Leeza Yorke, soprano, is a recent graduate of Indiana University, Bloomington, where she pursued a BM in Vocal Performance along with a minor in Italian Studies. There, she has sung several roles ranging from the Old Lady in Bernstein’s Candide, the title role in Handel’s Ariodante, Sister Rose in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and First Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. In her spare time, she is an active member of the California Philharmonic in Culver City, Repertory Opera Company in Pomona as well as a chorister in High Holy Days at Temple Akiba in Los Angeles.

Tenor Luke Norvell resides in the Seattle and Los Angeles areas. An undergraduate student at the Master’s University, Luke frequently sings in church, concert, and operatic settings throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. After years of singing bass and baritone repertoire, he made his tenoral debut as Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus in July 2019 with Clyde Opera Group. Since then, he has been diving into Verdi repertoire, covering Alfredo in La Traviata with Landmark Opera and Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera with Puget Sound Concert Opera in June 2020 with whom he will sing Giudice in the same production. Further roles of his include Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni.

Malaysian Soprano Yen Lin Chin began her career as a Chinese Folk Song singer. She has triumphed in an astounding number of vocal competitions and has been recognized with over 35 first-prize awards from around the globe. She performed in Tokyo, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Hong Kong, and China in both solo and choral singing. Yen Lin has also recently made her debut at the Carnegie Hall this Fall. She has sung the role of Lucia, Lucia di Lammermoor; Olympia, Les contes d’hoffman; Gretel, Hansel and Gretel; Adele, Die Fledermaus; Héro, Béatrice et Bénédict; Zerlina, Don Giovanni; Anna I, Die sieben Todsünden; Ynold, Impressions de Pelléas; Musetta, La bohéme; Adina, The Elixir of Love; La Princesse, L’enfant et les Sortilèges; Erste Dame, Die Zauberflöte; Susanna, Le nozze di Figaro; Papagena, Die Zauberflöte and Gianetta, L’elisir d’amore.

Praised as a “mature artist with a voluminous sound,” baritone and composer Joel Balzun is establishing himself as a mature new voice in the future of music. Highlights of the 2019-2020 season include “Alidoro” (La Cenerentola) with Opera Buffs Inc., a return appearance at Carnegie Hall as a guest artist with Angels Vocal Arts, Messiah with the Claremont Symphony Orchestra and numerous recital and concert appearances, among others. Mr. Balzun is an alum of Eastman School of Music, Tanglewood Music Centre and Jane Eaglen’s Mastersingers Project for Young Dramatic Voices.

Stephen Cannon is delighted to debut with Lyric Opera of Orange County. Recent work included Opera In The Park with Solo Opera in Concord, CA, performing in Glendale Opera Company’s “A Night At The Opera” program; tenor soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Gustav Holst’s Christmas Day with Hollywood Master Chorale; premiering 3 student-composed operas at UC Riverside; and appearing in Don Carlo at Los Angeles Opera. Other appearances have included appearances at San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, and others throughout the Midwest and California. Stephen hails from New Lexington, Ohio.

A Santa Catalina Island native, lyric coloratura Mary Frances Conover is an alumna of the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts program of musical theatre & dance and a Vocal Performance Music alumna of Chapman University. Some of her professional work includes live entertainment at Knott’s Berry Farm with shows such as Ghost Town Alive, and A Christmas Carol & The Gift of the Magi at the Bird Cage Theatre. Some favorite roles include Adele, Die Fledermaus; Mabel, Pirates of Penzance; Marilyn Monroe, Rat Pack Legacy; and Despina’s Aria at Carnegie Hall with Angels Vocal  Art. Mary Frances has also performed roles with Opera Chapman, Pacific Symphony, and L.A. Opera.

Karin Wilcox, mezzo-soprano, first discovered her love of classical singing as a youth growing up in Germany, which developed into a passion for opera upon starting her studies at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. There, she performed the roles of “Zweite Dame” in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, “La Ciesca” in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, “Second Witch” in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and “Madame de la Haltière” in Massenet’s Cendrillon with Point Loma Opera Theatre. Ms. Wilcox has distinguished herself as District Winner at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in San Diego and has been a frequent featured performer in the Colorado Springs Vocal Arts Festival. She made her debut with Opera Theatre of the Rockies in 2014 in the role of “Miss Bentson” Delibes’ Lakmé, returning in subsequent years to cover the roles of “Dorabella” in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and “Pitti-Sing” and “Peep-Bo” in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. Ms. Wilcox went on to make her debut with Boulder Opera in 2017 as “Madame de la Haltière” in Massenet’s Cendrillon and, most recently, perform the role of “The Secretary” in Menotti’s The Consul in her 2018 debut with Denver Immersive Opera.

Elizabeth has studied classical voice for over 16 years. Most recently, she was seen in Pacific Lyric Association’s production of Roméo et Juliette, covering Juliette and singing in the chorus; and as a featured soloist at Opera Wednesdays at the La Jolla Community Center. She is very excited to be singing again with Lyric Opera of Orange County after creating the role of Mustardseed in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen last summer. Additionally, she has appeared in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore and played the roles of The Wardrobe in Beauty and the Beast and Little Red in Into the Woods.

Tenor Daniel Brennan is a native of New Jersey and currently resides in Los Angeles. He has spent his past four years getting a BFA in Vocal Performance at Carnegie Mellon University. He also had the great pleasure to study with Douglas Ahlstedt. During his time there, he participated in the different choirs, doing co-ed acappella, and performing in different operas at CMU. He also recently joined the Verdi Chorus here in Los Angeles. His most recent roles were Azor in Zemiré et Azor, and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. Outside of Opera, he hopes to get into voice acting and to start a band.

Sarah Conniff is a lyric coloratura soprano from Fresno, California. In 2018, she portrayed the Queen of the Night in the Vienna Summer Music Festival’s production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from California State University, Long Beach in 2018, where she studied under Marian Bodnar. Throughout her time with the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music Opera Institute, she was featured in scenes where she portrayed roles including Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and Madame Herz (Der Schauspieldirektor), among others. She is currently a member of the Fresno Community Chorus Master Chorale and serves as a cantor for St. John’s Cathedral in Fresno, California.

Jenny Ahn, lyric coloratura soprano, has performed the complete leading roles of Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld and Mabel in Pirates of Penzance in addition to various roles in scenes, such as Adina L’elisir d’amore, Giulietta in I Capuleti ed i Montecchi and Ilia Idomeneo. She has also performed as soprano soloist in Händel’s Messiah and in chamber music pieces like Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock. Passionate about helping children, she has organized and performed in fundraising concerts singing both classical and crossover repertoire. She received extensive training in bel canto under Orietta Moscucci (Italy), Mary Curtis-Verna, Juliana Gondek, Kristof Van Grysperre, and Suzan Hanson.

Katie Odell is a mezzo-soprano currently pursuing a degree in Vocal Performance at California State University, Long Beach, under the direction of voice teacher Shigemi Matsumoto. She also sings in CSULB’s Bel Canto and in the Orange County Women’s Chorus. Growing up, she sang with the Southern California Children’s Chorus for several years. She began her operatic journey performing in opera productions at Fullerton College. When she is not singing, she enjoys writing poetry and songs, composing music, and spending time with her pets. She is excited to make her professional operatic debut with Lyric Opera of Orange County.

Kate Bode returns for another season with Lyric Opera Orange County after music directing Hansel and Gretel last season and collaborating as repetiteur for The Prodigal Son and Amahl & the Night Visitors. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors of Music in piano performance. She has performed nationally as a solo concert pianist in venues such as the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and Carnegie Hall in New York City. An active collaborative pianist and repetiteur, she has worked with Lyric Opera of Orange County, Biola Music Conservatory, Biola Youth Theater, Haven Academy of the Arts, and currently with Santa Ana College Music Department as staff pianist. She has served on many productions as rehearsal pianist, including Die Fledermaus, Le Pauvre Matelot, L’île de Tulipatan, Roméo et Juliette, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Annie Get Your Gun, Guys and Dolls, The Wizard of Oz, Frankenstein, and The Music Man. Next, she will music direct Musical Theatre Village’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat this summer. Kate has also worked as an accompanist with Biola chorale, Biola men’s chorus, Kenneth Lee Clarinet studio of music, Sarratt studio of music, and Haven Academy of the Arts Choir. Kate teaches a private piano studio in Buena Park, CA.