Messiah 2023 Soloist Bios

SOPRANO
Chelsea LaCourse, soprano

Chelsea LaCourse, soprano, is a professional singer and music educator. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Vocal Performance. She teaches private voice lessons and coachings, and also works as a teaching artist and music director at South Carolina Children’s Theatre. She has sung with the Greenville Chorale and presently sings as a section leader with the choir at First Presbyterian Greenville. Solo performances include Faure’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. Some of her favorite roles include Gasparina (Haydn’s La Canterina), Ms. Potts (Beauty and the Beast, SCCT) and Mistress Manners (Ella Enchanted, SCCT). Chelsea loves to sing all styles of music - and to help others find or grow their love for music. She lives in Greenville with her husband John and dog Winnie.

ALTO
Pamela Williamson, alto

Italian-American mezzo-soprano Pamela Williamson, native of Snellville, GA, is currently the Alto Section Leader at First Presbyterian Church Greenville, SC. Miss Williamson received her Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from North Greenville University and her Master of Music from Converse College. Pamela has performed the roles Marcellina and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Carmen in Carmen, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Prima Sorella Cercatrice and Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica with Asheville Lyric Opera, La Voix and Nicklausse in Le contes d’Hoffman, Auntie in Peter Grimes, Augusta in Ballad of Baby Doe, Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Mistress Quickly in Falstaff, and Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel. During Ms. Williamson’s undergraduate time, she sang the lead role, Zerbina, at North Greenville University’s first opera premier, La Serva Padrona. She has also performed as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Vivaldi’s Gloria and abroad as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Pamela’s awards include First Place winner of Converse College’s 2013 Young Artist Competition and in 2014, First Place South Carolina State as well as Mid-Atlantic Regional winner for her category in the NATS Competition.

TENOR
Seth Killen, tenor

Tenor Stephen Steffens is an emerging tenor living in Greenville, SC. He has been praised for having a “sweet yet heroic sound”. Stephen recently made his Atlanta Opera debut last year, singing The Witch in Hansel and Gretel. Stephen recently sang the role of Jimmy Smith in the Southeastern premiere of Stinney with Glow Lyric Opera in 2022. He also recently performed the role of Don Ramiro with Geneva Light Opera in July of 2021 and Belmonte with Dell’Arte Opera Ensemble in October of 2021. In 2020 Stephen performed the Duke in Rigoletto with St. Pete Opera. He was also set to perform Riccardo Percy in Anna Bolena and Tonio in La fille du Regiment, but the performances were canceled due to COVID-19. His 2019 credits include Nika Magadoff in The Consul; Goro in Madama Butterfly; and the featured tenor soloist in Schubert’s Mass in G and Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ. His 2018 credits include Belmonte in The Abduction from the Seraglio; Leandro in La Cifra; Captain Richard Warrington in Naughty Marietta; Carl Jensen in The Yellow Star; and the featured tenor soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Stephen recently made his Long Island Opera debut singing Camille in The Merry Widow. He also just made his Maryland Lyric Opera debut singing Kaspar in their December 2016 production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. His other recent credits include Fenton in Falstaff, and Don Ramiro in Cinderella, both with Bronx Opera. Stephen was a member of the 2015 Fargo-Moorhead Opera Young Artist Program. In 2014 he made his Canadian opera debut singing Lysander in Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. His other engagements include singing with the Brooklyn Summer Opera Festival as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, New York Opera Exchange as Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus; Ballad of Baby Doe (President Chester Arthur) with Opera Bozeman; Ecclitico in Haydn’s Il Mondo Della Luna, and Ernesto in scenes from Don Pasquale. He has also sung various oratorios throughout the country. In 2009 he won First Prize at the NATS competition Northwest. 

BASS
Jordan Scott, bass

Jordan Scott graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelors of Vocal Performance. He has sung with many music organizations and universities throughout the region including GLOW, Converse, Spoleto, The CSO, and The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. He is an accomplished singer of opera, lied, choral, and chant. He is currently competing in the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition and will be competing in the next round this coming January.