Praised by Opera News for his "galvanizing presence," this season tenor Jonathan Tetelman makes his Tanglewood and Boston Symphony Orchestra debut as Rodolfo in La bohème. He also joins both the Berkshire Opera Festival and Gulf Shore Opera for Duca in Rigoletto, New Orleans Opera for Marco in Chadwick and Barnet's Tobasco, Pittsburgh Festival Opera for Rodolfo in La bohème, and joins the Metropolitan Opera's roster for their production of Norma. He also sings his first performances of Don Jose in Carmen in a special gala performance at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., and sings both Dvorak's Requiem and Verdi's Requiem with the Greenwich Village Orchestra and St. George's Choral Society. Upcoming engagements include several role and company debuts, which include Rodolfo in La bohème withEnglish National Opera, the title role of Werther with Opera del Teatro Solís in Uruguay, Cavaradossi in Tosca with Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Virginia Opera. Last season, Mr. Tetelman sang his first performances of Rodolfo in La bohème with the Fujian Grand Theatre in China, joined the Milan Festival Orchestra in Lake Como, Italy for Verdi's Requiem, the Orchestra Now for Elgar's Dream of Gerontius, and made his Carnegie Hall debut with the New England Symphonic Ensemble for Mozart's Coronation Mass. Additionally, he joined St. George's Choral Society for Dvorak's Stabat Mater, Gulf Shore Opera for concert performances including selections of Alfredo in La Traviata, Rodolfo in La bohème, Duca in Rigoletto, and was a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions New York District.

Other recent performances include Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with the Martina Arroyo Foundation, and joining Teatro Grattacielo for in Gnecchi's Cassandra. As a young artist with Opera North, Mr. Tetelman sang Steven Sankey in Weil's Street Scene, Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady, and Alfredo in La Traviata. Additionally, he joined the New York Opera Exchange for performances of Alfredo in La Traviata, and attended the International Vocal Arts Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia performing as Elder Gleaton along with direction by composer Carlise Floyd, in his masterpiece, Susannah.  He was also a resident artist in the Sherrill Milnes' Savannah VOICExperience performing throughout Georgia, Florida and New York City.

Recently awarded First Prize in the 2016 New York Lyric Opera Competition, from which Mr. Tetelman performed concerts at both Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall singing selections of Don Jose in Carmen, Alfredo in La Traviata, and Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly.  The tenor was also a 2016 prize-winning finalist in the Mildred Miller (Opera Theater of Pittsburgh) Competition, and a semi-finalist in both the Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition and the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition.

Mr. Tetelman completed the graduate performance studies program at The New School of Music, Mannes College and earned his undergraduate degree from Manhattan School of Music.   While at MSM, he performed the baritone roles of the Count in Paisiello's Nina, Falke in Die Fledermaus, and the Drunken Poet in The Fairy Queen.  Also as a baritone, Jonathan was a semi-finalist in the Meistersinger Competition at the AIMS Festival in Graz, Austria, performing Figaro's "Largo al Factotum" from The Barber of Seville by Rossini.

Mr. Tetelman was born in Castro, Chile and grew up in central New Jersey.

Alabama-born soprano Susanna Phillips, recipient of The Metropolitan Opera's 2010 Beverly Sills Artist Award, continues to establish herself as one of today's most sought-after singing actors and recitalists. The 2016-17 season will see Ms. Phillips return to the Metropolitan Opera for a ninth consecutive season starring as Clémence in the Met premiere of Kaija Saariaho's L'amour de Loin conducted by Susanna Mälkki, as well as a return of her acclaimed Musetta in Puccini's La Bohème. In March 2017, Ms. Phillips will make her Zurich Opera debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. She also appears as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare with Boston Baroque and Martin Pearlman.

2016-2017 orchestra engagements include a return to the San Francisco Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting a program of American songs, Mozart's "Exsultate Jubilate" and his Mass in C Minor with Jane Glover and the Music of the Baroque, the Britten War Requiem with Kent Tritle and the Oratorio Society of New York, as well as Euridice in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice with Robert Spano leading the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Phillips will also perform recitals at the Celebrity Series of Boston, the National Museum for Women in the Arts, and her popular dual recital program with Eric Owens at Carnegie Hall and the Washington Performing Arts.

Last season saw Ms. Phillips return to the Metropolitan Opera starring as Rosalinde in the Jeremy Sams production of Die Fledermaus conducted for the first time by music director James Levine, as well as a reprise of her house debut role of Musetta in La Bohème. Additional engagements included a return to the stage of Lyric Opera of Chicago as Juliette in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet under the baton of Emmanuel Villaume. Additional engagements included Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with Michael Tilson Thomas leading the San Francisco Symphony, the Filas Requiem with Kent Tritle leading the Oratorio Society of New York, Mahler's Fourth Symphony with the St. Louis Symphony and David Robertson, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with David Robertson leading the Sydney Symphony, as well as a recital at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Brian Zeger.

Highlights of Ms. Phillips' previous opera seasons include numerous additional Metropolitan Opera appearances as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte in what the New York Times called a "breakthrough night," Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Pamina in Julie Taymor's production of The Magic Flute, Musetta in La Bohème (both in New York and on tour in Japan), Antonia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, and as a featured artist in the Met's Summer Recital Series in both Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park. She also appeared at Carnegie Hall for a special concert performance as Stella in Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Reneé Fleming - a role she went on to perform, to rave reviews, at Lyric Opera of Chicago and as Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes with the St. Louis Symphony. She made her Santa Fe Opera debut as Pamina, and subsequently performed a quartet of other Mozart roles with the company as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Arminda in La Finta Giardiniera, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. As a member of the Ryan Opera Center, Phillps sang the female leads in Roméo et Juliette and Die Fledermaus. Additional roles include Elmira in Reinhard Keiser's The Fortunes of King Croesus, and the title roles in Lucia di Lammermoor and Agrippina, as well as appearances with the Oper Frankfurt, Dallas Opera, Minnesota Opera, Fort Worth Opera Festival, Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Birmingham.

Highly in demand by the world's most prestigious orchestras, Ms. Phillips has appeared with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Alan Gilbert, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Oratorio Society of New York, Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, and Santa Fe Concert Association.

A fervent chamber music collaborator, Ms. Phillips recently teamed with bass-baritone Eric Owens for a recital of all Schubert which they have taken on tour in Chicago with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, at the Gilmore Festival, and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Additional recital engagements included chamber music concerts with Paul Neubauer and Anne Marie McDermott, an appearance at the Parlance Chamber Music Series with Warren Jones, the 2014 Chicago Collaborative Works Festival, the Emerson String Quartet in Thomasville, Georgia with Warren Jones and colleagues from the Metropolitan Opera, and at Twickenham Fest, a chamber music festival she co-founded in her native Huntsville, Alabama. The soprano also made her solo recital debut at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall with pianist Myra Huang.

Other recent concert and oratorio engagements include Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mahler's Fourth Symphony, Mozart's Coronation Mass, the Fauré and Mozart Requiems, Carmina Burana, and Handel's Messiah. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson, Rob Fisher, and the New York Pops. Following her Baltimore Symphony Orchestra debut under Marin Alsop, the Baltimore Sun proclaimed: "She's the real deal."

In August 2011, Ms. Phillips was featured at the opening night of the Mostly Mozart Festival, which aired live on Live From Lincoln Center on PBS. The same year saw the release of Paysages, her first solo album on Bridge Records, which was hailed as "sumptuous and elegantly sung" (San Francisco Chronicle). The following year saw her European debut as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at the Gran Teatro del Liceu Barcelona.

As resident artist at the 2010 and 2011 Marlboro Music Festivals, she was part of Marilyn Horne Foundation Gala at Carnegie Hall, made her New York solo recital debut at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, and appeared at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC under the auspices of the Vocal Arts Society.

In 2005, Ms. Phillips won four of the world's leading vocal competitions: Operalia (both First Place and the Audience Prize), the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the MacAllister Awards, and the George London Foundation Awards Competition. She has also claimed the top honor at the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition, and has won first prizes from the American Opera Society Competition and the Musicians Club of Women in Chicago. Ms. Phillips has received grants from the Santa Fe Opera and the Sullivan Foundation, and is a graduate of Lyric Opera of Chicago's Ryan Opera Center. She holds both a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and continues collaboration with her teacher Cynthia Hoffmann.

A native of Huntsville, Alabama, over 400 people traveled from her hometown to New York City in December 2008 for Ms. Phillips' Metropolitan Opera debut in La Bohème. She returns frequently to her native state for recitals and orchestral appearances.

Baritone Franco Vassallo is one of Italy's leading baritones and has there been acclaimed at Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Teatro La Fenice di Venezia, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Regio di Parma and at the Arena di Verona.

He has also made several significant international debuts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Vienna State Opera, Deutsche Oper and Staatsoper in Berlin, Opernhaus Zürich, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Baden-Baden Festival, Hamburg State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro Real de Madrid, Teatro de São Carlos in Lisbon as well as in Bilbao, Amsterdam, Paris, Washington, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Highlights of the last seasons included a new production of RIGOLETTO at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as well as a new staging of MACBETH at Teatro alla Scala under Valery Gergiev. Franco Vassallo returned to the Metropolitan Opera in the fall of 2013 as Ford in the new production of FALSTAFF conducted by James Levine. Besides that, he starred in Zurich Opera's revival of Bellini's rarely heard LA STRANIERA along with Edita Gruberová. He returned to the Arena di Verona as Amonasro in AIDA and starred as Count Di Luna in IL TROVATORE at Teatro alla Scala in Milan and again as RIGOLETTO in Munich and as well as in Hamburg.

He made his debut at the Teatro Real Madrid as Monforte in a concert version of I VESPRI SICILIANI. Vassallo opened the 2014/15 season in Geneva in September as RIGOLETTO and made his debut at Theater an der Wien in LA STRANIERA and returns to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Germont in LA TRAVIATA, to Vienna State Opera as Amonasro in AIDA and to the Bavarian State Opera as the Duke of Nottingham in ROBERTO DEVEREUX.

In the last season (2015/16) he was heard as Amonasro in AIDA and the title role of RIGOLETTO at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. At Teatro Felice in Genoa, Franco gave his role debut as SIMON BOCCANEGRA. Also he sung the role of Don Carlo di Vargas in a concert version of LA FORZA DEL DESTINO followed by the title role of FALSTAFF at Grand Théâtre de Genève. With the title role of RIGOLETTO he made his house debut at Opera Bastille in Paris.

Current and future engagements include RIGOLETTO at Hamburg State Opera. He will return to the Bavarian State Opera to sing MACBETH as well as Ford/FALSTAFF. At the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam he will be heard as Don Carlo/LA FORZA DEL DESTINO and will return to Paris to sing Ford/FALSTAFF. In Munich he will sing Don Alfonso/LUCREZIA BORGIA.

Canadian baritone Elliot Madore has been praised for his "movie star quality" (Merkur) and "exceptional" artistry (New York Times).

In the 2017-2018 season, he returns to the San Francisco Opera for the world premiere of John Adams' Girls of the Golden West directed by Peter Sellars and the Zurich Opera as Germano in La scala di seta. He will debut with the Berlin Philharmonic as The Cat/Grandfather Clock in L'enfant et les sortilèges conducted by Seiji Ozawa, with the Bremen Kammerphilharmonie in Pelléas et Melisande conducted by Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla, and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic singing Papageno's arias with Gustavo Dudamel. He returns to the Tanglewood Music Festival to sing Bernstein's Songfest with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In his signature role of Pelléas in Pelléas et Melisande, he made his Bayerische Staatsoper debut in a new production at the Prinzregententehater. He has also sung Pelléas with the Croatian National Opera in Stéphane Braunschweig's famous production, with Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra in a fully-staged production by Yuval Sharon, at Opéra-Théâtre de Limoges, and with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit. Mr. Madore made his Metropolitan Opera mainstage debut as Lysander in their original baroque fantasy The Enchanted Island conducted by William Christie, as well as singing the Novice's Friend in Billy Budd as a member of Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Since then, he has appeared as Figaro in The Barber of Canadian baritone Elliot Madore has been praised for his "movie star quality" (Merkur) and "exceptional" artistry (New York Times).

In the 2017-2018 season, he returns to the San Francisco Opera for the world premiere of John Adams' Girls of the Golden West directed by Peter Sellars and the Zurich Opera as Germano in La scala di seta. He will debut with the Berlin Philharmonic as The Cat/Grandfather Clock in L'enfant et les sortilèges conducted by Seiji Ozawa, with the Bremen Kammerphilharmonie in Pelléas et Melisande conducted by Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla, and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic singing Papageno's arias with Gustavo Dudamel. He returns to the Tanglewood Music Festival to sing Bernstein's Songfest with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In his signature role of Pelléas in Pelléas et Melisande, he made his Bayerische Staatsoper debut in a new production at the Prinzregententehater. He has also sung Pelléas with the Croatian National Opera in Stéphane Braunschweig's famous production, with Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra in a fully-staged production by Yuval Sharon, at Opéra-Théâtre de Limoges, and with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit. Mr. Madore made his Metropolitan Opera mainstage debut as Lysander in their original baroque fantasy The Enchanted Island conducted by William Christie, as well as singing the Novice's Friend in Billy Budd as a member of Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Since then, he has appeared as Figaro in The Barber of Seville and Mercutio in the new production of Roméo et Juliette conducted by Gianandrea Noseda which was broadcast worldwide in HD. He made his San Francisco Opera debut as Anthony in Sweeney Todd and returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos under music director Kirill Petrenko with performances in Munich and at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris. He debuted at Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Belcore in L'elisir d'amore, Florida Grand Opera debut as Reinaldo Arenas in Jorge Martin's Before Night Falls, and at the Santa Fe Opera as Mercutio in a new production of Roméo et Juliette conducted by Harry Bicket. He also debuted at the Dutch National Opera as Prince Hérisson de Porc-Epic in Laurent Pelly's new production of Chabrier's L'étoile which was recorded for DVD.

He made his European operatic debut at the Glyndebourne Festival in a new production of L'heure espagnole as Ramiro and L'enfant et les sortilèges as The Cat/Grandfather Clock directed by Laurent Pelly and conducted by Kazushi Ono. He was also seen in this same Ravel double-bill at the Saito Kinen Festival conducted by Seiji Ozawa and directed by Laurent Pelly which recently won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. He made his Salzburg Festival debut as the Japanese Envoy in concert performances of Stravinsky's Le rossignol with Ivor Bolton and Mozarteumorchester Salzburg. At the Tanglewood Festival, Mr. Madore has been seen as Harlekin and the Music Master in Ariadne auf Naxos under the baton of Christoph von Dohnányi. He returned to the Glyndebourne Festival as the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni, a role he also sang at Opera Philadelphia, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and at the Tanglewood Festival with James Levine. Elliot was a member of the ensemble at Opernhaus Zürich where he was seen as Valentin in a new production of Faust, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte under Tomas Netopil, Schaunard in La bohème conducted by Nello Santi, Andrei a new production of Peter Eötvös's Three Sisters, Silvio in Pagliacci, Silvano in Un ballo in maschera and Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos under Fabio Luisi.

In concert, he opened the new Philharmonie Hall in Paris with Les Arts Florissants as Adario in Rameau's Les Indes galantes conducted by William Christie. He made his Baltimore Symphony debut with Marin Alsop in Carmina Burana, was heard in concert with Charles Dutoit and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in L'heure espagnole and L'enfant et les sortilèges, and debuted with the Houston Symphony Orchestra in Carmina Burana under music director Andrés Orozco-Estrada. He was heard in recital with the Cleveland Art Song Festival and with Music Toronto, which was broadcast on the CBC. Mr. Madore has also recently performed recitals in New York, Winnipeg, and Philadelphia. He made his Carnegie Hall recital debut at Weill Recital Hall as part of Marilyn Horne's The Song Continues series and performed a solo concert with the Edmonton Symphony in a program of opera arias and Lieder. His Canadian recital debut took place at the National Arts Centre in Canada which was recorded and broadcast on the CBC Radio Two's "Next! Canada's Music Future" Series.

In addition to the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Mr. Madore was the recipient of the 2010 George London Award for a Canadian Singer from the George London Foundation, a finalist in the 2010 Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers in Houston and the recipient of the ARIAS Emerging Young Artist Award from Opera Canada. He was also the winner of the 2009 Palm Beach Vocal Competition. Elliot Madore is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Marlena Malas.

Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni has established himself as one of the most charismatic and versatile singers performing today. Since his debut at age 26 with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival, led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Pisaroni has continued to bring his compelling artistry to the world's leading opera houses, concert halls, and festivals.

Pisaroni begins the 2017/18 season as Mahomet II in Rossini's Le Siège de Corinthe in his first performances at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, followed by role debuts as Golaud in Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande  at Opera de Paris and Mustafà in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeriat the Wiener Staatsoper. Mr. Pisaroni returns to the Metropolitan Opera stage as Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and he sings Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow.  He will perform the roles of Alidoro in Rossini's La Cenerentola  and Leporello in Don Giovanni at the Wiener Staatsoper, and he then debuts in the role of Don Pizarro in Beethoven's Fidelio at Teatro alla Scala, under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung.

This season, Mr. Pisaroni's international concert appearances include Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle at the Konzerthaus Wien and with the Luxembourg Philharmonie; Beethoven's C Major Mass with the Symphonierorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conducted by Mariss Jansons; Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the LSO and Michael Tilson-Thomas; Händel's Rinaldo (Argante) on tour with the English Concert under the baton of Harry Bicket; Schubert's Orchestrated Songs with the Filarmonica della Scala, led by Fabio Luisi; Mozart's C Minor Mass with the Concentus Musicus Wien at the Musikverein; and a Rossini Gala with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai with Maestro Luisi. Pisaroni also presents an all-Schubert program of recitals with pianist Malcolm Martineau in Berlin and Essen, and additionally he performs a program of Italian/American songs in Firenze, Trento, and Philadelphia.

Luca Pisaroni's diverse operatic repertoire includes portrayals of Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust at Houston Grand Opera; Enrico VIII in Anna Bolena at Opernhaus Zürich; Conte Rodolfo in Bellini's La Sonnambula  at Wiener Staatsoper; Giorgio in I Puritani and Caliban in The Enchanted Island at the MET; Le nozze di Figaro at Opéra National de Paris, San Francisco Opera, and at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Leporello in Don Giovanni at Teatro alla Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, Salzburg Festival, and at Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony under James Levine; Guglielmo in Così fan tutte  at Glyndebourne and the Salzburg Festival; Conte Dorval in Martin y Soler's Il Burbero di Buon Cuore at Teatro Real; Maometto in Rossini's Maometto II at the Canadian Opera Company; and Tiridate in Radamisto at Santa Fe Opera. He sang Argante in Rinaldo at Lyric Opera of Chicago; the title role in Cavalli's Ercole Amante with De Nederlandse Opera; Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas for the Wiener Festwochen; and Don Fernando in Beethoven's Fidelio with the San Francisco Symphony.

In concert, Pisaroni has performed Berlioz' Roméo et Juliette with Michael Tilson-Thomas, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with Jeffrey Tate; Haydn's Die Jahreszeiten at the Musikverein Wien, under the direction of Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Rossini's Stabat Mater with Franz Welser-Möst; Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri with Sir Simon Rattle and the Philadelphia Orchestra; and Schumann's Faustszenen with Daniel Harding and the Berlin Philharmonic. He has also been a featured soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with Jaap van Zweden; Mozart's Requiem with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem under the baton of Edo de Waart; Bach's B Minor Mass with the Gewandhausorchester under Herbert Blomstedt; Mendelssohn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht with the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall, led by Pablo Heras-Casado; Hasse's I Pellegrini al Sepolcro di Nostro Signore and Cherubini's Missa Solemnis under Riccardo Muti; Haydn's Die Schöpfung with Daniel Harding; and Testi's Sacrae Symphoniae under the direction of Daniele Gatti, with the Orchestre National de Radio France.

In addition to his extensive opera and concert appearances, Pisaroni has presented critically lauded recitals at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Teatro de la Zarzuela, the Concertgebouw, Edinburgh Festival, Vienna's Musikverein, the Vancouver Recital Society, and the Dortmund Konzerthaus, among other prominent international venues.

Mr. Pisaroni has recorded for all major labels, and his discography includes Don Giovanni and Rinaldo from the Glyndebourne Festival; Le nozze di Figaro with the Opéra National de Paris; Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro from the Salzburg Festival; and a recording of Don Giovanni with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Additional releases include Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, and most recently, the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Luca Pisaroni lives in Vienna with his wife, Catherine. Their golden retriever Lenny 2.0 and miniature dachshund Tristan are the singer's constant traveling companions.

Paul Plishka is a notable American bass singer, known for a wide range of major and supporting roles. Both his parents were American-born children of Ukrainian immigrants. As a boy, he was interested in farming and football, but also took guitar lessons. His teacher insisted that he learn to sing while playing, so he would sing popular songs such as Love is a Many-Splendored Thing. When his father moved to a new job in Paterson, New Jersey, Paul, joined the school chorus. Soon, he was offered the part of Judd Fry in the school production of Oklahoma! He was spotted by Armen Boyajian, who was starting a local opera workshop. Plishka joined Boyajian's Paterson Lyric Opera Theatre.

Paul Plishka sang major roles - Raimondo in Lucia di Lamermoor, Guardiano in La Forza del Destino, and King Philip in Don Carlos - when he was only 21. Meanwhile, Boyajian taught him singing. Plishka was his first student, and Boyajian was Plishka's only teacher. Plishka attended Montclair State College in New Jersey, where he met his future wife, Judy. At the age of 23, he won the Baltimore Opera Auditions, and then won a prize in the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions. This earned him a contract with the national touring company of the Met during what turned out to be its final year. After that, they offered him a contract to be a cover (understudy) singer in buffo parts. He accepted the offer, becoming a member of the company in 1966 and debuting on-stage as the Monk in La Gioconda in 1967, followed by "all these real ham, basso-buffo roles" (Plishka's description), parts such as the Sacristan in Tosca and Benoit in La Bohème.

As a member of the Met company, Paul Plishka earned a reputation as a "house singer," a term which, when the house is of the caliber of the Met, is respectable, but which also carries an implication that the singer somehow lacks some ingredient required for stardom. He was reliable; he did 118 performances in his second season, with Boyajian listening carefully to all of them and making needed corrections at any sign of strain from this heavy schedule. The roles were generally small ones, but each season Plishka got opportunities the next season to sing roles of increasing importance and depth, so he remained attached to the Met. The roles he was singing included King Marke in Tristan, Oroveso in Norma, and both Pimen and Varlaam in Boris Godunov. Eventually, he got to sing more important parts, like Leporello in Don Giovanni and King Philip.

After several years, Paul Plishka began appearing widely in other houses, taking major parts. He appears regularly with major opera companies in North American cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Baltimore, Houston, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Diego, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. In Europe, he has performed in Geneva, Munich, La Scala, Hamburg, Barcelona, Vienna, Berlin, Zürich, Paris, Lyon, Marseilles and Covent Garden, London. He debuted as Mephistofeles in Berlioz's Damnation de Faust in Strasbourg in 1974, and began getting the more important bass parts. He made his Milan's La Scala debut with the same role, also in 1974.

Paul Plishka has been admired in many important roles since his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, where he sung well over 1,000 performances. The Met graduated him from Pimen and Varlaam to the part of Tsar Boris in 1983. But his voice is most often associated with Italian opera, especially Don Carlo, Ernani, Simon Boccanegra, Nabucco, Aida, I Vespri Siciliani, Luisa Miller and La Forza del Destino. During the 1992-1993 season, to mark his 25^th anniversary as a principal member of the company, he sang the title role of Falstaff there for the first time. He is also renowned for his appearances in the title role of Boris Godunov. 

Among his many recent credits have been performances in San Francisco of War and Peace and I Capuletti e i Montecchiand appearances with the Metropolitan Opera in The Flying Dutchman, La Bohème, L'Elisir d'Amore, Parsifal, Khovanshchina, and Aida. His concert appearances have included engagements with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has travelled to Geneva for Benvenuto Cellini, to Montréal for Nabucco, to Barcelona for Simon Boccanegra and to Mexico City for the Verdi Requiem. He has sung Boris Godunov in Kiev and has toured with La Scala to Japan and Korea, singing in Nabucco, Turandot, I Capuletti e i Montecchi and the Verdi Requiem. He continues to perform, and in the 2008-2009 season, he is appearing in La bohème at the Met.

Paul Plishka has an extensive discography on Angel, ABC, Columbia, Erato, London, RCA and Vox Records. His recording of the Verdi Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Robert Shaw won a Grammy award for the best classical album of 1988. He has also recently recorded Luisa Miller and the Marriage of Figaro, both with James Levineand the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for Sony Classical, and L.v. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Andre Previn, for London/Decca.

Paul Plishka has sung in almost all the major bass parts in several leading opera theaters. He is also a renowned concert singer, and has sung with many leading symphony orchestras and conductors. His extraordinary voice and impeccable artistry combine to make him one of the world's foremost singers, praised by critics for his smooth, beautifully produced bass and polished dramatic skills. His singing and physical acting (including a daring fall) electrified the audience. This distinguished American artist has become one of the most widely acclaimed and sought-after singers of our time.

Paul Plishka's artistry was recognized in 1992 when he received the Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts and when, several years earlier, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Great American Opera Singers in a celebration at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.

Tenor Neal Ferreira, especially noted for his dynamic and captivating stage presence, is quickly gaining national recognition.

Mr. Ferreira opened last season with his Boston Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Hall debut as Ein Tierhändler in Der Rosenkavalierunder the baton of Maestro Andris Nelsons. He made another company debut with Odyssey Opera in March 2017, singing the role of Jack in Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's setting of The Importance of Being Earnest. The tenor will return to Odyssey Opera in October 2017, singing the role of Giovanni d'Aire in Donizetti's rarely heard L'assedio di Calais at the Huntington Avenue Theatre. Upcoming engagements include performances with the Shakespeare Concerts this fall, his role debut as Le Remendado in Carmen with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and a return to Boston Lyric Opera in May of 2018 as the Jazz Tenor in Trouble in Tahiti.

His 2015-16 season was highlighted by a successful performance as The Visitor in Boston Lyric Opera's production of Philip Glass' In the Penal Colony, for which the Wall Street Journal called him "poignant" and the Boston Globe lauded his "firm yet sweet tenor." In addition to performing roles in Otello with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and The Merry Widow with Boston Lyric Opera, the tenor sang the role of Alan in Joseph Summer's The Tenor's Suite with the Shakespeare Concerts at Jordan Hall.

In the 2014-15 season, Mr. Ferreira debuted the role of Ferdinand in the world premiere of Joseph Summer's The Tempest with the Shakespeare Concerts. He can be heard on the original cast recording, recently released on Albany Records. He returned to Syracuse Opera as Alfred in Die Fledermaus to great acclaim and sang multiple roles with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in Un ballo in maschera.

Other recent engagements include Tancredi in John Musto's The Inspector with Boston Lyric Opera, for which Opera News praised his "moving performance" and "beautiful" singing, Charlie Gould (Orlofsky) in Die Fledermaus with Anchorage Opera, and Spoletta in Tosca with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. His performance as Basilio/Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro with Syracuse Opera garnered him the company's 2012-13 Artist of the Year Award.

Mr. Ferreira made his Opera Colorado debut performing Spalanzani and Andres in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, roles he first performed with Boston Lyric Opera under the direction of Maestro Keith Lockhart and reprised with the Florida Grand Opera. Other appearances have included Sheldon Segal in Later the Same Evening and Charlie Davenport (cover) in Annie Get Your Gun with Deborah Voigt at the Glimmerglass Festival.

The tenor was awarded the 2009 Stephen Shrestinian Award for Excellence from Boston Lyric Opera, and has since performed there in many roles including Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Traveler in Clemency, as Spoletta in Tosca, Snout in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Gran Sacerdote in Mozart's Idomeneo, re di Creta and Ein Officer in Ariadne auf Naxos, in which he also covered the roles of Tanzmeister and Brighella.

As an oratorio soloist, Mr. Ferreira has performed the role of Uriel in Haydn's The Creation with world-renowned soprano Jayne West, as well as noted performances in Orff's Carmina Burana, Bach's Mass in B minor and Magnificat, Mozart's Requiem, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, and Dvořak's Stabat Mater throughout the New England area. He is a regular guest soloist at his alma mater, Providence College, where he most recently appeared in Handel's Messiah and Dubois' Seven Last Words of Christ with the Providence College Orchestra and Chorus.

Mr. Ferreira holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory, graduating with Academic Honors in 2005. There he studied with international opera singer Patricia Craig, and he sang the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute as part of New England Conservatory Outreach Opera's inaugural production.

As a recipient of the Roberts Music Scholarship for musical aptitude and achievement, Mr. Ferreira completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Providence College in 2002, graduating cum laude. While at Providence College, he studied voice with David Harper and appeared in many stage productions with both the Music and Theater Departments. Mr. Ferreira has returned several times as a guest artist to perform in recital as well as teach masterclasses to undergraduate students.

David Cushing's versatile bass-baritone range is effortlessly demonstrated in a variety of roles including recent appearances in the title roles of Don Pasquale and Le nozze di Figaro, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, and Bottom inA Midsummer Night's Dream. Of a recent performance, the Boston Herald exclaimed, "his portrayal of hoodwinked old Pasquale, filled with pathos and unself-conscious humor, was a revelation. He could easily specialize in Italian opera's wealth of foolish-old-man roles and become the basso buffo of his generation." This season, Mr. Cushing will return to Boston Lyric Opera for their production of The Threepenny Opera, as Angelotti in Tosca and Donald in The Nefarious, Immoral But Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare, sings the title role of Don Pasquale  with Bar Harbor Music Festival, performs Banquo in Macbeth and reprises the role of Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia  with Opera Tampa, Sun Tze in the world première of Rev. 23 with White Snake Projects, and Tiresias in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex  with Emmanuel Music.

Her singular blend of technical prowess, keen musical insight, and emotional depth have established Yuja Wang as one of the world's finest performers.

The power of her interpretations emerges from a distinct combination of her exceptional presence on stage and a natural affinity and inquisitive approach to the repertoire, which ranges from Mozart to Gershwin and beyond. 'Charismatic', 'breathtaking', 'flawless' and 'heartfelt' are just a selection of the superlatives used frequently by critics worldwide.

Yuja's 2017-18 season features recitals, concert series, and extensive tours with some of the world's most venerated ensembles and conductors. She begins the summer of 2017 on tour with the London Symphony Orchestra and Michael Tilson Thomas and a programme featuring Brahms' Piano Concerto No.2, followed by a performance of the first concerto at the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Lionel Bringuier. Later engagements include concerts with the Munich Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev, a series of performances at the Verbier Festival, and a three-city German tour with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.

She also embarks on play-conduct tours with two of the best chamber orchestras in the world, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe, as well as joining the inaugural tour of Jaap van Zweden with the New York Philharmonic and the final tour of Yannick Nézet-Séguin's directorship with the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Other notable appearances include concerts in Hong Kong, Miami, Washington D.C., Prague, Tel Aviv, and Berlin.

Winter of 2017 sees Yuja reunite with violinist and frequent collaborator Leonidas Kavakos for a European chamber tour, whilst in the spring of 2018, Ms. Wang will embark on a vast-reaching recital tour at premiere venues in the US and Europe; New York City, San Francisco, Rome, Vienna, Berlin, Paris, and beyond.

As part of its commitment to the arts, Rolex selected Yuja Wang as one of its cultural ambassadors in 2009, a distinction she holds to this day. She has been described by the New York Times as "one of the best young pianists around" and hailed by the Sydney Morning Herald for her "blistering technique." In July 2015 the Los Angeles Times declared: "Hers is a nonchalant, brilliant keyboard virtuosity that would have made both Prokofiev (who was a great pianist) and even the fabled Horowitz jealous." This combination of critical acclaim, audience ovations, return engagements at leading international venues, and an exclusive recording relationship with Deutsche Grammophon confirm Yuja Wang's status as one of this century's most compelling and engaging artists.

Yuja's way of making music connects with a strikingly broad demographic. It appeals to everyone, from classical music newcomers to devoted pianophiles, and has attracted an exceptionally youthful following. Her love for fashion, recognized by her induction into Giorgio Armani's Sì Women's Circle, has also contributed to the popular appeal of an artist who is armed with the ability to challenge the status quo and to welcome fresh converts to the concert hall.

Yuja Wang was born in Beijing and encouraged to make music at a young age by her dancer mother and percussionist father, which served as the catalyst for the never-ending thirst for knowledge that has sustained her continued musical development.

She began piano lessons at the age of six, and her progress was accelerated by studies at Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music. In 1999 she moved to Canada to participate in the Morningside Music summer programme at Calgary's Mount Royal College, and thereafter enrolled as the youngest ever student at Mount Royal Conservatory. Wang's exceptional gifts were widely recognised in 2001 with her appointment as a Steinway Artist, and again the following year when she was offered a place at Philadelphia's prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Gary Graffman.

By the time Yuja graduated from Curtis in 2008, she had already gained momentum following the spectacular success of her debut three years earlier with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa. Wang attracted widespread international attention in March 2007 when she replaced Martha Argerich on short notice in performances of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and within the span of just a few seasons she was working with conductors of the highest calibre. Over the past decade of her career, she has worked with such pre-eminent Maestros as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev, Michael Tilson Thomas, Antonio Pappano, Charles Dutoit, and Zubin Mehta.

In January 2009, Yuja Wang became an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon recording artist. Her debut album, Sonatas & Etudes, prompted Gramophone to name her as its 2009 Young Artist of the Year. Her 2011 release of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto and Paganini's Rhapsody with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Claudio Abbado was nominated for a Grammy® Award in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category. Subsequent releases for the label include Fantasia, an album of encore pieces by Albéniz, Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Saint-Saëns, Scriabin, and others; a live recording of Prokofiev's Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 with Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, and an acclaimed coupling of Ravel's two piano concerti with Fauré's Ballade, recorded with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and Lionel Bringuier.

Reviewers around the world have documented the full range of Wang's work, capturing the essence of her musicianship and observing the development of an artist blessed with consummate technical abilities, an inexhaustible creative imagination, and an unmatched artistry.

Rafi was a chorister at Chichester Cathedral for six years, from 2011-2017, becoming Head Chorister in his final year. During his first three years in the choir he worked under the direction of Sarah Baldock, and then in his last three under Charles Harrison.

As a chorister he toured to Germany, France and the Netherlands. He was also featured as a soloist as Young Nicholas in Britten's St Nicholas (Petersfield Music Festival and Southern Cathedrals Festival) and in the role of the Boy in Mendelssohn's Elijah for the Fernhurst Choral Society. As a pupil at the Prebendal School, he sang the title roles of Robin Hood and Oliver.

Rafi is now in his first year as a music scholar at  Lancing College, where he sings in the choir under the direction of Neil Cox, balancing his school commitments with his busy schedule as BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister of the Year.

Rafi's favourite composers are Mozart, Purcell and Gibbons. His other passions besides music are Lego, Egyptology and the works of JRR Tolkien.