Soprano Clarice Alfonso (guest artist, Jul 2), acclaimed for her musical elegance and dynamic expression, enjoys a vibrant performing schedule in the Pacific Northwest. Recent highlights feature Bach’s Cantata 51 with Northwest Corner Chamber Orchestra, Rosita in Seattle Opera’s Frida Kahlo and Lucy in The Telephone with Puget Sound Concert Opera. Favorite performances include Belinda in Dido and Aeneas, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Silvia in Philip Seward’s premiere of Sincerely Yours. As one of the founders of Forte! Chicago (with her duet partner, Susan Payne O’Brien leading the way), she explores diverse genres, presenting concerts of art song, early music, and musical theater. Clarice’s concert career includes her debut at Chicago Orchestra Hall, collaborations with organist David Briggs, and performances in renowned venues like Carnegie Hall with the Chicago Symphony Choir. She actively contributes to Seattle’s music scene, singing at St. James Cathedral, Temple Beth Am, and with local choral groups such as Opus 7 and Emerald Ensemble. Clarice has a boisterous two-year-old and teaches children’s music classes when she can find a smidgen of time.
Rhonda Kline (Jul 2) is a pianist, vocal coach, and music director known for her sensitive collaborative skill, expressive musicality, and whole-hearted support of her musical partners. An accomplished and versatile pianist cited as a “tour de force at the piano” (Klarinet), Rhonda has performed with a variety of artists in Europe and the United States. Passionate about encouraging both emerging professionals and veteran performers, Rhonda serves as general manager and music director for Northwest Opera In Schools, Etc. (N.O.I.S.E., www.noiseforkids.org), an opera education program which performs live adaptations of operas for schools and retirement communities in Washington state. As Artist in Residence and Director of Collaborative Piano at the University of Washington School of Music, Rhonda has taught courses in collaborative piano, art song and opera repertoire, and serves as opera coach for student productions. Her coaching repertoire includes more than 70 titles, including traditional operas, contemporary works, and musical theater.
Susan Payne O’Brien (Jul 2) is a poet, performer and opera director living in Seattle. Her writing for theater has been seen on the stages of 2nd Story Chicago, Around the Coyote, Links Hall, The Piven Theatre Workshop and The International Puppetry Festival. She is the founding artistic director of Forte, an all-female improvisational comic opera troupe. In her teaching and work with theatrical and operatic ensembles she is committed to helping students and artists of all levels access authenticity of voice. Recently, she has worked with emerging operatic performers at The Santa Fe Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, DePaul University and The Chicago College of Performing Arts. She is a frequent soloist with Seattle Pro Musica and has been a featured soloist with The Auburn Symphony and Seattle Symphony’s Game On concert series. In the Spring of 2027, she will direct Jason and the Argonauts for The Seattle Opera outreach tour and will sing Marguerite in Faust with Puget Sound Concert Opera.