Sara Ptak, soprano and Brooklynite (by way of rural Illinois) has her Masters of Music from McGill University with a Bachelor’s degree from DePaul University. On the operatic stage she has performed roles such as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare and Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Juno in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and Almirena in Handel’s Rinaldo.

Sara has been a fellow at The Toronto Summer Music Festival studying under Elly Ameling and Julius Drake, The Schubert Institut (Baden bei Wien, Austria) with the likes of Helmut Deutsche, Robert Holl, and Bernarda Fink, Music nelle Marche (Urbania, Italy), Domaine Forget (Saint Irenee, Quebec) with Renata Scotto, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and Brevard Music Center.

A passionate teaching artist, Sara performed the roles of Papagena and Third Lady in The Magic Flute with Martina Arroyo’s opera outreach program. She is an Early Childhood Music and Movement Teaching Artist at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. She founded Mozart had a Sister, a recital series centering underrepresented composers and performers in Brooklyn, NY.

Manhattan School of Music Precollege faculty since 2022.

Praised by The Capital for his “rock-solid vocalism and powerful projection”, bass Jeffrey Tarr has an extensive performance career in opera, oratorio, and as a recitalist.  Among the opera companies with which he has performed are the Washington National Opera, Baltimore Concert Opera, UrbanArias, The InSeries, and Festspiele Gut Immling.  Dr. Tarr’s portrayal of Basilio in Annapolis Opera's production of Il barbiere di Siviglia was described by The Washington Post as "fervent [&] robust." Internationally, Dr. Tarr has performed several roles with Gut Immling Festspiele including Argante in Rinaldo and Zuniga in Carmen.  In Berlin, he performed Crespel in Les contes d ’Hoffmann under the direction of Gidon Saks.  Other operatic credits include Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Polyphemus in Acis and Galatea, Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Colline in La bohème, Bartolo and Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro, Collatinus in Rape of Lucretia, and König Marke in Tristan und Isolde.

On the concert stage, Dr. Tarr has performed as bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Faure’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem, Brahms’ Requiem, and Bach’s Magnificat. He has performed with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra, Cathedral Choral Arts Society, Frederick Symphony Orchestra, and the Capital City Symphony. As a recitalist, he has performed in such venues as the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. His performance of Messiah with the New Dominion Chorale and Orchestra was lauded by The Washington Post as "outstanding…a large, resonant voice, filled with both power and clarity."

Dr. Tarr received a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Tennessee Temple University and a Masters of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance with an emphasis in Vocal Pedagogy at the University of North Texas. Dr. Tarr’s academic research focuses on the historicity and present-day application of character strengths within the music studio. His additional training includes German for Singers at the Middlebury College and the American Wagner Project of the Institute for Young Dramatic Voice with directors Dolora Zajick and Luana DeVol.  Dr. Tarr was a prize winner in the Annapolis Opera Competition, the Orpheus Vocal Competition, and Vocal Arts DC Discovery Competition.  In addition to his Teaching Fellowship at the University of North Texas, he has held teaching positions with Texas Woman’s University, American University, Hood College, and Montgomery College. 

Soprano Heather Hawk from Killeen, Texas, has musical honors that include winning First Prize at the AIMS Meistersinger Vocal Competition in Graz, Austria and fourth place as National Finalist in the NATS Artist Award Competition in Chicago. She also won First Prize in the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition. She has won First Place in the Texoma National Association of Teachers in Singing “Singer of the Year” Young Artist vocal competition.  She performed the song cycle, “Try Me, Good King,” by noted American composer, Libby Larsen, for the Leschetizky Association Annual Living Composers Concert in New York City with pianist Leslie Spotz. Of her performance, Larsen said, “Gorgeous voice! ~And a great collaboration with your pianist!”

 Recent operatic roles include Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, the title role in Handel’s Alcina, Katisha in The Mikado, and Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. She made her Carnegie Hall solo debut with the New York International Music Festival and returned for a second solo performance two years later. Other notable solo appearances include Rutter’s Magnificat and Handel’s Messiah with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. She earned a DMA in Vocal Performance from University of North Texas, a Masters in Vocal performance from Baylor University, and a BA in Music from Tarleton State University, where she is a recipient of the Distinguished Tarleton Alumni award.

Heather currently serves as Associate Professor of Music (Voice) at Tarleton State University, and lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her husband, Ben, and seven year old son, Ben, Jr.

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