Gregory Lorenz, tenor
Tenor Gregory Lorenz is known for his vivid interpretations of repertoire from all periods. Appearances have focused on concert performances of Mozart’s operas, with the Pacific Symphony, Opera Camerata in Washington, DC, and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. At the Metropolitan Opera he has joined the ranks of the Lehrbuben in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger, conducted by James Levine, in addition to numerous performances as Parpignol in Puccini’s La Boheme and Uncle Yakuside in Madama Butterfly.
Concert and recital highlights include appearances with Musica Viva of New York (most notably Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle with Warren Jones, pianist); Italian folk songs with the New York Philharmonic, “warming up the crowd” for Luciano Pavarotti’s famous concert in Central Park; and appearances in Graz, Austria as part of the AIMS program. A committed advocate of contemporary music, he has premiered works by Raoul Pleskow, Olga Gorelli and Laurie Altman.
Mr. Lorenz received his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School and was a full-time member of the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera for 22 years. He regularly volunteers his time performing on behalf of Sing for Hope, which provides access to the arts for people in need.
Brad Gemeinhardt, Horn
Praised by The New York Times as having performed “with poetry and backbone” on solo horn in Mahler’s 5th Symphony at Carnegie Hall, hornist Brad Gemeinhardt is Principal horn of the Metropolitan Opera, where he has been a member of the orchestra since 2007. Over his extensive and varied career spanning the last quarter century, in addition to countless performances at the Met, Mr. Gemeinhardt has performed as a Guest Principal horn of such ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has also performed in numerous Broadway shows, as well as with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony, among many others. Also he can be heard on television shows, radio jingles, commercial recordings and in many feature films, beginning with The Producers (2005) to the more recent The Joker (2019) and In the Heights (2021). Mr. Gemeinhardt also appears frequently on the Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble’s performances at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, where he has performed the Brandenburg 1st Concerto, the Brahms Horn Trio, and Schubert Octet, among other pieces, all to great acclaim.
Brad Gemeinhardt is sought after as a teacher and mentor for young, aspiring French horn players. He serves on the faculties of the Juilliard School Pre-College Division and Columbia University, and is a Valade Fellow at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. In addition, he is regularly invited to give master classes as a guest artist, most recently at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, New York University, and the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Mr. Gemeinhardt received a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where he studied horn with the late Jerome Ashby. He resides in Manhattan with his wife Dana, his teenagers Alex and Marin and his cavapoo Macintosh.
John Cuk, pianist
Active in musical theater and opera, John Cuk has held positions with Utopia Opera and Dell’ Arte Opera inNew York, Austria’s Music in the Alps International Festival, Opera Estate in Rome Italy, and Buck Hill/Skytop Festival, Pennsylvania.
Conducting credits include: Ridgefield Symphony (CT); Chorus and Orchestra of TeatruluiNațional de OperășiBalet ‘Oleg Danovski’ Constanța, Romania; Orchestra Sinfonica di Bacau, Romania in Italy; Moldova Radio Symphony in Chisinau Moldova;and the National Chorale's Annual Messiah-Sing-In at Avery Fisher Hall. Recent performances were with Immersion Repertory, in New York of “Alcina Reimagined” and “Die (Expanded) SchöneMullerin” an innovative undertaking of Schubert lied and Handel opera incorporating animation.
Mr. Cuk’s primary piano teachers were Francis Brancaleone and Constance Keene and he performed in masterclasses with John Browning and Abram Chasins. His degrees are from Manhattanville College and Manhattan School of Music, with post graduate work at Westminster Choir College.
Recently retired from teaching, John’s career in academia spanned 40 years. Heconducted choirs and orchestras at the high school and college level, most recently at Scarsdale High School and as the Director of Choirs at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY. He is currently the Music Director and Conductor of The Danbury Concert Choir in Connecticut.
