Coloratura soprano SARAH ARNESON debuted as Olympia at the Vienna State Opera, where she sang many coloratura roles, including the Queen of the Night. She has been a frequent soloist in the opera houses of Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Du?sseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, and Stuttgart, with the leading roles of Gilda, Konstanze, Marie, Musetta, Olympia, Queen of the Night, Rosina, Titania, Violetta, and Zerbinetta. International appearances included the Boston and Detroit Operas, as well as the opera festivals of Cuenco (Spain) and Istanbul (Turkey). She has performed with such renowned conductors as Karl Bo?hm, Dennis Russel Davies, Lukas Foss, Michael Gielen, Jiri Kout, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Horst Stein, and Christian Thielemann; as well as such notable stage directors as Ruth Berghaus, Jochaim Herz, and Jean Pierre Ponelle. Dr. Arneson was the coloratura soloist in the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize winner William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and Experience. She has made solo appearances with orchestra (including the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Chicago Grant Park Symphony), and television and radio (including PBS, WNYC, and ORF). Dr. Arneson is a frequent collaborator in recitals, lectures, and master classes with pianist George Kern of the”Mozarteum”, Salzburg (including Cyprus and China, under the auspices of the USIS and the American Liszt Society, as well as the Toho Music School in Japan). She founded an award-winning chamber opera program for young singers with stage director, Marc Andre Angelini (Komische Kammer Oper Mu?nchen). Her students have won prizes in international competitions, participated in opera apprentice programs (Sarasota, Opera North, and St. Louis), and appeared as soloists in both European and American opera houses, and winners of the Domingo Competition, the San Francisco Adler program, and the Paris Flamme Competition. Dr. Arneson won the Detroit Grinnel Opera Competition and studied on a Fulbright in Paris with Pierre Bernac. Her teachers were Chase Baromeo, Lucile Evans, Hilde Gueden, Eva Likova, Naomi Perugia, and John Zei. Dr. Arneson became a tenured faculty member of the “Mozarteum”, Salzburg, in 1995. She taught at the University of Illinois, the University of Miami’s Summer program in Salzburg, as well as Boston University, where she was head of the voice department. Dr. Arneson has held guest professorships at the Toho Music School in Japan; and, most recently has been invited for a guest professorship, at Antiquoia University in Colombia, South America. Dr Arneson has been invited for master classes at the University of Mexico and the University of South Florida in Tampa. She has music degrees from the University of Nebraska (BME); Western Michigan University (MM); and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (MLS and DMA).
Pianist GEORGE KERN was a student of Rosina Lhevinne at the Juilliard School (BM and MM degrees, completed further studies with Kurt Neumu?ller (Artist Diploma), and Lied accompanying studies with Paul von Schilhawsky at the Hochschule Mozarteum in Salzburg. He was awarded the Baumgartner Medal from the Stiftung Mozarteum “for outstanding interpretations of the works of Mozart.” Mr. Kern has performed in concert throughout Europe, Asia, North and Central America as soloist, in chamber music and as vocal accompanist. His engagements include performances in many international festivals (Paris, Brussels, Prades, Lugano, etc.). He has collaborated as pianist with Trio Amade?, and played Debussy world premieres, in co-operation with Henle Verlag, as well as with the composer’s heirs, in Paris (Radio France) Brussels (RTBF) and Vienna. Concerts in Austria include the Musikverein’s Brahmssaal (Vienna), the Brucknerhaus (Linz) the Bo?sendorfersaal (Vienna) and for the Mozarteun Stiftung (Salzburg). In the United States, Mr. Kern has performed in concert, conducted master classes, and presented lectures in leading American music schools, including Boston University, University of Illinois, Indiana University, University of Miami, Rutgers University, San Francisco Conservatory. He has also served as guest professor at the Toho School, Tokyo, and the Paris Conservatory and taught numerous master classes in France, Japan and Korea. For many years he was artistic advisor for the Komische Kammeroper of Munich and was co-founder of the International Soloists program with the Moravian Philharmonic (CZ.) He has also been jury member of international competitions in France, Italy and Cyprus. Mr. Kern is Professor of piano and chamber music, Mozarteum, Salzburg.

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