ALEXIS DAVIS HAZELL | Miss Todd
Alexis Davis-Hazell performs a diversity of repertoire as a concert soloist and performer of opera’s dramatic mezzo-soprano roles and relishes the opportunity to sing modern and contemporary works. While continuing to develop an intimacy with the heroines and anti-heroines of Verdi, Bizet, and Wagner, her performances of Mme. de Croissy of Poulenc’s Dialogue of the Carmelites, Dritte Dame of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Frugola of Puccini’s Il Tabarro, and the High Priestess of Verdi’s Aida have earned accolades for the size and quality of her instrument, and the dramatic intensity she brings to supporting char acters. Alexis originated the role of Rachel in Joseph Landers’ new opera Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, premiered by the Tuscaloosa Symphony, and broadcast on Alabama public television in September 2020.
Alexis’ other career highlights include more than one hundred performances of numerous productions of The Gershwins’ masterwork Porgy and Bess, singing the roles of Maria, Lily, and Strawberry Woman as a principal and ensemble swing in opera houses throughout North America, Germany, Russia, Poland, Greece, Latvia, Switzerland, and North America. These performances include critically acclaimed productions at the Dresden SemperOper, Hamburgische Staatsoper, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Polish National Opera of Warsaw, and the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. Along with a celebrated production of Porgy and Bess at San Francisco Opera, she also performed in their seminal production of Show Boat—both directed by Francesca Zambello, conducted by John de Main, marketed internationally on DVD and shown nationally on PBS.
The Assistant Professor of Voice and Diction at the University of Alabama and Creative Director of the innovative production company Jazzoperetry (Jazz-Op-ruh-tree), Inc. founded by her husband, Basso Cantante and com poser/arranger Earl Hazell, Alexis continues to be a featured guest artist, masterclass clinician, lecturer and session presenter throughout the U.S., including national conferences of voice, opera and arts research alliances.
She will return to Cincinnati Opera in the summer of 2022 for their production of Verdi’s Aida.
MERYL DOMINGUEZ | Letitia
Meryl Dominguez, a Cuban American soprano praised for her “intensity and warm tone” (Bachtrack), is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She has performed roles such as Violetta (La Traviata), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Lucia Ashton (Lucia di Lammermoor), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus) and most recently made her international debut as the title character in Norma with Musica Viva Hong Kong. A Double Degree graduate of Oberlin, and an apprentice artist at Santa Fe Opera, Meryl shines on the competition sphere as a recent finalist with Houston Grand Opera’s prestigious Eleanor McCollum Competition, a National Semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and First prize winner at Vero Beach Opera’s inaugural Rising Stars competition.
Recital work includes work with LyricFest on a premiere of John Musto’s set Be Music, Night, and has featured Lili Boulanger’s Clairières dans le ciel, Debussy’s Fêtes galantes II, R. Strauss’ Brentano Lieder, Britten folk songs, Poulenc’s Fiançailles pour rire, Rachmaninov op.38, Wolf’s Spanischeslieder buch and selections from Musto’s Penelope (2005).
JOHN GLANN | Bob
Baritone John Glann has performed nearly forty leading roles in opera, oratorio, and musical theatre. Operatic roles include Mozart’s Figaro and Count Almaviva, Belcore, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Escamillo, and Ford in Falstaff. Favorite musical theatre roles include Billy Bigelow in Carousel, Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun, Fred Graham/Petruccio in Kiss Me, Kate, Emile de Becque in South Pacific, Edward Rutledge in 1776, Carl-Magnus in A Little Night Music, and Aldolpho in The Drowsy Chaperone.
An avid recitalist, John recently sang the world premiere of Patrick Michael Wickham’s Songs of Death and Taxes with the Lecoq Ensemble in Paris, and is a frequent collaborator at the Ann Arbor Art Fair Song Fest. A native of Huron, Ohio, John now maintains a private voice studio in New York City.
MEGAN SANTORA | Miss Pinkerton
Megan Santora is a 2016 Artist Diploma in Opera graduate from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. She completed a Masters in Voice Performance at CCM, as well as a Masters in Opera Theatre and Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance at the Oberlin Conservatory. Recently, Ms. Santora covered the role of Nella in Gianni Schicchi as a member of the Manetti Shrem Opera Program with Festival Napa Valley. She also returns to Opera Project Columbus as Lisette in La Rondine and covers the role of Norina in Don Pasquale with Opera MODO this year. Recent engagements include the role of Adele in Die Fledermaus with Opera Project Columbus, Anna Gomez in The Consul with Opera MODO and the role of Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi with Opera Project Columbus. In 2016 she sang the roles of Vixen Sharp Ears in The Cunning Little Vixen at CCM and Serpina in La Serva Padrona with the Cincinnati Chamber Opera. At CCM she sang the roles of Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore, Princesse Laoula in L’etoile, and Thibault in Don Carlos; was the Soprano Soloist in Stravinsky’s Les Noces; and was featured in a Kurt Weill Cabaret. In 2013 she was the Soprano Studio Artist with Opera Saratoga and a Young Artist with Opera Columbus. She has participated in Cincinnati Opera’s Opera Fusion: Champion, Meet John Doe.
EARL HAZELL | Porgy
Earl Hazell, Basso Cantante and native New Yorker is a performing and creative artist developing a multi-faceted career through the embrace of opera, literature and modern jazz on the world stage. Earl has performed with the New York Philharmonic numerous times, including their landmark performances of the Britten War Requiem under Kurt Masur in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; the Beethoven Ninth Symphony under Zubin Mehta in the United Nations, and the nationally televised Beethoven Choral Fantasy with pianist Alfred Brendel in the One Hundredth Anniversary of Carnegie Hall, conducted by James Levine of the Metropolitan Opera. Earl has also performed with San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cincinnati Opera, Tulsa Opera, Arizona Opera, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, Townsend Opera of California, and Phoenix Opera, performing and covering a variety of roles that include Colline in Puccini’s La Boheme; Crown in the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess; Zuniga in Bizet’s Carmen; Ferrando in Verdi’s Il Trovatore; Joe in Jerome Kern’s Show Boat; Booker T. Washington in Flaherty & Ahrens’ Ragtime; Sarastro and The Speaker in Mozart’s Die Zauber flöte; Talpa in Puccini’s Il Tabarro; and both Ramfis and Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida.
HANNAH MARIE BULLOCK | Bess
Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Hannah Marie Bullock is a new and emerging artist making her footprint in the opera world. Recent engagements include Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia and I, Too, Sing America, a collaboration with Opera Project Columbus. Ms. Bullock also recently had the privilege of performing as the soprano soloist in Opera Columbus’ concert series The Voice of Freedom: Civil Rights. Ms. Bullock is a graduate of Capital University with Bachelor of Music in Music Technology and of Ohio University with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance. Some of her favorite collegiate roles include Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus (Ohio University Opera Theater, “German Opera Scenes”) and First Lady in Die Zauberflöte (Ohio University Opera Theater). In addition to performing, Ms. Bullock serves as the Director of Operations for Graves Piano Company here in Columbus. She thoroughly enjoys working with the Columbus community to promote local music and artists.
JERMAINE SMITH | Sportin’ Life
The tenor is closely associated with the role of Sportin’ Life, in which he recently made his debut at Atlanta Opera; Metropolitan Opera Artist Contract; Sydney Opera House; Teatro San Carlo in Napoli, Italy; Seattle Opera; and Tanglewood Music Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Hollywood Bowl’s premiere performance of Porgy and Bess in concert, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Porgy and Bess as well as in Cape Town Opera’s guest engagement at the newly opened opera house in Oslo, Norway a couple of seasons ago. He has also performed the role in Japan, Germany, Sweden, Austria, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sicily, The Grand Canary Islands, and stateside at Union Ave Opera, Opera Pacific, and in Francesca Zambello’s productions at both Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera. Most recently he has brought his portrayal to Paris’ Opera-Comique, the Theatre de Caen, the Granada Festival, the Opera de Luxembourg, and the Santa Fe Symphony. His other operatic repertoire includes the title role in Joshua’s Boots (world premiere at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, revival at Kansas City Lyric Opera), Henry Davis in Street Scene and Zodzetrick in Treemonisha (both with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis). He has made numerous appearances with the St. Louis Symphony. Smith is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory of Music and University of Missouri–St. Louis. He will be performing at the Virginia Arts Festival this spring and with the Des Moines Metro Opera in the summer.
RON BRYANT | Radio Announcer
Ronald N. Bryant has been a fixture in Columbus’ print, radio, and television media since he arrived in Central Ohio in 1984. He has over 49 years of professional expertise in Radio and Television as a Music and Program Director, News and Community Affairs Director and Media Consultant. Ron has operated as an Ohio News Correspondent for The American Urban Radio Network and SBN News. He has developed and produced special first-run TV programming including the Telly Award winning “Trailblazers-African Americans Making a Difference,” and “Conversations with Ron Bryant” that aired on Bounce 23 TV Columbus. Ron has been Deputy Communications Director for the Ohio Democratic Party and Minority Media Coordinator for the 2008 Obama for Ohio Presidential Campaign. As a much sought-after Voice Over Artist, he’s provided live and recorded voice for The United Way of Central Ohio, the United Negro College Fund, Ohio Humanities, The Ohio Rosa Parks Celebration & Community Leaders Forum, the Ohio Democratic Party and the Congressional Black Caucus. Previously, the White House has tapped Ron as the “Live Voice Of God” for several Central Ohio events for the Obama Administration working with their advance team.
