Meet the Pancella Studio
Meet the Pancella Studio
Students in the UNCSA Voice Studio include high school and undergraduate-level studies. The studio is led by Phyllis Pancella.
Evie Afflerbach
Evie Afflerbach is a native of New Bern, North Carolina and a current high school
junior in the UNCSA voice program. She started taking voice lessons in the third grade,
thanks to her parents, and has been studying classical voice ever since. She has studied
under her private voice instructor Lorraine Hale Robinson in New Bern for eight years
and has competed in NATS, MTA, and NCMA for many years. She recently attended NC Governor’s
School East for choral music in 2021, which is where she discovered her newfound love
for singing in a chorus and forming a community. She has also attended the UNCSA summer
voice intensive for two years in a row, from 2018-2019, which is where she decided
that she wanted to go to this school. She is excited for the change in schools and
atmosphere as she continues to work on her art with Ms. Pancella’s studio.
Lani Basich
Lani Basich was born and raised in California, where her affinity for the arts began
at age seven. She is an undergraduate student at UNCSA working towards her Bachelor
of music. With over 24 years of study and experience in art, writing, acting, and
stage management, she has found where her heart truly resonates: opera and classical
music! While her undergraduate degree is nearing completion, she hopes to earn a
master’s degree in voice and pursue an international, professional operatic career.
With a stubborn determination and an infectious enthusiasm, she aims to reach as many
people as she can and in doing so, open their hearts and minds to the wonder and splendor
that is opera.
Angelina Bassi
Angelina Bassi is an actress and vocalist, but first and foremost, she is a performer.
Although she had a relatively late start to her performance career, she has enjoyed
every minute of learning how to be a professional artist. Her first audition in 2016
for Meredith Wilson’s "The Music Man" landed her the lead role of Marian Paroo, which
kick-started her passion for the performing arts. Since then, she has performed in
roles from The Baker’s Wife in "Into the Woods," Glinda in a staged concert of "Wicked,"
to Frenchy in "Grease." Angelina is currently studying at UNCSA for her Bachelor of
Music degree with a focus in vocal performance. While studying at UNCSA, Angelina
has been in the chorus of productions such as Massenet’s "Werther," Mozart’s "La Clemenza
di Tito" and in 2021 she performed her first operatic role as Laurentia in Duke’s
"Captain Lovelock." Angelina most notably was a first-place winner during the Regional
Competition of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) in 2019. Angelina
is very passionate about learning and determined to pursue her dreams of becoming
a professional performing artist. Additionally, Angelina’s favorite color is blue,
her favorite composer is Rossini, she loves to paint and draw, and her favorite bird
is the Tufted Titmouse.
“In avanti e verso l’alto” – Albert Bassi Sr.
Sofia Darnall
Sofia Darnall is from Wilmington, North Carolina and is a fourth year in the UNCSA
high school voice department. With the help of her chorus teacher who taught her the
joys of singing, Sofia began taking voice lessons in seventh grade. Through the support
of parents and friends Sofia has participated in NATS twice, scoring third in her
first ever competition.
Ahmara Kyleigh Dorsett is a high school senior who doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t sing in the car or the shower. At UNCSA she is aiming her determination and love of hard work at overcoming nerves so she can bring her singing out of the front seat of her bright red truck and onto the stage. Ahmara plans to attend UNCW and bring her developing confidence and job experience (five jobs before she has even turned 18) to a career in business and management. She loves being busy and loves the idea of being in charge. Just ask her family and the kids she teaches at a childcare facility. Ahmara is looking forward to surfing her way through an undergraduate degree.
Olivia Grocott
Olivia Grocott is a second year undergraduate mezzo-soprano from Waxhaw, North Carolina.
She started participating in musical theatre at the age of eight and studying opera
at the age of sixteen with voice lessons from Mrs. Sara Kennedy.
During high school, Olivia participated in their school’s Ladies Choir and Concert Choir under the direction of Mrs. Rachel Waynick. She attended Cannon Music Camp in 2018 for voice and studied under baritone Dr. Joe Amaya. In 2019, Olivia attended Governor’s School East for Choral Music, where they sang in the Treble Choir as a Soprano One. Olivia now studies under Phyllis Pancella and is working towards her BM in Vocal Performance.
Caleb Horner
Caleb Horner was born and raised in Eastern Michigan and is a first year undergraduate
student at UNCSA. Beginning his freshman year of high school, musical theatre piqued
his interest in vocal technique. Soon after his first musical, he began taking private
voice lessons. While focusing on musical theatre technique, he was continually exposed
to classical repertoire, and these pieces quickly became the performances he loved
to be a part of. During high school he competed in the 2019 and 2020 MSVMA Solo and
Ensemble earning a division one rating at both the state and regional level for both
years. He has had the opportunity to perform in numerous regional theatre productions
as well as professional productions in the Metro-Detroit area. He has also performed
and attended many recitals and masterclasses through his private teacher. Outside
of music, Caleb enjoys reading and writing poetry, as well consuming an iced oat milk
latte. He is looking forward to his future at UNCSA and is thrilled to see where Phyllis
Pancella’s guidance will take him.
Atlas Lippard
Atlas Lippard is a junior in high school attending UNCSA. Atlas has been studying
music since preschool, first studying the violin through the Suzuki method. They went
on to pick up various instruments, including the piano, ukulele and the guitar, while
performing theatre as well. They were cast in the Broadway workshop of "Mr. Holland’s
Opus," written and directed by Wayne Barker and BD Wong. They have also released an
album of their own original music, titled “Written on the Walls” by Dalton, as well
as multiple singles. Finally they decided to pursue voice as their main passion, going
to voice lessons and joining various choirs, including Honors Chorus and Handel’s
"the Messiah" chorus. They attended the UNCSA voice intensive in middle school, which
inspired them to audition for the school, and after a lot of hard work and studying,
they were accepted. In their free time they enjoy reading, writing songs and poetry,
painting, and doing photography. Atlas aspires to make a career in music therapy,
or as a singer songwriter, or as a professional opera singer. As long as they are
making music, they are happy.
Ashae McCarroll
Ashae McCarroll is a second year undergraduate soprano from Greenville, South Carolina.
She began singing in her junior year of high school and studied with Mrs. Danielle
Knox. Ashae participated in her high school honor choir, and was awarded the Spring
Sing award in 2019. Ashae has also participated in National Association of Teachers
of Singing competitions, andvancing to regionals. She attended Wingate University
for one year, and studied Vocal Performance under Mrs. Melinda Lein. During her time
at Wingate University she toured around North Carolina with the Advanced Treble Ensemble
in 2019.
At UNCSA, Ashae McCarroll studied with Dr. Marylin Taylor her first year. She is currently studying with Phyllis Pancella, and plans to obtain her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance.
Sarah McDowell
Sarah McDowell is from Advance, North Carolina and is a junior at UNCSA. From a young
age, she always enjoyed singing, whether it be memorizing Disney songs or humming
her own made-up tunes around the house. After her early teen years of trying out piano,
violin and various percussion instruments, she decided that singing was what she wanted
to pursue all along.
Since the age of 11, Sarah has taken advantage of many vocal opportunities, including the Winston-Salem Youth Chorus, a Winston-Salem acapella group organized by Katrina Pfitzner, her middle and high school’s musicals and choruses, and vocal training with Alicia Reid beginning in 2020. Now with her training under Phyllis Pancella, Sarah hopes to further her success in voice and continue with it professionally in the future. Sarah also has been training for Film and TV Acting for almost six years, in addition to being seriously into writing in her free time. She would love to incorporate all three into her career as an artist.
Ruby Moore
Ruby Moore is a third-year undergraduate student at UNCSA. Originally from Texas,
she moved to North Carolina after her freshman year of high school. Her interest in
music began when she taught herself how to yodel at the age of ten. She performed
with the Cowtown Opry in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, TX for three years,
and her interest in singing grew as time went by. She has always loved challenging
her voice, but at 16 she decided she wanted to study voice performance, which eventually
led her to audition for the undergraduate program at UNCSA. Other than studying voice,
Ruby is also very passionate about languages and community outreach. She tutors students
in Elementary Italian I and II, and is currently pursuing a German studies minor.
She is a member of ArtistCorps at UNCSA, and so far her work has included serving
seniors with dementia at the Williams Adult Day Center through interactive music-making
under the instruction of Dr. Allison Gagnon. Ruby has loved her time at UNCSA so far,
especially the time she has spent in Ms. Pancella’s voice studio. She is very grateful
to have the chance to study what she loves, and she is looking forward to learning
more about the voice during the remainder of her time at UNCSA.
Claire Schuyler
Claire Schuyler (she/her) was born and raised in Louisville, KY. She has been studying
classical voice since she was fourteen. She attended the Youth Performing Arts School
and performed in Ensembles within the school, the Louisville Youth Choir for three
years, as well as All-County, Regional and State Choirs for five years.
In Winston-Salem, Claire has been a Choral Scholar at Ardmore Baptist Church, since fall of 2019. She is also part of UNCSA’s Welcome Squad, a School of Music Student Ambassador, as well as the host of Open Mic Night. Claire plays Ukulele, Guitar, and Piano at an intermediate level; studied languages: Spanish, Italian, and German and and hopes to live in Germany and perform in the future. Two artists she admires are Dawn Upshaw and Ann Sofie von Otter. She hopes to continue her studies with a Masters degree or Young artist program.
Evan Smith
Evan Smith is a junior this year at UNCSA. In high school he was the Prince in “Once
Upon a Mattress” and the Pharoah in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat.”
Last year, Evan performed “A Perfect Day” by Carrie Jacobs-Bond in his studio’s recital.
Evan also performed in the Opera Chorus in “La Clemenza Di Tito” and is looking forward
to performing live once again.
D Tausche
D Tausche is a high school senior from Boone, North Carolina. She plays piano and
ukulele, and studied voice with Brenda Boozer before coming to UNCSA.
Carson Weddle
Carson Weddle is a baritone from Raleigh, North Carolina. He began his musical journey
at Millbrook high school where he participated in school musicals and plays. Near
the end of his high school experience he was given the opportunity to participate
in the Triangle Rising Stars competition where he was a finalist for the Best Actor
award and performed at the Durham Performing Arts Center. He has had the privilege
of performing with opera companies such as North Carolina Opera and Piedmont Opera
as well as working with the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute while studying at UNCSA
where he studies with Phyllis Pancella. When things were tough growing up, Carson
would oftentimes find himself turning to music and entertainment for escape. Through
his performing he hopes to be able to provide an escape for those going through anything
similar. Whether that be through tears or laughter, his goal is to be able to make
people feel safe and fulfilled by his work.
Aliyah Wendelbo
Aliyah Wendelbo is a mezzo-soprano from Hillsborough, NC. She began studying with
Phyllis Pancella at UNCSA as a high school senior this year. From a young age, she
was always surrounded with music in her family and Jewish community, which nurtured
her love of all music, singing especially.
Throughout her life, she’s participated in various vocal ensembles and tried out a number of instruments, but classical singing is what stuck with her the most. She’s enjoyed competing in state and regional NATS auditions, being in musicals, show choirs, and musicals in concert, and singing in recitals.
She aims to have a career as a performing opera singer and a voice teacher, and is grateful to have the opportunity to be taught in a conservatory of music while still in high school through UNCSA’s unique program.
Melody Wheeler
Melody Wheeler is a third year undergraduate at UNCSA earning her Bachelor of Music
degree in vocal performance. Melody is from Greensboro, North Carolina and she came
from a very musical family. Although she's been singing since she was a toddler, Melody
really started pursuing music when she began voice training in middle school. While
there and in high school Melody took part in many All County and All State choir performances,
and she also had the opportunity to sing in Disney World with her high school chorus.