Instructor Biographies
Cass Mann
Cass Panuska is a classically trained singer and teacher, and she is passionate about sharing beautiful music. She has been at New World Music academy for over two years, and is available for a “Glee” Class, Children’s Chorus, and private and group voice lessons focusing on a classical technique applied to a variety of singing styles.
Also a professional opera singer, she continues to pursue a performing career. Her favorite performed opera roles include Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Miss Silverpeal in The Impresario, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Laurie in Copland’s The Tender Land, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, the Bergère and Screech Owl in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. Ms. Panuska has completed several prestigious vocal training programs, such as Opera at Crested Butte in Colorado and the CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster Choir College in New Jersey. She just recently performed with the Andrea Fulton Chorale at Yosemite’s Bracebridge Dinner, and is currently playing the role of Gretel in Opera San Jose’s Outreach production of Hänsel and Gretel.
Ms. Panuska earned her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at Colorado State University, and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Melanie O’Reilly
Melanie O’Reilly , considered internationally as a musical pioneer, is now firmly established in the great pantheon of creative Irish artists, with her own sound of Celtic-Jazz.
As a performer/singer-songwriter, her exhilarating and unique blend of Irish traditional music and jazz creates a powerful and haunting soundscape, exploring untouched frontiers, and which captivates audiences worldwide.
Born in Dublin, Melanie comes from a family of musicians. She has recorded 6 commercial albums for Mistletoe Music and performs regularly in Europe and throughout the US. “Downbeat” Magazine named her as one of the most important jazz representatives from Ireland and her music was recently featured in a PBS documentary. She currently is Visiting Scholar of Celtic Studies at UC Berkeley, and she also teaches Vocals in the areas of jazz, Irish traditional and Musical Theatre.
Melanie is co-creator and presenter of her own radio series, “Jazz on the Bay”, currently being broadcast on RTE Radio 1, Ireland’s national broadcasting station.