Meet the singers participating in ISOFOM 2024.
Matteo Adams
Ottavio
Matteo Adams is a classically trained tenor from Beaumont, Texas; with a Bachelor of Music in Voice from Oberlin Conservatory and a Master’s of Music in Opera from New York University. Recent engagements include Touring Outreach with Portland Opera as Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, a Studio Artist with Central City Opera, an Apprentice Artist with Sarasota Opera, and most recently as an Emerging Artist with St. Petersburg Opera covering the role of Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Currently a core chorus member with Opera Philadelphia, he is excited to step into his second Don Giovanni production.
José Manuel Alfaro Martinez
Leporello
José Manuel Alfaro Martínez, a bass-baritone originally from the city of Aguascalientes, AGS, began his musical studies with private piano lessons at the age of 11. Later, at 16, he started his vocal studies at the Instituto Cultural de Aguascalientes under the tutelage of teachers Aída Alvarado and Carlos Arturo Mendoza. At 18, he enrolled in the Bachelor's Degree in Music at the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes.
He has participated in various choral groups, collaborating with the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra in works such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Mozart's Requiem, as well as in the musical Les Misérables with the Universidad Panamericana. In 2022, he sang the role of Aeneas in Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas.
He has taken courses in acting applied to singing and the construction of opera characters under the tutelage of teachers such as Enid Negrete, Esteban Baltazar, and Rafael Paniagua. That same year, he participated in the Festival of Opera and Vocal Pedagogy in Aguascalientes, where he received vocal coaching from Teresa Rodríguez and master classes from distinguished teachers such as Fabiana Bravo, Carlos Aransay, Javier Medina, and Ragnar Conde.
Since August 2023, he has been a member of OPEN Ópera Estudio del Noroeste, where he receives lessons from maestro Armando Piña and vocal coaching from maestros Ifigenia Lejarza and Rodrigo Ilizaliturri. During his stay, he has debuted in the roles of Leporello in the opera Don Giovanni and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, as well as bass soloist in Mozart's Requiem. In March 2024, he participated in the Sacred Music Festival in Monterrey, where he sang as a bass soloist in Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, alongside maestros Yvonne Garza and Rocío Tamez, under the direction of Alejandro Miyaki.
Chris Alfonso
Ottavio
Chris Alfonso (Miami, FL) is a Cuban-American tenor and pianist, praised for having “just the right light touch” (South Florida Classical Review). Chris received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, and is currently a second-year master’s student in the Maryland Opera Studio. Recent roles include Mayor Upfold (Albert Herring), Santa Anna (Orgullo; world premiere), Basilio/Don Curzio (Le nozze di Figaro), Arcadio (Florencia en el Amazonas; cover), and Sam (Stone Soup; Florida Grand Opera outreach). Other credits include the partial roles of Mercurio (La Calisto), Rodolfo (La bohème), and Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), as well as Tenor Soloist (Carmina Burana) and Seraphic Fire Scholar (“First | Last” concert tour). Upcoming engagements: an Orgullo reprise at Joe’s Pub (Public Theater, NYC), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), and Fenton (Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor). Chris currently studies under Gran Wilson.
Anastasia Antropova
Carmen, Donna Elvira (cover)
Anastasia Antropova is a singer, also trained as a pianist and vocal coach. She performs in European and American venues.
Anastasia graduated from Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 2017 and went to Milan to continue mastering her piano and voice skills. The performance venues included Casa Verdi, Sala Santa Maria, Palazzina Liberty in Italy, Academic Capella, and Steinway Piano Gallery in Saint Petersburg.
In 2023 Anastasia graduated the master’s degree at the Chicago College of Performing Arts. In 2022 she made her Chicago Symphony Center debut as a soloist performing Mahler’s Symphony N 3. In 2023 she performed in Suor Angelica by Puccini. One of her latest highlights is a role of Carmen during Chicago Summer Opera in 2023.
Anastasia concentrates more on Italian, French, and Russian repertoire and sings both mezzo-soprano and some soprano parts. Upcoming opera roles include Carmen and Donna Elvira.
Kirsten Blair
Micaëla
Kirsten Ann Blair, soprano, enjoys a vibrant musical lifestyle as a performer and teacher. Kirsten has been a soloist across the United States in Alaska, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Maine and New York, and internationally in Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. She has appeared with ensembles such as the Uplands Festival Orchestra, AIMS: Graz Festival Orchestra, ASU Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, and VIMA! Orchestra. Kirsten has played principal roles with Opera Fairbanks, Anchorage Opera, Théâtre Roger Barat, the Lowveld Chamber Music Association, and most recently depicted Rose (Weill’s Street Scene) under the baton of Metropolitan Opera conductor Gregory Buchalter. Kirsten completed Graduate Teaching Assistantships under Dr. Jaunelle Celaire (MM–University of Alaska Fairbanks) and Dr. Stephanie Weiss (DMA–Arizona State University). Kirsten currently serves her community as the Fairbanks Light Opera Theatre Board President, Great Land Sounds Barbershop Chorus Director, NATS Alaska Chapter VP, UAF Adjunct Professor, and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival’s Outreach Coordinator.
Dulce Itzel Canela Salazar
Zerlina (cover)
She is pursuing her musical studies at the Conservatorio de las Rosas, specializing in singing. From a very young age, she was part of the Morelia children's choir and later the opera company "Ópera Performativa." She has performed in different states of the Republic. She was part of the summer program at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. During her stay in the United States, she took classes with Mignone Dunn. She also participated in the summer opera workshop in Bologna, Italy, under the tutelage of maestro Luis Ledezma and pianist and vocal coach Danielle Orlando.
In Mexico, she has taken classes with soprano Maria Katzarava, tenor René Velázquez, Alejandro Miyaki, and her teacher Claudia Paola Hernandez, as well as with pianist and vocal coach Antonio Santoyo. She has been part of the early music ensemble Kontramariachi, the ensemble Ramos y Canela, Ópera Performativa, and the Opera Workshop at the Conservatorio de las Rosas. She has performed in the concerts Son de México, Villancikua, Amor Vintage, Ánima, and in the opera La Flauta Mágica.
Fabrizio Chollet
Remendado
Tenor Fabrizio Chollet started his opera career at 11 years old with Opera of Tijuana as a soprano, under the direction of Tenor Jose Medina. At 15, Fabrizio moved to America to pursue a career in basketball; nonetheless, academically he continued in the field of arts studying Musical Theater and Drama at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where he was part of the UCI Concert Choir. He graduated from UCI after participating in several plays, musicals, short independent films and school commercials. He also studied drama and film studies in Florence Italy where he participated in more theater workshops and musical theater recitals.
After the peak of the pandemic in 2020, Fabrizio decided to formalize his opera formation, and began taking piano and music lessons at San Diego City College, and private vocal lessons with Jose Medina in Tijuana and Dianna Ruggiero in Los Angeles. Fabrizio participated in several operas including: Pagliacci at Tijuana Summer Opera Festival (2021), L'occasione fa il ladro at Casa de la Cultura, Tijuana, Mexico (2022) L'elisir d'amore at Tijuana Opera Festival (2023).
In 2023 Fabrizio began taking vocal lessons in San Diego with acclaimed Mexican Tenor Cesar Sanchez, and Opera Studies Juilliard graduate Carlos Conde. Thanks to their vocal coaching and training Fabrizio was able to audition for the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia, where he seeks to grow and expand in his opera journey and formation.
Jenna Rose Cipolla
Zerlina
New Jersey native, Jenna Rose Cipolla, is soprano who has been studying classical music since a young age. Her recent roles include Jeanette in L’Amant Anonyme (Eastman Opera Theater), Littler Daughter in Proving Up (Eastman Opera Theater), Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica (Seagle Festival), Anne in A Little Night Music (Seagle Festival), and Young Juana (Cover) in With Blood, With Ink (Seagle Festival). She also enjoys concert work, and performed as the Soprano Soloist in Mozart’s C Minor Mass with Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and Eastman-Rochester Chorus. Ms. Cipolla received recognition at the 2023 Lotte Lenya Competition where she received the Emerging Talent Award and was also a finalist at the 2023 Career Bridges Grant Awards. Ms. Cipolla holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. She is delighted to perform Zerlina in Don Giovanni at ISOFOM this summer.
Ricardo Diaz-Garcia
Ottavio
Texan native, Ricardo Diaz-Garcia, has been praised for his “excellent diction and a truly unique voice” (Front Row Reviewers). Recently he performed Schumann’s Dichterliebe Op. 48 at the TSC Performing Arts Center where he was also heard as the tenor soloist for the Brownsville Society of the Performing Art’s production of Handel’s Messiah. In 2022 he made his professional musical theater debut with Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre performing the role of Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha alongside Michael Ballam. In the 2021-2022 season, Ricardo made his company debut with Opera Philadelphia singing in their production of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex. Ricardo has performed many romantic leads such as Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Ferrando in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte; Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Vladimir in Borodin’s Prince Igor, Frederic in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, Julien in Charpentier’s Louise, Candide in Bernstein’s Candide, and Henrik in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music.
Ricardo Diaz-Garcia holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education, cum laude, from the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley. Mr. Diaz currently studies with operatic tenor, Arturo Chacón-Cruz.
Dawson Franzino
Carmen
Orlando-native Mezzo-Soprano Dawson Franzino, is currently pursuing her Master's in Voice Performance at Florida State University under the guidance of Dr. Sahoko Sato Timpone. She recently performed Rosina in The Barber of Seville. Dawson has also appeared in Laura Kaminsky’s As One, Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro as Marcellina, Catan’s La hija de Rappaccini as Isabella, and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel as the Mother. Her oratorio roles feature as the alto soloist in Messiah and Vivaldi’s Gloria and made her Tallahassee Symphony debut in the Viva Verdi Concert during 2022-23 season. A recipient of the Hanna Beaulieu competition, she was also a young artist at Sewanee Summer Music Festival's Opera Fest and Lunigina International Music Festival in Italy.
David Freides
Don José
David Freides, tenor, is a recent graduate of Manhattan School of Music where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Classical Voice. Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, David began as a trumpet player at a young age until sustaining an injury and switching to singing during his college years. At Manhattan School of Music David performed the role of Ottavia in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, as well as Ferdinand in scenes from Thomas Ades’ The Tempest. Recently David sang the role of Tamino in a production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar in Weimar, Germany where he also performed scenes as The Duke from Verdi’s Rigoletto.
Currently studying with Arturo Spinetti, David is living in Brooklyn, New York pursuing a career in vocal performance both choral and operatic.
Emily Gehman
Mercedes
Budding mezzo-soprano Emily Gehman is a recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, having received her Master’s degree in Classical Voice after her Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance at Colorado State University. During her time at Colorado State, Miss Gehman was involved with many productions including: Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (Mrs. Anderssen), Handel’s Serse (Arsamene), and Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortileges (Mother, Teacup, and Dragonfly). Miss Gehman was also a member of the CSU Chamber Choir and featured as the alto soloist in their performances of Bach’s Magnificat in D and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music. During her time at Manhattan School of Music, Miss Gehman performed in the Opera Scenes program as Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Armelinde in Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon. Additionally, Miss Gehman performed the entire role of Marcellina in the Manhattan School of Music's mainstage production of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.
In the fall of 2022, Miss Gehman performed Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) with the Broadway Bach Ensemble. Recent credits include the alto soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and Fricka in Wagner’s Das Rheingold. Emily Gehman is a student of Ron Raines.
Paola Gonzalez
Zerlina (cover)
Paola Conzalez is a soprano born in Morelia, Michoacán. In 2021, she attended a public music high school in South Carolina for two years. There, she learned the fundamentals of classical singing technique and had the opportunity to participate in several masterclasses with acclaimed singers and teachers. She has also gained experience by taking part in scene programs and recitals. She is planning to study vocal performance, complemented with pedagogy, at university.
Jorge Abraham Guiza Arredondo
Octavio
Jorge Abraham Guiza Arredondo is 28 years old and is originally from Puruándiro, Michoacán. He is single and has Mexican nationality.
He began in this art at the age of 17 and graduated from the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, from the Facultad Popular de Bellas Artes.
His singing teacher is Dr. Salvador Ginori Lozano, and he has taken masterclasses with important teachers such as Luis Ledesma, Octavio Arévalo, Francisco Araiza, and Alfredo Portilla.
He has participated in various festivals such as the Morelia Music Festival; International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia (ISOFOM) in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, with the role of Gerardo in the main cast of Gianni Schicchi along with the Michoacán Symphony Orchestra, and the Bolero Festival in Morelia. Additionally, he participated in the Bologna International Opera Academy (BIOA) program in Italy as part of the active group of singers, where he worked with teachers such as Danielle Orlando, Stefano Vizioli, and with Luciano Pavarotti's vocal coach, assistant to Karajan, and husband of the great soprano Mirella Freni; Leone Magiera. He was also an active student at the Hibrido Opera Lab, where he worked with teachers such as Carlos Conde, Andres Sarre, Sergio Vazquez, among others.
Carlos Gutiérrez Valenzuela
Commendatore, Masetto
Carlos Gutiérrez Valenzuela began formalizing his singing studies in 2015 by joining the first cohort of the Bachelor's Degree in Singing in Tijuana, offered by the Escuela de Formación Escénico Vocal Ja’sit, based at the Centro de Artes Musicales de Baja California. He is currently a graduate of the Bachelor's Degree in Singing from that institution and continues his vocal technique studies under the tutelage of international baritone, Doctor, and professor Carlos Conde.
He has taken vocal improvement courses with various internationally renowned singers, such as tenors Rogelio Marin and Baltazar Zúñiga, soprano Monica Guillen, bass Carlo Colombara, and baritone Carlos Conde. He has participated as a soloist in the opera street festivals of Tijuana, performing various roles such as Dulcamara (L'elisir d'amore), Spinelloccio (Gianni Schicchi), and Peter (Hansel and Gretel), as well as the title role in Don Giovanni. He has also participated as a soloist in J.S. Bach's Cantata No. 147 with the Baja California Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Armando Pesqueira. In 2023, he made his debut at the Casa de la Cultura Theater in Tijuana, performing the role of Ramiro in Ravel's opera L'heure espagnole.
Helen Hendricks
Donna Anna
Alan Hollinger
Don Giovanni
Alan Hollinger is a Baritone from Killeen, Texas. He completed his undergraduate degree at Baylor University, where he studied with Dr. Kimberly Monzon. He was active in Baylor Opera Theatre during his last two years of undergraduate study. At Baylor, he was cast as Papa Bear in Goldie B. Locks and the Three Singing Bears, Wolfgang Bigbad the Big Bad Wolf in The Three Little Pigs, and Colonel Calverly in Patience. In the fall, he will return to Baylor University to pursue a Master in Music in Vocal Performance and Music Theory.
Andrea Jaimez Calderas
Zerlina (cover)
Born in the city of Puruandiro, Michoacan, Andrea began her studies as a singer professionally at the age of 18 in the city of Morelia, Michoacan, at the Popular Faculty of Fine Arts. During the summer of 2021 she was awarded a scholarship to debut the role of Flower Girl from the opera Le Nozze di Figaro at the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia (ISOFOM), under the baton of director Jorge Parodi. In June 2022 she presented a recital of opera arias and ensembles at the Museum of Colonial Art of Morelia. In November 2022 she participated as Annina in La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, under the direction of Alejandro Miyaki, director of the Mexico Opera Studio (MOS), accompanied by the Chamber Orchestra of the Universidad Michoacana (OCUM). In December of the same year she debuted as Zerlina in Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart at the Melchor Ocampo Theater, with the Michoacán State Symphony Orchestra (OSIDEM) under the baton of Mariano García. In June 2023 she received a scholarship to participate in the ISOFOM and debut Papagena in Die Zauberflöte by W.A. Mozart with the Tzintzuni Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Juan Vázquez.
During her training, Miss Andrea has taken classes with important teachers and coaches such as Luis Ledesma, Danielle Orlando, Alfredo Portilla, Andrés Sarre, Alejandro Miyaki, and Abdiel Vázquez.
Rebecca Korzelius
Frasquita
Rebecca Korzelius, soprano, is thrilled to be in Morelia this summer working with such wonderful people! Originally from Clayton, North Carolina she is currently a rising senior at University of North Carolina at Greensboro studying with Dr. Robert Bracey. With a background in both opera and musical theatre, some of her favorite roles include Second Woman (Dido and Aeneas), Suor Osmina (Suor Angelica), Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Gertrude (Seussical), and Rapunzel (Into the Woods). She would like to thank her family, best friends, and mentors for all of their support.
Ana Lane
Carmen, Micaela
American soprano Ana Lane, acclaimed as a “vocal powerhouse” enhanced by her technical “buoyancy” and “depth,” was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. Currently attending the University of Maryland, College Park under the tutelage of Teri Bickham, Lane is pursuing her Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance. Her high-soprano role credits include Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro), Violet Hilton (Side Show), Luisa (The Fantasticks), Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), Philia (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), and Cis (Albert Herring). Additional credits are Wednesday (The Addams Family), Ariel (Footloose), Gertrude (Seussical), Leading Player (Pippin), and Ursula (The Little Mermaid).
Lane was also recently awarded 1st Place in the Maryland Division and qualified for the Regional Division of NATS NSA (CL7). Lane’s musicianship is consistently strengthened through her invaluable ensemble work with the UMD Chamber Singers, allowing her to perform Bernstein’s Kaddish and Orff’s Carmina Burana in collaboration with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Baltimore, MD), as well as Handel’s Messiah alongside the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC). Lane would like to thank her friends, family, and mentors for their endless support. She specifically pays respects to pianist Mat Lane and vocalist Rebecca Rossello, her parents who made this opportunity possible.
Ashley Larkin
Donna Anna
Ashley Larkin is a Washington DC based soprano who recently made her Washington National Opera debut in the chorus of Turandot this past May, she also runs a thriving teaching studio in her hometown of Silver Spring, Maryland. At home in opera, art song, and sacred music she performs regularly with Partners for the Arts, the Baltimore Musicales, and at the Church of the Little Flower. Ms. Larkin is thrilled to be making both her international and role debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia.
Gabriel Lemus
Dancaïro
Gabriel Lemus is a young tenor from the state of Guanajuato Mexico. He began his musical studies with tenor Roberto Velazco and guitarist Sergio Muñoz in Acámbaro Guanajuato, and he belonged to the Latin American music ensemble of the University of Guanajuato with whom he gave multiple concerts. He is currently studying at the FPBA in Morelia, where his singing teachers are Juan Marcos Martínez (baritone) and Gerardo López (baritone).
Mayra Long
Donna Anna
Mayra Long is a Peruvian engineer and soprano located in Texas. Her introduction to the world of classical singing was under the direction of the choir director Juana La Rosa during her studies of Mechanical Engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.
After 4 years of musical studies, she graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2023. While studying there, she performed scenes from “La Bohème” as Musetta, “A Streetcar Named Desire” as Stella, “Carmen” as Frasquita, “L’elisir d’amore” as Gianetta, and “Madame Butterfly” as Cio-Cio San.
That same year, she was a part of Jennifer Rowley’s Ariabootcamp, and Vincero Academy, where she is currently studying the roles of Mimì from “La Bohème”, and Contessa from “Le nozze di Figaro”. In January of 2024, she made her Carnegie Hall debut in New York, and she will be performing this summer in ISOFOM and Vienna Opera Academy.
Carlos López
Escamillo
Baritone Carlos López has sung in Germany, England, Ireland, Spain, Guatemala, the USA, Canada and in the most emblematic stages of Mexico, including the Palacio de Bellas Artes and EL TEATRO DEGOLLADO. He was a scholarship holder during 2015 and 2016 at the Bellas Artes Opera Studio, in Mexico City, under the direction of tenor Ramon Vargas.
Winner of the most important singing competitions in Mexico, including CARLO MORELLI (Mexico City), OPERA DE SAN MIGUEL (San Miguel de Allende, Gto.), SINALOA SINGING COMPETITION (Culiacán), and PALCCO (Guadalajara). He received the best foreign singer award in the YOUNG LYRIC AMBASSADORS competition in Canada, and obtained 3rd place in the “ZARZUELA, VOZ Y OLÉ” competition in Puerto Rico, First Place in the online competition "Tribute to Jorge Negrete" held last year, and First Place in the OPERA EN CASTELLANO competition, in Lima, Peru this year.
Among his operatic credits we find: Fígaro in The Barber of Seville, Don Alvaro in Il viaggio a Reims (Rossini). Il Count in Le nozze di Figaro, Guglielmo in Cosí Fan Tutte, Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Papageno and Preiser in The Magic Flute (Mozart), Marcello and Schanaurd in La Bohème, Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi, Scarpia in Tosca, Ping in Turandot (Puccini), Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Proculo in Viva la Mamma (Donizetti). Escamillo, Zuñiga and Morales in Carmen, Zurga in The Pearl Fishers (Bizet). Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni). I Tonio and Silvio in Pagliacci (Leoncavallo), Clock and Cat in L'enfant et les sortilèges (Ravel). Unzu in Yuu-tsuru (Japanese opera by Ikuma Dan), and Roque in Marina (Emilio Arrieta).
He has sung principal roles in Zarzuela, Oratorio and Concert: La del manojo de Rosas (Sorozábal), La del Soto del Parral (Soutullo&Vert), Luisa Fernanda (Moreno Torroba), Jephté (Carissimi), Messiah (Handel), Requiem (Mozart), Requiem (Fauré), Magnificat (Bach), Stabat Mater (Rossini), Las Marinas (Félix Mata), Kindertotenlieder (Mahler), Siete canciones populares (Manuel de Falla), Carmina Burana (Orff), Las siete palabras (Haydn), Petite Messe Solennelle (Rossini), Ninth Symphony and Missa Solemnis (Beethoven).
Samantha Luna
Donna Elvira
Samantha Luna is a Mexican-American Soprano currently based in South Texas. Ms. Luna’s upcoming engagements include her role debut as Isabel in Opera San Antonio’s 2024 production of Pirates of Penzance and a Faculty-Guest Artist Recital at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley. Ms. Luna has received an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is the winner of the Quest for the Best and Amelia Rieman Opera competitions in southern Arizona. Some of Samantha’s most notable roles consist of: Micäela from Carmen; Rachel from La Juive; Rusalka from Rusalka; and Mimì from La bohème. She holds a Masters degree in Music, Vocal Performance from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from The University of Texas at Brownsville. Ms. Luna is currently an Adjunct Voice Professor at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley and active chorus member of Opera San Antonio.
Willow Macol
Frasquita
Willow Macol is a New York City based coloratura soprano who is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Classical Voice degree from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. She recently sang the role of Dew Fairy in the Aaron Copland School of Music’s production of Hänsel und Gretel, and is preparing to sing Isifile in their Fall 2024 production of Il Giasone, as well as Miss Wordsworth in their Spring 2025 production of Albert Herring. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance degree from Hunter College, where she was the featured soprano soloist in numerous concert and oratorio works, such as Filia in Carissimi’s Jephte. Upcoming performances for the Summer of 2024 include Frasquita in the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia’s production of Carmen, as well as Despina in the Vienna Opera Academy’s production of Così fan tutte. Previous roles include Zerlina (cover) in the Vienna Opera Academy’s production of Don Giovanni, and Proserpina in the Miami Music Festival’s production of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo.
Brenna McFarland
Zerlina
Praised for her silvery tone and charismatic performance, Brenna McFarland is a lyric coloratura soprano hailing from Washington, D.C. Recent roles include Clorinda in La Cenerentola (Opera McGill), Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (Winter Harbor Music Festival), Apparition in Macbeth (Maryland Lyric Opera), Lady Anne in Camelot (Charlottesville Opera), First Lady in Die Zauberflöte (Bethesda Summer Music Festival), Sister Catherine in Dead Man Walking (James Madison University Opera Theater), and Johanna cover in Sweeney Todd (Rooftop Productions). An avid sacred music performer, Brenna has sung soprano solos in Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St John Passion and Mozart’s Vesperae solemnes de Confessore. This July, she will be a Vocal Scholar at Franz-Schubert-Institut (Baden, Austria), studying German lieder under Elly Ameling. Also a lover of jazz, she headlines at a upscale lounge in Washington, D.C. Brenna is currently pursuing her Masters in Voice at McGill University under the tutelage of Dominique Labelle.
Emilie Merritt
Carmen
Emilie Merritt, praised for “a strikingly beautiful mezzo-soprano voice that is both powerful and flexible…[she] commands an extensive palate of vocal colors,” now a resident of Philadelphia, is from El Paso, Texas where she studied with Brian Downen at the University of Texas at El Paso. Most recently she was a Resident Artist with El Paso Opera (2019–22). Her past role credits include Third Lady and Papagena in The Magic Flute, Geraldine in A Hand of Bridge, La Zelatrice in Suor Angelica, and as the widow Catherine in Pippin. She was the recipient of an encouragement award during the 2019 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and later that same year received 1st place in the Graduate Division at NATS Rio Grande and 1st place in the Adult Division of the Hugh Cardon and El Paso Border Folk Festival Spanish Language Competition.
This summer season, she looks forward to debuting the role of Carmen with ISOFOM in Morelia, Mexico and making her role and company debut as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Delaware Valley Opera Company.
Guillermo Montecino Molano
Escamillo, Commendatore and Masetto
Guillermo Montecino Molano is a Mexican bass-baritone, born in Tijuana, Baja California.
He made his opera debut last year in Morelia, at the Teatro Ocampo, portraying the role of Sarastro in the opera Die Zauberflöte at ISOFOM festival, for which he is extremely grateful. His coaches and teachers helped him take a significant step in his artistic career. Subsequently, the festival provided him with the opportunity to perform the role of Colline in the opera La Bohème in Belgrade, Serbia.
He also participated as a soloist in the Thirtieth Mezza State Concert in Loreto, Italy, at the Auditorium Sant Agostino concert in Civitanova Alta, Italy, and at the Notte alla' Opera concert in Morro Valle, Italy.
Returning to Mexico, he reprised the role of Colline in his hometown. His latest opera performance was in Sinaloa, where he portrayed the role of the Commendatore in the opera Don Giovanni.
Teresa Murphy
Carmen
Teresa Murphy is a mezzo soprano and choir director, who is currently pursuing a doctorate in choral conducting at Arizona State University. She recently sang the role of Cherubino in Mozart's the Marriage of Figaro, and has served as the soloist in oratorios and masses such as Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem and Mendelssohn's Elijah. When she is not singing, she directs the men’s choirs at Brophy College Preparatory (Phoenix, Arizona) and serves as founder and assistant director of Latidos Music Foundation (Barquisimeto, Venezuela). In her free time she enjoys salsa dancing, tango dancing, and speaking Spanish and German.
Jason New
Masetto
Jason New, baritone, is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of ISOFOMorelia. He currently is double majoring in Vocal Performance and Music Education at University of Maryland, where he studies with Gran Wilson. Recent performances include ensemble in the Maryland Opera Studio's production of Florencia en el Amazonas, as well as a member of the University of Maryland Concert Choir in Handel's Messiah with the National Symphony Orchestra and Orff's Carmina Burana with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He would like to thank his friends, teachers, and family, with particular respects to his mother and uncles for making this possible.
Mariana Pedrizco
Donna Elvira
Born in Morelia, Michoacán. She began her musical training in the Choir of Los Ninos Cantores de Morelia. In 2010 she entered the Popular Faculty of Fine Arts to begin her professional training as a lyrical singer, under the tutelage of Doctor Salvador Ginori.
She has performed various opera roles, such as Mrs. Peachum in The Three Penny Opera by Kurt Weill, Cherubino and Marcellina in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Flora in La Traviata, Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, Doña Elvira in Don Giovanni, 3rd Spirit in The Magic Flute, and soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony accompanied by OSIDEM.
She is active in various opera festivals such as the Oaxaca Opera Festival and the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia (ISOFOM), and was elected to participate in the Bologna International Opera Academy 2022. She has been a Contralto soloist in Pergolesi's Stabat Mater (UMICH Chamber Orchestra), and with the Michoacán Symphony Orchestra (OSIDEM).
She has participated in Masterclasses with internationally renowned singers Francisco Araiza (Tenor), Héctor Sandoval (Tenor), Luis Chapa (Tenor), Carlos Almaguer (Baritone), Luis Ledesma (Baritone), Michelle Johnson (Soprano), Kirsten Chambers (Soprano ), Genaro Sulvarán (Baritone), Maria Katzarava (Soprano), Leone Magiera (Vocal Coach), Svetla Vassileva (Soprano), Isabel Leonard (Mezzo-Soprano), Rachel Willis-Sørensen (Soprano), Danielle Orlando (Pianist), Jorge Parodi ( Orchestral Director), Alejandro Miyaki (Orchestral Director), and Scott Parry (Stage Director). She has worked with important stage directors Daniela Serrano, Ragnar Conde, Alfredo Durán, and Stefano Vizzioli. Currently she is part of the program "Ignacio Mier Arriaga" Opera Workshop.
Lourdes Peña
Mercedes
Originally from the city of Mexicali, Baja California, Lourdes Miranda began her vocal training in the symphonic choir of Mexicali. She later trained as a lyric singer at the Tijuana Opera and the Tijuana Youth Lyric Ensemble under the direction of Maestro José Medina, with whom she took private lessons. She has participated as a soloist in concerts and opera galas, the Opera en la Calle festival, as well as part of the choir in productions such as Cavalleria Rusticana, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, L'elisir d'amore, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Pagliacci, among others.
She formalized her musical studies at the Escuela Superior de Musica “Fausto de Andrés y Aguirre” of Cholula, Puebla, where she studied with tenor Rogelio Marín and made her debut in the zarzuela Don Gil de Alcalá, interpreting the character Maya. She subsequently continued her vocal training with Maestra Dianna Ruggiero and Maestro José Medina in the Tijuana-San Diego area. In 2022, she made her debut with Tijuana Opera, playing Ernestina in Rossini's L'occasione fa il ladro. In May 2023, she participated in an operatic gala tour in Jalisco under the direction of Maestro José Medina. In September 2023, she sang the role of Concepción in L'heure espagnole with Tijuana Opera.
She has taken private lessons with Carlos Conde, Fernando de la Mora, Alfredo Sorichetti, Carlos Almaguer, Dianna Ruggiero, Cesar Sanchez, Rogelio Marín, José Medina, and Genaro Sulvaran. Currently, she is under the tutelage of Maestro Carlos Conde and mezzo-soprano Milena Kitic to prepare roles. In July, she will participate in the Opera en la Calle Festival as Flora in the production of La Traviata. In October, she will sing the role of Meg with Tijuana Opera, and in November, she will debut with Pacific Lyric Opera in San Diego in Rachmaninoff's Aleko.
Daniel Pérez Recéndez
Remendado, Don José (cover)
Daniel Pérez Recéndez, is a Mexican tenor currently residing in Provo, Utah. He is a student of Isaac Hurtado working in his Undergraduate Degree in Vocal Performance at Utah Valley University.
Some of his recent credits include: The Tales of Hoffmann (Hoffmann), the North American premiere of L’importanza di essere Onesto (Algernon Moncrieff), Die Fledermaus (Alfred), Madame Butterfly (Pinkerton), Tosca (Mario Cavaradossi), and La Bohéme (Rodolfo). He was recently a young artist at the 2023 MOSF in Sicily singing in La Traviata (Alfredo) and in Lucia di Lammermoor (Normanno/Arturo).
He has also sung as a chorister in multiple productions of Utah Opera and with the Utah Symphony.
This summer he is thrilled to be part of ISOFOMorelia to sing the role of Remendado and to cover Don José in Carmen and then join Utah Valley Operafest to sing Romeo in Romeo et Juliette.
Perla Montserrat Quezada Ruiz
Zerlina (cover)
Perla Quezada, soprano, is currently about to complete her musical high school studies at the Conservatorio de las Rosas in Morelia, Michoacán, and will begin her degree in vocal performance this year. Perla began her singing and piano lessons at the age of ten. She has performed on various prestigious stages across the country, including the National Auditorium in Mexico City, where she sang as a soloist with the Carlos Chávez School Orchestra under the direction of Manuel Márquez, renowned composer and director. She has also performed at the Juárez Theater in Guanajuato with the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Guanajuato.
Perla has attended numerous master classes with distinguished teachers such as soprano Iva Hlavackova from the Czech Republic. She has participated in opera roles performing as Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Additionally, she has been a part of various choral groups, including the Mixed Choir of the Conservatorio de las Rosas and the Choir of the Center for the Arts in Guanajuato. In addition to her classical training, Perla has studied Mexican popular music and has performed as a soloist at Los Pinos Cultural Complex in Mexico City, interpreting the works of Manuel M. Ponce.
Her current teacher is Claudia Paola Hernández Arellano, a leading instructor in the vocal performance department at the Conservatorio de las Rosas. Perla Quezada’s rich and diverse experience in both classical and popular music, along with her performances on renowned stages, highlight her dedication and exceptional talent as an upcoming professional soprano singer.
Sofía Ramírez
Micaëla
Bryan Ramírez Hernández
Leporello
Bryan Ramírez Hernández is a Costa Rican bass singer (UCR), music educator (UCR), and founder of the Raíces Líricas project. He has been a finalist in the "Orfeo" 2022 Lyrical Singing Competition in Costa Rica and the "Filarmonía 102.7" 2023 competition in Peru. He has debuted the roles of “Simone” (Gianni Schicchi by G. Puccini), "Norton" (La cambiale di matrimonio by Rossini) at the IGA Theater in Guatemala, “The Centurion” (musical Jesus between Gethsemane and Golgotha by C. Gutiérrez Pitusa) at the National Auditorium in Costa Rica, “Il Commendatore” (Don Giovanni by Mozart) at the Melico Salazar Theater, “Sarastro” (Die Zauberflöte by Mozart) at the Ocampo Theater in Morelia, Mexico during the ISOFOM 2023 festival, and has worked as a cover for "Don Annibale" (Il campanello di notte by Donizetti).
He has performed in concerts such as “The Night of the Basses” (CLN), “Keys, Baritones, and Basses” (UCR), the “Tio Ale Flauta Magica” concert (Melico Salazar Theater) with the UCR Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Gala (Matamorros Theater, Mexico) with the Tzintzuni orchestra, the “Visions of Spain” Gala (National Theater of Costa Rica) with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, among others. He has debuted abroad in Guatemala, Peru, and Mexico. He has participated in masterclasses with baritones Massimo Pezzutti, Carlo Almaguer, Luis Ledesma, and Fitzgerald Ramos; with tenor Ernesto Rodríguez; with sopranos Íride Martínez, Rosalba Petranazzi, María Russo, and Marija Jelic; with basses Rafael Saborío, Gabriel Morera, and Nahuel di Pierro; with conductors Elio Orciuolo, Juan Vázquez, Walter Morales, Gabriela Mora, and Alejandro Gutiérrez; and with pianists and coaches Eugenio Becchetti, Rogelio Riojas, Tanya Cordero, Danielle Orlando, and Susana Cardonet.
Sarah Richards
Donna Elvira
Moving effortlessly from Renaissance and Baroque classics to contemporary opera and “new music,” soprano Sarah Richards demonstrates an enviable command of multiple periods and genres.
She has recently performed the role of Un Bergère in Brooklyn Telemann Chamber Society’s film production of Rameau’s Phèdre: Hippolyte et Aricie set to release in August 2024 and will make make her international concert debut at Smetana Hall this summer as an OpernFest Prague Vocal Fellow. Concert credits include performing as a Young Artist at Duke Chapel under the direction of Dr. Philip Cave, as well as the soprano soloist in Fauré’s Requiem in D Minor and Pergolesi’s challenging Stabat Mater. Ms. Richards has performed at the Virginia Ryan art exhibition and the OperAffinity Concerto Lirica Gala Concert in Todi, Italy and has received vocal coaching from Marie McLaughlin, Laetitia Ruccolo, Felice Venanzoni, and Eleonora Pacetti. Most recently, Ms. Richards portrayed the roles of Drusilla/Virtù/Liberto in Claudio Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea at Miami Beach Classical Music Festival as well as performed André Campra’s cantata Enée et Didon at Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival’s Virginia Baroque Academy. Other operatic roles include La Musica in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Amore/Damigella in another production of L’incoronazione di Poppea under the direction of Avi Stein and Sigrid T’Hooft. She has also sung the roles of Aldimira in Franceso Cavalli’s L’Erismena at Amherst Early Music Festival under the direction of Julianne Baird and Richard Stone and Euridice in a concert version of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice at East End Song Studio. Ms. Richards also frequently performs newly composed works including Glenn Rudolph’s Children of the Seraphim and is a professional core member of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh.
She also promotes the performance of sacred Baroque music as one of the founding members of the vocal trio Halcyon Voices. Based currently in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Ms. Richards studied with Steven Rickards and Dana Marsh at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she earned her Master’s Degree in Early Music Voice.
Manuel Antonio Rios Campos
Dancaïro
Born in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, he holds a degree in "CONCERT PERFORMER WITH A SPECIALIZATION IN VOICE" from the Escuela de Música Vida y Movimiento at the Centro Cultural Ollin Yoliztli, under the Secretariat of Culture of Mexico City.
He studied singing with Carmen García Benavides, Mayda Prado, Luisa Bezrokova, and Brenda García Santiago. He participated in master classes with Wayne Rivera, Estudio para el Bel Canto; FUNDART A.C. He has given recitals at the Centro Cultural Jardín Borda in Cuernavaca, Morelos, the MUNAL (Museo Nacional de Arte) in Mexico City, and the Museo del Telégrafo as part of the Noches de Museos program in the historic center of Mexico City. He attended opera and repertoire workshops with Teresa Rodríguez and performed in the opera Cendrillon by Jules Massenet (1842-1912) as Le Doyen in la Faculté (tenor). He has also taken repertoire and interpretation classes with pianists Angel Rodríguez, Andrés Saree, and Israel Barrios.
He was a member of the Sociedad Coral Cantum Hominum, performing in Sacred Music concerts and with the Sociedad Artística Sinaloense, a member of the SIVAM Choir. He performed at the Mozart Medal award ceremony at the National Conservatory of Music and CENART. He also participated with the Atizapan Youth Philharmonic Orchestra at the Luminaria event, with the José María Morelos y Pavón Symphonic Band, and with the Voces Líricas project.
Recently, he participated up to the second round of live eliminations in the 2023 "Carlo Morelli" National Singing Competition at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and was a semifinalist in the 2023 "Linus Lerner" International Singing Competition. Additionally, he was selected as an active student and cover for the role of Alfredo (tenor) in the opera La Traviata at the 2023 Zapopan Opera Festival. Since August 2023, he has been a member of OPEN: Opera Studio of the Northeast, under the direction of baritone Armando Piña and pianist teachers Rodrigo Ilizaliturri and Ifigenia Lejarza. He has participated in operatic singing performances and various genres at the Teatro Ingenio in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, including Mozart's Requiem (1756-1791) as a tenor soloist, and as Don Ottavio (tenor) in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Teatro Lince in Culiacán, Sinaloa, in collaboration with the Opera de México company led by maestro Arturo Rodríguez.
Gerardo Rocha Ovando
Remendado
Gerardo Rocha holds a bachelor's degree in singing from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Musical Direction. He began his musical studies in the city of Monterrey in 2006 under the direction of soprano Graciela Suárez. He has taken classes with tenors Sergio Blazquez and Adriano Piñeiro, sopranos Ivonne Garza and mezzo-soprano Rocío Tamez, and baritones Arturo Rodríguez, Oscar Martinez, and Luis Ledesma. He was part of the opera workshop at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León and also the "Singing on Stage" workshop.
He has sung roles in various operas such as Rodolfo in La bohème (G. Puccini); Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (W.A. Mozart); Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro (W.A. Mozart); Ferrando in Così fan tutte (W.A. Mozart); The Witch in Hansel and Gretel (E. Humperdinck); "Kabil" in the opera En busca de las palabras (Roberto Flores); Notary in Don Pasquale (G. Donizetti). In zarzuela and oratorio, he has performed the roles of Javier Moreno in Luisa Fernanda (Federico M. Torroba) and Jesus in Christ on the Mount of Olives (L.V. Beethoven).
He has worked with directors such as Boris Chalakov, Claudio Tarris, Ivet Pérez, Héctor Sosa, Rodrigo Ilizaliturri, Alfredo Ibarra, Arturo Rodríguez, Jorge Parodi, Ragnar Conde, Vladimir Gómez, Linus Lerner, and Stefano Vizioli. This work has taken place in Mexico, the United States, Italy, Colombia, and Serbia. In June 2024, he will be performing with the Symphony Orchestra of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León as part of the 85th anniversary of the Faculty of Music, in addition to two productions in Morelia and Guadalajara of the opera Carmen (G. Bizet). During July of the same year, he will be performing a tribute concert to Maestro Paulino Paredes in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León. In August, he will perform as a soloist under the baton of Director and Composer Marco Frizina in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Ana Karina Ruiz Ochoa
Frasquite (cover)
Ana Karina Ruiz Ochoa was born in 2001, in the city of La Paz, B.C.S. Mexico. From a very early age she began to have an approach to the arts, such as dance, theater, painting and clearly music, thus beginning her studies in music at the age of nine at the B.C.S. State Music School, where she took piano and singing classes. At the same time, in those years she had the experience, singing in the Sacred Music Ensemble of choral director Omar Ramírez. While growing up, she had the opportunity to study and participate in various concerts and at the same time prepare herself musically and vocally for what would now become her professional career. To continue with this preparation, she moved to the city of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico to continue her studies at a professional level. She participated in the “Festival de Opera Sin Límites” in 2021, where she had the preparation of teachers such as Rogelio Rojas, Carolina Herrera, Linus Lerner, among other teachers. She also had the opportunity to participate in master classes for body and voice, in the course “Concert a Date on Stage”, taught by Teacher María Katzarava in 2022, accompanied by Teacher Rubí Tagle for part of the stage-body development, and with the pianist Juan Antonio Santoyo Alcántara.
She has participated as part of her own training, in master classes, with teachers Gisela Zivic, René Velázquez, María Katzarava, among others. In the first semester of this current year 2024, she had the great opportunity to participate in two performances, for the opera workshop of the Conservatorio de las Rosas, for the premiere of the opera L'elixir d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti, as the character of Giannetta.
She is currently studying the first year of a Bachelor's Degree with a Specialty in Singing at the Conservatorio de las Rosas, in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
Náraly Montserrat Santillán Cerda
Frasquita (cover)
Originally from Jiquilpan, Michoacán, she began her formal musical studies at the age of 17 at the Conservatorio de las Rosas in 2016 under the tutelage of Maestra Claudia Paola Hernández. She has sung as a soloist and choir member in various places in the state of Michoacán since 2016, such as the Conservatorio de las Rosas in Morelia, as well as in various theaters in the city of Morelia, such as the Teatro Ocampo, the Teatro Rubén Romero, the Teatro Mariano Matamoros, and the Teatro Morelos, among others. She has also performed in municipalities of Michoacán such as Jiquilpan, Sahuayo, Álvaro Obregón, Chavinda, Puruándiro, and Uruapan.
Náraly was part of the Morelia Music Festival under the direction of Maestro Andrew Lawrence-King in 2019. She took various masterclasses with foreign teachers and singers such as Tenor René Velázquez, Soprano Dr. Sarah Daughtrey, and Maestra Agnieszka Slawinska as her active student, among others. She took an acting course for opera singers with the Offenbach Operetta Studio company under the direction of Maestro and Stage Director Oswaldo Martín del Campo in 2020. She was a member of the SECUM choir and participated in several concerts in Pátzcuaro, Sahuayo, and Morelia, Michoacán. She collaborated as a soloist to be part of the national and international project enchilARTE with producer and cultural promoter Carlos Malagon, where the project reached Madrid, Medellín, Quito, Lima, and Buenos Aires.
She is currently in her third year of a Bachelor's Degree in Music with a specialization in singing at the Conservatorio de las Rosas in Morelia, Michoacán.
Kristina Shafranski
Micaëla
Kristina Shafranski is a Ukrainian American soprano born and raised on Long Island, NY. Kristina received her Master of Music in Voice Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts. This season, Kristina is thrilled to perform in Morelia, Mexico with ISOFOM as Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen. Kristina will also return to Oyster Bay Music Festival on Long Island to perform opera scenes at local and historical venues. For more information, including role experience and recordings, please visit www.kristinashafranski.com.
Lydia Smith
Donna Elvira
Lydia Smith is a soprano based in Cleveland, Ohio. She is currently pursuing her Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music. This year, Smith performed the role of Olga in The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar as well as participated in the scenes program playing Adele in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss. She also performed the role of Cupid in the prelude to Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria by Claudio Monteverdi.
Smith first started singing classical music as a child, performing with professional organizations such as the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra and Apollos Fire. She is very excited to be making her role debut as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at ISOFOM this summer.
Andrés Sojo Montenegro
Dancaïro
Andrés Sojo Montenegro is a Tenor from Costa Rica, and has sung on various stages in Costa Rica, performing roles such as Gabriel Von Eisenstein in the operetta Die Fledermaus, and also on stages such as the Ocampo Theater in Morelia, Mexico, performing roles such as Monostatos, the Second Priest, and the Armed Man in the opera Die Zauberflöte. He has sung with the Santa Cecilia Symphony Orchestra, the Paraíso Symphony Orchestra, and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the National Music Company of Costa Rica. Andrés is currently studying at the University of Costa Rica.
Joseph Stroppel
Remendado
Joe Stroppel, born and raised on Long Island, NY, started studying voice when he was twelve years old. He currently studies music at Hunter College in New York City and works as an assistant to accomplished conductor Michael Sheetz. Joe has been a tenor soloist in such major choral works as Bach’s Magnificat and his Actus Tragicus, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, and Brahms’ Neue Liebeslieder, and he sang the title role in Carissimi’s oratorio Jephte. Joe sang with American Opera Projects (AOP) of NYC last spring in the world premiere of Precipice (music by Rima Fand) and portrayed the villainous Brahmasura in Mohini - another world premiere - during the Hunter College Pocket Opera festival this May. Joe also performs a one-man show, presenting songs from Golden Age Broadway / the American Songbook, and made his NYC cabaret debut last December. He studies voice with Broadway actor & singer Ron Raines.
Hector Valle
Don José
Hector Valle was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, where he started his musical studies at the Music School in the University of Guadalajara at the age of 16. In 2011 he was member of an Opera Workshop ran by conductor Enrique Patron de Rueda in Mazatlan, Sinaloa. From 2012 to 2014, he was part of the Sinaloa’s Opera Workshop directed by Carlos Serrano. His vocal teachers have been Martha Felix, Enrique Patron de Rueda, he has also had masterclasses and coaching with Renée Fleming, Jaumo Aragall, Luis Giron May, Arturo Chacon, Ramon Vargas, Francisco Araiza, Joan Dornemann, among others.
As a soloist he has sung Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and some of his operatic roles include Rodolfo in La Boheme by G. Puccini in Guadalajara city 2012, Arturo in I Puritani by V. Bellini in Mazatlan city 2013, Don Ottavio in Don Giovani by Mozart in Mazatlan city 2013, Dr. Cajus in Falstaff by G. Verdi in Culiacán city 2014 and Arlecchin in I Pagliacci by R. Leoncavalloin Culiacán 2014. He recently made his debut in Palacio de Bellas Artes with the National Opera Company in new productions of Verdi’s La Traviata, Puccini’s Tosca singing Spoletta in 2015, conducted by Maestro Srba Dinic; El pequeño príncipe of Federico Ibarra, La Boheme as Rodolfo conducted by Maestro Enrique Patron and the same roll in 2019 in the Conjunto Santander from Guadalajara.
Since October 2018 until now Hector has worked as a tenor on different cruise ships, singing roles such as La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini in the role of Rodolfo, Pinkerton from Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Don Jose from Carmen by Georges Bizet, also participating in a large number of shows of Italian music, French song, Broadway among many other styles throughout six contracts. He has been granted with several awards and scholarships such as the Patronato Pro-Educación Award, Guillermo Sarabia Scholarship, Antonio Haas Award for artistic development, among others. He was part of the second generation of the Bellas Artes Opera Studio. He is currently Fellow of the International Society of Values of Mexican Art (SIVAM) and also in the institute of bel canto of San Miguel.
Alejandrina Vázquez
Donna Anna
Alejandrina Vázquez is a Mexican soprano originally from Jalisco. She began her formal singing studies at the Instituto Universitario de Bellas Artes of the University of Colima. She continued her training at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, where she obtained a Bachelor's degree in singing. She later graduated with honors from the Master's program in Opera at the Frederyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland. She has won awards in international singing competitions and has performed on important stages in Mexico, the United States, Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Russia, and Romania. She has premiered and recorded works by various composers, both Mexican and foreign, and some of her CDs are available on different digital music platforms.
She has been living in Poland for 8 years and is about to complete her Doctorate in Opera at the Gdańsk University of Music in Poland.
Tita Vera
Donna Anna (cover)
Tita Vera is lyric coloratura soprano originally from Monterrey N.L. She debuted as Sophi in Werther with the Nuevo Leon Opera. She has studied in México, Italy, and Germany.
Ana Paola Vergara
Zerlina
Born in Mexico City, Ana Paola Vergara is establishing herself as a promising young lyric soprano, recently making her European and North American operatic debuts. Ms. Vergara received her bachelor’s degree with honors at West Virginia University in vocal performance, studying with Professor Robert Chafin. As an undergraduate, she participated in several Masterclasses with internationally acclaimed singers including Lisette Oropesa, James Valenti, Matthew Rose, Luis Ledesma, and Michael Chioldi.
Ana Paola has performed Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème, The Owl and The Shepherd in Ravel’s opera L'enfant et les sortilèges, Suor Osmina in Puccini’s opera Suor Angelica and Miss Wordsworth in Britten’s Albert Herring. She has also been featured in several opera workshop performances, where she has sung the roles of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Seviglia, Nerone in L’incornazione di Poppea, Elektra in Idomeneo, and Blanche in Dialogue of the Carmelites. Ana Paola has performed with Astoria Music Festival in Oregon, USA, La Musica Lirica Summer Festival in Novafeltria, Italy, and International Summer Festival of Morelia.
Ana Paola has won accolades in diverse competitions, including winning the NATS Tri-States District, NATS Eastern Regional, and qualifying for the NATS National Competition. She also was a national semi-finalist in the Classical Singer competition, as well as one of the youngest competitors in the Mexican National District of the prestigious Laffont Metropolitan Opera competition.
This summer she returns to her home country to debut the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and to prepare for her debut in Serbia where she will sing in Bizet’s Carmen. After this summer, Ana Paola will return to Texas to finish her Master’s in vocal performance.
Jenna Weitman
Zerlina
American Soprano Jenna Weitman is a recent graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. In 2023, Weitman performed the role of Laurie Moss in Copland’s The Tender Land with Opera in the Ozarks as an Emerging Artist and is participating in the Vincerò Academy, studying the roles of Susanna from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Adina from Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. Weitman has performed the roles of Suor Genovieffa from Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Mirette from Milton Granger’s Bluebeard’s Waiting Room at Rosevelt University CCPA Opera Theater, Peaseblossom and covered Tytania from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as debuted roles as Belial from Spicer W. Carr’s one-act opera, Demon (2021). Weitman sang in the CCPA Opera Theatre Ensemble premiere of Pale Courage composed by Kyong Mee Choi.
Weitman has been a part of summer programs and festivals; Opera in the Ozarks, The Miami Music Festival, AIMS in Graz, Songfest, MasterPlayers Music Festival, and Westminster Summer Vocal Artist Program. Through these programs, Weitman has been able to perform in Los Angeles, Graz, Philadelphia, Newark, Delaware, and Long Island, New York. Weitman is a Long Island native.
Sebastian Wittmoser
Masetto
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, German-Mexican bass-baritone Sebastian Wittmoser began his musical career in 2013 as part of the children's chorus for Puccini's opera Turandot with the Bellas Artes Opera Company in Mexico City. In June 2022, he was invited to sing the role of Giordano in Iain Bell's opera Stonewall at the Teatro de la Ciudad. In December 2022, he sang the role of Leporello in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni at the Cenart in a production by the Panamerican University conducted by Mtro. Iván López Reynoso and staged by Mtro. Mauricio García Lozano.
In the summer of 2023, he was invited to sing Leporello in Don Giovanni with the European Music Institute at the Mozart Opera Studio in the Laudon Palace in Vienna, conducted by Maestro Jörg Birhance. He actively participated in an intensive singing course with the famous tenor Francisco Araiza as part of the European Music Institute in Vienna. He has participated in Maste rClasses with mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča, Sir Bryn Terfel, Luis Ledesma, Marina Monzó and Iván López Reynoso. He has also worked with coach and pianist Ángel Rodríguez.
He has participated in various concerts as a soloist with the Panamerican University Symphony Orchestra. He sang the bass role in Handel's Messiah with the OSUP conducted by Mtro. Iván López Reynoso. He is currently preparing the role of Figaro in W.A. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro with the Panamerican University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Iván López Reynoso.
Mary Wright
Mercedes
American mezzo soprano, Mary Wright, is excited to be making her Mexican debut this summer with ISOFOM, as she sings Mercedes in their production of Carmen. Based in Blacksburg, Virginia, Miss Wright has appeared as a soloist with ensembles throughout the region including the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and Philharmonic Orchestra, Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra, University of Lynchburg Choral Union, and Blacksburg Summer Arts Festival Chorus.
Her opera credits include appearances as the Witch in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel (Opera Roanoke); Miss Todd in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief (Opera Roanoke); Cupid in Blow’s Venus and Adonis (Radford University); Zita in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi; and Isabella (cover) in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri (La Musica Lirica International Opera Festival in Novafeltria, Italy); and Nancy Waters in Britten’s Albert Herring (George Mason University Opera Theater). In 2024 Miss Wright earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music at Virginia Tech.