Stephanie Bonte-Lebair

Stephanie Bonte-Lebair is a versatile performer with extensive experience in several genres, including opera, musical theatre, chamber music, cabaret music, small vocal ensemble singing, amusement park performing, and dinner theatre. She graduated with her Bachelors and Masters in Music (vocal performance) from Illinois State University where she performed several leading operatic roles including Musetta in La Bohème, Pamina in The Magic Flute and Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus. While in graduate school, she was chosen to participate in Oberlin School of Music's competitive “Opera in Italy” program.

After graduation, she promptly moved to New York City where she spent three years working and performing in several world premier operas and brand new musical theatre productions. Her NYC highlights include several leading roles with Golden Fleece Opera, solo features in the cabaret production Words, Words, Words & Music with Revolving Shakespeare Company, and leading roles in two new musicals which were workshopped in the Big Apple. She moved to the DC area in 2003, where she played several leading roles with local theatre companies including Cinderella in Into the Woods, Tracy Samantha Lord in High Society, Julie Jordan in Carousel, Rose Alvarez in Bye Bye Birdie, Lily in The Secret Garden, Hope Cladwell in Urinetown - the Musical, and Sonia Walsk in They’re Playing Our Song, and most recently as Amalia Balash in She Loves Me (WATCH nomination for Best Actress in a Musical).

She has worked for Signature Theatre in Shirlington, VA as Judy Kuhn’s understudy (Tony nominee and the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas) in a world premier musical Sycamore Trees by Ricky Ian Gordon and directed by Tina Landau. She is also a current member of the DC area vocal quartet “Metrocabaret” which actively performs cabaret, musical theatre, and jazz music throughout the metro area.

Besides performing, Stephanie has spent the last seven years teaching her private students and giving workshops and masterclasses. She has also acted as a vocal coach on several local musical productions, been a judge for local voice competitions, teaches early childhood music and group piano classes for children, and is the Co-Conductor of the Kentlands Children’s Choir, in Gaithersburg, MD.

In addition to her degrees in performance, she has a Graduate Certificate in Arts Management from American University in Washington, D.C., and uses those skills as President of Damascus Theatre Company in Maryland and the Program Director at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gaithersburg, MD.