La bohème

Zach Borichevsky is known as a “star-level tenor” with “precise, nuanced high-register singing and agile acting,” paired with a “magical sense of complete spontaneity that comes from being in total command of the instrument.” He has performed in La bohème (Rodolfo) with Finnish National Opera, Roméo et Juliette (Romeo) with Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile, and La traviata (Alfredo) with the Glyndebourne Festival. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Manon Lescaut (Edmondo), Santa Fe Opera debut in Vanessa (Anatol), and English National Opera debut in La bohème (Rodolfo).

This season, Zach joins Nashville Opera, Virginia Opera, and Florentine Opera in Carmen (Don José), has house debuts with Opera Colorado in La bohème and San Diego Opera in La traviata (Alfredo), and returns to The Metropolitan Opera to cover the Duke in Rigoletto. He will also sing in recital with his wife, soprano Kathryn Lewek, at the Danbury Concert Association, Fairfield County Chorale, and in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Kent Tritle at St. John the Divine. Last season, Zach made his house debut with Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur in Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo) and returned to The Metropolitan Opera to cover Rodolfo in La bohème and Roméo in Roméo et Juliette.

Zach has been honored with numerous awards from George London Foundation, The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, The Gerda Lissner Foundation, Opera Index, Mario Lanza Foundation, Shreveport Opera, and The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation. Zach won second prize at the Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition for Young Opera Singers and third prize at the Operalia Competition.

Soprano Raquel González is a winner of the prestigious Sphinx Organization’s Medal of Excellence Award. Other highlights of the 2024-25 Season include her debut with the Colorado Symphony for Verdi’s Messa da Requiem and performances with Opera San Antonio and Austin Opera in Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio-San), Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in Don Carlo (Elisabetta), and The Metropolitan Opera in La bohème (Mimì, cover).

Last season, Raquel made debuts with Houston Grand Opera in Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio-San), Austin Opera for Carmen (Micaëla), and Berkshire Opera Festival for Faust (Marguerite). She also returned to the roster of The Metropolitan Opera for the company premiere of Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas and to the New York Festival of Song for a concert of Latin music.

In the 2022-23 Season, Raquel debuted with Opera San Antonio in Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) and Virginia Opera in La bohème (Mimì) and returned to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for Harvey Milk (Dianne Feinstein). Additional appearances included a concert of scenes from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Iolanta at Queen City Opera; New York Festival of Song for Buenos Aires, Then and Now; and a solo recital at the University of Lynchburg.

Raquel debuted at The Glimmerglass Festival in their production of The Magic Flute (First Lady) before returning as a guest artist for La bohème (Mimì). Ms. González recently completed three seasons as a Young Artist with the Washington National Opera where she appeared in Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio-San), The Marriage of Figaro (Contessa Almaviva), Don Giovanni (Donna Anna), Carmen (Micaëla), and La bohème (Mimì). Additional assignments as a Young Artist at WNO included Hansel and Gretel (Sandman) and Dialogues of the Carmelites (Blanche cover). She also debuted with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in Otello (Desdemona).

Finnish American baritone Timothy Mix’s recent successes include his debut as Alberich at Opera Santa Barbara in the Jonathan Dove adaptation of Das Rheingold, his return to Dead Man Walking (Joseph de Rocher) at Opera Idaho, and a role debut in The Barber of Seville (Bartolo) at Opera Delaware. Other recent appearances include Le Comte Ory (Tutor) at Opera Southwest, Roméo et Juliette (Count Capulet) at San Antonio Opera, and the title role in Sweeney Todd at Opera Tampa. Tim made his debut at Santa Fe Opera’s summer festival in 2016 in Roméo et Juliette (Count Capulet), followed by Le Coq d’Or (Tsar Dodon), and, most recently, a new production of Dr Atomic (Jack Hubbard). His San Francisco Opera appearances include Cyrano de Bergerac (Le Bret), Susannah (Elder Ott/Blitch, cover), Manon (de Brétigny), and Romeo et Juliette (Count Capulet). At Opera Colorado, he sang in Lucia di Lammermoor (Enrico), The Elixir of Love (Belcore), and Carmen (Escamillo). Well known by Opera Theatre of St Louis audiences, Tim made his role and house debut in La bohème (Marcello)—a role he also sang at Arizona Opera and Palm Beach Opera—and later performed in The Elixir of Love (Belcore). Future engagements include Il trovatore (Luna) at Santa Barbara Opera, The Elixir of Love (Dulcamara) at Annapolis Opera, and the title role in Gianni Schicchi at Amarillo Opera.

Kathryn Lewek has established herself as one of this generation’s most thrilling coloratura sopranos. She has performed in The Magic Flute (The Queen of the Night) at The Metropolitan Opera a record-breaking sixty-four times, surpassing The Met’s record for the most performances of a role by a single artist. Kathryn has also brought her Queen to more than twenty-five companies in over 300 performances to date.

Kathryn continues to expand her range with role debuts in two classic operas in the 2024-25 Season. Singing opposite her husband, tenor Zach Borichevsky, in both productions, she performed in Nashville Opera’s season-opening staging of Carmen (Micaëla), and will make her house and role debut in Opera Colorado’s La bohème (Musetta). She will also revisit Mozart’s Queen of the Night in three productions of The Magic Flute.

Last season, Kathryn made two title role debuts: at Opéra de Nice in Lakmé  and at Toledo Opera in Roméo et Juliette. She also appeared in Les contes d’Hoffmann at Dresden’s Semperoper (Olympia) and Florida’s Palm Beach Opera (the four heroines), and starred in The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera, Semperoper, and with the Cleveland Orchestra. At Salzburg’s 2024 Mozart Week Festival, she sang Mozart and Salieri in concert with the Vienna Philharmonic, and at Houston’s Rice University, she created the soprano role in the world premiere of Music for New Bodies, a DaCamera co-commission from Matthew Aucoin and Peter Sellars. As in previous years, she joined the Oratorio Society of New York for holiday performances of Handel’s Messiah at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

At the 2013 Operalia World Opera Competition, Kathryn took two top prizes, the highly competitive Audience Favorite Award among them. A graduate of the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in voice performance and literature, she lives in Connecticut with her husband and their two young children.

Bass-baritone Matthew Burns is celebrated for his musical and comedic capabilities in equal measure. Opera News recently singled out his “vocal and comedic flexibility” in Don Giovanni (Leporello) at Detroit Opera. Last season, he appeared in The Marriage of Figaro (Bartolo) with both Portland Opera and Utah Opera, and returned to The Metropolitan Opera for the revival of their production of The Hours (Richard, cover). Other recent highlights include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Delaware Symphony, The Pirates of Penzance (Sergeant of Police) with Nashville Opera, and Daughter of the Regiment (Sulpice) with Utah Opera.

In the 2024-25 Season, Matthew sings the title role in Don Pasquale with the Napa Valley Festival and makes his Opera Colorado debut. Burns recently made his Seattle Opera debut in Tosca (Sacristan) for which the Seattle Times celebrated his “dignified bass-baritone, in counterpoint to his less-than-holy behavior,” which “provides much-needed comic relief.” Additional recent highlights include the title role in Don Pasquale at Inland Northwest Opera, La Cenerentola (Don Magnifico) with Annapolis Opera, Daughter of the Regiment (Sulpice) with Opera Carolina, The Elixir of Love (Dulcamara) with Virginia Opera, Billy Budd (Dansker) with Central City Opera, and covering roles in Rigoletto and The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera.

A master-interpreter of comedic roles, Mr. Burns is highly sought after as Leporello in Don Giovanni, which he has performed with Detroit Opera, Utah Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Memphis, and more. He is also well known for his performances of Doctor Bartolo and Don Basilio, both in The Barber of Seville, and as Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro.

Alex Granito is a baritone from Orange County, CA. He is delighted to join Opera Colorado for a second year as an Artist in Residence for the 2024-25 Season, during which he performed in the Daughter of the Regiment mainstage production and Student Matinee (Corporal). He also sings in Opera Colorado’s touring productions of The Barber of Seville (Figaro) and Hansel and Gretel (Father). In the summer of 2024, Alex was a Studio Artist at Chautauqua Opera and sang in the world premiere of Love, Loss, and the Century Upon Us (Young Man). In the 2023-24 Season with Opera Colorado, Alex sang in the mainstage productions of Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni, cover/Student Matinee), Samson and Delilah (Second Philistine), The Flying Dutchman (Ghost Chorus), and in Opera Colorado’s touring productions of The Elixir of Love (Belcore) and Cinderella (Dandini). In the summer of 2023, Alex was a fellow at Music Academy of the West where he sang in La bohème (Schaunard). Alex earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Vocal Performance at San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied under Cesar Ulloa.

Bass-baritone Oliver Poveda Zavala, originally from the highland country of Ecuador, is a graduate of the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. In the 2024-25 Season, Oliver joins the Opera Colorado Artist in Residence program, during which he will sing in the touring productions of The Barber of Seville (Bartolo) and Hansel and Gretel (Father cover). Oliver made his debut as José Castro in La fanciulla del West as an Apprentice Artist with Central City Opera for their 2024 summer festival season, where he also covered the role of Ashby in La fanciulla del West and Mr. Olsen in Street Scene. In 2023, Oliver appeared in Opera Colorado’s Student Matinee performance of Don Giovanni (Masetto), sang in Die Fledermaus (Dr. Falke) with Opera in Williamsburg, and participated in Central City Opera’s apprenticeship program, where he sang in the Emerging Artists Matinee of Romeo and Juliet (Frère Laurent) and in Otello (Elmiro Cover). Oliver has worked with multiple companies in Colorado, including Opera Steamboat, Boulder Opera, and Denver Immersive Opera, where he performed in La bohème (Colline), the abridged version of Lori Laitman’s The Three Feathers (Frog King), Xavier Montsalvatge’s El gato con botas (El ogro), and Bluebeard’s Castle (Duke Bluebeard). In 2022, he sang in Don Giovanni (Leporello) with the Vincerò Academy in Mazatlán, Mexico, and in 2021, he made his company debut with Opera in Williamsburg in The Elixir of Love (Dottore Dulcamara). In 2021, he performed in ISOFOM’s production of The Marriage of Figaro (Bartolo and Antonio) in Morelia, Mexico. Other recent roles include Monsieur Presto Les mamelles de Tirésias (Monsieur Presto), L’enfant et les sortilèges (Le fauteuil and L’arbre), Cabildo (Gaoler), the Magic Flute (Sarastro), Gianni Schicchi (Simone), and Il tabarro (Talpa) with the Lamont Opera Theatre during his studies at the University of Denver. Oliver is the 2021 and 2022 winner of the Ann Logan Craft Vocal Competition, a 2021 finalist at the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition, and a recipient of the Sherry Shepherd Sargent Memorial Award.

James Eder is a bass from Columbus, OH.  He is excited to join Opera Colorado for the 2024-25 Season as an Artist in Residence. On the mainstage, James performed in Daughter of the Regiment (Hortensius, mainstage and Student Matinee). He also sings in Opera Colorado’s touring productions of The Barber of Seville (Ambrosio, Bartolo cover) and Hansel and Gretel (Sandman). In 2024, he returned to Opera Carolina in their production of Turandot (Timur) and was a soloist in Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor with his hometown Columbus Symphony. In 2022 and 2023, James sang in Gianni Schicchi (Simone) with Chautauqua Opera and Opera on the James and Tosca (Sacristan) with Opera Carolina. While in Chautauqua, James also performed in The Mother of Us All (Anthony Comstock). In 2021, James performed in La serva padrona (Vespone) and L’inganno felice (Ormondo) with Sarasota Opera, then reprised the role of Ormondo with Opera Southwest. During the summer of 2020, he was a young artist with Chautauqua Opera, performing in the world premiere song cycle, In Our Silence. Other recent engagements include La bohème (Colline) with Cleveland Opera Theater, Ariadne auf Naxos (Truffaldino) with Cincinnati Opera, Nabucco (The High Priest of Baal) with Sarasota Opera, and Another Brick in the Wall (The Judge) with Cincinnati Opera. James earned a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from The Ohio State University.

Victoria Bailey, Assistant Conductor | Emily Crile, Artistic Director

The Colorado Children’s Chorale has been performing with Opera Colorado since their inaugural performance of Otello in 1983. Chorale children have appeared in thirty Opera Colorado productions including Turandot, Carmen, The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, Pagliacci, and many others.

George Manahan has had an esteemed career, embracing everything from opera to the concert stage, and the traditional to the contemporary. He also works with young musicians as Director of Orchestral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music and guest conductor at the Curtis Institute of Music and Merola Opera Program. George is the 2012 winner of the Ditson Conductor’s Award, the oldest award honoring conductors for their support of American music. Previous recipients include James Levine, Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy, and Alan Gilbert. He also served as Music Director of New York City Opera, Portland Opera, American Composers’ Orchestra, and the Richmond Symphony, and was honored four times by the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) for his commitment to new music.

George’s guest appearances include the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and the symphonies of Atlanta, San Francisco, Hollywood Bowl, and New Jersey, where he served as acting Music Director for four seasons. He is a regular guest with the Music Academy of the West and the Aspen Music Festival and has also appeared with the opera companies of San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, Chicago, Santa Fe, St. Louis, Paris, and more.

His many television appearances include productions of La bohème, Lizzie Borden, and Tosca on PBS. Live from Lincoln Center’s telecast of New York City Opera’s production of Madama Butterfly under his direction won a 2007 Emmy Award. George’s wide-ranging recording activities include the premiere recording of Steve Reich’s Tehillim for ECM; recordings of Edward Thomas’s Desire Under the Elms, which was nominated for a Grammy; Joe Jackson’s Will Power; and Tobias Picker’s Emmeline. He has conducted numerous world premieres, including Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne, Charles Wuorinen’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories, David Lang’s Modern Painters, Hans Werner Henze’s The English Cat, and Terence Blanchard’s Champion.

He received his formal musical training at the Manhattan School of Music and was appointed to the faculty of the school upon his graduation, at which time The Juilliard School awarded him a fellowship as Assistant Conductor with the American Opera Center. Mr. Manahan was chosen as the Exxon Arts Endowment Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony and he made his opera debut with the Santa Fe Opera, conducting the American premiere of Arnold Schoenberg’s Von Heute Auf Morgen.

Iranian conductor and pianist, Sahar Nouri, has been Music Director of Lamont Opera Theater at University of Denver since 2019. She has also served at Opera Colorado as Chorus Master & Assistant Conductor since 2016. Ms. Nouri is the founder/director of Dandelion Opera Institute.

At the University of Denver, Ms. Nouri has conducted productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Die Zauberflöte, Alcina, Cabildo, Les mamelles de Tirésias, and The Little Prince.

Her work with Opera Colorado has included productions of Samson and Delilah, The Flying Dutchman, Don Giovanni, Turandot, Die tote Stadt, Rigoletto, Carmen, The Shining, Tosca, Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci, The Marriage of Figaro, La traviata, Falstaff, The Barber of Seville, La bohème, La fanciulla del West, and the world premiere of Steal a Pencil for Me (Gerald Cohen).

Previously, Ms. Nouri has been part of the music staff at San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra at Bravo! Vail, Opera Parallèle, Opera North Carolina, Glimmerglass Festival, Utah Opera, Aspen Opera Theatre, Opera Steamboat, Merola Opera, Boston Conservatory of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

An active performer, she has given numerous recitals around the US including those alongside international stars Mane Galoyan, Heidi Melton, and Matthew Polenzani. A multi-lingual coach, she has studied in Czechia, Italy, and Austria and is frequently in demand as a language coach.

Ms. Nouri is a former violinist who has performed with Tehran Philharmonic Orchestra and has won several prizes, for both violin and piano, in national music festivals and competitions in Iran.

Kristine McIntyre is a distinguished opera director of over 100 productions, specializing in contemporary and American works. She has directed world premieres, including Laura Kaminsky’s Hometown to the World at Santa Fe Opera, Kristin Kuster’s A Thousand Acres for Des Moines Metro Opera, and Mark Lanz Weiser’s Galaxies in Her Eyes. Her immersive production of Bluebeard’s Castle, a collaboration with visual composer Oyoram, received great audience and critical acclaim. Her upcoming production of The Cunning Little Vixen will premiere at Des Moines Metro Opera in July 2025.

Kristine has also directed notable productions of Moby Dick, Dead Man Walking, and Manon (regional Emmy award). She has worked with major opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera, and has a passion for training young artists, serving in programs at Houston Grand Opera and Santa Fe Opera. In the digital realm, she directed Unknown, based on the song cycle by Shawn Okpebholo, and collaborated on Houston Grand Opera’s Studio Artist Showcase.

Kristine holds a B.A. in English Literature from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Theatre from the University of Hull. She began her career at San Francisco Opera and served for eight years on the directing staff of the Metropolitan Opera.

Connie is pleased to make her house debut at Opera Colorado. Recent opera designs include The Barber of Seville (Madison Opera), Pelleas and Melisande (Des Moines Metro Opera), Salome (DMMO), Maria de Buenos Aires (Florentine Opera), Madama Butterfly (Philadelphia Opera), L’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato (Curtis Opera Theatre), The Marriage of Figaro (Portland Opera and New Orleans Opera), and The Royal Shepherd (Orpheus PDX). Recent theatre credits include Dial M for Murder (Village Theatre), Blithe Spirit (Seattle Rep), P.O.T.U.S., STEW, and The Case for the Existence of God (ACT Contemporary Theatre). Her designs have also been seen at Kentucky Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Palm Beach Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Alliance Theatre, Merrimack Rep, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and The Fifth Avenue Theatre. Upcoming projects include The Elixir of Love (New Orleans Opera), Tosca (Seattle Opera), The Rake’s Progress (DMMO), and La bohème (Madison Opera). Connie is a member of USA-829 and a mentor with ETC Fred Foster Mentorship Program.

Ronell Oliveri has been designing wigs and makeup for opera, theater, ballet, and film for the past 20 years for such companies as Minnesota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Central City Opera, and The American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Currently she is the resident wig and makeup designer for Opera Colorado and Opera Omaha. As a wig and makeup artist her professional credits include engagements with Chicago Lyric Opera, LA Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, and Boston Ballet. She was a Primetime Emmy nominee as key makeup artist for her work in television. Her work can also be seen in several Broadway shows including Wicked, All the Way, and Waitress. Recent engagements include Opera Columbus’s Eugene Onegin, Pacific Symphony’s La bohème, and Central City Opera’s 2024 summer festival. Upcoming engagements include Opera Omaha’s The Rake’s Progress and Boston Lyric Opera’s Mitridate.