Guest Artists

DANIEL BATES, TENOR Grammy Award-nominated tenor Daniel Bates enjoys a wide-ranging performance schedule in concert and opera. His operatic appearances include debuts with Anchorage Opera as Ernesto in Don Pasquale and with the Imperial Symphony as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, as well as a return to Anchorage Opera as the title role in Candide. His concert appearances include a return to The Arts at Grace to perform a solo recital and his Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra debut in their season opening gala. An alumnus of young artist residencies across the United States, Mr. Bates was a 2014–2016 Young Artist with Florida Grand Opera, where his repertoire included a critically acclaimed Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles, Goro in Madama Butterfly, the Third SS Man in Mieczyslaw Weinberg's The Passenger, and the Magician (cover) in The Consul. As an Apprentice Artist with the Santa Fe Opera in 2015 and 2016, Mr. Bates performed the role of the Slave in Salome and both Junior and Charlie in the world premiere in Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain, a live recording of which was released by Pentatone and which has recently been nominated for a Grammy. Recognized as a young artist of significant talent, Mr. Bates is a Grant Winner in the 2016 Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition and First Place winner in the 2016 National Society of Arts Letters Voice Competition (Florida East Coast Chapter). In 2015, he received a Career Development Grant from the Sullivan Foundation. Additional competition credits include District Winner and Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, First Place winner of the East Bay Opera League Competition, and prizewinner of the Henry and Maria Holt Competition. JULIE BATMAN, SOPRANO Sings professionally with the Orlando Light Opera, Opera Orlando, Opera Tampa/ Tampa Singers, The Dicken’s Carolers, and Mary Queen of the Universe. She is a graduate of and staff professor of voice and piano at Rollins College. She has been a choral director and choral accompanist at Rollins College and she also teaches voice and piano at Lake Highland Preparatory School. Julie has been featured as a vocal soloist for several local arts organizations in Orlando. Her credits include being a featured soloist for The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra; the contemporary ballet, Carolina, Handel’s The Messiah - with the Messiah Choral Society, The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, the Central Florida Community Arts, and the Basilica Mary Queen of the Universe Shrine. She has sung as soloist for Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert Magnificat, Vivaldi’s

Nulla in Mundo Pax/Alleluia, Mozart’s Laudate Dominum and several other solos with Bach Festival choir, Et in Carnatus Est from Mozart’s Grand Mass in C with CFCA and has been a featured soloist on several CDs: Osterkantate Ernest Wolf Easter Cantata – Moravian Society, All is Bright – Bach Festival Choir, Ave Maria and The Basilica Choir – Stemik Music. Carolina contemporary Ballet CD and DVD. In addition to singing and teaching, Julie enjoys accompanying choral groups and playing solo piano for events.

JOHN DEPAOLA

John DePaola has been a full time freelance trumpeter for over 30 years. He lives in Orlando, FL where he has been a musician at Walt Disney World and a member of the Rosie O’Grady’s Goodtime Jazz Band. John has performed with entertainers such as Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Johnny Mathis, Kenny Rogers, Frank Sinatra Jr., The Moody Blues, and many others. He has also played for national touring Broadway Shows like West Side Story, Hello Dolly, A Chorus Line, 42nd Street, The Producers, and Chicago. John is also a regular performer at jazz festivals across the U.S. with different groups and has also leads his own group, performing for Jazz clubs and societies in Florida.

He is in his 3rd season as a member of the Dr Phillips Center Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Rodney Whitaker. As a symphony musician, John has played Principal Trumpet with The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra since 2003 and also served as Principal Trumpet with the Imperial Symphony in Lakeland, FL. He also performs with The Brevard Symphony and Orlando Philharmonic when required to do so. You can see his concert schedule and listen to his latest recording "Take Two". JohnDePaolamusic.com

EMILY HEUMANN, MEZZO-SOPRANO Mezzo-soprano Emily Heumann is gaining recognition for her "credible" storytelling (Orlando Sentinel), and "delicious vocals" (Arts and Culture Texas Magazine). Last season, Emily appeared in Songs of Love at the Romanza Festivale in St. Augustine, in the world premiere of Juliano’s The Brightest Star, as Lydia in a workshop reading of Curt Tucker’s Penelope Ann’s Revenge with First Coast Opera, and as the Alto Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with The Villages® Philharmonic Orchestra. Other recent appearances include Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Orlando and First Coast Opera, The Fox in The Little Prince with First Coast Opera, and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Rec Room Arts Houston. Emily was a 2018-2020 Studio Artist at Opera Orlando, where she sang Mrs. Noye in Noye’s Fludde, Nicklausse in the outreach tour of Les contes d'Hoffmann, and covered Hansel in Hansel and Gretel. She was also a 2019-2020 Emerging Artist with St. Petersburg Opera Company, where she appeared as Il Paggio/Giovanna Cover in Rigoletto, and as a soloist in Harmony: Tolerance and Acceptance. Emily enjoys performing new music, especially works by her husband, composer Eric Heumann. She has performed in dozens of new music programs across the country. She received her M.M. in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from The University of Houston. www.emilyheumann.com STEPHEN MUMBERT, BASS Stephen Mumbert is a graduate of Stetson University where he holds a B.M. in voice performance, and he also holds an M.M. in opera from The Boston Conservatory. He has participated in the young-artist programs of Seagle Music Colony (Aaron Greenspan/Morning Star, Evelyn Oakleigh/ Anything Goes), Britten-Pears (Don Giovanni/Don Giovanni, Junius/The Rape of Lucretia), Fort Worth Opera (Slim/Of Mice and Men, King Melchior/Amahl and the Night Visitors), and Opera Naples (Professor Baehr/Little Women, Morales/ Carmen). Recent performances have included Riccardo in Bellini’s I Puritani with Minnesota Concert Opera, Mozart’s Requiem with the Dakota Valley Symphony (broadcast on Twin Cities Public Television), Handel’s Messiah with The Villages® Philharmonic Orchestra and the Messiah Choral Society, BWV 19/89/90 with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, and a new opera project performing the lead roles of Guildenstern in Herschel Garfein’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Hopkins in Robert Aldridge's Sister Carrie staged with the respective Grammy award winning composers in residence.