About the Soloists
Susan Bender, Soprano
Susan was a Metropolitan Opera National Council Winner in 1986, the same year she debuted with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. She was a member of the United States Navy Band Sea Chanter Chorus in Washington, D.C. and toured with their premiere wind ensemble as vocal soloist on three national tours. Ms. Bender's recital, oratorio and contemporary performances consistently receive high marks from critics, and she has been nominated twice for her work in musical theatre by the Washington Theatre Guild. She has sung with the Washington Bach Consort, as well as an apprentice performer with the Stoney Brook Bach Group and sang in Madison's Bach Around the Clock. Professor Bender is in her 20th year of teaching at UWSP and serves as Governor for the North Central Region of The National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Chelsea Betz, Mezzo-Soprano
Chelsea holds a BM in Vocal Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a MM in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Northwestern University's Beinen School of Music. She serves as a voice teacher and director of the vocal arts program at Falls Baptist College of Ministry as well as her own private studio. Past roles include Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Old Maid in Menotti's Old Maid and the Thief, and L'enfant in Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilege. Chelsea's repertoire includes recent performances of Beethoven's Mass in C Minor (UWSP Symphony Orchestra), Vivaldi's Gloria (CWSO) and many others. She currently serves as a featured soloist and section leader with the prestigious Bel Canto Chorus.
Dennis Willhoit, Tenor
Dennis has sung with the Symphony orchestras of St. Louis, Rockford, Appleton Fox Valley, University of Iowa, and many more. Dr. Willhoit's opera credits include Die Fledermaus, Cosi fan tutti, Carmen, Cenerentola, Falstaff and Aida, where he most recently performed the role of Messenger in a concert production of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared twice as a soloist at Carnegie Hall with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus. He is the co-founder of the American Gothic Performing Arts Festival held in Ottumwa, Iowa. Dr. Willhoit has taught at UWSP, Drake University and Coe College. In 2010, he was awarded UWSP's Excellence in Teaching Award. He holds degrees from Simpson College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Iowa, receiving his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and pedagogy. His scholarly research has focused on the operatic works of Vivaldi.
Sam Handley, Bass Baritone
Sam has been praised for “his rich, burnished” voice and the “genuine emotional depth of his characterizations.” He has performed more than a dozen roles in several opera houses around the United States, including the Lyric Opera House of Chicago, the Santa Fe Opera, and The Metropolitan Opera. A fervent proponent of contemporary composers, Sam has delivered several world premieres, including Wlad Marhulets’ The Property with Chicago’s Lyric Unlimited, and the music of Scott Gendel and Dan Black with the Madison Contemporary Orchestra. Sam currently serves on the faculty of DePaul University in Chicago. He is Vice-President of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and Executive and Artistic Director of the Green Lake Festival of Music. Sam now resides in Sheboygan, WI with his wife and daughter and their Labrador Finzi.
