Washington National Opera

American Opera Initiative

Terrace Theater

Be there for the world premiere of three one-act operas staged in a concert performance, with talented Cafritz Young Artists among the casts.

Sat. Jan. 18, 2025

  • Sat. Jan. 18, 2025 7p.m.

  • Sat. Jan. 18, 2025 9p.m.

  • Genre

    Washington National Opera

  • Price Range

    $25.00 – $39.00

  • Runtime

    Approximately 70 minutes, with no intermission

  • WNO Season Sponsor

    General Dynamics

  • View Digital Program 

Program

Talented creative teams. Powerful stories. All-original opera. WNO’s acclaimed commissioning program for contemporary American opera enters another exciting season—showing how short opera can move and inspire us! Talented composer-librettist teams will showcase three world premiere one-act operas with the Cafritz Young Artists among the casts.

This year’s talented teams include composer Kyle Brenn and librettist Lex Brown presenting Tati, composer JL Marlor and librettist Clare Fuyuko Bierman presenting Cry, Wolf; and composer Omar Najmi and librettist Christine Evans presenting Mud Girl.

American Opera Initiative (AOI) mentorship is led by Director Christopher Cano, Artistic Advisor Kelley Rourke, conductor George Manahan, librettist mentor Tracy K. Smith, and composer mentor Gregory Spears.

Cast

Mud Girl

  • Soprano | Poly 1

    Tiffany Choe

    /artists/c/ca-cn/tiffany-choe/

    WNO History: Gods & Mortals, Fidelio, (Marzelline), 2024–2025; Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), 2023–2024

    Past: Die Zauberflöte (Pamina), Ariadne auf Naxos (Najad), The Sound of Music (Sister Margaretta), Arizona Opera; Die Zauberflöte (First Lady), Ravinia; La bohème (Mimì), La rondine (Magda), Le nozze di Figaro (Susanna), Dialogues des Carmélites (Constance), West Side Story (Rosalia), L’Étoile (Laoula), Indiana University Opera Theater

  • Mezzo- Soprano | Poly 2

    Michelle Mariposa

    /artists/m/ma-mn/michelle-mariposa/

    WNO History: Gods & Mortals, 2024–2025

    Past: The Nose (Ensemble, Countess, Podtochina, cover), Chicago Opera Theater; winner of the Lynne Cooper Harvey Foundation Award in the Musicians Club of Women 2024 Vocal Competition, winner of the Sullivan Award from the Sullivan Foundation

  • Soprano | River

    Kresley Figueroa

    /artists/f/fa-fn/kresley-figueroa/

    WNO History: Macbeth (Bloody Child), Gods & Mortals, 2024–2025; Songbird (Berginella), The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me (Unicorn/Weaver), American Opera Initiative (Julia in A Way Forward), 2023–2024

    Past: Bel Canto (Beatriz), Aspen Music Festival; Don Giovanni (Zerlina), Opera San Antonio; West Side Story (Francisca, cover for Maria), Trouble in Tahiti (Trio), The Glimmerglass Festival; La Clemenza di Tito (Servilia); La Calisto (Satirino); L’elisir d’amore (Adina); Die Zauberflöte (Papagena); Brigadoon (Fiona)

  • Mezzo- Soprano | Maude

    Winona Martin

    /artists/m/ma-mn/winona-martin/

    WNO History: Gods & Mortals, 2024–2025; American Opera Initiative (Helena in A Way Forward), The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me (Mary/Carmen), Romeo and Juliet (Stéphano), 2023–2024

    Past: Rigoletto (Countess Ceprano), The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (The Teacher), Utah Opera; Susannah (Mrs. McLean), La traviata (Flora, cover), Faust (Siebel, cover), Don Giovanni (Zerlina, cover), Wolf Trap Opera; Le nozze di Figaro (Cherubino); La Clemenza di Tito (Sesto); Albert Herring (Nancy)

Tati

  • Soprano | Maysoon

    Viviana Goodwin

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    WNO History: Macbeth (Crowned Child), Gods & Mortals, 2024-2025

    Past: Orphée et Eurydice (Eurydice), The Rake’s Progress (Anne Truelove), Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira), Die tote Stadt (Marietta), La bohème (Musetta)

  • Soprano | Connie

    Anneliese Klenetsky

    /artists/k/ka-kn/anneliese-klentsky/

    WNO History: Macbeth (Lady-in-Waiting), Gods & Mortals, 2024–2025

    Past: Alcina (Alcina), Yale Opera; Cold Mountain (Ada), Music Academy of the West; La traviata (Violetta, cover), Der Rosenkavalier (Dressmaker, cover), Santa Fe Opera; Turn of the Screw (Governess); Clori, Tirsi e Fileno (Clori); L’enfant et les sortilèges (La Bergère); district winner of The Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, finalist of the Butler International Competition

  • Bass | Osvaldo

    Sergio Martínez

    /artists/m/ma-mn/sergio-martinez/

    WNO History: Macbeth (Doctor), 2024–2025; American Opera Initiative (Gabriel in A Way Forward ), The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me (Innkeeper/Ox/ Shepherd), Romeo and Juliet (Frère Laurent/Duke of Verona), Grounded (Kill Chain: Judge Advocate General), 2023–2024

    Past: Anna Bolena (Enrico); Così fan Tutte (Don Alfonso); Il barbiere di Siviglia (Basilio); The Rape of Lucretia (Collantinus); La bohème (Colline); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus); El Gato con Botas (The Ogre); Muerte Accidental de un Anarquista (El Loco)

Cry, Wolf

  • Tenor | Zach

    Nicholas Huff

    /artists/h/ho-hz/nicholas-huff/

    WNO History: : Macbeth (Malcom), 2024–2025

    Past: Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio), Turn of the Screw (Peter Quint), A Streetcar Named Desire (Mitch), Florida Grand Opera; If I Were You (Fabian Hart), Merola Opera; Die Zauberflöte (Tamino), Opera Fort Collins; L’elisir d’amore (Nemorino), Miami Lyric Opera

  • Baritone | Austin

    Jonathan Patton

    /artists/p/pa-pn/jonathan-patton/

    WNO History: Macbeth (Warrior), 2024–2025; Grounded (Kill Chain: Safety Observer), Romeo and Juliet (Paris), The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me (Elk/Camel/ Butcher 1), Songbird (Don Pedro), 2023–2024; American Opera Initiative (The Demon in Bubbie and the Demon), La bohème (Marcello), 2022–2023

    Past: A Thousand Acres (Ty, cover), Des Moines Metro Opera; L’elisir d’amore (Belcore), Lucia di Lammermoor (Enrico), The Rape of Lucretia (Tarquinius), University of North Texas; L’inganno felice (Batone), Gianni Schicchi (Marco), Festival Napa Valley; Così fan tutte (Guglielmo), University of New Mexico

  • Tenor | Ethan

    Sahel Salam

    /artists/s/sa-sn/sahel-salam/

    WNO History: Fidelio (Jaquino), 2023–2024; Turandot (Majordomo), Songbird (Panatellas), American Opera Initiative (PFAS 2/Apple Watch Wristband in Forever), The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me (Joseph/Stagehand), Romeo and Juliet (Tybalt), 2023–2024

    Past: Don Pasquale (Ernesto); La bohème (Rodolfo); La Favorite (Fernand); La traviata (Alfredo Germont, cover); Die Zauberflöte (Tamino), Merola Opera; Der Rosenkavalier (Der Italian Tenor), University of Texas at Austin

Creators

Mentors

Creative Team

Nicholas Huff (Zach), Sahel Salam (Ethan), and Jonathan Patton (Austin) in Cry, Wolf | photo by Bronwen Sharp

Michelle Mariposa (Poly 2), Tiffany Choe (Poly 1), and Kresley Figueroa (River) in Mud Girl | photo by Bronwen Sharp

Sergio Martínez (Osvaldo), Viviana Goodwin (Maysoon), and Anneliese Klenetsky (Connie) in Tati | photo by Bronwen Sharp 2

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Chevron, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation

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