cAST & creATive dAvid blAlocK NIKOLAUS SPRINK ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
Rising American tenor David Blalock last performed Silent Night in the role of Jonathan Dale with Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Last season's credits included Steersman in Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer for Virginia Opera, Toby in Sweeney Todd with Mill City Summer Opera in Minneapolis, and Almaviva in Marcos Portugal’s rarely performed The Marriage of Figaro for On Site Opera in New York City. In the 2014-15 season, he sang the role of Jaquino in Beethoven’s Fidelio with Madison Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with North Carolina Opera, Toby in Sweeney Todd with Virginia Opera, and the role of Ricky in the world premiere of The Long Walk at Opera Saratoga. In the same season, he completed his second summer as an apprentice artist with The Santa Fe Opera, singing Bertram in Rossini’s La Donna del Lago and the Infirmary Patient in the world premiere of Theodore Morrison’s Oscar. Mr. Blalock is a graduate of the Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland, where he trained as a baritone. Credits at the Studio included Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Riolobo in Daniel Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas, and The Ring Announcer in the world premiere of Shadowboxer. He was first-prize winner in the North Carolina District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions twice, as well as placing first in the Charles A. Lynam Competition, the Heafner/Williams Competition, and the Charlotte Opera Guild Competition. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro with a bachelor of music.
Troy cooK FATHER PALMER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
American baritone Troy Cook recently performed his first Ford in the Hamburgische Staatsoper’s Falstaff following his debut with the company as Marcello in La bohème, and debuted with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. The 2016-17 season is an exciting one for Troy, with several role and company debuts, starting with his first Peter in Hansel and Gretel in a return to Lyric Opera of Kansas City. He will debut at the San Diego Opera as Ford in Falstaff, and make his role debut in the title role in Eugene Onegin at the Syracuse Opera. He also makes his Washington National Opera debut as Sharpless in the eye-popping Kaneko Production of Madama Butterfly. He will participate in the inaugural O17 Festival at Opera Philadelphia, singing John Cree in the world premier of Elizabeth Cree by the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that created Silent Night, Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell. Troy sang last season in Virginia Opera’s production of Orpheus in the Underworld, followed by debuts with the Dallas Opera as de Brètigny in Manon, the Macau Festival as Valentin in Faust, and North Carolina Opera as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, a role that served as his debut with Austin Opera. 18