Brian Staufenbiel heads the Opera Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His directing credits include Bizet's Carmen, Donizetti's The Elixir of Love, Menotti's The Medium, Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, Weill's Street Scene and Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream for which he was awarded the first prize in the National Opera Association Opera competition in New York this year.

Staufenbiel has also directed at the Seoul Contemporary Opera Company the Korean premiere of David Jones' opera Bardos and the reprise of Chan Hae Lee's latest opera Back to the Origins. He has also been guest director in the Sherbrooke Summer Music Festival, where he directed works by Ravel and Honegger. He will be returning to the festival this summer to direct and perform in the semi-staged version of Handel's Jephta. This year Staufenbiel also directed the world premiere performance of the final version of Lou Harrison's opera Young Caesar with San Francisco's Ensemble Parallèle.

Staufenbiel is also part of the voice department at UCSC. As a tenor, he has gained considerable recognition and critical acclaim for his performances in oratorios, operas, and solo recitals in the United States and Canada. His more recent opera performances include leading roles in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri, Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, Poulenc's Les mamelles de Tirésias, Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges, Kurt Weill's Mahagonny, and Mechem's Tartuffe. Staufenbiel has appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival, the Rochester Bach Festival in New York State, and sings frequently throughout the Bay Area. He is well known for his dramatic interpretation of the Evangelist role in Bach's Saint Matthew and Saint John Passion, as well as his comically gruesome depiction of the Roasted Swan in Orff's Carmina Burana.

In addition to live performance, Staufenbiel has recorded for Musical Heritage Society, Koch International Classics, and Helicon Records music by Alessandro Stradella, Heinrich Schütz, Lou Harrison, and Paul Bowles. His most recent recording includes the world premiere recordings of tenor arias from Lou Harrison's opera Young Caesar and the Saint Cecilia Mass (Kleos records). The Staufenbiel/Scharrón Duo has performed from coast to coast Argento's Letters from Composers, set as a one-man opera. The duo recently completed a CD recording of works by Britten, Argento, and Adler (commissioned work). Staufenbiel holds a doctorate degree in vocal performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music.

Nicole Paiement’s activities as orchestral and choral conductor have permitted her to develop a strong approach toward score study and musical performance. She greatly values the concept of historically guided performance to gain insight into the composer’s musical score.

In addition to her ongoing work at UCSC, she is also the artistic director of the New Music Ensemble at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and of Parallèle Ensemble, a professional ensemble dedicated to the recording of new music and of obscure music from all periods. Paiement is also an active guest conductor.

Recording is one of Paiement’s major activities. Her work in this medium ranges from the music of the Renaissance to that of living composers. Most of her numerous recordings focus on world premiere recordings.

Her strong interest in French music of the 20th century has led her to in-depth study and to premiere performances of music by composer Germaine Tailleferre. Paiement has completed a recording and catalog of the works of Henri Collet. Her interest in interdisciplinary performance has culminated in several staged works at UCSC.

Through her experience in teaching conducting, Paiement has developed an approach that concentrates on clear and expressive baton technique combined with effective score study and rehearsal technique.

Patrice Magninnis is also associated with Opera San Jose. Her interest include: operatic, recital, and concert work, especially of 19th- and 20th-century art song.

Pedagogical philosophy: emphasis on strong technical foundation, broad-based knowledge of vocal repertoire from the 16th century to the present, and preparation of effective recitals and operatic roles, including programming, historically informed interpretation, and effective stage presence.

Sara Hancock received her B.A. in oboe from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2004, graduating with both Departmental and College Honors, and her M.A. in conducting in 2006 from the same institution under the instruction of Nicole Paiement. During her time as a student at UCSC, Hancock played oboe and English horn with the University Orchestra, serving for five years as principal oboist in that ensemble.

As a conductor, Hancock's love for contemporary music has led her to collaborate on world premiere performances of works by several UCSC graduate composers. In 2006, Hancock commissioned and premiered new music for women's choir and chamber ensemble by UCSC faculty composer David Cope. Other recent performances have included music by Brown, Berkowitz, Handel, Hindemith, Menotti, Stravinsky, Tailleferre, and Villa-Lobos. Hancock has also served as assistant conductor for UCSC Opera Theater for the past four years, conducting such operas as Street Scene, Don Giovanni, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Die Zauberflöte. In that time, she has served as associate director of the UCSC Women’s Chorale, as well as assistant conductor of the UCSC orchestra and Chamber Singers, having also appeared in concert with both groups as guest conductor. In February 2008, Hancock conducted Humperdinck’s beloved opera Hansel and Gretel featuring members of UCSC’s Opera Theater and orchestra. She currently serves as Music Director for San Agustín Catholic Church in Scotts Valley.