Ode to Joy Guest Soloists
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Brian Kontes
Praised by Opera News for his “dark bass and strong dramatic energy,” Brian Kontes began the 2024-2025 season with a roledebut of the Sacristan in Tosca with Pittsburgh Opera. Other planned engagements for the current and upcoming seasons include Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro with Sarasota Opera, the Commendatore in Don Giovanni with The Florentine Opera, and bass soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Colorado’s Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra. A frequent Metropolitan Opera artist, he has appeared with that company in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Manon Lescaut, and HD productions of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Der Rosenkavalier. A Curtis Institute graduate and George London Competition winner, Kontes has also been a soloist at Carnegie Hall and with major orchestras nationwide.
Matthew Plenk
Matthew Plenk is the Artistic Director of Lamont Opera Theatre at the University of Denver and an Associate Professor of Voice. He is a graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and has since performed with major companies such as the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Carnegie Hall. Mr. Plenk has sung with renowned orchestras including the Cleveland, Boston, and Philadelphia, RAI Symphony Orchestras, and the Los Angeles Phil. Recently, he performed the Verdi Requiem with the Colorado Symphony and premiered a new work with the Boulder Philharmonic. Among his accolades, Matthew was Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, featured in the documentary film The Audition and has recorded several major works.