Presenting the Merola Artists for 2011
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Peixin Chen bass
HOMETOWN: Hu Lun Bei Er, Inner Mongolia, China
MEROLA ROLES: Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
SCHOOLS & YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Central
Conservatory of Music, Beijing
TEACHERS: Li XinChang
MAJOR ROLES: Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Pubblio (La clemenza di Tito); Zuniga (Carmen); Barone (La Traviata); Colline (La Bohème); Benoit (La Bohème); The King (Le roi d’Ys); The Emperor (Tea: A Mirror of Soul)
UPCOMING: National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing—Angelotti (Tosca) and Zuniga (Carmen)
INTERESTS: Computers, basketball |
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Timothy Cheung apprentice coach
HOMETOWN: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: University of Western Ontario; Music Academy of the West; Canadian Operatic Arts Academy
TEACHERS: John Hess, Geoffrey Moull, James Anagnoson, Leslie Kinton, Torin Chiles, Carolyn Herrington
COACHING EXPERIENCE: Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Little Women
UPCOMING: Canadian Opera Company Ensemble
INTERESTS: Eating, board games, traveling, puns |
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Ragnar Conde apprentice stage director
HOMETOWN: Mexico City, Mexico
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Campus Azcapotzalco; Casa del Teatro; SIVAM; Artescénica Opera Program; Vincent Van Gogh Art School; Urika Dance Studio
TEACHERS: José Caballero, Luis de Tavira, Rogelio Luévano, Peter Webster, Fabrizio Merlano, Jorge Vargas, Nora Manneck
DIRECTING EXPERIENCE: L’enfant et les Sortilèges, Les contes d’Hoffmann, Suor Angelica, Il Segreto di Susanna, El Rey Poeta, Don Pasquale, La Bohème, Agamenón, Le nozze di Figaro, Pagliacci, Hänsel und Gretel, Gianni Schicchi, Carmen
UPCOMING: Feature film “Seven years married”; Dido and Aeneas; La vida breve
INTERESTS: Swimming, yoga, reading, painting, travel
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Daniel Curran tenor
HOMETOWN: Blackfoot, Idaho
MEROLA ROLES: Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia) SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Chapman University Conservatory of Music; The Juilliard School; Opera North
TEACHERS: Patrick Goeser, Dr. Robert C. White, Jr.
MAJOR ROLES: Tamino (Die Zauberflöte); Albert Herring (Albert Herring); Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi); First Commissioner (Dialogues des Carmélites); The Hunter (Transformations); Arnalta (L’incoronazione di Poppea); Gonzalve (L’heure Espagnole)
INTERESTS: Playing jazz piano, writing, drawing
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Mark Diamond baritone
HOMETOWN: Augusta, Georgia
MEROLA ROLE: Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: University of
Cincinnati–College Conservatory of Music; Glimmer-glass Opera, Young American Artists Program; Aspen Opera Theater Center; Georgia Southern University
TEACHERS: Bill McGraw, Dr. Allen Henderson
MAJOR ROLES: Top (The Tender Land); Count
Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro); Bob (The Old Maid and the Thief); Damis (Tartuffe); Dr. Gregg (Gallantry)
UPCOMING: Houston Grand Opera: Fiorello (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Second Prisoner (Fidelio), Marchese d’Obigny (La Traviata), Royal Herald (Don Carlos)
INTERESTS: Ultimate Frisbee, mountain biking,
wakeboarding, video games |
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GuoDong Feng baritone
HOMETOWN: Yangjiang, Guangdong, China
MEROLA ROLE: Schwabacher Summer Concert: Rodrigo (Don Carlo)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Central
Conservatory of Music, China; Carlo Bergonzi Music Senior Class
TEACHERS: Guo Shuzhen
MAJOR ROLES: Germont (La Traviata); Papageno (Die Zauberflöte); Sharpless (Madama Butterfly);
Onegin (Eugene Onegin); Morales (Carmen)
INTERESTS: Football
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Marina Boudart Harris soprano
HOMETOWN: Whittier, California
MEROLA ROLE: Schwabacher Summer Concert: Tatiana (Eugene Onegin)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music; California State University, Long Beach; Music Academy of the West
TEACHERS: Shigemi Matsumoto, Marvellee
Cariaga, Marilyn Horne, Fred Carama
MAJOR ROLES: Arminda (La finta giardiniera); Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos); Donna Anna (Don Giovanni); Agathe (Der Freischütz); Lisa (Pique Dame)
INTERESTS: Shopping, video games, writing, playing the guitar, spending time with friends
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Heath Huberg tenor
HOMETOWN: Milford, Iowa
MEROLA ROLE: Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Simpson College; New England Conservatory of Music; Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice Artist Program; Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program for Singers; Sarasota Opera Studio; Utah Symphony and Opera Ensemble
TEACHERS: Maria DiPalma, Edward Zambara, Robert Breault
MAJOR ROLES: Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni); Tamino (Die Zauberflöte); Ferrando (Così fan tutte); Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi); Laurie (Little Women); Giles Corey (The Crucible); Orpheus (Orpheus in the Underworld); Beppe (Pagliacci); Delil (Giovanna d’Arco); Prior of Milan (I Lombardi); Second Soldier (Life is a Dream)
INTERESTS: Hiking, skiing, golf, the great outdoors, travel |
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Joo Won Kang baritone
HOMETOWN: Seoul, South Korea
MEROLA ROLES: Schwabacher Summer Concert: Frate (Don Carlo), Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), Rigoletto (Rigoletto), Gremin (Eugene Onegin)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Yonsei University; Manhattan School of Music
TEACHERS: Mark Oswald
MAJOR ROLES: Rigoletto (Rigoletto); Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro); Marcello (La Bohème)
INTERESTS: Cooking, photography
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Suchan Kim baritone
HOMETOWN: Busan, South Korea
MEROLA ROLES: Schwabacher Summer Concert: Lorenzo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Onegin (Eugene Onegin)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Korea
National University of Arts; Mannes College for Music
TEACHERS: Arthur Levy, Ung-Kyun Lim
MAJOR ROLES: Leporello (Don Giovanni); Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro); Guglielmo (Così fan tutte); Marullo (Rigoletto); Marcello (La Bohème)
UPCOMING: Mannes Opera—Ford (Falstaff)
INTERESTS: Exercise |
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Laura Krumm mezzo-soprano
HOMETOWN: Iowa City, Iowa
MEROLA ROLES: Schwabacher Summer Concert:
Romeo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Giovanna (Rigoletto)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: University of North Texas; Luther College; OperaWorks; La Musica Lirica
TEACHERS: Linda DiFiore, Inci Bashar, David Judisch
MAJOR ROLES: Charlotte (Werther); Sesto (La clemenza di Tito); Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro); Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus); Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte)
INTERESTS: Cooking, eating, travel, accessorizing, yoga, dark beer |
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Adam Lau bass
HOMETOWN: San Francisco, California
MEROLA ROLE: Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Whitman College; Rice University Shepherd School of Music; Music Academy of the West; Aspen Opera Theater Center; Janiec Opera Company; Symphony and Opera Academy of the Pacific
TEACHERS: Richard Bado, Deborah Birnbaum, Sheri Greenawald, Dr. Stepehen King, Grant Loehnig, Marcie Stapp
MAJOR ROLES: Timur (Turandot); Bartolo (Il barbiere di Siviglia); Leporello (Don Giovanni); Masetto (Don Giovanni); Simone (Gianni Schicchi); Poeta (Viva la Mamma!); Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro)
INTERESTS: Dancing, exploring new cuisines, going to the beach, learning languages, reading, spending time with family, tennis, working out |
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John Maynard baritone
HOMETOWN: Orinda, California
MEROLA ROLE: Bartolo (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS:University of California, Berkeley; New England Conservatory of Music; Opera North Young Artist Program
TEACHERS: Pamela Hicks, Erie Mills, Mark St. Laurent, Michael Corvino
MAJOR ROLES: Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi);
Bartolo (Il barbiere di Siviglia); Leporello (Don Giovanni); Shaklovity (Khovanshchina); Sam (Trouble in Tahiti)
INTERESTS: Writing translations and original libretti for operatic and concert performances, composition for solo piano, vegan cooking |
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Jonathan Michie baritone
HOMETOWN: Rochester, New York
MEROLA ROLE: Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program for Singers; Florida Grand Opera’s Young Artist Studio; Ravinia Festival; Chautauqua Opera; Opera Saratoga; Eastman School of Music
TEACHERS: Carol Webber, Mira Zakai, John Keene, Thomas Muraco
MAJOR ROLES: The Vicar (Albert Herring); Ping
(Turandot); Anthony (Sweeney Todd); Dancairo
(Carmen); Masetto (Don Giovanni); Danilo (The Merry Widow); Pandolfe (Cendrillon); John Wilkes Booth (Assassins); Bobby (Company)
UPCOMING: Los Angeles Opera: The Vicar (Albert Herring); Florida Grand Opera: Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette); Slovenian Philharmonic: Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn
INTERESTS: Travel, cooking, working out |
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Robert Mollicone apprentice coach
HOMETOWN: East Greenwich, Rhode Island
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Boston University; Washington National Opera
TEACHERS: Shiela Kibbe, Marie Clodes
COACHING EXPERIENCE: Tosca, Don Pasquale, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte
INTERESTS: Cooking, running |
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Deborah Nansteel mezzo-soprano
HOMETOWN: Havelock, North Carolina
MEROLA ROLE: Schwabacher Summer Concert: Eboli (Don Carlo)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: University of Cincinnati–College Conservatory of Music; East Carolina University; Music Academy of the West; American Institute of Musical Studies, Austria
TEACHERS: Barbara Paver, Louise Toppin
MAJOR ROLES: Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites); Lily/Strawberry Woman (Porgy and Bess); Marthe (Faust); Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia); Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia); Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro)
INTERESTS: Playing cards and board games, shooting pool, swimming, watching movies, sewing, Sudoku puzzles |
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Cooper Nolan tenor
HOMETOWN: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
MEROLA ROLES: Schwabacher Summer Concert: Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Il Duca (Rigoletto)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS:Manhattan School of Music; University of Florida; Institute for Young Dramatic Voices
TEACHERS: Ashley Putnam, Dona Vaughn, Warren Jones, Tom Muraco, Dolora Zajick, Anthony Manoli, Elizabeth Graham, Ronald Burrichter
MAJOR ROLES: Pinkerton Ulysse (Pénélope); Il Duca (Rigoletto); Paco (La vida breve)
INTERESTS: Playing jazz piano and electric bass, reading, traveling |
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Ana María Otamendi apprentice coach
HOMETOWN: Caracas, Venezuela
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: University of Michigan; University of South Carolina; University of Wisconsin
TEACHERS: Martin Katz, Marina Lomazov,
Judit Jaimes, Alejandro Slobodianik
COACHING EXPERIENCE: Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Suor Angelica
UPCOMING: Houston Grand Opera Young Artist Program; Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra, soloist
INTERESTS: Traveling, reading, yoga |
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Scott Quinn tenor
HOMETOWN: Marshall, Texas
MEROLA ROLES: Schwabacher Summer Concert: Don Carlo (Don Carlo)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Stephen F. Austin State University; Dallas Opera Young Artists Program
TEACHERS: David Jones
MAJOR ROLES: Tamino (Die Zauberflöte); Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore); Martin (The Tender Land); Frederic (The Pirates of Penzance)
UPCOMING: Dallas Opera - Normanno (Lucia di Lammermoor); Houston Grand Opera Studio
INTERESTS: Sports, hunting, fishing, golfing |
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Renee Rapier mezzo-soprano
HOMETOWN: Marion, Iowa
MEROLA ROLE: Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: University of Northern Iowa; Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute; Chautauqua Opera; Merola Opera Program 2010
TEACHERS: Jean McDonald
MAJOR ROLES: Rebecca Nurse (The Crucible), Maurya (Riders to the Sea), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus)INTERESTS: Cooking, yoga, good wine, good coffee, documentaries |
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SUZANNE RIGDEN soprano
HOMETOWN: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
MEROLA ROLE:Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Memorial University of Newfoundland; University of British Columbia; Atelier Lyrique de L’Opéra de Montréal
TEACHERS: Sylvie Verret, Anna Skibinksy, Gerald
Martin Moore, Nancy Hermiston, Caroline Schiller
MAJOR ROLES: Sophie (Werther); Marie (La fille du régiment); Frasquita (Carmen); Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel); Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream); Tatiyana Blavenskeya (The Dream Healer); Papagena (Die Zauberflöte); Gertrude (Nelligan)
UPCOMING: Jeunesse Musicales du Canada—Frasquita (Carmen); Chants Libres—Belle Étoile
(La Féerie) ARIAS concert
INTERESTS: Salsa dancing, playing soccer, running, yoga, rock climbing, hiking, jigsaw puzzles, knitting |
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Philippe Sly bass-baritone
HOMETOWN: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
MEROLA ROLE: Bartolo (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: McGill
University; The Banff Centre’s “Opera as Theatre”; Schubert Institut
TEACHERS: Sanford Sylvan
MAJOR ROLES: Marcello (La Bohème); Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress); Collatinus (The Rape of Lucretia); Escamillo (Tragedie de Carmen)
INTERESTS: Extravagant cooking, sculpting, kayaking, hiking |
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Clinton Smith apprentice coach
HOMETOWN: Lake Jackson, Texas
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Minnesota Opera; Glimmerglass Opera, Young American Artists Program; University of Michigan; University of Texas at Austin
TEACHERS: Kenneth Kiesler, Martin Katz, Peter Bay, Dale Johnson
COACHING EXPERIENCE: La Bohème, Wuthering Heights, La Traviata, Maria Stuarda, La Cenerentola, Orfeo ed Euridice, Tolomeo, The Tender Land, Madama Butterfly, Le nozze di Figaro, Faust, Salomé, Les Pêcheurs de perles, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Il trovatore, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, The Adventures of Pinocchio, La belle Hélène, The Bartered Bride, Roberto Devereux, Casanova’s Homecoming, La Périchole, La Vie Parisienne, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, Patience, The Sorcerer, The Yeomen of the Guard
UPCOMING: Werther, Madama Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, Silent Night, Così fan tutte
INTERESTS: Travel, languages, politics, food |
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Xi Wang soprano
HOMETOWN: Zhengzhou, China
MEROLA ROLE: Schwabacher Summer Concert: Gilda (Rigoletto)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Glimmerglass Opera; Young American Artists Program; University of Cincinnati–College Conservatory of Music; San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Brenau University
TEACHERS: Barbara Paver, Pamela Fry, Robin Guarino, Marie-France Lefebvre, Nic Muni, Terry Lusk, Kathryn Cathcart
MAJOR ROLES: Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro); Liu (Turandot); Shepherd (Tosca); Lucia (The Rape of Lucretia); Serpina (La serva Padrona); Pamina (Die Zauberflöte)
INTERESTS: Movies, cooking, travel |
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Elizabeth Zharoff soprano
HOMETOWN: Wenatchee, Washington
MEROLA ROLE: Schwabacher Summer Concert: Giulietta (I Capuleti e i Montecchi)
SCHOOLS &YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS: Curtis Institute of Music; Oberlin Conservatory; Gerdine Young Artist
TEACHERS: Marlena Malas, Daune Mahy, Leslie McEwen
MAJOR ROLES: Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail); Vixen (The Cunning Little Vixen); Anne Trulove (The Rake’s Progress); Amina (La Sonnambula)
UPCOMING: Philadelphia Opera—Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte)
INTERESTS: Swing dancing, blues dancing
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