Rachel Watkins - Soprano

Based on music he wrote for a film his nephew Francis Ford Coppola had planned to make but never did. "Composer/Librettist/Conductor Anton Coppola brings many years of experience to the podium. Throughout his career, he has conducted for many of the great opera companies in the United States and Canada, including the San Francisco Opera and New York City Opera. Included among his many outstanding professional achievements and contributions. Coppola conducted many Broadway musicals, recordings and film soundtracks, as well as the world premiere productions of Lizzie Borden, Deseret and Of Mice and Men. He served as conductor and opera consultant in his nephew Francis Ford Coppola’s film "Godfather III" and conducted the score for the Coppola film Dracula. Throughout his most impressive career, Coppola has composed numerous works, including a symphony, a violin concerto, chamber works, and film scores. For 15 years, Coppola served as Director of both the Symphony and the Opera Departments at the Manhattan School of Music. He holds a Master’s Degree in Composition and an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Quinnipiac College (Connecticut)." (Artist’s statement)

Originally from Beaumont, Texas, soprano Rachel Watkins attended Loyola University, New Orleans, where she studied voice with Philip Frohnmayer and received a Bachelor of Music in Performance and Yale University Opera Program, studying under Doris Yarick-Cross; and receiving a Master of Music in May 2001. Ms. Watkins then went on to sing in the International Opera Studio with the world renowned Opernhaus Zürich. Some of her recent performances have been Violetta in La Traviata conducted by Anton Coppola, Clarice in Haydn’s Il Mondo della Luna in Basel, Switzerland, Ida in Der Musikfeind, Fulvia in Rossini’s La Pietra del Paragone and Die Königen die Nacht in Die Zauberflöte für Kinder with the Opernhaus Zürich, Gilda in Rigoletto, Gretel in Hansel und Gretel, Elvira in Rossini’s l’italiana in Algeri, Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio cesare with the Opera Theatre of Connecticut and Poppea in the Yale Opera production of L’incoronazione di Poppea. Other roles include: Musetta in La Bohème, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Manon in Massenet’s Manon with the Brevard Music Festival conducted by David Effron. In addition to her operatic repertoire, Rachel is an avid recitalist and concert performer, having given numerous concerts both in Europe and the United States. She has worked with notable conductors and has appeared as guest soloist with many Orchestras in such works as Mahler’s Symphony #4, Beethoven Mass in C, and the Brahms and Fauré Requiems, to name a few. Ms. Watkins has also received numerous awards from prominent vocal competitions. Some of the competitions that she has won include the MacAllister Opera Competition Matthias Award, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in the Connecticut and Gulf Coast Regions, the Jenny Lind Soprano Competition, the Rosa Ponselle Competition and the Giulio Gari Foundation Opera Competition. Rachel can be seen on the recently released EMI Classics DVD of Der Rosenkavalier with Vasselina Kasarova, Nina Stemma, and Alfred Muff under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst and Sven Erich Bechtolf live from Opernhaus Zürich.

Tenor, Mauricio O’Reilly was born in Mexico City. Last year he participated in five productions at The Opernhaus Zürich in the 2003- 2004 season. Currently, he lives in New York City where he arrived seven years ago to study at the Manhattan School of Music. It was there where he earned his Master in Music degree; a title that was given to him after being honored with the Placido Domingo Encouragement Grant in 2000, and in 2001 the Panasonic Scholar of the year. This last recognition granted him his Alice Tully Hall debut, in Lincoln Center with the New York Symphonic Ensemble. After completing his studies, Mauricio became a Sony Classical Artist making his first CD and DVD “The American Tenors” and appearing in a PBS TV special that aired nationwide in the USA. Mauricio has been steadily building a name for himself in the world of opera performing in major opera houses and companies like the Opernhaus Zürich, Santa Fe Opera, the Bregenzer Festspiele in Austria and the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, where he most recently sang Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor sharing the stage with Maestro Francisco Araiza. He has performed twice as a young artist with the Opera Orchestra of New York under the baton of Eve Queler in La Donna del Lago and Adriana Lecouvreur. Mauricio has also performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Sala Eduardo Carreno in Venezuela, and the Kongress und Kultur Zentrum in Luzern, where his performance was hailed ‘a Tenor revelation’ by the Neue Luzerner Zeitung. Most recently, Mauricio had his debut in New Jersey singing Cavaradossi from the opera Tosca, and will soon sing Luigi in Il Tabarro with the International Vocal Arts Institute, under the supervision of Joan Dornemann and then Alfredo in la Traviata in New York with the Maestro Anton Coppola Conducting. Mr. O’Reilly has also been seen in the roles of the Duke in Rigoletto, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Rodolfo in La Boheme, and Romeo in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette, among others.Mauricio has received several awards and recognitions from SIVAM, (International Society of Art in Mexico), and the National Foundation of the Arts in Mexico. His teachers include, Mignon Dunn, Joan Dornemann, Fiora Contino and Horst Günther. Mauricio O’Reilly has a degree in Communication Science from the Intercontinental University of Mexico City, where his passion for film making granted him an award from an International Festival in Chile for his first documentary “De lo Popular” in 1998.

Mary Ellen Duncan recently made her debut with New York Opera Project singing the role of Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, and subsequently, has been invited back to sing for the company’s Gala Concert this spring. Prior to these engagements Miss Duncan was a National Finalist in the National Association of Teacher’s Singing Competition. She competed and performed in New Orleans this summer at the NATS Convention. Performing highlights for Miss Duncan include the world premier of Bloodlines with Opera Omaha; Mimi (La bohème), with Dicapo Opera Theater; Curley’s Wife (Of Mice and Men), Despina (Cosi fan tutte), and First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), all with Orlando Opera.Miss Duncan was a Resident Artist with Orlando Opera, where in addition to singing Curley’s Wife in the mainstage production of Of Mice and Men, with Gary Lakes and Despina in Cosi fan tutte, under Maestro Willie Waters, she covered Liu (Turandot), Marguerite (Faust) and Cio-cio-san, (Madame Butterfly) In addition, she sang the lead in educational outreach productions for Madame Butterfly. Miss Duncan also had the opportunity to perform duets with tenor, Jerry Hadley, on Orlando Opera’s Annual Opera Gala Concert, conducted by Maestro Hal France. She had the chance to work with France again when she returned to Orlando Opera in 2002 to sing the First Lady in Die Zauberflöte.Upon completion of her stint with Orlando Opera, Mary Ellen Duncan moved to New York and sang her first Mimi (La bohème) with Dicapo Opera Theater. She also covered and sang two performances of Street Scene as Anna Murrant. Additionally, Miss Duncan has performed in a concert series with South Carolina Opera (Newberry Opera) and Hal MacIntosh. She sang Musetta in a concert version of Act II La bohème, with Commonwealth Opera and did double duty as the soprano soloist for Beethoven’s 9^th as well as singing Norina, Don Pasquale, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed with Philharmonia Virtuosi in a children’s version of Die Zauberflote. Additional companies with whom Miss Duncan has performed include Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Lakeland, FL), Brevard Music Center and the International Institute of Vocal Arts, Chiari Italy. Other roles for Miss Duncan include Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Liu (Turando), Masha (The Music Shop), Novizia (Suor Angelica), Adele (Die Fledermaus), and Monica (The Medium). Miss Duncan was a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in both the New England and in the Eastern regions. She won 3^rd and 2^nd place consecutively in Opera Birmingham’s Vocal Competition, received the Judges Award and Artist Residency through the Heinz Rehfuss Singing Actor’s Competition, Orlando Opera. She placed in the top twenty in the MacAllister National Opera Competition and was a finalist in the Jenny Lind Competition. Mary Ellen Duncan attended New England Conservatory and DePauw University. She is originally from Greensburg, IN and currently resides in New York City.

Stefanos Koroneos - Bass Baritone

Stefanos Koroneos was born in Athens and moved young in Italy (Milan) to study first at the G. Verdi Conservatory, then with the baritones K.Ego and O. Borgonovo and at the end at the Rossini Opera Accademy with the conductor A. Zedda. Last year he moved to New York and he is currently being coached by M. Joseph Smith.He made his debut in La Boheme at the Staatstheater in Freiburg (Germany) singing the role of Schaunard.He has since then performed in main theatres in Italy, Germany, Russia, Greece, Korea and Malta.Theatre appearances include Teatro alla Scala (Vesprae sollenae de confessor),The Bolsoi Theatre (La Traviata), Teatro Reggio di Parma (Madame Butterfly, Tosca), Rossini Opera Festival (Il Viaggio a Reims), Teatro Giglio di Lucca (Madame Butterfly), Teatro Aligheri di Ravenna (I vespri Siciliani, Rigoletto, Madame Butterfly), Teatro Verdi di Bussetto (I Vespri Siciliani, La Forza del Destino, Rigoletto, Traviata), Teatro Comunale di Piacenza (Rigoletto, Un Ballo in Maschera), Teatro Comunale di Pisa (Rigoletto, Madame Butterfly), Teatro Sociale di Rovigo ( Rogoletto), Ente concerti Sassari (Madame Butterfly), Teatro Fraschini di Pavia (Rigoletto), Teatro Comunale di Ferrara (I Vespri Siciliani), Teatro Comunale di Modena (I Vespri Siciliani), Teatro Goldoni di Livorno (Madame Butterfly), Teatro Comunale di Trento (Rigoletto, Madame Butterfly), Teatro Comunale di Bolzano (Rigoletto, Madame Butterfly), Teatro Comunale di Katanzaro (Rigoletto, Traviata),Teatro Comunale di Noto (Le nozze di Figaro), Eastern Festival of Rome (The Resurrection), Fondazione Arturo Toscanini Parma (Isabeau, Tosca, U mmmatremmonio anascuso,Rigoletto, Traviata),Athens Concetr Hall (Traviata), Teatro Manoel (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Seoul Opera (Le nozze di Figaro), Staatstheater Freiburg (La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Carmen), Oratorio Society NJ and Metro Lyric (La Boheme).He has worked with conductors such as R.Bonynge, G. Carella, A. Coppola, S. Ranzani, G. Neuhold, J, Cura, M. Stefanelli, M. de Bernart, K.L.Wilson, P. Olmi....and with directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Emilio Sagi, Eike Gramms..Recordings inlude RAI Television (performans with Monserrat Caballe), and three operas for Sky International Classic Chanel

Irwin Denesen - Bass-Baritone

Bass-Baritone Irwin Densen has been a fixture on the national and international scene for many years, singing a wide variety of roles which amply demonstrate his versatility of style and language. Opera companies with which he has performed include the Dallas Opera, Opera Company of Boston, Connecticut Opera, Cincinnati Opera,Dayton and Toledo Operas, New Orleans Opera, Florentine Opera,Syracuse Opera, Lake George Opera, New York City Opera and Glimmerglass Opera, among others. Festival appearances have included Caramoor and Spoleto, and has appeared with Opera De Venezuela in Caracas and at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. Recent engagements have included numerous productions with Connecticut Opera including Leporello in Don Giovanni, Ferrando in Il Trovatore, the title role in Don Pasquale, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, and the Sacristan in Tosca; Ramphis for Syracuse Opera: Le Bailly in Werther, Barbiere di Siviglia, the Old Hebrew in Samson et Dalila for New Orleans Opera; and Raimondo in Lucia for Dayton Opera