OC Ars Vocalis Academy
Faculty
Dubravka Zubovic - Voice
Dubravka Zubovic received her BA and MA degrees from the Zagreb and Belgrade Music Academies, respectively. Following advice of her long-time mentor, a distinguished soprano Zinka Kunc-Milanov, she continued with advanced training at Teatro alla Scala, Milan. A prizewinner of a number of competitions in Geneva, Ostende, Vienna, and Rio de Janeiro, she also received the prestigious “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” award in 1985 at the “F. Viñas” competition in Barcelona. Ms. Zubovic made her Carnegie Hall debut in the 1987 Wagner Gala and subsequently in a production of Andrea Chenier. more
Milena Kitic - Voice
A star of the Belgrade Opera, Serbia, Ms. Kitic made her US debut in the demanding role of Eboli in Verdi's "Don Carlo", with the Palm Beach Opera, conducted by Mo. Guadagno. In 1999, Ms. Kitic made her Carnegie Hall debut with Opera Orchestra of New York as Emilia in Otello for Carlo Bergonzi’s farewell concert conducted by Eve Queler. In 2004. she again, won unanimous raves for performing Carmen with Los Angeles Opera, opposite Richard Leech, and conducted by Placido Domingo and Nicola Luisotti. In 2005 she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in the title role of Carmen. more
Ines Salazar - Master Class
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Ines Salazar received her diploma from Italy's Castelfranco Veneto Conservatory with the highest marks. She received the prize for the best voice in the 1990 Maria Callas Competition and top prizes at the Voci Verdiane, the Toti dal Monte, the Giacomoantonio, and the Mario del Monaco competitions. She performed in some of the most important theatres in the world, including La Scala, Teatro di Roma, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Real de Madrid, Vienna Staatsoper, Baltimore Theatre, among others. more
Dr. Mark Goodrich - Voice
Dr. Mark J. Goodrich, tenor, recently returned to the voice faculty of Cal. State Fullerton, where he originally taught for a decade (1992-2002) and chaired the vocal area. He has also served full-time on the voice faculties of Boston University (Chair of the Voice Department), and California State University, Los Angeles. He also maintains voice studios in Long Beach, San Francisco and Berkeley, CA. Dr. Goodrich received his Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Yale School of Music and his Doctorate in Musical Arts (Vocal Performance) from The University of Michigan. more
Dr. Scott Farthing - Voice/Piano
Dr. Scott Farthing is currently Director of Choral and Vocal Music and Professor of Music at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA where he teaches voice, conducts the college choirs, and teaches beginning, intermediate, Advanced, and Applied voice. Dr. Farthing also has had the privilege of serving on the Applied Voice Faculty of the Los Angeles campus of the American Music and Dramatic Academy and as Chair of the Department of Music and Associate Professor of Music at the University of La Verne. more
Frances Fenton - Voice
Frances Fenton, a native of Texas, has sung leading and featured roles with the Zürich Opera and the Frankfurt Opera, as well as with orchestras throughout Europe and the U.S. She has been televised in four continents and has performed in over 20 countries. She is a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. State Department and her students have been awarded over $750,000 in scholarships. Frances teaches at Houston Community and she is a guest adjudicator for NATS competitions, and The Professional Opera Singers’ Association Competition (in Southern California). more
Mihee Kim - Piano
Kim Mihee, born in Seoul (South Korea), graduated with a bachelor's degree in piano at the Seoul National University in 2000. After having moved in the same year to Rome, she was awarded a Certificate of a highest degree in piano at the Conservatory Santa Cecilia in Rome where, in the following years, she has also obtained the diplomas in the composition
and orchestra conducting. more
Catherine Tibbitts - Piano
Catherine Tibbitts graduated from BYU in 1973 with a degree in Piano Performance. While at BYU she received the departmental Piano Performance Award as a junior and as a senior received the award for Most Outstanding Musician. She has lived in Orange County, California since 1973 where she is in constant demand as an accompanist. more
TaeHee Kim - Piano
TaeHee Kim, born in Seoul, South Korea, graduated with a Bachelor and Master degrees of Singing from Seoul National University in 2011. Soon after graduating, TaeHee Kim changed his major from Singing to Piano. In the same year he
entered the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome in Opera Coaching with a high score. He is to graduate this year. more
Dr. Norman Weston - Piano
Dr. Norman Weston studied music composition at both Indiana University and Northwestern University. He has received numerous commissions and awards and his music has been performed throughout the United States. As a pianist, he is known for his performances of contemporary music, and has premiered dozens of new works. more
Mark Salters - Piano
Mark Salters is opera co-director, vocal coach, and pianist at California State University, Fullerton. Originally from New York, Salters served on the coaching staff of the Opera Department at the University of Michigan under Gustav Meier. Prior to that, Mr. Salters was on the faculty of the Yale University graduate opera program headed by noted director Tito Capobianco. He has accompanied master classes by many well known singers and coaches including Frederica Von Stade, ... more
Francesca Ferrari - Italian language
Francesca Ferrari has always had a passion for languages, for the written and spoken word. She fell in love with music and singing, Greek and Latin Philosophy in the classical lyceum. In 2000 Ms. Ferrari obtained an M.A. in Political Science – Political and Historical Studies at the Sapienza University of Rome – with a thesis on “The British press and racism”. Subsequently she went abroad to study Spanish in Salamanca and decided to become a language teacher. more
Rossano Astremo - Italian language
Rossano Astremo is a faculty member of the Modern Languages Department of St. Stephen’s International High School in Rome. He currently teaches IB Italian A and B. Prior to St. Stephen’s, Mr. Astremo taught Creative Writing at Italian high schools and coordinated a project “Lettori di libri in Italia” established by Università del Salento. Mr. Astremo has a Master’s Degree in Multimedia Communication from Università del Salento. more
Vera Maniaci - Italian language
Professor Maniaci has a Master’s degree in foreign languages and literatures from Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy.
She moved to California along with her family in 1986 and since then she has been teaching Italian. Professor Maniaci has been teaching all levels of Italian at Chapman University from 1988 and Coastline Community college, Orange Coast College, Mt. S. Antonio College. more