JOAN DORNEMANN
IVAI Founder and Artistic Director
Metropolitan Opera Assistant Conductor, is one of the most highly respected opera coaches in the world today. In her position of Assistant Conductor at The Metropolitan Opera, she prepares the most prominent international artists for their performances at The Met and has worked with such singers as Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, José Carreras, Sherrill Milnes, Kiri Te Kanawa, Aprile Millo, Montserrat Caballe, Deborah Voigt, Renée Fleming, Neil Shicoff, Juan Diego Flórez, Leo Nucci and others. In addition, she has collaborated with outstanding opera singers as a pianist for many solo performances outside the opera house. She has been associated with the Gran Liceo in Barcelona, the Spoleto Festival, the New York City Opera and the Opera National de Paris. At The Metropolitan Opera, she has collaborated with such notable conductors as James Levine, James Conlon, Carlos Kleiber, Marcello Viotti and many others.

A great supporter of young singers, she teaches master classes throughout the USA as well as Israel, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Russia, China, Japan, and France.

Ms. Dornemann traveled to Russia to coach professional singers for Verdi's Don Carlos and Aida, produced by the Kirov Opera under the baton of Valery Gergiev and was the vocal coach for La Bohème and La Cenerentola at L'Opéra National de Paris. Ms. Dornemann has received an Emmy Award for her contribution to the highly acclaimed first Live From the Met first telecast of La Bohème with Luciano Pavarotti and Renata Scotto. She is the author of Complete Preparation: A Guide to Auditioning for the Opera.

PAUL NADLER
Conductor, IVAI Founder and Director of Musical Activities
Maestro Paul Nadler has distinguished himself as one of the world’s most exciting symphonic and operatic conductors. Since his debut in 1989, he has led over 40 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, conducting some of today’s most renowned singers including Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Bryn Terfel, and Renée Fleming. In concert he has led performances with renowned soloists such as Glenn Dicterow, Garrick Ohlsson, Misha Dichter and Elmar Olivera. Maestro Nadler is Music Director Emeritus of the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Filarmonica de Stat Iasi (Romania). Iasi and Brasov.

In 2006-7 Maestro Nadler will conduct Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera in March. He will also lead a production of Salome for the inaugural production with the newly formed Opera Cleveland. He spends a good bit of time in Romania in November and December conducting the Isai, Craiova, and Bucharest Orchestras. He also leads performances of the National Opera Company of Bucharest in Carmen and Don Giovanni.

Highlights of recent seasons include guest conducting appearances with the Brasov Philharmonic (Romania), Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Augsburg Symphony (Germany), Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Verbier Festival (Switzerland), Florida Philharmonic Orchestra and the Timisiora Symphony (Romania). Symphonic credits also include performances with the Grant Park Music Festival, New World Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Victoria Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony, Philippines Philharmonic, Orchestra Carlos Chaves (Mexico) and the Bucharest Philharmonic.

At the Metropolitan Opera he has led performances of Un Ballo in Maschera, Aida, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Tannhäuser, Don Carlo, Andrea Chenier, La Traviata, Carmen, Stravinski’s triple bill: Le Sacre du Printemps / Le Rossignol / Oedipus Rex, and Fidelio.

Operatic credits include performances with Indianapolis Opera, Utah Opera, Calgary Opera, Florentine Opera, Minnesota Opera, Syracuse Opera, and Orlando Opera. Internationally, Paul has conducted the Hong Kong Opera, as well as engagements in Plovdiv, Varna, and Russe (Bulgaria). In December 2002, Maestro Nadler conducted at the Kennedy Center Awards ceremony in honor of his colleague James Levine.

Co-director/founder of the International Vocal Arts Institute, Maestro Nadler returns each summer to the prestigious professional workshop. Early in his career he was named winner of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra Conductor Competition. In 1974 Maestro Nadler founded the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, where he remained as Music Director and Conductor through 1983.