2026 season guest artists
Penelope Walker, narrator
Penelope Walker is an actress whose career has spanned over 20 years. She has appeared on Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago Justice as multiple characters. Her other TV/film acting credits include Severed Ties, Olympia, South Side, Work in Progress, and The Bear. Her theatre resume includes Crowns, The Story, Love-Lies-Bleeding, and many more.
She will narrate Carnival of the Animals with the Third Coast Symphony on June 14, 2026 at First Congregational Baptist Church. | more info
Jeremy Vigil, piano
As a pianist, organist, percussionist, and occasional baritone, Jeremy Vigil has worked alongside dancers, film, and narration in contemporary music and large ensembles.
A founding member of the horn/violin/piano Black Moon Trio, he dedicates himself to illuminating new voices through commissions and collaborations. He has worked with renowned composers like Miguel del Aguila, Lori Laitman, Marc Mellits, and Baljinder Sekhon for premieres of their compositions, with recordings on Innova Recordings and Black Moon Trio’s own label.
Jeremy has held positions as a Collaborative Pianist at Ohio University, as well as piano faculty for summer festivals like Fresh Inc and Si parla, si canta in Arona, Italy, where he made his operatic singing debut in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. He has performed with organizations including AWR Music, Fifth House Ensemble, New York Composers Circle.
In Chicago, Vigil appears regularly through programs such as Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play and New Music Chicago, while also transporting audiences across the world, through the seasons, and into the fantastic world of stories as Keys for Two with his wife and duet partner, Florence Mak. Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Stetson University and a Master of Music in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music from the Eastman School of Music.
He will perform Rhapsody in Blue with the Third Coast Symphony on October 11, 2026 at the North Shore Center for the Arts. | more info
Anna Therese George, mezzo-soprano/assistant conductor
Anna Therese George is a mezzo-soprano hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin. She is currently pursuing her Bachelors of Music in Classical Vocal Performance at the Chicago College of Performing Arts in Chicago, where she studies under Professor Elizabeth Byrne. She is a multi-instrumentalist with a focus in guitar, as well as a composer, conductor and songwriter.
Upcoming engagements include Great Lakes Operetta's production of Orpheus in the Underworld as Assistant Music Director and Third Coast Symphony’s Assistant Conductor, under the direction of Music Director Victor Muenzer.
She will be Assistant Conductor of the Third Coast Symphony on November 29, 2026 for The 007 Days of Christmas at the North Shore Center for the Arts, and will perform in Handel’s Messiah on December 11, 2026 at the Studebaker Theater.
Gabriel Muenzer, tenor
Gabe Muenzer is originally from Chicago, where he grew up playing a variety of instruments before eventually deciding to study classical voice at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. There he studied opera and musical theater, plus had a love of rock and funk music, playing in a variety of bands. He also studied voice with Michael Hanley and vocal pedagogy with Kevin Wilson. He is now pursuing a Master’s at NYU in Voice Performance with an advanced certificate in Voice Pedagogy.
Muenzer will perform in Handel’s Messiah on December 11, 2026 at the Studebaker Theater. | more info
roosevelt university/chicago college of performing arts chorus
charles taylor, director
Comprising the Music Conservatory, the Theatre Conservatory, and the Interdisciplinary Conservatory, the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) at Roosevelt University trains world-class musicians and theatre professionals in the heart of one of the country's most creatively accomplished cities.
CCPA Voice programs (BM Classical Voice, Honors BMA Classical Voice, BM Music Education, MM Classical Voice, PD Opera) and BFA Musical Theatre programs (BFA Musical Theatre, BFA Musical Theatre with Dance Concentration) offer intensive career training from world-class artist-teachers, with a multitude of onstage performance opportunities throughout their year.
The Chorus will perform in Handel’s Messiah on December 11, 2026 at the Studebaker Theater. | more info