Nathan Resika Joins The Cast Of WONDROUS LOVE At St. John's in the Village

On February 22 at 7:00 P.M., Voices of the Valiant will present Wondrous Love at St. John's in the Village in New York, New York. As BroadwayWorld recently announced, this concert will feature soprano Susan Wheeler, mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh, mezzo-soprano Vita Koreneva, and pianist Yannis Xylas. VOV is now thrilled to announce that acclaimed bass Nathan Resika will join the cast.

This performance will include arias by Verdi, Puccini, Handel, and Saint-Saëns; the New York premieres of highlights from 3:16, a new opera that is set to premiere in March 2025; and the New York premiere of A las once de la noche.

"3:16 is a breathtakingly beautiful opera. It is full of the melodious vocal lines, lush harmonies, and emotional depth of Romantic-era music but also has a captivating style all its own. The music is a collaboration among six of today's most exciting composers - esteemed opera composer Theodore Christman; military veteran and award-winning composer Gary Vincent Koda; award-winning mezzo-soprano and composer Vita Koreneva; award-winning composer Akihiro Masuda; internationally acclaimed orchestral composer Stéphane Tesan; and Jeff Shankley, not only a brilliant composer but also a legendary actor who performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and premiered roles in Cats and other musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Each composer has something special to offer, and all of their music comes together to form the arc of a story with a joyous ending that will lift your eyes to hope," said Susan Conti, librettist.

A las once de la noche is a scena for solo mezzo-soprano by Walter Seyfarth and Liche Ariza. Mr. Seyfarth is a German-Peruvian composer and pianist whose compositions have been performed and recorded by artists around the world. His piano performance is featured in xPropelr's project "Dreaming Freedom," which was nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award in 2024. Mr. Ariza is not only a librettist but also an acclaimed actor, best known for his roles in television dramas such as The Chosen. He has an extensive list of theatre credits and won an HOLA Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in 2005. This past November, he performed alongside Ms. McIntosh in a scene from 3:16, as pictured above.

About the performers:

Charismatic soprano Susan Wheeler is an artist on the rise. Reviews praised her "virtuosic and vocally stunning" Mozart and Dvořák arias in a 2023 concert presented by renowned conductor Eve Queler. The Metropolitan Opera Guild and Wagner Society of New York featured her in 2022 and 2023 concerts as Elsa (Lohengrin), a role that she performed with Opera Susquehanna. Wheeler's 2024-25 schedule includes creating a role in the exciting new opera 3:16, covering Leonora in Il trovatore with Opera Boheme, singing La bohème arias in the Jane Marsh lecture recital series, recording a CD of Jeanette MacDonald operetta gems, and singing Christine (Phantom of the Opera) with MSE Productions. Wheeler appeared with the New York Chamber Music Festival at Symphony Space as Chrysothemis (Elektra) in 2021. She performed in Germany's 2019 Berlin Airlift Memorial Concert, broadcast by Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, and gave a celebrated recital at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin.

"Sparkling" mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh has been praised for her "wondrously flexible voice," "prodigious vocal skills," and "richly textured and strong lower register" (Voce di Meche). OperaWire has praised her "vocal power," "enchanting voice," "velvety mezzo-soprano," and "abundant vocal and dramatic technique, with no shortage of soaring high notes and flexible roulades." On the main stage of Carnegie Hall, she has performed as the alto soloist in Bach's Magnificat, BWV 243; Vivaldi's Magnificat, RV 610; and Dan Forrest's Requiem for the Living. McIntosh won The American Prize in Vocal Performance in 2020 and has performed roles with opera companies such as Caramoor, the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Teatro Nuovo, Sarasota Opera, Teatro Grattacielo, and the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice. She has performed in three of Eve Queler's annual concerts in Massachusetts and sung in events presented by Florida Grand Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and the Kravis Center.

Award-winning mezzo-soprano and composer Vita Koreneva has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the United Nations Orchestra, and the Washington National Cathedral Choral Society and appeared at venues such as the esteemed State Capella of St. Petersburg. For her performance at Lincoln Center, presented by the Federation of Hellenic Societies, she was praised for her "deep and distinguished" voice and received the UNESCO Honorary Award. Koreneva performed with Bel Cantanti Opera as Lyubava in the U.S. premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko. Other operatic appearances include Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Giulietta (Les contes d'Hoffmann), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Charlotte (Werther), the Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), and the title role in Mascagni's Zanetto. Koreneva studied piano at the Central Music School of Moscow (Tchaikovsky State Conservatory) and voice in Russia and the United States. She holds an MBA in Finance from American University and a Composition degree from Berklee School of Music (2024).

Bass Nathan Resika has been hailed as "a magnificent singing actor who easily combines beautiful singing with deeply emotional feelings behind each and every note" (Delaware & Hudson CANVAS). The New London Day wrote of his performance in Don Giovanni, "Resika, with perfect comic timing, a gift for the double take and a commanding and rich timbre, very much made this opera his." He has performed as the bass soloist in Beethoven's Mass in C Major and Haydn's Mariazellermesse at Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium) and performed roles with Caramoor, Opera North, Opera Orchestra of New York, the Center for Contemporary Opera, New York Grand Opera, Hudson Opera Theatre, Cleveland Opera Circle, Connecticut Lyric Opera, Opera New Jersey, the New Britain Symphony, Opera in the Heights, and Utah Festival Opera, among many others. He was a finalist in the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera's 28th Annual International Vocal Competition.