Amahl and the Night Visitors + Four Lost Santas

Gian Carlo Menotti (July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. One of the most frequently performed opera composers of the 20th century, he wrote his most successful works in the 1940s and 1950s. Highly influenced by Giacomo Puccini and Modest Mussorgsky, Menotti further developed the verismo tradition of opera in the post-World War II era. Rejecting atonality and the aesthetic of the Second Viennese School, Menotti's music is characterized by expressive lyricism which carefully sets language to natural rhythms in ways that highlight textual meaning and underscore dramatic intent.

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Spicer Carr (He/Him) is a New York City based Composer-Lyricist, specializing in Musical Theater, Opera, and Theatre for Young Audiences. As a queer, autistic writer, Spicer seeks out similarly underrepresented voices, and uses his unique perspective to help explore their stories. As a composer, his music has been described as “…jaunty…” (Orlando Sentinel, Matthew J. Palm) and “energetic and packed with full-bodied harmonies.” (Oberon\'s Grove, Lili Tobias). Audiences often leave with Spicer’s tunes “...playing on repeat in my head!” (Oberon\'s Grove, Lili Tobias). As a lyricist, his work “...surprises with its ingenuity…” (Orlando Sentinel, Matthew J. Palm). Current projects include Hymn to the Moon, a chamber opera based on the Selene myth about lost love and finding purpose; and Too Bright to See, a musical based on the award winning book by Kyle Lukoff about a trans boy named Bug discovering themself in a haunted house. Other additions in Spicer’s vocal catalogue include song cycles (U Up?), musicals (Chance the Snapper, The Rocking Boy), and operas (Four Lost Santas, Fluffernutter, and Sabbath). His instrumental work includes pieces for piano (Of no Concern, Nocturnes for an Insomniac), big band (Lunch Rush), and a violin concerto (Daydreams). Spicer has also written several children’s plays (Who Turned out the Lights?!, Pieces of Eight). Spicer’s work has been commissioned, developed, supported, and performed by Opera Orlando, Cincinnati Song Initiative, The National Association of Teachers of Singing, Quintessence Theatre Group, Opera America, The TYE Center, MusiCoLab, Temple University Theater, The Purple Crayon Players, Really Spicy Opera, and Opera Praktikos. Spicer is a graduate of Temple University, where he participated in the inaugural MFA cohort for Musical Theatre Collaboration.

Spicer is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild and ASCAP.

Rose Freeman is an award winning stage director, teacher, writer, and producer of theatre and opera. Operatic stage direction credits include the revival production of Jason and the Argonauts at Chicago Lyric Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor and Elisir d'amore at Gulfshore Opera, Carmen and Hildegarde’s Ordo with Chicago City Opera Puccini’s La Boheme at LOON, Viardot’s Cendrillon with City Lyric Opera, Strauss' Die Liebe Der Danae at Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Strauss’ die Fledermaus with Opera Mississippi, Stravinsky’s L'Historie Du Soldat, both Menotti’s The Consul and the Medium, and Weber’s Der Freischütz. Zie has directed many plays, space generated events, burlesque, nationally touring hiphop concerts, and workshops of new musicals and operas, including Jill Sobule and Krista Knight’s Crimson Lit. Zie once managed monster truck rallies and ran a sailboat company. Freeman wrote the opera Four Lost Santas for Opera Orlando with Spicer Carr. Zie is a Founding Ensemble Member of Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, for which zie directed several regional premieres such as Dark Sisters, Sumeida’s Song, and Stitch. Rose is Member Emeritus for the DirectorsLabChicago Steering Committee and NwAC. Freeman tours Italy with Tetro di Viti as an actor. Freeman serves as Director and Assistant Professor of Opera at Roosevelt University. Zie has presented for National Opera Association and Opera America. Freeman served as a Directing Fellow for Wolf Trap Opera's 2020, 2021, and 2022 season as well as a Lead Artist at Mercury Store. Freeman is represented by Marvel Arts Management.

Sylvia Holladay Lenker is a sophomore at Del Sol Academy.  At Del Sol, she has played Clairee in Steel Magnolias and Mrs. Teevee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  During her time with the Opera Las Vegas Youth Chorus, she performed in various productions, including Tosca, La Bohème, and Behold the Man. Sylvia loves to perform on stage, whether it be acting, singing or dancing.

Josephine Valentina Monastero is an enthusiastic lover of life and 5th grader at Ober Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is absolutely thrilled to be making her Opera Las Vegas debut! Previous performance experiences include Matilda the Musical Jr. (Matilda) at Dynamic Performing Arts Center in Las Vegas, NV, and MainStage productions of The Sound of Music (Gretl) and Matilda the Musical (Matilda) at Ashveille Community Theater (ACT) in Ashveille, NC. In an Asheville Stages review of Matilda she was said to “shine supernova bright, commanding the stage with confidence and charisma that seems impossible for such a tiny person,” and it seems she brings this light to everything she does whether it’s singing, dancing, acting, or playing with her 2 1/2 year old brother! She is truly honored to be working with OLV on this production, and hopes you all enjoy!

JAWAN JENKINS, Baritone and native of New York City. Jawan received his training early as a member of The Boys Choir of Harlem. Premiered roles include Asku in Stomping Grounds with The Glimmerglass Festival, Mr. Delgado in Jake Heggie’s It’s A Wonderful Life, and Ricky Ian Gordon’s A Coffin in Egypt, both with Houston Grand Opera. Roles with the Butler Opera Center include; Ford in Falstaff, Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Maquis de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Charlie in Three Decembers and, Vater in Hänsel und Gretel. With Houston Grand Opera, Opera to Go, he premiered three roles by Mary Carol Warwick. As a 2018 and 2019 Young Artist with The Glimmerglass Festival, he was seen in West Side Story, Silent Night, ShowBoat, Porgy & Bess, Blue, and The Ghost of Versailles. Jawan has had recent debuts with Vegas City Opera as Marcello in La Bohème, as Action in West Side Story with Opera San José, Asku in Stomping Grounds at Seattle Opera for a workshop performance, Bill Bobstay in H.M.S. Pinafore with Opera Las Vegas, and a guest soloist with Albany Symphony Orchestra and Georgia Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared in Champion at Lyric Opera Chicago.

Jawan obtained his Bachelor’s from Prairie View A&M University, Master’s in Opera Performance and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Voice Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from The University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Joshua Hughes, lauded for his “full-voiced, highly expressive, bass-baritone pipes” (Theatre Eddy’s), \\\"powerful lyricism” (Texas Classical Review), and \\\"brilliant vocal range” (DC Metro Theater Arts), has performed in opera, operetta, theatre, cabarets, and concerts ranging from Gilbert and Sullivan to Mozart to Verdi. A recent Vegas transplant, Joshua made his Opera Las Vegas debut as Don Basilio in Rossini\\\'s Il barbiere di Siviglia and has appeared as the bass soloist in J.S. Bach’s Ich habe genug, Cantata BWV 82 and Purcell’s The Fairy Queen with Las Vegas Sinfonietta. Previous credits include the U.S. premiere of Carlo Coccia’s Matilde (Pantarotto) with Opera Southwest, La Traviata (Dottore Grenvil), Don Giovanni (Masetto & Commendatore), and Der fliegende Holländer (Daland) with West Bay Opera, The Pirates of Penzance (Major-General Stanley) and Iolanthe (Lord Chancellor) with Lamplighters Music Theatre, and Il barbiere di Siviglia (Fiorello), Tosca (Sciarrone), Alma Deutscher’s Cinderella (Minister), and West Side Story (Baby John) with Opera San José. He has performed internationally at Hong Kong Disneyland and across the United States with San Francisco Opera, American Baroque Opera Company, Dallas Bach Society, Young Victorian Theatre Company, Victorian Lyric Opera Company, Opera in Concert, Orchestra of New Spain, and Lyric Opera Baltimore.

William is an emerging artist with an expressive, clarion sound. Frequently sought after as a soloist and collaborator, he has performed leading roles ranging from Bacchus in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos to Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème. Most recently heard as Marcos in Behold the Man with Opera Las Vegas, William has interpreted Froh in Das Rheingold with the Miami Music Festival, as well as Erik in Der Fliegende Höllander and Canio in I Pagliacci with Vegas City Opera. Happy to be returning to Opera Las Vegas, William has previously performed the roles of Jaffet in Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde and Geppetto in John Davies’ Pinocchio.

Claudia Affan is an emerging soprano residing in Las Vegas. She holds her BM in vocal performance from Auburn University, where she studied with Dr. Matthew Hoch. She has an MM from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she continues her studies. Affan was a studio artist with Opera Las Vegas for their 2024-2025 season, and is pleased to return this season. Her operatic roles include Jenny Slade in Robert Ward’sRoman Fever, Sam in Emily Clements’sLetters to Lily, The Daughter in Michael Torke’sStrawberry Fields, Kitty Hart inDead Man Walking, Clorinda inLa Cenerentola, and Berta inIl barbiere di Siviglia. Her concert work includes Handel’sMessiah and Mozart’sRegina coeli, K. 108. Affan has received awards at the state, regional, and national level from NATS, the Vann Vocal Institute, MTNA, and Alabama Federation of Music Clubs. She studies voice with Dr. Linda Lister.

Aaron Oberlander is a baritone who received his Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance with a focus in Pedagogy at the University of Houston. Recently he has performed works with Moores Opera Center, Mercury Early Music Chamber Ensemble, Santa Rosa Symphonic Chorus, and Operativo Houston. Currently he plans to continue his graduate work at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to receive his Master of Music. Mr. Oberlander believes strongly in a personal connection to music and maintains that the art form should remain as free and unhindered as possible while still remaining fun for all ages. He has taught voices of all ages since 2018 in operatic, choral, musical theater, and more casual genres.

American conductor Christopher James Ray has been praised by Opera News for his “clarity and sensitivity” and by the Boston Music Intelligencer for his “excellent conducting.” In the 2025–26 season, he makes a major operatic debut at Des Moines Metro Opera conducting Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, one of several high-profile projects tied to the Carlisle Floyd Centennial. The season also brings Ray’s Carnegie Hall debut, as well as appearances with the Vermont Symphony and Meridian Symphony Orchestras, and recital performances around the country.

A strong advocate for American opera and 20th-century repertoire, Ray was a longtime assistant to Floyd and is recognized as a leading interpreter of his music. He appears with mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer on C. Floyd: Letter to the World, a recording of the composer’s songs on GPR Records. Ray has held positions with the Bayreuth Festival, where he worked on productions including Götterdämmerung, Tristan und Isolde, and Parsifal, and at Opera San José, where he served three seasons as resident conductor, leading performances of Hansel and Gretel, Carmen, West Side Story, and more. He also served as an assistant conductor at the San Francisco Symphony, where he made his conducting debut on their acclaimed Soundbox series and worked with conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson-Thomas, Philippe Jordan, and Gustavo Dudamel among others.

Ray’s work in filmed opera includes Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers for Opera San José—later simulcast by Houston Grand Opera and Fort Worth Opera—and a subsequent performance with Berkshire Opera Festival, where Seen and Heard International wrote, “Christopher James Ray made Heggie's score pop with energy and throb with emotion.” Additional recent filmed productions include Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Tom Cipullo’s The Husbands.

A native of Mississippi, Ray made his professional debut with Mississippi Opera and is now a resident of New Orleans, LA.

Pianist Nathan Carterette recently moved to Las Vegas after completing his Doctorate in piano from the University of Iowa. There, he was also on the board of the Cedar Rapids Opera and with founder Daniel Kleinknecht established the first Liederabend, featuring the company's Young Artists. Nathan has toured the US extensively both as piano soloist and with organist Edward Alan Moore as the Arsenal Duo.