Carmen

South Korean mezzo-soprano, Myeongsook Park, Carmen, has garnered acclaim in the United States and abroad. Among her most recent successes are concerts at the Caramoor Festival where she performed on the Mozart Gala along with Sumi Jo, Will Crutchfield and the Caramoor Orchestra. During the same season she covered Ewa Podles for Caramoor’s production of Tancredi. Past performances include guest appearances with Amici Opera, Center Stage opera, Pacific Opera, Stony Brook Opera, the Boston University Opera Institute, the Sound Symphony Orchestra, Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, and Washington Soloist Ensemble. She has also performed recitals in New York, Boston, and Seoul.

In addition to the standard operatic repertoire, MyeongSook’s musical interests have led her to Baroque and Contemporary music. Her diverse repertoire includes the roles of Suzuki (Madame Butterfly), Laura (La Gioconda), Myrtale (Thais), Tancredi (Tancredi), Ottone (Agrippina), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Ottavia (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutte), Jocasta (Oedipus Rex), The Queen (The Thief of Love, world premiere by Sheila Silver), The Neighbor (Stravinky’s Mavra), and Zita (Gianni Schicchi). Upcoming performances include the role of Zita (Gianni Schicchi) with Connecticut Lyric Opera in April 2010.

MyeongSook received her Bachelor’s degree from Yon Sei University, Korea, and her Master’s Degree from the Manhattan School of Music. She recently received her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook where she studied with Elaine Bonazzi.

Tenor, Hansu Kim, Don José, who sang throughout the United States of America, received his master's degree with scholarship from Indiana University where he studied with legendary soprano Martina Arroyo and renowned helden tenor James King. Currently Mr. Kim is studying with Metropolitan Opera LYADP Voice Teacher, Mark Oswald. His Operatic roles include title role in Andrea Chenier, Radames in Aida, Manrico in Il Trovatore, Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, Canio in I Pagliacci, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Don Jose in Carmen, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Aegisthus in Elektra, Faust in Faust, Alfredo in La Traviata, Werther in Werther, Macduff in Macbeth, Anatol in Vanessa, Duke in Rigoletto, Lensky in Eugene Onegin and Andres in Wozzeck. His Oratorio performing credits include Tenor Soloist in Messiah, The Creation, Lord Nelson Mass, Pauken Mass, Santa Cecilia Mass, Schubert"s G Mass and Seven Last Words. Mr. Kim has worked with Utah Festival Opera, Eugene Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera, Taconic Opera, New Rochelle Opera, Pacific Opera, Dicapo Opera, Harmonia Opera, Opera Camerata of Washington D.C., Opera Oggi, Martha Cardona Opera, Operesque Classical Concert and Indiana University Opera Theater.

He sang eight times in Carnegie Hall with MidAmerica Productions, New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra, Pacific Opera and Accadia Foundation for the Arts. Mr. Kim sang five times in Merkin Concert Hall with Harmonia Opera and Ureuk Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Kim sang 'Welcoming Concert for the Korean President Lee Myung-Bak' in New York City on Mr. President's United Nations visit in September 2009. He sang National Anthem for the Major League Baseball team, New York Mets at their home field, Shea Stadium.

He has won First Prize at the Accadia Competition for Operatic Voice in Carnegie Hall, First Prize at the Dicapo Opera Vocal Competition, Second Prize at the Mario Lanza Vocal Competition and Second Prize at the Vera Scammon International Vocal Competition

Baritone, Robert Burner, Escamillo, was praised for his “remarkable musicality, technique, and expression,” for his performance as Elijah in the Washington Summer Sings series conducted by Thomas Beveridge. He is a scholarship winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a veteran of the Sarasota Opera Apprentice Program. He was selected as a semifinalist in the 2007 Chester Ludgin Memorial Verdi Baritone Competition. Mr. Burner has performed numerous lead operatic roles, including Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Silvio in I Pagliacci, Marcello in La boheme, Enrico in Lucia di Lamermoor, Mr. Ford in Falstaff, and the title role of Rigoletto. He has been in demand as the baritone soloist for Orff's Carmina Burana, having been well-received in concert performances of this work at the University of Maryland, with the Oratorio Society of Charlottesville/Albemarle, the Central Maryland Chorale, and most recently at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He was the baritone soloist for the 38th Annual Kennedy Center Messiah Sing-Along this past December and has just returned from Opera Tampa’s 2009 VOICExperience Program, where he studied with legendary Verdi baritone Sherrill Milnes. As a member of the world-renowned United States Army Chorus, Sergeant First Class Burner frequently solos before the nation's highest-ranking military and government officials, as well as visiting dignitaries and heads of state from around the globe.

Caitlin Budny, soprano, Frasquita, was recognized as “a star…with a major career ahead of her”, when she was sixteen years old. Since then, Ms.Budny has gone onto appear in over fifty opera, musical theatre, and theatre productions, including performances at the Kennedy Center (with the National Symphony Orchestra), Opera America, Fenway Park, and the Congressional Country Club. Most recently, she covered Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Concert Opera Philadelphia, after having covered the same role for Opera New Jersey. As a young artist with Opera New Jersey, Ms. Budny made her New York debut originating the role of Hermia in the workshop premiere of Michael Ching’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Opera America, sang in their productions of Lucia di Lammermoor and The Mikado, and performed in several concerts and programs as Marzelline in Fidelio and Gretel in Hansel & Gretel. Ms. Budny holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Catholic University of America, and she pursued additional study in opera performance under the tutelage of legendary soprano Patricia Craig at The New England Conservatory of Music. She currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area, where she studies with Rick Christman.

Soprano, Katherine Sanford, Mercedes, is from Annapolis, MD. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Maryland in the spring of 2009, where she was a recipient of the School of Music's Director's Award. She has performed with various opera companies throughout the DC area, including Bel Cantanti, DC Summer Opera Theatre Company and The Maryland Opera Studio and was a recent soloist in the Newark Symphony Orchestra's performance of Bach's Magnificat. Katherine is a student of Elizabeth Daniels.

Matt Hill, tenor, Remendado, a native to Laurel, Maryland, is currently a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, working on his bachelor's degree in vocal performance. Matt has studied under the tenor, James Bailey, and at Maryland, he studies under the internationally renowned bass, Francois Loup. Much of Matt's performance history has been of the musical theatre genre, and is now finding more work in classical and operatic repertoire. Earlier this year, he was named a finalist in the Howard County Arts Council Rising Star Competition. Recently, he sang the Bach"s Magnificat with the Newark Symphony Chorus and Chamber Orchestra and made his operatic debut in the chorus of L'Elisir d'Amore at the Maryland Opera Studio last fall. Later in Bel Cantanti's season, he'll be appearing in Offenbach'sMonsieur Choufleuri as the role Mr. Balandard.

Dennys Moura, tenor, Dancairo, is a senior at the University of Maryland, currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in vocal performance. He was awarded a full scholarship by the Board of Visitors and was named a Distinguished Scholar in the Arts for the state of Maryland. He received an honorable mention in the Friday Morning Music Club and has been an active performer in the area while studying at the university. He was most recently cast as Nemorino in Bel Cantanti Opera Company's summer production of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, and will be the tenor soloist for Choralis' performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah in the summer of 2010 . Mr. Moura is a student of Carmen Balthrop.

Rami Ayyub, baritone, Zuniga, began his performance career at the young age of 14 as The Priate King in Gilbert and Sullivan's /The Pirates of Penzance/. Since then, he has maintained an active performance schedule in opera, straight play and musical theatre, performing roles such as Bernardo in /West Side Story/ and John Haddock in /Lips Together, Teeth Apart/. A finalist of the Washington Post Music and Dance Scholarship, Ayyub has sang in concert at the Kennedy Center, and as a soloist at the Historic Warner Theatre and DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. This past fall, he made his operatic debut in /L'Elisir d'Amore /with the Maryland Opera Studio. Mr. Ayyub began his study of voice under award winning soprano Kristin Halliday. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in vocal performance at the University of Maryland, where he studies with world-renowned bass, François Loup.

Zain Shariff, baritone, Lilas Pastia, A recent graduate of the University of Maryland, Zain has appeared in performances of Armide, Così fan tutte, Eugene Onegin, Xerxes, and L'Elisir d'Amore with the Maryland Opera Studio; Carmen with Summer Opera Theatre Company; Faust with Opera Camerata of Washington, and in La Traviata, Don Pasquale, and I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Bel Cantanti Opera. He has sung the roles of the Notary in Don Pasquale and Tom in Un Ballo in Maschera with Repertory Opera Theatre of Washington, as well as Masetto in Don Giovanni with the Riverbend Opera Company. Non-operatic roles include Ali Hakim in Oklahoma! and the Vicomte de Nanjac in An Ideal Husband. By day, Zain is the operations manager for a consulting engineering firm in Columbia, MD. He is a student of François Loup.

Francesca Aguado, mezzo-soprano, Carmen (cover), is a diverse performer whose past opera credits include Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti), Maurya (Riders to the Sea) and Captain Frands von Frauenliebe (The Beautiful Bridegroom, presented at the 2009 National Opera Association Conference). She has also portrayed Ma Joad in a suite version of Ricky Ian Gordon's The Grapes of Wrath at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, with Mr. Gordon narrating and accompanying. Most recently, Ms. Aguado was seen as Sesto in Bel Cantanti's production of /Giulio Cesare/.

Debbie Niezgoda, Stage Director, has directed productions of Le Nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor, L’Elisir d’Amore, Hansel und Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, La Boheme, and Giulio Cesare for Opera Bel Cantanti. Locally she has directed productions of The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Gallantry, and Tartuffe for The Forgotten Opera Company, The Elixir of Love, The Magic Flute, The Desert Song, Die Fledermaus, The Merry Widow (1996, 2009), The Gypsy Baron, Yeoman of the Guard and The Pirates of Penzance for the Victorian Lyric Opera Company; L’Incoranazione di Poppea and L’Elisir d’Amore for Catholic University, Iolanthefor the Washington Savoyards, A Little Night Music, Hansel und Gretel, The Impresario, The Stoned Guest, and La Serva Padrona for The Other Opera; The Barber of Seville, L’oca del Cairo, Chanticleer, and The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County for Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia; Ruddigore for the Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society; Arsenic and Old Lace for the Takoma Theatre, Boston Marriage for Elden Street Players, and Brundibar for The Washington National Opera Camp for Kids.

Raven Morris, Choreographer, is a Washingtonian and has performed as a dancer in Washington, D.C. and Florida since 1992. She studied and performed belly dance with Nina Nazim Koelmeyer, Ophelia Tzighan from 1992 - 1994 and performed with Maritya Possession Dance Collective, in Washington from 2000-2005. She began studying flamenco and Spanish ballet under Joanna del Rio of Danza del Rio Company and the Spanish Dance Society of Washington DC, and performed with both companies from 1994 to 2000. She danced in the Washington National Opera productions of Doña Francisquita, choreographed by Goyo Montero, as well as in Un Ballo In Maschera, and Le Cid. Raven has also studied at flamenco at Amor de Dios in Madrid and Fazil's of New York City.

Raven's dance training includes Kathak, Modern and Ballet. She has been a member of AGMA since 1998. In addition to dance, Raven is also accomplished in the movement arts of Dressage, Aikido and Tae Kwon Do. This is Raven's third collaboration with Bel Cantanti as a dancer and choreographer.