SUSAN FLETCHER, SOPRANO SOLOIST

Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Susan Fletcher is a versatile vocalist, effortlessly moving between classical, rock,  and contemporary styles. She has been a soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, The  Cleveland Opera, Cleveland Opera Theater, Castleton Festival (VA), Gateway Opera (MO), and the Cleveland  Composer’s Guild. A frequent interpreter of Mozart, she has performed the soprano solo in Coronation Mass with the Akron Symphony under Maestro Wilkins and played Zerlina in Don Giovanni with The Cleveland Opera, where her singing was praised as “beautifully expressive” (ClevelandClassical.com). She was a finalist in the Nicholas Loren Vocal Competition for her performance of Zeffiretti lusinghieri from Idomeneo. Susan has performed with the Castleton  Festival under the legendary Lorin Maazel and shared the stage with Oscar winner Helen Mirren in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Passionate about contemporary music, she has premiered and recorded works by living composers, including Some Hope Upon the Sky by Dr. Frank Wiley (Kent State University) and Secrets by Dr. Marilyn Shrude (Bowling Green State University). She has given recitals for the Tuesday Musical Association and Cleveland Chamber Symphony’s NEOSonic Fest. Outside of classical music, Susan has toured the U.S. as the lead singer of Scarlet & the Harlots, where her powerful vocals earned comparisons to Janis Joplin (Cleveland Scene Magazine). Most recently, she was honored by the Firestone family to reimagine the works of Idabelle Firestone in a comm. orchestral concert. Susan is a graduate of Kent State University.

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ALBERT DONZE, BARITONE SOLOIST

Albert Donze is thrilled to be performing with Summit Choral Society for the first time. As a baritone soloist and choral  artist, he has sung in renowned venues such as Playhouse Square, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. He regularly performs with the Cleveland Chamber Choir and the Singer’s Club of Cleveland and is a frequent soloist at evensong services in Cleveland Heights. On Sunday mornings, he can be heard at Old Stone Church in Downtown Cleveland. An experienced music educator, Albert has taught in several public school systems, including Massillon Washington  High School and the Akron School for the Arts at Firestone High School. He has also instructed undergraduate voice  students in Texas, New York City, and Ohio, training performers for cruise ship productions and off-Broadway    performances. Currently, he serves on the voice faculty at Kent State University at Stark and teaches at Westlake Music Academy. Albert holds dual Bachelor of Music degrees in Choral Music Education and Applied Voice Performance from Ohio State University. He earned his Master of Music in Classical Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Sam Houston State University.