Dr. Sheila Dunn earned her Doctor of Music degree in vocal performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Since joining UWF in 2007, she has taught applied voice, vocal literature, vocal pedagogy, opera workshop and Women in Popular Music. As part of the UWF Irish Experience study abroad program, she performs and presents masterclasses at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Her research areas include living and diverse composers of art song and portrayals of women in music of the Tin Pan Alley era. She maintains an active performing career in opera and as a concert artist and recitalist. Select roles include Kitty Hart (Dead Man Walking), Mabel (Pirates of Penzance), Beth (Little Women), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Costance (Les Dialogues des Carmélites), Blonda (Abduction from the Seraglio), Despina (Cosí fan tutte), and Johanna (Sweeney Todd). In 2019, she performed a solo concert as part of the Les Dimanches Musicaux concert series at The American Cathedral in Paris.

Dr. Dunn served from 2013-2022 as the director of the Dr. Grier Williams School of Music at the University of West Florida. The Williams School of Music was established in 2020 after receiving the largest cash gift from a living donor in the history of the university with a scholarship endowment that is estimated to be in excess of 7.5 million dollars. An additional $1M endowment will allow the school to fulfill its five-year plan and work toward achieving long-term goals. Dr. Dunn is thrilled to return to her faculty role as director of voice, and to enjoy more adventures and laughter with her loving family.

Dramatic soprano Kara Shay Thomson has built an expansive stage career by creating characters that push the limits both musically and dramatically. Ms. Thomson’s major roles include the iconic Puccini heroines Turandot and Tosca. Additional roles include Leonore; Fidelio, Sieglinde; Die Walküre, Santuzza; Cavalleria Rusticana, Donna Anna; Don Giovanni and Magda Sorel; The Consul.

Kara Shay is well known for taking on rarely performed dramatic roles including: The Woman; Erwartung, Cassandre; Les Troyens, Judith; Bluebeard’s Castle, Marta; Tiefland, Agäthe; Der
Freishütz, Vanessa, Zemfira; Aleko, Marietta; Die tote Stadt and Balkis in Odyssey Opera’s live recording of the US premiere of Gounod’s La Reine de Saba.

Company appearances include Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Virginia Opera, Utah Opera, Portland Opera,
Atlanta Opera, Dayton Opera, Opera Omaha, Kentucky Opera and Sarasota Opera. Kara Shay first appeared at Pensacola Opera in the role of the Countess; Le nozze di Figaro and returned to sing her signature role of Tosca plus multiple Jukebox Gala performances.

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After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, Hanan attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Performance credits for the Curtis Opera Theatre include Alcina (Bradamante), The Rape of Lucretia (Lucretia), Così fan tutte (Dorabella), The Death of Klinghoffer (Austrian Woman), The Consul (Vera Boronel), L’incoronazione di Poppea (La Fortuna) and Le nozze di Figaro (Barbarina), among others. Hanan has also sung roles for Palm Beach Opera (Third Lady in The Magic Flute), Pensacola Opera (Meg in Little Women, Giovanna in Rigoletto and Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd), Chautauqua Institute Opera Festival (Third Lady in The Magic Flute, Carmen in Carmen, Gianetta in L’elisir d’amore) and roles at the Interlochen Arts Academy. Hanan sang Anita in West Side Story in a gala concert performance with the Opera Orchestra of the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy. Hanan also sang the mezzo-soprano solo in Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Pensacola Symphony.

She has been presented in concert at the Spoleto Festival dei due Mondi in Italy and in gala performances in the Netherlands and Ireland. In addition she enjoys oratorio and chamber music and has performed a variety of works with the Curtis Chamber Orchestra and the Chautauqua Institute Chamber Group. Hanan has performed the Messiah with many choral societies nationally and internationally among other works. Hanan taught voice lessons at the Chautauqua Institute for three summers. In addition to maintaining a private studio, she also taught at the University of West Florida.