Season 2007-2008

E. Humperdinck Hansel and Gretel (more photos)

" Michelle Rice ... really comes into her own in the second half as the Witch. Decked out in black and purple, Rice cackles and gloats with the best of them and certainly deserves her fate when the kids get through with her... Meghan McCall’s and Jessica Renfro’s ... voices are very good and they do a great job together in the “Evening Prayer” segment. Bryan Jackson as the loving father and Kara Morgan as the Sandman do a fine job in supporting roles..." ( read complete review)

Bel Cantanti Summer Opera Theater (BCSOT)

After the first five successful years in Washington D.C. Bel Cantanti Opera had its first summer program in San Jose and San Francisco, California. Two weeks of intensive vocal training, rehearsals and master classes resulted in two operatic productions: E. Humperdink's Hansel and Gretel (more photos) and V. Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi (more photos)

BCSOT Faculty: Katerina Souvorova, Artistic Director/ Vocal Coach; Peter Kozma, Stage Director; Courtney Ross, Artistic Coordinator.

G. Puccini La Boheme (more photos)

"... on opening night Lucas Tannous made a fine Rodolfo, nicely handling all the mood swings of his characters, while Claire Kuttler made a poignant Mimi. Kuttler nicely underplayed the final death scene, which can come off way too melodramatic if not handled properly. The real stars turned out to be Zachary Nelson and Kotnim Chung in the Marcello/Musetta subplot. This all too often gets lost in the shuffle, but not here. The humor of Chung’s flirtatious Musetta with Nelson’s slow burn as Marcello works well together... "  (read complete review)

" As evidence of the wealth of young operatic talent in the Washington area, Bel Cantanti Opera Artistic Director Katerina Souvorova has cast three tenors for the role of Rodolfo for their current production of "La Boheme" (To 6/1) but no one can outshine the distinctive singing of Lucas Tannous... for this performance one could enjoy the radiant voice of Claire Kuttler as Mimi. She could pour music as naturally as the other singers breathe." (read complete review)

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W.A. Mozart Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) (more photos)

"Bel Cantanti Opera makes a virtue of necessity in Mozart's "Abduction From the Seraglio": Chronically underfunded, this company knows how to do much with little" (read complete review)

"Bel Cantanti Opera continues to be one of the best kept musical secrets in the Washington area. Tonight, three singers were especially outstanding. Bass-baritone Lee Kwang Kyu ...made a superb Osmin,...Amy Call, who is already singing around the world... was dominating the stage with eloquent melodies whenever she sang. ... Meghan McCall was again a smashing success, this time as Blondchen, the confidant of Constanze..." read complete review)