fernanda

Peruvian-American mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra is known for her fiery stage presence and “luscious mezzo timbre” (Boston Musical Intelligencer).  

Mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra makes her Opera Omaha debut in Suor Angelica as La Zelatrice. Most recently, she performed the title role in Astor Piazzolla’s María de Buenos Aires with Kentucky Opera, reprised the role of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Derrick Wang’s comic opera Scalia/Ginsburg at the Princeton Festival, debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of John Adams in the Noon to Midnight Contemporary Festival, and premiered Katherine Balch’s orchestral song cycle Illuminate with the California Symphony. In the 2021-2022 season she toured …(Iphigenia) by Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding, appearing as Iphigenia Unbound. Upcoming engagements include Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with West Edge Opera and a return to the Princeton Festival as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia.

A strikingly versatile performer, Kelly feels at home with many styles and eras of vocal music from Mozart to Héctor Lavoe. Kelly was lauded as “brilliant” by the Santa Barbara Independent for her performance as Lupita in the mariachi opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with Opera Santa  Barbara (2021).

Guerra won first place in Santa Barbara’s Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation competition  in 2018, prior to her residency as a Young Artist with the Opera Santa Barbara Chrisman studio,  where she prepared the roles of Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Donna Rosa (ll Postino) and  Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette). Also in 2018, Kelly was a recipient of a travel grant to Germany  for language study from the Max Kade Foundation while completing her DMA at UC Santa  Barbara. There Guerra "created a sensation" (BravoCalifornia) singing the role of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro. 

As a recitalist, Guerra has been featured at the Lucerne Festival, the Tanglewood Music Center,  and the Bard Music Festival. Guerra has performed as a soloist with several ensembles  including the Albany Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Hispánica, Garden State Philharmonic, The  Orchestra Now, Contemporaneous, Opera Parallèle and BluePrint. 

Marcelo Guzzo has gained international acclaim  performing leading operatic roles in distinguished theaters around the  world, celebrated for his magnificent voice, magnetic stage presence and  authentic charm. His portrayal of De Siriex, in a filmed version of  Puccini’s Fedora at Teatro Grattacielo in New York City in  November 2020, was praised by Opera News Magazine for bringing a  “welcome darkness of timbre and presence to his dramatic scenes.”
This season, Mr. Guzzo performs the role of Count Almaviva  in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo  Domingo in Bogotá, Colombia, after taking the stage of New York City’s  Chelsea Factory in the world premiere of Tomas Cabaniss’ FireSongs,  presented by Bare Opera and National Sawdust.
He launched the 2020/2021 season with his debut as Macbeth at Opera North, following his notable debut at Hong Kong Opera as Don Giovanni, a role he performed again at The Kursaal in San Sebastián, Spain in February 2020.
In the 2018/19 season, he appeared as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Ópera de Colombia, Payador in Piazzola’s María de Buenos Aires with New York City Opera & Valentin in Faust at the Festival Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil.
Highlights of his previous seasons include acclaimed performances as Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana at Taormina Festival and with Opera San Antonio; Wolfram in Tannhäuser conducted by Gustavo Dudamel; Don Giovanni at the Solis Theatre in Uruguay; Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Solis Theatre & Theatre of Fine Arts in Bogotá, Colombia; Escamillo in Carmen with Omaha Opera; Germont in La Traviata in Tel-Aviv; Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with the Dallas Opera; Marcello in La Bohème with Theatre of Fine Arts in Bogotá, Princeton Festival and Fresno Opera; and Payador in María de Buenos Aires for Opera Hispánica in New York City.

Internationally acclaimed  Mexican-born César Delgado has been praised for his “generous, lustrous tenor” and “committed, energetic acting” by Opera News. Mr. Delgado has been steadily building an active career that finds him regularly on the US, German and Mexican musical scenes.

This season he’s been scheduled to create the title role in the World Premiere of ‘ZORRO’ with Fort Worth Opera in a house debut. He will appear as ‘Don Ottavio’ in ‘Don Giovanni’ in his house debut with Gulfshore Opera in Florida. He will sing ‘Mr. Rodriguez’ in the East Coast premiere of Tobias Picker’s ‘Awakenings’ with O. Ópera of Boston. He will appear as Narraboth in Salome in his house debut with Tulsa Opera. He will be back playing the title role of ‘ZORRO’ in his house debut at Opera Southwest. He will sing Mahler’s ‘Das lied von der Erde’ returning with the Ontario Philharmonic Orchestra in Canada. He will sing ‘Nemorino’ in Elisir D’ Amor with Monterrey Opera. He will sing ‘Bastian’  in Bastián and Basriana with Conjunto Santander and Teatro del Bicentenario in Mexico. He will play ‘Pinkerton’ in the original production of Madama butterfly by Conjunto Santander in Mexico, etc.

Operatic highlights from previous seasons include performances at Regensburg Theater in Germany as ‘Edgardo di Ravenswood’ in the new production of ‘Lucía di Lammermoor’ directed by the legendary Brigitte Fassbaender. As ‘Duca di Mantova’ in ‘Rigoletto’ with the New Orleans Opera. As ‘Rodolfo’ in ‘La Bohème’ at The Charleston Opera. As ‘Conde di Almaviva’ with Opera North. His house debut in New York City Opera’s production of La Fanciulla del West in 2017. As ‘Rinuccio’ in Gianni Schicchi with Mazatlan Opera in Mexico conducted by Enrique Patron de Rueda.

Mr. Delgado has sung the title role of D. Catán’s ‘Il Postino’ in the New York City Premiere, and he appeared as ‘Arcadio’ in the Latin American premiere of Florencia en el Amazonas, in a fully staged production in Mexico City. This production was also recorded for CD release.

Applauded by OperaWire for her thrilling performance, and by the Barre Montpelier Times Argus for her "lovely warm soprano voice and heart-wrenching lyricism," Laura Passionate about new music, Laura will be performing with City Lyric Opera as Alice in Elizabeth Raum’s The Garden of Alice,  a retelling of Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland. 

Equally passionate about reviving lesser-performed works, Laura was a Resident Artist with Sarasota Opera, covering the lead role of Giulia in Rossini’s La scala di seta (The silken ladder). Earlier that fall, Laura performed the other soprano role of Lucilla in the same opera, with Opera Southwest. In May, Laura first performed with Opera Southwest as Isabella in another of Rossini’s one-act’s, L’inganno felice.​

During the summer of 2021, Laura performed with Opera Saratoga as Grisostomo, a rather chatty shepherdess, in Telemann’s Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding. 

Laura was the soprano 2019-2020 Artist in Residence with Opera Colorado, where she performed Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia on the mainstage, as well as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and Micaela in Carmen, in touring productions around the state. 

Laura has enjoyed many summers at Chautauqua Institution’s Chautauqua Opera Company. After receiving an encouragement award at the end of the season, Laura  gratefully accepted the invite to return the following summer. During  the 2016 season, Laura appeared in Missy Mazzoli’s Song from the Uproar and Peep Bo in The Mikado, both under the baton of renowned maestro Steven Osgood.