Opera in the Park 2023 Cast

Angela Brown
Soprano Angela Brown’s multi-genre career has been lauded on the front page of The New York Times, CNN, CBS, in Oprah Magazine and Reader's Digest. With classical and pops engagements spanning six continents, Angela has graced the leading opera and symphonic stages of the world.

​Her vocal artistry is featured on the two-time Grammy Award® winning recording “Ask Your Mama.” Her voice is the inspiration for new works including a symphonic song cycle and two principal opera roles. American composer Richard Danielpour set the poetry of Dr. Maya Angelou to create the work “A Woman’s Life” that Angela has performed with Pittsburgh Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra and recorded for the Naxos label with Nashville Symphony Orchestra. The opera roles of Addie Parker in Daniel Schneider’s Charlie Parker’s Yardbird and Cilla in Richard Danielpour’s Margaret Garner were both written for, premiered by, and reprised many times by Angela.

​Angela’s most recent endeavor is the founding of Morning Brown, Inc., a nonprofit with the mission of bridging the gap between accessible, live-music programs and underserved individuals, schools, and communities. Drawing on the success of Angela’s groundbreaking show, Opera…from a Sistah’s Point of View©1997, Morning Brown, Inc., works to bring cultural experiences and awareness to cultural deserts. She is the co-host of Melanated Moments in Classical Music, an award-winning podcast from Classical Music Indy with an international subscriber base. She is featured in the 2022 PBS documentary on the life of Marian Anderson, The Whole World in Her Hands, produced by American Masters, and in the 2021 PBS documentary on the life of Marian Anderson, Voice of Freedom, a production of the most-watched documentary series American Experience.
Everett Greene
​An accomplished bass-baritone with a repertoire that spans jazz, blues, gospel and popular music, Everett Greene is also an actor, narrator, and voice-over artist. 
 
His music career started in his hometown of Washington, D.C., singing bass in a quartet. After serving in The Korean War with The U.S. Marine Corps, Greene settled in Indianapolis and got involved in the music scene. He has performed with local musicians; Wes Montgomery, Buddy Montgomery, Jimmy Coe, Larry Ridley, Jimmy McDaniels and others.
 
Additionally, he has performed with The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Springfield, Illinois Symphonic Orchestra, B.W.J. Orchestra, Harlem Renaissance Orchestra, Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra and others and toured several years with "The Count Basie Orchestra." Greene has toured internationally in Italy, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Africa, Russia, and The United States, performing in concerts, musical theater performances and festivals. Some Festivals include Hollywood Bowl, Chicago Jazz Fest, Cape Maye, Revinia, World Music Festival in Osaka, Japan, Montreal Jazz Fest, and Jazz Cruises. 

Greene co-starred in an extended run of The Little Dreamer: A Night in the Life of Bessie Smith at the Ivanhoe Theater in Chicago. Also in Chicago, Greene portrayed "Joe" in Showboat and received a local Emmy Award for the nationally-aired TV special entitled Precious Memories: Strolling 47th Street. He has been in a number of television commercials for the Indiana Pacers, The Hoosier Lottery and Cincinnati Bell. In addition, Greene has narrated Children’s books for Hal Leonard Productions and Aesop Productions.

He was inducted into the Indiana Hall of Fame and holds an Honorary Doctorate from Butler University as well as Legend Award for his music contributions.
Maestro Alfred Savia
Recently appointed Artistic Advisor and Principal Guest Conductor of the Indianapolis Opera, Alfred Savia is no stranger to the Indianapolis musical scene.

Savia served as Associate Conductor of the ISO and Artistic Director of Symphony On the Prairie from 1990 to 1996. In 2019-20, Maestro Savia celebrated his 31st and final season as Music Director of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. Under his leadership the Orchestra added a Youth Orchestra program, Philharmonic Chorus, and Eykamp String Quartet. He initiated many new programs including Messiah, Nutcracker, Music Alive residencies, and fully staged opera presentations.

Savia’s American guest conducting appearances include the Orchestras of Saint Louis, Detroit, Phoenix, Columbus, Memphis, San Antonio, Louisville, New Orleans and Naples (FL). Internationally, he has conducted orchestras extensively in Europe (Florence, Belgrade), Central and South America (Santiago, Montevideo, Quito; Toluca, and Jalapa in Mexico), and Asia (Korea Philharmonic). Festival appearances include Chicago’s Grant Park Symphony and the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival. He recorded Russell Peck’s The Thrill of the Orchestra with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and, with pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi and the Evansville Philharmonic, Respighi’s Piano Concerto. 

A native of Livingston, New Jersey, Savia graduated from Butler University. Conducting studies at the ASOL Institute of Orchestral Studies and the Tanglewood Music Center led to his first professional appointment as Assistant Conductor of The Omaha Symphony. Subsequently, he served as Resident Conductor of the Florida Philharmonic and New Orleans Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Florida Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Orlando Opera.
Morgan Hunkele, Pianist
Morgan Hunkele is an active collaborative pianist, vocal coach, and conductor in the United States and Europe. Currently the Resident Artist Pianist and Vocal Coach at Indianapolis Opera, Ms. Hunkele began working as a staff vocal pianist at Wake Forest University at the age of nineteen. She was a Collaborative Piano Fellow at Musiktheater Bavaria for the 2023 summer season and will also be working with Virginia Opera for their 2024 production of Frida Khalo and the Bravest Girl in the World. Recent conducting engagements include the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, where she was a 2023 summer conducting fellow of Markand Thakar. As a pianist, Ms. Hunkele has appeared as a guest artist in the Music for a Great Space concert series (Greensboro, NC), as a soloist with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, as a returning guest artist of the North Carolina Bach Festival, and as a featured pianist alongside the Winston-Salem Festival Ballet for the performance of three Rakowski etudes. She has been a finalist and prize winner in several piano competitions, including the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition and the Charlotte Steinway Piano Competition. Ms. Hunkele holds degrees in piano performance as a full-scholarship student from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (MM) and as a recipient of the Chancellor's Excellence Award from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BM and High-School Diploma). Additionally, she has studied and performed at Meadowmount School of Music, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, Baltimore International Piano Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Vivace International Music Festival.
Kirsten Gunlogson
Grammy nominated Mezzo-Soprano Kirsten Gunlogson’s voice has been described as “creamy” and “beautifully dramatic”. Gracing operatic and concert stages in works by composers ranging from Mozart to Gilbert & Sullivan, Ms. Gunlogson has distinguished herself as an impressive singing actress. Ms. Gunlogson has performed with companies such as Palm Beach Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Arizona Opera, Utah Opera, Opera Columbus, Baltimore Lyric Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Tulsa Opera, Toledo Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Anchorage Opera, Nashville Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Sarasota Opera.

Recent performances include a solo concert with the OMSK Philharmonic in OMSK, Russia, as well as the roles of Mother, Chinese Tea Cup and Dragonfly in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges with Utah Symphony, and Alto Soloist in the Duruflé Requiem with Christ Church Cathedral. Other performance highlights include the role of Ma Joad in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath with Anchorage Opera, Maddalena in Rigoletto with Utah Opera and Austin Lyric Opera, the title role of Bizet’s Carmen with Nevada Opera, Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte with Arizona Opera, a gala celebration concert with Nashville Opera, and Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music with Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre.

Ms. Gunlogson has performed at Carnegie Hall as the alto soloist in the Mozart Vesperae solennes de Confessore and Haydn’s Theresienmesse. As an oratorio soloist Ms. Gunlogson has performed with The Nashville Symphony, The Utah Symphony, The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, The Fort Wayne Philharmonic, The Johnstown Symphony, The Pittsburgh Concert Chorale, Charlottesville Oratorio Society, The Cathedral of the Madeleine, The Fairfax Symphony, and Utah Chamber Artists in such works as Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mass in C and Missa Solemnis, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Bach’s St. John Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Elijah, The Messiah, In The Beginning, The Rachmaninoff Vespers and Mozart’s Requiem.

Ms. Gunlogson has two albums on the NAXOS label, both performed with Nashville Opera and The Nashville Symphony. Ms. Gunlogson sings the role of The Mother in Amahl and The Night Visitors and the roles of The Chinese Cup/A Herdsman/The White Cat on the GRAMMY nominated CD of Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, conducted by Alastair Willis.
Joshua Thompson
Joshua Thompson is a pianist, social musicologist, teaching artist and producer. Known onstage as Sock Joplin, he is recognized on a national scale for his expertise on classical composers of African descent and the inherent cultural connectivity in the broader aesthetic of Black Arts movements. As the 2020 Beckman Emerging Artist Fellow of the Arts Council of Indianapolis, Thompson completed his residence at the Africana Studies Center for Music and Society at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, followed by a performing/teaching residency at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. As the first Musicologist in Residence with Classical Music Indy, Thompson was recently appointed as the Creative Partner in Residence with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra for the 2022-24 season.

​Obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, he deftly merged his music and advocacy paths through performances, lectures, appearances and working closely with an expanding range of national cultural arts organizations, social agencies, and universities to facilitate access to educational resources. The Arts Council of Indianapolis, the Indiana Arts Commission, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Marian University, DePauw University School of Music, Butler University, the University of Puget Sound, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Winds, Classical Music Indy, The American Pianist Association, Arts for Learning, Morning Brown, Inc., Indy Jazz Fest have all worked with Mr. Thompson in this capacity. In October 2019, he was a featured presenter for the popular TED Talk series and was inducted into the North Central H.S. Alumni Hall of Fame in 2022. His award-winning podcast series Melanated Moments in Classical Music with co-host Angela Brown, has global audience in over 150 countries and over 2,000 cities world-wide and is frequently used as curriculum in undergraduate and graduate studies across the nation. Beginning its seventh season of production (fall of 2023) Melanated Moments won 2020 Best Music Podcast from the Black Podcasting Awards and was recently featured in the British publication, Alternative Classical, and the Miami Times.

Joshua has worked with legendary bassist John Clayton, Smithsonian Research Fellow Dr. William C. Banfield, touring pianist Ric’key Pageot, Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Davis, renowned clarinetist Anthony McGill, and international operatic soprano Angela Brown.
Victoria Korovljev
Victoria Korovljev is a rising young soprano with a warm lyrical timbre. She is the Resident Artist Soprano for Indianapolis Opera this Spring of 2023, where she is debuting as Zweite Dame and covering Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Victoria celebrated her Caribbean heritage with a debut as Elsa in the world premiere of The Pirate’s Daughter, commissioned by Romanza Lyric Opera. In the Fall of 2022, she was featured as Siren in Minnesota Opera’s production of Rinaldo. Also in 2022, she made her debut with Opera Grand Rapids as Female Soloist 2 in the world premiere of Stinney: An American Execution, which was recorded for PBS. In addition, Victoria made her role debut of Countess Almaviva with Trentino Music Festival. At TMF, she placed as a Finalist in their Young Artist Competition. Most recently, Victoria qualified as an alternate finalist with the Opera Birmingham Voice Competition. Furthermore, with much acclaim from the judges, Victoria qualified as a Semi-Finalist in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition and Jacques Offenbach Grand Prix. In the upcoming 2022-2023 season, Thursday Musical of Minneapolis selected Victoria as a featured solo artist in their Artist Series. During the pandemic, Victoria recorded two episodes introducing children to opera for Minnesota Public Radio and Minnesota Opera. Shortly thereafter, she was a visiting artist with Northern Light Opera Company, where she sung the character Catherine in Pippin. Other recent engagements include singing the role of Frasquita, as well as being a Finalist in the American Prize Competition for Women in Opera. Before the shutdown, Victoria took part in the workshops and premiering ensemble for Minnesota Opera’s newest commission, Edward Tulane.
Liz Culpepper
Liz Culpepper, mezzo-soprano, is thrilled to be joining Indianapolis Opera as a Resident Artist this season. She was educated at the University of Texas (B.A. Music - Voice; 2015) and received her Master’s in Voice from Indiana University in 2017. While she was at IU, Liz sang the following roles: Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Mrs. Sedley (Peter Grimes), Madame de Croissy (Dialogues des Carmélites), La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), and Serse (Serse). She has also appeared at a number of summer music festivals. Notable appearances include Brevard in 2018, where she reprised the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, in 2019 at the Princeton Festival in Nixon in China as the First Secretary, and with Teatro Nuovo in the 2022 season. Most recently, Liz made her solo debut at Lincoln Center with Teatro Nuovo as La Comare in Crispino e la Comare and was an Apprentice Artist at Sarasota Opera for their 2023 Winter Season. Liz is based in New York City where she is a core singer with Teatro Nuovo and she studies with Will Crutchfield. Prior to her Master’s degree, Liz specialized as an Early Music soprano with a special emphasis on the works of Bach. Through her work with Will Crutchfield and Teatro Nuovo, Liz has shifted her focus to historically informed performances of the Bel Canto repertoire with a special interest in Rossini. One of her long-term career goals is to sing all of his heroines. Coming up, Liz will perform with Teatro Nuovo in their 2024 season.
David Silvano
David Silvano is an emerging Peruvian-American tenor with a powerful, yet vibrant and flexible voice and a natural talent for acting. While he has a particular passion for the Romantic and post-Romantic repertoire, he is at home in a wide variety of styles. He looks forward to performing his role premiere as Don José in Bizet's Carmen in the Summer of 2023 with Chicago Summer Opera. He is also very pleased to have the opportunity to work with Indianapolis Opera as a Resident Artist in 2023, and to perform the role of The Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto with Mobile Opera in 2024. Mr. Silvano has most recently performed with the Handel Messiah Society of Grand Junction as a tenor soloist, and the role of Martin in Copland's The Tender Land, with the Ralph Opera Program at Colorado State University. In the Summer of 2022, he sang the role of Theodore Billings in the staged premiere of Clint Borzoni and John de los Santos's The Copper Queen with Marble City Opera where he was praised by Arts Knoxville for bringing "a deliciously romantic lyrical side" to the character. He also performed the role of Ferrando in Mozart's Così fan Tutte and Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with the Ralph Opera Program. He has appeared in productions with Boulder Opera Company, Art Song Colorado, Opera Fort Collins, and Loveland Opera Theatre among others. A native of Colorado, Mr. Silvano holds a BM from Colorado Mesa University and a MM from Colorado State University where he studied with John Lindsey.
Andrew Boisvert
Andrew Boisvert, Bass, has been hailed as “thundering” (San Diego Story) with a “deep warmth”
(The Rutland Herald). He is a graduate of the Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland (MM) and previously attended the University of Hartford, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance. Recent performance highlights include returning to Sarasota Opera to cover Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Lo zio Bonzo in Madama Butterfly, singing Il Re di Scozia in Opera Neo’s production of Ariodante (August 2022), covering Sergeant Sulpice in St. Petersburg Opera’s production of La fille du Régiment (June 2022), and performing as Sam in Fargo-Moorhead Opera’s production of Trouble in Tahiti (March 2022) as well as covering Alidoro in their performance of Rossini’s Cinderella (April 2022). Other past opera engagements include covering Cadmus and Somnus in Semele with St. Petersburg Opera, performing Don Basilio in Opera Theater of Connecticut’s The Barber of Seville, and singing Banco in Act I of Verdi’s Macbetto with Opera Avant. Earlier, in 2020, Boisvert performed with Opera North as Sarastro in The Magic Flute as part of their Summerfest Series and Sarasota Opera, where he covered Il Pedone in Catalani’s La Wally, Count Capulet in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and Il Conte di Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto. He performed as Olin Blitch in Floyd’s Susannah and covered Count Capulet in Roméo et Juliette with the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center (2019) and performed as Frank Maurrant in Weill’s Street Scene with the Maryland Opera Studio, earlier that year. Boisvert is a student of internationally renowned bass-baritone, Kevin Short.