Emily Barger

Soprano, poet, and composer Emily Barger is recognized for her dynamic, captivating sound and her dedication to emotional expression through voice. She has sung nationally and in Italy as a vibrantly enthusiastic force behind the performance and creation of New Music.

Devoted to the interpretation of contemporary music, Emily has recently performed Psyche’s Sister in new chamber opera The Golden Ass, Polly Peachum in The Threepenny Opera, the voice in Babbitt’s Philomel, the soprano soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana and has sang as Clémence in L’amour de Loin and Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress. Beyond staged works, Emily embraces the chance to sing in chamber, electronic, and in improvisational music settings, exploring the endless possibilities of vocal timbre and expression.

Her compositions have been premiered by eminent groups such as the Fonema Consort, (excerpt from chamber opera) Duo Gelland, (accidents happen for violin and viola) and Aurora Borealis, (sonic poem etudes, for soprano and vibraphone). Emily is currently writing the libretto and music for her new chamber rock opera (dolly and the disappearing dream rock) and frequently connects her poetry in her compositions. Her poems are published under pseudonym eda bee in several art magazines and in the collective Because You Are Not Alone.

Julia Anne Cordani

Contemporary vocal trailblazer Julia Anne Cordani “creates an intense crossfire” in the artistic world (Frank Housh, The Arts in Real Life). Described as “a clear, sparkling force” by Buffalo Rising and “a dazzling and sweeping delight” by Cleveland Classical, Julia is an adventurous vocal artist from Lewiston, New York. Passionate about the performance of contemporary repertoire alongside standard works, Julia has appeared in Buffalo as Alice in Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter (2016), Belinda in Dido and Aeneas (2017), Papagena in Die Zauberflöte (2018), Anne Truelove in The Rake’s Progress (2020), and Spirit in The Golden Ass (2024). With Sotto Voce, she premiered the role of Bird Spirit in Jessie Downs’ The Second Sight (2021) and sang The Queen of The Night in Die Zauberflöte (2024) and Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica (2024) in modern stage-screen adaptations of both stories. With Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Julia has sung Oscar in Un ballo in maschera (2022) and Lucy in The Telephone (2023). An accomplished soloist, she has performed locally and nationally with the Women of Vivaldi, Ensemble Signal, Slee Sinfonietta, the Cleveland Syndicate for the New Arts, HEX Vocal Ensemble, Project [BLANK], and The Resonance Collective LA. In addition to her performance pursuits, Julia founded and serves as Executive Director for Buffalo-based choral collective INCIPIO. She holds two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from the University at Buffalo in voice performance, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in contemporary voice performance at the University of California, San Diego, studying under award-winning soprano Susan Narucki.