Kathleen McGhee, Costume Designer ( Eugene Onegin, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Rigoletto, L'Elisir d'Amore, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, LA Fille du Regiment, Hansel and Gretel, Aleko, Iolanta, Le Nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor) ). Kathleen McGhee has worked in costume design and construction and costume shop management since 1991. Her costuming credits include over 60 productions across the theater, ballet and opera genres. Her opera costume designs include Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Cosi Fan Tutte, Rigoletto, Die Fledermaus, L’Elisir d’Amore, Eugene Onegin, Barber of Seville, Daughter of the Regiment, Hansel and Gretel, Riders to the Sea, L’Ormindo, The Magic Flute,  Aleko and Iolanta. Kathleen also a pianist and harpist and holds an undergraduate and two graduate degrees in music.

Molly McClain, set designer, ( La Fille du Regiment, Hansel and Gretel, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Aleko, Iolanta, Salut a la France! Le Nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor), has a great love for opera and hopes to pursue a career in opera set design.  She has participated in set and costume design for several productions at George Mason University including Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica.  Currently she works as a nurse in the ER.

Elizabeth Kirkpatrick Vrenios, stage director, ( La Fille du Regiment ), is well known as a singer in the area as well as a stage director.  She is presently a Professor Emerita from American University where she has directed numerous operas and shows for the past 30 years, among them South Pacific, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, The Fantastiks, Wonderful Town, Carmen, The Magic Flute, Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cavalleria Rusticana, Gianni Schicchi and Little Mary Sunshine.  As a Director she has worked with the Springfield Opera, Capitol Opera, Washington Civic Opera, New York State University and the Virginia Opera Theater. As an educator she has conducted workshops in opera and vocal production at the University of Delaware, North Carolina University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Longy School of Music, Boston University, Boston Conservatory, and the Goldovsky institute in Oglebay, West Virginia. She is associate director of the Crittenden Opera Studio which has been conducting opera workshops in Washington, Boston and New York for the past twenty years. Well known for her interpretations of Contemporary repertoire, she has performed more than 100 world premieres, many of which had been composed for her.  She has recorded for Orion, CRI and Grenadilla and has sung over the world including Japan, Finland, South America, The Netherlands, Germany, England and Denmark.   She presently maintains vocal studios in Washington DC, New York and Boston.

Adriana Hardy, stage director, ( Hansel and Gretel , Amahl and the Night Visitors), started performing professionally at the age of 15 as a triple threat—dancer, singer, and actress.  By the time she had completed her college education with a major in music and minor in speech and drama, she was choreographing as well as performing in musicals.  Her first professional directing job was a production of  The Fantasticks at the Villa Rosa Dinner Theater, for which she also served as music director and choreographer.  Since then her extensive directing experience has included music theater (musicals, operettas, and operas), revues, readers’ theater and plays, both here in the DC metropolitan area and in Dallas, Texas.  She was the founder and managing and artistic director of a  professional summer stock company in upstate New York.  As a member of both AGMA and Equity she has also performed professionally as a singer in recitals, oratorios, musicals and operas, and as an actress in children’s theater, readers’ theater and plays.  As an educator, she was on the voice staff at American University for 19 years, has taught voice privately for more than 35 years, and has conducted numerous workshops as a vocal clinician for community and church choirs.  She has also taught dancing, awareness through movement, inner body work, yoga, and acting, and has for 20 years been on the staff of the Richard Crittenden Opera Studio as a movement teacher and scene director.  She currently maintains voice studios in Arlington and Dallas, working with singers and actors on vocal technique and dramatic interpretation.  She is also a certified Feldenkrais practitioner.

Igor Markov, stage consultant ( Aleko), graduated from the directing department of the Theatre College attached to the Vakhtangov Theatre, Moscow. He has staged about 20 operas in the theatres of Russia and Uzbekistan, including: Mozart’s La Nozze di Figaro and L’Impressario; Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia; Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona; Donizetti’s Bellflower; Verdi’s La Traviata; Gounod’s Faust; Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and The Marriage; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Tzar’s Bride; Rachmaninoff’s Aleko, and many others. For Israel’s Aeterna Opera theatre he staged Mozart’s L’Impressario and Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto. Igor is the author of libretti for several operas.  He has lived in the U.S. since 2005.

Francois Loup, stage director (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail). Singer, actor and stage director, François Loup made his debut on the international music scene at the 1974 Spoleto Festival at the invitation of Gian Carlo Menotti. Renown for his finely detailed characterizations as a performer as well as a director, Mr. Loup maintains a busy career in America and abroad. His repertoire also includes a vast selection of oratorios and art songs. With the Metropolitan Opera of New York, since 1992 he has given more than a hundred performances in major roles like Bartolo (Mozart and Rossini); Dulcamara in Elisir d'Amore , Sulpice in The Daughter of the Regiment as well as the Sacristan in Tosca; Benoit and Alcindoro in La Bohême; Frank in Die Fledermaus and the Major d'Uomo in Strauss's Capriccio . He has performed with Milwaukee's Florentine Opera, New Israeli Opera, Dallas Opera, Canadian Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago; Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Bastille of Paris, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Lyon, Metz, (Rocco in Fidelio: 2001) Nantes, Strasbourg, Rouen, Toulouse, Madrid, Barcelona, Prague, Glyndebourne, Aix en Provence, Rome, Spoleto, Bologna and many others including the Santa Fe Opera and Washington Opera, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires at the Teatro Colon with Don Pasquale and The Barber of Seville. Citizen of the United States and France, he earned a Premier prix de virtuosité with Summa cum Laude degree from the Conservatoire de Fribourg and the Conservatoire de Genève. He also earned teaching diplomas in voice and piano. An associate professor of voice at the University of Maryland School of Music since 1996, François Loup also prepares singers for auditions and competitions, helping them to chose the right repertoire for the appropriate circumstance in their respective fach, as well as last-minute technical and stylistic adjustments.

Recordings: ERATO. Debussy: Pelleas and Mélisande, Chausson: Le Roi Arthus, Frank: Les Béatitudes, Monteverdi: Il Ballo del'Ingrate, Orfeo, Il Vespro della beata Maria Vergine, Madrigali.  NAXOS: Oedipe à Colonne. ACCORD: Orazio Vecchi: L'Amfiparnasso, Le Veglie di Siena, La Pazzia Senile, Palestrina: Canticum canticorum, Motetti e madrigali. CBS. Lully: Alceste, Offenbach: La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein . SUPRAPHON: Honegger: Jeanne au Bûcher.

Film and Video: NVC. With the Glyndebourne Productions: Ravel: L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, L'Heure espagnole, Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro. RADIO FRANCE Adrienne Clostre. PHILIPS: Henri Rabaud: Marouf, COLLEGIUM MUSICUM: Stravinsky: Renard.  

Broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera:  Le Nozze di Figaro (Levine), Tosca (Pavarotti, Dimitrova, James Morris, Loup)

Sample Notices for François Loup: "...a known quantity, from his previous highly successful appearances with the San Diego Opera. His Doctor Bartolo, which we also heard here five years ago, remains a model of Buffo characterization, with the expressive humor never interfering with the musical values of singing: a voice of pleasing quality with the demanding patter passages." (San Diego Reader); ..."The Sacristan, sung by admirable Swiss bass-baritone François Loup, was not, as is all too often done, played for laughs... In casting him as the Sacristan in Tosca and the amorous guardian in Il Barbiere, Santa Fe Opera demonstrated what makes this festival so enchanting." (In Tune); "One of the finest comic basses on the international operatic scene." (Washington Post)

Kristin Johnsen - Neshati, stage director (Iolanta), is Resident Dramaturg/ Artistic Associate for Theater of the First Amendment, where she has worked on over twenty-five productions and workshops. She also teaches theater history, dramatic literature, theater criticism and production dramaturgy at George Mason's theater department, where she served as director for four years. Before joining TFA's staff and George Mason's theater faculty in 1993, she worked at the Yale Rep and Goodman Theatres. Kristin specializes in new play development and nineteenth-century Russian drama. She holds a B.A. in Russian and Theater from Swarthmore College as well as M.F. A and D.F.A degrees in Dramaturgy & Dramatic Criticism from the Yale School of Drama. She recently completed a new series of Chekhov translations for the stage, accompanied by a critical introduction. Last spring Ms. Johnsen-Neshati directed Jeff Baron's Visiting Mr. Green for the Center Company. She contributes local reviews to CurtainUp.com and evaluates submissions for the O'Neill Playwrights Conference, where she attended the Critics Institute as KCACTF's first Faculty Fellow in 2002. Most recently, she received George Mason University's 2002/2003 Fenwick Fellowship in support of her research on non-Western theater.
 

Debbie Niezgoda, stage director (Le Nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor, L'Elisir d'Amore, Hansel and Gretel, La Boheme.) has directed productions of Le Nozze di Figaro for Opera Bel Cantanti; Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Gallantry for The Forgotten Opera Company, Boston Marriage for Elden Street Theatre, Die Zauberflote, Die Fledermaus, The Merry Widow, The Gypsy Baron, Yeoman of the Guard and The Pirates of Penzance for the Victorian Lyric Opera Company; Iolanthe for the Washington Savoyards, A Little Night Music, Hansel und Gretel, Der Schauspieldirektor, The Stoned Guest, and La Serva Padrona for The Other Opera Company; Il Barbiere di Siviglia, L’oca del Cairo, Chanticleer, and The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County for Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia; Ruddigore for the Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society; Boston Marriage for The Elden Street Players, Arsenic and Old Lace for the Takoma Theatre and Brundibar for The Washington National Opera Camp for Kids. Upcoming engagements include L’Elisir d’Amore, with Opera Bel Cantanti, and Tartuffe with FOC.

Denise Young, assistant of stage director (Le Nozze di Figaro). Denise Young is a native Washingtonian and has performed throughout the Washington area. Ms. Young made her professional opera debut with the Opera Camerata of Washington in the role of Irene in Donizetti's Marino Falliero. Other recent opera appearances include Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute with the Victorian Lyric Opera Company and Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni with BPC Opera On the local stage, Ms. Young specializes in operetta and has appeared in the roles of Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Giannetta in The Gondoliers, Angelina in Trial by Jury, Laetitia in The Zoo, The Baroness in La Vie Parisienne, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, and Lady Psyche in Princess Ida with the Victorian Lyric Opera Company and Princess "Gilberta" (Kalyba) in Utopia, Limited and Zorah in Ruddigore with the Washington Savoyards. Ms. Young began her vocal studies at the University of Maryland and is currently studying with Chrissellene Petropoulos.

Jamie Roberts, stage consultant (Aleko), is a freelance stage director for theatre and opera, recently returned to the D.C. area from her hometown of Denver, where she worked with Opera Colorado. Her professional career includes a broad spectrum of positions in arts administration, education and stage direction, including work with area theatres such as Synetic Theatre, Arena Stage, Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia, Summer Opera Theatre Company, MuseFire Productions, Mt. Vernon Community Children's Theatre, McLean Drama Company and Bethesda Summer Music Festival.  Ms. Roberts holds a B.A. from Colorado College and an M.F.A. in Directing from Catholic University of America, where she taught in the Drama Department and the Rome School of Music and had the opportunity to direct a number of theatre and opera productions. Ms. Roberts is Director of Programs for Chorus America, and currently teaches acting for the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program at the Washington National Opera.

Jason Child, Set Designer (Iolanta, Salut a la France!, Le Nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor)). Having held an interest in art since childhood, Jason went back to school to study art and design.  He attended and graduated in 1993 from the Art Institute of Seattle and after graduating moved back to the East coast.  He has been employed as a graphic artist at SAIC for ten years.  He also provides consultation and design to companies on logos, trade shows and other related endeavors. When not working, Jason enjoys painting in oil, and playing golf.  He lives in Vienna, VA with his wife Ginger and their two children Joseph, 15 and Rachel, 9.

Josh Armenta light designer, (La Boheme), is a student at Catholic University, where, during the 2008-09 school year, he served as House Electrician. Currently he lives in Chicago, IL. Josh has worked on professional shows in Chicago and Washington DC, most recently a production of Dido and Aeneas as Stage Manager. He is pleased to present to you his first solo design credit at Bel Cantanti. He  would like to thank Katerina and the wonderful staff at Bel Cantanti for giving him this fantastic opportunity.

Robert Timmerman light designer, (Lucia di Lammermoor, L'Elisir d'Amore), is a newcomer to Northern Virginia, having previously lived in Boston, where he has lit a large number of shows over the years. His opera lighting credits include a studio production of The Magic Flute, and full scale productions of Beatrice and Benedict by Berlioz, Der Freischutz, and Falstaff.

Oleg Rylatko, Violin ( Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Fille du Regiment, Aleko, Iolanta, Lucia di Lammermoor, L'Elisir d'Amore, La Boheme). Concertmaster of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Russian-born violinist Oleg Rylatko has performed throughout Europe and both American Continents as a soloist, recitalist, and a chamber musician. Critics acclaimed his American recital debut at the Kennedy Center Washington DC as "the performance of a lifetime Washington Post”. A graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory, where he studied with internationally acclaimed violinist, Victor Tretyakov; Mr. Rylatko has also received an Artist Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory under the guidance of the renowned artist and pedagogue Prof. Berl Senofsky. Mr. Rylatko’s recordings are released under Vernissage Records label. Oleg Rylatko’s home-studio has produced many students successfully pursuing professional career.

Peter Sirotin, Violin (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Viva Mozart, Iolanta ).’Unassuming charm’ is a quality often attributed to the performances of Ukrainian-born violinist, Peter Sirotin. But behind that charm is a refined style honed over fifteen years of performing for audiences in Russia, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada and the United States. Born in 1973, Sirotin began studying violin at the age of six. At 14, he debuted with the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra performing the Paganini Concerto No.1. Four years later he graduated from Moscow’s prestigious Central Music School with Honors, and in 1991, he joined the Moscow Soloists chamber orchestra, becoming the acclaimed group’s youngest member. Sirotin has studied under the tutelage of the world’s most respected authorities, including Adolf Leschinsky, a pupil of Carl Flesch, Berl Senofsky, Victor Danchenko and Alexander Melnikov. He has worked with internationally renowned artists such as Natalia Gutman, Alexander Rudin, Alexei Lubimov, Yuri Bashmet, Igor Zhukov and the members of the Borodin String Quartet. He has also performed in music festivals and concert series across Europe and Asia, including the Istanbul Music Festival; the Rostropovich Music Festival in Evian, France; and the Promenade Concerts in London’s Royal Albert Hall. As the concertmaster of the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, he performed with Arlo Guthrie in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Verizon Hall in Kimmel Center. Today, Sirotin plays a non-stop schedule of solo, chamber music, and orchestral performances throughout the United States and Canada. He is a graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory and the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Peter Sirotin founded the Mendelssohn Piano Trio and the Razumovsky String Quartet in 1997. Currently he is the Associate Concertmaster of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and Artist-in-Residence at Messiah College in PA.

  Violinist Claudia Chudacoff (Viva Mozart), appears frequently as soloist and chamber musician in the Washington/Baltimore area. She is a member of both the Sunrise Quartet and the National Gallery Quartet, and has performed regularly on several chamber series, including the Holocaust Memorial Museum, National Musical Arts, the Contemporary Music Forum, and with the Fessenden Ensemble.  She is featured on a CD of chamber music of Erich Korngold, released last year by Albany Records, and  this fall can be seen on broadcast for West Virginia public television with the Sunrise Quartet.  She has also been heard a number of times on National Public Radio’s Performance Today program. In addition to her position as Assistant Concertmaster of the U.S. Marine Band's White House Chamber Orchestra, Ms. Chudacoff is the Concertmaster of the National Gallery Orchestra and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra.  Prior to moving to Washington, DC, she was the Assistant Concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra.  She has appeared as soloist several times with all of these groups, as well as with the Concert Artists of Baltimore, the Toledo Symphony, the Louisville Ballet and the Ann Arbor Symphony. Ms. Chudacoff has served on the faculty of the University of Louisville, Indiana University (Southeast Campus), the D.C. Youth Orchestra Program, and the Northern Virginia Youth Symphony Association. She is currently affiliated with  American University as a member of of the Sunrise Quartet, the ensemble-in-residence. Ms. Chudacoff received both her Master's and Bachelor's degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where her principal teachers were Sylvia Rosenberg and Zvi Zeitlin.

  Susan Midkiff, violin, (Iolanta), was born in Oxford, England, and educated at the Alice Ottley School, Worcester and King Edward VI College, Stourbridge, Worcestershire.  She went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music, that included two years with Rodney Friend, Leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and two years with Eli Goren, one-time leader of the same orchestra.  Ms. Midkiff completed her studies at Manchester with a Music Degree, Graduate Diploma (upper) and won the John Webster prize (twice) and the Cowan prize.  Other activities during her time at Manchester included leading the Royal Northern College of Music Chamber Orchestra, playing for the Opera, and taking part in Master Classes with Sylvia Rosenberg, Ida Haendel and Schmuel Ashkenasi, founding First Violin of the internationally known Vermeer Quartet, resident at Northern Illinois University, USA; the latter invited her to do a four year post-graduate study with him in America, with an end qualification of Master of Pedagogy and Performance.  Ms. Midkiff received grants from the Munster Musical, the Martin Musical Trust (Philharmonic Orchestra) and a scholarship from Northern Illinois University.  Whilst at University, she appeared as a soloist with the Kishwaukee Symphony in a performance of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnol, was a Principal with the Rockford Symphony and the Elgin Symphony, and performed with the Lyric Opera.

 After her studies at Northern Illinois University, Susan spent a year as Concertmistress with the Roanoke Symphony, followed by two years with the Naples Philharmonic as Assistant Concertmaster. She then joined the Washington National Opera Orchestra and has been its member for the past 13 years.

Michael Stepniak, Viola ( Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Fille du Regiment,Viva Mozart,Iolanta ). Michael Stepniak is an artist and educator.  As soloist and chamber musician, the Polish-Australian Stepniak has performed in major concert halls and venues in 11 countries.  He has been featured on National Public Radio, has recorded for the Centaur Records label, and has collaborated with various leading chamber musicians.  Papers such as the Washington Post have referred to his playing as “tremendously poised,” “transcendent,” and “unfathomably beautiful.”  Prior to interdisciplinary doctoral studies at Harvard (where he won the Spencer Fellowship and Entering Award), Stepniak completed graduate studies in viola at Peabody Conservatory (where he won the Sidney Friedberg Prize and served as principal violist of the Peabody Symphony), in musicology at Northwestern University (where he joined the alpha chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda) and in violin at New England Conservatory (where he was leader of the Honors Quartet).  His teachers have included Eugene Lehner, Earl Carlyss, Victoria Chiang, James Buswell, and Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse.  Currently, he is Associate Professor of Music, Director of Summer Programs, Director of Assessment, and Assistant to the President for Special Projects at Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Igor Zubkovsky, Cello ( Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Fille du Regiment, Aleko, Iolanta, Le Nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor, L'Elisir d'Amore, La Boheme), has regaled American audiences with his musical artistry and eloquence since 1997. His success in the U.S. is preceded by an illustrious career begun in his native Russia; he started playing cello at the age of five at the Gnessins' Music School for Gifted Children in Moscow and first appeared as a soloist with the Minsk Philharmonic Symphony at the age of twelve. While studying cello under Natalia Shakhovskaya at the Moscow Conservatory, Mr. Zubkovsky won several prizes at international cello competitions, including Second Prize at the International Cello Competition in Minsk, Belarus, and the Grand Prix at the Tansman International Competition in Poland. In 1991, Mr. Zubkovsky became a member of the "Moscow Soloists" chamber orchestra conducted by Yuri Bashmet, performing with the ensemble in the great concert halls of Europe as well as numerous music festivals in Europe and Asia. A year later, he joined the Brahms Trio in Moscow, subsequently winning Second Prize at the Trapani, Italy and First Prize at the Weimar, Germany International Chamber Music Competitions. Upon graduating from the Moscow Conservatory in 1994, Mr. Zubkovsky won the President of Russia Scholarship and went on to earn a DMA in Cello Performance. With a remarkable record of performances, awards and academic distinctions, Mr. Zubkovsky was awarded a full scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory of Music where in 1999 he earned a Graduate Performance Diploma. While at Peabody, he actively collaborated in chamber music performances with faculty members including Earl Carlyss, former member of the Juilliard String Quartet, Victoria Chiang, Marianna Busching, and Ann Schein. An active solo and chamber music performer, he was a member of the Mendelssohn Piano Trio. Mr. Zubkovsky's performances with that group have included numerous universities, festivals, and a critically acclaimed 1998-99 season three-week concert tour in Taiwan. In addition to performing at the legendary Taipei National Recital Hall, the trio were heard on several national radio broadcasts and taught master classes. Critics abroad have pointed out Mr. Zubkovsky's expressive, lyrical intensity that not only enchants audiences, but also elevates them. He has been recorded on numerous CDs, including a solo with the Maryland Consort of Players (1998), with the Brahms Trio (1997), and a solo cello CD on the DUX label (1997). In 2000 Mr. Zubkovsky was featured in two performances of Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.  Igor is a member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and performing a lot as a soloist and chamber musician

Zino Bogachek, Violin (Viva Mozart!). Ukranian-born American violinist Zino Bogachek has received broad critical acclaim for his technical facility and emotional expressiveness.  As a recitalist and chamber musician, he has performed throughout the former USSR, Poland, Austria, Mexico and North America.  His appearances as soloist have included performances with Lvov Philharmonic, Lvov Chamber Orchestra, Centennial Philharmonic, Cape Ann Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, and Summer Music from Greensboro Festival Orchestra among others.  Zino Bogachek has participated in the National Virtuosi Festival in Ukraine, the Haydn Festival in Austria; and Summer Music from Greensboro Festival, where he has served as concertmaster since 1995.  A graduate of Lvov Conservatory, he continued his studies at the Vienna Academy of Music and Boston University. He has received numerous awards, including the Boston University Directors Award, Honorary Diplomas from several international competitions and was elected to the Pi Kappa Lambda Chapter of the National Music Honor Society. His teachers have included M. Veitzner, Y. Mazurkevich, E. Lehner and B. Senofsky.  Currently, he is a member of the Washington National Opera Orchestra / Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

Victor Coo, Cello (Viva Mozart!). Cellist Victor Coo is a Masters of Music student at the University of Maryland, College Park.  Born in the Philippines, he received his training on the cello at the Philippine High School for the Arts; he then continued his studies at the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University in Florida, then finishing his Bachelor of Arts in Music at Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, MD.  He attended several festivals such as the Interlochen Arts Camp, Masterworks Festival, and the prestigious festival in Fontainebleau, France where he received the Chamber Music Prize for the performance of the Kodaly Duo.  Mr. Coo, is a student of Evelyn Elsing.

Xi Chen, Violin ( La Fille du Regiment, Le Nozze di Figaro, La Boheme), (she pronounces her name “Zee”), grew up in Beijing. Her mother was an academic musicologist, and her father was a principal horn player for the National Conservatory Orchestra, China’s foremost Western ensemble.  Xi began studying the piano when she was five and the violin when she was eight. She was accepted by the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music middle school at the age of twelve. In 1992, Chen won a scholarship to Temple University’s School of Performing Arts and earned her degrees of music under the guidance of Helen Kwalwasser. While at Temple, she became concertmistress of the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra.  Her 1995 recital was live-broadcasted by WFLN, the classical station of Philadelphia where she appeared later as the guest artist at the Cunningham Talent Show Case. Music performance invitations have brought Xi to Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, Puerto Rico and the East Coast of United States. She has been residing in Virginia since 1998 performing as a member of the Kennedy Center/Washington National Opera Orchestra.

Jennifer Ries, Viola ( La Boheme). Jennifer Ries, a DC native currently freelances and teaches here in the DC area.  She plays regularly as a substitute musician with the National Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony, as well as other local groups. Miss Ries received her Bachelors degree from Oberlin Conservatory, and her Masters in chamber music from the San Francisco Conservatory.  While in school she was granted three fellowships to Tanglewood Music Center, and an orchestral fellowship to Aspen Music Festival. After her studies were completed, Jennifer served as rotating principal violist of the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, where she won their annual concerto competition, and performed concerti with the orchestra.  She then won a position with the Kansas City Symphony and played with them for nine years, taking a leave of absence to serve as Visiting Professor of Viola at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she played regularly with the Minnesota Orchestra. An avid teacher, Miss Ries has been on the faculty of many summer music programs as a teacher and chamber music coach.  She is currently on the faculty for the National Symphony's Orchestral Institute, and serves as the viola coach for MCYO.  She also has a private teaching studio in Northwest DC.

Celeste Blase, Violin ( Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail ), received her early training at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and obtained her B.M. and M.M. degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Her teachers have included Berl Senofsky, Charles Libove, and Herbert Greenberg, as well as chamber music studies with Karen Tuttle and Leon Fleischer. A frequent performer in the chamber idiom, Ms. Blase has been a member of the Rymland Quintet and has performed with the Women Composers Orchestra and Music in the Great Hall, as well as chanber concerts at the Library of Congress. Formerly a member of the U.S. Marine Orchestra, Ms. Blase is now performing with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.

Raea  Leinster, Viola ( Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail ). Ms. Leinster began piano studies at the age of 3 and viola and violin studies at the age of 8. Before graduating high school in Fairfax County, Ms. Leinster trained and performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra. She studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music for one year then received a B.A. degree in Russian and Czech Language Studies at George Mason University. Ms. Leinster has performed extensively in concert halls in Europe, the USA and in the US Virgin Islands, including with the Slovak Philharmonic in Bratislava, Slovakia (1990), the American Opera Festival (AIMS) in Graz, Austria (1993, 1997, 2003), and with the Pest County Symphony in Budapest, Hungary (2006). Ms. Leinster performs annually at the Library of Congress, at the Mexican and Bolivian Embassies, and at The Birchmere. Ms.Leinster has performed with many Grammy and Country Hall of Fame musicians including, Leonard Bernstein, Yo-Yo Ma, Ray Price and others. Ms. Leinster freelances and teaches in the Washington DC metro area, and is also a licensed architectural and faux finisher.

Sarah Scanlon, Violin ( Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail ), a native of California, recently relocated to the Washington, D.C. area, where she performs as a freelance violist.  She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and more recently was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  During her time in Chicago, she also began studying and performing old-time fiddle. In 2007, Sarah was awarded a grant for new artists from the City of Chicago's Community Arts Assistance Program.  Her teachers have included Daniel Foster, Lawrence Neuman, and Yizhak Schotten. . Music performance invitations have brought Xi to Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, Puerto Rico and the East Coast of United States. She has been residing in Virginia since 1998 performing as a member of the Kennedy Center/Washington National Opera Orchestra.

Charlie Powers, Cello (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail). A native of Tacoma, Washington, Charlie Powers joined the cello section of "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra in Washington, D.C. in 2005.  He is also a member of the Teiber String Trio, formed in 2007.  Mr. Powers began his musical training on the cello at age three and received a Bachelor of Music degree with Distinction in Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music.  He has performed with the Boston Philharmonic under Benjamin Zander and the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas.  He received the Karl Zeise Memorial Cello Award for the 2005 Tanglewood season, where he served as principal of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra under James Levine and was selected by audition to perform in the cello section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a concert conducted by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos.  Mr. Powers currently resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife, soprano Anastasia Robinson.

Janet Copple Davis, Choral Director ( Amahl and the Night Visitors ), is currently the Coordinator of the Children's Choral Division of the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy of Shenandoah University, and is conductor of two of the choirs, the Top of Virginia Concert Choir and the Blue Ridge Choristers. Ms. Davis earned the degree B. S. in Music from Radford University, and the M. Mus. Ed. degree from Shenandoah Conservatory of SU. During her professional career, she has taught music in the public schools of Virginia, taught private lessons in piano and voice, served as Director of Music Ministries and Organist at several United Methodist Churches, and served as guest clinician and adjudicator for music festivals in the Northern Virginia region. Ms. Davis completed a five-year term as a member of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and served as chairperson for one year. She resides in Winchester, Virginia, with her husband, Dr. James A. Davis, President of Shenandoah University.

Robyn Hart Schroth, Choreographer ( Amahl and the Night Visitors ), is an assistant professor of dance at Shenandoah University where she serves as coordinator for the Dance Education program and teaches in the department. She is also a faculty member and coordinator for dance at the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy. In the past she has served as choreographer for the Music Theatre program at Shenandoah and has choreographed over 50 musicals. She is the show choir choreographer for John Handley High School and each year stages the Royal Command Performance for the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. During the summer she choreographs for Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre in Winchester. Additionally, she is the director of the Blue Ridge Junior Cotillion. Robyn is married to John Schroth and they have 2 daughters, Anne Walker and Kassie.

Raven (Jayni) Morris, dancer/choreography, (Aleko, Salut a la France!, Le Nozze di Figaro). Raven started her theatrical endeavors backstage at University of Florida's roadhouse theater setting up light, sound and stage for productions. A dance performance led her to seek out being on the stage as a dancer. Having trained all her youth as an equestrienne, transitioning to dance was natural. She danced with an ethnic group in Florida, then joined the Danza del Rio Spanish Dance Company and Spanish Dance Society, both in Washington DC. Experience with Flamenco and ballet led to performing Spanish ballet with the Washington Opera in Dona Francisquito.  She has performed with the Washington Opera several other times, as well as danced in a local theatrical dance company with her partner Ya Meena for the past five years. It is her pleasure and honor to be working with Bel Cantanti. 

Ya Meena, Billie Bryant - Dancer - (Martiya Collective, Martiya Possession, Jaladrum) Building on a foundation of ballet and modern dance, Ya Meena has devoted herself to the study of Oriental and fusion dance for ten years. She has also studied Flamenco and performed with local Spanish dance companies. She is artistic director and choreographer for Martiya Possession, a theatrical oriental dance company. Ya Meena is known for pushing the dance edge and her productions are always praised. This is her first performance in an opera. She is thrilled to perform in Bel Cantanti's production of Aleko!  

The Martiya Dance Collective (www.martiya.net), Raven (Jayni) Morris and Billie Bryant (Yameena),  devote themselves to the study, practice and performance of dances from the Middle Eastern Dance, Spain and India. Martiya Collective has been performing in the Washington DC metro area fro the past five years. Their collective resume includes productions at the Kennedy Center, the Virginia State Theatre, the Warehouse Theatre, Gunston Theatre and the Pentagon. They recently exhibited their dance artistry in New York City for a Gothic Belly Dance DVD (releasing in the spring).

Shana Louise Maron, soprano, Amahl ( Amahl and the Night Visitors ) graduated from The College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University, with a bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance, in May of 2003. Miss Maron began her formal study of voice at the age of eight, under the fine teaching of Dr. Doreen Rao, with The HART School of Music, in Hartford CT. She has also studied the art of vocal ornamentation with Dr. Julliane Baird at The Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, NY. Miss Maron specializes in baroque and early music literature. Her guest solo repertoire includes Handel Messiah, Samson, and Joshua, Mendelssohn Elijah, Haydn Creation, Fuare Requiem, Britten A Ceremony of Carols, and Purcell The Fairy Queen and Oedipus. Miss Maron has been a guest soloist with the Masterwork's Chorale and Choral Arts Society, in Washington D.C., and she has performed internationally with The Cologne Philharmonic. Miss Maron's operatic roles include Sister Osmina in Puccini's Suor Angelica, Poppea in Montiverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea and Rosina in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, with the GMU Opera Scenes. Miss Maron is currently enrolled in the voice studio of Baltimore Soprano, Ah Young Matejicka.

Sharon Grant, soprano, Amahl  ( Amahl and the Night Visitors ) has appeared in operettas and musical theatre productions around the Washington, DC area since 1999. She has performed with the Washington Savoyards (The Mikado), CAST in McLean (The Pirates of Penzance), Elden Street Players (Suburb) and many others. A native of Texas, she sang with the Longhorn Singers at the University of Texas at Austin during her college years and made a brief but memorable appearance in the Austin Lyric Opera production of Aida. Sharon studies voice in the private studio of Joan Grandy. Sharon is thrilled to join Bel Cantanti for such a delightful production

Lyric soprano, Rebecca Kellerman, Mother ( Amahl and the Night Visitors ) has performed for audiences throughout the Washington, DC metro area since moving to Leesburg, VA in 2001. Past concert appearances include soloist with the Bach Ortenau Choir of Germany, the Washington Chorus and The Washington Bach Consort. She has performed opera and oratorio throughout the United States and Europe from the East Coast to Spoleto, Italy. Her opera roles include Ino in F. Handel’s Semele, Mrs. Gobineau G.C. Menotti’s The Medium, Nella in G. Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and various partial roles. Rebecca has sung as both a soloist and professional chorister with The Washington Bach Consort, The Washington Chorus and St. James Episcopal Church, Leesburg. Ms. Kellerman is also an active music and voice teacher in Charles Town, WV where she currently resides.

Lucas Tannous, tenor, Duca ( Rigoletto ), King Kaspar ( Amahl and the Night Visitors), Nemorino ( L'Elisir d'Amore ), Count Almaviva ( Il Barbiere di Siviglia ), Tonio ( La Fille du Regiment ), (Viva Mozart!) , Almeric (Iolanta), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Rodolfo ( La Boheme).  Lucas Tannous, a native of Fairfax, Virginia. He completed his BM in vocal performance at Westminster Choir College in 2000, his MM in vocal performance at the University of Illinois School of Music in 2002 and his GPD at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in 2006. In the summer of 2002, Mr. Tannous was an apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera. Since then, he has performed several leading roles, including Il Conte d’Almaviva in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Houston Opera in the Heights under the musical direction of Maestro William Weibel, and Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, Il Duca in Rigoletto and Tonio in La Fille du Régiment with Bel Cantanti Opera under the musical direction of Dr. Katerina Souvorova. Mr. Tannous currently studies voice with Gregory Lamar in New York City.

 

Timothy Augustin, tenor, Tonio ( La Fille du Regiment ). The Washington Post describer Timothy Augustin as an “outstanding performer” who possesses a “particularly lovely voice”. The 2001 winner of The Washington International Competition for Singers was also a national finalist in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Center for American Artists competition and regional finalist in The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. The Minnesota native earned a Bachelor of Music degree at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. While in the Midwest, Tim was active as an opera and oratorio singer. He performed with such groups as The Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Great Lakes Opera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Tim left the Midwest to enter U.S. Army. His first assignment was as an Arabic linguist in early 1990’s. It was then that he heard of the U.S. Army Chorus. After a successful audition for this prestigious ensemble, he returned to active duty in 1996 and moved to Washington D.C. As a member of the ensemble, he acted as the group’s Middle East and Slavic language specialist. He sang regularly for Presidents and other Heads of State, at The White House and other venues. He also traveled throughout the U.S. as a featured soloist with the Chorus, Concert Band and Brass Band. While in Washington, Tim has appeared with The Washington National Opera, Capitol; City Opera, Washington Concert Opera, National Symphony Orchestra, National Chamber Orchestra, Annapolis Opera, Interact Theatre Company, The Paul Hill Chorale, and Masterworks Chorus among others in leading and supporting roles. He has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York, on all the stages at the Kennedy Center in Washington, The Mormon Tabernacle, the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul and many others. Tim’s numerous television appearances include ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today Show, The CBS Morning Show and ABC’s World News Tonight. His many radio broadcasts include; Tenor Soloist in the world premiere of Nick White’s Full Freedom at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall which was broadcast on NPR. A regular with the Washington National Opera, Mr. Augustin’s numerous past productions include more than a dozen roles and more than 250 performances.

Yoon Soo Shin, tenor, (Salut a la France), Edgardo, (Lucia di Lammermoor)  earned Master of Music from the University of Maryland where he studied with Dominic Cossa, and earned an Artist Diploma and studied with distinguished professor Giorgio Tozzi at Indiana University. He recently covered as Rodolfo in La Bohème during the 2004-2005 season for New York City Opera. He has participated in the Merola Program at San Francisco Opera and performed as the Duke in Rigoletto. Operatic roles include Tito in La Clemenza di Tito, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Des Grieux in Manon, Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte, and the title role in Les Contes d'Hoffmann. He has received several awards including the Metropolitan National Council Audition Semi-Finalist, Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition Study Grant Winner, The Liederkranz Foundation Awards for Voice, and The Annual Homer Ulrich Solo Performance Competition at the University of Maryland Graduate Grand Prize.

Jim Biggs, tenor, Normanno ( Lucia di Lammermoor). Jim discovered his passion for the performing arts as a young man in West Virginia, his home state.   Mr. Biggs went on to receive a Bachelor’s Degree of Music from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2001, and is currently completing work toward the degree of Master of Music at the University of Maryland in the Maryland Opera Studio at College Park.  Jim has studied voice under several notable professionals, including Dr. Jeff Price and Gran Wilson who is his current teacher.  In addition to his academic achievement, Mr. Biggs has received formal recognition for his outstanding talent and has extensive performance experience:  some notable examples include performances with the Maryland Opera Studio’s opera scenes program as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore, Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Gonzalve in Ravel’s L’Heure Espagnole; an engagement with the American Symphony Orchestra in Janacek’s OSUD as a young student and chorus member; numerous oratorio solo engagements, including a performance with the Charlotte Music Society as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah; and a recent casting as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni for the University of Maryland Opera studio.  Jim is a passionate artist, an engaged student, and an aspiring professional.

Jason Rylander, tenor, King Kaspar ( Amahl and the Night Visitors ). Hailed by the Washington Post for his “strong, clear tenor,” Jason Rylander is pleased to make his debut with Opera Belcantanti as Kaspar in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors. He most recently appeared with the Washington Savoyards as Don Fernando de Gomez in Offenbach's La Perichole. Previous performances include the role of Antonio in the Savoyards' Gondoliers; Ralph Rackstraw in The Arlington Players' HMS Pinafore; and various roles with Crittenden Opera Studio and Summer Opera Theatre Company. Equally at home on the concert stage, he has performed as a soloist with the New Dominion Chorale, National Men's Chorus, and the Friday Morning Music Club. Upcoming engagements include Monastatos in The Magic Flute, the Bach Magnificat and Handel's Messiah. An Arlington resident, he is the tenor soloist for Christ Church, Alexandria.

Christopher Jones, baritone, King Melchior ( Amahl and the Night Visitors), Count Ceprano ( Rigoletto), Fiorello ( Il Barbiere di Siviglia ) A native of Chevy Chase, Maryland, baritone Christopher Jones studied classical piano at the Levine School of Music while attending the Sidwell Friends School.  He attended the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Winchester, VA, where he studied with Jackson Sheats, Janette Ogg, and Bard Suverkrop.  As a part of Shenandoah’s Opera Workshop program, Mr. Jones performed leading roles in main stage productions and dozens of opera scenes during his six years in the program.  Praised for his “warm, resonant, beautiful bass- baritone voice”, the Winchester Star praised: “Christopher Jones almost steals the show” with his performance as Somnus in the Conservatory’s production of Handel’s Semele.  In 1996, he received honors in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) in preliminary rounds and won second place at the regional finals that same year.  In 1999, he received the Cecilia Award for Vocal Excellence from Shenandoah Conservatory and was awarded the Rita Noel Scholarship for graduate study.  Mr. Jones joined the Master Chorale of Washington as a member of their prestigious Professional Core for the 2001-2002 season, led by maestro Donald McCullough.  In the spring of 2003, Mr. Jones was accepted into the Central Florida Lyric Opera Young Artist Resident Training Program for the 2003-2004 season, and was offered the roles of the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro and El Ramendado in Carmen.   Mr. Jones serves as Cantor at St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg, Virginia.

Eduardo Castro, baritone, King Balthazar ( Amahl and the Night Visitors), Dulcamara ( L'Elisir d'Amore ) came to the United States from Peru in 1991.  He has been a member of the Baltimore Opera Chorus since 2000. Local performances include; the BPC Opera Company starting as Colline in Puccini's La Boheme and Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. With GMU productions he performed Don Alfonso in Cosi fan Tutte by Mozart,  Shaunard in Puccini’s La Boheme and Balthazar in Amahl and the Night’s Visitors by Menotti. With the Maryland Opera Society he did the roles of Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata. He has also performed at Catholic University of America as Frank in the productions of Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss and as Cappellio in Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi. Eduardo is a lyric baritone who is currently completing his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at George Mason University.

Hunter Bayliss Morrison, Page ( Amahl and the Night Visitors ) is a fourteen year old ninth grade student at Loudoun Country Day School in Leesburg, Virginia. He studies voice with Sonya Stambaugh Latimer. Hunter sang the role of Brundibar in the 2002 Washington Opera Summer Camp Program's production of Hans Krasa's children's opera Brundibar and won the 2003 James Bland Competition for the Leesburg, Virginia area.

Meghan McCall, soprano, Gilda ( Rigoletto ), Adina ( L'Elisir d'Amore ), Marie ( La Fille du Regiment ), Gretel ( Hansel and Gretel ), ( Viva Mozart!), (Salut a la France!), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Adina ( L'Elisir d'Amore), Blondchen ( Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail). Praised for her "bell-like clarity and fine control" and "radient full-bodied voice" by The Washington Post, American soprano Meghan McCall is establishing herself as one of the finest young artists of opera today. She has been hailed for posessing a "beautifully and flawlessly operatic voice" The West Highland Press. In her recent interpretation of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro "Meghan McCall made a superlative Susanna on the opening night and was consistently the most outstanding voice in all combinations" All Arts Review, and was "a blooming, vivacious and confident Susanna" The Washington Times. The young soprano's career has already taken her to stages both in the United States and Europe. Ms. McCall has performed the roles of Fatime in Carl Maria von Weber's Abu Hassan, Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte, Madame Altina in La Divina (Pasatieri), Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Musetta in La Bohème, Adina in L'Elisir d'Amore, Gilda in Rigoletto, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Marie in La Fille du Régiment, Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Princess (#1) in Transformations, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor , Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw, and Blondchen in Mozart's Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail.  Highlights from 2008 will include Ms. McCall as guest soloist with Opera Lafayette in their concert of The Genesis of of Don Giovanni, as Eve in Hayden's Creation with The University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra and UM Choirs at the Clarice Smith Center (May 2008) and as the Soprano Soloist in The Bach's Coffee Cantata aside world renound bass Francois Loup with Harmonious Blacksmith (May 2008).

Waka Osifchin, soprano, Gretel ( Hansel and Gretel ), Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro), (Masterpieces of Bel Canto). Sought out for her “powerful and dramatic performance” by The Washington Post, Japanese soprano Waka Osifchin has performed throughout the US and Asia.  She began studying violin at the age of four.  At sixteen she began studying voice, and went on to earn her bachelor's degree at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo.  She then decided to study in the United States at Indiana University School of Music where she got her master’s degree. Waka has since begun pursuing her doctorate degree in vocal performance at The Catholic University of America, where she studies with Sharon Christman.  Waka has performed the roles of Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief by Menotti, Hagnothea in Andrew Simpson’s world premiere The Furries, and Sesto in Giulio Cesare.  She also sang Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro with Bel Cantanti Opera past two seasons.   In Fall 2007, she performed the title role of Madama Butterfly with Maryland Opera Society.  Most recently she sang at the U.S. House of Representatives for a memorial service for Charles Vanik. Waka also has extensive concert experience and has been a soloist in performances of Schubert’s Missa G-dur, Saint-Saens’s Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Gloria in Excelsis Deo, and My song shall be alway. 

Emily Ezzie, soprano, Iolanta ( Iolanta ),(Salut a la France!), Mimi (La Boheme), completed her Bachelor of Music Degree at Boston University where she was a recipient of the Ellalou Dimmock Award.  Previously seen with Bel Cantanti in the title role of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, Ms. Ezzie was recently awarded the 2008 Grand Prize (1st Place) at the Long Leaf Opera Vocal Competition.  Other engagements include appearances with Baltimore Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Boston and the Greenwich Music Festival, as well as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the Providence Singers and the Boston Pops.  She also performed as a Young Artist with Sarasota Opera where she received the Stuart R. Scholarship, Opera North, Opera Works, and the Opera and Theatre Music Festival of Lucca, Italy. 


 

Angela Marchese, soprano, Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro), is a DMA student at the University of Maryland studying with Delores Ziegler. She is originally from New Orleans, LA where she received a Bachelors of Music degree from Loyola University. Angela earned a Masters in Opera Performance in 2005 at the University of Maryland where she sang The Governess in Turn of the Screw, and Mimi in La Boheme. Other roles she has performed include Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus and Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte, While touring in Italy Ms. Marchese performed the role of Serpina in La Serva Padrona, participated in masterclasses with Giuseppi Taddei and Luciano Pavarotti, and gave concerts as part of the I Malatesta Centro di Lingua e Cultura. Upcoming engagements include the Mozart Requiem and Vespers with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera Bel Cantanti and the title role in Gluck’s Armide with the Maryland Opera Studio.
 

Bobbie Jo Simmons, soprano, Berta ( Il Barbiere di Siviglia ), is a native of North Carolina. She earned her Master’s Music from the University of Maryland College Park and her Bachelor’s of Music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has been seen as the Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro and Giannetta in L’elisir d’Amore with the Maryland Opera Studio. While in the Maryland Opera Studio, she also performed scenes from The Crucible, The Dialogues of the Carmelites and performed Lucero in a workshop production of Salsipuedes working closely with the opera’s composer Daniel Catan. She has also performed the role of Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro with the UNC-G Opera Theatre and was also seen in their productions of The Dialogues of the Carmelites, Cendrillon and Amahl and the Night Visitors

Andrea Hill, mezzo-soprano, Olga ( Eugene Onegin ), Marquise of Berkenfield ( La Fille du Regiment ), Hansel ( Hansel and Gretel ), ( Viva Mozart!). Canadian mezzo-soprano Andrea Hill, praised in the Washington Post for her “radiant, full-bodied voice,” and in the Asheville Citizen-Times as a “fine [performer] who knows how to use face, body language and voice to make [one] understand the character she is portraying” received her Masters in Music, Opera Performance, from the University of Maryland in 2004.  On the operatic stage, Ms. Hill has performed several roles, including Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Niklaus/Muse (Les Contes d’Hoffman), Dorabella (Così fan tutte) and Hansel (Hansel and Gretel).  She has been the mezzo soloist in works ranging from Handel’s Messiah to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and in 2006, will be the featured soloist of Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs. Over the course of her musical studies, Ms. Hill has been distinguished by many awards and scholarships.  Most recently, during the summer of 2005, she competed and was chosen as a semi-finalist in the international vocal competition Jeunesses Musicales, held in Montréal.  One month later, she was named the first place winner of the Rozsa Foundation National Vocal Competition in Canada (inaugural year), and was also awarded the Brian Hanson Opera Scholarship (Calgary Opera).  In 2006, Ms. Hill will be a featured artist in the Mountain View Festival of Song Concert Series, held in Calgary Canada.

Lingling Peng, mezzo-soprano, Old Gypsy Woman (Aleko), Marta ( Iolanta),( Salut a la France!) made her first public solo appearance at age 10. Lingling received her B.A. in vocal performance from Guangxi Academy of Arts and studied voice at Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. She won numerous awards and competitions at the national and provincial level and made over one hundred recordings of new compositions for radio stations and TV programs. Notably, she was the soloist of the “Sound of Nationalities" and "The Dewy Rose” in the Spring Festival Program of China Central Television.  As a performer and voice instructor, Lingling was invited to Singapore in 1994. She represented Singapore in the Asia Vocal Competitions held in Hong Kong and Malaysia. In 1997 Lingling won the first prize in the vocal competition organized by Singapore Composer Circle. She performed the role of Gek Choo in the world premiere of Buang Mawar with Singapore Lyric Opera. Lingling also held recitals in Singapore and Malaysia and her performances earned the acclaim of large audiences. For three years, she was the recipient of the Art Bursary (overseas) from Singapore National Art Council.  Lingling has been described as “fantastic… rich… strong… a voice with force and dramatic quality… great acting that connects the voice with the character impressively…” Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) is her signature role.  Lingling also portrayed Dorabella (Cosi Fan Tutte) for the Roma Festival Opera, Italy, and Gypsy Queen (The Bohemian Girl) in the Ireland Waterford International Light Opera Festival.  Her soloist oratorio performances include Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Elijah, among others. Lingling recently sang the roles of Tigrana in Puccini’s opera Edgar and Musetta in Leoncavallo’s La Boheme with the American Center for Puccini Studies in Washington, DC (2005).  Martha is her upcoming role in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with Bel Cantanti Opera (Spring 2006). As one of the twelve singers selected from eight major cities around the world, Lingling was invited to compete in the 3rd Monte-Carlo Voice Masters International Competition in June 2005.  She was a finalist and the Encouragement Award Winner in the Gerda Lisser Foundation International Vocal Competition 2002. Lingling is a graduate of Peabody Conservatory and received a M.M. in voice from the University of Nebraska.  She currently resides in Germantown, MD. 

Barbera Thomas Dooley, soprano, Rosina ( Il Barbiere di Siviglia ), received her BA (magna cum laude) from Colby College, where she majored in music, studying lieder, melodie, and twentieth century/avant-garde art song. She was an Opera League of Maine Competition winner, winning the Mozart Award and overall third place. She also won the Colby College Concerto Competition. Internships and chorus work include the Monteux Opera Festival and Opera Maine. She studied in Vienna, Austria from 1997-1998, performing in recitals with the Institute for European Studies. In 1999, she began the Masters program at Bowling Green State University and was awarded the Helen Leininger and Nicholas Cucaro Scholarship. The following year, she was appointed Teaching Assistant. She received the James P. Kennedy Music Achievement Award upon graduation in 2001. Her teachers include Elizabeth Erskine Patches, Andreas Poulimenos, Eugene Dybdahl and Dominic Cossa. Roles she has performed include: Mrs. Ford, The Merry Wives of Windsor; Lady Billows, Albert Herring; Marcellina, The Marriage of Figaro; Domina, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; and Ellie, The Leader of the Pack: The Ellie Greenwich Story. She looks forward to her debut this season with Bel Cantanti as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Cristina Nassif, soprano, Rosina, ( Il Barbiere and More ), Tatiana ( Eugene Onegin), Zemphira ( Aleko), makes her Violetta debut this October, opening Virginia Opera’s 2005/2006 season in Verdi’s La Traviata.  In December, she joins Opera Tampa at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center singing the title role in Bizet's Carmen -- one she will again sing in Virginia Opera’s 2006/2007 season-opener. Ms. Nassif received a Richard F. Gold Career Grant and a McGlone Award from Central City Opera, performing Rosa Gonzales (Summer and Smoke, reprised in 2003 with the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh) and Isabel/Madeline (The Face on the Barroom Floor), and covering Nedda in I Pagliacci and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Her other roles include Musetta, Rosina, Alice Ford, Despina, Pamina, First Lady, Donna Elvira, Marzelline, Lisa (La Sonnambula), and Rosario (Goyescas). In 2004, Ms. Nassif was the featured soprano soloist in two Mendelssohn works: Elijah and Lobgesang with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s Snowshoe Symphony Festival, and an Operatic Gala at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles.  Future engagements include a November 2005 Recital for the International Poetry Forum in Pittsubrgh, PA and Elijah with the WVSO in March 2006. Ms. Nassif has been a winner in numerous vocal competitions including Gold Medallion in the Rosa Ponselle Opera Competition, First Prize in the Marjorie Lawrence International Vocal Competition, Encouragement Award in the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Competition, Regional Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Audience Choice in the Annapolis Opera Competition, and most recently Third Place and the coveted Critic’s Choice Award in the International Vocal Competition of Bilbao, Spain. Ms. Nassif began her vocal training with her mother, Cristina Herrera de Nassif, later earning a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Maryland (with Regina McConnell) and an Artist Diploma from The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She is currently a voice student of Bill Schuman.

Amanda Gosier, soprano, Tatiana ( Eugene Onegin ), (Viva Mozart!), Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro), recently received her Master of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She has been a national finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a finalist in the National Symphony Orchestra Young Soloists Competition, and a finalist in the Rosa Ponselle International Voice Competition. She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, the National Men’s Chorus, and the Kennedy Center’s Masterworks Chorale performing works ranging from Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 to Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. During her time at the Curtis Institute of Music she performed Wolf’s Italiensches Liederbuch  and Ned Rorem’s Evidence of Things Not Seen with Mikael Eliasen.  In addition to numerous concert performances, Ms. Gosier was seen as Sister Constance in Dialogues des Carmelites, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte, and Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, all for the Curtis Opera Theatre. Ms. Gosier has been winner of both the Second Place and Audience Choice awards at the Annapolis Opera’s Annual Vocal Competition. In the summer of 2002, Ms.Gosier participated in the Opera Theatre of St.Louis’ Young Artist Program. Ms.Gosier recently premiered the work of Lori Laitman  with “Lines Written at the Falls” for the Washington DC Composers Consortium and will be appearing this Fall as a featured soloist with the Vocal Chamber Soloists of Washington DC and the National Men’s Chorus. Ms.Gosier has represented the Vocal Arts Society of Washington DC in numerous concerts and benefits. Most recently she represented them in performance for the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees Annual Meeting.  This Spring Ms Gosier will be appearing with Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia in their production of Rossini’s Opera, Love’s Luggage Lost, as Berenice.

Cynthia Farbman, soprano, Gilda ( Rigoletto ), (Viva Mozart!), ( Salut a la France!), is delighted to return to Bel Cantinti after her performance as Gilda in Rigoletto “an exquisite Caro Nome”, Washington Post. Ms. Farbman received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro with a BFA and a doctorate from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. She currently studies with baritone, Dr. John Blizzard of Wingate University. Ms. Farbman has performed the roles of The Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflote (Mozart), Countess  Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Sylva in The Gypsy Princess (Kalman) and Sophia in R.B. Ribalow’s world premiere of 7 Deadly Sins. Ms. Farbman participated in the young artist programs with Opera Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina and performed and studied in Italy with the Oberlin and Eastman Conservatories. Ms. Farbman has studied acting under Bill Wendt of the Actor's Studio, NY, Gordon Hunt of Los Angeles, CA, and Lon Bumgarner of the Film Actors Studio of Charlotte, NC. Her acting roles include Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, Julie in Showboat, Anita in West Side Story, Abigail in The Crucible, Meg in Crimes of the Heart and Marta in the world premiere of Rupert Holmes' Thumbs.

Soprano Stacey Mastrian, Dew Fairy ( Hansel and Gretel ), is pleased to be making her first appearance with Bel Cantanti.  She is a Fulbright Grantee and Beebe Fellow who has sung across the U.S. and Europe and has won awards in numerous competitions, from Bach to art song to opera.  This past summer she sang critically-acclaimed performances of Gilda in Rigoletto with the Summer Opera Theatre Company and was named a Richard F. Gold Career Grant recipient.  Other operatic roles include Sister Genevieve in Suor Angelica, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Amor/Damigella in L’incoronazione di Poppea.  Her recital and oratorio performances have been broadcast internationally.  Ms. Mastrian is a doctoral fellow at the University of Maryland, where she studies with Martha Randall.  She has an M.M. from UM (Maryland Opera Studio) and a B.M. in vocal performance from The Catholic University of America, where she studied with Elizabeth Daniels.

Courtney Ross, soprano, Adina ( L'Elisir d'Amore )  received her B.M. in vocal performance from Shenandoah Conservatory where she was also the receipant of the Cecilia Award for Vocal Excellence. Courtney is pursuing a career in opera and concert singing.  Her roles include Ann in Nikolai's Merry Wives of Windsor, Despina in Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, Musetta in Pucinni's La Boheme and most recently Adina in Bel Cantanti's production of L'Elisir d'Amore by Donizetti.  She has also been a soloist in several concerts with groups such as the National Philharmonic Chorale, the Waterford Concert Series, and the Mexican Cultural Institute. Currently Courtney Ross studies with Barbara Honn at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where she will be starting her Masters in Music in the fall of 2004.  Courtney is also the private student of Katerina Souvorova, vocal coach and founder of Bel Cantanti. Ms Ross is very happy to be a part of such a diverse group of singers.

 

Keesun Kwon, soprano, (Salut a la France!),  a native of South Korea, is currently working on her Doctoral degree at the Catholic University of America. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory. She was seen as Kassandra in Agamemnon, Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, Nella in Gianni Schicchi and Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring at the Catholic University.  She performed the role of Violetta in La Traviata, Gilda in Rigoletto and Adina in L’elisir d’amore  for the Bethesda Music Festival.  She made her oratorio debut by singing Brahms’ Ein deutches Requiem with Harford Choral Society. She is a recent award winner in the Gerda Lissner Foundation in New York and made her New York debut with Gateway Classical Music Society. She is a First place winner in Vincent P. Walter Voice Scholarship Competition, Marie E. Crump Vocal Arts Competition (Maryland Opera Society) and Paul Robeson Vocal Competition, NATS in Mid-Atlantic Region and Study Award in the Annapolis Opera Competition.

 

Randa Rouweyha, soprano, (Salut a la France!), earned her Master of Music degree at Peabody Conservatory of Music and her Bachelor of Music degree from Youngstown State University's Dana School of Music.  She has sung with numerous Opera and Oratorio groups throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area, including Washington National Opera, the Washington Concert Opera, the Washington Savoyards, Opera Americana, Opera Theater of Northern Virginia, the IN Series, the New Dominion Chorale, Masterworks Chorus, the Ad Hoc Singers, and the Friday Morning Music Club.  Ms. Rouweyha has been singing with Washingtion National Opera for several years where she has performed numerous supporting roles, including:  Barbarina in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro,  The Foreign Woman in Menotti's The Consul under the direction of Gian Carlo Menotti, and Ruth Putnam in Robert Ward's The Crucible.   The Washington Times described her rendition of Pamina with IN Series' Magic Flute as “the evening’s standout... Her Pamina was totally ready for prime time, her tone bell-clear, her pitch spot on.”  Opera critic Alan Savada commented in his on-line review:  “One of the musical highlights of the afternoon... Ms. Rouweyha was easily the most talented singer in this cast!”  Randa is scheduled to sing Pamina again with IN Series’ remount of Magic Flute this November and December. Ms. Rouweyha also enjoys singing recital and chamber music.  She was a first place winner for the 2005-2006 Art Song Discovery recital series.  Last season, Randa received high praise during her recital performances with Vocal Arts Society.  

Soprano, Adrienne D. Neal, Sandman ( Hansel and Gretel ), is among the new genre of artists from the Washington, DC area. She has delighted audiences with her appearances with the Aria Club of Greater Washington from the 2002 to present seasons. She has also appeared as a guest artist with the Maryland Opera Society in their Annual Christmas Gala for the 2001 and 2002 seasons and has been presented in recital at the Charles Sumner School Museum. Through her affiliations with the Crittenden Opera Studio, she performed scenes from Don Giovanni (Zerlina), The Dialogues of the Carmelites (Sister Constance), La Rondine (Lisette), and The Old Maid and the Thief (Leticia). Ms Neal is a former member of The Master Chorale of Washington (formerly The Paul Hill Chorale); she was a soloist at Luther Place Lutheran Church, Washington, DC and is currently on the musical staff of Asbury United Methodist Church of Washington, DC.  Ms. Neal’s vocal abilities have been recognized by a number of organizations. In 1997 she won second place in the Leontyne Price Vocal Arts Competition sponsored by the Washington Chapter of the Century Club, in 2003 she was awarded the third place in the Gretchen M. Hood Vocal Competition, and in 2004 she was a semi-finalist in the Maryland Opera Society’s Marie Crump Vocal Competition.A graduate of the University of the District of Columbia, Ms. Neal has studied with Jane White, Dr. Kay Song, and Nelda Ormond. She is currently studying under the auspices of Shirley Taylor-Moore.

Megan  O'Connor, soprano, Amahl ( Amahl and the Night Visitors), a D.C. area native, is currently completing her BM at Catholic University. She has performed many roles in opera, operettas, and musicals throughout the DC area. These include Anne in A Little Night Music, Cis in Albert Herring, and Mabel in Pirates of Penzance. This past June she also sang the role of a Spirit in Cendrillon with Washington Summer Opera. Last spring Megan was selected as a finalist in the 2005 Palm Beach Competition. She plans to pursue a Master's degree in the Fall of 2006.

Kathleen Sasnett, soprano, Witch ( Hansel and Gretel), Mother ( Amahl and the Night Visitors )a former Miss Wa­shington and top ten Finalist in the Miss America Pageant, has thrilled and charmed audiences in America and Europe. With a "voice of great beauty" and "virtuosic technique and control," this award winning soprano gives an "extraordinarily powerful performance" in opera as well as in oratorio and musical theater. Kathleen's vocal and physical versatility enables her to portray demanding dramatic operatic roles such as Mozart's Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, the title role in Puccini's Suor Angelica, and the Mother in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors. As a Seattle Opera Young Artist, Kathleen performed over 20 roles in three years to standing ovations, including Liu, Butterfly, Maddalena, Leonora, and Isolde. She has worked with such greats as Maestros Walter Taussig with the Metropolitan Opera, Gerard Schwartz of the Seattle Symphony, Edoardo Moller from Italy, and Hanno Blaschke in Germany, which enabled her to hone her dramatic singing and acting skills for roles like Santuzza, Tosca, Amelia, and Turandot. Equally at home in musical theater, Kathleen has performed over 15 leading roles, including Maria in Sound of Music, Lili in Carnival!, Marian in Music Man, Fiona in Brigadoon, and most recently, Aldonza in Man of La Mancha where she “completely submerged herself into the character.” A Finalist in the Altamura/Enrico Caruso International Vocal Competition, this "lovely soprano" with a "voi­ce vividly alive," has performed with over 25 Northwest pro­fessional groups, and was the featured soprano soloist in such varied works as Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Verdi's Re­qui­em, Mozart's Requiem, Vaughn Williams' Hodie, and Gou­nod's St. Cecilia's Mass, to name a few. Kathleen's bea­uty, expres­siveness, and uniqueness of sound make her an exciting addition to any production. In July of 2004, Kath­leen performed Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites in Florence and Cortona, Italy, and is currently enjoying a Graduate Fellowship at The Ohio State University, earning a Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance. The Ohio State University Symphony Orchestra featured Kathleen singing a "thrilling rendition of In questa reggia from Turandot" in December, 2004, and in March, 2005, she performed Leonore in a concert version of Beethoven's Fidelio.This summer, Kathleen performed the Witch in Hansel and Gretel sponsored by the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and repeated the role with Bel Cantanti  Opera in October. She is also contracted to perform Giorgetta in the dark one act opera, Il Tabarro, by Puccini, for Amici Opera in Philadelphia in January, 2006.  In February, 2006, Kathleen will sing  Beethoven's "Ah, Perfido!" and Menotti's "Papers Aria" with the Ohio State University Symphony Orchestra, having won the DMA Concerto/Aria Competition last year.

Cynthia Ballentine, mezzo-soprano, is thrilled to be making her Bel Cantanti debut as the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Cynthia Ballentine has performed with several opera companies across the country, including Hawaii Opera Theater, Opera Colorado, the Washington Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, Summer Opera Theatre and the Sarasota Opera. Some of her 28 operatic roles include Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde, Charlotte in Werther, Giulietta in Tales of Hoffman, Mercedes in Carmen, La Principessa in Suor Angelica, and The Witch in Hansel and Gretel.  Favorable reviews of her performances have appeared in such publications as Opera News and The Washington Post. In the DC area, she has appeared in concert with the Capitol Hill Choral Society, the Culpeper-Piedmont Choral Society, the Landon Symphonette, and the Hines-Lee Opera. Cynthia recently was a winner in the 2005 Paul Robeson competition.  Ms. Ballentine has also sung the National Anthem for the Washington Redskins football team. Internationally, Cynthia performed the role of Appollonia in Haydn’s La Canterina in Italy.She was also the Soprano II soloist in Mozart’s C minor Mass in the Great Dom church in Salzburg, Austria. Cynthia received her Bachelor of Music degree from James Madison University and her Master of Music from Florida State University, where she was a Graduate Assistant to the Florida State Opera.

Alice Dilon, soprano, makes her second appearance with Bel Cantanti as Zemphira in Aleko.  She first appeared with Bel Cantanti as Countess Ceprano, Giovanna and the Page in the company’s 2004 production of Rigoletto.  In January Ms. Dillon appeared with the IN Series as the 2nd Lady in their production of The Magic Flute.  Her other roles include Voice of Heaven in Don Carlo with Da Corneto Opera Ensemble, Frasquita in Carmen with the American Opera Group, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors with the Deep Ellum Opera Theatre in Dallas, Clorinda in Cenerentola with Bay View Michigan Music Festival, and Pamina and Papagena in The Magic Flute with Opera New England-In School.  She has sung the roles of Elvira in The Italian Girl in Algiers and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with the UMKC Conservatory.  She has been a soloist in concerts with the Annapolis Opera and the Illiana Oratorio Society.  Other appearances include The Lake George Opera, Light Opera Works, The Boston Lyric Opera, The Chicago Lyric Opera, The Chicago Symphony Chorus, and The Washington Opera. Ms. Dillon has taught at UMKC Conservatory of Music/Continuing Education in Kansas City, Missouri, Tarrant County Junior College in Fort Worth, Texas, South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois, and Morgan State University and Essex Community College in Baltimore, Maryland. Ms. Dillon received her D.M.A. from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri, Kansas City where she studied under Inci Bashar.  During her studies she was the recipient the Rheta Sosland Scholarship, the Minority Doctoral Fellowship, the Special Merit Award, and the UMKC Women’s Council Fellowship.  She currently studies with Elizabeth Daniels.

Abigail Wright (Salut a la France!). Abigail Wright is a young lyric mezzo soprano whose excellent musicianship and dramatic skills are matched only by her captivatingly unique and desirable voice. As a versatile and adept performer, Ms. Wright appears in straight theatre, cantata and oratorio performances, and foremost on the operatic stage. In Vpstart Crow’s summer 2006 production of Anne of the Thousand Days, Abigail Wright stood out in her theatrical debut, according to the Washington Post, as a “hotblooded and sensuous Mary Boleyn.” Ms. Wright also received critical acclaim operatically for performing with “delicious flair backed up by splendid diction” and as “acidicly funny and in impressively good voice as Concepción . . . from Ravel's L'Heure Espagnole.” Abigail Wright has participated in master classes with Marilyn Horne, Lauren Flanigan, and Charles Rieker and has been featured operatically in productions directed by Francesca Zambello, Ralf Längbacka, and Keith Warner. She looks forward to the future and her upcoming performances as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, and The Good Fairy in Conrad Susa’s Transformations. Since her training at Westminster Choir College, Abigail Wright has studied under the exceptional tutelage of Metropolitan Opera soloists Mark Oswald and Enrico di Giuseppe. Currently, Ms. Wright resides near Washington, DC, where she performs regularly and studies with world-renowned mezzo soprano Delores Zeigler while pursuing a Master of Music degree in Opera Performance at the Maryland Opera Studio.

Claire Kuttler, Mimi ( La Boheme). Soprano Claire Kuttler, a native of Davenport, IA, is pursuing a Masters degree as a member of the Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland and studies with tenor Gran Wilson. With the studio, Ms. Kuttler has covered the role of Anne Sexton in Conrad Susa's Transformations and will appear in November 2007 as Elaine O'Neill in Later That Same Evening, a world premiere by composer John Musto, with a libretto inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper. The work is a joint commission by the Maryland Opera Studio, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and the National Gallery of Art. In April 2008, Ms. Kuttler will perform Fiordiligi in the studio's production of Cosí Fan Tutte, and in May she will sing her first Mimí with Bel Cantanti Opera. Ms. Kuttler has been involved in several productions with the Fargo-Moorhead Opera Company including La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, and the role of 2nd Lady in the company's 2005 production of The Magic Flute. In November 2005, Ms. Kuttler performed on a recital of Grieg songs for the inaugural Edvard Grieg Festival in Minneapolis. A past performer at the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, Italy, Ms. Kuttler appeared in the festival's production of Suor Angelica as the 2nd Cercatrice and also performed in an evening of opera scenes. Ms. Kuttler's concert experience includes the soprano solo in Vaughan William's Dona Nobis Pacem with the Handel Oratorio Society of Rock Island, IL, the treble solo in Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb with the Concordia Choir, and the soprano solo in Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem for the René Clausen Choral School with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, which was later broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio. In April 2006, Ms. Kuttler was awarded second place in the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition in the Advanced Voice category. She also competed in the North Dakota District Metropolitan Opera Auditions and was given an encouragement award.

Susan Wheeler, Konstanze (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail ). Lyric Coloratura Susan Wheeler made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2007 in the Mozart 's Requiem and the Dvorák 's Te Deum, and Augusta Opera welcomed her back as Gretel in that same year. Ms. Wheeler first appeared with Augusta Opera as Olympia, Antonia, and Giulietta in Les Contes d'Hoffmann (2005). She has also performed principal roles with Pacific Opera (Marie,La Fille du Regiment, 2001), Opera Vivente (Norina, 2000), Annapolis Opera (Gretel, Valencienne) and Des Moines Metro Opera (Sophie). In concert, Susan has performed with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (Cunegonde, Maria, 2003), the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Papagena, 2003) and Piedmont Symphony Orchestra (Cunegonde, 2005, Anne, A Little Night Music, 2003). An Actors' Equity actress, Susan has appeared in musicals with Encores! at City Center (Ensemble Soloist, The New Moon, 2002). During the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration, Ms .Wheeler covered the role of Johanna (2002) and performed the role of the Journalist in 90 North, an In The Works production (2000). Ms. Wheeler has performed her Coloratura Bon-Bons recital, featuring showcase arias by Galli-Curci, Tettrazini, and Ponselle, at the Embassies of Austria and the Republic of Korea. She is a winner in the McAllister International Vocal Competition and the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition, and a recipient of the Thoman Career Grant.
 

Amy Call, Konstanze (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail). Dramatic coloratura soprano Amy Lynn Call debuts in Germany this season as the Queen of the Night with Chemnitz Oper. She first appeared in Europe in Graz, Austria singing Beethoven’s concert aria “Ah, perfido!” and Violetta’s Act I scena from La traviata with esteemed conductors Cornelius Eberhardt and Alexander Kalajdzic in 2006. After her appearances as Konstanze with Bel Cantanti Opera, she travels to Kansas to sing Siébel with Wichita Grand Opera in Faust with Samuel Ramey, Hector Sandoval, and Svetla Vassileva. Ms. Call has performed the roles of Königin der Nacht (Chemnitz, Döbeln, and Freiberg, Germany, and Shenandoah Conservatory), Fiordiligi (Loudoun Lyric Opera), Mimì (Bay View Music Festival), Violetta (Bethesda Summer Music Festival), Annina (Indiana University), Dido (Opera Roanoke/Virginia Tech Opera), and Lizbeth (Shenandoah Conservatory) and has prepared the roles of Donna Elvira, Vanessa, and Rosalinde. She is currently studying the roles of Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Woglinde (Das Rheingold), and Helmwige (Die Walküre). Ms. Call was a finalist in the Meistersinger Competition in Graz, Austria, the Paul Robeson Competition in Washington, D.C. and the Czech and Slovak International Voice Competition in Montreal, Canada. She won the Adrian Boyer Competition at Bay View (2005) and the national Career Performance Grant in Voice from Sigma Alpha Iota in 2006. Currently, she is a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance at Shenandoah Conservatory, where she studies with Dr. Charlotte Nelson Aiosa. Former beloved teachers include Martina Arroyo, Mary Ann Hart, Craig Fields, and In Dal Choi. She has performed in master classes by Carol Vaness, John Wustman, Martin Katz, and Gabriele Lechner.

Alexandra Christoforakis (Salut a la France!), Marcellina ( Le Nozze di Figaro) is a versatile young American mezzo-soprano who is equally at home in operatic, concert, and cabaret venues. Upcoming engagements for the 2006-2007 season include her debut with Bel Cantanti Opera as a soloist in Salut a la France, a French opera gala and Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, a return to the Maryland Opera Studio to sing the roles Phoenice, Melisse, and Naiad in Gluck’s Armide, and performing in the ensembles of Nabucco and The Bartered Bride with Baltimore Opera. Ms. Christoforakis has recently performed the roles of Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflote with the Pine Mountain Music Festival, Fidalma in Il Matrimonio Segreto and Sesto in Giulio Cesare with the Maryland Opera Studio, and Miss Todd in The Old Maid and the Thief with New York University. One of her most exciting roles so far has been debuting as Mrs. Malaprop in the World Premiere of Kirke Mechem’s new opera, The Newport Rivals in 2005. Ms. Christoforakis has been equally successful on the concert stage having sung the alto solos in Bach’s Mass in b minor, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Schubert’s Mass in A Flat , and Handel’s Messiah. She is also sought after for her “stunningly effective” cabaret performances, most notably at the Pine Mountain Music Festival in 2005 and 2006. Ms. Christoforakis has been a Young Artist with the Pine Mountain Music Festival, the Opera and Music Theatre Festival of Lucca, and the Bay View Music Festival. She holds her Master of Music from the University of Maryland (Maryland Opera Studio) and received her Bachelor of Music cum laude from New York University. Ms. Christoforakis is a native of Rochester, New York and currently resides in Washington, DC, studying with Delores Ziegler.

Jennifer Fry, mezzo-soprano, Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor). Jennifer Fry, lyric mezzo, is thrilled to be performing with the diverse talent of Opera Bel Cantanti. This is her third performance with the company. Ms. Fry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia but considers Opera, in particular the bel canto repertoire, to be her true passion. Ms. Fry has studied voice privately for over ten years with teachers Janet Sarsfield, Mary Fletcher, and Delores Ziegler and was a James Bland Music Scholarship 1st place District and 3rd place Regional finalist in 2000. She has performed both in recital in the US and in Italy, and has participated in the Daniel Ferro Summer Vocal Program in master classes with Giovanni Reggioli, Janice Harper-Smith, and Daniel Ferro of the Juilliard School. Ms. Fry currently resides in Arlington and studies with Elizabeth Daniels.

Tara McCredie. Mezzo-soprano Tara McCredie holds a Bachelor of Music from the Catholic University of America, where she performed the roles of Annina in La Traviata, Mrs. Nolan in The Medium and Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors.  Ms. McCredie recently completed her Master of Music with the Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland, where she sang Charlotte in Werther and La Haine in Gluck’s Armide.  Ms. McCredie is a frequent soloist in the Washington, DC area.

Jessie Sutherland, soprano, Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Musetta ( La Boheme ) is very excited for perform with Opera Bel Cantanti. She has a Bachelor's degree from James Madison University and recently completed her Master of Music degree from Catholic University. Her favorite roles include Laurie Moss in Copland's The Tender Land and Rosalinda in Stauss' Die Fledermaus. She has appeared with the Summer Opera Theatre in Verdi's Rigoletto and Massenet's Cendrillon. Ms. Sutherland studies with Elizabeth Daniels.

Kotnim Chung , soprano, Musetta (La Boheme), a native of South Korea, is currently working towards her DMA at the University of Maryland School of Music. She received her Masters of Music from Temple University and Bachelor of Music degree from Seoul National University in Korea. She performed with several orchestras including Rumanian Black Sea Orchestra, Seoul Symphony Orchestra and Eurasian Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Nasae Kum. She received numerous invitations from the various music festivals and concerts in Philadelphia, Duluth, Seoul, as well as in other cities in the United States and Korea. Her performances include major roles in Korean creative operas including Ariel in A Little Mermaid, Chohee in Lee Sun Shin, Jiae in Love Concerto, Princess Hong in Boo za yoo chin), Fairy in Fairy & Woodcutter), Chunhyang in Chunhyang, Soonae in Magic Telepathy. She also performed Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Countess in Marriage of Figaro, Grilletta in Lo Speziale, Violetta in La Traviata, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Voluptua in La Pizza con Funghi. This summer she appeares as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen in Sieur du Luth festival, 2007. She was winner of Paul Robeson Vocal Competition, NATS in MD Region and got a scholarship from Chevi Chase Women's club, and Seoul National University Alumni. She has lectured at Hanyang University, Daezin University, Seoul Art Conservatory, Pyungtack University, and Sun-Hwa Art School, all of Korea, for six years.

Carla Dirlikov (Viva Mozart!).  Born in 1979, Carla Dirlikov, mezzo soprano, has gained international recognition for her vocal and theatrical versatility both on operatic stage as well as in recital. As a performer, her repertoire ranges from music of the early baroque era to recent operatic premieres. A duel citizen of the United States and Mexico, Ms. Dirlikov is fluent is French, Spanish and Italian, and proficient in German. She has been particularly commended for her intensity as an interpreter and her expressive nature, both musically and dramatically. An avid opera performer, Ms. Dirlikov’s stage credits include Julie Riel in the highly anticipated revival; of the Canadian Opera Louis Riel ( Montreal Place des Arts, 2005), Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier ( Opera McGill, 2005), Mrs. Todd in The Old Maid and a Thief ( Opera McGill, 2005), Cherubino Le Nozze di Figaro ( Banff Centre , 2004), Mere Marie in Dialogue des Carmelites ( Opera McGill, 2003), the title role in Carmen ( Toronto Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, 2003), the Dog/Woodpecker in the Cunning Little Vixen ( University of Michigan, 2002), and Vera Boronel in The Consul ( University of Michigan, 2001). Most recently, Ms. Dirlikov covered the role of Maria Picariello in Filumena at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in April, as a part of the Alberta Scene Festival. This summer Ms. Dirlikov performed a series of solo recitals in Mexico (Guadalajara, Cuidad del Carmen, Campeche) which were co-sponsored by the U.S. Embassy. She also performed the American National Anthem at the Ambassador’s Fourth of July celebration as well as the Consul of Jalisco’s celebration. Ms. Dirlikov was recently awarded a grant from the Montreal Austrian Society to study and perform in Austria in the coming months. In the fall she was performing the role of Flora in Verdi’s LA Traviata with Opera Roanoke in Virginia as well as Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte with Pelegrini Opera in Ottawa. She was the featured performer for the Vivid Collection, as exclusive diamond company, at their benefit event this autumn. Ms. Dirlikov has been invited to return to Mexico in December of 2005 to perform another series of solo recitals and take part in a number of musical projects there regarding music education and the conversation of Mexican music. Ms. Dirlikov has participated in a number of summer festivals, notably the International Mozarteum Summer Academy (Salzburg) under Grace Brumbry, L’Academia Chigiana (Siena) under Shirley Verrett, and the Oberlin in Italy Summer Program (Urbania), and most recently she was selected to participate in the acclaimed French Festival Master Class Series with Renee Fleming, Susan Graham and Steven Blier at the Kennedy Center. Ms. Dirlikov has won several top prizes at various competitions including the Festival du Royaume and the Concours Clermont Pepin, and was selected as an International Semi-Finalist for the Rolex Mentor & Protégé Arts Initiative. Carla Dirlikov received her Bachelors in Music with high honors from the University of Michigan (2002), where she studied under full scholarship with acclaimed American soprano Shirley Verrett. Ms. Dirlikov also received a grant to study at the Conservatoire National de Paris with Anna Maria Bondi where she was awarded a Prix Superieur (2001). She recently obtained her masters degree (May 2005) in Opera Performance from McGill University, where she worked with Therese Sevadjian and Dixie Neill, also under full scholarship.

Soprano Elizabeth Kluegel, Marie, ( La Fille du Regiment ), performs frequently as an opera singer, concert soloist, and recitalist.  Her voice has been described as a “silvery soprano” and as having a “…brilliant and shimmering tone”.  As Monica in The Medium  The Sunday Telegram (Connecticut) stated “Soprano Elizabeth Kluegel’s performance in ‘’The Medium’ showed her to have the brightest voice of any of the performers.” Ms. Kluegel takes pleasure in being involved with lesser known works and new works.   In the fall of 2001, Ms. Kluegel was featured in the world premiere of In Quiet Resting Places by Daniel Gawthrop with the Master Chorale of Washington at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.  This performance was broadcast on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today”.  She sang Roberto Gerhard’s lesser-known Cancionero de Pedrell for the European Union Spanish Presidency Concert.  She has performed vocal chamber music concerts of Ned Rorem’s The Last Poems of Wallace Stevens and Earl Kim’s Three Poems in French. On the concert platform, Ms. Kluegel has sung a varied repertoire.  In a 2005 performance of Mendelssohn’s Hymn of Praise with the New Dominion Chorale, the Washington Post recently called her singing “excellent”.  Ms. Kluegel enjoys vocal chamber music as well, and has performed a varied repertoire including Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen with members of the Spokane Symphony.   She has appeared as the soprano soloist in Theresienmesse and The Creation by Haydn, Mass in B Minor by Bach, Handel’s Israel in Egypt, and Messiah, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor and Vespere solennes de confessore.  She has performed with the Alabama Symphony in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, and with the St. Louis Symphony in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ms. Kluegel has worked with conductors Tom Beveridge, David Loebel, Richard Westerfield, and Robert Lyall. In describing Ms. Kluegel’s performance of Clorinda in La Cenerentola the Grand Rapids Press noted, “In the end, Kluegel won, with small and consistent gestures from the beginning.” She has sung with Virginia Opera, The Kennedy Center Orchestra, Dayton Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera International and Capitol City Opera, among others.  Her Oscar in A Masked Ball was described as “…a spitfire of a lad with sunny smile and swagger.”   She sang with the National Symphony in Tchaikovsky’s opera Pique Dame under the baton of conductor Mstislav Rostropovich.  She premiered the role of Bertha in Dayton Opera’s The Last Chance Planet by Carman Moore. Ms. Kluegel’s operatic roles include Nanetta in Verdi’s Falstaff, Oscar in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, Monica in Menotti’s The Medium, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Adina in The Elixir of Love, Olympia in the Tales of Hoffmann, and Madame Heartmelt in The Impresario. Ms. Kluegel’s voice has been described as perfect for the intimacy of the song recital. She has performed recitals for the Reinzanaka Recital Series in Tokyo, Japan as well as for the U.S. Department of State.  She has sung recitals and concerts for The Monadnock Music Festival, The Cape May Music Festival, The Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York City, The Rock Spring Recital Series and The Waterford (Virginia) Concert Series.  Continuing her focus on recital repertoire, Ms. Kluegel was chosen to participate in the prestigious Steans Institute for Young Singers at the Ravinia Festival and was asked to return as one of five singers to inaugurate their Program for Vocal Chamber Music. Born in England, Ms. Kluegel was raised in Arlington, Virginia.  She received her Bachelor Degree and Master Degree of Music from Indiana University.  Her achievements include being a National Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.  Ms. Kluegel has also received the Camillia Williams Award from the National Society of Arts and Letters, and an award in the MacAllister Awards Competition.  She is a recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant. Her recent performances include recitals in the Washington D.C. area and Connecticut, Messiah performances in Connecticut and at the Kennedy Center.  Her future engagements include an all Brahms concert at the Banner Arts Studio in Kensington, Maryland and a performance of contemporary chamber music by Janet Peachey.

Light lyric coloratura soprano, Jenny Chen, Brondchen (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail), has been praised for her “confident technique” and “bright, penetrating sound” by the Opera News.  As a member of the Maryland Opera Studio, she has created the role of Valentina in the world-premiere of Later the Same Evening, by John Musto.  Ms. Chen’s operatic roles include: Despina in Così Fan Tutte, Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, Coryphée in Armide, and La Cugina in Madama Butterfly.  She has performed in concert: Carissimi’s Jephte, Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Purcell’s Dioclesian, and Ramiraz’. A graduate of the University of Maryland with degrees in Vocal Performance and Psychology, Ms. Chen has won the Homer E. Ulrich Award for Solo Performance and has been a scholarship recipient of the Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts.  She has attended the Amherst Early Music Workshop, Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Heifetz International Summer Music Festival, all with scholarship.  In the 2008-2009 season, Ms. Chen will be a resident artist of Opera Carolina and will represent the company on tour performing the role of Rosina in The Barber of Siviglia.

Nemeh Azzam, baritone, Rigoletto ( Rigoletto ), Belcore ( L'Elisir d'Amore ), is a native of Lebanon. During his five years at the Catholic University of America, he performed many recitals and concerts including Strathmore Hall, the Barnes of Wolf Trap, St. Mathews Cathedral, The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the National Building Museum. He was a soloist in a telecast performance of the Messiah and in Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra. Recently, he performed the role of Marullo in Verdi’s Rigoletto with the Virginia Opera, where he also covered the role of Rigoletto. He has performed many roles with the Albany Symphony Orchestra including: Rigoletto, Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata; Sharpless in Madama Butterfly; and Enrico in Lucia di Lamermoor. Additional roles performed at the Harke Theater include: Guglielmo  in Cosi Fan Tutte;  Bob in Old Maid and the Thief; Father in  L’enfant Prodigue and  Sam  in Trouble and Tahiti. Mr. Azzam has been the winner of many competitions and grants including: The American Opera Scholarship Society, N.A.T.S; 2nd place in the Wolf Trap Vocal Competition, The Catherine Filene Shouse Award; The Khalil Gibran Young Artist Award, The Young Singer’s Foundation Award and the Metropolitan Opera Regional Award. He is the featured singer on two recordings:  The Midnight Star  a Christmas Album, and  Comfort Ye  a sacred collection of songs performed with the Army Band Orchestra. Future Engagements include: Belcore  in Donizetti’s L' Elisir d'Amore with Bel Cantanti Opera company in Washington D.C.; a recital at Merkin Hall in New York City; Amanasro  in Verdi’s Aida and Valentin in Gounod’s Faust with The Albany Symphony Orchestra.

Adam Juran, baritone, Onegin (Eugene Onegin),  a native of  Washington, D.C, most recently portrayed Don Carlo in La Forza del Destino with Opera in the Heights.This past summer he performed the title role in Eugene Onegin with the International Opera Workshop in Burgas. Earlier in 2004 he was a Resident Artist with the Natchez Opera Festival where he was heard as Steve in Showboat, as Dr. Draegon in The Twilight of Magic for Natchez’s outreach program, and also covered the Mandarin in Turandot. In October of 2003, Mr. Juran toured Poland with the Polish Theater Institute singing Stanislaw in Moniuszko’s one-act opera Verbum Nobile. Previously that year, he was a Young Artist with the Natchez Opera Festival where he sang Marullo in Rigoletto, covered Mercutio in Romeó et Juliette and also took part in their outreach program. Mr. Juran has also performed many roles at Amato Opera, among them Marcello in La Bohème, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Escamillo in Carmen, and Silvio in I Pagliacci. Upcoming engagements include Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore at Amato Opera and Count di Luna in Il Trovatore in Burgas with the International Opera Workshop. Mr. Juran resides in New York and is also the Webmaster for CitySites Real Estate Group

 Noah Stewart, tenor, Vaudemont (Iolanta), is a native New Yorker. Recent highlights this season include Luigi in Il Tabarro with the Vertical Players’ Repertory, his Kennedy Center debut honoring Soprano Jessye Norman, include Manrico in Verdi’s Il Trovatore with The One World Symphony, Concerts in Cologne, Germany with The Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges, Nemorino in L'elisir D'Amore with the Martina Arroyo Foundation,  Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte with The Academy of Vocal Arts, Count Vaudemont in Tschaikovsky's Iolanta, which was a premiere for Philadelphia also at The Academy of Vocal Arts. Pervious roles include Idamante in Mozart’s Idomeneo with The Vertical Players’ Repertory, Gastone in La Traviata under the Baton of Julis Rudel and El Remedado in Carmen, Elder Hayes in Carlyle Floyds’ Susannah with The Palm Beach Opera and opera scenes featuring the roles of Faust, Ferrando and Don Ottavio under the tutelage of Martina Arroyo. Mr Stewart’s Sacred performances include Tenor soloist in Rossini’s Stabat Mater with The Sequence Ensemble and Handel’s Messiah, the role of Jesus from Beethoven’s Oratorio The Mount of Olives and Tenor Soloist in Mendelssohn’s  Elijah. Noah is a winner of many awards which include The Marian Anderson Encouragement Award, Second Place Winner of The Leontyne Price Competition, Gold Medalist of The Five Towns Vocal Music Competition, Winner of The Palm Beach Opera Competition, First Place Winner of The Florida Grand Opera Competition, and The Outstanding Vocal Potential Award given by The Kurt Weill Competition, Winner of The Opera Index Award Grant and Finalist of The George London Competition. Upcoming performances include the Role of Rumpelstilskin in Conrad Sousa’s Opera Transformations with San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program.

 Vladimir Ekzarkhov, bass, Prince Gremin ( Eugene Onegin ), Old Gypsy ( Aleko ), King Renee ( Iolanta),  was born in Austria to parents whose families had emigrated from Russia after the 1917 revolution.  As a schoolboy, he studied the piano and trombone and sang in a Russian Orthodox church choir. He began vocal studies after moving to the Washington, DC, area in 1980 and in 1982 made his operatic debut with the Summer Opera Theater.  He has subsequently performed as a soloist with the Washington Opera, Fairfax Symphony, Choral Arts Society, Masterworks Chorus, Capitol Hill Chorale, Laurel Oratorio Society, Opera Orchestra of New York, Victorian Lyric Opera Company, and the choir of St John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral.  Mr. Ekzarkhov has also been active as a recitalist, presenting critically acclaimed programs of arias and songs by Glinka, Borodin, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

David Bitler, tenor, Pedrillo (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail), is very excited to perform his first role with Opera Bel Cantanti. Mr. Bitler received a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from Susquehanna University in 2005. While pursuing his undergraduate degree David had the opportunity to perform Nanki-Poo in The Mikado and Donald in Gallentry – A Soap Opera. A relative new comer to the Washington D.C. music scene David has performed with the Thomas Circle Singers since the 2006–2007 season, and has performed as Tenor Soloist with the choirs of St. Dunstans Episcopal Church and Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church under the direction of organist, Julie Vedrick Evans. Currently Mr. Bitler continues his pursuit of vocal studies privately with Mr. Francois Loup.

Charles Wil