Michael Best, Tenor,  grew up in North Carolina studying violin,  and graduated from Duke University in 1962.  After Duke University,  he went to NYC to study and earn his Masters of Science degree from the Juilliard School of Music.

In the 1972-73 season, Mr. Best made his New York City Opera debut as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In the 1978-79 season, he became a principal artist at the Metropolitan Opera where he sang 297 performances over parts of 22 seasons.  Mr. Best was a soloist with many Orchestras including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, and the symphonies of Boston, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Utah, and Toronto.  Mr. Best also appeared in the gala concerts celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Tanglewood Music Center during the summer of 1990.  Reviewing the world premiere of Theodore Antoniou’s ‘Circle of Thanotos and Genesis’  with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony, Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe said that “Last night, Michael Best sounded like the best lyric tenor in America.”

In 2002, Mr Best joined the voice faculty of the ‘Chicago Congregation of the Performing Arts’ at Roosevelt University where he taught for 10 years.  In retirement, he now splits his time between an apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan and a home in South Carolina.

Dr. Carla LeFevre has served for thirty-two years as Professor of Voice at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. In addition to her work at the university, she serves as teacher and coach to many emerging and professional artists.

A versatile soprano, Carla LeFevre’s solo appearances include over fifty performances of oratorios ranging from the Bach passions to the Verdi Requiem, and leading opera roles spanning the styles of Poppea in Handel’s Agrippina and the Governess in Britten’s Turn of the Screw. Her strength as a musician is notably demonstrated in her performances of contemporary music such as Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, and she enjoys engaging audiences by adapting her vocal style to the Broadway genre. Dr. LeFevre has been heard in recital at various universities and concert series throughout the United States and was selected as national winner of the Gertrude Fogelson Cultural and Creative Arts Vocal Competition. She was also one of two national finalists in the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition and a finalist in the National Opera Association Vocal Competition.

Students of Dr. LeFevre have distinguished themselves as Regional Winners and National Grand Finalists in the Metropolitan Opera auditions, as well as first-place winners of the Orpheus Vocal Competition, and National NATS competitions. They have been apprentice artists for professional opera companies across the country, such as San Francisco, Wolf Trap, Santa Fe, Glimmerglass, Des Moines, Chautauqua, Central City, etc… Most recently, her students have received contracts with the Metropolitan Opera, and as a member of the cast in Hamilton on Broadway.

Baritone Jeffrey McEvoy is Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Opera Studies, and Chair of the Voice Division at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. As a performer and director, he is passionate about the education of drama through contemporary music and is a strong supporter of American art song, musical theatre and operatic literature.

Prior to his appointment to Winthrop in 2013 he held the title of assistant professor-in-residence of voice and opera at the University of Connecticut. During his tenure he served as stage director of opera programs and applied instructor of voice. For three years, Jeffrey served as director and creator of the first Musical Theatre Initiative for Region 4 of the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival. From 2012-2015, he was a member of the faculty and professional staff at the Seagle Music Colony in upstate New York . Additionally, he was assistant director of opera at the summer Tanglewood Institute where he directed scenes, taught applied voice, and led coursework in diction for singers. And in June of 2013, he was selected to participate in the coveted NATS Intern Program at Vanderbilt University.