Morris Robinson (Daland) is considered one of the most interesting and sought-after basses performing today. Mr. Robinson regularly appears at the Metropolitan Opera, where he debuted in a production of Fidelio and has since performed as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte (both in the original production and the children’s English version), Ferrando in Il Trovatore, the King in Aida, and in roles in Nabucco, Tannhäuser, and new productions of Les Troyens and Salome. He has also appeared with the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Seattle Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Volksoper Wien, Opera Australia, and the Aix-en-Provence Festival. His many roles include the title role in Porgy and Bess, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Ramfis in Aida, Zaccaria in Nabucco, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlos, Timur in Turandot, the Bonze in Madama Butterfly, Padre Guardiano in La Forza del Destino, Ferrando in Il Trovatore, Fasolt in Das Rheingold, Landgraf in Tannhäuser, Daland in Der fliegende Holländer, and King Marke in Tristan und Isolde. He also created the role of The Commander in the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded at Washington National Opera.
Marjorie Owens (Senta), a former member of the Sächsische Staatsoper in Dresden and a Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, is earning acclaim as one of the most exciting dramatic sopranos to recently emerge. This season, she joins Theater Erfurt in the role of Santuzza in a new production of Cavalleria Rusticana. Recently, she debuted with the Dallas Opera as the title role in Elektra, with Pittsburgh Opera as Senta in Der fliegende Holländer, and with Washington Opera as the title role in Turandot. She also returned to the Canadian Opera Company as Senta, one of her signature roles, which she previously sang for Vancouver Opera. In recent seasons, Ms. Owens made her Canadian Opera Company and role debuts as Turandot and made her Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra debut as Aida. She also appeared in concert with Pittsburgh Concert Opera.
Robert Stahley (Erik), a rising tenor described as “a prodigiously talented performer” (ReviewSTL), continues to thrill audiences with “his impassioned, soaring tenor” (Broadway World) and a stage presence that “exudes gravitas and individuality” (Parterre). In the 2024/25 season, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut as First Armored Man in Julie Taymor’s production of The Magic Flute and covered roles in Aida, Salome, and Die Frau ohne Schatten.
Michael Chioldi (The Dutchman) returns to Artpark this season after his stellar 2024 performance in Puccini’s Greatest: A Gala Opera Concert. American baritone Michael Chioldi is acclaimed as one of the most sought-after dramatic baritones of his generation. Known for his portrayals of Verdi, Puccini, and Strauss roles, his repertoire includes the title roles in Der fliegende Holländer, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Macbeth, and Nixon in China; Rodrigo in Don Carlo, Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore, Germont in La Traviata, Gérard in Andrea Chénier, Scarpia in Tosca, and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. He is also a frequent interpreter of American and English works, having premiered the role of Man in Anthony Brandt's The Birth of Something and appeared as John Proctor in The Crucible and John Sorel in The Consul.
Emily Skilling (Mary), a mezzo-soprano praised for her “dark amaretto-flavored voice” (Brooklyn Discovery) and “eloquence” and “tonal beauty” (San Francisco Chronicle), is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Eastman School of Music (expected May 2025). At Eastman, she recently appeared as the soloist in Elgar’s The Music Makers with Eastman Philharmonia and performed the role of Madame de Croissy in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites. Her professional opera credits include Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (Music in the Somerset Hills and The Sebastians), Countess Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto (Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra), Dame Quickly in Falstaff (Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance), and Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera (Boheme Opera New Jersey). She has also appeared as a soloist in major works such as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Chattanooga Symphony & Opera), Bach’s Mass in B Minor (American Bach Soloists Academy), Handel’s Messiah (Messiah University), and Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Berkeley Orchestra). She is featured as a soloist on Georgia State University’s recent recording of Duruflé’s Requiem.
Jason Garcia-Kakuk (Steersman) is a tenor from Queenstown, MD, currently based in Rochester, NY. He is a 2025 Studio Artist with Finger Lakes Opera, where he performed Matteo Borsa and covered the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto (Verdi) and sang Colin in The Anonymous Lover (Bologne). Jason is pursuing a Master’s in Voice Performance & Literature at the Eastman School of Music under the guidance of Anthony Dean Griffey. With Eastman Opera Theatre’s 2024–2025 season, he performed H in H&G (Shawn) and covered Ruiz Alonso in Ainadamar (Golijov). He was a finalist in the 2025 Friends of Eastman Opera Competition and the Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition. Past credits include Triquet and Lensky (cover) in Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) and Mr. Angel in Mozart’s The Impresario with Opera Baltimore. In Spring 2023, he performed Odoardo in Ariodante (Händel) with Curtis Opera Theatre. He holds a B.M. in Voice Performance from Temple University, where his roles included Pelléas in Impressions de Pelléas (Debussy) and Don Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart).