Aida

Rising dramatic tenor Limmie Pulliam has thrilled audiences with his captivating stage presence and his “stentorian, yet beautiful,” sound.

The 2024/25 Season will feature a combination of returns and debuts for Pulliam, including his role and house debut as Samson in Samson et Dalila with New Orleans Opera, his return to the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst for Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, and his house debut with Austin Opera as tenor soloist in Verdi’s Requiem. He returns to the role of Radamès in Aida for concert performances with both Arizona Opera and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Jonathan Heward. Limmie Pulliam will also make his role debut as Calaf in Turandot for a special benefit concert for University of Houston’s Moore School of Music.

During the 2023/24 Season, the tenor made his European debut with the Gewandhaus Orchester as the tenor soloist in Verdi’s Requiem, continuing his collaboration with Maestro Franz Welser-Möst. In the States, Pulliam debuted the role of Cavaradossi in Tosca with Madison Opera, and returned to the role of Canio in Pagliacci in his company debut with Florida Grand Opera. While in Florida, he also made his debut with the New World Symphony for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Other concert appearances during the season include holiday concerts with the Madison Symphony, and a “Best of Verdi” concert with the Lubbock Symphony.

In 2022, Pulliam made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Radamès in Aida, which also served as his role debut. He later performed Radamès with Tulsa Opera for their 75th anniversary gala concert. Pulliam also returned to The Cleveland Orchestra for his first performances as Dick Johnson in Puccini's La fanciulla del West, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. In concert, he debuted with the San Diego Symphony singing Verdi’s Requiem, and made his Carnegie Hall debut performing The Ordering of Moses in collaboration with Oberlin Conservatory, his alma mater. He joined pianist Mark Markham in recital with the Nashville Symphony and Delta Symphony, and closed the season with the Ojai Festival, presenting selections from Rhiannon Giddens’ critically-acclaimed new opera, Omar.

Pulliam’s 2021/22 Season included his company and role debut with Los Angeles Opera as Manrico in Il Trovatore. He additionally made two significant orchestra debuts, singing the title role in Otello with The Cleveland Orchestra and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Yannick Nézét-Seguin. He also appeared in concert with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City for a night of operatic greatest hits, and the Memphis Symphony for their rescheduled Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. During the summer, he joined Madison Opera for their widely popular Opera in the Park concert, and the Bard Music Festival as Albert in Rachmaninoff’s rarely-performed The Miserly Knight, led by Leon Botstein.

An in-demand concert artist, Pulliam has performed Verdi’s Requiem with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. He also made a much-anticipated return appearance with Vashon Opera where he was featured in a sold-out Limmie Pulliam & Friends concert. He has also joined The National Opera Association’s 2016 convention to honor of their Lifetime Achievement Award recipient George Shirley, and appeared with The Concord Chorale as tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and the tenor soloist in Stainer’s Resurrection with New Covenant United Methodist Church. Pulliam has been featured in numerous appearances with the internationally renowned chorale Gloriae Dei Cantores, as tenor soloist (Ahab/Obadiah) in Mendelssohn’s Elijah as well as in concerts featuring Intimations of Immortality and For St. Cecelia by Gerald Finzi. He appeared as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Forum Sinfonia Orchestra of Finland and soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the San Angelo Symphony. Pulliam was also a featured soloist on The American Spiritual Ensemble’s 2013 Winter Tour.

The Missouri native trained with the late renowned pedagogue Richard Miller. He is also a former participant in the young artist programs of Cleveland Opera, Opera Delaware and Opera Memphis. He was the 2012 Artist Division Winner of the National Opera Association's Vocal Competition and, in 2013, was a winner in the 3rd Annual Concorso Internazionale di Canto della Fondazione Marcello Giordano in Catania, Sicily.

Baritone Kidon Choi is a recent graduate of the prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera. While in the program he was seen in La fanciulla del West (José Castro) conducted by Marco Armiliato, Otello (Herald) conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, and Madama Butterfly (Prince Yamadori).

Choi’s 2023/24 season includes a debut with San Diego Opera for Madama Butterfly (Sharpless) and a return to The Cleveland Orchestra for The Magic Flute. Additionally, he will join the roster of the Lyric Opera of Chicago for Aida. On the concert stage, he will appear with the KBS Symphony in Korea for Beethoven Symphony No. 9. In 2022/23, he returned to The Korea National Opera for Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Four Villains). Other engagements included his role and company debut with Opera San José for Tosca (Scarpia) and his company debut with San Francisco Opera for Madama Butterfly (Prince Yamadori) and Die Frau ohne Schatten (Night Watchman #2).

Choi made his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra in Otello (Montano) conducted by Franz Welser-Möst and returned to Wolf Trap Opera for La traviata (Germont). Recent appearances include La fanciulla del West (Jack Rance) with The Korea National Opera, scenes from Verdi’s Otello at the Bay Street Theatre followed by debuts at North Carolina Opera in I pagliacci (Tonio) conducted by Keitaro Harada and Opera Idaho in La Bohème (Marcello). He debuted at Wolf Trap Opera as the title role in Rigoletto and returned to Chautauqua Opera for Rigoletto following his debut in La Bohème (Marcello). Additional performance credits include in La traviata (Germont), Aida (Amonasro), Così fan tutte (Don Alfonso), The Elixir of Love (Dr. Dulcamara), Haydn’s Orlando Paladino (Rodomonte), and in Hänsel und Gretel (Peter). On the concert stage he has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Choi is a 2019 Sullivan Foundation Grant recipient. He received second prize in the Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition, fourth prize in the Loren L. Zachary Competition, first prize in the Alfredo Silipigni Vocal Competition, first prize/audience prize in the Cooper Bing competition, third prize in the Opera at Florham Vocal Competition, second prize in the Gerda Lissner Competition, the Major Award in the Opera Index Vocal Competition, and was also a grant winner in the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation auditions.

Choi earned his professional studies diploma from Mannes School of Music, his master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, and his bachelor’s degree from Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea.

A Kansas native, Scott Conner has been lauded by critics and audiences for his appearances on both sides of the Atlantic. Conner’s warm, flexible voice and elegant stature brings proficiency in a wide range of repertoire, including Mozart, Rossini, Handel, Donizetti and Verdi. He is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts, and a Sara Tucker study grant winner from the Richard Tucker Foundation.

Scott Conner begins his 2024/25 Season with a return to The Metropolitan Opera, where he performs One-Armed Brother in Die Frau ohne Schatten, 2nd Armored Man in their holiday presentation of The Magic Flute, and Jose Tripaldi in Ainadamar. He also joins the company to cover Don Fernando in Fidelio and Colline in La Bohème. In the spring, Conner makes his anticipated role and house debut as Ramfis in Aida with Arizona Opera.

During the 2023/24 Season, Conner joined The Metropolitan Opera for its production of La Bohème, returning to the stage for a performance of Colline. He also joined the Jacksonville Symphony for his role debut as Zuniga in Bizet’s Carmen. During the summer, the bass makes a return to Santa Fe Opera as the Police Commissioner in Der Rosenkavalier.

The bass’s previous season included a number of roles at The Metropolitan Opera, singing the Voice of Neptune in Idomeneo and returning to the role of the Police Commissioner in Robert Carsen’s acclaimed production of Der Rosenkavalier, as well as covering Colline in La Bohème and Creonte in Medea. He made his Canadian Opera Company debut as the 2nd Soldier in Salome, and made his Handel and Haydn debut in a semi-staged The Marriage of Figaro, singing both Bartolo and Antonio. In May 2023, Conner made his Cleveland Orchestra debut as Ashby in La fanciulla del West before returning to Des Moines Metro Opera for the summer as the King in The Love for Three Oranges.

The 2021/22 Season featured a variety of assignments for the bass at The Metropolitan Opera, most notably singing Schwarz in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, as well as covering Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Colline in La Bohème. He then made his return to Santa Fe Opera in the summer as Pistola in Sir David McVicar’s new production of Falstaff.

Original engagements for Conner’s 2020/21 Season included King Balthazar in Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, as well as his return to The Metropolitan Opera, singing the High Priest of Baal in Nabucco, and covering the King in Aida, Goffredo in Il Pirata, and Colline in La Bohème (all Met engagements cancelled due to the pandemic). He closed the season by making his return to Des Moines Metro Opera as Jupiter in Platée. Conner’s COVID-affected 2019/20 Season began with Opera Philadelphia, where he performed the role of The King in The Love for Three Oranges. He then returned to The Metropolitan Opera singing the Police Commissioner in Der Rosenkavalier and covered Colline in La Bohème.

Conner made his debut with The Metropolitan Opera in 2017 as the Police Commissioner in Der Rosenkavalier, and has subsequently returned in numerous roles, including Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi, and covering Bello in La fanciulla del West. Other notable U.S. appearances include San Francisco Opera as Tom in Un ballo in maschera, Colline in La Bohème and Angelotti in Tosca; San Diego Opera as Escamillo in Carmen, Santa Fe Opera as Mustafa in L’italiana in Algeri, Portland Opera as Sparafucile in Rigoletto; Palm Beach Opera as Angelotti in Tosca, Bard Summerscape as a Judge in the American Premiere of Korngold's Das Wunder der Heliane and the Spoleto Festival USA as the First Soldier and First Nazarene in Salome. Additionally, he joined the roster of the Lyric Opera of Chicago to cover the role of Mephistopheles in Faust.

Scott Conner began his career in Europe as an ensemble member of Semperoper Dresen, where his roles included Colline in La Bohème, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Masetto in Don Giovanni and Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville. He has also appeared with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and BBC Proms as the Police Commissioner in Der Rosenkavalier, Zürich Opera for Don Profondo in Il Viaggio a Reims, as well as Zoroastro in Orlando under the baton of William Christie; Bayerische Staatsoper singing Tom in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, conducted by Zubin Mehta, as well as the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence as Theseus in Robert Carsen’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cavalli’s Elena; Opéra National de Paris as Nerbulone in Eliogabalo; Opera de Dijon as Jupiter/Vulcano in La finta pazza, led by Leonardo Alarcon; Dutch National Opera as Nerbulone in Eliogabalo and Bernardino in Benvenuto Cellini; Glyndebourne Festival Opera for Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin; and L’Opéra de Lille as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor.

Conner was the recipient of the 1st Prize Award in the 2012 Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition and the 2012 Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition. Conner attended the University of Missouri, Kansas City for his Bachelor of Music degree.

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.

Stephanie Rhodes Russell is an alum of the Dallas Opera’s Institute for Women Conductors, the Houston Grand Opera Studio and San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program. She was a Conducting Fellow with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra from 2019-2021, where she appeared regularly with the ensemble leading education, family, and community concerts while serving as cover conductor for the symphonic subscription series. She is also the recipient of a 2019 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, designed to aid outstanding young conductors in developing their talents and careers.

The 2024/25 Season brings a number of significant returns for Maestro Rhodes Russell: Hänsel und Gretel with Utah Opera, Aida with Arizona Opera, and Washington National Opera for the orchestrated World Premiere of Jungle Book by Kamala Sankaram (composer) and Kelley Rourke (librettist). She also makes her orchestral debut with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera conducting works by Prokofiev and Stravinsky.

During the 2023/24 Season, the conductor made debuts with Washington National Opera, leading Jeanine Tesori’s The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me, and Arizona Opera, adding Gounod’s Roméo & Juliette to her repertoire. With Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, she conducted performances of Tchaikovsky’s masterwork Eugene Onegin.

Rhodes Russell’s 2022/23 Season included company debuts with Austin Opera (The Barber of Seville), Utah Opera (La fille du régiment), and Cincinnati Opera (The Knock), as well as returns to Madison Opera (The Marriage of Figaro) and Wolf Trap Opera (Don Giovanni).

The previous season included leading performances of Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah with Wolf Trap Opera, her debut with Opera Orlando conducting Verdi’s La traviata, and a collaboration with Lyric Opera of Chicago, leading a workshop of Git Here (Daniel Bernard Roumain/Anna Deavere Smith) and Four Portraits (Caroline Shaw/Jocelyn Clark). She initially planned to serve as Music Director for Opera Philadelphia’s production of Henze’s El Cimarrón during the season, but it was unfortunately cancelled due to the effects of COVID-19.

Stephanie Rhodes Russell’s 2020/21 Season included scheduled returns to the Dallas Opera to conduct Bizet’s Dr. Miracle, a concert of opera excerpts at the NorthPark Center, and the highly anticipated Lawrence Brownlee: Songs for Dallas concert in the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Additionally, she conducted a filmed production of Britten’s Turn of the Screw with the Temple University Opera Program, and in the summer of 2021 she joined Madison Opera for their annual Opera in the Park program.

Rhodes Russell frequently draws on her Russian specialty, and during the summer of 2020, conducted excerpts of Tchaikovksy’s Eugene Onegin for Wolf Trap Opera, a change from the scheduled full production due to COVID-19. A Fulbright award recipient in Russia, she lived in Moscow specializing in Russian repertoire and pronunciation for non-native singers while working as a guest coach at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. She was thereafter commissioned by The Dallas Opera to transliterate Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and has taught workshops on Russian diction for singers at young artist programs and universities across the United States. Immediately following her 2020 performances with Wolf Trap Opera, she returned to Fort Worth to lead the Symphony Orchestra in the Concerts in the Garden 4th of July performances.

Following her work on the San Francisco Opera Ring Cycle, she was appointed the 2019 Associate Conductor of the Grand Teton Music Festival, where she served as assistant to Music Director Donald Runnicles and led the GTMF orchestra in the Hartley Family Concert. Additionally, she performed as a pianist in the festival’s renowned Chamber Music Concert Series.

Other recent engagements include concerts with the American Festival Chorus and Orchestra, performances of Handel’s Alcina at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, an engagement with Washington National Opera’s forum for new works, the American Opera Initiative, and The Magic Flute and Dido and Aeneas with the Miami Music Festival. Highlights as an Assistant Conductor include work on two Wagner Ring Cycles with conductors Philippe Auguin and Donald Runnicles and productions of Iolanta, Eugene Onegin, and Queen of Spades with Emmanuel Villaume and Carlo Rizzi. She has served on the music staff of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, The Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Washington National Opera, amongst others, and her extensive operatic experience in the roles of assistant conductor, prompter, chorusmaster, rehearsal pianist, and diction coach, brings a comprehensive understanding to her work.

Beginning in autumn 2022, Stephanie Rhodes Russell will be Associate Professor and Music Director of Opera at the University of North Texas. This position intersects with her strong interest in educating the next generation of artists, which also led her to found the non-profit Women’s Artistic Leadership Initiative (Women’s ALI). The organization’s aim is to educate and empower young female artists, training them to become future community leaders by equipping them with both leadership skills and business acumen. She holds degrees in Collaborative Piano and Piano Performance from the University of Michigan and Utah State University, respectively, and completed a doctorate in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Utah.

Praised for her “sizeable voice that captured all of the vacillating emotions” (The New York Times), Karen Slack is "not only one of the nation's most celebrated sopranos, but a leading voice in changing and making spaces in classical music” (Trilloquy).

In the high point of her 2024/25 Season, Slack embarks on a nationwide tour of her new commissioning project, African Queens, an evening-length vocal recital of new art songs celebrating the history and legacy of seven African queens revered as rulers but not widely heralded in the Western world. Featuring new works by acclaimed composers Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon and Joel Thompson Slack performs the world premiere of African Queens at the Ravinia Festival, followed by performances at co-commissioners Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, 92NY, Washington Performing Arts, Denver Friends of Chamber Music, and Newport Classical Festival.

During the season, Slack will perform in the World Premiere of Damien Geter’s Loving V. Virginia with the Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony; reprise the role of Mama in Minnesota Opera’s production of The Snowy Day; and feature as soloist with the Fresno Philharmonic. Beyond the Years, her debut recording project featuring unpublished songs by Florence Price, developed in collaboration with ONEcomposer and pianist Michelle Cann, is out on Azica Records in summer 2024.

Over recent seasons, Slack has amassed a body of work reflecting her dedication to premiering works by living composers, with particular focus on using her platform to elevate works by Black artists. When the pandemic limited live performances during the 2020/21 Season, Slack made premiere digital performances with Houston Grand Opera, Madison Opera, and Minnesota Opera. She starred in a new production of the opera Driving While Black, presented by UrbanArias, and launched a digital talk show, #kikikonversations, drawing acclaim from Opera News and The New York Times.

Karen Slack has performed on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Scottish Opera, San Francisco Opera, Dallas Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Austin Opera, New Orleans Opera, Minnesota Opera, Vancouver Opera, Edmonton Opera, Sacramento Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Madison Opera and Arizona Opera, among others. Abroad, she has appeared with the Melbourne Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestras, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Slack made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and performed as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra in the World Premiere of Hannibal Lokumbe’s Healing Tones with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

A recipient of the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, Slack is an Artistic Advisor for Portland Opera, serves on the board of the American Composers Orchestra and Astral Artists, and holds a faculty position at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. She has been named Lyric Unlimited Artist-in-Residence at Lyric Opera of Chicago for the 2024/25 Season as well as Artist-in-Residence at leading entrepreneurial institution Babson College.

A native Philadelphian, Slack is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, as well as the Adler Fellowship and the Merola Opera Program at the San Francisco Opera.