PR Young Artists: Make a Scene

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - MARCH 6, 2020

WILMINGTON, Del. — OperaDelaware’s Young Artist Program, now in its second season, will feature local tenor and internet sensation, JASON BERGER. Berger, who has made local and national headlines since a video of him singing "O Sole Mio" while working at a local Starbucks went viral, will join seven additional thrilling singers from across the country (see full roster below) for the company’s artist development program. The emerging artists will star in this month’s YOUNG ARTISTS: MAKE A SCENE show — a fun, casual showcase of scenes from beloved operas including The Elixir of Love, La bohème, The Marriage of Figaro, and more.

Directed by Kaley Karis Smith and led by Young Artist Program Music Director, Aurelien Eulert, YOUNG ARTISTS: MAKE A SCENE will run March 20-22 in the Presser Black Box Theater at the OperaDelaware Studios (4 S. Poplar St., Wilmington). Tickets are $40 (general admission) and are available now at operade.org or by calling the OperaDelaware Box Office at 302-442-7807. The March 22 matinee is sold out, but limited tickets are still available for the Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 performances at 7:30 pm. 

In addition to YOUNG ARTISTS: MAKE A SCENE, the Young Artists will perform in community outreach concerts throughout Delaware and star in supporting roles in OperaDelaware’s much-anticipated Spring Festival (April 25–May 3). A celebration of the beginnings of opera, the height of romantic opera, and the future of opera, the festival features Claudio Monteverdi’s Baroque masterpiece, The Coronation of Poppea, Jaques Offenbach’s opéra fantastique, The Tales of Hoffmann, and the quirky romantic comedy, Speed Dating Tonight!. Tickets for all shows, part of OperaDelaware’s exciting 75th anniversary season, are on sale now at operade.org.  

"We are so excited to welcome this incredible group of rising stars to Delaware," said Brendan Cooke, OperaDelaware's General Director. "These highly trained, gifted artists represent the present and future of opera. We are honored to highlight them in our 75th anniversary season and grateful to have them as our ambassadors."

ABOUT THE 2020 YOUNG ARTISTS

Soprano Corey Raquel Lovelace completed her Master in Music from DePaul University. Now based out of Alexandria, VA, the Chicago native’s recent appearances include Musetta in Opera Carolina’s production of La bohème, the title role in Little Opera Company of Charlotte’s La Cendrillon, and Mimì in Central Piedmont Opera Theatre’s La bohème. Career highlights include her European debut as a member of the Opera Studio at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and a First Place Award from the Opera Guild of Charlotte’s Opera Competition in 2018.

Soprano Robin Steitz is currently wrapping up a Studio Artist residency with Fort Worth Opera, performing in the company’s productions of Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World. A Washington, D.C. native and graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Steitz’s other recent appearances include Zerlina in Baltimore Concert Opera’s Don Giovanni and Amore in Opera Bel Cantanti's Orfeo ed Euridice. A Tanglewood Voice Fellow (2018/19), she also appeared as Cricket in the American premiere of Richard Ayres' The Cricket Recovers at the Tanglewood Music Center. 

Mezzo-soprano Marie Engle is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Juilliard School. Currently based out of New York City, this Wauseon, OH native recently appeared as Romeo in the Chautauqua School of Music’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi and as Ramiro in Juilliard Opera’s La finta giardiniera. Career highlights include performances at the Theater an der Wien with soloists such as Plácido Domingo and Rosalind Plowright, making her orchestral debut of Mahler’s “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen” with the Chautauqua Festival Symphony Orchestra, and joining Matthew Polenzani and Julius Drake in their 2019 Carnegie Hall recital performance of Janáček’s The Diary of One who Disappeared. 

Tenor and Delaware native Jason Berger is a familiar face (and voice) to OperaDelaware patrons. The Boston University and Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University graduate is a regular member of the company’s chorus, appearing in last season’s acclaimed productions of Trial by Jury and Dead Man Walking (2019). A semifinalist in the 2018 Lotte Lenya Competition, Berger made his OperaDelaware debut at age 12 when he appeared in OD’s Family Opera Theater’s production of The Hobbit (2004). Recent appearances include his soloist debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performance of Pulcinella and his debut appearance with Maryland Opera’s “Passion at the Pendry” program.   

Tenor Miles Herr, from Lenox, MA, is a graduate of the Maryland Opera Studio. Recent appearances include Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Le Remendado in Carmen with Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and the roles of Stevie and Professor Scoot in The Cradle Will Rock with Opera Saratoga. An alumnus of young artist programs at Teatro Nuovo, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, The Crested Butte Opera Studio, and Opera Saratoga, Herr is a frequent concert soloist, performing Handel’s Messiah with groups including Calvary Baptist Church (Washington, D.C.), The Cary Community Choir, and Chapel Hill University Baptist Church. 

Baritone Mark Hosseini is a winner of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition (2015), a semifinalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition, and finalist in the Jesse K. Kneisel Lieder Competition (2018). Hosseini has completed young artist training programs with Des Moines Metro Opera, College Light Opera Company, and Pegasus Early Music, and will be a resident young artist with The Ohio Light Opera after completing his residency with OperaDelaware. Recent appearances include roles in Opera Louisiane's Amahl and the Night Visitors, Des Moines Metro Opera's La bohème, and Opera Iowa's The Magic Flute. The Michigan native is a graduate of Oakland University and the Eastman School of Music and currently resides in Philadelphia where he sings in the Opera Philadelphia chorus and the VoxAmaDeus Ensemble. 

Baritone Daniel Rich hails from Baltimore and is a graduate of Morgan State University and the Manhattan School of Music. A winner of the 2016 Harlem Opera Theater Vocal Competition, and the B-Sharp Chapter of NANM’s 2019 Marian Anderson Vocal Competition, Rich recently made his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist in Vaughan-Williams’ Serenade to Music for the MSM Centennial Gala. Recent appearances include King Balthazar in Frostburg Opera’s Amahl and The Night Visitors, Daniel Webster in Morgan Opera’s The Devil and Daniel Webster, and the premiere of the operetta Quadar, which was commissioned by The Smithsonian Museum and the Sultanate of Oman, with Artistic Direction by Denyce Graves. 

Bass-baritone Lloyd Reshard is the recipient of the 2012 NEA Encouragement Award at the Southeastern District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Recent credits include his debut as Guglielmo in Fargo-Moorhead Opera's production of Cosi fan tutte (2019), Balthazar in Opera Orlando’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Escamillo in Peach State Opera’s production of Carmen. A graduate of the University of Miami, the Florida resident has completed artist residencies with the Sarasota Opera, Opera Southwest, and Fargo-Moorhead Opera. A former U.S. Marine, Reshard has also produced a concert entitled "Over Jordan: Freedom of American Negros in Song".

YOUNG ARTISTS: MAKE A SCENE
Rising stars from OperaDelaware's Young Artist program perform scenes from beloved operas by Puccini, Mozart & more!

Friday, March 20 | 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 21 | 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 22 | 2 pm (Sold out)

Performances in the Presser Black Box Theater at the OperaDelaware Studios
(4 S. Poplar St., Wilmington)

TICKETS: $40, GENERAL ADMISSION
BOX OFFICE 302-442-7807
OPERADE.ORG/TICKETS

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OPERADELAWARE'S 2020 YOUNG ARTISTS: [Top row, left to right] Corey Raquel Lovelace, Robin Steitz, Marie Engle, Jason Berger; [Bottom row, left to right] Miles Herr, Mark Hosseini, Daniel Rich, Lloyd Reshard 

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OperaDelaware celebrates its 75th anniversary season in 2019/20. The 11th oldest professional opera company in the nation, OperaDelaware opens the door to bold, vibrant and creative operatic programming that enriches the community, transforms audiences, and encourages dialogue.

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