²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp

Conductor NANCIA DALIMONTE is founder and Music Director of NIH Philharmonia, Bethesda, MD, which is in its twentieth season. Additionally, she directs Kennedy Center’s annual holiday concert, the Messiah Sing-Along, a very popular event. Previously, she was Music Director of Loudoun Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of The Arlington Chorale, transforming both groups into vibrant ensembles. From 2005-2015 she directed The George Washington University Orchestra. Throughout her career DAlimonte has captivated audiences with her high energy, command, and charisma. An internationally recognized orchestral conductor, her guest conducting appearances have taken her from this country (New York, Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Tennessee) to Russia (Academic State Ballet Theatre in St. Petersburg), and from Romania (Mihail Jora Bacau Philharmonic) to Moldova (National Chamber Orchestra, Chisinau). 

Gifted in original and innovative program conception and design, and a born educator and communicator, Dr. DAlimonte enthralls her audiences with lively historical commentary and musical anecdotes. Musicians who play under her baton are equally enthusiastic, praising her musicality, rhythmic clarity, expressive hands and breadth of knowledge.

Known for the versatility of her talents, Nancia DAlimonte has been an education programs consultant for the National Philharmonic at The Music Center at Strathmore for 13 years. For this, she crafted multimedia productions performed annually for 10,000 Montgomery County second graders. She is a frequent adjudicator for Festivals of Music and a sought-after guest conductor and clinician.

Dr. DAlimonte holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, with Mendi Rodan as her teacher. A former professional horn player, including principal horn for Oshawa Symphony Orchestra (outside Toronto, CA), she earned a Master of Music in horn performance from Ithaca College and studied horn at the Royal Flemish Music Conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Beginning in January 2024, DAlimonte joined the Board of Directors for the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation, an organization that helps to provide food assistance to the working poor of inner city Washington, D.C. Nancia lives in Falls Church, VA with her husband Giancarlo, their moyen poodle Piccolo Lupo, and both are avid scuba divers.

Soprano ALIA WAHEED , a native of Washington D.C., began her training at The Duke Ellington School of the Arts H.S., The Interlochen Center for the Arts, her B.S. in Music at Morgan State University, and Masters in Music from George Mason University. Ms. Waheed has won first place (local & regional) of the National Assoc. of Teachers of Singing, Maryland Opera Society, & Omega Psi Phi Music Award. Ms. Waheed has toured with the Morgan State University Choir, the National Spiritual Ensemble and the Moses Hogan Singers as both soloist and chorister and can be heard on the recordings "Ezekiel Saw de Wheel", "This Little Light of Mine" and "How Excellent Is Thy Name" under the GIA Publishing Company. She has sung under the baton of several acclaimed conductors including Joe Walsh, Robert Shaw, & Placido Domingo. She has appeared as a soloist with Washington Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, & Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Some of her orchestral & oratorio repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah , Mozart, Verdi, & Faure’s Requiem , Duke Ellington’s Sacred Songs , Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio , & Dubois’ Seven Last Words . Some of her operatic roles include Magda in Puccini’s La Rondine , Suor Angelica in Puccini’s Suor Angelica , Serena & Bess in Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess , & Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni under the tutelage of opera singer, Martina Arroyo in her Summer Young Artist Program. She performed the Countess role in the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Summer Festival’s 2009 production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in Amalfi, Italy.

Ms. Waheed made her operatic debut with Washington National Opera in 2007 in their production of Strauss’s Elektra where she performed the role of Klytaemnestra’s Trainbearer and the role of Viola Lee Jackson in the WNO’s world premiere opera, Appomattox. Ms. Waheed has been a regular chorister/soloist with The Washington National Opera since 2003. She is an auxiliary chorister/soloist with The Metropolitan Opera since 2019 where she won a Grammy award for Gershwin’s production, Porgy and Bess.

Lauded and recognized around the globe, mezzo-soprano MARQUITA COOPER exhibits beauty and versatility on the stage. Her work has been praised by The New York Times and Opera News for “Her big, pulsating instrument.” Ms. Cooper, a native of Washington, D.C. has toured internationally, singing repertoire spanning the Baroque through 21st Century. She debuted in recitals at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall with The New York Philharmonic in New York City and with ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp in Washington, DC. She is also a featured soloist with Ebony String Quartet with works by leading female composer Christina Spinei, Jazz at Lincoln Center for Wynton Marsalis’s Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration and Leonard Bernstein’s Candide with The New York Philharmonic and a guest artist for Lyric Fest accompanied by acclaimed pianist, Laura Ward. She was recently presented in concert with Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra as the alto soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony .

Ms. Cooper has been invited to sing for such people as the late Maya Angelou, the late William Warfield, opera singers Denyce Graves, William Stone, Matthew Polenzani, Renee Fleming, Marilyn Horne and Suzanne Mentzer. She has also been recognized as a major figure on the rise in the world of classical music by musician and composer H. Leslie Adams and the late Nico Castel. Oratorio works include, George Frideric Handel’s Messiah and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem . Operatic roles include Donna Elvira ( Don Giovanni ), Baba the Turk ( The Rake’s Progress ), Dorabella ( Cosi fan tutte ), Marcellina ( Le nozze di Figaro ), 2nd & 3rd Lady ( Die Zauberflöte ), Anne ( The Mother of Us All ), Gianetta ( L’elisir d’amore ), Fountain Voice ( Ainadamar ), Martha ( Iolanta ), and Madame Flora ( The Medium ), Delilah ( Samson et Delilah ) with Venture Opera, Philadelphia Opera and Chautauqua Opera.

Ms. Cooper holds degrees from The Juilliard School (BM) and The Curtis School of Music (MM). She joined the faculty of Summer Arts with Juilliard (Switzerland) in 2021 and served on the faculty of Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. as in Instructor of Voice from 2019-2022.

Lyric Tenor WAYNE JENNINGS is a native of Washington, DC. A graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Performing Arts and has been called "one of the Nation's top young talents" by the Washington Free Voice and The Washington Post.

Mr. Jennings has performed nationally and internationally in operas, concerts and recitals. He made his international operatic debut in 2009 at the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts festival in Italy as Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi under the baton of Maestro Joe Walsh. Mr. Jennings is in high demand as soloist throughout the United States and abroad. His oratorio repertoire includes Rossini’s Stabat Mater , Beethoven’s An Die Freude , Haydn’s Third Mass , Handel’s Messiah , Bach’s Magnificat , Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio , Schubert’s Mass in G and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music . He was also the featured soloist in Adolphus Hailstork’s I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes and R. Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess under the baton of Maestro Stanley J Thurston. Mr. Jennings is a frequent artist with The Washington National Opera, Maryland Lyric Opera, The Heritage Signature Chorale, Washington Concert Opera, The International Opera Theater and The Dallas Opera.

Mr. Jennings was also a regional finalist and 1st place winner in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition, the Leontyne Price Competition for Emerging Artists, Paul Robeson Competition and the Omega Psi Phi Competition. In addition, he is a recipient of the Merit Award for the National Foundation for the Arts. 

Mr. Jennings serves as the Coordinator for the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts — CAAPA “Opera for Fun Youth Outreach Program” and teaches private voice at The Bullis School in Potomac MD. He has furthered his vocal training at George Mason University and at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in The Institute of Voice Performance and Pedagogy with the late Richard Miller. He was also an artist in residence with the Ebony Classical Music Society and the New York City Opera’s Jeunes Solistes .

DARRICK SPELLER , a vibrant baritone whose roots run deep in the heart of Washington, D.C. With a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from George Mason University, Darrick honed his craft under the esteemed Professor Patricia Miller. His passion for music led him to Boston University, where he refined his voice under the guidance of Dr. Jerrold Pope, ultimately earning his Master’s degree.

Darrick's performances are a tapestry of diverse roles that showcase his remarkable talent. From the whimsical Papageno in The Magic Flute to the dignified King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors , his versatility shines brightly. He has graced the stage as Le Premier Ministre in Cendrillon and portrayed the heart-wrenching Joe in Angels in America . His repertoire extends through the ages, capturing the essence of characters like Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore , and even the charming Gus in Later the Same Evening .

Darrick’s artistry knows no borders; he has taken his talents across the Atlantic, singing notable roles such as Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro and Antonio and Marco in Gianni Schicchi . Each performance is a journey, one that he navigates with both grace and passion, leaving audiences captivated and enchanted.

For those eager to experience his artistry, Darrick’s latest project, “First Impressions,” is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Dive into his world, where every note resonates with emotion and every performance tells a story that lingers long after the final bow.

COLLEGE PARK CHORALE is a 60 member community choir based in College Park, MD. We perform a wide variety of choral music in concerts as well as at local community events. The Chorale was founded in 2013 as a program of the College Park Arts Exchange. 

The focus of the group remains to welcome all who wish to sing and to create community through music. The Chorale is directed by Allison Hughes, an active performer and voice teacher in the Metro DC area.

NOVA COMMUNITY CHORUS is a part of the Music Program at Northern Virginia Community College under the leadership of Dr. Mary-Hannah Klontz and Dr. James Wolter. The ensemble comprising of singers from both the College and the surrounding community is open to all interested singers without audition. The chorus has distinguished itself both locally and internationally.

NVCC performs regularly in the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall on NOVA campus and has performed with the U.S. Army Chorus, NOVA Symphony Orchestra, Alexandria Band, Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and Alexandria Symphony. Special engagements in past years have included Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the National Theater. The chorus toured Spain and performed at the 1992 World’s Fair in Seville. The chorus has also sung in England (2006), at the Leipzig International Choral Festival in Germany (2008) and in France (2010).

Formed in 1972, ROCKVILLE CHORUS has been performing for audiences of all ages within the Rockville regional community, and surrounding areas,

in the state of Maryland. Rockville Chorus is a vibrant and dedicated musical organization consisting of 75 adult singers who are currently under the direction of Linda Garrettson.

Rockville Chorus is focused on developing a wide range of musical genres and styles of choral music. The repertoire performed consists of classical choral canon, Broadway musical songs, classical jazz arrangements, and original compositions from contemporary composers. Since the late 1990’s, Rockville Chorus has been organizing and performing, annually, a benefit concert for the Rockville Emergency Assistance Program which supports the most vulnerable citizens of Montgomery County. 

Additionally, in 2010, Rockville Chorus traveled and sang in a European Tour and, for more fun, in 2023, we began singing the National Anthem at minor league baseball games during the summer! 

VOCAL ARTS OF FAIRFAX provides community-focused, accessible and inclusive choral performances. We seek to build unity among our singers and to create an inspired environment for our audiences. Directed by Michael Ehrlich, our mission includes community care outreach initiatives as part of its core. The Vocal Arts of Fairfax does not require auditions. This adult chorus of 120 singers performs a variety of genres, including traditional choral literature, American folk songs and spirituals, music of different cultures, vocal jazz, and Broadway.

Along with bringing choral music to the community, the ensemble embraces the true meaning of community by seeking diversity in its make-up and in its repertoire.