Linda Cowan holds the Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana State University, and the Doctor of Musical Arts from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, where she studied with Judith Nicosia and Faith Esham.

She has had many opportunities to perform in the genres of opera, musical theater, theater, oratorio, and the concert hall. Some of her major roles have included the Countess/Marriage of Figaro, Micaela/Carmen, Ariel in Shakespeare’s Tempest), Bellamy in The Fantasticks, M’lynn in Steel Magnolias, Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, and Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. In 2010 she performed the role of the Witch in Brooke Hills Playhouse’s Into the Woods. Most recently, she appeared on the West Liberty stage in September as Elsa von Grossenkneuten in the Hilltop Players’ Alumni cast of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, and as Jeanette in Brooke Hills Playhouse’s The Full Monty in 2018.

Cowan created Hilltop Opera at WLU and directed performances of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight!, and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. Other directing experience includes the musicals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for Brooke Hills Playhouse, Mame and The ThreePenny Opera. She served as vocal director for West Liberty productions of Scrooge, Godspell and A Little Night Music. She held the dual roles of performer/music director (Bellamy in The Fantasticks) for three summers at the ISU SummerStage Cabaret, an Actors Equity company.

Dr. Cowan made her New York City debut singing the Brahms Requiem at the church of St. Luke’s in the Fields in Greenwich Village. Other oratorio performances include Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Haydn’s Creation, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, the Durufle and Mozart Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ. Most recently she sang the soprano solo in Gounod’s motet Gallia and the Poulenc Gloria. She has concertized extensively in NJ, IN, PA and WV.

At West Liberty, Dr. Cowan teaches private and class voice, diction, and vocal literature and pedagogy classes. Dr. Cowan has taught at the West Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts, and is a frequent guest artist-teacher. She served the National Association of Teachers of Singing as the Governor for West Virginia past president of the NATS Tri-States chapter. She currently performs with OvreArts and Voces Solis.

Gerald Lee is passionate about piano performance.  Recitals have been performed throughout the U.S. on numerous concert series, at colleges and universities, and for chamber music societies.  Competition accolades include winning the 2009 Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Concert Society Major Artist Auditions.  In particular, he is fascinated with the works of Alexander Scriabin; as such, he has presented lecture-recitals featuring Scriabin’s piano sonatas at numerous CMS (College Music Society) conferences, including the 2014 National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.  Additionally, he served on the Program Selection Committee for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of CMS in 2012, 2013, and 2015.  

Dr. Lee earned three piano performance degrees:  Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, respectively.  Additionally, cognate fields of study were completed in music theory and musicology at Indiana University and the University of Michigan, respectively.  He is Professor of Piano at West Liberty University (West Liberty, West Virginia), where he has been a full-time faculty member since 2002.