– VOCALISTS –
JESSICA LENNICK, SOPRANO
Jessica Lennick “is a complete package, including a terrific smile and stage presence to go along with her pleasing voice,” according to The Baltimore Examiner. She has used these qualities to great effect on the opera stage, singing for Washington Camerata of DC, Chesapeake Chamber Opera, and Center City Opera Theater, among others. She was an Annapolis Opera Competition finalist and Great Lakes Regional Finalist for the Metropolitan National Council Auditions. She covered the role of Giulietta at the Caramoor Festival, where she also appeared as soprano soloist with Roberto Abbado and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A frequent performer of new music, Ms. Lennick has premiered many pieces, notably Tesla’s Pigeon (Dunphy), Mark the Music (Smith), A Weeping Woman (Solitro), Under the Harvest Moon (Runestad), and Honor, Riches, Marriage, Blessing (Summer) the last of which she has recorded for Navona Records. About the latter, the American Record Guide said, “As Iris, Jessica Lennick’s stratospheric singing is stunning; she tosses off gleaming high E-flats and Fs.” Continuing her collaboration with Joseph Summer, she premiered the role of Iris in The Tempest in April 2015 and recorded it for Albany Records about which Fanfare Magazine said, “The role of Iris is cast for coloratura soprano, and is gloriously rendered by Jessica Lennick.” Ms. Lennick will rejoin Joseph Summer and The Shakespeare Concerts for another series of concerts and a recording in April 2017.
She is often a featured performer in concert, most notably with Lyricfest for their Much Ado About Shakespeare and Magical Musical Menagerie programs, in Canton Comic Opera’s 10th Anniversary Gala, and frequently with Concert Operetta Theater. As an orchestral soloist, she has appeared with Riverside Symphonia, Ocean City Pops, Bucks County Symphony Orchestra, and will appear in 2017 with Allentown Symphony Orchestra to sing excerpts of Die Fledermaus.
ANDREA CHENOWETH, SOPRANO
Andrea Chenoweth, soprano, is a two-time regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. She has appeared with numerous orchestras and opera companies, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, and Dayton Opera. Career highlights include her recent Carnegie Hall debut singing Verdi’s Requiem and touring Japan with Maestro Neal Gittleman and the Telemann Chamber Orchestra.
A proponent of new music, Ms. Chenoweth has worked with many living composers including Jake Heggie, Libby Larsen, Jack Perla, Joseph Summer, Jonathon Sheffer, and Monica Houghton.
Ms. Chenoweth is an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Dayton, where she teaches voice and opera.
CHRISTIAN VAN HORN, BASS-BARITONE
This coming season, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn returns to The Metropolitan Opera as The Doctor in a new production of Wozzeck, as Colline in La bohème, and Alcidoro in La Cenerentola. He also returns to both San Francisco Opera in his role debut of Claggart in Billy Budd and Silva in Ernani and Lyric Opera of Chicago as Walter in Luisa Miller, and makes his debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as Creon in Oedipus Rex.
THEA LOBO, MEZZO-SOPRANO
Hailed as “excellent”, “impeccable”, “limpidly beautiful”, “impressive”, “stunning”, and “Boston’s best”, Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Thea Lobo’s 2019-20 season includes performances with The Spectrum Singers, Great Music in a Great Space Series, USF New Music Festival, The Sarasota-Manatee Bach Festival, Classical Revolution St. Petersburg, and others. Ms. Lobo has previously appeared under conductors Gunther Schuller, Harry Christophers, Stephen Stubbs, Joshua Rifkin, Martin Pearlman, and Andris Nelsons, and has been featured by the Firebird Ensemble, Boston Baroque, Naples Philharmonic, Handel + Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival, Artist Series of Sarasota, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Europäisches Musikfest Stuttgart. Her dedication to new music, art song, and early music has seen her featured on True Concord’s 2016 Grammy winning recording of Stephen Paulus’s ‘Prayers & Remembrances’, invited to the Carmel Bach Festival as an Adams Fellow, a prizewinner at the Bach Vocal Competition for American Singers, a grant recipient of the Julian Autrey Song Foundation, a winner of the St. Botolph Club Emerging Artist Award, premiere-recording new roles with Guerilla Opera, creating the duo ‘Songeaters’ and archive ‘Indictus Project’ with pianist Eunmi Ko, and performing as a soloist under the direction of composers Steve Reich, Vinko Globokar, Fred Lerdahl, Nicholas Vines, Christian Wolff, and Louis Andriessen. Thea Lobo is a graduate of New England Conservatory and Boston University, and represented by Vocal Artists Management.
OMAR NAJMI, TENOR
Tenor Omar Najmi is a familiar face on the stages of Boston, where he makes his home. An alumnus of Boston Lyric Opera’s Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist Program, Omar has appeared in over ten productions with the company, including his critically acclaimed performances as Vanya Kudrjas in Katya Kabanova, Nick in The Handmaid’s Tale, Beppe in Pagliacci, and many more. Omar is a recipient of the Harold Norblom Award, awarded by Opera Colorado, where he completed a residency as a Young Artist in the 2016/2017 season. His appearances with Opera Colorado include Joe in La Fanciulla del West, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Edgardo in the Lucia di Lammermoor Student Matinee.
Off of the operatic stage, Omar has maintained an active concert career. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2018 as the tenor soloist in Mark Hayes’ Gloria, and he has since returned twice – as the tenor soloist in Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living, and as a soloist in Talents of the World’s Caruso Tribute Concert. He has made appearances with the Helena Symphony Orchestra in Rossini’s Stabat Mater, the Savannah Philharmonic in Mozart’s Requiem, the Greenwich Choral Society in Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang, and many more. He has also performed several times with the touring concert Video Games Live, including performances with the Colorado Symphony at Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Omar has worked with composer Joseph Summer while singing the title role in the workshop of his opera Hamlet. Omar can be heard performing several of Summer’s works on the albums Music to Hear, and Who is Sylvia?, both released through Navona Records. Omar can also be heard on the album Video Games Live: Level 5, and on the soundtrack to Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
Omar is also active as a composer – his first opera, En la ardiente oscuridad, received its premiere in 2019, and it will be performed again at the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice in August 2020.
Omar holds a M.M. from Boston University, and a B.M. from Ithaca College.
VERA SAVAGE, MEZZO-SOPRANO
American mezzo-soprano Vera Savage has earned praise from critics for her “thrilling power” (Limelight magazine) and “rich, mellifluous, mezzo voice.” (Charleston Post and Courier) Vera’s singing has been described as “a dream; supple and powerful with a deep velvet shimmer” (Houston Press) and “heart-stoppingly gorgeous.”(Boston Music Intelligencer)
Vera’s past season included a “cold and gleaming” (Opera News) portrayal of handmaid New Ofglen in Boston Lyric Opera’s highly acclaimed production of The Handmaid’s Tale, a workshop of Boston composer Joseph Summer’s opera Hamlet, Salieri’s Requiem and the Kuhnau Magnificat with the Commonwealth Chorale, Leonard Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony and Arias and Barcarolles with the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, and the Verdi Requiem with the Metropolitan Chorale.
Vera recently made her debut at the Spoleto Festival USA as Bice in Donizetti’s rarely performed opera Pia de’ Tolomei, a revival of Amy Beach’s Grand Mass with the New England Philharmonic and Commonwealth Chorale, Mercédès in Bizet’s Carmen with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff with Opera Saratoga and Opera on the James, Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Tisbe in La Cenerentola at Opera Saratoga, Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito at Opera in the Heights, and a “thoroughly intimidating” Mrs. Baines in Elmer Gantry with Florentine Opera in Milwaukee Wisconson.
A frequent soloist with Boston Lyric Opera, Vera was the 2016 winner of BLO’s annual “Stephen Shrestinian Award for Excellence.” Recently, Vera placed fourth in Shreveport Opera’s “Singer of the Year” competition, was a finalist in the Bel Canto Scholarship’s annual competition, and was a semi-finalist in the “Joy of Singing” art song competition.
Vera’s 2019/2020 highlights include the premiere of seven commissioned songs on the theme of immigration with White Snake Projects, the world premiere of the new Spanish opera En la Ardiente Oscuridad, and a workshop and performance of The Opposable Thumb and Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fallen Giant and with American Lyric Theatre. In addition, Vera will be featured on the upcoming albums Music to Hear and Who is Sylvia by the Shakespeare Projects, scheduled for release in May of 2020.
RYU-KYUNG KIM, MEZZO-SOPRANO
Korean born Mezzo-Soprano Ryu-Kyung Kim has delighted audiences with her unique blend of dark luscious voice and powerful stage presence. Praised for her superb technique and innate musicality, Ms. Kim performs a wide range of roles from Handel, Bel Canto to Wagnerian repertoires.
Ms. Kim highlighted her recent seasons with the roles of Suzuki, Vera Boronel, Third Lady and Jade Boucher in Dayton Opera’s productions of Madama Butterfly, The Consul, The Magic Flute and Dead Man Walking, as soloist in Bach Magnificat, Mozart C minor Mass, Bach Lutheran Mass and Schubert Mass in C with Dayton Bach Society, and her debut performances with Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra and Greater Newburgh Symphony in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She was the featured Solo Vocal Artist for “Korea Now” Concert in Cairo, Egypt which was sponsored by Embassy of South Korea in Egypt, Korean Cultural Center, MUST Opera House, and Misr University of Science and Technology. Ms. Kim also performed as a featured artist in Avery Fisher Hall performance as Alto Solo in Handel’s Messiah with National Choral and Peniel Choir, the title role in Handel’s Orlando with Stony Brook Opera, Schoenberg’s arrangement of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde and Jake Heggie’s chamber song cycle, The Deepest Desire with Silicon Valley Music Festival and operatic selections from Aida, Don Carlo and Il Trovatore in Verdi Concert with Boheme Opera NJ. Ms. Kim also gave numerous lecture recitals on Schoenberg’s first atonal song cycle, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 51 in recent years at various institutions including Indiana Wesleyan University, University of Dayton and Korean Consulate of New York. Ms. Kim’s upcoming engagements include Mezzo-soprano Solo in Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Alto Solo in Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzer with Bach Society of Dayton and Handel’s Messiah with Helena Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Festival Orchestra.
Ms. Kim also performed Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzer with Great Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra, Alto Solo in Mozart’s Requiem and Gala Concerts with Great Mountains International Music Festival in Pyeongchang, Korea, New York recital debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alto Solo in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with Staatskapelle Halle in Germany, Fresno Opera debut as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and also her Carnegie Hall performances as Alto Solo in Mozart Requiem and in Handel’s Messiah. In addition, Ms. Kim sang Maddalena in Rigoletto with Boheme Opera New Jersey and she was one of the featured soloists for Sonoco Welcome America! Independence Day Festival in Philadelphia.
She also made her German debut in three performances with Frankfurter Sinfoniker under the baton of Maestro Günter Gräf and made a Korean debut with her first Wagner role, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde with Korean Symphony Orchestra at Seoul Art Center in Seoul and performed with maestro James Judd in Seoul Art Center’s Gala Concert with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She also sang Second Lady with San Antonio Lyric Opera in its The Magic Flute production and covered the role of Malika in Opera Orchestra of New York’s Carnegie Hall performance of Lakmé. Ms. Kim’s Cleveland Opera and El Paso Opera debuts as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly were highly acclaimed in the media. She sang her first Octavian in the concert performance of Der Rosenkavalier with Metro Chamber Orchestra in NYC and also covered the role of Carilda in Handel’s Arianna in Creta with Gotham Chamber Opera under the direction of Christopher Alden’s. She returned to Virginia Opera to sing Second Lady in The Magic Flute and Flora in La Traviata where she had covered the role of Carmen. Ms. Kim spent the summer of 2004 with Caramoor Music Festival singing Prince Fernando in American premier of Francesco Conti’s Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena. She sang the title role in La Cenerentola with Ash Lawn Opera Festival and also made a Polish debut as Andromaca in the Polish premiere of Rossini’s Ermione with Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice, Poland. Under the baton of Metropolitan Opera’s Christian Badea, she made her Baltimore Opera debut as Emilia in Verdi’s Otello and also appeared in Lucia di Lammermoor as Alisa. Ryu-Kyung Kim’s appearance in the opera The Floating Box: A Story of Chinatown [New World Records, 2005], under the auspices of The Asia Society of New York, marked her first appearance in a premiere in which her multiple performances were highly praised in Opera News (“Miss Kim was simply splendid”) and also in The New York Times. Ryu-Kyung Kim’s operatic stints have included Carmen in Carmen, Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte, Idamante in Idomeneo, Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri, Flora in La Traviata, Ursula in Béatrice et Bénédict, Geneviève in Pelléas et Mélisande, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus.
Ms. Kim is also a perennial prizewinner, her most recent awards being those of The Oratorio Society of New York, The Liederkranz Foundation Voice Competition, The Annapolis Opera Voice Competition, Metropolitan Opera National Council Philadelphia District Auditions, and The Santa Fe Opera Scholarship for Outstanding Apprentice Artists. She is in frequent demand as a soloist in oratorio, having so far appeared in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Pueblo Symphony Orchestra, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra in Sapporo, Japan and Ulsan Symphony Orchestra in Korea, Händel’s Israel in Egypt with Concerto Soloist Orchestra of Philadelphia and The Philadelphia Singers, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse with Philomusica Orchestra and Chorale, Beethoven’s C Major Mass and Choral Fantasy with the Washington, D.C. Festival Symphony, Händel’s Messiah with the Houston Civic Orchestra and with the National Christian Festival at Carnegie Hall.
Ms. Kim earned Doctor of Music in Voice from State University of New York in Stony Brook. She also received her Artist’s Diploma in opera from the Academy of Vocal Arts, Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Voice from Manhattan School of Music where she got a scholarship award, President Award and Alumni Award, and has studied at Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea, the Israel Vocal Arts Institute in Tel-Aviv, Israel and at the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. She has been a member of the Voice faculty at University of Dayton since 2013.
NEAL FERREIRA, TENOR
Praised for his “rich, powerful voice” and “bravura-filled stage presence,” Neal Ferreira is a promising lyric tenor with a handsome, masculine tone quality to which he brings a cultivated vocalism and eloquent expression. Dubbed a “Boston mainstay” by the Boston Globe, he most recently appeared with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall as Tamino The Magic Flute, and with the Emmanuel Music as Macheath in Benjamin Britten’s version of The Beggar’s Opera.
Current and upcoming engagements include concert performances with Symphony New Hampshire, the Orchestra of Indian Hill, the Commonwealth Chorale, and Chorus North Shore in the 2019-20 season. He will return to the Boston Symphony Orchestra for performances at Symphony Hall and Carnegie Hall April 2021.
Mr. Ferreira made his Tanglewood debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the summer of 2018 in a concert performance of La bohème under the baton of Maestro Andris Nelsons. He first performed with the BSO in the 2016-17 season as Ein Tierhändler in Der Rosenkavalier with Renée Fleming and Susan Graham. He made his Odyssey Opera debut later that season as Jack in Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and he has since returned to the Odyssey stage singing the role of Giovanni D’Aire in Donizetti’s rarely heard L’assedio di Calais.
A much sought after interpreter of new music, Ferreira recently triumphed as Mr. Sengupta/Khattam-Shud in Charles Wuorinen’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project in Jordan Hall, the recording of which will be released by BMOP/sound in 2020. In October 2018, Ferreira created the role of Master Turner in the world premiere of Brother Nat, a new opera based on Nat Turner’s historic slave insurrection of 1831, with book/lyrics by Jabari Asim and Liana Asim and music by Damien Sneed and Allyssa Jones.
Mr. Ferreira’s successful performance as the Visitor in Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Philip Glass’ In the Penal Colony was called “poignant” by the Wall Street Journal and “perfect” by Opera News. He originated the role of Ferdinand in the world premiere of Joseph’s Summer’s The Tempest with the Shakespeare Concerts in 2015, and he can be heard on the original cast recording released on Albany Records. He is also featured on the premiere recording of James MacMillan’s chamber opera, Clemency.
The tenor received the 2013 Artist of the Year Award from Syracuse Opera, where he last performed the role of Alfred in Die Fledermaus to much acclaim. He was also awarded the 2009 Stephen Shrestinian Award for Excellence from Boston Lyric Opera, with whom he has performed numerous roles over the last ten seasons, including Tancredi in John Musto’s The Inspector, Monostatos in The Magic Flute, the Gran Sacerdote in Mozart’s Idomeneo, re di Creta, and Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to name a few.
Mr. Ferreira made his Opera Colorado debut performing Spalanzani and Andres in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, roles he first performed with Boston Lyric Opera under the direction of Maestro Keith Lockhart and reprised with the Florida Grand Opera. Other appearances have included Sheldon Segal in Later the Same Evening and Charlie Davenport (cover) in Annie Get Your Gun with Deborah Voigt at the Glimmerglass Festival.
As an oratorio soloist, Mr. Ferreira has performed the role of Uriel in Haydn’s The Creation, as well as noted performances in Orff’s Carmina Burana, Dvořák’s The Spectre’s Bride and Stabat Mater, Bach’s Mass in B minor and Magnificat, Mozart’s Requiem, and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle throughout the New England area. He is a regular guest soloist at his alma mater, Providence College, where he most recently appeared in Handel’s Messiah and Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ with the Providence College Orchestra and Chorus.
Mr. Ferreira is a student of the world-renowned tenor, Frank Lopardo. He holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory, graduating with Academic Honors in 2005. There he studied with international opera singer Patricia Craig, and he sang the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute as part of New England Conservatory Outreach Opera’s inaugural production.
As a recipient of the Roberts Music Scholarship for musical aptitude and achievement, Mr. Ferreira completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Providence College in 2002, graduating cum laude. While at Providence College, he studied voice with David Harper and appeared in many stage productions with both the Music and Theater Departments. Mr. Ferreira has returned several times as a guest artist to perform in recital as well as teach masterclasses to undergraduate students.
ANDY PAPAS, BARITONE
Highly praised for his “rich voice and comic timing” (St. Louis Post Dispatch), Andy Papas has been well lauded in both operatic and theatrical performances across the country. Born and raised in Boston, 2019 will mark another season of coast-to-coast debuts for him. In October, Andy makes his Alaska debut as Doctor Bartolo in The Barber of Seville for Anchorage Opera. Earlier in the fall, he will sing his first mainstage Bartolo in a debut for Painted Sky Opera of Oklahoma City. Late fall brings Andy home to play Mr. Bumble in Oliver! with The New Repertory Theatre, his first theatrical performance in several years. Spring 2020 sends him back to the west coast for the title role in Don Pasquale.
Earlier in 2019, he made his Jordan Hall debut and returned to both The Opera Co. of Middlebury, and Pacific Northwest Opera. In April, Andy sang with The Shakespeare Concerts at New England Conservatory’s famed Jordan Hall for an evening of Shakespeare inspired works by Joseph Summer. Andy was back in the Evergreen State in May for his first foray into Wagner, performing Alberich in a mini-Ring, “Der Ring an einem Abend”, for Pacific Northwest Opera. In June, Andy was back in New England for Cendrillon with The Opera Company of Middlebury, singing Cinderella’s father, Pandolfe, where the Rutland Herald called his second act duet with Cinderella, “heart wrenching and gorgeous.” In January, he added another performance as Benoit in La Bohéme, this time for The Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Andy made principal debuts with both Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Saratoga in 2018. He performed Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow in Saratoga in the summer, where Seen & Heard International proclaimed, “Papas was a master of comedic timing and physical humor…capable of roaring one moment and quivering in his boots the next.” For Boston Lyric Opera, Andy was Walt Dreary in The Threepenny Opera with BLO in March, and covered Bartolo in The Barber of Seville in October. With Salt Marsh Opera in April, he performed as ‘The Jokester’ in a newly commissioned piece, Jack and Jill. In February, Andy sang his first Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof for Music on Norway Pond, and Lillas Pastia in Carmen for the BYSO. He returned to Seattle in September ’18 as Benoit/Alcindoro in La Bohème with Vashon Opera.
Andy spent the 2014-15 season singing the evil stepfather Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola from Coast to Coast, with performances in Seattle, Milwaukee, and Maine. After singing Magnifico for Skylight Music Theatre in September, he followed up with his west coast debut as Magnifico for Skagit Opera of Seattle in March, and in July for The Bar Harbor Music Festival. In April 2015, he added to his list of World Premieres, performing Stephano in Joseph Summers’ The Tempest, with The Shakespeare Concerts of Boston. Andy made his debut under the baton of Gil Role as Peter Simple in Vaughn-Williams’ Falstaff tale, Sir John in Love, with Odyssey Opera in May. He returned to the Pacific Northwest in early June for the iconic baritone solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for The Mid-Columbia Symphony. Finally, he was in St. Louis in August for a third season with Union Avenue Opera, performing Count Ceprano in Rigoletto.
In 2013-14, Andy expanded his New England footprint in his first performance in Vermont. With The Opera Company of Middlebury, Andy was Haly in L’Italiana in Algeri, where The Rutland Herald lauded his “rich voice” and called his performance “a riot”. With The Reagle Music Theatre of Boston, Andy made his professional Musical Theatre debut as Avram in Fiddler on the Roof. Late in 2014, he performed his signature Gilbert & Sullivan role The Major General in The Pirates of Penzance for Opera Providence. Additionally, he toured throughout the Great Lakes as Dr. Bartolo in The Barber of Seville with Opera for the Young.
2012-2013 included performances in both the Midwest and New England. Andy was the Tsar in the world premiere of Polina Nazaykinskaya’s The Magic Mirror with Juventas New Music Ensemble and also for The New York Fringe Festival. In 2012, in his hometown debut, Andy was Schaunard in La Bohème with Boston Opera Collaborative. In February 2013, Andy sang a concert of Opera and Musical Theater favorites as part of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation’s Concert Series. Prior to that, he performed the role of the Father (Pandolfe) in Cinderella (Cendrillon) with Opera for the Young. With Cinderella, Andy toured to 65 schools in four states in the debut season of the show. In November 2012, Andy charmed New Hampshire audiences as Ko-Ko in The Mikado with Raylynmor Opera. Also in November, Andy returned to St. Louis to perform in the 2012 Benefit Gala with Union Avenue Opera. He was last seen at Union Avenue Opera in 2011 in the role of Pong in Turandot, under the baton of Maestro Scott Schoonover. Praised by the St. Louis press for a delightfully comedic performance, Andy also sang with Union Avenue as the Major General in The Pirates of Penzance in 2010.
In the spring of 2011, Andy joined Opera for the Young as both the Major General & The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, touring to over 50 venues throughout the Midwest. Opera for the Young is a unique opera company that incorporates children into the performance at each school. The cast of Opera for the Young teaches a new group of children at each school to be the onstage chorus, encouraging appreciation for opera in a truly hands-on approach. Andy also performed both the Father & Witch in OFY’s original adaptation of Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel in 2012.
Andy was a 2011 Emerging Artist with the St. Petersburg Opera, performing Marullo in Rigoletto, Schaunard in scenes from La Bohème, and Uncle Yakusíde in Madama Butterfly. Additionally, he covered the role of Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and performed the role in several performances throughout the Tampa Bay Area. While at SPO, Andy coached with acclaimed Soprano Stella Zambalis, and Maestro Mark Sforzini.
In the summer of 2009, Andy was a young artist at Opera New Jersey, covering the role of Ko-Ko in The Mikado. He was seen in concerts throughout Princeton, NJ, performing opera and musical theater scenes as well as his original rendition of “I’ve got a little list”.
Andy completed his Master of Music degree in Voice Performance at the University of Houston in 2009. While at UH, Andy was seen as Uncle John in the Houston premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Le Mari in Les Mamelles de Tiresias, Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld and Snooks Brenner (Father of the Bride) in William Bolcom’s A Wedding, all under the direction of Buck Ross. In Houston, he was also seen as the title role in Gianni Schicchi, as soloist with the Houston Ballet II, and in outreach performances of The Refuge with Houston Grand Opera. In addition, Andy collaborated with celebrated musicologist Howard Pollack, singing Junior Mister in Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle will Rock.
Prior to attending UH, Andy made his professional debut as an Apprentice Artist with Lyric Opera Cleveland in 2006. He performed the role of Redwood Son in the World Premiere of Randall Eng’s Florida, and Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance.
Andy received his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Michigan in 2007, performing in both Musical Theater and Opera. Musical Theater role credits at UM include Charlemagne (Pippin), Old Man Strong (Urinetown), and Smokey (Damn Yankees). He studied with Freda Herseth, and coached with acclaimed composer & performer duo William Bolcom and Joan Morris.
Andy was born and raised in the Boston area, and started playing both piano and trumpet at the age of 8. He performed leading roles in musicals and plays, and was Drum Major of the Winchester HS Marching Band. In his free time, Andy enjoys skiing, traveling, and the foodie life, and owes thanks to his family, friends, and partner Chris for their love and support.
ETHAN BREMNER, TENOR
Ethan received his master degree in voice at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is originally from Athol, Massachusetts and got his bachelors degree in music at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY where he performed with the American Symphony Orchestra. Since moving to Boston, Ethan performed the role of Achilles in Gluck’s Iphigenie en Aulide and Rodolfo in La Boheme with the Boston Opera Collaborative, Idomeneo in Idomeneo with Opera Hub, Giorgio and Poliziano in the premier of Michelangelo with Opera Providence, Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Longwood Opera, Providence Opera and Treasure Coast Opera as well as Cavaradossi in Tosca with Longwood Opera.
He is the Tenor Artist-in Residence with the Brookline Chorus He has performed with the Handel and Haydn Society, Opera Boston, and Boston Lyric Opera. In 2010 he was selected as a Regional Finalist for the Metropolitan Council auditions for New England.
JULIA SOOJIN CAVALLARO, MEZZO-SOPRANO
Julia Soojin Cavallaro, mezzo-soprano, enjoys a richly varied career in opera, oratorio, recital, and chamber music. Critics have praised her “round, chocolaty tone” (Boston Classical Review) and her “warm mezzo, perfect diction, and easy phrasing” (New York Classical Review). Her rendition of Schumann’s Frauenliebe und -leben in a site-specific, immersive staging with Boston Opera Collaborative was selected by Boston Classical Review as one of its “Top Ten Performances of 2017.”
Born and raised in the Boston area, Ms. Cavallaro grew up in an Italian/Korean American household filled with music and art. A graduate of Harvard College and Boston University, she has since gone on to sing with many of the leading ensembles on the East Coast, including the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Opera Collaborative, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, Schola Cantorum of Boston, Seven Times Salt, Trinity Church in the City of Boston, and New Camerata Opera in New York City.
Her opera roles include Cupid in John Blow’s Venus & Adonis, the Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas, Madame de Volanges in Conrad Susa’s The Dangerous Liaisons, and the title role in Evan Mack’s Angel of the Amazon. Critics commended her recent performance as Cupid in Venus & Adonis: “Julia Cavallaro excelled by means of humor and superb diction” (Voce di Meche) and “[she] was a model of consistency, bringing a firm, warm mezzo, perfect diction, and easy phrasing as Cupid” (New York Classical Review). As the Sorceress in Dido & Aeneas, “the resonance of Cavallaro’s voice robustly embodied the power of her character” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer).
Frequently heard as an oratorio soloist, her recent concert highlights include Vivaldi’s Gloria and Dixit Dominus with Masterworks Chorale, Bach’s Mass in B minor with the Choirs of Trinity Church in Boston, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the New England Classical Singers, Handel’s Messiah with the Concord Chorus, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Jameson Singers. Of her solo performances, critics have written, “Julia Cavallaro’s mezzo-soprano voice possesses a distinctive, beautiful quality all her own” (The Concord Journal) and “her ability to ring changes in vocal characterization from dramatic narration to hopeful expectation to passionate outcry to cheerful moralizing was astonishing” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer).
An active chamber musician and recitalist, Ms. Cavallaro is passionate about early music, art song, and contemporary repertoire. Recent programs include Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs with Ensemble/Parallax at Tufts University; the music of Shakespeare’s Globe with Seven Times Salt at Williams College; Edwin Munera’s Seven Palabras de Lumière with Jonathan Hess, percussion; and Ruth Crawford Seeger’s Three Songs to Poems by Carl Sandberg with Rodney Lister, Catherine Weinfield-Zell, and Michael Weinfield-Zell at Boston University.
In addition to her career as a vocalist, Ms. Cavallaro composes for voice, piano, and chamber ensemble. Her works have been performed at Tufts University and in Vancouver, BC as part of Art Song Lab 2019, a collaborative institute that brings together composers, poets, and performers from around the world to nurture the creation of original art songs.
Ms. Cavallaro received her master’s degree from Boston University and bachelor’s degree from Harvard College. She also attended training programs at the Amherst Early Music Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, International Baroque Institute at the Longy School of Music, Vancouver Early Music Festival, and the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimarer Meisterkurse with Vivica Genaux. From 2015–2018, she was a Staff Singer at Trinity Church in the City of Boston and Administrative Coordinator of the Tufts University Department of Music. Through this work, she strove to provide musical education at the highest level for students of many ages and diverse backgrounds, and to support the study of musical cultures from around the globe.
Ms. Cavallaro currently resides in New Haven, CT, where she is a member of the professional choir of Christ Church. She and her husband have two cats named Pumpkin and Ginger, affectionately known as “Bun and Gin.”