Ida Angland, Artistic Director, Music Director and Conductor, is dedicated to connecting audiences to great masterworks and providing opportunities for outstanding talent through Gateway's Great Works of Art performances with the Gateway Orchestra. Gateway’s performances have received enthusiastic audience response in New York City, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey and have been described in reviews as ''thrilling,'' ''compelling'' (Greenwich Time) ''a revelation'' ''unforgettable,'' and ''amazing'' (The Italian Voice).  Ida Angland has been characterized as having ''inner genius,'' ''flair,'' ''idealism,'' and ''grit,'' (Italian Voice, Greenwich Time and Opera-L) and being "specially gifted" (Brooklyn Eagle).  Prior and concurrent to her involvement with Gateway, she assistant conducted, (which included functioning as Chorus Master) for seven years with the former New York Grand Opera (active from 1973 to 2012).  Maestro Angland is the Artistic Director and Principal Music Director and Conductor of the New York Grand Opera that exists today. Ida Angland led the Gateway Orchestra in several regional tours to communities in the Tri-State and New York City that featured symphonic masterworks and major violin concerti.  Instrumental and vocal soloists from all over the world have been highlighted in these tours. The Gateway Orchestra was a participant orchestra in the New York Philharmonic's New World Initiative in 2016-2017, touring to several towns in the Tri-State that included Harlem and downtown New York City.   When she was 12 years old, Ida Angland was the youngest of four piano contestants chosen by the National Federation of Music Clubs and the University of North Carolina as the state's ''most promising'' musical talents.  She continued her music training at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Peabody Conservatory and Indiana University studying with, among others, Konrad Wolff, Elaine Bonazzi and Margaret Harshaw.  Ms Angland sang professionally as a soprano with regional opera companies. Other featured guest appearances have included the Metropolitan Museum of Art and WQXR.  Ida Angland composed Daunting is the Woman, virtually premiered in 2020 for the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the of the Nineteeth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and unveiling of statues of three real women in Central Park.  Notes on the work below. 

Elizabeth Treat, Soprano, has performed in operas and concerts at the Embassies of Slovenia, France, Indonesia, Colombia, Poland and the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. with the Washington Opera Society. Regional highlights include the title role in Flotow’s Martha with Utopia Opera, Konstanze in Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio with Opera Theatre of Montclair, Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at the Theatre at Riverside, and several American premieres with Amore Opera. Her numerous performances as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute include: Regina Opera, Utopia Opera, Amore Opera, Light Opera of New Jersey, and with Intermezzo Opera with the Charlemagne Orchestra in Belgium.  Ms Treat was a soloist with The University Glee Club at Alice Tully Hall in 2019 and holds performance degrees in both piano and voice.  Last season, Ms. Treat was a soloist with the Gateway Orchestra in Gateway's opera highlights concerts, and this season she is a participant soloist in Gateway’s virtual premiere of Daunting is the Woman by Ida Angland and the virtual performances of two songs by Philip Salter.

Heather Bobeck, Soprano, praised  as “an artful soprano” in the Huffington post,  is a New York City freelance soprano. Ms Bobeck has performed Valencienne with the Continuo Arts Foundation Young Artist Program and Opera Wilmington, Musetta with ONLI, the Sandman and Gretel with the Manhattan Opera Studio and the Opera Theatre of Montclair, as well as covered a number of principal roles in several regional companies. Ms Bobeck debuted at Carnegie Hall in the Beethoven Choral Symphony with the Opera Theatre of Montclair and the Manhattan Opera Studio. Awards include the district winner of the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council competition, and, in 2017, the winner of The Milton Cross award where she performed Verdi’s aria Sempre Libera.  Ms Bobeck performed the role of the High Priestess in Gateway’s 2018 production of Aida and sang as a soloist with the Gateway Orchestra last season in the opera highlights concerts.   

Lisa Bryce, Soprano, has performed the roles of Mimi in La boheme, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffmann,  Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel,  Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte and the title role in Suor Angelica with the Tri-Cities Opera.  A native of New York, she has appeared in numerous performances in renowned venues throughout the City including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, the Cathedral of St.John the Divine, the Riverside Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Praised by Classical Singer Magazine as having an “extravagantly beautiful voice,” Ms Bryce has made singing appearances on the TV stations of PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, WPIX 11 and Fox 5, as well as the radio station of WQXR. Her Oratorio credits include soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah, the Faure Requiem, the Mozart Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria. She was a First Prize winner of the Five Towns Music and Art Foundation Voice Competition.  Ms Bryce sang in Gateway Classical Music Society’s 2018 production of Aida. She will make her soloist debut in Gateway's 2020 virtual performances of Daunting is the Woman.

Anna  Lorraine Tonna, Mezzo Soprano, has sung leading roles with Teatro Grattacielo in Lincoln Center, New Jersey State Opera, Opera Illinois State Opera of Brno (Czech Republic), Opera de Santo Domingo among others.  As a solo recitalist she has performed at The Casals Festival of Puerto Rico, Festival Iberoamericano de las Artes in Puerto Rico, Música de Cámara of New York, Festival de Segovia (Spain) among many others. Her recital “Songs of post -Civil War Spain” at the Fundación Juan March of Madrid was broadcast live by Radio Television Española and hailed as “a tour de force” by the Spanish newspaper ABC. “A born star who effectively stole the show,” is how Ms Tonna was described in New York Magazine.   In the role of Ernestina in the North American premiere of Gioachino Rossini's L'equivoco stravagante, Ms Tonna was described by the Rossini Gessellschaft as “a mezzo heroine who knows how to sing Rossini” and, by New York Magazine as “showing off her warm, secure mezzo-soprano to maximum advantage.” Ms. Tonna sang Ponchielli's La Gioconda with the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, and her performance was described by British Opera Magazine as “elegant in deportment, line and authentic proto-veristic style.”  Ms Tonna recorded España alla Rossini with iTinerant Classics. She sang the title role in Gateway’s 2005 production of Bizet’s Carmen and will be a participating soloist in Gateway's 2020 virtual presentations of Daunting is the Woman.

Allison Gish, Mezzo-Soprano, has been praised for her “full-flavored mezzo,” (Parterre Box), “substantial instrument and stage presence” (Voce di Meche) and “plushy instrument of vast range” (Oberon’s Grove), Allison Gish is a mezzo-soprano based in NYC. Recent roles include Apollo in Handel's Terpiscore (American Bach Soloists Academy), Lucia in La gazza ladra (Teatro Nuovo), The Mother in The Consul (Bronx Opera), Lisotta in Salieri's La cifra (dell'Arte Opera Ensemble), Giunone in Cavalli's La Calisto (dell'Arte Opera Ensemble) and Lucretia in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia (New Camerata Opera), a performance deemed a “knockout” (Reaction, Operawire). This fall, she creates the roles of Leonora Goosling in Felix Jarrar's Mother Goose and Athena in Kaley Lane Eaton's Psychographics.  On the concert stage, Allison has been alto soloist in Bach's Mass in B Minor (American Bach Soloists Academy, Ars Musica), Mozart's Requiem (Ars Musica), Handel’s Messiah (Bourbon Baroque), as well as for numerous solo cantatas.  Last season, Ms Gish  was a soloist with the Gateway Orchestra performances of opera highlights.  She will be a participating soloist in this season's virtual performances of Daunting is the Woman.

Gregory Geis, Tenor, made his operatic debut in 2011 as Lenski in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin with Opera Slavica in New York City. Since that time, he has performed Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera in the Slope, as well as the leading tenor roles in several opera highlights concerts that include the Duke in Rigoletto, Don Jose in Carmen and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. He has also performed as the featured tenor in concerts with the Dorothy Jones Theatre in Manhattan’s Singer’s Forum and New Jersey’s The Dome at The Manor. He was the soloist for the National Anthem at Shea Stadium for the New York Mets and a resident artist with Underworld Productions Opera, where he also performed. Mr. Geis will perform the role of Radames in Gateway’s production of Aida in November of 2018.  Aida will mark Mr. Geis's debut appearance with Gateway and his first time performing the role of Radames.

Charles Berrios, Tenor, has sung numerous roles throughout the region including the 2nd Tenor in Sweeney Todd with Pan Opera, Calaf in Turandot with Tundi Productions, Rodolfo in La boheme with Pan Opera and Borsa in Rigoletto with Opera Classica Europa among others.  Mr. Berrios has appeared as a soloist with the Liederkranz Foundation, WGBY, PBS and the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and was a finalist with the Concorso Lirico Internazionale G. Di Vincenzi in Savona, Italy and a semi-finalist with the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree of Arts in Music in Voice from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Music Department.  This season will mark Mr. Berrios’s debut performances with Gateway.

Dorian Balis, Tenor,  has performed the roles of Roméo in Roméo et Julliette,  Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw and Camille in The Merry Widow.  Mr. Balis was an Apprentice Artist at the Ash Lawn Opera and the Dicapo Opera Theatre.  He has performed with the New York Philharmonic, American Opera Projects, Opera Company of Brooklyn and the West Side Opera Society, as well as in several renowned concert halls that include Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  Mr. Balis began his musical path as a heavy metal singer.  He remains an active songwriter and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the James Madison University and a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music.  Mr. Balis sang the role of the Messenger in Gateway’s 2018 production of Aida.

Jonathan Green, Baritone, has sung the roles of Rigoletto, Falstaff, Germont in La traviata, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro and Il barbieri di Siviglia,  Marcello in  La bohème, Crown in Porgy & Bess, Scarpia in Tosca, Sid  in Albert Herring, and De Bétigny in Manon.  Mr. Green is an alumnus of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Other schools for specialized study include the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the University of Kentucky.  Originally from the south side of Chicago, he now resides in Brooklyn, New York.  This season will mark Mr. Green’s debut appearances with Gateway.

Albert Markov, Composer, has written and published three operas, six rhapsodies and a suite for violin and orchestra, a symphony, a violin concerto, sonatas for solo and duo violins, as well as various cadenzas and arrangements of other composers’ works.  Mr. Markov began his career as a concert violinist in Russia before immigrating to the United States in 1975.  During the time of the Soviet Union, he was known as a prominent classical music artist. He was the violin soloist for the premiere of the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 in 1949 and won the Gold Medal in the 1959 Queen Elisabeth Competition, as well as being a Ysaye Medal recipient.  Mr. Markov founded music festivals in Canada and Vermont and, in 1983, the Rondo Chamber Orchestra, of which he was music director and conductor.  A teacher of violin at the Manhattan School of Music, Mr. Markov’s students have been among those who have placed as prizewinners of international violin competitions and have been retained by major orchestras as soloists and members of the ensemble.  He has authored his teaching methods, which are recognized worldwide and frequently concertizes with his son and fellow violinist of renown, Alexander Markov. 

Andreas Foivos Apostolou, Composer, creates music inspired by Balkan and jazz rhythm, Greek folk idiom, post-tonality and minimalism that has been recorded by Naxos. Mr. Apostolou is also a pianist who has toured Europe, Asia and America performing a wide range of repertoire, including premiers by Bernard Rands and John Luther Adams. His own compositions have been recorded by Naxos. Born in Athens, Greece, Mr. Apostolou graduated from Indiana University (Double MM) and Temple University (BM) with degrees in piano and composition and is currently a PhD candidate at UCLA and the University of Macedonia, Greece. His professors include composers Richard Danielpour, Claude Baker, George Tsontakis and pianists Andre Watts, Robert Levin and Vinia Tsopelas.  His most recent projects include a work for piano and orchestra and soundtracks for short films. 

Roberto Sierra, Composer, has composed numerous works for ensembles performed by the orchestras of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, New Mexico, Houston, Minnesota, Dallas, Detroit, San Antonio, Phoenix, the New York Philharmonic and others.  Mr. Sierra’s commissioned works include: Concerto for Orchestra for the centennial celebrations of the Philadelphia Orchestra commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation and the Philadelphia Orchestra; Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for James Carter; Fandangos and Missa Latina commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC; Sinfonía No. 3 "La Salsa", commissioned by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Danzas Concertantes for guitar and orchestra commissioned by the Orquesta de Castilla y León; and Double Concerto for violin and viola co-commissioned by the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Orchestras, in addition to others. He is the recipient of numerous awards that include the Tomás Luis de Victoria Prize, the highest honor given in Spain to a composer of Spanish or Latin American origin. Mr. Sierra’s compositions have been recorded by Naxos, EMI and UMG’s EMARCY and have been published by Subito Music Publishing.  A native of Puerto Rico, he studied composition in Puerto and Europe. Among his teachers was György Ligeti at the Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg, Germany. 

Yigit Karatas, Violinist, has performed with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Turkey, where he played the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, and at the International Belfort Music Festival where he played the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. Mr. Karatas has concertized as a member of chamber orchestras and as a soloist at the Eilat Festival in Israel and has received several awards in competitions: First Prize at the Fourth National Gulden Turali Violin Competition, Second Prize at the International Marsyas Violin Competition and Third Prize at the VIVO International Music Competition in New York in 2015. He has taken part in the masterclasses of renowned artists that include Leonidas Kavakos, Itzhak Rashkovsky, Ida Haendel and Shmuel Ashkenasi and studied with Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis, Shlomo Mintz, Vadim Gluzman and other soloists of renown. He participated in the New Virtuosi Violin Mastercourse in Duino, Italy in 2011 and gave solo and collective concerts with Cihat Askin. Mr. Karatas served as concertmaster to The World Peace Orchestra and was given a full scholarship in 2013 to the Manhattan School of Music where he studies with Albert Markov.    He was the winner of the 2017 Waldo Mayo Memorial Violin Competition and the 2017 International Suna Kan Violin Competition.  Mr. Karatas was featured in the Gateway Orchestra 2016/17 tour, as a participant orchestra in the New York Philharmonic's New World Initiative. He performed  the Waxman Carmen Fantasie. 

Blake Friedman, Tenor, has been cited by the New York Times for the “plummy fullness and dusky hue” of his voice and by the New York Classical Review for his “buttery top.”  Most recently, Blake made his Chicago Opera Theater debut singing Marc in the world premiere of Freedom Ride by Dan Shore.  Notable performances include his debut season with Chautauqua Opera as Almaviva in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and the Ghosts of Versailles by John Corigliano.  Opera News praised his “romantic and funny” portrayal of Almaviva’s canzonetta “Se il mio nome proved a highlight.”  Other critically acclaimed performances include Irving Tashman in the New York City Premiere of Morning Star by Ricky Ian Gordon with On Site Opera and Iago in Rossini’s Otello with LoftOpera. Mr.  Friedman has performed with:  Dallas Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Anchorage Opera, On Site Opera, The Prototype Festival, LoftOpera, St. Pete Opera and Ash Lawn Opera.  Mr. Friedman served as the resident tenor for American Opera Projects Composer’s and the Voice Symposium from 2015-2018.  On the concert stage, he has performed soloist engagements with:  New York Choral Society, New York City Ballet, Ensemble for the Romantic Century, Choral Artists of Sarasota, Key Chorale, and York Symphony. He holds a Master’s and Professional Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor’s from The Eastman School of Music. Gateway’s 2020 virtual recordings of songs by American composer Philip Salter mark his debut performances with Gateway. 

Virginia Herrera-Crilly, Soprano, has performed numerous roles worldwide that include: Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Nedda in I pagliacci, Mimi and Musetta in La boheme, Marguerite in Faust, Violetta in La traviata, Pamina in The Magic Flute and Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann. In Zarzuela, Ms. Herrera-Crilly has performed the roles of Reina, Elena, Marola, Luisa Fernanda, Susana, Carolina and Marquesita. Apart from numerous roles in Opera and Zarzuela, Ms Herrera-Crilly has performed in concerts featuring art song in numerous venues in New York City and New Jersey. Her voice, featured in the soundtrack of the Mexican Short Film "Under the Rubble," was nominated for best short film at the Tribeca Film Festival'06 in NYC and received recognition for the Best Original Music nominated at the Pantalla de Cristal Festival'06 in México. Ms Herrera-Crilly received an award on the show BESAME MUCHO “Latinas sing Latinas,” the ACE 2014 Award for Best Musical Production in the Latin Theater in NYC, and the HOLA 2013 Award of Excellence in Theater. She recently made her musical theater debut as Sister Margarita in the Musical SISTER ACT at the Curtain Call Company in Stamford, CT. Born in Mexico, Ms. Herrera-Crilly received her training there, in Italy and in New York City. She sang the role of the Gran Sacerdotessa (High Priestess) in Aida with Gateway in November of 2018 and will be soloist participant in Gateway's 2020 virtual performances of Daunting is the Woman.

Chivonne Perkins, Soprano, is a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, 2nd place winner of Opera Ebony’s Benjamin Matthews Vocal Competition, 2nd place winner of the New Jersey National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition, and finalist of the New Jersey State Opera’s Alfredo Silipigni Vocal Competition. Her most recent engagements include: the role of Madison in the comedy series “Assisted Living”; voice fellowship at Westminster Choir College of Rider University’s CoOPERAtive Program,  the role of “Brünhilde” (debut) in the opera Siegfried by Richard Wagner with Trilogy: an Opera Company; an MLO Singer in the Mile Long Opera project, composed by David Lang; and the role of The Sea Goddess in “Water Melts”, a short film created and directed by Lilian Mehrel and Mary Evangelista which debuted at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Ms Perkins was a soloist in last season's opera highlights concerts with the Gateway Orchestra and will be a soloist participant in Gateway's 2020 virtual performances of Daunting is the Woman.

Linda Collazo, Mezzo-Soprano, described by Ars Raving Mad as possessing an “elastic and luxurious” voice, has performed the roles of Vera Boronel in The Consul with Encompass New Opera Theater,  Mary Magdalene from Grullon’s El Caminante de Nazaret with the Mimesis Ensemble, Solo Handmaiden in Turandot with Sarasota Opera, Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, La Cesca and Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and Hansel in Hansel & Gretel with the NYLO theater. Her concert credits include Yarmolinsky’s The Constitution with the Vertical Player Repertory Theater, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Bernsteins’ Jeremiah Symphony and Songfest, and Vivaldi’s Gloria. A Bronx native, Ms Collazo is the co-founder of @latinawomeninopera, an instagram page dedicated to showcasing Latina women in opera. She was the winner of the Woodmere and Bronx Arts Ensemble Young Artist Competitions, and the recipient of an encouragement award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Ms Collazo will be a participating soloist in Gateway Classical Music Society’s 2020 virtual performances of Daunting is the Woman, which will mark her first appearances with Gateway.  

Elisabeth Harris, Mezzo-Soprano, has sung the roles of Aunt Hannah in Emmeline, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and Witch I in Dido and Aeneas. Ms Harris has performed as a soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; Auckland Choral; Orchestra Wellington; the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra; Napier Civic Choir; and the Kāpiti Chamber Choir in works including: Handel’s Messiah; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; the Mozart Requiem; Haydn’s Paukenmesse; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Donizetti’s Messa Di Requiem; Schumann’s Requiem;  Brahm’s Liebeslieder Waltzes and Bach’s B Minor Mass.  Ms Harris made her New York debut with the Martina Arroyo Foundation as Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus. Born in New Zealand, Ms  Harris is a recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music.  2019 will mark her debut appearances with Gateway.

Michael Celentano, Tenor, is a former young artist at Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, NY. Recent appearances include covering the role of Alfred in Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance 15th Anniversary production of Johann Strauss, Jr’s Die Fledermaus. Max in Bronx Opera’s production of Der Freischütz, Miner in La Fanciulla del West and Ensemble in L’Amore de tre Re, both with New York City Opera as well as  a Nibechung Vassal in The Metropolitan Opera's 2019 production of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung. 2019 will mark Mr. Celentano’s debut performances with Gateway.

Jimin Park, Baritone, has performed Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro at Yonsei University, Marco in Gianni Schicchi at the Manhattan School of Music’s Opera Theater, Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles at Manhattan School of Music’s Opera repertoire ensemble, Mr. Maguire in Emmeline at Manhattan School of Music’s Opera Theater,  Marcello in La boheme at Montclair University and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus at the Martina Arroyo Foundation. He will perform the Count in Le nozze di Figaro (Count) at the Manhattan School of Music’s Opera Theater. Mr. Park is from Seoul, Korea.  He earned his BM from Yonsei University and is pursuing his Masters at Manhattan School of Music in Vocal Performance.  This season will mark his debut appearances with Gateway.

Waundell Saavedra, Bass, is a singer of classical and jazz music, composer, and director of Empire Opera. He was a guest artist in 2017 at the US Embassy in Vienna, Austria where he premiered his new song collection, Song Leaves, selected poems by Walt Whitman. Some of his favorite operatic roles he has performed include Don Alfonso in Cosí fan tutte, and Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail by Mozart, Archibaldo in L’amore dei tre re by Montemezzi, and the Verdi roles of Attila, Zaccaria in Nabucco, and Banco in Macbeth. Concert works include soloist in Requiems by Mozart, Fauré, Brahms, and Duruflé, as well as the masses and oratorios of Bach and Haydn, with a Christmas performance in December 2018 of the Messiah by Handel with the Camerata New York Orchestra. Mr. Saavedra’s discography includes Stained Glass Windows and Song Leaves, a collection of Walt Whitman poems for bass voice and piano, accompanied by Tor Morten Kjøsnes, to be released in the Fall of 2019.  Mr. Saavedra’s original compositions include String Quartet No. 1 in G Major, The Great Supper, an opera in two acts, and Sweet Dreams, a children’s opera.  2019 will mark Mr. Saavedra’s debut performances with Gateway.

Davide de Ascaniis, Violinist, is the winner of the AGIMUS Prize in Rome, the Szeryng International Violin Competition in Mexico, and the Grand Prix at the LISMA Foundation in New York City, among numerous other awards.  Having concertized extensively and performed all over the world with orchestras of renown, Mr. de Ascaniis has participated and performed in numerous international music festivals including Orford in Canada, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Bled in Slovenia, Nippon Foundation festival in Japan, Trans-Siberian Art Festival in Siberia, Festival Dino Ciani and Bologna Festival in Italy, Chelsea in New York,  iPalpiti Festival in California, performing in prestigious venues throughout Los Angeles, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Soka Performing Arts Center, and at the Keshet Eilon Music Center in Israel.  Born in Italy in 1991 to a family of pianists, his first professional engagement was in 2000 in France, performing Bruch’s concerto with orchestra.  After earning a Master’s Degree cum laude from the Conservatorio in Vicenza at the age of 16, Mr. de Ascaniis was awarded a Diploma at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and studied in New York with Albert Markov.  He was the violin soloist with the Gateway Orchestra’s 2014 tour performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, which prompted a Brooklyn Eagle reviewer to write: “His dazzling finger work, musicality, pizzicato and incredible cadenzas evoked the wizardry of Paganini.”

Thomas Woodman, Baritone, has performed opera, symphonic and recital repertoire throughout North America and Europe. Highlights of Mr. Woodman’s career include performances with the Metropolitan Opera, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the New York City Opera and the San Francisco Opera.  In Europe, Mr. Woodman has performed with Opera de St. Etienne, Opera Nice, Deustche Oper am Rhein-Duisberg and Theater Hagen, as well as having sung Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with the Orchestra National de Lyons. In the United States he has appeared with the opera companies of Austin and Fort Worth, Texas; Hawaii, Indianapolis, Kentucky, Illinois, North Carolina, Anchorage, Mobile, Buffalo;  the Triangle Opera in North Carolina, the Wildwood Opera in Arkansas and Opera North in New Hampshire. Mr. Woodman is a native of Connecticut and resides in Fairfield. This season will mark his first appearances with Gateway. 

David Ji, Pianist, has performed in the United States and in numerous countries worldwide as a solo recitalist and collaborative pianist. He has appeared in Carnegie Hall, the National Opera Center, DiMenna Center, Merkin Hall of Kaufman Center, Seoul Arts Center, and Kumho Arts Hall in Korea. He is a winner of the Arthur Balsam Duo Competition in New York and has worked with renowned soloists and members of major orchestras in the United States.  Born in South Korea, Mr. Ji is a faculty pianist at the Heifetz International Music Institute and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in collaborative piano at the Manhattan School of Music.  Gateway’s October benefit concert will mark Mr. Ji’s debut performance with Gateway.

Kimberly Lloyd, Soprano, has sung leading roles in and around New York in operas and opera highlights concerts. She performed the role of the Marschallin in the Der Rosenkavalier trio with New York Summer Opera Scenes, Donna Elvira from Don Giovanni with Amore Opera, Leonora from Il Trovatore and the title role in Anna Bolena with West Side Opera Society and the title role in Aida with West Side Opera Society and Regina Opera. In a review that appeared in Qonstage, the reviewer stated of her Aida that Ms Lloyd “lent the title role a dusky soprano and an easy high C, her “Ritorna vincitor” marked by urgency, her “O patria mia” lush and haunting…” Ms Lloyd attended Jacksonville University and studied the art of bel canto singing in Florence, Italy at the Istituto Europeo. Ms Lloyd will sing the title role in Aida with Gateway in November of 2018. Aida will mark Ms Lloyd's debut appearance with Gateway Classical Music Society.

Gustavo López Manzitti, Tenor, has sung numerous leading roles at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has performed, at the Teatro Colón, the leading tenor roles in Adriana Lecouvreur, Mahagonny, Andrea Chénier, Macbeth, Don Carlo, Werther and Beatrix Cenci. Prior to these more recent roles, he has performed, at the Teatro Colón, the leading tenor roles in Rigoletto, Simon Boccanegra, Armide, Maldoror, Carmen, Doña Francisquita, I Lombardi, I due Foscari, Bebe Dom and Idomeneo. This season, in 2018, Mr. Manzitti participated in Tristan und Isolde in a production of Staatsoper Berlin with the Staatskapelle Berlin at the Teatro of Buenos Aires, where he also received acclaim as Rodolfo in La bohéme. He was the tenor soloist for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Wiener Akademie and starred in Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny by Weill/Brecht, both of which took place at the Teatro Mayor de Bogotá. Additionally, he sang Das Lied von der Erde by Mahler with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Paraná, and performed the title role of Don Carlo in the Teatro del Bicentenario of San Juan and the opera Blanca de Beaulieu in Buenos Aires. Mr. Manzitti also sang the leading tenor role in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Municipal de Bahía Blanca. During the 2016 Season Mr. Manzitti sang Mahagonny in the Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile, La bohéme in the Teatro Argentino de La Plata, Werther in the Teatro Avenida and La Damnation de Faust in the Auditorio SODRE of Montevideo.

Mr. Manzitti developed an important part of his operatic career in the US. He made his debut in New York (Carnegie Hall) with “Giovanna D’Arco” in 2005 and has been regularly invited to perform by many opera companies in the US and Canada: Opera Tampa (Il Trovatore, Tosca), Virginia Opera (Cavalleria/Pagliacci, Il Trovatore and Aida), Sarasota Opera (Don Carlos, Cav/Pag), Orlando Opera (Il Trovatore), Anchorage Opera (Il Trovatore), Opera Delaware (Rigoletto, Carmen and Tosca), Atlantic Coast Opera Festival (Cav/Pag), Gateway Classical Music Society (Carmen), Grand Théâtre de Québec (“Le Gala de l’Opéra” and Carmen), Chrysler Theatre (Cavalleria), and more. Mr. Manzitti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied piano, conducting and composition there and, apart from singing, is active as a conductor and as a theatrical actor. Mr. Manzitti sang the role of Don José in Gateway’s 2005 production of Bizet’s Carmen and will be performing the role of Radames in Verdi’s Aida with Gateway in November of 2018.

Galina Ivannikova , Mezzo-Soprano, has sung the title role in Carmen, Verdi's Azucena in Il Trovatore, Amneris in Verdi's Aida, Santuzza in Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana, Fricka in Wagner's Die Walküre, Waltraute in Wagner's Götterdämmerung, Erda in Wagner's Das Rheingold, Dalilah in Saint-Saëns' Samsonet Dalilah, Leonora in Donizetti's La Favorita, Maddalena in Verdi's Rigoletto, Marcellina in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Prince Orlovsky in Strauss' Die Fledermaus, The Witch in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Lubasha in the Tsar's Bride by Rimsky-Korsakov, Olga in Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, Marfa in Khovanshchina by Mussorgsky, Marina Mnishek in Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky, La Cieca/Laura in La Gioconda by Ponchielli and as the mezzo soloist in the Verdi Requiem. Ms Ivannikova has sung regionally with the Verismo Opera in New Jersey, the Connecticut Lyric Opera, the New York Lyric Opera, the Commonwealth Opera Theater in Boston, as well as other companies here and abroad. Born in the Ukraine, Ms Ivannikova received her musical training there and in the United States at the University of Memphis where she placed first in the University’s concerto competition and is currently working on completing her doctorate in vocal performance. Ms Ivannikova will sing the role of Amneris in Gateway’s 2018 production of Verdi’s Aida

Daveda Browne, Mezzo-Soprano, has performed regionally as the mezzo soloist in several major works that include the Beethoven Ninth Symphony with the National Chorale and Mozart’s Requiem with the Choral Arts Society of New Jersey. Ms Browne has toured as a soloist with the America Spiritual Ensemble and premiered a new composition by David Lang with the National Chorale at Lincoln Center. She was the alto soloist cover for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to music with the National Chorale at Lincoln Center. A 2017 Harlem Opera Theater Competition finalist, Ms Browne has also performed in Musical Theater, appearing in ShowBoat at the University of Kentucky Opera Theater. A native of the island of St. Kitts and Nevis and longtime resident of Piscataway, New Jersey, Ms. Browne attended Lehigh University where she received a dual degree, a BA in Music and a BS in Biochemistry. She also holds a Master of Arts from the John Cali School of Music. Ms Browne will sing the role of Amneris in Gateway’s 2018 Aida production. Aida will mark her debut appearance with Gateway Classical Music Society and her first time performing the role of Amneris.

Alexander Boyd, Baritone, was characterized in Classical Voice America as having "melded a firm baritone with moody acting" as Moruccio, in the Sarasota Opera's production of the D'Albert opera Tiefland. This past summer, he sang the role of Donner in Wagner’s Das Rhinegold with the Pittsburgh Opera Festival and performed with the Mastersingers on a Wagner scenes program. Mr. Boyd, according to the Sarasota Observer, "gave Le Dancaïre the proper mix of menace and mirth" in Carmen with the Sarasota Opera. Mr. Boyd has also performed Barone Douphol (La Traviata) with the St. Petersburg Opera, Dr. Carrasco/Knight of the Mirrors (Man of La Mancha) with The Muses Project in Arkansas, and has given a recital of arias for the Brooklyn Public Library. Last year, he made his international debut in Cyprus as King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors with the Kyrenia Opera. On the West Coast, he "sang with stentorian tones" (Opera Today) for the Pacific Opera Project's double bill of Salieri's Prima la musica, e poi le parole, and Josh Shaw's English libretto set to Mozart's The Impresario. Working with contemporary composers, Mr. Boyd played the role of Jensen in Jeeyoung Kim's revival of her 2012 opera, From my mother's mother, and performed selections of Joel Feigin's opera Twelfth Night in concert at the National Opera Center. He made his off-broadway debut with The Little Opera Theater of NY as Jess in Carlisle Floyd's Slow Dusk, and took second place in the New York Lyric Opera Theater’s 2016 vocal competition. Other credits include Mr. Gobineau (The Medium) with Opera Maine, Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) with Manhattan Opera Studio, Haly (L'Italiana in Algeri) with the Sarasota Opera, and Prince Yamadori (Madama Butterfly) with Prelude to Performance. The role of Amonasro in Aida will mark his first appearances with Gateway. 

Christopher Nazarian, Bass, has sung principal roles all over the world. This season, he has performed the roles of Leporello in Don Giovanni with the St. Petersburg Opera; Pistola in Falstaff with Prelude to Performance- Martina Arroyo Foundation; Yamadori in Madama Butterfly with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea; Ben in The Telephone with The International Vocal Arts Institute; and Colline in La boheme with the New Rochelle Opera. Other roles he has performed include Sarastro/ Sprecher in The Magic Flute and Truffaldino/ Lackai in Ariadne Auf Naxos with the Berlin Opera Academy; Buffo in Der Schauspieldirektor, Gideon March/ Mr Dashwood in Little Women; King Balthazar in Amal and the Night Visitors; Rudolfo in La sonnambula with Penrith Symphony Orchestra; Frere Laurance in Romeo and Juliet with IVAI; and Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with the Western Sydney Opera. Mr. Nazarian has also performed as the bass soloist in the Bernstein Mass at the Sydney Opera House and in Handel’s Messiah with the Penrith Symphony. Awards include the winner of Russian Song at Sydney Eisteddfod, a finalist in Opera Awards and Male Operatic Voice, a finalist in the Lady Fairfax New York scholarship award and in The Opera Foundation for Young Australians. In addition to his operatic credits, Mr. Nazarian is a pianist who has appeared as the soloist for the performances of: Babajanian- Heroic Ballade for Piano and Orchestra; and Chopin - Piano Concerto No1 in e-minor with the Ryde Hunters Hill Symphony Orchestra; Rachmaninov- Piano Concerto No2 in c-minor with the Eroica Ensemble; Beethoven- Piano Concerto No3 in c-minor with the Sydney University Intercol Orchestra; and Manera- Concertante for Piano and Orchestra at the ABC Classic FM with the Sydney Conservatorium Modern Music Ensemble. Mr. Nazarian is from Australia and attended the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he received a Master in Piano and a Master in Opera Performance. The role of the King in Aida will mark his debut performances with Gateway.

Kofi Hayford, Bass, has been described as possessing an “impressive” (Brooklyn Discovery) “sonorous,” (Meet Me at the Opera) and “stentorian bass voice” (National Herald). Mr. Hayford’s major opera roles include: La Roche in Strauss’ Capriccio, Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Mephistopheles in Faust, Rodolfo in La Sonnambula, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto, Commendatore in Don Giovanni, and Baldassare in La Favorita. Mr. Hayford sang the inaugural performance of the Greek Opera Olympic Flame singing the role of the titan Prometheus at Lincoln Center - later receiving an award from UNESCO for this performance. Other operatic roles and oratorio engagements include: The Monk and The Grand Inquisitor in Verdi’s Don Carlo; The Bonze in Madama Butterfly; Bass Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and Rossini's Stabat Mater; Angelotti and Sacristan in Puccini’s Tosca; Masetto in Don Giovanni, the Doctor and Baron Douphol in Verdi's La Traviata; Balthazar in Amahl & The Night Visitors. Awards include the 2018 1st Place Winner of the Tchaikovsky Music Competition in Albany and the 2017 NJ State Opera Guild Competition Finalist. Born in Guyana, Mr. Hayford received his Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from SUNY Buffalo. Since graduating, Mr. Hayford has sung with the following organizations: United Nations Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Loft Opera, Apotheosis Opera, Chelsea Opera, Central Florida Lyric Opera, Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Regina Opera, Vocal Productions NYC, dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, Manhattan Opera Studio, Amore Opera, Erie Opera Theatre, and several others. Mr. Hayford will perform the role of Ramfis in Aida with Gateway in November of 2018, which will mark his debut appearance with Gateway and first time performing the role of Ramfis. 

Yezu (Elizabeth) Woo, Violinist has performed as a recitalist and soloist in major concert halls and with orchestras worldwide including the North Czech Philharmonic, Slowakishe Radio Symphonie Orchester, Bulgaria Symphony, Romanian National Constanza Orchestra, Venezuela Philharmonic, New Jersey Philharmonic, Bozeman Symphony and the Pyongyang Symphony of North Korea, as well as the Sungnam, KBS, Jeju, Mostly Philharmonic and Gangwon Province's Orchestras of South Korea. She debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2004 as the youngest performer to have performed all of Paganini’s 24 Caprices for solo violin. She has performed outside the realm of classical music with the KBS Korean Traditional Orchestra that presents a fusion of Korean traditional music and classical music. ​​Born in Freiburg, Germany, Ms. Woo returned to Korea as an infant; and, at the age of 10, she moved to the U.S. where she later studied with Albert Markov at the Manhattan School of Music and with Catherine Cho at The Juilliard School. ​​The 2015 Gateway Orchestra Tri-State Tour featured Ms Woo in the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1, and the 2016/17 Tri-State Tour, as a participant orchestra in the New York Philharmonic's New World Initiative, featured Ms Woo in the Brahms Violin Concerto.  

Xiao Wang, Violinist, was the first prize winner of the Szigeti International Violin Competition and laureate of the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Competition in addition to having won numerous other prizes and awards. He has performed as a soloist and collaborator with orchestras worldwide including the National Orchestra of Belgium, Kodaly Philharmonic Orchestra in Hungary, Gewandhaus Academisches Orchester in Leipzig, Germany, the Texas Music Festival Orchestra and others. Mr. Wang was quoted by the New York Times as “… wonderfully clean in Sibelius, and he made the most of its expressive opportunities.” He is a passionate chamber musician having collaborated with Phillip Entremont and the American String Quartet, as well as members of the Mendelssohn String Quartet and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Wang currently studies with Lucie Robert at the Manhattan School of Music where he has been awarded a full scholarship. The 2015 Gateway Orchestra Tri-State featured Mr. Wang in the Sibelius Violin Concerto. 

Michael Pilafian, Pianist, has played for the voice studio of Carolina Segrera and performed concerts internationally with the Ambassadors of Opera. He was music director of the After Dinner Opera Company with which he premiered several chamber operas by Seymour Barab.  He has played for the former New York Grand Opera (1973-2012), the Center for Contemporary Opera, Opera on the Hudson, Taconic Opera, and the Juilliard School of Music. Mr. Pilafian works as a rehearsal pianist for Gateway Classical Music Society.   

Philip S. Salter, Composer, has composed numerous works for voice and chamber ensemble, and he has written an opera to the text of Oscar Wilde’s unfinished A Florentine Tragedy in collaboration with noted librettist Frank Crocitto.  Other works include an overture for full orchestra.  Most of Mr. Salter’s compositions feature the solo voice. Mary Cazzato, 1921 is one of several pieces set to texts by acclaimed American poet Mary Jo Salter, his sister. One or two of the pieces were set to texts by Laura Salter, his daughter. Gateway Classical Music Society premiered Mr. Salter’s first composition, His Master’s Voice, in 2009.  Mr. Salter has sung leading roles as an operatic tenor. He studied voice at The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and composition at Peabody Conservatory and The Juilliard School. 

Mary Jo Salter, Poet,  is known as a leading figure of the New Formalism movement and has published many collections of poems, including Nothing by Design (Alfred A. Knopf, 2013), A Phone Call to the Future (Alfred A. Knopf, 2008), and Open Shutters (Alfred A. Knopf, 2003). Poet Carolyn Kizer described Salter’s work as “poems of breathtaking elegance: in formal control, in intellectual subtlety, in learning lightly displayed.” Ms Salter received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, where she studied with poet Elizabeth Bishop. She received her master’s degree from Cambridge University in 1978 and was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from Amherst College in 2010.  She is Professor of Writings Seminars at John Hopkins University. 

Danielle Davis, Soprano, is noted for her “high pure notes” that she “delivers with power and sustainability” (Memos from Maddalena).  Ms Davis performed at Carnegie Hall where she was described as a “stand out” who sings “with authority and good dynamic control” (Voce di meche).  Her opera credits include Sieglinde in Die Walküre with Concert Opera of Philadelphia, the title roles of Suor Angelica with Hawai'i Performing Arts Festival and Tosca with West Side Opera Society, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, the title role of Turandot  and Chysothemis in Elektra with Opera Company of Brooklyn, and Giorghetta in Il tabarro with North Shore Music Festival.  Ms Davis was a soloist in last season's performances of Opera Highlights with the Gateway Orchestra.  This season she is a  participating soloist in Gateway's 2020 virtual premiere of Daunting is the Woman by Ida Angland and the virtual performances of two songs by Philip Salter.