Vocal Concert Series

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Tenor Joseph Michael Brent, a native New Yorker, began his operatic career as a doctoral student at the University of Georgia, Athens. Since graduating in the fall of 2014, Dr. Brent’s lyric tenor voice has continued to gain recognition around the United States and abroad. Most recently, he became the inaugural tenor resident artist of the Michigan Opera Theatre Studio, under the artistic direction of internationally acclaimed tenor Richard Leech and opera impresario Dr. David Dichiera. He completed two seasons as resident artist, ending his tenure at the Michigan Opera Theatre in the spring of 2017.

As a member of the Michigan Opera Theatre Studio Dr. Brent’s roles included Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence (Little Women), Martin (The Tender Land), the Kronprinz (Silent Night), Malcolm (Macbeth), Trin (La Fanciulla del West), and Remendado (Carmen).

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Adam Cioffari recently returned to the Pittsburgh Festival Opera Fasolt in Rhinegold and Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd, followed by Handel's Messiah, and the Mozart Requiem with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Other appearances include the Commentator in the world premiere of Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg at the Castleton Festival, the Musiklehrer in Ariadne auf Naxos at The Glimmerglass Festival, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Colline in La Boheme with Knoxville Opera, and Masetto with Austin Opera. He has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Theatre Capitole de Toulouse, Staatsoper Stuttgart, and Komische Oper Berlin. A former member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, he was also a participant of the Merola Opera Program, the Music Academy of the West, Aspen Opera Theater, and is a graduate from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

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American soprano Mary Feminear’s voice has been described as “luminous…full of longing and sensual promise” by the critic of the Wall Street Journal, and by the critic of the New York Times as showing “versatility [as Magdalene] in her sorrowing and then in her transcendent joy.” Among her 2019-20 engagements are the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro with Maryland Lyric Opera, and Pallade, Damigella, and Venere in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Opera Delaware. In the summer of 2020, Ms. Feminear is soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C Major in her debut with the Grant Park Music Festival. Her engagements in the 2020-21 season include a return to Opera Omaha as the Countess.

Ms. Feminear’s engagements in the 2018-19 season included a return to Grand Théâtre de Genève as Micaëla in Carmen, and concerts with Maryland Lyric Opera, where she appeared as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. Engagements for the 2017-18 season included Zerlina in Don Giovanni at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Ginevra in Handel’s Ariodanteand soloist in Mariana Sadovska’s The Wreck at the Opera Omaha One Festival, and Amore in Cavalli’s Il Giasone at the Château de Versailles.

As a member of the Troupe des Jeunes Solistes at Grand Théâtre de Genève, she performed a number of roles, including Musetta in La bohème, Amore in Il Giasone, Mimì in Scènes de la vie de Bohème, Nanetta in Verdi’s Falstaff, and Helena in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ms. Feminear’s other opera credits include the title role in Handel’s Semele at Opera Omaha and Seattle Opera, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Pacific MusicWorks, Proserpine in Charpentier’s La descente d'Orphée aux enfers with Gotham Chamber Opera, and Polissena in Handel’s Radamistoat Juilliard.

She has also appeared in concert, with performances of Monteverdi’s Orfeo with Pacific MusicWorks, Tchaikovsky’s Orleanskaya Deva with Grand Théâtre de Genève, Handel’s La resurrezione with William Christie and Juilliard415, and the St. Matthew Passion with Juilliard415 at Alice Tully Hall.

Ms. Feminear is a recipient of the Novick Career Advancement Prize, the Makiko Narumi Memorial Prize, and the Hardesty and Beverley Peck Johnson Award. She holds an Artist Diploma in Opera Studies and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School and a Master of Arts degree from Teacher’s College at Columbia University.

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Praised for her “grease lightning coloratura” and “impressive dramatic versatility,” Caroline made her professional operatic debut as Dido in Houston Opera Project’s Dido and Aeneas. Other operatic roles include Angelina in La Cenerentola, Cherbuino in Le nozze di Figaro, Lucia in La Gazza Ladra, Isoletta in La Straniera, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Luisa Fernanda, Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte, Meg Page in Die Lustige Weber von Windsor and Thelma in John Musto’s Later the Same Evening.

This season, Caroline returns to Sacramento Opera as Rosina in their new production of Il barbiere di Siviglia, Operatunity Theater for Sing in the New Year!ä and joins North Shore Music Festival in Carmen. Caroline was named the first prize winner at the 2018 Lotte Lenya Competition and has won prizes from the Kristin Lewis Foundation, PASF Santa Barbara, and the Henry & Maria Holt Scholarship Foundation.

A California native, Caroline Hewitt is an alumni of The Moores Opera Center where she graduated with Highest Honors, Vanderbilt University, American Conservatory Theater, Brevard Music Center, and SongFest. Caroline is also the host of the podcast Music & Weights.

More info can be found at mezzocaroline.com.

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José Sacín, Peruvian Baritone and Artistic Director of Opera NOVA, has performed in companies such as The Washington National Opera, Opera Delaware, Caramoor Festival, Opera Camerata of Washington, Teatro Municipal de Lima, Mediterranean Opera Festival, Maryland Lyric Opera, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid and the Rachmaninov Hall in Moscow, Teatro Nacional de San Jose, Opera North and the Baltimore Opera. Main opera roles include Scarpia in Tosca, Giorgio Germont in La Traviata, Dr. Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Tonio in Pagliacci, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, Marcello in La Bohème, Count Di Luna in Il Trovatore, Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, Vidal in Luisa Fernanda and the title roles in Gianni Schicchi, Don Giovanni, Macbeth, Falstaff and Rigoletto. Sacin is very active in the recital stage performing Schubert’s Winterreise, Schumann’s Dichterliebe and programs of Latin American Art Songs and Italian Art Songs. He appears in the Naxos recording of Ramirez’s Misa Criolla with the Choral Arts of Washington. 

As a conductor, Sacin has performed in Hansel and Gretel, La Cenerentola, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Treemonisha, Die Zauberflöte, Verbena de la Paloma, Monkey See Monkey Do and El Barberillo de Lavapies.

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Proving himself a formidable talent and a rising star to watch in the opera world, Tenor Yi Li is quickly gaining attention across the globe. Most recently, Li débuted the role of Cheng Quing in Meredith Monk’s ATLAS with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and moved into bigger repertoire, debuting the role of Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West in Maryland Lyric Opera’s inaugural season. He subsequently returned there as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Turridu/Luigi in Il Tabarro/Cavalleria Rusticana as well as returned to The Metropolitan Opera as the Young Lover in Il tabarro.

Upcoming engagements include a return to Maryland Lyric Opera for Turandot and his debut at Opera Tampa in Cavalleria Rusticana.

Other operatic engagements include the role of Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles with Toledo Opera; Nicias in Thaïs with China National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Intermountain Opera Bozeman, Nashville Opera, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Cassio in Otello at The National Center Performing Arts in Beijing; the role of Alfredo in La traviata with Finger Lakes Opera; and his performance in Huang Ruo’s innovative contemporary opera, Paradise Interrupted. Mr. Li has also joined the esteemed roster of The Metropolitan Opera for productions of Manon Lescaut, Roméo et Juliette, and Der fliegende Holländer.

Concert engagements include Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Canterbury Chorale at Carnegie Hall, Indianapolis Opera’s Opera’s Rising Stars Concert and a Chinese New Year Concert with Shenzen Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center.

Mr. Li recently graduated from Washington National Opera’s revered Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program where his assignments included Rodolfo in La bohème and productions of Die Zauberflöte and Dialogues des Carmélites. At San Francisco Opera’s world-renowned Merola Program, assignments included Belfiore in La finta giardiniera, Smith in Bizet’s La jolie fille de Perth, and Lionel in Martha.

Mr. Li’s training includes an Artist Diploma in Voice from University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he performed Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and Ruggero in La rondine. During his time there, he also performed The Duke in Rigoletto at Cincinnati Opera and Don José in Carmen at CCM Spoleto Festival. He also holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Sichuan Conservatory in China, where performances include Alfredo in La traviata, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Rodolfo in La bohème, and Cavradossi in Tosca.

Finding success on the emerging artist competition circuit, Yi Li’s talent has been recognized by several elite foundations and organizations. Mr. Li was a Grand Final Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a finalist at Operalia: The World Opera Competition, Winner of the Sullivan Musical Foundation Award, China’s representative at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, 3rd Prize at the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, Finalist in the 49th International Singing Competition of Toulouse, and won the Grand Prize in Opera Columbus Irma M. Cooper Vocal Competition and CCM’s Corbett Scholarship Competition. He also received a grant from Giulio Gari Foundation and performed at their annual gala.