Known for her versatility and energy on the podium, Detroit Opera veteran Chorus Master Suzanne Mallare Acton has more than 160 production credits covering seven languages. In addition to her chorus work, Suzanne has conducted over 35 productions for the company, including West Side Story, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, The Music Man, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, Die Fledermaus, La traviata, A Little Night Music, a staged version of Carmina Burana with members of Cirque du Soleil, The Medium, A View from the Bridge, Les pêcheurs de perles, and Frida. Additional conducting credits include My Fair Lady and La traviata for Dayton Opera; The Merry Widow and Madama Butterfly for Artpark; Tosca for Augusta Opera; La traviata, L’elisir d’amore, and Gianni Schicchi for Verdi Opera Theatre; and Frida for El Paso Opera. Suzanne was guest conductor for the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Bach Festival, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, and Dearborn Symphony Orchestra. She premiered Too Hot To Handel at the Detroit Opera House, Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, and The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis. For 25 years, Suzanne was artistic director of Rackham Choir. Under her leadership, the Rackham Choir received the prestigious 2008 Governor’s Awards for Arts & Culture for outstanding contributions to arts and culture in Michigan. Suzanne has been recognized by Corp! Magazine as one of Michigan’s 95 Most Powerful Women. In 2014, she was one of 12 women selected as WJR’s Women Who Lead.

Alfreda Burke’s vocal artistry has been described as “voluptuous, creamy and luxuriant” (Chicago Tribune). She has appeared in concert throughout North America and in Europe. She made her Carnegie and Orchestra Hall debuts in Strauss’ Elektra with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Daniel Barenboim. Highlighted international performances include the Royal Philharmonic (UK); Prague Philharmonic; Umbria Music Festival (Italy); Miss World (China, UK, US, Puerto Rico); Humanity Rising: Notre-Dame Reborn Virtual Gala; Mandela, Miss World Beauty With A Purpose & Rise Against Hunger events and Gala (South Africa); Holders Season Gala (Barbados). Highlighted national performances include the Kennedy Center, Cincinnati Pops Symphony Orchestra; Michigan Opera Theatre/Detroit Symphony; Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Orpheum Theatre (Memphis); Hannibal Lokumbe’s Crucifixion Resurrection; Lancaster Festival; TodiMusicFest; Corrales Cultural Arts Council (New Mexico); CSO at Ravinia Festival; Sentinel of the Sea Award Virtual Celebration honoring Gary Sinise; Millennium Park Gala; Grant Park Music Festival; Chicago Opera Theater; Chicagoland Pops Orchestra; NATO Chicago Summit; Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks; Ravinia TV; Auditorium Theatre’s Too Hot To Handel, a duo show, 125 Living the History, virtual live-streamed At-Home series and Holiday Concert. Ms. Burke filmed Prague PBS Special Hallelujah Broadway with Rodrick Dixon; they were featured in PBS Great Performances Now Hear This: “Florence Price and the American Migration”; and sang in the historical Mayoral Inauguration of The Honorable Lori E. Lightfoot (Chicago’s Wintrust Arena, 2019). Other recordings include her solo CD, From the Heart and Chicago Olympic 2016 Bid Anthem, I Will Stand. She was soprano soloist in Dawa movies soundtrack featuring Ramsey Lewis, Maestro James Mack and members of the CSO; appeared in Celine Dion’s I’m Your Angel video; made solo appearances on the WTTW/Odyssey broadcast of 30 Good Minutes; performed the National Anthem for the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Fire. Burke’s Negro Mother performance with the Michael Teolis Singers is archived in the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Song cycles for Burke were composed by Dr. Edward Hart and Belford Hernandez. A double Alumna, Ms. Burke serves on the Roosevelt University CCPA Advisory Board (2010-current), Community Engagement Committee Chair (2018-20). She was Guest Lecturer in Voice at Wheaton College (1997-2009). She is honored to be a HistoryMaker and permanent part of their collection at the Library of Congress. Visit Ms. Burke at sopranoalfredaburke.com, on YouTube, Facebook; follow her on Twitter @AlfredaBurke17.

A native of the Chicagoland area, Karen Marie (though known nationally for her vocals) is a songwriter, vocal arranger, actress, educator, and musician. She has also performed in Too Hot to Handel (the jazz/gospel adaptation of Frederic Handel's Messiah) as the Alto soloist (Auditorium Theatre and Detroit Opera House) for the last 9 seasons. She is currently starring in the Off Broadway sensation Sleep No More as the Manderley chanteuse. There, she has sung duets with P!nk and John Legend. Karen Marie recently made her film debut as the Canteen Chanteuse in the movie adaptation of the Michael John Lachiusa musical Hello Again. You may have also seen Karen Marie on television in 2015/2016, vocally supporting Grammy award nominated artist Andra Day on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Wendy Williams Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, or Live With Kelly. She is featured on the pilot episode of Vinyl, directed by Martin Scorsese, on HBO. She is one of the few artists to perform in Duke Ellington's Queenie Pie in the title role. (Long Beach Opera and Chicago Opera Theatre). She portrayed the Queen of Night in the Bazdazzled series at Barneys New York under the direction of Baz Luhrmann. She can also be seen via YouTube as a featured vocalist in a few "viral videos." She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University.

Rodrick Dixon is a classical crossover artist that possesses a tenor voice of extraordinary range and versatility. His body of work covers 25 years of television, recordings, live theater and concerts, including PBS Specials with tenors Victor Cook, and Thomas Young; Hallelujah Broadway starring his wife, Alfreda Burke; the Miss World Pageant broadcast from China and Washington, DC on the “E” channel in 126 countries. Dixon recently appeared in the annual Freedom Awards filmed at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Noel Noel Christmas concert at Mississippi Blvd church for Fox 13 broadcast on Christmas Day and Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party VH1. His eclectic discography with Sony BMG, EMI Records & Naxos has delighted fans all over the world.

Pianist, singer, composer and director Alvin Waddles has delighted audiences in over a dozen countries with his dazzling technique, fluid versatility and unique musical style. A native of Detroit and an alumnus of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan School of Music, Mr. Waddles is equally at home in classical, opera, musical theater, jazz, and gospel. He has performed numerous times at the Detroit International Jazz Festival and was named the 2022 Legacy Artist by the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. He has appeared as piano soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Symphony and the Michigan Opera Theater (Detroit Opera) Orchestra. He has performed across the country as musical director/pianist for Cook, Dixon and Young (formerly of the Three Mo’ Tenors) and has been blessed to work with some of the world’s finest musicians including Robert Shaw, Margaret Hillis, Brazeal Dennard, Minister Thomas Whitfield, Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, George Shirley, Marcus Belgrave, Jack Jones, Stephanie Mills and Tramaine Hawkins.