Alexis Seminario
Soprano
Italian-American soprano Alexis Seminario is a singer-artist dedicated to sharing stories that empower women and inspire vulnerability. It is important to her that she shares underrepresented stories that leave an impression on her audiences.
This past summer Alexis played Atalanta in Chautauqua Institution’s innovative virtual production of Händel’s Xerxes. This upcoming season she will appear as Monica in Bard College Conservatories production of The Medium this spring. Her other operatic role experience includes Lusya in Moscow Cheryomushki with Manhattan School of Music and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Chautauqua Institution.
In March of 2020, Alexis was enthralled to present a project called “In Her Own Words.” This engagement featured Libby Larsen’s Try Me Good King as well as a commissioned piece composed by Isabela Tanashian and Evan Caplinger entitled Milk based on the poetry collection written by Dorothea Lasky. The project was curated to shine light on women telling their own stories, in their own ways on their own time. Alexis is passionate about this topic, and it is one on which she plans to continue to shed light.
Alexis was honored to spend part of her summer being a young artist in the Houston Grand Opera: Young Artists Vocal Academy. This year, she also had the honor of being awarded the Shirley Rabb Winston Voice Scholarship as well as placing second in the 2021 ENY/NATS Virtual Art Song Festival. Alexis is currently pursuing her masters degree at Bard Conservatory where she studies with Richard Cox.
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Sarah Rauch
Mezzo Soprano
Mezzo-soprano Sarah Rauch is a compelling and versatile performer whose musical explorations center on creating meaningfully connective performances. Praised for her deeply thoughtful musicianship and emotional honesty, Sarah strongly believes in the importance of using music to share new stories and perspectives, advocating for contemporary and under-performed repertoire while also re-examining the narratives found within the traditional canon. Recent projects include bringing opera to schools and community spaces as a teaching artist with ROK (Reimagining Opera for Kids) in their fully-digital productions of Gabriela Ortiz’s Ana y Su Sombra and Chappell Kingsland’s The Firebringers, as well as a performance of excerpts from György Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments in collaboration with musicians from The Orchestra Now (TÅŒN), exploring themes timely of isolation and human connection.
Inspired rather than intimidated by the restrictions of COVID-19, Sarah has undertaken many other exciting ventures in 2021. In the realm of opera, she performed Anna in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins for a hybrid live and recorded double bill performance with Bard’s Vocal Arts Program, as well as Toby in Giancarlo Menotti’s The Medium. Sarah was a featured recitalist with ENY-NATS as the winner of their collegiate division art song competition, and has been featured in multiple streamed concerts of living and underrepresented composers through Bard College Conservatory. Other recent opera engagements include an undertaking of roles more traditional in the classical repertoire: Zweite Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Bloomington Chamber Opera, and Isolier in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory with Chicago Summer Opera. This will be her third year performing as a teaching artist with Reimagining Opera for Kids, where she has also been heard as Orlando in Lauren Bernofsky’s Mooch the Magnificent.
A native of southeastern Ohio, Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree in voice from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Dr. Katherine Jolly. She is currently pursuing her masters at the Bard College Conservatory’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program (VAP) under the artistic direction of Stephanie Blythe and the vocal
guidance of Richard Cox.
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sarahcrauch.com
Bat-Erdene Batbileg
Piano
BATERDENE BATBILEG was born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 1990. He began to study his music and piano at the age of seven at the Mongolian State Conservatory. From the beginning, his talent in piano was noticed and became the prize winner in numerous national and international competitions, which led him 3 times award of best talented student from the Government of Mongolia and in 2008, he was awarded full tuition to attend the United College of the Adriatic in Duino (Italy) for bringing numerous honors in his country.
In 2013, he obtained his bachelor diploma with the highest honor at the Conservatory of Music “G. Tartini” Trieste (Italy) under the guidance of Maestro Igor Cognolato.
He continued his study the Master Degree Specialist at the Conservatory of “J. Tomadini” in Udine (Italy) under the guidance of Professor Massimiliano Ferrati and Professor Luca Trabucco. During his study, he participated Master classes with many famous Maestros; Dmitri Bashkirov, Daniel Rivera, Ewa Poblocka etc… During his academic years, he always challenges himself participating international competitions. For example, in 2011, First Prize winner of “Milosz Magin” International Piano Competition in Paris (France); in same year, First prize of “Chopin and Mongolia in 21st century” the First International Piano Competition in Mongolia; In 2013, First Prize of “Villa de Madrid” international piano competition in Madrid, Spain. In October 2014, 4th Prize at Concorso Pianistico di “Premio Venezia” reserved for the best graduates in Italy and the end of the selection, he has performed in the Great Hall of Theater “La Fenice” in Venice, Italy.
Right after his study years in Italy, he came back to his come country to share his experience with his students at Mongolian State Conservatory and fellow artists. During his working years, he continued to participate in international competitions such as in 2015, he has been selected for the Fryderyk Chopin international piano competition for the pre-selection in Warsaw. In 2017, he became the special prize winner in “Japan Piano Open” International Piano Competition which was organized by "European Foundation for Support of Culture". Due to his successful participation in this event, he was selected to attend in Malta International Piano Competition, 2018, that he was one of the Semi-Finalists.
He also worked with his fellow artists and participated international and national festivals, competitions and performances. For example: In 2016, “The Best Accompanist” of the whole Competition; duet with horse-headed strings (“Morin Khuur”, a Mongolian traditional instrument) “International Competition of the Traditional Instruments and Voice-2016, named after B. Sharav” which led the duet into Grand Prix. In 2016, “The Best Accompanist” duet with Violin “National Youth Musician-2017, named after J. Chuluun” which led the violinist into First Prize. He also took part of International Vocal (Opera) competitions with the Mongolian Finest Singers (Bariton) Mr. Enkhbold Ankhbayar, Chuluunbaatar Badral in such competitions as “Elena Obraztsova International Competition of Vocalists 2017, which was held in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, led the singer into the second prize, Rimsky-Korsakov international competition of Young Opera Singers, winning 1st place in both categories 2018. In 2018, “The Best Performance” prize at the Traditional Music Festival called “Altan Namar” (Golden Autumn), “1st Piano Concerto” with the Mongolian State Philarmonic Orchestra by Shatar Ulziibayar. In June 2019, “The Best Accompanist” prize from the world's most prestigious music competition that is XVI International Tchaikovsky Music Festival for the first time in the history of Mongolia. In September 2019, “The Best Accompanist” prize, from the competition organized by the State Conservatory and Chinese Cultural Center in Ulaanbaatar and Mongolia. In November 2019, “The Best Accompanist” prize, from the V International competition of Ari and Romance Singers.
He has performed his solo performances in his home country and Ulan-Ude, Russia.
His hard work and talent have been recognized with many honorable prizes and awards.
For example, “The Best Performing Young Docent”– from the Conservatory in November, 2017. “The Best Resulting Young Docent” from the Government of Mongolia in December, 2017. Mungun Mod (Silver Tree Prize) – “The Best Musician of the Year” received from the Government of Mongolia in December, 2017. And the title and a badge: Leading cultural worker in September, 2019
As mentioning his continuous performance, he performed with Mongolian State Philharmonic Orchestra at the Mongolian National Philharmonic and Mongolian National Theatre in 2018. Moreover, he has been invited to play in many important concerts, representing his country such as the concert in honor of the State Naadam in July 2019, the “Silk Road” held in August 2019 in Beijing, China at the Culture and Arts Music Festival and the concert in honor of Soviet President Vladimir Putin's visit to Mongolia, where he played with world known violinist and famous musician Pavel Milyukov in September 2019 etc...
Currently, he works at Bard college as a collaborative piano fellowship.
Blanche Darr
Violin
Blanche Darr began playing violin at age nine while growing up in western Pennsylvania. She studied in a small school orchestra setting before quickly starting private lessons. From there, she has performed in various ensembles of all sizes, including Pennsylvania All-State Orchestra and the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra, where she served as concertmaster for two years.
Blanche is passionate about using music to help others. She was president of her high school’s chapter of Tri-M Music Honors Society for three years, where she campaigned and fundraised for her school’s music department. Currently she is a co-leader of the Musical Mentorship Initiative, which is a project striving to make music education more accessible by providing free private lessons for young music students. She also has years of experience volunteering to play in assisted living facilities. Most importantly, Blanche found her love for teaching through helping younger violin and viola students.
In past summers, Blanche has studied at Aria International Summer Academy, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and Encore Chamber Music’s Summer Academy. She is currently a sophomore at Bard College and Conservatory, where she studies with Carmit Zori. Besides studying violin, she also hopes to pursue a degree in anthropology.
Lily Moerschel
Cello
Lily Moerschel is a cellist in her fifth year at the Bard College Conservatory of Music. She holds the Mischa Schneider Scholarship. Lily is also majoring in psychology, in hopes that it will help her become a better teacher. She began studying cello with her father at age six and has participated in several youth orchestras, including the Boston Youth Symphony, NEC’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. She played in the Massachusetts All-State Festival for two consecutive years and in the All-National Orchestra the following year. Lily has performed across the United States, in South America, Europe and Asia. This past summer, she performed Die Zauberflote and Die Fledermaus with the Berlin Opera Academy in Switzerland. Lily particularly enjoys playing baroque and contemporary music. When she is not playing cello, Lily enjoys reading, studying French, and volunteering in the community.