Soprano, Christine Arand, a graduate of Northwestern University and The Juilliard School, began her career in Europe and the United States creating the leading role of Lise in the world premiere of LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES by Philip Glass directed by Susan Marshall.

Christine’s operatic roles include Antonia in LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN (Hawaii Opera Theater), Armida in RINALDO, Cecilio in LUCIO SILLA (Chicago Opera Theater) Salomé in HERODIADE, Liù in TURANDOT and Micaëla in CARMEN (Dorset Opera, UK), Gilda in RIGOLETTO and Violetta in LA TRAVIATA (Kimmel Center, Philadelphia), Tiny in PAUL BUNYAN (Glimmerglass Opera and New York City Opera), the title role of AGRIPPINA (Teatro Massimo, Palermo), Nanetta in FALSTAFF (Pine Mountain Music Festival), Zdenka in ARABELLA (San Francisco Opera), Susanna in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (Arizona Opera and Fort Worth Opera), Poppea in L’INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA and Cherubino in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (Juilliard Opera Center).

Described as an “Up-and-Coming Diva” by The New York Times, Christine made her debut on Broadway in LA BOHEME ON BROADWAY directed by Baz Luhrmann singing Musetta and appeared in David Leveaux’s Tony-award-winning NINE as Maria.  In Paris, at the Théȃtre du Chȃtelet, Christine played Eliza Doolittle in Robert Carsen’s new production of MY FAIR LADY and portrayed both Maria Rainer and the Baroness in Emilio Sagi’s new production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC.  At the Lincoln Center Theater, she performed Yvette Guilbert in Martha Clarke’s BELLE EPOQUE.

Christine has also appeared in concert at Lincoln Center in Orff’s CARMINA BURANA, Mozart’s REQUIEM at David Geffen Hall and premiered Tan Dun’s LAMENT: AUTUMN WIND and Berg’s CANTATA NO. 2 in Alice Tully Hall.  She also made her Carnegie Hall debut in the world premiere of David Childs’ REQUIEM.

Baritone Franco Pomponi made his European debut in the title role of Hamlet at the Liceu in Barcelona and success followed worldwide. He created a sensation in Paris as Pentheus in The Bassarids by Henze at the Théâtre du Châtelet and has returned to sing the title roles in new productions of Nixon in China (broadcast on Mezzo) and Sweeney Todd. His Italian debut came at Teatro Massimo, Palermo, as Nick Shadow in Cesare Lievi’s production of A Rake’s Progress. He debuted at Opernhaus Zürich in a new production of Les pêcheurs de perles as Zurga (dir. Rizzi), the title role of Don Giovanni for his debut at Bolshoï Opera (dir. Currentzis) and in Budapest in a new production of The Tempest as Prospero at Hungarian State Opera.

Mr. Pomponi was a member of Lyric Opera of Chicago and made his Chicago debut as Germont in Verdi’s La traviata. He made his New York debut as Escamillo in Carmen at New York City Opera. Other debuts: Ford in Falstaff for The Santa Fe Opera (dir. Arrivabeni), ‘Four Villains’ in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Finnish National Opera (dir. Fournillier). He made his Carnegie Hall debut as Pater Ecstaticus in Symphony Nº 8 of Mahler with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Additional highlights include: Ezio, Attila, Seïd, Il Corsaro, OFC Chicago; Tebaldo, Giulietta e Romeo (Zandonai), New York; Prigioniero, Il Prigioniero (Dallapiccola), Chicago; Pangloss, Candide, Metternich, L’Aiglon, Lausanne; Hamlet, Barcelona, Marseille, Brussels, Kansas City; Don Giovanni, Bolshoi, Moscow, Geneva, Athens, Montpellier, Guangzhou; Eugene Onegin, FGO, Miami, Spoleto Festival; Escamillo, Carmen, L.A. Opera, NYCO, Helsinki, Bremen; ‘Four Villains,’ Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Golaud, Pelléas et Mélisande, Reisopera Netherlands; Paolo, Simon Boccanegra, Grand Théâtre de Genève; Germont, La traviata, Grant Park Music Festival; Ford, Falstaff, Canadian Opera; Count di Luna, Il trovatore, Austin Lyric; Michele, Il tabarro, Opera Festival of Chicago; Jack Rance, Fanciulla del West, KYO; Marcello, La bohème, Opéra de Lausanne, Opéra Vichy; Schaunard, La bohème, Count Dominik, Arabella, Metropolitan Opera, New York; Valentin, Faust, Opéra de Toulon; Hérode, Hérodiade, Silvio, Pagliacci, Dorset Opera; Frank/Pierrot, Die tote Stadt, Teatro Massimo, Palermo; Guglielmo, Così fan tutte, Belcore, L’elisir d’amore, Opéra National du Rhin, Strasbourg; Argante, Rinaldo, NYOpera Fest; Ping, Turandot, Mercutio, Roméo et Juliette, Malatesta, Don Pasquale, Lyric Opera of Chicago; Carbon, Cyrano, Teatro Real, Madrid. Mr. Pomponi has sung leading roles under Abell, Abbassi, Andrizzi, Bartoletti, de Billy, Eschenbach, Gergiev, Guidarini, López Cobos, Luisotti, Mehta, Minkowski, Levine, Mazzola, Nagano, Nelson, Niquet, Olmi, Ōno, Pappano, Pidò, Schwarz, Soltész, Villaume, de Waart.

Franco is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Opera Festival of Chicago

First Prizewinner at the Montreal- Quebec XIII CONCOURS D’INTERPRÉTATION DE MUSIQUE TCHÈQUE ET SLOVAQUE 2015, She has performed like a soloist with the most prestigious Orchestras in Mexico. Her operatic repertoire included Rossini, Pergolesi Donizetti, Verdi, Mozart, Puccini, Menotti, Bizet, also modern and contemporary music, among others. Her symphonic repertoire included all the most famous pieces by soprano solo as well, like Mozart, Brahms, Verdi, and Faure Requiem, 9th Symphony by Beethoven, Mahler’s 4th symphony to mention the most recent engagements. She has sung as a soloist in China, Byelorussia, Italy, Austria, Germany, Canada, etc. She moved to live in USA recently and she did her operatic debut in this country last year with Atlanta Opera, in “Carmen”, and having collaboration in different shows with this Company. Alejandra is living in Atlanta and also has a Lecturer Voice Position In Georgia State University School of Music.

Frank has been active in oratorio and opera for the past 20 years. Frank’s most recent performances include South Shore Opera’s production of Opera at the Movies where he performed classic roles including Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Sparafucile in Rigoletto. Prior to that, Frank was active with Light Opera Works of Chicago, performing in  productions of Pirates of Penzanceand Iolanthe where he played the Police Sergeant and Private Willis respectively. His performances were heralded by the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times saying that he was “both vocally and comically perfect.”

His additional performance credits include, Germont in La Traviata, Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd, Seneca in L’incoranazione di Poppea, and Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods.  Frank has had the pleasure of working with such renowned conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta and Christoph Eschenbach. He continues his studies under the tutelage of Carl Lawrenz, and is a founding member of the Three Baritones.

Tenor Benjamin Burney, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, has performed locally, in his hometown, and internationally, from the Caribbean Islands to Estonia. Recently, Benjamin performed in the world premiere of Iphigenia by Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding, and went on to make his Kennedy Center debut with said opera. In past years, he has appeared in Florentine Opera’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and Roméo et Juliette; Lakeland Opera’s Cavalleria rusticana; Chicago Opera Theatre’s King Roger; Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre’s Madama Butterfly and The Enchanted Forest; Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company’s Merrie England; Folks Operetta’s Die Kathrin and The Flower of Hawaii; Transgressive Theatre-Opera’s Comte Ory; Indianapolis Opera’s productions of La traviata and South Pacific; and Opera Western Reserve’s La bohème and Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Benjamin studied abroad in Milan, Italy, for vocal performance and opera. While he was there, he gained proficiency in the Italian language and progressed his musicianship level. He joined a professional concerto chorus and performed works such as: Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem and George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. He studied with Patrizia Zanardi and maestro Vincenzo Manno, at Fondazione IES Abroad Italy and Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado. He performed weekly with chamber ensembles at various venues like Casa di Riposo per Musicisti, a home for retired opera singers and musicians founded by Giuseppe Verdi himself. Benjamin was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship that allowed him to have this invaluable experience.

Recently, he was named a winner of the Montpelier Arts Center Recital Competition, along with being a First Prize Winner for the Charleston International Music Competition.