Presents

Directed by Natalie Bergeron

music direction by John Roberts

Sounds of the Season will have one 15 minute intermission.

Approximate run time is ——.

Please silence all cell phones and electronic devices.

Synopsis

maybe a note from the ???

Set List

Act I

Act II

Creative Team

John Robertson, Music Director

John Robertson holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, and he is currently pursuing a DMA in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music, studying with Dr. Jean Barr, Dr. Andrew Harley, and Dr. Russell Miller. In 2019, he was the recipient of the Barbara M. H. Koeng Award for Excellence in Vocal Accompanying, and in January 2020, he was invited to participate in Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. John has repeatedly performed in Opera Birmingham’s Sounds of the Season and Home for the Holidays recitals, the annual Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition, Opera Shots, and Art of the Rocks at the Birmingham Museum of Art. In January 2017, he performed with pianist Laurie Middaugh in a special two-piano accompaniment for Opera Birmingham’s production of Three Decembers, and he returned the following season to perform in The Tragedy of Carmen. He has performed in the orchestra for Samford University’s production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and Red Mountain Theater Company’s productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, and Mamma Mia! John has served as chorusmaster and vocal coach for many operatic and musical theater productions, including The Desert Song, Die Fledermaus, and Naughty Marietta with Birmingham Music Club, and The Pirates of Penzance, Amahl and the Night Visitors, On the Town, The Marriage of Figaro, Hansel and Gretel, and numerous opera workshop performances with Samford Opera. Active also as a music director, he has conducted Samford University’s recent productions of Bat Boy: The Musical, Nice Work if You Can Get It, Children of Eden, and Urinetown: The Musical, the University of Alabama Opera Theater’s recent productions of Alcina and Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Opera Birmingham’s recent production of The Pirates of Penzance. John has given recitals throughout the United States and has also worked as a staff accompanist at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Bob Jones University, Birmingham-Southern College, Eastman School of Music, Samford University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the Vann Vocal Institute, accompanying faculty in recitals and undergraduate and graduate students in recitals, auditions, and competitions. John currently serves on the opera and voice faculty at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL, as vocal coach and opera conductor. For three years, John served as Lecturer and Collaborative Pianist at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, teaching applied piano and courses in accompanying, chamber music, and musical theater. He previously served as a member of the music faculty of Judson College in Marion, Alabama, teaching applied piano and group piano, and courses in music theory and piano pedagogy.

Cast

**Kevin Thompson**

*Basso profundo*
Kevin’s Bio goes here

Leland Garris

Opera Birmingham Freeman Studio Artist

Tenor Leland Garris is quickly establishing himself as a vibrant and expressive performer, known for his artistry and compelling stage presence. A native of Auburn, Alabama, he earned his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Auburn University in 2025. His stage roles include Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and he will perform Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Samford Opera’s fall production. He was also cast as Basilio in the Anatolia Conservatory of Music’s summer workshop in Greece. Dedicated to the bel canto tradition and equally at home in both comedic and dramatic repertoire, Garris brings passion, elegance, and vocal beauty to every performance.

**Isabelle Knowles**

Opera Birmingham Freeman Studio Artist

**Willian Pereira da Silva**

Brazilian bass-baritone Willian da Silva is currently pursuing a degree in Music Performance at Samford University, where he studies under the guidance of Dr. Chris Withrow. He began his musical training at the Anthenor Navarro State School of Music in Brazil with Sara Martins and later continued at the Federal University of Paraíba with Dr. Vianey Santos. Before transferring to Samford, he studied at Mississippi State University, where he was a student of Peter Infanger. Willian has appeared as a soloist in celebrated masterpieces, including Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. He performed the role of Sarastro in Mozart’s *Die Zauberflöte* with Mississippi State Opera. In 2022, Willian was honored to receive a full scholarship from Internationale Chorakademie Lübeck and Mozarteum Brasilerio to attend the Canto Mozarteum Academy, an intensive summer program where he studied with Dutch baritone Marcel Boone, Professor of Singing at the Hoschule für Musik Basel. In 2025, Willian earned first place in the Starkville/MSU Symphony Solo Artist Competition. He also won First Place and the Mississippi District Governor’s Award at the NATS Mississippi Chapter Conference, followed by First Place at the NATS Southern Region Auditions, and ultimately First Place at the NATS National Student Auditions, held at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA – a major milestone in his emerging career. With a passion for expressive performance and artistic growth, Willian is committed to a professional singing career and to sharing the transformative power of music with audiences around the world!

**Emily Scott**

Soprano Emily Scott is active throughout the greater Birmingham area. She holds a Bachelors and Masters in Music Education from Samford University. Previously, Emily has been seen as Dew Fairy in *Hänsel und Gretel,* Serpina in *La serva padrona*, Kate in *The Pirates of Penzance*, and Stepmother in Into the Woods. Emily currently serves as the Administrative and Education Coordinator for Opera Birmingham, and is an active soloist at Meadow Brook Baptist Church.

Birmingham Girls Choir

Soprano I

Soprano II

Alto I

Alto II

list of BGC breakdown

Opera Birmingham Children’s Chorus

Christine Joy Agsalud

Carabelle Carnall

Maggie Duett

Laura Ruth Estes

Lily Huls

Mary Blake Isbell

Lola Hazel Meadows

Leah Grace Vann

Opera Birmingham Chorus

Soprano

Delee Benton

Emily Scott

Caitlyn Walters

Alto

Isabelle Knowles

Ellen Mitchell

Lauren Tinsley

Tenor

Leland Garris

Joseph Robinson

Jonathan Michael Smith

Jonathan Skaggs

Bass

Matt Cantor

Willian Pereira da Silva

Additional Information

Educational Resources

Accessibility Services

Production Team

Stage Manager: Alexis Reeves

Scenic Designer: Lynne Hutton

Costume Designer: Mary Gurney

Special Thanks

Samford University School of the Arts and Dr. Lance Beaumont, Dean

Alex Garmon, AGAV

Deanna Bell