Welcome to Bel Cantanti, an opera company within the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area devoted to giving performance experience to both seasoned and aspiring professionals. Between the beautiful singing and glorious music, you will find yourself thoroughly captivated.

"Bel Cantanti Opera continues to be one of the best kept musical secrets in the Washington area."

AllArtsreview4u

"The future of opera as fun rather than spectacle or museum piece, lies with such groups as Bel Cantanti Opera."

Washington Post

"Bel Cantanti… reaffirmed the belief that we are living in a golden age of opera and the hope that opera in America has a promising feature. Bel Cantanti … makes the special magic of opera happen.”
Washington Post

“… an absolute delight for opera aficionados and the perfect opportunity for timid newbies to be surprised at just how much fun opera can be.”

Washington Times

"Bel Cantanti Opera has emerged as a great showcase for area talent."

Arlington Weekly News TV

"Bel Cantanti…shows a serious, focused orientation, high ambition and significant potential."

Washington Post

" Bel Cantanti reminds us that our region's smaller companies are arguably smarter, better stewards of the art form, spending more wisely than the big-budget houses, presenting sturdy, smaller-scaled evenings of opera..."

Tom Huizenga. Washington Post, September 27, 2010

Upcoming Performances:

BCO Season Auditions 2025-2026

May 24, 25,31, June 1.

Singers are needed for the following productions:

- M. Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortileges and L'Heure Espagnole (September 26 - October 5, 2025)

- The Snow Queen. (December 6,7,13,14, 2025)

- Princes, Queens and Demons. Russian opera Gala (March 14-22, 2026)

- Donizetti's Anna Bolena (May 16-24, 2026)

Romeo et Juliette

An opera by G. Gounod.
Fully staged, in costume, sung in French with English spoken narrations from W. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. English supertitles. BCO Orchestra directed by BCO Artistic Director Dr. Katerina Souvorova.
Romeo, Nicholas Hudak, Juliette: Esther Tonea, Emily Casey.
Mercutio, Max van Wyck, Stephano: Anastasia Sidorova, Alla Salakhova, Frere Laurent, Noah Mond,
Tybalt: Jietong Fu, Gertrude: Madeline Manaker, Narrator: Justin Meyer.

Stage Director, David Toulson, Producer: Katerina Souvorova.

Saturdays, May 10 and May 17, at 7:30pm
Sunday, May 11 at 3:00pm
May 18, at 3:00pm
Bender JCC of Greater Washington
6125 Montrose Rd. Rockville, MD

Tickets: $40. Group of 10 and more: $35
Tickets can be purchased at the door or online through Eventbrite

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Past Performances:

STRAUSS 200. Happy Birthday The Waltz King!

An evening dedicated to Viennese Waltz and Operetta.
Bel Cantanti opera singers and Four Season dancers celebrate the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss Jr.
Operetta-Gala. Fully staged, in costume, sung in English with English supertitles.
Hayley Abramowitz, Emily Casey, Zoya Gramagin, Laura Zahn, Jonny Kaufman, Jonathan Lawlor, Michael Nansel.
Accompanied on piano by BCO Artistic Director Dr. Katerina Souvorova.Choreographer: Elena Jones.

The Snow Queen

Fairy Tale Family Musical by H. C. Andersen.
Teaching children opera.
Bel Cantanti opera's collaboration with The Four Season Dancers and Romez3Arts.

Storyteller: Peter Burroughs,Grandmother: Ashlyn Rock, The Snow Queen: Elizebeth Barnes, Griselda: Jenna Grissom, The King: Benjamin Brady, The Arctic Bird: Leigh Wirth Dencker.
Villagers, Snowflakes, Flowers, Arctic Birds, Robbers , The Four Season Dancers.

Choreographer, Elena Indrokova Jones.
Play Writer: Jane Barbara,
Music and Artistic Director, pianist: Katerina Souvorova

An evening with Francis Poulenc. La Voix Humaine

Emily Casey: Elle, soprano, Rob McGinness, The Poet, baritone.
Phillip Fletcher and Maryam Najafzada: Dancers, Kathryn Farenish, flute.
Katerina Souvorova, piano.
Stage director: Dashiel Waterbury.
Sung in French with English supertitles.
Drawing by artist Diane M. Foley.

The Screen for the Snow Queen

A Benefit concert of popular music, instroducing BCO season 2024-25.
Emily Casey: soprano, Ashlyn Rock: soprano, Elizebeth Barnes mezzo soprano,
Peter Burroughs: tenor, Carlos Rodriguez: pianist, Katerina Souvorovas: pianist,
The Four Seasons Dancers: directed by Elena Indrokova Johnes, Romez3arts.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or online through Eventbrite
Buy tickets

La Fille du Regiment

An opera in II Acts by Gaetano Donizetti.
Fully staged, in costume, sung in French with English spoken dialogues. English supertitles.
Marie: Tess Ottinger, Tonio: Jonathan Pierce Rhodes, Sulpice: Scott Clark,
Marquise of Berkenfield: Alexandria Zallo, Hortensius: Joshua Bates, Corporal: Daryl Yoder.
Bel Cantanti orchestra directed by BCO Artistic Director Dr. Katerina Souvorova.
Stage Director: Catrin Davies.
Assistant Director: Kimberly Christie.
More photos

Summer Sings Again

A brilliant concert of beloved opera favorites. New names, new talents!
Soprano Esther Tonea, Hayley Abramowitz and Tess Ottinger.
Bass Baritone Benjamin Brady.
BCO Artistic director Katerina Souvorova at the piano.
This concert opened the 22nd season of the Bel Cantanti Opera with music by Verdi, Leoncavallo, Rossini, Strauss II, Tchaikovsky, Bellini, Donizetti and others.

Sunday, August 25th, at 5:00pm
St. Dunstan's Episcopal church in Bethesda
5450 Massachusetts Ave, Bethesda, MD