Rising Stars Productions
Theater Arts for Teens and Tweens
New Website Coming Soon!
Kim Lamoureux, Artistic Director
Praised for her “clarion upper range and delicate tone,” soprano Kim Lamoureux is a dynamic and versatile artist based in the Boston metro area. Kim has performed with many companies across New England, including Odyssey Opera, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Lowell House Opera, NEMPAC, Opera del West, Opera51, The Savoyard Light Opera Company, the Concord Orchestra, Riverside Theater Works, the Hanover Theater, and many more. Recent favorite engagements include Stéphano in Romeo and Juliet (Fight Captain), Adele in Die Fledermaus, and The Little Blue One in the world premiere of The Little Blue One.
As a pedagogue, Kim maintains a full time studio where she teaches voice students of all ages and ability levels, as well as beginning piano for young children. Kim has appeared as a guest lecturer and recitalist at Gordon College, and served as a Theater Outreach Specialist for The New England Gilbert and Sullivan Societry, Drama Director for the JCC Kaleidoscope Camp, and Music Director for Break-A-Leg Productions. She is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of Rising Stars Productions, a performing arts initiative designed to bring arts education and enrichment to the communities of the greater Boston area.
Kim currently teaches at Brookwood School in Manchester, MA, Wilmington Dance Academy, and is on the Board of Directors with the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Additionally, she enjoys performing semi-staged concerts of Musical Theater and Operetta with her trio, Bella and the Fellas.
Master of Music with Distinction, Longy School of Music
Bachelor of Music, Summa Cum Laude, Gordon College
Ellen Allen, Music Director
A lifelong musician, Boston-based soprano Ellen Allen is a versatile singer whose performance credits encompass oratorio, opera, recital, and chamber works. Recent solo credits include Poulenc's Gloria with the MetroWest Choral Artists; Caterina in Mascagni's L'Amico Fritz with the MetroWest Choral Artists; BWV 10 and selections from Mozart's Davidde Penitente with Calliope; various chamber recitals with Calliope's Ensemble-in-Residence program; and scenes from Mozart's Die Zauberflote (First Lady) and Rameau's Les Boreades (Alphise) with Calliope. Other solo credits include selections from Rossini's Stabat Mater, Michael Haydn's Missa St. Aloysius, Bruckner's Te Deum (cover), Mozart’s Missa Brevis in C, Coronation Mass in C, and Missa Brevis in G, Bach's St. Matthew Passion (cover), Haydn’s Heiligmesse, and Fauré’s Requiem. She has performed both as a soloist and chorister with many Boston area ensembles, including the MetroWest Choral Artists, Calliope, Calliope's Ensemble-In-Residence program, the Harvard Early Music Society, the MIT Women's Chorale, and the Gordon College Symphonic Chorale.
Ellen is an active pedagogue, educator, and music director. She maintains a full-time studio of voice, violin, and piano students of all ages and levels, and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). She is the co-founder and music director of Rising Stars Productions, a performing arts education organization for youth based in Reading, MA, and the director of Grace Notes, an all-girls chamber choir based on the North Shore. She has also served as a guest teaching artist at the Josiah Quincy School in Boston, and as the lead vocal coach for the Newburyport Nock Middle School's 2011 production of West Side Story.
Master of Music in Voice Performance, Longy School of Music of Bard College
Teaching Artist Certificate, Longy School of Music of Bard College
Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance, summa cum laude, Gordon College
Member, NATS
Sam Nelson was born in Lynn, Massachusetts and held his first organist position at the age of 12. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance from Gordon College in 2011 under the tutelage of Dr. Roy Brunner and Mr. Douglas Marshall. In 2012 he won second prize at the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival. Sam is the music director at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Lynnfield where he plays the organ and directs the choir; and is a regular substitute at Park Street Church, Boston. Currently, Sam is pursuing a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance at Boston University, studying organ with Peter Sykes. Sam has freelanced as an accompanist in the Boston area for over ten years, and has been an accompanist with Rising Stars since 2015.
When he isn't playing organ, Sam has served as Tour Manager and Organ Technician for Cameron Carpenter and the International Touring Organ, and also plays keyboards for a local wedding band, Somerset.
Sam Nelson, Staff Accompanist
Anna Carr, Staff Accompanist
Dr. Anna Carr is currently working as a vocal coach, accompanist, soprano, and teacher in the Boston area, including work at Boston University and the Handel and Haydn Society. Having recently completed her DMA in Vocal Performance at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, she also holds an MM in Collaborative Piano from Boston University, and a BA in Music from Principia College. In Champaign, Anna was a professional piano accompanist and coach, and sang many roles in the University of Illinois opera program, including debuting an opera completed in 2012. She has been a member of the St Louis Symphony Chorus as well as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus with the BSO, and most recently, was a Bella Voce Award recipient through the Bel Canto Foundation.
Nicole Tetrault
Intern 2014
Photo Credit: Susan Wilson
susanwilsonphoto.com
Torie Baker
Choreographer 2015
Bobby Imperato
Drama Instructor 2015
Rising Stars Staff 2017
Rising Stars Directors
Ashley Yarnell, Choreographer
Ashley is a Triple Threat performer and educator, with a strong background in Dance, Voice, and Acting. A native of the Boston area, she obtained her BFA in Musical Theatre from Pace University in NYC. Upon relocating back to Boston, she pursued a graduate degree in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and is now pursuing a teaching career, as well as a performance career in live music. She currently owns and runs her own music instruction business based out of her home town in Sudbury, MA, and fronts a handful of bands, including an acoustic Led Zeppelin Orchestra. Ashley has a strong background in dance, including training at the Boston Ballet School, and Jeannette Neill's in Boston. Ashley focuses on crafting solid actor-singers who are strong and capable movers onstage with a firm foundation in classical dance technique. Her motto? "If you can move, you can DANCE!"
Jade Mears
Choreographer 2014
Former Rising Stars Staff
Carla Maniscalco-Giovinco, Stage Manager
Carla Maniscalco-Giovinco is an Italian-American soprano performing a diverse array of repertoire throughout the greater Boston area. Her performance credits include Le Nozze di Figaro, Carmen, Suor Angelica, and Dialogues of the Carmelites. In addition to opera, Ms. Maniscalco-Giovinco is equally at home on the concert stage as a soloist and ensemble singer. She appeared with the Salem Philharmonic Orchestra as a soloist, and she is a frequent performer in concert with North End Music and Performing Arts Center, New England Light Opera & Gilbert and Sullivan Society, and Longwood Opera. She is also an avid recitalist and liturgical musician, singing weekend, funeral, and wedding services at several churches throughout the North Shore. She has studied voice in Rome, Italy and Tirol, Austria and The United States.
In addition to performing in operas, Ms. Maniscalco-Giovinco works as a stage manager. She feels that working behind the scenes is can be just as rewarding as being in the spotlight. Helping create something from nothing is exciting. She enjoys being a part of a production from both sides of the stage and enjoys witnessing the magic as it all comes together.
Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, Aaron Copland School of Music
Masters Degree in Opera, Longy School of Music of Bard College
Graduate Performance Diploma, Longy School of Music of Bard College
Emily Jones, Rising Stars North Accompanist
Long-time lover of musical theater, having been born and raised just north of New York City, Emily Jones is excited for the opportunity to accompany the Rising Stars North Theater Intensive this June. Emily works as a private piano instructor out of her home in Beverly, MA, as well as the Worship Director at Cornerstone Church in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Most recently, she has organized, hosted and accompanied Grace Notes Homeschool Girls Choir, directed by Ellen Allen, for the past 2 years. Emily has been playing piano since the age of 5 and cello since the age of 6 and enjoys the opportunity to play both anytime she is able. While most of her theater experience has been playing cello in the pit orchestra, she is looking forward to gaining more experience in the theater world as a staff accompanist. Emily holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and B.A. in Music, concentration in cello, from Gordon College in Wenham, MA. Most of her time these days is spent as a homeschooling mom to 2 children, ages 14 and 12.
Rosie Blair
Intern 2015
Nicole Ledoux
Stage Manager 2014,
Intern 2013
Nicholas Pothier
Staff Accompanist 2015
Paul Crompton
Staff Accompanist
2012-2015
Caroline Eng
Stage Manager
2015-2016
Ashley LaCambria
Intern 2016
Alyssa Weathersby, Choreographer
Alyssa is a Boston-based performer, with a strong background in dance, voice, and acting. She received her BM in Vocal Performance from the University of Houston and was recently rewarded her MM in Vocal Pedagogy from the New England Conservatory of Music. Recent performances include the roles of Naiad (Ariade auf Naxos with Lowell House Opera) and Fury 1 in the New England Conservatory’s workshop production of REV. 23, which will premiere in September 2017 as a part of Cerise Jacob’s White Snake Projects. With intensive study in ballet, jazz, and ballroom dance styles, Alyssa has taught at dance studios and in college seminars, and choreographed for universities, festivals, and galas. Recognized as an innovative and flexible
choreographer, she enjoys choreographing for all levels of mover. Alyssa is excited to join the Rising Stars team!
Neva is a recent graduate of North Reading High School of which she was a highly active member in the school's drama program, Masquers. Neva was music director to the award-winning acappella group, Noteorious and Drum Major of the High School Marching Band. She was also a participant in the school's jazz and concert band. Neva has appeared in numerous community theatre performances. She has trained vocally with Kim Lamoreux for five years and was a participant in the first ever Rising Stars camp. In the fall, Neva will be attending Boston Conservatory at Berklee working towards a Bachelors degree in Contemporary Theatre.