Meet the Cast!

Photo credit Steve Rouse, USM Marketing and Public Relations





Cast members for Mississippi Opera (left to right) Oziel Garza-Ornelas as Escamillo, Fenlon Lamb as Carmen, Daniel Holmes as Don José and Hilary Ginther Carmen cover.

Oziel Garza-Ornelas’ (baritone) career already includes appearances with many opera companies in Europe and North America, including The Washington Opera (Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte), Frankfurt Opera (Belcore), Grand Théâtre de L’Opera de Limoges (Marcello in La Bohème), San Diego Opera (Schaunard in La Boheme), Orlando Opera (Schaunard), Sarasota Opera (Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Lescaut in Massenet’s Manon), Opera Theater of Connecticut (Escamillo in Carmen), Piedmont Opera (Lescaut and Marcello), Grand Théâtre de Genève, L’Opera de Nancy and the Neues Festspielhaus, St Pölten (Emuke in Tania Leon’s Scourge of Hyacinths produced by Robert Wilson), and Di Capo Opera Theater in New York (Silvio in I Pagliacci).

Recent engagements include debuts with the Santa Fe Opera as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, in Liège, Belgium as Germont in La Traviata, New Israeli Opera as Dandini in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City as Taddeo, Opera Carolina as Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Kentucky Opera as the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, Shreveport Opera as Germont, and Rigoletto for Nevada Opera.

For American mezzo-soprano Fenlon Lamb’s debut Sacramento Opera as Rosina IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, the Sacramento Bee raved, “…every inch the saucy rebel [who] navigated the highly ornamented passages with creamy ease.” Described as “deliciously vulnerable” her Dorabella COSÌ FAN TUTTE was hailed by the Santa Barbara News-Press as “a charismatic characterization supported by a dynamic, rich vocal sound.” The Baltimore Sun applauded her AGRIPPIN saying “In the title role, Fenlon Lamb revealed a bright, flexible voice, ever-brilliant phrasing and theatrical flourish.”

Recently Ms. Lamb sang the roles of Stephano ROMÉO ET JULIETTE at Cleveland Opera, Maddalena RIGOLETTO for Opera Vivente and Flora LA TRAVIATA with Opera Grand Rapids. Highlights from recent seasons include Rosina IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA with Sacramento Opera, Dorabella COSÌ FAN TUTTE for both the Caramoor International Music Festival and Opera Santa Barbara, Charlotte WERTHER for Opera Vivente, the title role of IOLANTHE for Cleveland Opera where she also sang the world premiere of COME TO ME IN DREAMS with baritone Sanford Sylvan.

American tenor Daniel Holmes has been praised as a "confident and passionate Roméo" in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette with Opera North, and enthusiastically lauded as Alfredo in La Traviata, "his voice was smooth and controlled, and he sang with unpretentious confidence."

Other opera roles include Rodolfo in La Bohème at Italy's Ravella Festival, Gérald (Lakmé) at Sarasota Opera, Hoffmann in Les Contes d'Hoffmann with the Tri-Cities Opera (NY), Tom in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Sam in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, and Rinuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. He has also performed leading roles with Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

This year, Mr. Holmes returned to Sarasota Opera to sing Rodolfo and as cover for Carlo in Verdi's I Masnadieri.

Hilary Ginther, a Bristol, VA native, is a senior voice performance major at USM. She has performed roles with SOMTC in Susannah, The Magic Flute, and A Grand Night for Singing. She performed as Maria in the USM production of West Side Story in Geb. 2006. Ginther studies with Dr. Maryann Kyle, who also directs the SOMTC.