Megan Hart, Soprano (Juliet)

Praised for her “"pleasing, lustrous voice with depth and power," young soprano Megan Hart is quickly gaining recognition for her compelling vocal expression and dramatic stage presence. This season Ms. Hart makes her Bronx Opera debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and will present a recital as the 2010 winner of the Marilyn Horne Song Competition. In 2012 she will make her Annapolis Opera debut as Juliet in  Romeo & Juliet.

Most recently, Ms. Hart performed the role of Adina in L'elisir d'Amore with Tacoma Opera, scenes from Prima Donna with Rufus Wainwright and the Oregon Symphony, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at the Music Academy of the West conducted by George Manahan, and the title role in Alcina with Bourbon Baroque.

As a three-year resident artist with the prestigious Seattle Opera Young Artists Program, she performed the roles of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Lauretta and Nella in Gianni Schicchi, the Bergère, Chauve-Souris, Pastourelle, Chiffre, and Chouette in L’enfant et les sortilèges, the Girl in Trouble in Tahiti, and the title role in Rita.

Other operatic highlights include Almirena in Rinaldo and the Spirit of the Boy in Curlew River at Central City Opera; Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi with the Crested Butte Music Festival; Sibyl Vane in The Picture of Dorian Gray with Center City Opera Theater; Venere in Venere, Amore e Ragione with Bourbon Baroque; Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Gianetta in The Gondoliers and the Owl, Bat and Shepherdess in L’enfant et les sortileges all with Opera North; Amina in La Sonnambula with Oberlin in Italy; Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Oberlin Opera Theater and the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute; a cover of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet with Opera Theatre of St. Louis; and Elle in La voix humaine, Blanche in Les dialogues des Carmélites, the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Venus in Orpheus in the Underworld, Lady Billows in Albert Herring, and the Witch and the Mother in Hänsel und Gretel all with Oberlin Opera Theater.

As a concert soloist, Ms. Hart has performed with the Seattle Symphony under the baton of Marvin Hamlisch, and in a televised performance of Beethoven’'s 9th Symphony with Gerard Schwarz for the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. She has collaborated extensively with Music of Remembrance, performing works by Holocaust era composers and poets- including songs in Yiddish, Ladino, and Russian, and a special appearance with bassist Gary Karr. In addition, she has sung with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Philharmonic, Bourbon Baroque, the Seattle Chamber Players, and performed in The Song Continues with the Marilyn Horne Legacy at Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Hart has received numerous awards and grants from such distinguished organizations as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Marilyn Horne Song Competition, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, the Seattle Opera Guild, the Connecticut Opera Guild, the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, the Barry Alexander International Voice Competition, Career Bridges, Central City Opera, the Ladies Musical Club, Opera Plus, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Anna Sosenko Trust.

Ms. Hart earned both her Bachelors and Masters degrees at Oberlin Conservatory, and her Professional Studies Certificate at Manhattan School of Music. Her teachers include Marilyn Horne, Mignon Dunn, Jane Eaglen, and the late Richard Miller.

Michael Wade Lee, Tenor (Romeo)

Continuing to thrill audiences worldwide with his powerful voice and amazing performances, critics hail American tenor Michael Wade Lee as "that rarity among operatic tenors, a really good-looking, virile, well-built and gifted thespian with a wide-ranging voice to match." A seasoned performer on the operatic stage, he has sung with some of the most respected companies in the world including the Greek National Opera, Staatstheater Mainz, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, St Petersburg Opera, New York City Opera, San Antonio Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, El Paso Opera, and the San Francisco Opera. Most recently, Mr. Lee captivated the UK audience as Nemorino L'ELISIR D'AMORE with glowing reviews at Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The 2011-2012 season sees Mr. Lee returning to Ireland for his first Manrico IL TROVATORE, Poland to reprise Tamino THE MAGIC FLUTE and the US for his first Hoffmann LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN. Also he returns to Dublin for his first Radames in AIDA and will cover the Prince RUSALKA with the Royal Opera House.

During the 2007-2008 season he made his international debut with the Greek National Opera, performing the role of Don José CARMEN opposite Denyce Graves. In quick succession, Mr. Lee reprised the role of Don José CARMEN six more times with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Lyric Opera Productions Dublin, Chautauqua Opera, Opera in the Heights, for the season opening at the Staatstheater Mainz in Germany and San Antonio Opera. That same season Mr. Lee triumphed twice as Pinkerton MADAMA BUTTERFLY, in Hong Kong with Musica Viva and in the US with the Midland Symphony. During the 2009-2010 season, he debuted as soloist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven Ninth Symphony. During the 2010-2011 season, Mr. Lee reprised Turiddu CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA with Kentucky Opera, a role he performed to great acclaim at Chelsea Opera, Tamino DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE with Connecticut Lyric Opera, and Il Duca RIGOLETTO with San Antonio Opera. He also performed as the tenor soloist in Verdi REQUIEM with the US with the Kalamazoo Symphony and in Poland with Pilska Orkiestra Klasyczna.

Mr. Lee's performed roles also include the Prince RUSALKA, Cavaradossi TOSCA, The Male Chorus THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA, Froh DAS RHEINGOLD, and Raymond Pocket MISS HAVISHAM'S FIRE. Mr. Lee performed Il Duca RIGOLETTO with Connecticut Lyric Opera and Opera in the Heights. In 2004, he reprised the Male Chorus THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA to great acclaim with San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program. Of his performance the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "The best singing came from...tenor Michael Wade Lee, who combined heroism and honeyed tenderness in equal measure".

Gaining a reputation for his vivid characterizations, he was personally chosen by Stephen Schwartz to premiere the role of Charles Clayton in the American Opera Project's first public reading of his new opera SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON. Mr. Lee also created the role of The Actor in the world premiere of Kitty Brazelton's opera FIREWORKS! with American Opera Projects and he has additionally been a member of Pacific Opera's roster since 2002. In 2006, Mr. Lee sang the First Guest in Dargomyzhsky THE STONE GUEST with the American Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leon Botstein at Avery Fisher Hall.

In January 2008, Mr. Lee performed the tenor solo in the North American Premier of Scherbachyov Symphony Blokovskaya with Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall. The recording is now available for purchase. The New York Times said, "[Mr Lee] sang with attractive tone and stamina in the final movement, a lurid Dantean fantasy..."He also sang the tenor solo in the Mozart Requiem and Jenkins The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace at Carnegie Hall and has appeared in concert with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and on the stages of Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall in New York City.

Mr. Lee was consistently a yearly finalist in the Texoma region's NATS competition throughout the early 90's and won the Metropolitan Opera National Council encouragement award in Indiana in 2000. Additional awards include a prestigious Merola Career Grant and the Pacific Opera Career Grant.

Liam Moran, Bass (Friar Lawrence)

Mr. Moran returns to Annapolis Opera after making his debut in the 2010-2011 season as Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro. He is a recent alumnus of the Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Program, where he sang featured roles in productions including Le nozze di Figaro,Eugene Onegin, The Rape of Lucretia, Aida Lla Bohème, and Flight.For Ash Lawn Opera, Liam recently sang the dual roles of Masetto and Commendatore in their summer production of Don Giovanni, under the baton of Christopher Larkin. This season, he returns as a guest artist to sing three performances of Seneca in the Juilliard Vocal Arts Program production of L’incoronazione diPoppea. Liam then sings in Haydn’s Creation with the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale, and makes his debut with Boston Lyric Opera in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The young bass recently appeared with Austin Lyric Opera as Colline in La bohème, Opera Omaha as Angelotti in Tosca, and in two consecutive seasons at Wolf Trap Opera as Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos, Melisso in Alcina and Sirocco in L’Étoile. He has taken part in the Young American Artists Program at Glimmerglass Opera and in the prestigious Merola Program with San Francisco Opera.

A lover of new music, he has sung under the batons of John Adams, Krzysztof Penderecki and performed in premiers of works by David Carlson, Steven Hartke and Richard Rodney Bennett. He is a prize winner in the Florida Grand Opera Competition and Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions/New England Region. Mr. Moran is a graduate of both McGill University in Montreal and the Yale School of Music.

Andrew Garland, Baritone (Mercutio)

Saluted by The New York Times for having a "distinctively American presence" baritone Andrew Garland is known for his engaging performances, and particularly for his interpretations on the recital stage. His recent recital debut at Carnegie Hall, where he debuted several works by living American composers, was praised for his "grace, fervor and intelligence" (Seen And Heard International) and for his "lean, fine-grained, vibrant baritone." (Opera News Online)

During the 2009 - 2010 season, Garland can be heard as the title role in Don Giovanni with Opera New Jersey, Dancairo in Carmen with Boston Lyric Opera, and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Knoxville Opera. Concert engagements during the season include Carmina Burana with the Quad Cities Symphony, Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem with the Plymouth Philharmonic, and recitals in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Montreal, among others.

Of important note is his recently released recording, On the Other Shore, a disc of folk songs setting by Steven Mark Kohn on the Azica label. The disc has been praised for his "virile, luxuriantly warm and beautiful" baritone and for his "positive, confident attitude with a vibrant personality, subtle and boisterous as needed, that makes each song into a mini-drama or comic scene." (American Record Guide) 2009 also saw the release of his disc of songs by Lee Hoiby entitled A Pocket of Time on the Naxos Label.

Recent highlights on the opera stage include Hermann in Les contes d'Hoffman, The Gamekeeper in Rusalka, and Schaunard in La Bohème all with Boston Lyric Opera. He stepped in with one day's notice as Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Company of Philadelphia, and also has sung the role with the Fort Worth Opera and Opera Company of North America. He made his debut with the Seattle Opera when he stepped in at the last minute for Nathan Gunn as Riolobo in Catàn's Florencia en el Amazonas, and returns to the prestigious company in 2013 to sing Schaunard and in 2015 for Harlekin in their production of Ariadne auf Naxos. He has sung Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with both Dayton Opera and Bob Jones University, and the role of Giuseppe in The Gondoliers with the Utah Symphony and Opera.

Garland is the winner of the Washington International Music Competition, American Traditions Competition, the William C. Byrd Competition, the Opera Columbus Competition, NATS New England competition and was a prize winner in the Jose Itrubi and Gerda Lissner and Palm Beach Opera competitions. In 2009 he took third prize in the Montreal International Music Competition. Garland is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Eugenie Grunewald, Mezzo-Soprano (Gertrude)

Eugenie Grunewald has earned  recognition for her dramatic abilities and for her vocal artistry on the stages of leading opera companies here and in Europe, including the San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera,  Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, Teatro Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro Real in Madrid,  Bilbao, Oviedo, Teatro Maestranza in, Hamburg State Opera, Opera de Marseille, Theatre du Capitole in Toulouse, Opera de Toulon, Florida Grand Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Pacific, Michigan Opera, Kentucky Opera, New Jersey State Opera and Opera San Antonio, New Orleans Opera and the summer festivals of Glimmerglass, the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy and the Festival Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil,

A sought after artist on the concert stage, Ms. Grunewald has performed the Verdi Requiem in Lisbon, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Dusseldorf, Aspen Music Festival, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale; Brahms' Alto Rhapsody with the Tulsa Symphony; Jocasta in Oedipus Rex with Aspen Music Festival conducted by David Zinman; Joan of Arc in Tchaikovsky's The Maid of Orleans and Lubov in Tchaikovsky's Mazeppa with the Opera Orchestra of New York, Rosa Mamai L’Arlesiana, and Margherita in Mascagni's Guglielmo Ratcliff with Teatro Grattacielo in Lincoln Center, Mahler’s Symphony No 8 with the Brucknerfest in Linz and SWF-Sinfoniaorchester of Frieburg (Michael Gielen conducting), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with The Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke's.  She was also a featured soloist on “Live from Lincoln Center’s Pavarotti Plus.” She has performed Mahler’s Das Knaben Wunderhorn and Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony on tour with Klaus-Peter Seibel, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Arkansas Symphony, This season, she will sing.Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

Albert Niedel, Baritone (Duke)

Mr. Albert Niedel is a Lyric-Dramatic Verdi baritone who is a USA citizen born in Budapest Hungary. He grew up in Riga Latvia and graduated from high school in Israel. Mr. Niedel holds a Bachelor of Arts and academic honors from Bowie State University and is graduating on May 19^th 2012 from the Morgan State University with Master of Arts/Music. Albert Niedel is a winner of various competitions including NATS Advanced College which consisted of participants from Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Last year he won the Baltimore Music Club competition in professional vocal category. Mr. Niedel has performed with various opera companies in North America and Europe as well as worked with internationally acclaimed conductors and singers such as Christian Badea, Michel Plasson, Inessa Galante, Jason Stearns and also featured in number of master classes by world renowned singers like Wei Song, Sylvia Sass, Simon Estes and Madame Montserrat Caballe who personally invited and selected Mr. Niedel to participate in her master class and Opera Gala concert in Zaragoza Spain in September of 2011. In addition Mr. Niedel has been previously featured at the French and German embassy as well as performed a solo operatic recital at the State Department in Washington DC. Mr. Niedel was among selected guests to perform at the house of the President of Israel, Governor of Louisiana, Mayor of Long Island and others. Among some of his roles are Rigoletto, Onegin, Gianni Schicchi, Tonio and Silvio in Pagliacci, Figaro in the Barber of Seville, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermmor, Morales and Escamillo in Carmen, Gerard in Andrea Chenier, Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera, Zurga in the Pearl Fishers, the villains in Tales of Hoffman and others. For more information please visit www.albertniedel.com.

Andrew Sauvageau, Baritone (Paris)

Legally Memorial Study Award in the 20^th  Annual Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition. Baritone Andrew Sauvageau enjoys a diverse musical career, embracing song, oratorio, opera and other genres.  As a recitalist, he has a strong affinity for Romantic Lieder and contemporary French and American song, premiering several new works by American composers.  His operatic roles include Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with University of Oregon Opera Theatre, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Forester in Cunning Little Vixen, and Falke in Die Fledermaus with Peabody Opera Theatre.

As concert soloist, Mr. Sauvageau sang Bach’s Magnificat and Mozart’s C Minor Mass under Helmuth Rilling, Bach’s Johannes-Passion, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem.  An alumnus of Peabody Conservatory and University of Oregon, Mr. Sauvageau has studied with William Sharp and Milagro Vargas and coached with John Shirley-Quirk, Robert Muckenfuss and JoAnn Kulesza.  He appears this summer in Where the Wild Things Are, a role he will reprise with New York City Opera’s Outreach.