top of page

La Bohème

Cast

Çınar Atilla (chorus tenor)

Yüksel Çınar Atilla is a Turkish tenor majoring in classical voice performance at New England Conservatory, studying under the internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano, MaryAnn McCormick. Originally a mechanical engineering graduate from Turkey, Çınar is now a Boston-based tenor, hoping to contribute to the world of music, where he is a newcomer. Although he is new to the scene, he is already a member of NEC’s audition-only ensemble, Chamber Singers, and he was the soloist in the world premiere of Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol’s choral work, Devran. Çınar aspires to step into the world of professional singing and share his voice with the world.

Scott Ballantine (Schaunard, Benoit/Alcindoro, Marcello cover)

Baritone, Scott Ballantine, is thrilled to join Boston Opera Collaborative (BOC) as a member for the 2017-18 season. Previous credits with BOC include Hannah Before in As One, Valmont in The Dangerous Liaisons and Sid in Albert Herring. Ballantine spent the summer of 2017 with the Utah Festival of Opera and Musical Theatre, where he rehearsed and performed for twelve weeks in four productions. The day he returned to the east coast, he jumped immediately into a new performance schedule--joining the Southern Vermont Lyric Theatre as Schaunard in La Bohème. He looks forward to the opportunity to perform Schaunard for the third time in April with BOC. Ballantine will have his role debut as Sharpless in Madama Butterly this summer in Brevard, NC with the Janiec Opera Company. For more credits and upcoming engagements, please visit www.scottballantine.com

Allyson Bennett (chorus mezzo)

Allyson Bennett is a Boston based soprano studying at the New England Conservatory. Throughout her time at NEC she has many accomplishments including participation in the school’s audition-only Chamber Singers, portrayal of Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte in the undergraduate opera scenes, sang chorus in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and helping out with NEC’s grad opera program’s production of Die Zauberflöte with her portrayal of puppeteer/ensemble member. She was awarded Runner-Up for Best Schumann piece and Second Runner-Up for Artist of the Year 2017 with the Great Composers International Music Competition. Nearing engagements feature Allyson auditing the role of Meg Page in the Martina Arroyo Foundation Prelude to Performance production of Verdi’s Falstaff. 

Jamie Chelel (chorus mezzo)

Jamie Chelel, mezzo-soprano, is a native of Kinnelon, New Jersey. She is thrilled to be making her Boston Opera Collaborative debut in this production of La Bohème. She has previously appeared as Nancy (Albert Herring) with The Boston Conservatory Opera Workshop. An enthusiastic proponent of new music, Jamie is featured on the inaugural recording of Isabella, a new opera by B.U. Professor Aram Chobanian, and has debuted numerous art songs and song cycles of Boston-based composers. Equally comfortable in the realm of sacred music, Jamie sings frequently at Old South Church in Copley Square, and St. Joseph’s Parish in Beacon Hill.

 

Jamie earned her B.M. in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory in 2017.

Junhan Choi (Marcello)

Praised for his “splended baritone voice, rich and rounded”, baritone Junhan Choi, a native of South Korea, is an active opera singer. He was recently awarded 1st Prize in Talents of the World International Voice Competition, Extraordinary prize at the 54th Viñas international voice competition in Barcelona. He also won 1st place in MetroWest Opera’s Vocal Competition. In the 2017-2018 season, engagements included his role as Tideo in Medea in Corinto, Roggero in Tancredi rifatto, title role Don Giovanni, Marcello in La Boheme, Young man in Lucy, Melisso in Alcina, Baron de Pictordu in Cendrillon, and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus.

Sarah Joyce Cooper (Mimi)

Soprano Sarah Joyce Cooper earned her Bachelor’s Degree in French from Princeton University and her Master’s Degree in Music from Westminster Choir College. Previous performances include the Pamina in Die Zauberflöte (CoOPERAtive), Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro (Savannah Voice Festival), Micaela in Carmen (Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance), and Violetta in La Traviata (CoOPERAtive). In 2016, Sarah was a first-place winner of the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artists Competition and the Westminster Choir College Voice Scholarship competition. In January 2018, Sarah was awarded first place in the Opera and Operetta division for The American Prize. 

Carina DiGianfillipo (Musetta)

Soprano Carina DiGianfilippo is thrilled to make her debut with BOC! Ms. DiGianfilippo received her MM from Manhattan School of Music and her BM from Syracuse University. She has worked as a young artist with various companies, including Opera Maine in Portland, and the Natchez Festival of Music in Mississippi, where she performed as Queen Guinevere in Camelot. She was also seen as a young artist with Prague Summer Nights, where she performed as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre under the direction of Sherrill Milnes, a role that she will reprise this summer with Nempac Opera at Faneuil Hall. 

Anne Fanelli (chorus soprano)

Anne Fanelli is a sophomore Vocal Performance major at the New England Conservatory studying under Carole Haber. This is Ms. Fanelli’s first production with the Boston Opera Collaborative but her previous engagements include Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans with Odyssey Opera (chorus), Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with NEC’s Graduate Opera Program (chorus), and Penhorwood’s Too Many Sopranos with Little Patuxent Opera Institute (Sandman). Her scene work includes scenes from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Susanna), Nicolai’s Merry Wives of Windsor (Alice Ford), and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado (Yum-Yum).

Mitch FitzDaniel (Schaunard)

Mieczyslaw is excited to be an emerging artist in Boston’s vocal scene. In May of 2017 he received his Master of Music from Boston University, where he was featured as the Baritone in the BU Opera Institute’s production of Philip Glass’ Hydrogen Jukebox and sang various ensemble and comprimario roles during the ’15-’16 and ’16-’17 seasons. Mr. FitzDaniel is also an enthusiastic advocate and interpreter of contemporary American art song, having sung for both the New Music on the Point Festival in Vermont in 2016 and the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar with Stephanie Blythe this past year. He is thrilled to be a part of the BOC community as well as a member of the Boston Art Song Society for the 2017-18 season. Mieczyslaw currently resides in Boston, where he continues his studies under James Demler.

Celeste Godin (Mimi)

Celeste is thrilled to be performing this season as both Mimi in Boston Opera Collaborative’s production of La bohème, and as Miss Havisham in MetroWest Opera’s production of Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night.   Earlier this year, she placed as a Boston district winner for MONC, and appeared with Odyssey Opera as a chorister and soprano soloist in both Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher and The Trial at Rouen.   In 2017 she performed as “a completely brilliant Rodolfo” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) for MetroWest Opera's La Femme Bohème, Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos with Lowell House Opera, and Andeng in Noli Me Tangere (Opera Brittenica).   At this time, she was also awarded second place in the 2017 Five Towns Young Musician’s Competition in New York.  Holding a master’s degree in vocal pedagogy and a graduate diploma for vocal performance from New England Conservatory, she appeared there as Agrippina (Agrippina), Blanche de la Force (Dialogues of the Carmelites), First Lady (The Magic Flute), and Ku in the staged workshop of Gilgamesh (she then covered the role in the professional production).  She will be joining Teatro Nuovo as a Resident Artist this summer, engaged as Creusa (cover) in Medea in Corinto.  She will also be performing the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the North End Music and Performing Arts Center.

Samuel Grandaw (Parpignol, chorus tenor)

Samuel Grandaw has sung with choirs throughout the country, including the Schola Cantorum of Christ Church in Rochester, Canto Armonico, and the Eastman Chorale.  He has also performed in the chorus for Eastman School of Music’s production of “Dialogues of the Carmelites” and in the role of Florian for Longy School of Music’s 2017 production of “The Finishing School.  Mr. Grandaw is currently working on his B.M. at Longy School of Music and serves as the tenor section leader at Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, MA.

Seth Grondin (Colline, Benoit/Alcindoro cover)

Seth Grondin, Bass-Baritone, received his Bachelor's of Music from the University of Maine, and his Master's of Music from the Longy School of Music. His most recent performances include Rocco in Fidelio with NEMPAC Opera Project, Pandolfe in Cendrillon with New York Lyric Opera Theater, and Buchinsky in Dimitrij with Odyssey Opera. His notable past performances include Hanezo in L'Amico Fritz, and covering Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’amore with Boston Midsummer Opera, Professor Bhaer in Little Women, and Masetto in Don Giovanni with MetroWest Opera, Colline in La Bohème and Don Alfonso in Cosi fan Tutte with NEMPAC Opera Project, Gideon March/Mr. Dashwood in Little Women, and Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro with Boston Opera Collaborative, Angelotti in Tosca with Lowell House Opera, and covering the role of Claudio in Béatrice et Bénédict with Opera Boston.

Alyssa Hensel (chorus soprano)

Soprano, Alyssa Hensel is excited to be working with Boston Collaborative Opera this season.  Her previous 2017 performances include: Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito), Eliza (Dark Sisters) and Louisa Berry (A Letter to Vanguard, new commission).  Her upcoming performances include Donna Anna (Don Giovanni, concert adaptation), and Chorus (The Maids of Orleans) with Odyssey Opera.

 

As a recitalist, Ms. Hensel has performed Faure’s La bonne chanson with string quartet & piano,  a world premiere of Daniel Choi’s gemutlich, Jake Heggie’s Songs and Sonnets to Ophelia at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Soundbites Series performing, and soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, under the baton of Philip Highfill.  


Hensel attended Oberlin Conservatory of Music (B.M. ‘14, Voice) and recently graduated from The Boston Conservatory (M.M. ‘17, Voice). www.alyssahensel.com

Abigail Krawczyńska (Musetta)

On the rise, Abigail Krawczyńska is garnering critical and audience acclaim due to her virtuosic and heartfelt portrayals. Recent role debuts include Pamina in The Magic Flute, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Marzelline in Fidelio, and Beth in Little Women. Abigail also garnered praise for her performance of Richard Strauss’ Brentano Lieder with the Philharmonic Society of Arlington, and a solo recital in Boston. Recently, Ms. Krawczyńska won First Prize in The Peter Elvins Vocal Competition, and First Place in The Philharmonic Society of Arlington Young Artist Competition. Ms. Krawczyńska is a director and performer for the Boston Chapter of Opera On Tap. Upcoming performances include High Priestess in Aida and the soprano member in the Cantos de Taos quartet. www.operabby.com

Laura McHugh (Mimi cover, supertitles operator)

Laura McHugh (Mimi cover, supertitles operator) is a soprano on the rise in the Boston area. She has appeared locally with Longy Opera, Odyssey Opera, Commonwealth Lyric Theatre, & Promenade Opera Project and internationally with the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in Assisi, Italy. In Spring 2018, she will appear as Volivia in Beethoven’s rarely-performed Vesta’s Feuer and as Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium with Longy Opera, cover Mimi in Boston Opera Collaborative’s production of La Boheme, and present a recital of solo and ensemble works in Cambridge, MA. Laura is studying for her MM in Opera performance at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and is a finalist in both the 2018 Concerto and Honors Competitions at Longy. Follow her career at lauramchughsoprano.com

Andrew Miller (Marcello)

American Baritone, Andrew Miller, is known for his "warm, mellow baritone" and "fine comic sensibilities". Andrew made his BOC debut last season as Vicomte de Valmont in The Dangerous Liaisons. This season Andrew will be performing the roles of Hannah before in As One and Marcello in La Bohème. Previous credits include: The Inquisitor with Odyssey Opera, Ogre, and Dr. Rappaccini with OperaHub, Don Pizarro, Don Magnifico and Alcindoro/Benoit with NEMPAC Boston, The Steward, The Marquis, Antonio, Schaunard, and Papageno with The Boston Conservatory, The Marquis at Teatro Magnani in Fidenza, Italy, the title roles of Don Giovanni and Gianni Schicchi, King Melchior and multiple engagements with the Janiec Opera Company and Fort Worth Opera. Andrew trained as a young artist at the Brevard Music Festival and is currently finishing his B.M. at The Boston Conservatory. Andrew is a native of Arlington, TX.

Fausto Miro (Rodolfo)

Praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for his “burnished tenor” and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel for his “thrilling dramatic impact,” the lyric tenor Fausto Miro has sung with some of the country’s leading ensembles, and is a critically acclaimed performer of concert and operatic repertoire. Recently returned from Mexico, Mr. Miro performed the role of Alfred in Opera San Luis' production of Die Fledermaus, to great acclaim. During his tenure with the Opera Festival of San Luis & Gesang Festival, he succeeded as a finalist in the Linus Lerner International Vocal Competition. A resident of Boston, Mr. Miro serves as tenor section leader at Trinity Church in Copley Square, and was recently appointed the newest cantor of the Central Reform Temple. He’s also a core member and featured soloist with local organizations such as, Cappella Clausura, The Copley Singers, and will make a special appearance with Renaissance Men, New England's professional male vocal chamber ensemble. While his 2017-2018 season will include many wonderful performances, he's elated to make his role debut as Rodolfo in La Boheme with Boston Opera Collaborative.

Francis Rogers (Rodolfo)

Award winning tenor Fran Rogers has been critically acclaimed for his "open, free, and effortless high notes", his "athleticism", and "raw strength and natural timbre". Recent opera credits include Ruggero in Puccini’s La Rondine, Danceny in Susa’s The Dangerous Liaisons, and Ramiro in Rossini's La Cenerentola. Fran recently made his Boston Symphony Hall debut with the Terezin Music Foundation singing a collection of songs by Pavel Haas and Gideon Klein. He is a regular national anthem soloist for Boston sports teams, having performed on multiple occasions for live audiences of up to 70,000 and international television audiences of up to fourteen million.  


For more information and details on upcoming performances, please visit franrogersmusic.com.

Matthew Stansfield (Benoit/Alcindoro)

Known for his vibrant voice, Baritone Matthew Stansfield’s engagements include Mohammed Fairouz’s Sumeida's Song with Boston Opera Collaborative, The Bartered Bride with Boston Midsummer Opera,  The Italian Girl in Algiers with the Opera Company of Middlebury and HMS Pinafore with the South Shore Conservatory.  Other notable performances include Benjamin Britten’s The Prodigal Son and Dan Shore’s Anne Hutchinson with Intermezzo (Boston), Mary Watkins’ Dark River: The Fannie Lou Hamer Story and scene performances of Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Marcello in La Bohème, and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with the International Performing Arts Institute (Germany). 

Ryan Stoll (Colline)

Bass-baritone Ryan Stoll has become a regular performer in Boston’s rich opera community, returning to Odyssey Opera to sing the Jailor in Norman Dello Joio’s The Trial at Rouen, ealier this season he was Lauret in Tchaikovsky’s The Maid of Orleans with the same company.  Ryan has worked and trained with a variety of regional opera companies.  As an Apprentice Artist at Sarasota Opera, covering Dottore in La Traviata, and at Des Moines Metro Opera where he covered the Sailing Master in Britten’s Billy Budd.  As a Chautauqua Opera Studio Artist, Ryan performed A Noble in The Mikado as well as the bass in the quintet in Missy Mazzoli’s Song from the Uproar.  Mr. Stoll has worked with notable companies such as Fort Worth Opera, Seagle Music Colony, Brevard Music Center’s Janiec Opera Company, Opera in the Ozarks, Commonwealth Lyric Theater and The Albany Symphony Orchestra.  

Please reload

Instrumental Ensemble

Milos Bjelica (clarinet) - Milos Bjelica is a clarinetist and educator, with a goal to make this world better place to live in, by constantly challenging himself and others around him.​ Milos currently studies with professor Jonathan Cohler, MA degree, at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Boston, MA. He holds BA from the University of Belgrade in class of professor Ante Grgin (2009). He has been regularly performing formal recitals and concerts across USA, Europe and Serbia. He has attended master classes with distinguished professors such as Wenzel Fuchs, Gabor Varga, Frank Cohen, Yuan Yuan, Jonathan Cohler, Philippe Cuper, and Mate Bekavac. Milos has been engaged in a wider music community in Serbia and USA as a volunteer clarinet instructor to children with disabilities. He received a numerous awards at national and international competitions. The most recent ones include: the Concerto and Honors competition at Longy School of Music (2017) and the Harold Wright Merit Award in Boston (2016).

Rebecca Hallowell (second violin) - A native of Philadelphia, Boston-based violist Rebecca Hallowell holds a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and went on to receive her Master of Music from Boston University College of Fine Arts. In addition to her principal teachers Karen Ritscher, Michelle LaCourse, and Dimitri Murrath, Ms. Hallowell has also worked with members of the Muir, Jasper, Endellion and Ying quartets. Ms. Hallowell maintains an active teaching studio while performing across New England as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. 

Alexander Johnson (piano) - Pianist Alexander Johnson maintains an active musical life as a keyboardist, vocal coach, and music director. Some of Alexander's recent activities include performances with Boston Opera Collaborative, leading a performance of Bach’s Coffee Cantata at the High Mowing School in New Hampshire, and playing for the Handel and Haydn Society's Vocal Arts Program. Alexander is the music director at the Church of Our Saviour in Arlington, MA. Alexander has a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from Longy School of Music of Bard College, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory.

Carrol Lee (viola) - An active freelance violist and violinist in New England and beyond, Carrol Lee began playing violin at the age of six and discovered viola at eighteen, receiving a Bachelor of Music in viola performance from the University of Colorado—Boulder and a Master of Music from Boston University.  Carrol enjoys performing in a variety of venues and coaching and mentoring young musicians.   An avid chamber musician, she received her early training at the Chamber Music Connection (OH), working closely with the Cavani Quartet.  Her principal teachers include Karen Ritscher, Geraldine Walther, Erika Eckert, and Matthew Dane.  In her free time Carrol enjoys reading, hiking, and all things culinary.

Carlo Mauricio (first violin) - Violinist Carlo Mauricio is currently pursuing a violin performance degree at the Boston Conservatory, where he studies violin with Rictor Noren and orchestral conducting with Andrew Altenbach. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, he studied with violinist Hal Grossman and orchestral conducting with Octavio Más-Arocas. Previous teachers include St. Louis Symphony concertmaster David Halen, Eric Halen, Frank Huang, Paul Kantor, as well as chamber music with critically-acclaimed ensembles Jupiter String Quartet and Zodiac Trio. He has performed with the Houston Ballet Orchestra and previously served as concertmaster of the Woodlands Symphony in Texas.

Anna Seda (cello) - Cellist Anna Seda performs and records locally and internationally in chamber, opera, orchestral, and musical theatre settings. Primary opportunities include section playing with the Singapore Symphony, a live broadcast with National Public Radio, a guest appearance at Peru’s international Bienal De Violoncello, musical theater with the Greater Boston Stage Company, and original chamber music programming at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Locally, Anna teaches at the Kingsley Montessori and maintains a relationship with more than 20 arts organizations. Anna holds a Bachelor of Music from University of Colorado At Boulder, Master of Music from the Boston Conservatory, and studied Suzuki pedagogy at the University of Denver.

Gawain Thomas (accordion) - Gawain Thomas is a well-known accordionist in Boston's music scene and can regularly be found performing at dances and festivals in the area. After a decade of classical piano training, Gawain studied accordion for several years with Bulgarian maestro Ivan Milev. His technical mastery of the keyboard, combined with his unique background in genres such as Balkan folk music, make Gawain a versatile musician who can adapt to any musical style.

Production Team

Mathieu D'Ordine (arranger) - Arranger Mathieu D'Ordine specializes in chamber reductions for opera, and uses his arrangements to show his great passion for the artform. He has worked for a variety of companies, from the Boston Opera Collaborative to the Eklund Opera Program at CU Boulder. A cellist by training, Mathieu is a devoted advocate of music ranging from the 16th century the 21st. He is on the faculty of the Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory in Alamosa, CO, teaching cello and music history. His current projects include an original libretto, orchestrating an opera by Cesar Cui, and launching his business website: IdealOpera.com

Chloe Moore (costume designer) - Chloe Moore is excited to be working with Boston Opera Collective for the first time on this production.  She is a first year Costume Design MFA student at Boston University where her recents credits include Intimate Apparel, Ripe Frenzy(assisted) and Our Town(assisted).  For more about her work, visit chloeSmoore.weebly.com.

Andy Nice (scenic designer) - Andy Nice holds an M.F.A ​in Scenic Design from Boston University's School of Theatre, Boston, MA. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Notable designs:  Cortland Repertory Theatre's SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE WEST END HORROR,  MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (Astoria Performing Arts Center), the Boston University Opera Institute's DON GIOVANNI built by the Huntington Theatre Company, FAUSTE ET MARGUERITE (Boston Opera Collaborative)  ROCK OF AGES (Des Moines Playhouse), Boston Center for American Performance's THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS ON MAN IN THE MOON MARIGOLDS and THE IMAGINARY INVALID at the Virginia Wimberly Theater in Boston's South End. Andy is resident scenic designer at Boston Opera Collaborative.

David Orlando (lighting designer/production electrician) - David returns to Boston Opera Collaborative after working as the production electrician for La Rondine. Other recent work includes designing Sweets by Kate and Eurydice at Boston University and Classic Repertory Company’s Othello and To Kill a Mockingbird. He has had the recent pleasure of assistant designing at Boston Conservatory, Berkshire Theater Group, American Repertory Theater, and Boston Lyric Opera. He also formerly served as the resident lighting designer of the New Classics Company. David is currently a senior pursuing his BFA in Lighting Design at Boston University. He is originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Future projects include Bull and KIL Claps Back with Boston University’s STAMP. DavidOrlandoJr.com

Amanda Otten (stage manager) - Amanda M. Otten is thrilled to be working with BOC again, her past credits include Albert Herring and Faust. She has quickly established herself as one of the premier opera stage managers in Boston since relocating from Chicago four years ago. Ms. Otten is currently the Production Stage Manager and Operations Manager for Odyssey Opera and had been working with the company for five seasons. She has also stage managed for Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, New England Conservatory, Guerrilla Opera, and this past season, Ms. Otten made her Carnegie Hall debut with New York City Opera.

bottom of page