The 2024-2025 Collective
What is a collective?
Voice of Iris is more than an ensemble.
Artists who work with us may not sing in every performance, but they have the opportunity to hone other career-essential skills.
For example, if a singer also has an interest in stage managing, they may sing in the fall and stage manage in the spring. If a composer wants to expand their directorial portfolio, they may work on staging another's work. This is completely optional, but open to them: Voice of Iris is a place to grow, thrive, and launch.
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We believe empowered musicians empower musicians. Members of the collective will also have access to a knowledge base from their fellow artists, as well as additional trainings and workshops from guests on topics such as finances and social media management.
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Finally, a collective is a safe space of support. We recognize the demands of a career in music and aim to foster a sense of true, deep, and welcoming community in each year's collective. That means meeting everyone where they are, providing support when needed, and prioritizing efficient and effective rehearsals so that our time is of high quality.
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Interested in joining the 2024-2025 collective? Auditions for our spring production will be announced soon!
Sé (Shea) Brown
Founder & Singing Artist
Shea (Sé) Brown, they/them, is a gender nonconforming, clear-voiced soprano with a diverse musical skill set. From Hildegard and Saariaho to DiFranco and Carlile, Shea is passionate about blending their love of history and social justice through performances that combine classical and contemporary commercial styles of music. Shea has a rich history as an ensemble singer, enjoying everything from intimate madrigal and jazz ensembles to 50-voice choirs. Most recently, she has performed in the staged ensemble oratorio of James Kallembach’s Antigone; a concert of Luzzasco Luzzaschi’s trios with Newton Baroque; Bach arrangements by Ward Swingle with Eudaimonia and Portland Bach Ensemble on their Back to Bach programs; and alongside GRAMMY-winning artist Sam Smith on SNL. She is currently a section leader at Second Church in Newton, a music program that specializes in historical repertoire. Shea holds a MM in Historical Performance from Longy School of Music and a BM in Voice Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Follow Sé on Instagram!
@sheasingsthings
Cailin Smith
Founder & Singing Artist -
We Are the Flame, We Will Awaken
Stage Director -
Dinah, a story in song
A soprano comfortable in both classical music and musical theatre, Cailin Smith (she/her) dares to lean into the uncomfortable, use music as a mode of advocacy, and educate young audiences. Cailin holds a Master of Music degree from the Longy School of Music. She is a champion for and creator of new music and has also written several opera and song cycle librettos. Cailin is a passionate educator dedicated to helping singers of all ages embrace their unique voices.
Learn more about Cailin:
Follow Cailin on Instagram!
@cailinsmithsoprano
Regina Stroncek
Singing Artist -
We Are the Flame, We Will Awaken
Soprano Regina Stroncek is a versatile artist interested in communicating with diverse audiences through language and music. She is an avid recitalist with a deep-seated passion for art song, and has participated in the Barcelona Festival of Song and Source Song Festival. An advocate for new music, she has sung world and regional premieres of art song and chamber music by living composers in the United States and Brazil. Ms. Stroncek spent 2 years researching and performing Brazilian vocal chamber repertoire in Brasília through the support of Fulbright grants. She has performed with ensembles such as Lorelei Ensemble, Boston Camerata, Border CrosSing, Lilith Vocal Ensemble, and Nightingale Vocal Ensemble.
Learn more about Regina:
Follow Regina on Instagram!
@reginastroncek
E. Isaiah Hopper
Composer and Violist - Where They Hide in
We Are the Flame, We Will Awaken
Isaiah Hopper is a dynamic composer and violist known for blending classical elegance with modern innovation. With a background in both chamber and vocal music, Isaiah's compositions range from impassioned works for strings to immersive song cycles. Isaiah has collaborated with a number of talented musicians and artists, earning recognition for their distinctive sound and emotive storytelling. Passionate about pushing musical boundaries, Isaiah continues to explore new genres and technologies, captivating audiences with their unique and evocative stories and soundscapes. Isaiah is currently working on two new pieces, The Architect's Daughter, for voice and mixed ensemble, and Echoes of a Fractured Future, for mixed electronics.
Follow Isaiah on Instagram!
@isaiah_hopper
Laura Nevitt
Composer - The Sharp Edges of the Earth and The Ninth Wave
Laura Nevitt is a conductor, composer, and educator based in Boston. She earned degrees in Composition and Music Education from the University of South Carolina, and a M.M. in Choral Conducting at Boston Conservatory, studying with George Case. Laura is Artistic Director of Lilith Vocal Ensemble, Associate Conductor at Voices Boston Children’s Choir, Director of Children’s Chorus at NEC Prep, Teaching Artist with Handel & Haydn Society & Boston Lyric Opera, Music Director at First Parish UU in Needham, and Co-Founder & Former Co-Artistic Director of Nightingale Vocal Ensemble. Her compositions have been featured by the Handel & Haydn Society Youth Choruses, Choral Arts Initiative, Source Song Festival, Sparks & Wiry Cries Song Slam (NYC), BRACE New Music Choir, Boston Conservatory Choir, Nightingale, Opera on Tap Boston, UofSC Concert Choir, The Evelyn Duo, and Choir of Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge.
Learn more about Laura:
Follow Laura on Instagram!
@laurameredithnevitt
Sage Fogle
Pianist - We Are the Flame, We Will Awaken: an evening of staged song cycles
Dinah, a story in song
Sage Fogle (they/them) is a sought-after vocal and instrumental collaborator based in Boston.
They regularly appear as a recitalist, with a particular affinity for German Lieder. Experienced in
the standard operatic, choral, and orchestral repertoire, Sage has recently worked with the
Boston Opera Collaborative, Harvard University, the Handel and Haydn Society, and the
Brookline Symphony Orchestra.
Sage holds a Masters Degree in Collaborative Piano from the Longy School of Music of Bard
College and the Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Music History from the
Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music. They are currently on staff in the vocal departments of
Boston Conservatory and the Berklee School of Music.
Learn more about Sage:
Lauren Florek
Singing Artist - Dinah, a story in song
Filipino-American Soprano, Lauren Florek brings honesty and authenticity to everything she performs. Lauren has performed in a wide variety of styles. Recent roles include Frasquita in Carmen, The Queen of the Night (cover) in The Magic Flute and Deb in the contemporary musical Ordinary Days. This season she was commissioned to record her debut solo album "Sing a Song of Seasons" a song cycle of 24 songs by Robert Rogler.
During her graduate studies, Lauren was accepted into Boston Opera Collaborative’s Young Artist Training Program and understudied the role of the First Witch in the Boston Camerata’s production of Dido and Aneas.
Lauren is very passionate about her study of Filipino Classical music and has performed several recitals highlighting the genre while sharing the culture and history of the Philippines.
Lauren spent the summers of 2018 and 2019 in Urbino Italy with Musica nelle Marche studying Italian language and receiving musical and dramatic coaching. Lauren studied the roles of Lauretta from Gianni Schicchi and Mimi from La Boheme and performed scenes in several concerts throughout the Marche Region.
Lauren is also an experienced chorister and has performed in several churches throughout the Chicago Area. She served as a section leader at St. Vincent DePaul Parish for the 2020-2021 season.
Lauren was a semifinalist in the 2021 Perfect Day Music Competition. She was also the second-place winner of the 2019 Kleinman Competition. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from DePaul University and a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from the Longy School of Music.
Learn more about Lauren:
Danielle Pribyl
Singing Artist - Dinah, a story in song
Danielle Pribyl is a young, up-and-coming soprano from San Clemente, California. Currently based in Boston, she completed her Masters Degree under the tutelage of Dr. Lynn Eustis at Boston University. Danielle made her international debut as Zerlina in the Stavoské Divadlo in Prague in July of 2022. Since her time at BU, Danielle has performed in the greater Boston area with Harvard’s Music and Theatre program, West End Lyric, Boston Opera Collaborative, Somerville Family Opera, White Snake Opera, Boston Ballet, Olde Towne Carolers, Ted and Togo Productions and joined Cantata Singers this fall. She is the main call cantor and sole soprano section leader for St.Paul’s Parish in Harvard Square. Outside of music she has performed in plays and historical interpretation in the greater Boston area and has been featured dancing with Boston Ballet. In 2022-2023, Danielle was a Studio Artist with Mystic Side Opera in Malden. See her website www.daniellepribyl.com to see what she is up to this season!
Learn more about Danielle:
Yunona Tabala
Singing Artist - Dinah, a story in song
Described as a “very expressive singer” with a voice of “marvelous clarity and bell-like quality” (Classical Singer Competition, 2022), Yunona Tabala is a Russian-American lyric coloratura based in Boston, MA. She has appeared with such organizations as MassOpera (Die Zauberflöte), Music On Site, Inc. (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Florida Opera and Zarzuela (L’Elisir D’Amore) and Shift Orchestra Project (Mass for the Endangered, Boston premiere)
among others. In June 2023, she made her Carnegie Weill Recital Hall debut as an Honorable Mention recipient of the 2022 American Virtuoso International Music Competition. Learn more about Yunona and her projects by visiting her website
www.yunonatabala.org.
Learn more about Yunona: