2009 - 2010 Alumni

Tricia Suriani, Soprano

Tricia Suriani, praised by the New York Sun as a “soaring soprano,” is a recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.  She earned both her bachelor and master degrees in music at the conservatory and performed multiple leading roles, most notably as Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon and Lady Billows in Albert Herring.  Since graduating she is currently studying with former Metropolitan opera soprano, Judith Coen, and honing her skills as an emerging professional.  She was recently featured as a guest solo artist for the Quakertown Music Festival in Quakertown, Pennsylvania and on the Glories of Grand Opera Recital for St. Andrew’s Recital Series in Rochester, New York.  Though she is a native of Bogotá, Colombia she grew up in New Jersey and New Hampshire before moving to New York City.               

 Marta Kukularova, Soprano

Soprano Marta Kukularova began her musical education at The Music High School in Plovdiv, Bulgaria with harp and later she did her undergraduate studies at The Academy of Music, Dance and Art in Plovdiv with voice.  In 2003 she participated in a Master Class with Elena Obraztsova in Spain where she was granted with the Best young singer's award. In addition she participated in a US national  tour, organized by CAMI where she performed Sacredotessa from “Aida”  and Contessa Ceprano from “Rigoletto” by Verdi.  Currently she is doing her Master's in Voice at The Juilliard School where she studies with Marlena Malas.  In 2008 she performed the role of Barbarina from Mozart's “Marriage of Figaro” with  The Juilliard Opera Theater.

In 2008 she performed the tittle soprano role of “Susannah” by Carlisle Floyd in Chautauqua Music Festival and in 2009 she came back to perform Tatiana from “Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky. 

La Toya Lewis, Soprano

Brooklyn New York native La Toya Lewis has performed such roles as: Susanna (Il segreto di Susanna) Fiordiligi (Cosi Fan Tutte), Donna Elvira  (Don Giovanni) & Micaela (Carmen). Cover roles: Miriam  (The Scarf, Lee Hoiby) with Chelsea Opera & Clara  (Porgy and Bess) with Utah Festival Opera. Concert credits include: Bach B-Minor Mass and Vivaldi Gloria . Ms. Lewis placed second in the 2nd Annual Charles A. Lynam Vocal Competition  and was a Finalist in the 2006 Jenny Lind Competition . She received an MM from Binghamton University & a BM from Purchase College.

Leslie Tay, Tenor

Leslie Tay is a Singaporean tenor whose roles include Tanzmeister,
Goro, Beppe and Don Basilio. He made his Carnegie, Weill Recital Hall
debut as Guillot. His performance experience ranges from early music
to contemporary opera. He has also performed in musical theater,
choral, pop a cappella and theater. Mr Tay holds a Master of Music
degree from Manhattan School of Music where he was in the studio of
Arthur Levy. He is currently a resident artist with Dicapo Opera.

 Samantha Grenell-Zaidman, Soprano

Samantha Grenell-Zaidman is a lyric-colloratura soprano with dramatic versatility. She recently premiered the role of Carla in The Theory of Everything, by John David Earnest, at Symphony Space with Encompass New Opera Theater. This summer, Ms. Grenell-Zaidman performed
Josephine in HMS Pinafore and Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof with the Ohio Light Opera.  Previously, she was a resident artist with Lake George Opera where she performed Lucy in The Billy Goats Gruff. Samantha Grenell-Zaidman earned her Masters of Music from Manhattan School of Music and her Bachelors of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. 

At Manhattan School of Music, Ms. Grenell-Zaidman covered the role of Griffelkin in Griffelkin, and performed Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Adina and Susanna in scenes from L’elisir d’amore and Le Nozze di Figaro. At Carnegie Mellon University, she performed Elvira in L’italiana in Algeri, Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, Kristine in A Chorus Line, and she understudied Cunegonde in Candide.

The Cape Cod Times lauded Samantha Grenell-Zaidman as “enchanting as Mabel” in Pirates of Penzance with the College Light Opera Company. Samantha Grenell-Zaidman is a winner of the Career Bridges Schuyler Foundation grant and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in Boston.

Upcoming performances include: the soprano soloist in Haydn’s “Mass in the Time of War” at
Rye Country Day School (her alma mater), Mabel in Pirates of Penzance with Boheme Opera
New Jersey, and this June, she will sing Alisa and cover Lucia in Lucia di Lamermoor at Green
Mountain Opera Festival in Vermont.

Sarah Davis, Soprano

Hailed by the New York Times as "a voice with considerable warmth," and the Boston Globe as “elusive, delicate, silvery and persuasive,"  lyric-soprano, Sarah Davis has been recognized as a gifted performer both on the recital and operatic stage. She has had success singing Mozart, new music and her first love, art song. Ms. Davis debuted with the Cleveland Orchestra last year, singing under the baton of composer/conductor Matthias Pintscher and  premiered Elliott Carter's song cycle for soprano and chamber orchestra, "What are years" at the Tanglewood Music Center, under the baton of Oliver Knussen. Review  She also appeared with the Albany Symphony singing in Mendelssohn's Midsummer Nights Dream, the Berkshire Lyric Theater in Orff's Carmina Burana, Vaughan Williams' Dona nobis pacem with the North Valley Chorale (Phoenix, AZ) and various song recitals in the Philadelphia area.

Opera credits include: Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) with Chesapeake Chamber Opera,  Gilda (Rigoletto) and Pamina (Magic Flute) with Center City Opera Theater, Anne Trulove (Rake’s Progress) and Echo (Ariadne auf Naxos) with the Chautauqua Institution, Cendrillon (Massenet’s Cinderella) and Nannetta (Falstaff) with Peabody Opera Theater. She made her professional recital debut with the “Trinity at One Concert Series” in New York City singing song cycles by Jake Heggie and Libby Larsen, appeared in the Joy in Singing series at the Lincoln Center Library and premiered John Harbison's grand aria for soprano and piano, Vocalism, at SongFest in Malibu, CA.  Last summer she was an Artist in Residence at the Cleveland Art Song Festival working with Stephanie Blythe and Martin Katz.  Ms.Davis also spent two months in residence as a Vocal Fellow with the Tanglewood Music Center (Repertoire included; Mahler, Canteloube, Mozart, Schumann, Carter and Eric Nathan).

Catherine Meyers, Soprano

Catherine Meyers, lyric soprano, has performed such roles as Clarissa in Weber/Mahler’s Die drei Pintos, Regina in excerpts from Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler, La Suora Infermiera in Suor Angelica, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi and has covered the roles of Mimì in La Bohème, and Nedda in Pagliacci.  In 2008 Ms. Meyers was a finalist in the Lotte Lehmann CyberSing Competition.  She is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music and studies with Joan Patenaude-Yarnell.

 Tyler Wayne Smith, Counter-Tenor

Counter-Tenor Tyler Wayne Smith was educated at one of the premiere drama schools in the U.S., New York University, and has studied voice with several disciples of revolutionary vocal pedagogue Cornelius Reid, including his current teacher, Lenora Eve. Most recently Mr. Smith sang the title role in Opera Breve New York’s concert production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, under the direction of renowned Mezzo-Soprano Eugienie Grunewald. He also essayed the role of Sesto in Camerata Baroque’s premier production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare, and appeared as a guest artist at Midwestern State University’s Akin Auditorium, giving a solo recital of Baroque opera and oratorio arias.

Mr. Smith will be singing three roles with New York Opera Forum in 2010, Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina, Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann and Idamante in Mozart’s Idomeneo, in addition to singing the role of the Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Opera Manhattan.