Naomi Biela

Naomi Biela, from Ames, Iowa, is a sophomore double major Vocal Performance and Music for New Media student in Professor Futral’s vocal studio. She is considered a diverse musician, having developed skills in singing, piano, and composition and having been involved with and exposed to many genres of music from a very early age. The summer before her senior year of high school she was invited to audition for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute where she then was accepted and attended their summer Young Artists Vocal Program. While at Tanglewood she enjoyed playing the roles of the Fairy of Wisdom (Dornröschen) and Casilda (The Gondoliers) in scenes from these operas, as well as singing in the Tanglewood choir with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and John Williams.

Naomi looks forward to many wonderful opera productions while at Peabody and in the surrounding community and a colorful future career path which may include performance, composition, and teaching after she graduates in 2023.

Katelynn Cherry

Katelynn Cherry is a young operatic soprano, born and raised in Trappe, Maryland. She began singing at age eight in her hometown and at age fifteen, she began studying classical voice at Peabody Preparatory with Alina Kozinska. She is currently a sophomore undergraduate student at Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. She studies with soprano Elizabeth Futral.

Katelynn has performed in a variety of solo and ensemble musical programs and competitions in Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland, Philadelphia and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Orlando, Florida, New York, New York, Chicago, Illinois, Lenox, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. She attended and performed in Boston University Tanglewood Institute in 2017 and Russian Opera Workshop in 2018. Katelynn also attended Curtis Summerfest with Mikael Eliasen in 2018.

Along with other recognitions and awards over the years, Katelynn recently won first place in the Maryland/D.C. NATS Voice Competition in 2018, was selected to perform in the NAFME All-Eastern Chorus in 2019 and recently won first place in the Maryland Chapter of the Shirley Rabb Winston Voice Competition in 2020.

Katelynn auditioned and was selected to participate in Bologna International Opera Academy and Bel Canto in Tuscany summer program; however they were canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Helena Colindres

Salvadorian-American soprano Helena (they/them) Colindres is in their first year of their masters in voice and pedagogy studying under the tutelage of Elizabeth Futral.

As a rising opera vocalist, they have performed roles such as die Königin der Nacht from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Despina from Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte and the title role of Handel’s Serse. They are currently taking part in Peabody Opera Theatre’s fully-remote production of Britten’s Turn of the Screw in the role of the governess.

In addition to their opera experience, they have also had the pleasure of performing as a soloist in large works such as Handel’s Messiah, Schubert’s Mass in G, and Larson’s A God in Disguise with the latter being in Davies Symphony Hall.

They have had the pleasure of performing in master classes with various established operatic figures including Evelyn Mandac, Kevin Murphy, and Marilyn Horne.

Born and raised in San Francisco, they hold two associates degrees from City College of San Francisco as well as a BM in voice and a BA in Comparative American Studies with a concentration in Identity and Diversity from Oberlin College and Conservatory.

Dana Douglass

Dana Douglass, a soprano from Maine, has been applauded for her dedication to her art since she first took the stage.Most recently, Dana has been seen as Bianca and Gabriella in Puccini’s La Rondine produced by Peabody Conservatory, where she is currently pursuing a masters degree in vocal performance. Dana is in the studio of the wonderful Elizabeth Futral, where she takes immense pride in her work. In the coming months, Dana will be performing the thrilling role of Mrs. Grose in Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw in an entirely virtual production put on by Peabody Opera Theater.

During her early years as a performer, she portrayed many characters from operas such as Cosi fan Tutte, Les Conte d’Hoffman, La Traviata, and Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. Dana has portrayed the partial roles of Magda in Menotti’s The Consul and Mimi in La Boheme, and the full role of Dido in Dido and Aeneas. Most notably, Dana was involved in a semi-staged production of La Boheme with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. Along with being a member of the chorus, she performed as a milkmaid and a mother.

Yevgeniya Gnezdilova

Ukrainian soprano Yevgeniya Gnezdilova is an audience favorite both in the opera hall and on the concert stage. She is quickly distinguishing herself as a versatile young singer and her artistic abilities serve her pleasantly in a repertoire encompassing the Mozart and Donizetti heroines as well as major oratorios of Handel, Bach, and Mendelssohn.

Past appearances include Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte during her time at the European Music Academy in Czech Republic, First Tourier in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Nursemaid in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, Country Girl in Mozart’s Masterwork Le Nozze di Figaro (with performances in both Florida and Czech Republic), featured dancer in Opus Theatre’s production of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, and soprano ensemble member in Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata.

Miss Gnezdilova appears frequently in concert and in recital; she has sung with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra performing Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, G. Handel’s Messiah, and Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil. Additionally, she sang Mozart’s Requiem Mass in Carnegie Hall under the direction of the late conductor Paul Oakley, presented a benefit recital with Tenor Michael Palmissano at the First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville as part of the Music on Monroe Concert series, performed the national anthem at the Raymond James Stadium Symphony under the Stars festival held by the Florida Orchestra Symphony, and sang as a backup singer for singer Josh Groban on the STAGES tour in South Florida.

Emma Hils

Emma Hils is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lives in Baltimore, Maryland currently. She has a large lyric voice with a developed lower range from her experience singing jazz. She has sung in some capacity her entire life, whether it has been contemporary or classical music, but has been studying opera for seven years now. Opera is where her voice truly shines. She has traveled around the world pursuing her craft. She is a senior studying at the Peabody Institute for Music Performance and studies with Elizabeth Futral. She has experience singing in several languages including English, German, Italian, French and Russian. This season she will be Mrs. Grose in the Peabody Opera’s production of Britten’s Turn of the Screw. She is excited and ready to share her voice with the world.

Elizabeth Kim

Elizabeth Kim, a soprano from Seoul, Korea, is a freshman at Peabody Conservatory and has been actively performing in the midwest and New York areas. She won various awards at competitions including Schmidt Youth Vocal Competition, New York Lyric Opera National Vocal Competition, and ENKOR International Music Competition. Her performance venues include Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie hall, Hill Auditorium, and National Opera Center. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree of Music under the tutelage of Elizabeth Futral at Peabody Conservatory.

Chun Yung Lee

Rosanne Lee is a soprano from Hong Kong. She is currently under the tutelage of soprano Elizabeth Futral at the Peabody Conservatory. She received her Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours at the University of Hong Kong in 2019. She was awarded the Artistic Excellence Award, Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme, Bernard van Zuiden Prize, Rayson Huang Scholarship in Music, Professor Robert Lord Memorial Prizes in Music, Talent Development Scholarship, Dean’s Honours List and Helen Moore-Williams Music Prize.

Rosanne made her operatic debut with Opera Hong Kong as Le converse in Suor Angelica in 2017. Her operatic engagements include productions of When Mozart Meets Da Ponte, Don Giovanni, Turandot, Otello, Madama Butterfly, and Roméo et Juliette. She has recently appeared in the online adaptation of a new musical The Happy Prince as Match-girl. Based primarily in Hong Kong, she also performed in Shanghai for the Festival Hong Kong 2019 – A Cultural Extravaganza.

Her remarkable adaptability has supplemented her interest in various musical genres including opera, art songs, and contemporary music. In 2016, She worked with renowned cellist Trey Lee for an innovative arrangement of Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5. Beyond the realm of traditional repertoire, she performs experimental music and new operatic works. She has performed for the Jockey Club Street Music Series: Experimental Series #7 and Opera in Chinese Lecture Demonstration Series.

Chris Li

Chris Li is a young soprano from Shenzhen China. She has performed in various musical events, including the 5th Shenzhen Mozart Music Festival, The Chamber Music Concert and The Sound of Music Vocal Concert in the Way of The Artist Series Performances. Chris’s recent engagement in Opera scenes include Lakmé from Léo Delibes’s Lakmé, Mistress Ford in Otto Nicolai’s Merry Wives, and Susanna from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. She also participated in Vocal Summer program at Interlochen Center for the Arts, and awarded “Fine Arts Award” as well as additional scholarship in recognition of her budding talent. Chris has studied with some of the world renown musicians such as Juliana Gondek, Dongjian Gong, and Stanford Olsen. She is now studying in Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins as a first year undergraduate with Elizabeth Futral.

Jiayu Li

Soprano Jiayu Li, from Kunming, China, praised for her lyrical singing and appealing performance, has performed with music festivals and institutes in the United States, China, Austria, and Spain. Ms. Li’s impressively repertoire including Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and First Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Boston Conservatory at Berklee Opera Intensive in Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofía Valencia, Spain. Ms. Li has sung the role of Presendia in Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters with Boston Conservatory Opera Workshop. Her recent engagements include Tatiana in Eugene Onegin with Russian Opera Workshop and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Peabody Opera Theater. Beyond operatic performances, Ms. Li has been invited by the Consulate General of Italy in Boston to present Italian art song and operatic aria concerts. She also appeared as the soprano soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Boston Conservatory Orchestra & Women Chorus. Ms. Li has also performed at the Salzburg Festival with the University of Miami Frost School of Music and the Honorable Mention Winners concert in Salzburg, Austria. Ms. Li has premiered works with Boston Conservatory Composers and featuring the Staged Art Song project of Tom Cipullo with Boston Conservatory Opera.

Jiayu is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Voice Performance at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Elizabeth Futral, where she was the recipient of the Artistic Excellence Award. Jiayu received her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Heather Morrison

Heather is a first year master’s student studying vocal performance and voice pedagogy at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins. Currently, she is studying with Elizabeth Futral. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Kent State University, where she studied with Dr. Lara Troyer. Heather originated the role of Louise in the world premiere of Story of an Hour by composer Scott Little. Her other performances with Kent State University Opera, include Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Carmen Ghia in The Stoned Guest, Aello in The Harpies, and Papagena in Die Zauberflote. She has sung as soprano soloist with KSU orchestra and chorus in Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Handel’s Messiah, and as soprano solo cover in Faure’s Requiem and Brahm’s Ein Deutsches Reqiuem. Outside of KSU, Heather played Anna Gomez in The Consul by Gian Carlo Menotti with Nightingale Opera Theatre, and Echo Chorus/Chorus in Hansel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdink with the Berlin Opera Academy. Future performances include the role of Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte with Peabody Opera, and La Musica in Montiverdi’s L’Orfeo, with Miami Classical Music Festival.

Karly Ritland

Karly Ritland, soprano, has firmly established herself as a promising young talent. She has performed nationally and internationally with companies such as the Summer Performing Arts Opera, the North Dakota State University Opera, the Franco American Vocal Academy, the Austrian American Mozart Academy, and the Fargo Moorhead Opera Company. Her role credits include Die Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte), La Princesse (L’Enfant et les Sortilèges), Madame Herz (The Impresario), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Mabel (Pirates of Penzance), and The Soprano in Isabelle Aboulker’s Les Fables Enchantée. In the fall of 2019, Karly had the privilege of singing the role of Jane Bennet in the world premiere of Kirk Mecham’s Pride and Prejudice, presented by the Peabody Opera Theater. She was also cast as Miss Jessel in Peabody’s 2020 virtual production of The Turn of The Screw.

Karly graduated from North Dakota State University in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and is expected to graduate in May 2021. She is a student of famed soprano Elizabeth Futral.

Emma Rocheleau

Emma Rocheleau, soprano, is a 3rd year transfer student from Lexington, South Carolina. In the 2019-2020 season, she had the great pleasure of portraying Jessica in the U.S. premiere of The Champion (A Bajnok) by Béla Pintér in February 2020 with Peabody Opera Theatre. In the time of the pandemic, she has participated in virtual productions, such as The Governess in “The Turn of the Screw” (Peabody Opera Theatre) and as First Woodsprite in Rusalka (LAH-SOW). In the 2020-2021 season, she has been chosen as one of the core singer of Peabody Opera Etudes, collaborating with composers under the leadership of Tony Arnold. Ms. Rocheleau is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree of Music in Vocal Performance. She studies under the tutelage of Elizabeth Futral.

Zoë Sheller

Zoë Sheller, Mezzo-Soprano, resides in Salisbury, Maryland. At the end of her first year of study, Zoë received honorable mention in the “Young Vocalists Online Competition”, sponsored by Vocal Artists Management. In March of 2020, Zoë was honorable mention in the “Sue Goetz Ross Student Competition for Voice”, sponsored by the Friday Morning Music Club. This school year, she will be making her Peabody Opera Theatre debut as Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. Zoë began pursuing classical voice at 16 years old under the tutelage of Alina Kozinska at Peabody Preparatory. Now, she is in her third year of undergraduate training with Elizabeth Futral at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.

Eureem Shin

Eureem Shin was born in Seoul, South Korea. She graduated from Sunhwa arts school and Sunhwa arts high school in Voice performance major. Currently, she is a senior studying at the Peabody Institute for voice performance with Elizabeth Futral. She will be performing Miles in the Peabody Opera’s production of Britten’s Turn of the Screw in Fall semester 2020.

Tiffany Starks

Tiffany Starks is an American Soprano from East Orange, NJ.   Tiff any is a first year Master student studying Voice Performance in the studio of Elizabeth Futral. She graduated in 2020 with BA in Music from Kean University in Elizabeth NJ, where she studied with Katherine Harris. Tiffany has performed the national Anthem at the Commencement ceremonies at Kean University in 2018 as well as 2020. She She was also the Countess cover in the New Jersey Vocal Arts Collaborative production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro in 2019.

Alexandria Zallo

Alexandria Zallo, Mezzo Soprano, is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In fall 2020, she will sing Dorabella in Peabody Opera Theater’s virtual production of Cosi fan tutte. Most recently she sang both Ježibaba and Third Woodsprite in Dvorak’s Rusalka with Luke Housner’s Summer Opera Workshop 2020.

The 2019-2020 season included her Baltimore Symphony Orchestra debut in the semi-staged production of Hindemith’s Sancta Susanna under Marin Alsop and her debut with the Baltimore Concert Opera in their production of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena. Notable roles from the 2019-2020 season include Suzy/Lolette in Puccini’s La Rondine and Alto Monster in the staged version of Edward Barne’s The Hiding Tree with the Peabody Opera Theatre. In spring 2020, Ms. Zallo was scheduled to sing the Alto Solo in Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with The Peabody Symphony Orchestra, Kolday’s Missa Brevis with The Peabody Singers, and Handel’s Messiah with The Friday Morning Musical Club Chorale (canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

In the 2018-2019 season, Ms. Zallo sang in Peabody Opera Theatre’s production of Il Trittico as La Zelatrice in Suor Angelica and a Midinette in Il Tabarro. During the summer of 2019, Ms. Zallo was a Young Artist in Opera Steamboat’s Opera Artist Institute where she covered the role of Ježibaba in Dvorak’s Rusalka.

She is currently a student at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University pursuing a Bachelor of Music.