Michael Shirtz is a performer, educator, composer, and conductor whose work bridges jazz, contemporary, and classical music. Known as a “songsmith,” his performances blend jazz and singer-songwriter styles, both as a solo artist and with the Michael Shirtz Quartet. He has collaborated with artists including Melissa Manchester, Evelyn Wright, Elizabeth von Trapp, and served as music director for Maureen McGovern. His original shows include As We’ve Learned It, In Finding Faith, and Blue Skies (2018).

Shirtz has conducted, coached, and directed productions for organizations such as the State Theatre Repertory Company, Huron Playhouse, Pellissippi State-Knoxville, and Lakeside Chautauqua, and has worked with the Firelands Symphony Orchestra. His compositions include the cantata The Solemn Blessings, the musical Headliner, and To Rise Above: A Journey of a Tuskegee Airman. In June 2026, he will make his Carnegie Hall debut conducting Fauré’s Requiem.

He serves on the faculty of The Ohio State University School of Music and is active in ASCAP, ACDA, JEN, and NATS, while promoting creativity and mental health through community programs.

Russian-American tenor Viktor Antipenko is praised for his effortless, expansive sound, secure technique, and commanding stage presence, and has gained international recognition as a compelling interpreter of the dramatic tenor repertoire. He continues to perform leading roles at major opera houses and festivals worldwide, establishing himself as a singer to watch in Wagnerian and Italian repertoire.

In the 2024–25 season, Mr. Antipenko makes his role and house debut as Canio in I Pagliacci at Staatsoper Hannover and debuts at Theater Dortmund as Siegmund in Die Walküre under Gabriel Feltz in a production by Peter Konwitschny. He also reunites with conductor Rafael Payare to open the Caramoor Summer Music Festival with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Recent appearances include debuts at the Sydney Opera House, Atlanta Opera, and Pacific Opera Victoria, as well as performances with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and New National Theatre Tokyo. He has also appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, Bolshoi Theatre, Scottish Opera, Dallas Opera, and Opéra de Lyon, performing roles such as Siegmund, Don José, Radamès, Manrico, Lohengrin, and Parsifal.

Alessandro Marano is an acclaimed Italian pianist with an active international career as both a soloist and collaborator with leading orchestras. A prizewinner of numerous national and international competitions, he has performed extensively across Europe, Latin America, and beyond, appearing in countries such as Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Mexico, and Brazil.

He has performed with major orchestras including the Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo, Filarmonica di Sibiu, Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra, Witold Lutosławski Chamber Philharmonic, and Orquesta Juvenil de Zapopan, working with distinguished conductors such as Grigor Palikarov, Piotr Sułkowski, Adam Klocek, and Ovidiu Balan.

Marano is particularly recognized for his deep musicality, refined technique, and dedication to the works of Franz Liszt, including major cycles such as the Transcendental Etudes and Harmonies poétiques et religieuses. He has also performed and recorded the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos.

In addition to his performing career, he is Professor of Piano at the Conservatory “F. Torrefranca” of Vibo Valentia, and serves as Artistic Director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Cosenza and the Enotria International Competition, as well as President and Artistic Director of the Franz Liszt International Piano Festival.