A Little About Utah Opera's Ensemble Artists

Angela Theis, Soprano, joins Utah Symphony | Utah Opera in her debut season as the Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel and the soprano soloist in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  In March 2010, The Boston Globe praised her “bright, bold, and beguilingly sung Zerlina” in Don Giovanni.  Additional stage credits include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Mrs. Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium, and Marguerite in Faust.  Angela has spent the past two summers singing at Bay View Music Festival, in her home state of Michigan.  While a Master’s student at New England Conservatory, Angela was a three-time soloist in the Liederabend Concert Series and a fellow for the Community Performances and Partnerships Program, highlighting her strong interests in art song and community outreach.  In addition to her graduate studies, Angela holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a second major in music, from the University of Notre Dame.

Katherine Tombaugh, Mezzo-Soprano, originally hails from Streator, Illinois. A two-time finalist in both the MONC Central Regional and Irma M. Cooper Opera Columbus Vocal Competitions, Katherine has performed with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist and with the AIMS Festival Opera Studio in Graz, Austria. In 2009, she was recognized by the Society of Singers and awarded their annual scholarship for young singers. Katherine has soloed with the AIMS Festival Orchestra and the Philharmonia and Concert Orchestras of CCM, with notable performances including Brahms’ “Alto Rhapsody,” Mahler’s “Wayfaring Songs,” and Joseph Marx’s “Verklärtes Jahr.” Productions highlighting Katherine have ranged the spectrum of musical theatre, operetta, and opera, with favorite roles “Annie Oakley” (Annie, Get your Gun), “Mad Margaret” (Ruddigore) and “Prince Orlofsky” (Die Fledermaus). Katherine holds dual undergraduate degrees in Vocal Performance and English Literature from Illinois Wesleyan University (2007) and a Masters degree in Vocal Performance from CCM (2010). She is very excited to be joining the Utah Opera Ensemble Artists for their 2010-2011 season.

Tenor AJ Glueckert, a native of Portland, Oregon, returned to the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for his second consecutive summer in 2010.  He has completed his Master of Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  During his academic career he has had many opportunities in the Bay Area, ranging from opera, musical theater and early music performances to his frequent participation with the conservatory outreach program. In 2009-10, AJ has performed with the Sacramento and Santa Clara symphonies in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and with Ensemble Parallel as the Drum Major in Berg's Wozzeck.  He also received the Encouragement Award at the Metropolitan Opera Auditions.  Other favorite roles have included Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Flute in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cassio in Otello, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel.  He has made frequent appearances with San Francisco Lyric Opera, Festival Opera of Walnut Creak and Oakland East Bay Symphony. In the summer of 2008 AJ appeared on the Utah Festival Opera stage in various comprimario roles.

Baritone John Buffett, a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, is known for his concert, recital and opera work in various styles from Monteverdi and Mozart to Puccini and Debussy.  Some of his favorite roles include Schaunard in La Boheme, Golaud in Pelléas et Méllisande and Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro.  He has performed with the opera companies of Sarasota, Memphis, Rochester and the Boston Early Music Festival and on the concert stage with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Syracuse Symphony, and Apollo’s Fire.  Mr. Buffett has worked with conductors Victor DeRenzi, Daniel Hege, Christopher Seaman, Jeanette Sorrell, Paul O’Dette, Stephen Stubbs, Benton Hess, Stephen Carey, and Sir David Wilcox.  He has won various competitions including the Kneisel Lieder Competition and the Eastman Concerto Competition.  Mr. Buffett was an Apprentice Artist with Sarasota Opera and an Artist in Residence with Opera Memphis in 2010. 

Namibian pianist Willem van Schalkwyk has been a gold medalist and prize winner at several International piano competitions. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in the United States, Namibia and South Africa, in addition to extensive solo and collaborative recitals in these countries, Willem’s activities as coach and/or répétiteur have taken him to the Opera in the Ozarks and the AIMS program in Graz, Austria, and he was also coach and rehearsal pianist for the University of North Texas during the 2008-09 season. In August 2009 Willem graduated with his doctorate degree in music from University of North Texas.