Meet our 2026 Emerging Artists
Sopranos:
Daphne Buan
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
Education: BM, Eastman School of Music; MM Bard College Conservatory of Music
Recent: Nella, Gianni Schicchi, Bard College Conservatory; Gretel, Hänsel und Gretel, Lauretta, Gianni Schicchi, Queens Summer Vocal Institute; Nuria, Ainadamar, Belinda, Dido and Aeneas, Eastman Opera Theatre; Despina, Così fan tutte, Aneta, Lilacs and Lilies, Vienna Summer Music Festival
Seagle 2026: Despina, Così fan tutte
*Abby Guido
Hometown: Boynton Beach, Florida
Education: BM, MM, Frost School of Music, University of Miami
Recent: Sylviane (cover), The Merry Widow, Sarasota Opera; Jo/Choir Director, Mayo Buckner, Isabel, The Pirates of Penzance, Seagle 2025; Contessa, Le nozze di Figaro, Catarina, The Leopard, Le Loup, Les malheurs d’Orphée, Frost Opera Theater
Seagle 2026: Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte, Sister Berthe, The Sound of Music
Hattie Mae Lesley Foundation Artist
Jenna Justice
Hometown: Greenville, South Carolina
Education: BM, Furman University; MM, Eastman School of Music
Recent: Sandman, Hänsel und Gretel, Music on Site; Sarah Millick, Bitter Sweet, Julia DeWeert, The Cousin from Batavia, The Ohio Light Opera; Quartet, Evidence of Things Not Seen, Marianne, Silent Light, Soeur Constance, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Eastman Opera Theatre
Seagle 2026: Despina, Così fan tutte, Elsa Schraeder, The Sound of Music, Fall Season Artist
Lisa Reid Artist
Kathryn Peterson
Hometown: Lockhart, TX
Education: BM, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; MM, Rice University Shepherd School of Music
Recent: Papagena, Die Zauberflöte, Rice University ; Ava, In the Rush, Yum-Yum, The Mikado/Die Fledermaus, Jacobs School of Music; Susanna, Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina, Don Giovanni, Mon Ami: Weimar
Seagle 2026: Maria Rainer, The Sound of Music
John & Helen Seagle Artist
Cristina Rosheger
Hometown: Highland Park, Illinois
Education: BM, DePaul University; MM, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Recent: Mélisande, Impressions de Pélleas, Boston Conservatory; Rose Maurrant, Street Scene, Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte, Alice Ford, Falstaff, DePaul Opera Theatre; Pamina, Die Zauberflöte, Chicago Summer Opera
Seagle 2026: Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte, Sister Catherine, Dead Man Walking, Sister Margaretta, The Sound of Music
Seagle Festival Alumni Artist
Makinsey Rosser
Hometown: Stockbridge, Georgia
Education: BM, Valdosta State University; MM, Michigan State University
Recent: Fanny, La Cambiale di Matrimonio, Michigan State Opera; Micaëla, Carmen, Laurie, The Tender Land, Valdosta State Opera; Soprano Soloist, Messiah, Ocala Symphony Orchestra
Seagle 2026: Sister Rose, Dead Man Walking, New Postulant, The Sound of Music
Fulton Fryar Artist
Diane Shim
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Education: BM, University of Texas at Austin
Recent: Suor Osmina, Suor Anglelica, The Shepherdess, L’enfant et les sortilèges, Fourth Spirit, Cendrillon, UT Opera
Seagle 2026: Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red Riding Hood, Frau Schmidt, The Sound of Music
Jim & Eileen Carnahan Artist
Marlena St. Jean
Hometown: Owings, Maryland
Education: BM, Temple University; MM, Eastman School of Music
Recent: Ida, Die Fledermaus, Silvio, 24, or The Cure of Love, Eastman Opera Theatre; Dalinda, Ariodante, The Dew Fairy, Hänsel und Gretel, Temple Opera Theater
Seagle 2026: Josephine, H.M.S. Pinafore, Kitty Hart, Dead Man Walking
Phyllis & Marty Korn Artist
Mezzo-Sopranos
Sarah Antell
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Education: BM, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory; MM, Louisiana State University
Recent: Mom/Granny, Little Red’s Most Unusual Day, Enid Massey, The Shining, Nashville Opera: Queen Sophine, Becoming Santa Claus, Opera Louisiane; Martirio, The House of Bernarda Alba, Cleveland Opera Theater
Seagle 2026: Mrs. Patrick De Rocher, Dead Man Walking, Mother Abbess, The Sound of Music
Ruth Pelmas Artist
Norah Bailey
Hometown: Greenville, South Carolina
Education: BM, Eastman School of Music
Recent: Prince Orlovsky, Die Fledermaus, Vicky, A Grand Night for Singing, Varna International; Prince Orlovsky, Die Fledermaus, Priest (cover), In a Grove, Alto Soloist, Messiah, Eastman School of Music
Seagle 2026: Mother/Granny, Little Red Riding Hood, Liesl, The Sound of Music
Seagle Festival Guild Artist
*Madeline Darigan
Hometown: Saco, Maine
Education: BM, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Recent: Mom/Grandma, Little Red’s Most Unusual Day, Alma March, Little Women, Boston Conservatory; Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mayo Buckner, Queen Monkey/Lord Tiger, Monkey & Francine, Seagle 2025
Seagle 2026: Dorabella, Così fan tutte, Mrs. Charlton, Dead Man Walking
Erica & John Foster Artist
Molly Garrett
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Education: BM, University of North Florida; MM, University of Tennessee;
Recent: Blanche, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Cendrillon, Cendrillon, Mrs. Nolan, The Medium, Maestra delle Novizie, Suor Angelica, University of Tennessee
Seagle 2026: Cousin Hebe, H.M.S. Pinafore, Jade Boucher, Dead Man Walking
Richard V. & Janet McManus Artist
Abigail Lysinger
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Education: BM, University of Michigan; MM, University of Houston Moores School of Music
Recent: Teresa, La Sonnambula, Teatro Nuovo ; Kate Pinkerton, Madama Butterfly, Opera in Williamsburg; The Monitor, Suor Angelica, Jo, Little Women, Maggie Hobson, Hobson’s Choice, L’enfant, L’enfant et les sortilèges, Moores Opera Center
Seagle 2026: Sr. Helen Prejean, Dead Man Walking, Ursula, The Sound of Music
Hattie Mae Lesley Foundation Artist
Emma Rogers
Hometown: Weston, Connecticut
Education: BM, Carnegie Mellon University; MM, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Recent: Alto, Time to Act, Melisande (cover), Impressions de Pellèas, Alma March, Little Women, Cathleen, Riders to the Sea, Phebe Sherman, Whaling Women, Boston Conservatory
Seagle 2026: Little Buttercup, H.M.S. Pinafore, Sister Sophia, The Sound of Music
Laurence & Karen Meltzer Artist
Kayleigh Tolley
Hometown: Waldoboro, Maine
Education: BM, Oberlin College & Conservatory; MM, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Recent: Meg, Little Women, Dorabella, Così fan tutte, Boston Conservatory Opera; Cherubino, Le nozze di Figaro, Prague Summer Nights; Hänsel, Hänsel und Gretel, Chicago Summer Opera; Nancy, Albert Herring, Zandra, Alice Tierney, Oberlin Opera Theater; Zandra, Alice Tierney, Opera Columbus
Seagle 2026: Dorabella, Così fan tutte, First Mother, Dead Man Walking
Kemp & Nancy Smith Artist
Anne Turner
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Education: BM, Southern Utah University; MM, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Recent: Alona, A Time to Act, Jo, Little Women, Maurya, Riders to the Sea, Ruth Post, Whaling Women, Boston Conservatory Opera; Carmen, Carmen, Zelda 1924, The Ghosts of Gatsby, Southern Utah University
Seagle 2026: Sr. Helen Prejean, Dead Man Walking, Fall Season Artist
Robert & Judith Anderson Artist
Tenors
Janse Barkley
Education: BM, Northwestern University
Recent: Godin (cover), La Rondine, Northwestern University; Antonio, Le nozze di Figaro, Prague Summer Nights; Jupiter, Orpheus in the Underworld, Samuel, The Pirates of Penzance, Filberto, Il signor Bruschino, Opera Projects for Undergraduate Singers
Seagle 2026: Howard Boucher, Dead Man Walking
Peter Scott Oberdorf Artist
Roberto Guevara, Jr.
Hometown: Reading, Pennsylvania
Education: BM, Temple University
Recent: Odoardo, Ariodante, Minister, Cendrillon, Don Ottavio (cover), Don Giovanni, Commander X, The Handmaid’s Tale, Dormont, La Scala di Seta, Temple Opera Theatre
Seagle 2026: Father Grenville, Dead Man Walking, Franz, The Sound of Music
Dorothy & Frank Shames Artist
Joshua Jones
Hometown: Robinsville, North Carolina
Education: BM, University of North Carolina School of the Arts; MM, University of Alabama
Recent: Mozart, Mozart and Salieri, Mobile Opera; The Witch, Hänsel and Gretel, Kaspar, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Prince Charming, Cendrillon, UA Opera Theatre; De Fiesque, Maria di Rohan, A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute
Seagle 2026: Ferrando, Così fan tutte, Admiral von Schreiber, The Sound of Music
Hattie Mae Lesley Foundation Artist
*Andrew Mak
Hometown: Milton, Massachusetts
Education: BM, Boston University
Recent: Remendado, Carmen, Wimpy, Mayo Buckner, Spit, Anything Goes, Seagle 2025; Spinelloccio, Guccio, Gianni Schicchi, Boston University
Seagle 2026: Ralph Rackstraw, H.M.S. Pinafore
Nick Dankner Artist
Connor Trombly
Hometown: Burlington, VT
Education: BM, DePaul University
Recent: Alfred, Die Fledermaus, Martin, The Tender Land, DePaul Opera Theater; Frederic, The Pirates of Panzance, Unadilla Theater
Seagle 2026: Older Brother, Dead Man Walking, Rolf Gruber, The Sound of Music
Janet & Moe Friedman Artist
*Seth Younglove
Hometown: Fort Mill, South Carolina
Education: BA, College of Charleston
Recent: El Remendado, Carmen, Stagehand, Master Class, Charleston Opera Theater; Billy Crocker, Anything Goes, Beckmann/Henry, Mayo, Fall Season Artist, Seagle 2025; Normanno, Lucia di Lammermoor, Gulf Shore Opera; Spoletta, Tosca, Teatro Lirico d’Europa; Rodolfo, La bohème, Greve Opera Academy; Hoffmann, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Tamino, Die Zauberflöte, Eisenstein, Die Fledermaus, College of Charleston
Seagle 2026: Ferrando, Così fan tutte, Baron Elberfeld, The Sound of Music, Fall Season Artist
David Schlansker Artist
Baritones & Basses
*Aubrey Campbell
Hometown: Utica, New York
Education: BA, Hamilton College
Recent: Zuniga, Carmen, Police Sergeant, The Pirates of Penzance, Seagle 2025; Verges/Balthazar, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo, Romeo and Juliet, Theater at Woodshill; Louis, Angels in America, Mark, Rent, Provost, Hamilton College
Seagle 2026: Sir Joseph Porter, H.M.S. Pinafore, Joseph De Rocher, Dead Man Walking
Richard Kagey & Steven Bryant Artist
*John Drake
Hometown: Gainesville, Georgia
Education: BA, University of Georgia; MM, Temple University
Recent: Ivan Karas, A Cossack Beyond the Danube, Loudon Lyric Opera; Pirate King, The Pirates of Penzance, Timmy/Sam, Mayo Buckner, Fall Season Artist, Seagle 2025; Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni, Pandolfe, Cendrillon, Temple Opera Theatre
Seagle 2026: Guglielmo, Così fan tutte, Captain Georg von Trapp, The Sound of Music
Lisa Reid Artist
Ben Longo
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Education: BM, Tulane University; MM, Georgia State University
Recent: John Sorel, The Consul, Eisenstein, Die Fledermaus, Georgia State University Opera; Marcello, La bohème, FIO Italia; John Proctor, The Crucible, Harrower Summer Opera; Don Magnifico, La Cenerentola, Bayview Music Festival
Seagle 2026: Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte, Fall Season Artist
Seagle Festival Guild Artist
Braedon O’Hara
Hometown: Collegeville, Pennsylvania
Education: BM, West Chester University Wells School of Music
Recent: Father, Hänsel und Gretel, The Frog King, The Three Feathers, Guglielmo, Così fan tutte, West Chester University Opera
Seagle 2026: Carpenter, H.M.S. Pinafore, George Benton, Dead Man Walking
Darren K. Woods Artist
Julian Robbins
Hometown: Superior, Wisconsin
Education: BM, Shenandoah University
Recent: Boss/Thug, SWEAT, Pistola (cover), Falstaff, Shenandoah University
Seagle 2026: Dick Deadeye, H.M.S. Pinafore, 1st Prison Guard, Dead Man Walking
Phyrne & Ron Pitkin Artist
Benjamin Somervell
Hometown: McGehee, Arkansas
Education: BM, Mississippi State University; MM, University of Alabama
Recent: Don Pasquale (cover), Don Pasquale, Fiorello, Il barbieri di Siviglia, Count Ceprano, Rigoletto, Druid City Opera; Everybody, Lucinda y las Flores, Escamillo/Zuniga, Carmen, Baron Zeta, Die Lustige Witwe, Opera in the Ozarks; Sergeant Bouncer, Cox and Box, Peter, Hansel and Gretel, King Melchior, Amahl and the Night Visitors, UA Opera Theatre
Seagle 2026: Joseph DeRocher, Dead Man Walking
Tony Kostecki Artist
Maximus Taylor
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: BM, University of Kentucky
Recent: Masetto, Don Giovanni, St. Peter, Too Many Sopranos, Antonio, Le nozze di Figaro, Aram, A Nation of Others, University of Kentucky Opera
Seagle 2026: Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, Motorcycle Cop, Dead Man Walking, Max Detweiler, The Sound of Music
Eunice Vickrey Artist
*John Tuvera-Lim
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Education: BM, University of Nebraska at Omaha; MM, Shenandoah University; GPD, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Recent: Pelléas, Impressions de Pelléas ; John Brooke, Little Women, Boston Conservatory Opera; Mayo, Mayo Buckner, Dippy, Anything Goes, Seagle 2025; Ford, Falstaff, Polyphemus, Acis and Galatea, Shenandoah Conservatory Opera
Seagle 2026: Boatswain, H.M.S. Pinafore, Guglielmo, Così fan tutte
Joseph Steiniger & Mary McDonald Artist
Daniel Uglunts
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Education: BM, Northwestern University
Recent: Le Dancaïre, Carmen, Rabonnier (cover), La Rondine, Ottone, L’incoronazione di Poppea, Pritschitsch, The Merry Widow, Sid (cover), Albert Herring, Guglielmo (cover), Così fan tutte, Northwestern Opera Theater; Silvio (cover), Pagliacci, Opera Festival of Chicago; Wilhelm, The Ghosts of Versailles, Papageno, Die Zauberflöte, Miami Music Festival
Seagle 2026: Captain Corcoran, H.M.S. Pinafore, Owen Hart, Dead Man Walking, Herr Zeller, The Sound of Music
Kemp & Nancy Smith Artist
*Indicates Returning Artist
2026 CAST LISTS
H.M.S. Pinafore
Stage Director – Richard Kagey
Music Director – Yukiko Oba
Sir Joseph Porter – Aubrey Campbell
Captain Corcoran – Daniel Uglunts
Ralph Rackstraw – Andrew Mak
Dick Deadeye – Julian Robbins
Josephine – Marlena St. Jean
Little Buttercup – Emma Rogers
Così fan tutte
Stage Director – Cara Conslivio
Conductor – Filippo Ciabatti
Fiordiligi – Cristina Rosheger (July 22, 24), Abby Guido (July 23, 25)
Dorabella – Kayleigh Tolley (July 22, 24), Madeline Darigan (July 23, 25)
Despina – Daphne Buan (July 22, 24), Jenna Justice (July 23, 25)
Ferrando – Joshua Jones (July 22, 24), Seth Younglove (July 23, 25)
Guglielmo – John Drake (July 22, 24), John Tuvera-Lim (July 23, 25)
Don Alfonso – Ben Longo
Little Red Riding Hood
Stage Director – Josh Cook
Music Director – TBA
Little Red Riding Hood – Diane Shim
Mother/Granny – Norah Bailey
Wolf – Maximus Taylor
Dead Man Walking
Stage Director – Octavio Cardenas
Conductor – Filippo Ciabatti
Sister Helen Prejean – Abigail Lysinger (August 5, 7), Anne Turner (August 6, 8)
Joseph DeRocher – Benjamin Somervell (August 5, 7), Aubrey Campbell (August 6, 8)
Mrs. Patrick DeRocher – Sarah Antell
Sister Rose – Makinsey Rosser
George Benton – Braedon O’Hara
Father Grenville – Roberto Guevara, Jr.
Kitty Hart – Marlena St. Jean
Owen Hart – Daniel Uglunts
Jade Boucher – Molly Garrett
Howard Boucher – Janse Barkley
Motorcycle Cop – Maximus Taylor
The Sound of Music
Stage Director – Corey Trahan
Music Director – Neill Campbell
Maria Rainer – Kathryn Peterson
Captain Georg von Trapp – John Drake
Mother Abbess – Sarah Antell
Max Detweiler – Maximus Taylor
Elsa Schraeder – Jenna Justice
Rolf Gruber – Connor Trombly
The Von Trapp Children:
Liesl – Norah Bailey
Friedrich – Manny Huasta*
Louisa – Riley Hosan*
Kurt – Henry Silvernail*
Brigitta – Scarlett Schmidt*
Marta – Teagen Smith*
Gretl – Scarlett Silvernail*
*cast from the Seagle Festival Youth Opera Program
