Hometown
Hyattsville, Maryland

Education
Bachelor of Music in Voice & Music Education Certification Program
The Catholic University of America
Master of Music in Voice
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

Professional Training
The Glimmerglass Festival
Minnesota Opera

What is your favorite opera and why?
Carmen is my favorite opera, because no matter how many times I watch it, it never gets old to me. It’s like I’m seeing it for the first time. It has everything you need from opera, the highs and lows of drama, comedy, seduction, innocence, dancing, the spectacle and the music, which is so memorable. It’s a magical piece that has felt like home to me since the first time I saw it, though I’ve never sung in a production of it…yet.

What is the craziest or funniest thing that has happened to you during a performance?
When I was in undergrad, I had to stage manage, produce, and perform in an opera scenes show all at the same time. I just remember panting like mad after singing “Je suis gris” on stage then running to move the set pieces, throwing on the headset, and cueing the next light change and singer to the stage. WILD.

What excites you the most about your second year at MN Opera?
Two things excite me the most about the upcoming season. The first is singing Olga in Eugene Onegin because this is my first role in Russian. I am studying and falling in love with Russian as I craft this role. It’s been such a fun journey! The second thing is returning to the role I created in Blue – Girlfriend/Congregant 3. I’m so happy to have another go at this role just shy of two years after the world premiere! Blue is an opera that really resonates with me as an African-American. It was such a joy to create it and get it on its feet at Glimmerglass in 2019. I feel so honored to have the chance to tell this story with other talented artists.

Bonus Question: Do you have any hidden talents? 
I actually have many hidden talents. To sum it up, I’m a jack of all trades. I have 15 years of dance experience in ballet, tap, and jazz. I have been working with children, teaching dance, music, and voice for over 10 years and I was in arts administration at the Kennedy Center for 2.5 years. Lastly, I play steel drums; I even taught them for 3 years. And one more (because I can’t help it): I’m a writer and I’m editing my first novel right now!

Hometown
Baltimore, Maryland/Durban, South Africa

Education
Bachelor of Arts
Harvard University
Master of Arts
Royal Welch College of Music & Drama

Professional Training
Juilliard Vocal Arts Professional Apprenticeship
Royal Opera House Observer Director Program

What is your favorite opera and why?
Tosca will always be special to me. It was the first opera I was in as a kid and my first time hearing operatic voices up close. That was all it took for me to fall completely in love!

What is the craziest or funniest thing that has happened to you during a performance?
During a tech rehearsal for a show in graduate school, the theater didn’t isolate properly and our smoke effect tripped the fire alarm in the whole building. There was a performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame onstage in the theater next door and they had to evacuate in the middle of Frollo’s big number, “Hellfire” (they didn’t think it was very funny).

What excites you the most about your first year at MN Opera?
I am really excited to be joining such a wonderful community of artists. I’m also looking forward to exploring Minneapolis and St. Paul!

Bonus Question: What do you miss most about your hometown? 
The WEATHER. Durban is right on the beach and it’s a tropical climate all year round. I’m already googling what coats are best for Minnesota winters. Don’t think I’m ready!

Hometown
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Education
Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Education
Michigan State University
Master of Music in Opera
Yale University

Professional Training
Central City Opera
Charlottesville Opera
Santa Fe Opera
Utah Festival Opera

What is your favorite opera and why?
Così fan tutte would have to be my favorite opera. I love the connection with the audience and how they’re in on a secret that so many of the main characters don’t know about. It creates this hilariously energized dynamic that’s just so fun to be a part of! It also has a special place in my heart as one of the first operas I had the opportunity to be in! I’d love to play Despina again.

What is the craziest or funniest thing that has happened to you during a performance?
I’m an identical twin and we look so much alike. My sister was visiting me once for a show and people kept coming up to her telling her how much they loved her performance! They had no idea she wasn’t me!

What excites you the most about your first year at MN Opera?
There are so many factors I’m excited about that it’s hard to choose! I’m so excited to be back in the Midwest and to be working with a company that gives so many opportunities to its Resident Artists. This year, I’m fortunate to perform the role of Blonde in Abduction, which has always been one of my dream roles. I’m so excited to bring it to the stage!

Bonus Question: What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to? 
Traveling is something I’m really passionate about. One holiday season I got to travel to Athens, Greece for a concert series and it was incredible! We got to ring in the new year watching fireworks over the Parthenon. It was one of the most unforgettable experiences, making music and celebrating the holidays in such a culturally and historically rich city.

Hometown
Highland Park, Illinois

Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Technology
The Theatre School at DePaul University

Professional Training
Minnesota Opera
Santa Fe Opera

What is your favorite opera and why?
I guess it would be Edward Tulane, even though it hasn’t premiered. It is the first opera I have encountered thats message holds a special place in my heart. I’m excited to see it on stage in the future!

What is a memorable thing that has happened to you on the job?
Last summer while I was working in central NY, the stage management team got the scene shop an ice cream cake because we were working in 80+ degree weather.

What excites you the most about your second year at MN Opera?
Probably the chance to work on The Shining. I am really interested in contemporary works.

Bonus Question: What was the most interesting material you have had to source for a production?
I had to find about 800 square feet of AstroTurf for a production during undergrad. I learned that there was a company in Illinois that recycles AstroTurf and was able to get what we needed for the production for less than $300.

Hometown
Pine Island, MN

Education
Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, Baylor University
Master of Music in Ensemble Arts: Vocal Accompanying
The Peabody
Institute of the Johns Hopkins University
Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano
Boston University

Professional Training
Atlantic Music Festival
Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival
Opera Saratoga
SongFest at LA Opera
SongStudio at Carnegie Hall

What is your favorite opera and why?
It’s tough to pick, but I’d have to say La bohème, because I think it contains so much of what is great about opera: gorgeous music that is deeply connected to the action, exciting ensemble scenes, intimate arias and duets, humor juxtaposed with heartbreak, and characters that reveal the joy, pain, strength and fragility of being human. The dramatic shape of Act IV especially is some of the most effective theater I’ve ever seen. I cry every time.

What is the craziest or funniest thing that has happened to you during a performance?
Sometimes being a collaborator requires a diverse set of skills: in the face of wardrobe malfunctions prior to a performance, I have sewn more than one singer into a dress.

What excites you the most about your first year at MN Opera?
I love playing opera because I get to be part of a multi-faceted art form that requires a huge team of people working at an incredibly high level. I’m excited to be part of the process and to keep learning every day!

Bonus Question: What do you like to do when you’re not at a piano? 
I love to practice yoga and someday hope to teach it. My husband and I enjoy hiking and backpacking in the Pacific Northwest. Also, I’m always down for some poetry!

Hometown
Atlanta, GA

Education
Bachelor of Music in Music Composition
Morehouse College
Master of Music in Vocal Performance
Georgia State University

Professional Training
The Glimmerglass Festival
Michigan Opera Theatre

What is your favorite opera and why?
La bohème. Puccini does a fantastic job complementing drama and passion with musical phrases and harmonies that connect with me, unlike any other opera I’ve heard. It is truly the quintessential heartfelt story that you never seem to get over, with music that you’ll never forget.

What is the craziest or funniest thing that has happened to you during a performance?
Once in a performance of Eugene Onegin, I came out as Zaretsky for my final entrance and the orchestra didn’t cue me in. I was scared straight! Though, I found a way to keep going and pulled it out.

What excites you the most about your first year at MN Opera?
The myriad of opportunities to get to work on stage with MN Opera’s amazing talent and to learn from some of the industry’s best day in and day out.

Bonus Question: What do you miss most about your hometown?
The sunshine! Coming to Minneapolis will be a challenge but I think being in Detroit for the past two years has at least prepared me to properly shop for long johns and boots.

Hometown
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

Education
Bachelor of Arts in Music
Oberlin College, Master of Music
The Juilliard School

Professional Training
Des Moines Metro Opera
The Glimmerglass Festival
Opera Naples

What is your favorite opera and why?
Don Giovanni. I love singing this opera, but more importantly, the layers of dramatic and thematic nuance are endless. Especially in the current atmosphere, the psychology of each character and their reasons for acting in the manner they do provide essential opportunities to examine human interaction through the lenses of power dynamics and beautiful music.

What is the craziest or funniest thing that has happened to you during a performance?
In my first ever opera, when running onstage for an entrance, I slipped on the stage and skidded to my mark. Fortunately, there was enough time in the fermata for me to stand up and sing!

What excites you the most about your first year at MN Opera?
For me, the most exciting opportunity is being able to rehearse every day. Rehearsal is my favorite part of singing, while exploring repertoire with my colleagues is the most fulfilling aspect of studying music to me.

Bonus Question: What are your interests outside singing?
As a side job, I have a tutoring business, where I focus on teaching calculus, statistics, physics, and chemistry. Having something precise and analytical as a contrast to music is very refreshing, and it allows me to embrace different modes of thinking. I also enjoy playing strategy games such as chess, backgammon, and bridge.

Hometown
Novi, Michigan

Education
Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance
DePauw University
Master of Music in Vocal Performance
Rice University

Professional Training
Aspen Opera Theater
Central City Opera
The Glimmerglass Festival
Opera Saratoga

What is your favorite opera and why?
My favorite opera is La bohème, because I think the music is amazing and it strikes that perfect balance between charming, funny, and tragic. Also, I have always wanted to go to Paris.

What is the craziest or funniest thing that has happened to you during a performance?
One time, very early on in my opera training, I was singing Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and I had to put on a robe in the middle of a scene. And, unfortunately for me, the robe was partially inside out and tangled. The audience stifled laughter watching me trying to make sense of the robe, sticking my arms in and out of the mess, until finally, after it had gone on for a solid five minutes, everyone just started laughing and I decided wrestling with an item of clothing while singing is a sure way to get laughs.

What excites you the most about your first year at MN Opera?
I’m most excited for the training we are offered as young artists, and one of my dream roles is Lensky in Eugene Onegin, which I am so lucky to get to cover this season. Beyond that, though, I am excited to perform for a new audience in a new space. I love performing, especially the comedic roles, so I can’t wait to jump into Pedrillo and Triquet and make people laugh.

Bonus Question: Who are your non-operatic musical inspirations?
I try to draw a lot of musical inspiration from sources outside of the operatic repertoire, as in I’ve listened to many, many musicals. My favorite musical composer is Stephen Sondheim. Recently, however, I have really enjoyed listening to singer-songwriters, and am a huge fan of artists like Joni Mitchell and Carole King, but also modern artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Andrew Bird. I’ve also been known to jam out to pop queens like Ariana Grande or Dua Lipa (especially to pump me up pre-performance).