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Andrés Acosta (he/him)
Singer San Diego, CA Praised for his lyric voice, Cuban-American tenor Andres Acosta continues to stand out through his strong vocal presence and magnetic acting. In the 2020-2021 season, Acosta workshops the role of the Pigeon Keeper in Santa Fe Opera's commission of The Pigeon Keeper by David Hanlon and Stephanie Fleischmann, he returns to Houston Grand Opera as Jasper in the world premiere of Snowy Day and as the Fourth Esquire in Parsifal, he makes his role debut as Prince Charmant in Cendrillon with Florentine Opera, and reprises the role of Timothy Laughlin in Fellow Travelers in his debut with Florida Grand Opera. Acosta makes his international debut as Tony in Francesca Zambello's production of West Side Story. In the 2019-2020 season, Acosta made his Ravinia Festival debut in Bernstein's Mass, his Atlanta Opera debut as Alejandro in Frida, reprised the role of Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas in his house debut with Pittsburgh Opera, made his Houston Grand Opera debut as Father Matias in El Milagro del Recuerdo, reprised the role of Timothy Laughlin in Fellow Travelers in his house debut with Madison Opera, and returned to Minnesota Opera and debuted with the Glimmerglass Festival as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. https://www.andresacostatenor.com/ |
Photo credit: Pinehurst Photography
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Tess Altiveros (she/her)
Singer Seattle, WA Hailed by Opera News for "a ripe, sensual lyric soprano", Tess Altiveros’s work has been described as a “tour de force" by the Pioneer Press and “particularly soulful” by the L.A. Times. Known for her versatility, recent credits span repertoire from the 17th century to the 21st, including The Falling and the Rising (Seattle Opera), Le Nozze di Figaro (Kentucky Opera), Die Zauberflote (Pacific Symphony) West Side Story (Boulder Philharmonic & Central City Opera), the West Coast tour of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo under Maestro Stephen Stubbs (Pacific MusicWorks), St Matthew Passion (fully staged with the Colorado Symphony), and the world premiere of Muehleisen’s Borders at Carnegie Hall. Upcoming engagements include L’Elisir d’Amore (Seattle Opera), La Voix Humaine (Opera on the James), Sourdough, Rise Up (Resonance Works), Mozart C Minor Mass (Seattle Pro Musica), and Rodas Recordada (Music of Remembrance). A native Seattleite, Ms. Altiveros has been a regular anthem singer for the Seattle Mariners for over a decade. www.tessaltiveros.com |
Photo credit: Dario Acosta
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Diana Amati (she/her)
Composer, Singer, Voice Teacher Opera Culture News & Magazine New York, New York Diana Amati's remarkable life resembles that of an opera itself. She has a unique Cinderella story- from being abandoned as an orphan to becoming a world-class opera singer and composer, traveling and using her voice and gifts to inspire and give hope to others. Diana celebrates being a woman of color in opera, being mixed and proud of her West African and Latina heritage. Diana grew up singing spirituals and gospel music in church and started her formal training when she was adopted by her parents and they discovered her gifts in music. Following in the old Italian tradition of belcanto training, she studied privately and intensively with some of the world's greatest voice teachers and coaches of our time, including Italy's most beloved vocal coach, Enza Ferrari (who also taught Maria Callas), and Maestro Alberto Zedda, who urged Diana to pursue a professional operatic career and was pivotal in her decision. Her most notable roles have been Beatrice in Bellini's 'Beatrice di Tenda,' Stefanina in Donizetti's 'Il giovedì grasso,' and Lucia in Donizetti's 'Lucia di Lammermoor.' As a composer, Diana frequently gives recitals in churches and is creating an album of some of the most beloved negro spirituals and hymns for piano and voice, including a few of her own original spirituals. She is also the Founder of Opera Culture Magazine- which was specifically created to highlight and promote women of color in opera and to help them attain greater visibility and advancement in their professional careers. www.dianaamati.com |
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L. Wayne Ashley (he/him)
Administrator (Communications, Digital Media, Content Creator), Singer, Voice Teacher Houston, TX L. Wayne Ashley, tenor, is a versatile artist known for his charismatic vocal tone and appreciation for many genres. A native of Arkansas, Wayne was raised in a stellar musical environment surrounded by Gospel, Delta Blues, Zydeco and RnB musicians, many within his own family. A graduate of Henderson State University and the University of Houston, Wayne has previously sang in the choir of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church- Houston, was a founding member of the Cloudburst Vocal Jazz Quartet, and soloist / collaborator with celebrated organizations like the Apollo Chamber Players and Houston Ebony Opera Guild. As a music educator, Wayne previously served on the faculty of Texas Southern University and maintains a private voice studio with some of Houston's brightest up and coming young artists. Wayne has been a proud member of the internationally-acclaimed Houston Chamber Choir since 2008, and can be heard on the 2020 Grammy® Award winning album Duruflé: Complete Choral Works. https://www.linkedin.com/in/l-wayne-ashley-68634252/ |
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Biraj Barkakaty (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher Washington DC Performance highlights include Oberon with the Aspen Music Festival, 3rd Israelite in Esther with Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, Xerse in Cavalli’s Xerse with Ensemble OrQuesta, and Kenny Stiller in Keepers of the Light at the Nahant Music Festival. Recent engagements include Hercules in The Choice of Hercules with Collegium Musicuum Riga in Latvia, Fidele in Diary of a Madman with Seattle’s LowBrow Opera Collective, and C3: Countertenors, Consort and Continuo with the Gotham Early Music Scene in NYC. Other recent projects include Fakir in The Secret Garden in Ohio, Adnan in A Silver Spoon at the Beaumaris Festival and Ottone in The Coronation of Poppea with Capitol Opera Richmond. Last summer engagements included Vasu in Ganga at the National Opera Studio, Angel Two in Loyola with El Parnaso Hyspano at the Grimeborn Festival in London, Third Calavera in Frida with the Northern Opera Group and a return to Grimeborn as Bell-Nicholas in the world premiere of Brontë The Opera. Biraj was an Alto Lay Clerk at St.George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle for four years and a staff Alto with the Washington National Cathedral Choir from 2016-21.This May he will make his debut with the Royal Opera House Create and Sing Program performing excerpts from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. www.birajbarkakaty.com |
Photo credit: Gabriel Daniel Gastelum
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Vanessa Becerra (she/her)
Singer New York, NY Peruvian & Mexican-American soprano Vanessa Becerra has been praised for her “bold and bright” singing (Opera News), “full, beautifully focused” instrument (Wall Street Journal), and “charismatic and eloquent” presence (San Francisco Chronicle) on stages across America. Vanessa recently made her Kennedy Center debut as Zerlina in Washington National Opera's Don Giovanni as well as her debut with Houston Grand Opera in the world premiere of El Milagro del Recuerdo as La mujer. Receiving respective accolades for her "crystal-clear” and “luminous voice" she is an alumna of the prestigious LA Opera Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program where she performed Barbarina, Papagena, Annina, and Gossip 2 in the GRAMMY Award-winning recording of The Ghosts of Versailles. Since leaving the program she has performed with Atlanta Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Omaha, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera San Jose, Opera Delaware/Baltimore Concert Opera, and joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera for their 2018-2019 season covering Papagena and Brigitte in Iolanta. Vanessa enjoys a long relationship with the Glimmerglass Festival where she has portrayed Pamina in The Magic Flute, Musetta in La bohème, Laurey in Oklahoma! and Maria in West Side Story. She is scheduled to perform Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Virginia Opera and return to her signature role of Maria in West Side Story with Opera San Jose in spring 2021. Ms. Becerra has performed with renowned orchestras such as the LA Phil, San Francisco Symphony, and recently made her international debut singing with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra in Cēsis, Latvia. Vanessa is passionate about volunteer service and has built a network of serving those in need in Houston, Silver Spring, New York City, Los Angeles, and her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. www.vanessabecerra.com |
Photo by Lorenzo Marez
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Evan Blaché (they/them)
Composer, Singer, Voice Teacher San Marcos, Texas Evan Blaché is a choral composer and choral singer based out of San Marcos, Texas. Never known to mince words, Evan has composed a lot of work combining the classical style with topics of social justice. Evan studied music at Austin Community College. While there, they were a part of the Austin Community College Chamber choir and was a part of the Texas Two Year All-State Choir for three years as the bass two section leader. They are currently in their undergraduate program at Texas State University for their B.M in Music Studies and Composition while singing in the Texas State University Chorale under the direction of Joey Martin and studying composition with Dr. Jack Wilds. While at Texas State, Evan has been commissioned by various groups, including Conspirare, led by Craig Hella Johnson and Vocem Cordis, led by Texas State Graduates, Nathan Thompson & Christian Clow. Evan currently sings in the groups, Tinsel Singers, Inversion Ensemble, and is an Insight Fellow in Conspirare. evanblache.com |
Photo credit: Pin Lim
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Jessica Blau (she/her)
Singer Houston, TX Mezzo-soprano Jessica Blau is a multi-faceted performer working to break boundaries and create dynamic changes in the classical music world by synthesizing music, dance, and visual art. Her production Sojourns on the Silk Road combines French and Spanish art song centered on themes of Orientalism and identity with orientalist paintings, flamenco dance, guitar, voice, and piano. Most recently, she performed as a writer and vocalist with Intersection Arts’ "The Women Have Something To Say", presented by The Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America series. On the operatic stage, she has performed the title roles in La Llorona and Carmen, Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Nicklausse (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti), and Meg (Little Women), to name a few. She has worked professionally and as a young artist with companies such as Florentine Opera, Opera in the Heights, Opera Cultura, Portland Opera To Go, Opera in the Ozarks, and Castleton Festival. Jessica is passionate about Spanish, Spanish-language, Latinx, and their respective diasporic repertoires, stemming from her time living abroad in Oaxaca and Seville, as well as her undergraduate studies where she earned a B.A. in Art History and Latin American & Iberian Studies from Bard College. In addition to classical singing, she has been dancing flamenco for nearly twenty years and continues to bring the two genres together in different ways. Moving forward, Jessica hopes to create more opportunities for classical music to evolve and to be performed in underserved communities. https://www.jessicablaumezzo.com/ |
Photo Credit: Alyssa Fisher Photography
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Eric Botto (he/him)
Singer, Carpenter, Set Construction Houston, TX Mexican-American tenor Eric Botto is best known for his vocal and dramatic versatility onstage, thriving as Rodolfo (La bohème); Gennaro (Lucrezia Borgia); Alfredo (La traviata); Roméo (Roméo et Juliette); and Nadir (Les pêcheurs de perles). Possessing equal passion for contemporary works as he does for classics, Eric has performed excerpts of music by Daniel Catán, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie, and Gregory Spears, and recently experienced his first contemporary workshop with the University of Colorado’s New Opera Workshop program (CU NOW). This unique program allowed Eric to shape the role of IRS Agent Cordero directly with Tom Cipullo in his newest opera project: The Calling (working title). Eric experienced two summers as a young artist with Chautauqua Opera which included role debuts as Spoletta in Tosca, Andrew Johnson in The Mother of Us All, scenes from She Loves Me and West Side Story, and participation in a masterclass with world-renowned mezzo-soprano Susan Graham. In the summer of 2020, Eric appeared as a featured soloist in the world premiere of In Our Silence, an a capella song cycle composed by Frances Pollock and text by Jerre Dye which focused on each of Chautauqua Opera’s artists and their experiences during their respective COVID-19 isolation. Eric has received accolades from various competitions in recent years, including 2nd place in Lyra New York’s Vocal Competition, a Career Advancement Award from Pikes Peak Opera League, was a finalist the Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges Grant Awards, and was a finalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition. www.ericbotto.com |
Photo credit: Joshua Shipley
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John Bronston (he/him)
Chorus Master, Coach/Accompanist/Collaborative Pianist, Composer, Conductor/Music Director, Singer, Voice Teacher New York, NY John Bronston currently serves as the Musical Director and Conductor of Bounce: The Basketball Opera (Ardea Arts NYC) and previous opera credits include Amahl and the Night Visitors and Trouble In Tahiti. He served as the musical director for the National Tour of Hair and recently served as the associate conductor for the touring productions of Ain’t Misbehavin and Smokey Joe’s Café. Favorite regional credits include The Color Purple, The Wiz, Legally Blonde, and Heathers. New York credits include work with NYMF (New York Musical Theatre Festival), MTF (Musical Theatre Factory), The Women’s Project, The Workshop Theatre, and The New York Theatre Barn and he has served as a pianist and musical director in cabarets and piano bars including Brandy’s, Don’t Tell Mama, and the Duplex. In addition he is a teaching artist for Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) and Stagedoor Manor and has had his work as a composer of musicals and incidental scores produced Off-Broadway and Regionally. www.johnbronston.com |
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Patricia Caicedo (she/her)
Composer, Singer, Voice Teacher Barcelona, Spain Recognized as the voice of the Iberian and Latin American art song and often described as its ambassador, the soprano and musicologist Patricia Caicedo is one of the leading interpreters and researchers of this repertoire. She is an avid performer of these works, having performed around the world in addition to founding and directing the Barcelona Festival of Song, which focuses on the study of the history & performance of Latin American and Iberian art song. Patricia is a true artist-scholar who combines research and performance, enriching each other. She has recorded eleven CDs with art songs in Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, and Indigenous languages. Www.patriciacaicedo.com |
Photo: C.A.V.E. Studio
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Walteria Caldwell (she/her)
Singer, Stage Director, Voice Teacher, Executive Director - Diversitá Opera Arts Company Dallas, Texas Walteria Caldwell is a professionally trained mezzo-soprano, pianist, and music educator who tours around the country and abroad. She is also the Executive Director of Diversitá Opera Arts Company, a non profit organization that provides a diverse cast of performers through opera/classical music on stage along with artistic shows throughout the United States. They also provide music education to schools, scholarships to deserving students, and performance opportunities for the youth. In the field of opera, Walteria has been in several productions as the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors as well as both Hansel and the Gingerbread Witch from Hansel & Gretel. In Bizet's opera Carmen, Walteria has performed Carmen in concert and Mercedes on stage. From Verdi's repertoire, Walteria has sung Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera, Quickly and Meg Page from Falstaff, Azucena in scenes from Il trovatore, and Amneris from Aida in concert. In newly composed work, she debuted the role of Sylvia in the opera Wading Home (composed by Mary Alice Rich which is based on the successful novel by Rosalyn Story), and performed as the Juggler/Opera Singer in Sid the Serpent Who Wanted to Sing by Malcolm Fox. She has also performed additional roles along with working as a concert soloist with various choirs/orchestras for oratorio works such as The Messiah and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor. www.diversitaopera.org |
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Juan Cantú (he/him)
Composer, Conductor/Music Director, Librettist, Singer, Stage Director, Choreographer - Dance Orlando, Florida Juan Cantú works as a director, actor and singer. He has directed at Universal Studios Japan, Walt Disney World, Viking Cruise Lines, Sea World, Busch Gardens, the Orlando Fringe Festival and Mad Cow Theatre (Avenue Q, Ain't Misbehavin'). Juan performed in “Tarzan Rocks!” and “Finding Nemo the Musical” at Walt Disney World. Juan has recorded vocals for Disney, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean as well as various television jingles. In Las Vegas, he was in “Starlight Express,” and various other shows. He was on the creative team that brought the musical adaptation, “El Wiz” to Central Florida. https://www.linkedin.com/in/juancantu/ |
Photo Credit: Sandy Ramirez
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Celia Castro (she/her)
Dramaturg, Singer, Voice Teacher I am a spinto soprano and voice teacher. Among the roles I've sung in regional companies are Aida, Norma, Donna Anna, Violetta, Suor Angelica and many opera concerts. I've also sung many concerts of Latin American art songs. I have sung with North South Consonance and PAMAR - music of Mexican, PR, Dominican, South American composers. As part of my Masters at Teachers College Columbia University, I am planning a concert of art songs and arias by underrepresented composers. I enjoy bringing new music to life and interpreting new works. In my voice studio, I love developing and training voices. It is very satisfying to help others grow and thrive. www.ladolcediva.com |
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Wei En Chan (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher Cambridge, MA Wei En Chan is a Singaporean countertenor whose singing is lauded for its “time-stopping” beauty and technical finesse. He leads an active career in Asia and North America performing the major works of Bach and Handel. Wei En has appeared in leading roles with numerous organizations including the Singapore International Festival of Art (SIFA), The Opera People (TOP, Singapore), Bachfest Malaysia, Red Dot Baroque (RDB), First Lutheran Church of Boston, Boston Opera Collaborative, the NEC Philharmonia and Concert Choir, the American Bach Soloists, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and others. Highlights include the title role in Handel’s Oreste with SIFA, conducted by Tian Hui Ng, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Bachfest Malaysia, conducted by Dr. David Chin, and Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina with TOP & RDB. Wei En has had the privilege of performing a wide variety of music beyond his work with the standard repertoire. He has premiered many contemporary works and gave the Boston premieres of Stephan Weisman’s The Scarlet Ibis as Doodle, Ligeti’s virtuosic Nouvelle Aventures, conducted by Efstratios Minakakis, and workshopped Pulitzer Prize winner, Cerise Jacob’s videogame opera, Permadeath. Wei En has garnered awards at numerous international competitions and was nominated for the “Best Solo Performer – Vocal” at the 17th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards. Wei En earned his Master’s degree in Voice Performance from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Dr. Ian Howell, and his Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from Ithaca College, where he studied with Professor Carol McAmis. www.weienchancountertenor.com |
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Claudia Chapa (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Austin, TX Mexican Claudia Chapa made her HGO debut as Josefina in the world premiere of El Milagro del Recuerdo. Other highlights include recording Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Philharmonic at the famed Abbey Roads Studios, a return to Alabama Symphony as featured soloist in El amor brujo (de Falla) and Neruda Songs (Lieberson), and Fenena (Nabucco) with West Bay Opera. Notable engagements include Azucena (Il trovatore) with St. Petersburg Opera Company, Winter Opera St. Louis, and Opera in Williamsburg; Ortrud (Lohengrin) and Hedwige (William Tell) with Opera Southwest; Mary (The Flying Dutchman) and Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos) with Austin Opera; Fairy Godmother in Alma Deutscher’s Cinderella with Opera San Jose; Berta (Il barbiere di Sivigilia) with San Antonio Opera; Zita (Gianni Schicchi) and Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica) with St. Petersburg Opera; Zita (Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost) with Opera Delaware and Baltimore Concert Opera; Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) with Charlottesville Opera; Ulrica (Un ballo in maschera), Madame Flora (The Medium), Dame Quickly (Falstaff), and The Witch (Hänsel und Gretel) with Opera in the Heights; Marthe (Faust) with Indianapolis Opera; Third Lady (Die Zauberflӧte) with The Glimmerglass Festival and Austin Lyric Opera. Claudia most recently heard as mezzo soloist for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Verdi’s Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah with DCINY at Carnegie Hall. She’s also performed Bruckner’s Te Deum and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in addition to the aforementioned oratorios with Alabama Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony, Austin Symphony, Florida Orchestra, and Evansville Philharmonic. |
Photo by Roberto Westbrook
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Faye Chiao (she/her)
Composer, Conductor/Music Director, Singer New York, NY Faye Chiao is a composer and performer of opera, concert music, and musical theater. Chiao has been honored with awards from The Presser Foundation, The Puffin Foundation and OPERA America. Chiao has also been an artist-in-residence at New Victory Labworks, The John Duffy Institute for New Opera at the Virginia Arts Festival, and Boston Chamber Symphony. Chiao’s work has been commissioned by Houston Grand Opera, Prospect Theater, Single Carrot Theater, and Pittsburgh Festival Opera. Chiao holds degrees from The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. www.fayechiao.com |
Michael Roud Photography
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Kristen Choi (she/her)
Singer Torrance, CA Mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi has been hailed by Opera News as a “powerhouse in the making” for her portrayal of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. Her 2019-2020 bookings include two house debuts in this signature role, with performances at Opera Omaha and Opera Philadelphia (COVID19) in their upcoming productions of Puccini’s masterpiece. Recent engagements also included a role and house debut with Opera Maine as the Third Lady in Mozart's The Magic Flute, as well as creating the title role in a brand new production of Murasaki's Moon, a completely new work in partnership with Onsite Opera and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the fall of 2020, Ms. Choi was slated to make her Michigan Opera Theater debut reprising Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, makes her Opera Omaha debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, and in a future season, Ms. Choi will make her Dallas Opera debut. Ms. Choi also made her national tour debut in Lincoln Center's production of The King and I as the first understudy of Lady Thiang. Highlights of the 2017-2018 season included her Kennedy Center debut where she made a lauded reprisal of her signature role in Jun Kaneko's production of Madame Butterfly at Washington National Opera. It also featured her first foray into the European market, where she performed Paquette in Bernstein's Candide with the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse and the Opéra National de Bordeaux. www.kristenchoi.com |
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Savanna Cole (she/her)
Dramaturg, Singer, Stage Director New York, NY Savanna (she/her) is a passionate educator using language as a means of opening access to the communities she serves. Graduating in 2020 from The University of Texas at Austin with a BA in Theatre, she has worked with a wide range of ages from infancy to high school. Her work focuses on emotional rejuvenation, autonomy, gratitude, and holistic integration. https://www.linkedin.com/in/savanna-cole/ |
Photo Credit: Gloria Mendez, @glomoproductions
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Linda M Collazo (she/her)
Singer Bronx, NY Hailed as having a voice that is “elastic and luxurious” (Ars Raving Mad), Bronx native Mezzo-Soprano Linda Collazo, has performed at Carnegie Hall and the United Palace Theater. Her roles include Vera Boronel in The Consul with Encompass New Opera Theater, Orlofsky (cover) in Die Fledermaus and Meg Page (cover) in Falstaff with Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance, Mary Magdalene from Grullon’s El Caminante de Nazaret with the Mimesis Ensemble, Solo Handmaiden in Turandot with Sarasota Opera, Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Cherubino and Dorabella (cover) in Le Nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte, La Cesca and Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and Hansel in Hansel & Gretel with the NYLO theater. Her concert work includes Yarmolinsky’s The Constitution with the Vertical Player Repertory Theater, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Bernsteins’ Jeremiah Symphony and Songfest, and Vivaldi’s Gloria. Linda is also the winner of the Woodmere and Bronx Arts Ensemble Young Artist Competitions, and was the recipient of an encouragement award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Her future engagements include performing as a soloist with the Vertical Player Repertory Theater and the Metropolitan Opera Guild. In her spare time, Linda enjoys teaching and holds a teaching artist position at the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan. Linda also teaches privately online in her home in the Bronx. www.lindacollazo.com |
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Catalina Cuervo (she/her)
Singer Miami, FL Known as the "Fiery Soprano", Colombian-American singer Catalina Cuervo holds the distinction of having performed the most productions of Piazzolla's Maria de Buenos Aires in the world, in the history of the opera. Ms. Cuervo has performed the role of “Maria” over 50 times and for numerous prestigious companies including New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Cincinnati Opera and Anchorage Opera to name a few. Ms. Cuervo made her debut as Frida Kahlo in the revival of the opera Frida with Michigan Opera Theater in 2015 and then she performed the role with Cincinnati Opera (2017), Florida Grand Opera and Atlanta Opera (2019). Those productions ended with all sold-out shows and triumphant reviews, one even calling Frida best Opera of the 2015 season. Frida will be presented next at Long Beach Opera and Portland Opera. As a consequence, Catalina was named one of the 5 most successful Colombian Sopranos in the Opera World by the Ministry of Culture of Colombia. Catalina Cuervo has a prolific symphonic career as well. She recently debuted at Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, Brazil; singing Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo and The Three Cornered Hat. She has also performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philarmonic, The Atlanta Symphony, San Louis Symphony and Filarmonica de Medellin, to name a few. Besides singing Opera, Catalina Cuervo is one of the leading voices of Symphonic Rock/Metal Music in Colombia, a model and dancer. www.catalinacuervo.com |
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Camryn Dewar (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Montclair, NJ I'm Camryn Dewar, with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Manitoba. My Métis heritage shapes my dedication to modern and Indigenous composers, recognized through awards like the Modern Métis Woman Scholarship and an Association of Opera in Canada Fellowship. I explore various genres, from opera to jazz, with notable performances at the Roots and Branches Virtuosi Concerts and as a lead cover in Manitoba Opera's ""Li Keur: Riel's Heart of the North."" My participation in the Living Music Concert at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights highlighted my commitment to impactful musical narratives. A highlight of my work includes ""Beneath the Azure Sky"" at the Agassiz Chamber Music Festival alongside Paul Williamson. My operatic roles span ""The Beautiful Bridegroom,"" ""Suor Angelica,"" ""La Cenerentola,"" and ""The Consul."" Currently, I'm with Peak Performance in New Jersey, covering Nancy Smith in ""Blind Injustice"" and learning from Ted Sperling and Scott Davenport Richards. Pursuing a Master of Music in Performance at Montclair State University under Barbara Dever, my ultimate goal is to write and tell the stories of Indigenous women through song and opera, weaving their narratives into the fabric of musical artistry. This mission drives my journey, aiming to transform and enrich the music world with these important stories. camryndewar.com |
Photo credit: Emilio Emm Photo
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Samuel James Dewese (he/him)
Singer Chicago, IL Baritone Samuel James Dewese is forging a path as an evocative artist in the US and beyond. Recent operatic engagements include Marcello/La Boheme, Father/Hansel and Gretel, and Astrophel/The Arcadians, while oratorio and concert performances have seen Samuel featured as a soloist alongside the Portsmouth Festival Orchestra, Highgate Choral Society, and Illinois Wind Symphony, among others. Samuel has found success in the creation and performance of new works, including the title role in the world premiere of John Henry/McCarthy with Tête à Tête in London and The Perfect Opera/Davis with Virtually Opera at the Edinburgh International Fringe, where he was also presented in recital. In competition, Samuel has twice been named a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (St. Louis), captured second prize in the James Toland International Competition, and was a grand finalist in the Hariclea Darclée Competition. Samuel is an alumnus of the Royal College of Music, London and the Florentine Opera Baumgartner Studio Artist Program. www.samueljamesdewese.com |
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Cecilia Duarte (she/her)
Singer Houston, TX Soloist in the Grammy Award Winning album Duruflé: The Complete Choral Works. Cecilia excels in a variety of styles. Her career encompasses Early Music, contemporary opera, oratorio, and Latin American Repertoire. She created the role of Renata in the first mariachi opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, and later on, its prequel, El Milagro del Recuerdo with Houston Grand Opera. www.ceciliaduartemezzosoprano.com |
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Deantha Edmunds (she/her)
Composer, Librettist, Singer, Voice Teacher St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada Canada’s first and only Inuk professional classical singer, Deantha Edmunds is a two-time Dora Award Nominated performer and is much in demand as a singer, actor, and collaborator in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous projects. She is also a member of the Canadian Opera Company’s Circle of Artists. Edmunds was nominated for the East Coast Music Award ‘Indigenous Artist of the Year’ in 2020 for her solo EP, “My Beautiful Home,” and in 2016 for the album “Pillorikput Inuit: Inuktitut Arias for All Seasons.” 2019 performances included the world premieres of Indigenous operas “Shanawdithit” with Tapestry Opera/Opera on the Avalon, and the Cree and Sámi double-bill “Two Odysseys” with Soundstreams/Signal Theatre/Sámi National Theatre Beaivváš. Edmunds was the soloist representing the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Against the Grain Theatre’s national film “Messiah/Complex,” accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The project received international acclaim. Most recently, Edmunds was one of the artists featured in Perchance Theatre’s video series ‘The Power of One.’ It is a video series capturing monologues from every Shakespeare play in the Canon. Edmunds performed a monologue by Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part II. An urban Inuk, Edmunds aims to empower Indigenous people and share their stories. She explores and embraces her Indigeneity through poetry and song. Upcoming projects include recording her collection of songs, “Connections” with string quartet. Edmunds is currently writing the libretto for her opera, “Ingutak” which will be the first opera sung in English and Inuktitut. www.deantha.ca |
Photo by James Reynolds
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Andrew Chukwuka Egbuchiem (he/him)
Singer Brooklyn, New York Mr. Andrew Chukwuka Egbuchiem came into limelight as an artist in residence for the Singers of United Land Project between December 2013 and June 2014 touring through the east half of the United States, Kenya, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Poland, and Latvia. Andrew made his opera debut with the Brooklyn Opera Works in 2016 under the tutelage of Lina Tetriani performing as the Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and participated in the Amherst Early Music Festival’s Erismena by Cavalli in 2017. Andrew was in the Chicago Summer Opera’s production of Handel’s opera Silla (as Silla) in 2021 and performances was as a soloist in The Constitution (Orchestra performance), a secular oratorio by Benjamin Yarmolinksy in 2022 in New York. Andrew was a regular soloist with the Brooklyn Philharmonia Chorus in New York from 2018 to 2022. Amongst Andrew awards is a third prize at the New York Classical Music Artists International Voice Competition 2019. Mr. Egbuchiem has been more focused on recitals since 2021. https://andrewegbuchiem.com/index.html |
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Courtney Elvira (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher, Actor St. Petersburg, FL Courtney Elvira is a Mexican-American, mezzo-soprano with her hometown roots in St. Petersburg, FL. During the 2019-2020 season, Courtney made appearances with Dayton Opera, performing Kate in their production of The Pirates of Penzance; Hansel, in Hansel and Gretel, for Brava! Opera Theater; joined Opera Ithaca, in April, for a double-bill performance as Melissa in La liberazione di Ruggiero by Francesca Caccini and Ada Lovelace in the commissioned work The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace by Kamala Sankaram; participated as a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, covering Virtú and Familiari 1 in The Liberation of Poppea. Courtney plans to join Angels Vocal Arts in Summer 2021, performing the Mother in the mainstage production of The Consul. Her awards and honors include winning the West Tennessee District (2020) and Connecticut District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2018), an Encouragement Award from the Iowa District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2016). She was also a Finalist in the Butler Opera International Vocal Competition (2019) and a NYIOP/ Premier Competition Semi-finalist (2019). In 2021, Courtney will perform as a finalist for the Art Song Preservation Society New York Mary Trueman Competition. Ms. Elvira also maintains a budding commercial and film career. She continues to create formal content on her own. She was recently featured in an HSN commercial for Carol’s Daughter Hair Care and an Ecobee Thermostat commercial this past January. She has also booked to independent shorts to be released this year! www.courtneyelvira.com |
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Renee Fajardo (she/her)
Producing Intern - Against the Grain Theatre, Producer, Singer Toronto, Ontario, Canada Born and raised in Manila, Filipino Mezzo-soprano Renee Fajardo has performed on both the opera stage and as a solo recitalist in the Philippines, the UK, Europe and Canada. Winner of the Metcalf Performing Arts Grant, Renee is thrilled to join Against the Grain Theatre this season as Producing Intern. In this new role, she will further her commitment to building a more equitable, diverse and justice-facing industry for all historically-underrepresented identities in opera. Equally passionate about performance and off-stage creative practice, Renee sings with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, and is a mentor and provincial coordinator for Opera InReach where she co-develops supplementary opera curriculum materials for highschool students through the lens of equity, diversity and inclusivity. She also volunteers as an Institutional Giving intern with Boulanger Initiative, working on funding opportunities to support and advocate for works composed by women and marginalized gender composers. As a settler of Filipino heritage, she is grateful to be currently based in T’karonto (Toronto), the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples; currently home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Renee recently completed her Masters in Opera Performance from the University of Toronto, and holds a first-class Bachelor of Music degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. |
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Robert Ellsworth Feng (he/him)
Librettist, Singer, Voice Actor New York, NY Hailed by Opera News as "a booming, well-crafted bass," Robert Ellsworth Feng is a born collaborator who creates powerful performances. Robert is the recipient of the Seagle Festival Guild Scholarship, the George Woodhead Prize in Voice, the Peabody Career Development Award, the Special Prize in the Ise-Shima International Singing Competition; and placed second in the New York Classical Music Society International Voice Competition, third in the Lyra Mozart International Voice Competition, and third in the Opera for Earth Vocal Competition. Performance highlights include Madama Butterfly (Bonze/Prince Yamadori), The Mikado (Ko-Ko) and Radamès (Aïda Outreach - rewritten for bass) with Hawaii Opera Theatre, Anna Bolena (Rochefort) with dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, Don Giovanni (Il Commendatore) with Opera on the Rocks, Les pêcheurs de perles (Nourabad) and Don Giovanni (Il Commendatore) with /Kor/ Productions, Madama Butterfly (Il Commissario Imperiale) with Opera West, Tobias Picker’s Emmeline (Pastor Avery), La traviata (Dottore Grenvil) and Les pêcheurs de perles (Nourabad) with Manhattan School of Music, Die Zauberflöte (Sarastro) and Le nozze di Figaro (Bartolo) with Manhattan Opera Studio, La favorite (Balthazar) with NY Opera Forum, Prince Igor (Khan Konchak) with Russian Opera Workshop, Le nozze di Figaro (Bartolo) with Berlin Opera Academy, and Massenet’s Chérubin (Le Philosophe) and Le nozze di Figaro (Antonio) with Peabody Conservatory. Not limited to performing standard repertoire, Mr. Feng has created the role of Rev.Joseph Twitchell in Robert Carl's ‘Harmony’ with the Seagle Festival. Robert has also performed in the U.S. premiere of Elizabeth Raum's 'The Garden of Alice' with City Lyric Opera as the Mad Hatter/Frog Footman/Card #7 and has premiered works by composers including Tony Small, Nicholas Bentz, Nathan Felix, Faye-Ellen Silvermann, and Felix Jarrar. Robert received his Bachelor’s degree at Peabody Conservatory, his Master's degree at Manhattan School of Music, and is an alumni of Seagle Festival. Robert will join Hawaii Opera Theatre for their 2022-23 season as a resident artist and will enter his second year as a member of the Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio. https://www.robertfeng.com/ |
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Sabin Fisher (they/theirs)
Chorus Master, Coach/Accompanist/Collaborative Pianist, Composer, Conductor/Music Director, Singer, Voice Teacher State College, Pennsylvania Sabin Fisher is a solo artist and composer from small-town Pennsylvania. They have a B.S.Ed in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, with an emphasis in vocal pedagogy and piano. Their main compositional styles consist of contemporary solo piano, mellow pop, musical theatre ballads, and choral music. They have a background in vocal coaching, collaborative piano, and music directing at the high school, collegiate, and regional levels. Their dream is to both write a musical and music direct a musical on a large scale! https://btfy22.wixsite.com/website |
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Sandra Flores-Strand (she/her)
Librettist, Singer Phoenix, Arizona Sandra Flores-Strand, Librettist and Mezzo-Soprano, is based in the US and Canada. Sandra feels compelled to often write with a focus on marginalized communities, particularly Latin American representation on stage, including the ongoing migrant crisis, a subject that hits close to home. Sandra’s mini song cycle, Speak, But Don’t Speak: Diminished Women, premiered in March 2021 at the Arizona Women’s Collaborative Concert set by Emily Smith and Lillian Salter. Sandra is also currently collaborating with composer Laura Jobin-Acosta, a recipient of the Opera America IDEA Residency, for a piece that will have its premiere workshop at Opera America in Fall 2021. Her one act opera The Beneficiary, composed by Charles Zoll and her song cycle, Come Again: Poems Based on Recurring Dreams, composed by William Clay, are scheduled to premiere in 2022. As a singer, Sandra has performed with Phoenix Opera, Mercury Opera, Arizona Voices, Voices of Vienna, the Phoenix Opera Orchestra, Brott Opera Festival, Flagstaff Light Opera, Lambs Players Theater, Lyric Opera San Diego and more. She participated in apprentice programs with Red River Lyric Opera, the Harrower Opera Workshop, Angel's Vocal Arts, Flagstaff in Fidenza and the Royal College of Music - London. As a theater technician, she worked with Lambs Players Theater, the Old Globe Theater San Diego, the Lyceum Theater, the Balboa Theater, the Asian American Repertory Theater, and Starlight Opera. Sandra also holds directing credits with NAU Opera under the mentorship of Kay Walker Castaldo and Nando Schellen. www.sandrafloresstrand.com |
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Damien Geter (he/him)
Composer, Singer, Voice Teacher, Artistic Advisor for Portland Opera I made my Met debut in the 2019-2020 season and I sing at large and regional houses across the United States. As a composer, I have several commissions under my belt including The Washington Chorus, The University of Michigan, Washington National Opera as a part of their American Opera Initiative, All Classical Portland and Resonance Ensemble, among others. www.damiengeter.com www.damiengetermusic.com |
Photo credit: Michelle Yan
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Mary Rose Go (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Rahway, NJ Coloratura soprano Mary Rose Go most recently performed as Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with Opera on Tap’s Playground Opera at PS 129 in Harlem. Other roles include 17th century diva La Rochois in La Maupin with Fresh Fruit Festival, Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), Amor (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Despina (Cosi fan tutte), Nella (Gianni Schicchi), Suor Genovieffa (Suor Angelica), Rosina (The Barber of Seville). Ms. Go has participated in OperaWorks, Bay Area Summer Opera Training Institute at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the UCSB Opera Workshop, the Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival, and the Pasadena City College Opera Workshop. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Honolulu. Ms. Go received her Bachelor of Arts in Asian American Studies from Scripps College, with a minor in music and her Master of Music in Voice from UC Santa Barbara. She also sings jazz and musical theater, and is interested in experimental theater, transformative justice, and permaculture. maryrosego.com |
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Camron Gray (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher Nashville, TN My name is Camron Gray, I am a tenor currently finishing my artist diploma at the University of Michigan. I completed my Masters there in the year 2018. Since then I’ve been in production such as Porgy and Bess, La Traviata, Candide and others. Last summer I was privileged to attend the Glimmerglass Festival where I was in the world premiere of Blue and when I’m not in class or on stage, I am also a linguist and love coaching diction or teaching voice lessons. I have taught for about 10 years from children through adults in multiple genres with a foundation in classical/operatic singing. CamronGrayTenor.com |
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Aliana de la Guardia (she/her)
Producer, Singer, Voice Teacher Haverhill, MA Soprano Aliana de la Guardia has garnered acclaim for her “dazzling flights of virtuosity” (Gramophone) in “vocally fearless” performances that are “fizzing with theatrical commitment” (The Boston Globe). The Cuban-American artist is a co-founder of Guerilla Opera, with which she has produced more than fifteen world premiere operas with roles tailor-made for her ferocious stage presence. Specializing in new music and garnering skills as a theater artist she is especially fit for premiering experimental new operas, genre-bending performance art, devised works and intimate performances. She has enjoyed new music and new opera collaborations featuring today’s most eminent composers with American Lyric Theater, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston New Music Festival, Dinosaur Annex, Enigma Chamber Opera, Ludovico Ensemble, Monadnock Music, New Gallery Concert Series, the PARMA Festival, Transient Canvas, and Winsor Music, among others. She was recently selected as a protégée for OPERA America’s Women’s Opera Network Mentorship Program for Women in Opera, paired with Lee Anne Myslewski from the Wolf Trap Foundation, as well as the recipient of a Public Art Learning Fund grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts to pursue mentorship with Double Edge Theatre. She is the owner and founder of Dirty Paloma Voice Studio in Haverhill, MA, treasurer of Granite State National Association of Teachers of Singing, and is on the Haverhill Multicultural Festival 2020 planning committee. Aliana has a BM in vocal performance, emphasis in opera and an MM, vocal performance from the Boston Conservatory. https://www.alianadelaguardia.com/ |
Photo credit: JShoots
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Kelly Guerra (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher New York, NY Peruvian-American mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra was noted as a “standout” in the Wall Street Journal, for her performance with the Tanglewood Music Center as Mrs. Doc in Leonard Bernstein's A Quiet Place. In Spring 2021, Kelly will sing Zweite Dame in Lighthouse Opera's Die Zauberflöte and will sing with the Metropolitan Opera Guild. During the 2019-2020 season, Guerra was an Opera Santa Barbara Chrisman Studio Artist where she covered the roles of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and Donna Rosa in Il Postino. Due to COVID-19 cancellations, Guerra was unable to perform the role of Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette during their season. Guerra has been featured at the Lucerne Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, and the Bard Music Festival. Guerra has performed with a variety of ensembles including the Albany Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Garden State Philharmonic, The Orchestra Now, Contemporaneous, Opera Parallèle and BluePrint. As a first-generation American and native of Southern California, Kelly is passionate about producing projects that raise awareness and monetary aid for detained immigrants in the USA as well as performing excellent music composed by underrepresented groups. She holds her master’s in music from the Bard College Conservatory, and her bachelor’s from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she graduated with an award of Vocal Excellence. www.kellyguerramezzo.com |
Photo by Sarah Kappes
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Lily Guerrero (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher - Texas Lutheran University San Antonio, TX Lily Guerrero is Assistant Professor of Voice and Director of Vocal Studies at Texas Lutheran University. The daughter of Mexican and Cuban immigrants, her research focuses on advocating for Latinx voices in classical music and she has received fellowship funding for this endeavor from the Society for American Music. She is sought out as a lecturer and panelist on the topic of diversity, inclusion, and equity in song literature and contributes her expertise as an Art Song Advisor for the Institute for Composer Diversity. As a singer, Guerrero has performed with Opera Grand Rapids, Wichita Grand Opera, Winter Opera St. Louis, Teatro Lirico d’Europa, GLOW Lyric Theatre, Windy City Opera, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus. She holds awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the NATS Artist Awards, the National Opera Association Opera Scenes Competition, the Naftzger Young Artist Competition, and the Bel Canto Foundation. Notable roles include Curley’s Wife (Of Mice and Men), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Norina (Don Pasquale), Cunegonde (Candide), Morgana (Alcina), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance), and Despina (Così fan tutte). Guerrero received full-tuition scholarships for the entirety of her education, which included a Bachelor of Music from Grand Valley State University, a Master of Music from Wichita State University, and a Doctor of Music with Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Florida State University. www.lilyguerrero.com |
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Jasmine Habersham (she/her)
Singer, Atlanta Opera Company Player Macon, GA Jasmine Habersham, Soprano, is a versatile and dynamic performing artist. Her most recent performances include Sarah Ruth in the World Premiere of Edward Tulane (Minnesota Opera) Frasquita in Carmen (Gran Teatro del Liceu), Pip in Moby Dick (Opera San Jose), Katie Jackson in the World Premiere of The Fix (Minnesota Opera), Clara in Porgy and Bess (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra), and Adina in L’elisir d’amore (Phoenicia Festival of the Voice). She has also performed the roles of Lucy in Fellow Travelers (Minnesota Opera), Mariola in Out of Darkness: Two Remain (Atlanta Opera), Papagena in Die Zauberflöte (Cincinnati Opera), and Yum-Yum in The Mikado (Kentucky Opera). She will be making her upcoming debut as Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Seattle Opera), Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro ( Madison Opera) and Nannetta in Falstaff (Berkshire Opera Festival) in 2021. In addition to her 2020-21 season, Jasmine also is a Company Player at The Atlanta Opera. www.jasminehabersham.com |
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Michelle Moslemi Haché (she/her)
Singer, Stage Director, Voice Teacher Austin, TX Michelle Moslemi Haché moved to Austin in 2009 after completing her Graduate Degree at the Juilliard School. Since arriving in Austin, she has received seven B. Iden Payne award nominations for both performance and directing, winning in 2010, 2013 for leading roles, and again in 2016 for Best Director with Gilbert & Sullivan Austin. Ms. Haché has been a reviewer for The Austin Chronicle and Broadway World, as well as a national adjudicator for the NATS and Hal Leonard Vocal Competitions. An award-winning vocal instructor for over 16 years, Haché is a lecturer specializing in crossover pedagogy and performance. Her students are national vocal competition winners, earning placement in leading conservatories and young artist programs, and continue to appear in Broadway productions. Ms. Haché is currently a stage director for Gilbert & Sullivan Austin, and she is the Director of Opera and Musical Theatre at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. |
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Jonathon Hampton (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher, Administration + Publicity Washington DC Jonathon Hampton, a native of Chicago, brings a wealth of diversity and experience, having worked in business management, arts education, and music performance in New York, California, and now Washington, DC area. He’s spent much of his business career in communications and outreach with Carnegie Hall, Pacific Boychoir Academy (PBA), American Bach Soloists, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts (EBCPA), and now works in Communications for Strathmore. He sings regularly as an alto, tenor, and baritone at Washington National Cathedral and St. John Paul II National Shrine, among several other choirs. He is the director of the American Youth Chorus and has also conducted for San Francisco Youth Chorus, Tactus SF, Grace Church in Newark (NJ), Washington International School, PBA, EBCPA and many others. He also founded two choruses in affiliation with his Alma mater, Cornell University, from which he graduated in 2004. Additionally, he has completed a certificate program in nonprofit management through Chorus America. JonHampton.com |
Photo Credit: Fay Fox
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Briana Elyse Hunter (she/her)
Producer, Singer, Marketing and Communications Director for Bare Opera New York, NY Briana Elyse Hunter described by the NY Times as “a radiant mezzo-soprano” and Opera News as “a mezzo-soprano of astounding vocal and dramatic range,” is rapidly emerging as an artist to watch. Her previous credits include Blue (Mother), Carmen (Carmen, Mercédès), La tragédie de Carmen (Carmen), Little Women (Jo), Xerxes (Arsamenes), Die Fledermaus (Prince Orlovsky), As One (Hannah after), and La traviata (Flora). She won the 2018 EncoreMichigan Wilde Award for “Best Performance in an Opera” for her portrayal of Gertrude Stein in Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27. She has been on the rosters of New York City Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, The Santa Fe Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Knoxville Opera, UrbanArias in D.C., American Opera Projects, Opera in the Heights, I SING BEIJING, Sarasota Opera, El Paso Opera, and Music Academy of the West where she sang the title role of Carmen under the tutelage of the great Marilyn Horne. She recently made her Lincoln Center Theater debut in their gala performance of Camelot starring Lin Manuel Miranda. Next year she is poised to make her Kennedy Center debut with Washington National Opera as Mother in Blue by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson, and return to the role of Carmen at Opera Orlando in a brand new production set in Haiti. Lookout for her in Bare Opera's Fall 2020 virtual production in The Decameron Project. Brianaelysehunter.com |
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Zuly Inirio (she/her)
Singer Pittsburgh, PA Afro-Latinx soprano and activist Zuly Inirio has appeared as a soloist throughout the United States and Europe. She is also an educator and art creative who uses her voice and creativity for social change. Her operatic roles include Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Gertrud in Hansel und Gretel and scenes from Ariadne auf Naxos, Cavalleria Rusticana, Götterdämmerung, Falstaff, and Albert Herring. She was part of Opera Louisiane’s The Ring (reduced) and played the roles of Wellgunde, Ortlinde, and 2nd Norn. Ms. Inirio is also well-versed in concert work and as a recitalist, most notably in the Lyrica Dialogues Organized by the Lyrica Society at Harvard in Boston, MA. She also performed Jake Heggie’s Natural Selection in Baton Rouge, LA, USA where she worked with the composer directly and was the soprano soloist for the Verdi Requiem in Munich, Germany at Allerheiligenkirche under the baton of Massimiliano Murrali. Most recently, Ms. Inirio has sung the role of the High Priestess and covered the title role in Verdi’s Aida with the Mythos Opera Festival in Sicily, Italy. Ms. Inirio holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree and a Master of Music Degree from Louisiana State University where she was the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship. She completed her Bachelor of Music Degree at New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL where she was also a recipient of a full-tuition scholarship. www.zulyinirio.com |
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Laura Jobin-Acosta (she/her)
Composer, Singer New York, NY Laura Jobin-Acosta is a composer and soprano whose works are filled with strange and beautiful harmony. Laura is an advocate for performing new music and participates regularly as a singer in new works. www.laurajobinacosta.com |
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Xavier Joseph (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher Washington, D.C. I am currently an Arts Coordinator and Voice Teacher at Duke Ellington School of The Arts. I am also an active opera singer. I am actively trying to transition from the classroom into full time Arts Administration. www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-joseph-0a5301167 |
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Natalie Joy (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Natalie Joy has competed in several competitions and placed second in the National Association of Negro Musicians Southwestern Region Competition and received a finalist award in the Houston Saengerbund Vocal Competition in 2019. She sang the title role in Pucinni’s Suor Angelica and Erste Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at The University of Texas at Austin in 2017. She recently played the Music Teacher in the feature film Apollo 10 1/2 set to premiere on Netflix and sang "the Sorceress" in Dido and Aeneas in early 2020. Natalie aspires to meld her acting and operatic career together by pursuing concert and mainstage work as well as film and TV roles. Connect with me on Instagram @natalietellsstories, on Facebook @NatalieJoy, Soprano or on my website, Nataliejoysoprano.com. |
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Teiya Kasahara (their/theirs)
Librettist, Producer, Singer, Stage Director, Voice Teacher Toronto, ON, Canada First-generation Nikkei-Canadian settler Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (they/them) is a queer, gender non-binary, interdisciplinary performer-creator. Heralded as “a force of nature” (Toronto Star) and “an artist with extraordinary things to say” (The Globe and Mail) Teiya comes from a background of over a decade of singing both traditional and contemporary operatic roles across North America and Europe such as the Queen of the Night / THE MAGIC FLUTE (Essen, Vancouver, Edmonton), Flora Sandes / DEAD EQUAL (Edinburgh) and Fata Morgana / L’AMOUR DES TROIS ORANGES (Essen). Recent engagements include the title role in MADAMA BUTTERFLY (Windsor Symphony), performer-creator of dora-nominated THE WAGER (Theatre Gargantua), assistant director of ALL THE LITTLE ANIMALS I HAVE EATEN (Nightwood Theatre), and their first video series 19 VIDEOS FOR COVID-19 which garnered Teiya the nickname, “the balcony soprano” (Toronto Star). Within their creation practice Teiya explores the intersections of identity through opera, theatre, electronics, and taiko, disrupting and reimagining the operatic canon through their works THE BUTTERFLY PROJECT (Confluence Concerts), 夜 YORU (in development), and THE QUEEN IN ME (Amplified Opera, Nightwood, Theatre Gargantua). As a co-founder of Amplified Opera, a new initiative which is bringing the opera sector an “injection of [...] creativity & politics of inclusivity” (barczablog), Teiya works closely with young opera artists who are discovering new ways to decolonize their artistic practices. Teiya is the founder/head coach of the Vocal Dōjō, and makes their home in Tkarón:to. Visit www.teiyakasahara.com for more information or follow @teiyakasahara. |
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Luka Kawabata (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher Vancouver, BC, Canada Praised for his “long, lyrical, velted lines” (Review Vancouver), Nikkei-Canadian baritone, Luka Kawabata 川端, is a current member of the Yulanda M Faris Young Artists Program at Vancouver Opera. He recently made his professional debut as Dmitri in the Canadian Premiere of Richard Wargo’s "The Music Shop” and will be appear in the role of Escamillo for their upcoming digital adaptation of Bizet’s "Carmen". Luka has been a featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bard on the Beach and in last season’s Vancouver Opera/Pacific Opera Victoria’s school tour of "The Flight of the Hummingbird". He is a mentor for the British Columbia chapter of Opera InReach’s outreach programs and a current participant in the Banff Centre’s ‘Opera in the 21st Century’ program. Recent credits include the title role in Don Giovanni, Lieutenant Audebert in "Silent Night", Dappertutto and Dr. Miracle in "Les contes d’Hoffmann" as well as Tadeusz in the Canadian Premiere of "Pasazerka" (The Passenger). He has performed roles with the Westben Arts Festival’s "La Traviata" as well as the European Music Academy’s "La Bohème" and "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" in the Czech Republic. https://www.lukakawabata.com/ |
Photo credit: Valentina Sadiul
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Kenneth Kellogg (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher, Administration Richmond, CA Since completing the Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera and the Domingo-Cafritz Emerging Artist program at Washington National Opera, Kenneth has kept an active performing schedule in the US and Europe. While taking on many traditional bass roles such as Leporello, Osmin, Colline, Sarastro, Mephistopheles, he has become know for taking on new contemporary works. Most recently, the role of the Father in Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson’s opera, Blue, was written for him as well as a new Symphony based on the speeches of Barack Obama, A More Perfect Union by Paul Frucht. While maintaining and active performing schedule, Kenneth is also involved in consulting, helping companies and leaders address issues surrounding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and advocating for rights and fair treatment of artists as partners in creation. www.kennethkellogg.com |
Photo by Matheus Coura
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Wilford Kelly (their/theirs, she/her, he/him)
Singer San Francisco, CA Florida-native bass-baritone Wilford Kelly (26) is a multi-talented singer based in San Francisco, California under the tutelage of César Ulloa. Currently, he is a full-time member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus. He most recently graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with his Master of Music Degree in Voice. During his time at the Conservatory, Wilford performed many roles in the SFCM mainstage opera productions including Bartolo in Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro", Gus O'Neill in John Musto's "Later the Same Evening", and more. He also performed in multiple mainstage productions of the Musical Theater program, portraying the roles of Mr. Peachum in Weill's "The Threepenny Opera" and Bellomy in Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones's "The Fantasticks". Wilford has also garnered attention outside of the SFCM performance community, performing in recent engagements with the Jacksonville Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, and as a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera for their 2019 season. He has also achieved success on the competition circuit, having been named a recipient of the Encouragement Award at the San Francisco District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in the fall of 2019. He firmly believes in the power of music and seeks to inspire unity and change in the face of the many injustices that run rampant in today's society. He believes that any performance in which someone is touched by his art is one he considers successful, and seeks to continue to inspire as many people as possible with his work. Wilfordkelly.com |
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Michele Kennedy (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Oakland, CA SOPRANO MICHELE KENNEDY is a versatile specialist in early classical and new music. Praised by The Washington Post as “a fine young soprano with a lovely voice" possessing "a graceful tonal clarity that is a wonder to hear" (SF Chronicle), Michele's recent venues include Carnegie Hall, Davies Hall, Getty Museum, Lincoln Center, Powell Symphony Hall, and Washington National Cathedral. Michele's been featured in the Bach Magnificat, St. John Passion, and Christmas Oratorio, Charpentier In Nativitatem, Handel Messiah & Dixit Dominus, Mozart C Minor Mass, Faure Requiem, and Smith Moore's Scenes from the Life of a Martyr in recent seasons. She's presented The Monteverdi Vespers with Dark Horse Consort & Voices of Ascension, Bach Cantatas with American Classical Orchestra, and works by Strozzi/Monteverdi with Folger Consort. Last season she debuted with Bach Society of Saint Louis (Poulenc Gloria), SF Choral Society (Christmas Oratorio), Trinity Wall Street Choir (Messiah), and SF Ballet in Mendelssohn's Midsummer. Michele's new music adventures include Aaron Siegel's I Will Tell You The Truth About This at NYC's Schomburg Center and songs by Florence Price and a world premiere by Dina Shilleh with Mimesis Ensemble at Carnegie Hall. Next season, Michele will debut with Lorelei Ensemble in the world premiere of Wolfe's Her Story with the Nashville, SF, Boston, Chicago, and National Symphony Orchestras. A graduate of Yale University and NYU, Michele is committed to working toward greater equity and programmatic representation for BBI, LGBTQ, and female voices across the field. Please find more at www.michele-kennedy.com. |
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Amit Khaneja (he/him)
Singer New York, NY Amit studied vocal technique in Germany, Canada and USA. He has performed widely in venues in India, Italy, Germany, Canada, Thailand, Israel and in the USA, having appeared widely in New York, in operas, with Dicapo opera, New York Opera forum, NY Opera Theater, New York Opera Productions, Amato Opera, Dicapo opera, Delaware Valley Opera, Angelo Opera, NJ, he has sung over 45 roles in the Lirico-spinto tenor repertoire. He has also appeared with various ensembles as a soloist in the Tristate area, in performances of major oratorio works as the Tenor soloist. Amit debuted at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York in 2003. Awards include Zubin Mehta Scholarship and Indian Council of Cultural Relations Award. Reviews include The Voice, New York, BC Magazine, Brooklyn-NYC, The Times of India- New Delhi, Indian Express, New Delhi, La Corriere della Sera, Italy. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAagEFPayVWY7O9Xt2gqvDg https://www.facebook.com/amit.khaneja.737/ |
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Maya Kherani (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher San Carlos, CA Lauded for her vibrant voice and exciting characterizations in repertoire from the Baroque to the modern, soprano Maya Kherani returns to Opera San José as a 2020/21 Resident Artist. Career highlights include starring in the title role of Handel’s Partenope with Opera NEO; Meera in the premiere of Jack Perla’s The River of Light, commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera; and Altisidore in Boismortier’s Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse with Central City Opera. Upcoming debuts include engagements with the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Vancouver Symphony, and Boston Baroque. She received First Place and Audience Favorite at the James Toland Vocal Competition, two Encouragement Awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and this year, was the only American soprano to compete as a Semifinalist in the international Glyndebourne Opera Cup. www.mayakherani.com |
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Takesha Meshé Kizart-Thomas (she/her)
Composer, Conductor/Music Director, Dramaturg, Librettist, Producer, Singer, Stage Director, Voice Teacher Singer, actress, creator, and facilitator, Takesha Meshé Kizart-Thomas has been praised by critics worldwide for her visually, and vocally, compelling performances. From leading roles with many storied institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera and Sydney Opera House to sharing the stage with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and Wynton Marsalis, she is also a force on the stage and screen as evidenced by her magnetic performances with Broadway in Chicago and on HBO. With a strong belief in education, creation, and community as evidenced by her recent partnerships with Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she also brings with her 15+ years of experience as a Master Vocal Technician, Coach, Songwriter, and Arranger with a focus on holistically integrating and freeing the Artist’s Mind, Body, and Spirit. As a burgeoning Arts Administrator and Visionary, she brings this same international artistic view to enhance ones clarity of purpose and application of expression. A performer since the age of two, and counting music legends McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield and Tina Turner among her relations, she consistently propels her vision of uniting tradition with innovation in all she creates. www.TakeshaMesheKizart.com |
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Alok Kumar (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher Los Angeles, CA Alok recently made a series of noteworthy debuts starting with his Royal Opera House Covent Garden and London Philharmonic Orchestra début creating the role of Chyavana in the world premiere of Ravi Shankar’s opera SUKANYA, a work harmonizing the distinct music, dance and theatrical traditions of India and the West, which he reprised for Ravi Shankar's Centennial Celebration. His debut season with the Los Angeles Opera blended the standard with the new and included LA TRAVIATA, creating the role of Ramses in MOSES, and the title role in THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Alok participated in the INTIMATE APPAREL workshop with Lincoln Center Theater and appeared in Houston Grand Opera’s web opera STAR CROSS’D. His return to the UK found him debuting with The Scottish National Opera in a new production of Bizet's CARMEN. His Metropolitan Opera debut in LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST was so impressive, the esteemed house immediately invited him to stay on for Puccini’s IL TRITTICO, specifically for GIANNI SCHICCHI. His developing relationship with the Metropolitan Opera has included engagements as the Italian Singer (DER ROSENKAVALIER), Steuermann (DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER), Tom Rakewell (THE RAKE'S PROGRESS), and Louis (THE HOURS). Along with his standard repertoire of romantic lyric tenor roles, Alok has helped bring to life works by Kevin Puts, Kamala Sankaram, Robert Patterson, Henry Mollicone, Ravi Shankar, and Ricky Ian Gordon among others. He compliments his performance calendar with voice lessons, master classes and consultations, live and virtually. Alok resides in Los Angeles, CA with his family. www.alokkumartenor.com/ www.uiatalent.com/artists/alok-kumar/ |
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Jarrod Lee (he/him)
Librettist, Singer Librettist and Baritone Jarrod Lee hails from Sylacauga, AL and presently resides in Maryland. Jarrod’s writing collaborations include Oshun and Two Corners with composer B.E. Boykin, Journey to You and Spirit Moves with composer Timothy Amukele, and Voices of Zion and the art song See your Equal with composer Ronald “Trey” Walton. In addition to original stories, Jarrod has worked in translating an English deconstruction of Die Zauberflӧte called Black Flute with playwright Sybil Roberts. Commissions include Alliance for New Music-Theatre, Finger Lakes Opera, IN Series and Washington National Opera. Jarrod creates works that are rooted in the experience of being Black, Gay and American; adding to the canon of stories written by Black Americans which are rarely seen on the operatic stage. In addition to writing and performing, Jarrod also serves on the board of Baltimore Musicales and serves as Director of Project Managers with the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA). In concert with his writing, Jarrod has performed with Afro House Baltimore, Annapolis Opera, Aspen Music Festival, AIMS Graz, Atlanta Opera, Baltimore Concert Opera, IN Series, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Maryland Opera, Metropolitan Opera, NY Opera Society and Opera Delaware. https://www.jarrodlee.com/ |
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Dr. Phyllis Ann Lewis-Hale (she/her)
Singer, Stage Director, Voice Teacher Jackson, MS A native of Jackson, Mississippi, lyric soprano Phyllis Lewis-Hale has performed in Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Austria, Bermuda and throughout the United States. Some highlights in her career include receiving several performance awards, such as the top winner of the IBLA Grand Prize in the International “Monteverdi(Bellini)” Vocal Competition held in Italy, a winner in the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera Vocal Competition, and an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Awards. Lewis-Hale has appeared with opera companies such as Indianapolis Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Ebony of New York, Opera North of Philadelphia, Houston Ebony Opera, Opera/South of Jackson, Mississippi Opera and the Brevard Music Center Opera Theater. As an avid researcher, Lewis-Hale’s efforts include the resurgence of the Negro Spiritual, including the Freedom Songs of the Civil Rights Movement, as an educational tool and a source for comfort and healing in the 21st century applied studio. Her work also includes the performance of concert adaptations of the underexplored art songs and operas composed by Afro-diasporic composers. Lewis-Hale received the Masters and Doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Bachelor of Music Education degree for Jackson State University in Mississippi. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Voice and the Director of the Opera Workshop at Jackson State University. My goal is to revitalize the historic Opera/South Company of Jackson in order to, once again, provide real-world career training opportunities for BIPOC artists. linkedin.com/in/phyllislewis-hale-14987b61/ |
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Kameron Mitchell Locke (he/him)
Librettist, Singer Berlin, Germany and Chicago, IL Kameron Locke (he/him) is a classically trained tenor who has sung throughout the Western hemisphere as a recitalist and chorister. As a recitalist, he has sung throughout Chicago, London, and Germany. While living in London, he was selected for a training opportunity at the renowned National Opera Studio. Kameron was most recently engaged as a tenor for the London Symphony Chorus, singing throughout Europe and at the BBC Proms, until March 2020. As a community advocate, Kameron creates spaces and opportunities for marginalized communities to experience the arts through innovative and inclusive programming that centers these communities and their lived experiences. In Chicago, he co-created an after-school arts program for students from the Rising Majority communities. During his time in London, he created and led workshops in order to address the gaps in the music production field; these workshops were specifically for BIPOC LGBTQ+ Goldsmiths students. Additionally, Kameron is a working musicologist educated in Chicago and London. His work centers Black identity and its precarious relationship with and in Western Classical music; his dissertation at Goldsmiths College focused on the 19th century Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Kameron, through creativity, research, and performance, is dedicated to empowering and making space in the arts for BIPOC communities of all intersectional backgrounds. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kameronlocke/ |
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Julieth Lozano Rolong (she/her)
Singer London, UK I want to be able to perform and sing! I studied a masters and Opera diploma at the Royal College of Music where I was awarded the President’s prize by HRH Prince of Wales. And then moved on to the National Opera Studio. I have an ability to communicate and open my heart through music that I hope to be able to keep sharing while my voice develops. I also wish to be able to showcase all the wonderful music that comes from my side of the world (Colombia) and be able to sing it in big stages and show that we also have valuable things to say. |
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Adriana Manfredi (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Long Beach, CA Adriana Manfredi, proud roster member of LA Master Chorale and LA Opera deeply enjoys her varied and adventurous musical life. Recent solo credits include Berg's Lyric Suite (Diotima Quartet; Jacaranda Music), as well as appearances at the Hear Now festival, Ravinia Festival, and as featured soloist on the David Lang/ Calder Quartet/ LA Master Chorale album, National Anthems. In 2018-19 she joined the Peter Sellars/LAMC international tour of Lagrime di San Pietro by di Lasso (The Tears of St. Peter), a staged concert for 21 a cappella voices, which was received with accolades at the Salzburg Festspiele. Her voice can be heard on numerous feature film soundtracks, including Frozen 1 & 2, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker, and Minions. She maintains a community teaching studio in Long Beach, CA and is the project manager for the first Sing for Hope piano in her community. Additionally, Adriana is a dedicated rhythm tap dancer, early childhood music educator, mother to two sons, and producer of community music gatherings. Follow her at @mezzomanfredi and @wearethe_musicmakers. Adriana-Manfredi.com |
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Jay Marchand Knight (they/them)
Composer, Singer, Voice Teacher, Vocal Timbre Researcher Montreal, Quebec, Canada Canadian Zwischenfach, Jay Marchand Knight (they/them//iel) is currently a Frederick Lowy Fellow at Concordia University, where they study vocal timbre and gender perception in the Deroche Laboratory for Hearing and Cognition. Recent operatic performances include Nurse Filipyevan in Eugene Onegin with Opera Queens, Denise in Jason Noble’s opera Denise, Don Jose in a genderbent Carmen with Opera Queens, and Sara in Parisa Sabet’s Vanishing Point, commissioned by Musique 3 Femmes. Jay also performs and composes with RISE Opera, an experimental project that explores human relationships to crises. Passionate about equity in opera and choir, Jay’s musical creations explore ways to make formal singing accessible to those who have been traditionally excluded from these spheres. Jay teaches voice at The Voice Lab, Inc., a Chicago-based school that works with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Upcoming performances include The Duchess of Plaza Toro in The Gondoliers with Lakeshore Light Opera and Tolomeo/Cornelia in Giulio Cesare with Opera Queens. |
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Ebony Marie Martin (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Soprano, Ebony Marie Martin is noted for her natural dramaticism and powerful voice. She has performed both in the US and Europe and has worked with renowned conductors such as Michael Rossi of the Washington National Opera. She made her professional debut as the role of Nedda in Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci with Voccalis International in 2016. Her other notable roles include Blanche, Mimi, Pamina, Fatime and La Ciesca. Concert performances include solos in Porgy and Bess with the Symphony of Southeast Texas, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Brahms Requiem and more. Ebony studied in Siena, Italy for 6 weeks during the Siena, Italy Music Festival where she sang for Mitchell Piper of Piper and Anselmi Management and performed in both Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Massenet’s Cendrillon. She was also accepted into the Utah Vocal Arts Academy’s notable Role Study program. In competition, Ebony has had wins in GHNATS district, Cal-Western NATS district and region and was an Encourage Award recipient of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in the Nevada District in 2015. Ebony has her B.M in Vocal Performance from Lamar University as well as her M.M in Vocal Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. www.ebonymmartin.com |
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Christopher Terrell Martin (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher Christopher Martin is a tenor known for his dramatic stage presence and beautiful lyrical voice. He has performed in the US and in Europe. Christopher has had the chance to work with many notable professionals such as: Anthony Laciura, David Ward, and Michael Rossi. In concert, Chris sang as tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah as well as The African American Spiritual concerts with Voccalis International. In opera Chris has performed the role of Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Other Notable roles include: Monostatos, Alfred, Camille, Count de Rosillon, Beppe, Tamino, King Kaspar, Chaplain of the monastery. Christopher has his BM in Vocal Performance from Lamar University and his MM in Vocal performance from University of Nevada Las Vegas. www.christmartin.com |
Photo Credit: Ali Wonderly
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Brennan Martinez (she/her)
Singer Winston Salem, NC Brennan Martinez has been described as “a mezzo-soprano to be watched” (Opera Lively) and sings with “power, authority, and a most intriguing color to her wide-ranging voice” (Classical Voice of North Carolina). Future engagements include: returning to her alma mater, the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, as a guest artist for their double bill performance of Manuel Garcia’s salon operas, Babet in Pierné’s “Sophie Arnould,” and Armelinda in Viardot’s “Cinderella” with Piedmont Opera. Brennan’s recent performances include Anna Kennedy in “Maria Stuarda” with Piedmont Opera, the title role in “The Tragedy of Carmen” with the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and Consuelo in “West Side Story” with the Glimmerglass Festival. She was also a member of the closing night ensemble of Kristin Chenoweth: My Love Letter to Broadway at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre in New York City. www.brennanmartinez.com |
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Mark Anthony Martinez II (he/him)
Singer New York, New York Mark Martinez is an operatic tenor based in New York City. Mark has been singing since moving to New York in 2018 and has had the opportunity to perform with several groups. Mark most recently sang the role of Don Ottavio with the Bronx Opera's 2020 production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, and has had several online performances during the pandemic with Etc. Theater Company. https://www.markmartinezwriter.com/singing |
Photo Credit: Ray LaVoie
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Eric McKeever (he/him)
Singer Central Islip, NY Eric’s 2021-2022 season includes being a soloist with Salt Marsh Opera’s “Opera in the Park,” covering Monforte (I Vespri Siciliani) with New Amsterdam Opera, the title role in “Don Giovanni” with Indianapolis Opera, Figaro (Barbiere) with Baltimore Concert Opera and Opera Delaware, a New Year’s Eve concert with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, and the World Premiere of “Why I live at the PO” with Urban Arias. www.ericmckeeverbaritone.com |
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Taylor Shay McNair (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Predating the nation, Taylor’s family includes a long lineage of close friends with Brother Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta. She is a niece of Elizabeth Strayhorn and cousin of Billy Strayhorn. Her aunt Margaret Ruffin Faucette founded the oldest Black Church in Durham NC which organized with Brother King. Taylor’s maternal and paternal lines are recognized as United States Chattel Slave descendants because they are found in the national archives and records United States Slave Schedules. Taylor’s family, and families sharing that legal designation, built the entire nation and the global economy. Taylor’s first cousin created Brightleaf Tobacco as a slave Stephen Slade and her cousin Mack Ingram is an early 1950s Civil Rights Case that summoned the NAACP, British Press and every major news station such as Times. Her relative Henrietta Phelps Jeffries is a global leader of women’s rights and her third great grandfather James Jeffries created one of the oldest Black churches in historic Orange County NC as a freed slave. Taylor has been a grantee of Grammys, NC Arts Council, Mass Arts Council, Artist Relief Foundation, Columbia University. With a vast performance resume, upcoming performances with Raleigh Camerata and Duke Nasher are on the calendar. |
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Aundi Marie Moore (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Bowie, MD Metropolitan Opera Soprano, Aundi Marie Moore hailed by The Washington Post for possessing a voice of “Clarion Beauty” has captured the hearts of many audiences and critics alike with her rich warm expressive tones. Career Highlights include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with L'Opéra de Monte Carlo, Nedda in Pagliacci with Sarasota Opera, Soprano 2 in Facing Goya with the Spoleto Festival USA, Serena in Porgy and Bess with Atlanta Opera ,Young African American Soprano in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's Rappahannock County with Virginia Opera, and Odessa Clay in the World Premier of Approaching Ali with Washington National Opera. 2019/2020 season, The Metropolitan Opera House performing Strawberry Woman in Porgy and Bess and Maggie Porter in Tazewell Thompson’s World Premiere of Jubilee with Arena Stage, The Mother in Amahl and The Night Visitors with On Site Opera. #Livingmydreams @Aundimariemoore www.aundimariemoore.com |
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José Luis Muñoz (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher Seattle, WA José Luis Muñoz has been described as “a fabulous countertenor” with “amazing, powerful expression.” He is often heard premiering and creating new works and principal roles in such works as Bless Me, Ultima (New Mexico), Juana (San Francisco), Monticello Wakes (Los Angeles), Yoshinaka (Seattle), Kakitsubata (Cologne, Germany), and Magda G for which he was featured in the Los Angeles Times. A versatile performer, Muñoz’ other work includes: Melissa in Caccini’s La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall’Isola d’Alcina, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and Missa Brevis K275, Bach’s B Minor Mass, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Bernstein’s Missa Brevis, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, etc. www.joseluismunoz.com |
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Nola Nahulu (she/her)
Artistic Director - Hawai’i Youth Opera Chorus; Chorus Chorus Master, Costume Designer, Singer, Stage Director, Voice Teacher Artistic Director for 35 yrs for Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus. Chorus Master for 30 yrs at Hawai'i Opera Theatre. HYOC.org |
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Nina Yoshida Nelsen (she/her)
Singer In the 2019-2020 season, Mezzo Soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen will make her Portland Opera debut as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. She will also perform the world premiere of Blood Moon at Prototype Festival in New York City. Nina will return to Chicago Lyric Opera to cover Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and will return to the Santa Barbara Symphony to perform Beethoven's Mass in C. Ms. Nelsen will reprise the role of Khanh in Huang Ruo's Bound at The Juilliard School. In previous seasons, she has sung at Chicago Lyric, Seattle, Houston Grand, Atlanta, New York City and Utah Opera companies, amongst others. www.ninayoshidanelsen.com |
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Luis Alejandro Orozco (he/him)
Singer New York, NY Mexican American baritone recently appeared as Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos with Cincinnati Opera, and will soon make his European debut, performing the role of Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas with Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland. Previous seasons have included performances of Sharpless with Opera Santa Barbara, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Florentine Opera and Syracuse Opera, Escamillo in Carmen with Michigan Opera Theater, Florentine Opera, Mill City Summer Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera, Marcello in La bohéme with Kentucky Opera, Anchorage Opera, and Opera Santa Barbara, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Lyric Opera Baltimore, Opera Grand Rapids, and Austin Lyric Opera, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Santa Barbara, Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas with Washington National Opera, San Diego Opera, Pensacola Opera and Arizona Opera, Hannah before in As One with Urban Arias, New Orleans Opera and Anchorage Opera, Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri with Opera Santa Barbara, Perichaud in La Rondine with Opera Theater of St. Louis, and the Baritone soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and Symphoria. He is also known as the leading interpreter in the United States for the role of El Payador in Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires, a role which he has performed at Florida Grand Opera, Arizona Opera, Atlanta Opera, New Orleans Opera, Cincinnati Opera, the Aspen Music Festival, Nashville Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Anchorage Opera. www.luisalejandroorozco.com |
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W. Mauricio Pástor (he/him)
Singer, Voice Teacher Lexington, KY Wagner Mauricio Pástor hails from Quito, Ecuador. His professional engagements include performances with North Carolina Summer Opera , South Bend Lyric Opera, Bay View Music Association, the A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute, the Ecuador National Symphonic Orchestra, and the Sucre National Theater. Tenor Wagner obtained an encouragement from the Kentucky District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions 2020. Mr. Pástor received a diploma in arts from the Conservatorio Superior Nacional de Música del Ecuador, and an undergraduate in engineering degree in geography-regional planning from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. In addition, a Master of Music from the University of Idaho where he studied with Dr. Christopher Pfund and vocal coach Eugene Cline. He received a professional artist certificate at the A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under the tutelage of Dr. Marilyn Taylor and Robert Overman. Currently, Wagner is a doctor in musical arts candidate at the University of Kentucky under the mentorship of Dr. Everett McCorvey and vocal coach Professor Cliff Jackson. www.wagnermauriciopastortenor.com |
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Melody Nicolette Pilotte (she/her)
Composer, Librettist, Singer, Voice Teacher, Recording artist and producer San Francisco, CA Film and theater composer, recording artist, coloratura soprano. www.thisquietsiege.net |
Photo credit: Sarah Shatz
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Jordan Weatherston Pitts (he/him, he/they)
Singer New York, NY Jordan Weatherston Pitts is a Tenor from Buffalo, NY living in Harlem, New York City. He made his Principal Artist debut to critical acclaim in New York City Opera’s world premiere of Iain Bell and Mark Campbell’s opera STONEWALL in 2019 and maintains an active schedule of lyric and romantic operatic repertoire. His most recent roles include a cover of Roméo in Roméo et Juliette with the Hawaii Opera Theatre, MacDuff in Verdi’s MacBeth, and Alfredo in La Traviata. A graduate of Boston University, he has been featured in the New Yorker Magazine, The New York Times and BBC world news, and continues to work hard spreading a message of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the future of opera for years to come. www.jordanwpitts.com |
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Chloe Rispin (she/her)
Singer, Arts journalism and Cultural Diplomacy Chloe is a soprano with more than 10 years experience performing in a variety of recitals, concerts, festivals and masterclasses in the US, UK and Spain. Recently, Chloe was featured in the 2022 International Day of Latin American and Iberian Art Song Concert. As a keen linguist, Chloe is always working on a new language (Spanish, French, Portuguese and Turkish) and learning new repertoire. Currently her repertoire spans 10 languages. Her latest project in development is Talisman Magazine. Talisman is a multidisciplinary magazine with a focus on showcasing composers, performers, musicologists etc., from multicultural backgrounds as well often overlooked musical traditions. |
Photo Credit: Lourdes Balduque
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Judith Rodriguez (she/her)
Producer, Singer, Voice Teacher My time in Spain and here in the US has been dedicated to sharing with music lovers the inspired beauty, music, and culture from Spain and Latin America. After studying with the Spanish mezzo-soprano, Belén Genicio, I made it my mission to share the vast repertoire of Spanish songs, opera, and Zarzuela with all audiences. My journey has taken me to all corners of Spain, France, Mexico, Washington D.C., and Texas, showcasing the wonderful repertoire of Zarzuela. My goal is to share with as many people as possible my love of classical music in Spanish. I now have the opportunity of making my first compact disc in Spanish, which will showcase the masterful works of Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, one of Spain's greatest composers. The city of Arlington has taken note of my journey and featured a story in their "American Dream City" series, available on YouTube. I will be making my debut in Fort Worth Opera's premiere of Zorro, composed by Mexican composer, Hector Armienta. http://judithrodriguez.net |
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Valeria Rodriguez (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Evanston and Chicago, IL I am a Soprano originally from Buenos Aires Aires, Argentina. I have been living between Chicago and Evanston for 4 years now. I am passionate about opera, new music and anything that implies collaborating in a project with other fellow artists. As any opera singer I can help in any part of an opera or play production (make up, hair, costumes, lights, supertitles, programs, etc). I graduated from my Master's in Voice and Opera Performance from Northwestern University ('20). I am participating next Spring 2021 as a Singer Young Artist for Opera Festival of Chicago. http://linkedin.com/in/valeria-rodriguez-83a3931b7 |
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Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei (دانیال رضا سبزقبایی) (they/their; he/him)
Composer, Singer Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei ( دانیال رضا سبزقبایی ) is a creator who aims to emphasize the malleability of time and how we experience it. His work has been presented and commissioned by organizations including: Intimacy of Creativity Festival, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Beth Morrison Projects, the New York Festival of Song, the Banff Centre, Contemporaneous, Guerilla Opera, [Switch~] Ensemble, Pro Coro Canada, The Esoterics, Opera America, TAK Ensemble, and the Busan Choral Festival to name a few. Daniel’s recent research has focused on time and form within Persian moosiqi sonnati. He holds degrees from the University of North Texas and the Peabody Conservatory. Daniel is currently a doctoral candidate and Sage Fellow at Cornell University. https://danielsabzghabaei.com/ |
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Andrea Salazar (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Lawrenceville, NJ Ecuadorian Soprano, Andrea Salazar completed her undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, in Princeton, NJ. Participated in the production of the Beethoven Symphony N.9 with the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and the Mahler Symphony N.8 with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and others. Andrea was invited as a guest artist in the First International Hispanic Song Festival Premios Capitolio 2019 in Washington D.C. During 2019-2020, Andrea performed “La Contradanza,” a series of concerts that explains the cultural exchange and the integration of some latinamerican rhythms with European composers, was performed in multiple scenarios in New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey and ended at La Casa de la Musica in Quito-Ecuador. https://www.facebook.com/andreaisadora.salazarmaldonado |
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Kamala Sankaram (she/her)
Composer, Singer, Co-Artistic Director - Experiments in Opera Bronx, NY Praised as “strikingly original” (NY Times) and “new voice from whom we will surely be hearing more” (LA Times), Kamala Sankaram writes highly theatrical music that defies categorization. Recent commissions include the Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Opera on Tap, among others. Awards, grants and residencies include: Jonathan Larson Award, NEA ArtWorks, MAP Fund, Opera America, the Civilians, HERE, the MacDowell Colony, and the Watermill Center. Known for her work with emerging technologies, her recent genre-defying hit Looking at You (with Rob Handel and Kristin Marting) featured live data mining of the audience and a chorus of 25 singing tablet computers. Sankaram, Handel, and Marting also created all decicions will be made by consensus, a short absurdist opera performed live over Zoom and featured on NBC and the BBC3. With librettist Jerre Dye and Opera on Tap, she created The Parksville Murders, the world’s first virtual reality opera (Samsung VR, Jaunt VR, Kennedy Center Reach Festival, “Best Virtual Reality Video” NY Independent Film Festival, Future of Storytelling, Salem Horror Festival and the Topanga Film Festival.) Also a performer, notable appearances include the LA Philharmonic, LA Opera, and the PROTOTYPE Festival, among others. Kamala is the leader of Bombay Rickey, an operatic Bollywood surf ensemble (recipient of two awards for Best Eclectic Album from the Independent Music Awards). Dr. Sankaram holds a PhD from the New School and is currently a member of the composition faculty at SUNY Purchase. https://www.kamalasankaram.com/ |
Photo credit: Stephen Dillon Photography
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Stephanie Sanchez (she/her)
Singer Houston, TX Praised by Opera Today as “major talent” Stephanie Sanchez is quickly creating a name for herself as an exciting mezzo-soprano on the rise. Her repertoire ranges from Handel to Wagner and has championed premieres of contemporary American works. Ms Sanchez is currently engaged as a digital studio artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, performing as Ruth in Pirates of Penzance and also as a featured soloist. For the 2019-2020 season, Ms. Sanchez joined Opera San Jose as a resident principal artist where she was seen as Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, and Azucena in the student matinee of Il trovatore. In 2018, Ms. Sanchez was chosen as the sole recipient of the prestigious Igor Gorin Award, given out once a year to help gifted vocalists begin successful careers in opera. Ms. Sanchez joined Arizona Opera as a Studio Artist for the 2017-2018 season and was also a member of the Young Artist and Festival Artist programs at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis from 2014-2016. Other notable companies of engagements include The Glimmerglass Festival, Houston Grand Opera, Brava Opera Theater, Intermountain Opera, Teatro Nuovo, Sarasota Opera, Opera Maine, and Atlanta Opera. Ms. Sanchez won first place in the 2016 Young Texas Artist Music Competition, second place in Opera Connecticut’s 2016 Opera Idol Competition, and was a finalist in the 2019 Brava Opera Theater Competition. Ms. Sanchez completed her artist diploma from Rice University in 2017. She was born and raised in Las Cruces, NM and currently resides in Houston, TX. www.stephaniesanchezmezzosoprano.com |
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David Santiago (Mr. )
Singer, Arts Administrator, Producer Hackensack NJ David Santiago is an award-winning designer, owner of Casa Santi Interior Design and a professional opera singer. His signature trademark "Strictly Santi" brand was created to be as diverse as his repertoire of talents. David has lighting and wallcovering collections catering to hospitality and residential markets and is also a home furnishings industry ambassador. He is a guest designer on the NBC Emmy Award winning series “George To The Rescue," and design and lifestyle correspondent for "The Donna Drake Show" on CBS NY. Most recently, he joined the TiedIn Media creative team after designing their studio in the roles of Public Relations, directing and producing. He is the Artistic Director for MyFace Celebrates at MyFace.Org, dedicated to transforming the lives of children & adults with facial differences, as well as a Board Trustee. David is also the performing arts contributing editor for Metropolitan Magazine. Noteworthy Highlights: 1. President, International Furnishing and Design Association, New York Chapter (IFDANY), member of IDS and With it. 2.Board Member, Diversity Advocacy and Alliance at High Point Market Authority 3. Executive Board, The Kaleidoscope Project serving the bipoc design community. Career fact about David: he is an accomplished classical opera singer, an alumni of Mannes College of Music. David is part of Development and Cultural Outreach Officer and a Board Trustee for Teatro Grattacielo opera company. He made his debut In L'AMICO FRITZ with the company in 2021. He made his solo concert debut at Carnegie Hall to a sold out performance in 2020 and has performed at Lincoln Center with New York City Opera, among others. www.tenordavidsantiago.com www.casasanti.com/ www.linkedin.com/in/strictlysanti |
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Laurel Semerdjian (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Pittsburgh, PA Laurel Semerdjian, an American mezzo-soprano of Armenian descent, was hailed as "a dramatic and musical tour de force" (Pittsburgh Tribune) for her portrayal of Asakir in Pittsburgh Opera's production of Mohammed Fairouz's Sumeida's Song. During the 2018-2019 season, Ms. Semerdjian returned to Pittsburgh Opera as Suzuki in Madama Butterly, sang the title role of Benazir Bhutto in a workshop of Mohammed Fairouz’s Bhutto with Pittsburgh Opera/ Beth Morrison Projects, joined Symphony Tacoma as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah, rejoined Tacoma Opera for her debut in the title role of The Rape of Lucretia, and performed with Syracuse’s Symphoria as mezzo soloist in Haydn’s Mass in Time of War and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. In the summer of 2019, Ms. Semerdjian made company debuts as Flora in La Traviata with Summer Garden Opera and Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte with Inland Northwest Opera. In the Fall of 2019, Ms. Semerdjian returned to Pittsburgh Symphony in the Bruckner Te Deum and made her Opera Southwest debut in Bottesini’s rarely performed Ali Baba. In January 2020, she returned to Pittsburgh Opera, debuting the role of Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina. In Spring of 2020, Ms. Semerdjian made a company debut with Florentine Opera, singing the title role in Le Tragédie de Carmen. www.laurelsemerdjian.com |
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Jaime Sharp (she/they)
Arts Leader, Creative, Advocate Chicago, IL Jaime strives to evolve organizational culture, and diversify the arts community through dynamic leadership rooted in equity and inclusivity. She currently serves as Communications & Publications Manager for Grantmakers in the Arts, and is on the advisory cabinet for SINGTANK with Victory Hall Opera. Jaime is a cohort member for the BIPOC Leadership Circle with artEquity, and the Hart Institute for Women Administrators with The Dallas Opera. Beginning in 2023, she joins the Turn the Spotlight fellowship, mentored by Afa Dworkin (Sphinx Organization), and Melissa Wegner (Metropolitan Opera); National Arts Strategies' Executive Program in Arts & Culture; and the Racial Equity cohort with United Philanthropy Forum. They have participated in several leadership programs, including Leadership Through Mentorship with Women of Color in the Arts, and OPERA America's Opera Leaders of Color. She was the 2021-2022 EDI Research Fellow for the Association of Arts Administration Educators, and has worked for American Repertory Theatre, Black Opera Alliance, Cincinnati Symphony, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and University Musical Society. Jaime also co-founded the choral ensemble Hear Us, Hear Them, dedicated to uplifting marginalized voices in classical music, and led Opera NexGen as General Director from 2020-2022. Remaining an active performer, they've recently sung with Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Ithaca, Akron Symphony Orchestra, and joins the Sphinx Organization's Exigence Vocal Ensemble for their 25th anniversary tour. Jaime holds a MM and BM, a certificate in fundraising fundamentals from Tessitura, and is pursuing an MBA and MA in Arts Administration with a certificate in fundraising and development. www.jaime-sharp.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimesharp/ |
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Amanda Sheriff (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Smyrna, DE Delaware-based soprano Amanda Sheriff, was recently a studio artist at FGO. She performed the roles of Beatrice (Three Decembers), Babs (New York Stories), 1st Trio member (Trouble in Tahiti), and Célie (Signor Deluso). Amanda spent her 2019/20 season singing Pamina (Die Zauberflöte ) and Little Red (Little Red’s Most Unusual Day) with Opera Iowa’s touring troupe. During the summer, Amanda joined DMMO as an Apprentice Artist for their all virtual season due to COVID-19. Amanda will rejoin DMMO this summer to perform Miss Lightfoot (Fellow Travellers) and cover Amour and Clarine (Platée). In 2018/19, Amanda sang Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Stephen F. Austin State University Orchestra of the Pines, won Alumnus of the year, and spent the summer as an Emerging Artist at Seagle Music Colony performing the role of Susanna in (Le Nozze di Figaro). Amanda graduated with both her BM (2016) and MM (2018) from Stephen F Austin State University. |
Photo credit: Daniel Denino
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Jonelle Sills (she/her)
Singer Markham, Ontario Canadian Soprano Jonelle Sills has been praised for her “... warm, full, elastic tone” (Schmopera, Greg Finney). Ms. Sills has recently been named as one of CBC Music’s classical “30 under 30” performers for 2020. Looking to the new year Jonelle will join the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program with Vancouver Opera. In the fall of 2019, Ms. Sills made her role debut as Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème on tour with Against The Grain Theatre. Touring through dive bars from Banff, Alberta to Toronto, Ontario. Directly following, Jonelle sang PriaSoprano in A Million Billion Pieces by David James Brock, with music by Gareth Williams and directed by Philip Akin with Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre. Miss Sills is a 2019 Dora award winner for “Outstanding performance of an Ensemble” in Vivier’s Kopernikus with Against the Grain Theatre. Recent highlights include her symphonic debut with the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra singing Mahler’s 2nd Symphony. This past summer Jonelle was a Resident Artist with Against the Grain Theatre at the Banff Centre’s “Opera in the 21st Century” program. During her residence at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity she premiered the role of Esther in composer Paola Prestini’s and librettist Royce Vavreck’s Silent Light directed and designed by Thaddeus Strassberger. https://jonellesills.com |
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Nandani Maria Sinha (she/her)
Singer, Voice Teacher Los Angeles, CA German-Indian American mezzo-soprano Nandani Maria Sinha is internationally acclaimed for her passionate performances and presence. She is a favorite mezzo-soprano in Southern California, performing regularly with Los Angeles Opera, Long Beach Opera, Santa Barbara Opera, California Philharmonic, and Redlands Symphony. Her 2019-20 season includes: Ruth in Invisible for the Eurydice Found Festival and a workshop and concert with Renée Fleming (Los Angeles Opera); Hera and Drum in Sweet Land (The Industry); and high demand as a mezzo-soprano and alto soloist on concert works (Azusa Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, Joanna Medawar Nachef Singers, Palisades Symphony, Music at Westwood). She has been a first prize winner of the Franz Liszt International Competition and a Marc and Eva Stern Fellow at Songfest. Ms. Sinha’s upcoming engagements include a return to Opera Santa Barbara as Gertrude in Roméo et Juliette and two reprisals of critically acclaimed and wildly successful roles from her 2018-19 season, Netty in Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon at the McCadden Place Theatre (2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival, Best of Fringe and Producer’s Award winner) and Ella in Romance Sonambulo with Mojacar Flamenco at the El Portal Theater. For the 2020 season she can be heard weekly in concert with LA Opera in Music to Remember. www.mezzonani.com |
Photo credit: Veronique Kherian
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Mithuna Sivaraman (she/her)
Singer Weehawken, NJ Coloratura soprano Mithuna Sivaraman is quickly getting noticed for the “clarity of her embellishments” (Voce di Meche, March 2019). She was a semi-finalist in Lyra New York’s 2020 International Vocal Competition, and in the past two years, has made role debuts in New York and New Jersey as Colleen in Scott Joiner’s Connection Lost (Modern Opera Company), Casilda in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers (Ridgewood G&S Opera Company), Clizia in Handel’s Teseo (Cantanti Project), and Drusilla in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (New York Lyric Opera Theater); and covered the role of Savitri in New Camerata Opera’s double bill of Venus and Adonis/Savitri. She is a 2019 alumna of IVAI, and will cover the role of Argene in Rossini’s Il Vero Omaggio as a Studio Artist with Teatro Nuovo (formerly Bel Canto at Caramoor) in June 2021. Mithuna is also an experienced choral artist. She sang with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus from 2014 to 2018, and is a member of Downtown Voices at Trinity Wall Street. Born and raised in Singapore, she is of Tamil descent, and is extensively trained in both Hindustani and Carnatic classical voice, with teachers including Ustad Vilayat Khan and D.K. Pattammal. In her non-singing life, Mithuna is a seasoned transfer pricing specialist with the international tax practice at Ernst & Young LLP. She graduated from Georgetown University in 2008, and earned her juris doctor from Emory University School of Law in 2013. She has been a member of the California bar since 2013. https://linktr.ee/lawyeratura |
Photo by Valentina Sadiul.
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Melissa Sondhi (she/her)
Singer San Francisco, CA In the 2019-2020 season, Indian-American soprano Melissa Sondhi made her debut with Opera San Jose, covering the roles of Ida in Die Fledermaus and the Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel, and was planning on returning this past spring to cover the role of Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, but the production was rescheduled due to COVID-19. In the 2020-2021 season, she was also set to sing the role of Barbarina and cover the role of Susanna in their new production of Le nozze di Figaro, which will be set in colonial India during Victorian Imperial rule and has also been postponed. She also performed the roles of Le feu and Le rossignol in L’enfant et les sortilèges with Air Opera Collective this past February. In the 2018-2019 season, she was seen as Giannetta in The Elixir of Love with Pocket Opera, Edith in The Pirates of Penzance, and Fiametta in The Gondoliers with Lamplighters Music Theatre. In both 2014 and 2016, she was an Apprentice Artist with the Miami Music Festival where she was seen as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte and La princesse in L’enfant et les sortilèges. Other role engagements include the title role of Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Parasha in Mavra, Maria Bertram in the West Coast premiere of Mansfield Park, and Sister Catherine in Dead Man Walking. Melissa holds a BM from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (2015), and an MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2017). www.melissasondhi.com |
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Thalia St. Hubert (their/theirs)
Singer I was a part of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. I traveled the world with them, participating in competitions and choral festivals in California, Spain, Finland, Japan, and Germany. I also attended Mannes Prep Pre College program for 5 years where I studied violin and voice. I participated in orchestra, chamber music, choir, and music theory and ear training classes. I now attend Lee University in Tennessee and I am studying vocal + violin performance with a minor in English. https://www.facebook.com/thalia.st.hubert.5 |
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David Radamés Toro (he/him)
Stage Director, Voice Teacher, Acting Coach, Stage Movement Instructor, assistant director Minneapolis, MN David Radamés Toro applies his background in physical theatre and mime to direct a variety musical repertoire with an affinity for baroque and 20th/21st century works. He has worked at companies including Minnesota Opera, the Wexford Opera Festival, Washington National Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Saratoga, and Opera Neo. As a director, David is known for bringing honesty and humanity to the opera stage. In reviewing his production of Flight, The Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote, “This staging showed that "Flight" has a beating heart, and something to say.” The San Diego Union Tribune described his 2019 production of La Calisto as “well sung and cleverly staged.” Most recently, David directed Opera Neo’s Virtual Magic Flute, a fully staged green screen opera filmed remotely from the singers’ homes. An admirer of modern era opera, David has had the privilege of directing 21st century works such as Glory Denied (Opera Fayetteville, 2020) and Flight (Minnesota Opera, 2020), as well as assisting on world premieres such as Today It Rains (Opera Parallèle, 2019), Dinner at Eight (Minnesota Opera, 2017), The Shining (Minnesota Opera, 2016), and A New Kind of Fallout (Pittsburgh Festival Opera, 2015). Additionally, He directed the premiere of Rose Made Man: An Inside Out Opera for the Cohen New Works Festival in 2015. David Radamés Toro holds degrees from The University of Texas (DMA, Opera Directing), The Ohio State University (MM/MA, Voice Performance and Pedagogy), and The University of Colorado at Boulder (BM, Voice Performance). www.dtorodirects.com |
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Schyler Vargas (he/him)
Singer Denver, Colorado Schyler Vargas, a Mexican-American baritone most recently performed with The Glimmerglass Festival as Marchese in La traviata and Frank in Show Boat, and covered Beaumarchais in Corgliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles with the Châteaux de Versailles Spectacles. Schyler has been seen in The Pirates of Penzance as Samuel with Dayton Opera, in West Side Story with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Atlanta Opera, and The Glimmerglass Festival as Diesel and Chino. His concert credits include the baritone soloist for Orff’s Carmina Burana and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle. Prioritizing new operas in his career, he has worked with Cincinnati Opera’s Opera Fusion, workshopping new works including Rufus Wainwright’s Hadrian and Tobias Picker’s Awakenings, as well as Nicholas Benavides’ Gilberto where he sang the title role at The Glimmerglass Festival. Notable operatic roles include: Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and Eisenstien in Die Fledermaus. He has participated in various competitions throughout the United States with notable awards including: Rocky Mountain District Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, 2nd and Audience Favorite in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition, and 2nd at the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Aria Competition. Before the cancelations caused by the pandemic, Schyler was scheduled to return to the Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Horace Derwent in Paul Moravec’s The Shining and continue performing West Side Story as Diesel with the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari in Italy and a Spanish production as Riff with the Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile. https://www.facebook.com/schylervargasbaritone |
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Brian Vu (he/him)
Singer Los Angeles, CA Described by The New York Times as having an “ample and pleasing tone,” tenor Brian Vu creates visceral and interdisciplinary art on the operatic, theatrical, and concert stages. Mr. Vu has bowed on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Kennedy Center, Houston Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Pittsburgh Opera, San Diego Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera and many others. Role highlights include Riff in Francesca Zambello’s production of West Side Story, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and Hannah before in As One. On the concert stage, Mr. Vu made his Carnegie Hall debut singing Mitch Leigh’s “The Impossible Dream” with the composer in attendance. In the recording studio, Mr. Vu has lent his singing voice for the hit HBO TV series Watchmen. He is a First Place Winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition, Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and Sullivan Foundation Award Winner. Most importantly, Mr. Vu believes in the power of art and live theater and its ability to connect to people of all races, nationalities, creeds, and upbringings. www.brianvu.com |
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Dana Whiteside (he/him)
Singer; President, Board of Directors - Emmanuel Music Boston, MA Baritone Dana Whiteside has appeared as soloist in numerous performances from concert, opera and recital. A product of the Longy School of Music, New England Conservatory and the Tanglewood Music Center, Mr. Whiteside has received critical acclaim for his voice of “noble clarity throughout powerful and resonant” (The Washington Post). Among recent season highlights were “The Magic Flute” with Boston Baroque; the role of Count Carl Magnus in Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music”; “Carmina Burana” at Mechanics Hall; the Verdi Requiem; and a “Sea Symphony” at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-whiteside-29811/ |