Press Enter to search
South Korean mezzo-soprano Hyejun Melania Kwon joined the Opera Studio NRW Germany in 2022. She is currently performing Valencienne (Merry Widow), Flora (La Traviata), Fortuna, Valletto and Famigliare 1 (L’incoronazione di poppea) at Theater Wuppertal, and Mara (Kirsas Musik) at Theater Dortmund. She has performed in the Konzerthaus Berlin’s opera gala and has won top prizes in competition, including First prizes at the International Competition Nouvelles Étoiles in 2021, and the King’s Peak International Music Competition in 2022. Hyejun received her bachelor’s degree at Ewha Womans University in Korea. During her studies, she was alto soloist for a tour of the United States with the Ewha Chamber Choir, which made a stop at Los Angeles Disney Hall. She went on to study with Ewa Wolak at the Hanns Eisler Musikhochschule Berlin, where she received her master’s degree and where she performed Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutte), Ruggiero (Alcina) and Ljubica (Svadba). Hyejun has been awarded a scholarship from the Mozart Gesellschaft (Dortmund) for the upcoming year.
English mezzo-soprano Siân Griffiths has recently graduated from the National Opera Studio’s Young Artists programme (London), studying with John Evans and generously supported by the Nicholas John Trust. Recent performance highlights include Fanny Price in Waterperry Opera’s Touring and Festival production of Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park, Riccardi in Opera Rara’s concert performance of Offenbach’s La Princesse de Trébizonde, and Guest Singer in the Royal Ballet’s production of Like Water for Chocolate by Joby Talbot at the Royal Opera House, London. Recent concerts performances include alto soloist in Saint-Saëns Messe de Requiem for the Sussex House School and alto soloist in Michael Haydn’s Requiem in C minor and Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore for the Wooburn Singers. In 2023, Siân will perform the roles of Cherubino in Spira Mirabilis’ upcoming production of Le nozze di Figaro and Dryad in Garsington Opera’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos.
Soprano Erin O’Rourke is a second year Master’ degree student in the Vocal Arts Department at The Juilliard School, where she studies with Amy Burton. Erin recently won the Laffont Metropolitan Opera Competition New York District and is preparing for her roles as Nella in Gianni Schicchi and Philidel in King Arthur at Juilliard. In 2022, she made her Raylynmor Opera debut as Nannetta in Falstaff, joined New Amsterdam Opera covering the lead role of Anna in Boïeldieu’s La dame blanche, and performed the title role in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with the Chicago Summer Opera Company. She also performed concert works with Juilliard’s Focus Festival, which The New York Times dubbed “Broadway Meets the Avant-garde”, and made her Lincoln Center debut in the CPE Bach Concert Festival at the Bruno Walter Theater. Erin has been enjoys singing both early music and contemporary styles of music and is a champion of music by female composers and composers of colour.
American soprano Sarah Fleiss is in her fourth year at the Curtis Institute of Music. In the 2022/23 season, she sings Ginevra in Handel’s Ariodante with the Tempesta di Mare Orchestra and the Curtis Opera Theater. She recently went on a North American tour with Eric Owens and sang the world premiere of Tania Léon’s In the Fields. A lover of song, she also performed in a recital with Warren Jones and looks forward to singing the Pergolesi Stabat Mater. Past seasons include Despina in Così fan tutte, Monica in The Medium, Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. Prior to Curtis, she attended Columbia University and participated in the Juilliard-Exchange program where she narrated Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat and performed around New York in musical theatre and cabaret-style performances. Sarah has received awards from the George London and Gerda Lissner Foundations, and is generously supported by the Jack Wolgin Fellowship and the Shirley Winston Rabb Scholarship.
Ava Dodd is an Irish soprano whose career has continued to gain international visibility since being named a Prix Yves Paternot laureate in 2023. In recent seasons, she has appeared with English National Opera in roles including Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) and Adina (L’elisir d’amore), and has performed at Oper Frankfurt, Wexford Festival Opera, Opéra national de Lorraine, and the Verbier Festival, where she returned in 2025 as Lola in Cavalleria rusticana. In 2024, she released her debut EP GEMS with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Ava Dodd is a Harewood Artist with English National Opera for the 2025/26 season and will make her Scottish Opera debut as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro in 2026.
Australian cellist Benett Tsai gained international recognition after winning major prizes at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in Berlin in 2022. In 2023, he joined the roster of Young Concert Artists after receiving First Prize and the Stern Young Artist Award at the International Auditions in New York.
He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Sinfonia Lahti and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. In the 2026/27 season, he will make his debuts with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Göttinger Symphonieorchester and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
In recital, he has performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, with the La Jolla Music Society and at City Recital Hall. He has also collaborated with distinguished artists including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Emanuel Ax and Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Born in 2003, Tsai studies at The Colburn School with Clive Greensmith and performs on a 1719 cello by Giuseppe Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’.
Petar Pejčić studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig with Peter Bruns. Winner of Fifth Prize at the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition, Petar also won the AENA Special Prize at the Pablo Casals Competition in Spain in 2020, Second Prize at the Anna Kull Competition the same year, and Third Prize at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University Competition in 2019. He has performed with orchestras including the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Graz Philharmonic, the Serbian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Camerata Balcanica. Keen to broaden his musical horizons, he collaborated with the choreographer Jacopo Godani and the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company on the project BACH OFF! Petar plays an instrument by David Tecchler (ca. 1707, Rome.
Korean cellist Claire Deokyong Kim earned her Bachelor of Music degree at New England Conservatory (NEC) and is now pursuing her master’s in the studio of Laurence Lesser. She previously studied with Myungwha Chung. In her first year of Bachelor of Music, Claire won the NEC Lower String Competition and was subsequently selected to perform with the NEC Philharmonia Orchestra under Hugh Wolff at Jordan Hall (Boston). She has won numerous competitions in Korea, including Third Prize at the ISANGYUN Competition (2022). She has also performed with orchestras including the Suwon, Gangnam, Prime, Gwangju, and Korean Symphony Orchestras. In addition to her appearances as a soloist, Claire has been a member of string quartets that have been selected as Honors Ensembles at NEC two years consecutively, the Nico String Quartet and the Tavola String Quartet.
Korean cellist Jaemin Han came to international attention in 2021 when he was awarded the Grand Prix of the George Enescu International Competition as the youngest prizewinner in the competition’s history. He won Third Prize at the Concours de Genève the same year and, in 2022, was awarded First Prize at the ISANGYUN Competition (Korea). Performance highlights in 2022/23 season include a recital at the Tongyeong International Festival, his New Zealand debut with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Shi-Yeon Sung, and a tour of Korea with Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and its chief conductor Gustavo Gimeno. Jaemin has studied with Myung-Wha Chung and now attends the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts, where he works with Kangho Lee and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. He was recipient of the 2020 Shinhan Music Award and currently holds a scholarship from the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo foundation. Jaemin plays a J. B. Vuillaume cello generously on loan from ‘the auditorium’.
From his very first public appearances in age of 9, Maxime Grizard has impressed with the maturity of his playing. Born in 2006, he has been studying cello and piano for seven years with Claire Oppert and Roustem Saïtkoulov and has aleady won several first prizes in international competitions such as Vatelot-Rampal, Flame, Jugend Musiziert and Young Ludwig. At 11, he became known to the general public in France through its programme ‘Prodiges’ on France 2 by winning its instrument category. He went on to record a CD for Warner Classics on cello and piano. Last year Maxime represented France at the Eurovision Young Musicians in Montpellier. He performs regularly in France and abroad, in duo with piano, in chamber music formations and with orchestra.