Thomas Hochla
The Duke of Plaza-Toro

Returning as, “patter man,” Thomas Hochla, baritone and choreographer, is grateful to come back to Young Vic for his sixth season since dear Strephon in 2016 (Iolanthe). Most recently, Mr. Hochla, had the pleasure of bringing Matt/the boy (The Fantasticks) to life in Annapolis with LiveArts, Maryland.

Locally, some may recall his musical direction with various churches, choral concerts, and educational productions in and around Baltimore and Metro-DC. An avid Maryland transplant, Mr. Hochla has performed at a wide array of venues across the city including Theatre Project, Oregon Ridge, and the Lyric, and is also the Director of Music at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rockville, MD.

When not on stage or behind the organ, Mr. Hochla maintains a varied teaching schedule through Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Single Carrot Theatre, and Mike’s Music in Ellicott City. Additionally, he can be found teaching movement-based classes of all sorts at CorePower Yoga locations.

Mr. Hochla holds a BA from Vassar College and his MM from Peabody.

Nicholas Carratura
Luiz

Nicholas Carraura comes from a small town in northern New Jersey. While finishing his Undergraduate degree at Rutgers University, he became a young artist at the Castleton Festival in Rappahannock County Virginia. He was a young artist there for four seasons. During his fourth season, he started his Graduate studies at Shenandoah conservatory just down the road in Winchester VA. During his time at SU and beyond, Nicholas has worked with many opera companies along the East Coast. Nicholas has also been a voice teacher and a church musician since 2012. Along with classical music, Nicholas loves classic rock, jazz, Standards, and show tunes. He is also a die-hard NY Giants fan.

James Rogers
Don Alhambra del Bolero, the Grand Inquisitor

James Rogers is happy to return to Young Vic for the first time since 2002’s Iolanthe. He has performed as a soloist in opera, oratorio, concert and recital in the Washington/Baltimore area with ensembles including Cantate Chamber Singers (Curlew River, Noye’s Fludde), the Fairfax Choral Society (Lord Nelson Mass), Opera AACC (Don Giovanni), the New Dominion Chorale (Bach Magnificat), Inscape Chamber Orchestra (Façade, Trouble in Tahiti, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen), Urban Arias (The Filthy Habit), the Washington Savoyards (The Merry Widow), the Arts Chorale of Winchester, the Annapolis Chorale, the Reston Chorale, and the City Choir of Washington (The Creation). This season he has made debuts with the Chesapeake Orchestra (Songs of Travel) and the Reston Community Players (A Little Night Music). National appearances include concerts and recitals in New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Dallas, and Honolulu.

Nathan Létourneau
Marco Palmieri, Venetian Gondolier

Hailed as a "gorgeous tenor voice" by Broadway World, Nathan Létourneau’s favorite roles include Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Orphée in Orphée aux enfers. Nathan has performed roles in Boston, New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Toronto, and Montréal, with companies including the Washington National Opera (cover), NEMPAC Opera, Bronx Opera, The Garden State Opera, Amore Opera, dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, Dicapo Opera Theatre, Utopia Opera, and Opera NOVA. Further, Nathan has performed in the Washington National Opera chorus since 2018 and was a semi-finalist in the 31st Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition.

Nathan’s solo tenor concert performances include the Kennedy Center’s Messiah Sing-Along, Beethoven 9 with the Georgetown University Orchestra, Carmina Burana with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, as well as performances with Orpheus Choir, Goran Bregovic, and recitals with the Vernon Proms, Church of the Epiphany recital series, and at NYU’s Maison Française. Nathan holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto and a Master of Music from New York University. Website: nathanletourneau.ca.

Spencer Adamson
Giuseppe Palmieri, Venetian Gondolier

Mr. Adamson’s recent performances include leading and comprimario roles and extensive chorus work in local and national opera houses as well as many other classical music venues. Recently, Mr. Adamson made his debut at the Capitol Fringe Festival presenting new American works with Silver Finch Arts Collective singing the roles of Pastor Cleary in The Female Stranger, Peter in Dreamless, and Eli in The Name on the Door. He has previously performed with Annapolis Opera singing the role of Prince Yamadori in their production of Madama Butterfly and with Opera Susquehanna as Timur in their concert production of Turandot.

Mr. Adamson recently made his solo debut on two grand opera stages: The Lyric Opera House, Baltimore, MD and The Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington, DC singing the roles of Fiorello in Lyric Opera Baltimore’s production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and as The Confederate Soldier in Washington National Opera’s premiere of Philip Glass’ newly-written production of Appomattox. Mr. Adamson also began an ongoing relationship with Washington Master Chorale as a featured soloist as well as well as Chester River Chorale where he has been invited as a guest soloist with the wonderful musicians and people of Maryland’s beautiful Eastern Shore.

Previous season highlights include the roles of Marquis d’Obigny in La Traviata with Baltimore Concert Opera, Tonio in Pagliacci and Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana with HUB Opera Ensemble, Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance with The Young Victorian Theater Company, and chorus work with Washington National Opera, Baltimore Lyric Opera, Baltimore Concert Opera, and Washington Concert Opera. He is regularly heard ministering to the congregations of churches in the greater Baltimore area, D.C., and beyond, where he performs sacred and contemporary works as well as serving in a more traditional capacity as cantor.

A believer in musical education for youth, Mr. Adamson performs in outreach programs with Baltimore Lyric Opera bringing opera to elementary schools of the greater Baltimore area. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from Westminster Choir College, and graduate work at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Jacob Elfner
Antonio

A former athlete, Jacob Eliot Elfner traded in basketball shoes and athletic shorts for wingtips and suits, and he hasn’t looked back. An emerging soloist, Jake has performed on stages, has sung in churches, and has given recitals around the US and across the globe. In the summer of 2022, Jake made his international debut, giving a recital in Haifa, Israel at the Samuel Rubin Music Conservatory. During the same summer, he also participated in the program Classical Singing and New York in June. Through this program, Jake sang Maurice Ravel’s Don Quichotte à Dulcinée on CSNY’s final recital in Manhattan. Previously, Jake also began work as an oratorio soloist, performing the baritone solos in Gabriel Faure’s Requiem at the Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore.

On the stage, Jake has experience performing musical theater and opera. In his home state of Wisconsin, he began his stage life and solo singing career in the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge in Alan Menken’s A Christmas Carol. While in his undergraduate program, he sang the roles of Peter Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Bob (The Old Maid and the Thief), Cinderella’s Prince (Into the Woods), and Alcindoro (La Bohème) with UW-Madison’s Opera Theater. After moving to Baltimore, Jake premiered the role of Adam in Ashna Pathan’s new musical Senior Year is Gonna Kill Me at the Arellano Theater at Johns Hopkins University. This fall, Jake will be making his debut with Peabody Opera as Le Surintendant and a chorus member in Cendrillon.

Jake’s artistic abilities extend beyond those as a soloist; he is an active member of the choral community in Baltimore. At Peabody, Jake sings with the Peabody NEXT ensemble, which is conducted by Dr. Beth Willer. In the greater Baltimore community, Jake sings as a vocal fellow with Baltimore Choral Arts Society, with whom he has sung in the chorus of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, and Mozart’s Requiem. He is also a section leader at First & Franklin Presbyterian Church. Jake was also a member of the choral community in Madison, having sung with UW-Madison Chorale and Concert Choir, as well as being a member of the Early Music ensemble The Mendota Consort.

Though he no longer plays competitively, Jake is still an avid sports fan in his personal life. Every now and then, he laces up his old sneakers to play a game or two of pickup basketball. During the summer, you can often find him at Camden Yards watching the Orioles, and on football Sundays, he will be watching the Packers. Jake is also an animal lover, and he will ask to pet your dog if he passes you on the street. Jake would also like to thank his family for their unending love and support in his life, as well as his teachers and mentors, especially Dr. Carl DuPont and Paul Rowe, for sharing their guidance and knowledge.

Henry Hubbard
Francesco

Henry Hubbard is a versatile tenor with experience in opera, art song, and choral music. He has portrayed a number of operatic roles throughout the United States, Canada, and Italy, including Gilbert & Sullivan’s Nanki-Poo (The Mikado) and The Duke of Dunstable (Patience). Other highlights include Laurie (Little Women), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Ferrando (Cosi fan Tutte) and Count Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia). Henry currently serves as a Vocal Fellow for the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, and was recently featured as a soloist at the historic Berliner Philarmonie and Vienna Konzerthaus as part of their European tour. Henry holds dual Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance & Pedagogy and Musicology from Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with tenor Stanley Cornett. He also received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from James Madison University, where he studied with baritone Kevin McMillan.

Timothy Kjer
Giorgio

Bass Timothy Kjer is delighted to return to Young Victorian Theatre as Giorgio and Don Alfonso cover in The Gondoliers. He has performed with many of the leading music organizations in the mid-Atlantic region including OperaDelaware, OperaBaltimore, Annapolis Opera, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Baltimore Opera, Center Stage Opera, Concert Artists of Baltimore, Live Arts Maryland, Lyric Opera Baltimore, New Jersey Lyric Opera, Washington Summer Opera, Washington National Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Opera Vivente and Wolf Trap Opera.

Operatic roles include Ramphis (Aida), Monterone & Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Banco (Macbeth), Bartolo & Basilio (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Lindorf, Coppélius, Dapertutto, Dr. Miracle (Les contes d'Hoffmann), Méphistophélès (Faust), Filippo II (Don Carlo), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Friar Laurent (Romeo et Juliet), Friar Tuck & Will Scarlett (Robin Hood), Taddeo (L’Italiana in Algeri), Sacristan & Angelotti (Tosca), Simone & Betto (Gianni Schicchi), Dottore Grenvil & Marquis (La Traviata), Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus), Prince Yamadori (Madama Butterfly).

Previous Young Victorian Theatre performances include Dick Deadeye in HMS Pinafore, the Notary in The Sorcerer, Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance, Giuseppe in The Gondoliers, The Usher and Counsel in Trial by Jury, and Pish-Tush in The Mikado. Mr. Kjer is a veteran elementary school vocal music teacher of the Baltimore City and Baltimore County public school systems. He is happily continuing to perform in live operatic productions. He is also a newly tenured election judge for the Baltimore County Board of Elections.

Hannah Wardell
The Duchess of Plaza-Toro

Hannah Wardell is an emerging artist known throughout the greater Baltimore area for her unique timbre and enchanting stage presence. Hannah’s opera credits include Kate in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, Teresa in Bellini’s La Sonnambula Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi, The Princess in Dargomyzhsky’s Русалка (Rusalka), Polina in Tchaikovsky’s Пиковая дама (The Queen of Spades), Cherubino in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, The Third Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Iolanthe in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe, and The Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.

In addition to opera, Hannah is an avid performer of art songs, and has been recently granted the "Rubinstein Award" from the “Triumph International Russian Competition” based out of Philadelphia. Hannah received her undergraduate degree from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV and completed her master’s degree at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University where she studied under baritone, Steven Rainbolt.

Gabrielle DeMers
Casilda

Soprano Gabrielle DeMers is thrilled to be back with Young Vic where she appeared as Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore, Phyllis in Iolanthe, and Gianetta in The Gondoliers, where The Baltimore Sun singled her out as “a dynamo as Gianetta, with her bright, hearty soprano." She has sung with Maryland Opera and with Lyric Opera Baltimore where made her role debut as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly under the baton of Steven White and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. With Opera AACC, Gabrielle sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte. For her Mimi in La Boheme with HUBOpera, DC Metro Arts wrote that she was “sweetly demure as ingénue seamstress Mimi... ‘Donde Lieta’...was heart-breaking and left most of the audience in tears.”

She has sung many concerts with orchestras including Bachianas Brasileiras with the Howard County Concert Orchestra. Gabrielle received her Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of Maryland, College Park. As a member of the Maryland Opera Studio, she sang the title role of Sandrina in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera and Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from University of Southern California where she sang Betty in the west-coast premiere of Lowell Liebermann and J.D. McClatchy’s Miss Lonelyhearts and Nerone in Handel’s Agrippina.

Emily Casey
Gianetta

Soprano Emily Casey is thrilled to be making her debut with Young Victorian Theater Company. The DMV native has been praised for the clarity, range and flexibility of her voice as well as her skillful dramatic and acting abilities. Reviewed as a “red haired vixen with a sparkling voice” by Opera Canada in a recent performance as Musetta in Puccini's La Boheme, she has performed many leading roles with companies across the United States, Canada and Italy. She has been hailed as a “standout” and praised for her “musical lyricism” and has been noted for her talent in embodying both dramatic and comic characters on the operatic stage and musical theater stage alike.

Ms. Casey's current season brought about a highlight of role debuts including Giulietta (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) and Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) with Bel Cantanti Opera. Past operatic highlights include performances as Pamina (The Magic Flute), Musetta (La Bohème), Gulnara in Verdi's Il Corsaro, Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), La Zelatrice (Suor Angelica), Susannah (Susannah), Hannah Glawari (The Merry Widow), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) and La Voix in Poulenc's vocally and dramatically demanding La Voix Humaine.

Ms. Casey has appeared in concert with Maryland Lyric Opera, Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, Columbia Orchestra, Trinity Chamber Orchestra and Frederick Symphony Orchestra. She has had the pleasure of working with some of the most famous names in opera including Catherine Malfitano, Aprile Millo, Richard Bonygne, Marco Gandini, Renée Fleming and Sherrill Milnes. More information and schedule can be found at EmilyCaseySoprano.com and on social media platforms as @EmilyCaseySoprano

Claire Marguerite Iverson
Tessa

Soprano Claire Marguerite Iverson is a member of the Maryland Opera Studio studying with Jennifer Casey Cabot. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Peabody Conservatory, where she received a BA in International Studies and French Language and Literature and a BM in Voice Performance. She covered Donna Elvira in the Maryland Opera Studio’s most recent production of Don Giovanni and premiered the role of Older Sister in new chamber opera TWA for the Opera Studio’s New Work Reading. During her time at Peabody, Ms. Iverson sang the roles of The Governess (The Turn of the Screw), Jane Bennet (Pride and Prejudice, staged world premiere), and collaborated with the Peabody Voice Department and Now Hear This! to present Kaija Saariaho’s opera Émilie (Émilie). Other recent operatic credits include Zerlina in Don Giovanni with the Prague Summer Nights Festival in July 2022, and Suor Genovieffa in Music On Site’s Suor Angelica in 2019. She is an enthusiastic performer of classical vocal music from all eras, ranging from early music to new works.

Cassidy Dixon
Fiametta

Cassidy Dixon, soprano, is a recent graduate from the Peabody Conservatory with a Master of Music in voice performance and pedagogy. Recent performances include Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with UU Church of Buffalo, Adina in Elixir of Love and Musetta in La Boheme with Opera Magnifico, Edith in The Pirates of Penzance with the Young Victorian Theatre Company, and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with MIOpera. Praised for her powerful vocal range, Ms. Dixon has won many prizes and awards, including with the Friday Morning Music Club, the Sylvia Green Vocal Competition, Saltworks Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.

Zoë Christine
Vittoria

Soprano Zoë Christine made her premiere with Young Victorian Theatre Company as Kate last year in the 50th Anniversary celebration production of Pirates of Penzance. She is a dynamic and versatile young artist from the Philadelphia region of Pennsylvania. Christine has been recognized for her “expressive and well-trained lyric soprano voice” internationally by the Schultz-Bach Rosenberg International Music Festival and nationally as a district finalist of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Christine has a passion for performing and has enjoyed teaching and directing with novices and professionals alike.

Zoë Christine has been recognized for her roles of Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote and originating the role of Shanice in Matthew Hardy and Robert Maggio’s musical Bonnets and Bling. She has also previously been seen in Adriana Lecouvreur with Baltimore Concert Opera as well as The Governess in Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw with Peabody Opera Theatre.

Very goal oriented, committed to community service and team building, Christine has played a pivotal role within her community and is able to adapt to new environments with a positive attitude and perspective. Christine holds master’s degree from The Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University from the studio of Randall Scarlata and is very excited to be making her return to the YVT stage this year.

Emma Leigh Webster
Giulia

Emma Leigh Webster is thrilled to be making her Young Victorian Theatre Company debut as Giulia and Casilda (cover). Known for her strong acting choices across styles and genres, past roles include Flavia (Silla), La Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), Suor Dolcina (Suor Angelica), La Dame élégante (Les mamelles de Tirésias), and Ann (Speed Dating Tonight!). Since graduating, Ms. Webster has continued to perform across the Mid-Atlantic region. She received her Bachelor of Music from Lawrence University and Master of Music in Voice Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

Alayna Sevilla
Inez, the King’s foster mother

Alayna Sevilla received her Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University where she studied under William Sharp. Notable roles have included the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Volpino in Lo Speziale, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, and the Mother in Hansel and Gretel. Upcoming productions include Samson et Dalilah and Amahl and the Night Visitors. Alayna currently resides in Baltimore with her husband and two dogs, Penelope Lane and Reginald Barkley, where she teaches private voice and piano lessons from her home.