Fredrick Newhouse is a native of Richmond, Virginia. He has studied vocal performance at VCU and is currently a student of James Taylor. After a long hiatus, he is making his return to opera to debut his first lead role as Rodolfo. Fredrick has performed in the chorus with VCU Opera in Lehár’s The Merry Widow and Mozart’s The Magic Flute. He has also performed the joyous role of Lippo Fiorentino in the “Ice Cream Sextet” from Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. In May, Fredrick will be participating in a workshop for Damien Geter's Loving vs. Virginia with Virginia Opera. He is extremely excited to be performing opera again and eagerly anticipates the future.

Emily Nesbitt is an American dramatic soprano from Northern Virginia. She made her Richmond opera debut with VCU in 2015 in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers and went on to sing many roles with them, her favorites being the Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Nedda in  Leoncavello's I Pagliacci, Nella in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, and Lakmé in Délibes' Lakmé. Her other notable roles include singing Mother Marie in Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites and Mimi in Puccini's La bohème with La Musica Lirica. Emily has been in many Puccini operas but La bohème was her first and remains her favorite. Her debut as Mimi was in Italy with La Musica Lirica and she is absolutely delighted to be singing the role again back home with Commonwealth Concert Opera.

Alan has been a mainstay in the Richmond classical music scene since his debut at VCU Opera in 2011. Some of his favorite past roles include both Figaro and Conte d'Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Slook in Rossini's La Cambiale di Matrimonio, the Pirate King in Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, Silvio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, and the title role in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. He is excited and honored to be a part of this production not only for the excitement and sentimentality of Puccini's glorious score, but because he gets to spend it with great friends and colleagues, two of whom are returning to singing after a long hiatus.

He would also like to give his immense gratitude to James Taylor for the CCO project. Mr. Taylor has truly gone beyond the call of duty to organize opportunities for young, passionate singers with brilliant voices. These are singers from many walks of life and experience levels that are all heavily deserving of these opportunities that are so difficult to come by. With your support we can continue to bring opportunities to these passionate singers, as well as bring you a thrilling bel canto sound that is sure to keep you coming back!

Mara Barrett is a proud graduate of the Theatre Program at The College of William and Mary. Some of her performance credits include The Rocky Horror Show (Richmond Triangle Players), The Addams Family (Dogwood Dell), The Great Gatsby (Quill Theatre), Times Square Angel (Richmond Triangle Players), A Chorus Line (Richmond Triangle Players), Free Man of Color (The Heritage Ensemble Theatre Company), Something’s Afoot (Swift Creek Mill), and Virginia Rep on Tour.

Jessica Voutsinas is a coluratura sporano from Richmond, Virginia. She's performed with companies along the East Coast, including Opera Ithaca, Classical RVA, and Commonwealth Concert Opera in beloved roles Susanna in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Dorothée in Massenet's Cendrillon, and Musetta in Puccini's La bohème. Jessica has also sung in the chorus for I Pagliacci and performed in the choral works Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, Messiah by George Frideric Handel, and Prayers of Kierkegaard by Samuel Barber. She graduated from Ithaca Conservatory in 2018, and has studied with renowned singers Dawn Pierce and James Taylor.

Born in Richmond, VA, baritone Kirkland Fenerty takes his second pass at Puccini’s La bohème in the role of Schaunard! Kirk holds a Bachelors of Music from James Madison University, and has studied internationally with AIMS in Graz, Austria and Opera Al Mare in Cesenatico, Italy. Past operatic credits include the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Marcello in La bohème, Nick Shadow in Stravinsky's The Rake’s Progress, Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, and Wagner in Gounod's Faust. Chorus credits include Heggie's Dead Man Walking, Monteverdi's L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and Wagner in Gounod's Faust.

Branch Fields, described by Opera America as “a bass of resonant richness,” is a versatile performer engaged throughout North America and beyond in opera, musical theater, and concert. He has sung with Santa Fe Opera, New York City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Edmonton Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Utah Opera, Opera San Jose, and many other regional companies throughout the U.S. and Canada. In concert, Branch has performed with the Munich Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and the American Symphony Orchestra. His Broadway debut was Lincoln Center Theater’s 2008 Tony Award winning production of South Pacific, understudying the role of Emile de Becque. He has since been Emile in 7 productions of South Pacific throughout the U.S. and Canada, and was nominated for “Best Actor in a Musical” by theater critic circles in Boston, Massachusetts, and Richmond, Virginia. Recent performances for Mr. Fields include 3 productions of The Sound of Music as Captain Von Trapp for Charlottesville Opera, Montana TheaterWorks, and the Southwest Michigan Symphony. He was Leporello in Don Giovanni at Indianapolis Opera, and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni as well as Frank in Die Fledermaus for Opera in Williamsburg. He has been a frequent guest in Greensboro, playing King Balthasar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and performing as a guest artist for galas and concerts with Greensboro Opera. He was asked to sing the Verdi Requiem and Simone in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi for Utah Festival Opera, and he will be Leporello at Greensboro Opera this coming fall.

Mr. Fields recently joined the highly acclaimed Virginia Chorale, performing concerts with them over the past 3 seasons, and was the bass soloist in their performance of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle.

Mr. Fields has been seen throughout the years at the Williamsburg Community Chapel as a guest artist for their Christmas concerts. He has been a guest artist with the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra in their Beethoven 9th Symphony, their Christmas Pops concerts, and galas over the years. Mr. Fields has been the bass soloist for the Williamsburg United Methodist Church’s Messiah performances for several years, was the bass for Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass with the CNU Chamber Singers, and sang in Vaughn Williams’ Serenade to Music for The Williamsburg Choral Guild. As one of their bass section leaders, Mr. Fields recently sang the bass chorus and solos for Bruton Parish’s performance of Bach’s choral cantata, Christ lag in Todes Banden, and he was recently hired as the weekly soloist and hymn leader at First Church of Christ, Scientist here in Williamsburg. His album "Be Thou My Vision", contemporary solo arrangements of favorite Christian hymns by composer and pianist Paul S. Jones, can be streamed or purchased on all the major online music platforms.

James Taylor, M.M. (Yale University), is an internationally celebrated performer. At home in opera, concert, recital, and musical theatre, he has appeared with numerous opera companies, symphonies, and theatres, including the New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, Opera Carolina, Göttigen Handel Festspiele, Theatre Augsburg, and the Nederlandse Reisopera. In his earlier roles as a baritone, Mr. Taylor performed the title roles in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Le Nozze di Figaro, Marcello in La Boheme, as well as thirty-three others. As a tenor, his performances have included Siegmund in Die Walküre, the title roles in Lohengrin and Parsifal, Don Jose in Carmen, Manrico in Il Trovatore, Cavaradossi in Tosca, and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. 

His many concert performances include Handel's Messiah, Bach's Magnificat, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and Mozart's Requiem. An avid recitalist, Mr. Taylor has presented programs in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Breda, and Groningen in the Netherlands, Munich, Augsburg, and Dusseldorf in Germany, Klagenfurt, Linz, and Vienna in Austria, and Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, as well as several universities and colleges across the United States.  He has sung Schubert's "Winterreise", "Die schöne Müllerin", and "Schwanengesang", Schumann's "Dichterliebe", "Liederkreise" Op. 24 & Op. 39, Brahms' "Vier ernste Gesange", "Ziguenerlieder" and "Die schöne Magelone", and Wagner's "Wesendonk Lieder".

A talented and sought-after educator, he has served as Director of Opera at Drake University and the University of Alabama and has been on the music faculties of VCU and the University of Virginia. His students have gone on to such prestigious schools as the New England Conservatory, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Yale University, and the Royal College of Music. Several of his students perform regularly with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Semperoper, Glyndebourne, the Opera Comique, Utah Opera, Central City Opera, Landestheater Niederbayern, Opera Frankfurt, and the Oldenburgisches Staatsoper.

Mr. Taylor has had the pleasure to work with many of the top Artist Teachers in the business, such as Jon Fredric West, Sherrill Milnes, Richard Cross, Doris Yarick-Cross, Jackson Sheats, Andrew Gainey, and Seth Riggs. He has also participated in Master Classes with Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, and Regine Crespin.

Primarily an organist and sacred music choral director, Charles Lindsey Jr. is also involved in the community and secular music as a pianist for vocal and string students at Virginia Commonwealth University and a harpsichordist for VCU Opera and RVA Baroque.  He is a vocal coach, piano teacher, and organ teacher.  Charles is currently finishing his longtime position as organist and choirmaster at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Petersburg, and in August will become associate organist at St. James's Episcopal Church, Richmond.

After receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance from the University of Richmond, Charles has pursued further studies in early music, choral conducting, vocal coaching, and organ improvisation with various teachers around the country, including some affiliated with the Juilliard Institute, Manhattan School of Music, and Westminster Choir College.  He credits the most advancement of his post-undergraduate musical skill and knowledge to incredible local talents who have served as coaches and mentors, in particular Melanie Kohn Day of VCU and the late great James Erb of University of Richmond,.

He has a particular affinity for early music, which he credits to Suzanne Bunting, his organ professor at UR, who specialized in teaching how to shape and phrase Baroque music and express it on a mechanical instrument.  Evidence of his musical talent and desire to pursue a career in church music, particularly to be an organist, began in preschool thanks to genetics and family influence:  his mother, Bettie Lindsey, is a longtime organist and church music director in the Richmond area, and his aunt (her sister), Jane Reeves, was an organist from her early years almost up to the time of her recent passing.