A 1st Prize Winner of the 2014 NJ Association of Verismo Opera International Vocal Competition, and a finalist/encouragement award winner of the Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition in 2015 and 2017, Dominican tenor José Heredia has thrilled audiences with his voice of "Pavarottian shimmer."

Mr. Heredia attended Nyack College and the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with the tenor Dr. Dana Talley and the mezzo-soprano Mignon Dunn of the Metropolitan Opera. After debuting as "Rodolfo" in Puccini’s La Boheme in 2014, Heredia has sung the the leading tenor roles in “Il Tabarro,” “Rigoletto,” “Carmen,” “La Taviata,” “Un ballo in maschera,” “L'elisir d'amore,” “La Boheme” (R. Leoncavallo), “Tosca,” "Aida,” “Cavalleria Rusticana” “Madama Butterfly,” “I Pagliacci” and “Lucia do Lammermoor.” This past March, Mr. Heredia sang the role of “Jesus of Nazareth” in the Spanish Opera “El caminante de Nazaret” by Dominican Composer Rafael Danilo Grullón at the Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito in Dominican Republic.

Mr. Heredia made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2016, and has toured in Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Korea, Italy and The Canada Northwest Territories. In 2023, He made his Singapore debut With the Singapore Lyric Opera, singing the roles of “Turiddu” and “Canio” in their double-bill production of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci.

Upcoming projects include the role of “Don Jose” in “La tragédie de Carmen” with New Camerata Opera, and the role of “Canio” in Leoncavallo’s “I Pagliacci” with Regina Opera. Mr. Heredia lives in New York City. He currently studies with Metropolitan Opera Baritone Mark Oswald and performs often with his wife, American Soprano Rachel Hippert.

Heralded as a “ripe baritone that makes one sit up and wish for more,” Kyle Oliver has enchanted listeners time and again throughout his career. In the 2023-24 season, the baritone joined Opera Theatre of St. Louis for their New Works Collective, sang Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with White Snake Projects, and debuted two roles with Little Opera Theatre of New York’s production of American One Acts as Bob in Highway 1 USA and Brack in Down In The Valley. He made an auspicious debut as Cinna in Spontini’s rarely performed verismo gem, La Vestale with Teatro Grattacielo, then sang a tribute concert to Maria Callas produced by Teatro Nuovo. Kyle added several new works to his repertoire, including Blind Injustice on Montclair’s Peak Performances series, Mahler’s Das Knaben Wunderhorn with The New York Repertory Orchestra, Tom Joad in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath with MasterVoices at Carnegie Hall, Leporello in Domme & Giovanni with White Snake Projects, Lord Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor with St. Petersburg Opera, Belcore in L’Elisir d’amore with Annapolis Opera and Lorenzo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Teatro Nuovo. Upcoming performances include Escamillo in La Tragédie de Carmen with New Camerata Opera, and Bach’s Cantata #63 and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Cecelia Chorus at Carnegie Hall.

Recent performances include Zurga in Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers with Sarasota Opera as well as a concert preview of American one-act operas with Little Opera Theater of New York at NYC’s Merkin Hall. Previous operatic roles include Junius in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia with Loft Opera in New York City and Lincoln Center’s reopening as Fiorello in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia with Teatro Nuovo. Oliver frequently performs with Pittsburgh Opera, most recently creating the role of Dave Hoskins in the world premiere of The Summer King, a story detailing the life of legendary Negro League baseball star Josh Gibson.

In 2022 Kyle sang Méphistophélès and Ramiro in Faust et Hélène and L’heure Espagnol with New Camerata Opera and made company and role debuts as Johannes Zegner in Proving Up by composer Missy Mazzoli and Bob in Highway 1 USA, by William Grant Still at the Opera Ithaca Festival. He also appeared with the Glacier Symphony as bass soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Kyle has been honored as a recipient of the Jeanette Rohatyn “Great Promise” Award by the Metropolitan Opera National Council, a Career Development Award from the Sullivan Foundation, and the Grand prize from the Bel Canto Foundation competition in Chicago. He holds a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School and Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University.

Anna Maria Vacca is a New York City based Mezzo Soprano. She received her Masters Degree at Manhattan School of Music in May of 2024, she also completed her undergraduate degree with honors at MSM in Spring of 2022. Her previous credits include the title role in Massenet’s Cendrillon, Ramiro in La Finta Giardiniera, L’Enfant in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, Jean in Le Portrait de Manon, Ljubicia in Svadba, and Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte. Her scene work includes Dorabella from Cosi Fan Tutte, Mother in the mirror from The Tales of Hoffman, Olga from Eugene Onegin, Zerlina from Don Giovanni Leonora from La Favorita, Octavian from Der Rosenkavalier, Alisa from Lucia di Lammermoor, and Maddalena from Rigoletto. She received an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in the New York District in 2023 and the Orvis Annual Opera Scholarship for the 2022 - 2023 academic year at Manhattan School of Music. This past summer she was a Voice Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center. When she is not singing she spends time on her yoga practice, hosting dinner parties, and being around the people she loves.

Victor Khodadad was born in Shiraz, Iran of an Iranian father and a Cuban mother, and shortly after his birth the entire family moved to the U.S. His mother, a classically trained pianist and conductor, provided a childhood full of music and performing opportunities.

In college he pursued a classical theatre training and in 1992 received a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater. Following several years of work in Los Angeles, including membership with the Improv group Los Angeles Theatresports, he moved to New York to pursue his career in theatre. By 2000, Mr. Khodadad had worked at Boston Center for the Arts, Hartford Stage Company, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Theatreworks/USA and Yale Repertory Theater. He was also in the original New York International Fringe Festival production of “Urinetown!(the musical)”. While the majority of his efforts had been placed on getting work as an actor, he would occasionally be cast in musicals.

After playing the role of Jesus in a production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Swine Palace Productions, directed by Barry Kyle, former Associate Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the fusion of music and drama prompted Mr. Khodadad to shift his focus and begin formal vocal study with Jerome Pruett, Associate Professor of Voice at The Hartt School, in April of 2001.

In the summer of 2001, he was cast as Ferrando and Don Ottavio in concert readings in Italian for New York Opera Productions. After a turn as a super in the Met’s “War & Peace” he found himself, in the summer of 2002, in the Resident Artist Program at Natchez Opera Festival and then traveling to Italy, via a talent scholarship, to take part in the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium where he studied Italian and voice with Master Teachers Enza Ferrari and Bruno Rigacci. Recitals performed in New York and New Haven helped raise money for that trip. Singing in the chorus of Connecticut Opera in the fall of 2002 brought him his first contact with a larger regional house and encouraged him to continue his studies. This paid off when, in the summer of 2003, he returned to Natchez Opera Festival, alternately performing the roles of Benvolio and Romèo in “Romèo et Juliette”, and then to Hot Springs Music Festival, where he continued to gain experience singing with orchestra by performing in their production of “The Magic Flute”. The culmination of these efforts was enough to get him accepted into the Graduate Professional Diploma Program at The Hartt School of Music where he could gain leading role operatic experience and continue studying with Mr. Pruett.

In February of 2004, playing the role of The Male Chorus in Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” at The Hartt School, conducted by Kyle Swann, Assistant Conductor for Connecticut Opera, proved to be another turning point for Mr. Khodadad. This was the beginning of a string of performances including Testo in “Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda”, Tamino in “The Magic Flute” sung in German and conducted by the Met’s Steven Crawford, Don Ottavio in “Don Giovanni” and his professional operatic debut singing the role of Lensky in “Eugene Onegin” at Opera Theater of Connecticut which was the opera’s premiere in that state. This production was presented in English with full orchestra conducted by Doris Lang-Kosloff.

Subsequent performances in regional houses such as Mississippi Opera, Connecticut Lyric Opera, Natchez Festival of Music and Amarillo Opera included Alfredo in “La Traviata” , Rodolfo in “La Bohème”, Roméo in “Roméo et Juliette”, Belmonte in “Die Entführung aus dem Serail”, Count Almaviva in “Il barbiere di Siviglia” and Nanki-poo in “The Mikado”. In concert, Mr. Khodadad has sung as a soloist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in a concert of “Der Rosenkavalier” excerpts conducted by Donald Runnicles, as a featured soloist at Avery Fisher Hall with National Chorale and as the Tenor Soloist in “Elijah” at Hot Springs Music Festival. Mr. Khodadad recently sang Afredo in “La Traviata” with Taconic Opera, Ferrando in “Così fan tutte” for Geneva Light Opera and Rodolfo in “La bohème” with Hudson Opera Theatre, one of the Tenor Soloists in Richard Marriott’s non-narrative opera “Divide Light” set to the poetry of Emily Dickinson conducted by Whitney George and The Male Chorus in Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia”. Recently, Mr. Khodadad sang Emperor Altoum in Turandot with St. Petersburg Opera with upcoming engagements including Don Jose in”La Tragedie de Carmen” with New Camerata Opera and The Stranger in “The Lady from the Sea” by Ray Luedeke which will be performed at Symphony Space and Opera America in March 2025 . From 2006 to 2009, Mr. Khodadad had formative private lessons with legendary tenor Nicolai Gedda in Switzerland.

Korean baritone Sejin Park “Sejin Park portrayed a charming and intentional Prince Yamadori, with a formidable baritone voice that gave a unique perspective into this character.”

- Palm Beach Daily News

“Sejin Park expertly plays the evil brother, Enrico, in Act II, scene 1, from Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor,” commanding the stage and using every corner to brood over his beverage.

Park has a crisp baritone voice with powerful punches in the phrasing. He had an uncanny ability to find the best coloring of his voice to support soprano Amber Norelai in the duet.”

- The Palm Beach Post

Baritone Sejin Park is a renowned opera singer and recitalist active in both Korea and the US. He holds a Diploma IV Repertorio de Opera from Ópera de Tenerife and has participated in esteemed training programs such as the Opera Steamboat Young Artist Program, Art Song Festival at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist Program, and Palm Beach Opera Benenson Young Artist Program.

Park has taken on prominent roles including Marcello in La Bohème, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Il Conte in Le nozze di Figaro, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Germont in La Traviata, Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, Secret Police in The Consul and Ford(cover) in Falstaff, Sharpless(cover) in Madama Butterfly, and Guglielmo(cover) in Cosi fan tutte.

Notable performances with City Lyric Opera in New York and engagements in Korea mark his versatile career.

In 2024, Park sang the role of Ping in Turandot with the St. Petersburg Opera Company and Schaunard in La Boheme with the Hawaii Opera Theater. Returning to the Santa Fe Opera for the 2024 season as part of the Apprentice Artist Program, Park will perform as Baron Duphol and cover Giorgio Germont in La Traviata.

He is scheduled as Figaro from the Barber of Seville with Salt Marsh Opera, Escamillo from La Tragedy de Carmen with New Camerata Opera.

In 2025, he will be singing Taddeo from L’italiana in Algeri with Opera in the Heights and Anchorage Opera.

His accolades include winning the 1st prize at the 'Citta di Pesaro' competition, 1st prize at the 'Medici International Music Competition,' 2nd prize and Audience Favorite Award at the '8th Galina Vishnevskaya International Opera Singers Competition,' a Grant Award from the Giulio Gari Competition, and 3rd prize from the Opera at Florham Competition. Recently, he won the First prize from Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition.

Lauded as “fantastic” by The Toronto Star and observed as demonstrating “masterful vocal control” by The Boston Musical Intelligencer, soprano Kristin Renee Young began her musical studies at age five. Equally at home in the worlds of opera, oratorio, recital, musical theater, and voiceover, Kristin has appeared at world-renowned venues, such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, and the Metropolitan Opera.  Kristin's recent engagements include Alceste in Handel's Admeto; Sophia in Tod Machover’s VALIS at MIT; Lucy in a revised version of Scott Joplin's Treemonisha as part of Toronto’s Luminato Festival; Zerbinetta in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos with Barn Opera; Queen of the Night in a film version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute with INSeries Opera; and Amelia Alumond (cover) in Quamino’s Map with Chicago Opera Theater.  She received a master’s degree from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College of Columbia University. Kristin hails from Philadelphia and resides in Brooklyn, NY, where she does freelance consulting work and is a certified yoga instructor.

Michelle Rofrano is an Italian American conductor with a keen interest in the intersection of art, storytelling, and social activism. An avid opera conductor, recent engagements include guest conducting La Cenerentola with Toledo Opera, L’amant anonyme (Bologne) with Madison Opera, Turandot with Fargo Moorhead Opera, and a double bill of Les mamelles de Tirésias (Poulenc) and The Seven Deadly Sins (Weill) with the Curtis Institute of Music. In the 2023-2024 season, Rofrano leads productions of La bohème at Knoxville Opera, La tragédie de Carmen at NYC’s New Camerata Opera, and returns to Washington National Opera as cover conductor on the world premiere of Sankaram/Rourke’s The Jungle Book. Additionally, she leads the workshop performance of Kelly/Kelly’s The House of Yes at Wolf Trap Opera.

 The past several seasons have seen Rofrano lead productions of La Traviata and Cendrillon (Viardot) with City Lyric Opera; Amelia al ballo  with The Juilliard School, The Turn of the Screw with the Curtis Institute, The Fall of the House of Usher with Orpheus PDX, Don Quichotte at Camacho's Wedding (Telemann) with Opera Saratoga, Trouble in Tahiti with The Glimmerglass Festival and Westminster Choir College, and a new production of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades created by Francesca Zambello. 

 Rofrano has served as cover conductor for productions of Dream of the Red Chamber (Sheng/Hwang) with San Francisco Opera; the world premiere of Proximity (Adams/ Roumain/ Shaw) with Lyric Opera of Chicago; The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me at Washington National Opera; La bohème and Le nozze di Figaro with Florida Grand Opera; The Cunning Little Vixen, La Traviata, Blue (Tesori/Thompson), and Silent Night (Puts/Campbell) with The Glimmerglass Festival; Eugene Onegin and Salome with Spoleto Festival USA; L'elisir d'amore, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Later the Same Evening with Juilliard Opera; Man of La Mancha with Opera Saratoga; and La bohème with Opera Birmingham. 

 While Rofrano has a particular passion for Italian opera, she also enjoys exploring contemporary and innovative projects. In 2022 she conducted the meditative opera Song of the Ambassadors (Skye/Allado-McDowell) at Alice Tully Hall, a groundbreaking opera in development that interweaves music, science, and technology. In 2023, Rofrano was Music Director for recording project No One Is Forgotten: An Immersive Opera, the first opera designed for 3D Spatial Audio adapted from the original play by Winter Miller, co-composed by Paola Prestini and Sxip Shirey. The recording will premiere on Dallas Opera.TV in fall 2023. Rofrano is also passionate about working with the upcoming generation of classical musicians and joined National Sawdust for the Juilliard Blueprint Bridge Fellowship Concert in December 2022, conducting five world premieres by Juilliard student composers. 

 A Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Mentee, Rofrano enjoys performing orchestral repertoire in addition to opera and has led concerts with the Spoleto Festival USA orchestra, CJMEA youth orchestra, and The Little Orchestra Society. Her recording of Fanny Mendelssohn's Overture in C from the Spoleto Festival's Classical Showcase in 2019 has been featured multiple times on the classical music radio program Performance Today, reaching a national audience. 

 In response to the US federal immigration ban of 2017, Rofrano organized and led #NoBan, an orchestral protest concert with an aptly named ad-hoc ensemble PROTESTRA to raise donations for refugee aid organizations. In 2020, PROTESTRA formally incorporated as a non-profit with the mission of raising awareness about various social justice issues through the lens of classical music. The past several PROTESTRA seasons have included projects and performances such as a Concert for Mental Health, Concert Against Gun Violence, Breaking the Bias: A Concert for Women’s History Month, Concert for Climate Action, and Concert for Black Lives. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the group created a virtual orchestral rendition of Florence Price's Symphony No. 4 mvt II: Andante Cantabile, the first-ever virtual performance of a Price symphony, which reached over 25,000 viewers online.

In addition to her recent work as the founder and Artistic Director of PROTESTRA, Rofrano is also a co-creator of Girls Who Conduct, an initiative that mentors young women and non-binary musicians in an effort to achieve gender parity on the conducting podium. 

 Rofrano completed graduate conducting studies at the Peabody Conservatory and counts Marin Alsop, Joseph Colaneri, Gustav Meier, and Markand Thakar among her mentors.

 Current as of July 15, 2024