Performing in September 2022
- September 7 – Norah Long and Seri Johnson, with accompanist Erin Roe
- September 14 – Katie Henly and Jack Swanson, with accompanist Anna Murphy
- September 21 – Reed Sigmund and Autumn Ness, with accompanist Anna Murphy
- September 28 – Norah Long and Seri Johnson, with accompanist Erin Roe
NORAH LONG
With over 100 leading roles under her belt, Minneapolis-based Norah Long has built an award-winning career spanning classical and contemporary plays, musical theater, opera, film, and concert work. She is a proud member of Actor’s Equity and has worked on stage at almost every union theater in the Twin Cities, frequently recognized for her work at the Guthrie, History Theatre, Skylark Opera, Nautilus Music-Theater, or Chanhassen Dinner Theaters where she was lucky enough to first meet and work with cabaret partner Seri Johnson! Norah has also enjoyed concert work locally with Minnesota Orchestra, SPCO, Dakota Jazz Club, Ordway, Lorie Line, and other fantastic big bands and orchestras.
Outside of Minnesota, Norah has performed at regional theatres across the country and as a concert soloist in Japan, Germany, Cuba, and the greater U.S., and she has been featured on a number of CDs including her solo CD View from Violet Hill. In all her free time, Norah is weekly soloist for a 5,000-member ELCA church, works as a stage director, music director, coach, and composer, and teaches on adjunct faculty at North Central University’s College of Fine Arts. www.norahlong.com
SERI JOHNSON
Seri Johnson moved to the Twin Cities in 2006 after 12 years in NYC. She has worked in regional theaters spanning a dozen states, 4 national tours, a stint in Greece, an Off- Broadway originating role premiere and solo cabaret as well as several stints as a principal singer on cruise ships. Locally, you may have seen Seri at Chanhassen, Old Log, Guthrie and Jungle Theaters thriving as a character comedienne in classic musical theater. She also continues doing on-camera and voice over work.
Seri keeps a level head as she patchworks her life with side businesses like Chick Cheer, a holiday singing group, Sew Smiley, a crafty seamstress biz, Journey Coaching with Smiling Wellness and operating suburban D. Brian’s Kitchen & Catering restaurants with her awesome husband. Her first passion is sassy singing and she is ecstatic to be sharing the cabaret stage with colleague and friend Norah Long. www.SeriJohnson.com
ERIN ROE
Erin Roe is a pianist living in Minneapolis, MN. She teaches piano and theory to a wide range of students in the Twin Cities; she also works extensively with choirs of all ages, sizes, and abilities. She works regularly with the Apollo Chorus in Minneapolis, MN, the Treble Tones Chorus in Robbinsdale, MN, the Valley Chamber Chorale in Stillwater, MN, the White Bear Lake High School choirs, the Robbinsdale Cooper High School choirs, and the Adath Jeshurun congregation in Minnetonka, MN. For the past eight summers she has worked as the rehearsal pianist for musical productions at Trollwood Performing Arts School in Moorhead, MN. Erin occasionally serves as music conductor for community musical productions within the Twin Cities and performs regularly in both solo and chamber settings. She holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from St. Olaf College.
REED SIGMUND
Reed Sigmund is a veteran stage and screen actor/singer in the metro area and is also the Director of Educational Programming for The Zephyr Theatre. Reed recently made his acting debut at The Zephyr Theatre in Mamma Mia! and has been seen onstage at Theatre Latté Da, The Jungle Theater, and most notably, the Children’s Theatre, where he has been an Acting Company Member for the past 21 years.
AUTUMN NESS
Autumn Ness is a performer, playwright, teacher, and Stillwater resident! She has spent 21 years as a member of the Acting Company at Children’s Theatre Minneapolis. Additionally, she has performed at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and the Old Globe in San Diego. She is the writer of the web series “Audrey Saves the Universe.” In 2018, Autumn received the 2018 TCG Fox Fellowship award, and the 2020 “Next Step” Fund.
Jack Swanson
With an affinity for the high lyric repertoire, American tenor Jack Swanson has quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after young voices in opera. Conte Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia) continues to be a calling-card role, marking debuts at Teatro Regio di Torino, Den Norske Opera, with Glyndebourne on Tour and as a welcome return to Santa Fe Opera last summer. A further string of impressive European debuts have followed including new productions as Rodrigo (Rossini’s Otello) for Oper Frankfurt, Florville (Il signor Bruschino) for Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro, and Le comte Ory for Garsington Opera, and role debuts as Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore) for Den Norske Opera, and Sam Kaplan (Street Scene) for Oper Köln. The past season was focused on Mozart with Jack Swanson singing his first Tamino in a new staging of Die Zauberflöte for Opéra national de Lorraine, and Ferrando (Così fan tutte) both for Oper Frankfurt and in David Hermann’s new staging for Opéra national du Rhin.Jack Swanson opens the new season in the title role of Bernstein’s Candide in concert performances with Hamburger Symphoniker before reprising it on stage at Atlanta Opera. At home in the United States, Swanson appears there this season as Conte Almaviva and Tonio (La fille du regiment) in Utah and Austin respectively, and creates the title role in the world premiere of Paola Prestini’s Edward Tulane for Minnesota Opera. www.jackswansontenor.com
Katie Henly
Praised for her captivating and affecting portrayals in genres ranging from opera, to musical theater, jazz, and pop throughout the United States and abroad, soprano Katherine Henly has performed with Oper Köln, LA Opera, Washington National Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Charlottesville Opera, Virginia Opera, The New York Musical Theatre Festival, The New York International Fringe Festival, The O’Neill National Music Theater Conference, and at The Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman.As a young artist, she spent her summers with Utah Festival Opera, Charlottesville Opera, and The Glimmerglass Festival. As a soloist, Ms. Henly has performed with Utah Lyric Opera, Utah Valley Symphony Orchestra, Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, The Ramsey Wind Symphony, Palisades Virtuosi, Worcester Symphony Orchestra, Camerata New York, and in concert at Mechanics Hall and Carnegie Hall. She made her off-Broadway debut as Elsa in Sheldon Harnick’s musical Dragons at The York Theatre Company, and can be heard on the studio recording with Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris.The 2021-2022 season included her role debut as Musetta in Peter Rothstein’s critically acclaimed production of La bohème with Theater Latté Da in Minneapolis, and her Guild Hall debut in East Hampton, in concert with Jack Swanson, Rachelle Jonck and Derrick Goff of Bel Canto Boot Camp. She is a graduate of Ithaca College (B.M.) and Brigham Young University (M.M.). Ms. Henly is represented by UIA Talent. www.katherinehenly.com
ANNA MURPHY
Anna Murphy returns to the beautiful Papa’s Rooftop for her third year with Zephyr’s Broadway on the Roof! Recent credits include: Something Rotten (Lyric Arts), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Lyric Arts), White Christmas (Lakeshore Players), Minne-Musicals (MMT), Be More Chill (MMT), Bright Star (Lyric Arts, violin), and She Loves Me (Lyric Arts, violin). Anna is also a music director and teaching artist at Stagedoor Manor (NY) and an immigration paralegal (Mpls).