Emma McDermott, soprano, is a graduate of  George Mason University where she studied voice with John Aler and Debby Wenner and piano with Anna Balakerskaia. She is an active vocal performer, pianist, choral accompanist, church musician and music teacher. Some of the roles that she has performed are Mother from Amahl and the Night Visitors, Rose from The Secret Garden,Countess from Le Nozze di Figaro, Elisetta from Il Matrimonio Segreto and the soprano soloist from The Messiah. For her singing she has won prizes at the Orfeo International Music Festival Competition, Virginia NATS competition, US Regional NATS competition, and the Friday morning music club competition. As a pianist she has performed a “Concerts at the Alden” recital, she has won scholarships as a soloist and as an accompanist and she has won first place in several regional and national piano competitions.