Workshop Leaders

Andrea Mellis
studied singing, piano and cembalo in her native country, Canada, and in Germany. She has lived since 1978 in Europe where she is still active as a singer and actress. Since 1988 she has been in demand as a director of operas, musical and plays in theaters in Germany, Austria and France, as well as in Canada, Great Britain and the USA. In 1991 she founded the critically acclaimed Mariahilfer Oper in Vienna, a project which combined children and professional performers. She was vocal coach and singing teacher for several musical theatre productions of the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (Les Meserables, Phantom of the Opera, Freudiana) and was from 1994 until 2005 Head of the Musical Theatre Course at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. In 2005 she formed the ensemble “Passepartout”, a group of singers, dances and actors from many countries, based in Burgenland and involved in international music and theatre projects. She has directed ope ras for the "steirische herbst" a famous contemporary music festival in Austria, for the Sage Theatre in New York, and for the opening of the Festspielhaus St. Pölten. She also gves regular musical theatre, opera and acting courses in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Scotland and England, as well as Canada and South Korea.

William Shookhoff (Musical Director)
has been on the music staff of the Canadian Opera Company and the Edmonton Opera Company, the Portland (Oregon) Opera and the Netherlands Opera. Since 1989 he has been primarily involved in music theatre, conducting Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera in Toronto and throughout Canada. In addition, Mr. Shookhoff has been instrumental in initiating groups such as Comus Music Theatre, Canada Opera Piccola, Opera Theatre of Alberta, Opera York and the Edmonton New Music Festival. With TrypTych, Mr. Shookhoff has been musical director for all its productions including Puccini's Tosca, Hugo Weisgal's The Stronger, Verdi's Rigoletto and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann. He maintains a very active studio as vocal coach and works with many of Canada's finest singers.

Amy Wegge (Solocorrepetition, Accompanist)
born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the U.S., she began piano lessons at the age of eight. She took her degrees (Bachelor of Music and Master of Music) at the University of Redlands and the University of Hawaii.During her four and a half years‘ residence in New York City, she continued her studies in German Lied accompaniment and chamber music. In addition to teaching piano and playing chamber music concerts in she is currently a much sought-after accompanist for Lied conceerts. Amy Wegge currently lives with her husband and 2 daughters in Braunschweig.