Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana
& Puccini’s Il Tabarro

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Mark Delavan, a singer of “incisive vocal power and fierce theatrical acuity,” is sought after throughout the United States and Europe for the most demanding roles in his operatic repertoire. He regularly appears in the title roles of Der fliegende Holländer, Falstaff, and Rigoletto, and as Iago in Otello, Scarpia in Tosca, Jochanaan in Salome, and Amonasro in Aida.  In addition, as a strong character actor on stages throughout the country, he has proved himself a crossover artist of immense skill. Most recently, Delavan starred as Phil Arkin in Milk and Honey with York Theatre Company, to critical acclaim. Of his performance, critics hailed his “rich, resonant voice,” with “impressively clear high notes.”

This season, Mr. Delavan performs the role of Michele/Alfio in Tabbaro/Cavalleria Rusticana with Maryland Lyric Opera, Amfortas in Parsifal with Indiana University Opera Theater, Jocanaan in Salome with the Dallas Symphony, Tonio in I Pagliacci with Michigan Opera Theater, and joins The Metropolitan Opera for their production of Tosca. Last season, Delavan returned to The Metropolitan Opera for their productions of La Fanciulla del West, Aida and Falstaff, performed in a concert performance of La Fanciulla del Westas Jack Rance in the Inaugural Season of Maryland Lyric Opera and reprised the title role of Falstaff with Dallas Opera.  He will return to Dallas Opera in 2020.

At the Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Delavan took his interpretation of Wotan in cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen under Fabio Luisi to critical acclaim.  He has also performed at the esteemed house, the title roles of Simon Boccanegra and Nabucco, and has appeared as Scarpia in Tosca, Amonasro in Aida, Tomsky in Pique Dame, Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana, Carlo in La forza del destino, Gianciotto in Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini, and as Gerard in a major revival of Andrea Chénier.

Internationally, Delavan has worked most frequently with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, in performances of Wotan in Der Ring des Nibelungen, as well as in stand-alone performances of Das Rheingold and Die Walküre led by Donald Runnicles, as Scarpia in Tosca, Jupiter in Die Liebe der Danae, Alfio/Tonio in the double-bill of Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci, and Iago in Otello.  He débuted as Jochanaan in Salome at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova under Fabio Luisi and went on to perform the role in productions with Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu and in concert with the Prague State Opera.  He also has sung Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West for Den Jyske Opera and Scarpia in Tosca with the Canadian Opera Company.

With the San Francisco Opera he created the role of Giovanni in the world première of Marco Tutino’s Two Women (La Ciociara) and has appeared there as Scarpia in Tosca and Wotan in Die Walküre.  With the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Delavan was most praised for his creation of the role of Snooks Brenner in the world première of William Bolcom’s A Wedding, directed by Robert Altman and conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.  He has also appeared with the company as Amfortas in Parsifal, Alfio/Tonio in Cavalleria rusticana/I pagliacci, Scarpia in Tosca, Germont in La Traviata, Renato in Un ballo in Maschera, Robert Carsens staging of Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride (Louis Langrèe conducting) and David McVicar’s production of Verdi’s Il trovatore (Bruno Bartoletti conducting).

Notable engagements in the US also include, Don Carlo in La forza del destino at Washington National Opera, the title role of Der fliegende Holländer with Arizona Opera, the Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann at Palm Beach Opera, Jack Rance in La faniculla del West for Michigan Opera Theatre, Iago in Otello for Opera Philadelphia, and the title roles in Rigoletto, Nabucco and Falstaff, as well as Scarpia in Tosca for Pittsburgh Opera. He has made several appearances with Santa Fe Opera including Mandryka in a new production of Arabella and Jack Rance in La faniculla del West, performed Amonasro in Aida for Atlanta Opera and at the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under James Conlon, and performed Kurt Weill’s The Road of Promise with the Collegiate Chorale at Carnegie Hall and with the New York Choral Society in Mendelssohn’s St. Paul.

A popular performer with the former New York City Opera, Mr. Delavan has sung in numerous productions with the company, including the title roles in Der fliegende Holländer, Rigoletto, Macbeth, and Falstaff, as well as starring in the title role of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd to great critical acclaim. Mr. Delavan’s NYCO credits also include the roles of the four villains in Les contes d’Hoffman, Scarpia (telecast live on PBS for ‘Live From Lincoln Center’), Ezio in Attila, Escamillo in Carmen, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, the Duke of Nottingham in Roberto Devereux and in new productions of The Ballad of Baby Doe as Horace Tabor, Il trittico as Michele and Gianni Schicchi, and Salome.

Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Mr. Delavan earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Oral Roberts University. He was a national finalist of the Metropolitan Opera auditions and an Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera.

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Jill Gardner sits among today’s leading operatic heroines. Gardner is hailed for her portrayals of the leading ladies of verismo repertoire and Puccini heroines alike. Considered one of the great interpreters of the title role of Tosca, she has performed the role with many opera houses, including Opera Carolina, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Arizona Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera in her role début. This season, Ms. Gardner performs in concert with Tabor Opera House, performs the role of Giorgetta/Santuzza in Tabbaro/Cavalleria Rusticana with Maryland Lyric Opera, and the title role of Tosca with Tri-Cities Opera and Eugene Opera. Last season, Ms. Gardner performed the role of Anna Maurrant in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene with Virginia Opera, Minnie in La fanciulla del West with Maryland Lyric Opera, and Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly with Greensboro Opera. She also performed as Minnie in La fanciulla del West with Virginia Opera, the Marquise of Berkenfield in La fille du Regiment with Hawaii Opera Theatre, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth with Opera Tampa. 

Ms. Gardner has quite a history as a leading lady in opera’s most infamous repertoire. Some highlights from these include the title role of Manon Lescaut with Opera Grand Rapids; Madama Butterfly in her role début with Arizona Opera; Suor Angelica with Opera Carolina; Tatiana in Eugene Onegin with Eugene Opera; Mimì in La bohème with Boston Lyric Opera; Marguerite in Faust with Madison Opera; and Nedda in Pagliacci with Michigan Opera Theatre and her début with Lyric Opera of Chicago.

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Susan Bullock’s unique position as one of the world’s most sought-after dramatic sopranos was recognized by the award of a CBE in June 2014.

Of her most distinctive roles, Wagner’s Brünnhilde has garnered outstanding praise leading Susan Bullock to become the first ever soprano to sing four consecutive cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Royal Opera House under Sir Antonio Pappano. Appearances as Richard Strauss’ Elektra have brought her equal international acclaim and collaborations with some of the world’s leading conductors including Fabio Luisi, Semyon Bychkov, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Mark Elder and Edo de Waart.

In recent seasons, Susan has begun to explore new repertoire making debuts as Klytaemnestra (Elektra) for the Canadian Opera Company under Johannes Debus, the role of Liz Stride in the world premiere of Iain Bell’s Jack the Ripper for ENO; and her acclaimed portrayal of Mother for Scottish Opera in Mark Anthony-Turnage’s Greek at BAM which she debuted at the Edinburgh International Festival. Further debuts include in the role of Kostelnička (Jenůfa) for Grange Park Opera, both Gertrude and The Witch (Hänsel und Gretel) for Opera North and Grange Park Opera, Mrs Lovett (Sweeney Todd) for Houston Grand Opera, her debut as Mother in the European premier of Missy Mazzoli’s award winning Breaking the Waves for Scottish Opera also at the Edinburgh International Festival, and a welcome return to the role of Mrs Lovett with Bergen National Opera. The 19/20 season brough further new roles including in special virtual projects Feast in the Time of Plague and her debut as an actor in Keith Warner’s unique staging of King Lear in which she plays Goneril at The Grange Festival. In the current season, Susan returns to Opera Frankfurt as Magdelone in Carl Nielsen’s Maskarade and new production by Tobias Kratzer conducted by Titus Engel and she returns to the role of Kostelnička for Den Norske Opera.

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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.

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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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Boasting a career which includes performances with major opera companies and orchestras worldwide, bass-baritone Jake Gardner remains one of opera’s most sought-after singing actors. Recently making forays into opera’s greatest buffo roles, Gardner has performed, to critical acclaim, roles such as Benoit/Alcindoro in La bohème with Virginia Opera, Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow with Los Angeles Opera, and Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with San Antonio Opera and Mill City Opera, among others. Of his Benoit/Alcindoro, critics hailed “Bass-baritone Jake Gardner also stands out when he brings his acting chops to bear on creating distinctive characters in the garret’s morally questionable landlord in Act 1 and Musetta’s sugar daddy in Act 2.” This season Mr. Gardner will reprises the roles of Benoit/Alcindoro in La bohéme with Lyric Opera Kansas City and Arizona Opera, and performs the role of Talpa in Tabarro with Maryland Lyric Opera.

Last season, Mr. Gardner reprised the roles of Benoit/Alcindoro in performances of La bohème with the Lyric Opera Chicago, performed Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore with Eugene Opera, Le Bailli in Werther with Florida Grand Opera, and Narrator in a Wagner Concert with Binghamton Philharmonic. Recent engagements include Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd with Houston Grand Opera and Virginia Opera, the Dutchman in Der fliegende Holländer with Piedmont Opera; Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore with Virginia Opera, and productions of Manon Lescaut as Geronte de Ravoir with Washington National Opera and as Monsieur de Brétigny with Lyric Opera of Chicago.

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Allegra was recently seen as Angelina in La Cenerentola at Boston Midsummer Opera, The Page in Salome at The Spoleto Festival, Siebel in Faust at Washington National Opera and the title role in Carmen in a semi-staged production with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Future engagements include Maddalena in Rigoletto with Austin Opera, Rinaldo in Rinadlo at the Glimmerglass Festival. As a 2018 graduate from the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program she was seen as Rosina in The Barber of Seville (Emerging Artist Performance), Tebaldo in Don Carlo, Sister 2 in Provin’ Up, The Fox/A Rose in The Little Prince, Ruggiero in Alcina (Emerging Artist Performance), the title role in The Dictator’s Wife, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro (Emerging Artist Performance) and Kate Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly. She was also seen as Tancredi in Erminia with Opera Lafayette, Arsamenes in Xerxes at the 2017 Glimmerglass Festival as well as the roles of Olga in Eugene Onegin with Syracuse Opera and Isaura inTancredi with Opera Philadelphia. Allegra was a 2015 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finalist.