Puccini Il Trittico (Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi) Performers

Rebecca Kidnie (Giorgetta (Il Tabarro)/Suor Angelica (Suor Angelica))
Described as “achingly beautiful”, Rebecca’s voice finds a home in repertoire from Mozart to the contemporary. A fierce advocate of new works she has premiered Speed Dating Tonight! (Janiec Opera Company) by Michael Ching/Dean Anthony, The Master (New Opera Workshop) by Alberto Caruso with a libretto by Academy Award winner Colm Toibin & The Silk City by Francesco Santelli (Garden State Opera), as well as the second performances of Amelia by Daron Hagen & Salsipuedes by Daniel Catán with The Moores Opera Center. Other celebrated roles include Mimi - La Bohème (Eklund Opera), Susannah - Susannah, Erste Dame - Die Zauberflöte (The Lighthouse Opera Company), Donna Elvira - Don Giovanni (Bronx Opera), Alice Ford - Falstaff (Janiec Opera Company), Marianne Leitmetzerin - Der Rosenkavalier & Countess - Le Nozze di Figaro (Moores Opera Center). A dynamic competitor, Rebecca was a recent winner of the Giulio Gari International Voice Competition. She has previously received First Place at The Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition & The San Gennaro Italian Song Festival. She was a Semi-Finalist at The Mary Jacob Singer of the Year competition, The New York Lyric Opera International Voice competition, & The Rising Stars Vero Beach Opera competition. She is a three-time Encouragement Award Winner at The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She holds degrees from University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Houston, & University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Tichina Vaughn (Frugola(Il Tabarro)/ La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica))
SAS Performing Arts Concert Opera is honored to welcome KS Tichina Vaughn to our production of Il Trittico where she sings Frugola in Il Tabarro, and La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica. Grammy Award winning American mezzo soprano Tichina Vaughn has established an important presence among the world’s leading opera houses, concert halls and theaters. As an outstanding singing-actress versatile in opera, operetta, musical theater, and jazz, Vaughn continues to gather both popular and critical acclaim. Ms. Vaughn began her operatic career as a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program directly after receiving her bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. For the 2021-2022 season, Ms. Vaughn returned to the Metropolitan Opera as The Hostess of the Inn in Boris Godunov, Maria in Porgy and Bess, and Serving Woman 1 in Elektra. She also debuted with Boston Lyric Opera in Terence Blanchard’s Champion as Emelda, in the summer of 2022 joined the Cincinnati Opera as Amneris in Aida and ended her year in Lyon making her French debut as the Old Lady in Bernstein’s Candide. On the concert stage she appears with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester at the Lucerne Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival as Maria in Porgy and Bess, as well as with the Landmarks Orchestra Boston in Beethoven Symphony No. 9; and the world premiere of “Many Mansions” by Diane White-Clayton. Tichina opens the 2022-2023 season with Utah Opera as Mary in Der Fliegende Hollander. Further season highlights include debuts at Opéra National de Lyon as The Old Lady in Candide, with Fort Worth Opera as Amneris in Aida and as Monisha in Joplin’s Treemonisha at Opera Theater St. Louis.
Samuel White (Luigi (Il Tabarro))
Praised by Opera News for his "gleaming heroic tenor and a hint of physical danger," Samuel White shows promise in the dramatic repertory. Sam has covered the roles of Arindal in Die Feen with The Glimmerglass Festival, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Tulsa Opera, and Count Loris Ipanov in Fedora with Teatro Grattacielo. His other performance credits include Matthew Gurney in Tobias Picker’s Emmeline, Aeneas in Dido & Aeneas, and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus. He has completed training in such institutions as The Aspen Opera Center, The Glimmerglass Festival, Opera in the Ozarks, Lyric Opera Studio Weimar, The Florida State University, and The Manhattan School of Music. White’s most recent engagement was singing the role of Kalchas as well as Agamemnon in a tour of the new opera (...Iphigenia), composed by acclaimed jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter and grammy award winning artist Esperanza Spalding. This summer he will cover the role of The Prince in Rusalka at The Santa Fe Opera Center.
Geoffrey Di Giorgio (Michelle (Il Tabarro)/ Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi))
Baritone Geoffrey Di Giorgio has become a favorite among audiences nation-wide making his mark in the dramatic baritone repertoire. His breakout debut came this past summer singing Alberich in Wagner's Das Rheingold with the Miami Classical Music Festival. With Classical Voice North America describing his performances as such: "Geoffrey Di Giorgio was an extraordinary Alberich, with a commanding and powerful voice. Progressing from greed and lust in the opening scene to the cruelty of Nibelheim and then to the outrage of the final scene, his acting was superb, and his curse was the vocal highlight of the evening. Watch this singer." Geoffrey has performed other leading roles across the United States and abroad with with performances of Marcello (La Boheme), Prince Yamadori (Madama Butterfly), Abner (Athalia), Sacristan, Sciarrone, and Carceriere (Tosca), Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde) with the Padre Verdian roles of Giacomo in Giovanna D'Arco, Miller in Luisa Miller, and Germont in La Traviata. He has performed in such halls as The War Memorial Opera House and Carnegie Hall also having been engaged by such opera companies and orchestras as The Sarasota Opera, The Miami Classical Music Festival, Maryland Lyric Opera, Berkeley Opera, The Lyric Orchestra, West Bay Opera, Knoxville Opera, Opera Las Vegas, The Reno Philharmonic, Opera Baltimore, and The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, among others. His performances have been described as: "beautiful, compelling and dreamlike, his easing so beautifully into his upper register that it makes one think of both Helden baritone and Verdi baritone.", "From Geoffrey Di Giorgio’s robust Kurwenal... there was no denying the integrity and power of this performance", "Nary a weak link with Geoffrey di Giorgio’s rafter-shaking Kurwenal, he was as heroic as the Tristan, and gorgeously loud." (SF Chronicle, SF Classical Voice, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, OPERA Magazine, Parterre Box). He has been a top prize winner of The Giulio Gari Foundation Vocal Competition, The Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition, and The Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. Also in 2018 Di Giorgio was voted one of the top six opera singers in The San Francisco Bay by San Francisco Classical Voice's "Best of The Bay". Mr. Di Giorgio was an Emerging Professional with Dolora Zajick's Institute for Young Dramatic Voices as well as The American Wagner Project from the summer's of 2014-2019. Currently he is under a study grant from The Wagner Society of Washington DC undertaking intensive studies of Dramatic Baritone roles.
Suor Genovieffa (Suor Angelica)/ Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) (Juyoung Ma)
Juyoung Ma is a coloratura soprano from South Korea. She most recently performed in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte as Pamina, and covered the role Laurie in Copland’s The Tender Land with Chicago Summer Opera. Earlier this year, she was featured soloist in ‘Gather: Islands in the sea’ at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She made her operatic debut as Adina from Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore with Arte Opera in 2020. At the Mannes School of Music, she sang the role of Oscar in a scene from Un ballo in Maschera. Recently, she received first place in the Chicago International Music Competition as a Young Artist. She was also a finalist at the Century Opera Competition, and semi-finalist at the Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition, and in the NYIOP Professional Casting Audition in 2021. She participated in masterclasses at the Century Opera Program (2022), Canto Vocal Program (2021), and at the Astoria Apprentice Program (2021) in New York. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Seoul National University, and is now currently studying at the Mannes School of Music in their Master’s Program under Diana Soviero in New York.
Eric Sebek (Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi))
Tenor Eric Sebek has always been surrounded by the Performing Arts with a family of Opera Singers and Broadway performers. His Sophomore year of high school he landed his first professional job playing Patrick in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes. He continued to play Pippin and Jack Kelly in Newsies with Nutley High school. Eric was ready to further his education at Montclair State University to get a BFA in Music Theatre when he booked Radio City’s Spectacular as Patrick a second time. When that was over he finally made it to MSU and has attended there for the past 3 years. At MSU he has played Fleet in Titanic and Cigar in the New Musical: The Names We Gave Him, and Musidorus in Head Over Heels. Eric took part in a role study for the Marriage of Figaro where he played Basilio and Don Curzio with MSU’s Opera program. He has also performed the role of Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Chong’s hilarious continuation: Buoso’s Ghost. He is thrilled to continue his education as well as get out and audition. He is represented by Jason Bercy Talent.
Shanley Horvitz (The Monitor (Suor Angelica)/Zita (Gianni Schicchi))
Shanley Horvitz, an American mezzo soprano, has been reviewed "to spin lovely, warm legato phrases, replete with ease of emission, dynamic variety, elegance, yet holding obvious power in reserve.” Shanley had a fruitful competition season in 2022 winning 1st place of the International Orpheus Competition, 2nd place Opera San Jose Irene Dalis Competition, 2nd place Pasadena Vocal Competition 1st place Houston Gilbert & Sullivan Career Grant Competition, 3rd place Opera Florham, 1st place of the 2021 Mario Lanza Institute Competition, 1st place of the Vienna Summer Music Festival and an encouragement award with SAS Performing Arts Company. Recently debuts of Anacoana in Franchetti’s Cristoforo Colombo with Teatro Grattacielo, Jezibaba, Rusalka, and the title role in Bizet’s Carmen which she debuted in concert at Carnegie Hall. Recently she also debuted Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni at Palais Ehrbar, where she was seen in concert with the PolyMuse Orchestra under Maestro Anton Yeretsky. Shanley is from the Philadelphia area and based part time in Liguria, Italy; she is a graduate of Westminster Choir College.
Thomas Walters (Il Tinca (Il Tabarro))
Tom Walters is an American Operatic Tenor. Born in East Meadow, New York, he was raised in Summit, New Jersey and studied Operatic Vocal Performance in Jersey City, New Jersey. After performing in numerous operas and scenes programs including The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Tom Bo's modern opera Shadows of the City, he received his Bachelors in spring 2017. He has since spent two years studying privately under the tutelage of American tenor Mark Nicolson and the accomplished accompanist and stylistic coach Craig Ketter. His voice has been described as "... a well-rounded mix of warmth, beauty and dramaticism, which reminds me of the great bel canto tenors of the golden age." Following his first audition season, he is scheduled to perform roles in both The Silk City with Garden State Opera in New Jersey as well as in Three Penny Opera with City Lyric Opera in New York City in 2020.
Virdell Williams (Talpa (Il Tabarro) / Simone (Gianni Schicchi))
Virdell Williams is excited to return to SAS Performing Arts Company in Puccini’s Il Trittico in the roles of Il Talpa in Il Tabarro and Simone in Gianni Schicchi. He has performed throughout the United States and Internationally. He will return to Berlin next summer to sing the role of Wotan in Wagner’s Die Walkure for Dramatic Voices Berlin. He was most recently heard as Fasolt in Wagner’s Das Rheingold at the Miami Music Festival, as Charles Babbage in New Camerata Opera’s production of Kamala Sankaram’a The infinite energy of Ada Lovelace as the King in Opera Players’ production of Dominique Hellsten’s The Little Prince, and as Old Major in Theatre Now NY’s World Premiere production of Abrahamson and Wallace’s musical Animal Farm. Virdell has also appeared with Amore opera in New York City as Colline in La Boheme, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, and Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Other roles include Zuniga in Carmen, Scarpia in Tosca and Rigoletto.
Douglas Sabo (The songseller, The young lover (Il Tabarro) Gherardo (GIanni Schicchi))
Tenor and teaching artist, Douglas Sabo currently spends his time between Southampton and Brooklyn, NY. He is an active performer in both opera, art song and musical theater. Most recently, Doug as sung with Lyric Weimar Studio as Monostatos, Borsa in Rigoletto with Operama and Mayor Bruckman in the Silk City with Garden State Opera. Past seasons Doug has been seen with New York Lyric Opera as The Witch in Hansel and Gretel as well as soloist in the company’s Gala at Carnegie Hall, Eisenstein with Golden Rose Opera and Buzzman in Metamorphosis with Christman Opera Company. Other notable appearance have been as Prunier in Rondine with Dell’arte Opera Ensemble, Don Qujiote in Don Quijote’s Death and Meta Re-Birth by Peter Evans and L'amante in Amelia al Ballo. Doug Sabo holds a Masters degree from Longy School of Music of Bard College and Bachelors from Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.
Brianna Reilly (The Abbess (Suor Angelica))
Brianna Reilly is a mezzo-soprano based in Tallahassee, FL and Memphis, TN where she is pursuing both a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Memphis. As an opera performer and soloist, she strives to inspire and entertain audiences through her authentic performances and continuously works to be a versatile singer by programming and performing diverse works. Her past operatic engagements include Dido (Dido & Aeneas) with Utah Vocal Arts Academy; Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the University of Memphis; Erda and Flosshilde (Das Rheingold) with Luke A. Housner Summer Opera Workshop; Carmen (Carmen) at the University of Memphis; Ježibaba (Rusalka) and Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) with Luke A. Housner Summer Opera Workshop; Alidoro (La Cenerentola) and Mrs. Nolan (The Medium) at Florida State University. She has also been a member of the ensemble in La Bohème, Elixir of Love, Candide, La Traviata, and The Mikado at Florida State University; and The Magic Flute at Quincy Music Theatre (Quincy, FL). ​
Elizabeth Moulton (Mistress of the Novices (Suor Angelica))
Elizabeth is an opera singer and vocal coach. She was an artist apprentice at Utah Festival Opera in summer of 2002 and Sarasota Opera in winter/spring of 2003. She performed La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica and Zita in Gianni Schicchi at the American Singers Opera Project in the summer of 2003. She also performed the role of Miss Todd in Old Maid and the Thief with the New Jersey Concert Opera and the role of Third Lady in the Magic Flute with Stoneybrook Players. She previously taught music and music history at Bergen Community College and Kean University.
Rebecca Grady Rucker (1st Novice, 1st Searching Sister, Suor Osmina,Suor Dolcina (Suor Angelica)/Nella (Gianni Schicchi))
Equally comfortable on the opera and concert hall stage,Soprano Rebecca Grady Rucker has performed extensively throughout the New York area and United States. In 2021 Rebecca had the opportunity to sing in Masterclasses with American soprano Rachel Willis-Sorensen and American bass-baritone Greer Grimsley as well as participate virtually with the Boston Wagner Institute with Jane Eaglen. In opera and musical theatre, her most recent role was that of Gianetta in The Gondoliers with The Blue Hill Troupe. Other roles of note include Despina in Cosi fan tutte, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd. As a featured soloist in many recitals and galas, Rebecca recently had the opportunity to perform in a private salon for the German Consulate of NY. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall, Radio Music City Hall, Town Hall, NY, on tour with Ray Davies of The Kinks as well as on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Monica Camafreita (Street Person (Il Tabarro), Nursing Sister/2nd Novice/2nd searching Sister(Suor Angelica)/La Ciesca(Gianni Schicchi))
Monica Camafreita (soprano) has performed in numerous operas, musicals, and concerts with such companies as Regina Opera, Opera for Earth, MORE Opera, Brooklyn Opera Works, New York Opera Forum, New York Lyric Opera Theatre, Eurasia Festival and, also, performed the role of Sophie de Palma in the Latin American tour of Terrence McNally’s Master Class with Venevision International. Some of her favorite operatic roles include Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda), Wellgunde (Das Rheingold), La Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), and Tatyana (Yevgény Onégin). Most recently, she recorded the role of Rachel in David and Bathsheba, a chamber opera, by Mark Geiger and was a finalist in the 2022 Lucine Amara Art Song Competition. Ms. Camafreita currently lives in Brooklyn, NY where she studies and coaches privately. In addition to performing, she plays the violin, is a member of the Nathan Felix Opera Collective and is on the Board of Directors of Opera for Earth; a nonprofit that uses performance of opera and art song to raise awareness of the value in preserving and caring for our natural resources
Muir Ingliss (Marco)
Muir Ingliss, is a graduate of Bard college and a NYC native. His recent engagements include Musikleher/Truffaldino in Ariadne Auf Naxos, Figaro in Mozart's Nozze di Figaro, and soloist in Handel's Messiah and Brahms' Ein Deutches Requiem. He can be regularly heard in a number of parishes in the New York metro area as both a soloist and chorister. Muir recently appeared with SAS Performing Arts Concert Opera in the role of Alidoro in their concert performance of Rossini's Cinderela/Cenerentola.
Brian J. Alvarado (Betto)
Singing with "a liquid baritone of great charm," "a highly attractive legato," and "precise patter elocution” (Parterre Box), Brian J. Alvarado is an emerging interpreter of known, unknown, and new vocal repertoire. His roles have included Leporello in Don Giovanni (Bronx Opera, Long Island Lyric Opera, Lighthouse Opera), Dandini in La Cenerentola (Bay View Music Festival, Opera Theatre of Montclair), Nettuno in La liberazione di Ruggiero, Baron de Pictordu in Cendrillon, Badger/Parson in Cunning Little Vixen (dell’Arte Opera Ensemble), Magaldi in Evita (Bay View Music Festival), and the title roles in The Sorcerer (Utopia Opera), Sweeney Todd (City Island Theatre) and Venus and Adonis (New Camerata Opera; *Cover). His concert work includes bass solos in Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s BWV 147, Keiser’s Markuspassion, Haydn’s Nicolaimesse, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, Schubert’s Messe in G, and Gounod’s Messe solennelle en l’honneur de Sainte-Cécile. Recently, he appeared in the ensembles of Juilliard/NY Philharmonic’s co-production of Mother of Us All at the Met Museum of Art, and the Center for Contemporary Opera’s workshop of Niloufar Nourbakhsh’s We, the Innumerable at National Sawdust, among others. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing at Susquehanna, and currently resides in his native New York City.
Theodore Shulman (Dr. Spinneloccio /Amantio di Nicolau (Gianni Schicchi))
Theodore Shulman has been singing in public since the late 1970s, and taking private voice lessons since the early 1980s. He has performed in operas with Amore Opera, Regina Opera, Vocal Productions NYC, Lighthouse Opera, NY Lyric Opera Theater, NY Opera Forum, and the West Bay Opera. Roles include Masetto, Antonio, Bartolo (The Marriage of Figaro), Pistola (Falstaff), Fasolt, Fafner, the Old Monk (Don Carlo), the Old Gypsy (Il Trovatore), Count Ceprano (Rigoletto) and the Police Sergeant (The Barber of Seville). He has been thrown out of the Kremlin (Moscow) and out of the Lincoln Memorial (Washington DC), both times for unauthorized choir-singing.