This event is partially sponsored by our hosts, Ventfort Hall!
Adriana Zabala
Internationally-acclaimed mezzo soprano Adriana Zabala has performed more than 55 operatic roles and created roles in 7 American operas and dramatic works including the title roles in Sister Carrie and The Trial of Susan B. Anthony, and the role of Sister James in Doubt—recently broadcast on PBS’ Great Performances. She has been a guest soloist with some of the nation’s leading orchestras, and has appeared in recital at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Wolf Trap, the Source Song Festival, and the New York Festival of Song. Ms. Zabala is an alumna of Louisiana State University, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and was Fulbright Scholar at the Mozarteum in Saltzburg. She was recently named a Distinguished Vocal Artist of the American Prize and is an associate professor of voice at Yale University. A passionate teacher and mentor, Prof. Zabala’s students perform and teach throughout the U.S. and abroad, and in addition to teaching applied voice, French diction, and the Yale Song Lab, she is the incoming Assistant Dean of Collaborative Arts at the Yale School of Music. Locally, she was last seen in the role of Madeline in Jake Hegge’s Three Decembers with Berkshire Opera Festival.
JJ Penna
JJ Penna ia a pianist who has performed extensively with a variety of eminent singers, including Kathleen Battle, Harolyn Blackwell, Measha Brueggergosman, Denyce Graves, Ying Huang, Susan Narucki, Roberta Peters, Florence Quivar, and Andreas Scholl. He has held fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center, Banff Center, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, and San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program. He received his training under Martin Katz, Margo Garrett, and Diane Richardson. Devoted to the teaching of classical song literature, he has been on the faculties of The Juilliard School, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Bowdoin Festival, Westminster Choir College, the Renée Fleming Song Studio, and Vancouver International Song Institute. He currently teaches at the Yale University School of Music, The New England Conservatory, and the Steans institute of the Ravinia Festival.
John Arlievsky
John Arlievsky is a baritone, conductor, composer and pianist whose performances have included recitals at the Smithsonian’s African American Heritage Museum in Washington, DC, and at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Sign in Manhattan; Guglielmo in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in workshop and performances lead by Luke Housner at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia; and concerts in the 2023 season of Osanna Chamber Ensemble as their chief conductor, which opened with two immersive performances of Arvo Pärt’s complete Kanon Pokajanen. He has been a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, and will return for a second season in 2025. John is a second-year master’s student at the Yale School of Music.
Rosario Armas
New York-based Mexican mezzo-soprano Rosario Armas is renowned for her profound voice, musicality and music versatility. Mrs. Armas was born in Tlaxcala, Mexico. She began her vocal studies in 2012 under the guidance of Luis Fernando Cisneros and Antonio Lopez at the vocal studio in Puebla, Mexico. She furthered her education at the Pre-College Division of the Escuela Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). Her operatic portrayals include Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dorabella and Despina in Così fan Tutte, Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, and the title role in Carmen. Armas earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, was a studio artist at Wolf Trap Opera, and will join Des Moines Metro Opera in the summer of 2025 as an Apprentice Artist. Rosario is currently pursuing an MMA at the Yale School of Music.
Shyheim Selvan Hinnant
Hailing from Woodbridge, Virginia, Shyheim Selvan Hinnant is a multi-disciplinary artist who puts the “tone” in bass-baritone. As a singer, songwriter, actor, and electric bass player, he has dedicated his life to creating art and inspiring others. He received a Master of Music degree from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Before pursuing his master’s, Shyheim earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Virginia Commonwealth University. He also earned a certificate of completion from the Conservatorio di Milano’s Erasmus program. Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Musical Arts degree from Yale University under the tutelage of mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala. His favorite roles include Simone in Gianni Schicchi, the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Colline in La bohème. Shyheim joins Glimmerglass Opera in the prestigious Young Artists Program in the summer of 2025.