Faculty and Guest Artists

Katerina Souvorova: BCO director, producer, opera coach; Rick Christman: voice technician; Fabiana Bravo: voice lessons, Sharon Christman: voice lessons, Francois Loup: Comic acting, characterization (La Cenerentola), Henriette Lund: German diction, coachings, Rogger Riggle: Art of the Make up, Debbie Grossman: stage director, Julia Mintzer: stage director, Giovanni Regioli: Italian Bel Canto, James Siranovich: vocal coachings, Joel Ayau : vocal coachings, accompanist, Nicholas Catravas: rehearsal pianist, coach, David Ballena: coach, accompanist, Kayme Henkel: coach, accompanist, Katerina Souvorova: Russian Diction.

Mission of the Festival

Our mission was greatly understood and supported by late critic emeritus of the Washington Post, Joseph McLellan, who wrote:

"As often as I have enjoyed rich costumes, elaborate scenery, spectacular stage effects and a virtuoso orchestra in opera productions from Vienna to San Francisco, I keep coming back to the idea that the voices are what matter the most, the reason that people choose to go to an opera rather than a spoken play that is likely to come across with more clarity and logic.
Next to voices, I would put acting skills: the ability to portray character and tell a story while singing, usually, in a foreign language.

Opera Bel Cantanti reaffirmed my long-held belief that we are living in a golden age of opera. And my hope that opera, specifically opera in America, has a promising future. Bel Cantanti is not prominent among America's thousand-plus opera companies, and perhaps never will be. But it makes the special magic of opera happen."