Hailed by Opera News as a “clarion high tenor,” and as a “standout” performer by Seen and Heard International, “bringing musicality plus an attractive and flexible leggiero sound to his assignment,” Philippine-born American tenor Allan Palacios Chan has earned a reputation for performing a wide range of repertoire with style and a deep connection to his audience.

He holds a BA degree in Music with a Minor in Theater from George Mason University School of Music, and a MM in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Allan has been a Corbett Foundation Young Artist with Cincinnati Opera for four consecutive seasons and was a voice fellow at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California for two consecutive seasons where he sang in the West Coast premiere of Matthew Aucoin’s opera Second Nature. He recently sang the role of Sing Lee in the world premiere of the opera Tacoma Method, his debut with Tacoma Opera. Mr. Chan maintains an active concert schedule, having sung in such hallowed halls as the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Mr. Chan is scheduled to sing the tenor solos for the world premiere of Paul Leavitt’s Stabat Mater on May 4th and 6th at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington, D.C., and will be performing with the Philippine Madrigal Singers on May 7th, 2023 (visit https://fb.me/e/OUrmXckI for ticket info).

Allan’s musical interests span beyond opera, performing Kundiman (classical Filipino art song) and various anthems for official events of the Philippine Embassy of Washington D.C., at venues such as The Ronald Reagan Building and the State Department. Last April, he had the honor of performing as a guest of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project, at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the event titled Day of Valor—Araw ng Kagitingan, in honor of the fallen Filipino and American heroes of the Bataan Death March. He is also known for his singing of anthems; he was even invited to sing the Philippine National Anthem for Manny Pacquiao’s fight in Las Vegas with Timothy Bradley, Jr. Mr. Chan is currently working on a crossover album featuring a unique take on classic hit songs from the recent past such as Billy Joel’s “And so it goes” and “Zombie” by the Cranberries, in collaboration with composer/producer/arranger and multi-platinum songwriter Leo Z who has worked with such distinguished artists as Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, and David Archuleta.

www.allanpalacioschan.com

IG: @allanpctenor

Praised for her “ravishing voice” and “compelling” stage presence [San Diego Story], Turkish-American soprano Öznur Tülüoğlu is establishing herself as a young, rising artist “destined for bigger things,” [San Diego Tribune].

Öznur began the 2022/2023 season making her international debut performing the role of Sandrina in a co-production of La finta giardiniera with Opera Neo and The Hungarian State Opera. Afterwards, she joined Opera Neo as an Apprentice Artist in their San Diego summer festival. She also performed the role of Micaela with Loudoun Lyric Opera’s production of Carmen, and made her house debut with Annapolis Opera as Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro.

Öznur made another house debut in the 22/23 season with the Washington National Opera and The Kennedy Center in the production The Ice Cream Truck Is Broken! & Other Emotional Arias. hosted by Renée Fleming and Mo Willems. There, she premiered the role of The Pigeon in Simon Carlos' new operetta, Don't Let the Pigeon Sing Up Late! This upcoming summer, she will return to Opera Neo as an Apprentice Artist performing the role of Aspasia in Mitridate.

In 2021, Öznur began competing and has placed as a finalist in the Opera Mississippi John Alexander National Vocal Competition and Music International Grand Prix competition. In 2022, she won 3rd place at the AIMS in Graz Vocal Competition and was a finalist in the MIOpera Competition.

Öznur is a graduate of the Maryland Opera Studio with her Master of Music in opera performance. Notable engagements she performed with the opera studio includes Mrs. Coyle in Britten’s Owen Wingrave alongside the National Orchestral Institute, and Arminda in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera.

Öznur earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the New England Conservatory where she made her operatic debut as Damigella in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. Her enthusiasm for score study expands to music theory, as Öznur worked with published musicologist, Deborah Stein, in completing a minor in music theory with a focus on Schubert Lieder during her studies at NEC.

Described as “brilliant” by the Pittsburgh Tribune, Wei-Han Wu is active as a soloist, chamber musician, ensemble pianist, and vocal coach. He has performed in venues such as the Chicago Cultural Center, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. He has been a featured performer at the Tanglewood, Aspen, Castleton, Lake George, and Walla Walla Chamber Music Festivals.

Dedicated to the performance and promotion of new music, Wu is currently pianist for the [Switch~ Ensemble] as well as Duo Axis, which was co-founded with flutist Zach Sheets. Duo Axis has commissioned and premiered dozens of works by up-and-coming composers, including Katie Balch, Anthony Cheung, and Tonia Ko. Recently the duo was in residence at the University of Iowa, University of Missouri, UC San Diego, and UC Davis. Wu previously served as pianist for the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and he is a past president of OSSIA New Music.

As an accomplished vocal coach, Wu has worked with artists such as Susanne Mentzer, Vinson Cole, and Nancy Gustafson. He is currently on faculty at Shenandoah University and Peabody Conservatory, and served on the faculty for WNO’s Opera Institute. More recently, Wu has served as music director for several opera productions in the D.C. area, including Carmen with Loudon Lyric Opera, and Hydrogen Jukebox by Philip Glass at Shenandoah University. Wu is the pianist for The Washington Chorus, and he works frequently with the Washington Bach Consort, and the Exigence Vocal Ensemble of the Sphinx Organization.

A member of Pi Kappa Lambda, he is the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Juilliard School, the Felicia Montealegre Fellowship from the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Collaborative Piano Fellowship from Bard College. Wu holds degrees from Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, and the Eastman School of Music, where he earned two doctoral degrees in piano performance and collaborative piano.

American vocalist Katerina Burton, acclaimed for her “rich and warm” singing (Opera Wire), is a recent graduate of the Cafritz Young Artist program at Washington National Opera where she made her role debut as Micaëla in Francesca Zambello’s acclaimed production of Carmen. She has been a soprano soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and Bach’s Magnificat, as well as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with renowned conductor Marin Alsop. She recently joined Aspen Music Festival as a Renée Fleming Artist where she took on the role of Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff opposite acclaimed bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel. This upcoming season she debuts with Richmond Symphony, Madison Opera, and returns for yet another collaboration with the National Symphony for the world premiere of Adolphus Hailstorck’s “JFK: The Last Speech” with Phylicia Rashad providing narration. Next season she makes her much-anticipated role debut as Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Ms. Burton is a proud recipient of multiple awards including the 2022 Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, the 2021 William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Award, the Novick Career Advancement Grant from The Juilliard School, and the Gaddes Career Award presented by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Kevin Punnackal, is a first generation Indian-American tenor from Sugarland, Texas. He received his Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance, where he prepared the role of Romeo (Romeo et Juliette) at Houston Baptist University. Mr. Punnackal has also performed the role of Sam Kaplan (Street Scene) and covered Ruggero (La Rondine) while attending Varna International in Bulgaria. While attending the University of Oklahoma, he sang the role of Le Baron de Pictordu (Cendrillon), and prepared Nemorino (L’Elisir d’amore). Since then, his recent performances have been with the Santa Fe Opera for their 2021 and 2022 seasons, where he performed the title roles in scenes from Faust, Pagliacci, and Lucia di Lammermoor. He has sung with the Washington National Opera where he did a role study of Don Jose (Carmen), performed Ruiz in Il Trovatore and Rodolfo in the Young Artists performances of La Boheme. He has been featured as the tenor soloist in Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis with the Choral Arts Society of Washington and expected to reprise Rodolfo with the Chattanooga Symphony for their upcoming La Boheme. He will then go on to start his season residency at the Opera national de Paris this coming September.

Grammy-nominated pianist Joy Schreier is praised by Plácido Domingo as an “orchestra at the piano” and hailed by Opera News as a “superbly emotive pianist [that] wrings every nuance out.” She is acclaimed as an “ideal support” at the piano, “providing much of the evening’s musical nuance” (The Washington Post) and “perfection itself…the dream accompanist.”

Schreier is Assistant Conductor of the Washington National Opera, coach of the Cafritz Young Artist Program, faculty of the Peabody Conservatory, and Assistant Conductor and Pianist of the Cathedral Choral Society. She has been presented in recital at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, the White House, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and numerous recital halls throughout the country. Her concert engagements include a recital series with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard for the Marilyn Horne Foundation, performances with violinist Pinchas Zukerman and mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves.

Schreier received wide-spread critical acclaim for Confessions, her Grammy-nominated 2020 CD release with soprano Laura Strickling. For that release, Schmopera declared Schreier as “an indispensable accompanist. She is either preternaturally intuitive or has achieved perfect communication…perhaps a bit of both.” An avid art song recitalist, Schreier performs as official pianist of the Washington International Voice Competition at the Kennedy Center. She received her Doctorate in Collaborative Piano at the Eastman School of Music under Dr. Jean Barr where she was the recipient of the Barbara Koeng Award for Excellence in Vocal Accompanying and the piano prize in the Jessie Kneisel German Lieder competition.