Four tapped for opera program

The four vocalists were selected from national auditions to begin their residencies in the Dayton Opera Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program. Soprano Kasia Borowiec, Mezzo-Soprano Melisa Bonetti, Tenor Zachary Devin and Baritone Andrew Thomas Pardini enter this program for young singers which provides a bridge for the move from the university/conservatory education experience into the arena of a professional opera company.

The Artists-in-Residence will be appearing at numerous schools throughout the community to present musical programs in an effort to educate Dayton area students on the art of opera. WYSO Development Director Luke Dennis is writer and director of a new program entitled “Shakespeare Sings!” which the AIRs will be presenting this winter. “It was so much fun to direct these talented Artists-in-Residence,” said Dennis. “Not only are they great singers, they’re also great actors, and they bring a sense of experimentation and playfulness to their performances. They are exactly the type of engaging performers you want to be sending into schools.” In addition, the AIRs will also be presenting a program entitled “Cooking up Opera” which is also directed by Dennis, but geared more towards younger school-aged children. The AIRS will be performing over 40 educational programs in total in schools and the community during their time in Dayton.

The four AIRs will be appearing in Dayton Opera main stage productions in the 2016 Ascend Season as well as they will have roles in the upcoming production of Giuseppe Verdi’s penultimate opera Otello, being presented February 26 and 28, 2016 at the Schuster Center.

About

     Soprano Kasia Borowiec is a native of Summit, New Jersey and now resides in New York City. She made her Dayton Opera debut in the role of Kate Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly as a member of the Artist-in-Residence Program, and she will understudy the role of Desdemona this February in Dayton Opera’s production of Otello. Kasia received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Columbia University and her Masters of Music in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She served as a Studio/Young artist with Chautauqua Opera, The CoOPERAtive Program and Songfest, where her operatic credits include roles in Macbeth, Eugene Onegin, I Capuleti e I Montecchi, The Mother of Us All, The Magic Flute and Faust. http://kasiaborowiec.com

     Mezzo-soprano Melisa Bonetti will make her Dayton Opera main stage debut this February as Emilia in Otello as a member of the Artist-in-Residence Program. Last month, she made her Dayton Philharmonic debut as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah. Melissa served as an apprentice/young artist at Des Moines Metro Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Columbus, Cincinnati Opera and Wolf Trap Opera, where she performed and covered roles in Rappaccini’s Daughter, Ainadamar, A Woman in Morocco, The Girl of the Golden West, La Traviata, The Marriage of Figaro, Baba the Turk and The Rake’s Progress. Melisa received her undergraduate degree from Queens College and her Master of Music in Voice from the University of Cincinnati/College–Conservatory of Music. Born in Corona, Queens, NY, she now makes her home in Cincinnati, OH. http://melisabonettimezzo.com

     Tenor Zachary Devin, a native of Robinson, IL, now lives in St. Louis, MO. He received his Bachelor of Music from Millikin University, his Masters of Music from Rice University and a Masters of Arts from the Royal Academy of Music in London. Zachary’s many credits include leading and supporting roles with Gulf Coast Opera, Western Plains Opera, Winter Opera St. Louis, Mid-Ohio Opera and the Janiec Opera Company in productions such as The Magic Flute, Rigoletto, Otello, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Falstaff, Yeoman of the Guard, I Pagliacci and Brigadoon. He makes his Dayton Opera debut this February in the role of Roderigo and understudies Cassio in Otello as a member of the Artist-in-Residence Program.

     Baritone Andrew Thomas Pardini has participated in young artist programs with the Utah Festival Opera and Ash Lawn Opera, where he performed and covered roles in Don Giovanni, La bohème, Carousel, Hansel and Gretel, Die Fledermaus, The Gondoliers, Carmen and The Marriage of Figaro. A native of Modesto, CA, he received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Southern California and his Masters of Music in opera performance from the University of Maryland–Maryland Opera Studio. As a member of Dayton Opera’s Artist-in-Residence Program, Andrew made his company debut this past November in the dual roles of Yamadori/Imperial Commissioner as well as understudying Sharpless in Madame Butterfly, and he will sing the role of the Herald and understudy Montano in Otello this February. He now lives in Maryland and serves as a collaborator with students in the Maryland Opera Studio. http://www.andrewthomaspardini.com