Hailed by Opera Wire as an artist “imbued with fiery relish,” American dramatic coloratura soprano Michelle Allie Drever possesses a vocal combination of agility, power, range, and lyricism, allowing her to portray an unusual collection of roles across the operatic canon.

Most recently, Ms. Drever made her role debut as Amina in the rarely performed bel canto gem La sonnambula at West Bay Opera. She is no stranger to verismo, however, having sung the role of the eponymous diva in Tosca on several occasions. Other credits include Violetta in La traviata, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte, Donna Elvira and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus at companies such as Utah Lyric Opera, Opera Mississippi, LA Opera, Pocket Opera, and Miami Lyric Opera. She is also a featured staple at Pacific Opera Project, where her previous roles include the Queen of the Night in the Nintendo-inspired version of The Magic Flute, as well as Le feu/Le rossignol in L’enfant et les sortilèges.

A fiercely committed singer-actor, Ms. Drever is steadily gaining a reputation as a “force of nature” on the stage, praised as the “rare combination of actor/singer for whom opera was intended but all too seldom found” (Splash Magazine). She holds a master’s degree in vocal performance from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music where she created the role of La Condesa in the world premiere of Juana by Carla Lucero. Recently, she had the profound honor of reuniting with Ms. Lucero for another world premiere, this time at Opera Birmingham as famed American icon Anne Sullivan – a role that was written for her – in touch, an opera based on the life of Helen Keller.

An alumna of the Renata Scotto Opera Academy under the direction of the late Renata Scotto, Ms. Drever will make her debut as a solo recording artist on Parma Recordings later this year, which will be distributed internationally by Navona Records on streaming platforms and compact discs everywhere. A native of Northern California, Ms. Drever currently resides in Los Angeles.

Tenor Jonathan Burton is engaged to sing the most demanding roles in the tenor repertoire including Cavaradossi in Tosca, Calaf in Turandot, Dick Johnson in Fanciulla del West, and Radames in Aida. He regularly receives rave reviews for his “…bright, heroic tone, [and] clarion power…”. For his performance as Cavaradossi with Opera Omaha, one reviewer said: “Tenor Jonathan Burton was revelatory as the painter and revolutionary sympathizer. His voice never faltered through the demands of the role and his tortured humanity was palpable.”

The 2024-2025 season highlights included Burton’s performances as Cavaradossi in Tosca at Pittsburgh Opera. He was also seen as Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana at Pittsburgh Opera, Canio in Pagliacci with Utah Opera, and the tenor soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with Cincinnati Symphony at the May Festival and with the Key Chorale in Florida. Additionally, he will perform War Requiem with the Columbus Symphony and portray Steve Wozniak in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs  at Washington National Opera.

Previous performances saw Burton as Calaf for Austin Opera, Pollione in Norma for Boston Lyric Opera, and Hermann in Pique Dame for Des Moines Metro Opera. Additionally, he returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago for their production of Luisa Miller, making his Civic Opera House debut on short notice, and Maryland Lyric Opera as Luigi in Il tabarro. Performance credits also include the roles of Don José in Carmen, Rodolfo in La bohème, and Manrico in Il trovatore. He has appeared with Royal Opera House Muscat, Dubai Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Colorado, Central City Opera, Utah Opera, Kentucky Opera, Nashville Opera, and Virginia Opera, among others. A protégé of Lorin Maazel, Mr. Burton sang with the famed maestro in multiple productions at the Castleton Festival, concerts in Washington, D.C., and in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the reopening of Teatro La Fenice.

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

Tenor Jerek Fernández, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, recently completed a two-year residency (2023-2025) as a Baumgartner Studio Artist with The Florentine Opera. During this time, he performed as Remendado in Carmen, Damon in Acis and Galatea, and Guglielmo in Viva la mamma, while also covering Goro in Madama Butterfly. In the 2023-2024 season, he portrayed Clergy and covered Piquillo in Offenbach’s Songbird. Additionally, he covered Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore and Duende in María de Buenos Aires and performed Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro with the Florentine Opera’s Summer Ensemble. In the summer of 2024, he was a studio artist at Wolf Trap Opera, where he performed Parpignol in La bohème and covered Sprinks in Silent Night by Kevin Puts, as well as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. He was also an Apprentice Artist at Sarasota Opera in the winter of 2023, participating in mainstage productions and concerts.

Baritone Jonathan Wilson is a dedicated performer of vocal music from opera to concert works and musical theater. He has been praised by the Chicago Classical Review as a “superb actor” with a “resounding and luxurious” voice.

Recently, Jonathan performed as Silvio in Pagliacci and covered the role of Manfredo in Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre re as part of Opera Festival Chicago’s summer season. Earlier this year, he debuted the title role in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin with Opera Aeterna, performed as Escamillo in Carmen with Chicago Opera Productions, and sang Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with the New Philharmonic Orchestra. Other notable roles in Jonathan’s repertoire include the title role in Pelléas et Mélisande, Dottore Malatesta in Don Pasquale, and John Brooke in Adamo’s Little Women. As part of his work with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Jonathan performed as baritone soloist in Mozart’s Thamos, King of Egypt, sang the role of the Usher in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and went on as cover for the role of Jailer in Puccini’s Tosca.

Also an avid performer of contemporary chamber opera, Jonathan’s recent roles include Manfred in Two Remain (Heggie), Hannah-before in As One (Kaminsky), and the titular character in a Tom Waits adaptation of Woyzeck, each with Chicago Fringe Opera. His appearances as The Poet in When Adonis Calls (Borzoni) and as Robert Dziekański in I will fly like a bird (Plant) with Chicago-based Thompson Street Opera Company also received critical acclaim.

On the concert stage, Jonathan regularly sings with many of Chicagoland’s top ensembles. As a soloist, he has performed with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, the New Philharmonic Orchestra, the South Shore Orchestra, and many Chicago-area sacred organizations. He also routinely sings as part of the Lyric Opera Chorus, the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and the Grant Park Chorus.