Jennifer Brennan-Hondorp, soprano, maintains an active performing schedule on the concert, opera and musical theatre stage. Recent highlights include Fauré Requiem at Carnegie Hall, Messiah performances in Tokyo and Osaka with the Osaka Telemann Chamber Orchestra, Cantata No. 147 with the Oregon Bach Festival Ensemble under the direction of Helmuth Rilling, Mahler Symphony No. 2 with the Nashville Symphony, Mozart Requiem, and Elijah with Grand Rapids Symphony under the direction of David Lockington, Der Messias with the San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra, Mozart Requiem with the Detroit Civic Symphony Orchestra, Messiah with the Duke Chapel Orchestra, and Dona Nobis Pacem with the Bowling Green-Western Symphony Orchestra.
“Brennan-Hondorp sang the title role with security and comic flare.” The Philadelphia Inquirer
As Adina in L’elisir d’amore:
“Hinchman was in full control of her character. Adina is frequently presented as a thoughtless valley girl with romance as her ruling passion, but as portrayed by Hinchman, she seemed to have learned a little compassion from those books she’s constantly reading. Her rejection of Nemorino was a study in sensibility colored with kindness. Her flirtation with Belcore was imbued with the knowing wink – this Adina was not falling in love with a uniform. And her reaction to Dr. Dulcamara’s story about the depth of Nemorino’s love was emotionally affecting. Hinchman was no chirpy canary – her voice was more spinto than purely lyric. And her singing was far less ornamental than usual – but she had no difficulty in reaching her high notes or in being heard over large ensembles.”
- Nashville Press
Throughout Europe and the United States, Teresa Seidl's performances have met with audience and critical acclaim. After a performance with the FRANKFURT OPERA, The Financial Times reported: "a Pamina of rich, noble tone and faultless voice production. 'Ach, ich fuehl's' was outstanding." Opern Welt printed . . sang ideally. Her voice possesses a necessary, silvery sheen; she is above all convincing with her floating piani and lyrical cantilena." And of her recent performance of Micaela a critic wrote, "The "float" of her soft singing repeatedly ravished the senses, and her exquisitely executed messa di voce,soft crescendo and decrescendo, at the end of her aria in Act 3 was breath-stopping, a lesson in superior vocalism."
Stella Zambalis is a regular guest of leading opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera (Cherubino in The Ghosts of Versailles), New York City Opera (Magda in La Rondine, Micaela in Carmen, and Mimi in La Boheme), Houston Grand Opera (Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte, Musetta in La Boheme and Nedda in I Pagliacci), Seattle Opera (Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte and Sophie in Prokofieff’s War and Peace), Florida Grand Opera (Adalgisa in Norma), Austin Lyric Opera (Violetta in La Traviata and Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro), Baltimore Opera (Mimi in La Boheme), Florentine Opera (Angelina in La Cenerentola and Liu in Turandot), Michigan Opera (Mimi, Micaela), Minnesota Opera (Micaela and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Kentucky Opera (Hermia, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte), Opera Company of Philadelphia (Pamina in The Magic Flute, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, and Mimi in La Boheme and Nedda in I Pagliacci) Opera Pacific (Mimi), Portland Opera (a double-bill of Nedda in I Pagliacci and “soprano” in Carmina Burana and Marguerite in Faust), Arizona Opera (Nedda), Tulsa Opera (Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Micaela, Liu and Mimi) and New Orleans Opera (Nedda). In Europe, she has performed with the Deutsche Oper Berlin (Mimi) and the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy (Countess).
It was wonderful to see and hear the dynamic, striking-voiced Stella Zambalis back in New York, painting the Stepmother in trenchantly limned phrasing but attractively dark-hued tone. (Why exactly aren't we still hearing this gifted, attractive artist at Lincoln Center's opera companies?)
David Shengold Opera News 3/07
This is a very fine cast. Stella Zambalis, who is playing the role of Rosalinde, is arguably one of the best sopranos in the world today. She's a magnificent singer. She's a terrific actress. Stephanie Blythe Arizona Star Net, Nov. 2007
California native Buffy Baggott is quickly gaining recognition around the United States as an accomplished and highly versatile lyric mezzo soprano. She began her music education by winning music scholarships to UCLA and San Francisco State University for vocal performance. She then went on to complete two apprenticeships with the Santa Fe Opera and the prestigious Lyric Opera Center for American Artists. She has appeared numerous times on the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s mainstage, most memorably as Stephano in Roméo et Juliette, Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos, Flower Maiden in Parsifal, Second Lady in Magic Flute, Siegrune in Die Walküre, Mrs. Hayes in Susannah and in title role for the matinees of Carmen. Recent performances include Schwertleite (Canadian Opera Company's Ring Cycle), Inez (Il Trovatore; Lyric Opera Chicago), Ellen Ermaine (Chrysalis;Berkeley Opera) and Sonyetka (Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk; Canadian Opera Company).
Carmen
" In the title role, Buffy Baggott proved to be a wonderfully engaging example of a new generation of opera singers for whom the ability to act well is not just a career-enhancing accessory to a great voice but all of a piece with the art of opera. Her Carmen metaphorically smoked, wearing a bright yellow dress and bare feet on an orange stage. There was a punk swagger in the way she walked, jazz in the way she talked, and in the nuance of her melody, there was a lot of jab and tickle."
Highly sought after as both a soloist and chamber artist, mezzo-soprano Misty Leah Bermudez has captivated critics and audiences alike with her "ravishing" voice and her "masterful" and "compelling" concert performances. Mrs. Bermudez's solo engagements for the 2011-2012 concert season include Bach's Magnificat with the Master Choral of South Florida and the Miami Symphony Orchestra, Handel's Messiah with the San Antonio Symphony, Mozart's Coronation Mass with the Southwest Florida Symphony, and Bach's Mass in B Minor with Seraphic Fire and the Firebird Chamber Orchestra.
"Misty Bermudez's ravishing mezzo embraced the noble melody of Ombra mai fu."
-Lawrence Budman South Florida Sun-Sentinel
(Music For Kings, Seraphic Fire, May 2008)
“He (Rod Gilfrey) was ably matched by mezzo-soprano Jennifer Lane, whose performance as Charmian combined volup-tuousness, vulnerability and rage in a potent blend.” [Larsen’s Everyman Jack]
Joshua Kosman,
San Francisco Chronicle, November 13, 2006
Carol Sparrow has appeared to critical and popular acclaim as
Princess Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlo at the Komische Oper, Berlin,
and in St. Gallen, Switzerland, as well as in the title role in Carmen
in St. Gallen and many other cities such as Columbus, Greensboro, Chautauqua, Augusta, Buffalo, Virginia, El Paso, Triangle Opera,
as well as with the New York Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
"Carmen, sung by a star-in-the-making named Carol Sparrow . . . It is hot the moment she enters. . .
And above all, brilliantly sung. Sparrow’s rich, heady mezzo soprano voice easily encompassed
the role’s seductive bottoms and thrilling highs. In the brilliant final scene, she could fling out
her defiance with devastating power.”
Chicago Tribune August 25, 2004 by Richard Covello
“Michelle Wrighte, by nature a Cherubino more like a strapping young man than the mincing page boy en travestie we usually see, sang both arias charmingly.”
The
grandest and most dramatic voice of the evening belonged to tenor Robert Bracey
. . . Bracey sang with authority. The effect of his opening aria, an anguished
soliloquy from the apostle Peter after denying Jesus the third time, was
chilling, even brutal, as he condemned the “wrong-doing evil deed abhorred.”
-The
Toledo Blade
Handel:
Messiah
Detroit
Symphony Orchestra
Bracey,
opened “Every Valley Shall Be Exalted” with a voice as lyrical as it was
powerful.
"Randolph Locke, as Calàf sang with a voice full of passion and power, yet it could be sensitive and sensible in quiet
passages. In Act II, he followed a laser-beam explosion of triumph with a perfectly delicate, nuanced 'Dimmi il nome.'
Locke sang 'Nessun dorma' as written, beginning very softly, steadily building to an applause-evoking climax."
Operatic engagements from the recent 2008-2009 season included the title role of Samson in Samson & Dalila with the Dublin International Opera Festival, Tristan in Tristan und Isolde at Lyric Opera of Chicago under Sir Andrew Davis, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana with Orlando Opera, Max in Der Freischutz with Des Moines Metro Opera, Calaf in Turandot in concert with South Dakota Symphony and Manrico in Il Trovatore in concert with the Westfield Symphony.
In seasons 2008-11 he performed at the Metropolitan Opera in their productions of Mozart’s Entfurhrung aus dem Serail, Don Giovanni, Thais and Capriccio, sang Don Jose in Carmen with Amarillo Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Imperial Symphony , and Honeggaer’s King David with Las Vegas Philharmonic and also the Beethoven Ninth Symphony with Arkansas Symphony.
Thais
Most of the strength, clarity and charisma you craved came from secondary roles. As Nicias, Thais' lover of the week, tenor Mark Thomsen generated the most vocal and dramatic flair. - Palm Beach Post
Bradley Williams is one of opera’s most sought after tenors in the bel
canto repertoire
Bradley Williams is one of opera’s most sought after
tenors in the bel canto repertoire.A
regular guest of theaters around the world, he has appeared in Europe with the
Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Ramiro in La Cenerentola
and Giannetto in La Gazza Ladra, Teatro Cervantes in Malaga,
Spain as Arturo in I Puritan, Teatro Regio Torino as Tebaldo in I
Capuleti i Montecchi and the Roasted Swan in Carmina Burana,
Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa as Ramiro, Opera de Bordeaux as Don Ottavio in Don
Giovanni, Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania as Salvini in Bellini’s Adelson
e Salvini, Royal Danish Opera as Almavia in Il Barbiere di
Siviglia, Wexford Festival as Alphonse in Hérold’s rarely performed Zampa,
Opera du Rhin in Strasbourg as Tonio in La Fille du Regiment,
Opéra National de Lyon as Ramiro, and Garsington Opera Festival as Lindoro.
In North America, his extensive credits include
appearances with the Anchorage Opera as Elvino in La Sonnambula,
Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, and Edgardo in Lucia di
Lammermoor, Austin Lyric Opera as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus
dem Serail, Baltimore Opera as Ramiro, Connecticut Opera as Ernesto in Don
Pasquale, Dayton Opera as Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte,
Edmonton Opera as Ernesto, Eugene Opera in the title role of Gounod’s Romeo
et Juliette, Florentine Opera of Milwaukee as Lindoro, Tebaldo,
Ottavio, Belmonte, and Fenton in Falstaff, Houston Grand Opera as
Scott in the world premiere of Harvey Milk, Lake George
Opera as Ernesto and as Uberto in La Donna del Lago, Long Beach
Opera as Fenton, New York City Opera as Lindoro, Scott in Harvey Milk,
Deportes in Die Soldaten, and Beppe in I Pagliacci,
Opera Grand Rapids as Ottavio, Opera Memphis as Belmonte, Opera de Quebec as
Ernesto, Opera Orchestra of New York as Georges in Boildieu’s La Dame
Blanche, Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Flute in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, San Francisco Opera as Scott in Harvey Milk,
and the San Diego Opera as Ramiro.He
has also appeared with Opera Australia in Sidney as Tonio in La Fille du
Regiment.
"Baritone Graham Fandrei superbly conquered the rapidfire coloratura roulades of Why do the nations, bringing flexibility and tonal warmth down to the lowest vocal depths."
-South Florida Classical Review
Baritone Kenneth Overton has consistently received accolades for his
rich gleaming voice and his many layered, powerful interp
Baritone Kenneth Overton has
consistently received accolades for his rich gleaming voice and his many
layered, powerful interpretations.He
recently toured the British Isles as Porgy in Living Arts’ Porgy and
Bess and, in the same role, opened Opera Memphis' 51st season.He also makes his début
this season with Stadttheater Klagenfurt as Jake (Porgy and Bess).He recently sang his first Escamillo (Carmen)
with Missouri Symphony Society, and well as Leporello (Don
Giovanni) with Opera Memphis, Ping (Turandot) with
Sacramento Opera, Bello (La Fancuilla del West) with Tampa Bay
Performing Arts Center, as Bass soloist in Beethoven’s 9th
Symphony with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and as the Baritone
soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs with the Oratorio
Society of New Jersey.
In the role of the
minister, Kenneth Overton offers a remarkably understated performance.In both his command of this complex
character and his beautiful baritone voice, Overton is a magnetic presence.”
Gerard Sundberg’s compelling baritone voice is celebrated
internationally for its beauty and clarity
Gerard Sundberg’s compelling
baritone voice is celebrated internationally for its beauty and clarity.For the past eight seasons, he has captivated
audiences with his performances of Handel’s Messiah
with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.Following another Messiah
performance, a critic declares, “His
recitatives and arias remained focused and filled with energy….he demonstrated
excellent range, control and diction”, The
Republic (Columbus, IN). “He sings with passion and conviction, giving thoughtful and
heartfelt expression to the text”, Rodney
Wynkoop (Duke University)
-- he was the highlight of the evening
-- he was the highlight of
the evening. His work in the Vaughan Williams was extraordinary -- great tone, wonderful diction and compelling phrasing and presence. North Carolina Symphony
James Patterson, whose “beautifully expressive bass just keeps getting better and better” (San Francisco Examiner), has been praised by some of the most respected critics in the United States, including Andrew Porter, who called him “a bass to watch — sonorous and beautiful in timbre.” (New Yorker)
Since beginning his career as an Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera in 1983, Mr. Patterson has given over 150 performances with that company, including the roles of Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Fafner in the widely acclaimed Ring cycle, and the King of Egypt in Aida with Leontyne Price.
Canadian credits include leading roles with the opera companies of Montreal, Manitoba, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, and Ottawa. Mr. Patterson’s career has also taken him throughout the United States, with highlights including leading roles with Chicago Lyric Opera, Seattle Opera, New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, Miami Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre.
International highlights include Punch and Judy with the Netherlands Opera, performances of Peter Sel-lars’ controversial Don Giovanni in France, and concerts in Madrid for the New York City Opera.
Concert highlights include engagements with the Boston Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the San Jose Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, and at Carnegie Hall in a concert performance of Handel’s Semele with Marilyn Horne and Kathleen Battle.
Wagner Ring Cycle, Seattle
“In Rheingold, though, one was aware first that there were no weak links in this cast. And second, whenever James Patterson opened his mouth as Fafner, that there was only one voice that could be called exceptional.” The Seattle Weekly
S'wonderful, s'marvelous, It's GERSHWIN!
This program brings together two internationally acclaimed singers who have performed Porgy and Bess with major companies throughout the United States and Europe. Indulge your audiences with toe-tapping tunes such as I Got Rhythm, Nice Work if You Can Get it, Embraceable You.The second half of the show features the beloved Porgy and Bess Suite.
This show, which can be adapted to suit your companies needs, was performed recently with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Grand Rapids Symphony.
Soprano Kishna Davis and baritone Kenneth Overton are favorite performers with such companies as the New York City Opera, Cleveland Orchestra, Washington Symphony, Memphis Opera, Dallas Symphony, Baltimore Symphony among others, who have performed Porgy and Bess with major companies around the world. They will thrill your audiences with their sumptuous voices and dynamic delivery.
