Glenn Morton
Artistic Director
Glenn Morton, Artistic Director, is a faculty member at New York City’s three music conservatories.. One of New York’s most sought-after vocal coaches, he is honored to mentor every singer and pianist attending the Classic Lyric Arts training programs.
He currently serves on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and Mannes School of Music, offering courses in Italian Diction, French Vocal Literature, and Song Interpretation. He received a bachelor's degree in piano performance from the Hartt School of Music and a Master of Music degree in collaborative piano from The Manhattan School of Music. His work has included collaborations with theaters such as the Opera Company of Boston, New Orleans Opera, Sarasota Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Glimmerglass.
Mr. Morton is the Founder of Classic Lyric Arts, Inc., a non-profit organization encompassing CLA Italy, founded in 2009, CLA France, founded in 2012, and CLA Berkshires, established in 2022. CLA provides advanced training in the techniques and traditions of French and Italian lyric music as well as international performing opportunities to young artists in the field of opera. The Classic Lyric Arts Vocal Academy, beginning in 2024, will culminate his work to help bridge conservatory training and professional careers for emerging singers.
John Viscardi
Executive Director
John Viscardi, alumnus of CLA Italy 2009 and CLA France 2014, lives in Philadelphia with his wife Molly and two children, Jack and Noa. A multi-faceted artist, Mr. Viscardi has experience leading and growing a variety of organizations. He is the co-founder of ArtSmart, a national arts mentoring organization that empowers students in under-resourced communities to find their path through mentorship with paid professional artists. With a deep belief in the power of the arts to positively impact lives and communities, Mr. Viscardi serves as a board member of The Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (PVLA).
Throughout his operatic career, Mr. Viscardi has performed with Santa Fe Opera, Opera Philadelphia, New York City Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Opera Carolina. After a few years performing the tenor repertoire, Mr. Viscardi realized that his voice possessed a lower range, and he moved into the baritone repertoire, where his credits include the title roles in David DiChiera’s Cyrano at Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Carolina, Erich in Dear Erich at the New York City Opera, and Pelléas in Pelléas and Mélisande at Opera Southwest. In addition, he has sung Valentin in Faust at Michigan Opera Theatre, and Papageno in The Magic Flute at the Toledo Opera. It was his work as a high baritone that enabled him to free the upper part of his voice, and he is now a Lyric Tenor, making his debut in that fach with Opera Carolina as Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca.
Mr. Viscardi is featured in collaboration with CLA Artistic Director, Glenn Morton on Brilliant Classics’ complete recording of the works of F.P. Tosti – available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Mr. Viscardi’s performances with orchestra and in recital includes Carmina Burana with Opera Philadelphia, the Duruflé and Fauré Requiems, and Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs (the latter three in Carnegie Hall), Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center, and a recital of Tosti songs in Tokyo. Mr. Viscardi has appeared in both recital and concert at venues that include Carnegie Hall (New York), Geffen Hall (New York), Tokyo Opera City (Tokyo), Verizon Hall (Philadelphia) and Avery Fisher Hall (New York).
Winner of both the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition and Concorso Internazionale F.P. Tosti, Mr. Viscardi is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts and New York University.
Wesley Diener
Director of Operations
Wesley Diener, alumnus of CLA France 2019 & 2022, CLA NY 2021, and CLA Berkshires 2023, is a Chicago-based singer and voice teacher who is highly sought after for musical theater, cabaret, and opera projects.
This season, Wesley will appear as Vater in Hänsel und Gretel and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte at Northwestern University. On the concert stage, he will appear as the Baritone Soloist in Rutter’s Mass of the Children with Virginia Consort and in Vaughan William’s Dona Nobis Pacem with the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra. He has performed across the United States and internationally with companies such as Teatro Nuovo, Shakespeare Opera Theatre, Charlottesville Opera, Opera Roanoke, the Oratorio Society of Richmond, and Victory Hall Opera. His passion for musical theatre has led to numerous crossover performances, including Riff (West Side Story) and the Baker (Into the Woods).
Wesley is also the Founder of WD Studio, a virtual voice studio committed to inspiring and empowering singers of all ages to discover their full vocal potential. He will be a featured presenter at the 2024 National NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singers) Convention and his students have performed in Broadway national tours and regional theater productions, as well as numerous professional film and TV projects.
Wesley graduated from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the Distinguished Majors Program, the Performance Concentration, and the Miller Art Scholars, and he will graduate from Northwestern University in Spring 2025.
Sofia Gotch
Marketing & Programs Manager
Italian American soprano, Sofia Gotch-Caruana is an expressive performer, creative arts administrator, and lover of text and literature.
Originally from Oakland, CA, Sofia’s love of music and performance was fostered by a community theatre company called The California Revels, where (first joining at 6 years old!) she was a cast member for 10 years. From then on, Sofia sought out music wherever she could find it- choir, A Cappella groups, theory & history classes, and more.
Early in her career, Sofia studied English literature and creative writing where she learned to make deep connections with text and narrative. Today, Sofia finds that her previous studies empower her performances to be more vulnerable and complex, bringing music and characters to life with nuance and color.
Recent performances: La Fée in Manhattan School of Music’s production of Massenet’s Cendrillon; Tytania in MSM’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Sharp Ears, the Vixen in MSM’s The Cunning Little Vixen; Soprano Soloist in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the MSM Symphony Orchestra; scenes from La Traviata and Lucia di Lammermoor with Classic Lyric Arts, Italy; Scenes with Classic Lyric Arts in A New Generation of opera: Masterworks Forward at Merkin Hall.
Upcoming engagements: Renée Fleming Fellow with Aspen Music Festival, Summer 2024; Soloist in Matthew Aucoin’s Music for New Bodies with Aspen Music Festival, Summer 2024;
Sofia holds a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music where she continues her studies as a PPD (ant.’25) candidate studying with her teacher, Ruth Golden. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music and in English with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington in 2019.
As a proud alumna of CLA Italy 2022 and CLA Italy 2023, Sofia is thrilled to be working with the wonderful administrative team at CLA and can’t wait for all the CLA 2024 season has in store!
Maia Sumanaweera
Assistant Manager of Development
Maia Sumanaweera, soprano and alum of CLA Italy 2022 and France 2023, is a passionate artist who strongly believes in being an agent of creativity, inclusivity, and accessibility within the fields of classical music and opera. Originally from Northern California, she completed her B.A. at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and recently graduated with her M.M. from the Mannes School of Music in New York City.
Maia’s operatic performances include the roles of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Poppea in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Linfea in La Calisto, and La princesse in L’enfant et les sortilèges. In scene work with CLA, Maia has performed the roles of Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Suzel in L’amico Fritz, Marion in Les saltimbanques, Mignon in Mignon, Crobyle in Thaïs, and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier. She also participated in Santa Fe Opera’s 2022 workshop of The Righteous. Maia has also won the Encouragement Award in the Washington District Round of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. She is absolutely delighted to be working with the dream team here at CLA and to be helping them support future generations of opera singers!
Sofia Durante
Marketing & Programs Assistant
Sofia Durante, soprano and alumna of CLA Berkshires 2022 and CLA Italy 2023, is a recent graduate of Mannes School of Music where she received her Master's in Vocal Performance. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she is a proud graduate of McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in Montreal, Quebec where she earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance.
Sofia has performed the roles of Eliza in Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters, Dritte Knabe in Die Zauberflóte, and the Susanna cover in Le Nozze di Figaro at Mannes Opera. She has also perfomed in the chorus for Street Scene and Fanchon in Les Troquers at Opera McGill. Scene work includes Magda in La Rondine, Corrina in Il Viaggio al Reims, Ilia in Idomineo, and Servilia in La Clemenza di Tito with Classic Lyrics Arts; Amy March in Little Women and Despina in Così Fan Tutte with Mannes Opera, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Premiere Vocal Arts Institute.
Sofia is delighted to be working with the administrative team at CLA can’t wait for all the exciting things the CLA 2024 season will bring.
Saachi Sethii
2024 Summer Grant Writing Intern
Avid Indian-American soprano Saachi Sethii is a dynamic young performer, human rights advocate, and keen writer excited to matriculate into the professional world. Born and brought up on Long Island, Saachi has fostered a passion for the arts her whole life, and has trained extensively in opera, musical theatre, and the Indian classical arts.
Inspired by her cultural roots and 10+ years at The Mudra Foundation, Saachi adopts the motto “art for a cause,” and aims to produce artistry which is meaningful both in its content and process. Through her journey thus far, she has championed values of inclusivity, diversity, and arts equity, working with several creative nonprofit organizations to achieve these goals. She is an active ambassador of Outer Voice Records and Remake Our World, as well as an indispensable member of the team at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Barnard College, Saachi is incredibly excited to work alongside the distinguished team at Classic Lyric Arts and continue her music education.