Puget Sound Concert Opera 2024 Season Preview
Free (no tickets or reservations required)
- Elizabeth Galafa Ylaya, soprano
- Lauren Corpus, soprano
- Esther D. Kelley, mezzo-soprano
- Charles Lyon Stewart, tenor
- John Burkhardt, piano
- Jenna Calixto, flute
- Regina Thomas, commentator
Georges Bizet — Les pêcheurs de perles ("The Pearl Fishers") (No. 4 aria for Nadir; No. 7 aria for Leila; No. 9 duet for Nadir & Leila)
William Grant Still — Highway 1, USA (aria for Mary; scene for Aunt Lou & Mary)
William Grant Still — Mota (Sidade's aria)
Christoph Willibald Glück — Paride ed Elena ("Donzelle Semplice" Act IV aria for Elena)
The Studio Artists Program supports the work of emerging professional singers in the community. Participants understudy major roles, perform supporting roles, and will be featured in our annual Season Preview Concert. In performance, they will be joined by John Burkhardt on piano and Jenna Calixto playing flute obligato; Artistic Director Regina Thomas will present commentary between scenes.
About Puget Sound Concert Opera
Puget Sound Concert Opera's mission is to bring a wide variety of opera to life through passionate performances in intimate settings, fostering a vibrant artistic community. We make these extraordinary works accessible and affordable, ensuring that the joy of great opera is within reach of all.
http://www.pugetsoundconcertopera.org/About Elizabeth Galafa Ylaya, soprano
About Lauren Corpus, soprano
Lauren Kulesa has a master's degree in Voice Performance from the University of Washington,
where she studied with Dr. Kari Ragan. In 2019, she was a District Winner at the Metropolitan Opera
National Council Auditions, and she also toured in China with the UW Wind Ensemble as the
Soprano soloist. She has received multiple encouragement awards from the Seattle Opera Guild
Singers' Development Awards and in 2021 was featured on KING FM's Northwest Focus Live.
Previous roles include Le Feu in University of Washington's production of L'enfant et les sortilèges,
Mrs. Fiorentino in Pacific Lutheran University's Street Scene, Sister Genevieve in Puccini's Suor
Angelica, with Lyric Opera Northwest, and she was the soprano soloist in the University of
Washington's production of the Chamber Opera, Hydrogen Jukebox, by Philip Glass. In 2022, she
was Isabel in the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society's production of The Pirates of Penzance, and in
2023 was a soprano soloist in Mendelssohn's Lobgesang with Northwest Symphony Orchestra.
About Esther D. Kelley, mezzo-soprano
Esther D. Kelley is a gifted, passionate, charismatic musician and educator in the Spokane, WA area. A proud graduate of Gonzaga University, she is a favorite with public school and private music students alike. She directs, accompanies or sings in four local performing ensembles, including Inland Northwest Opera, where she performed in the 2022 production of La Traviata and on their August 2023 Opera Truck series. Ms. Kelley truly believes that to whom much is given, much is required, which motivates her to use her musical talents to benefit others.
About John Burkhardt, piano
John Burkhardt (chorus master/piano) currently serves as chorus master and principal accompanist for Puget Sound Concert Opera. John has arranged and conducted numerous PSCO productions including Lucrezia Borgia, La Damoiselle Elue, Andrea Chenier, Don Giovanni, and I Capuletti ed I Montecchi. John has served as the principal accompanist and chorus master for Bellevue Opera as well. He works for University of Washington Tacoma, managing their communications. He is musically active in the Unitarian Universalist church and has been an opera and musical theater pianist for many years in Seattle and elsewhere.
About Jenna Calixto, flute
Jenna can be heard playing flute and piccolo in a number of ensembles in the Seattle area, including the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, Tacoma City Ballet Orchestra, Octava Chamber Orchestra, and the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society Orchestra. She has enjoyed performing with Puget Sound Concert Opera since 2010. A native of Vancouver, Washington, she holds performance degrees from Southern Methodist University (B.M.) and the University of New Mexico (M.M.).
http://www.pugetsoundconcertopera.org/artists.html#jennacalixtoAbout Regina Thomas, commentator
An outstanding member of the Northwest musical community for over 20 years, Regina Thomas has performed with a variety of companies including Kitsap Opera, Willamette Concert Opera, Bellevue Opera, Puget Sound Concert Opera, Seattle Opera, and the Seattle Opera Guild. Currently Artistic Director of Puget Sound Concert Opera, Regina has served as Seattle Opera Guild’s VP of Education and is a past President and trustee of concerts for LMC. Favorite operatic roles include Adriana Lecouvreur, Suor Angelica, Tosca, and Judith (Bluebeard's Castle). Concert work includes Schumann's Frauenleibe und-leben, Elgar’s Sea Pictures, and Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder; soprano solos in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Fauré Requiem, and Berio's Folk Songs for voice and chamber ensemble.
https://www.musiccenternw.org/regina-thomasTagney Jones Hall at the Opera Center
363 Mercer St.Seattle, WA 98109
United States
https://www.seattleopera.org/about/opera-center/
(206) 389-7600