Speaker: Isabel Vincent I Entertainer: Mark Janas

SPEAKER: ISABEL VINCENT 

ISABEL VINCENT is an award-winning investigative reporter and author of  seven books. She has spent the last several years combing through  archives in England, Italy, Austria, Germany, Israel and the US to tell  the story of Ida and Louise Cook, two opera fans who befriended some of  the biggest divas and conductors of the 1920s and 1930s. They became  close to Clemens Krauss, Hitler's favorite conductor and the director of  the Munich Opera. It was Krauss who launched them on a secret mission  to save Jewish musicians and opera scholars. The book will be published  this fall by Regnery Publishing.

ENTERTAINER: MARK JANAS

MARK JANAS began his piano studies at age of three, composed a sonatina at 5, and  by high school was conducting the Hammond Area Youth Orchestra. While a  senior at Indiana, he was chosen by Leonard Bernstein to conduct at  festivals in Israel and Austria. He performed all over the United States  as associate conductor for two national tours of Les Misérables, as  well as being Musical Director for the Yale Repertory Theatre,  Hippodrome State Theatre and Arkansas Repertory Theatre. His client list  includes such stars as Len Cariou, Liz Robertson & Kathleen Turner.  He is a Two-Time Bistro Award Winner – one for Outstanding Achievement  as Musical Director and one for creating Salon, a unique, weekly open  mic event. He is an Eight-Time MAC Award Winner – six for being Salon’s  Founder & Artistic Director, one for Best Host and one for Best  Song.