Scenes from Aida in concert
September 10th, 4pm
September 15th, 8pm
Meet the Artists
Sarai Cole
International spinto soprano Sarai Cole, current student of Mignon Dunn, Holds a BA in Acting from Rider University, and an MM in Opera Performance from Temple University.
Sarai has won a number of competitions and grants including the Barry Alexander International Voice Competition, the Harlem Opera Theatre Competition, the Long Beach Mozart Festival Competition, Wagner Society of Norther California William O Chord grant (2017), Wagner Society of New York Artist Grant (2014), Wagner Society of New York Ursula Springer Award (2015), the Frances E. Williams Artist Grants, and has been a finalist in many more, the Philadelphia Orchestra Greenfield Competition (2012 & 2013) and the AIMS Meister Singer competition among them.
Most recently Sarai covered Serena in Porgy and Bess in Tel Aviv/Haifa Israel and at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Italy, sang the role of Sarah in Ragtime with Music Mountain Theater, and Madame de la Grandbouche (the opera singing wardrobe) with Newtown Arts Company. Past roles also include Suor Angelica, Leonora from Il Trovatore, Lady Billows in Albert Herring, and Freia in Das Rheingold.
Upcoming, Sarai will join the Boston Wagner society in a concert of scenes. Ms. Cole is excited about her first Aida and joining the Capitol Opera - New Jersey team as their artistic director.
Sarai has won a number of competitions and grants including the Barry Alexander International Voice Competition, the Harlem Opera Theatre Competition, the Long Beach Mozart Festival Competition, Wagner Society of Norther California William O Chord grant (2017), Wagner Society of New York Artist Grant (2014), Wagner Society of New York Ursula Springer Award (2015), the Frances E. Williams Artist Grants, and has been a finalist in many more, the Philadelphia Orchestra Greenfield Competition (2012 & 2013) and the AIMS Meister Singer competition among them.
Most recently Sarai covered Serena in Porgy and Bess in Tel Aviv/Haifa Israel and at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Italy, sang the role of Sarah in Ragtime with Music Mountain Theater, and Madame de la Grandbouche (the opera singing wardrobe) with Newtown Arts Company. Past roles also include Suor Angelica, Leonora from Il Trovatore, Lady Billows in Albert Herring, and Freia in Das Rheingold.
Upcoming, Sarai will join the Boston Wagner society in a concert of scenes. Ms. Cole is excited about her first Aida and joining the Capitol Opera - New Jersey team as their artistic director.
Lorraine Helvick
Award-winning Mezzo-Soprano, Lorraine Helvick, has been dazzling audiences in North America and across Europe for the past fifteen years. She has performed a vast array of characters such as Carmen (Carmen), Charlotte (Werther), Frugola (Il Tabarro), Flora (La Traviata), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Mama Lucia (Cavalleria Rusticana), Gertrude (Romeo et Juliette), Rosette (Manon), Inez (Il Trovatore), Pinellino (Gianni Schicchi) and Giovanna (Rigoletto). In 2014, she originated the role of Soldier’s Mother in the world premiere production of Theo Popov’s three-character opera Once Upon the Wind. Ms Helvick was thrilled to perform her first Amneris (Aida) in December 2015 in her hometown of NYC.
Ms. Helvick has also performed as a guest solo artist in Switzerland, England, Ireland, Wales, and Canada. During her time in Switzerland, she earned a Zertifikat in American Music specializing in American Spirituals. She was recently named a national semi-finalist for the New York Lyric Opera Vocal Competition, and finished work on the prize-winning independent film "Crackers" starring Vincent D'Onofrio, Brenda Vaccarro, Dan Hedaya, and Anthony Laciura.
Ms. Helvick received her Master’s Degree from Westminster Choir College, where she studied with celebrated Soprano, Sharon Sweet, and coached with Daniel Beckwith and JJ Penna. During this time, she won 2nd place in the Hilliard Rankel Vocal Competition. She currently studies with the MET’s and HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” star, Anthony Laciura.
Ms. Helvick has also performed as a guest solo artist in Switzerland, England, Ireland, Wales, and Canada. During her time in Switzerland, she earned a Zertifikat in American Music specializing in American Spirituals. She was recently named a national semi-finalist for the New York Lyric Opera Vocal Competition, and finished work on the prize-winning independent film "Crackers" starring Vincent D'Onofrio, Brenda Vaccarro, Dan Hedaya, and Anthony Laciura.
Ms. Helvick received her Master’s Degree from Westminster Choir College, where she studied with celebrated Soprano, Sharon Sweet, and coached with Daniel Beckwith and JJ Penna. During this time, she won 2nd place in the Hilliard Rankel Vocal Competition. She currently studies with the MET’s and HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” star, Anthony Laciura.
James Johnson
Tenor James Johnson (Philadelphia, PA) has appeared as a soloist for numerous churches and concert venues from Washington DC to New York City, as well as the UK and Germany. He is a principal tenor with the newly formed Atlantic City Opera Company where he has sung selections from Verdi's Macbeth, Aida and Boito's Mefistofele and the lead in Les Contes d’Hoffman. He has performed extensively with Amici Opera (Philadelphia), The Main Line Opera Guild (Bryn Mawr, PA), Center Stage Opera (Harrisburg), Opera in the Slope (Brooklyn, NY) and with the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia. A long time student of Philadelphia tenor, Antonio Conte-Pugliese, James’ performances have included the tenor leads in, Faust, Lucia di Lammermoor, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Rondine, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Don Carlo, La Traviata, La Forza del Destino & Amahl and the Night Visitors. Upcoming performances include Lindoro in Rossini’s, L’Italiana in Algiere, and Don Jose in Bizet’s Carmen.
Barrington Lee
Lauded for his amazingly robust voice and slated for operatic stardom, baritone Barrington Lee is enjoying success on both the operatic and concert stages worldwide. Last season, he “dug into [the role of the priest Fojo] with passionate commitment” (New York Times) for a revival of Harry Lawrence Freeman’s Voodoo, not heard on the operatic stage for 80 years. Mr. Lee has had the honor of singing with the Houston Grand Opera, Winston-Salem Symphony, Bard SummerScape Festival under the batons of Sebastian Lang-Lessing, Patrick Summers, Leon Botstein, James Bagwell and Steven Sloane to name a few. He is a recent recipient of an encouragement award from The Wagner Society of New York. In 2012 he made his international operatic debut at Deutsche Oper Berlin in Prokofiev’s L’amour des trois oranges and was featured in concert at Teatro Sodre in Uruguay and the world renowned Mozarteum Argentino Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mr. Lee began his career singing Il Commendatore/Leporello Don Giovanni, Il Conte/Figaro Le nozze di Figaro and Sprecher Die Zauberflöte throughout the United States and Europe. His repertoire expanded with Sharpless Madama Butterfly Amore Opera, Escamillo Carmen and Orest Elektra with Opera Manhattan, Frank Chambers in Paulus’ The Postman Always Rings Twice Opera Avanti, Jake in the World Premiere of Perry’s Tawawa House Townsend Opera, and Herald in Britten’s The Burning Fiery Furnace Atlantic Vocal Arts Society.
Recent and future engagements for the Greenville, South Carolina native include Amonasro Aida for Lyric Artists of New York, Morellos in Lucien Lambert’s La Flamenca with OperaCréole, and his debut under the baton of Arie van Beek with L’Orchestre de Chambre de Genève as Sam in Gerswhin’s Blue Monday. Mr. Lee holds a Bachelors degree from The Manhattan School of Music and a Masters degree from Rice University.
Mr. Lee began his career singing Il Commendatore/Leporello Don Giovanni, Il Conte/Figaro Le nozze di Figaro and Sprecher Die Zauberflöte throughout the United States and Europe. His repertoire expanded with Sharpless Madama Butterfly Amore Opera, Escamillo Carmen and Orest Elektra with Opera Manhattan, Frank Chambers in Paulus’ The Postman Always Rings Twice Opera Avanti, Jake in the World Premiere of Perry’s Tawawa House Townsend Opera, and Herald in Britten’s The Burning Fiery Furnace Atlantic Vocal Arts Society.
Recent and future engagements for the Greenville, South Carolina native include Amonasro Aida for Lyric Artists of New York, Morellos in Lucien Lambert’s La Flamenca with OperaCréole, and his debut under the baton of Arie van Beek with L’Orchestre de Chambre de Genève as Sam in Gerswhin’s Blue Monday. Mr. Lee holds a Bachelors degree from The Manhattan School of Music and a Masters degree from Rice University.
Yoni Levyatov
Yoni Levyatov, winner of the San Jose International Piano Competition, is recognized as a musician with “an appealing electricity” (The New York Times). The Russian-born Israeli pianist and composer made his recital debut at the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and his New York City concerto debut under the baton of Philippe Entremont. He has also been heard with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, the Bogota Philharmonic, Denver Brass, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas.
His compositional oeuvre includes works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, and orchestra. Beyond the classical realm, he has toured with the JP Joffre Hard Tango Band across the US and internationally.
Mr. Levyatov was a recipient of the Dorothy McKenzie Artist Recognition Award, and was a Silver Medalist at the International Boesendorfer Piano Competition. He was awarded the Clairmont Prize in Tel Aviv and has been a scholar of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Recent appearances have included performances at Steinway Hall, Barge Music, and the United Nations, New York; St.-Mary College of Maryland; Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix; Philharmonic Hall in St.Petersburg, Russia; Spiegelsaal in Rheinsberg, Germany; Auditorium de Cajacanarias in Tenerife, Spain; and the Tel Aviv Museum of Arts, Israel.
His compositional oeuvre includes works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, and orchestra. Beyond the classical realm, he has toured with the JP Joffre Hard Tango Band across the US and internationally.
Mr. Levyatov was a recipient of the Dorothy McKenzie Artist Recognition Award, and was a Silver Medalist at the International Boesendorfer Piano Competition. He was awarded the Clairmont Prize in Tel Aviv and has been a scholar of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Recent appearances have included performances at Steinway Hall, Barge Music, and the United Nations, New York; St.-Mary College of Maryland; Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix; Philharmonic Hall in St.Petersburg, Russia; Spiegelsaal in Rheinsberg, Germany; Auditorium de Cajacanarias in Tenerife, Spain; and the Tel Aviv Museum of Arts, Israel.
Meghan McGinty
Meghan McGinty, mezzo-soprano, received her Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Towson University where she studied privately with Leneida Crawford and coached with Patricia McKewen Amato, and is currently a Master of Music candidate in vocal performance at Temple University where she studies with Lorie Gratis Harris and coaches with Donna Gill. She is an award winner including first place in the NATS Local Competition and has been heard in masterclasses with Arlene Shrut, Margo Garrett, Lori Laitman, Marcus DeLoach, Corinne Winters, and others. Her stage experience includes La Principessa in Suor Angelica, The Mother in Amahl and The Night Visitors, Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, and Charlotte in Werther. She has an instrumental background in flute, clarinet, and piano. Soli Deo Gloria!
Brian Montgomery
Brian Montgomery has performed to critical acclaim with important opera companies throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Opera (Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor and Posa in Don Carlo, most notably), Lyric Opera of Chicago (Posa in Don Carlo, Germont in La Traviata, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte, Mercutio in Romeo et Juliette, Marcello and Schaunard in La Boheme, and Malatesta in Don Pasquale), Arena di Verona (Iago in Otello), Bavarian State Opera (Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Marcello in La Boheme, Silvio in I Pagliacci, Ottokar in Der Freischütz,and Leander in The Love for Three Oranges most notably), Hamburg State Opera and Stuttgart Opera (Marcello in La Boheme), Hungarian State Opera (di Luna in Il Trovatore), Basel Opera (Iago in Otello, Sharpless, Malatesta, and Junius in The Rape of Lucretia), Atlanta Opera (title role of Verdi's Macbeth), Dallas Opera (de Bretigny in Massenet’s Manon), Manitoba Opera (Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera), Palm Beach Opera (Enrico and Germont), Tulsa Opera (Zurga in Les Pecheurs des Perles), Opera Omaha (Sharpless), Utah Festival Opera (Jack Rance in La Fanciulla del West), Arizona Opera (Renato), Glimmerglass Opera (Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana), New Orleans Opera (Sharpless), and Madison Opera (the four villains in Les Contes d'Hoffman and the title role in Rigoletto). He created the role of Sloan in the world premiere of Dreamkeepers by David Carlson for the Utah Opera, and has subseqently returned as Iago in Otello and as the Music Master in Ariadne auf Naxos.
For the past few seasons, Mr. Montgomery has been appearing in leading baritone roles on the stages in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, where he currently resides and is a sought after teacher. He will return to The Metropolitan Opera this coming season for Carmen.
For the past few seasons, Mr. Montgomery has been appearing in leading baritone roles on the stages in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, where he currently resides and is a sought after teacher. He will return to The Metropolitan Opera this coming season for Carmen.
