2010-2011 Young Artists
Chilean baritone Javier Arrey is in his first season with WNO’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. At the age of 21 and began his career as an opera and concert singer. His operatic repertoire includes the Count in The Marriage of Figaro; Yamadori in Madama Butterfly; Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin; Masetto in Don Giovanni; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor; and Figaro in The Barber of Seville. Mr. Arrey was a semi-finalist in Plácido Domingo’s Operalia Competition in 2007. He was selected as one of Chile´s representatives for the Competizione dell Opera 2008 in Dresden, and of the 120 participants, he was one of 10 finalists. Last year he was selected as the Chile´s representative in the 2009 Cardiff Singer of the World competition, and was a finalist for the Song Prize. In July of 2009, he was selected by Dolora Zajick to be part of the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices.
Russian-American Baritone Aleksey Bogdanov is in his second season with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. His credits include Marcello in La Boheme, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, David in L’Amico Fritz, the Four Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Blitch in Susannah, Tony Esposito in The Most Happy Fella, the titles roles of Mozart’s Figaro and Don Giovanni, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Abbate Cospicuo in Arlecchino, and King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Mr. Bogdanov has recently performed with Washington Concert Opera, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Merola Program, Opera North, and with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where he made his professional debut as Antenor in William Walton’s Troilus and Cressida. Mr. Bogdanov was the Junior Grand Prize Winner of the 2009 Florida Grand Opera YPO Voice Competition. Last season he made his WNO debut as the Wig Maker in Ariadne auf Naxos and returned as a Gravedigger in Hamlet.
A native of Hot Springs, Arkansas, mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko is in her first season with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. She is a recent Grand Prize Winner of the Young Texas Artists Competition. In the 2009-10 season Ms. Mesko was heard as the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos and Charlotte in A Little Night Music with the Rice University Opera Theater, in Handel’s Messiah with Mercury Baroque, and in a solo recital at Rice University. Highlights of previous seasons include the title role in Rinaldo with Central City Opera (family performance); La Sagesse and Sidonie in Lully’s Armide with Mercury Baroque; and Dorothée in Cendrillon and Mercedes in Carmen with the Aspen Opera Theater Center. In 2009 Ms. Mesko was a national finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and was also a recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant. Ms. Mesko holds a bachelor of music degree in vocal and flute performance from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree from Rice University.
Pianist Robert Mollicone joined Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Program in Spring 2010 as young artist coach for Le Nozze di Figaro. He was principal coach and harpsichordist for Opera North’s Don Giovanni and has worked at Boston Lyric Opera, Virginia Opera, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the Huntington Theatre Company. He returns to Boston in Fall 2010 for Boston Lyric Opera’s Tosca, and makes his mainstage WNO debut as pianist for Don Pasquale. Mr. Mollicone holds both a B.Mus. and M.Mus. from Boston University, where he was heavily involved as a chamber musician, orchestral pianist, and performer of art song. Mr. Mollicone is a student of Shiela Kibbe.
Michael Spassov is in his second season as a coach/accompanist with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. He has worked at the Canadian Opera Company as a member of the Ensemble Studio, at Bel Canto at Caramoor, as well as at Sarasota Opera, where he has served for several years on the coaching staff and as cover conductor. He recently conducted Don Giovanni and The Barber of Seville at the Pineda Lyric Opera in
Soprano Jennifer Lynn Waters has been a member of Washington National Opera's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program since 2008. At WNO she has sung Frasquita in Carmen, Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos, Woglinde in Götterdämmerung, Countess Almaviva in the Young Artist production of The Marriage of Figaro, and Alice in the Opera Look-In performances of Falstaff. Other operatic appearances include Fiordiligi in Così fan Tutte, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and the title role in Suor Angelica. Recent concert work includes a debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as Geraldine in Barber’s A Hand of Bridge, appearances with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Teatro alla Scala and the Reignwood Theater in Beijing, and the Washington, DC premiere of Halim El-Dabh's Clytemnestra with the Martha Graham Dance Company. She has been a soloist with the Caramoor Music Festival, Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, Maryland Concert Opera, Frederick Symphony Orchestra, The Bach Concert Series, Cathedral Choral Society, and the Harford Choral Society. More information is available on Ms. Waters' website.
South Korean soprano Je-gyung Yang is in her first season with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. In 2007 she was awarded first prize overall and three special prizes at the VIII International Competition of Music in Osaka, Japan. She has performed the roles of Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute at the Seoul Art Center and Musetta in La Bohème at the Incheon World Opera Festival under the baton of Victor Kulikov. Ms. Yang holds degrees from Paris Ecole Normale de Musique and the National University of the Arts in Seoul, South Korea.
Alumni
Emily Albrink (soprano): 2008-2010
Keri Alkema (mezzo-soprano): 2002-2004
Benjamin von Atrops (bass): 2003-2005
Thomas Beard (baritone): 2003-2005
Danielle DeSwert (coach): 2002-2003
Andrea Dorf (director): 2006-2008
Eugenia Garza (soprano): 2002-2004
Michelle Gutrick (soprano): 2002-2003
Cynthia Hanna (mezzo-soprano): 2008-2010
Lara Hanoian (coach): 2003-2005
Brandy Lynn Hawkins (mezzo-soprano): 2008-2010
Jesús Daniel Hernandez (Tenor): 2008-2010
Claudia Huckle (mezzo-soprano): 2006-2008
Hoo-Ryoung Hwang (soprano): 2002-2004
Steven Jarvi (conductor): 2004-2006
Maria Jooste (soprano): 2003-2005
Valeriano Lanchas (baritone): 2002-2003
JiYoung Lee (soprano): 2004-2006
James Lesniak (coach): 2004-2006
Israel Lozano (tenor): 2002-2004
Benjamin Makino (conductor): 2006-2008
Christina Martos (soprano): 2004-2006
Aundi Marie Moore (soprano): 2006-2008
Leslie Mutchler (mezzo-soprano): 2004-2006
Micaëla Oeste (Soprano): 2008-2010
José Ortega (tenor): 2008-2010
Matthew Ottenlips (coach): 2005-2007
Amanda Pabyan (soprano): 2002-2003
Chía Patiño (stage director): 2004-2006
David Paul (director): 2009-2010
Joana Pons (apprentice coach): 2003-2004
Lee Poulis (baritone): 2002-2004
Oleksandr Pushniak (baritone): 2008-2010
Barbara Quintiliani (soprano): 2002-2004
Thomas Rimes (coach): 2006-2008
Carlos Rodriguez (coach): 2002-2004
Daniel Rodriguez (tenor): 2002-2003
Michael Rossi (Conductor) 2008-2010
Nino Sanikidze (coach): 2003-2005
Trevor Scheunemann (baritone): 2005-2007
Erin Elizabeth Smith (mezzo-soprano): 2004-2006
Amanda Squitieri (soprano): 2003-2005
Jessica Swink (soprano): 2002-2004
Obed Ureña (baritone): 2005-2007
Greg Warren (tenor): 2005-2007
Matthew Wolff (tenor): 2002-2004
Magdalena Wór (mezzo-soprano): 2006-2008
Hyung Yun (baritone): 2002-2003
Yingxi Zhang (tenor): 2005-2008