Mary Jane Austin

Director

Mary Jane has been the conductor of the MRC since 2018 after a long tenure as its collaborative pianist. She is enjoying a rich musical life in Vermont and abroad, where her interests range from recital work and full scale opera productions to teaching and choral conducting.  She has studied with opera legends Claudia Pinza, Maurizio Arena, Enza Ferrari and Warren Jones, and worked at the summer Italian opera program EPCASO from 1994-2016. She is the principal keyboardist of the Vermont Symphony, and in 2016 she was awarded the title of “Honorary Conductor” by the VSO.  She was an assistant conductor, rehearsal pianist and chorus master for the Opera Company of Middlebury (OCM) for 14 years, and serves as the music director of the Youth Opera Company of OCM.  She performs regularly with bass Erik Kroncke: together they direct opera and operettas at Unadilla Theater in the summers.  She currently teaches at the University of Vermont, has worked as a collaborative pianist/vocal coach at Dartmouth College and has conducted musicals at Middlebury College.  She is the organist at Waterbury Congregational Church.

Alison Bruce Cerutti

Collaborative Pianist

Alison performs as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Vermont, in Canada with Elizabeth Reid, and as a collaborative pianist in the U.S. and France.  For eight years, she studied with Louis Moyse and accompanied his flute master classes in Vermont and France.  Alison has performed with Counterpoint, TURNmusic for the 2015 production of A Fleeting Animal, and as an orchestra of one for Unadilla productions of HMS Pinafore, Mikado, and Pirates of Penzance, to name a few, as well as a collaborative pianist for the Winooski Valley Festival, the All-State Music Festival Scholarship Winners, and Music-COMP.  A Vermont native, she studied with Sylvia Parker, and earned degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Hartt School.  She maintains an active piano studio in Northfield, VT.

Erik Kroncke

Vocal Technique Coach

Erik has been described as “engaging…a bass of astounding depth and warm timbre…an important voice and artist…” He is in demand at opera companies and orchestras around the world as well as  giving recitals. He has performed as a soloist with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Korean Philharmonic, and the American Classical Orchestra. This past year, he has sung Timur in Turandot with St. Petersburg Opera, Salieri in Mozart and Salieri with Vermont Theater Festival, Hunding in Die Walküre with Green Mountain Mahler Festival, Schalendrian in Bach’s Coffee Cantata, bass soloist in the Beethoven 9th, various Messiah concerts, and recitals across New England. He has a private voice studio and teaches voice at several local colleges and universities. A more complete biography as well as current and upcoming projects at www.erikkroncke.com