Conductor Antony Walker was appointed Music Director of Pittsburgh Opera making him one of the youngest music directors of a regional opera company in the United States. Mo. Walker's season included debuts with Arizona Opera ( Madama Butterfly), Glimmerglass Opera (L'Orfeo and L'Anima del Filosofo), performances of Billy Budd and The Magic Flute for Pittsburgh Opera, Otello for Washington Concert Opera, and an orchestral concert with Thessaloniki Symphony Orchestra in Greece. In the upcoming season, Mo. Walker looks forward to an orchestral concert with Orchestre Colonne in Paris, a choral/orchestral concert with Melbourne Symphony, Alcina for Opera Australia, I Puritani and Bianca e Falliero for Washington Concert Opera, and performances of Aida and I Capuleti ed I Montecchi for Pittsburgh Opera, and Troilus and Cressida for Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
Justin Way, Stage Director and on staff at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden directed new productions of Alcina for Opera Australia and La Traviata for Central City Opera. He served as revival director for the ROH (Das Rheingold) and assistant director for Salome and La Cenerentola. New productions in the upcoming seasons include Orlando for Chicago Opera Theater, The Beggars Opera for the Royal Opera House at the Linbury Theatre, an additional new Orlando for Opera Australia, and La Bohème for The Minnesota Opera.
Stage Director, Kristine McIntyre returned to the Lyric Opera of Kansas City to direct the world premiere of Kirke Mechem's John Brown following her highly successful new production of The End of the Affair. Next assignments for The Metropolitan Opera include La Traviata and Un Ballo in Maschera, followed by Lucia di Lammermoor for Arizona Opera and Flight for Pittsburgh Opera.
Bass-Baritone Darren K. Stokes added the roles of Doctor Grenvil, Achilla and the Mandarin to his repertoire. He performed Nettuno (Ulysses) for Chicago Opera Theatre and the Imperial Commissioner (Madama Butterfly) for the Ravinia Festival. Upcoming assignments include Zaretsky and Basilio for the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Calkas for Opera Theatre of St. Louis and a Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra debut.
Soprano Tammy Hensrud debuted at Spoleto Festival USA in the principal role of Jenny in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. She gave an all Weill recital and performed with the Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Orchestra. Other projects included Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), a solo cantata program of Rossini's Giovanna d'Arco and Haydn's Arianna a Naxos for The Joseph G. Astman International Concert Series.
Tenor Carl Halvorson continued his distinguished international concert career in performances with the Red{an orchestra} and the North Carolina Symphony. He sang the world premiere of "A Red Couch Floating in Lake Erie" and was the tenor soloist in Schubert's Offertorium, D.963 for tenor and orchestra Upcoming is a gala concert performance with Arizona Opera.
Baritone Robert Gardner's season included a return to New York City Opera to sing Marcello (La Bohème) with a reprise for Knoxville Opera, Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) for Palm Beach Opera and Zurga (Les Pêcheurs de Perles) for Madison Opera. In concert he performed the prophet Elijah, the baritone solo in the Brahms Requiem, Carmina Burana and the Beethoven 9th Symphony, and he sang Kindertotenlieder in recital in Washington DC.
Bass-Baritone Joshua Winograde sang Eight Scenes from Faust with the St. Louis Symphony, an Opera Highlights Concert for Opera Santa Barbara, the Second Armored Man and Second Priest (Die Zauberflöte) for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Messiah for Kansas City Symphony. Mr. Winograde performs Ratcliffe in Billy Budd for Houston Grand Opera in 2008.
New to the roster, Arthur Espiritu, Tenor, makes his La Scala debut for the Accademia in the role of Ferrando (Così fan tutte) and reprises the role for Piccolo Teatro in Milan. He sang Ormindo (L'Ormindo) and Maintop (Billy Budd) for Pittsburgh Opera, Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola) for Opera Memphis, and returns to Pittsburgh Opera to sing Tebaldo ( I Capuleti ed I Montecchi).
Soprano Deborah Selig premiered Tessa (Trinity) on tour for Santa Fe Opera. She sings Gianetta in L'elisir d'amore, the High Priestess in Aida, and Tina in Jonathan Dove's Flight in 2008 for Pittsburgh Opera. Ms. Selig adds Giulietta in I Capuleti ed I Montecchi and Adina in L'elisir d'amore to her repertoire.
Tenor Joseph Michael Muir added the roles of Messenger in Aida, Edmondo in Manon Lescaut, 1st Philistine in Samson et Dalila, and Levin in the in Anna Karenina to his repertoire while at Florida Grand Opera. He sang Ruiz in a concert performance of Il Trovatore with the Florida Concert Association.
Bass Wojciech Bukalski sang Zuniga for Virginia Opera and added Blitch to his repertoire. Mezzo-Soprano Monika Krajewska returned to Palm Beach Opera to sing Albine in Thaïs, made her National Philharmonic debut in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and sang recitals for the Kosciuszko Foundation and in Weill Hall.