After the first Voices concert in September 2006, Maria Pia Ugarte listened to the recording and was moved by one number in particular: “Sale, ascende l'uman cantico.” “I listened to that song, and heard a mix of voices that worked beautifully,” said Ugarte. “So I called Alison Chambers and proposed the idea of a female trio that would perform an eclectic mix of music. We discussed it for several months, and each time we talked about it, the enthusiasm grew until finally we decided to do it: to put together a trio of women who perform what Alison calls ‘a combination of Sarah Brightman, Celtic Woman, and The Three Tenors.’”

No stranger to music, Ugarte began her vocal and musical training with Maestro Manuel Cuadros Barr, Founder and Musical Director of La Coral de Lima and Camerata Vocale Orfeo, and former Musical Arts Adviser to the President of the Republic of Perú. In 1988 she moved to the United States to continue her education in music at The Juilliard School, where she met Maestro Vincent La Selva, who has been her opera coach since. She was awarded a scholarship by the New York Grand Opera Training Program in 1995, and since then she has been actively performing in the United States with different entities including New York Grand Opera and in Atlanta with renown American composer Pauline Oliveros.

Alison Chambers studied vocal performance at Florida State University and is currently a professional singer, actress, and model. She is the founder and the Artistic Director of The Twilight Theatre (she recently directed “Les Miserables, School Edition”), and she teaches voice lessons to children and adults of all ages and abilities.

For the Voices 2007 program and fall 2007 productions, Stephanie Earle will be the third member of Zapphira. Earle is a student at Sandy Creek High School and has performed in productions there as well as with various community theaters.

The group will perform at the Voices annual concert titled, “Canto ad una Terra: Song to One World.” The concert will feature more than 100 talented local citizens coming together to celebrate the earth and its beauty through song, on September 15 at The Legacy Theatre in Tyrone, Ga. Proceeds from this years concert will benefit the Wellspring Living organization. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online through the Voices website, www.voicesonline.org, or at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/19095.

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