EarRelevant Staff | 17 sEP 2020
On Tuesday morning The Atlanta Opera announced the addition of six new Studio Players to its roster of singers for this season. The half dozen young professional singers will apprentice and perform in the company’s 2020-21 Molly Blank Big Tent Series of operas.
Each of the Studio Players is an early career professional with significant stage experience, some with lead performances and major concert appearances on their resume. This ensemble builds on The Atlanta Opera’s commitment to provide opportunities for performers at all stages in their careers. The COVID crisis necessitated a modification of the company’s Studio Artists Program to one that is much more about learning through participation and apprenticeship, much in the model of the Santa Fe Opera.
“For opera singers to grow and reach their greatest potential, they must work and they must perform. The Studio Players creates those opportunities,” says Tomer Zvulun, general & artistic director of The Atlanta Opera. “At the same time, these singers give us greater flexibility to properly cast and perform our 2020-21 season.”
Sponsored in name this season by a gift from Beth and Gary Glynn, the Glynn Studio Players also receive significant support from the Donald and Marilyn Keough Foundation.
Like The Atlanta Opera’s dozen Company Players, the Glynn Studio Players have the status of employees and will receive salary and benefits from the company. They will also have the opportunity to work closely with and receive mentoring and coaching from the singers on the Company Players roster.
Introducing the Glynn Studio Players:
Susanne Burgess
Susanne Burgess (soprano) has been described as “a unique combination of precision and wonder” [Opera Wire]. The British singer has been praised for her unique penchant for dramatic coloratura, and emotional expression on stage.
Gabrielle Beteag
Gabrielle Beteag (mezzo soprano), a native of Atlanta, was named a Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, where she was praised for her “choice voice” and “dramatically vivid” performance.
Brian Vu
Brian Vu (tenor) made his Atlanta Opera debut in the company’s 2018 production of West Side Story. Described as having an “ample and pleasing tone,” Vu creates visceral and interdisciplinary art on the operatic, theatrical, and concert stages.
Joseph Lattanzi
Joseph Lattanzi (baritone) has established himself as a singer to watch with his portrayal of Hawkins Fuller in the world premiere of Greg Spears’ Fellow Travelers with Cincinnati Opera. The Mableton, Georgia native has previously performed with The Atlanta Opera in Carmen and Sweeney Todd, both in 2018.
Joshua Conyers
Joshua Conyers (baritone) has been hailed by Opera News as having “a deliciously honeyed baritone that would seduce anyone.” With recent appearances at Washington National Opera and Santa Fe Opera in both repertory and contemporary works, Conyers is quickly being championed for his captivating performances.
Calvin Griffin
Calvin Griffin (bass-baritone) recently completed the Wolf Trap 2020 summer residency program. Aclaimed for his “voluminous” and “darkly lustrous” voice, Atlanta audiences have seen him perform previously in The Atlanta Opera’s production of The Seven Deadly Sins in 2017 and Carmen in 2018.
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