Liz Bouk is a transgender man, living his life as a man in a female body. Pants roles afford Liz the opportunity to express his inner truth with his “silky mezzo” (New York Times): as Octavian, Komponist, Orlovsky, and now as Tristan Tzara! Liz is equally drawn to -and has won acclaim for- roles featuring women driven to extremes, from Lucretia to Carmen. Opera News praised Liz’s “impressive firmly-grounded contralto” as the cast-aside but merciful wife, Augusta Tabor, in Utopia Opera’s The Ballad of Baby Doe. He recently brought to life Fosca, a woman trapped by circumstances, society, gender, and her physical appearance, in Sondheim’s Passion. Liz has been featured in new works with Gramercy Opera, The Society for New Music, Anonymous Ensemble, and The Center for Contemporary Opera. With OperaRox Productions this August he will create the agender role of Eusebuis in Ghost Variations with music by Tony Manfredonia and libretto by Aiden Kim Feltkamp. www.lizbouk.com
Read moreMegan Atchley
Megan Atchley is a New York based violinist dedicated to creating musical experiences that resonate with her audiences aesthetically, politically and bodily. She performs a wide array of styles from classical to jazz in venues such as Lincoln Center, the Bowery Ballroom and Le Poisson Rouge. As Artistic Director for the Firey Strings Company and a frequent performer with various new music ensembles including Wordless Music Orchestra, ShoutHouse and the International Contemporary Ensemble, Megan is dedicated to creating exciting contemporary music. A committed music educator, Megan founded and directs the violin program at Girls Prep Middle School in addition to holding faculty positions with InterSchool Orchestras and Third Street Music School. As a scholar and passionate feminist, Megan presented a lecture-recital at the 2011 Feminist Theory and Music Conference on the work of Kaija Saariaho. Megan’s credits as a recording artist include releases on Deutsche Grammophon and ShoutHouse. She holds degrees from NYU Steinhardt and Ithaca College.
Read moreFrank D. Fainer
Frank D. Fainer, Paraguayan-American singer and actor, is known for his venturesome acting choices on the stage and on screen. Frank’s favorite roles include Dandini (La Cenerentola), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), the Pirate King (Pirates of Penzance), Stephen Sondheim (Side by Side by Sondheim), Schaunard (La bohème), and Jesus (Godspell). In the summer of 2014 Frank attended Song Fest to perform contemporary works with John Musto, and in 2016 he earned a Bachelor of Music in voice at the University of Colorado at Boulder under the guidance of Patrick Mason. As a two year participant in the intensive Scottsdale Conservatory Theatre program, Frank fine-tuned the skills of theatre acting in the indepth role study of Tom in The Glass Menagerie. Frank resides in New York City.
Read moreEugenia Forteza
French-Argentinean Soprano Eugenia Forteza has been praised for her “soulful mood” (Opera Wire) and “fine tone and spirited acting” (Voce di Meche). Eugenia was a Finalist and Opera Role Prize Winner at the 2017 Concorso Internazionale di Canto Katia Ricciarelli in Cerisano, Italy. Recent career highlights include the role of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol by Jarrar-Goodwin with Gramercy Opera, La Suora Infirmiera in Suor Angelica with IVAI NYC and De Falla’s Siete Canciones Populares Españolas in Philadelphia. The summer season will take Eugenia to Italy, Colombia, and Canada for various projects. Eugenia is thrilled to be working with Jarrar-Goodwin again and to be a part of the original cast of Tabula Rasa. Eugenia is based in NYC, where she is a roster singer with Opera on Tap, the founder of 360° of Opera, and part of the Shoperatic and Lenny’s Studio PR teams. Please visit www.eugeniaforteza.com for more information and follow along on social media at @fortezaeugenia and @360ofOpera.
Read moreAri Evan
Ari Evan is a recent Masters graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Timothy Eddy. His studies were made possible by Juilliard’s generous J. Victor Monke Scholarship and the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship. As a member of the Bordone Quartet, Ari performed recitals at WQXR's Greene Space, Alice Tully Hall, and the Harvard Club of New York. A versatile chamber musician, Ari has also performed with Atar Arad, Colin Carr, Ara Gregorian, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Ani Kavafian, and Itzhak Perlman. Festivals attended include Ravinia's Steans Music Institute, the Olympic Music Festival, IMS’ Prussia Cove, the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, East Carolina University’s Four Seasons festival, Kneisel Hall, and the Sarasota Music Festival. Recent notable performances include a premiere of Sean Shepherd’s new work for cello, violin and clarinet, and a collaboration with Esa-Pekka Salonen and performance of his string quartet “Homunculus,” as part of the Rolex Mentors and Protégé program.
Read moreAllison Gish
Praised for her "agile and stylish" coloratura (Entertainment Hour), Allison Gish is a mezzo-soprano based in NYC. She has made a number of role and company debuts this season, including Zita in Gianni Schicchi with ARE Opera and as Kathleen O’Fallin in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star with Onsite Opera, and she will join Cantanti Project for a second season as Mrs. Prin/Wine Mom in the world premiere of Felix Jarrar’s Tabula Rasa. She will also debut with Ars Musica as alto soloist in Rachmaninov’s All Night Vigil and Bach’s Mass in B Minor. This summer, she will sing Lisotta in the American premiere of Salieri’s La Cifra (dell’Arte Opera Ensemble), the title role in Cavalli’s La Didone (Haymarket Opera Company) and Junon in Lully’s Cadmus et Hermione (Amherst Early Music Festival). Ms. Gish is a recent graduate of the Professional Studies Diploma program at Mannes College and completed her Bachelor of Music at Louisiana State University.
Read moreMarques Hollie
Hailed as a "triumphant tenor" by Broadway World, Marques Hollie’s operatic repertoire spans a diverse range of comedic and dramatic roles including: Don Jose, Cavaradossi, Pinkerton, Beppe, and Donald Hopewell (Gallantry). Highlights of Marques' concert repertoire include: Handel's Messiah, the Requiem masses of Mozart and Verdi, and Haydn's Missa Salve Regina. A passionate performer of contemporary music, Marques made his debut with the Center for Contemporary Opera in their 2015 production of The Sorrows of Frederick and recently participated in the Sparks and Wiry Cries SongSlam, where he presented We are the Music Makers from Kevin Joest’s Somnium-Recursum. Outside of opera and art song, Marques has a vested interest in Jewish intersectionality and is a member of the inaugural cohort of the Union for Reform Judaism’s JewV’Nation Fellowship. His fellowship project, a one-man show called Go Down Moshe, explores the themes of Passover through Negro spirituals and slave narratives.
Read moreBea (Brittány) Goodwin
Bea (Brittány) Goodwin made her opera stage directing debut in 2015 with Jarrar’s Fall of the House of Usher at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music. Since then, she has been fortunate enough to work with dell’Arte Opera Ensemble as a stage director (La Rondine, 2016; La Calisto, 2017) and Gramery Opera as a librettist and stage director (The Fairy Queen, 2017; A Christmas Carol, 2017). Goodwin’s lyrics are featured in Jarrar’s newest song cycle, Songs of the Soul Beams, with premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2017, and her play, The Wonders of Alice, has been nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. For more on this artist: begoodwin.com, on media: @be_goodwin.
Read moreFelix Jarrar
Felix Jarrar is a 23-year-old composer, pianist, and music director whose list of accomplishments includes performances at diverse venues such as Symphony Space, (le) poisson rouge, BAM's Fisher Hillman Studio and Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. His works have been performed internationally by members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra and the duo Unassisted Fold. He is currently working on his fifth opera, Mother Goose.
Read morePetra Jarrar
Known for her "hook-drenched, danceable, optimistic pop songs," Petra Jarrar has taken the music world by storm. The "Glamour Girl" singer has performed with "swagger" all over the world including sold out shows such at Knitting Factory, Webster Hall, The Cutting Room, Hard Rock Cafe (Osaka), and Mint LA. On top of fronting her own band and opening for pop stars such as Drake Bell, she's well known for staying true to her classical roots and embracing her love for opera on the stage. Since beginning work with her brother, Felix, and collaborative partner Brittany Goodwin, Petra has appeared in every world premiere of Jarrar/Goodwin's productions including The Fall of the House of Usher (Marlboro College, Dimenna Center, Jazz Gallery), A Christmas Carol (Montauk Club), and Songs of the Soul Beams (BAM Fisher Hillman Studio, (le) Poisson Rouge). Currently, Petra is in the process of recording her debut album and will be touring the USA throughout the summer.
Read moreKelsey Mogensen
Kelsey Mogensen is absolutely thrilled to be working with such a dynamic group of artists! She is an actor/stage manager from Buffalo, NY, and has been living in Manhattan for just over 1 year. Kelsey was an active member in the thriving Buffalo Theatre scene, appearing most recently in regional productions of The Constant Wife, Equus, and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Since relocating to NYC, she has been actively working to devise new and inventive theatre pieces, and has appeared in multiple new work festivals across the boroughs. She is a member of The Ophelia Theatre Collective in Queens, and she also works in the Education Department at Carnegie Hall. Kelsey hopes to continue her work as a theatre artist and collaborator, bringing new stories to life, and supporting Women in the arts. Special thanks to Bea and Felix for bringing me along on the Tabula Rasa Journey, and to Geoff for all of his love and support.
Read moreGeoff Pictor
Geoff Pictor is a Buffalo NY transplant who has worked in musical theater, drama, and comedy throughout New York State. Geoff is an experienced Shakespearean actor, as well as an accomplished originator of several roles. Recently in New York City, Geoff was seen at New York Repertory Theater under the direction of Ms. Goodwin in Bachelor Agreement, an original one act comedy. During his free time, he is a 5th grade teacher, and a proud tenor with both the University Glee Club, and The Ten. Geoff is ecstatic to be joining the ensemble of Tabula Rasa and is honored to bring this exciting moment in history to life. From the bottom of his heart he thanks his family, friends, coworkers, and his magnificent partner in crime Kelsey for allowing him to live his life to its own artistic fullness.
Read moreRebecca Richardson
Soprano Rebecca Richardson has performed throughout the United States as well as in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Australia and has made appearances in such musical landmarks as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and Smetana Hall. Rebecca recently made her Cantanti Project debut as the Jazz Singer/ Lee Miller in the world premiere of Tabula Rasa, a jazz opera written by Felix Jarrar and Bea Goodwin. Past roles and scenes include L’Éternita/ Furia in La Calisto, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Manon in Manon, Magda in La Rondine, Pamina and First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Marguerite in Faust, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Beth in Little Women, and Jay in Cunning Little Vixen. Accomplished in early music and oratorio, Rebecca has performed such masterpieces as selections from Monteverdi’s Eight Book of Madrigals, Bach’s Cantata BWV 120, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, and Rutter’s Requiem.
Read moreWalter F. Rodriguez
Walter F. Rodriguez is a professional Puerto Rican artist and stage, tv, and film actor who has been working in New York City for many years. He worked on The Onion News Network for several seasons, including the show’s Peabody Award-winning season and its Comedy Central and IFC incarnations. He’s been seen on stages nationwide in off-Broadway and regional productions. Walter’s editorial and fashion photography has been seen on billboards and in magazines and on book covers for MacMillan and other major book publishers. His love for storytelling currently has him in talks with a major television studio about a new show he’s created and hopes to produce sometime in 2019. Walter would like to thank God, his family, friends, and the cast and production team for all of their love and support.
Read moreEric Umble
Eric Umble is a versatile, award winning clarinetist known for his "... nuanced and coloristic playing" (The Clarinet). Eric enjoys a diverse international career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, and music educator. An advocate for, and avid performer of contemporary music, he is a founding member of numerous ensembles that champion music by living composers. For more information, visit www.ericumble.com.
Read moreSara Lin Yoder
Soprano Sara Lin Yoder’s midwestern work ethic coupled with 37 years of combined performance experience across 4 different instruments makes her an impeccable musician and a dynamic storyteller. Sara Lin’s “arresting dignity and presence that grips both the eye and the ear” entranced audiences in her performances in the title role of L’incoronazione di Poppea. Her knack for comedy in the roles of Despina (Cosi fan tutte), Clorinda (La Cenerentola), and Ida (Die Fledermaus) left audiences roaring with laughter, while heart-warming renditions of Nanetta (Falstaff), Constance (Dialogues of the Carmelites), and Laurie (The Tender Land) brought them to tears. Sara Lin’s interest in new music was discovered in 2012 while workshopping the role of Jessica in Aldridge/Garfein’s production of Sister Carrie. Since then, she has workshopped Aschera in Kerer/Mazzola’s Apocalypse: Now and Then, Susan in Redler/Campbell’s A Song for Susan Smith, and Mary in Heggie/Scheer’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Sara Lin lives in New York City.
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