Monika studied voice at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, then moved to Vienna to study with Prof. Claudia Visca. She graduated with honors in 2008. In 2006 she gave her debut at the Slovenian National Opera, appearing as Princess Clarice in The Love for Three Oranges. Between 2003 and 2008, Monika received scholarships from a variety of foundations, including the Richard Wagner Foundation in Bayreuth. In 2009 she placed third in the International Hilde Zadek Singing Competition, also winning the audience's choice award. Monika's repertoire includes the roles of Delilah in Samson and Delilah, Marina in Boris Godunov and Carmen in Bizet's opera of the same name. She has performed in concerts in Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece, England and Russia.
Mariana has been a student at the Augsburg School of Music since 2007. She began studying music at the age of 12, taking violin lessons in her home country of Argentina. Mariana’s vocal talents were discovered in 2002, and she began to study voice with Maestro Bernardo Toscano at Casa de la Opera de Buenos Aires. She gave her debut in 2004 in Buenos Aires, singing the role of Fenena in Nabucco. In 2005 she reached the finals of the NEUE STIMMEN competition in Gütersloh, and in 2009 she was awarded a special prize at the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition in Barcelona. In 2010, Mariana will sing the part of Carmen in Bizet‘s opera of the same name at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. She has also sung in Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Mozart’s Requiem and Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle.
Andriana has been a member of the ensemble of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center of the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2007. A native of Canada, she had previously studied voice at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and participated in the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program in 2005 and 2006. Her favorite roles include Dorinda in Orlando, Marie in La fille du régiment and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. Adriana made her debut in 2005 at the Manitoba Opera in the role of Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore. During the 2009/2010 season, she will be performing the roles of Valencienne in The Merry Widow and Adina in L’elisir d’amore at Lyric Opera of Chicago. In her free time, Andriana enjoys dancing and traveling.
In 2001, Lisa began a six-year course of study at the University of Toronto, graduating with a master’s degree in opera performance. In 2006, at the Spanish singing competition Concurso Internacional de Canto Julián Gayarre, Lisa won in the category of best song, oratorio or concert lied. During the 2008/2009 season she was a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio in Toronto, where she sang the roles of Despina in Così fan tutte, Donna Anna and Maturina in Gazzaniga’s Don Giovanni as well as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro. She also performed the part of Dunyasha in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of War and Peace. In the summer of 2009, Lisa sang the role of Micaëla in Bizet’s opera Carmen at the Banff Center.
In 2006, Rachel completed her training at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv, where she studied with Prof. Mira Zakai. That same year she joined the Young Artist Program of the Israeli Opera, singing the roles of Hänsel in Hänsel and Gretel and the Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte. Rachel has performed with the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music Symphonic Orchestra as well as other well-known Israeli orchestras. In 2008 she gave her European debut, appearing as Neris in Médée at La Monnaie Royal Opera. The following year, she won the Aviv (Spring) Competition for singing in Tel Aviv and received a scholarship from the Liz Mohn Foundation for Culture and Music to join the International Opera Studio of the Deutsche Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, where she is singing the role of Flora in La Traviata and Frasquita in Carmen in 2009.
Peng studied voice at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music from 1999 to July 2004, graduating with honors. Since September 2004, he has been a soloist with the Beijing Opera. His repertoire includes both Chinese and European operatic roles, such as Renato in Un ballo in maschera, Conte di Luna in Il trovatore and Marcello in Puccini’s La Bohème. Peng Gao, who enjoys playing soccer in his spare time, is an admirer of baritone Leo Nucci and the late Piero Cappuccilli.
Wallis was born in 1985 in Ottawa, Canada. She began her musical training in 2003 at the University of Ottawa, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2005. She earned an artist diploma at The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto in 2009, having received her performance diploma there in 2007. In 2009, Wallis was the first-prize winner of the Royal Conservatory Orchestra Concerto Competition, and in August she joined the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio in Toronto. Among the high points of her career so far are her performances as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Clarina in La cambiale di matrimonio.
Victor began studying music at the age of 11, and entered the University of Tamaulipas to study voice in 2000. Between 2003 and 2006, he sang in the chorus of such works as Beethoven’s Chorfantasie, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Così fan tutte, as well as Puccini’s La Bohème and Turandot. In 2006, Victor performed as a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem. He continued his studies through such programs as the voice workshop Taller de Opera Juvenil, held by soprano Yvonne Garza, which Victor attended in 2005, 2006 and 2007. In 2008, he won a scholarship from the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes at the national Carlo Morelli Singing Competition, and in 2009 he was a finalist at the first Concurso Internacional de Canto Sinaloa.
Il studied voice at Yonsei University in Seoul from 2000 to 2007. Since the 2007/2008 winter semester, he has been studying with Markus Goritzki at Freiburg University of Music. His favorite roles include Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, Don Pasquale in Donizetti’s opera of the same name and Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore. In 2008, Il was a finalist in the Competizione dell’ Opera in Dresden. He has been a member of the Opera Studio of the Bavarian State Opera since the 2009/2010 season. His role model is the Korean bass Kwangchul Youn.
Between 1997 and 1999, Wade performed in Orphée aux enfers, Cheryomushki and A Christmas Carol at the Opera Factory in Auckland. In 2003, he appeared in the New Zealand Opera’s productions of Boris Godunov, Tosca and Die Zauberflöte. Also at the New Zealand Opera, he was an Emerging Artist in 2004 and a Young Artist beginning in 2007. From 2005 to 2006, Wade was a member of the Australian Opera Studio in Perth, where he sang the roles of Truffaldin in Ariadne auf Naxos, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte and Unulf in Rodelinda. He also appeared in Stravinsky’s Pulcinella at the Hessian State Theater in Wiesbaden in 2007, and in 2008 he performed with the Opera de Lyon. From 2008 to 2009, Wade completed his training at the National Opera Studio in London. In 2009 he participated in the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia di Bel Canto and the Linari Festival, among other events.
Mikhail was born in April 1979 in the town of Sysert, located at the eastern edge of the Central Urals. He began his musical training at Svedlorsk Music School, where he studied choral singing and conducting. From 2000 to 2005, Mikhail studied voice at the State Conservatory in Yekaterinburg, and he has been a soloist with the Yekaterinburg Opera since 2004. His repertoire includes such roles as Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Colline in La Bohème and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Mikhail has participated in a number of international competitions, and in 2006 he won the Russian contest Romansiada in Moscow.
The son of the Australian opera singers Michael Lewis and Patricia Price, Alexander received a bachelor’s degree in musical theater in 2004 from the Australian Academy of Performing Arts, graduating among the top students in his class. His passions in the performing arts include opera, musical theater, drama and dance. Alexander gave a prizewinning performance as Frederick Barrett in Titanic: The Musical. In 2009, his concert engagements have included New York’s Carnegie Hall. Alexander won the New York Study Award of the Opera Foundation Australia, and in 2007 he was a semifinalist at the NEUE STIMMEN competition. In 2009, he is singing the role of Raoul in the musical The Phantom of the Opera. Early this year, Alexander began to sing tenor rather than baritone parts.
At the age of 18, Barbara began to study voice with Waleria Przelaskowska at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in her hometown of Warsaw. She also studied musicology at the University of Warsaw. In 2005, Barbara moved to Detmold to study with Prof. Gerhild Romberger at Detmold School of Music, while also enrolled in a program of music education. In a performance staged by the opera school in Detmold, she sang the role of Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus. During the 2009/2010 winter semester, Barbara will be studying with Prof. Petteri Salomaa and Prof. Christina Billing at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. She has participated in master classes given by András Schiff, Christa Ludwig, Lorraine DiSimone, Jadwiga Rappé and Ewa Iżykowsk.
Julian received his first training in music as a member of the Windsbach Boys Choir. He entered Würzburg University of Music in 2002, graduating in 2008. His first performances were at the university in Würzburg, where he sang the role of Don Giovanni in Mozart’s opera of the same name, among other parts. Concert engagements have taken him as far as Montreal. In 2008, he performed at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin under the direction of Daniel Klajner. He has also appeared at the opera houses in Leipzig and Kassel. During the 2009/2010 season, he will be singing the role of Marcello in La Bohème in Chemnitz. Julian has also participated in master classes held by Cheryl Studer and Gerold Huber.
Dimitry was born in the province of Kakheti, located in eastern Georgia. He completed his final examination in voice at Tiflis Music School in 1999. In 2002, he enrolled in the city’s State Conservatory, where he gained experience performing in such roles as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Sparafucile in Rigoletto and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia. After graduating in 2008, Dimitry was briefly a soloist at the Tiflis Opera, playing the role of Ramphis in Verdi’s Aida. His dream is to sing the title role in the opera Boris Godunov at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich or at the Metropolitan Opera. Aside from singing, his passion is soccer.
Luthando is currently enrolled in the Opera College of the University of Stockholm. He grew up in the township of Mdantsane in South Africa. One year after graduating from school in 2004, he auditioned at the Cape Town Opera, where he became a member of the chorus as well as a soloist, performing in Nabucco, Rigoletto, Carmen, Manon and Die Zauberflöte. He continued his training in master classes taught by Lauren Flanigan and Thomas Lander, among others. In 2009, he is a student at the Aix-en-Provence European Academy of Music. The high point of his singing career so far was his performance in 2008 as Crown in the opera Porgy and Bess at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, when Luthando filled in for a singer who had become ill.
Iurii began his vocal training in 2004 at the Academy of Music in Kiev, studying with Prof. Viktor Kurin. Beginning in 2005, he studied with Roman Mayboroda at the Academy for four years, after which he attended a master class taught by Thomas Wise. Between 2000 and 2005, Iurii gave concerts in Germany, Russia and Eastern Europe. He won prizes at several Ukrainian singing competitions, including Art of the 21st Century and New Names of Ukraine. His repertoire includes such roles as Eugene Onegin in Tchaikovsky’s opera of the same name, Fiorillo and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Valentin in Gounoud’s Faust. Iurii is the youngest NEUE STIMMEN finalist in 2009.
In 2002, Cigdem began her full-time study of opera singing with Nursel Öncül at Istanbul State Conservatory. After graduating in 2006, she attended Prof. Sebastian Vittucci’s master class in singing lieder. Cigdem has been studying with Prof. Uwe Theimer and Prof. Claudia Visca at the University of Music and the Performing Arts in Vienna since 2007. At the university, she performed the role of Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw. She appeared as Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Vienna, Luxembourg and Antwerp; she sang the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Istanbul State Opera in 2006. At the 28th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, Cigdem won the special prize of the Greek National Opera in 2009.
Narine studied voice from 2001 to 2006 at the State Conservatory in her hometown of Yerevan. She went on to pursue a two-year graduate degree, which she completed in 2008. While at the Conservatory, between 2003 and 2005 Narine sang the roles of Serpina in La serva padrona, Fanni in La cambiale di matrimonio and Georgette in Il tabarro. In 2006 and 2008 she placed first and third at two national singing competitions. Narine has been a soloist at the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Yerevan since 2009, and this year she has sung the role of Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
Yuan is currently a student at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 2006, on the occasion of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 250th birthday, she appeared in the role of the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In April 2008, she placed fourth at the Ferruccio Tagliavini International Singing Competition in Austria. At the end of 2009, Yuan will be singing the part of Tatiana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin in Beijing. She will graduate in 2010, after which she plans to continue her studies in Germany or Austria. The female characters in Puccini’s operas are her favorite roles, and she particularly admires Birgit Nilsson and Renata Tebaldi.
