B.M. (Voice and Opera), Boston Conservatory of Music; graduate studies (Opera Production), New England Conservatory. Professor Von Villas has taught voice and staged operas internationally, including a world tour in 1995 where she directed Rigoletto in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Gianni Schicci in Taipei, Taiwan. While in Taipei, she also coached singers and taught an intensive five-week opera performance class at the Academy of Vocal Arts. She was also resident director at The Seagle Colony in Schoon Lake, New York. In her career she has staged over 70 productions, including Carmen, La Boheme, Pagliacci, Le nozze di Figaro and La Traviata, for more than a dozen companies, among which are Natchez Opera, Berkshire Opera, Gold Coast Opera and Opera Americana. She made her New York directing debut at Avery Fisher Hall in 1993 with Babar the Elephant for the Little Orchestra Society of Lincoln Center. From 1988-1991 she was the artistic and stage director of Prince Georgeís Opera. She is currently the artistic and stage director for Opera International. She studied voice with Todd Duncan for eleven years and was a Fellow to John Moriarty at the Boston Conservatory of Music. Prof. Von Villas has studied opera directing with Wesley Balk, John Moriarty, Boris Goldovsky, and Davis Bartholomew. Ms. Von Villas is also on the faculty at George Washington University. She resides in Falls Church, Virginia, with her husband and four children, where she teaches and coaches professional singers.