2023 Festival & Guest Artists
GUEST ARTISTS
Kevin Burdette, Bass-Baritone
Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd
An alumnus of the Juilliard Opera Theater and the University of Tennessee, Kevin Burdette is a former member of the Opéra National de Paris Young Artists’ Program and San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program.
An exciting 2022-2023 season began with Kevin’s debut at Milan’s Teatro allaScala, reprising the role of Adès’ Stefano. Elsewhere in the season, he makes his role debut as Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd with Austin Opera and returns to Atlanta Opera as Voltaire/Pangloss in Bernstein’s Candide.
During the 2021-2022 season, Mr. Burdette returned to the Metropolitan Opera as the Police Officer in Boris Godunov, to Seattle Opera as Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, and Santa Fe Opera for Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Manuel Toulon/The Judge in the world premiere of M. Butterfly.
Eve Gigliotti, Mezzo-Soprano
Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd
Mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti is a multi-faceted artist who has won critical acclaim for her work spanning both the dramatic repertoire and contemporary opera, including originating the roles of Ruth in the world premiere of Dark Sisters (Muhly/Karam), and Dodo in the world premiere of Breaking the Waves (Mazzoli/Vavrek). During the 2021/2022 season Ms. Gigliotti returned to The Metropolitan Opera with roles in Elektra, The Rake’s Progress, Rigoletto, and Boris Gudonov, and performed Madame de la Haltière in their English adaptation of Cendrillon and Queen Gertrude in Brett Dean’s groundbreaking Hamlet. She was featured as Alto Soloist with American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in the North American premiere of Taneyev’s At The Reading of a Psalm. This past season, Eve sang multiple roles at The Metropolitan Opera including Nelly in the World Premiere of The Hours, and Marie in Der Fliegende Holländer. She returned to the PROTOTYPE Festival as the alto soloist in Here Lies Joy, and American Symphony Orchestra in Ethel Smyth’s Mass in D major. She continues her work as creative producer with the opera No One Is Forgotten currently in development. Her collaborative short film ‘A Jarful of Bees’ was featured at Opera Philadelphia’s Season O22 film festival and the Opera Philadelphia Channel.
FESTIVAL ARTISTS
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, Mezzo-Soprano
Festival Artist
Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd
Heralded for her “superb vocal and dramatic chops” by Opera News, mezzo-soprano Amanda Lynn Bottoms’ 2023/2024 season features performances with the Spoleto Festival, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Opera Grand Rapids, Buffalo Philharmonic and the world premiere of Richard Danielpour’s song cycle The Unhealed Wound alongside Eric Owens. Recently she debuted as Fatima in Los Angeles Opera’s premiere of Omar, IMG’s “Our Song, Our Story” with Damien Sneed, Charlie Tyler (Finding Wright) at Dayton Opera, Leocasta (Giustino) at Long Beach Opera and covered the titular role of Carmen at the Santa Fe Opera. Bottoms has received awards from prestigious competitions including George London Foundation, Loren L. Zachary Society, Operalia, Gerda Lissner, Opera Index, and MONC Regionals. Bottoms is an alumna of the Cafritz Young Artist Program (WNO), Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School (MM, Kovner Fellow) and SUNY Fredonia (BM).
Michael Colman, Bass
Festival Artist
Judge Turpin (Covering Sweeney Todd) in Sweeney Todd
Lyric bass Michael Colman, hailed by Opera News for “fielding a fine, dark bass-baritone”, has become especially well known for his interpretation of The Commentator in productions of Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg with Opera Carolina, Opera Grand Rapids, Chautauqua Opera, and Opera in the Rock. Other role highlights include Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Chautauqua and Virginia Operas, Guglielmo and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Opera Grand Rapids and Charlottesville Opera, The Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance with Dayton Opera, Dottore Grenvil in La traviata with Kansas City Lyric Opera, Toledo Opera, and Opera on the James, and Leporello in Don Giovanni with The Janiec Opera Company.
Concert credits include Handel’s Messiah with the Dayton Philharmonic, Mozart’s Requiem with The Virginia Consort, and Verdi’s Requiem with Utah Festival Opera.
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Michael earned degrees from Baylor University, The University of Kansas, and Indiana University.
Arnold Livingston Geis, Tenor
Festival Artist
Pirelli in Sweeney Todd
Praised by Opera Today for his “sizable lyric instrument” and “honeyed tone”, this season Arnold Livingston Geis joins LA Master Chorale at Walt Disney Hall for Haydn’s Creation, sings Rodolfo in La bohéme with Greensboro Opera, returns to the LA Philharmonic as the Shepherd in Tristan and Isolde, sings the title role in La damnation de Faust with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and joins Berkshire Choral International for Carmina Burana. Last season he made his Lincoln Center debut as Mr. Marks in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Intimate Apparel, joined Esperanza Spalding as Agamemnon in Iphigenia on tour with performances at the Kennedy Center, MassMOCA and ArtEmerson in Boston, joined Opera Lafayette in Philidor’s The Blacksmith, New Amsterdam Opera for Georges in La Dame Blanche, Opera Saratoga for Beadle in Sweeney Todd, and sang Carmina Burana in his LA Philharmonic debut at the Hollywood Bowl with Maestro Gustavo Dudamel.
