Piano – Voice – Theatre
Alvera Sylvester studied piano with concert pianist Robert Guralnik, went on to graduate from SUNY Fredonia with a major in music and concentrations in piano, voice and theatre and continued her studies at Ithaca, UConn, UMich among others. After a successful career as a teacher, she recently retired from Misericordia as an adjunct professor and from Port Jervis High School where she created her award-winning music program. Many of her students have gone on to pursue professional careers on Broadway, at Lincoln Center and in other music venues.
Alvera has been an invited guest clinician leading a variety of workshops, a guest conductor/accompanist for all levels of NYS All-County Choirs, Area All-State Choirs, the Tri-State Youth Choir and spent several seasons as “Guest Conductor In Residence” for the All-Eastern US Music Camp. Through BBCM, she founded its Children’s Choir with Stephen Faubel and later the BBC Women’s Choir. Her classical radio program called Sunday Symphony, her “pop” group Ruby Queen, jazz quartet Tuxedo Junction and string group Trio Seria were well-known fixtures in the Tri-State area.
Her professional theatre experience spans the summer stock and regional theatre companies as a performer, director or accompanist and she worked for two seasons in NYC as musical director for an off-Broadway Theatre company called “Tada!”. She is most proud to have been invited to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China to assist in formulating the country’s first University Theatre Program. Most recently she has worked with the creative direction team at the Milford Theatre on such productions as Company, Guys and Dolls and Into the Woods. As a martial artist, Alvera also has a 4th Degree Black Belt in TSD, a 2nd Degree Belt in Kobudo and has been inducted into the WKU Hall of Fame. She is grateful to the opportunity to work with students of all ages and help them to advance their music goals.