Addison Ballew
Praised for her sparkling stage presence and expressive musicianship, soprano Addison Ballew is an emerging artist from Upstate South Carolina whose performances span opera, concert work, and contemporary vocal repertoire. Recent highlights include appearing as a soprano soloist in the Greenville Chorale Christmas Concert and serving as soprano soloist in Haydn’s Theresienmesse with the University Chorale at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
While at Indiana University, Addison performed the roles of Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Norina in Don Pasquale, and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro through IU Opera Workshop, in addition to premiering original roles with Unsung Opera. Her additional credits include Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods. Recognized for her versatility across genres, she was a NATS Regional Qualifier in both classical and musical theatre and a finalist in the William E. Schmidt and Classical Singer competitions.
Addison earned her Master of Music in Performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and her Bachelor of Music from Furman University. In 2024, she studied abroad with AIMS in Graz, further cultivating her passion for opera and art song on the international stage. This summer, she joins SongFest as a Professional Artist, collaborating with renowned faculty and performers in one of the nation’s premier programs for art song and contemporary vocal music. Alongside her performing career, Addison is a dedicated educator who teaches voice at Anderson University and through BHA Voice Studio.
Lucia Bradford
Mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradfordis a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. Ms. Bradford has performed a number of operatic roles including Carmen, Zita and La zia Principessa (Il trittico), Mrs. Quickly (Falstaff), The Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas), Hippolyta (A Midsummer. Night’s Dream), Maria (Porgy and Bess), and Marcellina (The Marriage of Figaro).
Her concert repertoire includes Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes deConfessore, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, De Falla’s El amor brujo, William Grant Still’s And they lynched him, Nathanial Dett’s The Ordering of Moses, Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, Penderecki’s Credo, Michael Tippett’s A Child of our time, Beethoven’s Mass in C major, Handel’s Messiah, the Mozart Requiem, the Duruflé Requiem, Bach’s B-minor Mass, Magnificat, and St John’s Passion, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Paul Moravec’s All Shall Rise at Carnegie Hall (Oratorio Society of New York). Upcoming performances include The Stepmother in Massenet’s Cendrillon with North Carolina Opera, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Ms. Bradford has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center, and Merkin Hall, and has sung concerts in Russia, Hungary, Spain, and the Caribbean. She also enjoys performing in a variety of genres including contemporary opera, jazz, gospel and blues. A favorite vocalist with New York Festival of Song, she will be recording a solo album on their label, NYFOS Records, in September.
Grant Knox
American tenor, Grant Knox has appeared with the Cincinnati Opera, Atlanta Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Chautauqua Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, Ohio Light Opera, Asheville Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera Atlanta, Rochester Lyric Opera, and with Maestro Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Opera Festival. Equally at home in concert repertoire, Knox has been engaged by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic, Greenville Symphony Orchestra/Chorale, Peninsula Music Festival, Williamsburg Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, and Hendersonville Symphony. He has been heard in recital at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Constella Festival, the Colburn School and the Kerrytown Concert House. Dr. Knox serves as Associate Professor of Voice, Director of Opera, and Vocal Area Coordinator at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina where he was the 2016/17 recipient of the Alester G. Furman Jr. and Janie Earle Furman award for meritorious teaching. He has stage-directed productions of Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Hansel and Gretel, Dido and Aeneas, Orpheus in the Underworld, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, She Loves Me, and Brigadoon for the Sarah Reese Lyric Theatre at Furman University. In the summer months, Dr. Knox serves on the voice faculty at the SongFest music festival.
Steven Kirby
Illustrious Baritone Steven Kirby, praised for his “solid presence” and “mellifluous tone” (OperaWire, TheaterScene.net), brings an enthusiasm for opera, oratorio, and musical theater like none other. A Springfield, MA native now based in Harlem, NY, Mr. Kirby has captivated audiences across the United States and Europe with his compelling performances.
His operatic repertoire includes standout roles such as Hanezo Mascagni’s L’Amico Fritz Hanezo, Captain Dick Scott in the world premiere of Nicolas Flagello’s Beyond the Horizon (Teatro Grattacielo); Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, Yamadori in Madama Butterfly (Houston Ebony Opera); Jack in H. Leslie Adams’ Blake, George Floyd in The Martinsville 7 (Trilogy Opera); Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors (Camerata NY Orchestra); Colas in Bastien und Bastienne, Talpa in Il Tabarro (Garden State Opera); Porgy in Porgy and Bess (Utah Festival Opera); Kaspar in Der Freischütz (New Jersey Concert Opera); and Dr. Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro (Brevard Music Center). He has also sung Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Zuniga in Carmen. In musical theater, Mr. Kirby’s portrayal of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime the musical (Columbia University) received critical acclaim. His additional credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Caiaphas) Pirates of Penzance (Samuel), Kiss Me, Kate, Candide, West Side Story, and Show Boat.
Equally at home in the oratorio and concert repertoire, Mr. Kirby has been praised as “thrillingly incandescent” and “brilliant beyond belief” in performances of Tippett’s A Child of Our Time (Germany’s Capitol Symphonie Orchester), Orff’s Carmina Burana (Ars Choralis), Bach’s Magnificat (The UNSUNG Collective), Handel’s Messiah (Orchestra of St. Luke’s), Beethoven’s Mass in C (Clemson University), Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore (Ars Choralis), and A Canon for Racial Reconciliation a new work by Cates and Reeves with Capella Romana. He has earned accolades for his mastery with Harlem Chamber Players.
Mr. Kirby continues to expand his artistic horizons, striving to bring new interpretations to the timeless works of the classical canon. With a career spanning multiple genres and a dedication to artistic excellence, Mr. Kirby continues to move and inspire audiences with his powerful voice and commanding stage presence.
Dedicated to sharing his knowledge and skills, Mr. Kirby teaches at Frank Sinatra High School of Performing Arts, where he enjoys teaching voice, conducting The Songbook Singers Choir, and being the artistic director of the Opera Workshop, designing productions, selecting repertoire and conducting performances with orchestra. He’s also lent his expertise to the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, serves as an assistant conductor for the New York City All City High School Chorus, conducting on prestigious stages such as David Geffen Hall. Mr. Kirby maintains a private voice studio in New York City. He earned his Bachelor and Masters degrees from Westminster Choir College solidifying his reputation as a leader in the field of music education and voice performance.
Kathryn Knauer
Kathryn Knauer, soprano, is a native of Houston, Texas. She holds a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Music degree from Furman University. Kathryn has performed as the soloist with various organizations, including the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra, Columbia Choral Society, Florence Masterworks Choir, Greenville Chorale, Herring Chamber Ensemble, South Carolina Bach Society, Kingwood Chorale, West Virginia Symphony, and Furman University and Northwestern symphonies and operas, and professional opera roles with the Houston Grand Opera, New York City Opera, Greenville Opera, and has been a featured soloist with the Piccolo Spoleto festival in Charleston, SC.
Notably, she has performed in J. S. Bach’s St. John Passion, Mass in b-minor and Magnificat, R. V. Williams Dona Nobis Pacem and Hodie, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Brahms’ Requiem, Bruckner Te Deum, Handel’s Messiah and Te Deum, Mozart’s Requiem, and numerous Handel and Bach cantatas. In conjunction with her professional performances Kathryn has premierednew works, including Dan Forrest’s Lux and John Michael Trotta’s Seven Last Words of Christ. Kathryn resides in Greenville, South Carolina as an active professional performer and teaches on the voice faculty at Furman University.
Craig Price
Bass-Baritone Craig Philip Price, a native of South Carolina, holds degrees in Voice Performance from Furman University and Manhattan School of Music, as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina. He has been seen with opera companies across the United States including Central City Opera, Opera Saratoga, FBN Productions, Kentucky Opera, the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, and Charlottesville Opera. In concert, he has sung with the Greenville Chorale, the Herring Chamber Ensemble, Carolina Master Chorale, the Florence Masterworks Choir, the Columbia Choral Society, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, the Owensboro Symphony, the South Carolina Philharmonic and Varna International. He is also a frequent recitalist including his performance which launched the Bach Ascending concert series in Savannah, Georgia in early 2020. Other notable past performances include performing the ‘Bird’ in the world premiere performance of Seymour Barab’s Everyone Has to be Free and singing the part of ‘Christ’ in the John Stainer Crucifixion at the famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Ave in New York. He was honored to take part in celebrating the career of legendary American composer Carlisle Floyd in 2011 as a guest performer for his induction into South Carolina’s State Hall of Fame. He currently resides in Greenville, SC where he teaches on the voice faculty at Furman University, is the Director of Marketing for the Greenville Chorale, and a member of the music faculty at Senior Action Greenville.
