Manon

Lisette Oropesa was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and studied voice at Louisiana State University. After winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she was accepted into the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and made her debut there at the age of 22 as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. She was soon invited to perform regularly at the world’s leading opera houses. Her repertoire includes Violetta (La traviata, performed at the Met, Teatro Real, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, and Arena di Verona), Lucia di Lammermoor, Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Manon, Rodelinda, and Marguerite (Les Huguenots). At the Met, she appeared as Manon, Nannetta (Falstaff), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), and Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro); at the Bavarian State Opera and in Paris as Konstanze; and as Gilda (Rigoletto) at the Dutch National Opera, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Los Angeles Opera, the Met, Opéra National de Paris, and Teatro Real. At the Glyndebourne Festival, she sang Norina (Don Pasquale), and at the Royal Opera House in London, she appeared in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor. In concert, she has performed with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Daniele Gatti, Fabio Luisi, and William Christie. In the 2021/22 season, she performed Handel’s Theodora on a European tour, Gilda at the Royal Opera House in London, Giulietta (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) at La Scala, and Konstanze and Lucia di Lammermoor at the Vienna State Opera.

Benjamin Bernheim studied with Gary Magby in Lausanne and was a member of the International Opera Studio and later of the ensemble at the Zurich Opera House. The French tenor has since established himself as a regular guest at the most prestigious opera houses, including the Opéra de Paris, the Vienna and Berlin State Operas, and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. In 2020, he was named "Opera Singer of the Year" at the Les Victoires de la Musique Awards and "Musical Personality of the Year" by the French Critics’ Association. That same year, his debut album received both a "Diapason d’Or" and a "Choc de Classica".

Highlights of his career to date include the title role in Faust (Opéra national de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and Latvian National Opera), Roméo in Roméo et Juliette (Opéra national de Paris and Zurich Opera House), Rodolfo in La bohème (Opéra national de Paris, Zurich Opera House, Royal Opera House, Berlin State Opera, and Vienna State Opera), Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Zurich Opera House, Vienna State Opera, and Salzburg Festival), and Alfredo in La traviata (Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House, Zurich Opera House, Semperoper Dresden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra national de Bordeaux, and Berlin State Opera).

He has also given song recitals at the Salzburg Festival, the Verbier Festival, La Grange au Lac, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Philharmonie de Luxembourg, and the Wiener Konzerthaus. Most recently, he made his role debut as Ruggero Lastouc in Puccini’s La rondine at the Zurich Opera House. Benjamin Bernheim is an exclusive artist with Deutsche Grammophon.

Yannick Debus studied voice at the Lübeck University of Music, the Basel Music Academy, and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Alongside his vocal studies, he studied music theory and ear training in Lübeck. During his studies, he sang at the theaters in Kiel and Lübeck, including the lead role of the Poet in L’impresario in angustie (Cimarosa). As part of the Junge Oper Schloss Weikersheim, he appeared in the summer of 2017 in the role of the Father in Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera Hänsel und Gretel. In the summer of 2018, he sang the role of Guglielmo in Così fan tutte at the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg. He was seen at the Theater Basel as the Emperor Overall in Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis, as Figaro in Milhaud’s La mère coupable, and at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music as Emireno in Handel’s Ottone, re di Germania. From 2020 to 2022, he was a member of the International Opera Studio in Zurich, where he appeared as Kilian in Der Freischütz, as Speaker and 2nd Priest in Die Zauberflöte, as Hermann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, as Thierry in Dialogues des Carmélites, and as Pieter in Girl with a Pearl Earring. He has a close collaboration with René Jacobs, with whom he appeared as Orpheus in Telemann’s opera of the same name in Basel, and in 2022 as Apollo in Handel’s Apollo e Dafne, as Kilian and Ottokar on the CD release tour of Der Freischütz, and in Israel in Egypt. In 2022, he sang Haydn’s Creation at the Berlin Konzerthaus and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at the Berlin Philharmonic.

French bass-baritone Nicolas Testé studied at the Opéra National de Paris and at the Centre de Formation Lyrique in Paris. In 1998, he won second prize at the “Voix Nouvelles” competition. He performs regularly on international stages, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Los Angeles Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra National de Paris, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Theater an der Wien, as well as at the Glyndebourne Festival and the Chorégies d’Orange.

In concert, he has appeared at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Semperoper Dresden, Philharmonie Munich, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Shanghai Symphony Hall, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

In the 2017/18 season, he sang Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor) at the Bavarian State Opera, Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia) at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, Giorgio Talbot (Maria Stuarda) in Zurich, Méphistophélès (Faust) and Alvise Badoero (La Gioconda by Ponchielli) at Deutsche Oper Berlin.

The 2018/19 season took him to the Opéra Bastille as Marcel in Les Huguenots, to the Met in New York as Nourabad in Les Pêcheurs de perles, to the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris as Hérode in L’enfance du Christ, and to the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Claudius in Thomas’ Hamlet. Most recently, in February 2020, he appeared as Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette at La Scala in Milan.

The English tenor Daniel Norman began his musical career as a boy soprano at Lichfield Cathedral and as a chorister at New College, Oxford. He initially studied engineering before continuing his vocal training, among others, at Tanglewood and studying Lied singing at the Britten-Pears School. Subsequently, he was a member of the Opera Studio at the Royal Academy of Music London. His special dedication to Lied singing has taken him to concert halls such as Wigmore Hall, Kings Place in London, and the Oxford Lieder Festival. In opera, Daniel Norman has appeared at opera houses including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, English National Opera, Nederlandse Reisopera, Opera Boston, Opéra National de Paris, Bavarian State Opera Munich, New Israeli Opera, Scottish Opera Glasgow, Arena di Verona, and the Mariinsky Theatre St. Petersburg. He has sung roles ranging from early Baroque to contemporary works, with a particular focus on the music of Benjamin Britten. A solo CD featuring Britten’s Winter Words and Who Are These Children was released. Most recently, he made his debut as Nixon in Nixon in China at the Staatsoper Hannover. At Zurich Opera House, he is currently performing in Barkouf and Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd.

Andrew Moore, bass-baritone, is from New Jersey. He studied at Rutgers University and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In 2017, he was a finalist in the New Jersey State Opera Alfredo Silipigni Competition and in the same year sang the baritone part in Fauré’s Requiem with the New Jersey Chamber Singers. In 2018, he participated in the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco, where he sang in the Schwabacher Summer Concert and The Rake’s Progress. In 2019, he was a participant in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and reached the New England Regional Finals, where he was awarded the Susan Eastman Encouragement Award. That same year, he appeared at Santa Fe Opera in productions of La Bohème, Così fan tutte, and Jenůfa. Further appearances included Vicar (Albert Herring), Fiorello (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Talpa (Il tabarro), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Rocco (Fidelio), L’Arbre (L’Enfant et les sortilèges), and Adonis (Venus und Adonis). From 2020 to 2022, he was a member of the International Opera Studio, where he sang Mamma Agata in Viva la mamma, Gouverneur (Le Comte Ory), Masetto in Don Giovanni, and the title role in Die Odyssee. Since the 2022/23 season, he has been part of the ensemble at the Opernhaus Zürich. In the 2024/25 season, he will perform as Paolo Albiani (Simon Boccanegra), Max (In 80 Tagen um die Welt), Don Fernando (Fidelio), Paqui / Vertreter (Das grosse Feuer), and Marullo (Rigoletto) in Zürich.

Yewon Han is a South Korean soprano. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Classical Voice at Seoul National University and continued her training in the Young Artist Program of the Korea National Opera Studio (2021–2022) as well as at the International Opera Studio Zurich (2022–2024). Yewon Han has performed a wide range of roles in Korea and Europe, including Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Romilda in Serse, Li Si in Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos. In 2025, she will appear as Ophelia in Hamlet at the Buxton International Festival. She has received numerous awards, including first prize at the 60th Concurso Tenor Viñas (2023), third prize at the International Singing Competition Neue Stimmen (2022), and several first prizes at major singing competitions in South Korea.

In the 2025/26 season, Yewon Han will continue as a permanent ensemble member at Zurich Opera, where she will appear in a wide-ranging repertoire.

Rebeca Olvera is from Mexico and studied at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Mexico City. From 2005 to 2007, she was a member of the International Opera Studio at the Zurich Opera House. Afterwards, she became a permanent ensemble member and performed roles such as Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Norina (Don Pasquale), Berenice (L’occasione fa il ladro), Giulia (La scala di seta), Rosina (Paisiello’s Il barbiere di Siviglia), Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Madame Herz (Der Schauspieldirektor), Dorinda (Orlando), Isolier (Le comte Ory), Adalgisa (Norma), and Zaida (Il turco in Italia). She worked with conductors including Ralf Weikert, Vladimir Fedoseyev, William Christie, Marc Minkowski, Nello Santi, Adam Fischer, Fabio Luisi, Diego Fasolis, Franz Welser-Möst, Emmanuelle Haïm, and Alessandro De Marchi. She gave concerts with José Carreras in South America and Europe (Carreras Gala 2007 on ARD) and with Plácido Domingo in Mexico. In 2016, she sang Adalgisa in Norma alongside Cecilia Bartoli at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, at the Edinburgh Festival, and at the Baden-Baden Festival House. In Zurich, she appeared as Despina, Musetta, Frasquita (Carmen), Mi (Das Land des Lächelns), Zaida (Il turco in Italia), Komtesse Stasi (Die Csárdásfürstin), Waldvöglein (Siegfried), and Contessa di Folleville (Il viaggio a Reims) — the latter role also performed at the Royal Danish Opera. She performed Isolier at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Clorinda (La Cenerentola) at the Vienna State Opera. Additionally, she appeared as Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia) and in the gala concert Carmencita & Friends at the Salzburg Festival.

Valeriy Murga studied at the Ukrainian National Music Academy in Kyiv. He was a finalist both at the 41st Concours International de Chant in Toulouse in 1996 and at the 7th Julian Gayarre Competition in Pamplona in 1998. In 1997, he won second prize at the Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens and was able to take part in the Cardiff Singer of the World competition (BBC) in 1999. From 1997 to 1999, he was a soloist at the Ukrainian National Opera in Kyiv, where he performed roles including Figaro, Don Giovanni, Germont, Escamillo, Onegin, Prince Igor, and Schaunard. His repertoire also includes roles such as Marchese di Posa ("Don Carlo") and Shaklovity ("Khovanshchina").

At Zurich Opera House, Valeriy Murga appeared as a member of the IOS in productions such as Tosca (Sciarrone, Jailer) and Rigoletto (Monterone). Since the beginning of the 2000/01 season, he has been a permanent member of the ensemble and has performed in The Queen of Spades (Yeletsky), Carmen (Moralès), Salome (Second Soldier), Il barbiere di Siviglia (Fiorello/Officer), La sonnambula (Alessio), Rigoletto (Marullo and Monterone), L’italiana in Algeri (Ali), Faust (Wagner), as well as in family operas such as The Canterville Ghost (Dr. Bürkli), Robin Hood (Little John), The Enchanted Pig (Pig), and Jim Button (Half-Dragon/Grand Bonze Pi Pa Po).

He appeared in Tiefland at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and in L’italiana in Algeri at the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden. Most recently in Zurich, he has been seen in The Odyssey (Eurylochus), Dialogues des Carmélites (The Jailer), La bohème (Doctor Grenvil), Alice in Wonderland (Dormouse/Tweedledum), La rondine (Butler), and The Merry Widow (Bogdanowitsch).

Tomislav Jukić, tenor, is originally from Croatia. He is a prizewinner of major international vocal competitions, including the Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský International Vocal Competition and the International Antonín Dvořák Singing Competition (2023). He studied with Martina Zadro at the Music Academy in Zagreb and took part in masterclasses with Renata Pokupić, Nikola Kitanovski, Alexei Tanovitski, and Mikhail Sinkevich. His engagements have included the tenor part in Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine with the Croatian Radio Choir and the ensemble Concerto dei Venti in Split, Rijeka, and Zagreb, as well as his debut as Mercury (Boris Papandopulo’s Amphitryon) in a production by the Zagreb Music Academy. More recently, he performed Goro (Madama Butterfly) at the opera house in Ljubljana, gave a solo recital at the Allegretto Festival in Žilina (Slovakia), and appeared as a soloist in concert with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra. Tomislav Jukić will join the International Opera Studio at Zurich Opera House starting with the 2024/25 season.

Henri Bernard is originally from Armenia. He completed his vocal studies at the Conservatoire d’Avignon and continued his training with Antonino Tagliareni in Milan and Liliana Nikiteanu in Zurich. Following engagements at various theatres in southern France (Avignon, Marseille, Toulon, Nice, among others) and in Heidelberg, Henri Bernard became a member of the chorus at the Bayreuth Festival as well as the Opernhaus Zürich, where he worked with conductors such as Philippe Jordan, Andris Nelsons, Nello Santi, Daniele Gatti, Fabio Luisi, Michel Plasson, Jean-Yves Ossonce, and Christian Thielemann. He also appeared as the Doctor (Macbeth) at the Opéra de Tours, as an acting double for Rigoletto at the Opéra Bastille (directed by Claus Guth), and in supporting roles in television and film productions alongside Alain Delon, Gérard Depardieu, and Jeanne Moreau.

Pietro Cono Genova is originally from Italy. He completed his training at the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania and moved to Switzerland in 2013 to work with the Cinevox Junior Company. After six years as a soloist, contemporary dance teacher, and assistant with the company, he began working as a freelancer on various dance projects in Switzerland and across Europe. Most recently, he danced with the new company Cie La Ronde, directed by Cathy Marston and Ihsan Rustem. Pietro Cono Genova is currently working with the Zurich Opera House and the Theater im Kornhaus Baden.

The Swiss dancer Sina Friedli received her classical ballet training at the Zurich Dance Academy under Steffi Scherzer and Oliver Matz. Her first engagement was with the Cinevox Junior Company under the direction of Malou Fenaroli Leclerc, where she danced as a soloist for two seasons. During her time with Cinevox, she worked with choreographers such as Franz Brodmann, Jacqueline Beck, Gisela Rocha, and Felix Duméril, performing on stages in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, and Brazil. In recent years, she has been working as a freelance dancer, participating in projects with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, the LIT Dance Company (choreography by Neel Jansen), and the Pizzi Dance Art Company (choreography by Aliana Pizzi), and dancing in pieces by choreographers including Jochen Heckmann, Adriana Mortelliti, and Dominika Knapik. She gained her first experience as a choreographic assistant and stage manager in projects with Jacqueline Beck and Jochen Heckmann, and developed several of her own choreographies for the Wilhelmina Festival of the Arts. At Zurich Opera House, she has appeared in various productions with choreography by Pim Veulings, Thomas Wilhelm, and Kinsun Chan.