Opera San José Reveals 24-25 Season Artists-in-Residence

Opera San José General Director/CEO Shawna Lucey has revealed the opera company’s 2024-25 Artists-in-Residence, a cohort of accomplished opera talents who will be featured in this season’s four California Theatre mainstage productions. These selected artists will be introduced in a free live-streamed concert, 4pm, Saturday, August 10, broadcast from Opera San José’s Heiman Digital Media Studio. During the season, the Artists-in-Residence will also perform in concerts, recitals, in-conversations, Meet the Artists events, and more. For more information and to RSVP to the free Artists-in-Residence Showcase, the public may visit operasj.org/event/resident-artist-showcase. 
 

“This group of artists continues Opera San José’s mission as an artistic incubator for established and emerging artists, while producing world-class operatic performances for the Bay Area and beyond,” said Lucey. “From sparkling role debuts, to conducting and directing, our artists are given the opportunity to soar, and our audiences receive the joy of seeing brilliant talents at the launch of their careers.”  

This year’s selected artists are Maria Brea (soprano), Michelle Ainna Cuizon (director), Johannes Löhner (conductor), Melisa Bonetti Luna (mezzo-soprano), Jesús Vicente Murillo (bass-baritone), Younggwang Park (bass), Melissa Sondhi (soprano), and WooYoung Yoon (tenor). More information about each of the artists is below. 

 
Recognized as a leading force in cultivating and nurturing emerging opera talent, Opera San José’s Artists-in-Residence Program serves as a thriving incubator, providing a fertile environment where promising artists can flourish and develop their skills to their fullest potential. Focused on giving the opera stars of tomorrow their “firsts,” Opera San José puts emerging artists at center stage, on the podium, and in the director’s chair. Each Artist-in-Residentreceives a personalized mentorship, allowing them to refine their technique while experimenting and exploring their artistic range. Additionally, Opera San José’s Artists-in-Residence Program provides free housing for artists during their residency. This benefit allows artists from around the country and the world to live and work in the heart of Silicon Valley. From mainstage productions to community engagements, Artists-in-Residence showcase their talents to diverse audiences in the theater, the digital sphere, and in the community, gaining invaluable stage experience and building their professional portfolios.  

This season, OSJ will continue its partnership with Wadhwani Foundation, offering the Wadhwani Chair for South Asian Artists. Through this generous support of the Wadhwani Foundation, Opera San José is committed to focusing on incubating the incredible talent of the South Asian opera community. Soprano Melissa Sondhi will continue for her second season as the inaugural Wadhwani Artist-in-Residence. She began her relationship with OSJ as a member of the chorus, steadily rising through the ranks to be one of opera’s most exciting emerging sopranos. In last season’s 40th anniversary, Sondhi took on role debuts of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Gilda in Rigoletto. The Wadhwani Foundation is a not-for-profit with the primary mission of accelerating economic development by driving job creation in India and other emerging economies through large-scale initiatives in entrepreneurship, small business growth, innovation, and skilling. Founded in 2000 by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, today, the Foundation is scaling impact in multiple countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America, through technology, networks and partnerships. 

All of the Artists-in-Residence will be featured in Opera San José’s 41st season, which will include a regional premiere, operatic favorites, and the second Spanish language opera on its mainstage. The 2024-2025 season will feature four productions, presented September 14, 2024 through May 4, 2025 at the majestic California Theatre in downtown San José.  The season launches with prodigy composer/conductor Alma Deutscher coming back to OSJ to conduct Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Sept. 14-29, 2024). Next up is Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème reset in post-WWI Paris, (Nov. 16-Dec. 1, 2024) marking the mainstage directorial debut for OSJ Resident Stage Director Michelle Ainna Cuizon. In 2025, Opera San José General Director/CEOShawna Lucey will direct Béla Bartók’s spine-chilling one-act opera Bluebeard’s Castle (Feb. 15-Mar. 2, 2025) featuring OSJ Emeritus Artist-in-Residence soprano Maria Natale in the role of the unsuspecting new bride Judith. The season will conclude with the Northern California premiere of Héctor Armienta’s Zorro (Apr. 19-May 4, 2025), a swashbuckling opera full of romance, humor, and suspense directed by Latino stage director David Radamés Toro. Zorro will be presented in collaboration with Kentucky Opera.