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noting her portrayal “perfect” and her coloratura “glittering” as Gretel in HANSEL AND
GRETEL. Making her professional debut with the Connecticut Opera as Antonia in MAN OF LA
MANCHA directed by Dorothy Frank Danner and starring the late John Raitt (father of
Bonnie), she has since been heard in leading roles across the country with opera
companies including the Chautauqua Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Houston Grand
Opera, Kentucky Opera, Lyric Opera of Dallas, and Nevada Opera . Some of the
these roles have included Susanna in THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO , Despina in COSI
FAN TUTTE , Papagena in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE , Adina in L’ELISIR D’AMORE , Musetta
in LA BOHEME , Valencinne in THE MERRY WIDOW , both Casilda and Gianetta in
THE GONDOLIERS and over 300 performances of Gretel in HANSEL AND GRETEL . As a resident artist at the Connecticut Opera, Lynne received the Robert E. Smith
Award for outstanding singers, and at the Chautauqua Opera, she received the
prestigious Elaine Laughlin Award for her work there in THE GONDOLIERS as Casilda. While singing THE GONDOLIERS in Dallas, cast in the role of Gianetta, the opening
night performance was broadcast live across Texas on National Public Radio and
hosted by the late Beverly Sills. While successful as an opera artist, Lynne has also performed in the Toronto production
of Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber’s hit musical, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at the
Pantages Theater in Toronto, covering the role of “Carlotta” in addition to touring with
the show throughout Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and in residence for one year in
Singapore and Hong Kong with Lloyd Weber’s production Company, The Really Useful
Group, Ltd. As a concert soloist, she has been heard with the symphonies of Chautauqua
performing “Laurie” in Aaron Copland’s THE TENDERLAND and as “Niece 2” in
Britten’s PETER GRIMES ; Meriden Symphony Orchestra in Connecticut as “Gilda” in
RIGOLETTO and the Saginaw Symphony Orchestra in Michigan as “Despina” in COSI
FAN TUTTE. With the Traverse City Symphony Orchestra, led by Kevin Rhodes of the
Paris Opera, La Scala and Vienna Staatsoper, Lynne has performed over 8 concerts
including the Mahler Resurrection Symphony #2, Handel’s Messiah, the Faure
Requiem, the Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brazileiras #5, a work for 8 celli and soprano. As
well, Lynne has been the performed with Interlochen Center For the Arts Festival
Orchestra in works such as the Brahms Requiem, Mozart Requiem and Mass in C. Other symphony concerts around the United States have included Beethoven
Symphony #9 and Missa Solemnis, Handel’s Messiah, The Seasons, Judas
Maccabeus, as well as many Musical Theater concerts including GUYS AND DOLLS ,
where Lynne sang the role of Sister Sarah Brown in a semi-staged concert version. With
another NPR Live Broadcast, Lynne was recently featured with the Dayton Philharmonic
as soprano soloist with the Dayton Philharmonic in the Mozart Requiem. With her husband, Rick Church, as Music Director and Conductor, she can be heard on
the recording of Placido Domingo Jr. 's musical, VLAD in the female lead role of Mina. Together with her husband, Lynne has regularly performed aboard the Regent Seven
Seas cruise line in a variety of concerts, both in Musical Theater and Opera styles. Most
recently, Lynne has been a featured soloist with the Traverse City Symphony Jazz
Orchestra in a variety of concerts since 2021. As an Educator, Lynne was awarded from the National Endowment for the Arts, the
YoungArts Teacher Distinction 2006. Her first jump into teaching was for the University
of Michigan Musical Theater programs. Working with Brent Wagner, Lynne taught High
School students spending the summer in a two week, All State, Summer Musical
Theater Camp, now part of the MPulse program of The University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor, MI. From 2005 - 2020, Lynne was a faculty member at Interlochen Center for the Arts in
both capacities of teaching Classical Voice and Music Theater Voice. Over the years,
Lynne has taught technique to promote the vocal health of over 500 students in major
roles to ensemble for productions including: AIDA, ANYTHING GOES, CAROUSEL,
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, CHICAGO, CHILDREN OF EDEN, CRAZY FOR YOU,
EVITA, GUYS AND DOLLS, JEKYLL AND HYDE, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, LES
MISERABLES, THE MUSIC MAN, MY FAIR LADY, LITTLE WOMEN, PAJAMA
GAME, RAGS, RENT, SWEENY TODD, TUCK EVERLASTING . Many of her students
have gone on to top college in the top Music Theater schools, as well as becoming
performers on Broadway and National Tour shows,regional theater, and hired as
performers in the cruise line industry. Lynne has been on the faculty at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina, teaching voice
for both for the Music Department in Classical Voice and in the Theater Department
teaching Musical Theater Voice. Before that, she was on faculty at Wright State
University in Dayton, OH, teaching Musical Theater Voice within the Department of
Theater, Dance and Motion Pictures. As well, Lynne was on faculty for the pre-college
program offered at Wright State for High School students interested in the performing
arts. As a teacher of Classical Voice, maintaining private studios in Traverse City, MI, and
New York City, Lynne’s students have excelled at some of the best University programs
offered to young singers, including Julliard, Manhattan School of Music, the Eastman
School of Music, Indiana University to name just a few. Students are taught solid
technical training, with an emphasis on breath support that resists collapse, proper tonal
placement that rides the column of supported air, as well as maintaining a raised soft
palate to encourage vocal production of ease. Her belief in Vocal Literature is that it
must support the ability of each singer to encourage proper vocal health and growth, as
well as for performance quality purposes. With this training, many of her students have
also won many awards including 6 YoungArts Finalists through the National Endowment
for the Arts, as well as the First Place Classical Voice Winner in 2019 for the Michigan
Youth Arts Festival, and the Second Place Classical Voice Winner in 2018 for the same
competition. Lynne is a proud member of MSVMA (Michigan Schools Vocal Music Association),
where she serves as an adjudicator and clinician, NATS (National Association of
Teaching Singing) and a past member of MTEA (Music theater Educators Alliance),
AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists), ACTOR’S EQUITY and the Music Fraternity,
PHI MU ALPHA. Lynne has also been an Adjudicator for Vocal Performance for Opera
Grand Rapids, Eastern Upper Peninsula Music Festival, the Ontario Music Festivals
Association Provincial Music Festival, Toronto Kiwanis Festival, and will be adjudicating
for the upcoming Great Lakes Region NATSAA Competition covering Indiana, Michigan,
Ohio and Ontario singers in October of 2023 at Wayne State University. RICK CHURCH is a Music Director, Conductor, Collaborative Pianist, Voice Coach and
Voice Instructor. He has Music Directed extensively in the United States and Abroad, has
been an Orchestrator and Arranger, an Educator and Voice Coach, and has performed in
numerous countries, nightclubs, supper clubs, cabarets and show venues in addition to
music directing numerous readings and workshops of musicals in New York City. Some of his New York professional credits include Music Director and Conductor for 42nd
Street with Randy Skinner, VLAD (Dracula, the Musical) written by Placido Domingo, Jr.,
the premier of Lizzie Borden , in addition to Funny Girl, Girl Crazy, Hello Dolly, Oklahoma,
Lucky Guy, Forever Plaid, Nuncrackers, The King and I and Smokey Joe’s Cafe. Not only has Rick Music Directed, Conducted and Performed in theaters from Nashville’s
Opryland to Holland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Romania, Rick began his professional
career right out of college as a Conductor fin the cruise line industry for over 15 years. He served not only as the ship Music Director in charge of all ship musicians, but also Music
Directed and Conducted all the Musical Productions. Enjoying this career had its perks of not
only travelling the world, but also being noted in Cruise Critic Magazine as one of the highlights
of the ship he was on and mentioned in the book by Derek Mann, “Mann at Sea”. In the cabaret world, Rick has served as Music Supervisor, Arranger, and Pianist for many
acts including cabaret and nightclub appearances at most of the major cabaret rooms in New
York including Don’t Tell Mama, The Duplex, Brandy’s, Marie’s Crisis, and 88’s. Most
recently, Rick served in this position at Sardi’s for a benefit concert honoring HADESTOWN
Tony Award Winner Andre De Shields, as well as American Painter, Philip Pearlstein, and
Author, Sandra DiPasqua. As an educator, Rick has spent nearly 20 years on the faculty of some of the most
prestigious musical theater training programs. While conducting in NYC for 20 years Rick
taught at New York University and The Pingry School in addition to his private vocal studio in
New York City. After moving to the Midwest, Rick became the Music Director for the Musical
Theater program at Elon University where he Music Directed and Conducted 1776, In The
Heights, She Loves Me, Crazy For You, Titanic, The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee, Ragtime and Next To Normal . While at Elon, Rick represented the Musical
Theater Department at MTEA, Music Theater Educators’ Alliance in NYC as well as
participating in hearing auditions each year at SETC’s, the Southeastern Theater Conference
Auditions connecting theater opportunities nationwide. Previously, he was in the same
position at Wright State University where he served as Music Director and Conductor for
shows including The Light in the Piazza, The Pajama Game, Hairspray, Titanic, Smokey
Joe’s Café, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Oh, Lady Be Good!, West Side Story, The
Threepenny Opera, and Elton John’s Aida. Originally from Michigan, Rick had spent over 25 years at the prestigious Interlochen Center
for the Arts as Musical Director for the High School Musical Theater Production program. In
addition to bringing in many guest artists to work with students, working as an liaison to
bridge the arts with the community, Some of the shows Rick Music Directed and Conducted
included: Aida, Anything Goes, Babes in Arms, Catch Me If You Can, Carousel,
Children of Eden, Evita, Guys & Dolls, Hello Dolly, How to Succeed in Business
Without Really Trying, Jekyll & Hyde, Les Miserables, Music Man, Oklahoma, The
Pajama Game, and Rags. Students from this program have gone onto be accepted ted into
some of the best collegiate training programs and also star in Broadway and National touring
productions including HAMILTON, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA,
LES MISERABLES, FROZEN, THE KING & I, ROAD SHOW, AIN’T TOO PROUD - THE
TEMPTATIONS MUSICAL, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, GUN & POWDER, MEAN
GIRLS, ALADDIN - THE MUSICAL, CINDERELLA the MUSICAL, THE SPONGEBOB
MUSICAL, THE BOOK OF MORMON, BEAUTIFUL - THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL,
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, NEWSIES, WAITRESS, WICKED, the new Disney TV show , HIGH
SCHOOL MUSICAL. In addition, Rick was the Creating Founder of the Interlochen Center
for the Arts Musical Theater Intensive Program, a one week college audition prep for rising
High School Juniors and Seniors. Rick is a proud member of Local 802, the Musicians Union of New York City in addition to
being a member of MENC: The National Association for Music Education, National
Association of Teachers of Singing, Musical Theater Educators’ Alliance, The Michigan
Music Educators Association, and the Michigan Schools Vocal Music Association where he
serves not only as a member, but an adjudicator for both Musical Theater Performance and
Classical Voice Performance. In 2019, Rick was an Adjudicator for Musical Theater
Performance with the Ontario Music Festivals Association 2019 Provincial Music Festival
held in Niagara Falls. In 2006 Rick was awarded recognition from the National Foundation
for Advancement in the Arts as an outstanding teacher that influenced the lives of young
artists and has had students that are finalists in the National YoungArts Competition
sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.