H.M.S. Pinafore

Baritone André Chiang has been described as “vocally commanding” (Oregonian), “handsome of voice” (Opera News), and lauded with “let’s hear more from this singer” (Washington Post). Chiang’s engagements include Ping (Turandot) with OperaDelaware, Marcello (La bohème) and Artist Martinez/Ecce Homo (Behold the Man - world premiere) with Opera Las Vegas, and Escamillo (Carmen) with Opera Western Reserve. Chiang has also been seen with the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Philadelphia, the Atlanta Opera, Portland Opera, Virginia Opera, New Orleans Opera, Opera Las Vegas, Mobile Opera, and other American opera companies.

As an educator, Chiang was a 2018 NATS Intern and in the first cohort of Pan American Vocology Association – Recognized Vocologists (PAVA-RV). Chiang is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Emory University, an Instructor of Voice at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, and runs a private online and in-person studio teaching acoustic and amplified styles.

Jake Stamatis, born and raised in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, has performed a variety of roles on the operatic stage. His quick, kind, and lovable demeanor has charmed audiences in such roles as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Figaro in both Il barbiere di Siviglia and Le Nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Marcello and Schaunard in La Boheme, and The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance. His varied repertoire also includes Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles, La Bête in La belle et la bête (Glass), Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, and Anthony in Sweeney Todd. Jake has been a studio artist at Sarasota Opera, a fellow at the Music Academy of the West, an emerging artist at Seagle Music Colony, an artist in residence with Tri-Cities Opera and Opera Memphis, and even served as a performer and staff choreographer with Bel Cantanti Opera’s Summer Festival. Jake received his Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance from Susquehanna University, and his Masters Degree in Opera from Binghamton University.

Soprano Olivia Yokers is well regarded for her thrilling voice and versatility onstage. Her notable roles include Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance (Dayton Opera, Tulane Summer Lyric, Utah Festival Opera), Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Dayton Opera, Chance Opera Theatre), and Miss Honey in Matilda (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma). Miss Yokers has performed as a solo artist with Virginia Opera, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, and Oklahoma City’s Canterbury Voices. In concert, she performed masterworks such as Haydn’s Creation, Handel’s Messiah, and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem. With Opera Las Vegas, Miss Yokers performed the roles of Lily in the debut of Letters to Lily, Adriana in Behold the Man, and Musetta in La bohème. Miss Yokers serves as the Director of Opera and Assistant Professor of Voice at Stetson University in Deland, Florida.

Bass-Baritone, E. Scott Levin has been described as being "larger than life," having a “smooth, buttery voice," “incredibly sharp timing," and delivering "well-considered impersonations grounded in truth." He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis and a Graduate Certificate in Vocal Performance from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Since 2002, Scott has sung in over twenty productions with Union Avenue Opera and in thirty productions with Pacific Opera Project including Don Alfonso in Covid fan Tutte, Papageno in “Super” Magic Flute, Don Pomponio in La Gazzetta, KoKo in The Mikado, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, and Leporello in Don Giovanni to name a few.  In 2015, Scott made his Los Angeles Opera mainstage debut as Dr. Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi, starring Placido Domingo, and in 2019, he made his LA Opera feature role debut as Hormigon in El Gato Montes, also starring Domingo. Scott is thrilled to make his Opera Las Vegas debut.

Praised for his “finely focused and well-mannered” voice (Dallas Morning News), tenor Brian Wallin is a “gifted tenor...who took the stage with flair and commitment” (Opera Today). The 2023/24 season brings returns to Arizona Opera (Conte Almaviva, Il barbiere di Siviglia) and Annapolis Opera (Tamino, Die Zauberflöte; Nemorino, L’elisir d’amore), as well as debuts with Permian Basin Opera (Younger Thompson, Glory Denied) and the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (Carmina Burana). Previous appearances include Arizona Opera (Brighella, Ariadne auf Naxos), Annapolis Opera (Basilio/Don Curzio, Le nozze di Figaro), Pacific Opera Project (Frederic, The Pirates of Penzance), Opera Baltimore (L’Abate di Chazeuil, Adriana Lecouvreur), An Opera Theatre “AOT” (Male Chorus, The Rape of Lucretia), and Opéra de Montréal, with whom he was proud to debut as Tamino in The Magic Flute.

Lauded for her "lower extension that has to be heard to be believed," NYC-based contralto Emily Geller is establishing herself as a singer to watch. 2024-2025 season performances include a return to Pacific Opera Project as Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, the Alto Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with Taconic Opera, the Marquise of Berkenfield in La fille du régiment with Opera Company of Middlebury, Second Lady in a new projection-based production of The Magic Flute with Tri-Cities Opera and LUMA Arts Festival, Ježibaba in Rusalka with Gulfshore Opera, the Marquise of Berkenfield in La fille du régiment with Opera Santa Barbara, and Mrs. Cripps in H.M.S. Pinafore in a co-production with Opera Las Vegas and Pacific Opera Project.

Her 2022-2023 performances include Mrs. Quickly in Falstaff and Zita in Gianni Schicchi with Salt Marsh Opera, Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance with Pacific Opera Project, Benoît/Alcindoro in La bohème with Newport Classical, and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Teatro Lirico d’Europa (US Tour).

Equally at home with new music, Ms. Geller performed Elder Constance in Matthew Aucoin’s chamber opera Second Nature with Opera Fayetteville, Scholar in John Austin’s Heloise and Abelard with Center for Contemporary Opera, and Wife in Richard Wargo’s The Music Shop with Opera on the James. She garnered rave reviews for creating the role of Sylvia, an image-obsessed Hollywood mother, in the world premiere of Chunky in Heat with Experiments in Opera and Contemporaneous as a part of New York Opera Festival, directed by Alison Moritz and conducted by David Bloom. Opera News singled her out for the "layers of complexity" she brought to her character.

Since 2022, Ms. Geller appeared in numerous concerts, including Brahms’s Alto Rhapsody and Elgar’s The Music Makers with Cappella Cantorum, Brahms’s Alto Rhapsody with the Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York City, Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem with Taconic Opera, and a concert at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses House with the Rose Parade. Other notable concert soloist work includes Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach's Weihnachts-Oratorium and Schwingt freudig euch empor, Duruflé’s Requiem, and Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb with companies across the United States.

As an audience favorite, Ms. Geller returned to Opera North several times, performing Ma Moss (The Tender Land), Hattie (Kiss Me, Kate), Oreste (La belle Hélène), and Mrs. Jones (Street Scene), where she was described as “dangerously close to stealing the show with her effortless comic delivery." After covering Marthe (Faust) at St. Petersburg Opera, she was invited back as a Principal Artist, appearing as Alma Hix and covering Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn (The Music Man). As a two-year Resident Artist with Tri-Cities Opera, she performed Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Mercédès (Carmen), Lola (Cavalleria rusticana) and Ines (Il trovatore).

Ms. Geller holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory under the Ruth S. Morse Scholarship and a Master of Music in Opera from Binghamton University with a full assistantship.

Bass-Baritone Joshua Thomas, born and raised in Houston, TX has been hailed for letting “his rich bass notes shine” (Arts Louisville) in addition to portraying “a properly dour Seargeant of Police” (Wall Street Journal).

Some of Mr. Thomas' notable opera performance credits to date include the Seargant of Police (Pirates of Penzance), Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Le Baili (Werther), Le Comte de Grieux (Manon), Tolomeo (Giulio Cesare), Bonze/Yamadori (Madame Butterfly), the title role in Hailstork's Rise for Freedom: the John P. Parker story, and Simone (Gianni Schicchi).

On the concert stage, Josh has been seen as the Bass soloist in Bach’s Wachet auf, Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Alexander's Feast, Wynton Marsalis' All Rise, Bruckner's Te Deum, and the North American premiere of Schumann's Adventlied.

Thomas has been seen at the Glimmerglass Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Louisiane, and the Druid City Opera and among others.

Praised for conducting with "steady acumen and considerable aplomb" and "awesome control” (Opera Today), Joshua Horsch is an extremely versatile operatic and symphonic conductor.  A two-time winner of the American Prize in Opera Conducting, Joshua serves as Music Director and Principal Conductor of Opera Las Vegas. Joshua’s recent and upcoming conducting engagements include appearances with Washington National Opera, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Orlando, Opera Idaho, Opera Baltimore, Greensboro Opera, Mobile Opera, Pacific Opera Project, and Tri-Cities Opera.  With a diverse repertoire of over sixty operas and a broad spectrum of orchestral and choral works, Joshua has recently held positions as a conductor and pianist/coach on the music staff of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Austin Opera, Detroit Opera, Florida Grand Opera, North Carolina Opera, Opera Saratoga, Pensacola Opera, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Newport Music Festival. Joshua studied conducting and piano at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Pennsylvania State University, and Ithaca College.

Named as one of Musical America’s Top 30 Innovators in Classical Music, Josh Shaw is the Founding Artistic Director and CEO of Pacific Opera Project (POP), which has been described as "L.A.'s most exciting new opera company." Over the past twelve seasons, Shaw has directed over 50 productions at POP, including The Rake’s Progress, Ariadne auf Naxos, La Calisto, Tosca: A Moving Production; and La Boheme: AKA “The Hipsters”. A frequent librettist for English updates, his Star Trek inspired Abduction from the Seraglio and Nintendo inspired Magic Flute AKA #SuperFlute have gained national attention and have been produced at multiple companies, shattering attendance records.

Since turning his attention to directing in 2011, Shaw has directed over 100 productions at companies including Opera Santa Barbara, New Orleans Opera, Opera Orlando, Festival Opera, Gulfshore Opera, Intermountain Opera, Salt Marsh Opera, Opera Neo, and Opera in the Heights. His Barber of Seville at Opera Santa Barbara was described as "riotously funny" and "thoroughly amusing from overture to final bow." His work as a director has been described as "brave and unflinching," "ingenious," "relentlessly and adorably rambunctious," and "with enough good comic ideas for at least three productions." As a producer, Shaw has been praised for his "supreme savvy" and "high level of production quality" with "the power to enthrall and captivate audiences."

Recent projects include a new English adaptation of Die Fledermaus at Gulfshore Opera, a ground-breaking production of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta starring “The Blind Soprano” Cristina Jones, and the US Premiere of Vivaldi's Ercole su'l Termodonte. One of the busiest directors during Covid, Shaw directed more than a dozen productions during the pandemic including US staged premieres of Gluck’s La Corona and Il Parnaso Confuso, a drive-in Don Pasquale for Opera Santa Barbara, and an updated Cosi– “Covid fan tutte” set in 2020. Other recent projects include productions of Don Giovanni, La Gazzetta (Rossini), La Traviata, Guillaume Tell, The Mikado, and Tabasco: A Burlesque Opera, a newly rediscovered operetta by G. W. Chadwick, last performed in 1894, which was described as "delightful, packed with humor, and a feast for all the senses" by The New Orleans Advocate. In addition to directing the production, Shaw also wrote a new book and additional lyrics for the project that celebrated the McIlhenney Company’s 150th anniversary.

Beyond the rewrite of Tabasco, Shaw has written several English version libretti including a Wild West setting of Die Lustige Witwe, a contemporary setting of Die Schauspieldirektor, a production of Die Zauberflöte set in the world of 1990s video games, Covid fan tutte, a Star Trek inspired Abduction from the Seraglio, a 1930s Hollywood Fledermaus, and a groundbreaking production of Madama Butterfly sung in Japanese and English, a co-production of POP and Opera in Heights (Houston).

This season, Shaw directs Into the Woods for Intermountain Opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Don Giovanni at Gulfshore Opera, La Rondine at The Southern Illinois Music Festival, The Pirates of Penzance at POP, Falstaff at Salt Marsh Opera, and Tosca at Opera Orlando.

Amy started singing and dancing at the age of 7, literally following the footsteps of her mother who was a professional dancer. After attending the LA County High School for the Arts, she earned her bachelor’s degree in music with opera emphasis at The Boston Conservatory where she perfected her music and dance talents. She continued her vocal training at the USC Thornton School of Music the same year she began choreographing for Pacific Opera Project “POP” (Josh Shaw, Dir). Amy went on to choreograph many productions with POP, most notably The Pirates of Penzance, Carmen, The Merry Widow, L\'elisir D’amore, Into the Woods and La Traviata. Amy has also choreographed for New Orleans Opera, Opera in the Heights, Opera Neo and for several films including the short comedy “Foxy Trot” for the Austin Film Society. Amy teaches ballroom dance to students of all levels in Los Angeles.