A native of Tijeras, New Mexico, soprano Lydia Katarina is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, and was a 2024 Grand Finals Winner of The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.

Praised for her “high-octane emotionalism”, Ms. Katarina begins the 2025-2026 season with her European, house and role debut as Léonore in Le trouvère at Wexford Festival Opera. She makes role debuts as Micaëla in Carmen (San Diego Opera, house debut) and Violetta in La traviata (Utah Opera), and adds the role of Roxana in a new production of Szymanowski’s masterpiece King Roger at Des Moines Metro Opera (house debut). In concert, she joins the Columbus Symphony for Mozart’s Requiem.

The 2024-2025 season included three role and company debuts: Palm Beach Opera (Juliette in Roméo et Juliette), Utah Opera (Nedda in Pagliacci), and The Glimmerglass Festival (Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress). Lydia made house debuts in the 23-24 season with Arizona Opera and Merola Opera as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and Opera Columbus as Tatiana in Eugene Onegin. She was a 2023 Apprentice Artist at the Santa Fe Opera, where she made her company debut as the Second Wood Sprite, in addition to covering the title role, in Dvořák’s Rusalka. Lydia has won several prestigious competions, including The Loren L. Zachary Society Competition, the Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition, as well as the top prize in AVA’s Giargiari Bel Canto Competition.

Hailed by Opera News for her “velvety mezzo”, Zoie Reams is a graduate of the prestigious Houston Grand Opera Butler Studio.

The 2025-2026 season features Ms. Reams with the Lyric Opera of Chicago twice, first in the newly commissioned A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness and in a return to Neris in David MacVicar’s production of Medea. Elsewhere features a return to Canadian Opera Company as Maddalena (Rigoletto), performances as Carmen with Piedmont Opera, and singing Zipporah in Kevin Day and Tifara Brown’s Lalovavi (world premiere) at Cincinnati Opera. In concert, she performs as Siegrune in Die Walküre (Act III) with the LA Phil (Gustavo Dudamel); Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (Boston Symphony Orchestra); her first performances of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony (Northwest Florida Symphony); Handel’s Messiah (Washington National Cathedral); and Austin Opera for their 40th anniversary concert.

In 2024-2025, she returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago first as Maddalena (Rigoletto), and later as Mother in Tesori/Thompson’s Blue. With the LA Phil and Performing Arts Houston, she joined Solange Knowles’ Eldorado Ballroom, singing Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater. She joined The Metropolitan Opera to cover Charmian in John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra.

Tenor Jonathan Burton is celebrated for his “heroic” and “clarion” performances in a range of dramatic roles. The 2025-2026 season sees performances at Santa Fe Opera as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly; Canio in Pagliacci with San Diego Opera; Radamès in Aida with Virginia Opera; Manrico in Il trovatore with North Carolina Opera, and Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West with Nashville Opera. In concert, he joins Austin Opera for their 40th Anniversary Concerts. Burton makes his Metropolitan Opera debut next season as Malcolm in a new, season-opening production of Verdi’s Macbeth.

During the 2024-2025 season, Burton performed both Cavaradossi in Tosca and Canio at Pittsburgh Opera, as well as Canio with Utah Opera. He returned to Washington National Opera as Steve Wozniak in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Mr. Burton sang Verdi’s Requiem at the Cincinnati May Festival, bowed in Britten’s War Requiem with the Columbus Symphony and performed Canio with the Opera Festival of Chicago.

Career highlights include: Cavaradossi with Santa Fe Opera; Rodolfo in Luisa Miller for Lyric Opera of Chicago; Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos at Austin Opera; Paul in Die Tote Stadt at Opera Colorado; Hermann in Pique Dame for Des Moines Metro Opera; Don José in Carmen for Palm Beach Opera; Pollione in Norma with Utah Opera; Florestan in Fidelio with Kentucky Opera; des Grieux in Manon Lescaut at North Carolina Opera; the Prince in Rusalka and Manrico at Pittsburgh Opera; Canio with Opera San Antonio and Utah Opera; and Calaf with Washington National Opera, Austin Opera, Opera Colorado, and Utah Opera.

A Kansas native, Scott Conner has been lauded by critics and audiences for his appearances on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts and a Sara Tucker grant winner from the Richard Tucker Foundation.
A regular with The Metropolitan Opera, Scott Conner’s 2025-2026 season features his house role debut singing Zuniga in Carmen, Aldeano Three in El último sueño de Frida y Diego and covering Colline in La bohème. He makes his stage debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago as the First Soldier in Salome. Future seasons will include his return to The Metropolitan Opera.

Recent season highlights include: The Metropolitan Opera for a performance of Colline in La bohème, the One-Armed Brother in Die Frau ohne Schatten, 2nd Armored Man in The Magic Flute, and Jose Tripaldi in Ainadamar; Ramfis in Aida with Arizona Opera; the Police Commissioner in Der Rosenkavalier, Mustafa in L’italiana in Algeri and Pistola in Falstaff at Santa Fe Opera; San Francisco Opera as Tom in Un ballo in maschera, Colline and Angelotti in Tosca, and with San Diego Opera, Escamillo in Carmen.

Mr. Conner was the recipient of the 1st Prize Award in the Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition and the Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition. Conner attended the University of Missouri, Kansas City for his Bachelor of Music degree.