HANA J. CAI, Guest Director (Fall 2025)
Dr. Hana J. Cai is a conductor and music director based in Cambridge, MA. She currently serves as the Associate Director of Choral Activities at Harvard University after previously serving on the faculties of Ithaca College and Lehigh University. Cai has enjoyed an eclectic career as a conductor, pianist, and singer. At Indiana University, she was one of three conductors selected to assist with preparing the chorus for a performance of the Penderecki St. Luke Passion where the composer was in attendance. She also served as the associate chorus master for the university premiere of Mason Bates’ The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, and
ANDREW ALTENBACH, Guest Director (Winter 2026)
Andrew Altenbach brings dynamic passion to his symphonic and operatic conducting that brings him national attention.
Maestro Altenbach has conducted and served on the music staff for such companies as Minnesota Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Birmingham, Opera Africa, Milwaukee Opera Theater, Santa Fe Opera, Music Academy of the West, Cincinnati Opera, and the San Francisco Opera. Recent engagements include debuts with the Peninsula Music Festival, Tri Cities Opera, and Miami Music Festival.
EMILY HOWE, Guest Director (Spring 2026)
Emily Howe, Ph.D. is a conductor, ethnomusicologist, and educator whose passion for community-building through music has taken her into concert halls, schools, prisons, and places of worship throughout Boston and around the world.
JULIA SCOTT CAREY, Collaborative Pianist
Julia Scott Carey began her music training at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, where she received the Lanier Prize for Most Outstanding Graduating Senior. She was one of the first students admitted to the Harvard-New England Conservatory joint degree program, through which she received a master’s degree in composition. She received a second master’s degree in collaborative piano from Boston University.
Artists in Residence
LISA BARONE, Mezzo-soprano
Renowned for her exceptionally velvety voice and magnetic stage presence, Lisa Barone is an accomplished mezzo-soprano from Methuen, MA. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, she holds degrees in Professional Studies, Masters, and Bachelors degrees in vocal performance. Lisa has taken on diverse roles, such as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Raylynmor Opera, Despina in Così fan tutte, and Maria Aegyptiaca in Mahler’s 8th Symphony at St. John the Divine under Kent Tritle.
Lisa’s repertoire spans from opera to choral works, having performed in
festivals such as the Verdi Square Festival and with the Oratorio Society of New York, where she was Alto Choral Scholar. Her choral highlights include Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Carmina Burana. She has earned multiple accolades for her excellence in music, including the Alexander Hunt Award, the Candace Macmillen Achtmeyer Award, and the Barbara E. Maze Award for Musical Excellence.
Lisa is a sought-after performer throughout Greater Boston for weddings, memorials, and other services, and recently toured with the Boston Pops for their holiday tour under Keith Lockhart. This past summer, she was featured as the alto soloist in the Masterworks Chorale Summer Sings series, performing Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Mozart’s Requiem. This fall, Lisa will perform the Duruflé Requiem with the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church under the baton of William Cooper, continuing her commitment to sacred music. This spring, she will be competing in the Music International Grand Prix Competition as a semi-finalist. Her artistry has been praised by classical masters such as Stephanie Blythe, Marilyn Horne, and Thomas Hampson.
In addition to performing, Lisa is the music school administrator at Jammin With You in Wellesley, and serves as the alto soloist at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church.
MICHAEL MERULLO, Tenor
Noted for his “flexible and expressive voice”, tenor Michael Merullo is a Boston-based performer rooted in the local opera, musical theater, and choral communities. Michael is thrilled to rejoin the Metropolitan Chorale after a few years away focusing on his real estate career. Recent engagements include performing as a tenor soloist in BWV 93, the Cantata titled “Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten.” Michael enjoys working with many local companies including Boston Lyric Opera, Concord Players, and the Cantata Singers, among others.
Recent role highlights include Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in A Little Night Music; Arbace in Idomendo and Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro.
Michael was awarded second place at the 2014 Piccola Opera Vocal Competition and also received the Chancellor’s Talent Award at his alma mater all four years of his studies.Michael’s joy for storytelling is also shared through his nationally recognized professional real estate services.