One Night Only!

FREDERIC

LEO BALKOVETZ is a tenor and librettist in the Boston area. In 2024 he sang “L'Amico Fritz” (Federico) with West End Lyric, “Pagliacci” (Beppe), and “Don Giovanni” (Don Ottavio) with Opera51. He was a guest artist with the Thurston Consort in Fitchburg, Paradox Opera in Durham, NC and Jupiter Opera in Chicago. Offstage, Leo was a 2024 FUSE collaborative poet with Catalyst New Music where he wrote the text for Rachel DeVore Fogarty’s song cycle “Poor Katy”. His 2025 season includes “Postcard from Morocco” (Lyric Tenor) with Lowell House Opera, “Carousel” (2nd Guard) with Boston Lyric Opera, and “Alcina” (Oronte u/s) with MassOpera.

MABEL

THE PIRATE KING

MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY

Dalton Rowe, baritone, is a 2025 graduate of the Boston University School of Music, where he earned his MM degree in Vocal Performance with Dr. Lynn Eustis. Dalton is from Oxford, Alabama, and received a degree in Music Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2022. In 2024, Dalton made his operatic debut as Le Premiere Ministre in BU Opera Institute’s productions of Massenet’s Cendrillon. At BU, he would go on to perform the roles of Bartley (Riders to the Sea), The Captain (Siren Song), and Marco (Gianni Schicchi). Last summer, Dalton was privileged to portray Masetto in Boston Summer Opera’s inaugural production of Don Giovanni and is thrilled to return this summer for roles in both Rigoletto and Pirates of Penzance. (enter) Beyond the world of opera, Dalton is an avid choral singer and soloist in the Boston area, having been a full-time member of the all-professional choir at Church of the Advent since 2023. At the Advent, Dalton has been the bass soloist in Vaughan Williams’s Mass in G Minor, Schubert’s Mass in C Major, and Mozart’s Vesperae and Mass in F Major. He has also been a soloist with Choral Arts Society of the South Shore, Cape Cod Chorale, and the BU Graduate Vocal Ensemble.

RUTH

Vanessa Moya is a Latina mezzo-soprano based in Boston who expertly uses her voice to sing music of both the past and present. A flexible artist comfortable in many styles and settings, she can regularly be seen and heard singing everything from contemporary opera to Baroque oratorios. (enter) Vanessa has done justice to several difficult roles in the operatic canon, including Ruggiero (Alcina), Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito), Candelas (El Amor Brujo/Manuel deFalla), and Gertrude Stein (After Life/Tom Cipullo). She has also performed Mamma Lucia (Cavalleria Rusticana), Arsamene (Serse), Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Cornelia (Giulio Cesare in Egitto), and L’enfant (L’enfant et les sortilèges). (enter) The highlights of her oratorio career include jumping in for Mozart’s Mass in C Minor on 24 hours’ notice and performing as Mercurius in a staged production of J.S. Bach’s Phoebus und Pan. She has also been a featured soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and multiple performances of The Messiah across Massachusetts.

In the technical theatre realm, Vanessa has stage managed Rigoletto and Don Giovanni with Boston Summer Opera, as well as Die Fledermaus with The Opera Company. She was previously the assistant stage manager for Così fan tutte with the Utah Vocal Arts Academy Summer Opera Festival.

Vanessa holds a Master of Music from Longy School of Music of Bard College and a Bachelor of Music from Stetson University, where she was awarded the Orestes Santos Music Scholarship for outstanding Cuban American music students in 2018. For more information, visit her website at www.vanessamoyamezzo.com.

SAMUEL

THE CHIEF OF POLICE

EDITH

Larisa Bainton Hernandez, an emerging soprano, is celebrated for her captivating performances and profound emotional depth. Recognized by the Boston Globe, OperaWire, WBUR and Bachtrack for her pioneering work in the classical realm, Larisa has earned her place in the spotlight. In 2021, the Eastman School of Music named her one of the “Outstanding Eastman Women” for her groundbreaking digital production of Hänsel und Gretel.

She studied at the world-renowned Eastman School of Music and New England Conservatory with Jan Opalach and Dr. Ian Howell respectively. She has performed around the globe on stages in Austria, Italy, Hawaii, Miami, California, New York, and in Boston where she resides. Her notable roles include Helena (Midsummer Night’s Dream), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Cendrillon (Cendrillon), and the Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro).

As a competitor, Larisa's accolades include being a semifinalist in the Orpheus Vocal Competition, Mario Lanza Scholarship Competition, and an alternate in the prestigious Washington International Competition. She was an encouragement award winner in the Mixtape Recital Competition, and a winner of Massachusetts Cultural Council grants in 2019 and 2022 for creative projects. (enter) Larisa’s creative interests concentrate on using technology to make classical music and opera more accessible to the modern day listener. She currently studies with Ms Carole Haber at New England Conservatory. Beyond her vocal talents, Larisa is also proficient in instruments like the piano, guitar, ukulele, and balalaika. When not performing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, three dogs, and two cats.

KATE

Dasom (Julia) Kim is classical singer who sings operas and art songs. She wants to express various characters through opera and tell people about life and various topics through songs. For this goal, she decided to study in the USA. She is studying under Dr. Dana Varga in MM course in Longy. In 2023/2024season, she performed the role ‘Fox‘ and ’Common rose 1’ in the opera “The Little Prince” (Longy) and the role ‘Euridice(cover)’ in the opera “Orfeo ed Euridice”(NEMPAC). In 2024/2025 season, she performed the title role ‘Cendrillon’ in the opera “Cendrillon” in the Fall Production of Longy. She completed her master’s recital, ‘On My Way (to grow)’ on May, 2025. She completed her mater’s course successfully. She graduated from Sookmyung University in Seoul, South Korea. She, for a while, puts aside her diverse experiences in the Korean music field and in order to learn broader and deeper musical experiences and teaching methods, she continues to challenge herself and learn without stopping. Now, she is excited to be ‘Kate’ in the production “The Pirates of Penzance” and she is looking forward to be a part of BLO singers and more challenges await in the 2025/2026 season.

Alicia Boucher, soprano, is a New Hampshire native based in Greater Boston, where she studies with soprano Sue Ellen Kuzma. Recent roles include Ellen in Lakmé (Chicago Summer Opera), Grandma Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof (Millis Theatre Group), and Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro (Winter Harbor Music Festival). Concert highlights include excerpts as Olympia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Despina (Così fan tutte), and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte). Alicia previously sang in the Don Giovanni chorus with Boston Summer Opera and is delighted to return for her second season. She is a soloist at St. Cecilia’s Church in Ashland, an emerging composer of songs and piano music, and also creates digital paintings. Alicia holds an ScB and ScM in Computer Science from Brown University.

Abigail Cunningham, soprano, from Lexington, Kentucky, is a Master of Music student under the tutelage of Dr. Lynn Eustis. Abigail received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Vocal Peformance from Carnegie Mellon University, along with a Certificate in Music Education and Minor in Orchestral Conducting.

This fall, Abigail performed Lucinda/Dark Sisters with Boston University. Notable credits include Despina/Cosí fan tutte (Carnegie Mellon University), Tullia/Ottone in Villa (Carnegie Mellon University), Noémie/Cendrillon (Utah Vocal Arts Academy), Papagena/Die Zauberflöte (Harrower Summer Opera Workshop), and Bianca/La Rondine (Opera in the Ozarks). Abigail made her Pittsburgh Opera debut in 2021 as Third Spirit/The Magic Flute. She is excited to be performing in her first Gilbert & Sullivan opera this summer with Boston Summer Opera, and for the opportunity to cover the role of Edith!

Lee Ellis (any pronouns) is a writer, actress, musician, and director from the Greater Boston area. Ellis graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island where they studied professional writing and classical voice. Throughout their education, Ellis performed as a featured soloist with URI’s Concert Choir and Opera Workshop, participated in several projects by the Encore Opera Company, and sang with the Warwick Symphony Orchestra as a part of their Emerging Voice Artists quartet. Since graduation, they have been an active performer in a diverse array of genres including opera, operetta, musical theatre, and straight plays. Notable projects include a madrigal dinner with the First Congregational Church of Randolph, a solo set at the Providence Music Mansion as a part of their February Musicales, and their self-directed recital, Women’ Wrongs. Other recent credits include: Rapunzel (Into the Woods, FCC Randolph), Columbia (The Rocky Horror Show, Ashland Community Theater), Mad Margaret (Ruddigore, Abridged, The Maenad Theatre Troupe), and the Greater Worcester Opera’s summer concert series.

They are the founding member and executive director of The Maenad Theatre Troupe, a project focused on bringing opera, operetta, and classical drama to Massachusetts’ South Shore. They recently directed and performed in the Maenads’ first project at the Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy, Crimes of Passion: A Valentine’s Day Concert which featured an abridged staging of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore. Professionally, they are a part of the enrollment team at a local music school and the alto section leader at the Pilgrim Church of Duxbury. Additionally, they are a full-time student pursuing a degree in biochemistry at Bridgewater State University.

Anna Gaddie, soprano from Hebron, Kentucky, is entering her second year of graduate studies at Boston University, earning a Master of Voice and studying under David Guzman. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Western Kentucky University in 2024, where she was twice recognized as Performer of the Semester. Her performances with BU Opera Institute include Presendia in Dark Sisters, Doncella Ensemble in El Caminante, chorus in Florencia en el Amazonas, and La Maestra delle Novizie in Suor Angelica. She has also appeared as Marie in Cinderella with Ramsey Theatre Company at Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, where she served as music director for children’s community theatre shows as part of BG OnStage. Anna is the 2020 Cincinnati Overture Award Winner and a member of Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honorary Society.

Quinn Gutman (they/them/he/him) is a Jewish transmasculine nonbinary tenor and composer. They have sung opera, musical theater, contemporary classical music, medieval music, experimental/improvisatory music, and indie folk. In May 2023, Quinn has sung the role of Anima in Hildegard von Bingen's opera Ordo Virtutum. In June 2022, they were going to play Mordred in the Lilac Player's production of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot, but that got cancelled during the omicron variant of COVID-19.(enter) Quinn is also a voice teacher, both singing and speech. They have their own studio, and they teach lessons and classes at WholeTone Music Academy and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Their specialty is in gender affirming voice, helping people of all genders find the voice that works for them and how to maintain it in their day-to-day life. They also teach lessons and classes to cis people who’ve never learned how to sing and want to give it a try. (enter) As a composer-performer, Quinn’s most known for their A Cappella Arias, a collection of song settings from various poets, all sung a cappella. Included in the collection are “The Thing About Cats”, set from John L’Heureux, “Witness”, set from their own poem, “Letter,” set from Amy Lowell and "App-les" set from Kelvyn Konig. In November 2020, they wrote their first one-person show You Know Who You Are about their experiences coming out as nonbinary. (enter) Quinn’s song cycle, We Will Outlive Them...Letters to Rivka from Galicia, commissioned by soprano Jessica Bloch, premiered in May 2024, setting letters that Bloch's great grandmother, received in the US from her family in Galicia in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire (modern-day Ukraine), during the country's rise of antisemitism before and during the world wars. Quinn is currently collaborating with librettist and tenor Leo Balkovetz on an opera called Violetta, a reimagining Verdi's La Traviata set in New York City in 1989. In this opera, Violetta is a transwoman singer/songwriter who's HIV positive, and Alfredo, renamed to Alexander, is a transman freelance journalist from the Midwest who had run away from his evangelical family. (enter) Quinn holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Oberlin Conservatory of Music where they studied with Lewis Nielson and Josh Levine. They hold a double masters in Vocal Performance and Composition at the Longy School of Music where they studied composition with Kate Pukinskis, Aaron Helgeson and Amy Beth Kirsten and voice with Corrine Byrne and Jeffrey Gavott.

Quang first arrived in Boston in 2016, where he started his doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering at Boston University. Prior to his move to Boston, Quang completed his Master of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. His training includes several internships, with positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. Quang earned his degree in 2021 and has been working as a software engineer since graduation.

It wasn’t until 2019, while exploring the gorgeous scenery of New Mexico during one of his internships, that Quang had his first meaningful encounter with choral singing, where he joined the Chancel Choir of St. John's Methodist Church in Albuquerque. Inspired by the collaborative nature of choral music, Quang began taking private voice lessons and has actively participated in several choruses and chorales in the Greater Boston area. Currently, Quang sings with the choir of Trinity Church in Copley Square and Masterworks Chorale. He has also taken part in the Handel and Haydn's Society recent program, CitySing, where community members were invited to sing alongside with the professional chorus.

Olympia is a Boston-based soprano and actress, currently a staff singer at the Church of the Advent and a student of Emily Siar at Boston Conservatory. She has appeared onstage as Natasha in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (2023), Galatea in Acis and Galatea (2023), and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro (2022). She has also served as President of the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players (2022) and stage director of Harvard College Opera's The Merry Widow (2023). Outside of music and theater, she is a research technician in the Burns Lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, studying the biology of jumping genes. She also likes drawing pictures of dinosaurs.

Eliza is an active vocalist and writer, and in the last year has performed her original music at notable venues including The Drake, Club Passim, The Lilypad, and The Bitter End. Recent theatrical performances include Speed Dating Tonight! (Dater) with Dee Opera, The Suppliant Women (Women’s Chorus) with Apollinaire Theatre Company, and The Medium (Baba) with Tufts Opera. Alongside Pirates of Penzance, her Summer 2025 season includes singing in the choruses for Tosca with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Sweeney Todd with Opera51. Eliza holds a BM in Voice Performance and Composition from UMass Amherst, and an MA in Composition from Tufts University.

FREDERIC

MABEL

THE PIRATE KING

Eliza is an active vocalist and writer, and in the last year has performed her original music at notable venues including The Drake, Club Passim, The Lilypad, and The Bitter End. Recent theatrical performances include Speed Dating Tonight! (Dater) with Dee Opera, The Suppliant Women (Women’s Chorus) with Apollinaire Theatre Company, and The Medium (Baba) with Tufts Opera. Alongside Pirates of Penzance, her Summer 2025 season includes singing in the choruses for Tosca with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Sweeney Todd with Opera51. Eliza holds a BM in Voice Performance and Composition from UMass Amherst, and an MA in Composition from Tufts University.

MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY

RUTH

Lee Ellis (any pronouns) is a writer, actress, musician, and director from the Greater Boston area. Ellis graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island where they studied professional writing and classical voice. Throughout their education, Ellis performed as a featured soloist with URI’s Concert Choir and Opera Workshop, participated in several projects by the Encore Opera Company, and sang with the Warwick Symphony Orchestra as a part of their Emerging Voice Artists quartet. Since graduation, they have been an active performer in a diverse array of genres including opera, operetta, musical theatre, and straight plays. Notable projects include a madrigal dinner with the First Congregational Church of Randolph, a solo set at the Providence Music Mansion as a part of their February Musicales, and their self-directed recital, Women’ Wrongs. Other recent credits include: Rapunzel (Into the Woods, FCC Randolph), Columbia (The Rocky Horror Show, Ashland Community Theater), Mad Margaret (Ruddigore, Abridged, The Maenad Theatre Troupe), and the Greater Worcester Opera’s summer concert series.

They are the founding member and executive director of The Maenad Theatre Troupe, a project focused on bringing opera, operetta, and classical drama to Massachusetts’ South Shore. They recently directed and performed in the Maenads’ first project at the Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy, Crimes of Passion: A Valentine’s Day Concert which featured an abridged staging of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore. Professionally, they are a part of the enrollment team at a local music school and the alto section leader at the Pilgrim Church of Duxbury. Additionally, they are a full-time student pursuing a degree in biochemistry at Bridgewater State University.

SAMUEL

THE CHIEF OF POLICE

EDITH

Abigail Cunningham, soprano, from Lexington, Kentucky, is a Master of Music student under the tutelage of Dr. Lynn Eustis. Abigail received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Vocal Peformance from Carnegie Mellon University, along with a Certificate in Music Education and Minor in Orchestral Conducting.

This fall, Abigail performed Lucinda/Dark Sisters with Boston University. Notable credits include Despina/Cosí fan tutte (Carnegie Mellon University), Tullia/Ottone in Villa (Carnegie Mellon University), Noémie/Cendrillon (Utah Vocal Arts Academy), Papagena/Die Zauberflöte (Harrower Summer Opera Workshop), and Bianca/La Rondine (Opera in the Ozarks). Abigail made her Pittsburgh Opera debut in 2021 as Third Spirit/The Magic Flute. She is excited to be performing in her first Gilbert & Sullivan opera this summer with Boston Summer Opera, and for the opportunity to cover the role of Edith!

KATE