Shreveport Opera Xpress
SOX Artists
The Shreveport Opera Resident Artist Program allows emerging professional singers and pianists the opportunity to receive training within a professional opera company. Each season, the Resident Artists (consisting of four singers and one pianist) perform and/or cover leading, supporting, comprimario and ensemble roles in the three mainstage productions. They receive coachings and workshops with visiting artists, opportunities to sing with area orchestras as featured soloists and weekly cantor positions at Shreveport churches. Perhaps the most important part of the Resident Artists’ position in Shreveport is their participation in the SOX Program (Shreveport Opera Xpress). This program allows the Resident Artists to go out into the communities of Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas to bring opera into their lives. The SOX program features two children’s operas that not only expose children to the art form but also discuss important topics such as diversity, acceptance and bullying, and they are performed in over 100 different schools . The SOX program also includes “Operatizers” (a concert of Opera Arias and Musical Theatre Pieces) at senior centers, community centers and private functions. Along with a weekly stipend, the Resident Artists receive housing, transportation to all company events and a travel stipend. Auditions for the program are held each December in New York City.
For information on how to apply to the Shreveport Opera Resident Artists program, please see the listing on YAPtracker here.
RESIDENT ARTISTS
2021-22
Laura Sanders, soprano
2nd Year Resident Artist
Soprano Laura Corina Sanders, originally from San Francisco, is a first prize winner of the 2018 Lotte Lenya Competition, and an encouragement award winner in the 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. She was a Studio Artist at Wolf Trap Opera in 2018, and a student in the 2019-2020 Professional Development Program at the Potomac Vocal Institute, where she studied with Elizabeth Bishop. In 2021 she will be an apprentice artist at Central City Opera, and a Young Artist at Shreveport Opera for the 2020-2021 season.
Laura received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music, studying with Katherine Ciesinski. Roles at Eastman include Lucette in Cendrillon, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, and Poppea in L’incoronazione di Poppea. Other stage credits include leading roles with Baltimore Concert Opera and Oswego Opera Theatre.
Sarah Saturnino, mezzo-soprano
2nd Year Resident Artist
Californian Mezzo-Soprano, Sarah Saturnino, is quickly establishing herself as one of opera’s brightest young singers. This past year, Miss Saturnino participated in the Vann Vocal Institute and was awarded the Faculty Award*. In 2019, Miss Saturnino was a grand finalist in the Talents of the World Competition, a top ten winner in the Brava! Competition, and a semi-finalist in the Marcella Sembrich Competition. Credits include: Vera Boronel in Menotti’s The Consul with Baltimore Concert Opera, Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Painted Sky Opera in Oklahoma City, and Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon with the Miami Summer Festival. Miss Saturnino’s concert works include The Old Lady in a concert version of Bernstein’s Candide with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, as well as the soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Wintergreen Performing Arts Festival and The Lewinsville Presbyterian Church. Other role credits include Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Gertrude in Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel, and Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. Miss Saturnino is an alumna of the Chautauqua Opera Company and a graduate of the Yale School of Music. She was an artist in the Potomac Vocal Institute’s Professional Development Program 2019-2020*. She also would have been an Apprentice Artist at the Santa Fe Opera Company*.
*Canceled/incomplete due to Covid Pandemic
Dylan Davis, tenor
2nd Year Resident Artist
Dylan Davis is a recent graduate with a Master’s degree in Vocal performance at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In the summer of 2019 he joined Central City Opera in their productions of Madama Butterfly, and Billy Budd. He was invited back in 2020 to cover the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto in Central City Opera’s 2020 season, but was postponed until the 2021 season due to covid-19.
In past years he sang Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw with the Chicago Summer Opera, Basilio in Mozart’s, Le nozze di Figaro. Other roles include the Governor and Vanderdendur in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, Monsieur Vogelsang in, Der Schauspieldirektor, and the title role in Mozart’s, Idomeneo. Dylan has also performed in scenes programs, including singing Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire and Nanki-Poo in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Makado. He performed the role of Paolino in an English translated version of, Il matrimonio segreto by Domenico Cimarosa at Otterbein University.
His oratorio concert experience includes Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. Dylan is incredibly excited to join the Shreveport Opera SOX program, join a long list of great young artists that have blessed the Shreveport community.
Zachary Frank, baritone
2nd Year Resident Artist
Zack Frank is a baritone and Wisconsin native, currently performing as an apprentice artist for Shreveport Opera’s 2020-21 season. Most recently, Zack has starred in the title role of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George for LSU’s Turner-Fischer Center for Opera. During his time completing his Master of Music at LSU, Zack additionally performed as “Sharpless” in Madama Butterfly, “Don Magnifico” in Cinderella, “Bretigny” in Massenet’s Manon, “Sam” in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, and “Le Gendarme” in Poulenc’s Le Mamelles de Tiresias. Zack has also performed contemporary operas, including Heggie’s Two Remain and Puts’ Elizabeth Cree, and he hopes to continue exploring this exciting world of new American opera in the future! Currently, Zack lives in Baton Rouge, LA with his three cats.
Ah Young Kim, pianist
Resident Artist
Pianist Ah Young Kim, a native of South Korea, maintains a diverse range of musical experiences. As a collaborative pianist, she played for studios, including that of cellist János Starker, at Indiana University, where she received a master’s degree. Ms. Kim has also played for singers at masterclasses led by Alan L. Smith, Donna Racik, Dwayne Croft, Twyla Robinson, and the late Nico Castel. As an operatic pianist and coach, her previous credits include Aspen Music Festival Opera Coach Fellow (CO), Charlottesville Opera (Ash Lawn Opera, VA), Fort Worth Opera (TX), Musiktheater Bavaria (Germany), Opera North (Lebanon, NH), and UNT Opera (Denton, TX). Ms. Kim began her musical training in South Korea and received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas. Her teachers include Pamela Mia Paul, Shigeo Neriki, Stephen Dubberly, and Elvia Puccinelli. She made a presentation at the MTNA National Conference (Baltimore, MD) and Louisiana Tech University (Ruston, LA). She also participated in the Mozarteum Summer Academy (Salzburg, Austria) and the International Keyboard Institute & Festival (IKIF, New York, NY).