Jason Weaver
Raised on a ranch in Arizona, Jason Weaver began learning piano at the age of six. He went on to study music at the University of Arizona in Tucson and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Piano Performance. During his studies, Jason was awarded the AOG Outstanding Accompanist Award, won 1st Place in the University Presidents Concerto Competition and won the Tucson Symphony Competition where he played Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto with the Symphony.

Not only interested in classical music, Jason formed a jazz band, "The Maximums", with fellow students that performed around the southwest.

He then went on to study with Gregory Allen and David Garvey at the University of Texas in Austin and received his Masters Degree in Piano Performance and Accompanying.

Upon finishing his schooling in 1995, Jason moved to Germany to pursue his career in music. During this time he accompanied various singers for concerts in America, as well as on the European continent. He helped create the summer opera program, the Austrian American Mozart Academy in Salzburg, Austria where he has also worked as a conductor and vocal coach. In Austria, he has been a vocal coach at the University of Miami Summer Music Program in Salzburg and also on the accompaniment staff at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz. His first German theatrical engagement was as vocal coach and music director at the Landestheater Mecklenburg in Neustrelitz, Germany.

Currently, he holds the position of Kapellmeister (assistant conductor) at the Staatstheater Oldenburg in Oldenburg, Germany (www.oldenburg.staatstheater.de). As a conductor he has directed a variety of pieces ranging from Turandot to My Fair Lady. He performs regularly at the theater on piano for various chamber music concerts and song recitals as well.

In addition to his theater work, Jason and his wife (singer, Mary Kehl) have formed a swing trio called "Swingin' Sisters" (www.swingin-sisters.de). He arranges many of their songs and is the pianist for the group as a combo with bass and drums. Since their inception 3 years ago, they have been invited to perform many concerts throughout Germany.

This coming season, Jason's conducting duties will include, Abduction from the Seraglio, Pique Dame , La Forza del Destino as well as the musical Hello, Dolly!
Link to www.jasonweaver.de

Jean Desmarais

Jean Desmarais is a versatile pianist in demand as a soloist, chamber musician and in the challenging role as an accompanist.
He studied at the Conservatoire in Hull, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree and later at the Conservatoire de Montréal, where he earned his Masters degree and the Premier Prix in Piano and Chamber Music. He studied in Paris from 1990 until 1992.
He has a particular interest in new music and was a member of the Pierrot Ensemble and has performed more than 40 world premieres of Canadian Music.
As a soloist Jean Desmarais has performed frequently with orchestras in Canada, Romania, Poland and appears regularly with the Orquesta Filarmónica del estado de Chihuahua in Mexico. Jean Desmarais is regularly featured on CBC.SRC recordings, at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival (last 6 years) and the National Arts Centre’s Music for a Sunday Afternoon series.As a collaborative pianist he has worked with many artists including Kiri Te Kanawa, Ben Heppner, Donna Brown, Amanda Forsyth, Susan Graham and many other talented musicians.


Coaches in Aub 2007
Bernd Grüssendorf (Conservatory in Hannover) and
Anita Keller (Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin)

Lucie Shores 2006 www.cantaresdeespana.org/shores.htm
Michael Mills---Professor/ Korrepitition at the Volkwang Schule in Essen 1998, 1999

Timothy Schwarz--- coach and Conductor at the Opera house in Heidelberg--1997, 1998

Maria Ehrke Urbanovic...Coach at the hans Eisler conservatory in Berlin 2002, 2004, 2005

Anita Keller...Coach at the Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin, 2004, 2005, 2006

Bernd Grüßendorf..coach at the Conservatory in Hannover 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

Margaret Singer, Coach at the Hannover Opera house, in Karlsruhe Conservatory for Violin, at the Paris Opera for accompanists, For singers at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.....2002, 2003