Virginia Volpe
virginia.volpe@austincc.edu

Since joining Austin Community College in 2012, Virginia Volpe continues to bring enthusiasm and leadership to the Choral department. She challenges singers by exploring very diverse repertoire, spanning from Renaissance to Avant Garde compositions. Nominated several times for the ACC Outstanding Faculty award, Mrs. Volpe is dedicated to helping students successfully complete their music courses and transfer for degree completion. In addition to Choir, she also currently teaches Music Appreciation and Sight Reading/Ear Training.

Mrs. Volpe completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas in Austin and her Master’s degree at Texas State University. She taught at South Plains College for 2 years, Dripping Springs High School for 11 years while earning many “Sweepstakes” awards in UIL and directed musicals, district concerts and off campus performances. She frequently serves as a clinician and adjudicates in region and state level contests. She lives in Dripping Springs with her husband and pets.

Bruce Douglas
bdouglas@austincc.edu

Bruce Douglas is well known in central Texas as both performer and teacher. He has performed both leading and supporting operatic roles with such groups as the Austin Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Opera Ensemble of Austin, Southwest Opera, and Opera Unlimited in Albuquerque, NM. In the professional choral field he has sung with both Conspirare and the Texas Chamber Consort. With numerous oratorio solos (including Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St. John Passion, and Mozart’s Requiem) to his credit, he is also a committed recitalist.

In addition to matters of vocal technique, he is deeply interested in the related areas of performance development and psychology, as well as performance anxiety.

Dr. Douglas received his Doctoral Degree in Vocal Performance from The University of Texas at Austin. At Austin Community College, he teaches Music Literature, Fundamentals, and Appreciation in addition to Applied Voice. He also maintains an active private voice studio and is a long-time member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

 

Susan Fernandez
sfernan2@austincc.edu

Susan Fernandez is widely known as a Master Voice Teacher and Professional Soprano. She has successfully prepared countless students for careers as singers, actors and music educators. Her students are also singing professionally throughout the United States and abroad in many genres including Classical, Operatic, Broadway Musical Theater and even Popular Rock Bands. They also routinely win competitions and are admitted to major music schools like Juliard, NYU, Berkley Boston, Belmont & Vanderbilt (Nashville), DePaul (Chicago), Rice Shepherd School of Music, North Texas, Baylor, UT Austin, and many others. “While teaching my students to sing and perform their best, I am also preparing them for all kinds of stage performances, college auditions, competitions and recitals. I always teach to the individual needs of the singer and know that true confidence emerges from having developed the core vocal technique and strength to sound their best.”

Ms. Fernandez has had an extensive performing career, specializing in solo Oratorio repertoire, appearing in a most memorable performance at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. She has also performed in choral tours throughout Switzerland and Italy. Some of her other solo performances include Handel’s “Messiah” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy” with the Austin Symphony, Bach “Magnificat in D,” Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” Haydn’s “Mass in Time of War,” Theresien Mass,” “Lord Nelson Mass,” and Donald Grantham’s “So Long As Days Shall Be,” to name a few. Susan has also performed with the Austin Lyric Opera and college leading roles of “Suor Angelica,” “Papagena,” in Magic Flute, and “Lauretta,” in Gianni Schicci.

Ms. Fernandez’ professional affiliations include the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Classical Singer and Texas Music Educators Association. She serves as adjudicator for Vocal competitions and Vocal clinician for various workshops. Ms. Fernandez received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Texas at Austin, and the Bachelor of Music Education from Texas State University. At Austin Community College, she enjoys teaching Applied Voice and Opera Workshop.

 

Paula Spencer
pspencer@austincc.edu

Paula Spencer takes pride in the variety of styles her students have studied with her.  Over the years her students have been seen in national commercials, sung with Disneyworld stage shows and won Austin Chronicle awards for Best Band, to name just a few.  She has helped students transfer into University of North Texas, Lamar University, Belmont University, Texas State University to complete their Music Degrees.

She earned her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas.  Her choral experience is as varied, having sung with Robert Shaw, the New England Conservatory Alumni Choir with Boston Pops Orchestra, the ASU Concert Choir and the Tupelo Symphony and other international choruses.

She has participated in workshops and performed in operas with leading roles and was awarded third in a three state regional NATS competition. Her vocal ability is varied, having  extensive performing experience with jazz and cover bands in the New England area. Paula encourages her students to embrace her singing philosophy, to take care of the instrument but sing many styles of music.

Paula teaches at ACC Northridge on Mondays and can be reached at pspencer@austincc.edu to schedule lessons.

 

Stella Yoon
bokyung.yoon@austincc.edu

Praised for her “promising voice with incredible beauty and artistry”, Stella Bokyung Yoon, soprano, is a devoted performer and teacher. She was recently seen as Valerie/Violetta in Robert Hatten’s Compassion (world premier). She has performed operatic roles including Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte, Blanche de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Mimi in La Bohème, Violetta in La Traviata, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly with Austin Opera, Bay Area Summer Opera, Barrier Free Opera, Bulgaria Sofia State Symphony Orchestra, Butler Opera Center, Ezio Pinza Council in Italy, Indiana University Opera, Miami Summer Music Festival, Palm Beach Opera, Seoul Symphony Orchestra, and Sonbahar Klasik Müsik Konseri.

Stella was the winner of Sidney Wright international Competition, Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition, Dorothy F. Schmidt International Music Concerto & Aria Competition, N.A.T.S, Korea National Opera’s Music Competition, Music Chun- chu Publishers’ Music Competition, Korean National Music Competition, Go-yang Music Association Music Competition, Dong Yang Il-bo’s Music Competition, Seoul Symphony Orchestra Music Competition, Nan-Pa Korean Music Competition, and Music Journal Music Competition. She received several honors including Butler Excellence Award, Merit Scholarship, Soprano Young-ok Shin Award, Trustee Award, Excellent Performance Award, and etc.

Stella holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Opera Performance from the University of Texas at Austin where she taught as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and is a graduate in Voice Performance from Indiana University at Bloomington. She has been mentored by world-renowned sopranos Virginia Zeani and Carol Vaness. At Austin Community College, she teaches Music Appreciation and American Music in addition to Applied Voice.