Nathan Gunn is widely acclaimed for his career as a performer, creator, advocate and teacher.

As a performer, Nathan has performed many of opera and musical theater’s greatest roles on the world’s most prestigious stages, and in television, radio, video, and live simulcast performances, Nathan believes that music is a living art form and has championed dozens of new works in a multitude of venues, often with the Gunns’ production company Shot in the Dark.

Nathan is Professor and Swanlund Chair at the University of Illinois where he is co-director of Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, a comprehensive program embracing a broad continuum of opera and musical theatre.

Julie Jordan Gunn has performed on many of the world’s most prestigious recital series, with major opera, musical theater and classical artists, and her husband and artistic partner Nathan Gunn. As co-Director of LyricTheatre@Illinois, she produces several operas or musical theatre works a year at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. She enjoys teaching performance, composition, and production, and conducting sung theatre. She is particularly committed to new works as a co-producer, a pianist, or as a conductor. The Gunns’ production company, Shot in the Dark Productions Inc, engages with communities all over the United States to celebrate American music.

Carol Vaness launched her professional singing career at the New York City Opera, where she appeared regularly from 1979 to 1983. Since then, she has sung on the world’s biggest stages and at premier music festivals, collaborated with today’s foremost conductors in operatic and symphonic repertoires, appeared on numerous television broadcasts throughout North America and Europe, and compiled a distinguished catalog of recordings.

Her interpretations of Mozart’s dramatic heroines, including Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Elettra in Idomeneo, and Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, have been hailed as definitive, and she has become especially identifiable with the role of Floria Tosca. She performed the title role of Puccini’s Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera in 2004 opposite Pavarotti in the legendary tenor’s final operatic performance.

Vaness made her professional debut as Vitellia for the San Francisco Spring Opera and has been acknowledged as the world’s leading interpreter of this role. She has appeared as Vitellia at the Met Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Chicago Lyric Opera and Gran Teatro del Liceo and at the Salzburg Festival and other leading theaters.

Praised by The New York Times for singing with “bell-like clarity and surpassing sweetness,” The New York Concert Review for “her sparkling coloratura perfection,” and in Opera News magazine, “the mellifluous soprano Penelope Shumate puts her lines across with sincerity and attractive lucidity,” Penelope Shumate’s engagements include numerous soprano soloist appearances at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York. She can be heard on “Messiah Refreshed” (Signum Records) recorded at historic Abbey Road Studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, performing the title role on “Kassandra” (Navona Records), and as the soprano soloist on “As the fireflies watched . . . chamber music of James M. Stephenson” (Klavier Records). She has performed with opera companies, orchestras, and music festivals across America including Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Roanoke, Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera, among many others. She is an award winner with the Gerda Lissner Foundation, The American Prize, the MacAllister Awards, and the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition, among others. She is represented by Encompass Arts management in New York. In addition to her professional performance career, she serves as Director of Opera and Associate Professor of Voice at Austin Peay State University. Visit www.penelopeshumate.com to learn more.

Kalle Kanttila is the Founder & CEO of Kanttila Management agency (formerly known as IOA Management).

Kalle was born in Oulu, Finland, and began his musical studies at the Helsinki Conservatory of Music, continuing with a Bachelor’s degree at the Zürich Conservatory and a Master’s degree at the University of Karlsruhe.

Before founding Kanttila Management, Kalle worked as a Tenor Soloist in the ensembles of the Staatsoper Nürnberg and the Theater Regensburg. He also appeared as a guest soloist at renowned opera houses such as the Komische Oper Berlin, National Theater Mannheim, State Opera Wiesbaden, State Opera Darmstadt, State Opera Meiningen, State Opera Karlsruhe, Alexander Theater Helsinki, Opera Wuppertal, Schwetzingen Music Festival, and the Savonlinna Opera Festival, among many others.

Kalle now serves as a jury member for numerous international singing competitions, including the “Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition,” the “Competizione dell’opera” at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, and others. In recent years, Kalle has also served as a sought-after lecturer, providing workshops at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and masterclasses in Miami, New York, Vienna, Georgia, San Francisco, Helsinki, Graz, and Bucharest.

Born and raised in Canada, Duncan Stewart moved to New York in 2004, becoming a respected leader within the Broadway community. He began his career in the casting department at Playwrights Horizons before moving on to serve as Director of Casting for Barry & Fran Weissler’s National Artists Management Company (NAMCO). Duncan later co-founded and led the acclaimed Manhattan casting office of Stewart/Whitley for over 13 years before taking on his current role as Vice President and Casting Director at ARC, RWS Global’s independent New York-based casting arm.

A two-time Artios Award winner and member of the Casting Society of America (CSA), Duncan’s credits span the upcoming Othello and Real Women Have Curves, the current Chicago The Musical and A Wonderful World and numerous past productions, including Hadestown, Gatsby(A.R.T.), Life of Pi, The Great Comet of 1812, La Cage Aux Folles, Pippin, On The Town and Romeo & Juliet (A.R.T.). Out of all these, however, the “cast” he is most proud of is the team he has assembled at ARC.

Selin Tabak Kanttila is a Psychologist (M.Sc.), Yoga and Mindfulness Trainer, and writer based in Izmir, Turkey. She works with both individuals and organizations, offering psychological counseling, yoga, and mindfulness training. Over the past 16 years, she has guided clients from around the world—including Austria, the UK, the USA, Japan, and the UAE—through personal growth and healing journeys.

As an author, her book "Gaining Power from Loneliness" became a national success in Turkey, selling over 30,000 copies. Her articles have been featured in prominent Turkish newspapers and on various television channels.

Selin earned her degree in Psychology from Ege University in Izmir and holds a master’s degree in Addiction Counseling Psychiatry. Her professional development includes certifications and trainings in Transactional Analysis, Schema Therapy, EMDR for Trauma, Family Counseling, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Yoga Therapy, and Mindfulness. She also completed a short-term program in “Psychology at Work” at Oxford University.

A committed member of the Rotary Club, Selin actively advocates for animal and women's rights and provides support to those in need.

Course participants have the opportunity to work directly with renowned psychologist and author Selin Tabak, strengthening their mental resilience both on and off the stage. Drawing on her extensive background in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness, Selin offers a dynamic, holistic approach. Her work with singers includes customized role-playing and audition simulations designed to help performers overcome limiting beliefs and connect with their authentic artistic expression.

Further info: https://www.kanttilamanagement.com/mental-preparation