Husband and wife team Carmen Artis & John Hammel have performed in NYC at the Off-Broadway venues the Westbeth Theatre Complex, St. Peters and John Houseman Theatres as well as many other smaller theaters throughout New York City. They have also appeared in numerous operatic and musical productions throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York as well as Pittsburgh and Baltimore, most notably at with the Northeast Lyric Opera, Scranton Opera IV, and New Jersey State Opera companies. Carmen has sung under the batons of maestros Andre Previn and Michael Tilson Thomas with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

John & Carmen have appeared with the New Jersey Pops Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall in N.Y.C., the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, The Cape May Arts Center, The Tropicana in Atlantic City, The Watchung Arts Center, Reese Auditorium in Sparta, Cipriani’s, Danny’s Skylight Room and the Plaza Hotel in N.Y.C., and the Community Theatre Mayo Center of the Arts in Morristown.

Carmen's favorite role of Aldonza in Man of La Mancha was performed on many stages throughout New Jersey.  She is equally at home in both the Broadway musical genre as well as opera.  Carmen was the soprano soloist in the world premiere of composer R. Wayne Walter’s new Mass in D minor. She recently recorded the role of Adromache in Sam Belich’s opera The Trojan Women. Carmen also performs two one woman shows, Sojourner Truth, Ain’t I A Woman and Let Freedom Sing, The Life of Coretta Scott King.

John has also enjoyed a rich career on stages throughout New York City and New Jersey in many musical theater and dramatic productions most notably the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals; Man of La Mancha; Nine; Of Mice and Men; A Man for All Seasons and Amadeus. Most recently he has recorded the lead role of Laius in composer Sam Belich’s opera Laius and Chrysippus. He also was recently engaged at Nevada Opera in the dual role of Aristeus/Pluto in their production of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld ,in the U.S. premiere of an all new English translation. John premiered the role of Laurent in the world premier recording and first performance of R. Wayne Walters one act opera Germaine.  He recently performed the role of Man With A Paint Box/Mr. Owen in Sin City Opera's Production of Postcard From Morocco; King Oeuf in Charbrier’s The Star and Peppe/Arlecchino in Pagliacci.

John is the host of an eclectic music radio program, Mozart to Motorhead, as well as SciQuest, on internet only www.homegrownradionj.org  The programs had previously been heard for over fifteen years, on WNTI, 91.9 F.M. , North New Jersey Public Radio, out of Hackettstown, N.J.