Albert Herring

Soprano, Hope Dedrick is passionate about authenticity and joy in the arts. Her most recent credits include the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Die Königin der Nacht in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (cover), both with UMKC opera. In the 2022 season, she appeared as La Comtesse in UMKC Opera's production of Chérubin and Knitter 1 in A Game of Chance with Lawrence Opera Theatre. Other recent roles include Mrs. Foster in Lawrence Opera Theatre’s company premier of Timothy Peterson’s The Séance, Second Woman/Belinda (cover) in UMKC Opera’s production of Dido and Aeneas, and Suor Angelica (cover) with Midwest Opera Theater. Hope recently earned her Master of Music degree in vocal performance at University of Missouri-Kansas City under the tutelage of Dr. Maria Kanyova. She holds undergraduate degrees in vocal performance and music education from the same institution.

Melody Prater, soprano, currently studies with Dr. Katherine Jolly at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She plans to graduate in 2025 with a PACE concentration (Pedagogy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement).

Initially from Maize, KS, Melody’s family encouraged a comprehensive artistic education, including dance and orchestral music. Melody is passionate about bringing classical music into the present artistic landscape by making it entertaining and accessible to a broad audience.

Ella Mbali Vaughn is 19 years old and attends Oberlin Conservatory where she studies with Dr. Kathrine Jolly. She began her singing journey when she was 9 years old thanks to serendipity from a unicycle accident at circus camp! Ella badly broke her wrist in a unicycle accident which prevented her from taking piano and guitar lessons for close to a year, so she started voice lessons and hasn't looked back. Singing is a major part of Ella’s life—she regularly performs at Oberlin and at community events, she attends vocal institutes in the summer, and participates in vocal competitions several times a year. In 2023, Ella won 1st place in The Schmidt Vocal Arts National Competition and was a YoungArts finalist. She has also received 1st place awards from The George Shirley Competition, Matinèe Musicale, The Overture Awards, and The Martha Marcks Mack Vocal Award.

Anya is thrilled to join the Chicago Summer Opera as Florence Pike in 'Albert Herring.' A distinguished classical mezzo-soprano, she recently earned her Master's degree from Northern Illinois University under the esteemed Dr. Orna Arania and is currently coached by Kenneth Smith.

With a rich background in both musical theater and classical training, she has performed at renowned venues such as the Kennedy Center, Center Stage and the Workhouse Theater in the Washington D.C. area.Anya's repertoire spans a diverse range of music genres, with her international background playing a key role in enriching her artistic craft.

Over the past year, Anya showcased her talent with notable performances, including soloing for the Fermi Community Orchestra's Invitation to Opera Concert and portraying the title character in 'The Medium.' She was honored as the SBC Voice Finalist and performed with the Sinfonietta Bel Canto Orchestra. Anya is passionate and active in community outreach, teaching music classes at DaCapo School of Music and inspiring future artists.

Looking forward, Anya is excited to join the Minnesota Opera Chorus in the fall for Charles Gounod’s 'Romeo and Juliet.' Follow along with her journey on Instagram: @anya_mezzo.

Mezzo-soprano Inhye Choi will be graduating with her Artist Diploma degree from Montclair State University in May. She graduated her Master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music and her Bachelor’s degree from Sookmyung Women's University in South Korea. She debuted as Susanna(Le Nozze di Figaro)with the New Seoul Opera Company in 2021. Also, she performed as Mercedes(Carmen) at the Miami Music Festival in 2022, performed as Zita in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and Buoso's Ghost by Michael Ching at Montclair State University in 2023. Last summer, she workshopped the opera Notes of Viardot as Maria in Taos Opera Institute. This winter she perfromed as Mother Marie in Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmélites at Montclair State university with great success. Scene works include Carmen(Carmen) ,Mary(Fliegender Holländer),Rosina(Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Idamante (Idomeneo), Maddalena (Rigoletto),Giannetta(Elisir d'amore),Violetta(La Traviata), Hexe(Hänsel und Gretel) and Radames(Aida).

This summer she will be coming back as Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea at Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and Nancy in Albert Herring at Chicago Summer Opera.

Stella FitzGerald is a mezzo-soprano who recently graduated with her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Boston University. During her time there, she studied under the tutelage of Professor Penelope Bitzas. Stella grew up in Austin, Texas, where she developed her love for the performing arts. After her summer in Chicago, Stella will begin her graduate studies at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she will earn her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance. She hopes to make a career singing both opera and art song repertoire. Recent credits include the role of Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel with Miami Music Festival, and the role of Cherubino in scenes from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with Ithaca College Opera Studio.

After winning a choral scholarship to Clare College Cambridge, Juliet pursued another path, holding various senior positions in financial services in the City of London. She saw the light and now holds a postgraduate diploma from Trinity Laban Conservatoire, where she played "Madge" in the world premiere of McNeff's "Banished" and Arnalta in L'incoronazione di Poppea. Subsequent roles included Orfeo (Orfeo Ed Euridice), Miss Todd (The Old Maid and the Thief) and Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas) for Handmade Opera; Suzy/Lolette (La Rondine) and Carmen for Mediterranean Opera Festival; Florence Pike (Albert Herring) for Miami Music Festival; Maddalena (Rigoletto) and Zita (Gianni Schicchi) for Camerata de Bardi, First Norn (Götterdämmerung) and Klytemenaestra (Elektra) for New York Dramatic Voices, La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica) for Varna Festival, Ottone (L'incoronazione di Poppea) and Bradamante (Alcina) for Ensemble OrQuesta and Hermia (A Midsummer Night's Dream) for Chicago Summer Opera. Most recently she played Juno (Semele) for Ensemble OrQuesta. Film work includes playing an opera-singing ghost in a multi-award-winning short, Per Aspera, for the London Film School and being an "angelic voice" on the soundtrack of Nostradamus. Solo recordings include Rutter's Gloria for the Bach Choir and Bliss's "Shield of Faith" for the Collegiate Singers. She enjoys playing horrible old women, suspiciously small men and ladies of questionable morals, which is just as well.

Sam Plumb is an exciting young tenor based in Salt Lake City, UT. Growing up in a military family across several American states, Sam has had nowhere to consistently call home besides the stage. His vocal agility, dynamics, and sensitivity have helped him excel in roles including Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Alfredo (La Traviata), and Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), among others. He has also enjoyed performing in contemporary operas such as Michael Leavitt’s A Christmas Carol, Amy Scurria’s A.L.I.C.E., and Nicolas Giusti’s The Importance of Being Earnest.

Sam is currently working towards completion of a M.M. in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Utah. As a Teaching Assistant, he performs as part of the University Graduate Vocal Quartet, and teaches lessons to undergraduate students. After initial studies at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, He received his B.M. in Vocal Performance, Summa Cum Laude, from Utah Valley University. His teachers include Dr. Robert Breault, Dr. Seth Keeton, Dr. Isaac Hurtado, and Professor Stephen West.

Sam looks forward to emerging from his studies and beginning a fabulous and unforgettable performance career.

An emerging tenor from Indianapolis, IN, Jonathan Shinn is excited to be covering Albert Herring with CSO! Jonathan is going into his senior year at Butler University, studying vocal performance and music education with Dr. Dana Zenobi, soprano. Jonathan has a passion for performing, playing Monostatos and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, the Mayor in Albert Herring, and during his semester abroad in Milan, Italy, Agenore in Il re pastore, studying with Patrizia Zenardi. Jonathan adores sharing music with anyone who will listen and you will often find him on a plane heading to the next adventure that lies ahead. Jonathan would like to thank his supportive friends, family, and professors who have formed him into the musician and performer he is today.

Praised by critics for his “deep, solid notes full of richness,” and for his “superbly sung” “breathtaking delivery of arias and recitatives;” rising regional star Lyric Baritone Andrew Fellows has quickly become known throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for his work in opera. This previous season Andrew made several house and role debuts, appearing as Mars in Pocket Opera’s production of Orpheus in the Underworld, and as Un Carceriere in Tosca with Opera San José. An advocate for new music and opera, Andrew has taken part in several world premieres and new operas where he was heard as a featured soloist in Alma Deutscher’s Cinderella, now streaming on Youtube, as well as with West Edge Opera’s new opera showcase “Snapshots” at the San Francisco Opera Center where he performed the roles of Cody in The Limit of the Sun, Shiro Azuma in When Purple Mountains Burn, and The Cellist in The Morpheus Quartet. He also originated the role of Rodin’s apprentice in A Jake Heggie Triptych with Festival Opera and appeared in the west coast premiere of the new opera Broken Chord in collaboration with Stanford Live, and choreographer composer duo Gregory Maqoma, and Thuthuka Sibisi. Further work this season includes his debut as the Bass Soloist in Handel’s Messiah, and a return to Opera San José in their 40th anniversary season appearing as Grégorio while covering the role of Comte Capulet in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, study covering Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and appeared as A Court Usher, while covering Marullo in Verdi’s Rigoletto. Career highlights include cover Elder McLean in Susannah (Festival Opera), Escamillo in Carmen (Varna International), Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro (Stanford Live), Bartolo cover in Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera San José).

Singer, actor, and educator, Caden Cole is a lyric baritone in his final semester at Southern Illinois University. His most recent operatic appearance was the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Mozart in the Knobs music festival in Floyd Knobs, Indiana. While student teaching in the spring, he is billed as the baritone soloist in Leopold Mozart’s Mass in A this February. As an active choral musician, he currently sings with the Paducah Singers, a professional choir based in Kentucky.

Zachary Mascarinas is a second-year student at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, where he is pursuing a B.M. in Opera Performance studying under Jennifer Sung. He part of the tenor-bass choir Cantus and serves as baritone section leader in the University Choir directed by Jonathan Talberg.

In the Spring of 2023, Zachary performed the role of Harashta in 'The Cunning Little Vixen', has recently performed the role of Dr. Falke in 'Die Fledermaus’ for the Spring of 2024. And will be performing in the chorus of 'Madame Butterfly' for the Pacific Opera Project in early June.

Born in Mexico City. He completed his undergraduate studies in singing at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), with Roberto Bañuelas and later with Guadalupe “Lupita” Campos.

He has sung on multiple stages in Mexico as well as in Cuba, Costa Rica and Brazil.

He collaborated in the direction of the Bellas Artes Opera Studio (EOBA) in Mexico.

Sierra Leslie is a budding Soprano hailing from Bowie, MD, and is eager to make her Chicago debut. She recently completed her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Johns Hopkins’ Peabody Institute of Music, allowing the opportunity for her growth in all things Classical Music and beyond. She hopes to grace more stages in the future in all capacities and is honored to be singing with the Chicago Summer Opera Program this year!

Sophia Silvers, Fair Oaks-based coloratura soprano, holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from California State University, Sacramento. She recently made her principal debut as Ida in Strauss Jr.’s Die Fledermaus with the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera (SP&O), directed by Giselle Ty. Previous engagements with the SP&O include the chorus in Puccini’s La Bohème and sharing the stage with Andrea Bocelli. Sophia is excited to perform Emmie in Britten’s Albert Herring with the Chicago Summer Opera. More notable roles include Königin der Nacht in Mozart’s Die Zauberflӧte, La Fée in Viardot’s Cendrillon, and Lauretta in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, all of which were performed with CSUS Opera Theatre. Sophia was featured in the Festival of New American Music’s GALA concert and participated in the young artist program Operation Opera last summer. Sophia has sung in various local choirs and is currently with Camerata California, with whom she sang the soprano soloist in Vivaldi’s Magnificat. Sophia extends her passion for music as a voice and piano instructor at Music Lab and throughout Sacramento.