Renowned American conductor Richard Buckley has been heralded by critics across the world for his dynamic contributions to both the orchestral and operatic genres. His extraordinary career includes performing with some of the world’s great opera companies: Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Washington Opera, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Baltimore Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia and L'Opéra de Montréal. In Europe he has enjoyed return engagements at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, L'Opéra National de Paris, Royal Danish Opera, Göteborg Opera, Norwegian National Opera, De Nederlandse Opera and Teatro San Carlo Lisbon, among others. Buckley’s passionate conducting has been realized with some of the world’s finest orchestras including: the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Utah and Seattle.

Buckley has toured with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conducted a gala with the Berlin Radio Symphony which was televised nationally and recorded for Koch-Schwann; and appeared with the BBC Philharmonic in the "Great Composers" series for BBC Television. He has also had guest appearances with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Prague Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Hallé Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra and L'Orchestre National de Lyon. In addition to his many impressive guest conducting engagements, Mr. Buckley has served as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, and Music Director of the Oakland Symphony.

American baritone Todd Thomas is establishing himself with companies and journalists worldwide as a true Verdi baritone. Following his recent triumph in Puccini’s Tosca at the New York City Opera, The New York Times wrote, “It also helped the Scarpia was sung by Todd Thomas in a vocally assured and dramatically charged performance, full of all the smugness and lustful rapacity that the role demands.” Opera News agreed complimenting a recent Macbeth performance, “Todd Thomas was warm and centered in his tone with subtle phrasing that emphasized the introspective, almost poetic quality of the tormented king.” Additionally in Verdi’s masterworks, Mr. Thomas had tremendous success as the title roles of Falstaff with Seattle Opera under Maestro Gerard Schwartz, Nabucco for Todi Music Fest U.S.A., Macbeth for Connecticut Grand Opera and Syracuse Opera, as well as Iago in Otello and Amonasro in Aida, and international acclaim for his Count di Luna in Il trovatore for German audiences. Furthermore, his Germont from La traviata has been heard in Europe and Asia, as well as throughout the United States.

In the 2007-2008 Season, he performs Dr. Metivier in War and Peace and covers Capulet in Roméo et Juliette in his Metropolitan Opera debut, as well as Scarpia in Tosca with New York City Opera, Renato in Un ballo in maschera with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Germont in La traviata with the Chautauqua Opera, Amonasro in Aida with Opera Carolina, Leoni's L'Oracolo and Montemezzi's L'Incandessimo with Teatro Grattacielo, the title role in Rigoletto with Greensboro Opera, and the Baritone soloist in a Verdi Gala with the Jacksonville Symphony.

Born in Russia, Ms. Petrova was a participant in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program of the Metropolitan Opera. She made her hugely successful Metropolitan Opera debut in 2001 as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos when she replaced an ailing colleague.

Recent roles for Ms. Petrova include Giulio Cesare in Cleopatra for Glimmerglass Opera and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro for Dallas Opera. Opera Today said of her role at Glimmerglass: "Ms. Petrova is possessed of a gleaming and substantial lyric voice, with radiant sotto voce capabilities, and a full arsenal of gleaming coloratura fireworks at her command. The soprano already has major Met credits on her resume and small wonder, for she is a major talent. Watch for her at an opera house near you. You will thank me."

Ms. Petrova is the Queen of the Night in the new film of The Magic Flute directed by Kenneth Branagh and conducted by James Conlon, which will be released worldwide in 2007.

Mezzo-Soprano Kirsten Gunlogson enjoys a versatile career including opera, chamber music, concert and oratorio performing. Her voice has been described as “rich”, “creamy” and “beautifully dramatic”. Known for her convincing interpretation of trouser roles and charmingly feminine portrayals Ms. Gunlogson has distinguished herself as an impressive singing actress. Ms. Gunlogson has performed with Michigan Opera Theatre, Indianapolis Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Tulsa Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Toledo Opera, Nashville Opera, Kentucky Opera, Sarasota Opera, Fresno Grand Opera, Pine Mountain Music Festival, and the AshLawn-Highland Summer Festival. Some of these roles have included Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dorabella in Così fan Tutte, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Meg Page in Falstaff, Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus, Olga in Eugene Onegin, Siebel in Faust, and the role of Dinah in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti.

Tenor Robert Breault, who enjoys an international career that encompasses opera, oratorio, recital, and concert work, is known for his warm and flexible voice and dramatic acting skills. He has been praised by Opera News for making “an excellent impression, his mellifluous tenor boasting clarity of both tone and diction; clearly reveling in high notes, he sang with notable dynamic variety,” and by the San Francisco Chronicle for having a “tenor of unwavering resonance."

American bass Peter Volpe continually receives critical and popular acclaim on four continents. Possessing a vast and ever-expanding repertoire of over 80 roles in 6 languages, he commands an impressive expanse of style and interpretive skill. From Mozart's title role in Don Giovanni to Gounod's Mephistopheles in Faust, and Verdi's Zaccaria in Nabucco to Archbishop Thomas á Beckett in Pizzetti's L'Assassinio nella Cattedrale, Mr. Volpe embraces the depth of historical and fictional characters, and the music of composers from the past and present.

Of a recent portrayal in Faust, the American Record Guide exclaims, 'Bass Peter Volpe as Mephistopheles seemed in constant motion for each new manifestation of his trickery...his vocal resources are impressive.' Mr. Volpe remains in constant demand in houses worldwide including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sante Fe Opera, Portland Opera, Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Spoleto Festival U.S.A., Hawaii Opera, L'Opera de Montreal, Vancouver Opera, as well as European opera companies of Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Bremen, Strasbourg, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Saarbrüken, Darmstadt, Duisburg, Trier, Braunschweig, Württenburg, Colmar, Mulhouse, Riccione, Imola, and Prague.