An Afternoon of Song with Terry Williams and Friends at Schmitt Music Kansas City

Terry is an operatically trained baritone. He has performed in a variety of programs around Kansas City and in Tulsa. He has sung as a soloist and cantor for several churches in the Kansas City area. Over the years he has performed recitals and appeared in musicals and operas such as “Guys and Dolls,” “Lil’ Abner,” “The Merry Widow,” and “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” Terry regularly performs arias and songs at the program “Opera Supper” hosted by Parker & Vine at Californos’s in Kansas City. For most of his life, Terry has been a devotee of the artistry of Jussi Björling and served as General Counsel, Director, and President of the Jussi Björling Society USA, Inc.

In addition to singing, for the past 30 years Terry conducted a solo estates and trusts law practice, retiring in 2018.

Coming off of recent triumphant debuts in Europe and Asia, American soprano Stacey Stofferahn is making an impact as a leading artist in opera, oratorio and in concert. Her recent portrayal as Senta in Der fliegende Holländer with Opera Siam in Thailand led to an additional appearance in the same role with South Dakota Symphony. Other engagements include the title role in Tosca and Countess in Le nozze di Figaro with West Bay Opera, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Mimi in La bohème with Townsend Opera, Minnie in La fanciulla del West with Apotheosis Opera in New York; soloist in Brahms’ Requiem with Joplin Symphony, Musetta in La bohème with Wichita Grand Opera, soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Bozeman Symphony; the title role in Viktoria und Ihr Hussar with Vlaamse Opera in Belgium; Micäela in Carmen with Lawrence Opera Theatre, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with South Dakota Symphony; soloist in Händel’s Messiah with Evansville Philharmonic in Indiana and Violetta in a concert version of La traviata with Heartland Bel Canto in Kansas City.

Ms. Stofferahn will revisit the beloved role of Mimi with Heartland Opera Theatre, after debuting with the company last season as Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble In Tahiti. Other performances this season include soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C and Magda in La rondine (with Metropolitan Opera conductor Gregory Buchalter); Nedda in Pagliacci with Lawrence Opera Theatre; a Holiday Pops concert with Jackson Symphony (TN); and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with South Dakota Symphony. A prizewinner of numerous competitions, Ms. Stofferahn received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance, as well as the Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting from University of Missouri, Kansas City, in addition to the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Augustana College. When she isn’t on the road, Ms. Stofferahn resides in Kansas City with her husband and two squishy, lovable cats, and manages a thriving private voice studio.

Natasha Olinetchouk, soprano, can be heard performing at Colonial Church of Prairie Village, Parker and Vine at Californos, with the Schola Cantorum Ensemble, special and private engagements around Greater Kansas City, and, occasionally, karaoke. Natasha graduated with music degrees from Missouri State University in Springfield, MO and Wichita State University in Wichita, KS. Some of Natasha’s favorite composers are Desprez, Dowland, Handel, Puccini, Strauss, Poulenc, Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninoff.

She enjoys performing a variety of music styles, especially Baroque and new original music.

Professor Richard Williams came to the Conservatory of Music and Dance in 1970 having completed his training at the University of Akron and the University of Illinois. Among his distinguished teachers have been Margaret Baxstresser, Malcom Bilson, Stanley Fletcher, and John Wustman. During graduate training at the University of Illinois, Mr. Williams served as studio pianist and opera coach.

In his 48 years of teaching and performing since joining the faculty at the Conservatory, Professor Williams has coached and performed hundreds of recitals on campus as well as in various cities in the United States. For some 40 years he has been a coach and pianist for the Conservatory mainstage opera productions including serving in that role for the Conservatory Young Artist program shared with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City since its beginning. For several years he has taught both English and Italian lyric diction for voice students as well as collaborative piano for undergraduate piano performance majors.

Professor Williams served as Interim Chair of the Vocal Studies Division for six years from 2002 to 2008.

Mr. Williams has appeared in recital with such renowned American Metropolitan Opera stars as Vinson Cole, James King, Sandra Warfield, and Robert McFerrin, the first African-American male to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. During his tenure at the Conservatory, Mr. Williams has served as pianist for a myriad of productions at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City as well as pianist for many of their outreach performances in the community and their annual auditions for the ensemble. In addition, he has served many years as official pianist for the Kansas City District and Regional competition of the Metropolitan Opera National Council as well as official pianist for the annual West Central regional competition of the Music Teachers National Association. Every year for many years he has been pianist for auditions of the Des Moines Metro Opera and the Ohio Eight Opera.

In 1990, Mr. Williams began as director and vocal coach for the Seagle Music Colony in New York, the oldest summer vocal training program in the United States. In that capacity he served as music director and pianist for 18 productions as well as vocal coach and pianist for many productions in the program.

In 1991, Mr. Williams was given the Trustees Award for excellence in teaching. In 1997, he served as the Hohenberg Artist-in-Residence at the University of Memphis. In 2017, he received an award from the Kansas City Music Club “in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the cultural life of the Kansas City metropolitan area.” He also received a certificate of appreciation for his contributions to the Civic Opera of Kansas City.