the 2009-2010 season - The Wagner Society of Washington DC

Page 4
Emerging Singer Program Updates
21 st ESP Concert presented baritone Benjamin
Gelfand, tenor Scott Six, soprano Karen Foster, soprano
Natalie Bergeron, and tenor Patrick Cook, accompanied
by Betty Bullock. German Embassy (April 8)
Young Musicians Foundation, Santa Monica, CA
presented Othalie Graham (ESP 2008-9), Pavil Izdebski
(ESP 2005) and Jeffrey Springer (ESP 2006) who sang,
respectively, Isolde, King Marke and Tristan in a concert
version of Act 2 of Tristan und Isolde. Santa Monica CA
(February 1)
Jennifer Wilson (ESP 2001, 2004) sang Brünnhilde
for the Valencia Ring, now available on DVD. She sang
Gutrune in the Los Angeles Opera’s 2010 Ring, and sang
Isolde for the Chicago Lyric February 9 production.
In 2009 she also sang Aida for Opera Australia. She
is scheduled to sing in Fidelio in Liepzig, Turandot in
Frankfurt, and for the upcoming Guerre-Lieder in Tel
Aviv with Zubin Mehta.
Rebecca Teem (ESP 2005, 2007) is contracted with
Opera Lübeck, Germany. She sang Turandot in June
2010, Brünnhilde in the company’s 2009 Ring; she also
covered Brünnhilde for the Met’s 2009 production of
Die Walkure.
Jason Stearns (ESP 2005, 2006, 2007) is singing Scarpia
in Opera Oslo this summer, and will sing in the Met’s 2010
productions of Boris Godonov and Simon Boccanegra.
Corey Bix (ESP 2007) in his WNO debut sang Bacchus
in Ariadne auf Naxos. In the 2009-10 season he sang
with the Vienna Volksoper, Oper Graz, Theater Kiel, San
Francisco Opera, and Greek National Opera.
Othalie Graham (ESP 2008, 2009) sang Aida in Ankara,
Turkey, and is scheduled to sing Turandot for Opera
Arizona in 2011. She won the Wagner Prize in the 2009
Gerde Lisner vocal competition contest in New York, in
which baritone Ben Gelfand placed third.
Tenor Michael Hays (ESP 2004, 2007) sang Harrod in
Opera St. Louis’ 2009 production of Salome.
19th ESP
Concert with
Opera Roanoke.
Left to right:
tenor Brian
Register and
sopranos Julia
Rolwing and
Othalie Graham
take their bows
with conductor
Steven Smith, who made the concert possible in
conjunction with Evelyn Lear.
20th ESP
Concert.
Left to right:
John Edward
Niles,
pianist Betty
Bullock,
tenor Jeffrey
Easter,
Evelyn Lear,
tenor Richard
Novak, bassbaritone
Ben Gelfand, tenor Jeffrey Ambrosini and
(partially visible) mezzo-soprano Shannon McGee
at the Arts Club, Washington DC. (November 2009)
21st ESP Concert. Left to right: sopranos Karen
Foster and Natalie Bergeron, pianist Betty Bullock,
bass-bariltone Benjamin Gelfand, Evelyn Lear,
tenors Scott Six, Patrick Cook and Bret Stater at
the German Embassy. (April 2010)