Baritone Jason McKinney (Frank Maurant) is originally from Milwaukee. Mr. McKinney studied voice at the North Carolina School of the Arts, with soprano Marilyn Taylor and tenor Glenn Siebert, where he was the recipient of the Helen Odom Scholarship, the Music Dean's Talent Scholarship, and the Chancellor's Grant for Excellence. Jason was the winner of the 2001 and 2002 Civic Music Association of Milwaukee's Harold Levin Scholarship competition and was awarded the Judges Choice award at the 2001 Metropolitan Opera's District Competition. In 2004, Jason won that competition in the South Carolina District and continued on the place second in the Southeastern Regional Finals. Jason has had the opportunity to premier new works by Kenneth Frazelle, Shelley Olson, Daniel Sonnenberg, Chandler Carter and Lawrence Dillon. On the stage, Jason has performed with numerous opera companies in the US and in Europe. As a concert soloist, he has performed to critical acclaim in Europe, Mexico the U.S. and Australia. When not on stage Jason sings as the cantor in his Synagogue in Spartanburg, SC.