Dana & Sue Talley

Concerts of classical and sacred music throughout the United States and Europe fill the lives of Dana and Sue Talley and their son, Jonathan. These events began in Italy, where they first worked together in parishes, schools, and festivals.  There Dana also studied with the late Mario Del Monaco and was a winner in 8 international vocal  competitions. 

Sue won her first piano competition at the age of eight, and debuted with the Santa Barbara Symphony at the age of sixteen.   A winner of many piano competitions, she holds a Masters of Arts degree in Piano Performance.  She has performed both as a soloist and accompanist throughout Europe and North America, recorded solo and ensemble albums, and been the recipient of a National Opera Institute grant to study opera coaching at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.  

 After being a national winner in the Metropolitan Opera vocal competitions, Dana appeared as a principal tenor with "the Met" in 23 roles and over 250 performances.  Concurrently, he debuted in Carnegie Hall in the title role of "Judas Maccabaeus" and J. S. Bach's "Temistocle", performed in theCarmel Bach Festival, with the Paris Radio Orchestra in the title role of "Mathis der Mahler", and sang with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, and as tenor soloist in Handel's "Messiah", which was aired internationally on PBS.  He also performed with the New York City Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, and with regional companies and symphonies throughout the United States and Canada.  Dana holds a Masters of Music degree from The Juilliard School.

 Dana and Sue are members of the Orthodox Church in America, and present concerts of sacred and classical music in churches of many denominations.  Observing the dedication of many Christian churches in Russia, Dana and Sue felt led to form ties with that country, to let the Russian public school students, soldiers, and parishes know that the Orthodox in America appreciate their faithfulness and are vitally concerned about the Church and the reshaping of Russian society.  Christians who were formerly imprisoned in Russia can greatly inspire Christians in America, and they met many of these brave people.  A cultural exchange with Russia was conceived, and The V. Rev. Fr. Michael Meerson and Dana went with the OCA Liaison to the Patriarch, The V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Hubiak, to the Patriarchal offices to receive permission to proceed, in 1993.  The result was the formation of the organization which Fr. Michael named "Russia for Jesus."  Several trips to Russia have followed, with Fr. Michael  addressing schools and concerts, and Dana and Sue performing and meeting Russian artists, musicians, and Orthodox youth groups.  Jonathan assists as he learns about other cultures.

Because of their experiences in Russia, Dana and Sue were invited to visit Albania by Archbishop ANASTASIOS in June of 1995.  There they toured with Fr. Luke Veronis and his wife, Faith, performing at the Cathedral in Tirana and at churches and schools in five cities.  They visited St. Petersburg and Moscow in September of 1995, participating in the Fr. Men International Conference, performing in in churches and schools, and developing plans to help bring more Russian artists and speakers to the United States. They have continued with their visits to Russia and Albania through June of last year.