Amplifying Voices: Intersect Opera
La Traviata
The FF Collective, a new non-profit arts organization founded by Tasha Koontz, Sarah-Nicole Ruddy Carter, and Katie Hickey, recently presented La Traviata in concert. This production was conducted by Bruce Stasyna and featured local favorites including Tasha Koontz, Adam Caughey, Michael Sokol, Sarah-Nicole Carter and members of the San Diego Opera Chorus.
Due to the Covid-19 delta variant, audience members were asked to wear masks for the duration of the concert. Musicians were vaccinated and tested.
Due to the Covid-19 delta variant, audience members were asked to wear masks for the duration of the concert. Musicians were vaccinated and tested.
Meet the Artists
Native Hawaiian soprano Tasha Koontz (Violetta) has been
recognized by Parterre Box for her “sumptuous, gleaming lyric instrument” and by Opera Wire for her “secure silvery high notes”. An artist garnering attention from coast to coast, she lends her unique combination of nuanced and vocally exciting performances to a gallery of leading ladies in the operatic repertoire. In San Diego Opera’s 2021 concert One Amazing Night “Soprano Tasha Koontz wowed with a knockout performance of “Dieu quel frisson” from Gounod’s opera, “Romeo et Juliette,” (San Diego Union Tribune) and performed the soprano solos in Bach Cantata 106 with the La Jolla Symphony. Ms. Koontz was also a featured soloist in the Del Mar International Composer’s Symposium where she performed new and recent works by up and coming composers like Nicolas Lell Benavides, Polina Nazaykinskaya, and Jordan Kuspa. In the 2019/20 season, engagements included the soprano solos in Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream with the San Diego Symphony, the role of the High Priestess in Verdi's Aïda with the San Diego Opera, the soprano soloist in Vivaldi's Gloria with the San Diego Festival Chorus & Orchestra, and Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the California Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Koontz was also heard on the WFMT radio broadcast of the 2019 performance of Aïda with Chicago Symphony Orchestra in which she sang High Priestess. in In October 2020 she had the pleasure of covering Ana Maria Martinez in the role of Mimì in La Boheme in a groundbreaking drive in opera production by San Diego Opera. Ms. Koontz recently performed as the soprano soloist for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the historic Spreckels Organ Pavilion with the San Diego Master Chorale, Spreckels Organ Society, and San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez. She will next appear with San Diego Opera in the 2021 and 2023 seasons. www.tashakoontz.com IG: @TishTashKoontz |
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Tenor Dennis Williams (Gastone, Visconte de Letorières) comes to San Diego from New York City where he was a full-time member of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus in a career that spanned over 20 years. He made his solo MET debut as Giuseppe in La Traviata starring Edita Gruberova as Violetta. Other notable Violettas in his subsequent performances included Renee Fleming, Krassimira Stoyanova, June Anderson and Diana Soviero.
In total, Mr. Williams appeared in 200 solo performances in such roles as Parpignol in La Bohéme starring Hei-Kyung Hong and Marcello Giordani and in featured roles in La Fille du Regiment, Der Rosenkavalier, Madama Butterfly, Die Zauberflöte, and Kát’a Kabanová under the batons of James Levine, Roberto Abbado, Patrick Summers, Carlo Rizzi, Valery Gergiev, Edoardo Müller, Marco Armiliato and Maurizio Benini, to name a few. |
Baritone Andrew Konopak (Baron Douphol) has worked with both San Diego Opera and Los Angeles Opera companies. In addition to his work around San Diego and Los Angeles, he has performed around Germany and Austria. Andrew has placed and advanced in competitions such as the Los Angeles Western Regional level of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Musical Merit Foundation of San Diego, the Loren L. Zachary, and others. Notable appearances include All Is Calm with San Diego Opera and Bodhi Tree Concerts, der Musiklehrer in Strauß: Ariadne auf Naxos in Berlin, Le Philosophe in Massenet: Chérubin, and Belcore in Donizetti: L’elisir D’amore.
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Bass Josh Arky (Marchese D’Obigny), described by Times Argus as having “a rich, expressive bass,” recently returned to San Diego Opera to perform Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Other recent performances include a return to Virginia Opera to perform the Sacristan in Tosca, for which he was hailed as “vocally resonant, while suitably squirrely in character” (Clarke Bustard, Letter V), and many varied appearances with LA CENA È PRONTA, a project Josh co-founded that explores the ways music and food intersect.
Other career highlights include Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Opera San José; Jake Wallace in La fanciulla del West with Virginia Opera; Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Sugar Creek Opera; Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Point Loma Opera Theatre; Hidraot in Gluck’s Armide with OperaNEO; Alidoro in La Cenerentola and Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance with Opéra Louisiane; and the Captain of the Inquisition in Man of La Mancha and Dottore Grenvil in La traviata with Central City Opera. |
Shelby Condray (Doctor Grenville) is known for his mercurial career choices, bacchanalian hospitality, jovial personality, and singing really low notes that sound pretty. After decades in school studying chemical engineering, neuroscience, opera, and theology, he holds masters degrees from Yale and Boston University. He escaped his bucolic childhood life of Texas and Kansas homes lacking plumbing when his father’s military career took the family to exciting places such as rural Kentucky; Ansbach, Germany; Utica, New York; and Broomfield, Colorado. Since moving to San Diego — for the weather — he has appeared regularly with the San Diego Opera (Count Ceprano, and chorus) and other local companies. Previous engagements include jazz and gospel concerts in Mongolia, Russia, and Cuba, Don Alfonso in Barbados, Colline in France, and Beethoven 9th after the Boston Marathon bombing. He is most proud of his volunteer work with children and post-Katrina gospel performances in Biloxi, Mississippi. Mr. Condray is also a NY Times published writer and visual artist (onelineink.com). He pays the bills as a technical writer for an advanced mathematics software development company
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Mezzo-Soprano Sarah-Nicole Carter (Flora Bervoix) has been hailed by the L.A. Times as "simply wonderful", by San Diego Story as a “fiery mezzo-soprano who added verve and vibrant color”, and as conveying a "sharp wit and wistfulness." She will next be seen as the Alto Soloist in Saint-Saëns Oratorio de Noël with the Center Choral and Escondido Choral Arts Foundation. Recent performances have included Giovanna in Rigoletto and Kate in Pirates of Penzance with San Diego Opera, Berta in The Barber of Seville and Jack’s Mom in Into the Woods at Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater, and a debut at the Kennedy Center performing La Lettre du jardinière by Marcel-Lucien Tournier.
She has performed in concert with Opera Saratoga, Eureka Symphony, Bach Collegium San Diego, La Jolla Symphony Chorus, Musica Vitale, the Los Angeles Conducting Institute, San Diego Master Chorale, San Diego Festival Chorus, Loveland Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and Musical Theater, and Grossmont Symphony Orchestra. She is a co-founder of the FF Collective, a staff singer at The Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano, and has continued her education during Covid studying improvisation at the UCB Training Center. Visit her website at www.snrcarter.com or find her on Instagram @mobcapmezzo. |
Mezzo-soprano Danielle Perrault (Annina) was born in Queens, NY and raised here in San Diego. Initially trained as a dancer, she began her musical career in the theater and has continued to be an avid performer of musical theater repertoire alongside the roles of music director and conductor for youth theater programs.
Danielle received her B.A. in vocal performance from CSU San Bernardino and her M.M. in opera performance from the University of Kansas. She has enjoyed a varied career singing locally with San Diego Opera, San Diego Symphony, and SACRA/PROFANA as well as abroad on concert and operatic stages in Spain, Germany, and Italy. In addition to her singing work, Danielle is the Worship Coordinator at The Village Church in Rancho Santa Fe as well as a private vocal and creativity coach. Follow her @danielle.perrault.creative ! |
Soprano
Recognized for her shimmering voice and her charismatic stage portrayals, Coloratura Soprano Laynee Dell, a native of Nebraska, has quickly established herself as an artist in demand since arriving in San Diego. Recently, Ms. Dell made her San Diego Opera debut in One Amazing Night accompanied by the San Diego Symphony. A winner of numerous competitions, she’s been named the First Place Winner in the Virginia & Susan Hawk Vocal Competition, First Place Winner in the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus Young Artist Competition, and Winner of the Musical Merit Trovillo/Graham Award.
Her operatic roles include, in part, the title role of Lakmè, Olympia in Les contes d’Hoffmann, the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, Sofia in Il Signor Bruschino and Zerlina in Don Giovanni. Ms. Dell earned her Masters of Music from the University of Maryland and her Bachelor of Music from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She is a student of Enrique Toral |
Sara Holmes has been a San Diego local since 2000 when she began her undergrad in Romance Languages at Point Loma. She sings often with SACRA/PROFANA and recently performed in Suor Angelica with Genesis Opera. Sara’s upcoming performances include the role of Ida in Die Fledermaus with Pacific Lyric Opera in October and her own recital in St. Peter’s Del Mar’s Unity Concert Series in December. Besides being a mom of two, Sara’s other work is as a Children’s Minister at St. Peter’s, where she is privileged to learn from the children each week
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Originally born and raised in Chicago, IL, Carr Martin made the cross-country move to San Diego in 2016 while pursuing a job in Higher Education. Since that time, Carr has made the most of her BA in Voice Performance from Anderson University here San Diego on a part-time basis by staying actively involved in the music community. Recent performances include collaboration with choral groups SACRA/PROFANA, the San Diego Pro Arte Voices, Soprano Soloist in LJSC’s Messiah Sing-Along, and as Soprano Section Leader at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Del Mar. Outside of music, Carr has established her career as a Finance Consultant with Workday, a Bay-Area based software company focusing on improving the student’s lifecycle at nationwide colleges and universities through implementation of an intuitively reimagined student information system. When Carr isn’t consulting or making music, she can be found flipping through the pages of Architectural Digest magazine for interior design inspiration, going for a jog along the harbor downtown, or playing with her puppy, Maia June, at the Coronado Dog Beach.
As acting Board President of the FF Collective, Carr is ecstatic to be a part of this inaugural concert production of La Traviata is a chorus member, and can’t wait to see this organization continue to take flight! |
Alto
Steph Ishihara, Mezzo-Soprano, is a San Diego native and has studied at MiraCosta Community College and San Diego State University. During her time at SDSU, Steph has performed with both the choral and opera programs, roles including Dido (Dido and Aeneas) and The Friend (Amelia Goes to the Ball). Concert appearances include Durufle‘s Requiem (Alto Soloist), Mozart’s Requiem (Alto Soloist), Mozart’s Coronation Mass (Alto Soloist), and Handel’s Messiah (Alto Soloist). Steph currently performs with the San Diego Master Chorale and has sung with other vocal ensembles in San Diego. An advocate for diversity, equality, and mental health, Steph is so excited to be part of The FF Collective and to be singing among friends.
@thestephish |
Mezzo-soprano Danielle Perrault was born in Queens, NY and raised here in San Diego. Initially trained as a dancer, she began her musical career in the theater and has continued to be an avid performer of musical theater repertoire alongside the roles of music director and conductor for youth theater programs. Danielle received her B.A. in vocal performance from CSU San Bernardino and her M.M. in opera performance from the University of Kansas. She has enjoyed a varied career singing locally with San Diego Opera, San Diego Symphony, and SACRA/PROFANA as well as abroad on concert and operatic stages in Spain, Germany, and Italy. In addition to her singing work, Danielle is the Worship Coordinator at The Village Church in Rancho Santa Fe as well as a private vocal and creativity coach. Follow her @danielle.perrault.creative !
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Elly Roseberry, mezzo-soprano, has resided in San Diego for 10 years. An active professional singing career has resulted in opera and musical theatre roles such as Zita, Gianni Schicchi (NorthSTAR Opera Repertory Theatre); Little Red, Into the Woods (Shasta Vocal Institute); Madame Baba, The Medium (SDSU School of Music), and Princess Winnifred, Once Upon a Mattress (MasterWorks Festival). Elly attended Brevard Music Festival as a young artist, has been a featured soloist with San Diego Symphony, and sings regularly with professional ensemble SACRA/PROFANA. Elly has a passion for teaching, with over a decade of experience as a teacher and vocal coach. She manages a full private studio and is on faculty at Villa Musica, as well as soloist and section leader at Village Church.
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Tenor
Brad Fox, tenor, has been a ubiquitous feature of San Diego choral life since 2007, singing with Sacra/Profana, Bach Collegium San Diego, the chorus of San Diego Opera, South Coast Chamber Choir, Musica Vitale, St. Peter's and All Souls' Episcopal Churches, and other fabulous organizations too numerous to mention. He and his husband have amazing dogs, and he bakes a really nice fruitcake.
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Victor Morris has had the honor of gracing the stages of La Jolla Playhouse (His Girl Friday), Moxie Theatre (Trouble In Mind), San Diego Rep (Storyville), and the title role of Othello at Artist Rep in Portland. Film credits include Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle, Gus Van Sant’s Restless, and Ernest Dickerson’s Surviving The Game. Television credits include roles in American Vandal, Grimm, Criminal Minds, and Leverage. As an instrumentalist, Victor is proficient in piccolo trumpet, euphonium and Lakota flute. He has studied voice with maestri Franco Corelli, Grace Bumbry, George Shirley, Franco Iglesias, and George Peckham. Victor is presently a member of the San Diego Opera ensemble. His biggest Life Achievement Award is papa to Anaka and Raina.
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Frank Napolitano studied voice at New England Conservatory under Edward Zambara. His operatic roles include Ferrando (Cosi Fan Tutte), Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Basilio (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Ramiro (La Cenerentola). As a choral singer he has sung with Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church (NYC), The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin (NYC) and Old South Church (Boston). Since moving to San Diego six years ago, Frank has appeared most frequently with San Diego Pro Arte Voices and Sacra/Profana. In his spare time, Frank can be found volunteering at Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Del Mar, CA carrying on full-length conversations with birds he is convinced understand him completely.
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