Emily Hindrichs, soprano, is emerging as one of the important coloratura sopranos of our time. In the spring 2009, she made her English National Opera debut in Die Zauberflöte as Queen of the Night, and will reprise the role at the New Orleans Opera in 2010, at the Seattle Opera in 2011 and in her Oper Frankfurt debut in 2012. She will also perform on tour Bach’s B minor mass with L’Ensemble Médical at the St. Markus Church in Munich, St. Paul’s Cathedral in Boston, Carnegie Hall, and in Washington DC to benefit Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health.
Noted engagements from the past two seasons include a return to the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program as a guest artist to perform Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, her debut with Gotham Chamber Opera in NYC covering Flaminia in Haydn's Il Mondo Della Luna, and in concert, Strauss’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme with the Seattle Symphony, Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with Musica Sacra in Boston, Schoenberg’s Herzgewächse with Emmanuel Music in Boston, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Tenebrae as part of the Music of Remembrance series at Nordstrom Hall in Seattle.
Additional concert engagements include Mrs. Nordstrom in A Little Night Music at Tanglewood with the Boston Pops, the premiere of John Harbison’s Milosz Songs with the New England Conservatory Contemporary Ensemble, Mozart arias with the Seattle Philharmonic, Handel’s Jephtha and Bach’s Johannespassion at the International Bachakademie in Stuttgart, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theatre, Britten’s Les Illuminations at the Europäisches Musikfest in Stuttgart, and Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Cantata 140 at the Trinity Church in Boston.
While a member of the Seattle Opera Young Artists Program, she performed the title role in Rita, Feu/Princesse/Rossignol in L’enfant et les Sortilèges and Lauretta/Nella in Gianni Schicchi. At the New England Conservatory, she performed Elle in La Voix Humaine, Therese in The Breasts of Tirésias and Amy in Little Women. Other recent engagements include the Flier in the Amelia workshop at Seattle Opera with composer Daron Hagen and director Stephen Wadsworth, Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute with the Syracuse Opera, Norina in Don Pasquale with Opera Providence, Gilda in Rigoletto with La Musica Lirica, and Madame Lidoine in Dialogues des Carmélites at Indiana University.
Ms. Hindrichs was the recipient of a 2009 Sullivan Foundation Award, won first place in the Les Azuriales Opera Competition in France, and was awarded 2nd place in the Washington International Competition. Of her performance, the Washington Post said, “Emily Hindrichs…offered works by Ravel, Richard Strauss, Handel and Verdi. To this taste, she had the finest voice of the contestants – firm, full, lustrous, agile and distinctive…her personal charm, her sure sense of pitch, and her refusal to indulge in the inane birdy mimesis that so often passes for coloratura singing were strong attributes.” Ms. Hindrichs has a Bachelor of Music and Masters in Music from the University of Southern Mississippi, a M.A. in Musicology from the University of Exeter (U.K.), and a D.M.A. in vocal performance from New England Conservatory.
The Dramatic:
Maryann Kyle, soprano, has sung leading roles with the Mississippi Opera, Chattanooga Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, the Southern Arts Festival Opera, the University of Illinois, East Tennessee Opera, LSU Opera, Gulf Coast Opera, and The Opera at USM. She has shared the stage with some of world’s greatest artists including performing the role of Micaela in Carmen, opposite internationally known mezzo-soprano, Denyce Graves, as a guest soloist with The Miami Festival, opposite famed bass-baritone William Warfield, and as soprano soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Timothy Nobles and Marietta Simpson. In addition, she appeared as a soloist on the pop music stage with famed artists Patti Labelle, Patti Austin, Dionne Warwick, Ann Nesby and Vesta Williams.
While at the University of Illinois, she toured extensively with John Wustman in the Songs of Franz Schubert Recital Series. Wustman described her as “a lyric soprano of great and unusual gifts: an extremely musical singer that brings great beauty and style to all music that she performs,” and Kurt Klippstatter said that she "…possesses a beautiful soprano voice which is both expressive and technically well founded. Her combined vocal and dramatic talents make her a natural…"
In 2000, Dr. Kyle appeared as an Ensemble Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera and performed the roles of Clothilde in Norma, the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, and the Foreign Woman in The Consul.
Kyle’s most recent opera appearances include Mrs. Ford in Falstaff, Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème, and Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with the Mississippi Opera. Other major opera roles have included Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte, Violetta in La Traviata, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Lady Billows in Albert Herring, the Countess and Susannah in Le Nozze di Figaro, Micaela in Carmen, Musetta and Mimi in La Bohème, the title role in Floyd’s Susannah, the Evil Queen in the world-premiere performances of Zaninelli’s Snow White and many others.
Her involvement in collaborative efforts includes her continuing relationship with the Mississippi Arts Commission as a touring artist. Kyle and pianist Theresa Sanchez make up the duo “Bellescanto” and perform throughout the year presenting recitals and educational outreach performances. “Bellescanto” has presented several themed recitals including “A Tribute to Leontyne Price”, as well as tributes to the American Musical Theatre and American Art Song. This very active duo performs throughout the year around the region.
She is also actively involved in the professional vocal group known as the “Mississippi Vocal Arts Quartet.” This vocal ensemble performs music of all periods and styles. MVAE presents an exciting program of opera, musical theatre, vocal jazz, and classical music from the Renaissance to the 21st Century, and continues to keep a very busy performing schedule.
Kyle is currently Director of Southern Opera and Music Theatre Company’s Outreach and Workshop program and associate professor of voice at The University of Southern Mississippi. In addition, she is an artist/teacher in residence with the Operafestival di Roma and Festival Musica nas Montanhas in Brazil. She is an active member of NATS and MTNA and is a much sought after coach and teacher. Maryann Kyle’s students are actively involved in performance of both opera and musical theatre and have garnered numerous awards including state and regional Metropolitan Opera National Council audition winners, Sullivan Foundation winners, Washington International Vocal Competition, Birmingham and Lynam opera competition finalists, NATS regional and state award winners, NATS Governor’s Award winners, apprenticeships with Seattle Opera, Lake George Opera Festival, Aspen Festival, Wolf Trap, AIMS, and Operafestival di Roma. Kyle’s students have sung leading and supporting roles at the English National Opera, Tanglewood, Seattle Opera, and prestigious symphonies around the world. Her students continue to pursue their studies in major conservatories and schools including, Indiana University, San Francisco Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, and Oklahoma City University.
The Mezzo:
Lauded by the New York Times for her “emotional range,” and for her “plummy, nuanced mezzo” by Backstage, American mezzo-soprano Sarah Heltzel made her Seattle Opera debut in 2005 as Siegrune and Flosshilde in their acclaimed Der Ring des Nibelungen. Ms. Heltzel spent much of the 2004-2006 seasons with Seattle, also singing Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Miss Jessel in Britten's Turn of the Screw, as a member of the Young Artist Program. She returned to sing Siegrune in Die Walküre and Flora in Verdi’s La traviata with the company in the 2009-2010 season, as well as singing Orlofsky in Mississippi Opera’s Die Fledermaus. Engagements for the upcoming 2010-2011 season include Dryade in Toledo Opera’s Ariadne auf Naxos and Desideria in Menotti’s The Saint of Bleecker Street with Dicapo Opera Theater.
Recent appearances include her critically acclaimed performance as the Marquise de Merteuil in Susa's The Dangerous Liaisons with Dicapo Opera Theatre, the title role in Bizet's Carmen with both Tacoma Opera and Skagit Opera, Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Respighi's Il Tramonto with the Red Rocks Music Festival, and Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer for Music at Southhampton: "Sustainable Treasures." With Chautauqua Opera she has sung Cherubino, and the Monitor in Puccini's Suor Angelica. This past December Ms. Heltzel sang Messiah with Seattle Symphony, where she previously appeared as the alto soloist in Janacek's Glagolitic Mass in 2007.
Ms. Heltzel made her concert debut at Alice Tully Hall with the New York Symphonic Ensemble as the 2003 recipient of the Panasonic Harmony Award and has since performed Verdi's Requiem for the "Requiem for Darfur" benefit concert at Carnegie Hall. Additional concert engagements have included Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Handel’s Messiah; she has recently been a featured soloist with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra. Equally at home on the recital stage, Ms. Heltzel has performed numerous song recitals in the New York, Boston, and Seattle areas.
In previous seasons, Ms. Heltzel sang Candy Mallow and the Squirrel Mistress in American Lyric Theater’s workshop of Peter Ash’s The Golden Ticket. She has also sung Mère Marie in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites in Tel-Aviv with the Israel Vocal Arts Institute, and appeared as Giulietta in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and as Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther with the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Italy. At Manhattan School of Music, she performed the roles of Hermia in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Zweite Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, among others. Other credits include La Messaggiera in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and the title role of Offenbach’s The Grand Duchess of Gérolstein.
Ms. Heltzel received a 2006 Apprentice Award from Chautauqua Opera, and was an encouragement grant recipient in the 2009 and 2005 Gerda Lissner Foundation competitions. She was a winner in the 2004 Sun Valley Opera Competition as well as the 2002 Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition (Junior division). Ms. Heltzel holds a Bachelor of Music from Gordon College (MA), and both a Master of Music degree and a Professional Studies Certificate from Manhattan School of Music.
The Tenor:
Lyric tenor, Eric Margiore who was praised by Opera News for his "brilliance and style, brio and high-octane vocalism," is establishing himself as an international contender in the principal Italian bel canto and romantic tenor repertoire. The tenor is quickly becoming known for his uniquely Italianate timbre and his "American Idol looks," with a "real presence, intelligence, and level-10 intensity."
Future projects for the young tenor include him singing at the Minnesota Opera in the lead tenor role of Edgar Linton in Bernard Herrmann’s, Wuthering Heights, Alfredo in La Traviata with the Hawaii Opera Theatre, singing with the Stockton Opera in California as Rodolfo in La Boheme, and as the guest soloist in a holiday pops concert with the Stockton Symphony Orchestra and in a gala concert, Passion and Fireworks for the Mississippi Opera. Eric most recently had outstanding reviews for his singing of Alfredo in La Traviata, and the tenor soloist in Verdi's Reqiuem, with the Utah Festival Opera, and also as a soloist in concert with Marcello Giordani, for the Marcello and Friends encore series.
2009 had Mr. Margiore reprising the role of Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto with Opera Naples and he was again commended by Opera News, in his return to the Opera Theatre of St. Louis for his official company debut and role debut as Narraboth in Salome under the baton of Maestro Stephen Lord. He also sang gala concerts with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and with the Virginia Opera and he also made his debut in Asia with Opera Hong Kong in performances of Tamino in Die Zauberflote in Hong Kong and Beijing, China, with Paul Curran directing and Jari Hamalainen conducting.
The 2008 season saw Eric Margiore making his stage debut with the role of Gerald in Lakmé at Tulsa Opera. He then made his role and house debut of Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto with the Palm Beach Opera, with a reprise of the role at Opera Naples. Eric made his role and house debut with the Sarasota Opera singing Conte Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and had a further invitation to reprise this role with the Baltimore Opera. Other notable appearances include his role debut of Alfredo in La Traviata at the Shreveport Opera, Cassio in Otello with the Vero Beach Opera under the baton of Maestro Steven Crawford; and concert appearances including a musical revue at Radio City Music Hall, Mozart's Coronation Mass in his third appearance at Carnegie Hall, The World of Opera: Concert of Arias and Duets for the Vero Beach Opera, followed by a Sicilian-themed holiday solo concert with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra in Louisiana.
During the 2007 season, Eric joined the New York City Opera to make his State Theater debut in a gala concert Opera for All led by principal conductor Maestro George Manahan. As well in his debut season he was assigned to cover Le Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon. 2007 also saw Mr. Margiore's collaboration begin with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis where he covered both Arturo and Riccardo, in the Malibran version of I Puritani. While in residence with St. Louis, he was selected as a soloist for the Colin Graham Memorial Concert and had his unofficial debut with the company when he stepped in last minute to sing, Arturo in two important performances of I Puritani that were praised by Opera News. Mr. Margiore then joined the Charleston Symphony Orchestra for a concert performance of Tony in West Side Story and sang his role debut of Rodolfo in La Boheme with the Opera Ischia Festival in Italy, while performing several concerts in southern Italy. Further projects included a gala concert Tutti in Piazza in Stockton, California as well as the CD recording of Thomas Pasatieri’s La Divina as the Young Conductor on Albany Records with the Opera Company of Brooklyn.
In 2006, after his transition from baritone, Eric sang Azael in Debussy’s L’Enfant Prodigue for his debut with Opera Naples, a concert of Neapolitan songs and opera arias, Festa Italiana, with the Stockton Symphony Orchestra as well as concert versions of Alfredo in La Traviata, Rodolfo in La Boheme, and Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto with the New Opera Festival di Roma, in Rome, Italy.
In addition to his performing, Eric has been recognized by many important vocal competitions and foundations. He was the winner of a grant from the William Matheus Sullivan Foundation, the Licia Albanese/Puccini Foundation, and was an international quarterfinalist for Placido Domingo’s Operalia, in 2007 and 2009. He was also a two-time winner in the Connecticut Opera Guild Competition, a finalist in the Lyric Opera of Chicago's Young Artist Auditions and a Metropolitan Opera National Semi-Finalist.
Eric hails from Long Island, New York, USA, and he is a proud Italian-American coming from a Sicilian and Neapolitan family heritage. Eric finished his professional training at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Glimmerglass Opera, and Chautuaqua Opera's young artist programs and holds degrees from New York University and the Mannes College of Music.
The Baritone:
With a repertoire of more than 50 roles, Guido LeBrón has won international acclaim with leading opera companies throughout United States, Latin America and Europe in the leading baritone roles of Rigoletto, La Traviata, Aida, Un Ballo in Maschera, Tosca, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, La Fanciulla del West, Il Tabarro, Gianni Schicchi and Cavaleria Rusticana. He was most recently seen as Belcore in L’elisir d’Amore with Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico, Scarpia in Tosca with Opera Tampa, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera de Puerto Rico, Count di Luna in Il Trovatore with Atlanta Opera, and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Florentine Opera. Upcoming he returns to Florentine for the world premiere of Rio de Sangre, sings Scarpia in Tosca with Opera de Puerto Rico and Tri Cities Opera, Marcello in La Bohème in Puerto Rico and Nicaragua, and the lead baritone role in the zarzuela La Tabernera del Puerto at Bellas Artes, San Juan.
In the Bel Canto repertoire, he has sung the leading baritone roles in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Faust, Lucia di Lammermoor, L’Elisir d’Armore, I Puritani and Don Pasquale. Other roles include Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Il Conte (Le Nozze di Figaro), Escamillo (Carmen), Gérard (Andrea Chénier) and Wolfram (Tannhäuser). Since 1998 he has been the house baritone for both Fundación Puertorriqueña de Zarzuela y Opereta and Pro-Arte Lírico de San Juan where he has sung the leading baritone roles in the zarzuelas La Tabernera del Puerto, La Leyenda del Beso, La Duquesa del Tabarín, Los Gavilanes, La Viuda Alegre, La del Soto del Parral and La del Manojo de Rosas among others at Teatro de Bellas Artes in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
He has appeared in leading roles with the Wexford Festival in Ireland, Teatro National de Nicaragua, Teatro Principal de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, and Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao, Spain, as well as L’Opéra de Montréal, Morelia, Mexico, Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica, Opera de Puerto Rico, Teatro de la Opera and Opera al Fresco in San Juan; Teatro Nacional de Santo Domingo, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, Atlanta Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Florentine Opera, Tulsa Opera, Utah Opera, Nashville Opera, Virginia Opera, Knoxville Opera, Connecticut Opera, Opera Tampa and Tri-Cities Opera. His concert engagements include appearance with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Binghamton Symphony Orchestra and the Eugene Symphony Orchestra.
The former set and lighting designer from San Juan, Puerto Rico is a graduate of Fordham University, Binghamton University and the Tri-Cities Opera Resident Artist Program.
THE CHORUS:
Soprano
Sarah Chaudhary
Alaina Coleman
Merina Dillard
Margaret Grantham
Ann B. Johnson
Shawn Morgan
Suzanne Starkey
Mezzo-Soprano
Bethany Ammon
Mary Atchley
Janet Brunson
A. Barbara Edwards
Maria P. Garris
Vee Govan
Sherry Harfst
Mary Hauck
Sue Hauer
Janese Lewis
Debbie Tucker
Tenor
Josh Black
Larry Blackman
Frank Fillingham
Derrick T. Truss, Jr.
Baritone/Bass
Curt Ayers
D. Royce Boyer
Eric Hahn Hambrick
Vic Hartung
Mario Henderson
Jerry Morgan
