Tenor Daniel Bates ’13 (pictured) performs the role of Charlie in the world premiere of Cold Mountain at the Santa Fe Opera this August. A second-year member of the company’s apprentice singer program, Bates joins a cast headed by baritone Nathan Gunn and soprano Isabel Leonard in composer Jennifer Higdon’s adaptation of the award winning novel. Bates, who studies with Catherine Cook, returns to the Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Program next season where he’ll be joined by soprano Elena Galván ’13, another student of Cook’s. The former classmates, now a couple, are appropriately cast to appear as the determined lovers Ernesto and Norina in FGO's production of Don Pasquale in May 2016.

The Pasadena Opera Guild chose soprano Molly Hill ’15 as a winner of its $3,000 Young Artist award. Hill, a new graduate who won this year’s concerto competition in voice, returns to SFCM next season to perform with the Conservatory Orchestra. Current student tenor Mario Rojas '17 won the Marta Eggerth Kiepura Award, a $2,000 prize, at the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation International Vocal Competition held in New York. Rojas will sing at the foundation’s winners concert at Carnegie Hall on October 18. Hill and Rojas are students of César Ulloa.

And soprano Julie Adams ’13, also a student of Ulloa, won a career supporting grant at an invitation-only competition sponsored by the Richard Tucker Music Foundation. The $5,000 Sara Tucker Study Grants are awarded to recent graduates who show promise of pursuing significant careers in opera [see full article].