BIOGRAPHIES:
Michael Philip Davis is active as a stage director, author/librettist and educator, following more than 20 years as a leading tenor in opera and concert.

in the fall of 2009, Mr. Davis directs the world premiere of La Coupe et les Lèvres, a transformation of Puccini's Edgar by Anton Coppola, based on the original drama by Alfred de Musset. This continues a 35 year association with Maestro Coppola, for whom Mr. Davis recently directed Puccini's Gianni Schicchi with Inter-Cities Performing Arts, Inc.

Earlier this year, Mr. Davis directed Yours Anne, a musical drama based on The Diary of Anne Frank, for the New York State Theater Institute (NYSTI) in Troy, NY; his association with this work dates to 1979, when he originated the role of Peter van Daan. Other directing credits include: Bizet’s and Peter Brook’s The Tragedy of Carmen and Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti at the TodiMusicFest, Portsmouth, VA; Bach's Coffee Cantata, Weill’s Down in the Valley, Puccini’s Il Tabarro, Gianni Schicchi and Madama Butterfly at the California Opera Association; Kurt Weill in Berlin in Graz, Austria; Madama Butterfly and The Merry Widow at Opera in the Ozarks; and Menotti’s The Medium and The Telephone at the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute, San Francisco.

Mr. Davis’ articles on opera and classical song have been published in: Carnegie Hall Playbill, the Met Opera Stagebill, the New York City Opera Playbill, and Classical Singer Magazine. He is also the principal author and co-founder of the concert series Regina Resnik Presents; the narrations he has written for these programs have appeared on the following CUNY TV broadcasts: The Classic Kurt Weill, The American Jewish Composers in Classical Song, Covert or Convert, and later this year, Crossing all Boundaries. For his libretto Natalia, he was twice awarded fellowships at the Byrdliffe Artist Colony in Woodstock, NY. Two other libretti-in-progress are The Secrets of Brendan O’Mara and Two Weddings, Three Mothers.

Mr. Davis made his operatic debut as a tenor singing Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with the New York City Opera National Company in 1987. This was followed by his debut with the New York City Opera in the title role of The Student Prince, and his European debut at the Cologne Opera as Tamino in The Magic Flute. Other engagements included the title role in Roméo et Juliette (Houston), Alfredo (Central City and Utah Festival Operas), Faust (Kansas City Lyric), Pinkerton (Central City), the title role in The Rake’s Progress (Blossom Music Festival), the title role in The Tales of Hoffmann (Vienna), The Steersman in Der Fliegende Holländer (Marseille), and in musical theater, Marius in Fanny (Utah Festival Opera). In concert Mr. Davis has been seen on City University of New York (CUNY) TV in The Classic Kurt Weill, The American Jewish Composers in Classical Song and Covert or Convert. His solo recital CD, Michael Philip Davis in Concert, was produced in 2004.

Michael Davis has served on the voice and coaching faculties of the American Institute of Vocal Studies in Graz, Austria, and the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy; has given master classes at Belmont University, Lawrence University and Opera in the Ozarks; was Visiting Lecturer for Williams College Fall Semester in New York program; and Vocal Director of New York State Theater Institute Intern Workshop. In the summers, he teaches acting at the California Opera Association Arts and Education Institute.
 

Set Designer Christopher Podkowiak was born in 1961 and has been a resident of Connecticut for over 40 years. His interest in art developed at a very young age through a wide variety of sources and experiences. He recalls constantly examining picture prints given to him by his parents, the frescoes of his parish church, the vanity portraits in the retail and municipal sector of his home town, and of course museum visits, both locally and abroad. He knew he would eventually follow this course when he was 10 years old.
He attended Mary Immaculate Academy in New Britain, where his high school art teacher gave him much support and encouragement. He took art courses at Central Connecticut State University, but withdrew from standard university training to embark on a self study program and to study privately under various painters and illustrators. During the early eighties he specifically studied under C. Royd Crosthwaite and other artists.
Chris Podkowiak has sold artwork privately and through gallery representation.
His chief subject matter are New England landscapes and European scenes, however he does experiment with different genres. His main medium is oil, but he is equally adept at acrylic, watercolor, pastel and pen & ink. His artistic influences range from the baroque and rococo masters to the regionalists of the Northeast. He also admires the painters of what came to be known as the golden age of illustration (1900 - circa 1965).
The artist currently resides in Farmington, CT, has been married for 19 years and is the father of two sons.
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Pawel Jura (Chorus Master): Chorus Master Pawel Jura has spent many years working with choral groups in New England as well as participating in many musical capacities with a wide variety of stage productions, from plays to musicals to operas. He also maintains an active concert schedule as a pianist and organist. Mr. Jura has studied at the Hartt School and at the Juilliard School, with degrees in piano, composition, and music theory. In addition, he has extensively studied organ and choral directing. He is currently Chorus Master of the New Britain Chorale and Music Director of the Unitarian Universalist Society: East, in Manchester, Connecticut.