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Raymond Diaz Escamillo<br />
Raymond studied at S.U.N.Y. Purchase College. He sang the title<br />
role in their production of Don Giovanni, for which he received rave<br />
reviews from <strong>Opera</strong> News. <strong>The</strong> same publication found him, again,<br />
worthy of praise for his portrayal of Bottom in Pittsburgh <strong>Opera</strong>’s<br />
production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mr. Diaz has been<br />
selected as an award winner of the Heinz Rehfuss Competition, the<br />
Mario Lanza Competition, the Sullivan Foundation, the Licia Albanese<br />
Puccini Foundation, and was selected as a regional finalist of the Met<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> competition. Mr. Diaz has performed with NYC <strong>Opera</strong>, and<br />
many other companies throughout the US.<br />
Allegra Durante Manuela<br />
Allegra first performed with <strong>Amore</strong> in this season’s Die Fledermaus.<br />
Experience includes work with New Jersey Verismo <strong>Opera</strong> (the Page,<br />
Rigoletto; chorus, Aida); concerts of Lucia di Lammermoor, Linda de<br />
Chamounix, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah; acting in the 2010 NY Fringe<br />
Festival; and seven years with home-school theatre groups in New<br />
York. In addition to ongoing voice training with Evelyn LaQuaif, Allegra<br />
is a student at the Lucy Moses School, a dancer, and an alumna of<br />
HB Studio.<br />
Mark Franko-Filipasic Don Jose<br />
Mark is delighted to perform in another production at the <strong>Amore</strong> <strong>Opera</strong>,<br />
this time as Don Jose in Carmen. He has performed a wide range<br />
of lyric and dramatic tenor roles with companies including Amato<br />
<strong>Opera</strong>, Island Lyric <strong>Opera</strong>, Family <strong>Opera</strong> of New Jersey, <strong>Opera</strong> Music<br />
<strong>The</strong>ater Institute, Suncoast <strong>Opera</strong>, <strong>The</strong> Lyric <strong>The</strong>atre, Houston Grand<br />
<strong>Opera</strong>, St. Petersburg Grand <strong>Opera</strong>, Tampa Bay <strong>Opera</strong>, <strong>Opera</strong> North<br />
and Connecticut Grand <strong>Opera</strong>.<br />
Emily Geller Mercédès<br />
Emily is happily returning to <strong>Amore</strong> after performing 3rd Lady in <strong>The</strong><br />
Magic Flute. Recent roles: Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites),<br />
Katisha (<strong>The</strong> Mikado), La maestra delle novizie (Suor Angelica), Miss.<br />
Todd (Old Maid and the Thief) and Mrs. Herring (Albert Herring). She<br />
has performed with One World Symphony, NY Lyric <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>The</strong>ater,<br />
VLOG, Intermezzo <strong>Opera</strong>, CLOC, Harvard-Radcliffe G&S Players, and<br />
BU’s Tanglewood Vocal Program. Ms. Geller graduated with a B.M.<br />
in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory. This June she<br />
will be singing Voice of Antonia’s Mother in Les Contes d’Hoffmann<br />
with Regina <strong>Opera</strong>.<br />
Melissa Gerstein Mercédès<br />
A New York Sun review of her performance from Cosi fan tutte from<br />
the famed Amato <strong>Opera</strong> stated: “Melissa Gerstein was a versatile<br />
Dorabella, putting her all into “Smanie implacabili,” an aria just a little<br />
too tragic for us not to hear the cackle of Mozart in the background.”<br />
She trained and performed with the American Singers’ <strong>Opera</strong> Project<br />
in NYC, Académie Internationale d’Eté de Nice, University of Miami’s<br />
Summer in Salzburg and the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium in Italy.<br />
<strong>Opera</strong>tic credits include, Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier),<br />
Siebel (Romeo et Juliette), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro),<br />
Annio (La Clemenza di Tito), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) and Auntie<br />
(Peter Grimes).
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