Cinderella

Dean Williamson, music director of Nashville Opera, is widely known for his perceptive and commanding conducting.   He was artistic director of Opera Cleveland and was the founder and music director of Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program.

This past season he made a highly successful Lincoln Center debut with the New York City Opera.  He has conducted at many regional companies, including Seattle Opera, Minnesota Opera, Wolf Trap Opera Company, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Des Moines Metro Opera, Lyric Opera of Boston, San Francisco Opera/Merola, Opera Colorado, Chautauqua Opera, and Manitoba Opera..

With Nashville Opera, he has recently released two studio opera recordings by Michael Nyman and Carly Simon on Naxos.  His video recording of Le Comte Ory with Des Moines Metro Opera earned an Emmy nomination.

Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack has been acclaimed for her “caramel timbre, flickering vibrato, and crisp articulation” (Opernwelt) as she “hurls fast notes like a Teresa Berganza or a Frederica von Stade” (San Francisco Chronicle).

In the 2016/17 season, Daniela Mack made her Royal Opera House-Covent Garden debut as Rosina in The Barber of Seville with Javier Camerena and will make her Metropolitan Opera debut in Mary Zimmerman’s new production of Rusalka as the Kitchen Boy. She debuts with the New York Philharmonic in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under Alan Gilbert and the Florida Grand Opera as the title role in Carmen. Ms. Mack also returns to Arizona Opera as Angelina in Cinderella and Santa Fe Opera as Bradamante in David Alden’s production Alcina conducted by Harry Bicket.

Daniela Mack returned to the San Francisco Opera to reprise her performances as Rosina in The Barber of Seville and created the role of Jacqueline Kennedy in the world premiere of David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s JFK at the Fort Worth Opera in the 2015/16 season. She also made her Arizona Opera debut in the title role of Carmen and was seen in recital with tenor Alek Shrader at the Tucson Desert Song Festival. On the concert stage, Ms. Mack debuted with three orchestras under Charles Dutoit: Orchestra de la Suisse Romande in Ravel’s L’heure espagnole and L’enfant et les sortilèges, Boston Symphony Orchestra in L’heure espagnole, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Falla’s Three-Cornered Hat. She also debuted with the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk in Rossini’s Giovanna d’Arco under James Gaffigan and performed Vivaldi’s Judith triumphans with Boston Baroque.

Recently, Daniela Mack has been seen at San Francisco Opera as Rosmira in Handel’s Partenope in a production by Christopher Alden, as well as Rosina. In the summer of 2014, she made important role and company debut: the title role in Carmen at Santa Fe Opera in a new production by Stephen Lawless. She also debuted at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Kitchen Boy in David McVicar’s production of Rusalka conducted by Andrew Davis and returned to Madison Opera as Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking. She has been seen at the English National Opera in a new production of Julius Caesar as Sesto under Christian Curnyn, the first time the opera was produced at the ENO since the legendary 1979 production. She also debuted at Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse and Los Angeles Opera as Nancy in Albert Herring, Washington National Opera as the Madrigal Singer in Manon Lescaut, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Verbier Festival as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Opéra National de Bordeaux as Angelina in L’italiana in Algeri, and Opera Colorado in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's famous production of Cinderella directed by Grischa Asagaroff.

In concert, Ms. Mack has been heard with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Manuel de Falla’s La vida breve under the baton of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Washington Chorus in Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, Hong Kong Philharmonic in Ravel’s Shéhérazade, and with the Sydney Symphony in Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne and Falla’s Siete canciones populares españolas. She also made her Cincinnati May Festival debut in Mozart’s Requiem under James Conlon and in an all-star gala at the Opera Theater of San Antonio.

Daniela Mack is an alumna of the Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera where she has appeared as Idamante in Idomeneo Siebel in Faust and Lucienne in Die tote Stadt for her house debut. She performed the title role of Cinderella as a member of the Merola Opera Program and made her West Coast recital debut as part of San Francisco Opera’s Schwabacher Debut Recital Series. Ms. Mack was recently a finalist in the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

The brilliant lyric tenor Alek Shrader continues to impress audiences with the “luxury of his phrasing, the clarity of his diction and the sensitivity and expressiveness of his characterizations”.

Mr. Shrader’s 2015-2016 season begins with performances of Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Philadelphia, followed by a return to the San Francisco Opera to sing David in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Later in the season he will sing Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Baltimore Lyric Opera and Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress with the Pittsburgh Opera.

In the 2014/15 season, Mr. Shrader returned to the San Francisco Opera to sing the role of Emilio in Handel’s Partenope¸ followed by a return to the Metropolitan Opera for Camille in a new production of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. Other engagements include Jupiter & Apollo in Handel’s Semele with the Seattle Opera, singing one of his signature roles, Count Almaviva , in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at the Canadian Opera Company, and a return to Santa Fe Opera for Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment. In concert, Mr Shrader will sing the title role in Candide with the Vancouver Symphony. Future engagements include leading roles with San Francisco Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Theater an der Wien, and Welsh National Opera. 

Alek Shrader began the 2013/14 season singing Almaviva with the San Francisco Opera, followed by reprises of the role at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Dallas Opera. The season also included engagements as Tamino in The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera, and Ernesto in Don Pasquale at the Santa Fe Opera. Mr. Shrader was also heard as Ferdinand in Thomas Ades’ The Tempest for his San Francisco Symphony debut in the fall and as Ferrando in the Christopher Alden/Gustavo Dudamel Così Fan Tutte with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Disney Hall.

In 2012/13, Mr. Shrader made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Ades’ ‘modern masterpiece’, The Tempest, conducted by the composer himself, and returned to sing Almaviva in the English version of The Barber of Seville. He sang Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola at the Hamburgische Staatsoper and then returned to the U.S. for a North American recital tour, including San Francisco Performances, Oberlin University and his Carnegie Weill Hall debut. Baltimore audiences had the opportunity to hear Mr. Shrader in a gala performance of Belcanto arias and ensembles in the spring. Later in the season, he was featured in an opera gala, sponsored by the San Antonio Opera. Mr. Shrader closed the season with the tenor solo in the Mozart Requiem at the Cincinnati May Festival with James Conlon conducting, followed by his role debut as Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale at the Glyndebourne Festival.

Mr. Shrader opened the 2011/12 season as Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress with Opera de Lille, followed by Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola at the Hamburg Opera. He sang Tamino in Lyric Opera Chicago’s production of The Magic Flute, and the title role in Britten’s Albert Herring with the Los Angeles Opera. Mr. Shrader appeared as Oronte in David Alden’s highly-acclaimed new production of Handel’s Alcina at the Opera National de Bordeaux and returned to San Francisco Opera for Tamino in The Magic Flute. He closed the season as Gonzalve in Ravel’s L’Heure Espagnole at the Glyndebourne Festival.

Highlights of the 2010/11 season include the title role in Berstein’s Candide in concert performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Egeo in Medea in Corinto, Belmonte in The Abduction from the Seraglio and Tamino in The Magic Flute at the Bavarian State Opera. On the concert stage, he gave a recital in Santiago, Spain and made his Wigmore Hall Recital debut with pianist Roger Vignoles. Mr. Shrader also appeared as Lindoro in The Italian Girl in Algers with Opera National de Bordeaux and as Almaviva in The Barber of Seville with Theatre du Capitole de Toulouse. He closed the season at the Salzburg Festival, where he debuted as Ferrando in Così fan tutte​.

Highly acclaimed by the San Francisco press as a recitalist who is “natural and effortless, so different from just about everybody else”, Alek Shrader was featured in two On Wings of Song recitals in the spring of the 2009/10 season; at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara and also at Santa Monica College for the Performing Arts (Broad Stage), both sponsored by The Marilyn Horne Foundation. Concert appearances this season included Messiah with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Mozart Requiem with the Pittsburgh Symphony and St. Louis Symphony. 

Mr. Shrader, a former Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera, made a spectacular mainstage debut in the San Francisco 2008/09 season, replacing an indisposed Ramon Vargas as Nemorino in two performances of The Elixer of Love. Additional performances with the San Francisco Opera have included Korngold’s, Die Tote Stadt, the role of Arbace in Mozart’s Idomeneo, and Nemorino in student performances of The Elixer of Love. Other opera highlights have included Almaviva in Opera Cleveland’s production of The Barber of Seville and Il Re Pastore with Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He was also a featured soloist in the 2009 Metropolitan Opera Concert in the Park series.

Alek Shrader made his professional debut as Almaviva in Rossini's The Barber of Seville at the Opera Theater of St. Louis, where he had spent the previous two summers as a young artist. He has appeared in Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino with the Gotham Chamber Opera, in William Bolcom’s A Wedding at the Music Academy of the West, and participated in Renata Scotto's Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Opera Studio. Shrader’s roles in previous seasons have included the title role in Le Comte Ory, Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Tony in Bernstein’s West Side Story, and Ramiro in Rossini's La Cenerentola.

Alek Shrader is the recipient of a Sara Tucker grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation and a winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

A 2017 recipient of a top prize from the Sullivan Foundation, Joseph Lattanzi established himself as a singer to watch with his portrayal of Hawkins Fuller in the world premiere of Greg Spears’ Fellow Travelers with Cincinnati Opera, followed by further performances for his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Praise for his performances included The New York Times saying “Joseph Lattanzi was splendid as Hawk, his buttery baritone luxuriant and robust.” and Opera News described him as a “confident, handsome presence, and a resonant baritone suggesting wells of feeling that the character might prefer to leave untapped.” Recent projects include Seattle Opera’s film of Jonathan Dove’s Flight and his role debut as Silvio in Pagliacci with Atlanta Opera. Other recent engagements include Dandini in La Cenerentola for Virginia Opera, the title role in Don Giovanni with Jacksonville Symphony, and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro for Cincinnati Opera. Lattanzi has been a regular at The Metropolitan Opera since the 2018/19 Season including productions of Der Rosenkavalier, Madama Butterfly, Marnie, and Kat'a Kabanova. A regular with Arizona Opera, Lattanzi was a member of the Marion Roose Pullin Studio from 2015 – 2017. Appearances with the company include Hawkins in Fellow Travelers, Lt. Audebert in Silent Night, the title role in Don Giovanni, Dandini, and Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas.

The Oregonian praises soprano Katrina Galka for her recent performances of Adina in L’elisir d’amore, exclaiming that she “looked like a young Glenn Close, projecting power over Nemorino as she thrilled with fine coloratura filigree and pure high notes.” In the 2020/21 Season, she makes her role and company debut as Olympia in Les contes d’Hoffmann at the Opernhaus Zürich as well as sings a solo digital recital for Portland Opera. Her San Francisco Opera debut as Janine (Ofwarren) in Ruder’s The Handmaid’s Tale was unfortunately cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, as were the roles she added to her repertoire last season: Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and the Charmeuse in Thais for performances at Arizona Opera and Utah Opera. In the first half of last season, she returned to the Wiener Staatsoper to reprise Fritzi in Staud’s Die Weiden following her debut with the company in the work’s world premiere in the season prior. She sang her first performances of the Controller in Dove’s Flight with Minnesota Opera and returned to the Las Vegas Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah.

Galka recently role and company debuts as Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Atlanta Opera—followed by reprisals at New Orleans Opera and Opera San Jose, Atalanta in Xerxes at the Glimmerglass Festival, and Serpetta in La finta giardiniera with On Site Opera at the Caramoor International Music Festival, and Aithra in Die ägyptische Helena with Odyssey Opera. She sang her first performances of Gilda in Rigoletto in a return to Portland Opera, where she was previously a resident artist and host of role debuts that include Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Elvira in L’italiana in Algeri, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, and Frasquita in Carmen. With Arizona Opera Opera, she sang Cunegonde in Candide, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Woglinde in Das Rheingold, and a quartet of roles in Morganelli’s Hercules vs Vampires, the First Wood Nymph in Rusalka and Clorinda in La cenerentola as a resident artist. She joined the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy as a guest artist for Frasquita in Carmen and sang prior performances of Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis at which she has been both a Festival Artist and a Gerdine Young Artist. She joined the CoOperative Program as Marie in La fille du régiment and sang the Cat in Schuller’s The Fisherman and his Wife with Odyssey Opera and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. She also joined Dallas Opera as Voice I in Cuomo's Arjuna's Dilemma, presented as the company hosted the annual Opera America conference.

On the concert stage, she has joined the Rhode Island Civic Chorale for the Angel in Respighi's Laude to the Nativity and Handel's Messiah and returned to the latter previously with the Las Vegas Philharmonic. With the Florida Orchestra, she sang Bernstein favorites in a concert celebrating his work on Broadway. She sang Elvira in excerpts of L’italiana in Algeri with the Oregon Symphony and Violetta in excerpts of La traviata with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. With various Dallas-based chamber ensembles and orchestras, she has sung Fauré’s Requiem, Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate, and Bach’s St. John Passion. In 2011, Katrina performed in the east coast premiere of Jake Heggie’s Pieces of 9/11 as the Girl Soprano, with Mr. Heggie at the piano.

Galka is a three-time regional award winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is the first-place winner of the Mario Lanza Scholarship and has received further awards from the National Opera Association Vocal Competition, Marcello Giordani International Vocal Competition, and the Heida Hermanns International Vocal Competition.

She holds a Master of Music from Boston University, at which she sang Servilia in La clemenza di Tito, Carolina in Il matrimonio segreto, and Rosalba in Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas. She earned a Bachelor of Music from Southern Methodist University, from which she graduated summa cum laude.