Founders

Lara Wilson Patrice Tiedemann Tami Swartz New York based performer LARA WILSON, moved back south to be closer to her roots and family and settled in Charleston, SC. Lara grew up in Atlanta and received Masters and Bachelors degrees from Indiana University and Cincinnati Conservatory before moving to Manhattan to pursue her career as an opera singer. Several years later the song of the south began calling her name and she decided to come home. Seeing a unique opportunity and untapped niche in the Charleston community, she and her colleagues had the idea to create a chamber opera company to present intimate, small works of opera featuring local artists combined with guest artists - thus giving birth to Charleston Chamber Opera. She brings sharp business and marketing experience to the table as current CFO and VP of RVL Enterprises, dba Amazing Blades Landscaping. Current teaching credits include vocal instructor at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts and master class clinician at Alcorn State University. Her opera credits include Maddelena in Verdi's Rigoletto and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Harrisburg Opera Association, Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld with Ridge Light Opera, NJ, Polinesso in Ariodante with New York Chamber Opera, the Sand Man in Hansel and Gretel with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia with New York Chamber Opera, Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos with dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, and Dodo in the Met version of The Merry Widow and La Badessa in Suor Angelica with the Natchez Opera Festival. Tulsa Opera Artist in Residence credits include Rosina in The Barber of Seville. Equally versatile in operetta, Lara made her Off-Broadway debut with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players as Lady Blanche in Princess Ida, followed by a second appearance with the company as Lady Sangazure in the critically acclaimed production of The Sorcerer. Additional G&S credits include Katisha in the Mikado with Opera Northeast, Katisha at the Theater of Monmouth, ME, followed by Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance and the Fairy Queen in Iolanthe. Concert soloist credits include The Mozart Requiem with New Bedford Symphony, New Bedford, MA, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Ridgewood Symphony, Ridgewood NJ, Durufle’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. Competitions include regional winner in the MacAllister Award Competition. Top PATRICE TIEDEMANN brings years of experience as a private vocal instructor to Charleston Chamber Opera. In addition to her private studio, she currently works as a clinician for show choir competitions and NATS. Her operatic professional debut was as the role of Emilia in Otello at Central City Opera. Other opera/operetta credits include performances with Boston Lyric Opera as The Water in the East Coast premiere of The Little Prince, directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Stephen Lord, the Foreign Woman in The Consul with Opera Boston, Gil Rose, conductor, the Widow in The Boor with Boston’s Intermezzo Chamber Opera, Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Hanna in The Merry Widow and Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus for Cape Cod Opera. Additionally, she is a frequent artist for the educational programs of Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Providence. Concert credits include performances with the Boston Pops for their Holiday concerts, conducted by Keith Lockhart, performances with Opera Providence at their Gala Concert and performances with Symphony by the Sea in excerpts from Tosca and Madama Butterfly, conducted by Boston Ballet’s Jonathan McPhee. Other engagements include Mozart’s Requiem with the New Bedford Symphony, Belinda in Dido & Aeneas with the Nashoba Valley Chorale and Knoxville, Summer of 1915 with the Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra. Equally at home in musical theater repertoire, her recent performances include Mrs. Fezziwig and various denizens of London in A Christmas Carol with New Repertory Theatre, (all the while playing multiple instruments!), the Widow Corney in Oliver! and Mrs. Potts in Beauty & the Beast for New Bedford Festival Theatre. Ms. Tiedemann has also been a prize winner in several competitions, most notably as a Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Indiana District Encouragement Award winner. She is a graduate of the Indiana University Master’s Degree Program in Voice. Top TAMI SWARTZ brings over 16 years of multifaceted experience as a producer, director, performer and fund raiser to Charleston Chamber Opera. She currently is Producer and Co-Director of Harrisburg Opera Association. Additional credits include Artistic Director for Harrisburg Opera Association’s educational outreach concert series - Opera in the Park, Stage Director for The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Children’s Concert Series, Stage Director for The Co-OPERAtive Opera Company, NY, NY and as fund raiser for The Allied Arts Fund in Harrisburg, PA. Recent opera performances include the role of Lúthien in Adam Klein’s Tolkien opera, Leithian, Anna in The Seven Deadly Sins and Jessie in Mahagonny Songspiel – all at the Liederkranz Foundation NY, NY - and as principal in Gondolin Zdradzony at the Tolk Folk Festival in Bielawa, Poland. Past performances include Musetta in La Bohème with Late Evening Productions, (Dallas Opera), Elizabeth Tilton in the world premiere of Mrs. Satan with The Center for Contemporary Opera, NY, NY, Gilda in Rigoletto and Cho-Cho-san in Madama Butterfly with Harrisburg Opera Association and Heloise in the American premiere of Offenbach's Bluebeard with Connecticut, CT Grand, Fort Lauderdale and Long Beach opera companies with Christopher Alden directing. Theater credits include Polly Peachum in Duke Ellington's Beggar's Holiday on Off Broadway at The York Theatre Company, Lady Thiang in The King and I with Music Theatre of Wichita, Tuptim in The King and I with Allenberry Playhouse and Sharon in Master Class with Caldwell Theatre Company. Her new music and jazz credits include featured soloist in Round for a Plague Year by Ted Rosenthal with the BMI New York Jazz Orchestra at Merkin Hall, featured soloist with The Randy Sandke All Stars in a tribute to Duke Ellington at the Bern Jazz Festival in Bern, Switzerland and concert performances with many world class jazz musicians including Ray Anderson, Al Grey, Christian McBride, Dick Oatts, Valery Ponomarev, Chris Potter, Robert Routch and Ira Sullivan. She holds Masters and Bachelors degrees from The Juilliard School and Northwestern University.

Top