Ariadne auf Naxos

Helena is a passionate storyteller and loves breathing life into characters and poetry from early music to contemporary opera. Her young dramatic soprano voice has been described as “thrilling, with a unique depth” and “glittering with beauty and power from top to bottom”. Her favorite roles performed and studied include Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos), Chrysothemis (Elektra), Elettra (Idomeneo), Marie Antoinette (The Ghosts of Versailles), Elisabeth (Tannhäuser), Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos), Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Leonora (Il Trovatore), Mrs. Grose/Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw), and Madame Lidone (Dialogues des Carmélites). Helena is on the Voice Faculty of Montclair State University where she also earned a post-graduate Artist Diploma with renowned teacher Beth Roberts. She has recently appeared with Opera Atlantic, Berlin Dramatic Voices, Chicago Summer Opera, Cali Opera Theater, the Trentino Music Festival, New York Lyric Opera, and as a resident artist and board member of Brooklyn Telemann Chamber Society. She is also a co-founder and executive director of Opera Atlantic, a New Jersey-based arts non-profit organization.

Praised for her strength as a dramatic interpreter and her large, colorful sound, Soprano Lauren Ingebrigtsen is earning a reputation as a powerhouse singing actor. She was hailed as "strong and versatile" by the Chicago Reader for her performance as Edka in Chicago Fringe Opera’s Two Remain, and by the Decaturian as “phenomenal” and a “true star” for her turn as Madame Flora in Millikin Opera Theatre’s The Medium. Her repertoire spans from the Baroque to the 21st century and she remains devoted to telling powerful stories onstage. She is based in Chicago and is a Teaching Artist at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Miss Ingebrigtsen also prides herself on having a diverse studio of intelligent young artists who use music to express their own individual stories and identities. In May and June she was an Emerging Artist with the Opera Festival of Chicago, covering Nedda in their production of I Pagliacci. She is delighted to be joining Chicago Summer Opera in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos.

Chris Li is a young soprano from Shenzhen China. She has performed in various musical events, including the 5th Shenzhen Mozart Music Festival, The Chamber Music Concert and The Sound of Music Vocal Concert in the Way of The Artist Series Performances. Chris also has a passion for Opera. Her recent engagement in Operas include Lakmé from Léo Delibes’s Lakmé, Mistress Ford in Otto Nicolai’s Merry Wives, and Susanna from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.

American soprano Kristina Butler has recently appeared as Lady Valerie (Cabildo), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), and Edith (Pirates of Penzance) at the University of Colorado in Boulder. While at CU, she was a Graduate Division Finalist for the 2024 Concerto Competition and selected to sing for the 2024 New Opera Workshop. Kristina’s other operatic roles include Lay Conversa (Suor Angelica), Ida (Die Fledermaus), Littler Daughter (Proving Up), Billie Jean King (Balls), and Nella (cover, Gianni Schicchi). Originally from Burnsville, MN, Kristina received her Bachelor’s degree in Music and Spanish from St. Olaf College and her Master’s degree in Music from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Kristina was a finalist for the 2025 Colorado Bach Ensemble Young Artist Competition and a 2021 recipient of the Fulbright Research Grant to Ecuador, where she produced a new music album, Sueños de Zazá, alongside collaborators at the Universidad de las Artes in Guayaquil.

Marissa Elizabeth Perri is a Philadelphia native and emerging light lyric coloratura soprano, passionate about bringing compelling performances to audiences across the country. She has appeared in notable roles at the Peabody Conservatory, including Rossignol in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges.

Her previous credits also include Constance in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites (2023), covering Venus in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival (2022), and covering Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with Penn State Opera Theatre (2021).

Deeply committed to the evolution of contemporary opera, Marissa has worked closely with Dr. Blair Salter—renowned opera director and pianist—through Penn State’s Opera Workshop. This initiative focuses on presenting new works in collaboration with living composers, reflecting modern experiences and narratives that help opera remain a vibrant and relevant art form.

Outside of performance, Marissa is equally passionate about arts marketing and digital storytelling. She has worked with Johns Hopkins University managing social media for the Doctoral Life Design Studio, and has also produced podcasts. She believes in the power of authenticity in the digital age and advocates for sharing genuine stories through media.

Marissa currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland, and recently earned her Master of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory.

Ariana Nicolette Rodi is a Soprano from Lawrenceville, NJ. She received her Bachelor of Music Performance from Susquehanna University in May 2024. Ariana has been featured on stage as Columbine in “Fete Galante” by Ethyl Smyth, Helene in “There and Back” by Paul Hindemith, and “Daughter” in “Pirates of Penzance” by Gilbert and Sullivan. Most recent she was in the chorus of “Il Torvatore” with Boheme Opera NJ, and appeared as a Voice Intensive Artist with Orvieto Musica the past 3 summers. Ariana is very excited to be apart of CSO this summer performing the role of Echo in “Ariadne auf Naxos”. In New Jersey you can find her regularly teaching music to all ages at St. Ann School and Mill Pond Music Academy as well as performing in various recitals, church services, and operas.

Rachel Nelson is a passionate performer who has been singing her whole life. Since childhood, she has been participating in community and school theater. It wasn’t until becoming a music major in college that she found a love and appreciation for opera. Rachel is a recent graduate of San Jose State University, where she received a bachelor's degree in vocal performance. Her previous roles include the Governess in Turn of the Screw and Léontine in L'amant anonyme. Her performance as the Governess earned her an award for Outstanding Music Performance. She has also performed the soprano solo in Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Haydn's Mass in Time of War in Slovenia. She credits her love of music to her late father, who was a musician himself and always supported her passion for singing.

Yujen Tsai is a Taiwanese soprano currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, where she also minors in Vocal Pedagogy under the mentorship of Kiera Duffy. She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Music in Voice from National Taiwan Normal University.

Before discovering her passion for singing, Yujen trained as a flutist for ten years. Her journey as a vocalist has since led her to the operatic stage, with performances at Peabody including Flora in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, the Flower Girl in Puccini’s La Rondine, and Constance in a scene from Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites.

She is a recipient of the 2024 Ministry of Education Taiwan Scholarship and was awarded the George Castelle Memorial Prize in Voice at Peabody. Deeply passionate about storytelling through music, Yujen is dedicated to exploring the intersections of performance, pedagogy, and cross-cultural expression.

Carmen Vizin, a Zwischenfach Soprano based in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, has honed her craft through extensive performances as a Mezzo-Soprano. Notable roles include Dorabella in Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” (DePaul Opera Theater), Cherubino in “Le nozze di Figaro” (Chicago Summer Opera), Dritte Dame in “Die Zauberflöte” (Berlin Opernfest), Olga in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” (Opera Aeterna), and others.

In addition to her operatic repertoire, Ms. Vizin has showcased her vocal prowess in song performances with the Wagner Society of Chicago, Kelenvölgy Cultural Salon, and the Orgona Pont Fesztivál of Hungary. She has also collaborated with the Opera Festival of Chicago in ensembles and as a cover.

This season, Ms. Vizin made her Soprano debut as La Contessa in Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro” (Opera Aeterna) and eagerly anticipates performing Komponist from Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” with the Chicago Summer Opera.

Vivien Stringfellow, from Stow, Massahusetts is a mezzo-soprano studying under Rachel Calloway. She has been seen on stage in roles including Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice), Mad Margaret (Ruddigore), Captain Frands von Frauenliebe (The Beautiful Bridegroom), Wheelwright/Wolf (Les Malhuers d’Orphée) and in the ensemble of Die Zauberflöte, La belle Hélène, and La Traviata. She is an alum of Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Operafest Sewanee, the Janiec Opera Company at Brevard Music Center, University of South Carolina School of Music Castleton Residency, and Chicago Summer Opera. She's excited to be joining CSO for another season. She graduated in May from the University of South Carolina with her Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance. She will be pursuing her Master’s of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Anna Górska - mezzo-soprano, is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where she studied under Professor Ewa Iżykowska-Lipińska. She is currently continuing her education at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, studying under Professor Mardi Byers, pursuing two majors: Voice and Opera Performance. As part of the latter, in December 2024, she performed the role of Marion Richter in Christian Jost's opera Die Arabische Nacht, and in June 2025 she took on the role of Sesto in Giulio Cesare in Egitto by G. F. Handel.

In April 2022, she made her debut at the Polish National Opera (Teatr Wielki) in a production of Suor Angelica by Giacomo Puccini, directed by Ewa Rucińska. That same year, she made her television debut in the program Bitwa tenorów na róże (“Battle of the Tenors for Roses”). In May 2023, she debuted at the Warsaw Chamber Opera, performing the role of Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro, directed by Grzegorz Chrapkiewicz. In 2024, she returned to the same theatre in the role of The Neighbor in the children’s opera Chcę śpiewać, ale nie mam gdzie (I Want to Sing, but I Have Nowhere to Do It).

In 2023, she was awarded a scholarship by the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS), and in 2025 she received a scholarship from the Chicago Summer Opera, where she is scheduled to perform as Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss in August.

In addition to stage performances, she has also found success in vocal competitions. In 2022, she won first prize in the Prof. Dichler-Competition (July 2022) and was a finalist in the Viva Calisia competition (November 2022). In 2024, she won the Vienna New Year’s Concert Competition, which led to her debut at the Musikverein in Vienna, where she performed with the Wiener Stadtorchester under the baton of Christian Schulz.

She has participated in numerous masterclasses and young artist training programs, including AIMS Opera Studio, Jeremy Carpenter’s Summer School for Classical Singers, the Vienna Music Seminar, and the Opera, Operetta and Orchestral Song Workshop in Vienna.

During her education, she had the opportunity to work with distinguished teachers, singers, pianists, directors, and conductors, including: Ewa Iżykowska-Lipińska, Mardi Byers, Robert Heimann, Joseph Breinl, Linda Watson, Laura Aikin, Jeremy Carpenter, Elin Rombo, Camilla Tilling, Kałudi Kałudov, Helena Zubanovic, Marcus Vorzellner, John Greer, Matti Hirvonen, Irene Kudela, Prof.Grzegorz Chrapkiewicz, Jerzy Snakowski, Ingo Kerkhof, Jitka Stokalska, Ewa Rucińska, Adam Banaszak, Piotr Sułkowski, Kuba Wnuk, Rafał Janiak, Krzysztof Kusiel-Moroz, Marta Kluczyńska, Maciej Pawłowski, Gerrit Prießnitz.

Outside of music - which includes her passion for opera, musical theatre, and playing the violin - she has also pursued studies in the field of linguistics. She is a graduate of the Institute of Applied Linguistics at the University of Warsaw, where she wrote the university’s first-ever master's thesis in the Swedish language. Her current academic interests within music also include kulning - the traditional Scandinavian herding call - which she has been studying, researching, and performing for several years, and on which she is currently writing her third academic dissertation.

Harper Davis, a mezzo-soprano from Raleigh, North Carolina, specializes in romantic and early-twentieth century repertoire. She recently received her Master of Music degree at Roosevelt University under Elizabeth Byrne. Harper has performed notable roles such as Maggie in The Clever Artifice of Harriet and Margaret and Zerlina in Don Giovanni. She has collaborated with esteemed directors like Amy Hutchison and conductors such as Christian Schulz, and received training from coaches Lynn Kompass and Dana Brown. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of South Carolina, Harper is also passionate about creating opportunities for underprivileged singers, advocating for broader access to classical music. Her versatile influences, ranging from rock to R&B, enrich her performances, which have been featured at the Vienna Summer Music Festival and La Musica Lirica.

Zongwei Zhang is a tenor from Hefei, China, currently studying at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the mentorship of Professor Carol Vaness. At IU Opera Theater, he performed the role of Don Remendado in Carmen. In Professor Vaness’s Opera Workshop, he sang Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Torquemada in L’heure espagnole. Under the direction of Professor Heidi Grant Murphy, he has performed the title role in Werther, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Fritz in L’amico Fritz, and Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute). In the summer of 2025, he will appear as the Dancing Master and Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos at Chicago Summer Opera.

Former baritone Spencer Greene recently graduated from the Bienen School of Music with his Master's in Voice and Opera. While there, he performed numerous roles, including Danilo in "Die Lustige Witwe," Sid in "Albert Herring," and Emperor Uberall in "The Emperor of Atlantis." This Fall, he will portray Figaro in a children's version of "The Barber of Seville" with the San Francisco Opera Guild, and this Winter, he will cover the role of Eisenstein in "Die Fledermaus" with Cedar Rapids Opera. He's excited to make his tenor debut with Chicago Summer Opera, and wishes to thank his teachers and coaches for guiding him through this change in fach.

Mark Huffines is an undergraduate student in music education and vocal performance at Texas Tech University under instruction of Professor Eric Stoklossa. His previous performances include the Mayor in Albert Herring, Alfredo in Die Fledermaus, and a quadruple cast as Andres, Cochenille, Franz, and Piticinnacio in Les Contes d'Hoffmann. After graduating, he plans on teaching high school choir and continuing his training before returning to school to pursue a master's degree in vocal performance.

Logan Dubner is a baritone from Miami, Florida. He attended the Eastman School of Music for his undergraduate degree and just completed his master’s degree from the Eastman School of music as well in the studio of Robert Swensen. During his undergraduate and master’s degree he performed as The Lawyer in Anthony Davis’s Lear on the Second Floor, Ein Lakai in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, the officer and second commissioner in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, and his most recent role is Maestro from Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar. He has also performed for Chicago Summer opera last summer as Peter in Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel. He has worked in masterclasses with Christian Van Horn and Sylvia Mcnair and spent 2 years in the Eastman Chorale. He was named one of 4 winners in the Eastman Concerto Competition and participated in a concert of selections from Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with a full orchestra under the direction of Anthony Parnther.

Jayden Fraser (he/him) is a Canadian baritone from Winnipeg, Manitoba in his fourth year of his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Manitoba studying with Monica Huisman and Mel Braun. A versatile performer, Jayden thrives in operatic, art song, and musical theatre repertoire. Select credits include Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (University of Manitoba excerpt), Frog in A Year with Frog and Toad (Manitoba Theatre for Young People), Sprecher and Papageno (cover) in Die Zauberflöte (UofM) The D’Ysquith Family in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (NUOVA Vocal Arts), Raoul in Phantom of the Opera, Curly in Oklahoma! (UofM excerpts). Jayden is also frequently seen in the chorus of Manitoba Opera productions, most recently in their 2025 production of La Bohème and 2024 production of Carmen. After a successful year at the 2025 Winnipeg Music Festival, Jayden is the recipient of the 2025 Rose Bowl Trophy, the Reg Hugo Memorial Trophy, and the Doris (Mills) Lewis Memorial Trophy. He is two-time runner up of the Zita Bernstein German Lieder Competition. Recent training includes the Canadian Opera Company’s Summer Opera Intensive as well as studies at Orford Musique Academy. Jayden is looking forward to joining Chicago Summer Opera as Harlequin in their production of Ariadne auf Naxos.

Sergey Martsenyuk is a baritone based in Toronto, Canada, known for his deep voice with rich undertones and commanding stage presence.

He is very passionate about opera and is hoping to soon be among the leading baritones in the world.

Sergey is bilingual and knows English, Russian, and Italian. He has performed repertoire in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, and Hebrew.

He will be appearing as Music Lehrer in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos in Chicago Summer opera 2025.

Baritone Lifan Deng, originally from Shenzhen, China and now based in Chicago, holds a Master of Music from Northwestern University and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Music, Mechanical Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. In 2025-26, he returns to Opera For The Young - after singing Papageno in The Magic Flute - to perform Sgt. Bill Corey in The Elixir of Love, and will sing Schaunard in La Bohème with Madison Opera. He was most recently seen as Masetto in Don Giovanni (Madison Opera) and Marco in Gianni Schicchi (Opera Company of Middlebury). LifanDeng.com

Will Schindler is a bass-baritone going into his third year of undergraduate studies at Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. Recently performing as Njegus in Northwestern’s production of The Merry Widow, Schindler was praised by Chicago Classical Review for his “highly effective comic relief.” Schindler has also performed as Sergeant of Police in Pirates of Penzance, El Rey in El Gato con Botas, and Master of Ceremonies in Cendrillon with Northwestern’s Opera Projects for Undergraduate Singers. Outside of Northwestern, Schindler has also performed the role of Marco in Gianni Schicchi at Berlin Opera Academy.

Captivating audiences with their clear, lyrical tone, tenor Ryan Daly continues to garner acclaim for their powerful portrayals of the operatic canon. They have sung in productions across the United States, portraying diverse roles such as Don José in Carmen, Tito in La Clemenza di Tito, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, and Ulisse in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria. The 2025 season sees Ryan make their role debuts as Lensky in Eugene Onegin and Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos, as well as covering the leading tenor role of Avito in Opera Festival of Chicago’s production of L’amore dei Tre Re.

Ryan has performed with companies nationwide, including Shreveport Opera, Opera Omaha, Opera Festival of Chicago, the Aspen Opera Theater, Miami Music Festival, and Utah Lyric Opera. In concert settings, they have showcased their versatility as a soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis, and as the Witch in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel.

Christopher Jonathan Comanescu is a Romanian American clarinetist and bass singer. Christopher learned how to play the clarinet in the sixth grade and solo singing in his senior year of high school. He is a versatile musician having played a variety of different music genres on the clarinet. In the area of voice, Christopher has also sung art songs, arias, musical, and choral music in Romanian, German, Swedish, Italian, and English.

Ryan Kelly is a rising senior at Texas State University pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with an Opera Minor. He has performed in many operas at Texas State, the most recent of which was in Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilege. Mr. Kelly has also performed in Vienna, Austria with Vienna Summer Music Festival where he performed the role of John Brooke in Mark Adamo's Little Women. He is very excited to be joining Chicago Summer Opera this summer and taking his next step towards a career in performing.