Ian Gindes Pianist
Pianist and Executive Producer Ian Gindes has performed as a solo artist around the US, including at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, the Donald W. Nixon Centre for the Visual and Performing Arts, and as a featured artist with St. Louis Philharmonic. His 2023 recording, Rachmanionoff (Navona) was lauded by The Whole Note magazine (Canada) for his “illustrious renditions..” of “…Rachmaninoff masterworks.” Gramophone magazine (UK) praised his work on his previous release, American Visions (Centaur, 2016), for his “keyboard brilliance.” His music has been featured by SiriusXM Symphony Hall, WFMT Chicago, Jed Distler’s Between The Keys on WWFM, American Veterans Radio, and Radio Arts Foundation of St. Louis. He has been featured on CBS 2 Chicago and WGN-TV.
Ian has served in the Illinois Army National Guard for 21 years and currently holds the rank of Major, working as the Branch Chief in the G-1/Human Resources Office. His military career includes serving as the HHD 65th Company Commander (2019-2021) managing personnel for relief efforts and civil unrest during the COVID pandemic, and serving as the Commander of the Illinois Army National Guard Band from 2017-2018.
Ian holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Illinois, where he studied under Leeds International Piano Competition winner Dr. Ian Hobson.
John Riesen Tenor
Hailed as “every inch the hero in stature and voice” (Classical Voice North America), award-winning American tenor John Riesen is consistently impressing audiences with his “impassioned…and vibrant” voice (Opera Today). He has released over 85 studio recordings that have reached well over 10 million streams on Spotify and Apple Music. John is the head of Spotify promotion for Emitha LLC and served as an associate producer on the Grammy-Nominated project The Impossible Dream. His recent performances include appearances at Carnegie Hall with the New York Oratorio Society, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Virginia Symphony, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, the Nashville Opera, and Opera Las Vegas. John was also seen on NBC’s America’s Got Talent as part of the Finalist group Metaphysic, singing “Nessun Dorma” as the voice of Howie Mandel. This performance was hailed as, “The best act of the series” by Simon Cowell.
Angela Born Mezzo-Soprano
Earning critical acclaim for her “rich, clear voice” that is “geared towards storytelling” (Chicagoland Musical Theatre), Chicago-based mezzo-soprano Angela Born is a fach-defying opera theatre artist and interpreter of new classical works. Her many operatic roles include Marjorie in Fizz and Ginger (Whitney E. George), Lucinda in Dark Sisters (Nico Muhly), Patience in Patience and Sarah (Paula Kimper), the titular role in Princess Ida, and The Witch in Hansel und Gretel. She is also the recipient of multiple Chicago DCASE grants and is the 2023 songSLAM winner for her premiere performance of Michelle Isaac’s “What Every Woman Must Not Say.” Ms. Born has performed with many opera companies, including the Lyric Opera of the North, the Loveland Opera Theatre, the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, Ouroboros Opera Company, and the Chicago City Opera.
Desirée Hassler Soprano
In addition to singing in the full-time chorus at Lyric Opera of Chicago, soprano Desirée Hassler has sung and covered roles at Lyric in Four Portraits, Cendrillon, West Side Story, Tannhäuser, Oklahoma!, Manon, Macbeth, Boris Godunov, Show Boat, Elektra, and Der Rosenkavalier. Alongside her Lyric Opera of Chicago colleagues, Hassler won her first Emmy in 2022 for Outstanding Achievement for Arts/Entertainment—Long Form Content for Pagliacci. She enjoys performing music from the Renaissance to the 21st century– in recital, concert, opera, and performance art mediums. Desirée has successfully competed from regional to international levels at the Bel Canto Competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and the International Franz Liszt Competition. She graduated in 2011 with a doctorate in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
David Govertsen Bass-Baritone
Chicago native bass-baritone David Govertsen has been active as a professional singer for nearly twenty years, portraying a wide variety of opera’s low-voiced heroes, villains, and comic characters. Mr. Govertsen has appeared as a soloist with numerous local and regional opera companies, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Tulsa Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Haymarket Opera Company. He is a member of the vocal chamber quartet Fourth Coast Ensemble and has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Grant Park Orchestra. He is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center as well as the Santa Fe Opera and Central City Opera apprentice programs and holds degrees from Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University, and the College of DuPage.