VERA WILSON, Founder & President
The Founder & President of Astral, Vera Wilson was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she began working with music and musicians at a very early age. After settling in the United States in 1968 and raising three children, she resumed her work with exceptional emerging musicians following 18 months at International House of Philadelphia and the Alliance Française. She was Director of Public Relations and Audience Development for Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia from 1978-1980, and as Coordinator, ran its Young Artists Competition. In 1980 she joined the Curtis Institute of Music as a volunteer and became coordinator of special projects and its annual chamber music tour. She worked closely on Curtis’ commemorative series and created the foundation for what is now the Student Hospitality Program. In 1982, Ms. Wilson was the Philadelphia Area Coordinator for the Fifth International Choral Festival organized by Lincoln Center. In 1983 she became Special Assistant to Maestro Eugene Ormandy and, fluent in five languages, Foreign Press Translator of The Philadelphia Orchestra, a position she retained until the year 2000. During this period, she worked in the same role for the New York Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh and Boston symphony orchestras, and the International Luciano Pavarotti Competition, hosted by the Opera Company of Philadelphia.
Ms. Wilson currently serves on the boards of the Presser Foundation and the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, and is a Recommendation Board member of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Avery Fisher Artist Program, nominator for the Gilmore Young Artist Award and the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia Career Advancement Award, and a panelist for the Albert M. Greenfield and Philadelphia Orchestra Young Artists competitions. She has served on the Peer Review Panel for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, as Vice President of Orchestra 2001 and The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and as Director of Young Audiences.
Vera Wilson was Executive Director of the Astral Foundation, which provided individual grants to exceptionally gifted young musicians, and in 1984 became a Trustee of its Board of Directors. It was during this period that she recognized that emerging musicians often have need for direction and advice as they prepare to launch their careers. Astral Artists opened its doors in 1992, and since then its artists have been recognized internationally as exceptionally gifted emerging musicians and role models in their respective fields.
DON MARRAZZO, Executive Director
Astral Artists’ Executive Director Don Marrazzo has over a decade of experience as a non-profit arts management professional in the areas of artistic administration and management, programming and casting, young artist program development and administration, public relations and marketing, and community engagement and educational outreach. At Astral, Mr. Marrazzo provides strategic and managerial direction for the organization, leadership to its staff, oversight of Astral’s programs and annual concert series, and works closely with the Board, staff, key donors, artists, and audiences to help Astral achieve its short and long-term strategic goals.
Prior to coming to Astral, Mr. Marrazzo was Director of Casting & Artistic Operations for Glimmerglass Opera, where he revitalized the company’s mainstage casting, raised its acclaimed Young American Artists Program to a record-breaking level of achievement, and created relationships and fostered collaborations with a number of renowned organizations, companies, and artists including the New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), The Morgan Library and Museum, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, baritones Håkan Hagegård and François Le Roux, and pianist Steven Blier. Mr. Marrazzo first joined Glimmerglass Opera as its Director of Public Relations in 2005, serving as chief representative to the local, regional, national, and international media, and liaison to the local community. He created and led two month-long series of educational opera seminars titled Opera Unplugged in coordination with the Center for Continued Adult Learning (CCAL), created and managed Fall for the Arts (a performance-driven festival promoting all arts organizations in Otsego County), and created numerous educational outreach initiatives. From 2000-2004, Mr. Marrazzo worked for KKN Enterprises, a NYC-based PR agency that has managed publicity for an internationally acclaimed clientele including mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, and baritone Rodney Gilfry.
In addition to his work as an administrator, Mr. Marrazzo has maintained a private teaching studio since 2001. Students from his voice studio have performed with opera companies, Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters, and orchestras throughout the United States and Europe including the Metropolitan Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Opéra de Lyon, Oper Bonn, the Richard Rodgers Theatre, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and they have won awards from competitions including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the George London Foundation, the Sullivan Awards, and the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation Competition. Mr. Marrazzo has served as a District Level judge for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has presented seminars and masterclasses for a number of organizations including the Opera Studio Nederlands in Amsterdam and the RESONANZ singer training program in Albany, New York. A native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, he received degrees in Vocal Performance from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in The Netherlands.
TRACY E. SEGAL, Director of Development
Astral Artists’ Development Director Tracy Segal has a proven track record of strategic and fundraising leadership in the non-profit arena. With over 18 years of experience in the non-profit community, Ms. Segal has worked with a range of organizations and brings a high level of professional leadership to Astral’s very successful development effort. She maintains excellent working relationships with Astral’s active board, individual donors, and institutional funders. While with Astral, Ms. Segal has successfully raised both general revenue funding as well monies for special projects, including the multi-year residency and commissioning of a world première by renowned composer Aaron Jay Kernis.
Prior to her work at Astral, Ms. Segal was the Director of Development and Communications for Family & Community Service of Delaware County. She guided the organization as its first professional development officer in the areas of fundraising and communication, providing staff and board leadership with the guidance and training to execute a multi-leveled development plan that included a capital campaign, individual fundraising, events, and proposals. She successfully created and implemented a cohesive development and communications plan that included raising $1,000,000 from a comprehensive campaign, increasing media coverage and growth of overall fundraising dollars by 20%. Ms. Segal has also served as Development Director for the Main Line Art Center and for Philadelphia’s Bethesda Project, as Assistant Director of Research and Stewardship for The University of the Arts, and as Development Associate for the Prince Music Theater. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Ms. Segal also holds a Master’s degree in Costume Design from Temple University.
BONNIE R. SLOBODIEN, Director of Education & Community Outreach
Bonnie Slobodien’s 33 years of experience in the field of Music Education resulted in vital preparation for her current role as Astral Artists’ Director of Education & Community Outreach. She provides Astral artists with carefully selected and individualized performing opportunities and on-site mentoring. Her 10 years at Astral have focused on bringing artists into classrooms for multiple visits, providing meaningful artistic experiences for the musicians, and continually seeking opportunities to foster connections between classical musicians and diverse audiences. Appropriate repertoire, speaking experience, serving the community musically, the highest professional standards, and engaging both the listener and the performer are hallmarks of Astral’s Education & Community Outreach program.
Bonnie Slobodien received a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Pennsylvania State University after completing her Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education at the Hartt School. She was born and raised in Philadelphia, where she attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls and was a member of the All-City instrumental ensembles. She studied flute in Philadelphia with John Krell, at Hartt with John Wummer, and spent a summer in Nice, France, studying in the Master d’Etudes program with Jean-Pierre Rampal and Alain Marion. In 1972, she began her career as an instrumental music teacher at Avon Middle School in Avon, Connecticut. Upon moving to the Philadelphia area in 1975, she designed, developed, and implemented instrumental music programs in a variety of public and private schools, ranging from the establishing of a recorder consort program at Norwood-Fontbonne Academy in Chestnut Hill to a full instrumental and classroom music program at the Harry B. Kellman Academy, a kindergarten-through-8th- grade private school in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. At Kellman, she successfully attracted the participation of over 75% of eligible students to become actively engaged in music activities.
LESLIE JOHNSON, Director of Marketing & Special Projects
Leslie Johnson is Astral Artists’ Director of Marketing & Special Projects. She joined Astral’s staff in 2001 as Administrative Assistant & Concert Manager, and went on to become Marketing & Project Manager. As Director of Marketing & Special Projects, she currently oversees Astral’s marketing and advertising efforts and serves as coordinator of special events, including Astral’s annual Benefit Gala and silent auction, and serves as the administrator of Astral’s annual National Auditions. She also assists with concert management and production. Under Astral’s auspices, Ms. Johnson has also served as the administrator of the Marian Anderson Prize for Emerging Classical Artists voice competition.
A professional singer, Ms. Johnson has served on the panels of Astral’s annual National Voice Auditions, the Marian Anderson Prize for Emerging Classical Artists, the Vocal Division of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Albert M. Greenfield Competition, and America’s Greatest God Bless America. She performed roles with the Houston Grand Opera, the Washington National Opera, Portland Opera, the Wolf Trap Opera Company, the Lake George Opera Festival, Glimmerglass Opera, and Central City Opera. As a concert soloist and recitalist, she has appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Beijing National Symphony, as well as at the Octobre en Normandie Festival in Rouen, France, the Newport Music Festival, the New York Festival of Song, and the Ravinia Festival. She made her Carnegie Hall recital debut in Weill Recital Hall as the winner of the Center for Contemporary Opera Competition. She was also the First Prize Winner of the Washington International (art song) Competition, and has received prizes and awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Shoshana Foundation. In addition to her work at Astral, Ms. Johnson maintains an active solo performance schedule in the greater Philadelphia region, appearing regularly as soloist with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Lyric Fest, the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Valley Vivaldi, the Bucks County Choral Society, and the Camerata Singers. She has also been soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, under Sir Simon Rattle and Christoph Eschenbach, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. In addition to her solo pursuits, Ms. Johnson continues to sing chorally, as a member of The Crossing, The Philadelphia Singers, and St. Clement’s Church choir. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Westminster College (PA), a Master of Music degree from the Hartt School, and an Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music.
KENDRA ANN MOLEE, Operations Manager
Kendra Ann Moleé joined the Astral Artists staff in 2004 as Administrative Assistant and went on to become Administrative Coordinator. She has continued to grow her role at Astral, and now serves as Operations Manager. As such, she administers all aspects of Astral’s box office and manages its electronic marketing initiatives, including the oversight and maintenance of Astral’s website and social media efforts. She is also currently managing the transition and implementation of Astral’s new and comprehensive database system. Additionally, she assists with the coordination of Astral’s annual Benefit Gala and silent auction, and oversees all volunteer activity. Ms. Moleé also works at Philadelphia’s Trocadero Theatre. Prior to coming to Astral, she was House Manager for the Arden Theatre Company and for the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Delaware, and served as interim Director of Operations for the Delaware Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Moleé received a Bachelor of Music degree with a minor in Arts Management Studies from the University of Delaware, where she studied French horn with Professor Cynthia Carr and Dr. Michael Johns. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband-to-be, Toby, and two cats, Mango and Mew.