Kentucky Opera Studio Artists
Resident Artists | Apprentice Artists
Daniel Anderson
A rising young tenor, Daniel completed his master's at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in spring 2010. In the past year Daniel has been a featured soloist with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Lexington Symphony, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and, most recently, with the Dayton Philharmonic. Daniel has been invited as a studio artist to companies such as Wolf Trap and Central City Opera. In the fall of 2009, Daniel sang Carlson in OF MICE AND MEN with Kentucky Opera. He has performed otheroperatic roles such as Alfredo in Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA,
Candide in Berstein’s CANDIDE with LSU Opera, Henrick in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC with Springfield Regional Opera and Brighella in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS with CCM Opera.
Brandy Hawkins
Brandy is a recent graduate of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. With Washington National Opera, she performed Mercédès in CARMEN, Wellgunde in GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, Cherubino in the YA production of LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, performed with Mo. Domingo at the opening of the Reignwood Theater in Beijing andgave the world premiere of the title role in Let Freedom Sing: The Story of Marian Anderson, a new opera commissioned in collaboration with Washington Performing Arts Society and WNO. Recently, Ms. Hawkins traveled to Milan, Italy with other young artist to perform a concert of arias, songs, and scenes at La Scala.Other performancesinclude Hansel (HANSEL AND GRETEL) with University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, Suzuki (MADAME BUTTERLY) with Houston Ebony Opera, Lucy Perez in the premiere recording of THE HOTEL CASABLANCA on Albany Records and the title role in CARMEN with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. Her concert appearances include Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Ms. Hawkins was the winner of the June Miller Rosenblatt award in Connecticut Opera’s Guild Competition and the Kentucky District Winner of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions. Ms. Hawkinswas an Apprentice Artist with theSanta Fe Operain the summer 2009, where she will return in the summer of 2010 to sing the Mother and cover Suzuki in MADAME BUTTERFLY. Ms. Hawkins will also perform Suzuki in the last performance of MADAME BUTTERFLY with the Santa Fe Opera. As a Resident Artist with Kentucky Opera, she will perform Lola on mainstage for CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA as well as Rosina in partnership production of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra.
Jeremy Parker
Jeremy Parker is a native of Vandalia, Ohio and obtained both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). She will continue her studies at CCM in November as an Artist Diploma student majoring in Opera. While attending CCM, Ms. Parker has performed such roles as Curley’s Wife in Carlisle Floyd’s OF MICE AND MEN, First Lady in Mozart’s DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE and La Chatte in Ravel’s L’ENFANT ET LES SORTILÈ. In Kentucky Opera’s upcoming season, Ms. Parker will perform in the chorus of the double bill CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA and I PAGLIACCI. She will also perform the role of Giannetta and cover the role of Adina in L’ELISIR D’AMORE. Last year, Ms. Parker won the Tri-State district level of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions and was the proud recipient of second prize at the Orpheus Vocal Competition in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Ms. Parker studies with Doctor Barbara Paver at the College-Conservatory of Music.
Gabriel Pressier
Originally from Apopka, Florida, Gabriel received his bachelors in music at Florida State University and his masters in music at the University of Houston where he performed such roles as Riolobo in FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS, Tom Joad in THE GRAPES OF WRATH and the title role in both DON GIOVANNI and ELMER GANTRY. At FSU he was seen as Pooh-bah in THE MIKADO, Death in SAVITRIand Achille in GIULIO CESARE. He has also taken on the roles of Papageno in Mozart’s DIE ZAUBERFLÖTEwith the Intermezzo Program, Prince Ottokar in DER FREISHÜTZwith Des Moines Metro Opera and Ubalde in Lully’s ARMIDE with Mercury Baroque. His oratorio work includes such composers as Handel, Bach, Schütz, Mozart and others. Gabriel was a regional finalist in the 2010 Metropolitan Opera national Council Competition and a finalist in the 2010 Lois Alba Competition. This season with Kentucky Opera, he can be seen as Yamadori in MADAME BUTTERLY and Figaro in IL BARVIERE DI SIVIGLIA while covering Silvio in I PAGLIACCI and Belcore in L’ELISIR D’AMORE. He is very grateful for his ever-supportive wife and for the wonderful gift of singing.
Naoko Suga (Coach/Accompanist)
A native of Southern California, Ms. Suga received her Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and also holds a degree in Solo Piano from the University of California, Los Angeles.During her time at UCLA, she studied with esteemed professors Walter Ponce and Jennifer Snow. She also worked in the studios of Paul Coletti, Jens Lindemann, Gary Gray, Antonio Lysy and Andrew Schulman. While in Boulder, she pursued her studies under the guidance of Professors Anne Epperson, Mutsumi Moteki, and Maestro Nicholas Carthy. She was granted a Graduate Assistant Scholarship and worked as the studio assistant in the Collaborative Piano Studio.
Ms. Suga has also participated in many festivals including the prestigious Music Academy of the West in 2003 and 2004, Brevard Music Festival in 2005, and Salzburg Music Festival in 2006. In the winter of 2007, Ms. Suga traveled to Paris, France to study with vocal coach Mary Dibbern and pianist Noel Lee. In the past two years, Ms. Suga has also had the opportunity to perform internationally in such countries as Austria and Japan. In 2005, she toured Japan as the pianist of Arnica Duo. Future tours are being planned for 2009. For Kentucky Opera, Ms. Suga is responsible for preparing the Studio Artist singers for all of their role assignments as well as coaching arias, scenes, and playing outreach events.
Tomasz Sadownik is from Gliwice, Poland. He graduated from Secondary School of Music in Gliwice with distinction in instrumental (oboe) and vocal performance. In 2001, he joined Vocal and Acting Faculty at the Music Academy in Katowice and graduated with distinction in 2006. In 2001, he was awarded third prize of L. Różycki Vocal Competition (Gliwice) and in 2005 the special prize of H. Halska Polish National Vocal Competition (Wrocław) and second prize of Slavic Music Vocal Competition (Katowice). In academic year 2005-06 he was awarded The Ministry of Culture of Poland Scholarship for outstanding achievements. Since 1997 Tomasz has worked with the Academic Musical Ensemble of the Technical University in Gliwice as a soloist, conductor’s assistant and voice teacher. In 2007-08 he was a conductor of the Cathedral Boys Choir in Gliwice. In 2009 he was the conductor of Men’s Chamber Ensemble “Calvi Cantores”, with whom he won several prizes at choir competitions in Poland and recorded a CD with sacred choral music titled “Krzyżowi Twemu”.
Tomasz is currently studying at the University of Louisville. In April 2010 he sang the role of Gianni Schicchi in UofL Opera Theater’s production. As a Kentucky Opera Studio Artist, he will sing in the chorus for mainstage productions of CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA/I PAGLIACCI and THE ELIXIR OF LOVE. He will also perform the Imperial Commissioner and cover the role of Sharpless for MADAME BUTTERFLY and perform Fiorello and the Sergeant for the Owensboro Symphony/Kentucky Opera concert opera THE BARBER OF SEVILLE.
For more information contact Deanna Hoying at 502.561.7938.
