Atlanta-based mezzo-soprano, Sandy Sharis, is an arranger of vocal music and a performer of oratorio, early music, and choral music. As a soloist, she has performed in venues such as the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, the Peace Center, Duke Chapel, Knight Concert Hall, Woolsey Hall, and other venues in the US and Europe. Her solo performances include works such as J.S. Bach’s Johannes-Passion, Mass in B Minor, and Weihnachtsoratorium; Amy Beach’s Canticle of the Sun; John Corigliano’s Fern Hill, Handel’s Messiah and l’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, Clérambault’s Médée, and more.

In addition to her solo work, Sandy has enjoyed performing with choral ensembles such as Seraphic Fire, Servire, Kinnara, the VOCES8 US Scholars, and others. She has also performed with early music groups The Sebastians and The Mallarmé Players.

An enthusiastic leader, Sandy has held positions as director of the Furman University Chancel Choir, student conductor of Furman Singers, and Chorus Master at Aquilon Music Festival, as well as a co-founder and co-director of multiple a cappella groups. Sandy is the founder and director of SingSoutheast, a new organization dedicated to streamlining vocal music education and reimagining choral performance. Sandy received her BM in Vocal Performance from Furman University, her MA in Voice Pedagogy from The Ohio State University, and her MMA in Early Music, Oratorio, and Art Song from Yale University.

Praised for her “dark amaretto-flavored voice” (Brooklyn Discovery) and “eloquence” and “tonal beauty” (San Francisco Chronicle), mezzo-soprano Emily Skilling enjoys a dynamic career as both a performer and educator. Recent opera credits include Mary in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), Myrtale in Massenet’s Thaïs (Spoleto Festival USA), Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (Music in the Somerset Hills and the Sebastians), Countess Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto (Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra), and Madame de Croissy in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites (Eastman Opera Theatre). 

A frequent concert soloist, she has appeared in major works such as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Chattanooga Symphony), Bach’s Mass in B Minor (Spoleto Festival USA), Handel’s Messiah (Messiah University), and Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Berkeley Orchestra). A seasoned choral artist, Emily sings with leading ensembles including Seraphic Fire, Kinnara, Orpheus Chamber Singers, Transept, Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, and the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus. She also appears in Netflix’s Academy Award-nominated film Maestro and on its GRAMMY-winning soundtrack. 

Dr. Skilling holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Westminster Choir College, and the University of Georgia, and currently serves as Lecturer of Voice at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. This summer, she returns to the Spoleto Festival USA for Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, and she makes her company debut with Opera Wilmington as La Zia Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica.

Robert Cushing is a composer, pianist, and Decatur native. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Composition from Furman University and Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Georgia. In 2023, Robert co-founded the Decatur Fine Arts Academy, a non-profit organization with the mission of providing high-quality, accessible arts education to the Decatur and Atlanta communities in a variety of instruments and mediums.

As a composer, Robert has written works for piano, chamber ensemble, string quartet, wind ensemble, solo voice, and choir. He especially enjoys writing music for the voice. His original musical, In the Silence, was performed at Furman University in Fall 2019. His choral works are frequently heard at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at Emory University, where Robert also accompanies the youth choir. He is also the accompanist of the Decatur Avondale Children’s Choir.

The winner of the 2019 South Carolina MTNA Young Artist Competition, Robert is passionate about performing the music of unsung composers. In graduate school, Robert researched and performed the piano works of Mélanie “Mel” Bonis and Hélène de Montgeroult.

At the University of Georgia, Robert studied under Dr. David Fung, Dr. Alan Woo, Dr. Emily Koh, and Dr. Peter Lane. At Furman University, Robert studied under Dr. Amanda Montgomery, Dr. Mark Kilstofte, and Professor Jay Bocook. He credits his love of music with his original piano teacher, Mrs. Mary Brown Hinely.