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Sooji Kim
Soprano Sooji Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, and graduated from the College of Music at Hanyang University last year, where she studied under Professor Jungwon Park. She is currently preparing to study abroad to pursue a master’s degree. In the 2025 season, she performed as a member of the Korea National Opera Studio. While working with the Korea National Opera Studio, she performed the role of Second Lady (Dame II) in The Magic Flute at the National Theater of Korea and participated in various activities, including performances, masterclasses, and symposiums. In 2025, she won the Gold Prize at the Korean Art Song Competition.
Lisa Bensimhon
Lisa Bensimhon devoted herself to opera singing after beginning her musical studies with the cello. Winner of the Avignon International Competition in 2018, she studied at the Conservatoire de Paris and later at the CNSMDP with Chantal Mathias and Elène Golgevit. Her repertoire includes Adèle (Die Fledermaus), Sofia (Il Signor Bruschino), and Lisette (La Rondine), and she performed Mozart’s Requiem at Salle Gaveau. This season, she sings Eurydice in Orphée aux enfers at the CNSMDP in coproduction with the Philharmonie de Paris, and Lisa in the world premiere of Barbe Noire at the Opéra de Massy. She will join the Académie Jaroussky next September.
Momo Jang
Paris-based Korean soprano Momo Jang completed her studies in Seoul before joining the Korea National Opera Studio as a Young Artist for the 2024–2025 season. In 2024, she made her debut with the Korea National Opera as Cobweb in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and appeared as Adina in L’elisir d’amore and La Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro in a gala concert for people with disabilities. Following her bel canto repertoire performances in Paris, French media including Forum Opéra, Cult.news, and Olyrix noted her bel canto coloratura and emotional intensity, leading her to deepen her artistic conviction and sense of responsibility toward the bel canto tradition. She is the second prize winner of the Suri Music Competition, recipient of the Pavarotti Foundation President’s Award, and finalist in several national and international vocal competitions.
Miranda Robertson
Miranda studies with James Baillieu and Raymond Connell at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and has been a pupil of operatic soprano, Nelly Miricioiu, since 2020. She works regularly with vocal coach and conductor, Audrey Saint Gil and with pianist, Julius Drake, and recently made her Wigmore Hall debut as holder of the Kathleen Ferrier Society Bursary for Young Singers. Miranda attended the Franz Schubert Institut 2025, studying with Helmut Deutsch, Elly Ameling, Robert Holl and other Lied experts. She has had significant success in both opera and mélodie at major international French competitions and was invited to give a recital at Opéra Grand Avignon in 2024.
Judy Zhuo
Judy Zhuo is a mezzo-soprano pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Julia Faulkner and Amanda Majeski. Her repertoire spans Mozart, Brahms, Ravel, Strauss etc. Recent performances include Faust et Hélène (Hélène), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia, cover), Le Nozze di Figaro (Marcellina), and scenes from Der Rosenkavalier. She has collaborated with conductors including Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Nicholas McGegan, developing a strong artistic focus on versatility, dramatic depth, and musical integrity.
Hannah Jones
Hannah Jones is a mezzo-soprano from Houston, Texas. She is a recent graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Last season at the Met, she performed as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Annina in La Traviata. She made her Met debut as one of the Voices of the Unborn Children in Die Frau ohne Schatten. In 2024, Hannah made her Seattle Opera debut in the world premiere of Tazewell Thompson’s Jubilee as Jennie Jackson. She is a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition and received the Encouragement Award from the Eastern Region.
Meri Misakyan
Meri Misakyan is an Armenian mezzo-soprano and a graduate of the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, where she completed her Bachelor’s degree in 2025. In 2025, she made her international debut in Romania at the Cluj-Napoca National Theatre, performing the role of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro. Since 2022, she has been a member of the Young Artist Opera Program at the Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre of Armenia, where she has performed roles including Mercédès in Carmen, Flora in La Traviata, and Kate in Madama Butterfly. She has sung with the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra and participated in international vocal competitions, receiving special prizes.
Adam Catangui
Tenor Adam Catangui, hailing from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a student at The Juilliard School, where he studies with Kevin Short. This season, Adam makes appearances in Alice Tully Hall, David Geffen Hall, and in recital with Juilliard’s Liederabend Series. He debuts the role of Fenton in Falstaff with Juilliard Opera. Adam is the proud recipient of the Cesare Santeramo Award from Opera Index, an Encouragement Award from the Gerda Lissner Foundation 2025 Art Song Competition, and the Second Place Constance Eberhart Memorial Award from the 2025 National Opera Association Carolyn Bailey Argento Competition. He holds degrees from Rice University and The Eastman School of Music and is an alumnus of the Studio Artist Program at Wolf Trap Opera, the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and the Atelier Lyrique at the Verbier Festival.
Haotian Ma
Haotian Ma was born in Heilongjiang, China in 1998. He graduated from the Shenyang Conservatory in 2020, and then completed his studies at the Venice Conservatory. In 2024 he entered the Academy of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna,and study with Luciana D'intino.In 2025, he was selected for Raina Kabaivanska's masterclass in Sofia, Bulgaria, and received a scholarship and course in Modena.He entered the Rodolfo Celletti Bel Canto Academy in February 2026. In June, he sang at the Brescia Opera Festival and joined the Georg Solti Academy. He won second prize at the 3rd "Van Westerhout" Competition in 2024.
Redmond Sanders
Recipient of the Thierry Mermod Prize at the Verbier Festival 2024, Redmond Sanders joined the Opera School at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2024. He will join the Wiener Staatsoper Young Artist Program in September 2026. Performance highlights include; Antonio in Le Nozze Di Figaro, his international debut on the main stage at the Verbier Festival; Ein Capadoccier, Salome, London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano; and the title role in Owen Wingrave, Britten at the GSMD. Redmond returns to the Verbier Festival as a member of the Atelier Lyrique to cover Germont and sing Baron Douphol in Verdi’s La Traviata this summer.
Emilio Vásquez
Baritone Emilio Vásquez, a native of Manvel, Texas, is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Opera at the Curtis Institute of Music as the William J. Fenza Fellow. Recent performances include Demetrius in the 2026 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Pangloss in Candide, and Schaunard in La bohème. He has appeared twice as a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and as a Steans Vocal Fellow at the Ravinia Festival, and has participated in master classes with Jake Heggie, Lawrence Brownlee, Ana María Martínez, and Paul Groves.
Ferdinand Muradyan
Ferdinand Muradyan is a young Armenian operatic bass from Gyumri. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Opera Performance from Yerevan State Conservatory in 2021. Already in 2020 Ferdinand joined the Young Artist Opera Program under the guidance of Levon Javadyan at the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. Ferdinand has also performed as a soloist with the Tagharan ancient music ensemble, the National Academic Choir of Armenia, and the Musical Comedy Theatre. In 2023, he was a finalist in the International Vocal Competition “Opera Crown” in Tbilisi, Georgia, and won 3rd place at the International Competition “ROMANSIADA” in Moscow, Russia. In the current season (2025/26) as part of his second year at Mascarade Opera, Ferdinand can be seen performing in the role of Zuniga in Carmen at the Staatstheater Augsburg, and 2. Gralsritter in Parsifal at Nationaltheater Mannheim.
Christopher Knopp
Christopher Knopp began his musical career as a concert pianist, performing recitals and concertos while studying at McGill University in Montreal. He was part of the first cohort of pianists in the McGill-UdeM Résidence en Accompagnement Vocale, and finished his studies at the Accademia del Maggio in Florence before moving to Berlin in 2025. Highlights of his 2025 season included a production of Salome at the Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino and La Boheme at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Christopher has performed professional recitals across Canada, the U.S.A, Finland, Austria and Germany, including performances of Die Schönemüllerin with Lucas Van Lierop, Winterreise with Josh DeVane, and a series of art song recitals across continents with Jingjing Xu. In 2026, Christopher will play for the Sinfonia Leipzig, the Rossini Opera Festival and the Wexford Opera Festival.
Fengyi Wang
Fengyi Wang is a collaborative pianist from China specializing in opera and vocal repertoire. She holds a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from The Juilliard School. She has received awards in chamber music and vocal collaboration competitions, including the Shenzhen Piano Competition (Twin Piano Group), the Singapore International Piano Competition, the Santa Cecilia International Piano Competition, and the Hummingbird Youth Music Competition (Art Song category). As a collaborative pianist, she has performed at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, and Paul Hall at Juilliard. She participated in the Aspen Music Festival (2025) and received the Juilliard Lucrezia Bori Grant for Italian language study (2024). She is currently based in Germany.
Alexander Dakin
Alexander is a collaborative pianist, repetiteur and composer based in London, studying as a repetiteur at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. While there he has worked on and performed in Britten’s Owen Wingrave, and the autumn Opera Scenes. He is a recipient of a Helpmusicians Sybil Tutton Opera award and a beneficiary of Margery & Frederick Steven Wright Eisinger Award as facilitation for his studies. Before coming to Guildhall, he worked for Opera North as their Learning and Engagement Accompanist. As a composer, Alex has had pieces performed by the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Oxford Philharmonic.
Giancarlo Llerena
Giancarlo Llerena is an NYC-based Peruvian American pianist. Appearing on prestigious stages internationally, recent highlights include performing with Joshua Bell, Larisa Martinez, and Jessie Montgomery; opening Apple TV’s “Severance” Emmys event; a chamber appearance with the Syracuse Orchestra; and performing in the North American premiere of Georg Friedrich Haas’s “11,000 Strings” with Klangforum Wien. He looks forward to a recital debut at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Giancarlo was a 2025 Fellowship Pianist with Classic Lyric Arts in Italy and France, coaching and performing with singers. He is pursuing a Master’s in Collaborative Piano at Juilliard as a Kovner Fellow.
Alistair Burton
Alistair Burton is a repetiteur from Cumbria, now based in London, and was a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio for 2024/25. He has worked as a repetiteur on contemporary operas Last Days (Oliver Leith) and GIANT (Sarah Angliss) at the Royal Ballet and Opera, as well as for projects with companies around the UK. Alistair has worked in London with Grange Park Opera and Buxton International Festival, and in 2026 will return to GPO as repetiteur on Das Rheingold. As an accompanist he was a semi-finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards in 2025, alongside tenor Emyr Lloyd Jones.
Monica Tang
Monica Tang is a Hong Kong–born collaborative pianist and répétiteur specializing in opera and art song. Her international career spans Europe, the United States, and Asia, with upcoming appearances at the Musikverein Wien. She has worked as a fully funded fellow with Musiktheater Bavaria and the Berlin Opera Academy. A recipient of the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme, she holds a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the University of Maryland and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Art Song Accompaniment at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw). Her artistry is distinguished by stylistic sensitivity, linguistic awareness, and a deep commitment to singer-centered collaboration.
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