2026 Young Artists
Sarah Rachel Bacani, soprano
Apprentice Artist
Currently the soprano Resident Artist with Toledo Opera, Filipino-American soprano Sarah Rachel Bacani is slated to appear in their spring season as Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore), having recently made her role debut as Micaëla (Carmen). She will then make her debut with Opera Saratoga this summer, singing the role of Marie (Drift) and covering Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore).
Previous engagements include Gretel (cover) and Dew Fairy (Hänsel und Gretel) with Lakes Area Music Festival; Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) and Mariola (Two Remain) with Central City Opera; and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) with the Indiana University Opera Theater.
An accomplished competitor, Ms. Bacani has earned distinctions including an Opera Index prize, 3rd Place in the Fort Worth Opera McCammon Competition, and additional honors from James Toland Vocal Arts, Opera Naples, Florida Grand Opera, and Shreveport Opera. She is an alumna of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music.
Tyrese Byrd, tenor
Apprentice Artist
Chautauqua Opera Studio Artist, 2024
Tyrese Byrd, tenor, is a native of Greenville, South Carolina, hailed for his “golden tenor” voice (Times of San Diego). Recent performances include Ubaldo (Haydn’s Armida) with Opera NEO and the Hungarian State, Prologue/Peter Quint (The Turn of the Screw) and Pluton/Aristée (Orphée aux Enfers) at the University of Michigan, Police Buddy 1 (Blue) with Toledo Opera, and Don Basilio (Kjartansson’s Bliss) with Detroit Opera. As a 2024 studio artist, Tyrese covered the role of David in Chautauqua Opera’s Pepito (Koch/Benavides) in Love and Longing by the Lake. As a Madison Opera studio artist, Tyrese appeared as Normanno (Lucia di Lammermoor), Mercury (Orpheus in the Underworld), and Don Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro) as a guest artist. Tyrese is also an active concert soloist and recitalist, including performances with the Hugo Wolf Akademie in Stuttgart, The Washington Chorus on their Argentinian tour, Toledo Symphony, Akron Symphony, and SC Bach. Tyrese holds degrees from Furman University and the University of Michigan. tyresebyrdtenor.com.
Joel Clemens, baritone
Apprentice Artist
Chautauqua Opera Studio Artist, 2025
Philadelphia-based baritone Joel Clemens has been praised for his strong dramatic acting and thrilling baritone. He recently returned to White Snake Projects to premiere the roles of Marlow and Sam in Mary D. Watkins’ Is This America?, and sang Ginger Chap in the orchestral workshop of Missy Mazzoli’s Lincoln in the Bardo with Chautauqua Opera Company. He was named a winner in the Boston District of the Metropolitan Opera Dominique Laffont Competition and took home second prize in the New England Regional Finals. This season, Joel joined the Opera Memphis Handorf Company Artists to sing the role of Fiorello (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and the Doctor (Pretty Little Room). This Spring, he made his Boston Baroque debut singing La Voce (Idomeneo) before joining the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theater of Saint Louis to sing Giuseppe Naccarelli (The Light in the Piazza) and cover Gregorio (Romeo and Juliette).
SarahAnn Duffy, mezzo-soprano
Apprentice Artist
Chautauqua Opera Studio Artist, 2023
Praised for her “liquid gold” mezzo (Opera Today) American Mezzo-Soprano, SarahAnn Duffy, is quickly establishing herself as an exciting communicator of repertoire spanning the baroque to the present day.
Upcoming events include a return to Carnegie Hall for her debut as the Mezzo-Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and her return to Chautauqua Opera. Recent performances of the 2025 season include debuting at Carnegie Hall with Mid America Productions and the New England Symphonic Ensemble in Notareschi’s Climate Mass as well as in Sunday in the Park with George as Celeste 2 and Elaine at the Glimmerglass Festival. Her 2024 season included the debuts of Mercédès in Carmen and Laura in Luisa Miller, both with Sarasota Opera, as well as the role of Endimione in Cavalli’s La Calisto with The Glimmerglass Festival for a jump in performance.
Events of the 2023 season include her role and company debut as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Opera NEO, and her return to Sarasota Opera as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly where she was awarded the Helen Jepson Dellera Fellowship Award for an outstanding Studio Artist. Other recent events included joining Chautauqua Opera where she workshopped Love, Loss and the Century Upon Us, commissioned by Chautauqua Opera with music by Rene Orth and libretto by Jerre Dye.
Sarah Dyer-Jones, mezzo-soprano
Apprentice Artist
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Sarah Dyer-Jones, mezzo-soprano, leads a multifaceted career spanning opera, concert, musical theatre, and chamber music. She has performed a wide range of roles with companies including Central City Opera, Music Academy of the West, Ars Lyrica, Opera in the Ozarks, and the Moores Opera Center. Notable performances include Federico García Lorca in Ainadamar, Cornelia in Giulio Cesare, Madame de la Haltière in Cendrillon, and Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin, among others. She also has been a featured soloist in The Ponce Project, Handel’s Messiah, and in Houston Grand Opera’s “Seeking the Human Spirit” series.
Beyond her work on stage, Ms. Dyer-Jones is passionate about education, musicology, and community engagement. She is the founder of ConTempo Studios, an interdisciplinary nonprofit dedicated to inclusivity and accessibility in the performing arts. A strong advocate for creative expression, she trains in circus arts, often incorporating aerial and physical theatre techniques into her genre-spanning performances.
Brian Linares, bass
Apprentice Artist
Brian is a bass with a Master’s degree and Performance Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music. He has appeared in a wide range of operatic repertoire, including Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Der Lautsprecher in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. Known for his commanding stage presence and warm, flexible tone, he is equally at home in classical, contemporary, and comedic repertoire. He has performed with university and professional opera companies in roles spanning Mozart, Britten, and 20th-century works. In addition to opera, he is an active concert soloist and ensemble performer. Brian is particularly passionate about character-driven roles and remains dedicated to continued artistic growth through performance, collaboration, and teaching.
Sara Nealley, soprano
Apprentice Artist
Sara Nealley, soprano, is a native of Ardmore, Pennsylvania, USA. She completed her undergraduate studies in Vocal performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and her graduate studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Sara is currently pursuing a GPD at the Peabody Institute where she studies with Randall Scarlata. Her previous roles include: Rusalka, Rusalka, LAH-SOW; Vitellia, La clemenza di Tito, Peabody Opera Theatre; Gianetta, The Gondoliers, Ohio Light Opera; Violetta, La Traviata, Mediterranean Opera Studio and Festival; Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte, Opera in the Ozarks; Hanna Glawari, The Merry Widow, College Light Opera Company.
Sara was a finalist in the Elgar/Spedding Memorial Lieder Competition and the Ye Cronies Opera Award at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is the recipient of an Encouragement Award in Arkansas District of the Metropolitan Opera Competition.
Kelsey Watts, soprano
Apprentice Artist
Chautauqua Opera Studio Artist, 2024
Filipina-American soprano Kelsey Ann Watts is a Binghamton University graduate holding degrees in Opera, Vocal Performance, and Chemistry. In addition to her time as a 2024 Studio Artist at Chautauqua Opera where she covered roles in Kamala Sankaram’s A.E. Reverie, Nicolás Lell Benevides’ Pepito, and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, she has performed with Tri-Cities Opera, Syracuse Opera, Delaware Valley Opera, and Binghamton University’s Opera Ensemble in roles including Zerlina (Mozart’s Don Giovanni), Clorinda (Rossini’s La Cenerentola), Pamina (Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte), Gilda (Verdi’s Rigoletto), and Gretel (Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel). Her passion for contemporary works has led to her performances in Jorge Sosa’s I Am A Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams and Leif Haley’s Prunella, though her fondest experience was self-producing a performance of Jake Heggie’s Another Sunrise paired with a collection of songs written during, in response to, and by victims of the Holocaust.
Faith Adams, soprano
Studio Artist
Soprano Faith Adams vies to bridge stagecraft with song in her work, enhancing the enjoyment and accessibility of opera. Her recent roles include Susannah in Floyd’s Susannah (Loyola Opera Theatre, TCU Opera), Contessa Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Tokyo Opera Studio), Diana in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld (Loyola Opera Theatre), and Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Manhattan Opera Studio, TCU Opera). Faith is the Second Prize Winner of the 2023 Young Soloist International Music Competition and a Semi-Finalist in the 2025 Young Texas Artists Music Competition. She frequently performs as a soloist, with recent venues including Carnegie Hall, the Fort Worth Rodeo, the National Rodeo, and the 2025 SWASFAA Conference. Faith will obtain her Master of Music from Loyola University New Orleans in May 2026, and she graduated with her Bachelor of Music from TCU in 2023. Faith also instructs voice and piano at LAAPA in New Orleans.
Gabriel Chona Rueda, tenor
Studio Artist
Gabriel Chona Rueda, a Colombian tenor, is an emerging operatic artist recognized for his vibrant stage presence and expressive musicality. He recently appeared with the Houston Chamber Choir as the Tenor Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, and performed Emperor Altoum in Puccini’s Turandot and Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with the Moores Opera Center. This spring, he will make role debuts as Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and as The Stranger in Carlyle Floyd’s Markheim, further expanding his dramatic and stylistic versatility. Gabriel is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Vocal Performance/Pedagogy and a Master of Arts in Leadership at the University of Houston. A graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Opera Program, he has continued his development through training with institutions including the Canadian Opera Company Summer Intensive and Berlin Opera Academy. He is thrilled to continue his artistic growth with the Chautauqua Opera Company.
Sydney Dardis, soprano
Studio Artist
Soprano, Sydney Dardis, a native of Laguna Niguel, California, recently graduated with a Master of Music degree in Vocal Arts from The Juilliard School. In Summer 2025, Sydney was pleased to perform roles in Once Upon A Mattress and The Knock with Central City Opera. This past 2024/25 season, Ms. Dardis was a Studio Artist with the Florida Grand Opera, where she performed as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte and Frasquita in Carmen. In Summer 2024, Sydney performed as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance and covered Greta Fiorentino in Street Scene with Central City Opera. During her time at Juilliard, Ms. Dardis performed Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Flora in The Turn of the Screw. In 2023, Ms. Dardis was honored to be named a New York District Winner in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. In Summer 2022, Ms. Dardis was pleased to cover roles such as Zerlina, Nannetta, and Frasquita at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and the Aspen Music Festival.
Audrianna Hughes, mezzo-soprano
Studio Artist
Audrianna Hughes, mezzo-soprano, is a Paducah, KY native holding a MM in Vocal Performance from the University of Kentucky and a BM in Music Education from Murray State University in Kentucky.
She previously won the Pre-Professional Mezzo-Soprano Prize sponsored by Hilda Harris at the 2025 George Shirley Vocal Competition, an Encouragement Award at the 2025 KY District Metropolitan Laffont Competition, and 2nd Place Graduate Division Winner and Reginald Smith Jr. Scholarship in Opera Award at the 2023 University of Kentucky Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition.
Previous roles include performing the role of Constanza in University of Kentucky Opera Theatre’s A Nation of Others by Paul Moravec, Ellen Craft and Charlotte Giles in Sanctuary Road by Paul Moravec, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, and Angelina in La Cenerentola.
Audrianna recently performed in the Porgy and Bess ensemble at The Metropolitan Opera and Houston Grand Opera. She is also a recipient of the Black Leadership Arts Collective Mentorship Program under J’Nai Bridges and a member of the American Spiritual Ensemble. For more information, visit www.audriannahughes.com
Ryan Michki, tenor
Studio Artist
Ryan Michki is an operatic tenor and scholar working in all aspects of music, opera, and theater. He is in his fifth year at the Bard College Conservatory of Music and plans to graduate in the spring of 2026 with a B.M. in voice performance and a B.A. in Historical Studies with a graduate thesis focused on the study of Black American composers Undine Smith Moore and David N. Baker during the Civil Rights era. Some of his recent musical endeavors include being a chorus fellow in the 2024 Spoleto Festival, participating in Opera Saratoga’s 2025 summer festival, The Berkshire Opera’s 10th Anniversary Concert, and most recently in November of 2025, performing with The Orchestra Now (TÓN) the rarely done orchestral version of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ song cycle On Wenlock Edge. He plans to continue to graduate studies in voice and opera post-graduation from Bard.
Jared Peterson, bass
Studio Artist
Jared Peterson, bass, graduated from the University of Arizona with a master’s degree in Vocal Performance, having previously earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Washington State University. Leading operatic roles include Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Mr. Ford in Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. In December 2024, Jared sang the title role of Duke Bluebeard, alongside Korby Myrick, in Passion Project: Opera!’s production of Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle. Most recently, he made his Arizona Opera debut, singing the role of Soldier #2 in the Arizona premiere of Héctor Armienta’s Zorro.
He is currently singing the roles of Older Hänsel and the Father in Arizona Opera’s production of Hänsel and Gretel versus The Witch, part of their youth outreach program, aptly named Arizona Operatunity. In November, Jared sang the extensive and demanding basso profundo solo in The Helios Ensemble’s fall concert of Rautavaara’s Vigilia: Vespers, sung in the original Finnish. He also appeared as a guest artist with the University of Arizona’s Opera Theater, singing the role of the Baron in Viardot’s Cendrillon. Jared currently studies voice with Korby Myrick and maintains an active vocal studio in Tucson.
Christopher Walters, baritone
Studio Artist
Baritone Christopher Walters regularly performs across southern California, often appearing with Pacific Opera Project and Lyric Opera of Orange County. He has also appeared with Opera Santa Barbara, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the San Diego Symphony. Christopher is honored and excited to make his debut with Chautauqua Opera as a Studio Artist in their 2026 season. The 2025–2026 season also sees his role debut as the titular Gianni Schicchi with Genesis Opera Theatre, cover of Lord Hardcash in Pacific Opera Project’s Fra Diavolo, and his chorus debut with San Diego Opera (Carmen). Past season highlights include chorus in Schonberg’s Gurre-lieder (LA Master Chorale; LA Philharmonic), chorus in Mahler’s 2nd Symphony (San Diego Symphony), and the role of Cinderella’s Father in Pacific Opera Project’s pastiche work, A Cinderella Story. Christopher holds his Bachelor’s of Music from California State University, Long Beach, and studies with Chautauqua Opera alumni Joel Balzun.
Lindsey Weissman, soprano
Studio Artist
Chautauqua Opera Studio Artist, 2025
Originally from Latham, New York, mezzo-soprano Lindsey Weissman joined the Boston University Opera Institute this year, singing Mother (Thumbprint, Sankaram), Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette), and Minskwoman (Flight), as well as joining the BU Orchestra as a soloist for De Falla’s El amor brujo, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and the BSO’s Next Generation concert. She was also honored to be named a winner of the 2025 Soloists Competition at BU and, as a result, will perform Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Op. 37 with the orchestra in 2026. Lindsey is thrilled to be returning to Chautauqua for a second season, the best place on earth! In 2025, she workshopped the roles of Ida in Ida by Lamplight and Vendetta in Sitcom, and Tendril in Missy Mazzoli’s Lincoln in the Bardo. Past credits: Jo March (Little Women); La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica); Zita (Gianni Schicchi); Elizabeth Proctor (The Crucible); L’enfant (L’enfant et les sortilèges); Dorabella (Così fan tutte); Sylviane (The Merry Widow); Ježibaba (Rusalka); Baba (The Medium); Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas); and scenes as Angelina (Cenerentola); Arsace (Semiramide); Lucretia (The Rape of Lucretia); and Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). She has also served as choir director at South Seneca Middle/High School in Ovid, NY (2022–2023) and on voice faculty at the Ithaca College Summer Music Academy. Lindsey holds an M.M. in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Houston and a B.M. in Voice and Theater, minor in Jazz Studies from Ithaca College.
