Our NOISE Artists
Our professional singers and collaborative pianists have performed with The Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, Portland Opera Association, Houston Grand Opera, New Orleans Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera as well as on Broadway and in international productions
NOISE STAFF
Boyd Schlaefer sang for New York City Opera for 22 years where he was a soloist and in the Regular Chorus. A Bass-baritone, he has also sung with Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, Eugene Opera, Lake George Opera festival and others. For 19 years he was on the Faculty at Western Connecticut State University as a voice teacher and stage director in both the Music and Theater Arts Departments.
Boyd Schlaefer, Executive Director, Co-Founder NOISE
Lisa Bergman, Board President Emerita, Executive Director Emerita, and Co-Founder NOISE
Lisa Bergman is a passionate promoter of the arts and classical music. Together with Boyd Schlaefer and Michele McBride she is a founding member of NOISE. Bergman is a pianist and a graduate of the Juilliard School, State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the University of Washington. Bergman served on the faculty of the University of Washington for ten years as opera coach and instructor of collaborative piano, and now is a national award-winning radio announcer on Classical KING FM.
Rhonda Kline, General and Music Director
Rhonda Kline is an Artist in Residence on music faculty at the University of Washington, where she serves as opera coach and director of collaborative piano. Rhonda has worked with NOISE for over 25 years, including touring as a pianist for ten seasons. For ten years, she served as a collaborative pianist and coach on the faculty of Canta in Italia, a summer program for singers based in Lucca, Italy.
Michele McBride, Artistic Advisor, Co-Founder NOISE
Michele McBride was with New York City Opera for over 20 years and sang more than 20 principal roles with the company, including two Live from Lincoln Center broadcasts. With NYCO she was also a staff Teaching Artist with the NYCO Education Dept. Ms. McBride has also sung leading roles with such companies as San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera. She was on the faculty of Hartt School of Music in Connecticut and Western Connecticut State University.
Julie Kae Sigars, Stage Director
Julie Kae Sigars is a vocal coach/instructor at Seattle Pacific University and Associate Pastor at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church. She has appeared with Seattle Opera, Tacoma Opera, the Bellevue Philharmonic, Philharmonia Northwest, Seattle Bach Choir, Seattle Chamber Chorus and the symphony orchestras of Federal Way, Victoria, Everett, Tacoma, and the Cascade Symphony Orchestra. Julie Kae sang with NOISE for 13 seasons and has been the stage director since 2012. In her own words: “NOISE is one of those projects that you can put your heart and soul and song into; the beautiful music to sing, the stories we tell, the relationships with fellow cast members, and those fabulous students who delight in hearing these operatic voices. It is so much fun!” She loves teaching and passing along to her students the love of singing.
Kimberly Giordano, Community Engagement Director
Soprano Kimberly Giordano, praised for being "smoothly eloquent" (KING-FM) and who “covers considerable emotional ground" (Opera News), is known for her expressive blend of elegance and emotion. Recent solo performances include Fauré’s Requiem with Philharmonia Northwest and Kirkland Choral Society, Cantaloube’s Chants D’Auvergne with Rain City Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem at the University of Washington, and Floria Tosca in Tosca with Tacoma Opera. Other previous engagements include Seattle Opera, Northwest Sinfonietta, and Seattle Youth Symphony. A committed interpreter of contemporary works, she created the role of Mrs. Fairfax in the world premiere of Louis Karchin’s Jane Eyre, later recorded for Naxos, and premiered John Muehleisen’s But Who Shall Return Us Our Children with Choral Arts Northwest and its recording on Gothic Catalog. She performed Pasatieri’s Letter to Warsaw with Music of Remembrance and starred in the West Coast premiere of John Duffy’s Black Water with a libretto by Joyce Carol Oates. A Woodstock, NY native, Ms. Giordano made her Carnegie Hall debut in Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem and has performed the National Anthem for Seattle’s major sports teams for over a decade.