Principals

Ben Bernstein, Ph.D. is a stage director and composer for opera, an acting teacher for singers, and a performance psychologist. Trained by Viola Spolin, he has staged premiere productions of new operas and has coached singers throughout the U.S. and abroad. He has conducted master classes and directed at the Sundance Institute, the San Francisco Opera, the Juilliard School, the American Opera Center, and has been a presenter at conferences worldwide. He speaks nationally on the subject of stress and performance. As a composer, his award-winning settings for The Song of Songs have been performed around the country. His book, I Hate Tests! (But I Want High Scores), is forthcoming. For more information on Dr. Bernstein’s work as a performance coach, or to schedule individual coaching, he can be reached via his website at: www.sparkavenue.com

Kathy Cathcart is currently Music Director of the Opera Program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her principal opera teacher was Boris Goldovsky, for whom she also worked for eight years. Ms. Cathcart was formerly the Director of Musical Studies for the San Francisco Opera Center, where she supervised the artistic development of singers in the Merola Opera Program, the Alder Fellowship Program and Western Opera Theater national tours. She served on the musical staff of the Cologne Opera and the San Francisco Opera as well as several smaller American companies. As a conductor, her résumé includes appearances in Europe, South America and the United States. Ms. Cathcart is available for individual coaching and can be reached at kathcath@sbcglobal.net.

Darryl Cooper (pianist) is currently the Assistant Music Director of the Opera Program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and is also on the faculty of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. He has also been a member of the opera and coaching faculties of the Boston Conservatory, Boston University Theater Institute, Crittenden Opera Studio, Chautauqua Opera, Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute, and an Artist-in-Residence in Theater Arts at Brandeis University He has prepared numerous professional and workshop productions in the Bay Area, New England, and Italy. He is an active recital partner, and has been heard on WGBH radio in Boston. Mr. Cooper is also available for individual coaching. Mr. Cooper is available for individual coaching and can be reached at dscooper63@earthlink.net.

Kristin Pankonin (pianist) performs regularly throughout the Bay Area and has appeared in recital in Hawaii, Washington state and Europe. In recent seasons, she has appeared on the Festival del Sole series in Napa, California and Cortona, Italy, and in concert in New York City with such artists as vocalists Frederica von Stade, Zheng Cao and Lisa Delan, cellist Matt Haimowitz and composer/pianist Jake Heggie. Kristin has just completed a two-disc recording project on the Pentatone Classics label, Locally, she has performed as a soloist and collaborator at numerous venues and is a vocal coach and accompanist at Mills College and San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Ms. Pankonin is also the regular pianist and emcee for Saturday Opera Night at the Jarvis Conservatory in Napa. Ms. Pankonin is available for individual coaching and can be reached at kpankoni@mills.edu.

Donald Sosin has 35 years of experience as a conductor, coach, accompanist and composer. A graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music and Columbia University, he was formerly music director of Opera Theater of Long Island. His opera ESTHER was featured on New York's WQXR and had several New York productions. In 2007 Donald arranged and performed music for the silent film "The Life of Richard Wagner" for Lincoln Center's Great Performers program. He accompanied lessons for Jan de Gaetani in Aspen, and has played for Marni Nixon and Caroline Worra. In New York he has conducted and/or played for a wide variety of opera and musical theater productions and has performed at the National Gallery, BAM, Lincoln Center, the Seattle Film Festival, and summer festivals in Berlin, Bologna and at Bard College. Many of his silent film scores are available on DVDs. www.donaldsosin.com