Meet Our Team.
Our Team
Founder, Dramatic Soprano
FRANCES FENTON
FRANCES FENTON has sung leading and featured roles with the Zürich Opera, Oper Frankfurt, Houston Grand Opera, and Central City Opera, among others. She has sung as a guest artist with opera companies and orchestras in 26 countries. Miss Fenton has also been televised on four continents and was the first American soprano to perform Schubert’s Die Winterreise with Roger Keele, pianist.
Frances has sung world premieres of works by Richard Hundley, Henry Mollicone, John David Earnest, and European and Asian premieres of works by Philip Glass and John Corigliano. Houston composers whose works she has premiered include Adam Vincent Clay, Shawn Head, Joe Lo Cascio, Allyson Applebaum Wells, and Stephen Yip. These composers have written works specifically for her.
She is a frequently-requested performer for the U.S. State Department, singing concerts in Israel, where she also gave Master Classes at Israel’s newest opera, the Ashdod Chamber Opera. Miss Fenton is, to date, the only American opera singer to be invited as a Master Class technician. Miss Fenton also gives benefit performances as the need arises, sponsored by UNICEF.
Besides a busy performing schedule, Frances teaches at Houston Community College and maintains an active private studio which includes regional and local competition winners, major scholarship winners and popular recording artists. She has also initiated an American Women Composers Annual Concert at HCC and is founder of SOUND LEGACIES (2025).
Frances has been a guest adjudicator for regional NATS competitions, Jugend Musiziert in Germany, Opera Pacific’s Opera Focus Competition, VoCal, and The Professional Opera Singers’ Association (POSA) Competition for Southern California.
Miss Fenton is also the former Director of the Vocal Division of The Arts in Hessen, Germany.
Frances Fenton is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Texas and the University of Houston, and did post-graduate work at the University of North Texas, and the Goethe Universität.
Board Members
Adam Vincent Clay
Adam Vincent Clay is an award-winning pianist, composer, and founder of the Houston New Arts Movement (HNAM), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to reimagining classical music performance through community engagement, original composition, and innovative programming. Under his direction, HNAM has become known for its bold thematic concerts, bridging music with visual art, storytelling, and civic dialogue.
Adam’s own original works are featured prominently in HNAM's programming, including the recent premiere of a large-scale, three-movement art song cycle with soprano Frances Fenton. Other compositional highlights include Nocturne for Cello and Piano, a Piano Trio in D minor, and original variations on Prince’s “I Feel For You,” performed live on Houston Public Media.
He has been featured on KUHA and Skyline Sessions, and regularly collaborates with local organizations such as the Houston Arboretum, West Houston Assistance Ministries, and Ten Thousand Villages. Adam also led a widely attended outdoor performance of Terry Riley’s In C during White Linen Night in the Heights, featuring a collaborative ensemble of musicians, dancers, and visual artists.
Selected for the Artist INC program by FreshArts, Adam has advocated for arts innovation at Houston City Hall and continues to champion access to the performing arts across the region. Also, as principal pianist of HNAM, he has performed music by composers ranging from Beethoven and Rachmaninoff to Piazzolla and Schnittke, alongside the works of emerging Houston-based composers.
Adam earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with distinction at the University of Oklahoma, receiving the Outstanding Undergraduate Piano Student and Gale Boyd Destwolinski awards. Since 2009, he has maintained a thriving teaching studio and remains committed to artistic excellence, education, and community connection.
KATHLEEN MARTIN
Kathleen Martin, Soprano graduated from USC and CSULB with a Masters in Music, won the NATS Young Artist Competition and The San Francisco Opera Auditions (Merola Program) then went on to sing a leading role at Portland Opera. She then moved to Europe where she began a successful career for over 20 years singing leading roles in most of Europe’s major opera houses including Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Copenhagen with many of the world’s top conductors among whom are Daniel Barenboim, Christof Prick, Nicholas Harnoncourt, and Michael Plasson. Ms. Martin had the honor of singing the World Premiere of the French Opera Montsegur in Toulouse and then in Paris with Plasson and then with Barenboim for the Jubilee Celebration of the Salle Pleyel, France’s #1 concert hall. In addition to opera Ms. Martin appeared frequently in concert and oratorio, on TV and Radio throughout France and Germany.
In 1993 she returned to the USA, established a voice studio in Laguna Niguel, CA and in 1997 began teaching at CSULB and Orange Coast College. In addition to her teaching Ms. Martin has been the Director of the NATS Young Artist Auditions, the Laila Conlin High School Vocal Competition sponsored by Opera Pacific, the Opera Focus/Pacific Symphony High School Vocal Competition, the Assistant Director of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Orange County, CA and was the cofounder of the Professional Opera Singer’s Association (POSA) and the Vocal Teachers Association of California (VO-Cal). Ms. Martin’s students have sung with LA Opera, Denver Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Hollywood Bowl, Opera Pacific, Long Beach Opera, Pacific Chorale, Master Chorale, Pacific Symphony, America’s Most Talented Kids, Carnegie Hall, and are 1st Place winners of national and local competitions such as Classical Singer, NATS National, LA Music Center Spotlight Awards, Tomorrow’s Stars at the Center, VOCE, etc. In 2016 they swept the LA Music Center Spotlight Ards Classical Vocal Division winning all three top prizes for the first time in the history of the awards and in 2017, 2021 again the two top prizes.
Her high school graduates win scholarships to the voice departments of such universities/conservatories as The Julliard School, Manhattan School of Music, USC, Rice, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, Boston, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, etc.
Christine Schaffer
Christine Schaffer grew up outside of Washington, DC in a musical family. Her mother was a professional cellist (principle of the Honolulu Symphony ) and her father was a talented amateur pianist. She is a graduate of the Catholic University of America and the University of Houston. Solo performances with orchestra include concerts with the Catholic University Orchestra, the University of Houston Orchestra, the Montgomery County Orchestra (Md), the Brazos Symphony Orchestra (Tx), the National Symphony Orchestra (DC) and The Houston Symphony.
After graduating from the University of Houston, Christine established a private studio in Clear Lake, TX (home of NASA). During these years she was fortunate to be part of The Orpheus Players and Cambiata Soloists. Both groups were very active chamber music groups.Orpheus performed more traditional repertoire such as Brahms, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Strauss, Olivier Messiaen and Samuel Barber. Cambiata concentrate on new music by composers such as George Crumb, Lucas Toss, Steve Reich, John Cage and many Houston composers. Often these performances were Houston or even world premieres.
From 1980-2000 Christine was privileged to play with the Houston Symphony as extra keyboard. Performances of Mahler, Copland, Orff, Lutoslawski and Penderecki plus many others were so much fun to be a part of. In 1986 she joined the faculty of the Houston Community College and retired in 2017. She was Chair of Fine Arts for ten of those years.
Ms. Schaffer and Husband Chester Rowell (master clarinet teacher both privately and at the University of Houston)live south of Houston and care for eight dogs and four old horses - all rescues.
Christine Schaffer serves on the Board of SOUND LEGACIES as Secretary.
GERALD SCHOELZEL
Gerald Schoelzel earned degrees in music from Trinity University and The Manhattan School of Music. After conservatory Gerald performed extensively in Mexico with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa, in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico and In Europe with the Sudwest Deutsche Rundfunk in Konstanz, Germany; the Opera Royal de Wallonie-Liege, Belgium; the Alpes-Cote D'Azure Orchestra in Nice and Cannes, France; and with Musicisti Americani in Rome and Sulmona, Italy.
Significantly, Gerald performed in the United States with Opera Northeast, Musica Sacra, and New York Grand Opera in New York City. Currently, Gerald also performs with several regional orchestras throughout Texas and Louisiana. He is recognized as a master teacher, music arranger, and chamber music performer. Gerald has performed with many tours including Lion King, TransSiberian Orchestra, Richard Clayderman, Tony Bennett, Rod Stuart, Barry White, Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, Ray Price, and musical theater tours. Gerald is also renowned as a chamber music performer and recitalist.
Gerald Schoelzel graduated from the New York Law School with an emphasis in Entertainment Law. He taught Entertainment Law and was the Viola Professor at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio until he retired from that position. He has written contracts for many notable celebrities, contractors, and recording studios, as well as synchronization rights for movies and trademark issues. Most recently, he negotiated some of the synch rights for one of Tommy Lee Jones' movies.
Gerald has formed many not-for-profit organizations, and has served on Boards of Directors for many diverse organizations, both musical and non-musical.
Gerald Schoelzel is also an award winning writer of screenplays and he just completed his first novel which is scheduled for imminent release.