Wolf Trap Opera

Meet the 2025 Filene Artists

AMANDA BATISTA, SOPRANO

Manchester, NJ

ROLE(S): Micaëla (Carmen)

Amanda Batista is a Puerto Rican and Cuban American soprano from Manchester, New Jersey and a recent graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development program at The Metropolitan Opera. Recent engagements at The Met include High Priestess (Aida), First Lady (The Magic Flute), and Bianca (La Rondine). Earlier this season, Ms. Batista appeared as Mimì in La bohème with The Atlanta Opera, a role she debuted during the summer of 2024 with Wolf Trap Opera. She holds degrees in voice from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and The Juilliard School, where she was a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship.

GABRIELLE BETEAG, MEZZO-SOPRANO

Lilburn, GA

ROLE(S): Alto Soloist (Mahler Smphony No. 2), Mère Marie (Dialogues of the Carmelites)

American mezzo-soprano Gabrielle Beteag brings a fresh joy and commanding warmth to repertoire spanning baroque to contemporary works. Praised for her “precise, soaring voice” by San Francisco Classical Voice, Ms. Beteag’s recent performance in the San Francisco Adler Fellow Showcase was “a peak performance at the opera…a moment of transfiguration.” Endlessly inspired by the challenges inherent in developing new work, Ms. Beteag counts her role creation of Iras in John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra during San Franscisco Opera’s Centennial Season as a career highlight. Other recent performances include Mother (The Handmaid’s Tale), Stimme von Oben (Die Frau ohne Schatten), and Teacher (The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs), San Francisco Opera; Mercédès (Carmen), The Atlanta Opera; and Woman with Hat/Duchess (The Ghosts of Versailles), Chautauqua Opera. In 2020, Ms. Beteag won The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and she has received additional accolades from organizations including Operalia, the Cooper-Bing Competition at Opera Columbus, and the Giulio Gari Foundation. Ms. Beteag is a Wolf Trap Opera alum (’24).

 

SAM DHOBHANY, BASS-BARITONE

Brooklyn, NY

ROLE(S): Bartolo (The Marriage of Figaro), Zuniga (Carmen)

First-year Houston Grand Opera (HGO) Butler Studio artist Sam Dhobhany from Brooklyn, New York, received the Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award at HGO’s 2024 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. He is a 2022 alumnus of HGO’s Young Artist Vocal Academy. During the 2024-2025 season for HGO, Mr. Dhobhany made his company debut as Alidoro in HGO Family Day Presents Cinderella and performed the role of Terry in Breaking the Waves. In summer 2024, he returned to Santa Fe Opera as an apprentice artist, where his roles included Marchese d’Obigny in La traviata and covering Dulcamara in The Elixir of Love and The Notary in Der Rosenkavalier. In 2024, Mr. Dhobhany performed the title role in The Marriage of Figaro at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In summer 2023, he was an apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera, where he covered and sang the role of Un Médecin in Pelléas et Mélisande and covered 2nd Spirit/5th Pastore in L’Orfeo. In the summer of 2022, he joined Wolf Trap Opera’s Studio Artist Program, where he covered the role of Doctor Grenvil in La traviata. Mr. Dhobhany was a 2023 winner of the Michigan District in The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. He holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

 

CHARLES H. EATON, BARITONE

Storrs, CT

ROLE(S): Count Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro), Baritone Soloist (Carmina Burana), Le Dancaïre (Carmen)

Hailed as a “swaggeringly charismatic baritone with a versatile voice,” American baritone Charles H. Eaton began his 2024–2025 season with a return to Minnesota Opera for his role debut as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette. He then made his role and company debut as Silvio in Pagliacci with Pensacola Opera and returned to Madison Opera for his debut in the title role of Don Giovanni. His role debut as Ponchel in Silent Night with Wolf Trap Opera in 2024 was lauded by The Washington Post as a “favorite performance…powerfully sung, endearingly acted and endowed with an easy humanity.” In the preceding two seasons, Mr. Eaton was a resident artist at Minnesota Opera, where he was featured as Sam (Trouble in Tahiti), Schaunard (La bohème), Argante (Rinaldo), and Masetto (Don Giovanni). He is also a graduate of young artist programs at the Glimmerglass Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Opera Colorado. Mr. Eaton is a Wolf Trap Opera alum (Filene ’24).

 

KEELY FUTTERER, SOPRANO

Russellville, AR

ROLE(S): Madame Lidoine (Dialogues of the Carmelites)

Soprano Keely Futterer debuted at Wolf Trap Opera last summer as Anna Sørenson in Silent Night and as a soloist for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. This past season, she returned to Madison Opera as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, performed Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at Virginia Opera, and was the soprano soloist for the Verdi Requiem with Erie Philharmonic. Ms. Futterer has also sung with Minnesota Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Saratoga, Hudson Hall, Opera Memphis, and the Glimmerglass Festival. She completed her undergraduate degree at Arkansas Tech University and her graduate and post-graduate work at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Ms. Futterer is a Wolf Trap Opera alum (Filene ’24).

 

BRITTANY OLIVIA LOGAN, SOPRANO

Garden Grove, CA

ROLE(S): Countess Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro)

Originally from California, soprano Brittany Olivia Logan is a recent graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera. During The Met’s 2023-2024 season, she sang Anna in Nabucco and covered Bianca in La Rondine. Last spring, she appeared as Gerhilde in a concert tour production of Die Walküre with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Recent engagements include Liu (Turandot), Musetta (La Boheme), Priestess (Aida), and Clotilde (Norma). She returned to Wolf Trap Opera in 2022 as a Filene Artist where she sang Marguerite in Faust to much critical acclaim. In addition to her repertory experience, she has performed in the premieres of several new works, including Rashaad Newsome’s interdisciplinary work Assembly at Park Avenue Armory and Will Todd’s Migrations at Welsh National Opera. Ms. Logan is a 2024 Sullivan Foundation Award winner, second place grant winner with the Jensen Foundation, and a semifinalist in Operalia, The World Opera Competition. She won the Audience Choice Award at Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition and was a National Finalist in The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, where she received the Judith Raskin Award, received the Sara Tucker Study Grant for the Richard Tucker Foundation, and is a Sullivan Award winner. Ms. Logan is an alumna of The Cincinnati Opera Young Artist Program, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, and Wolf Trap Opera Studio. She holds degrees from the Bob Cole Conservatory at California State University Long Beach and The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

 

SOPHIA MAEKAWA, MEZZO-SOPRANO

Kyoto, Japan

ROLE(S): Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro)

Praised for her “supple and buttery voice” (The New Criterion) and hailing from Kyoto, Japan, Japanese American mezzo-soprano Sophia Maekawa is finishing her tenure as an ensemble member with Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago. This summer Ms. Maekawa sings her first Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Williamsburg Opera, as well as reprising the role of Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro with Wolf Trap Opera. In the 2024-2025 season, as a Ryan Opera ensemble member she appeared as Lee Ann (The Listeners), Tisbe (La Cenerentola), and Pastuchyna (Jenůfa), as well as covered Cherubino at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Li Song in Émigré (US premiere) with the New York Philharmonic. As an apprentice artist in Santa Fe Opera in 2022, she covered Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Comrade Chin/Shu Fang in Madama Butterfly. Ms. Maekawa was also a semi-finalist in the Houston Grand Opera “Concert of Arias” Elenor McCollun Competition. In summer of 2021 she was a Gerdine Young Artist at Opera Theater of St. Louis. Ms. Maekawa was awarded first place in Tokyo International Vocal Music Competition 2020, was a finalist in the 2020 Music Competition of Japan, and received the Tokyo Newspaper (Tokyo Shinbun) Award. Previous credits include: Ariodante (Ariodante), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Annio (La Clemenza di Tito), Mercedes (Carmen), Nancy (Albert Herring), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), and Second Woman (Dido and Aeneas) with companies such as Curtis Opera Theater and Chautauqua Institution.

 

MIDORI MARSH, SOPRANO

Cleveland, OH

ROLE(S): Soprano Soloist (Mahler Symphony No. 2), Soeur Mathilde (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Frasquita (Carmen), Soprano Soloist (Carmina Burana)

Named a Top 30 Artist under 30 by CBC Radio, American Canadian soprano Midori Marsh is quickly establishing herself as a “polished and poised performer” with a “truly gorgeous, expressive sound” (OperaRamblings). In her debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Calgary Opera) Ms. Marsh was praised for “portraying the role with an intensity of emotion that dominated the stage” and “a powerful, darkly rounded, and flexible voice” (Edmonton Scene). In concert, Ms. Marsh was a featured soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in works by Clara Schumann, joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist for Haydn’s The Creation in a joint production with the Amadeus Choir, and has been a two-time guest soloist with Thorgy Thor and the Thorchestra (Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra). She was recently awarded third prize in the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition and both first prize and the Audience Choice Award at the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition. She was a finalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition, claimed first place at the COC Quilico Awards, and was recognized as a semifinalist in The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. In 2019, she achieved remarkable success at the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Competition, winning both first prize and the Audience Choice Award. Ms. Marsh is a Wolf Trap Opera alum (Filene ’24).

 

CECELIA McKINLEY, CONTRALTO

Sterling, VA

ROLE(S): Madame de Croissy (Dialogues of the Carmelites)

Noted for her “plush, glowing tones, and lyrical poise” (Arts & Culture Texas), contralto Cecelia McKinley returns to Wolf Trap Opera this season after singing with the company as a Studio Artist in 2022. A recent graduate of the Cafritz Young Artist Program, Ms. McKinley’s credits with the Washington National Opera include Arsace (Partenope), Zweite Magd (Elektra), and Mastrilla (Songbird). This past season Ms. McKinley made her “old artist” debut with the company as Schwertleite from Die Walkurie in their Gods & Mortals: A Celebration of Wagner concert. In the 2024-2025 season, she also made her debut with InSeries Opera as Mrs. Mister and Ella in Blitzstein’s Cradle Will Rock, for which she was labeled a “favorite” by The Washington Post. In previous summers, Ms. McKinley participated in San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program as well as Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. She received her master’s degree in music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and a bachelor’s degree in music at James Madison University. When not singing, Ms. McKinley enjoys cooking overly complicated recipes and keeping her plants alive.

 

GEMMA NHA, SOPRANO

Sydney, AU

ROLE(S): Sister Constance (Dialogues of the Carmelites)

Deemed a “rising star soprano” by Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo, Korean Australian soprano Gemma Nha is an ensemble member of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she will be making her house debut as the Page in Rigoletto, reprising Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, and performing the role of Jess and covering Ashley in Missy Mazzoli’s The Listeners. In the 2023-2024 season, Ms. Nha made two role debuts with Juilliard Opera: Ruth Baldwin in John Musto and Mark Campbell’s Later the Same Evening and Flerida in Cavalli’s Erismena. She also debuted with the Albany Symphony at the Troy Saving Banks Music Hall, at Carnegie Hall in May as a prize winner of the Gerda Lissner Foundation Lieder/Song Competition, and with the Grant Park Music Festival in Mahler’s Symphony 8. Ms. Nha recently won first prize at the 18th Seoul International Music Competition and she was a national semifinalist of The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2024. Other credits include: Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Volksoper Wien; Zerlina (Don Giovanni) and Esmeralda (Die verkaufte Braut) at the Schlosstheater Schönbrunn, University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna; Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), PlusOpera; Händel’s Dixit Dominus, Sydney Conservatorium of Music; Händel’s Messiah, Fiori Musicali Chamber Choir, Tagkhanic Chorale; and Tuptim (The King and I ), Seefestspiele Mörbisch. Ms. Nha completed her master’s degree in music at The Juilliard School as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship and earned a BA degree in voice with distinction from the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna.

 

DANIEL O'HEARN, TENOR

Chicago, IL

ROLE(S): Don José (Carmen)

Daniel O’Hearn is an emerging tenor from Chicago, Illinois. He joins Wolf Trap Opera as Don José in Carmen. Other recent and upcoming roles include Matteo (Arabella), Deutsch Oper Berlin; Duca cover (Rigoletto), Lyric Opera of Chicago; Rodolfo (La bohème) and Steuermann (Der fliegende Holländer), Pittsburgh Opera; Roméo (Roméo et Juliette) and Duca (Rigoletto), Vashon Opera; Ruiz (Il trovatore) and The Master of Ceremonies (The Queen of Spades) at The Metropolitan Opera, where he is a Lindemann Young Artist. Mr. O’Hearn is also a 2024 winner of the Sullivan Foundation Award.

 

JONATHAN PATTON, BARITONE

Durango, CO

ROLE(S): Marquis de la Force (Dialogues of the Carmelites)

Baritone Jonathan Patton praised for his “crystal-clear voice” and “strong stage presence,” recently completed his third season as a Cafritz Young Artist with Washington National Opera (WNO).  At WNO, Mr. Patton earned acclaim for his portrayal of the title role in Mason Bates’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs in WNO’s Young Artist performance. During his three seasons, he also appeared as Macbeth in the company’s Opera Look-In performance of Verdi’s Macbeth, as Austin in Cry, Wolf by JL Marlor and Claire Fuyuko Bierman as part of WNO’s annual American Opera Initiative, and as Pâris in Roméo et Juliette, Don Pedro in Songbird, and Marcello in La bohème, among others. This summer he will make his Carnegie Hall debut in Fauré’s Requiem with MidAmerica Productions.  He was a 2024 semifinalist in the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and holds a master’s in music from the University of New Mexico and a graduate artist certificate from the University of North Texas.

 

ELISSA PFAENDER, MEZZO-SOPRANO

Delafield, WI

ROLE(S): Carmen (Carmen), Marcellina (The Marriage of Figaro)

Mezzo-soprano Elissa Pfaender has been praised for “exuding power in every detail of her body language and voice” and her “mellifluous mezzo…with chest tones of chilling power,” (Opera Today). Recent engagements include Waltraute in Die Walküre and Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte at Deutsche Oper Berlin. She also recently made her Teatro Real debut as Anna Kennedy in Maria Stuarda. In the 2023 season, she returned to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Mrs. McLean in Susannah and Opera North in her role debut as the title character of Carmen. She was also a vocal fellow at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, which concluded with a solo performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in their Tchaikovsky Spectacular. Additionally at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, she created the role of Dr. Landau in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Awakenings. Ms. Pfaender has been the recipient of many awards from The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, The Gerda Lissner Foundation, The Opera Foundation, The NEA YoungArts Foundation, The National Opera Association, The Orpheus National Music Competition, and more.

 

LAUREANO QUANT, BARITONE

Barranquilla, Colombia

ROLE(S): Escamillo (Carmen)

Laureano Quant is lauded for a voice that is “robust and full of swagger” (San Francisco Chronicle). In the 2024-2025 season, the Colombian baritone will make his European debut as Bill in Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny with Staatsoper Stuttgart. He also sings El Payador in Maria de Buenos Aires with Madison Opera. In 2024, he sang his first performances of Schaunard in La bohème as a Filene Artist with Wolf Trap Opera and joined the Steans Music Institute of the Ravinia Festival as a vocal fellow. He is a recently departed member of Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he sang Le Dancaïre—while also being responsible for Escamillo—in Carmen, Comte de Lerma in Don Carlos, and Stařek in Jenůfa, along with covering Man in the Bar in Champion. Elsewhere, he has sung Betto in Gianni Schicchi with Ópera de Colombia; Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as the Captain and Prince Ragotsky in Candide with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotà; and Escamillo in Le tragedie de Carmen and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with The Opera Next Door. Mr. Quant obtained his master’s of musical arts degree from Yale University, and while there sang Belcore in L’elisir d’amore. He also holds a master’s degree in music from the Manhattan School of Music, at which he sang Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles, Figaro in I due Figaro, and Mr. Maguire in Picker’s Emmeline. He is a classical voice fellow of the Luminarts Foundation and recipient of the Phyllis Curtin Career Entry Prize from Yale University. Mr. Quant was the winner of the Online Viewer’s Choice Award at Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of Arias. He also received second prize in New England, western, and southeast regions of the Laffont Competition.

 

ARIANNA RODRIGUEZ, SOPRANO

Burke, VA

ROLE(S): Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro)

Poised and playful soprano Arianna Rodriguez has been praised by the San Francisco Chronicle as “crystalline” for her performance in Merola Opera Program’s 2022 Grand Finale concert. Her performance as Musetta in Opera North’s La bohème was described by the Eagle Times as a “a delight…a brilliant soprano delivering her wit with flair.” While she was an Adler Fellow with San Francisco Opera, Ms. Rodriguez sang the roles of Frasquita in Carmen, Gianetta in L’elisir d’Amore, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, made her mainstage debut in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten, and sang the role of Musetta in the company’s production of Bohème out of the Box. Other recent performances include Ask Your Mama, a multimedia work based on poetry by Langston Hughes and originally composed by Laura Karpman for Jessye Norman. Ms. Rodriguez was a District Winner in The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, received encouragement awards from the Vero Beach Opera Rising Star Vocal Competition and Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, and is also a recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation.

 

CHRISTIAN SIMMONS, BASS-BARITONE

Washington, DC

ROLE(S): Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)

Washington, DC native and bass-baritone Christian Simmons was a winner in The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2023. A winner of the Opera Foundation’s 37th Annual Scholarship Competition, Mr. Simmons made his European debut with Deutsche Oper Berlin for the 2023-2024 season. Performances included Zuniga (Carmen), Lord Rochefort (Anna Bolena), Sciarrone (Tosca), Betto di Signa (Gianni Schicchi), and High Priest of Babylon (Gianni Schicchi). Mr. Simmons also made his debut at The Atlanta Opera as Colline in La bohème. As a 2023 Cafritz Young Artist of the Washington National Opera, Mr. Simmons performed as Policeman (Blue), Colline (La bohème), and Zuniga (Carmen). Recent performances include Lodovico (Otello), National Symphony Orchestra; Colline (La bohème), Opera Carolina, Opera Delaware, and Opera Baltimore; and a debut of Escamillo in Carmen with Opera Memphis.

 

ERIN WAGNER, MEZZO-SOPRANO

El Paso, TX

ROLE(S): Blanche de la Force (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Mercédès (Carmen)

Mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner is establishing herself as an artist of “versatility and musical curiosity” (Opera News). Ms. Wagner is an alumna of The Houston Grand Opera Butler Studio, performing in their productions of The Wreckers, Le nozze di Figaro, Salome, Madama Butterfly, Parsifal, and The Sound of Music. She joined Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist in 2024 to debut as Dorabella in Così fan tutte and will return to Wolf Trap to perform the roles of Blanche de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites and Mércèdes in Carmen. This season marks debuts at The Metropolitan Opera in Die Frau ohne Schatten, with Louisville Orchestra in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Maryland Symphony in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Brooklyn Art Song Society, and Brazos Valley Symphony. Ms. Wagner is a winner of The Gerda Lissner Foundation Lieder Competition, Opera Index Competition, The George & Nora London Foundation Competition, Young Concert Artists Auditions, Schwabacher Recital Debut Competition, and The Naumburg Foundation Vocal Competition, and is a recipient of The Richard F. Gold Career Grant from The Shoshana Foundation. Seeking to perform music which represents modern and diverse perspectives, she has performed recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, San Francisco Opera, and the Kaufmann Center. She will make her Morgan Library Recital Debut with the Young Concert Artist Series performing Mahler’s “Rückert Lieder” and Argento’s “From The Diary of Virginia Woolf.” Ms. Wagner is an alumna of the Renée Fleming Artist Fellowship at Aspen Music Festival, where she performed the role of Idamante in Idomeneo and is an alumna of Merola Opera Program. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and The Manhattan School of Music.

 

TRAVON D. WALKER, TENOR

Hinesville, GA

ROLE(S): Chevalier de la Force (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Remendado (Carmen), Tenor Soloist (Carmina Burana)

Travon D. Walker is a second-year tenor with Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago. In the 2024-2025 season, he appears in the leading role of Son (Blue) as well as Borsa (Rigoletto), 1st Prisoner (Fidelio), and Parpignol (La bohème) with Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as Valcour (The Anonymous Lover) with Opera Philadelphia. He recently received his master’s degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and has a degree from the Eastman School of Music. Mr. Walker participated in Renée Fleming’s 2023 SongStudio and Joyce DiDonato’s 2023 Master Class Series, both at Carnegie Hall, and is a former Wolf Trap Studio Artist (’22). Other engagements include the Erie Philharmonic and Houston Grand Opera. Mr. Walker received the 2024 Best Vocal Artist Award from the American Opera Society and the 2024 Luminarts Cultural Foundation Men’s Voice Fellowship.