Originally from Vandalia, Ohio, Mr. Edwards earned his Bachelor degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Masters degree at Louisiana State University. Mr. Edwards began his career as a folk rock musician performing in Festivals throughout Ohio. As a classical singer he has been a soloist with Wright State Opera, CIM Opera Theater, LSU Opera, the Miami Valley Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Lyric Opera Cleveland Outreach, Cincinnatti Opera Outreach, the Bay View Music Festival, and the Atlantic Coast Opera Festival. In January of 2006 he placed 3rd in the Tulsa District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, in April he appeared as Papageno in The Magic Flute with the Acadiana Symphony, this June and July he will appear in the Merry Widow and West Side Story at the Ash Lawn Opera Festival, and beginning next fall he will be a member of the Resident Artist Training Program at Tri-Cities Opera. Equally at home on the production side of things, Mr. Edwards has served as a stage director for the Theatre Lab - Dayton, Tippecanoe Canal Days, and LSU Opera, as an assistant stage manager and production assistant for the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular in Clevland, OH, and is currently laying the ground work for a new company in Louisana - Lyric Opera Baton Rouge. Mr. Edwards' teachers have included the renowned Beverley Rinaldi, Metropolitan Opera Soprano Kay Griffel, the distinguished Robert Grayson, and Alexander Technique expert Patricia O'Neill.. He has participated in masterclasses with Elly Ameling, Warren Jones, Dalton Baldwin, Mikael Eliasen, and Diane Soviero and sung under conductors Neil Gittleman, Louis Lane, John Keene, and Charles Wendlken-Wilson. Mr. Edwards has maintained private voice studios in Cleveland and Baton Rouge as well as serving as a teaching assistant at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Louisiana State University working with students who have gone on to be accepted to schools including Louisiana State University, the Manhattan School of Music, the Curtis Institute, and Julliard and have continued on to careers in regional theaters around the United States including Broadway. Recent voice students have won top honors at Access Broadway competitions, have sung the National Anthem for the New Orelans Hornets, and have been members of the Louisiana All-State Choir.
In the Fall of 2005 Mr. Edwards joined the Faculty of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra Conservatory of Music in Lafayette, LA and the Center Stage Performing Arts Academy in Gonzales, LA. Current students consist of talented teenage students wishing to pursue a career in musical theater, college students who sing as a hobby, singer/song writers, R&B singers, and members of professional rock bands, one of which was recently named one of the top 20 best independent label recording artists of 2006. Mr. Edwards is one of the only teachers in the Baton Rouge area who specializes in the training of contemporary vocal styles.
JACQLYN ZITO
Originally from Findlay, OH, Ms. Zito now resides in Baton Rouge. Ms. Zito received her Bachelor Degree in Vocal Performance from the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music while also earning a Theater Minor from Case Western Reserve University. Ms. Zito recently completed her Master of Music degree at Louisiana State University where she studied with Patricia O'Neill. Other teachers have included Beverley Rinaldi, Kay Griffel, and Greg Rike. As a performer Ms. Zito has sung with the Hudson Symphony, Case Western Symphony, CIM Opera Theater, LSU Opera, Findlay Light Opera, and with the Atlantic Coast Opera Festival. Ms. Zito has worked with stage directors including Gary Race, Dugg McDonough, and Copeland Woodruff. An active teacher, she has held private studios in Cleveland and Baton Rouge teaching students pursuing opera and musical theater careers. Students from Ms. Zito's studio have won Platinum Awards and placed at Access Broadway competitions and have gone on to study at university programs including the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Musical Theater Program.