Faculty

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.

This past spring, she worked as Judy Kuhn's understudy (Tony nominee and the voice of Disney's Pocahontas) in a world premier musical “Sycamore Trees” at the Tony Award Winning Signature Theatre in Shirlington, VA. 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.


Jenni McGinnis
Jennifer McGinnis is an operatic soprano and a NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) certified vocal instructor in Montgomery County Maryland. She began teaching voice while completing her Bachelor of Music Degree at The Catholic University of America. She continued teaching and performing while finishing her Master of Arts in Vocal Performance degree at George Mason University. She has performed with companies such as the Reunion Music Society, Summer Opera Theatre Company, Multimedia Performance Studio, Victorian Lyric Opera Company, and the Damascus Theatre Company. Career highlights include creating the role of Lust in the world premier of The Blue Opera, performing as Kim in the east coast premier of Opera.com.edy, and singing the role of Musetta in La Bohème. Other roles include Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Carrie (Carousel), and most recently Gianetta (The Gondoliers). Musical direction credits include Alice in Wonderland with Damascus Creative Stage, Sweeney Todd and The Mikado with Montgomery Blair High School, and a musical production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with DTC Kids.