Featured Artists

Dr. Jennifer Voigt is a coloratura soprano and associate professor of voice at Southeastern University. She completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts in vocal performance and pedagogy at the University of Miami, where she specialized in contemporary opera and chamber music. She has since then commissioned and performed several pieces with contemporary chamber groups in south Florida and Texas. Jennifer recently joined the LSO as our narrator for this season’s children’s programming as well as Twas the Night Before Christmas at our Toast to the Holidays performance. Jennifer and her husband, Tyson Voigt (principal percussion for the LSO) live in Lakeland with their two children.

As one of America’s most accomplished tenors Mark Thomsen, tenor, enjoys a successful career in critically acclaimed performances throughout the world. Mark has performed to acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, La Scala (Milan), Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Volksoper, New York City Opera, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera among others. Mr. Thomsen has sung and directed in the LSO’s opera productions, A Night at the Opera, most recently as stage director of Madama Butterfly. A graduate of Eastman School of Music (MM) Mark is Artist-In-Residence at Florida Southern College where he teaches voice and directs the opera class. Additionally, Mark is Program Director and co-founder of the vocal summer program IOPE (International Opera Performing Experience, http://www.performopera.com/), which is based in Mercatello, Italy.

Baritone Thomas Potter earned his Master of Music in Vocal Performance at Indiana University, studying with Nicola Rossi-Lemeni and Virginia Zeani, and continued his training at the San Francisco Opera Center. In 1986, he won the Luciano Pavarotti International Vocal Competition, performing alongside Pavarotti in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera and later collaborating with him in La Bohème and La Traviata.

His repertoire centers on the great Verdi baritone roles, including Renato, Giorgio Germont, Count di Luna, Macbeth, and Rigoletto, as well as Scarpia (Tosca), Jochanaan (Salome), and roles in Don Giovanni. He has appeared internationally with major opera companies and at Carnegie Hall, and has performed with the LSO in several opera productions, most recently Madama Butterfly and Cavalleria Rusticana.

Since 2005, he has taught voice and directed opera at the University of Central Florida.

Admired for his collaborative artistry and creative approach, pianist and composer Dr. Charles Hulin brings warmth and versatility to both stage and classroom. A prize winner in the Hilton Head International Piano Competition and recognized for collaborative performance in the Liszt-Garrison Competition, he has performed widely as soloist and chamber musician, with engagements ranging from the Richmond Ballet to members of the United States Naval Academy Band.

His appearances span diverse venues and festivals, and his original piano works have been performed internationally, including at Weill Recital Hall. For many years, he has served as piano accompanist for the LSO’s opera productions. He is also founder of the Lasker Summer Music Festival and author of the multi-volume piano method Pilgrimage of Practice.

Dr. Hulin holds degrees from Juilliard and Peabody and directs the piano program at Southeastern University. He is a Steinway Artist.