Peter Kendall Clark (Older Col. Jim Thompson) is a seasoned baritone who performs opera, theater, and concert works. He enjoys working with living composers and created the title roles in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Garden Of The Finzi-Continis and Ted Rosenthal’s Dear Erich with New York City Opera. He also played the poet Mìklos Radnotì in Tom Cipullo’s The Parting with Chelsea Opera (NY premiere). This season he collaborated with Jorge Martín-Buján on the revival of The Interlopers at Opera Company of Middlebury and sang under the baton of Eric Whitacre in his opera The Gift Of The Magi at Carnegie Hall. A true ‘crossover’ baritone, he has played Fredrik Eggerman, Sweeney Todd, Henry Higgins, King Arthur, and Harold Hill in productions around the country. Earlier this season he played El Gallo in the “boy meets boy” version of The Fantasticks at Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton. This production is his sixth as Older Thompson in Glory Denied, having played the role with Chelsea Opera, Union Avenue Opera, Opera Company of Middlebury, and Opera Roanoke. Beginning in May of 2020, his nightly stoop concerts in Brooklyn garnered global media attention (“the hottest ticket in town”- New York Post); as the ‘Brownstone Baritone,’ he continues to give his cabaret-style concerts regularly in Brooklyn Heights and around the country (see www.songsfromtheledge.com).
Hailed for her “mezzo-tinted lower register rising to a wonderful warm top,” (The Washington Post) American soprano Colleen Daly (Older Alyce) skillfully balances engagements on both the concert and opera stages. This season, she premiered excerpts from Kverndokk and Wiik’s Babette’s Feast with the Denyce Graves Foundation at the National Gallery of Art and the French Embassy (Washington, D.C.), and looks forward to appearing as Micaëla in Maryland Opera’s mainstage presentation of Carmen. Recent engagements include Britten’s Turn of the Screw with Opera Baltimore, Mozart’s Così fan tutte with Opera Delaware, Baker’s Wife in Annapolis Opera’s Into the Woods, and joining Baltimore Choral Arts for Carmina Burana. She has appeared with the National Philharmonic Chorale (Washington, D.C.) in Beethoven’s C Major Mass and Annapolis Opera for Cipullo’s Glory Denied. Other credits include the title role in Floyd’s Susannah (Baltimore Concert Opera), Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen (Tulsa Opera), and Countess in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Annapolis Opera). An artist passionate about new opera, Colleen has worked with Beth Morrison Projects in their Prototype Festival, Boston New Music Festival, Urban Arias for a workshop of Cipullo’s Glory Denied, and joined White Snake Projects for the world premiere of Rev. 23. Colleen has enjoyed working under the auspices of Des Moines Metro Opera, Intermountain Opera Bozeman, Maryland Opera, Delaware Opera, Washington Concert Opera, and Charlottesville Opera, and has joined both Washington National Opera and New York City Opera as a cover artist. For more information, visit www.colleendaly.com
Hailed as “every inch the hero in stature and voice” (Classical Voice North America), award-winning American tenor John Riesen (Younger Col. Jim Thompson) is consistently impressing audiences with his “impassioned…and vibrant” voice (Opera Today). John’s growing career boasts a variety of roles in which he excels and includes significant work in opera, musical theatre, studio recording, and concert, both classical and Pops. He has released two albums: What You’d Call a Dream (2019) and Christmas at Home (2020) and several singles, including “Autumn Leaves” (2021), “What a Wonderful World” (2021), and “Maria” (from West Side Story, 2021), that have reached well over seven million streams on Spotify and Apple Music. John is also the head of Spotify promotion and PR for Emitha LLC, building an ecosystem for classical singers to be heard around the world. In the 2024-2025 season, John makes his Carnegie Hall début as tenor soloist in Carmina Burana with Oratorio Society New York under the baton of Mo. Kent Tritle. He also returns to Utah Opera in one of his favorite roles, Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd, makes his role debut as Don José in Carmen with Sioux City Symphony and joins Las Vegas Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah. Additionally, he appears in concerts with Shreveport Opera and at several private events. In the 2023-2024 season, he returned to Pacific Symphony in Mo. Carl St. Clair’s finale concert of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which he also performed with the Southwest Michigan Symphony, and joined the Virginia Arts Festival with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra as Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd. He was also a featured soloist in Opera Las Vegas 25th anniversary gala, joined Portland Opera for an all-Puccini program, and returned to Opera Montana as Rodolfo in La bohème. Complete information can be found at: www.johnriesen.com
Praised for her “ravishing voice” and “compelling stage presence,” Turkish-American soprano Öznur Tülüoğlu (Younger Alyce) is establishing herself as a rising artist “destined for bigger things.” Recent highlights include her performances as the Young Woman in the world premiere of A.E. Reverie, Camila in Pepito, and Sandman in Hansel and Gretel as a Chautauqua Opera Apprentice Artist. She also appeared as the Soprano Soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Chautauqua Symphony. This season, Öznur also performs as a soprano soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana and Dolores White’s Give Birth to the Dream with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. Her latest season showcased her versatility with roles such as Gilda at Mobile Opera, Younger Alyce in Glory Denied at Annapolis Opera, Aspasia in Mitridate at Opera Neo, and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro at Annapolis Opera. Ms. Tülüoğlu also premiered the role of The Pigeon in Carlos Simon’s new children’s operetta Don’t Let the Pigeon Sing Up Late!, alongside Renée Fleming and Mo Willems with Washington National Opera. Öznur has achieved recognition as a finalist in prestigious competitions such as the Jensen Foundation Competition, the Opera Mississippi John Alexander National Vocal Competition, and the Music International Grand Prix Competition. In 2022, she won 3rd place at the AIMS in Graz Vocal Competition and recently received the Encouragement Award from The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. For more information, visit www.oznurtuluoglu.com
Dean Anthony (Director) draws inspiration and expertise from a comprehensive career spanning over 40 years and innumerable turns as a performer, director, educator, producer, and administrator. Most recently, Mr. Anthony was named as Producing Director of Knoxville Opera along with his position as Director of Opera, at the Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music Center. Frequently engaged as a stage director, Mr. Anthony’s artistic process is hallmarked by an energetic, gritty, and physical style. His portfolio stretches across the repertoire from Le Nozze di Figaro to Dead Man Walking and includes regular engagements at regional houses across the United States. In 2020, he received the Charles Nelson Reilly American Prize Stage Director Award for his work on Tom Cipullo’s world premiere opera, Mayo. Mr. Anthony’s recent projects include Into the Woods with Annapolis Opera, Gianni Schicchi & Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Tampa, Le Nozze di Figaro with Omaha Opera and Opera Delaware, Sweeney Todd with Opera Tampa, and HMS Pinafore with Pensacola Opera. Knoxville Opera has seen his work in Glory Denied, The Merry Widow, The Pirates of Penzance and La bohème.
Music critics are effusive in their praise of Steven White (Conductor) and his ability to elicit inspired music-making from orchestras. Praised by Opera News as a conductor who “squeezes every drop of excitement and pathos from the score,” Steven White is one of North America’s premiere operatic and symphonic conductors. He made his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut in 2010, conducting performances of La traviata starring Angela Gheorghiu. Since then, he has conducted a number of Metropolitan Opera performances of La traviata, with such stars as Natalie Dessay, Hei-Kyung Hong, Plácido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, Dmitri Hvorostovksy and Matthew Polenzani. In the past several seasons he has returned to the Met to participate in critically fêted productions of Don Carlo, Billy Budd, The Rake’s Progress and Elektra. Of his 2016 performance with the Omaha Symphony, the Omaha World Herald said, “it would be hard to imagine a more complete performance of the ‘Symphonie Fantastique.’ Highly nuanced, tightly controlled and crisp, Steven White asked everything from his orchestra members and they were flawless. He led them out of the serene into the disturbing dissonance and even to the terrifying point of musical madness without ever losing control. It was insanely good.” Opera News declares, “White is amazing; he consistently demands and gets the absolute best playing from the orchestra.” Among the many orchestras Maestro White has conducted are the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Orchestra Métropolitain du Grand Montréal, the Mozarteum un Salzburg Kulturevereinigung Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, the New World Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore, Columbus, Charleston and Nashville Symphony Orchestras. He led the London Philharmonia Orchestra for the CHANDOS recording of arias featuring his wife, soprano Elizabeth Futral. His 2024-25 season includes leading productions at The Metropolitan Opera, Opera Omaha, The Janiec Opera Company (Brevard Music Center), and Opera Roanoke, where he serves as Artistic Director.