GABRIEL PREISSER   Figaro

Gabriel Preisser, Grammy Award winning baritone has been praised by Opera News for his “handsome voice, charismatic energy, and timbral allure” and The New York Times called his performance as Lt. Gordon “wonderful.” His resume includes over 50 operatic and musical theater roles including Danilo in The Merry Widow with Opera Idaho, Billy Bigelow in Carousel with Minnesota Orchestra, the title role in Sweeney Todd with Helena Symphony, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with St Petersburg Opera, Dandini in Cenerentola with Opera Tampa, Escamillo in Carmen with Lyric Opera of the North, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Shreveport Opera, Le Mari in Les Mamelles de Tiresias with Opera Parallele, Albert in Werther with Minnesota Opera, Mercutio in Romeo et Juliette with Opera Tampa and St. Petersburg Opera, Tommy in Brigadoon with Gulfshore Opera, Silvio in Pagliacci with Opera Naples, Harold Hill in The Music Man with Colorado Symphony, and Bob Baker in Wonderful Town with Skylark Opera to name a few.  He has been praised for having a “matinee idol’s charm and charisma,” “a beautiful, luscious baritone,” and “a compelling, commanding stage presence.”
 
Mr. Preisser has made a name for himself as a versatile, cross-over performer and has especially been active in new works. He created the role of Lt. Gordon in Kevin Puts’ Pulitzer Prize winning Silent Night at Minnesota Opera with subsequent performances at Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre. His performance as Lt. Gordon with Minnesota Opera was also broadcast nationally on PBS in 2013 and 2014.  He also took on the role of Farmer Bean in Tobias Picker’s Fantastic Mr. Fox both with Opera San Antonio and Odyssey Opera of Boston.  He can be heard on the first official audio recording of Fantastic Mr. Fox under the baton of Gil Rose with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project which won the Grammy Award for best new opera recording in 2020.

A 2016 League of American Orchestras Emerging Artist, Preisser is known for his dynamic interpretation of Orff’s Carmina Burana performed with the Winter Park Bach Festival, Atlanta Ballet, Gulf Coast Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, and others. He has also been heard as a bass soloist in Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Colorado Symphony under the baton of Cristian Macelaru, soloist in William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with Jacksonville Symphony and the Canterbury Chorale, Schlendrian in Bach’s Coffee Cantata with Orlando Philharmonic, bass soloist in Bach’s St John’s Passion with the Houston Bach Society, soloist in H.C. Gruber’s Frankenstein with Colorado Symphony, and bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Ars Lyrica, Villages Philharmonic, and The Messiah Choral Society.

Outside of his performance career, Mr. Preisser serves as general director for Opera Orlando. 
STEPHANIE DOCHE   Rosina

Stephanie Doche, Mezzo-Soprano, has starred in leading roles nationwide,  has impressed audiences with her outstanding technical skill and fierce stage presence.

​In 2023 she performed Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Florida Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and Gulfshore Opera, as well as Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri with St. Petersburg Opera and Piacere in Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno with Opera Neo. Her 2024 performances include Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with San Diego Opera, Nicklausse in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Opera In Williamsburg, Diana in La Calisto with Opera Memphis and Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Teatro Nuovo.

Upcoming engagements include several role and company debuts: Carmen in La Tragédie de Carmen at Tulsa Opera, Sesto in La clemenza di Tito with Washington Concert Opera, Angelina in La Cenerentola with Fort Worth Opera and the title role in Carmen with Memphis Opera. A graduate of the Florida Grand Opera Studio, Stephanie has received awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the D’Angelo Competition, the Orpheus Vocal Competition, the Camille Coloratura Awards, and the SAS Performing Arts Company Vocal Competition.  
GAVIN HUGHES   Count Almaviva​

Gavin Hughes is a native of Jackson, Mississippi where he sang in churches throughout the region from childhood through college. He began his classical journey in 2015. In 2017, Hughes debuted his first role as “Cephus” at the Thalia Mara Hall with the Mississippi Symphony orchestra in Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha. In 2021, Hughes graduated from Jackson State University with his Bachelor’s of Music Education and began the pursuit of his masters degree under Russell Thomas at IU Jacobs where he debuted his first lead opera role as Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with the IU Jacobs Opera Theater.

​In February 2023, he sang his first flamenco role with the IU Jacobs Opera Theater as Ruiz Alonso in Ainadamar. That following May, Hughes made his professional title role debut in Charles Lloyd, Jr.’s Emmett Till with Opera Southern Company. In the following month, he was featured in a video and audio recording presenting Kenyan folk songs for Carnegie Hall’s “Musical Explorers” program. In October of 2023, Hughes sang the role of the Count Belfiore in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, in his final show with the IU Jacobs Opera Theater. In the Spring of 2024, Hughes served as Tenor Resident Artist with Indianapolis Opera, during which he covered the role of Charlie Parker in Charlie Parker's Yardbird at the historic Madam Walker Theater and appeared as Mr. Erlanson in A Little Night Music. He continues as a Resident Artist for Fall 2024 of Indianapolis Opera's 50th season, and looks forward to debuting the role of Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville.
HAYDEN SMITH   Count Almaviva

American Tenor Hayden Smith, known for his “burnished tenor (that) is blessed with technique and glorious phrasing” (HoustonPress), is making his mark on the bel canto, contemporary, and early music repertoire with unique interpretations and daring vocal pyrotechnics. During the 2024-2025 season, Mr. Smith sings Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Annapolis Opera, and Indianapolis Opera, sings multiple roles in the premiere of Schiele in Prison at the Neue Gallerie, sings Father in Seven Deadly Sins with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, and sings Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor with Gulfshore Opera. In the 2023-2024 season, Mr. Smith portrayed the title roles in Sid the Serpent Who Wanted to Sing and Grétry’s Beauty and the Beast with OPERA Iowa. Additionally, he joined MidAmerica Productions at Carnegie Hall as the tenor soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. In summer 2024, he joined the Apprentice Artist program at Des Moines Metro Opera, covering Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville and singing Mr. Sparhawk in the world premiere of American Apollo. The previous summer, he was a Young Artist with Glimmerglass Festival where he sang Tybalt in a new production of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette and portrayed Frank in the world premiere of Morris and Fuentes’s The Rip Van Winkles.
A frequent winner in the competition circuit, he was a 2023 Houston District winner in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and an Encouragement Award winner in the New Orleans District in 2022. He received the prestigious Carolyn Bailey Argento Fellowship through the National Opera Association in the 2022-2023 season and was the 1st Place winner of the NATS TBB Upper College Division in 2021. Mr. Smith completed his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Temple University and a Master of Music degree at Rice University. 
ROBERT MELLON   Doctor Bartolo​

Robert Mellon is an award-winning baritone acclaimed by Opera News for his "excellent comic timing" and a "domineering baritone, gleaming like polished copper." In the 2023-2024 season he returned to Livermore Valley Opera as George Milton in Of Mice and Men, then made two significant debuts - with Detroit Opera as Terry in Breaking the Waves and Florida Grand Opera as Tonio in Pagliacci where the South Florida Classical Review said, “As the deformed clown Tonio, Robert Mellon unfurled a large, voluminous baritone.” The busy artist returned to Opera Theatre of St. Louis for roles in La bohème and Galileo Galilei and offers his first Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Indianapolis Opera. 2025 engagements include Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale and Sharpless in Anchorage Opera’s production of Madama Butterfly.

Last season Robert made house debuts at Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Escamillo in Carmen, Taddeo in L'Italiana in Algeri with Tulsa Opera, and Opera Tampa as Tonio in Pagliacci. He returned to Pensacola Opera to reprise the role of Marcello in La bohème, sang Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Syracuse and Tri-Cities Operas and performed the role of Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Maine, where Shark on Arts said of his performance, “It was a treat to have Opera Maine favorite, Robert Mellon, back in town and owning every inch of Dandini. The comic business devised for his duet with Don Magnifico (involving an ever moving and unavailable chair) had the house in stitches.” 
ZACHARY ELMASSIAN   Basilio

Zachary Elmassian, bass-baritone, is a Michigan native.  Zachary Elmassian has been praised for his “terrific vocals” and notable acting abilities. A graduate of the Merola Opera program, Elmassian most recently sang the role of Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar, where he will return this summer to perform the title role in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. He will also join Ohio Light Opera this summer in the roles of Georg von Trapp in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music and Don Alhambra in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers. Zachary was a Resident Artist with Florida Grand Opera, where he appeared as the Notary in Don Pasquale, the Officer in The Barber of Seville, and SS Man #2 in The Passenger.

Other stage credits include the title role in Gianni Schicchi, Masetto in Don Giovanni with Prague Summer Nights Music Festival, Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Jeronimus in the Chicago premier of Carl Nielsen’s Maskarade, Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, Gustl in The Land of Smiles, Pooh-Bah in The Mikado, and the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance. Zachary also attended Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, where he sang the role of Official Registrar in Madama Butterfly.

​ A graduate of Northwestern University and Denison University, Zachary has studied under Armen Boyajian, Marc Embree, Sunny Joy Langton, and Winnifred Faix Brown. In the Fall of 2024, returns to the Midwest to join Indianapolis Opera, where he will serve as Resident Artist and perform the role of Basilio in The Barber of Seville.   zacharyelmassian.com
JAKE SURZYN   Fiorello/ Figaro Cover

​Jake Surzyn, baritone,  born and raised near Detroit, has performed with many of Michigan’s opera companies including Detroit Opera. With Detroit Opera he performed in Yuval Sharon’s production of Ragnar Kjartansson’s Bliss as Antonio and Rodríguez’s Frida as Mr. Rockefeller. Throughout Michigan he has sung the roles of Der Lautsprecher in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Dandini in La Cenerentola, King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance. 

Jake was an emerging artist at Opera Idaho during the 2022/2023 season, covering the roles of Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Macbeth (Macbeth), Jim Crowley (An American Dream), and Vodník (Rusalka) while performing as Fiorello, il Medico and il Servo, and the Hunter. In the 2021/2022 season he was a studio artist with Madison Opera where he covered Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor. 

Jake has been a developing artist with Central City Opera and an emerging artist with Charlottesville Opera, having performed as Samuel in Pirates of Penzance, Mr. Jones in Street Scene, Herr Zegler in The Sound of Music, Sir Lionel in Camelot, and covered Danilo in The Merry Widow, Franz in The Sound of Music, Marcello in La bohème, Lancelot in Camelot, and Escamillo in La tragédie de Carmen. 
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An avid performer of oratorio, Jake has been a soloist in works ranging from the Baroque to the contemporary. These engagements include Mendelssohn’s Elijah, J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, Haydn’s The Creation, Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem, and Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle. 
As Indianapolis Opera’s baritone resident artist Jake will sing the role of Fiorello and cover Figaro in their fall production of Il barbiere di Siviglia.
RACHEL PURVIS   Berta

Rachel Purvis, soprano, is a native of Indianapolis, IN, where she made her professional debut as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Indianapolis Opera in May of 2023. Recently, Purvis was also seen as Mrs. Nordstrom in A Little Night Music and in Puccini’s Tosca (Chorus) with Indianapolis Opera, and sang the title role in Dvořák’s Rusalka under the direction of Luke Housner of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.

Purvis has performed internationally with La Musica Lirica and the International Opera Performing Experience singing the title role of Suor Angelica, Mimì (La Bohème) and Alice Ford (Falstaff) as well as in choruses of Verdi’s La Traviata and Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites.

​Purvis earned her Performer Diploma (2021) and Master’s degree (2020) in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Jane Dutton at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. At IU, she performed the role of Mrs. Grose (The Turn of the Screw) and appeared in the choruses of La Traviata and Wagner’s Parsifal. During this time, she also was the second prize winner with the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Competition. She earned her undergraduate degree in voice at Butler University, where she performed the roles of Edith (Pirates of Penzance), First Witch (Dido and Aeneas), Madame Pompous (Too Many Sopranos), and the title role in Suor Angelica.
TZYTLE STEINMAN   Rosina cover​
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Tzytle Steinman, once described as, "Wickedly funny and talented" by The Fargo Forum, is a mezzo-Soprano originally from San Diego, CA. She has performed with multiple companies including Ohio Light Opera, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, San Diego Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Sarasota Opera and Florentine Opera, and she is looking forward to joining the Glimmerglass Festival this summer as a young artist. Her roles include L’enfent in L'enfant et les sortilèges, Buttercup in HMS Pinafore, Venus in Orpheus in the Underworld, Rosina in the Barber of Seville (Tour), Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Stephano in Roméo et Juliette and Mercedes in Carmen. Tzytle was recently a Grand Prize Winner at the Patricia Crump Vocal Competition and has won three Encouragement Awards from the Laffont Competition. She received her MM in Voice and Opera from Northwestern University and her BM from Boston Conservatory. She also has a large background in dance, musical theatre, and choreography. Her choreography has been seen in many productions including Carmen (Opera NEO) and La Cenerentola (Fargo-Moorhead Opera). In 2021, she was a contestant on the Price is Right. When she isn’t singing, Tzytle loves take her rescue dog, Golde, to her favorite dog beach.
JESSICA BURTON   director​

As a military brat, Jessica Burton likes to say she is from  everywhere and no where. Most recently she is from Austin, Texas, where she received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Opera Direction from the University of Texas. She also has a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Technical Theatre from West Texas A&M University. During the pandemic, she taught private voice and musicianship classes at Orpheus Academy of Music in Austin. She has worked in almost every aspect of theatre, as director, performer, designer, and administrator.

This past March with IO, Jessica directed the Indiana premiere of Charlie Parker’s Yardbird at the historic Madam Walker Legacy Center to great acclaim. Other directing credits include Gallantry, & Veteran Journeys  with Indianapolis Opera; Little Women, At the Statue of Venus, Speed Dating Tonight, & Das Lied von der Erde with UT Austin; Cendrillon & Pomme d’api with FAVA France; Angels in America, The Laramie Project, & Bent with Avenue 10; and numerous scenes programs. She has also assistant directed at Austin Opera, Amarillo Opera, LOLA (Local Opera Local Artists), UT Austin, Spotlight on Opera, FAVA France, and now Indianapolis Opera. As a performer, notable past roles have included the Witch in Into the Woods (Stage Right Theatre, Amarillo), Fastrada in Pippin, and Morgana in Alcina (West Texas A&M University). Past costume designs have included The Magic Flute, Dido and Aeneas, Suor Angelica (Texas State University), Metamorphoses, The Who’s Tommy, and Aida (Amarillo Little Theatre). Jessica’s passion is cultivating community engagement among the next generation of opera goers. Jessica would also love to thank Emily Hancock for being a wonderful host and all around fabulous human being during her time in Indianapolis!
MAESTRA CASEY ROBARDS   conductor​
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Korean  adoptee, Dr. Casey Robards (Ahn Suh Jung) is a music director, pianist and vocal coach known for her sensitive musicality, expert collaborative skill, and stylistic versatility. In 2024-2025, Robards debuts with Indianapolis Opera, Opera Columbus (Le Nozze di Figaro), El Paso Opera (Bon Appetit), and Soo Opera (Susannah). Other conducting credits include La Traviata, Die Zauberflöte, Carmen, La Boheme, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica. Robards is Music Director of Ensemble Concert 21, a chamber group devoted to the performance of contemporary music and the mentorship of young composers. She is dedicated to the performance, research and promotion of music by Black composers and writers, with a focus on the Negro spiritual and on music that blends gospel, jazz and classical genres. Her recent CD release with Kenneth Overton: “What Dreams We Have: The Poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar” debuted at #10 on the Billboard Chart for Top Classical Album. She has worked as repetiteur for Santa Fe Opera, New Orleans Opera, and Kentucky Opera and is currently on the faculty of the University of Illinois. 
CARA CHOWNING   coro director
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Dr. Cara Chowning is currently the vocal coach and voice area coordinator at Ball State University. She has served on faculties of the Cleveland Institute of Music, Simpson College, Oklahoma City University, and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her students and private coaching studio singers can be heard in young artist programs, in opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Utah Opera. 

Chowning is in demand as coach, music director, and collaborative artist; she performs extensively throughout the US, South America, and Europe as duo partner and chamber musician. Internationally, Chowning has been guest coach for the American Institute of Music Studies in Graz, Austria and Teatro Bicentenario in San Juan, Argentina. She has lectured and performed for Road Scholars, Uniworld cruises and been broadcast on Public Television and Radio.

Chowning has prepared opera and musical theater productions at the professional, young artist, and collegiate level. She is music director for the vocal series of the Bar Harbor Music Festival and has served on the music staff of Lyric Opera Cleveland, Opera Cleveland, Finger Lakes Opera, Kansas City Lyric Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Cleveland Opera where she created and prepared nationally recognized opera educational programs for performance in schools across Northeast Ohio.
BENJAMIN PESSOGNELLI   rehearsal pianist

Pianist Benjamin Pessognelli is an experienced performer, having given numerous recitals and performances as a soloist and collaborative musician. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Piano Performance from West Chester University of Pennsylvania studying with Dr. Igor Resnianski, Benjamin was awarded a full Graduate Assistantship to continue his studies at West Chester University as a Master’s student in Piano Pedagogy. During his studies, he worked on and performed compositions from all major styles and composers, including Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, Ravel, and Prokofiev to name a few. Benjamin has performed extensively at West Chester University Keyboard Honors Recitals and has been featured as a soloist and collaboratively in Wells School of Music Convocations and recitals. He was the winner of the West Chester University Concerto Competition, performing the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 25 with the symphony orchestra. In 2022 and 2023, Benjamin was accepted to the New Orleans Piano Institute, a summer piano festival where he took lessons and performed in masterclasses for renowned pianists and pedagogues. For the past two years, Benjamin served as the official accompanist for the West Chester University Opera Theatre under the direction of Dr. Nicholas Provenzale. He was the pianist for the chamber operetta Cendrillon by Pauline Viardot and radio opera Beauty and the Beast by Vittorio Giannini. Additionally, Benjamin had the opportunity to study and perform harpsichord in Alcina, and served as rehearsal pianist for Candide. This summer, Benjamin traveled to South Korea with voice students and faculty, performing solo and collaborative selections at Ulsan University and Yeungnam University. Benjamin’s upcoming engagements include serving as rehearsal pianist for Indianapolis Opera’s fall production of The Barber of Seville, as well as accompanying Michael Ching’s opera Notes on Viardot with Music on Site this December.