ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Praised for her "delicacy and artistry" and for her "seemingly effortless control," Amelia Seyssel's recitals have been described as "a truly delightful and enriching musical experience." Inspired by her mixed Spanish, Mexican, French and English heritage and nurtured by her love of fine poetry as well as the poetic impulses inspired by the folk music genre, she has acquired a repertoire that includes both Spanish and Mexican composers as well as a variety of English, American, and some little performed French song composers. Her collaboration with Ms. Maria Rivera White has invigorated her passion for the Spanish language Art Song repertoire and has inspired a continual and persistent research in that area allowing for an ever-widening variety of recitals in Spanish.

Ms. Seyssel holds a Master of Fine Arts in Music Performance from Mills College in California where she was awarded both a Hellman scholarship and an academic scholarship for outstanding achievement. Her performing debut was in California while studying with Dame Donna Petersen, a world-renowned San Francisco Opera and Metropolitan Opera Audition Judge for the West Coast. While at Mills, Ms. Seyssel also studied with visiting professor Jane Manning, a distinguished exponent of contemporary vocal music and author of the book 'New Vocal Repertory'.

After moving to the East Coast she continued her vocal studies at the Manhattan School of Music Vocal Arts Institute, including workshops with Nico Castel, Cynthia Hoffman, Lou Galterio and Margaret Hoswell, at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, including a vocal master class with Dalton Baldwin, and most recently many years of private study with Joyce McLean of The Juilliard School's Evening Division.

Ms. Seyssel is a regular soloist at The Reformed Church in Poughkeepsie, NY, teaches Voice out of her private studio, and is internationally associated with the 'Suzuki Voice' teaching method both in Europe and the United States.

Praised by San Juan's El Nuevo Dia for her "impressive technique, great clarity, and expressiveness," and by the San Juan Star for her "excellent rapport" in collaboration, Maria Rivera White has recently performed in such venues as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin, Steinway, and Alice Tully Hall.

Ms. Rivera White began her study of the piano in England, her birthplace, at the age of five. At the age of eight, she won first place in her own age group in a competition of the Royal Academy of Music at Oxford. By age thirteen, she had given her first solo performance with orchestra. At that time she won eleven competitions, most notably the Baldwin National Piano Competition, both at the state and regional (9 states) level as the youngest competitor in her age group. Ms. Rivera White studied four years in Naples, Italy, with Nunzio Zappulla, professor at the Naples Conservatory of Music. She subsequently received her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music, after studying with Barbara Lister-Sink and Blanca Uribe. In May of 1998 she completed a Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano at The Juilliard School, and also was invited to perform at an international music festival in Kyoto, Japan. She was Adjunct Instructor in Piano at Vassar College for almost a decade and currently has a thriving private studio.

In 2004 Ms. Rivera White performed the world premiere of Vassar composer Suzanne Sorkin's solo piano piece Falling through Crimson and Lead at Merkin Hall, NYC, which she later recorded. She recently performed the Copland Piano Variations on the Vassar College Modfest and appeared with flutist Emily Gerace on the Rhinebeck Chamber Music Series, NY. She continues performing throughout the US both in a new series of concerts with her sister Natalia as the Rivera Piano Duo which began in July of '04, as well as with Marla Rathbun as the Rathbun-Rivera Duo, and with the operatic duo of Nina and Stefano Tanchietti.

Cellist Greta Parks is currently a Cello Performance major (senior) at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester NY where she studies with Alan Harris. She was just recently awarded Eastman's prestigious 'Performer's Certificate' and is currently also on the sub-list of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ms. Parks began her cello studies at age five with Kate Dillingham, later studying also with Ling Kwan and Luis Garcia-Renart. In 2002 she was a finalist receiving honorable mention in the SUNY New Paltz Youth Symphony Competition. In 2005, she was named an alternate winner of the SUNY New Paltz Virtuosi-In-Progress Competition and performed as soloist with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in their school outreach program. Throughout her High School career, she frequently performed in small ensembles as well as with area student orchestras.

Violinist Marla Rathbun is member of the Aurora Quintet, the Hanover Chamber Orchestra, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, and freelances in the greater New York area. For many years she was first violinist of the Taghkanic String Quartet and principal second violinist with the Connecticut Grand Opera Orchestra. She teaches a large private studio, including coaching of small ensembles.

Rathbun received her B.M.E. from Capital University then worked as principal second violinist with the Savannah Symphony and Savannah String Quartet and taught at Savannah State College. While earning her M.M. in violin performance at Southern Illinois University, she was assistant concertmaster of the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Quito, Ecuador, she played in and directed a small chamber orchestra, performed with a string quartet as first violinist, and was concertmaster of Quito National Symphony. She is a former student of Raphael Bronstein and Ariana Bronne. She has directed the Suzuki program at Dutchess Community College and coordinated the music program at Poughkeepsie Day School.

Ms. Rathbun also performs regularly with Maria Rivera White as the Rathbun-Rivera Duo:     www.rrduo.com