Steven Sanders as Faust
Tenor Steven Sanders has performed with many prestigious opera companies including New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Boston, Chautauqua Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Amarillo Opera, and the Opera Institute at Boston University. In the Spring of 2008 he made his New York City Opera debut in Purcell’s King Arthur.

A native of Chickasha, OK, Mr. Sanders holds degrees in Music Education from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma from which he received the 2004 Distinguished Young Alumni Award. He received his Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from Oklahoma City University and a Certificate of Performance from Boston University. His repertoire includes many mainstream roles and also lesser performed roles such as Chairman Mao in Nixon In China by John Adams, Galileo in Galileo Galilei by Philip Glass, Howard Boucher in Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie, and The Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten.
[ read more ]

Julia Turner Cooke as Marguerite
Soprano Julia Turner Cooke has earned critical praise for her performances on both the opera and concert stage, having been lauded for her “soaring vocal lines,” (Chicago Tribune) “bell-tone voice” (Anchorage Daily News) and “lovely, unruffled lyricism.”  (Hammond Times) 

Recent operatic performances have included appearances with Baltimore Opera, Sarasota Opera, L’Opera Piccola, and the Bailiwick Arts Center in Chicago.  Her diverse operatic repertoire includes First Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Alice Ford (Falstaff), Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Blanche (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Leïlà (Les Pêcheurs de Perles), and Gulnara in Verdi’s rarely performed Il Corsaro. 

A dedicated interpreter of new music, Ms. Cooke gave the Midwest premiere of the role Sarah in American composer Paula Kimper’s Patience and Sarah. She was praised by the Chicago Free Press for “…a soaring performance...Turner’s Sarah is a well of love and longing, every feeling rippling across her face...”

On the concert stage, Ms. Cooke made her Avery Fisher Hall debut in the spring of 2009 as soprano soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with the National Chorale, a role she has also performed with the Anchorage Symphony and the Maryland Symphony Orchestra.  Other recent solo appearances include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (York Symphony), Mozart’s Mass in C minor and Handel’s Messiah (Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra).  

In competition, Ms. Cooke has been a district winner in the Metropolitan National Council Auditions in Chicago, and a regional winner in the MacAllister Awards. Ms. Cooke holds a Master of Music degree in Opera Performance from Indiana University. 

David Cushing as Mephistopheles
As one of opera’s foremost emerging artists, David Cushing is earning sensational acclaim in his young career. His versatile bass-baritone range is effortlessly demonstrated in a variety of roles including the title role in Don Pasquale, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Frère Laurence in Roméo et Juliette and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Of a recent buffo performance, the Boston Herald exclaimed, “his portrayal of hoodwinked old Pasquale, filled with pathos and unself-conscious humor, was a revelation. He could easily specialize in Italian opera’s wealth of foolish-old-man roles and become the basso buffo of his generation.”

Baltimore Opera goers may recall Mr. Cushing in the leading role of Maometto in Rossini’s rarely performed opera L’Assedio di Corinto alongside renowned soprano Elizabeth Futral with the Baltimore Opera. The Washington Post said, “David Cushing gave him a core of steel surrounded by a great deal of warmth.”

In the 2007-2008 season, he performed Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Boston Lyric Opera in which he was called "sensational" and "audience favorite". The Boston Globe said "his bathyspheric bass is a marvel, and he put his towering stage presence to gleeful use".  Also was the title role cover in Don Pasquale at Opera Colorado, Colline in La Bohème with Opera Columbus, Dr. Grenvil in La Traviata with Opera Colorado, and the Bonze in Madama Butterfly with Opera Theatre of St. Louis. In the 2008-2009 season, he performed Masetto in Don Giovanni at the Nashville Opera, Bonze in Madama Butterfly with Opera Colorado, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Nourabad in Les Pêcheurs des Perles with Opera Colorado, and Colline in La Bohème at Opera East Texas. He next performs 2nd Soldier in Salome with Arizona Opera and Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos at Boston Lyric Opera.

Jonathan Carle as Valentin
Jonathan Carle has performed with some of North America’s leading regional opera companies such as Opera North, Minnesota Opera, Commonwealth Opera, Opera in Concert (Toronto), Sarasota Opera, Green Mountain Opera Festival and Glimmerglass Opera. Building a comprehensive repertoire of some twenty leading roles, Mr. Carle’s resume includes the title roles in Don Giovanni, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Nixon in China and Don Quixote (Telemann), as well as Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Dr. Miracle (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Ford (Falstaff), Frank (Die Fledermaus), Escamillo (Carmen), Janusz (Halka), Filippo (Beatrice di Tenda), Count di Luna (Il Trovator), Silvio (Pagliacci), and Seid (Il Corsaro).

In the title role of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Jonathan Carle was described as a singer with “a natural feeling for line, fluid stage movement and nefarious good looks [whose] voice is a model of melodious charm.”  In La Boheme, Mr. Carle’s “full-bodied baritone carried well across Puccini's chocolaty orchestration,”while “his strong acting gave Marcello the weight the character requires.”  As Sharpless, Mr. Carle was “successful both vocally and dramatically. His Sharpless… was deeply felt and expressed, as well as beautifully sung.”

Equally at home in oratorio, Mr. Carle’s solo concert credits are Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, the Brahms and Mozart Requiems, Handel’s Messiah, Vaughan William’s Five Mystical Songs and Hodie, Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ, the Bach and Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorios, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. As a recitalist, Mr. Carle has performed for Glimmerglass Opera, Radio Canada and the Resident Artist series at the Minnesota Institute of Art. His song repertoire covers the Renaissance to contemporary works including world premieres.

Madelyn Wanner as Siebel
Mezzo-soprano Madelyn Wanner hails from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  She has recently graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University. Operatic credits include the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, The Child in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortileges, Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.   

This past year Ms. Wanner made her debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra singing with their outreach program "The Three Bears and Other Famous Fairy Tales". She was selected as a semi-finalist for the Palm Beach Opera competition, and is a recipient of the Linda A. Mantegna Endowed Scholarship and the George Castelle Memorial award in voice. 

Ms. Wanner’s concert credits include the Vivaldi Magnificat, as well as the Schubert Mass in Ab Major.  She also has appeared as a guest artist at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts in Erie, Pennsylvania.  This fall, Ms. Wanner will begin graduate studies in the Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland.  She is honored to be making her Baltimore Concert Opera debut. 

Jason Widney as Wagner
Jason Widney holds a Bachelors of Science in Music Education and a Bachelors of Arts in Music from Lebanon Valley College.  During his time at LVC, Jason sang at Pine Street Presbyterian Church where he was soloist in Brahm’s Ein Deutches Requiem, and the Faure Requiem.  In 2005, he attained a Master’s of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory where he studied with renowned British bass-baritone, John Shirley-Quirk.  While at Peabody, Jason performed as a soloist in Carmina Burana, the Ballad Singer in Kurt Weil’s The Threepenny Opera, M. Chourfleuri in Offenbach’s opera of the same name, and as Sir Bertie Bland in the world premier of The Alien Corn by Thomas Benjamin.  Since his graduation from Peabody Jason has been an active performer in the Baltimore area performing with the Baltimore Opera Company in the chorus and ecucation programs as well as Don Inigo in L’heure Espagnole.   He has performed with Opera Vivente, Opera AACC and sings regularly with the Handel Choir of Baltimore both in the chorus and as a soloist. 

Jenni Bank as Martha
Mezzo-soprano, Jenni Bank, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and grew up in Binghamton, New York. She attended Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland where she performed numerous roles including “Giulietta” in Tales of Hoffmann, “Marcellina” in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, “Dame Quickly” in Verdi’s Falstaff, “Petra” in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, “Hannah” in the World Premiere of The Alien Corn, “Frugola” in Il Tabarro, “Suor Dolcina” in Suor Angelica, and “The Witch” in an outreach production of Hansel and Gretel.

While living in Maryland, Ms. Bank also had the opportunity to work with many regional companies, where she sang “Third Lady” in The Magic Flute with Hood College, “Katisha” in The Mikado and “Ruth” in Pirates of Penzance with the Young Victorian Theatre Company, the mezzo solos in the Verdi Requiem and the Mozart Requiem, “Queen Jezebel” in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and the alto solo in Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Annapolis Chorale & Chamber Orchestra, “Miss Todd” in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief with the Harbor Opera Company, and several performances with Maryland Concert Opera and The Annapolis Opera. Ms. Bank is excited to return to the region this fall to sing “Martha” in Faust with Baltimore Concert Opera and a “Best of Bel Canto” evening with Maryland Concert Opera.  This fall, Ms. Bank will also be returning to Binghamton, New York to perform at an anniversary gala for the Summer Savoyards of Binghamton and the alto solo in Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony with the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra.

Julien Benichou Conductor
Conductor Julien Benichou currently serves as Music Director of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the New Music Ensemble at Towson University. Previous positions have included Assistant Conductor of the Johns Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, Acting Music Director of the Johns Hopkins Medical School Choir and Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the Skokie Symphony Orchestra, the Columbia Orchestra and director of the Pre-College Chamber Orchestra at Juilliard.  Mr. Benichou's guest conducting opportunities have included the Annapolis Symphony, the Londontowne Symphony and the North Shore Chamber orchestras.
[ read more ]

James Harp Pianist
James Harp is well known in the Baltimore area as a stage director, pianist, organist, singer, composer, lecturer, writer and conductor. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. He has been the Artistic Administrator of the Baltimore Opera Company since 1989 and has been the Chorus Master since 1993. Since 1983 he has served as organist for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and since 1987 has been the Cantor (Organist/Choirmaster) for Baltimore's historic St. Mark's Lutheran Church, where he also serves as Artistic Director of the St. Cecilia Society Concert Series.

His stage direction credits include such well known operas as Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Cosi Fan Tutte, and Carmen, as well as less well-known American works: Buxom Joan (Raynor Taylor); Slow Dusk(Carlisle Floyd); Beauty and the Beast (Vittorio Giannini); The Village Singer (Steven Paulus); Too Many Sopranos (Edwin Penhorwood); The Music Shop (Richard Wargo). As a solo singer he has performed with Baltimore Opera Company, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Summer Opera Theatre of DC, Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia, and the Contemporary Music Forum of Washington, DC. He has appeared with the Young Vic in three productions: Ruddigore (Sir Despard Murgatroyd); The Gondoliers (Don Alhambra); and Iolanthe (Earl Mountararat).