Puccini's Greatest: A Gala Opera Concert cast & crew

Latonia Moore is a three-time Grammy Award-winning American soprano praised as “richly talented” by The New York Times. A frequent performer with the Metropolitan Opera Latonia Moore appeared on the Met stage as Billie in Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmons’s FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES under Yannick Nézet-Séguin and as Serena in Gershwin’s PORGY AND BESS under David Robertson. Other recent season highlights include TOSCA in her Austin Opera debut and with Opéra de Rouen Normandie Théâtre des Arts; a special outdoor community concert in Serenbe, Georgia, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and an appearance as a featured soloist in the Metropolitan Opera’s memorial service for Jessye Norman. Moore is acclaimed globally for her interpretation of Verdi’s AIDA, which she has sung with the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera–Covent Garden, Opernhaus Zürich, Opera Australia, Teatro Colón, English National Opera, New National Theatre Tokyo, Dubai Opera, Dallas Opera, and many others. Her Puccini roles have included Cio-Cio-San in MADAMA BUTTERFLY at the Metropolitan Opera, Hamburg State Opera, and Semperoper Dresden, Liù in TURANDOT at Royal Opera–Covent Garden and Bilbao, Mimì in LA BOHÈME with Semperoper Dresden, and Tosca with Opera Australia and Washington National Opera. She sang Elisabeth in Verdi’s Don Carlo with Opera Australia, Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen and Elvira in Verdi’s Ernani and Lucrezia in his I due Foscari in Bilbao, Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello at Bergen National Opera, and Serena in Porgy and Bess at both English National Opera and De Nationale Opera Amsterdam. Honors and awards include the Maria Callas Award from Dallas Opera, a Richard Tucker Foundation grant, first prize in the Marseilles Competition, and first prize in the International Competition dell’Opera in Dresden. Ms. Moore is a native of Houston, Texas. 

American baritone Michael Chioldi has received acclaim from critics and audiences for his portrayals of the dramatic baritone roles of Verdi, Puccini, and Strauss. His many roles include the title roles in RIGOLETTO, MACBETH, and more; Rodrigo in DON CARLO, Conte di Luna in IL TROVATORE, Germont in LA TRAVIATA, Gerard in ANDREA CHENIER, Scarpia in TOSCA, and Sharpless in MADAMA BUTTERFLY. He made his debut at New York's Metropolitan Opera as Fléville in ANDREA CHÉNIER with Luciano Pavarotti and Aprile Millo under the baton of James Levine. He has performed at nearly every major American opera house, and his performances of Sharpless in the New York City Opera’s production of MADAMA BUTTERFLY was broadcast on the PBS television series Live from Lincoln Center. Internationally he has performed at the Gran Teatre de Liceu in Barcelona, Opera de Oviedo in Spain, and the Royal Opera House, Muscat. Mr. Chioldi has performed with symphony orchestras around North America and Europe and has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including The Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition (Winner 1995); The MacAllister Competition; The Licia Albanese-Puccini Competition; The Miami Opera Competition; The Sullivan Foundation; and The Anna Case-Mckay Award. His recordings appear on the Sony Classical, BMG, Accord and Newport Classics labels. Mr. Chioldi makes his home in New York City.

Internationally acclaimed tenor, Gregory Turay, has sung all over the world.  He has been awarded the industry’s highest awards and recognition. His career spans over twenty years and he is now singing opera’s most beloved larger roles, including Cavaradossi (Tosca), Fenton (Falstaff), Il Duca (Rigoletto), Hylas (Les Troyens), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Nadir (Les Pecheurs de Perles), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Grigory (Boris Godunov), Orfeo (Orfeo), Tamino (Die Zauberflote), Romeo (Romeo et Juliette) and Tony (West Side Story), among others. Gregory has appeared at some of opera’s most notable theaters, including Metropolitan Opera House, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Saito Kinen Festival-Japan, Il Escorial Opera-Spain, Wolf Trap Opera, Santa Fe Opera, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Bordeaux Opera and Opera Theatre of St. Louis, among others. A busy recitalist, Gregory received the Richard Tucker Award, the London Foundation Award, the Richard Gaddes Award, The Catherine Pope Foundation, and is a Metropolitan LYDP Winner. Gregory makes his company debut with Boheme Opera NJ as Don José 

 

The Armenian American soprano Tatev Baroyan joins the Metropolitan Opera in the 24-25 season for the Met’s premiere of Golijov’s Ainadamar and made her European debut at the Salzburger Landestheater, creating the role of Iolante in a unique combination of Tchaikovsky's Iolante and Nutcracker, crafted into an opera-ballet fantasy.

Born in Yerevan, Armenia, soprano Tatev Baroyan began her musical journey at Yerevan’s Tchaikovsky Specialized Music School and furthered vocal studies at the Komitas State Conservatory. After emigrating to the USA settling in Sarasota, Florida, Tatev joined Sarasota Opera's Apprenticeship program and then Will Crutchfield’s Teatro Nuovo's Studio Artist program in New York for which she prepared and sang various roles including Alaide in Bellini’s La straniera, Anna in Rossini’s Maometo II as well as the soprano part in Rossini’s Stabat Mater. Tatev joined the New York City Opera and to date has performed with the company in productions of La traviata, La boheme, Barbiere di Siviglia and for the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Garden of the Finzi Contini.  She has appeared as well in various concerts including a celebration commemorating the centennial of Giacomo Puccini’s death in which she sang excerpts from the composer’s La rondine, Turandot and Suor Angelica. She will debut with the Buffalo Symphony at ArtPark in Saratoga, NY in this same program in July 2024.  Throughout the year, Tatev performs in solo and joint recitals and concerts in the USA and in Armenia.

Baroyan's talent has been acknowledged through various competitions and awards.  During the past season she received the second prize in the Southeast Region of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the first prize in the Florida District competitions,  the Vero Beach Opera Competition, and Opera at Florham Competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council South Carolina District, Georgia District, the Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition, and the Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition and has attended master classes offered by sopranos Erin Morley, Carol Vaness and Maria Guleghina.
 

Praised by The New York Times for her “bright, sizable and expressive voice,” Mexican-born American soprano Kristin Sampson’s recent and upcoming performances include returns to her signature Puccini heroines, the title roles in Tosca and Madama Butterfly, as well as Minnie in La fanciulla del West, and concert performances with New York City Opera, The Accord Symphony Orchestra, and Washington Opera Society. Last season’s engagements included a company debut as Tosca with Connecticut Lyric Opera, a workshop of Jake Landau’s Psyche, a return engagement with the Kauno Filharmonijain in recital with tenor Liparit Avetisyan, and concert performances with both New York City Opera and Washington Opera Society. Other recent notable performances include a guest artist appearance and debut with the Kauno Filharmonijain in Lithuania under the baton of Maestro Constantine Orbelian, a company debut with Opera Grand Rapids as Liù in Turandot, a role debut as Marguerite in Faust with the Washington Opera Society, a featured soloist engagement with Hudson Valley International Festival of the Voice, and concert performances with New York City Opera. Previously, Ms. Sampson appeared as Minnie in La fanciulla del West with New York City Opera, Opera Carolina, Teatro del Giglio in Lucca, Teatro Goldoni in Livorno, and Teatro Verdi in Pisa, Italy. She sang Magda in Respighi's La campana sommersa with New York City Opera, and she made her debut at the Festival Puccini in Torre del Lago as Tosca. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

She has performed domestically with the New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, Opera Carolina, Dicapo Opera Theatre, Augusta Opera, El Paso Opera, and the National Lyric Opera among many others. Ms. Sampson has performed internationally with Puccini Festival of Torre del Lago, Teatro del Giglio in Lucca, Teatro Goldoni in Livorno, Teatro Verdi in Pisa, the Magyar Tavak Fesztiválja in Hungary, Opera Society of Hong Kong, Armel Opera Festival, National Theatre of Szeged, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, and Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Signature and favorite roles include Minnie in La fanciulla del West, the title roles in Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Adriana Lecouvreur, Mimì in La bohème, Nedda in Pagliacci, Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, Micaëla in Carmen, and Liù in Turandot.

 

Reviewed in the Huffington Post as a “breakout star” and “powerhouse lyric tenor”, Dominick Chenes began the 2023-24 season as Pinkerton in Boston Lyric Opera’s Madama Butterfly. Other engagements last season included Pollione in Norma with the Boston Youth Symphony, the title role of Hoffmann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann for Palm Beach Opera, and Nicias in Thaïs for Utah Opera. Engagements in 2024-25 include his house debut as Pollione for Oper Leipzig, Cavaradossi with the New Orleans Opera, Turiddu with Opera Orlando, Erik in Wagner’s Der Fliegende Hollander with Oper im Steinbruch, and a return to the Metropolitan Opera as Greenhorn in Moby Dick (cover).

Dominick’s most recent engagements include Cavaradosi in Tosca for the Metropolitan Opera (cover), his role debut as Canio in I Pagliacci for the Sacramento Philharmonic, a return to Seattle Opera for Alfredo in La Traviata, a return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for the title role of Don Carlos (cover), Pollione in Norma for Musica Viva Hong Kong, the Verdi Requiem for the Reading Symphony, and Don José in Carmen for Palm Beach Opera.

Dominick has performed Pinkerton for Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, Seattle Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago (cover), Alfredo for Tokyo New National Theatre, and the Pa Skaret Opera Festival in Sweden, Cavaradossi for Seattle Opera, Reading Symphony, Minnesota Opera, San Francisco Opera (cover) and Lyric Opera of Chicago (cover), Don Jose for Utah Opera, and Las Vegas Opera, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana for New Orleans Opera, Carlo in I Masnadieri conducted by Maestro Roberto Abbado for the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Adoniran in La Reine de Saba with Odyssey Opera, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera with Austin Lyric Opera, debuted Grand Theatre de Genevre as Iopas in Les Troyens with Maestro Dutoit, and Rodolfo in La Boheme with Opera Colorado, Musica Viva Hong Kong, and the Welsh National Opera.

Dominick was awarded second prize from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, third prize from the Mario Lanza Competition and a Grant from the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation. He was also a finalist in the Meistersinger Competition in Graz Austria.

Gil Rose, ConductorOften referred to as “a musician helping to shape the future of classical music”, Gil Rose is acknowledged for his “sense of style and sophistication” by Opera News, noted as “an amazingly versatile conductor” by The Boston Globe, and praised for conducting with “admiral command” by The New York Times and has been called “one of the most adventurous conductors in the world” by KUSC Radio. Over the past two decades he has built a reputation as one of the country’s most inventive and versatile conductors. His dynamic performances on both the symphonic and operatic stages as well as over 100 recordings have garnered international critical praise. Nominated 6 times, Gil Rose won the Grammy Award for Opera Recording in 2020 for “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”  Mr. Rose conducted Artpark’s production of “Carmina Burana” in the 2023 season. 

 

Michael Capasso, Stage Director
Michael is the General Director of the New York City Opera. He has produced, directed, and toured opera and musical theater productions in the U.S. and abroad for over 40 years. In June of 2014, along with philanthropist Roy Niederhoffer, he led the successful effort to bring the New York City Opera out of bankruptcy, laying the artistic, administrative, and fiscal groundwork for the company’s future. The revitalized New York City Opera returned to the stage in January 2016 with a celebratory production of TOSCA. The company is once again on solid financial footing and producing full seasons of opera, concerts, and educational programming, with a special concentration on City Opera’s long legacy of producing new and innovative opera, refocused through a modern lens. Current company programming efforts, which have included seven New York, U.S., and world premieres since 2017, seek to reflect the diverse tapestry of New York City through ongoing initiatives: Ópera en Español, LGBTQ+ Pride Series, an ongoing partnership with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, and a celebration of Black excellence.