Carmen in Concert
Heather Gallagher, Carmen
Heather Gallagher's work has been hailed as "standout" (Lawrence A. Johnson, The Miami Herald), "vivid and convincing" (Angelo Mao, Boston Classical Review) and "great fun" (Jim Lowe, the Barre Montpelier Times). Credits include, La Tragedie de Carmen (Carmen, Seaglass Opera), Whaling Women (Ruth Post, world premiere, Seaglass Opera), the grammy-nominated recording of Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Soraya, BMOP), Les Lettres de Werther (Charlotte, Boston Opera Collaborative), Trouble in Tahiti (Dinah, Mass Opera), Patience (Lady Saphir, Odyssey Opera), and Ourland (The Policewoman, world premiere, San Jose Chamber Orchestra). Ms. Gallagher was an Emerging Artist with Boston Lyric Opera during the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons where she performed a number of comprimario roles, including Mercedes in director Calixto Bieitos staging of Carmen (San Francisco Opera) and the world premiere of The Nefarious, Immoral but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke and Mr. Hare (Margaret). As a creator and producer, she has mounted a number of successful pandemic era productions online and in person through Cultural Wasteland. CW productions include, The Heart Cannot Hold, Letters from New York: the Music of Chris DeBlasio, Britten + Auden, "Crazy B&%ch!": Classical Music's Difficult Women, Tom Lehrer for President: An Election Eve Cabaret and a chamber concert version of Das Lied von der Erde. Ms. Gallagher is a soloist in the all-professional ensemble at First Church Boston under the direction of Gigi Mitchell Velasco. Recently she joined the all-professional Lillith Vocal Ensemble under the direction of composer, Laura Nevitt.
Ms. Gallagher is a recipient of numerous awards. She received first place honors in Metrowest Opera (now Mass Opera) vocal competition in 2014, as well as first place in the Peter Elvin's competition that same year. She received a full fellowship to the Atlantic Music Festival in 2012 and 2013 where she studied under dramatic mezzo-soprano Carla Rae Cook, and Anton Belov, baritone. She was a recipient of Boston Lyric Opera's highest honor, the Shrestinian Award in 2016 for excellence during her time at BLO.
In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, crossword puzzles, biking and creating a fumetti photo-style running comic called Les Familles des Animaux.
Fred C. VanNess, Jr., Don José
Fred C. VanNess Jr. is a Boston Lyric Opera Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist. This season, Mr. VanNess will sing the role of Messenger in Aida BLO and will appear in Die Tote Stadt and Carousel with Boston Lyric Opera. Past performances include Meleagros in Lysistrata, Odyssey Opera; Topper, A Christmas Carol, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company; Paris, Romeo and Juliet, Boston Lyric Opera; Amadou and Renty, Omar, Boston Lyric Opera; Russell Davenport, Freedom Ride, MassOpera; Voltaire/Pangloss, Candide, Opera del West; Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni, Toronto Summer Opera; Don José, Carmen, NEMPAC Opera Project; and Rodolfo, La bohëme, Longwood Opera.
An avid concert performer, Mr. VanNess has appeared with numerous symphony and orchestras. Notable performances include tenor soloist in Remember the Sea, Castle of our Skins; and the tenor quartet soloist in Tide Flowers, University of Rhode Island Artist Series; Elijah, Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra; Ballad of the Brown King, Portsmouth Pro Musica; Schöpfungsmesse, Concord Chorale; Judas Maccabeus, Handel by Candlelight; Messiah, Tremont Baptist Church; and solo recitals at various venues across the US.
Mr. VanNess has developed and performed his one-man shows: When I Think of Home…, McNeese State University, and Beethoven to Broadway at various locations throughout New England and Louisiana. Mr. VanNess is excited to be back with Opera del West in this exciting production of Carmen.
Melynda Davis, Micaëla
Soprano Melynda Davis continues to gain attention for her wonderful lyrical line and beautiful color. Some of her operatic credits include Mimi in La Bohëme and Nedda in Pagliacci with the Opera Company of Brooklyn; the title role in Suor Angelica and Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro with New York Lyric Opera; and Desdemona in Otello with Lowell House Opera. Ms. Davis joined Mount Holyoke Symphony in their East Coast Premiere of Dark River. She also made her debut with Gilded Angel Opera as First Lady in Die Zauberflöte.
Ms. Davis made her debut with Empire Opera in the world premiere of The Great Supper. Ms. Davis has performed with Boston Opera Collaborative to sing the role of First Lady in Die Zauberflöte and the title role in Suor Angelica. She also covered the role of Donna Anna in Boston Opera Collaborative's production of Don Giovanni.
Ms. Davis attended Sherrill Milnes' V.O.I.C.Experience program, Operafest Boston, and the Lake Placid Institute. She has been a finalist in Connecticut Opera Guild's Competition, placed First in the Rhode Island NATS Competition, and placed Second in Boston's Leontyne Price Vocal Arts Competition. Ms. Davis has performed with other companies such as Opera Boston, Opera Providence, MassOpera, Opera on Tap Boston, and the Boston Pops. She has also been a soloist with the Providence Singers and the Tiverton Chorus. Melynda made her MassOpera debut in their workshop premiere of Freedom Ride.
In 2021-2022, Ms. Davis made her debut with Seaglass Theater Company as Amelia, in the world premiere of Whaling Women. She also returned to MassOpera to sing the role of Flora in their production of La Traviata. Ms. Davis joined the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) in their production of La Traviata at Symphony Hall. She made her debut with Greater Worcester Opera in the title role of Suor Angelica.
In 2023-2024, Ms. Davis was thrilled to return to BYSO for their productions of Faust and Norma. She produced Opera on Tap's concert, Celebrating Black Excellence, and sang and produced the performance of The Ladies Who Lunch: OOT Does Broadway. She was happy to be part of the Pulitzer Prize winning production of Omar produced by Boston Lyric Opera.
Melynda serves on the Board of Opera on Tap Boston and Boston Singers Resource and performs in various local establishments. Melynda is also currently the soprano section leader at the First Baptist Church in Lexington and is on the Boston Lyric Opera roster.
Juan Suarez, Escamillo
Baritone Juan Suarez, is a well-established performer in the Boston area, performing frequently with organizations such as Odyssey Opera, MassOpera, Opera Del West, Boston Opera & Zarzuela, and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras.
Notable engagements include world music premieres with Catalyst new music in collaboration with Poet Todd Hearon and Composer Jonathan Mitchell; and with Sparks & Wiry Cries in New York City, premiering an original poem set to music by Composer Laura Nevitt. Juan can also be heard singing in the chorus of Boston Modern Opera Project's Grammy nominated recording of The Lord of Cries, written by composer John Corigliano and librettist Mark Adamo.
Recent and Upcoming engagements include performances as bass soloist in Camille Saint-Saëns' Oratorio de Noël and G.F Handel's Messiah, a role debut as Falke in Johann Strauss' comic Operetta, Die Fledermaus, and his third consecutive production with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras in their performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Grand Opera, Don Carlo.
Juan holds Music Degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music and Stetson University.
Levan Reid, narrator
Levan Reid is an American sportscaster who serves as a sports reporter for Boston's WBZ-TV.
Levan began working in television when he was 16 years old at "A Current Affair" in New York City. He went on to produce sports for "Good Day New York" at WNYW. His first job after college was as a sports producer at WMUR in Manchester, NH. He was promoted two years later to sports anchor/reporter.
In 1996, Levan Reid was hired as a reporter for WFXT. During his seven years in Boston, he covered every major sporting event, including four World Series, the Super Bowl, the Ryder Cup and various NCAA Championships. An athlete himself, Levan's love of sports led him to choose a career in sports journalism.
He served as WUSA-TV 9 NEWS NOW's weekend sports anchor/reporter for five years, and co-host of both Sports Plus on Sunday nights and the station's Operation Football reports that feature local high school football action. Levan anchored Redskin specials and was at the forefront of the Maryland football and basketball stories. WUSA/Gannett chose not renew several contracts due to economic issues and Reid's was one of them.
In the summer of 2010 Reid returned to the Boston market and joined WBZ-TV in Boston as a sports freelancer anchor. He has covered the New England Patriots for WBZ throughout the season. He was also a fill-in host for Boston sports radio station WEEI.
Reid plays the character of Doc Brooks on the Onion SportsDome's "Get Out Of My Face" segments.
Levan graduated from Notre Dame College in Manchester, NH with a major in History and Philosophy. He also earned a minor in English and Communications.
Chenxi Fu, Zuniga & Moralès
Chenxi Fu, a bass-baritone from Jiangsu, China, is a second-year Doctor of Musical Arts student at Boston University School of Music, where he studies with Professor James Demler. He earned his master's degree at the New England Conservatory, studying with Professor Michael Meraw, and completed his undergraduate studies at Xiamen University.
Chenxi has played the role of Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Capitán in Florencia en el Amazonas, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, and Makoto in An American Dream. He continues to perform actively in opera and concert settings.
Carlo Bunyi, Le Dancaïre
Filipino baritone Carlo Bunyi is a Boston-based soloist and teacher whose dedication to his craft and stylistic versatility has led him to explore a diversified range of musical activities both domestically and internationally. Select performances include Frank in Die Fledermaus, Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Tonio in I Pagliacci, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, Dancairo in Carmen, Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Snug in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Cesare Angelotti in Tosca, Timur in Turandot, Baron de Pictordu in Cendrillon, and Simone in Gianni Schicchi.
Carlo is a founding member of Filipino vocal ensemble Pasipo and a co-founder of up-and-coming group Duo Filipino. He appears on the artist roster of Lyric Opera of the Philippines and Opera on Tap Boston. He holds Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from the Longy School of Music of Bard College (Cambridge, MA) and a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice from the University of Santo Tomas (Manila, Philippines). Carlo is the music teacher at South Boston Catholic Academy and is currently a cantor at the Divine Mercy Parish in Quincy, MA.
Jay Hutzler, Le Remendado
Tenor Jay Hutzler returns to Opera del West as Le Remendado, following his covering of the titular role of Mozart's Clemenza di Tito. With experience ranging across both classical and musical theatre genres, Jay's role highlights feature Spoletta (Tosca), Sklave 1 (Die Zauberflöte), Robert (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change), and Vice Principal Ranch (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). He has also performed as the tenor soloist for Handel's Messiah. Holding experience working with international music festivals such as Oberlin in Italy and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, Jay brings culturally informed ideas to each new stage experience. A young singer and graduate of the New England Conservatory, he hopes to meaningfully engage and invite audiences into the magic of musical storytelling."
Roselin Osser, Mercédès
Praised as a "gorgeous, mellifluous mezzo... with vivid expression and engaging intensity," by the Boston Musical Intelligencer, mezzo-soprano Roselin Osser has established a reputation as a dynamic performing artist. In 2024 she made her Carnegie Hall debut as alto soloist in Mozart's Solemn Vespers with MidAmerica Productions. Acclaimed for comic and whimsical opera roles, she recently joined Boston Lyric Opera as Hansel in their Artist Classroom Visits production of Hansel and Gretel, introducing opera storytelling to hundreds of Boston area students from kindergarten through 10th grade. Other opera appearances include Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito with Opera del West, The Fox in The Little Prince with NEMPAC, The Astronomer in the world premiere of Jack and Jill with Salt Marsh Opera, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro with Manhattan Opera Studio, and Rosina in The Barber of Seville with Longwood Opera. An accomplished and passionate concert artist, recent seasons include guest soloist in Hometown Holiday with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, alto soloist in Bach's Christmas Oratorio with the Concord Chorus, Bach's Magnificat with the Providence Singers, Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, Mozart's Requiem with the Masterworks Chorale, and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater with the Easton Chamber Music Festival. Osser has combined her lifelong passion for performing arts with strong motivation to reduce human impact on the environment. She earned engineering and technology degrees at Tufts and MIT in parallel to her vocal studies, now achieving a distinctive dual career as both a classical singer and sustainability consultant for prominent green building projects. To learn more, please visit www.RoselinOsser.com.
Julia Pottinger, Frasquita
Originally from St. Louis, MO, Julia Pottinger is excited to be emerging as a young artist in the Boston area! Julia enjoys taking a holistic approach to performance, with her wide-ranging repertoire of art songs, musical theater, and opera. Recent operatic roles and covers include Nedda (Pagliacci), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Adelina Altina (La Divina), Vitella (La Clemenza di Tito), Ida (Die Fledermaus), Lady Billows (Albert Herring), and Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw). In 2019, Julia was honored to portray Sara in the North American premiere (Wichita State University) of Adam Gorb's opera, The Path to Heaven. Notable musical theater appearances include Rose Maurrant (Street Scene), Meg March (Little Women), and Marian Paroo (The Music Man). Julia is thrilled to be singing Frasquita in the Brockton Symphony Orchestra and Opera del West's production of Carmen!
Julia graduated with a Master of Music in Opera Performance under the tutelage of Dr. Rebecca Folsom at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. In addition to her master's, Julia holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre, and a Professional Certificate in Opera from Wichita State University.
