Meet the Artists

INSIDE OPERA TOSCA MEET THE RTISTS A

JAMES MEENA, Conductor

Artistic Director James Meena continues his twenty-second season with Charlotte’s opera company. Mo. Meena’s guest conducting engagements have included the Washington Opera, the Pittsburgh Opera, L’Opera de Montreal, New York City Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Festival Puccini Torre del Lago, Teatro del Giglio Lucca, Teatro Pavarotti Modena, Teatro Ravenna, Teatro Sociale Rovigo, the Arizona Opera, Edmonton Opera, the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, South Korea, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of China, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Cairo Philharmonic in Egypt, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the Toledo Symphony, the Orchestra of the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Sicily and the Orchestra Regionale Toscana in Florence, Italy. Pre-covid, he made his debut in the historic Teatro Antica in Taromina Sicily and the Teatro Greco in Siracusa leading Puccini’s Turandot. For more than a decade he was Resident Conductor of the Toledo Symphony, General Director of Toledo Opera and conductor for the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet. His commitment to new works include Opera Carolina premieres of Carlisle Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree and Susannah, Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison’s Margaret Garner, Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg, Adolphus Hailstork’s Rise for Freedom and this season’s The Falling and the Rising by Zach Redler and Jerre Dye, as well as Charlotte debut performances of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin Rachmaninov’s Aleko, Puccini’s Il Trittico and La fanciulla del West, Verdi’s Nabucco, and Otello. Maestro Meena has conducted legendary singers Renee Fleming, Denyce Graves, Roberta Peters, James McCracken, Vivica Geneaux, Diana Soviero, Mignon Dunn, Marilyn Horne, Sherril Milnes, Jerry Hadley, Jerome Hines and Marcello Giordani.

JAMES MARVEL, Director

Internationally acclaimed stage director James Marvel has been praised for his “brilliant stage direction” and his “unforgettable and visually stunning new productions.” James made his Lincoln Center debut in 2008 for the Juilliard Opera Center, directing a highly acclaimed new production. James made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2011 and directed the U.S. premier of Cavalli’s Eliogabalo for the Gotham Chamber Opera in NYC. He has directed more than 100 productions and was named Classical Singer Magazine’s “2008 Stage Director of the Year.” Recent engagements include La Traviata for New Orleans Opera, Rigoletto for Opera Tampa, La Traviata for Teatro Del Lago in Chile, and La Rondine in Sulmona, Italy. Career highlights include groundbreaking new productions for the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Opera Boston, Opera Santa Barbara, Syracuse Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, San Antonio Opera, Kentucky Opera, Virginia Opera, North Carolina Opera, Toledo Opera, Sacramento Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Wolf Trap Opera, Santa Fe Opera, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Indiana University, and the University of Southern California. His international credits include a new production of Carmen for Opera Africa in Johannesburg, which was hailed as “stupendous” by the local press and a new production of Die Zauberflote for the Seoul International Opera in South Korea. His new production of La Voix Humaine and The Telephone premiered at the Alliance Francaise in New York City before traveling to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, Belgium.

James received his MFA in Acting from the University of Tennessee and his BA in World Literature from Sarah Lawrence College and Oxford University, England. He conducted additional studies at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. James studied violin from the age of seven and played violin for the Wadham Chamber Orchestra in Oxford, England. He has composed original music for several professional theatrical productions and has had his poetry, fiction, and critical writing published in a variety of national, international, and online journals. As an arts advocate, James has appeared numerous times on NPR and other radio and television outlets to discuss the art form and its relevance in modern society.

ALYSON CAMBRIDGE, Floria Tosca

American soprano Alyson Cambridge, hailed by critics as “radiant, vocally assured, dramatically subtle and compelling, and artistically imaginative” (Washington Post), noted for her “powerful, clear voice” (New York Times) and “revelatory, sensual, smoky readings” (Opera News) is one of the most diverse and compelling vocal artists on the scene today. Her rich, warm soprano, combined with her striking stage presence and affecting musical and dramatic interpretation, have brought her nearly two decades of successes on the world’s leading opera and concert stages, including The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Carnegie Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Vienna Konzerthaus, among many others. This season, in addition to her company and role debut as CARMEN with Opera Carolina and Toledo Opera, Cambridge also releases her third album, “SISTERS IN SONG”, a compilation of operatic, art song and spiritual duets with fellow soprano, Nicole Cabell, and The Lake Forest Symphony. She returns to Carnegie Hall for a solo recital, and embarks on a US tour of ROCKTOPIA, the show with which she recently made her acclaimed Broadway debut. She also returns to Florentine Opera for their 85th Anniversary gala concert, and to Victory Hall Opera for a newly-staged production of “FROM THE DIARY OF SALLY HEMINGS”, which is Cambridge’s debut classical album of the William Bolcom song cycle by the same title. Recent notable engagements include Hanna Glawari in THE MERRY WIDOW with The Metropolitan Opera and Florentine Opera, Bess in PORGY AND BESS with Spoleto Festival USA, and a concert tour (Wolf Trap, Irvine Barclay Center, Philharmonic Society of Orange County) of “Leading Lady: Heroines of Opera, Broadway, and The Silver Screen”, that highlights Cambridge’s diverse range, and highlights songs from her second album of jazz standards, “UNTIL NOW”.

JOHN VISCARDI, Mario Cavaradossi Tenor John Viscardi has moved audiences around the world with his vocal beauty and dramatic intensity, having performed with Santa Fe Opera, Opera Philadelphia, New York City Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Opera Carolina. Winner of both the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition and Concorso Internazionale F.P. Tosti, Mr. Viscardi has appeared in both recital and concert at venues that include Carnegie Hall (New York), Geffen Hall (New York), Tokyo Opera City (Tokyo), Verizon Hall (Philadelphia) and Avery Fisher Hall (New York). Last season’s engagements include the role of Pelleas in Opera Southwest’s Pelléas et Mélisande and The Pilot in American Lyric Theater’s production The Opposable Thumb, as well as engagement with Classic Lyric Art Berkshires. A graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, John first trained as a baritone, performing leading baritone roles including the title role in David DiChiera’s new opera Cyrano with Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Carolina. Additional appearances included Athos in The Three Musketeers with The Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice, and Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs at Carnegie Hall.

STEVEN CONDY, Baron Scarpia Steven Condy enjoys a career filled with notoriety and acclaim not only for his robust and nuanced voice, but also for his natural acting ability. The Washington Times enthused that he has “the comic timing of John Candy and a voice that remains flexible, rich and true through every intricacy.” In concert, he has performed the bass solos of Messiah with South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Asheville Symphony. His range as a singing actor is on full display with portrayal as Tevye, in Fiddler on the Roof and the title role of Falstaff with Opera on the James. Renowned for his interpretation of Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Boston Music Intelligencer raved of his “most delightfully surprising and truly brilliant performance…the agility of his voice, not only in negotiating the vocal roller-coasters, but also in creating comically nuanced coloring, combined with his clumsily agile physicality and an edgy-but-not-threatening delivery of the role as a whole, stole the show. Based on his performance, the opera might well be re-titled Don Bartolo.” He has performed the role at Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Portland Opera, Madison Opera, Opera Memphis, Virginia Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Austin Lyric Opera, among many others. Most recently, he performed the role with Lyric Opera Baltimore. The title role in Verdi’s Falsaff is another signature role in Mr. Condy’s repertoire, which he performed at companies such as Utah Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera San José, and Opera Delaware. As a concert artist he has earned critical acclaim performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Händel’s Messiah with the Columbus Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Masterworks Chorus at Carnegie Hall. Mr. Condy earned accolades and awards from some of the industry’s most prestigious organizations including: The Luciano Pavarotti International Voice competition, The Sullivan Foundation, The Richard Tucker Music Foundation competition, Pope Foundation competition, MacAllister Award competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, and the Mario Lanza Institute Scholarship competition. Mr. Condy holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Hartford and a Master of Music degree from Yale University’s School of Music. He is the Artistic Director of the Cairn University Opera Theater in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and the Director of the Vocal Intensive Study Program with the MasterWorks Summer Music Festival.

RAMELLE BROOKS, Angelotti

Ramelle Brooks’ noble bass voice has been described as powerful yet full of color and nuance. Ramelle is a young artist who is on the rise in the operatic community. He has been afforded the opportunity to sing roles in operas such as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Doctor 6 in The Falling and Rising, Norton in La Cambiale di Matrimonio, Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera, Dr. Dulcamara in L’elisir d’ amore, and Dick Deadeye in H.M.S. Pinafore. His musical credits include Smokey Joe’s Cafe and The Carousel. Ramelle is also a vibrant soloist with regional choruses and orchestras. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Performance from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in Music Education (Voice K-12) from Fayetteville State University. Ramelle supplements his academic experience serving as Director of Music at Second Calvary Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina. He also holds membership in the National Association of Teachers of Singing and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Ramelle is a member of Opera Carolina’s Resident Company of artists and makes his Grand Opera debut as Angelotti in Tosca.

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