Deborah Colker trained in classical piano and volleyball before dance. In 1979, she joined the contemporary dance group Coringa in Rio de Janeiro. These years forged her interest in working with professionals from different backgrounds and creating dance that synthesizes art and everyday life.     In 1984, she began specializing in devising movement for scenic and visual arts. She worked on over forty plays including A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Werner Herzog.   Deborah’s work resists homogeneity and embraces diversity. When founding the Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker in1994, she gathered a troupe of two classical dancers, three contemporary dancers, a break-dance champion, an Olympic gymnast, a model, and an actress. The company won the 2001 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance and has performed across four different continents.     Deborah became the first woman to create and direct a show for Cirque du Soleil with Ovo (2009). She was the movement director of the 2016 Olympics Opening Ceremony, commanding over 3000 people. Deborah won the 2018 Prix Benois de la Danse for Cão Sem Plumas. Her newest work, Cura, is currently touring Brazil.     

Paolo Bortolameolli is Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional Esperanza Azteca (México) and Principal Guest Conductor of Filarmónica de Santiago (Chile). Having conducted every significant orchestra in his Chilean homeland, Paolo has regular conducting relationships across Latin and North America, Europe and Asia.  His recent activity has included return engagements in Poland with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, in Italy with the Orchestra Haydn, in Venezuela with the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolivar and in the United States with the San Francisco Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Charlotte Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Paolo’s relationship with the LA Philharmonic continues through 2022, where he will conduct concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Having conducted subscription concerts every season since his arrival in LA, past notable performances include a landmark new production of Meredith Monk’s inventive opera, ATLAS, performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in 2019.  Paolo brings his insatiable artistic curiosity to his varied operatic work. Upcoming projects include appearances at the Opera de Paris for performances of “Tosca”, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu for “Die Zauberflöte”, as well as in Chile for concerts with the Filarmónica de Santiago of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. He will also make his debut with Detroit Opera in Golijov’s “Ainadamar”.  Paolo is passionately committed to new music and audiences. Recent new commissions include the world premiere of Miguel Farías’s Estallido with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which was dedicated to Paolo. He is currently Artistic Director of the Esperanza Azteca National Symphony Orchestra as part of an educational residency run by the Fundación Azteca de Grupo Salinas in Mexico. Paolo has also developed innovative projects such as “Ponle Pausa”, a project that seeks to rethink the concept of music education through the implementation of short videos and concerts targeting social network users.    In 2018, he was a guest-lecturer for a TED Talk in New York and in 2020, he released his first book: RUBATO Procesos musicales y una playlist personal.  Paolo holds a Master of Music degree (Yale School of Music, 2013), a Graduate Performance Diploma (Peabody Institute, 2015), a Piano Performance Diploma (Universidad Católica de Chile, 2006), and a Conducting Diploma (Universidad de Chile, 2011). 

Born in Madrid in 1975, Antonio Najarro is actually the most prominent Spanish Dance Ambassador.   Accomplished dancer and choreographer, he studied under the most prestigious Spanish Dance masters in various styles of dance.   He graduated with honours from the Royal Conservatory of Professional Dance in Madrid and performed leading roles under the direction of the Maestros Rafael Aguilar, Antonio Gades, Alberto Lorca, Mariemma, José Antonio Ruiz and José Granero, among others.   Antonio began his career at the age of 15. He was accepted into the Ballet Nacional de España (BNE) in 1997, and three years later, he ascended to the rank of Principal Dancer and choreographer.   Antonio's exceptional artistic talent led him to choreography as a young dancer.   In 2002 Antonio formed his own company, Compañía Antonio Najarro, where he created, choreographed and starred in six productions: Tango Flamenco (2002), Flamencoriental (2006), Jazzing Flamenco (2008), Suite Sevilla (2011), Alento (2020) and Querencia (2022).   Antonio Najarro was appointed Director of the Ballet Nacional de España on April 11, 2011 and he worked there until 2019.   Antonio's choreographic talents grabbed the attention of the Figure Skating world as well as Artistic swimming teams, winning gold medals at World & Olympic Ice Skating contest.   He has been awarded by the most prestigious national and international dance awards.   Actually he is invited all over the world as Spanish dance choreographer, he is the director of the Spanish TV show ‘Un País en Danza’ and he leads his own Dance Company, Compañía Antonio Najarro.

With a voice described as “lusciously-colored” by Opera News and chosen as one of WQXR’s ’20 for 20’ Artists to Watch, soprano Gabriella Reyes is a rising star on the operatic stage. A former member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera, Gabriella returns to the Met in the 2021/22 season as both Liu Turandot and Musetta La Boheme. She also makes her Paris Opera debut, appearing as Cio-Cio San Seven Deaths of Maria Callas before debuting with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Rosalba Florencia en los Amazonas, and with Glyndebourne this summer for her role debut as Mimi La bohème. In concert. she appears with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Marzelline Fidelio and Musetta with the Jacksonville Symphony. Highlights of previous seasons include the roles of Liù Turandot, First Lady The Magic Flute, Nella Gianna Schicchi and the High Priestess Aida for the Metropolitan Opera, the latter of which was described as “hair-raising” by the New York Classical Review. Gabriella also made her highly acclaimed Santa Fe Opera debut in the summer of 2019 as Musetta La bohème. In concert, previous seasons also include appearances in Die Zauberflöte (excerpts) and Bachianas Brasileiras with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by Gustavo Dudamel, alongside appearances as a soloist with the New York Choral Society, and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She also appeared with the Montclair Orchestra and David Chan in Behzad Ranjbaran’s Songs of Eternity and with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in a programme of Mozart. In the 2022/23 season, Gabriella will return to The Metropolitan Opera to perform as Rosalba Florencia en los Amazonas before making her Dresden Semperoper debut as Musetta La bohème. Further to this, she will appear with the San Francisco Symphony for a series of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Concerts before making debuts with Detroit Opera as Margarita Xirgu Ainadamar, and with Washington National Opera as Mimi La Boheme. A 2019 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist (Metropolitan Opera), she was a recipient of a Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation in 2018 and was also a grand finalist in the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory.

Colombian-American soprano Vanessa Vasquez, winner of the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, recently completed a four-year residency at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, where she has been heard as Mimì in La bohème, Gilda in Rigoletto, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Violetta in La traviata. This season Ms. Vasquez makes her debut at the Paris Opera singing Liu in Turandot. She also performs for the first time at Seattle Opera as Mimi in La bohème. She returns to The Santa Fe Opera to sing the Countess in a new production of Le Nozze di Figaro. Her additional return engagements include Washington National Opera and Arizona Opera to sing her first performances of Micaëla in Carmen. In the 2019-2020 season, Vanesa Vasquez made her debut with the Canadian Opera Company in the role of Liù in Turandot, and with Washington National Opera singing her first performances of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. Previously, she debuted with Arizona Opera as Violetta in La traviata, and with The Santa Fe Opera and Opera Philadelphia, both as Mimi in La bohème. She made her professional opera debut in summer 2017 as Liù in Turandot with Des Moines Metro Opera. With Oberlin in Italy, she performed Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. On the concert stage, she debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra in J.S. Bach’s cantata Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich and with the New York Choral Society in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. She made her debut with the New York Philharmonic as soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and she was soprano soloist in Honneger’s King David and Poulenc’s Gloria with Voices of Ascension. She was a featured soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin in the Academy of Music 160th Anniversary Concert and Ball.

Daniela Mack delivers a fiery Rosina in a punchy, vibrant mezzo that’s deeply satisfying. —The Times

Born in Malaga, Spain and raised in Granada, flamenco singer Alfredo Tejada. In demand as an accompanist for dancers, Alfredo appears regularly at peñas, festivals, theatres, flamenco tablaos and since 2007 has sung as part of the Antonio Gades Foundation in the shows Carmen, Fuenteovejuna, Suite Flamenca and Bodas de Sangre touring the world’s major theatres. He has released several critically acclaimed flamenco albums including En Directo and Sentidos del Alma. He has collaborated extensively with contemporary composer Osvaldo Golijov, touring the world with performances of Ainadamar. He is the 2020 winner of the Festival de Jerez award for Best Accompaniment Singer and the 2017 winner of the Lámpara Minera award at the Cante de las Minas for Best International Flamenco Singer.

Lucia Flowers is a current Michigan local and recent graduate of the University of Michigan where she received her Masters in Vocal Performance under Dr. Louise Toppin. She is also a proud graduate of SUNY Fredonia, where she studied under Julie Newell. Flowers has been seen on the Detroit Opera stage in their recent productions of Aida starring Angel Blue and Christine Goerke, Lileana Blain-Cruz’s Faust, and Ragnar Kjartansson’s creation, BLISS, re-staged by artistic director, Yuval Sharon. Additional recent credits include the Soprano Soloist in The Messiah with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Cunegonde in Syracuse Opera’s production of Candide, Musetta in University of Michigan’s La Boheme, Frasquita in Carmen with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Morgana in University of Michigan’s Alcina, Cunegonde in University of Michigan’s Candide, Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra, Patience in Patience with the College Light Opera Company, Lady Larken in Once Upon a Mattress with the College Light Opera Company, and Marian Paroo in The Music Man with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra. During her time with the Brevard Janiec Opera Company she sang the role of Clorinda in La Cenerentola, the Baroness in Candide, and was one of the soloists in the musical review Sondheim on Sondheim. She is currently performing the title role in Detroit Opera’s touring production of Little Red Riding Hood. Upcoming, she will be singing with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. 

Gabrielle Barkidjija, hailed by the Boston Musical Intelligencer as "riveting on stage and [singing] with damnable commitment and satisfying vocal chops," is an avid performer of new music and rarely-performed works, and has sung many world and regional premieres. In the 2022-2023 season, Ms. Barkidjija was a Detroit Opera Resident Artist where she covered the roles of Siebel (Faust), Arsamene (Xerxes), and Federico Garcia Lorca (Ainadamar), and performed as a Voice of the Fountain (Ainadamar). She is elated to return to Detroit Opera to sing the role of Dodo (Breaking the Waves) and cover the role of Fox (Cunning Little Vixen). Previous notable roles performed include Zosia (Two Remain), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Brittomara (If I were You), Ada Lovelace (The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace), Fanny Price (Mansfield Park), Captain (Dog Days), Beatrice (Beatrice et Benedict), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni). Gabrielle has earned top awards from the Rochester Oratorio Society International Vocal Competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Competition, the Premiere Opera Foundation, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Young Patronesses of the Opera Competition, and the Orpheus Vocal Competition. She has been a young artist with the Merola Opera Program, Aspen Opera Theater, Central City Opera, and the Tanglewood Music Center, and completed her education at Northwestern University (Bachelor's of Music and Masters of Music), and Boston University (Opera Institute). She was awarded a full merit scholarship from Northwestern University to complete her Masters degree, and was the recipient of Boston University's Phyllis Curtin award.

Leo Williams is a proud alumnus of Indiana University and recipient of the Georgina Joshi International Grant, and the Jacobs Premier and the Schmidt Foundation Scholarships. Stage credits at Indiana University include Don Giovanni, La fille du régiment, Peter Grimes, The Crucible, The Consul, Rigoletto, Les pêcheurs de perles, Samson et Dalila, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Lucia di Lammermoor. He has also had an active performing career overseas spanning five continents appearing in La bohème, L’elisir d’amore, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Don Giovanni. Leo was a 2020 Opera Maya Studio artist, Berlin Opera Academy Principal Artist, and an Opernfest Prague Fellow. Recent debuts include Cavaradossi in Tosca for the Sitzprobe with the Naples Philharmonic; Spoletta in Tosca for Gulfshore Opera (Naples, Florida); Macduff and Malcom in Verdi’s Macbeth (Australia); Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Germany). He is a past participant in the UNISA International Voice Competition (South Africa), and a recent soloist with the Key Chorale and Sarasota Ballet singing works of Margaret Bonds. After winning a coveted spot in the nationwide Detroit Opera Resident Artist Program final auditions, he joined the program for the 2022–23 season, where he has been the official cover for Faust in Gounod’s Faust, and makes his Detroit Opera debut singing the role of Messenger in Aïda and the role of Torero in Fountain of Tears (Ainadamar). An avid lover of world travel and speaker of five languages with years of classical dance training, Leo is well recognized in South Florida’s dance and theatrical arts community. He served as Assistant Professor of the IU Soul Revue, acting as vocal coach, teacher, and choreographer. Currently teaching as a private voice instructor, he is also a freelance soloist at the First Church of Christian Science in Fort Lauderdale and Church by the Sea in Bal Harbor.

Recognized for his rich tone and commanding voice, Kevin Starnes has performed a variety of styles in a career spanning over twenty years. Opera credits include the role of the Duke in Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette”, Theseus in Britten’s “A Midsummer Nights Dream”, Max Kane in William Bolcom’s “Dinner at Eight” and Bartolo in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro”. Mr. Starnes graduated from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance with a Master of Music in voice performance in 2018, and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Music at the Flint campus of the University of Michigan in 2002. He currently resides in Warren, Michigan, with his lovely wife Jennifer and three amazing sons.