Gounod's Faust

American tenor Ryan Allais continues to captivate audiences across the United States with his versatile performances in opera, musical theater, and concert repertoire. Recently, he appeared as a soloist in Vaughan Williams’ On Wenlock Edge with the Jackson Heights Orchestra. His recital work includes In meinem lied, a joint performance in Taos, New Mexico, alongside his husband, tenor Alonzo Jordan Lopez. Equally at home on the trombone, Mr. Allais performed with the Amore Opera orchestra in their production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Allais has worked with New Camerata Opera, Painted Sky Opera, VHRPLive! and Santa Fe Opera.

Praised for her “golden tone” and for navigating “difficult music with a glorious ease,” mezzo-soprano Rachel Arky is a singing actress noted for her vocal warmth and stylistic versatility. In the 2025–26 season, Ms. Arky makes her Carnegie Hall orchestral soloist debut in Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F with MidAmerica Productions, presents a series of recitals with soprano Tharanga Goonetilleke, and joins the Bard Festival Chorale for performances under the baton of Leon Botstein. Previous operatic roles include Meg March (Annapolis Opera); Maddalena (Mississippi Opera); Berta (Palm Beach Opera); and Carmen (Amore Opera). 

Texas native Mina Azad, is a New York City based Mezzo-Soprano. She has performed across the United States and internationally in a diverse range of operatic roles, recently including Zita in Gianni Schicchi and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Berlin Opera Academy, Carmen in Manhattan School of Music’s Highlight’s from Carmen, and Ruth in Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters. In New York City, she has appeared at renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall and David Geffen Hall.  Mina holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance from NYU Steinhardt and a M.M. in Voice from MSM. 

Theodore Chang is a baritone from New York. Recent highlights include Don Fernando and Don Pizzaro (Cover) in Fidelio with Sotto Voce Vocal Collective, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and Rochefort in Anna Bolena with New York Opera Forum, Caretto (Cover) in Korngold’s The Silent Serenade with Mannes Opera, Fedorov in Clint Busoni’s The Christmas Spider and Flora’s Servant and Germont (Cover) in La Traviata both with New Jersey Opera Theater. He is a M.M. Voice candidate at the Mannes School of Music and earned a B.M. Vocal Performance from the University of Miami Frost School of Music. 

Originally from Southern California, baritone Charles Gray made his debut as Plagio with Manhattan’s Amore Opera in 2011 in the American premiere of Saverio Mercadante’s I Due Figaro. Most recently, he appeared as Sharpless and Papageno in the 2025- 26 season. Other roles with Amore Opera include Morales in Carmen and Schaunard in La Bohème. In Brooklyn, he has appeared with Regina Opera as Lescaut in Manon Lescaut and Monterone in Rigoletto. Beyond opera, his artistic focus extends to art song and sacred music and he most recently performed as the soloist in Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Morris Choral Society in May.

Prize-winning British-Ghanaian-American bass Kofi Hayford, celebrated for his "stentorian," "sonorous" voice, makes his role debut as Mephistopheles in this performance. He has captivated sold-out audiences across four continents in over 40 roles, appearing with Opéra de Toulouse, Opéra de Montpellier, Fort Worth Opera, and the Buffalo Philharmonic. A double laureate of the 2024 Grand Voix Lyrique d'Afrique Competition, he debuted at Carnegie Hall and at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, toured six French cities, and sang his first Verdi Requiem. A SUNY Buffalo graduate, he co-founded the DictionBuddy app and chairs the Groupmuse Foundation.

Mezzo-Soprano Leslie Middlebrook appears in opera, concert, oratorio & theater. She has sung with Virginia, Salt Lake, San Francisco, Des Moines & Pittsburgh Operas & with Bremen Opera, Germany. She was a soloist in a Carnegie Hall Messiah, and in Festivals in Florence, Sicily & Imola in Italy. Recently she sang in CAV/PAG with New Camerata Opera (NYC-2021), Hunchback of Notre Dame (Off Broadway, 2023), Anything Goes & HMS Pinafore (BHT 23-24) & Geffen Hall Messiah (23). She is a Founder of PWSA (501(c)(3)), Company member Shakespeare Alive (22-25) & has appeared in 10 seasons of Light Opera of New York.

Casey Keeler has long enjoyed bringing to life the spirited, eccentric, and strong-willed women of opera and operetta. Her New York credits include La Bohème with Opera Saratoga, Carmen with Lighthouse Opera, and Street Scene with Modern Opera Company. A devoted Gilbert & Sullivan enthusiast, she has appeared frequently with Blue Hill Troupe, Village Light Opera Group, and Utopia Opera. Before settling in New York, Casey performed extensively throughout the Washington, D.C. area with companies including the Washington Savoyards, Victorian Lyric Opera Company, Riverbend Opera, National Philharmonic Chorale.

Born in Manila, Philippines, soprano Mheco Manlangit is completing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University, studying with Jeremy Little, DMA. Her recent performances include the First Lady in Mozart’s "Die Zauberflöte" with Amore Opera and Lia in Debussy’s "L’Enfant Prodigue" with Stony Brook Opera. An award-winning soprano, she received First Prize and Gamaliel Viray Audience Choice Award at the 2018 Jovita Fuentes Voice Competition and Second Prize at the 2017 Singapore International Festival of Music. She is grateful for her family, teachers, and friends who has been a great source of support and encouragement.

Andrew Richardson is an American baritone celebrated for the depth and versatility he brings to the operatic stage. His repertoire includes Scarpia (Tosca), Valentin (Faust), Marcello (La bohème), Peter (Hänsel und Gretel), Riccardo (I puritani) and Conte di Luna (Il trovatore). He has performed with Palm Beach Opera, Sarasota Opera, New Amsterdam Opera, Amore Opera and Oswego Opera. In 2021, he received an Encouragement Award from the Wagner Society of New York. He holds doctoral and master's degrees from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music and a bachelor's degree from DePauw University. He is based in New York City.

Native of Tokyo, Japan, Mezzo-soprano Tomoko Nago has sung operatic roles including Mercedes (Carmen), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte), La Zelatrice (Suor Angelica), and the alto chorus in The Mikado with companies in New York and New Jersey. Tomoko recently presented a lecture recital on Japanese art songs, “Meaning and Resilience in Nakada’s songs for children,” at the Pennsylvania Music Teacher Association Annual Conference. She holds a master’s degree in vocal performance from CUNY Brooklyn College. You can find more info at www.tomokonago.com.

Singaporean tenor Samuel Ng, based in New York City., makes his debut in the title role of Faust in Gounod's Faust with Amore Opera. His credits include Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with NYC Orchestra Project and Gherardo/Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi with Classic Lyric Arts. Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Amore Opera and Teatro Grattacielo, Tito in La Clemenza di Tito with Bronx Opera, Hoffmann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Canto Vocal Programs, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Mercurio in La Calisto with Mannes Opera, and Normanno in New York City Opera’s Lucia di Lammermoor in Bryant Park.

With a “lovely medium deep tone” (OperaGene) and comedic skills that “steal every scene she is in” (Opera Today), Julie Silva is mezzo-soprano with an exciting degree of versatility. Recent roles include Hansel (Shakespeare Opera Theater), Orfeo (Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice; Opera McGill), Il Paggio (Rigoletto; Opera San Antonio), the Bridesmaid (Le nozze di Figaro; Austin Opera), the Teacher (cover) in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Austin Opera), and Second Lady (The Magic Flute, Amore Opera), as well as premieres with the iSING! International Young Artists Festival, Light Opera Lab, One Ounce Opera, Imago Theatre, and Off-Off Broadway.

A "sweet but fluid soprano" that makes its presence known (Opera Wire), South Korean soprano Jihye Seo is building a wonderful operatic career. She made her New York debut in 2022 as Diana in La Calisto at Abrons Arts Center. Since then, she has performed extensively in NYC, including Dama and Lady Macbeth (study cover) in Macbeth with Teatro Nuovo at New York City Center, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Amore in L’incoronazione di Poppea. Her upcoming highlights include the BCENY Concert at Carnegie Hall, Cio-Cio-San, and the Old Westbury Garden Concert.

Hyunsung Shin is a Korean-American baritone from Queens, NY. Most recently, he performed as ‘Schaunard’ in Puccini’s La Boheme with Regina Opera, and as ‘Papageno’ in Mozart’s The Magic Flute with Amore Opera. Mr. Shin will be joining Sarasota Opera this coming winter as an Apprentice Artist. He will then join the Opera Theatre of St. Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist where he will perform as Baron Douphol, and cover the role of Giorgio Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata, as well as cover the role of Coach in the world premiere production of Tobias Picker’s Safe Haven.

Anna Viemeister is a Dramatic and Character Mezzo Soprano and is thrilled to join Amore Opera in the role of Marthe. Recent Credits include Suor Angelica (Principessa) The Opera Collective, Don Carlo (Eboli) NY Opera Forum, Cavalleria Rusticana (Santuzza) The Opera Collective, Un Ballo (Ulrica) NY Opera Forum, Walkure (Fricka) and Norma (Adalgisa)  New Jersey Opera Theatre, Rigoletto (Maddalena), and The Medium (Madam Flora) Regina Opera. 

A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Anna has been praised for delivering her warmth, engaging presence, musicianship and intensity of sound.

Christopher Trapani has been acclaimed for “his clear and vibrant upper voice” and "endearing stage presence." Title operatic roles include Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Gounod’s Romeo et Juiliette, and Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito. Other operatic roles: Cavaradossi in Tosca, Rodolfo in La bohème, Manrico in Il trovatore, Don José in Carmen, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Duke in Rigoletto, Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana. He’s performed as the tenor soloist in Verdi’s Requiem and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. He has sung with the Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera, New Rochelle Opera, Tri-cities Opera, Regina Opera, and Opera in the Heights.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Elizaveta Ulakhovich graduated summa cum laude from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory in 2017. Before graduating, she joined the Bolshoi Theatre Young Artist Program, where she performed in premieres and over 100 concerts throughout Russia. An award winner in international competitions in Belarus, Italy, and the United States, Elizaveta later signed with Lombardo Associates Artist Management. After moving to New York, she made her New York City Opera debut in 2022 and has since performed in the United States and abroad with Maestro Constantine Orbelian. She is grateful to her voice teachers and family for the support.

A native of Odesa, Ukraine, bass-baritone Gennadiy Vysotskiy specializes in both the standard operatic repertoire and popular songs of the Ukrainian, Neapolitan, Yiddish and American traditions.

Before emigrating to the United States, Gennadiy graduated from the Odesa School of Music and appeared in several classic films with the legendary Odesa Film Studio.

His operatic roles in New York include Méphistophélès (Faust), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Don Basilio (Barber of Seville), King René (Iolanta) and Sarastro (Magic Flute). Further American engagements include the title roles in Don Giovanni in Ann Arbor and Boris Godunov in San Francisco.

Lauded for his "fine dramatic skill" and "engaging baritone" (Broadway World), Andrew Wannigman is a distinguished singer-actor who possesses exceptional vocal and dramatic versatility. His recent operatic engagements include the title role in Don Giovanni, Silvio in Pagliacci, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Dandini in La Cenerentola, and Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana. Mr. Wannigman celebrated his Carnegie Hall debut as the bass soloist in Marianna von Martines’ Dixit Dominus with the Cecilia Chorus of New York.  He will be singing the bass solos for Handel’s Messiah with the Queens College Choral Society this December.

 www.andrewwannigman.com

Winner of the 2021 Yale University Louis Sudler Prize in the Performing and Creative Arts and recipient of an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Lisl Wangermann is a soprano and director from Dallas, TX. Her recent roles range from Donna Elvira ("Don Giovanni") to her "standout performance" (Cleveland Classical) as Sophy in the world premiere of Margi Griebling-Haigh's "The Higgler." In 2025/2026, she directed Park City Opera’s productions of "The Gift of the Magi," "The Tender Land," and "Roméo et Juliette." Lisl will make her Akron Symphony debut as the soprano soloist in Mozart's Requiem this fall.