Faculty & Staff
Kelly BalmacedaOwner & DirectorKelly Balmaceda (soprano) is a native of Southern Maryland, and has enjoyed the opportunity to move around the country and perform in a variety of venues. Life on the road has catapulted her success not only as a performer, but entrepreneur and educator. Highlights include: Teaching artist with The Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York City and Boston Lyric Opera, Frasquita in Carmen with San Antonio Opera Company, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro with Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, soloist with the Chesapeake Orchestra at the River Concert Series in Southern, MD, Artist of the Year for the new concert series at St. Mary Cathedral in Lafayette, IN, soloist at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, GA, soloist in the world premier “Corpus Christi” by Brandon Goff with the Corpus Christi Chorale, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Lola in Gallantry, Pamina in The Magic Flute with Sparkling City Light Opera, Dorine in Tartuffe with the Moores Opera Center, soprano soloist for Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem and Hanne in Haydn's The Seasons with Houston's Choral Artists, soloist in Pergolesi's Stabat Mater for the Cathedral Concert Series in Savannah, GA and Lafayette, IN. In addition to her extensive performance career, Ms. Balmaceda is an entrepreneur and educator having founded MUSIC off MAIN, a venue for music education and performance programming including her self-developed mini MAESTROS, a music program for infants and toddlers (multiple locations) and The Albemarle Youth Choir. She is the founder of the former Sparkling City Light Opera in Corpus Christi, TX, and co-founder of the Cantare Workshop (multiple locations), as well as concert series around the country. Ms. Balmaceda has been on the voice faculties at Georgia Southern University, GA and Saint Joseph's College, IN. Additionally, she maintains a private voice studio. Her students have been accepted into top conservatories and universities, performed on National Tours, Young Artist Programs, regional/professional operatic and theater productions, and have won numerous competitions. She received a BM in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA and a MM in Vocal Performance from the Moores School of Music, University of Houston in Houston, TX.
email Kelly |
Sandra KruegerAssociate DirectorSandra Krueger enjoys helping students of all ages discover their authentic voice through personalized lessons and performances. Using body work, vocal pedagogy, and Bel Canto techniques, her students discover their unique sound at their own pace. She moved to Elizabeth City in 2015, and quickly established herself as a performer with Virginia Opera, the College of the Albemarle COAST players, ETCP productions, and the Rocky Hock Playhouse. In Ohio, she maintained a voice studio with students ranging from 10 to 65 years of age. Her students were featured in mainstage musical productions, in local theatres, received top honors at state solo and ensemble, and were awarded many music scholarships to prestigious undergraduate institutions in the United States. She teaches her students to be confident in their own sound, and to enjoy every minute of singing.
Sandra earned her Masters degree in Opera/Music Theatre Performance from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and her Bachelors Degree in Music from Whitworth University. An active performer, Sandra has performed with Virginia Opera, Union Avenue Opera, Winter Opera St. Louis, SIUC Summer Music Festival, Opera in the Ozarks, Spokane Opera, Idaho Falls Opera Theatre, and the American Kantorei of St. Louis. She will make her debut with Tidewater Opera Initiative in 2018, singin the role of the Mother in “Hansel and Gretel.” Favorite roles include both Rosina and Berta in “Il Barbiere di Seviglia,” Mercedes and Carmen in “Carmen,” La Zia Principessa in “Suor Angelica,” Zita in “Gianni Schicchi,” and the Widow Corney in “Oliver!” She was the vice president and artistic director of the Findlay Light Opera from 2012 to 2014, where she created and directed updated versions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, most notably the “USS Pinafore: The Lass Who Loved a Redshirt,” a send-up of the H.M.S. Pinafore, and her adaptation of “Patience,” set on a college campus. She was a frequent collaborator with the Fort Findlay Playhouse in Ohio, both performing such roles as Alice Beane in “Titanic” and Lady Thiang in “The King and I,” and music directing performances of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man.” In Elizabeth City, Sandra teaches Music Appreciation for the College of the Albemarle, specializing in active listening techniques in her instruction. She coordinates the music for Holy Family Catholic Church, and codirects the Albemarle Youth Choir with Kelly Balmaceda. At Music off Main, Sandra also offers Listening Lab activities especially for the home school community in the area, enriching the curriculums of individual families and co-op groups. She specializes in active listening sessions, where students learn how to listen intentionally and express how they react to the music. Through body movement, drawing, and puzzle solving, students learn how to dig deeper into what they hear, increasing their enjoyment and appreciation of classical standards. email Sandra |