BIOGRAPHIES

Joseph Leppek | Christopher Morcom COT DEBUT

Joey Hammond-Leppek, is a tenor originally from Novi, Michigan and now a resident of Minneapolis, MN. He is a recent graduate of the Minnesota Resident Artist Program and was a Wolf Trap Filene Artist for the 2021 and 2022 summer, where he was seen as Little Bat in Susannah. Also in the 2022-23 season, Joey was seen as the Prince in Alma Deutcher’s Cinderella with Opera San Jose.

Highlights of his career include singing Pedrillo with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City in The Abduction from the Seraglio, where he sang with ‘clarity and enormous charm’ (KC Independent), Tony in Glimmerglass Festival’s West Side Story, where he ‘sang elegantly, danced gracefully, and had a winning chemistry with Maria’ (Classical Voice America), and a ‘well-trained and dynamic’ (Washington Classical Review) Count Barigoule in Viardot’s Cendrillon at the Wolf Trap Opera Filene Center.

Joey has also acted on film, including Minnesota Opera’s virtual production of Albert Herring as the Mayor, HGOco’s “Now, ” an operatic web episode centering LGBTQ+ issues, and his own programmed and performed piece called “A Couch Cabaret” with Minnesota Opera’s Apart Together.

Joey was honored to be a 2020 National Semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a 3rd place winner in the 2021 Cooper-Bing competition. Joey is a graduate of the Rice University Shepherd School of Music and has participated in resident artist programs across the country, including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Glimmerglass Festival, Central City, and Opera Saratoga.

Biographies

Taylor Raven | Joan Clarke

Cot Debut

Taylor Raven is a “vocal sensation” (Washington Classical Review) quickly establishing herself in opera, concert, and recital. Ms. Raven began the 22/23 season withherdebutattheSanFranciscoOperaforatrioof operas:aworldpremiereofJohnAdams’ Antonyand Cleopatra (Charmian), DialoguesdesCarmélites (Sister Mathilde)and Latraviata (Flora).Otherhighlightsthis seasonincludedebutswithKentuckyOperaforLa Cenerentola (Angelina)andChicagoOperaTheaterfor The LifeandDeath(s)ofAlanTuring (JoanClarke),andareturnto DesMoinesMetroOperaforthetitleroleinCarmen.On theconcertstage,shewillmakeherdebutwithThe ClevelandOrchestrafor LafanciulladelWest (Wowkle) conductedbyFranzWelser-Möstandwillreturntothe MemphisSymphony.

LastseasonshemadedebutswithHoustonGrandOpera for DieZauberflöte (DritteDame),WashingtonConcert Operafor Lakmé (Mallika),andNorthCarolinaOperafor Moravec’s SanctuaryRoad.Ontheconcertstageshemade debutswiththeDallasSymphonyOrchestra,Baltimore SymphonyOrchestra,OrchestraIowa,andreturnedtothe LosAngelesPhilharmonic.Additionalengagements includedtheworldpremiereofasongcycle commemoratingthe100thanniversaryofthe Tombofthe UnknownSoldier withUrbanAriasandareturntotheroster oftheLyricOperaofChicago.

RecentengagementsincludedebutswithDesMoines MetroOperain PiqueDame (Pauline),FingerLakesOpera in IlbarbierediSiviglia (Rosina),andHandel&Haydn Societyfor BeethovenSymphonyNo.9 conductedbyMarin Alsop.TaylorisarecentgraduateoftheYoungArtist ProgramwiththeLAOpera,whereshewasseenin La clemenzadiTito (Annio), DonCarlo (Tebaldo),theKosky productionof DieZauberflöte (ZweiteDame)conductedby JamesColon,and HanselandGretel (Sandman).AsaFilene ArtistatWolfTrapOperasheperformedin Ilbarbieredi Siviglia (Rosina)and L'heureespagnole (Concepción).Onthe concertstageshemadeherAliceTullyHalldebut appearingwiththeAmericanSymphonyOrchestrafora concertofBachariasconductedbyLeonBotstein.