audiences, and outreach performances across the community, we strive to inspire a love of music in new generations.
Founded in 1947, the Elgin Master Chorale has grown from its roots in local church choirs to become the premier vocal ensemble in the region. As the resident ensemble at Elgin Community College, we perform at venues such as the Blizzard Theatre and Hemmens Cultural Arts Center. Under the direction of Maestro Andrew Lewis, we remain dedicated not only to musical excellence but also to engaging with the broader community, ensuring that great music is an experience shared by all.