Meet our Directors and Staff
Stefano Baldasseroni
Founder and Executive Director
Hailing from the heart of Rome, Stefano Baldasseroni embarked on his musical journey at the tender age of four, immersing himself in the world of drums. By his late twenties, he had already left his mark on the global music scene, touring and recording with celebrated pop music artists. In 2010, Stefano made the pivotal move to New York City, where he donned multiple hats – a sought-after session drummer and a dedicated Italian diction coach for Opera Repertory Ensemble’s productions at the Manhattan School of Music.
In 2016, the illustrious contralto, Dolora Zajick, invited Mr. Baldasseroni to join the faculty of her Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. Here, he harnessed his drumming prowess to guide singers in rhythm and provided invaluable coaching in Italian diction.
Throughout his career, Mr. Baldasseroni has shared his linguistic and musical expertise as a diction coach at esteemed institutions such as the Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Yale University, Rice University, and Bard College. He also imparts his wisdom at the Georg Solti Accademia, extending his influence to programs in China and Italy.
In 2017, Stefano became a member of the faculties at the renowned Juilliard School of Music and the esteemed Curtis Institute. Here, in addition to teaching Italian diction and nurturing vocal talents, he assumes a pivotal role in overseeing the Italian language aspects of their opera productions.
In 2021, Stefano reached yet another pinnacle in his career by joining the music staff at the Metropolitan Opera, where he serves as the diction coach for their Italian opera productions, further solidifying his indelible mark on the world of music and vocal arts.
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Marcello Cormio
Artistic Director
Italian conductor Marcello Cormio has distinguished himself for his energetic style and engaging persona on the podium.
For his debut with Tri-Cities and Syracuse Opera, he will conduct Jorge Sosa’s I am a dreamer who no longer dreams. In 2024, he will also appear as a guest conductor with the Santa Fe Pro Musica orchestra, and will lead a production of La rondine at the Manhattan School of Music.
Cormio has been a frequent guest conductor at the Sarasota Opera, leading productions of Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, and Les pêcheurs de perles, among others.
South Florida Classical praised him as “an assured hand in the pit, conducting the score with vitality while leaving the singers room to breathe in their solos”… “the young Italian drew vital and spirited playing, with the fizzing ensemble exciting yet with a fine balancing of solo voices, chorus and orchestra.”
As a symphonic conductor, Cormio has been recently named Music Director of the Lexington Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared with orchestras around the United States and Europe, including the San Antonio Symphony, the Orchestra della Società dei Concerti di Bari, the Bacau Symphony, and the Orchestra Sinfonica della Città Metropolitana di Bari.
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Rebekah Alexander
Principal Director and Acting Coach
Lauded as “one of the highlights of the Nashville contemporary music scene,” soprano Rebekah Alexander is a multi-faceted performance artist and collaborator with local and national ensembles including Chatterbird, Intersection, Lorelei, Boston Modern Opera Project, Guerilla Opera, and the Studio for New Music Ensemble, presenting modern vocal repertoire and new commissions. Recent commission premieres include Leila Adu’s “Mahakala Oratorio” (2020), Mark Volker’s “Body and Soul, After the Plague” (2021), Ingrid Stoelzel’s “Silent Music of Infinity” (2021) and more. Most recently, Rebekah performed the quintessential postmodern tour de force piece for soprano and electronics, “Philomel” by Milton Babbitt, at the 2023 Memphis Concréte festival.
She produced, directed, and performed in an avant-garde film adaptation of Kurt Weill’s “Seven Deadly Sins” which was presented internationally in August 2021 at the Minnesota Fringe Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Rebekah frequently partners with Nashville-based Pipeline Collective as a director to cultivate new plays for production as well as presenting boundary-pushing 21st century theatre including Claudia Barnett’s award winning play for television “Outside of Here”. Making her stage directorial debut in opera, she led a production of “Bluebeard’s Castle” by Bela Bartok at Opera Huntsville in October 2022. Drawing upon her childhood years lived in southern Italy and her stage performances of Mozart, Puccini and Monteverdi, Rebekah’s passion for opera knows no bounds.
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Alessandra Volpi
Head Coach
Alessandra Volpi began her piano studies at the age of four in Carrara and at the Florence Conservatory, Italy. She had her orchestral debut at age ten and continued her studies at the Milan Conservatory in Italy. At sixteen, she was awarded a full tuition scholarship by Utah State University where she graduated Cum Laude. Ms. Volpi then spent several months in Budapest, Hungary, learning from Liszt Academy Professor and internationally renowned pianist Endre Hegedűs.
Ms. Volpi has participated in masterclasses with many legendary mentors such as Leon Fleisher, Jerome Lowenthal, Olga Kern, Charles Rosen, Mitzuko Uchida and many others. Ms.Volpi has also taken part in masterclasses at Carnegie Hall as well as Festivals at the Juilliard School, The Curtis Institute of Music and Boston Conservatory.
Ms. Volpi’s accolades include several first prizes at National and International Competitions both in Italy and in the United States.
Some of her most recent recordings include an avant-garde film adaptation of Weill’s “Seven Deadly Sins” which was presented internationally in 2021, recordings for Minnesota Public Radio, Lukas Foss “Thirteen Ways of looking at a Blackbird”, a new art song commission by Ingrid Stölzel recorded at the Blue Building in New York City and a recording of Grażyna Bacewicz works.
Ms. Volpi serves as Resident Pianist and Coach at Belmont University and also on the faculty at The Opera Lucca Summer Festival. She maintains close collaborations with the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University as well as Nashville Symphony and Nashville Ballet.”
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