The Magic Flute
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Scott TerrellConductor |
Conductor Scott Terrell was appointed Music Director of the Lexington Philharmonic in 2009. During his tenure, Mr. Terrell has re-invigorated and raised the artistic level of the ensemble, expanded collaborations, increased subscriptions and challenged its musicians and audiences with a greater diversity of repertoire and programs. Several major gifts were acquired because of Terrell’s artistic vision and direction resulting in the establishment of an Emerging Artist Chair and a Composer-in-Residence chair.
Maestro Terrell has simultaneously maintained a healthy schedule of recent guest conducting with the Colorado Symphony, Aspen Music Festival and School, and Philadelphia Orchestra. Future engagements include the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and a debut leading Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Arizona Opera.
Since 2009, many of the world’s foremost artists have performed with the Lexington Philharmonic. They have included Dame Evelyn Glennie, violinists Midori and Nadja Solerno-Sonneberg, pianists Inon Barnatan and Joyce Yang, and cellist Johannes Moser. Past projects have included a highly successful concert production of Piazzolla’s tango opera, Maria de Buenos Aires as well a live screening of Charlie Chaplin’s film, Gold Rush. Ensembles known for unique concert presentations, such as Time for Three and Eighth Blackbird, and have been regular guests. Future projects include Philip Glass’ Icarus for film and orchestra, Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger Concerto, and a semi-staging of Osvaldo Golijov’s Aindanamar.
Terrell has led with many prestigious international organizations including Opera Colorado, Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Milwaukee Symphony, Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival, Colorado Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Eugene Symphony, Richmond Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, Greater Boston Youth Symphony, Amarillo Symphony, and El Paso Opera.
Maestro Terrell made his highly successful European debut with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, leading a two-week Bernstein festival including orchestral performances as well as vocal recitals where he served as both pianist and host. Leading an extremely talented international cast, Terrell conducted selections from On the Town and West Side Story, as well as concert performances of Candide. Further demonstrating his mastery of operatic repertoire, Terrell debuted with Opera Colorado in 2002, leading an acclaimed production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. In 2006, he received international rave reviews when he returned to Opera Colorado to lead Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio. He has led numerous programs at the Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto Festivals including: Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with the Charleston Ballet, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Additionally, he led the Minnesota Opera’s production of The Marriage of Figaro.
Previously, Terrell served as Resident Conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra where he was artistic director and conductor of the Backstage Pass Series, Pops Series, and Out of the Box concerts. While Assistant Conductor of Minnesota Orchestra from 1998-2003, Terrell conducted hundreds of the Minnesota Orchestra’s performances including Casual Classics, Pops, Family Concerts, Young People’s Concerts, Composer’s Institute, and Sommerfest Concerts. Mr. Terrell made his subscription performance debut when filling in last minute for ailing conductor, Hans Vonk. He also conducted the orchestra’s semi-staged opera productions of Bernstein’s Candide, and Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors.
In the summer of 2000, Terrell was chosen as a fellowship conductor for the inaugural season of the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival under Music Director, David Zinman. At the conclusion of that summer, he was awarded the Aspen Conducting Prize, an award recognizing exemplary musicianship and promise.
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Dan RigazziDirector |
Stage Director Dan Rigazzi is delighted to be making his debut at Arizona Opera. Recent projects include The Beggar’s Opera at Carnegie Mellon University, Lucia di Lammermoor at the Winter Opera of St. Louis, and La bohème for Ash Lawn Opera. In 2014 Dan made his La Scala debut, assisting Mary Zimmerman with her production of Lucia di Lammermoor. Other noteable projects include The Tales of Hoffmann for Wolf Trap Opera, The Rape of Lucretia for Pittsburgh Opera and a Triple Bill for Bard’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program, which included Song from the Uproar, by Missy Mazzoli, the premiere of David T. Little’sVinkensport, and Maurice Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges. In addition to his work at regional opera houses and universities, Dan has been on the staging staff at the Metropolitan Opera since 2008. He has worked with five Tony Award winning Directors: Mary Zimmerman, Diane Paulus, Susan Stroman, Jack O’Brien and Bartlett Sher.
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Sarah TuckerPamina |
Praised by Opera Today for “pure, clear tones” and lauded by the Arizona Republic for “purity and vivacious charm,” young soprano Sarah Tucker is demanding attention for her captivating vocal timbre and engaging stage presence. Tucker was a National Semifinalist in the 2014 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and recently completed her second year as a member of the Arizona Opera Studio. She was recently heard as Nelly Nettleton in Arizona Opera’s innovative, multi-lingual production of Arizona Lady, in which she not only sang, but also “danced like a flapper” (Opera Today).
The 2019/20 Season included several company debuts: as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Pensacola Opera, Mimi in La bohème with Gulfshore Opera, and Tatyana in Eugene Onegin with Opera in the Heights. This season, she returns to Gulfshore Opera for a reprise of her Mimi in La bohème.
The 2018/19 Season for Tucker included debuts with The Dallas Opera as Frasquita in Carmen, San Diego Opera as Micaëla in Carmen, and Intermountain Opera Bozeman as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin. In the 2017/18 Season, Tucker made her Opera Philadelphia debut where she reprised First Memory in Lembit Beecher’s War Stories, a role which she first premiered with Gotham Chamber Opera in New York City. Additionally, she sang Gilda in Rigoletto with Opera Connecticut and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi with the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival. The 2016/17 Season brought her debut with Utah Opera as Micaëla in Carmen, her return to Texas State University as a guest soloist in Stravinsky’s Les Noces, and covering the title role in The Golden Cockerel at Santa Fe Opera. Her 2015/16 Season included several more role debuts with Arizona Opera including Micaëla in Carmen, Rosalba in Florencia en el Amazonas, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni as well as her San Francisco Opera debut as Jano in Jenufa.
Passionate about uncommon works as well as traditional operatic repertoire, Tucker collaborated with conductor Scott Terrell in Lexington Philharmonic’s 2015 Holiday Series, which included the rarely performed “Song of the Angel” by John Tavener. The piece’s haunting duet for soprano and solo violin requires great musical and vocal versatility, which was “stunningly realized by Tucker” (Tedrin Blair Lindsay, Contributing Music Critic, www.kentucky.com). She was also the star of a cutting-edge workshop of composer Clint Borzoni’s The Copper Queen in which she performed the role of Julia Lowell as part of Arizona Opera’s “Arizona Spark” initiative.
Other recent appearances include Norina in Don Pasquale with the Crested Butte Music Festival, and the soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah with both Lexington Philharmonic and the Christ Cathedral (Crystal Cathedral) in Orange County, CA. Additional past credits include the roles of Contessa Ceprano and Paggio in Rigoletto, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at Arizona Opera, for which she received high acclaim. In 2014, Tucker performed Suor Dolcina in Suor Angelica and Contessa Ceprano in Rigoletto with the Crested Butte Music Festival, and the role of Tina in Flight with Opera Fayetteville.
In addition to her success in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Tucker has received numerous awards in several nationwide vocal competitions. She was a finalist in the Fritz & Levinia Jensen Foundation Voice Competition, in the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition she was a finalist and winner of the Encouragement Award, and she competed in the semifinals of the Dallas Opera Guild and Fort Worth Opera McCammon Vocal Competitions. Tucker is a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati College‐Conservatory of Music (CCM).
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David MargulisTamino |
Tenor David Margulis has established himself as a strong lyrical singer and actor on domestic and international opera stages alike. He has been called “radiant voiced,” and been praised for his “clear, pleasing tenor.” Of his portrayal of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte in his mainstage début at Arizona Opera, Opera Today raved: “David Margulis was an energetic Tamino who was only momentarily laid low by Pollard’s iconic monster. He sang with sumptuous lyrical sounds conveyed on a well-honed legato.”
In 2022, Margulis will make his Carnegie Hall debut in a program with the National Opera Chorus. He also features in A Streetcar Named Desire in his house debut with Florida Grand Opera, and returns to Arizona Opera as Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos. In 2020, he was scheduled to perform as Almaviva with Opera on the James (COVID-19), and was featured as Alfred in Opera Orlando’s innovative production of Die Fledermaus. During the 2019-20 Season, Mr. Margulis covered the role of Timothy Laughlin in Fellow Travelers, reprised his signature role of Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Vero Beach Opera and Opera on the James, and rejoined the Carolina Philharmonic for their annual Gala Concert. In the 2018-19 Season, Margulis made several company and role debuts, portraying Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Cleveland Opera Theater, Kronprinz in Silent Night with Austin Opera, and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Palm Beach Opera. He also appeared twice with the Carolina Philharmonic, joining them as the tenor soloist in Messiah and in their annual Gala Concert.
In the summer of 2018, Margulis debuted with Teatro Nuovo in their inaugural season as Argirio in Tancredi rifatto. Earlier in the season, Margulis also sang in Ballet Tucson’s concert, Bernstein and Ballet, as part of the Tucson Desert Song Festival, performed as the tenor soloist with Buffalo Philharmonic in selections from Cosí fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and Le Nozze di Figaro and returned to Arizona Opera as Almaviva for Il Barbiere di Siviglia. During the 2016-17 season, Mr. Margulis appeared as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Grand Rapids, Will in Middlemarch in Spring with Charlottesville Opera, Florville in Il signor Bruschino with Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi and Torquemada in L’heure espagnole in a double-bill for Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy, France.
During the 2015/16 Season, Margulis joined the prestigious Internationales Opernstudio at Opernhaus Zürich where he demonstrated his refined dramatic sensibilities in a variety of operas including Jonathan Dove’s musical fairy tale The Enchanted Pig, Rossini’s colorful comic opera Le comte Ory, Haydn’s rarely seen “heroic-comic drama” Orlando paladino, Mozart’s hilarious comic singspiel Der Schauspieldirektor, and Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame. Additional engagements include the role of Borsa in Rigoletto in his main stage debut with Opera Santa Barbara; the inaugural New York Festival Song at North Fork program, led by Steven Blier; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Phoenix Symphony. He also was seen at Tuscon Desert Song Festival performing on a program for the Ravinia Steans Music Institute on Tour with Kevin Murphy.
Margulis has earned a reputation as a champion of new works after being a part of numerous workshops including Theodore Morrison’s first opera, Oscar, at The Santa Fe Opera, the workshop performance of The Gospel According to Nana by Liliya Ugay and Lorene Cary with American Lyric Theater, and the workshop première of Bohmler's Riders of the Purple Sage at Arizona Opera. He has also premièred several new works including the tenor solo in Robert Kyr's Pacific Sanctus.
Additionally, Margulis has been engaged by some of the finest training programs in the country, where his assignments have included: Goro in Madama Butterfly and Léon in The Ghosts of Versailles at Wolf Trap Opera; Third Japanese Envoy/Stagehand in Le Rossignol/Der Schauspieldirektor with Santa Fe Opera; Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Alfredo in La traviata, Steuermann in Die fliegende Holländer, Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore, Basilio/Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro, and Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Arizona Opera; Young Servant in Elektra at Des Moines Metro Opera; Selimo in Maometto II at Santa Fe Opera; Molqi in The Death of Klinghoffer at Opera Theatre St. Louis; and Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette at Seagle Music Colony. While a fellow at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, he was privileged to work with some of the most respected coaches and conductors in the world, including Kevin Murphy, Malcolm Martineau, and James Conlon.
Margulis holds degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, The University of Washington, and Florida State University. David is a three-time Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was a finalist in the Giulio Gari 2017 International Vocal Competition.
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Nicholas MastersSarastro |
A graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, accomplished young bass Nicholas Masters was the First Prize and Audience Choice winner in the 2013 Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition. Recently with Houston Grand Opera, Masters performed Colline in La bohème, both at the Wortham Center and the Miller Outdoor Theater as well as the Old Gypsy in Il trovatore. He was a National Grand Finalist in the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, second prize winner in the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, and finalist and recipient of encouragement awards from the 2011 Opera Index, Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation and George London Foundation Awards.
Previous appearances in Houston include Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Dottore Grenvil in La traviata, as well as two unexpected performances of The Spirit of Charles V in Don Carlos when he filled in at the last moment for an indisposed colleague. Mr. Masters also has been seen as Robert in Les vêpres Siciliennes with the Caramoor Festival and Sparafucile in Rigoletto with Opera Theater of Connecticut. Engagements for the 2013-2014 season included Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Opera Philadelphia, his debut with English National Opera as Parsi Rustomji/Lord Krishna in Satyagraha, 5th Jew in Salome with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Masetto in Don Giovanni with the Castleton Festival. The 2014-2015 season includes his return to English National Opera for Ashby in Girl of the Golden West and singing the roles of Gremin in Eugene Onegin and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with Arizona Opera.
A graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Nicholas created the role of the Governor in the world premiere of Margaret Garwood’s The Scarlet Letter, and performed Leporello and Commendatore in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as well as Count Waldner in Richard Strauss’ Arabella. Other appearances at AVA include Colline in La bohème, La Roche in Capriccio, Pistola in Falstaff, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Lord Rochefort in Anna Bolena, and Oroveso in excerpts of Norma. Nicholas has also appeared with the Caramoor Festival where he sang Bill Bobstay in HMS Pinafore and Walter in Guillaume Tell.
During his two consecutive seasons as a Filene Young Artist at Wolf Trap he was featured as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (a role previously performed at the Banff Centre in Canada), Tempo and Nettuno in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Benoit and Alcindoro in La bohème, and in a recital entitled Latin Days, American Nights with Steven Blier. Nicholas was also guest artist on the Wolf Trap Foundation’s Discovery Series, where he performed Luciano in John Musto’s Bastianello and Chucho in William Bolcom’s Lucrezia. He is a two-time recipient of a Career Development Grant from the Shouse Education Fund from the Wolf Trap Foundation.
While pursuing his Master’s degree in the opera program at Yale University, he sang a variety of repertoire, including Baron Bluebeard in Bluebeard’s Castle, Don Inigo Gomez in L’heure espagnole, Frank in Die Fledermaus, and Luka in The Bear. As a member of the Young American Artist Program at Glimmerglass Opera, he covered the role of Le Comte de Breville in the world premiere of The Greater Good by Stephen Hartke. With the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Nicholas sang both Rambaldo in Puccini’s La rondine, and Drebednyov in Shostakovich’s Moskva Cheremushki.
Nicholas has appeared at the Alba Music Festival, Italy as the bass soloist in Verdi’s Requiem, a piece he had previously performed at St. Mary’s College in Maryland. He was also featured as bass soloist in Dvořák’s Stabat Mater with the Greenwich Choral Society. Of mixed French and British heritage Nicholas holds dual American and French (European Union) citizenship. Nicholas lives in Philadelphia, PA with his wife Colleen.
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Calvin GriffinSpeaker of the Temple / Armor 2 |
Calvin Griffin, a native of Columbus, Ohio, joined the Florida Grand Opera studio in the 2016-2017 season. Mr. Griffin made his debut with the company stepping in as a cover to sing the role of Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen. In addition, he sang Zaretsky and covered Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Victor in Before Night Falls, and Samuel in Un ballo in mascherawith the company. Mr. Griffin recently finished a stint with the Arizona Opera Studio where he performed the roles of the Captain in Florencia en el Amazonas, Zuniga in Carmen, Pistola in Falstaff, Count Ceprano in Rigoletto, Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin, Speaker/2nd Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte, Hortensius in La fille du régiment, Colline in La bohème, and Dr. Grenville in La traviata. In 2016, he made his Opera Columbus debut as Colline in La bohème.
In a busy 2017 -2018 season, Mr. Griffin makes exciting debuts with Atlanta Opera as Mother in The Seven Deadly Sins and Morales in Carmen, Opera Birmingham singing Escamillo in Carmen, Opera on the James as Leporello in Don Govanni, Opera Orlando singing Alidoro in La cenerentola, and will return to Arizona Opera to sing Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia. In concert, he sings Handel’s Messiah with the Richmond Symphony and Bach’s Mass in B minor with Gloria Musicae in Sarasota, Florida.
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Lindsay RussellQueen of the Night |
Praised as “radiant and authentic” by Opera News and an artist with a “gracious tone” by The New York Times, American soprano Lindsay Russell is quickly gaining recognition in the operatic world. This season she makes several role and company debuts, including the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Roanoke and Arizona Opera, The Lady with a Hand Mirror in Dominic Argento’s Postcard from Morocco with Portland Opera and Valencienne in The Merry Widowwith the Concert Artist Series of Sarasota.
As a recent apprentice artist with the Santa Fe Opera, Lindsay Russell made mainstage performances as the First Bridesmaid in Le nozze di Figaro and performed the “Bell Song” from Lakmé in the Apprentice Showcase. The previous summer in Santa Fe she covered the role of Fiakermilli for their production of Arabella and performed scenes from Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Ariadne auf Naxos, as Blondchen and Zerbinetta, respectively.
In summer 2011 she performed Frasquita in Carmen and A Young Woman in the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s A Blizzard in Marblehead Neck with The Glimmerglass Festival, where she previously sang the role of Laurie Moss in The Tender Land. Also that season she covered the role of Gilda in Rigoletto with Virginia Opera. In 2009, Ms. Russell attended the Aspen Music Festival where she performed the role of Belinda in Dido and Aeneas and covered Musetta in La bohème. She also performed the roles of Norina in Don Pasquale and Sophie in Werther as a member of the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program.
In 2012, she debuted with the Yakima Symphony as the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana. In 2011, Ms. Russell made her debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic singing the Queen of the Night arias from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Flaminia’s aria from Haydn’s Il Mondo della Luna.
Other roles Ms. Russell has performed include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Genevieve in Suor Angelica, Jenny in Street Scene, Ms. Dorothy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Barbarina inDie Hochzeit des Figaro. She is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music where she performed the roles of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Gilda in Rigoletto.
Lindsay Russell is the winner of the grand prize at Florida Grand Opera’s Young Patronesses of Opera Competition and second prize at the Jensen Foundation Competition.
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Chad SloanPapageno |
American baritone Chad Sloan is recognized as much for his warm, elegant vocalism as he is for deft interpretations of diverse characters. In the 2012-2013, Chad performed Carmina Burana with Columbia Pro Cantare, Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium with Louisville Choral Arts Society, Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzer at Twickenham Music Festival, Britten’s War Requiem at Lawrence Conservatory and as baritone soloist in performances of Mozart, Beethoven and Bach with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park. He also debuted with Opera Memphis in Lee Hoiby’s This is the Rill Speaking. Performances for the 2013-2014 season include Carmina Burana with Fox Valley Symphony, Adario in Rameau’s Les Sauvages with Bourbon Baroque, joining the Louisville Orchestra for Portrait of Robert Schumann and an appearance with Eighth Blackbird.
In the 2011-2012 season, Mr. Sloan reprised his Prosdocimo in Rossini’s Il turco in Italia with Tacoma Opera, performed with the Lexington Philharmonic in Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem,Anchorage Opera as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music and joined Dayton Opera and the Bar Harbor Music Festival as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette. He also covered the title role of Willy Wonka inThe Golden Ticket with Atlanta Opera and the role of Pluto in Telemann’s Orpheus for the New York City Opera. In the previous season, he returned to Kentucky Opera to debut his Belcore in Elexir of Love, to Utah Opera for John Brooke in Little Women and debuted with the Bar Harbor Music Festival as Figaro in The Barber of Seville.
A frequent collaborator of composer Ben Moore, he recently premiered his new song cycle, Ode to a Nightingale, in New York. Other recent performances include his portrayal of Herman in Moore’s new opera Enemies, A Love Story for Kentucky Opera, Papageno in The Magic Flute with the Atlanta Ballet, Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro for Tacoma Opera, and Clyde Griffiths in the West Coast Premiere of An American Tragedy by Tobias Picker.
A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Sloan is an active recitalist who recently performed a program responding to an installation of French Impressionism at the Everson Museum in Syracuse, New York. He has performed in concert with Steven Blier at Wolf Trap Opera in a program entitled The Pursuit of Love, and recently offered the world premiere of Kenji Bunch’s Dream Songs at Carnegie Hall.
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Andrea ShokeryFirst Lady |
Andrea Shokery is a dynamic young performer quickly garnering attention for her “magnetic stage presence” and “tangy soprano… [that is] simply delicious” (The Arts Louisville, The Arizona Republic). In the 2015-2016 season, Ms. Shokery makes her role and company debut as Violetta (La traviata) with Opera Columbus, returns to Arizona Opera for a debut as Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), and performs as the
Soprano Soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Phoenix Symphony. In the 2014-2015 season, she returned to Phoenix for her last year of residency in the Marion Roose Pullin Arizona Opera Studio. She made exciting debuts as Gilda (Rigoletto), First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), and Marie (La fille du régiment). She also returned as the Featured Soloist on the Phoenix Symphony’s New Year’s Eve Celebration Concert. Beginning her tenure with the Studio in 2013, she made company debuts that season as Musetta (La bohème) and Norina (Don Pasquale). She also sang the role of Bess in Craig Bohmler’s Rider’s of the Purple Sage in workshop performances and made her debut with the Phoenix Symphony. Ms. Shokery completed two seasons as an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera in 2011 and 2012. Her scene concert performances included Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Semiramide (Semiramide), Alma Winemiller (Summer and Smoke), La Comtesse Adèle (Le comte Ory), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), Adina (L'elisir d'amore), and Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor).
In the 2010-2011 season, she was a member of the Studio at Kentucky Opera, covering Adina in L'elisir d'amore and making her mainstage debut as Giannetta. While in Louisville, Ms. Shokery performed in a Composer Workshop with Daron Hagen, singing Pamela in Broken Pieces, one of three one-act operas entitled New York Stories. She then made a return to Wolf Trap, creating the role of Bobachina in the World Premiere of Musto's The Inspector with the Wolf Trap Foundation.
The 2008-2009 season saw Ms. Shokery in the title role of Pasatieri’s La Divina with the Wolf Trap Opera Studio and making her European debut as Musetta in La bohème with The Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, Italy. Ms. Shokery has received prizes from multiple competitions, including the Opera Birmingham Competition, Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, Tri-State Vocal Competition, Irma Cooper/Opera Columbus Vocal Competition. She is also a threetime District Winner in The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Originally from Gahanna, Ohio, she received both her Master's and Bachelor's Degrees from The University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.
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Beth LytwynecSecond Lady |
American mezzo-soprano Beth Lytwynec most recently returned to The Glimmerglass Festival, singing the role of Dryad in Francesca Zambello's new production of Ariadne in Naxos. Following her first season as a member of the Marion Roose Pullin Opera Studio at Arizona Opera, Ms. Lytwynec returns to Arizona Opera for the 2014/15 season, singing the roles of Maddalena in Rigoletto, Olga in Eugene Onegin, and Second Lady in The Magic Flute. Later this season, Ms. Lytwynec debuts with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The 2013/14 season marked Ms. Lytwynec's debut performances with The Phoenix Symphony, singing excerpts from Bizet's Carmen, West Side Story, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
In previous seasons, Ms. Lytwynec has performed with Chautauqua Opera, Nashville Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera New Jersey, Lyric Opera Virginia, Boston Opera Collaborative and Seagle Music Colony. Roles include Jo March in Little Women, Mary in Der fliegende Holländer, Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Cousin Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore, Wowkle in La fanciulla del West, the title role of Handel’s Serse, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw, and Dido in Dido and Aeneas.
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Maria Dominique LopezThird Lady |
Praised for “a vocal instrument of exceptional beauty, range, and flexibility” and “innate artistry”, mezzo soprano Maria Dominique Lopez, has sung operatic roles both in the United States and Europe, and represented Arizona as a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Ms. Lopez sang the world premiere of Maryam Khoury’s Breathless Sun and the Arizona premier of Dr. Judith Cloud’s A Secret History of Water, and has garnered esteem as a concert soloist, performing works including Honegger’s King David, Handel’s Messiah and the Mozart Requiem Mass. Ms. Lopez appeared as the Artist in Residence for the Scottsdale Philharmonic in the 2013-14 season and performed with Houston Grand Opera: Opera to Go! during the fall of 2014 as La Madrina/La Madrastra in Mary Carol Warwick’s Cinderella in Spain. In 2015, Ms. Lopez made her mainstage debut with Arizona Opera as Third Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Upcoming performances include Vaughn Williams’ Magnificat with The Phoenix Symphony, de Falla’s El Amor Brujo with Resonance Works Pittsburgh, and a return to Arizona Opera as Bonita in the US premiere of Kalman’s Arizona Lady. Ms. Lopez holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Vocal Performance from Northern Arizona University.
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Ian McEuenMonostotos |
Young tenor Ian McEuen has been praised for his versatility as a performer, impressing audiences with his “sweet lyric tone” and “gravitas on the stage,“ as well as his ability to evoke laughter “just for walking across the stage.” In November 2013, he created the roles of the Hippo and Holy Man in the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori and J.D. McClatchy’s The Lion, the Unicorn and Me for his debut at Washington National Opera. This summer, he returns for his second season as a Young Artist at the Glimmerglass Festival, where he will sing Goro in Francesca Zambello’s new production of Madame Butterfly. In the 2014-2015 season, Ian will join the roster of the Metropolitan Opera, covering St. Brioche in a new production of The Merry Widow directed by Susan Stroman. Ian begins 2015 singing Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte for his debut with Arizona Opera.
After making his professional operatic debut in Fort Worth Opera’s production of Mark Adamo’sLysistrata in 2012, Mr. McEuen joined the company as a Studio Artist for two seasons. During the company’s 2013 festival, Mr. McEuen sang Der Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos and covered Tonio inLa fille du Régiment. This season, Mr. McEuen will appear with the company as Padre Antonio in Daniel Crozer’s With Blood, With Ink and cover the role of Nikolaus Sprink in Kevin Puts’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night.
Also an avid recitalist and lover of 20th and 21st century music, Mr. McEuen spent the summer of 2012 as a Marc and Eva Stern Fellow at SongFest in Los Angeles. There, he had the opportunity to work personally with Graham Johnson, William Bolcom, Jake Heggie, Martin Katz, Libby Larsen, and John Musto. He also has appeared with Fort Worth’s Hall Ensemble in their period-themed chamber music series, Music in the Mansion. As a concert artist, Mr. McEuen made his Chicago Symphony Center debut as the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana, a role in which he has become a specialist.
Mr. McEuen received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Voice from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, where he played Amor inL’incoronazione di Poppea, Sam in Street Scene, the Chevalier in Dialogues of the Carmelites, and was a soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’sCreation. Mr. McEuen received a Masters in Voice from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, where he performed the roles of Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, the Evangelist in a staged production of the St. Matthew Passion, and Romboïdal in L’île de Tulipatan.
Mr. McEuen continued his operatic training during the summer in 2011 at the Seagle Music Colony, where he appeared as Frederic inPirates of Penzance and Spalanzani in Les Contes d’Hoffmann. He spent the summers of 2009 and 2010 with the Aspen Opera Theatre Center, where he played the Marquis in Corigliano’s Ghosts of Versailles.
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Rhea MillerPapagena |
Rhea Miller was the Soprano Teaching Artist for Arizona Opera’s 2013 and 2014 OperaTunity Outreach Program. She also had the opportunity cover-study the roles of Lucia, Susanna, Josephine, Musetta, Violetta, and Norina in Arizona Opera’s productions of Lucia di Lammermoor, Le nozze di Figaro, H.M.S. Pinafore, La boheme, La traviata, and Don Pasquale.
Ms. Miller received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from The Florida State University and is currently pursuing her DMA in Vocal Performance at Arizona State University.
Her performance credits include; the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with The Celestial Opera Company in South Pasadena California, Romilda in The Florida State Opera’s production of Handel’s Serse, Pamina in The Florida State Opera Outreach’s The Magic Flute, Yum-Yum in Ohio Light Opera’s The Mikado, and Amor in La Musica Lirica’s l’Incoronazione di Poppea in Novefeltria, Italy.
She has also performed the title role in Suor Angelica, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Casilda in The Gondoliers, and the First Nursemaid in Street Scene at The University of Utah where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance.
Her concert credits include; Soprano Soloist in Rutter’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria with Valley Presbyterian Church and Phoenix Symphony, Soloist with the Scottsdale Philharmonic Concert Series 2013-14, Soprano Soloist in Vivaldi’s Magnificat with the Tallahassee Civic Chorale, Soprano Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Tallahassee Community Chorus, Mozart’s Requiem with the University of Utah Symphony, Soprano Soloist in Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ with the Southern Utah Symphony, and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Paradigm Symphony.
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Andrew PenningPriest 1 / Armor 1 |
Andrew Penning, originally from St. Paul, MN, is a tenor in the Arizona Opera Studio. During the
Mr. Penning has been a Young Artist with some of the most prestigious companies and festivals in the United States. In the summer of 2015 he will cover the role of Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) at Des Moines Metro Opera. At the Glimmerglass Festival he performed the roles of Delmonte (King for a Day) and Scaramuccio (Ariadne auf Naxos). With Utah Opera as The Ballad Singer in Of Mice and Men, Opera News said, “cast standouts included … Andrew Penning as the Ballad Singer, whose sweet lyric tenor conveyed the workers’ conscience.” As a Fellow at the 2011 Tanglewood Music Festival, he sang the Second Tenor in performances of Stravinsky’s Renardwith the Mark Morris Dance Group and gave recital performances featuring works by Richard Strauss, Alberto Ginastera and Ralph Vaughn Williams’ chamber song cycle On Wenlock Edge. At CCM Spoleto in the summer of 2010, he performed the role of the Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia). As a young artist at Seagle Music Colony in upstate New York, he performed the roles of The Governor and Vanderdendur (Candide).
In addition to his work in opera, Mr. Penning is also an active concert soloist. In performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Tucson Symphony of 2014, the Arizona Daily Star said “Penning…was a
Cantata 12, Haydn’s Grosse Orgelmesse in E Flat, and Bruckner’s Te Deum.
Mr. Penning completed his Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Cincinnati:
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Chris CarrPriest 2 |
Raised in the small town of Quasqueton, IA, Mr. Carr has performed roles with Arizona Opera, Merola Opera Program, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Central City Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera and Cedar Rapids Opera Theater. He made his company debut with Arizona Opera last season as a Studio Artist singing several roles including Schaunard in La bohème and Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, as well as John Lassiter in the workshop of The Riders of the Purple Sage, a new opera by composer Craig Bohmler. This season, Mr. Carr returns as a Marion Roose Pullin Arizona Opera Studio Artist to sing Marullo in Rigoletto, Eugene Onegin in Eugene Onegin, the Corporal in The Daughter of the Regiment, and cover Papageno in The Magic Flute.
Mr. Carr spent his summer at the Glimmerglass Festival where he made his debut as Billy Bigelow in Carousel. In December of this year, he will also make his Kennedy Center debut with Washington National Opera as The Pilot in their production of The Little Prince. Mr. Carr won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Arizona District in October and in February Mr. Carr was announced the recipient of the 2014 Igor Gorin Memorial Award in February.
Mr. Carr was featured in San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program as Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia in the summer of 2013. The opening of the 2012/13 season marked Mr. Carr’s mainstage debut with The Lyric Opera of Kansas City where he performed Yamadori in Madama Butterfly and later Pish-Tush in The Mikado. Mr. Carr spent two seasons with The Lyric Opera of Kansas City as a Resident Artist beginning in 2011, while he was also at the University of Missouri Kansas City. During this time, he sang the title role in Don Giovanni and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at the University of Missouri Kansas City. In the summer of 2012, Mr. Carr made his debut as Schaunard in La bohème at Central City Opera where he also received the John Moriarty Award. Also that year, Mr. Carr was a District Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and received a Career Development Award from The Sullivan Foundation.
Mr. Carr participated in the Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice Artist Program in 2010 and 2011. In 2011, he made his debut with The Cedar Rapids Opera Theater as the Sacristan in Tosca. Mr. Carr was also a District Winner in Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the winner of the Vocal Division of the NAFTZGER competition.
Mr. Carr’s concert performances include Orff’s Carmina Burana, Monteverdi’s Vespers, Faure’s Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah. This year, he will sing The Narrator in The Polar Express with the Phoenix Symphony. He has also sung recitals with Cedar Rapids Opera Theater and Kansas City’s Bach Aria Soloists. Mr. Carr graduated with a Master of Music degree from the University of Missouri Kansas City and a Bachelor of Music degree from Simpson College in Indianola, IA.