YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM
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OCM’s Spring 2024 Young Artist Program presents…
LA SCALA DI SETA / The Silken Ladder
Join us for this fully staged opera farce, by our talented group of Young Artists.
Tickets $22 includes Town Hall Theater fees
Under the age of 26? Check out our Opera Under 26 program to learn how to get free tickets to the opera!
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Sarah Cullins, Director of Education & Outreach, Director of Young Artist Program
Alejandro Roca, Music Director of Young Artist Program
Andy Papas, YAP Guest Stage and Co-Artistic Director
George Lane, Assistant Director & YAP Intern
Ben Beckman, YAP Pianist
CAST:
Dormant - Orlando Montalvo Avalo
Giulia - Cristina Escobedo
Dorvil - Francesco DiLello
Lucilla - Tess Klibanoff
Blansac - Haozhen Wen
Germano - Patrick Connolly
Dino - Jared Vigue
Luca - Connor Lee
with Benjamin Beckman, YAP Pianist
Meet the Young Artists
Orlando Montalvo Avalo
Dormant, SCALA / Ensemble Tenor and A Peasant, FILLE
Tenor Orlando Montalvo Avalo is celebrated for his versatile artistry in opera and Musical Theater. Notable highlights include his debut as Don Curzio with New Orleans Opera (September 2023) and his portrayal of Justice Antonin Scalia at LSU Opera. Montalvo's talents flourished during his three-season tenure at College Light Opera Company, where he delivered memorable performances across diverse roles. He holds a Master’s from LSU and a Bachelor’s from Rhode Island College. Social Media: @OrlandoOpera
Patrick Connolly
Germano, SCALA / Ensemble Baritone and A Corporal cover, FILLE
Patrick Connolly is a New York based baritone. An enthusiastic performer of both opera and song, his most recent engagements include a world premiere performance of Nick Bentz’s Having Guests for Dinner with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra and his premiere recital performance of Schubert’s Winterreise. Patrick is a recent graduate of Fredonia School of Music, as well as an alumnus of the AIMS Lieder Studio in Graz, Austria.
Benjamin Beckman
YAP Pianist
Benjamin Beckman is a composer, conductor, and pianist based in Los Angeles. Compositional career highlights include performances on the BBC Proms and Tanglewood Music Festival and by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, and Yale Symphony Orchestra. His 70-minute chamber opera, Passage, won the Beekman Cannon Friends Prize for the best-submitted thesis in the music major at Yale, from which he recently matriculated. As a pianist and vocal coach, Benjamin has worked for the Sarasota Opera, Chicago Summer Opera, Classic Lyric Arts France, and extensively with the Opera Theater of Yale College, of which he served as Artistic Director.
Francesco DiLello
Dorvil, SCALA / Ensemble Tenor, FILLE
Francesco's performance credits include Tamino in The Magic Flute, Donald in Gallantry, The Man with the Paint Box in Postcard from Morocco, Araquil in La Navarraise at West Texas A&M, and The Sailor from Dido and Aeneas at Ithaca College, as well as workshopping the role of Charlie as a Studio Artist at Opera Ithaca, in Sally Lamb McCune’s new opera, We Wear the Sea Like a Coat.
Cristina Escobedo
Guilia, SCALA / Ensemble Soprano, FILLE
Cristina Escobedo is a young Peruvian soprano, based in Vermont. Cristina started singing at the age of 8 at the National Children Choir of Peru, and attended the National Conservatory of Peru from 2019 to 2021. She made her debut in the Opera Suor Angelica by Puccini as the “Prima Cercatrice” in the Pirandello Theater. Recently, Cristina performed at the Carnegie Hall in New York as alumni of the “Vincero Academy” program where she is learning the roles of “Susann” and Gretel.
Tess Klibanoff
Lucilla, SCALA / Ensemble Mezzo, FILLE
Tess Klibanoff is a singing actress, stage director, choreographer, and burlesque artist. She just completed two title role debuts in Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia and in Handel's Agrippina. She made her company debut as Morozova in Tchaikovsky’s Undina with Queen City Opera. Other recent credits include Mère Marie in Poulenc's Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Ruth in Gregory Spears’s The Righteous, and Dritte Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Recent directing credits include Handel’s Rinaldo and Bach’s Coffee Cantata.
Haozhen Wen
Blansac, SCALA / Ensemble Baritone and A Corporal, FILLE
Haozhen Wen, a Chinese Baritone currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A) degree at the University of Minnesota, holds a Master's degree in Music Performance from Manhattan School of Music. Last year, he marked his debut at the Minnesota Opera in the opera "Song Poet". Notable roles include Silvio (Pagliacci), Michele (Il tabarro), Pandolfe (Cendrillon), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), and Papageno (The Magic Flute).
George Lane
YAP Intern / Ensemble Soprano, FILLE
George Lane is a young soprano studying Early Childhood Education and Music at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. They have been involved with opera since 2018 and have had the opportunity to sing with the Youth Opera Company of Vermont in productions such as Die Fledermaus, Le nozze di Figaro, and Dido and Aeneas. They made their professional debut in The Magic Flute with Barn Opera. They are excited to learn and intern with the Young Artist Program at Opera Company of Middlebury.
Connor Lee
Luca, SCALA / Ensemble Baritone and Hortensius cover, FILLE
Connor Lee is from St. George, Utah where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance at Utah Tech University. Connor recently completed his Masters of Music and Graduate Performance Diploma in Vocal Studies from Longy School of Music in Boston, MA. Connor was the winner of the Cal-Western Regionals NATS Competition and was a finalist in the Classical Singer Competition. He has performed as a resident artist with St. George Opera and recently made his debut with MassOpera in their historical production of The Magic Flute. Recent roles include a featured role in Sondheim on Sondheim, Speaker/Papageno Cover (The Magic Flute), Dickon (Secret Garden), Pirelli (Sweeney Todd), Jim Hardy (Holiday Inn), Joe Sutter (Spitfire Grill), Warren (Ordinary Days), and Pablo Picasso (Afterlife).
Jared Vigue
Dino and Dormant cover, SCALA / Ensemble Tenor and A Peasant cover, FILLE
Jared Vigue, from Waterboro, Maine, is a junior classical voice performance major at the Osher School of Music at the University of Southern Maine. He studies with Professor Scott Wheatley and Professor Mary Letellier. Jared has been awarded First Place in Division VI at the 2024 NATS Singing competition, also winning the Nordica Scholarship Award. In Fall 2024, Jared will be performing the role of Rinuccio in OSOM’s production of Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini.
Roles for our Spring 2024 Young Artist Program have been filled for Singers & Pianists.
Please check back for our application for Spring 2025.
The Opera Company of Middlebury Young Artist Program hires for all voice parts and pianists.
Questions? Contact Sarah Cullins, YAP Director via email.
ABOUT
Our Young Artist Program (YAP) empowers emerging professionals with the refined skills, hands-on experience, and strategic guidance that lead to a successful opera career and a thriving future.
Participants are immersed in a comprehensive training regimen featuring individualized coaching, career advisory sessions, and enlightening master classes with eminent industry professionals, including voice instructors, conductors, directors, managers and mainstage performers.
This enriching experience culminates in their contributions to the Ensemble and Comprimario roles in mainstage productions and their own curated concert, showcasing their individual talent, progress and potential.
The YAP represents an investment in both the future of opera and the artists who will shape it, epitomizing the harmonious blend of artistic passion and professional acumen.
BACKGROUND
The Young Artist Program (YAP) emerged following a resonant letter from Patricia Pisanelli, who, in honor of her opera-loving mother Dorothea Ferger Pisanelli, generously contributed a substantial gift in 2015. Patricia's heartfelt narrative of her mother's passion for opera, encompassing her own singing, knowledge, and cherished recordings, breathed life into the YAP's inception. This legacy-driven gift stands as a guiding light, nurturing the education of emerging artists and bolstering the Opera Company of Middlebury's enduring success.
In addition to collaborating with singers, the YAP also offers avenues for emerging pianists and administrative professionals. All participants benefit from housing accommodations and a travel stipend, ensuring a practical and immersive experience.
At the helm of the Young Artist Program is Sarah Cullins, whose seasoned leadership, performance, and teaching experience brings a pragmatic and insightful direction to the initiative.
Explore the 2024/25 Season
We can’t wait to share our 2024/25 season with you!