Sandy Sharis is an Atlanta-based mezzo-soprano and arranger of vocal music. As a soloist, Sandy has performed in venues including London's St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Alice Tully Hall, St. Peter's Basilica, Duke Chapel, Knight Concert Hall, and more. Some of her recent concert solos include Bach’s Mass in B Minor and St. John Passion, Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato, and Amy Beach’s Canticle of the Sun, which was recorded by Hyperion Records. On the operatic stage, Sandy’s most recent roles are Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Le Prince Charmant in Viardot’s Cendrillon.

Sandy has also enjoyed singing with professional ensembles such as Servire, Chicora Voices, Seraphic Fire, Audivi, and more. She has arranged music for a cappella groups and choirs, and her most recent arrangement, Georgia On My Mind, was recorded by Servire and will be released to streaming platforms by VOCES8 Records in 2025.

Sandy holds a BM degree in Vocal Performance from Furman University, an MA in Voice Pedagogy from Ohio State University, and an MMA in Early Music Voice from Yale University.

Praised for her “dark amaretto-flavored voice” (Brooklyn Discovery) and “eloquence and tonal beauty” (San Francisco Chronicle), mezzo-soprano Emily Skilling is a versatile performer across opera, concert, and choral stages. Notable opera credits include Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Dame Quickly (Falstaff), Madame de Croissy (Dialogues des Carmélites), Bradamante (Alcina), and Ulrica (Un ballo in maschera). She has appeared as a soloist with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Berkeley Orchestra, American Bach Soloists Academy, and the Sebastians, among many others.

A seasoned choral artist, Emily has sung with leading ensembles such as the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, Kinnara Ensemble, Orpheus Chamber Singers, and the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus. Emily appears in Netflix’s Academy Award-nominated film Maestro and is also on its GRAMMY-winning soundtrack. This summer, she returns to Spoleto for Bach’s Mass in B Minor and Massenet’s Thaïs. She makes her Wagnerian opera debut in Die fliegende Holländer with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in September.

Emily received her BM in Vocal Performance from the University of Georgia, a dual MM degree in Voice Pedagogy and Performance from Westminster Choir College, and is completing her DMA in Voice Literature and Performance in the spring of 2025 from the Eastman School of Music.

Robert Cushing is a composer and pianist. A native of Atlanta, he holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from Furman University and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Georgia. As a composer, Robert especially enjoys writing music for the voice. His compositions include several musicals, song cycles, chamber works, and solo piano music. The winner of the 2019 South Carolina MTNA Young Artist Competition, Robert is passionate about performing the music of unsung composers.

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.