Cuban-American soprano Elaine Alvarez rose to international acclaim in 2007 with her breakout debut as Mimì in La bohème with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Heralded for her “buffed bronze soprano” (Opera News) and “melting, voluminous sound” (Frankfurter Allgemeine), Alvarez has become a sought-after interpreter of iconic roles such as Tosca, Aïda, Madama Butterfly and Daniel Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas.

Highlights of the 2025-2026 season include recital appearances with Orchestra Miami and Artistic Voices Miami; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra; a return to Tosca for Opera Montana and to The Metropolitan Opera to cover Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly.

Alvarez’s repertoire spans many of opera’s great Verdi and Puccini heroines, with acclaimed performances of Aïda (Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti, Opera Royal de Wallonie); Tosca (Chorégies d’Orange, Opera de Oviedo, Chautauqua Opera); Violetta in La Traviata (Bayerische Staatsoper, Fort Worth Opera, Oper Leipzig, Theater St. Gallen); Mimì in La bohème (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera National de Bordeaux, Virginia Opera, Teatro Carlo Felice, Arizona Opera, Oper Frankfurt); Elvira in Ernani and Hélène in the rarely-produced Jerusalem (Opera Royal de Wallonie); Suor Angelica (Opera Omaha); Elisabetta di Valois in Don Carlo (Maryland Lyric Opera); Magda in La Rondine (Oper Frankfurt, Pazaislis Music Festival, Oper Leipzig); and Desdemona in Otello (Livermore Valley Opera). Additional roles include Kat’a Kabanova (Boston Lyric Opera); Micaela in Carmen (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Florida Grand Opera); Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Oper Leipzig); Anna Bolena (Opera Royal de Wallonie); Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro (Opera Cleveland); and La Comtesse de Breville in the world premiere of Stephen Hartke’s The Greater Good for Glimmerglass Opera, commercially released by Naxos Records. A passionate advocate for Spanish-language works, Ms. Alvarez has also brought to life contemporary, Latin American heroines, including the title roles in Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas (San Diego Opera, North Carolina Opera) and La Hija de Rappaccini (Gotham Chamber Opera), as well as Gonzalo Roig’s Cecilia Valdés at the iconic Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid.

A frequent guest at The Metropolitan Opera since joining the roster in 2016, Alvarez has covered numerous leading roles there including Madama Butterfly, Mimì in La bohème, Tosca, Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and a new production of Florencia en el Amazonas.

Highlights on the concert platform include appearances at Carnegie Hall for the Marilyn Horne Foundation’s Annual Gala Concert alongside longtime mentor Warren Jones, and the world premiere of Requiem Xantolo by Julio Morales; Rossini’s Stabat Mater under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti, on tour with the Ravenna Festival Italy and the Orchestra e Coro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; Mozart’s Mass in C minor with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig; a debut recital at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. for The Vocal Arts Society; featured guest artist with the New World Symphony; Verdi’s Requiem (Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa); Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Jacksonville Symphony, Orchestra Miami, the New Year’s Eve Orchestra at The Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe, Idaho Falls Symphony, the Traverse City Symphony, and Manhattan School of Music‘s Centennial Celebration Concert). Alvarez has also enjoyed collaborations with the Sphinx Organization, including performances of Manuel de Falla’s Siete Canciones Populares for voice and chamber orchestra with the Sphinx Virtuosi Ensemble at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Minnesota as well as performances of Undine Smith Moore’s Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, featuring Sphinx’s Exigence Vocal Ensemble and the Eugene Concert Choir & Orchestra at the Hult Center for Performing Arts in Eugene, Oregon, commercially released on Navona Records.

Born in Miami, Florida, Ms. Alvarez began her musical studies under the guidance of her mother, Yasmin Alvarez, a distinguished classical music professor trained in Cuba. Early mentorship from Geraldine Suarez-Novak and the late Cuban tenor Cesar-Antonio Suarez helped nurture her passion for classical music and vocal performance.

Alvarez is a high school graduate of the prestigious New World School of the Arts and holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Manhattan School of Music, studying with Joan Patenaude-Yarnell and Warren Jones. Her advanced training includes residencies and fellowships at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, studying most notably with legendary artists Marilyn Horne and Renata Scotto, and continuing studies with Manuel Perez, Anthony Manoli, and James Smidt.

Ms. Alvarez resides in Miami, Florida with her husband Michael, their children, and their two beloved rescue pups, Gigi and La Lupe.

Costa Rican-American Soprano Teresa Castillo has been hailed by the San Francisco Gate as a “standout, bringing [vocal] power and florid elegance,” and by Opera News for exhibiting “a clean, concentrated sound, and a lovely, intelligent musicianship.”

The artist’s 2025-26 season includes several returns: to Teatro Nuovo as Amina in La Sonnambula, to The Metropolitan Opera to cover the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute and Frasquita in Carmen, and to a revival run of Radamisto with Opera Essentia as Polissena. She also will join Opera Omaha for a company debutas Meridian in UnShakeable.

Castillo’s performances of Amina in Sonnambula were uniformly praised, with The New York Times reporting that Castillo “sang with grace” and her sleepwalking scene was “worth the wait,” and the Wall Street Journal declaring, “As Amina…soprano Teresa Castillo exuded sweetness, making her heartbreak when she is accused of infidelity all the more expressive; the explosive ornaments in her joyous final rondo felt well-earned.”

The 2024-2025 season saw Ms. Castillo joining the roster of The Metropolitan Opera, covering the role of Nuria in Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar, returning to Opera Southwest for the role of La Clementina in their production of Doña Clementina, andperforming Polissena in Radamisto with Opera Essentia. The season also marked Castillo’s mainstage debut with Houston Grand Opera, replacing an indisposed colleague on short notice in the role of Maria in Francesca Zambello’s production of West Side Story.

Engagements of note for the 2023-2024 season included a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago for a mainstage debut, singing the role of Clorinda in La Cenerentola, and a debut with the Littleton Symphony (singing “Reflections on a Mexican Garden,” which was written for her by composer Kevin Padworski).

Ms. Castillo’s 2022-2023 season included a house debut at theTeatro Lirico di Cagliari, where she performed the role of Maria in Francesca Zambello’s production of Bernstein’s West Side Story and a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she covered La Comtesse Adèle in Le Comte Ory. That season, she also made house and role debuts with Chicago Opera Theater as Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring and Sara Turing in The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing, as well as a debut with Opera Southwest as La Comtesse Adèle in Le Comte Ory, where she jumped-in with 24 hrs notice. The same summer, Castillo made her Lincoln Center debut as Annetta in Ricci’s Crispino e la Comare with Teatro Nuovo.

Additional recent engagements of note for Ms. Castillo include house debuts with Lyric Opera of Chicago (Königin der Nacht cover), Opera San Jose (Frasquita in Carmen and Maria in West Side Story), and Opera Lafayette (as Lucette in the company’s production of Gretry’s Silvain). During the summer of 2022, she returned to Teatro Nuovo to sing the role of Amina in La Sonnambula, but the show was postponed due to COVID.

Ms. Castillo has placed in many competitions including the Lois Alba Aria Competition, Opera Index, The Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, The Anita Cerquetti International Competition, Altamura/Caruso International Voice Competition, Classical Singer Magazine Competition, and the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition. She was a finalist in the George London Foundation Competition, Cooper-Bing Competition and was also a semi-finalist in the McCammon Voice Competition with Fort Worth Opera in 2020, which was cancelled due to COVID. She has received grants from Career Bridges, The Allied Arts in Denver, Colorado, The Anna Sosenko Trust, and the Bel Canto Vocal Scholarship Foundation in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Ms. Castillo’s training includes participation in San Francisco Opera‘s prestigious Merola program and as a Resident Principal Artist with Teatro Nuovo and a member of the Virginia Opera Herndon Emerging Artists program.

Praised for her “keen expression and impressive delivery” in performance with a “sound that is rich, full and luminous throughout its range,” American Soprano Jessica Faselt was a participant of the 2022 Birgit Nilsson Masterclass in Sweden and the recipient of the 2021 Hildegard Behrens Foundation Award and the 2020 George London Foundation Award.

Ms. Faselt’s 2025-2026 season includes a house debut with the Opéra national de Paris as Helmwige in Die Walküre and a highly anticipated role debut as Sieglinde in the same work with the LA Phil, alongside Ryan Speedo Green as Wotan and Christine Goerke as Brünnhilde, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. She will also join The Atlanta Opera in a cover assignment for the title role in Turandot and return to the role of Sieglinde in concert performances with Taiwan’s National Symphony Orchestra.

The 2024-2025 season featured a cover assignment with Lyric Opera of Chicago as Leonore in Fidelio and a debut with Santa Fe Opera in Wagner’s Die Walküre, singing the role of Helmwige and covering Sieglinde. The season also included important returns to The Metropolitan Opera (singing the Voice of a Falcon in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten) and the Fort Worth Symphony (covering Senta in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer).

Engagements for the 2023-2024 season included Freia in Das Rheingold with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Helmwige in the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra’s touring performances of Die Walküre in Rotterdam, Baden-Baden, Dortmund, and Paris, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and a role and house debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Cincinnati Opera.

Season highlights for 2022-2023 included the role of Freia in Das Rheingold with The Atlanta Opera, First Lady in The Magic Flute at The Metropolitan Opera,and debuts with Detroit Opera and the LA Philharmonic (at the Hollywood Bowl),singing Helmwige in Act III of Die Walküre.

Ms. Faselt was a winner of the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Upon performing with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in the Grand Finals Concert, Ms. Faselt was presented with the Birgit Nilsson Award of the American-Scandinavian Foundation. She went on to become a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program from 2018-2021, and made her debut with the company in 2018 as a Novice in Puccini’s Suor Angelica.

In 2019, Faselt made her The Met: Live in HD debut in movie theaters as Helmwige in Wagner’s Die Walküre. That season, Ms. Faselt was also engaged to sing Helmwige in the Act III ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ from Wagner’s Die Walküre with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Music Festival and also covered the Lady in Waiting in The Metropolitan Opera’s 2019 production of Verdi’s Macbeth. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Ms. Faselt was unable to perform her scheduled roles with The Metropolitan Opera during the 2020-2021 season, which were to have included The High Priestess in Verdi’s Aida, First Young Nun in Prokofiev’s The Fiery Angel, and Unborn 2 in Richard Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten.

Ms. Faselt has earned many prestigious awards and honors in national and international competitions throughout her training and emerging professional seasons, including a Sarah Tucker Study Grant with the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, a Callas Tribute Prize New York, the Ursula Springer Memorial Fund Award from the Wagner Society of New York, Third Prize in the Giulio Gari International Voice Competition, and the 2019 Tito Capobianco Award from Opera Index Foundation. Ms. Faselt was also the recipient of the 2019 Richard F. Gold Career Grant, a semi-finalist with the Premiere Opera Foundation International Voice Competition, and sang in that organization’s Masterclass with Maestro Richard Bonynge. Ms. Faselt has also participated in training programs with Florida Grand Opera (covering the title role in Richard Strauss’s Salome and Florencia in Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas), The Institute for Young Dramatic Voices (where she studied under world-renowned mezzo-soprano, Dolora Zajick), Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (covering the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos), and Des Moines Metro Opera. She received her Master of Music degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where she was also a recipient of the Corbett Award. A native of Iowa, Ms. Faselt began her training at the University of Iowa School of Music, where she received her Bachelor of Music degree with honors.

American soprano Alexandra LoBianco, who “gave an impassioned performance” in the title role of Aida at Seattle Opera (Seattle Times), has established herself as a dramatic soprano of distinctive versatility, musicality, and consistency. The current season will include performances of Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth for a role and house debut with Boston Lyric Opera, as well as concert appearances with the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

Hailing from Saint Petersburg, Florida, LoBianco began her journey in opera with a foundation in voice, theater, and clarinet. Her talent quickly garnered recognition, winning first prizes at the Liederkranz Vocal Competition and the Irene Dalis Competition in 2011 and the Altamura International Vocal Competition and the William Sullivan Foundation Awards in 2013. These early successes laid the groundwork for a distinguished career on the international stage.

LoBianco has performed with numerous opera companies of note, while taking on some of the most challenging roles in the repertoire. Career highlights include Leonore in Fidelio with the Vienna State Opera and North Carolina Opera, Brünnhilde in Die Walküre and Siegfried with Seattle Opera and North Carolina Opera, Minnie in La fanciulla del West with Des Moines Metro Opera, and the title role in Turandot with Des Moines Metro Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Maryland Lyric Opera. She has also appeared as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with Seattle Opera, Alice Ford in Falstaff with Santa Fe Opera, and Marianne Leitmetzerin in Der Rosenkavalier at The Metropolitan Opera, which was featured in the Met’s Live in HD broadcast series. The artist has also performed Chrysothemis and the Fourth Maid in Elektra and Helmwige in Die Walküre at Lyric Opera of Chicago, the title role in Tosca at both North Carolina Opera and Minnesota Opera, and Amelia in Un ballo in maschera at Florida Grand Opera.

Recent seasons have also included performances as Leonora in Il Trovatore with Opera Colorado, the Mother in Hansel and Gretel with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Foreign Princess in Rusalka with the Canadian Opera Company, and the title role in Tosca with Seattle Opera and Portland Opera. In a stunning international turn, LoBianco stepped in for an ailing colleague as Leonore in Fidelio for her debut with the Wiener Staatsoper while under contract for the title role in Turandot. Subsequent appearances with the Wiener Staatsoper included performances as Helmwige in Die Walküre and a Brünnhilde cover, while on tour in Japan.

Ms. LoBianco’s repertoire also includes Sieglinde in Die Walküre, the title roles in Suor Angelica and Madama Butterfly, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Mimì in La bohème, Magda Sorel in Menotti’s The Consul, and Brünnhilde in Jonathan Dove’s abridged Ring Cycle.

Soprano Cecilia Violetta López has received numerous accolades for her signature role of Violetta in La traviata, which she has now performed in more than a dozen productions throughout North America. Of her interpretation, critic James Jorden declared, “she is a Violetta fully-formed and, I think, ready for the great stages of the world.” She has now performed the role with companies such as Houston Grand Opera, Opera Orlando, Pacific Symphony, Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Tampa, Opera Idaho, Ash Lawn Opera, The Northern Lights Music Festival, Madison Opera, Virginia Opera, Florida Grand Opera and Opera Las Vegas. Ms. López also made her European début as Norina in Don Pasquale with Zomeropera in Belgium, of which Klassiek Centraal exclaimed, “She turns out to be the revelation of the show and wins over the audience with her funny rendition, irresistible charm, and [she is] natural in the different vocals.”

The 2025-2026 season opens a thrilling new door for Ms. López with her appointment as the General Director and CEO of Opera Las Vegas. The artist will maintain a robust performance schedule in addition to this new role, also singing the role of Nedda in Pagliacci during her inaugural season as the company’s leader. Additional engagements this season include Beatriz in Rappaccini’s Daughter with Opera Columbus and Violetta in La traviata with Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera.

Engagements of note for the 2024-2025 season included Micaela with Amarillo Opera, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly with Opera Southwest, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Las Vegas, Violetta in La traviata with Opera Idaho, and Mimì in La bohème with Opera Tampa. On the concert stage, López sang the soprano solos in a Spanish-language Messiah with Opera Southwest and headlined a Christmas concert with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

Ms. Lopez began the 2023-2024 season with an exciting and varied series of assignments as a performer and public speaker, including a number of Keynote addresses for groups such as the Idaho Hispanic Youth Leadership Summit and recital programs with Opera Orlando (¡México Canta!) and Opera Southwest (Mariposa Que Vuela). Additional engagements for that season included a highly anticipated return to Florida Grand Opera as Violetta, a role début with Opera Orlando as the titular Frida, a role debut with Opera Idaho as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Micaela in Carmen with Opera Southwest, and concert appearances with Opera Idaho for their Opera in the Park series and the Vancouver (WA) Symphony Orchestra for aprogram honoring Leonard Bernstein.

Highlights of Ms. Lopez’ 2022-2023 season included “Celebrando a Mexico” with Opera Idaho, débuts with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, a Violetta cover assignment and student performances with Houston Grand Opera, a role début of Rusalka with Opera Idaho, a recital with pianist Nathan Salazar in Rupert, Idaho, a keynote speaker engagement for the Idaho Women’s RefresHER Conference, and a reprisal the role of Desdemona in Rossini’s Otello in her Central City Opera début.

Ms. López’ 2021-2022 season included several engagements ranging from opera performances to keynote speaking. Appearances included: Hanna Glawari in Opera Idaho’s production of The Merry Widow; soprano soloist in Opera Idaho’s “Opera in the Park” concert and Handel’s Messiah with the Boise Philharmonic, and a return engagement with Pacific Symphony for Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. Cecilia also returned to Opera Orlando, where she reprised Violetta in their production of La Traviata and Virginia Opera, where she débuted the role of Beatrice in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers.

Despite the halting effects of COVID-19 in the opera industry, Ms. López’ 2020-2021 season included both virtual and live recitals with Opera Idaho, Opera Las Vegas, Austin Opera, Opera Southwest, Chatter ABQ, Opera America, Madison Opera and Opera Colorado. Ms. López was also a featured soprano soloist in the world premiere of Mi Camino, a virtual project with Opera Cultura, and made her company début with Pacific Symphony singing Violetta in their virtual production of La traviata. Ms. López also presented virtual Masterclasses with UC Boulder and The University of Montana.

In prior seasons, Ms. López also made several role débuts including her critically acclaimed interpretation of Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Idaho, Virginia Opera and Opera Las Vegas, the title role in Massenet’s Manon with Opera Idaho, Nedda in I pagliacci with Opera Colorado, Desdemona in Rossini’s Otello with LoftOpera, Maria in West Side Story with Oapera Idaho, Marguerite in Faust with Opera Omaha, Mimì in La bohème with Opera Orlando, Rosalba in Florencia en el Amazonas with Florida Grand Opera, Beatrice Russo in Il Postino with Opera Southwest and Opera Saratoga, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, and Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Tampa, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow with Opera Saratoga, Lucy in Fellow Travelers with Prototype Opera Festival, the title role of Suor Angelica with Opera San Luis Obispo, Magda in La rondine with Skylark Opera Theatre, Gilda in Rigoletto with Opera Idaho, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Opera Tampa and Opera Las Vegas. In addition to these débuts, she reprised the role of Micaëla in Carmen with Madison Opera and joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera in their 2015 production of The Merry Widow. Previous concert performances include Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and selections from Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne with the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, and Rutter’s Mass of the Children with the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society. Additionally, Ms. López has performed as a soloist at the reopening of the Idaho Museum of Natural History gala, various Christmas concerts with Madison Symphony, and as a featured soloist in concerts with the Boise Philharmonic, Austin Opera, and the Bard SummerScape Music Festival. 

Soprano Toni Marie Palmertree has become recognized as one of America’s most riveting performers of Puccini and Verdi heroines. She has been heard on the stage of San Francisco Opera in the title role of Madama Butterfly; of her performance, Janos Gereben from San Francisco Classical Voice wrote: “The young soprano not only met the challenge, but she claimed her place among the finest vocal interpreters of the role heard here recently.” Other roles at San Francisco Opera include Nedda in I Pagliacci and Liù in Turandot. She also made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut during the 2019-20 season, stepping into the title role of Luisa Miller for an indisposed colleague.

Planned engagements for the 2025-2026 season include a recital for Gradus ad Parnassum, a Valentine’s Day Concert with the Reading Symphony Orchestra, a return to OperaDelaware for a role debut of Maddalena in Andrea Chénier, soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth with the Seattle Symphony, and a return to The Metropolitan Opera to sing the role of Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly.

Ms. Palmertree’s 2024-2025 season included covering Tosca with The Metropolitan Opera and singing the same role with the Princeton Festival, performing Mimi in La bohème with OperaDelaware and Opera Baltimore, and covering Amelia in Un ballo in maschera with San Francisco Opera. Ms. Palmertree also participated in a number of recitals and programs with OperaDelaware throughout that season as one of their inaugural Company Artists.

Engagements during the 2023-2024 season included Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly with both West Bay Opera and with Lakeland Opera and an Arizona Opera house and role debut as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. The previous season, Palmertree sang the role of Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly at Palm Beach Opera and the title role of Tosca at Florida Grand Opera. At the Metropolitan Opera, she performed the role of Voce dal cielo (house debut) and covered the roles of Elisabeth de Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlo and the title role of Cherubini’s Medea (which she would go on to cover for the Canadian Opera Company, as well). Further recent performances included Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with OperaDelaware, Nedda in I Pagliacci in her return to Festival Opera New Zealand, Carmina Burana with Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Reno Philharmonic.

In the 2018-2019 season, Toni Marie sang in The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductor’s concert and made debuts in the title role of Tosca with the Reading Symphony Orchestra and in Verdi’s Requiem with New Mexico Symphony and Allentown Symphony. Additionally, she joined the Sacramento Philharmonic for a concert of operatic debuts with tenor Dimitri Pittas and covered the title role of Tosca for The Philadelphia Orchestra under Music Director Yannick Nézét-Seguin. Other recent performances include Giorgetta in Il tabarro and the title role in Suor Angelica for West Bay Opera’s production of Puccini’s Il trittico, and a recital performance with pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg in Berkeley, CA.

A 2015 participant of the Merola Opera Program, Toni Marie is also a recent recipient of the The Richard F. Gold Career Grant by the Shoshana Foundation. She is proud to hold many awards including winner of The Metropolitan Opera National Council District Awards, finalist in The International Moniuszko Voice Competition, and The Classical Singer Voice Competition. She took First place in the Long Leaf Opera of North Carolina Voice Competition, The Kennett Square Symphony Voice Competition, and The Marcella Sembrich Competition. She was awarded third place in the National Opera Association Voice Competition and the James Parkinson Opera Competition and was second place winner of the Sylvia Green Voice Competition. Toni Marie is a graduate of the Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera.

American soprano Amanda Sheriff has been celebrated for her luminous voice, compelling stage presence, and versatility across genres spanning the classic operatic repertoire, contemporary classical works, and musical theater.

Planned engagements for the 2026-2027 season include reprising the role of Beatrice in Three Decembers with Opera Grand Rapids, appearing as soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, making a Carnegie Hall debut as soprano soloist in Schubert’s Mass in G Major, and a Tulsa Opera debut as Despina in Così fan tutte.

2025–26 season highlights included Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro with The Atlanta Opera, a musical theater debut as Sarah in Ragtime with Opera Montana, and a return to Opera Baltimore as Yniold in Pelléas et Mélisande. She also covered the role of Catherine in the world premiere of Suddenly Last Summer, a new opera presented at Bard SummerScape.

Other recent engagements include Musetta in La Bohème with Opera Montana, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro with The Atlanta Opera, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Jess in The Listeners with Opera Philadelphia, Satirino/L’Eternità in La Calisto at The Glimmerglass Festival, and soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra.

The First Prize winner of the 2022 Lotte Lenya Competition, Sheriff is an alumna of The Atlanta Opera‘s Studio Artist Program and The Glimmerglass Festival Young Artist Program. She has appeared with Opera Philadelphia, The Atlanta Opera, Opera Montana, Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Opera Baltimore, Des Moines Metro Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Delaware, Seagle Music Colony, and Bard SummerScape.

American soprano Tiffany Townsend has been praised for her “powerhouse soprano and expressive presence” (The Wall Street Journal) and “rich voice and interpretive talent” (Bachtrack). The recipient of the prestigious 2021 Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, Ms. Townsend’s 2026-2027 season kicks off with a return to Opera Philadelphia, where she debuts the title role in Aida in a new production from director Kaneza Schaal and visual artist Christopher Myers. The event marks the return of Verdi’s masterpiece to the Academy of Music in over two decades. 2025-2026 season highlights included performances of Crash Out Queens: A Tiffany Townsend Recital in collaboration with Long Beach Opera, A Night for Romance with Folsom Lake Symphony, and a debut with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem.

The 2024-2025 season held a series of notable debuts for Townsend, including a role debut as America Robinson in Tazwell Thompson’s production of Jubilee with Seattle Opera. (The artist also covered the title role in Puccini’s Tosca with the company that season.) Additional season highlights included Lady Macbeth in Verismo Opera‘s Tomorrow and Tomorrow (based on Verdi’s Macbeth), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Missouri Symphony, and Verdi’s Requiem with the Oakland Symphony.

Ms. Townsend returned twice to LA Opera during the 2023-2024 season, singing First Playmate in Der Zwerg and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (Parterre Box applauded the soprano for her “very solid technique with surprisingly clean separation on her fioritura”. She also joined Seattle Opera that season as a Resident Artist, covering Nedda in Pagliacci, and returned to Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist, singing Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and soprano soloist in George Walker’s Lilacs, a piece which she also performed with the New Jersey Symphony.

A former LA Opera Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist, Townsend’s roles with the company include Ines/Leonora cover (Il Trovatore), Desdemona cover (Otello), Julie cover (Omar), and a celebrated debut as Léontine in The Anonymous Lover. In past seasons, she has performed with companies including Opera Philadelphia, Des Moines Metro Opera, Long Beach Opera, and Opera Grand Rapids, among others. On the concert stage, the artist has enjoyed frequent performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Verdi’s Requiem, Walker’s Lilacs, Faure’s Réquiem, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and Strauss’ Four Last Songs with organizations including Wolf Trap Opera, Artosphere Festival, Bakersfield Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, NOI+, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She is an avid recitalist and continues to devise exciting and collaborative programs, most recently in partnership with Long Beach Opera.

A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Townsend holds a Professional Studies Certificate in Opera from Curtis Institute of Music, a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Millsaps College.

American mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook has excelled in a wide range of roles with leading companies throughout the United States. Of her performance as the title character in Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne, Opera Today wrote that “to say that Ms. Cook was a revelation is an understatement, since she stamped the part as her own, and experienced a triumph for her sensational performance….Ms. Cook is possessed of a round mezzo tone of great beauty, admirable control and potent power in all ranges and at any volume.”

Ms. Cook’s 2025-26 season includes the west coast premiere of the song cycle “Crossing Borders” by Jake Heggie with Music of Remembrance, Dead Man Walking with San Francisco Opera (where she will cover the role of Mrs. DeRocher), a return to The Metropolitan Opera for their production of Innocence by Kaija Saariaho, and Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia with San Francisco Opera.

During the 2024-25 season, Catherine returned to Opera Colorado to sing the Marquise in La Fille du Regiment, made her debut with Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera as Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana, and made a role debut as Mama in Harvey Milk Reimagined with Opera Paralléle. Her engagements for the 2023-2024 season included the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Champion, and San Francisco Opera for Innocence. During the 2022-23 season, Cook returned to Opera Colorado as Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana and debuted the role of Mère Jeanne in Dialogues of the Carmelites for San Francisco Opera’s Centennial Season. In November of 2022, Cook was awarded the San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Opera Medal—the company’s highest honor—in acknowledgment of her 31 years of performance with the company. She also appeared alongside David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, as Guest Soloist for the Golden Gate Youth Orchestra’s 60th Anniversary Concert. Her engagements during the 2020-21 season included a return to San Francisco Opera as Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Drive-In and a digital project with Opera Colorado titled “April in Paris,” curated by director David Lefkowich.

Past seasons featured returns to San Francisco Opera as Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro and to Opera Parallèle as Julia Child in Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appétit! which she reprised at the Sun Valley Music Festival. Other career highlights include Mother Bailey in Jake Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life with San Francisco Opera, Death in the world premiere of Tom Cipullo’s The Parting with Music of Remembrance in Seattle, The Metropolitan Opera’s production of Thomas Adès’ critically acclaimed opera The Exterminating Angel as Camila, and The Innkeeper in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov with the San Francisco Symphony, with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting.

Ms. Cook has been recognized as “San Francisco Opera’s go-to-choice” for a wide range of roles (San Francisco Chronicle), with recent highlights as the title role in Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne; La Frugola in Il tabarro; Mrs. McLean in Floyd’s Susannah; and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro. Other company highlights include Arlene Kamen and Wang Tai Tai in the world premiere of Wallace’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter; Jade Boucher in the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, which was recorded and released by ERATO; Annina in Der Rosenkavalier, and Mother Goose in The Rake’s Progress.

Additional previous engagements include Marthe in Faust and Glasa in Kát’a Kabanová with The Metropolitan Opera; Ježibaba in Rusalka with Opera Colorado; Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro and Tisbe in La Cenerentola with Houston Grand Opera; The Witch in Hänsel und Gretel and a recital with San Francisco Symphony; Older Woman in Jonathan Dove’s Flight with Opera Parallèle; Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd with Mill City Summer Opera; and two world premieres with Music of Remembrance: Zosha in Heggie’s Out of Darkness and Gertrude Stein in Cipullo’s After Life, as well as a reprise of the latter with Urban Arias.

Cook can be heard in the world premiere recordings of After Life and The Parting, both released by Naxos, and as the alto soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Cincinnati Philharmonia Orchestra, released by Centaur Records. Her discography also includes the world premiere recording of Dead Man Walking with San Francisco Opera on Erato/Warner Classics, conducted by Patrick Summers.

Ms. Cook was a participant of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Adler Fellowship and Merola Opera Program. She is a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions as well as the Merola Chicago Regional Auditions Yoder Award. Ms. Cook holds a Master of Music degree from Wichita State University and an Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, where she won the Norman Treigle Award in their Corbett Competition. She has received Outstanding Alumni awards from both Millikin University and Wichita State University.

Catherine Cook is a Professor of Voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Praised by the Chicago Tribune for her “firmly knit tone from top to bottom of an imposingly wide range,” American mezzo-soprano Jill Grove’s 2025-26 season includes the Witch in Hänsel und Gretel with Grand Teton Music Festival, Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria rusticana with Opera San José, a return to The Metropolitan Opera to cover the role of Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin, and Madeline in Three Decembers with Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera.

Ms. Grove’s 2024-2025 season included Ježibaba in Rusalka with Wichita Grand Opera and assignments with The Metropolitan Operaincluding covers of Die Amme in Die Frau ohne Schatten and Herodias in Salome, and sung performances of the Governess in Pique Dame. She also returned to Des Moines Metro Opera for the Forester’s Wife in The Cunning Little Vixen.

The artist’s 2023-2024 season saw a return to the role of Klytämnestra in Elektra with The Dallas Opera, Fricka in Das Rheingold with Calgary Opera, Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Gertrude in Roméo et Juliette with Washington National Opera. During the previous season, she returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Witch in Hansel und Gretel and made her Portland Opera debut as Ježibaba in Rusalka.

Other recent engagements of note include Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music with Arizona Opera, a return to The Metropolitan Opera for their productions of Elektra and The Rake’s Progress, the Governess in Pique Dame at both The Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, Klytämnestra in Elektra with Minnesota Opera, the Fortune Teller in Arabella and Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria rusticana with San Francisco Opera, First Maid in Elektra with the Canadian Opera Company, and performances of Verdi’s Requiem with the Calgary Philharmonic.

Ms. Grove is a frequent guest at Lyric Opera of Chicago, having sung previous performances of Marthe in Faust, Ježibaba in Rusalka, Filippyevna in Eugene Onegin, Klytämnestra in Elektra, Margret in Wozzeck, the Witch in Hansel und Gretel, Die Amme in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Amneris in Aida, Erda in Götterdämmerung, Countess Geschwitz in Lulu, and Reginal Segla in the world premiere of Wlad Marhulet’s The Property as part of the inaugural season of Lyric Unlimited. At The Metropolitan Opera, her performances have included Erda in Siegfried and Das Rheingold, Magdalene in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Madelon in Andrea Chénier, Pantalis in Mefistofele, Emila in Otello, Mary in Der fliegende Holländer, Auntie in Peter Grimes, die Muschel in Die ägyptische Helena, and Cornelia in Giulio Cesare.

Other past performances include Ježibaba in Rusalka with Des Moines Metro Opera; Klytämnestra in Elektra with Michigan Opera Theatre; Auntie in Peter Grimes with Canadian Opera Company; Ježibaba in Rusalka and First Maid in Elektra with Houston Grand Opera; Buryja in Jenůfa, Madelon in Andrea Chénier and Jenny Reefer in Thompson’s The Mother of Us All at San Francisco Opera; Dame Quickly in Falstaff, Muschel in Die ägyptische Helena, Florence Pike in Albert Herring, Ursule in Béatrice et Bénédict, and Antonia’s Mother in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Santa Fe Opera; Erda in Siegfried, Nutrice in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and Zita in Gianni Schicchi at Los Angeles Opera; Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress with Pittsburgh Opera and Utah Opera; Amneris in Aida with the Canadian Opera Company and New Orleans Opera; Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera with San Diego Opera; and the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas with Philharmonia Baroque. In Europe, Ms. Grove has performed the role of Haushälterin in Die schweigsame Frau with Théâtre du Châtelet; Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera with Welsh National Opera and Teatro Carlo Felice; and Erda in Siegfried and the First Norn in Götterdämmerung with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich under the baton of Kent Nagano.

A sought-after concert soloist, Ms. Grove has joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Utah Symphony, Houston Symphony, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, and Santa Fe Symphony for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She has sung Verdi’s Requiem with the Toronto Symphony under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis, Tucson Symphony, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, and Calgary Philharmonic; Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the Houston Symphony under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Mariss Jansons conducting; Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with the National Symphony under the baton of Hans Graf; Maria Aegyptiaca in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas and the Houston Symphony with Eschenbach, Bergen Philharmonic, and the Norddeutsche Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester under the baton of Eschenbach; Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass and Elgar’s The Kingdom at the Grant Park Music Festival; Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with the Jacksonville Symphony; Handel’s Messiah with the Toronto Symphony under the batons of Nicolas McGegan and Sir Andrew Davis and with the National Arts Centre Orchestra under the baton of Trevor Pinnock; Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Minnesota Orchestra; Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony with The Orchestra NOW; Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody with the American Classical Orchestra; and Verdi’s Requiem with the Dallas Symphony conducted by Jaap van Zweden.

Ms. Grove’s recordings include Ulrica on a Chandos recording of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, Auntie in Peter Grimes on the London Symphony Orchestra Live label with Sir Colin Davis and in a new production by John Doyle at The Metropolitan Opera (available on EMI DVD), Magdalene in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under the baton of James Levine and issued on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon, as well as the Muschel in Strauss’s Die ägyptische Helena with the American Symphony Orchestra on Teldec. As a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, she sang Tisbe in La cenerentola opposite Cecilia Bartoli, which was released by Decca/London.

Grove is the winner of the 2003 ARIA award, a 2001 Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grant, a 1999 George London Foundation Career Grant, a 1997 Sullivan Foundation Career Grant, a 1996 winner of The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a 1996 recipient of a Richard Tucker Foundation Study Grant, and a 1995 recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant. She was a member of the Merola Program at San Francisco Opera and the Houston Grand Opera Studio and attended the Music Academy of the West, the New England Conservatory, and Stephen F. Austin State University. She received a Distinguished Alumna Award from the latter university in 2006.

Photography by Captivated Photography & Design.