JESSICA CATES – LISE
A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, emerging soprano Jessica Cates recently debuted with Fort Worth Opera as Yum-Yum in The Mikado, where she was described as a “full-throated soprano,” “a real find, a radiant, expressive soprano allied to a pert, vivid stage presence.”  Upon completing her first summer as a Young American Artist with Glimmerglass Opera, she performed in The Tender Land, and covered Elisa in Tolomeo.  Additionally, she appeared as a soloist in Steven Blier’s Killer B’sconcert, in collaboration with The New York Festival of Song. To cap an eventful tenure in the Knoxville Opera Studio through the University of Tennessee, Jessica performed Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi.  Other roles through the Knoxville Opera Studio include Rose in Street Scene, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Ann Putnam in The Crucible, as well as Edith in The Pirates of Penzance and Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto for Knoxville Opera. Ms. Cates enjoyed two rewarding summers with the Seagle Music Colony, where she performed Veronique inHotel Casablanca, Susan in Company, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte.  Jessica has the privilege to return to her home state for her first collaboration with North Carolina Opera.

NICOLE RODIN – AGATHE
Mezzo-soprano Nicole Rodin is a recent graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music where she received Masters degrees in both Vocal Performance and Opera Studies.  This spring, as an Emerging Artist with Boston Lyric Opera, Ms. Rodin will be performing the role of Bobachino in John Musto’s The Inspector.  Previous roles with Boston Lyric Opera include Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and Rosina in The Barber of Seville, both a part of the company’s Opera for Young Audiences.  In the summer of 2011, as an Apprentice Artist with Central City Opera, she sang the title role in the family performance of Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula.  She also performed as Mercédès in Carmenand Rosine in Il Signor Deluso.  While attending the New England Conservatory of Music Ms. Rodin was an active part of the opera department performing the roles of Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Hansel, Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro.  Other previous roles include Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte and Meg (cover) in Little Women, all with the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center.  Ms. Rodin received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

TIMOTHY MCDEVITT – PAUL
Hailed by Opera News for the musicality of his singing and his beautifully sustained legato, baritone Timothy J. McDevitt is quickly establishing himself among the great versatile artists of his generation.  The 2011-12 season includes the Competizione Dell’Opera finals at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre; Manning the Canon with the New York Festival of Song, Les Enfants Terribles (Paul) with the North Carolina Opera, the world premiere of Carson Kievman’s Hamlet (Laertes) with Miami’s SoBe Arts, Four Saints in Three Acts (St Plan) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and recitals in Atlanta and New York.  Highlights from this past season include Les Mamelles de Tiresias (Le Gendarme) and Gianni Schicchi (Marco) with the Central City Opera; Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorina (Testo) at Alice Tully Hall; Aaron Copland’s America with the Albany Symphony; “Road Trip” with the New York Festival of Song; Les Mamelles de Tiresias (Le Mari) with the Juilliard Opera; and the NYFOS Spring Gala at Carnegie Hall.  Recent seasons feature appearances with the Wolf Trap Opera, Juilliard Opera, Central City Opera, and the National Symphony Orchestra among others.  An active recitalist, Timothy’s schedule has included programs at the major New York halls; Alice Tully, Carnegie’s Weill, Merkin, and the Society of Ethical Culture.  He was a 2010-11 New York District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a 2011 Grand Finalist in the Paris Opera’s Atelier Lyrique, the 2011 winner of Central City Opera’s esteemed John Moriarty Award, and a 2010 winner of the Lys Symonette Prize in the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition.  Timothy holds his Masters (2011) and Bachelors (2009) degrees from The Juilliard School and continues his work with Dr. Robert C. White.

PHILIPPE PIERCE – GERARD
Philippe Pierce is earning critical acclaim as an outstanding singing actor in the character tenor repertoire. Of his recent portrayal in A Little Night Music, Opera News said “Henrik was quite well played and sung by Philippe Pierce, who not only was capable of singing the highest notes easily, without resorting to falsetto, but mimed the playing of the cello so admirably that most of the audience was unsure whether he was really playing or not.” The Cleveland Plain Dealerexclaimed, “Bravos, too, to Philippe Pierce, who brings incisive zest to the roles of Don Basilio and Don Curzio,” in Le Nozze di Figaro. He was awarded Opera Cleveland’s 2009 “Belle O. Morse Young Artist Award” for Exceptional Promise and Outstanding Vocal Performance.  In the current season and beyond, sings the role of Gerard/Narrator in Philip Glass’s Les Enfants Terribles with North Carolina Opera, performs Gastone in La Traviata with the Nashville Opera, Beppe in I Pagliacci with Michigan Opera Theatre, and Spoletta in Tosca with Opera Western Reserve.

LARA O’BRIEN – DANCER
Lara O’Brien is an accomplished Principal with the Carolina Ballet. She grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois, outside Chicago. She began dancing at the age of eight and trained with the School of Ballet Chicago and the School of American Ballet in New York City. In 2000, O’Brien was the Dance American National Cultural Exchange scholarship student and was chosen to train at the Royal Danish Ballet for two months. She joined Carolina Ballet in 2001 as a member of the corps de ballet, was made a soloist in 2004 and promoted to the rank of Principal in April of 2011. Ms. O’Brien has performed many featured roles in Carolina Ballet’s repertory including ‘The Swan Queen’ in Swan Lake, ‘Juliet’ in Romeo and Juliet, the ‘Lilac Fairy’ in Sleeping Beauty, ‘Titania’ in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ in The Nutcracker. She has also originated roles in works by Robert Weiss, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Tyler Walters and Attila Bongar.

LINDSAY PURRINGTON – DANCER 
Lindsay Purrington had been an apprentice and is a founding member of Carolina Ballet. She achieved soloist ranking before leaving in 2004 to pursue her career in New York City and with Pennsylvania Ballet. Her training began at age 10 with Anne Vorus and Mary LeGere at the Raleigh School of Ballet. She then studied at St. Paul’s School, The Julliard School, and participated in summer programs at the School of American Ballet, the Rock School of The Pennsylvania Ballet and the Boston Ballet School.

GABOR KAPIN – DANCER
Gabor Kapin begun his ballet training at the Hungarian Dance Acadamy in Budapest. As a student he performed feature roles with the Hungarian National Ballet in their productions of Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Coppelia and Balanchine’s La Sonnambula.In 1999 he joined Carolina Ballet under the direction of Robert Weiss. Where he quickly rose to the rank of soloist. He originated roles in many of Robert Weiss’s and Lynn Taylor-Corbett’s ballets. Also worked with choreographers : Christopher Wheeldon, Richard Tanner, and Margot Sappington. In 2005 Mr.Kapin joined Boston Ballet under the direction of Mikko Nissinen. During his years in Boston he had opportunities to work with numerous contemporary and modern choreographers such as: Mark Morris, Jorma Elo, Sabrina Matthews , and Helen Pickett.  In 2008 he rejoined Carolina Ballet as a principal. His repertoire includes the lead in Robert Weiss’s Messiah, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty (after Petipa), Carmen (Don Jose). Jerome Robins’s Fancy Free (rhumba boy). And some of Balanchine’s well known ballets: Prodigal Son, Rubies, Four Temperaments, Ballo de la Regina, and Midsummer Nights Dream.

YEVGENY SHLAPKO – DANCER
Yevgeny Shlapko was born in Odessa, Ukraine but was raised in Brooklyn, New York. He began his ballet training at age eight, with Madame Olga Kostritzky of The School of American Ballet in New York City. He spent the next ten years under the direction of many teachers such as Peter Boal, Jock Soto, and Andrei Kramarevsky. In his final years of training, he performed Peter Martin’s Les Gentilhommes, and was the original allegro movement of Christopher d’Amboise’s Tribute. In 2007, Carolina Ballet director Robert Weiss offered Yevgeny a Corps de Ballet position and he then began his professional career. Since joining the company, he has been featured in such roles as The Raven in Robert Weiss’ Sleeping Beauty, first theme of George Balanchine’s Four Temperaments as well as the principal couple in George Balachine’s Valse Fantaisie. Roles which have been choreographed on him include the pas de deux in Robert Weiss’ Moving Life and “Renfield” in guest choreographer Lynne Taylor Corbett’s Dracula. In 2011, Yevgeny was promoted to the rank of Soloist dancer.