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2009-2010 Young Artists
Christie Hageman, sopranoOriginally from Billings, Montana, Christie Hageman graduated with her Masters of Music from CU Boulder studying with Julie Simson and with a BM in Vocal Performance from San Jose State University, California studying with Erie Mills. While taking a year off, Christie fulfilled her duties as Miss Montana 2006 traveling her home state and speaking to students with the platform “Music Makes the Difference.” She is a recent 1st place winner in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild annual competition. Roles include Musetta in La Bohème, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Emily in Ned Rorem's Our Town. Christie has also sung with the Billings Rimrock Opera Company, Billings Symphony Orchestra, Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Italy, Songfest Young Artist Program in Washington, and on the Miss America stage in Las Vegas. This year, Ms. Hageman will be singing Clordina (Cinderella, mainstage and student matinee), Gretel (Hansel & Gretel, touring), and Juliet (Romeo & Juliet, touring).
Julia Tobiska, mezzo-soprano Ms. Tobiska has been hailed by the Denver Post as having “a bright future ahead of her” as a “mature, technically secure singer with an instinctive feel for acting.” She is excited to be returning for a second year as a Young Artist with Opera Colorado for the 2010-2011 season. In summer 2010, Ms. Tobiska joined The Central City Opera Association as an Apprentice Artist singing Junon (Orpheus in the Underworld), the Mother (Madama Butterfly), and covering Madeline Mitchell in Heggie’s Three Decembers. In 2009, Ms. Tobiska returned for a third season as a Singer in Residence with the Virginia Arts Festival’s John Duffy Composers Institute. Ms. Tobiska received her Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. During her graduate studies she portrayed a variety of roles including Sister Helen (Dead Man Walking), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice), and Third Lady (The Magic Flute). This year, Ms. Tobiska will portray Tisbe (Cinderella, mainstage), Angelina (Cinderella, student matinee), Hansel (Hansel & Gretel, touring), and Stephano (Romeo & Juliet, touring). She will also assistant direct the touring production of Romeo & Juliet.
Adam Ulrich, tenorMr. Ulrich is thrilled to be joining the Opera Colorado Young Artist program. He is a recent graduate of the A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute at the UNC School of the Arts with a Master’s of Music degree. As a Fletcher Fellow, Adam’s stage credits include Albert (Albert Herring), Leicester (Maria Stuarda), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Sam (Street Scene), Jirka (The Devil and Kate), Tigrane (Radamisto), and George Gibbs in the Southeastern premiere of Ned Rorem’s Our Town. Adam’s professional credits include Martin (The Tender Land) with Mercury Opera Rochester, Pong (Turandot), Gastone (La traviata), and Parpignol (La Bohème) with Piedmont Opera. As a young artist at the Brevard Music Center, Adam sang the title role in Candide with the Janiec Opera Company. A native of western New York, Adam received his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York College at Geneseo. Other training includes the Central City Opera Young Artist Training Program and the Chautauqua Opera Young Artist Training Program. This year, Mr. Ulrich will sing Don Ramiro (Cinderella, mainstage and student matinee), The Witch (Hansel & Gretel, touring), and Romeo (Romeo & Juliet, touring).
Benjamin Moore, baritoneBenjamin Moore, baritone and native Atlantan, was recently praised for singing “warmly, elegantly [and] with a certain suavity” by Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun. Performances in the 2009-2010 season were Zebul in a fully-staged production of Handel’s Jephtha, performing and creating the role John Roxborough in Frank Proto’s world premiere opera Shadowboxer: An Opera in 2 Acts based on the life of Joe Louis in April 2010 with the Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland at College Park, Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and Dr. Falke in Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, both with the Peabody Opera Theatre. In the 2008-2009 season he was seen as Harašta in Leoš Janàcek’s The Cunning Little Vixen and was Dottor Grenvil (Germont cover) in Verdi’s La Traviata with the Peabody Opera Theatre. Benjamin is a part of Winds of Hope, Winds of Healing – a national organization that uses music to raise awareness and funds for mental health services and spiritual care in underserved areas in the U.S., particularly in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. He holds a B.M. in Music Education from Furman University and an M.M in Voice Performance from the Peabody Conservatory. This year, Mr. Moore will portray Dandini(Cinderella, mainstage and student matinee), Father (Hansel & Gretel, touring), and Mercutio (Romeo & Juliet, touring).
Ryan Green, bass-baritoneRyan Speedo Green received his MM in Voice Performance at Florida State University. He received his BM from The Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT. Recently, he performed as Don Basilio in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Florida State Opera. Some of his prior opera performance engagements include Bottom in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Publio in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito, Joe in Kern & Hammerstein's Showboat, Jupiter in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. This year, Mr. Green will be singing Don Magnifico (Cinderella, mainstage and student matinee), Sandman (Hansel & Gretel, touring), and Capulet/Friar Lawrence (Romeo & Juliet, touring).