Guest Artists

Christine Brandes

Noted for her radiant, crystalline voice and superb musicianship, soprano Christine Brandes brings her committed artistry to a repertoire ranging from 17th century to newly composed works, performing at many of the world’s most distinguished festivals and concert series in programs spanning from recitals and chamber music to oratorio and opera.

She has sung for the following opera houses: San Francisco, Seattle, Washington National, Houston Grand, Minnesota, San Diego, New York City Opera, Philadelphia, Glimmerglass, Portland, Arizona, Opera de Nancy in principle roles ranging from Handel and Mozart, through Verdi to Bolcom and Britten.

Christine recently appeared with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players in György Kurtág’s Scenes from a Novel and with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Carlo Rizzi in Debussy’s La Damoiselle élue and has sung Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Sacramento Philharmonic and Handel’s Israel in Egypt at Carnegie Hall with the New York Choral Society. She also gave a recital at King's College Chapel, Cambridge with organist, Jonathan Dimmock.

Ms. Brandes has given a series of important premieres including an Eric Moe commission entitled Of Color Braided All Desire with the Brentano String Quartet as part of the South Mountain Concert Series with further performances in New York City at the 92nd Street Y, and Jennifer Higdon’s In the Shadow of Sirius, based on poetry of former American Poet Laureate, W.S. Merwin with the Cypress String Quartet at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

She has sung with the following orchestras: Cleveland, Chicago, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle, Minnesota, National Symphony, with such distinguished conductors as Simon Rattle, Pierre Boulez, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Frühbeck de Burgos, Robert Spano, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Alan Gilbert.

Tonia D’Amelio

Called “extravagantly charismatic” by the San Francisco Chronicle and praised by Fanfare Magazine for her “rapt vulnerability”, soprano Tonia D’Amelio has sung with opera companies, orchestras, chamber ensembles, and vocal consorts across the U.S. and abroad.

A versatile singer with a repertoire spanning five centuries, Tonia has participated in several opera and concert premieres. She created the role of Celia Brooke in Allen Shearer’s Middlemarch in Spring for both the world premiere in San Francisco and the revival with Charlottesville Opera, and sang in the first performance of Ryan Brown’s oratorio Mortal Lessons at the 10th annual Switchboard Music Festival. Tonia also sang featured roles in the modern stage premieres of Rameau’s The Temple of Glory (1745) with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and Pallavicino’s The Amazons (1679) with Ars Minerva.

Other favorite credits include Drusilla in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea with West Edge Opera, cantata recitals with Los Angeles Baroque Players, Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and liturgical performances of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, Mozart’s Requiem, and J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, as well as guest artist stints at the William Byrd Festival in Portland, Oregon, and the Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy in Wiltshire, U.K.

Heidi Waterman

With a voice that has been praised for its’ “…rich, lustrous tone and gorgeous legato,” Heidi L. Waterman has enjoyed a wide-ranging career encompassing everything from film scores to early music to modern opera, and has performed as a soloist with nearly every major Bay Area ensemble including the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale, and San Francisco Bach Choir. Recent highlights include Bach’s Christ lag in Todesbanden and Handel’s Dixit Dominus (Schola Cantorum), St. John Passion (S.F. Bach Choir), Purcell’s Te Deum and Jubilate (Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale), Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Marin Oratorio and North Valley Chorale), and the (small but mighty) role of a Muse in Philharmonia Baroque’s magnificent production of Rameau’s opera Le Temple de la Gloire.

Paul Max Tipton

Described by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a dignified and beautiful singer, bass-baritone Paul Max Tipton enjoys an active career in opera, oratorio, and chamber music throughout North America, Europe, China, and Korea. He has recently appeared with the symphonies of San Antonio and Grand Rapids, with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and with the New York Philharmonic as part of their first-ever Bach Festival. He has sung with Bach Collegium Japan, Tenet (NYC), Blue Heron (Boston), and the Washington Bach Consort; in 2015 he debuted at Spoleto Festival USA and has appeared with Cut Circle (Palo Alto) at early music festivals in Maastricht, Antwerp, and Utrecht (2018). He has collaborated with Matthias Pintscher, Ton Koopman, Kenneth Slowik, Leonard Slatkin, Simon Carrington, Helmuth Rilling, Rubén Dubrovsky, Nicholas McGegan, and Ricky Ian Gordon; soloed for Grant Llewellyn with the Handel and Haydn Society; and performed the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Martin Katz conducting. He recently recorded Nicolaus Bruhns’s solo cantatas for bass for the BIS label, and has appeared in recital with Masaaki Suzuki. Current operatic credits include the role of Archibald Grosvenor in Patience with Odyssey Opera and Plutone in Monteverdi’s Orfeo with Göteborg Baroque in Sweden (2018). Mr. Tipton trained on full fellowship at the University of Michigan School of Music in Ann Arbor, being mentored by mezzo-soprano Luretta Bybee and tenor George Shirley. He is a graduate of the Yale University School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music, having studied with tenor James Taylor. Based in Boston, he was made a Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Fellow at Emmanuel Music in 2012. www.paulmaxtipton.com