Founder, President & Chair

http://www.louisajonason.com

Louisa Jonason made her New York debut as Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, directed by Gian Carlo Menotti and conducted by James Conlon. Her New York City Opera debut was in the title role of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, a role which would become her signature role internationally. Under the tutelage of Beverly Sills, she also sang the title roles in Tosca and Norma as well as Liu in Turandot, Pamina in Magic Flute, Micaela in Carmen, Mimi in La bohème and both Margerite and Elena in Boito’s Mephistophele.

Jonason went on to perform Elizabetta in Don Carlo (Verdi) with the Dallas Opera, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Mozart) with Illinois Opera, Leonora in Il Trovatore (Verdi) with the Florida Grand Opera and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) and Nedda in I Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)—both with Anton Coppola conducting. Her International appearances included Vitellia in Mozart’s La Clemenza Di Titto in Nice, France, and Nedda in I Pagliacci at The National Theater in Taiwan.

Jonason gave a solo recital in Alice Tully Hull, which was presented through Columbia Artists, was the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem in Carnegie Hall, New York City, sang Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony throughout Japan and was soprano soloist in Britten’s War Requiem with the North Carolina Symphony.

World premieres included Darius Milhaud’s Christopher Columbus at Whitman Hall, Brooklyn, and many roles in operas by Seymour Barab including The Queen in Sleeping Beauty at Symphony Space in New York. Jonason has been Artistic Director of The After Dinner Opera Company (New York), American Singers Opera Co. (New York) and The D’Angelo Opera Theatre (Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA). Visit her website for more information.

Jonason served as the head of the D’Angelo Department of Music at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, for many years—recently retiring and moving to Pittsburgh to be closer to her family. She founded SERIO in 2024 to fill a void she saw in Pittsburgh’s art scene, providing opportunities for classically-trained musicians seeking roles in operas.

Vice President & Treasurer

Kerr was born and raised in NYC. She made her acting debut as “Dolore” in Madama Butterfly with the New York City Opera when she was 4 years old. She attended a bilingual school on the Upper West Side before attending Mercyhurst University as a BA in Music and Theater with a minor in Arts Management. While at the D’Angelo School of Music, she sang “Musetta” in Puccini’s La Boheme, Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, “Gretel” in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, “Katishaw” in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado and “Nancy” in Lionel Bart’s Oliver. After graduation, Kerr returned to NYC to direct the world premiere of Jordan Wentworth’s Dayboy and Night Girl at the Leonard Nimoy Theatre and Menotti’s The Medium at Symphony Space. Kerr has since attended Adler University in Chicago, where she majored in Clinical Psychology and Social Justice. She is completing that degree at Penn West, where she is president of the student council. Kerr stage-directed and created costumes for SERIO’s Cosi Fan Tutte and The Medium.

Secretary

Danielle Sanchez is honored to serve the board of SERIO as secretary. Danielle completed dual degrees in speech language Pathology (BA, MA) and Music Performance (BA) at Kent State University. During her time at Kent State, she served as member at large and then vice president for the university’s Operation Smile chapter. After completing her graduate studies, she pursued a 12 year-long career as a speech language pathologist in hospitals in Indiana, Missouri and Ohio. During her career she served on multiple hospital committees and participated in various organizational development and improvement workshops. After settling in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, in 2021 she decided to step away from speech pathology to be a stay-at-home mom to her two daughters. She was thrilled to reconnect with Louisa Jonason amidst the founding and development of SERIO and was honored to be asked to help with the organization. Danielle is committed to driving positive change within the organization and to supporting the mission of SERIO and the arts in Pittsburgh. 

Member at Large

Chaz Bowers is a Pittsburgh-based organist, composer and conductor, currently serving as the Director of Music at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Pittsburgh, PA, where he leads a music program of nearly 150 musicians and an active concert series. Chaz previously held positions at various churches in Western Pennsylvania, including Director of Music at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Irwin, PA, and Assistant Organist at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, PA. Chaz has taught more than 40 collegiate organists and has published more than two dozen compositions, primarily through GIA Publications. A past Dean of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, he has performed in Bermuda, Florida, and appeared at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City in October 2024. He holds degrees in sacred music from Seton Hill University and Duquesne University.

Member at Large

A celebrated pianist and harpsichordist, Beth has performed on many stages throughout the eastern United States including the Chautauqua Institution, Cleveland Museum of Art and Carnegie Music Hall. She has mentored and taught hundreds of young performers and has served as a juror for national and international competitions, presented arts-in-education workshops for preschool through college audiences and moderated as a panelist for national music conferences. Her performances and interviews have been aired on WQED, WCLV and WQLN. Specializing in chamber music and period instrument performance, her passion lies in the collaboration and communication involved in playing chamber music. Her performances include the Erie Philharmonic, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Chautauqua Chamber Orchestra, Pittsburgh Baroque Ensemble, Cleveland Camerata, Erie Chamber Orchestra, and the Holter Chamber Music Festival in Italy. She has served as piano faculty at Allegheny College, Edinboro University and as staff pianist at Duquesne University and Mercyhurst University. In January 2023, Beth was hired as Executive Director of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival featuring world-class musicians performing in Kingston, RI, at a two-week intensive festival. She is committed to her positions on the Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Concert Society, the Artistic Advisory Committee of the Erie Philharmonic, Ars Nova, and SERIO (Sing Entire Role in Opera). She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Harpsichord performance and Master of Music degree in both Collaborative Piano and Harpsichord performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Member at Large

Robert “Bob” Herold is a retired industrial research scientist. He studied voice with Milutin Lazich and has performed with Pittsburgh Savoyards, Undercroft Opera, Tuesday Musical Club, Masterworks Concert Chorale and in SERIO’s two inaugural productions, Cosi fan Tutte and The Medium. Favorite roles included Don Alfonso in Cosi fan Tutte, The Mikado in The Mikado, Sergeant of Police in Pirates of Penzance, The Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Frank in Die Fledermaus and Il Bonzo in Madama Butterfly. Notable concert performances included the roles of Raphael in Haydn’s The Creation, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin and the baritone solos in Handel’s Messiah.