For the last 30 years, Jon Altemus’ work has revolved around the intersection between natural and human history.  His career has ranged from art making to stage productions to creating museum exhibits at a broad range of museums ranging from the Yosemite Valley Visitors Center to the Smithsonian.  In the last several years, he has collaborated on stage productions with Opera Parallele in San Francisco and shown his work at various galleries in the Bay Area, including 2 solo shows and one group show at Canessa Gallery.  Altemus is particularly interested in the possibilities that emerge through collaboration with other artists, musicians, dancers and beyond.

Vocalist Tiffany Austin combines classic jazz tradition with a deep love for blues, spirituals, and contemporary soul. Hailed as a “fully formed masterpiece” by All About Jazz, Tiffany’s new album, “Unbroken” has earned rave reviews from both Downbeat and Jazziz, and has reached #16 on the Jazz Week chart.

Peruvian & Mexican American Soprano Vanessa Becerra begins the 21/22 season with a role/house debut at Intermountain Opera Bozeman for Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina), a return to Washington National Opera for Sankaram’s Rise (Alicia Hernández), part of the world premiere tetralogy Written in Stone, and debuts with Austin Opera for Fidelio (Marzelline) and Opera Parallèle for La Belle et la Bête (Belle). In Concert, she will debut with Minnesota Opera for Opera in the Outfield and return to Fort Worth Opera for Entre Amigos.

Noted for his collaborative spirit and interdisciplinary projects, Estonian-American composer Lembit Beecher’s music deals with place, ecology, memory, and the many ways people tell stories. Lembit grew up under the redwoods in Santa Cruz, California, and now lives in New York City. His most recent opera, “Sky on Swings,” about the relationship of two women with Alzheimer’s disease, was premiered by Frederica von Stade and Marietta Simpson at Opera Philadelphia.

Jessica Bejarano is the founder and music director of the San Francisco Philharmonic! She also serves as music director of ELM Youth Orchestra, assistant conductor of Opera Parallèle and music director at Escuela Bilingue Internationale. Jessica is a regular guest conductor with the Antonio Soler Orquestra in Spain and has guest conducted in the Czech Republic, Venezuela, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy and Russia. She has held conducting positions with numerous orchestras throughout the Bay Area and United States. Jessica was named KQED Arts’ Bay Brilliant Top 10 Artists of 2018, was featured by PBS NewsHour as an emerging female conductor to watch and recently featured on NBC’s The Today Show with Natalie Morales as the “Woman Breaking Barriers as a Trailblazing Symphony Conductor.”

Alina Bokovikova ( Costume Design) is excited to work with Opera Parallèle again where she had designed Flight and the world premiere of Today it Rains. Her recent credits include San Francisco Opera (Merola Program),  West Edge Opera, Minnesota. Bay Area opera lovers could see her costumes for La Boheme /OSJ exhibited in the Museum of Quilts & Textiles in 2019, also she was featured in “American Theatre Magazine” and “Costume Design at the Turn of Century” exhibition in Moscow.

L. PETER CALLENDER is Artistic Director of African-American Shakespeare Company in San Francisco, Ca., resident director at American Stage Company in Saint Petersburg Florida (3 time Best Director Award), Westcoast Black Theater Troupe in Sarasota, Florida, and Associate Artist at N.Y. Classical Theater. Mr Callender is thrilled to work with this artistic team at Opera Parallèle on Harriet’s Spirit. As a playwright, his play Strange Courtesies will get its world premier at San Jose Stage in Spring 2022. On Broadway, he played in Prelude To A Kiss. He is a multi award-winning actor and director having performed in 23 Shakespeare plays and appeared at over 12 regional theaters, nationally. Mr Callender’s full bio and upcoming work can be viewed at www.lpetercallender.com.

Marisely Cortés Fonseca is a freelance costume designer. She graduated from Academy of Art University in 2020 with an MFA in Costume Design. In 2014, she graduated from University of Puerto Rico with a BA in Psychology along with a minor in Art History. Theatre credits include Elliot a Soldier’s Fugue and Under Milk Wood for the Pear Theater, The Pirates of Penzance for UC Santa Cruz, Hot Mikado for 42nd Street Moon Theater, and Fahrenheit 451 for Quantum Dragon Theater. As a costume designer, she also has collaborated with other students across different majors such as motion picture, television and acting by taking part in short films.

Mextly Couzin is a Mexican Lighting Designer based in New York and Los Angeles. Credits include working for, NYC: Clubbed Thumb, Atlantic Theatre Company, Regionally: The Old Globe, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, San Diego Symphony, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Kansas City Repertory Theatre. She holds a Pure Mathematics Bachelor’s degree from UC, San Diego and an MFA in Lighting Design also from UCSD.

Aaron Curry (he/him/his) is humbled to make his OP debut. Previous credits include work at the American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco Opera, Butler Opera, Merrimack College, and the Hangar Theatre. Aaron now serves as the Creative Director for World of Illumination, designing the world’s largest drive through and immersive lighting experiences in the world. MFA University of Texas at Austin. aaroncurrydesigns.com

Del Sol began as a thought on the night shift at Fermilab. Charlton Lee loved the cutting edge of physics research – always looking for the next discovery, pushing boundaries. But he missed the way music connected people, building community by communicating in ways physics never would. What if he could bring that scientific passion for exploration to a string quartet? Twenty-six years later, Del Sol is still sharing music that brings out the endorphins. Music that asks why not? Fascinated by the feedback loop between social change, technology, and artistic innovation, the San Francisco-based ensemble is a leading force in 21st century chamber music – whether introducing Ben Johnston’s microtonal Americana at the Library of Congress, taking Aeryn Santillan’s gun-violence memorial to the streets of the Mission District, exploring Andean soundscapes with Gabriela Lena Frank and traditional musicians, or collaborating with Huang Ruo and the anonymous poets who carved their words into the walls of the Angel Island Immigration Station during the years of the Chinese Exclusion Act. The current Del Sol lineup, marked by the arrival of violinist Sam Weiser alongside mainstays Kathryn Bates and Ben Kreith, bring a fresh energy, freedom, and precision to the group. Read more at www.delsolquartet.com

Returning to Opera Parallèle, Maggie Finnegan has collaborated in productions with: Boston Lyric Opera; Belgian National Orchestra; White Snake Projects; Portland Bach Experience; Boston Baroque; The Andriessen Festival (Netherlands); American Chamber Opera; National Sawdust; Vital Opera; Experiments in Opera; MIT Media Lab; PyeongChang Winter Music Festival; Handel and Haydn Society; Beth Morrison Projects; Capital Fringe Chamber Music; Center for Contemporary Opera; and, was recently was presented in a duo recital with Stephanie Blythe.

Charlotte Fanvu is thrilled to return to Opera Parallele as Young Sophia in Sophia’s Forest! Last year, she performed the role of Meg Weathers in Opera Parallele’s Everest: A Graphic Novel Opera. The 12-year-old San Francisco native began her vocal training at 6 years old with the Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco and enjoys singing, dancing, and acting. Charlotte is also an aspiring baker and hopes to find a way to combine her passions for the performing and culinary arts when she grows up.

A current tenured member of the opera chorus at San Francisco Opera, baritone, Anders Fröhlich, began his musical pursuits as a pianist. A native of Connecticut, Mr. Fröhlich attended the Connecticut Conservatory for the Arts where he also trained in ballet and theater.  After attending Indiana University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles he began his professional career at Los Angeles Opera, as a chorister and comprimario. Mr. Fröhlich has performed with various companies including San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Opera San Jose and West Edge Opera, among others.

Samantha Fung-Lee, soprano, has been a member of the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC) for eleven years. As part of SFGC’s Premier Ensemble, she has performed on many stages including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. Her time as a soloist confirms a deep interest in the pursuit of music in college and beyond. While singing is her passion, she also balances challenging academics as a junior at Lowell High School.

Specially formed to perform Marcus Shelby’s new orchestration for Harriet’s Spirit – the ensemble consists of:

Rachael Heiman is a Bay Area Production Designer and Fabricator as well as a graduate of the California College of the Arts. They received an “individualized” BFA from CCA that melded textiles, sculpture, and fashion together. This is their sixth time working with Opera Parallele and is excited to be returning to the team. Rachael Heiman has been working in Bay Area as an actor as well as a costume, prop, and set designer for almost 10 years. In that time, they have also worked with the Great Dickens Christmas Fair, African American Shakespeare Company, San Francisco Speakeasy, YMTC, SF Playhouse, etc. To see more of Rachael’s work, check out their blog at www.instagram.com/rachaelheimanproductions

Yayoi Kambara has been a Bay Area artist since 2000. Kambara was a company member with ODC/Dance 2003–2015 and danced as a freelance artist with numerous Bay Area Dance Companies including Sara Shelton Mann Contraband, Scott Wells and Dancers, Flyaway Productions, Deborah Slater Dance Theater, STEAMROLLER, and Pearl Ubungen Dancers and Musicians. She was the Rehearsal Director for AXIS Dance Company during Judith Smith’s sabbatical in 2015 and continues to teach company class for AXIS. Kambara currently choreographs and creates staging for Opera Parallèle, and Center for Contemporary Opera integrating visual design, including film, with voice and physical storytelling. Read more at www.kambaraplus.org/about

Divesh Karamchandani is a San Francisco-based percussionist and educator. He is a co-founder of Prism Percussion. His notable performances include One Found Sound, New Century Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, San Francisco Symphony, and many others. Karamchandani earned a Bachelor of Music from California State University, Stanislaus, and a Master of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He serves as the Lecturer of Percussion at both CSU Stanislaus and CSU East Bay.

A native of the great state of Oklahoma, Jaymes Kirksey has become a national presence as a violinist, pianist and conductor. The Music Director of Young Musicians Choral Orchestra, Solano Youth Chamber Orchestra and frequent guest soloist and conductor of Golden Gate Symphony, Kirksey brings with him versatility, precision, and an exciting stage presence. As a conductor and educator, Jaymes has created high quality musical interpretations ranging from Baroque to modern symphonic repertoire. He has performed in venues across Europe and the US and remains a steadfast performer in the Bay Area. He holds a Master’s Degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Violin Performance.

Victoria Ko, soprano, joined the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC) at age four and has been a soprano in SFGC’s Premier Ensemble for six seasons. She is currently a senior at Stanford Online High School. Victoria has performed at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, London’s Windsor Castle, the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, and many more. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, snorkeling, and playing games with friends.

Bradley Kynard, no stranger to Bay Area audiences has performed the baritone solos in Carmina Burana with GG Symphony and the role of Tamerlano (Tamerlano) with Handel Opera Project. He recorded multiple roles in Wold’s (Little Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil).  He created the role of Don Ramiro in (Xochitl and the Flowers) Opera Parallele and performed in the company’s production of (Trouble in Tahiti). He’s sung with the SFO chorus for 14 seasons.