AIDA by Giuseppe Verdi

Soprano Elena O'Connor made her European debut in 2017 with the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden in the title role of Tosca. The following month she was called as a last-minute cover for Sondra Radvanovsky as the title role in Aida at the Chorégies D'Orange Festival; that August she appeared in both performances of Paul-Émile Fourny's production on the stage of Orange's 7,300-seat ancient Roman theater led by Paolo Arrivabeni. She reprised the role at Oper Dortmund, in the premier performance of Giacopo Spirei’s Aida, followed by the premier of Joan Anton Rechi’s Aida in Detmold and a debut with Opera Naţională Română in Cluj-Napoca as Leonora in Il Trovatore. In the US, she sang the role of Clytemnestra in the New York debut of Vittorio Gnecchi’s opera Cassandra, presented by Teatro Grattacielo under the baton of conductor Israel Gursky. 

“A formidable display of vocal power and dramatic assurance,” mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel is posed for international stardom having already performed in almost all of the leading opera companies in the US. She made her début with The Metropolitan Opera as Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor, her début with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Gertrude in Roméo et Juliette, her Carnegie Hall début in Mozart’s Coronation Mass, and her New York Philharmonic début alongside Eric Owens in In Their Footsteps: Great African American Singers and Their Legacy. Recently, Ms. Nansteel performed the role of Mother/Ensemble in the world première of Blind Injustice with Cincinnati Opera and the role of Brigitta in Bard Music Festival’s Die tote stadt in concert.

Tenor Cooper Nolan, praised for his “bright, shining, tenor” (Musical America) and his “powerhouse voice” (Opera News), is increasingly making a name for himself as an important interpreter of some of opera's most demanding tenor roles. In the 2022 season, Cooper reprises the role of the tenor in Carmina Burana with his Alma Mater, the University of Florida, and the Dance Alive National Ballet. Later this season, highlights include the tenor Soloist in Verdi's Requiem with the Defiant Requiem Foundation, and as the tenor soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Jacksonville Symphony. Prior to Covid, Mr. Nolan made a triumphant debut as Hermann in a new production of Pique Dame in his return to Theatre Aachen. Reviewers stated “The Singing that took place on the premiere evening was at a very considerable level. The tenor Cooper Nolan masters the demanding role of Herman vocally with flying colors.” 

Hailed by Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times as “vocally robust” and “lyrically malevolent”, American Bass-Baritone Joseph Barron is sought after for his portrayals in both the dramatic and comedic repertoire.  Recently, Mr. Barron returned to the Metropolitan Opera to sing Monterone in Rigoletto and cover Swallow in Peter Grimes, débuted with the Dallas Opera and the Atlanta Opera as Donner in Das Rheingold and the Cleveland Orchestra as Happy in La fanciulla del West. This season he returns to the San Francisco Opera to cover King Heinrich in Lohengrin and the Metropolitan Opera to cover Melitone in La forza del destino. 

American baritone Michael Preacely is a rising star on the operatic stage and is also known for a versatile singing ability and style that allow him to cross between genres from classical repertoire to pop, contemporary, and Broadway. He has received critical acclaim for many of his performances, including Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, Scarpia in Tosca, Ford in Falstaff, Marcello in La Boheme, the High Priest in Samson and Delilah, and Porgy and Jake in Porgy and Bess. Mr. Preacely has performed with many major and regional opera houses and orchestras in the United States and abroad. Recently, Mr. Preacely completed a European tour of Porgy and Bess where he received great reviews for his performance of both Porgy and Jake.

Gerard Floriano is an accomplished choral and orchestral conductor who has worked extensively in opera.  Maestro Floriano maintains a busy schedule as artistic director, music director and guest conductor, having led concerts throughout Europe and the United States. He is the visionary force and Artistic Director of Finger Lakes Opera.  Now in its ninth season, FLO is the premier summer opera experience for audiences in western New York and the Finger Lakes region of New York State.  Floriano has been described by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle as “nothing less than a virtuosic conductor” who leads his orchestra “with color, precision and a welcome degree of sweep.”   FLO’s production of L'elisir d'amore garnered this acclaim from Rochester City Newspaper, "...Musical director and Finger Lakes Opera artistic director Gerard Floriano paced the whole show to perfection, and the orchestra had every Donizettian detail in place.”   ​

Award winning stage director Stephanie Havey is consistently lauded for her eye-popping stage pictures, brisk dramatic pacing, and convincing theatre that makes the most of every minute. Ms. Havey has staged productions for Seattle Opera, Opera de Montreal, The Dallas Opera, Utah Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Arizona Opera, Opera Omaha, Madison Opera, New York City Opera, and Hawai’i Opera Theatre, among others, and has created new productions for Boston Lyric Opera, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Lyrique-en-mer International Festival de Belle-Ile, The Curtis Institute of Music, and Manhattan School of Music, among others.

Norwood Pennewell joined Garth Fagan Dance in 1978. He is the quintessential Garth Fagan dancer and is Fagan’s assistant and muse. Pennewell is the recipient of a 1988 New York Performance Award “Bessie” and has been seen dancing all over the world and on Great Performances, The Tonight Show and in Duke Ellington’s Queenie Pie. Pennewell assisted Mr. Fagan during his work on Broadway’s The Lion King and the NYC Ballet 50th anniversary Ellington Project. As a celebrated and world-class choreographer, he is able to combine the unique elements of the Fagan Technique with sophisticated concepts and movement invention.

Lutin Tanner, from Mankato, Minnesota, received a BA in Dance and Theatre from Western Michigan University. He danced with Garth Fagan Dance from 1995-2000, and then transitioned to resident Lighting Designer & Production Manager for Dance New Amsterdam in NYC. Using his unique dance lighting perspective Lutin has worked with a wide range of artists from Rasta Thomas, Nathan Trice, Ronald K. Brown Evidence, and Eglevsky Ballet to name a few. Lutin is Garth Fagan Dance’s Resident Lighting Designer & Production Stage Manager.

Kasi Krenzer Marshall holds her BA in Theatre Directing and returns to FLO for her 4th season. Recent credits include costume designs for two high school productions of Little Shop of Horrors, The Impresario, and Daphnis & Chloe (Nazareth College Opera), Calendar Girls (Blackfriars Theatre), as well as Into The Woods (The Gatesinger Company Ltd.) which earned a TANYS Award for Excellence in Costume Design. Kasi’s recent directing credits include Urinetown, Company, Oklahoma, The Second Coming of Joan of Arc, and the US premier of Belonging(s). 

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Van Heel’s designs have been seen in venues large and small, from Jazz At Lincoln Center, The Town Hall, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to the kinds of basements, bars, churches, and teeny-tiny rooms where New York theater is often forged. He is especially drawn to new works and has contributed to dozens of premieres and workshops. Notable collaborations include Madison Opera, Doug Varone and Dancers, White Snake Projects, New York City Opera, Under The Radar at The Public Theatre, Syracuse Opera, Red Fern Theatre Company, the civilians, and Palm Beach Opera.

Mary Farmer currently works as the costume shop manager at Nazareth College and holds a BFA in costume technology from Wright State University. Farmer has designed for Garth Fagan Dance, Blackfriars Theatre, The Jewish Community Center, Roberts Wesleyan College Community Players, and Nazareth College. Design credits include A Few Good Men, Mary Poppins, West Side Story, Les Misérables, and Beauty and the Beast, and Finger Lakes Opera‘s production of Die Fledermaus.

Adriana Lipomi has had the privilege of working in theater since 2018, and is thrilled to be a part of her first production with Finger Lakes Opera. Previous projects were through Geva Theatre Center, Blackfriars' Theater, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, and Syracuse Stage. She continues to be amazed by how truly rewarding it is to help actors fully realize and step into their characters through hair and makeup. Outside of theater, Adriana works as a freelance makeup artist and teaches clients about makeup at a local spa. 

Rick Haug has been working in professional theatre for over 15 years and worked on over 75 productions around the world.  He is currently the Scene Shop Supervisor with the University at Buffalo’s Theatre and Dance Department. Professional credits include national tours of The Wizard of Oz, Shrek the Musical, Spring Awakening, and The Gazillion Bubbles Show. Rick is a proud union member with IATSE local 10 in Buffalo and the United University Professionals.

Kathleen Stakenas’s recent stage management credits include Guys and Dolls, Tosca, Merry Widow, and La Boheme with Charlottesville Opera; La Traviata with Seattle Opera; Rigoletto with Utah Opera; An African American Requiem with Fort Worth Opera; Nutcracker with Charlotte Ballet; Charlie Parker’s Yardbird with Dayton Opera; Streetcar Named Desire, Rigoletto, Fellow Travelers, and Agrippina with Florida Grand Opera.