Marion Roose Pullin Arizona Opera Studio
In residence all season, Studio Artists can be seen performing on both our main stage and throughout Arizona. The Studio also provides well-rounded, personalized instruction that propels each artist to the next level. These opportunities help bridge the gap between academic studies and a professional career.
Arizona Opera’s Marion Roose Pullin Opera Studio is made possible through the support of: Marlu Allan and Scott Stallard, Roma Wittcoff, Tom and Ginger Collier, Alan and Linda Englander, Ron and Kay McDougall, and a consortium of individual donors.
2024/25 Studio Artists
Peter Barber, bass-baritone
2nd Year Studio Artist
Hometown: Crozet, VA
Peter Barber is an American bass-baritone and graduate of the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts. Currently, he finds himself in the Marion Roose Pullin Arizona Opera Studio, where he has performed Basilio in The Barber of Seville, Capulet in Roméo & Juliette, and Masetto in Don Giovanni. Barber has performed over 30 operatic roles, specializing in Mozart bass-baritone repertoire, such as; title roles in The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, Sarastro, Guglielmo, Don Alfonso, and more. Outside of the opera world, he has built a YouTube audience of over 175,000 subscribers for his musical analysis videos and mesmerizing covers of contemporary music.
Sedona Libero, mezzo-soprano
1st Year Studio Artist
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Mezzo-soprano Sedona Libero is known for the authenticity, playfulness, and passion that she brings to the operatic stage. Libero made her professional debut with the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in 2018 as Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, and, subsequently, made her professional symphonic debut as the Alto Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. In the Summer of 2024, she performed as a Studio Artist with Teatro Nuovo, covering Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti ed i Montecchi. She has also appeared as a Young Artist with Opera Southwest as Ernestina in Rossini’s L’occasion fa il ladro, and as an Emerging Artist at the Seagle Festival where she performed as Rosie Chaney in Kevin Puts and Mark Campell’s The Manchurian Candidate, and as Carmen in Marius Constant’s adaptation of Bizet’s opera, La tragédie de Carmen. She has performed locally in Arizona as a Teaching Artist with Arizona Opera’s OperaTunity tour, and has been a regular guest artist with Chandler Opera Company, which included her first appearance as Rosina in The Barber of Seville. Libero completed her graduate training at University of Michigan and baccalaureate work at Northern Arizona University.
Emma Marhefka, soprano
1st Year Studio Artist
Hometown: Allentown, PA
Emma Marhefka, soprano, has country-wide performance credits including Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) Opera Tampa, Younger Alyce (Glory Denied) Knoxville Opera and Opera Roanoke, and Frasquita (Carmen) Des Moines Metro Opera. She has been a young artist with Des Moines Metro Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Santa Fe Opera as cover for Adina (The Elixir of Love). While at CCM, Marhefka sang Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Mary Johnson (Fellow Travelers), The Vixen (The Cunning Little Vixen), and Sandrina (La Finta Giardiniera). She has been a regionalist for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and a 2023 finalist in Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition.
Madeleine Snow, assistant stage director
1st Year Studio Artist
Hometown: Chappaqua, NY
Madeleine Snow is a director and creative collaborator who is passionate about reimagining ways for contemporary audiences to engage with classical music. She has enjoyed directing site-specific performances and collaborating with composers including Ricky Ian Gordon and Ben Moore. She directed the World Premiere of Joshua Hershfield’s critically acclaimed rock musical Rise and won second place of the 2023 American Prize in Directing for her inventive production of La Calisto with Eastman Opera Theatre. A 2024 Festival Artist at Central City Opera, Snow has recently worked as a director at PAC NYC, Palm Beach Opera, Boulder Opera, Loveland Opera Theatre, Rochester Philharmonic, Boston Youth Symphony, and Harvard College Opera.
Yichen Xue, baritone
1st Year Studio Artist
Hometown: Anshan, China
Yichen Xue is a baritone from Anshan, China. In 2023, he was the recipient of Opera Index Competition’s Emerging Artist Award and, subsequently in 2024, received a Career Bridges grant. Xue was also a 2024 finalist and grant winner in the renowned Gerda Lissner Competition. Xue graduated from the Manhattan School of Music and received his Master’s degree from Hunter College, where he was a student of Ron Raines. In summer of 2024, he joins Wolf Trap Opera as a Studio Artist, followed by a residency with Arizona Opera as a Marion Roose Pullin Studio Artist where he will make his company debut as Schaunard in La Bohème.
If you are passionate about continuing the traditions of opera for the next generation, this is your opportunity! For more information about supporting this program, or to inquire about sponsoring an apprentice, contact Ashley Parks at 602.218.7337 or aparks@azopera.org.