Hanan Tarabay

Hanan was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida.  At age 3 she began studying classical ballet, then jazz, tap and modern dance.  She was an exceptionally talented young ballet dancer, and won scholarships to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan for three consecutive summers. Her many dance performances included productions of Tarantella, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, as well as many repertory performances.  At age 14, Hanan was offered a place in the Boston Ballet Apprentice Program, but she declined the opportunity to pursue her growing interest in developing a vocal career.

Hanan began by studying with renowned vocal coach Trudy Sherwood, and soon was a featured member of the Pensacola Children’s Chorus, which performed extensively throughout the South Eastern U. S.  She was a first place prizewinner at both district and state level in the Florida State Music Teachers Association Competition, and she spent her summers in Miami studying with Mezzo-Soprano Gina Maretta. While in South Florida, Hanan also pursued classes in acting, continued her ballet training with the Miami Ballet, and performed Carmen in opera excerpts for the Coral Gables Opera.  For her last two years of high school, Hanan was admitted to the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan as a full time vocal student. At Interlochen, Hanan was presented in many Opera scenes as well as in Solo Recital and Oratorio.

Eager to pursue a career in music, Hanan auditioned for and was accepted on full scholarship to the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied Voice with Mezzo-Soprano Marlena Malas. While at Curtis, Hanan enjoyed many performance opportunities with roles including Florence Pike(Albert Herring), Dorabella(Cosi Fan Tutte), Mother Goose(The Rake’s Progress), Bradamante(Alcina), Vera Boronel(The Consul) and Le Chat(L’enfant et les sortileges), among many others.  For the Curtis Opera Theater Scenes program, Hanan performed Carmen(Carmen), Suzel(L’amico Fritz), Dido(Dido and Aeneas) and Charlotte(Werther), as well as Third Lady(Magic Flute) for the Palm Beach Opera and Dryad(Ariadne auf Naxos) and Gianetta(L’elixir d’amore) for the Chautauqua Institute Opera Festival.

On the International scene, Hanan has sung Anita in West Side Story in a gala performance with the Opera Orchestra of the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy.  She has also been presented in concert at the Spoleto Festival dei due Mondi in Italy, at the Netherlands Opera Studio in Amsterdam, and with the Irish Session Orchestra at the National Concert Hall in Dublin.

Hanan has also performed major Chamber and Oratorio works with the Curtis Chamber Group including Phaedra(Britten), Canticle II(Britten) and Il Tramonto(Respighi) as well as 4 Poems Hindous(Delage) and La Bonne Chanson(Faure) with the Chautauqua Festival Chamber Orchestra.  She has collaborated with many major conductors including Stephen Mercurio, Robert Spano, David Agler, Otto Werner Mueller, Rossen Milanov and Ian Robertson.

Howard Reddy

Howard was born and raised in Carlow Town, Ireland.  He began singing at an early age, and as a boy soprano he won the Feis Ceoil, Ireland’s National Singing Competition.  He made his operatic debut at age eleven, singing the role of Jaffet in Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde with the Wexford Festival Opera.  He attended the Glenstal Abbey Benedictine School in County Limerick, known for it’s strong musical tradition, and during his time at Glenstal, in addition to singing sacred music, Howard performed in the school musical productions, as well as fulfilling outside engagements, including a concert at Casa Loma in Toronto, Canada.  While at Glenstal, Howard recorded a CD of Gregorian chant with the Benedictine monks, which received wide attention, and garnered Howard an appearance as the interval act in the Eurovision Song Contest. It was during this period that Howard began studying with famed pedagogue Dr. Veronica Dunne at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, and began developing his technique and interest in the operatic repertoire.

Upon graduating from Glenstal, Howard attended University College Dublin where he studied Law and Business, winning the James Joyce Award for debate, and speaking at the Oxford and Cambridge Debating Unions. Continuing his vocal studies with Dr. Dunne, he became an active member of the Leinster Opera Studio, performing throughout Ireland and at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Before entering his final year of Law, Howard spent a summer in Urbino, Italy, studying the Italian language and repertoire.  While in Urbino, he was invited to participate in a regional concert tour, which gave him the opportunity to perform for large audiences at a number of summer festivals throughout Italy.

Howard graduated magna cum laude from University College Dublin with a degree in Law and Business, but his love of singing and performing convinced him to pursue a higher level of involvement with his musical career.

Howard auditioned for and was accepted on a full scholarship to the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. While pursuing his Masters of Music, Howard enjoyed many performance opportunities at Curtis with roles including Count Almaviva(Le Nozze di Figaro), Marcello(La Boheme), Ramiro(L’heure espagnole), John Sorel(The Consul), Le Directeur(Les Mamelles des Tireasias) and Lucano(L’incoronazione di Poppea), among many others. Other performance credits include Fiorello(Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and Marcese(La Traviata) for the Opera Festival of New Jersey, Figaro(cover, Le Nozze di Figaro) for the Music Academy of the West, Marcello(La Boheme) for the Chautauqua Institute Opera Festival, Mr McLean(Susannah) and Le podestat(Le Docteur Miracle) for the Wexford Festival Opera, and Count Almaviva(Le Nozze di Figaro) for both the Grange Park Opera Festival in the UK and Opera North on tour throughout the UK and Ireland.

Howard was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship during his time at Curtis and was also the recipient of an O’Reilly Foundation Scholarship Award. He performed on the occasion of the President of Ireland, Her Excellency Mary McAleese’s visit to New York on the first St. Patrick’s Day following 9/11.  He was a second place prizewinner in the Oratorio Society of New York Vocal Competition in 2004, with the final competition taking place at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall.

Howard has performed many oratorio works with numerous choral societies, including a performance of Bach’s Johannes Passion with the Princeton University Choir and a performance of the Messiah at Yorkminster Cathedral, UK.  He has collaborated with many major conductors, including Christian Gansch, Otto Werner Mueller, Rossen Milanov, Bernard Labadie, David Agler, Christian Curnyn and David Hayes.

Hanan & Howard – The Duo

After meeting at Curtis in 2000, Hanan and Howard developed a strong musical bond and a desire to perform together. They appeared on stage as Tarquineas and Lucretia(The Rape of Lucretia), and as Captain and The Austrian Woman(The Death of Klinghoffer). Their natural rapport was evident and led to many concert tours and performances in Ireland and the UK. Their performance of Ned Rorem’s 2-Act opera “Miss Julie” was recorded and released by Albany Records in 2003 in celebration of Ned Rorem’s 80th birthday, and is considered a definitive version of this work.

Eventually, Hanan and Howard’s musical affection grew into a romantic one, and in 2006, they were married. They are currently based out of Pensacola, FL, where they live with their young son, Andrew Howard. In addition to her busy teaching and performance schedule, Hanan is very involved in civic affairs, and she has received the Jefferson Award in recognition of outstanding community service, as well as the Commendation of the City of Pensacola. Hanan and Howard are both owner/partners in Four Winds Fine Foods, a line of gourmet foods that is being distributed nationally.