Athlone Artists Fall 2023 News

The Athlone Artists are bringing their exceptional artistry to projects worldwide this fall, from the classics to contemporary. Here are a few highlights from the start of the 2023-24 season:

Jonathan Woody sings as the bass soloist in The Newberry Concert’s opener In the Castle of the Moon, featuring music by Sophie Elisabeth, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg, September 22-24 in Chicago. Next, Jonathan will perform the music of François Couperin (1668-1773) in a chamber concert led by acclaimed harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on October 25, and at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York on October 26 with Opera Lafayette. He also will play Elymas/Sorceress in Errollyn Wallen’s work, Dido's Ghost with Philharmonia Baroque on November 29-30. Gene Stenger will appear as the Evangelist in Bach’s St. John’s Passion with the Washington Bach Consort at the National Presbyterian Church on October 1.

Mary-Hollis Hundley is covering Sister Catherine in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking running September 26 – October 21. She will next be seen in recital at Second Presbyterian Church in Louisville on November 19. Soprano Whitney Morrison also heads to the Metropolitan Opera this fall to cover the role of Louise/Betty in Anthony Davis’ X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X November 3-December 2.

Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Sánchez makes her debut with Kentucky Opera as The Witch in Hansel und Gretel, with performances on September 29, October 1 and 3. Stephanie later joins soprano Maria Brea in Arizona Opera’s New Works Festival’s preview of Héctor Armienta’s Zorro on November 3, with Sánchez portraying Carlotta de Obragón and Brea playing Ana Maria. Maria Brea can also be seen this month as Clomiri in Opera Essentia’s presentation of Rosmene’s Choice, a 70-minute distillation of Handel’s opera Imeneo, being presented September 16-24 at venues throughout the New York City area.

Spencer Britten is performing the role of Lindoro in Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri September 16-October 3 with the Hungarian State Opera. He then heads to the Lyric Opera of Chicago where he will cover the role of Tonio in their production of La fille du regiment November 4-25. This winter, Britten performs the tenor solos in Handel’s Messiah under Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the Notre Dame Basilique in Montreal.

This past weekend, Susan Hellman Spatafora sang Rosalinde in Opera in Williamsburg’s production of Die Fledermaus. Spatafora sings as a soloist in the “Classics of Lerner & Loewe” concert with the Will Rogers Stage Foundation in Tulsa October 29, followed by Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with the Tampa Oratorio Singers on November 5.

Helen Zhibing Huang will reprise the role of Setsuko Kobayashi in Jack Perla’s An American Dream for her debut with Hawai'i Opera Theatre on October 13, 14, 15. Helen last performed the role with Kentucky Opera in 2022, about which Arts Louisville wrote, “Ms. Huang’s portrayal of the young girl who was forced to grow up rather quickly had just enough innocence, and her vocal performance was just as entertaining, with a strong top line and young voice full of potential.” Following on October 27 and 28, Helen can be heard as the soprano soloist in Fauré’s Requiem with the Alabama Symphony.

Markel Reed makes his role debut as Figaro in Virginia Opera’s production of Il barbiere di Siviglia November 3-19.

Athlone Artists’ orchestral leaders are heading to the podium this fall: Gil Rose conducts the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) in a program titled The Necessity of Hope: Compositions from the Time of Pandemic on October 7 at 8 PM at NEC’s Jordan Hall. The program includes three world premieres by John Aylward, Eric Moe, and Richard Cornell; as well as the East Coast premiere of Shelley Washington’s Both (2022). Maria Sensi Sellner conducts Resonance Works’ production of the rarely performed French opera Cendrillon by female composer Pauline Viardot October 27-29.



Conductor Christopher James Ray leads a production of Le nozze di Figaro for Opera at USC on November 3, 4 and 5. This fall he will serve as assistant conductor to Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel with San Francisco Symphony. Meanwhile, Mark Shapiro leads Cantori New York for the NYC premiere of Ochre by Caroline Shaw, and the world premieres of Found Again, by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, and Beauty by John Rommereim; and Allan R. Scott and the Helena Symphony Orchestra have a busy fall in store, with concerts including “Mozart by Candlelight” (November 11), and an evening of Puccini & Schumann (October 21).

The GRAMMY^® award-winning baritone Gabriel Preisser plays the title role in the Marriage of Figaro at Opera Idaho on October 13 and 15 alongside Tess Altiveros, playing Susannah. Tess’ “assured, glamorous soprano” that “glisten(s) in all registers” (Opera Today), will be heard again in November at the Great Bend Center for Music as she returns for Borders, the American Prize-winning commission by Seattle composer John Muehleisen. Borders draws from many of the constituent cultures that make up the American tapestry and is scored for soprano solo, adult choir, children’s chorus, strings, piano, and percussion. In yet another production of Le nozze di Figaro this fall at Portland Opera running October 28, November 3 & 5, the title character will be played by baritone Jesús Vicente Murillo. 

Meanwhile, Emily Misch makes her company debut with Annapolis Opera, singing the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte on October 27 & 29; countertenor Logan Tanner sings in Opera Memphis’ Carmina Burana; and soprano Tasha Koontz joins the San Diego chamber music ensemble Camarada for a program titled Music SHE Wrote on November 18.

Fresh from recent triumphs at Minnesota Opera and Florida Grand Opera, Stage Director Mo Zhou directs the workshop of Houston Grand Opera’s 76^th world premiere opera, The Big Swim in November. The full production – to be presented at the Asia Society Texas Center in February 2024 – is a contemporary retelling of the story of the great Lunar New Year race by composer Meilina Tsui and librettist Melisa Tien, in which twelve animals learn that fierce competition is not as crucial as caring for and supporting one another.  Nathan Troup directs Chabrier’s rarely produced opera L’etoile for Boston Conservatory at Berklee November 8-12.

Baritone Evan Bravos will be seen in Chicago’s long anticipated debut of Shostakovich’s absurdist masterpiece The Nose on December 8 & 10 as the Countess' Lackey/Ivan Ivanovich/ and 8th Student. In the same production, bass Stephen Clark will cover the Clerk (from the newspaper editorial office)/Doctor/Con-Man/ and Khozrev-Mirza. At the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Marianne Cornetti will be seen singing the role of Grandmother Bruyja in Janáček’s Jenůfa November 12-26.

We look forward to seeing you in the audience!

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