Le nozze di Figaro

South Korean Opera Singer Baritone Yonghyun Kim is a first-year DMA student at the University of North Texas under the tutelage of Dr. Stephen Morscheck. Previous credits include Marcello (La bohème), Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), and Il Conte di Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro). Upcoming performances include Escamillo (Carmen) at UNT. He had a professional recital in Seoul, Korea with Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation in 2017, and he had an ECIC winner’s recital at Lincoln Center in 2018. He participated in the Aspen Music Festival as a fellowship singer and performed in Jacques Offenbach’s opera Les contes d'Hoffmann. He graduated from Seoul National University in 2014 (Bachelor of Music) and also graduated from Manhattan School of Music in 2018 (Master of Music) studying with James Morris. He trained at the Accademia AMO of the Teatro Coccia di Novara in Italy and made his Italian Opera debut in the opera Donna di Veleni (World Premiere). He made his operatic debut in Korea as Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus) at the Sejong Grand Theater.

Hannah Crawford’s first paid gig was singing “O Canada” for the Rockhound Gembouree in her hometown of Bancroft, Ont. - a hardscrabble mining town that also happens to have a vibrant arts community.

After years of music lessons from her mother, and voice lessons from the young age of 7 years old, she found a sanctuary in high school music and drama classes.

Hannah then joined the Voice Performance program at Cambrian College in Sudbury where she discovered the world of opera. Recently graduating from Wilfrid Laurier University for her Bachelor’s degree, she won the Concerto Competition along with first prize at the Sudbury Symphony’s Young Performers Competition. Most recently, she took second prize at the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage Competition.

This season, Hannah is part of The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program in Toronto.

“I bring my entire being to every performance,” she says. “I just love sharing the energy and joy from an audience.”

Rianne Cheuk-ying Lau is a soprano from Hong Kong who obtained her Master of Music in Opera Theater at the University of South Carolina. Her previous operatic roles included First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Bubikopf in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Frasquita in Carmen, and Miss Jessel in The Turn of The Screw. She is the winner of the At Large Category of The 2021 Concerto-Aria Competition at USC and the winner of USC's Vocal Arts Competition in both 2021 and 2022. She was also awarded in competitions like Birmingham International Music Competition and OSAKA International Music Competition.

Angelica Adams, originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a soprano studying with Sandra Lopez-Neill at the Frost School of Music. During March of this year, she sang Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at her University. In April of 2023, Angelica performed her junior recital including works of Donizetti, Schubert, Faure, and Bernstein. Prior to music school, she was a student in the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera and took part in a few opera choruses. Some include Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun by Augusta Read Thomas, Noye’s Fludde by Benjamin Britten, and Shoe’s for the Santo Niño by Stephen Paulus. Other musical passions of hers include teaching Suzuki for Tots classes to children ages 1-4 and private voice lessons to young singers.

Description goes herePaulina Rodriguez Busquets is a recent graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a B.M. in Vocal Performance with an Opera Emphasis. She’s very excited to be in Chicago this summer and for the opportunity to sing her fist ever principal role! Her last engagements include Adina in L’elisir d’amore in The Boston Conservatory Opera Scenes and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro in Opera Lucca’s Summer Opera Scenes.

A South Korean baritone, Sang Bin Park, is Currently enrolled in the University of Houston for Certificate in Performance program. Recently, He had performed 'Don Giovanni' in Opera "Don Giovanni" by W.A Mozart, and he had experienced playing 'Schaunard' in Opera "La Boheme" by Giacomo Puccini.

Hailed from Shanghai, China and educated in the United States since 2013, Soprano Sarah Zixin Jin is currently a first-year Master of Music degree candidate in Voice Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Alice Hopper, where she was recently seen as Servilia from “La Clemenza di Tito” in Heidi Grant Murphy’s graduate opera workshop. Prior to earning her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2021, she performed the role of Adina from“L'elisir d'amore” with Lyric Theatre of Illinois undergraduate opera scenes in 2019 and won the 2018 Voice Divisional Achievement Award. Jin has performed internationally at several summer programs including the 2019 Canadian Vocal Arts Institute in Montreal, Quebec, and the 2018 Scuola Italia Opera Program in Italy where she performed scenes as Susanna from “Le Nozze di Figaro”, Lauretta from “Gianni Schicchi”, and Lisette from “La Rondine”. Jin was a 1st place winner of the 7th Nouvelles Etoiles International Music Competition in 2023 and a 2nd place winner of the 2018 American Protégé International Vocal Competition for which she was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall. This summer at CSO, Jin’s performance as Marcellina from “Le Nozze di Figaro” marks her role debut.

Lorena Maggiore (Marcellina), soprano, graduated in the spring of 2023 with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance at Binghamton University. While at Binghamton University, she performed the role of Poppea in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. She also sang in a masterclass for soprano, Beth Roberts. Roles performed prior to transitioning to soprano include Ramiro in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera and Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. With the Tri-Cities Opera Company she was a bridesmaid in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. During a year abroad, she studied at the Istituto Musicale Vincenzo Bellini in Catania, Italy, appeared in concert as Mimì from Puccini’s La Bohème and Giulietta from Bellini’s Capuleti e Montecchi, and participated in a master class with Raffaella Milanesi. Lorena is the recipient of the Emily A. Nielsen and Orville F. Nielsen, MD, Music Scholarship.

Taiwanese Soprano, Tzu-Jung Jennifer Wang is passionate about collaboration and continues to explore the vast music styles in different cultures. The work she had involved in the past includes the pastiche project Isolation, a music film that reflected on the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. It used art songs and arias as the medium to connect different emotions, presented by the Peabody Opera Theatre. She performed with companies including Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, Taichung Artist Chamber Choir, and Tunghai University Chorus. In scenes productions, she has performed the roles of Vitellia in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, Susanna and Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Bastienne in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne, Sandman in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and Masha in Ben Moore’s Enemies, A Love Story.

As a vibrant choral artist, Tzu-Jung currently serves as a section leader with the PCB Sanctuary Choir. She has worked as a section leader in both Peabody Camerata and Grace United Methodist Church. In the past season, she appeared as a soloist in Peter Gilber’s Tsukimi, and participate in the world premiere of Tina Tallon’s evolved air. The experience of working with living composers during her study at Peabody Camerata, cultivate her passion for new music.

Tzu-Jung holds a B.F.A. in Voice Performance from Tunghai University in Taichung, Taiwan, and M.M. in Voice Performance & Pedagogy at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University where she received George Castelle Award and Charles P. Sachs Scholarship—Tzu-Jung currently based in Bloomingdale, IL.

Born in Tucson, Arizona, soprano Heather Knox is an emerging artist with a passion for new music and historic vocal practices. Her vibrant voice and sincere storytelling have captivated audiences in roles such as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Ariane from Martinu’s Ariane, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Frasquita in Carmen, and Oscar in Un ballo in maschera. She most recently performed in Binghamton University’s production of La finta giardiniera as Sandrina, under the direction of David Moody and Tommy Iafrate in April of 2020. Ms. Knox graduated in May of 2020 from Binghamton University in Binghamton, NY with a degree in Vocal Performance. In May of 2018 she graduated from Susquehanna University in Susquehanna, PA with a degree in Vocal Performance. Heather is passionate about the composition and performance of new music, and has worked with multiple living composers to premiere new works. She has also won several district and regional honors at the National Association for Teachers of Singing competitions. Heather joins Chicago Summer Opera’s 2023 season as Barbarina in Le nozze di figaro, and will make her role debut as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Queens Summer Vocal Institute in August of 2023.

Carmen Vizin is a 21-year-old Mezzo-Soprano based in Chicago, USA. Her recent operatic highlights include Dorabella from Mozart's "Così fan tutte" with Mo. Emanuele Andrizzi and the DePaul Opera Theatre, Melanto from Monteverdi's "Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria" with Mo. Craig Trompeter and the DePaul Opera Theatre, as well as Dritte Dame from Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" with Mo. Matthew Toogood and the Berlin OpernFest. Ms. Vizin has additionally performed in a number of concert performances, most recently including her 2022 Hungarian National television debut with the annual OrgonaPont Fesztivál in her very homeland, Hungary.

Upcoming 2023 performances include her role debut as Cherubino from Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro" with the Chicago Summer Opera, and a Young Artist position at the Opera Festival Chicago.

Mezzo-soprano Olivia O’Brien (Chapel Hill, NC) has just concluded her first-year in the M.M. program at Maryland Opera Studio, where she currently studies with Delores Ziegler. In 2022, Olivia graduated from Northwestern University, earning a B.M. in Voice & Opera with a minor in Music Criticism. During her time at Northwestern, Olivia was the continual recipient of the Dorothy Vetter Music Scholarship. Olivia recently debuted the role of Younger Sister in Justine F. Chen’s workshop of TWA Sisters: a chamber opera. Her other recent roles include Arsamene in Handel’s Serse and Rachel in Jake Heggie’s If I Were You. Olivia is so excited to bring to life one of her favorite Mozartian characters, and she thanks the cast and creative team for their incredible hard work creating this production!

Brynn Farlow studies as a tenor in Vocal Performance at University of Maryland, College Park. She grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and now lives in Mt Airy, Maryland. She is interested in performing and teaching, especially LGBTQ+ musicians, after university; however, she’s willing to go wherever her career takes her, as long as she remains in music. She’s been involved in the music world for as long as she can remember, singing solos with professional groups such as the North Carolina Symphony as early as ten years old, and now, performing in DC with professional organizations such as The Thirteen Choir, InSeries Opera, and Victorian Lyric Opera Company. She looks forward to remaining involved with whomever and wherever she has the pleasure of being.

Instagram: @b.farlow2002

Facebook: facebook.com/brynn.farlow

A versatile artist, Charles has performed opera and musical theatre roles and appeared as a concert soloist. At the University of North Alabama, he sang a variety of opera roles including Rodolfo in La Bohème, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and The Witch in Hansel and Gretel. He also performed as Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods and Man 1 in Songs for a New World. With the Shoals Symphony Orchestra in Alabama, he was heard as the tenor soloist in Bach’s Magnificat and Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio. As an opera chorus member, he performed in Andrea Chénier and Il Trovatore with Mobile Opera, in Turandot and Billy Budd with Des Moines Metro Opera Company, and in Rigoletto with Nashville Opera.

Since moving to Chicago, Mr. Anderson has been actively engaged in several performance opportunities. In concert, he lent his voice in the ensemble for both Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Mozart’s Requiem. He sang the role of Monostatos in The Magic Flute and The Priest in Jeff Myers’ Buried Alive. Charles even made his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago in the world premiere production of The Factotum. He is delighted to be working with Chicago Summer Opera once again.

Nicholas Collins, a 23-year-old tenor from Melbourne, Australia, completed his Bachelor of Music at The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, graduating with First Class Honours in 2021. Nicholas has been involved in many performances and notably, was cast as the lead in Victoria Opera’s Youth production of Schubert's ‘The Friends of Salamanca’ in 2021. He also sang with his Chamber Choir in Australia at the Summa Cum Laude Festival based in Vienna, Austria in 2017. At this time Nicholas was invited to be the soloist at the Wiener Musikverein to perform the closing anthem of the festival. During his time in Melbourne, Nicholas has been fortunate to learn from Stephen Grant, Jason Wasley, Roger Lemke, and the late Andrew Sinclair. Nicholas now resides in Manchester studying under Paul Nilon at the RNCM. Earlier this year he was involved in RNCM opera scenes presenting scenes from Jonathan Dove’s The little Green Swallow, Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of a Lucretia” and Benjamin Britten’s “Albert Herring”. More recently Nicholas was involved in the RNCM’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass performed at Bridgewater Hall. Nicholas is currently in the first year of his Master’s degree. Nicholas is very excited to be involved in this production and see the opera world of the United States of America.

Ishay Ravina is a baritone singer from Israel. He graduated his bachelor's degree from Buchmann Mehta School of music in Tel Aviv, and is currently doing his master's at the Royal Northern Conservatoire of music in Manchester, the UK. Previous roles include Guglielmo (Così Fan Tutte), Papageno (Magic Flute), Mr. Gobineau (The Medium) and Amantio di Niccolao (Gianni Schicchi). Ishay took part in several programs in Israel including two-year participation in Tel Aviv Summer Opera Program. In addition, Ishay received an AICF scholarship for the years 2018-2022.

Kevin Wheatle focuses mostly on the repertoire of Mozart and Italian bel canto composers. Having participated as a semifinalist in the 2022 Premiere Opera Foundation International Competition and winning the Encouragement Award for the Laffont Competition (formerly the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions) (2019), Kevin has maintained a productive schedule.

Recently, he has performed Guglielmo in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte as well as Figaro and Count Almaviva from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Florida Opera Prima, and he's performed Schaunard from Puccini’s La Boheme with Florida L’Opera & Zarzuela.

A recent graduate of Depaul University, Kevin has sung as Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Depaul Opera Theater directed by Harry Silverstein, and he sang the baritone solo of Theodore Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ with the Depaul Concert Choir. He has performed with the Depaul Opera theater in their production of Cavalli’s L’egisto as Hipparco, Lockit in Britten’s The Beggar’s Opera, and their “Unveiled” festival concert series to honor their new Holtschneider Performance center, singing the title role in Don Giovanni with Internationally- Acclaimed soprano Ana Maria Martinez as Donna Elivra in excerpts of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

A Graduate of the University of Florida, he has played Dr. Bartolo in UF’s opera theater’s production of Il barbiere di siviglia and collaborated with the Gainesville Civic Chorus/chamber opera to perform Death from Holst’s Savitri, The 1st sailor in Dido and Aeneas, and King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors.

Zachary Mendenhall is a Chicago-based Opera Singer and Film Composer, and is excited to be debuting the role of Bartolo in Chicago Summer Opera’s Le Nozze di Figaro, as well as covering the role of Figaro. In the 2023 Season, he will also be singing with the Opera Festival of Chicago as a Young Artist, and will be playing the role of Mr. Kofner in Menotti’s The Consul with Third Eye Theater Ensemble later this Summer. Earlier this year, he played Masetto in Don Giovanni with Ouroborus Opera Company, under conductor Alexis Enyart. Other roles Zachary has worked on include Silvio (I Pagliacci), Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas), as well as Phoebus (The Hunchback of Notre Dame).

Anna Simmons is a Soprano from Flossmoor Illinois. She graduated in May 2023 from the University of Dayton with her Bachelor of Music. Some of her recent roles include 2nd Woman in Dido and Aeneas, Else Schraeder in The Sound of Music, and 3rd Spirit in The Magic Flute. Anna will be starting her Master of Music this fall. She is very excited to be a part of the Chicago Summer Opera!

Meleana Cabales is a mezzo-soprano based in Charleston, SC. She studies voice with Dr. Saundra DeAthos-Meers at the College of Charleston, Honors and is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance (Voice) with a minor in Arts Management.

Miss Cabales has performed The Muse / Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann and Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, both with the College of Charleston Opera. She has also sung in the chorus of Charleston Opera Theater’s Don Giovanni and is expected to appear in the ensemble of L’elisir d’amore next season.

Miss Cabales is the student manager and alto section leader of the College of Charleston Concert Choir. As a member of this ensemble, she regularly sings with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. She is also a vocal artist at Trinity United Methodist Church in Downtown Charleston.

In addition to performance, Miss Cabales is interested in non-profit arts administration.

Kevin Wheatle focuses mostly on the repertoire of Mozart and Italian bel canto composers. Having participated as a semifinalist in the 2022 Premiere Opera Foundation International Competition and winning the Encouragement Award for the Laffont Competition (formerly the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions) (2019), Kevin has maintained a productive schedule.

Recently, he has performed Guglielmo in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte as well as Figaro and Count Almaviva from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Florida Opera Prima, and he's performed Schaunard from Puccini’s La Boheme with Florida L’Opera & Zarzuela.

A recent graduate of Depaul University, Kevin has sung as Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Depaul Opera Theater directed by Harry Silverstein, and he sang the baritone solo of Theodore Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ with the Depaul Concert Choir. He has performed with the Depaul Opera theater in their production of Cavalli’s L’egisto as Hipparco, Lockit in Britten’s The Beggar’s Opera, and their “Unveiled” festival concert series to honor their new Holtschneider Performance center, singing the title role in Don Giovanni with Internationally- Acclaimed soprano Ana Maria Martinez as Donna Elivra in excerpts of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

A Graduate of the University of Florida, he has played Dr. Bartolo in UF’s opera theater’s production of Il barbiere di siviglia and collaborated with the Gainesville Civic Chorus/chamber opera to perform Death from Holst’s Savitri, The 1st sailor in Dido and Aeneas, and King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors.

Chris Li is a young soprano from Shenzhen China. She has performed in various musical events, including the 5th Shenzhen Mozart Music Festival, The Chamber Music Concert, and The Sound of Music Vocal Concert in the Way of The Artist Series Performances. Chris also has a passion for Opera. Her recent engagement in Operas includes Lakmé from Léo Delibes’s Lakmé and Mistress Ford in Otto Nicolai’s Merry Wives. Chris has studied with some of the world renowned musicians such as Juliana Gondek and Stanford Olsen. She is now studying in the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University as a third-year undergraduate with Elizabeth Futral.

Alena Feldman, soprano, is currently working on her Master of Music at Boston University College of Fine Arts in the studio of Professor Penelope Bitzas. She received her Bachelor of Music from Boston Conservatory at Berklee studying under Frank Kelley. Ms. Feldman made her Boston University Opera Institute debut as Friedrich Bhaer in Little Women in February 2023. She has also performed the Boston premiere of Ruth Post in Whaling Women and has appeared as the title role in Dido and Aeneas with the Classical Musicians Coalition at Berklee. She has also sung the role of Idamante (Idomeneo) in the Act III quartet with the Boston Conservatory at Berklee Opera studio. Ms. Feldman has appeared as a soloist with the Boston University Symphonic Chorus as Aurelio from L’assedio di Calais, and with the Boston Conservatory Chorale. Aside from operatic performance Ms. Feldman has been featured as a recording artist at Berklee College of Music and performed the title role in the musical Bernarda Alba with Superhuman Arts. Ms. Feldman is pursuing a certificate in the Alexander Technique at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and will graduate this fall.

Leila Tajana, mezzo-soprano, is originally from Gaffney, South Carolina and is in her last year at Furman University pursuing her Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance. While at Furman, she has performed in the Sarah Reese Lyric Theatre in Massenet's "Cendrillon", Mozart's "Don Giovanni", and as Ruth in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance". She has also performed several opera scenes from various Mozart operas such as Don Alfonso from "Così fan Tutte", Donna Elvira from "Don Giovanni", and Third Lady from "Die Zauberflöte". She has also crossed over into the world of musical theatre by working with Furman University's Pauper Players, a student-led organization, where she has played Billy Flynn in "Chicago" and been in the ensemble of "Jekyll and Hyde". After graduation, she plans to apply and pursue her Masters in Vocal Performance in Europe, as well as becoming a McClosky Institute certified teacher. Leila's current teacher is Lisa Barksdale, SLP and current President of the McClosky Institute of Voice.