SEMELE- Henry Purcell

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Luana DeVol is one of the world’s most successful dramatic sopranos, having sung major roles in the world’s major houses, including La Scala, Milan, Teatro de Liceu, Barcelona, the Wagner Festspiel, Bayreuth, Vienna Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich, Metropolitan Opera, New York among many others.  She was twice named Opernwelt’s “Singer of the Year.”  Since retiring from the stage, she gives Master Classes, maintains a private voice studio, and serves on the Panel of Experts for the New York-based “Career Bridges” for aspiring singers.  She has been appointed to lead the American Wagner Project, a program which is part of the Dolora Zajick Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, and works with the Richard Wagner Society of Washington, D.C. in presenting Master Classes and Concerts.  She is an adjudicator of voice competitions both in the US and abroad, such as Chairwoman of the Klaudia Taev International Voice Competition in Estonia.  As General Director of Opera Las Vegas from 2014 to 2018 she produced Il Barbiere di Seviglia, Madama Butterfly, Carmen and Rigoletto. In July 2022 she coordinated the collaboration of the American Wagner Project with Michael Rossi’s Miami Music Festival in the production of Rigoletto as well as producing the festival’s opening concert. Most recently she is serving on the Board of Directors for the Las Vegas Sinfonietta.

Baritone, Chase Orlando Gutierrez, a native of Las Vegas, is a talented and charismatic young artist whose expressive voice and engaging stage presence has earned him opportunities to perform across the globe. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he studied under Dr. Alfonse Anderson. Chase has appeared as Le Gouverneur in Le Comte Ory, Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld (English version), The Notary in Don Pasquale, The Jailer in Tosca, and Marchese D'Obigny in La Traviata. He has also participated in a variety of outreach performances throughout Las Vegas. In concert, Chase has performed internationally, with La Strada in Graz, as well as with American Spirituals ensembles in Austria, Spain, and Portugal.

Joan Sobel has sung leading operatic roles with Opera Ontario, Connecticut Opera, New York City Opera Touring Company, Cirque Grüss (Paris), Opera Roanoke, Syracuse Opera and the Artpark Festival in New York. Career highlights include her debut at Carnegie Hall as a soloist in the Fauré Requiem with the Mid-America Production Orchestra and singing under the baton of Sir Colin Davis with the New York Philharmonic in Der Freischütz and her debut with New York City Opera as Violetta in La Traviata.

Joan has been in three different productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera where she portrayed the fiery diva CARLOTTA GUIDICELLI. It was a thrill to collaborate with Hal Prince, Gillian Lynne, Charles Hart, and Baron-Lord Webber for the Las Vegas Production of Phantom.

Joan is a native Virginian with a BM from The North Carolina School of the Arts and a MM from UNLV in Music Performance. She has studied at the prestigious American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria and was an apprentice with the Sarasota Opera. Ms. Sobel is busy private voice teacher and performer in Las Vegas and is a regular featured performer with Vegas City Opera

Rabuel Aviles is a Mexican American Mezzo
Soprano from Las Vegas Nevada. She has studied at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and has performed the role of The Chinese Tea Cup in Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges, Oberon in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Mother Marie of the Incarnation in Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites.
She has performed with Opera Las Vegas in the choruses of Madama Butterfly, Carmen, and The Elixir of Love. She was the Page in Rigoletto, performed at the Liberace Gala and sang in their inaugural Latin Fiesta concert. Rabuel has also been a part of Vegas City Opera. She performed as the Father in their all women production of Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins, and has been a continuous artist in their seasonal concerts. In addition, she was a young artist with Vegas City Opera for their 2019-2020 season. As part of their outreach program she was Hansel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Ruth in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, and Madame Giry in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.
Most recently, Rabuel debuted the role of Lily’s Mother, in the brand new opera Letters to Lily with Opera Las Vegas. Lastly she has been a part of the local chapter of Opera on tap for nearly a decade.

Kurt Sedlmeir, a Lyric Baritone with a passion for the operatic art form, has dedicated his career to bringing powerful performances to the stage through operatic roles and modern chamber works. Residing in Las Vegas, Kurt graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Music in 2019 with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. His journey has taken him beyond the borders of the United States, with advanced opera studies in Austria and Munich, Germany, where he refined his technique and deepened his appreciation for classical music traditions.

Kurt has been featured in numerous productions with UNLV Opera Theatre and Vegas City Opera, portraying a range of complex characters. His roles include The Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Masetto in Don Giovanni, and roles in Dialogues of the Carmelites. With Vegas City Opera, he has shone in standout performances as Hunding in Die Walküre, Benoit/Alcindoro in La Bohème, Escamillo in Carmen and The Mad King in Eight Songs for a Mad King

by Peter Maxwell Davies.His recent portrayal of Leporello in Don Giovanni (2024) captivated audiences with his blend of vocal strength and nuanced interpretation.

Kurt’s dedication to his craft is evident in every role he undertakes, bringing both intensity and sensitivity to each performance. He continues to share his love for opera with audiences, always excited to take the stage and immerse himself in the timeless stories and music of opera.