Tosca 2022 Cast

Floria Tosca - 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. ​
​Mario Cavaradossi - Gregory Turay
Gregory Turay is thrilled to be returning to Indianapolis Opera in the role of Cavaradossi in Tosca. This is his third appearance with the company. Mr. Turay has performed at leading opera houses throughout the world including The New National Theatre of Tokyo, English National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Netherlands Opera, Opera Wroclaw in Poland, Opera Bordeaux, San Francisco Opera, Boston Lyric, Palm Beach Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Opera, and at the Metropolitan Opera. He can be seen on DVD in The Merry Widow with San Francisco Opera and heard on CD in William Bolcom’s A View from the Bridge, singing Rodolfo, the role he created. He has appeared in concert with St. Louis Symphony, Cleveland Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Boston Symphony, Ravinia Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Spoletto, Salzburg and numerous others. He has sung with conductors James Levine, Seji Osawa and with John Williams at the 2006 Kennedy Center Awards in Washington D.C. He was awarded one of the industry’s highest awards, being named the 2001 Richard Tucker Award recipient and has won numerous competitions and awards from The Young Concert Artists, The Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Catherine Pope Foundation, and the Richard Gaddes Award with St. Louis Opera.
​Baron Scarpia - Andrew Potter
Andrew Potter, bass, has garnered increasing demand across the country for his larger-than-life stage presence and voice to match. Of his recent performance in L’elisir d’amore, Opera Today hailed, “With his huge, all‐encompassing bass voice and precise comic timing he nearly stole the show.” This season includes several important house debuts: joining Seattle Opera as Abimelech in Samson et Dalila, as well as for their World Premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Portland Opera as Vodnik in Rusalka. Potter will join Livermore Valley Opera as Belcore in Elisir d’Amore, perform Scarpia in Indianapolis Opera’s Tosca, and return to both Opera Grand Rapids as The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance and Pacific Opera Project for their unique take on Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte: Superflute. Last season, Potter performed the roles of Simone in Gianni Schicchi for Tulsa Opera, Sarastro in The Magic Flute for Eugene Opera, Sparafucile in Rigoletto for Opera Orlando, Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Indianapolis Opera, and René in Iolanta with Pacific Opera Project. Concert engagements included Mozart's Mass in C Major for Mid-Ohio Civic Opera, and Verdi’s Requiem for Michigan State University. During the pandemic, Andrew was one of the lucky ones to be able to continue to perform: in addition to a series of virtual concerts, he joined Opera Santa Barbara in the title role of Don Pasquale, Pacific Opera Project as Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, and Southern Illinois Festival for Covid fan Tutte.
​Cesare Angelotti - Austin Siebert
Prasied for his vibrant coloratura, warmth of tone, and versatility; Austin Siebert brings a kinetic energy to both operatic stages and concert halls. Baritone-Austin Siebert recently completed his tenure as the Spotlight Artist for Austin Opera. While performing as Austin Opera’s resident young artist, he covered Lt. Audebert in Kevin Puts’ Silent Night and Marcello in La Bohéme. In addition to these covers, he sang the roles of Araldo in Otello, Customs House Officer in La Bohéme, and German Solider in Silent Night. Siebert was featured as the Bass soloist for Haydn’s Stabat Mater with Chorus Austin and Austin Symphony Orchestra’s Messiah. Other performances include Mr. Gobineau (The Medium) and Marco (Gianni Schicchi) with Merola Opera Program, Belcore with Dallas Opera Outreach’s version of L’elisir d’amore, and Mustafá in Seagle Music Colony’s L’Italiana in Algeri. While at the University of North Texas, Siebert performed the title role in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd and played the villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Siebert holds a Masters in Music from the University of North Texas and a B.A. in Music from Northwestern University.
​Sacristan - Rick Purvis
A native of Anderson, Indiana, Rick Purvis has been singing in Central Indiana for more than 40 years. He is thrilled to be making his professional opera debut in IO's Tosca. Better late than never! Rick received his BM from Butler University and his MM in vocal performance from Indiana University. Some roles performed with the IU opera include Osmin, Sarastro, Emile de Becque, Don Alfonso, Pistola, and Arkel to name a few. Rick has studied with James Mulholland, Dale Moore and Giorgio Tozzi. Following his studies at IU, Rick sang several seasons with the Chicago Lyric and Cincinnati Opera choruses. Locally, Rick sang nearly three decades with the Choir of Men &  Boys at Christ Church Cathedral and is currently the bass section leader at Geist Christian Church.

Rick has been a realtor/broker with the FC Tucker Co. for the past 14+ years. He has been blessed with three children, Megan, Alex and Rachel and three grandchildren, Henry, Calvin and Margot
Spoletta - Brandon A. Lockhart
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Brandon Lockhart began his musical studies at the young age of nine. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Kentucky State University prior to matriculating at Florida State University College of Music, earning a Master of Music in Vocal Performance. Brandon delights in his passion for interpreting classical literature and has performed a varied repertoire including Opera, Oratorio, Musical Theater, Art Song and Jazz. Beginning his vocal studies as a baritone, highlights of opera performances include Marco in Gianni Schicchi, Guglielmo in Cosí fan tutte, Le moine musicien in Massenet’s rarely performed Le jongleur de Notre Dame, Morales in Carmen, and Dandini in La Cenerentola. In 2013 he was the grand prize recipient of the Hannah C. Bealieu Vocal Competition. In 2016, Brandon made his debut as a Tenor. His first engagement was the Tenor Soloist for Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ and was featured in recital at the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church. Brandon’s role credits as a tenor include Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, El Remendado in Carmen, Tamino in The Magic Flute and Le Comte Barigoule in Viardot’s Cendrillon, Parpignol in La Boheme and Rapunzel’s Prince in Sondheim’s Into the Woods.
Sciarrone - Dalton Woody
​Dalton Woody, a baritone originally from Western North Carolina, received his undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance from Mars Hill University and his Master’s degree in Opera Performance from the University of Houston. Dalton has appeared in supporting roles with the Asheville Lyric Opera as Action in Bernstein’s West Side Story, Fiorello in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and The Speaker in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. While attending the University of Houston, he sang the roles of Francis Nurse in Robert Ward’s The Crucible, Cosimo in John Musto’s The Inspector, Ali in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri, Leandro in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges, and Charles Surface in the world premiere of the University of Houston’s Production of The School For Scandal. In addition to opera, Dalton was the bass soloist with the Symphony of Southeast Texas for their 2020 performance of the Faure Requiem. Dalton joined Houston Grand Opera as a chorister for their 2020 production of Verdi’s Aïda and returned for their 2022 production of Puccini’s Turandot. During the Summer of 2021, Dalton was engaged as an Emerging Artist with Charlottesville Opera, where he sang the role of Alcindoro in Puccini’s La Bohème. Dalton returned as an Emerging Artist to Charlottesville Opera the following summer where he sang the role of Franz the Butler and covered Captain von Trapp in Rogers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music and sang the role of Cascada in Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow.
​Jailer - Gabriel Hernandez
A native of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, Bass Gabriel Hernandez received his Bachelor’s from Texas Tech University, where he appeared as Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte (Mozart), Sarastro in The Magic Flute (Mozart), Frank Maurrant in Street Scene (Weill), Betto in Gianni Schicchi (Puccini), and chorus in The Mikado (Gilbert & Sullivan), Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck), and Dido and Aenaes (Purcell). In the summer of 2019, Gabriel made his European operatic stage debut, performing the role of Il Commendatore in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the historic Estates Theatre for Prague Summer Nights. Gabriel is currently pursuing his Master’s at IU, where he studies with Peter Volpe and has performed Seneca in L'incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi) and chorus in La Rondine. Gabriel made his professional opera debut in the summer of 2022 singing the role of Zuniga in MIOpera’s production of Carmen.​
​Tosca Cover/Chorus - Anna Mandina
Hailed as a “true Puccini lyric soprano” by Opera News, Italian-American soprano, Anna Mandina, is quickly making a name for herself in the opera world. Ms. Mandina recently performed the role of Mimì in Sarasota Opera’s production of Puccini’s La bohème to great acclaim. Anna made her mainstage debut at Sarasota Opera in 2019, singing 13 performances of Liù in the company’s Diamond Anniversary production of Turandot. Mandina was hailed as “impressive” and "heart-rending” as Liù by Opera News, having conveyed “all that is sweet and good with a robust soprano voice that can float a high B-flat as she sung of Calaf’s smile.” In 2016, 2017, and 2019, Anna performed as a Studio Artist and a Principal Artist with Opera Maine. In her time there, Ms. Mandina performed the role of Eva Crowley in the East Coast premiere of Jack Perla's An American Dream. Besides the Puccini heroines, Anna’s signature roles include Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Micaëla (Carmen), Violetta Valéry (La traviata), Susannah Polk (Susannah), and Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow). Anna’s training has included apprenticeships with Seagle Festival, the Houston Grand Opera Young Artist Vocal Academy, Opera Company of Middlebury, Opera Maine, the Missouri Symphony, and Sarasota Opera. Ms. Mandina holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Master of Music in Opera Performance from The Boston Conservatory. When she is at home in Kansas City, Anna enjoys cooking with her Italian family, gardening, and spending quality time with her partner Shawn and their two cats, Charlie and Linus.
Sheperd Boy/Chorus - Christine Boddicker
Christine Boddicker, mezzo-soprano, a native of the Chicagoland area of Illinois is excited to return to the Midwest to join Indianapolis Opera as a Resident Artist. Christine’s recent engagements include Mercédès (Carmen) and covering Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) as a Young Artist at Brevard Music Festival. Previously, Christine has been a Young Artist with Opera Steamboat (2021), Chicago Summer Opera (2019), and Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music Center (2018, 2022). Additionally, in December of 2019, she traveled to Wichita, Kansas to sing the role of La Zelatrice (Suor Angelica) with Music on Site Inc. In the summer of 2020, Christine had the privilege to rejoin the Janiec Opera Company as Dater #44 in the virtual premiere of ZOOM Speed Dating Tonight! Other recent virtual projects include operatic scenes with Miami Music Festival, and Sally (A Hand of Bridge) with the Moores Opera Center. Favorite roles performed include Sesto (La clemenza di Tito) with Opera Steamboat, Angelina (La Cenerentola),Charlotte (A Little Night Music), Sesto (Giulio Cesare), and Giacinta (La finta semplice) with the Moores Opera Center. Christine has also been selected as a finalist in the 2022 San Antonio Tuesday Musical Club vocal competition, and received the First Place award in the 2021 MI Opera Voice Competition. She holds degrees from University of Houston (MM - Performance) and Michigan State University (BM - Performance).
Artistic Staff
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Guest Director: James Marvel
Conductor: Alfred Savia
Conducting Assistant: Carlos Hernandez
Assistant Director: Jessica Burton
Chorus Director: Charles Prestinari
Rehearsal Accompanist:  Migeun Chung
James Marvel - Director
Internationally acclaimed stage director James Marvel was born and raised in New Orleans and made his Lincoln Center debut in 2008 for the Juilliard Opera Center. Since his professional directing debut in 1996, James has directed over 150 productions and was named Classical Singer Magazine’s “2008 – Stage Director of the Year.” Career highlights include groundbreaking new productions for the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Opera Carolina, Opera Boston, Opera Santa Barbara, Syracuse Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, 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. International credits include a new production of Carmen for Opera Africa in Johannesburg and Die Zauberflote for the Seoul International Opera in South Korea. Other international credits include work in Canada, Scotland, England, Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. He serves as Director of Opera for the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
​Maestro Alfred Savia
​Recently appointed Artistic Advisor and Principal 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 to1996. 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....
​Dr. Jessica Burton - Resident Assistant Director
Jessica is excited to be joining Indianapolis Opera as Resident Assistant Opera Director. She has assistant directed at Austin Opera, Amarillo Opera, LOLA (Local Opera Local Artists), UT Austin, Spotlight on Opera, and FAVA France. Past directing credits include Little Women, At the Statue of Venus, Speed Dating Tonight, Das Lied von der Erde (UT Austin), Cendrillon, Pomme d’api (FAVA France), Angels in America, The Laramie Project and Bent (Avenue 10). She has a Doctor of Musical Arts in Opera Direction from UT Texas at Austin, as well as a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Technical Theatre from West Texas A&M University. Jessica’s passion is cultivating community engagement among the next generation of opera goers.
​Chorus Director - Dr. Charles Prestinari
Dr. Charles Prestinari is currently a member of the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, teaching collaborative piano (vocal) and serving as an opera coach with the Indiana University Opera Theater. Dr. Prestinari was chorus master of the San Diego Opera from 2011-2016. During his final two seasons with SDO, he was also music administrator for the company. Notable productions from his time in San Diego included the U.S. professional stage premiere of Pizzetti’s Assassinio nella Cattedrale, the West Coast premieres of Jake Heggie’s Moby Dick and Great Scott, productions of Puccini’s Turandot, Saint-Säens’ Samson et Dalila, Verdi’s Aida, Un Ballo in Maschera, and Requiem, and John Adams’ Nixon in China. From 2004-2011, he was associated with New York City Opera, first as assistant chorus master and from 2007, as chorus master, working on over fifty different productions, including the double-bill Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Massenet’s Cendrillon, Chabrier’s L’Etoile, Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra, the New York premiere of Bernstein’s A Quiet Place, and an Emmy-winning Live from Lincoln Center telecast of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. In addition to his work for San Diego Opera and New York City Opera, Dr. Prestinari has also prepared choruses for The Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, The Aspen Summer Music Festival, The New York City Ballet, and The Manhattan School of Music. Dr. Prestinari has worked as an accompanist/coach for the Israel Vocal Arts Institute’ Summer Opera Program in Tel Aviv, the Carmel Bach Festival, the Brevard Summer Music Festival, Opera San Antonio, Opera New Jersey, the National Chorale, and the University of San Diego. An active church musician, Dr. Prestinari has also served as organist for churches in New York, New Jersey, and San Diego, and currently serves as Director of Music at First United Methodist Church, Bloomington.
Migeun Chung, Pianist​
Dr. Migeun Chung, collaborative pianist/coach, was named music director for Opera Scenes at MOSI in Winter 2021, répétiteur/pianist for A Midsummer Night's Dream at Opera NUOVA in summer 2019, coach/pianist at Opera in the Ozarks in 2018, and has participated in multiple opera and musical theatre productions at Bayview Music Festival. Her recent engagements include working with Marcello Cormio at the Opera Lucca (Puccini's Suor Angelica) and Gabriel Dobner at AIMS of 2022 as a lieder pianist. In the upcoming 2022 season at MOSI, Dr. Chung will return as a pianist-coach for Così fan tutte and a Music Director and Pianist-Coach for Opera Scenes Showcase. Past productions include George Frideric Handel’s Rinaldo, Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Douglas Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe, Cinderella (a Pastiche) of Rossini and Massenet, Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Gréty’s Zémire et Azor, Kurt Weill’s Berlin to Broadway, and Stephen Schwartz’s Pippin, and Dunean Sheik’s Spring Awakening. Dr. Chung frequently plays in master classes and continues to collaborate with internationally renowned artists, music directors, and coaches at NUOVA, the CoOperative program, and Classic Lyric Arts in Italy. Dr. Chung holds a Doctorate and Master's degree in piano performance, with focused studies in collaborative piano, from the University of North Texas, where she received the Eastman Piano Scholarship for International Students, Patsy C. & Fred W. Patterson Scholarship, Larry Walz Piano Scholarship, and a graduate assistantship under Adam Wodnicki. She recently earned a second Master's degree in collaborative piano from Carnegie Mellon University, where she also served as opera rehearsal/principal pianist. In the spring of 2022, she will return to Indianapolis Opera as Resident Artist Pianist.
Indianapolis Opera Chorus
​Sopranos: 

Patricia Brown
Elizabeth Ewigleben
Brenda Jackson
Anna Mandina
Tayisha McGuire
Rachel Purvis
Ingrid Rodriguez

Tenors: 

Larry Goens (Lieutenant)
TreMayne Horne (Solider)
Will Upham (Soldier)
​Mark Wheatley (Soldier)
Mezzo-Sopranos:

Christine Boddicker
Karen Clifton
Kara Davis
Kelsee Hankins




​Baritones: 

David Dulhanty (Cardinal)
Ed Hennes (Soldier)
Gabriel Hernandez (Deacon/Jailer)
Sean Manterfield (Bishop)
Rick Purvis (Sacristan)
Steve Wrighton (Bishop)
Choir School at Christ Church Cathedral​
​
Christopher Caruso-Lynch, Canon and Director of Music
Nathan Wright, School and Family Connections Coordinator, The Choir School
Christopher Caruso-Lynch​
​Christopher Caruso-Lynch is Canon and Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, where he oversees the Cathedral’s wide-ranging liturgical and concert offerings. Previously, Christopher held Assistant Organist positions at Christchurch Cathedral, New Zealand; Trinity Cathedral, Portland; St. Mark's Cathedral, Shreveport; and Trinity Church, Bloomington. He was Organ Scholar at St. Paul's, K Street, in Washington, D.C, and has served as Adjunct Lecturer in Music at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University.

Christopher studied organ performance and early music at Indiana University where his teachers included Janette Fishell, Bruce Neswick, Jeffrey Smith, Christopher Young, and Elisabeth Wright. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana and is an Associate of the American Guild of Organists. In 2017, Christopher was named on the “20 under 30” list by Diapason Magazine. Christopher was a chorister at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in The American Boychoir.