TIER I

Christian Pursell • Baritone
Santa Cruz, California

Hailing from the Santa Cruz mountains of California, bass-baritone Christian Pursell is quickly establishing himself as a rising star among the next generation of singers.

His 2021/22 season includes his role debut of Escamillo in Carmen at Cincinnati Opera, then reprising the role at Houston Grand Opera.

Mr. Pursell is a recent graduate of Adler Fellowship Program at the San Francisco Opera. His 2019/20 highlights included Lieutenant Ratcliffe in Billy Budd at the San Francisco Opera and semi-staged performances of Salome with Fabio Luisi at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

A 2019 Igor Gorin Memorial Award recipient and national semi-finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2016), Mr. Pursell is a Richard F. Gold Career Grant recipient (2018), winner of the Partners for the Arts competition (2018), second award winner of the Jensen Foundation competition (2017), winner of the Theodor Uppman Award from the Sullivan Foundation (2017), and recipient of a Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation (2017).

Brian Michael Moore • Tenor
Cincinnati, Ohio

Tenor Brian Michael Moore performs currently in the Oper Frankfurt ensemble (Schmidt in Massenet’s Werther) after two seasons in the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program (Gastone in Verdi’s La Traviata, Second Priest in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Venditore di Canzonette in the 100th anniversary production of Puccini’s Il Trittico). Brian has also performed at the LA Opera (Le Remendado in Carmen, The Governor in Candide, Spoletta in Tosca, Nathanaël in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and others), with the LA Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel (First Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte), Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni), Aspen Music Festival (The Prince in Luke Bedford’s Seven Angels), and many others. Brian graduated with a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music.

Megan Moore • Mezzo-Soprano
Naperville, Illinois

Mezzo-soprano Megan Moore is quickly making waves as a young artist of versatility and depth. An award-winning opera and concert singer, she won first prize in the 2020 Young Concert Artist International Auditions and was a top prize winner at Gerda Lissner Lieder & Song Competition. She is completing her Artist Diploma at Juilliard where she has appeared as Medea in Handel’s Teseo and Dorabella in Così fan tutte. An advocate for new music, Megan will create the role of Ino in The Lord of the Cries at Santa Fe Opera this summer, and counts the co-founding of art song organization LYNX and its Amplify Series for Neurodiversity among her greatest endeavors.

Ben Brady • Bass-Baritone
Denver, Colorado

Bass-baritone Ben Brady has been recognized for his “sonorous” tone by SF Classical Voice, and “commanding” stage presence by SF Gate. In 2018 Mr. Brady was awarded Audience Favorite and First Place awards in the Tier II Category of the James Toland Vocal Arts competition in Oakland. Later that year he was selected to advance to Regionals in the San Francisco District of the Metropolitan Opera Council auditions. He was selected to advance again in 2019 in the Los Angeles District where he was selected to be a semifinalist for the 2020 auditions. This summer he will have the honor of participating in the Merola Young Artist Program at San Francisco Opera.

Ashley Fabian • Soprano
Charleston, South Carolina

Soprano Ashley Fabian is quickly garnering recognition for her artistry in both comedic and dramatic roles. Ms. Fabian is a two-time regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2020 and 2021).  This season, she joins Des Moines Metro Opera covering Johanna (Sweeney Todd) and Chloe (The Queen of Spades). Recently, Ms. Fabian performed in DMMO’s Virtual Season as an Apprentice Artist, was scheduled to join Los Angeles Opera as the Sage/Counselor in their production of The Festival Play of Daniel, conducted by Maestro James Conlon, and Adina with Indianapolis Opera’s production of L’elisir d’amore. She has bowed with companies including Pittsburgh Opera, Erie Philharmonic, Central City Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and Virginia Arts Festival.

Timothy Murray • Baritone
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Lauded for his “consistent, attractive baritone” (Opera News), American baritone Timothy Murray is currently a member of the Adler Fellowship Program with San Francisco Opera. Most recently, Mr. Murray performed with his fellow Adlers on a tour of Northern California in which he sang selections from Ernani, Il barbiere di Sivilgia, and Così fan tutte. As a participant of the 2019 Merola Opera Program, he performed the role of Paul in the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s opera, If I Were You, and finished out the summer on the War Memorial Opera House stage singing the title role in a scene from Thomas’ Hamlet as part of the Merola Grand Finale.

Alexandra Razskazoff • Soprano
New Brighton, Minnesota

Soprano Alexandra Razskazoff made her recent concert debuts with Maryland Lyric Opera (2019) and Washington Opera Society (2020). She was a Resident Artist at AVA in 2017-18 and was a Resident Artist with Minnesota Opera from 2016-17. Alexandra holds degrees from Peabody Conservatory (BM) and Juilliard (MM). In 2017, Alexandra participated in Merola Opera Program. She was an Apprentice with Santa Fe Opera in both 2015/2016. In 2020/21, Alexandra placed in the Giovanni Consiglio International Competition (1st), Mississippi Opera’s John Alexander Competition (2nd), Premiere Foundation + NYIOP Intl. Competition (3rd), and the Zenith Opera Competition (2nd). Alexandra is a proud recipient of the Novick Career Advancement Grant through The Juilliard School.

TIER II

Katherine Holobinko • Soprano
Hartford, Conneticut

Katherine Holobinko is a soprano from Fort Mill, South Carolina. A recent MM graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, she portrayed the roles of Meg (Little Women) and Annina (La Traviata). She is the recent winner of the CO/WY district of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions and an incentive award winner from the SAS Performing Arts Competition. Holobinko holds degrees in French and Voice from the Johns Hopkins University and Peabody Conservatory, past roles including Prince (The Little Prince) Belinda (Dido and Aeneas,) Nina (Chérubin,) Sister Genovieffa (Suor Angelica), and L’Eternità/Furia 1 (La Calisto). She looks forward to singing as a studio artist for Central City Opera this summer.

Elena Villalón • Soprano
Houston, Texas

Elena Villalón was a Grand Finals winner of the 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a current Studio Artist at Houston Grand Opera. She is a recent graduate of the Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music, has been a young artist at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Tanglewood Music Center, and scheduled to make her debut at Santa Fe Opera before COVID-19.

Ian Rucker • Baritone
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Ian Rucker is a Lyric Baritone from Oshkosh, WI. He completed his Bachelor's Degree of Vocal Performance at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, where he performed major roles such as Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd, Officer Lockstock in Urinetown, and Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni. Ian is currently finishing his Master's Degree in Vocal Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Carol Vaness. It was there that he portrayed the roles of Conte Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, and Figaro in The Barber of Seville.

Amanda Olea  • Soprano
Mexico City, Mexico

Mexican-American Soprano, Amanda Olea has distinguished herself as an emerging young artist. Most recently she sang Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and participated in the workshop of the new opera The Hours by Kevin Puts. In 2019, Ms. Olea joined Central City Opera as an Apprentice Artist, singing the role of La Zia in Madama Butterfly. Ms. Olea's concert work includes Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel's Messiah, Bach B Minor Mass, both Mozart and Faure’s Requiem. In 2019 and 2020, Ms. Olea received the John Alexander Memorial Award within the prestigious CCM Opera Scholarship Competition.

David Young • Tenor
Charleston, South Carolina

David Young is a tenor from Houston, Texas and received a Bachelor’s in Music – Vocal Performance from DePauw University. In 2019, David won 1st place in the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition and in 2020 he was a finalist in the SAS Performing Arts Company Vocal Competition, a finalist in the James Toland Vocal Competition, and won 1st Place in the Tri-State College Vocal Competition, the Opera Grand Rapids College Vocal Competition, and the Classical Division of NATS Nationals. In March of 2021, he made his professional debut with Opera Grand Rapids as Martin Halstrom in Penny by Douglas Pew.

Morgan Balfour • Soprano
Brisbane, Australia

Australian soprano Morgan Balfour has been praised for her “thrilling clarity,” and “impressive vocal control and dynamic sensitivity.” With a strong affinity for early music, Morgan was the 2019 Handel Aria Competition First Prize Winner, and will perform a recital at the London Handel Festival. She will also be a Virginia Best Adams Fellow at the 2021 Carmel Bach Festival. For the 2019/2020 Season, Morgan joined Lyric Opera of Kansas City as the Soprano Resident Artist.

Morgan has appeared as a soloist with Pinchgut Opera, American Bach Soloists, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and California Bach Society.

Jason Zacher • Bass-Baritone
Livingston, New Jersey

Bass-Baritone Jason Zacher is quickly gaining attention on a national level as a rising new talent and versatile performer. Most recently, Jason returned to Opera in the Heights, where he was previously a Resident Artist in 2019/20. While there, Jason performed in concert at the White Oak Music Hall where he was featured as the title character in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, as well as Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Other recent highlights include, making his company debut with Ars Lyrica, as well as performing as bass soloist in Handel's Messiah with Chapelwood UMC. This summer, Jason will be returning to Des Moines Metro Opera where he was formerly an Apprentice Artist in 2020. Here he will cover the role of Jupiter in Rameau’s Platée for their upcoming 2021 Summer Festival.