La traviata

A passionate interpreter of opera, concert repertoire, and song, soprano Sara Gartland has firmly established herself as an artist to watch, displaying a talent for dramatic storytelling and comedy. In the 25/26 season, Sara will debut with Lyric Opera of Kansas City for Of Mice and Men (Curley’s Wife) and will return to Opera Colorado for La traviata (Violetta), Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for A Streetcar Named Desire (Blanche), and the Jacksonville Symphony as the title role in a fully staged production of Tosca.

Last season, Sara returned to Atlanta Opera for Macbeth (Lady Macbeth) and The Dallas Opera for La traviata (Violetta), and she debuted at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for Die Fledermaus (Rosalinde) and Calgary Opera for a double bill of Gianni Schicchi and Bluebeard’s Castle (Nella and Judith).

In 23/24, Sara made her European debuts with Semperoper Dresden and Oldenburgisches Staatstheater in Die tote Stadt (Marie/Marietta). She debuted with Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera in Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira) and returned to Des Moines Metro Opera for her first performances of the titular role in Strauss’ iconic Salome in a new production conducted by David Neely and directed by Nathan Troupe. In 22/23, Sara saw debuts at Pittsburgh Opera in Rusalka (title role), Opera San Antonio in Pagliacci (Nedda), Minnesota Opera in Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira), and a return to DMMO for Bluebeard’s Castle (Judith).

Additional career highlights include creating the role of Rose in the world premiere production of A Thousand Acres with libretto by Kristin Kuster and Mark Campbell for the 50th Anniversary season at the Des Moines Metro Opera, where she has also performed the title roles of Rusalka and Jenůfa, Wozzeck (Marie), The Queen of Spades (Liza), Roméo et Juliette (Juliette), and Regina (Alexandra).

Ms. Gartland is a graduate of the prestigious Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera, where she performed in numerous productions, including Carmen (Micaëla), the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ Heart of a Soldier (Pat/Ann), Die Walküre (Gerhilde), Madama Butterfly (Kate Pinkerton), and Le nozze di Figaro (Barbarina), which was her San Francisco Opera main stage debut. Prior to becoming an Adler, Sara participated in the Merola Opera Program and performed in L’amico Fritz (Suzel).

Ben Reisinger is a tenor from Rochester, New York, currently in his second year in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Ben has recently made the journey from baritone to tenor and finds himself happily at home vocally as a lyric tenor.

In 25/26, Ben makes two role and house debuts, singing Roméo in Roméo et Juliette with Opera Nacional de Chile and Alfredo in La traviata with Opera Colorado. He will also cover the Duke in Rigoletto at San Francisco Opera. At the Metropolitan Opera, he will sing Gastone in La traviata, the First armoured man in Die Zauberflöte, and the Sailor in Tristan und Isolde. Future engagements include a return as a guest artist at the Metropolitan Opera as well as house debuts at Opéra national de Paris and Dresden Semperoper.

He was recently awarded the 2025 Sara Tucker Study Grant, the 2024 Career Grant from the Sullivan Foundation, the 2024 Athena Music Foundation prize from the Premiere Opera Foundation Vocal Competition, 1st prize at the Partners for the Arts Competition and Florentine Opera Competition, and 2nd place at the 2025 Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition. In 2020 and 2021, he was the winner of the Michigan District and recipient of the Great Lakes Region Encouragement Award in the Met’s Laffont Competition. He is an alumnus of the Martina Arroyo Foundation’s Prelude to Performance program and Detroit Opera’s Resident Artist Program. He holds degrees in voice from Nazareth College and Michigan State University. In his spare time, Ben enjoys spending time with his Labrador Retriever, Hank, and is an avid golfer.

Having appeared at many of North America’s most significant houses, baritone Weston Hurt made his critically-acclaimed UK debut last season as the titular Rigoletto with English National Opera. In the 2025-2026 season, Mr. Hurt returns to two favorite roles: he brings his interpretation of Germont in La traviata to Utah Opera and Opera Colorado, and sings Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Fort Worth Opera. On the concert stage he makes debuts with the Reno Philharmonic for Orff’s Carmina Burana, and the North Carolina Symphony for Handel’s Messiah. 

In addition to Rigoletto at ENO, the 2024-25 season brought the baritone’s house and role debut as Tonio in Pagliacci with Pensacola Opera as well as performances of Germont in La traviata with the Berkshire Opera Festival. Mr. Hurt joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera in the 2023-2024 season, covering Alvaro in Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas. Additionally, he returned to Houston Grand Opera as Sharpless in their Miller Outdoor Theatre performances of Madama Butterfly, and bowed with Madison Opera for their annual Opera in the Park concert.

During the 2022-23 season, Mr. Hurt made several returns to signature roles, including Germont with Lyric Opera of Kansas City in La traviata, Scarpia with Arizona Opera in Tosca, and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with New Orleans Opera. On the concert stage, he joined Opera Roanoke for Britten’s War Requiem and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra for Verdi’s Requiem.

He has sung Schaunard in La bohème at the Dallas Opera, Peter in Hansel and Gretel at the Portland Opera; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor at Portland Opera, the Arizona Opera and Austin Lyric Opera; the Count in Le nozze di Figaro at Michigan Opera Theater, Frank in Die tote Stadt at the Dallas Opera and the New York City Opera, and a performance of Der ferne Klang with the American Symphony Orchestra in Avery Fisher Hall.

A graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center, Mr. Hurt has received many notable vocal awards, including 1st place and the People’s Choice Award from the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition, the Vienna Prize from the George London Foundation, and 1st Place in the Oratorio Society of New York Competition, as well as various awards from the Liederkranz Foundation, Metropolitan Opera National Council, and Palm Beach Opera Competition, and two career grants from The Santa Fe Opera.

Jordan McCready is a mezzo-soprano originally from Anchorage, AK. She completed her master’s degree in voice at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with Catherine Cook. There, she performed in Riders to the Sea (Maurya), Così fan tutte (Dorabella), Serse (Serse), Zanetto (Zanetto), The Marriage of Figaro (Cherubino), and Hansel and Gretel (Hansel). She has performed chorus and cover roles at companies such as Des Moines Metro Opera (The Magic Flute chorus), Opera Parallèle (Harvey Milk Reimagined chorus), Anchorage Opera (chorus 2016-2018), and Pocket Opera (Fox cover in The Cunning Little Vixen). Jordan received a Metropolitan Opera Laffont Encouragement Award in 2024, was the winner of the Shirley Rabb Winston Scholarship through the National Society of Arts and Letters, received second place in the James Toland Young Artist Competition, and was the winner of the Anchorage Festival of Music Young Artist award in 2023. During the 2025-26 Season, Jordan is thrilled to be joining Opera Colorado as one of their Artists in Residence. She will sing in the touring productions of Romeo & Juliet (Stephano) and The Pirates of Penzance (Ruth). On the Ellie Caulkins mainstage, she will perform in La traviata (Flora) and Madama Butterfly (Kate Pinkerton). When Jordan is not performing, you can find her hiking, trail running, mountain biking, skiing, or doing anything that gets her outside.

Tenor Daniel Miller, a native of Arvada, CO, is thrilled to return to Opera Colorado’s roster of talented Artists in Residence for the 2025-26 Season. Daniel holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University. This season, he will perform in La traviata (Gastone) on the Ellie Caulkins mainstage, as well as in Opera Colorado’s touring productions of Romeo & Juliet (Romeo) and The Pirates of Penzance (Frederic). In 2025, he was an Apprentice Artist with Central City Opera’s Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists, where he covered the role of Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville. He has previously appeared in a wide range of opera and musical theater productions, including Les Misérables (Jean Valjean), The Magic Flute (Tamino), Albert Herring (The Mayor), and Little Women (Laurie).

Mason Fontanilla O’Brien is a baritone from Memphis, Tennessee, and is thrilled to join Opera Colorado’s Artist in Residence program for the 2025-26 Season. This year, he will appear on the Ellie Caulkins mainstage in La traviata (Baron Douphol) and Madama Butterfly (Prince Yamadori), and will perform in the touring productions of Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio) and The Pirates of Penzance (Major General). Mason holds a master’s degree from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky. Favorite past performances include Don Giovanni (Leporello) at Prague Summer Nights, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bottom) and Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi) at Lamont Opera, and Madama Butterfly (Imperial Commissioner) with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic.

Bass-baritone Oliver Poveda Zavala, originally from the highland country of Ecuador, is a graduate of the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. Oliver is a returning Artist in Residence for Opera Colorado’s 2025-26 Season. Last season, Oliver sang in the touring productions of The Barber of Seville (Bartolo) and Hansel and Gretel (Father), and appeared in the mainstage production of La bohème (Benoit). This season, Oliver will perform in the touring productions of The Pirates of Penzance (Samuel and Sergeant of Police) and Romeo & Juliet (Friar Lawrence), and will make a role debut in La traviata (Dr. Grenvil). Oliver made his debut in La fanciulla del West (José Castro) as an Apprentice Artist with Central City Opera for their 2024 summer festival season, where he also covered the role of Ashby in La fanciulla del West and Mr. Olsen in Street Scene. In 2023, Oliver appeared in Opera Colorado’s Student Matinee performance of Don Giovanni (Masetto), sang in Die Fledermaus (Dr. Falke) with Opera in Williamsburg, and participated in Central City Opera’s apprenticeship program, where he sang in the Emerging Artists Matinee of Romeo and Juliet (Frère Laurent) and in Otello (Elmiro cover). Oliver has worked with multiple companies in Colorado, including Opera Steamboat, Boulder Opera, and Denver Immersive Opera, where he performed in La bohème (Colline), the abridged version of Lori Laitman’s The Three Feathers (Frog King), Xavier Montsalvatge’s El gato con botas (El ogro), and Bluebeard’s Castle (Duke Bluebeard). In November 2022, he sang in Don Giovanni (Leporello) with the Vincerò Academy in Mazatlán, Mexico, and in 2021, he made his company debut with Opera in Williamsburg in The Elixir of Love (Dr. Dulcamara). In August 2021, he performed in ISOFOM’s production of The Marriage of Figaro (Bartolo and Antonio) in Morelia, Mexico. Other recent roles include Les mamelles de Tirésias (Monsieur Presto), L’enfant et les sortilèges (Le Fauteuil and L’Arbre), Cabildo (Gaoler), The Magic Flute (Sarastro), Gianni Schicchi (Simone), and Il tabarro (Talpa) with the Lamont Opera Theatre during his studies at the University of Denver. Oliver is the 2021 and 2022 winner of the Ann Logan Craft Vocal Competition, a 2021 finalist at the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition, and a recipient of the Sherry Shepherd Sargent Memorial Award.

Bridget Ravenscraft, soprano, is thrilled to join the Artists in Residence at Opera Colorado for the 2025-26 Season. Recently, she was an apprentice artist with Des Moines Metro Opera, where she sang in Sweeney Todd and Pique Dame (chorus). She spent two summers as a conservatory artist at the Bay View Music Festival, singing in Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel), La Cenerentola (Clorinda), and Carmen (Micaëla). In May 2025, Bridget graduated with her Artist Diploma from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. During her two years at UIUC with Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, she performed in Oklahoma! (Aunt Eller), Monteverdi’s Orfeo (La Musica), and was awarded second prize in the Krannert Debut Artist Competition. During her residency at Opera Colorado, Bridget will sing in the touring productions of Romeo & Juliet (Juliet) and The Pirates of Penzance (Mabel). On the Ellie Caulkins mainstage, she will perform in La traviata (Annina, Violetta study cover).

Hailing from Oneida, NY, bass-baritone Kevin Spooner has performed on stages throughout the United States. During the 2025-26 Season, Kevin will be an Artist in Residence with Opera Colorado, where he will perform in La traviata (Marquis d’Obigny) on the Ellie Caulkins mainstage and in the touring productions of Romeo and Juliet (Lord Capulet) and The Pirates of Penzance (The Pirate King). This season, Kevin will make his debut with the Charlottesville Symphony in Dvořák’s Mass in D Major (bass soloist) and perform at the Savannah VOICE Festival (guest recitalist).

Recent performances include Die Fledermaus (Dr. Falke) and Ballymore (The Ballad Singer, Andy Tracey) with the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute; Joan of Arc: The Trial at Rouen (The Jailor) with Piedmont Opera; Macbeth (Medico; Banco cover) with Teatro Nuovo at New York City Center; The Music Man (Mayor Shinn) and The Elixir of Love (Dr. Dulcamara cover) with Charlottesville Opera; La bohème (Schaunard) and The Marriage of Figaro (Figaro cover, Antonio) with Opera Steamboat; and concert appearances as bass soloist in Messiah, Five Mystical Songs, and several Bach cantatas with the Choral Society of Greensboro and the Salem Bach Festival. Kevin received a 2024 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Encouragement Award in the New York City District. Kevin completed his Professional Artist Certificate at the UNCSA A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, where he also received his Master of Music degree, and holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music.

Appointed in 2015 as Opera Colorado’s first-ever music director, Ari Pelto’s “breathtaking wizardry in the pit” (The Denver Post) has been widely celebrated, with Pelto in demand at opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. At the age of 24, Pelto was appointed Assistant Conductor at the Spoleto Festival and he has since gone on to conduct worldwide. International engagements include performances with Bochumer Philharmoniker and opera productions at New National Theatre of Tokyo and the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador. In 2004 he made his highly-praised debut with New York City Opera, conducting La Traviata, after which he became a regular, returning for productions of Madama Butterfly, La bohème, and Carmen. Recent successes include Eugene Onegin at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Lucia di Lammermoor at Virginia Opera, and La Voix Humaine at Chicago Opera Theater.

Iranian conductor and pianist, Sahar Nouri, has been Music Director of Lamont Opera Theater at University of Denver since 2019. She has also served at Opera Colorado as Chorus Master & Assistant Conductor since 2016. Ms. Nouri is the founder/director of Dandelion Opera Institute.

At the University of Denver, Ms. Nouri has conducted productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Die Zauberflöte, Alcina, Cabildo, Les mamelles de Tirésias, and The Little Prince.

Her work with Opera Colorado has included productions of Samson and Delilah, The Flying Dutchman, Don Giovanni, Turandot, Die tote Stadt, Rigoletto, Carmen, The Shining, Tosca, Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci, The Marriage of Figaro, La traviata, Falstaff, The Barber of Seville, La bohème, La fanciulla del West, and the world premiere of Steal a Pencil for Me (Gerald Cohen).

Previously, Ms. Nouri has been part of the music staff at San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra at Bravo! Vail, Opera Parallèle, Opera North Carolina, Glimmerglass Festival, Utah Opera, Aspen Opera Theatre, Opera Steamboat, Merola Opera, Boston Conservatory of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

An active performer, she has given numerous recitals around the US including those alongside international stars Mane Galoyan, Heidi Melton, and Matthew Polenzani. A multi-lingual coach, she has studied in Czechia, Italy, and Austria and is frequently in demand as a language coach.

Ms. Nouri is a former violinist who has performed with Tehran Philharmonic Orchestra and has won several prizes, for both violin and piano, in national music festivals and competitions in Iran.

Marco Nisticò is an accomplished stage director and arts professional, born in Italy, whose work is driven by a deep commitment to the emotional truth of operatic storytelling. Known for his actor-centered approach and ability to draw out nuanced, human performances, Marco brings clarity, theatrical instinct, and musical integrity to every production he directs. His recent work reflects a passion for uncovering the essential connections between characters and audience, stripping away convention to reveal the raw power of opera.

Before turning his full focus to directing and producing, Marco enjoyed a vibrant international career as a baritone, performing for over twenty-five years on major stages including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro di San Carlo, West Australian Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Opera Colorado. With a repertoire spanning from Mozart and Rossini to Verdi and contemporary works, he was praised for his expressive singing, comic flair, and dramatic depth. His experience as a performer continues to inform his directing, allowing him to collaborate with singers from a place of understanding and trust.

Marco is currently beginning a new chapter as Opera Producer at the Fisher Center at Bard, where he is excited to join a forward-thinking artistic team and help shape the future of opera through bold programming and creative leadership. His upcoming directing projects include Julietta by Bohuslav Martinů with the Bard Music Festival in summer 2025, and Verdi’s Il trovatore with Sarasota Opera in 2026. These productions reflect his continued dedication to both classic and lesser-known repertoire, brought to life with insight and theatrical sensitivity.