This summer, students and ‘25 graduates of the Shepherd School of Music’s opera program are taking center stage at esteemed opera festivals and training programs across the United States and Europe, continuing to affirm the school’s reputation as a launching pad for rising vocal talent.
Wolf Trap Opera in Vienna, VA
Adam Catangui^ (MM ‘25)
Roles: Don Curzio (The Marriage of Figaro); Chorus (The Marriage of Figaro, Dialogues of the Carmelites)
Cover(s): Chevalier de la Force (Dialogues of the Carmelites); Remendado (Carmen)
Catherine Creed^ (current MM)
Roles: Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro); Chorus (Dialogues of the Carmelites, The Marriage of Figaro)
Cover(s): Constance (Dialogues of the Carmelites)
Merola Opera Program in San Francisco, CA
Meg Brilleslyper* (MM ‘25)
Role: Isolier (Le Comte Ory), performing in the Merola Grand Finale
Gabriel Natal Báezº (MM ‘25)
Performing in the Schwabacher Summer Concert and the Merola Grand Finale
Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA
Julia Holoman^ (MM ‘25)
Alto Soloist in Mahler Symphony No. 3
Qirong Liang* (current MM)
Roles to be announced
Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, NY
Kellan Dunlap* (MM ‘25)
Roles: Spoletta (Tosca); Sellem (The Rake’s Progress)
Edmond Rodriguez* (MM ‘25)
Roles: Tenor Tree (The House on Mango Street), Ensemble (The Rake’s Progress)
Plus, a debut with Lang Lang and Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, as a soloist for songs from The Disney Book
Opera Theatre of St. Louis, MO
Anna Thompson^ (MM ‘25)
Gerdine Young Artist; covering Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus)
Festival Napa Valley in CA
Isabelle Kosempa^ (current MM)
Manetti Shrem Opera Fellow, roles to be announced
Des Moines Metro Opera
Joseph Park* (AD ‘25)
Role: Keeper of the Madhouse (The Rake's Progress)
American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria
Colin Miller^ (current MM)
Roles to be announced
Opera in the Ozarks in Eureka Springs, AZ
Sophia Donelan^ (current MM)
Role: Micaëla (Carmen)
Florentine Opera in Milwaukee, WI
William Dopp* (MM ‘25)
Role: Commentator (Scalia/Ginsburg)
Student of Robin Rice*
Student of Ana María Martínezº
Student of Nova Thomas^