MEET THE CAST
Mario Laurenti – Co-founder/Artistic Director
 Mario Laurenti gained recognition as a dramatic tenor, having sung in major companies throughout Europe including the Rome Opera and San Carlo Opera Theater. He was born in Supina, Italy in the year that Caruso died and sang in the era of Di Stefano, Corelli, Tebaldi, and Tagliavini. His own debut was as Turridu (Cavalleria Rusticana) in Rome. He was chosen by Martha Graham to be the lead tenor soloist in her international and Broadway productions of Klydemnestra. Mario's interest broadened over the years to stage direction and opera production. His stage directing experience took him to the Philadelphia, San Antonio, Hartford and the Stanford Opera companies. His own companies, which began in New York and Long Island, quickly gained recognition and acclaim. His Long Island Opera Showcase was responsible for bringing opera to thousands of school children. The showcase attracted various artists, some from City Opera and the Met in New York. His New York company, Laurenti Opera Theater, was one of two opera companies to showcase artists recognized and approved by, and for, AGMA artists. The Laurenti Opera Theater was also chosen by the New York City Parks Department to found what has become “Opera in the Park,” a popular attraction in city parks throughout all five boroughs. It is a tradition that continues to this day.
Maestro Laurenti began staging operas in Tampa in 1976 and was responsible for bringing such illustrious artists as Robert Merrill, James McCracken, Roberta Peters, Dorothy Kirsten and Anna Moffo to the Tampa Bay area. He gave Johanna Maier her debut performance in the Tampa production of Norma. Laurenti founded the Sunstate Opera in 1994 after retiring as the Artistic Director of the Tampa Bay Opera. He revived the Tampa Bay Opera in 2008 with the financial and management assistance of a group of opera supporters.
An acclaimed voice teacher for over 50 years, including studios in New York City and Hollywood, California, his goal is to provide an opportunity for local talent to gain experience in full operatic roles with complete sets, costumes, and orchestration, preparing them to move on to professional operatic careers. While definitely benefiting area singers, his activities have also been a boon to culture in the Tampa Bay area with world class caliber performances and staging.
Lead Sopranos
 Julia Coulmas – Soprano
Julia debuted as Mimi in La Boheme, a role she has revived many times. Her artistry and interpretation have been applied, also with much success, to leading roles as Cio Cio San (Madama Butterfly), Violetta (La Traviata) Nedda (I Pagliacci) Adele (Die Fledermaus) and Gretel (Hansel and Gretel). A past winner of the Suncoast Opera Guild Competition, Julia is also well known in many area schools due to her work with Youth Opera Appreciation. Julia is an exceptional talent and audience favorite.
 Alexi Doulgeris – Lyrico Spinto - Soprano
Alexi’s big, distinctive, rich soprano is an audience favorite. She has performed acts in lead roles as Mimi in La Boheme, Aida in Aida, and Santuzza in La Cavalaria Rusticana and in many other operas from La Traviata to Madame Butterfly. Alexi has been studying full time with Mario Laurenti for the past six years. She is in the last stages of her preparation for a promising professional operatic career as a dramatic soprano. Alexi started as a church soloist at age eleven. She discovered opera at seventeen, and has been in love with it ever since.
Linda Hines – Coloratura Soprano
 Linda Hines was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. From the young age of 5 she knew that she wanted to sing Opera. Once she set her sights she never looked back. She began studying with Mario Laurenti when she was 18. She recently returned from Europe where she stayed for a month in Vienna training and singing. She is excited to go back later this year to audition with the Wiener Staatsoper. Linda plans to continue her training and hopes to one day be an influential voice for generations to come.
Lead Tenors
Kevin Nickorick – Tenor
 Kevin is a versatile vocalist who began his operatic career with the Toronto Opera Repertoire under the direction of the acclaimed Giuseppe Macina. Locally, he has performed with the St. Petersburg Opera, and is a regular with the Sunstate Opera and Florida Lyric Opera. His portfolio of over 25 roles in 17 operas covers the gamut from the effervescent Goro (Madama Butterfly) to the title role of the demanding Wagnerian opera, Siegfried. His many appearances with the Treasure Coast Opera in Ft. Pierce also include a children’s version of the Barber of Seville which he edited and staged and which has been enthusiastically received by thousands of school children in St. Lucy County. He has also appeared as an anthem singer for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team.
Clint Shepherd – Tenor
 Clint is familiar to many theatre goers in the Tampa Bay area for his work in both musicals and opera. His musical roles include Tony (West Side Story), Jesus and Judas (Jesus Christ Superstar), Gideon (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), Will Parker and recently Curly (Oklahoma!), Lumiere (Beauty and the Beast), Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz), and Freddy Einsford Hill (My Fair Lady). His roles in opera include Germont (La Traviata), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), the Father (Hansel and Gretel), Silvio (I Pagliacci) and Warden Frank (Die Fledermaus).
Tom Workman – Tenor
 Tom has appeared in numerous concerts with the Sunstate Opera & Tampa Bay Opera Company including the operas: Madam Butterfly & La Traviata performed at the Palladium Theater and Pinellas Park Cultural Center. Other roles performed in the Opera Scenes and Love songs concert series are Mario Caverdosi (Tosca), Rudolpho (La Boheme), Ramades (Aida), and Gaston (La Traviata). Tom also sings for the opening ceremony at the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Walk every year.
Lead Contralto
Pat Agnew – Mezzo-Contralto
Pat began her singing career at age nine as a church soloist. In college, she was asked to join the Tri-Cities Opera Chorus and coached with Placido Domingo. She solo debuted as a soprano in Toronto as Violetta (La Traviata) in a production of the Toronto Opera Repertoire. In 1996, she appeared as a guest artist at the International Music Festival in Coventry, England. As her voice developed into a rich contralto, she added roles such as Mama Lucia (Cavelleria Rusticana), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Berta (Barber of Seville), Flora (La Traviata), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), and Fricka (Das Ring). She also performs locally with the Florida Lyric Opera and New Century Opera as well as having appeared in musicals such as Kiss Me Kate and South Pacific.
Lead Baritone and Bass
David Powers – Baritone
 David, a native of St Petersburg, is better known to longtime area residents as “David Weakley”. David legally changed his surname from “Weakley” to “Powers” in order to have, quite literally, a moniker that is as powerful as his singing voice. David has studied voice with Mario Laurenti, Rosalia Maresca, and the late Beverly Bennett. In 2003, Sarasota’s Skyway Productions cast him as Julius Caesar in the debut of the Sharon Lesley-David Ohrenstein Opera, “Octavian and Cleopatra”. Next came his role as the villain in the Bill Leavengood-Lee Ahlin musical, “Crossing the Bay”, produced by St Petersburg’s Live Arts Peninsula Foundation. And for the Fresh! Live! Theatre Company in St Petersburg, David played a comedic role in Sean Sanczel’s original musical farce, “The Big Finish”. David made his Italian-Opera debut in the Sunstate Opera’s 2007 production of “La Traviata”.
Gary Nisson – Bass
Tampa Bay Opera is pleased to have such an in-demand artist as Gary appear with us. He has worked with the Tampa Bay Opera, Coco Beach Opera, Treasure Coast Opera, Pensacola Opera and the Jefferson Performing Arts Society. With us, he has appeared in a variety of concerts as well as full roles such as the Bonze (Madame Butterfly) and Colline (La Boheme).
Lead Accompanist
 Rena Massey – Accompanist
Rena performs as a pianist, organist, and accompanist throughout the Bay area and is the lead accompanist with the Tampa Bay Opera. She can trace her lineage of teachers back to Beethoven and Hayden. Rena is also a singer and has performed in Belgium as Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) as well as in Venezuela where she sang with Alfredo Sanchez Luna, the most famous recording artist of that country. This experience gives her an exceptional ability to play and accompany opera, which she has been doing since the age of 14. She works with both the Sunstate Opera and the Florida Lyric Opera. Ms. Massey also gives solo recitals with narrations that educate and delight audiences.
Featured Artists
Lothar Bergeest – Baritone
Lothar’s broad interest in music of all kinds has brought him a diverse and rewarding career covering a repertoire of over four dozen opera, oratorio, and musical theater roles, singing with stars that range from Roberta Peters and Robert Merrill, to Jamie Farr of TV’s M*A*S*H*, and Mickey Rooney. He has a Baccalaureate and Master’s Degrees and has served as a visiting Professor of Voice and Diction at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. He is currently a Voice Instructor at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts, at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, as well as maintaining a private voice studio.
Troy Delaine – Tenor
Troy completed a performance tour of Central America concerts, and is recording and working with Joe Yazbeck and Heartbeat Productions. He is looking forward to upcoming roles, New York Broadway and tour auditions.
Joseph Fast – Tenor
Joseph has an extensive background in front of the footlights as well as behind the curtain in musical comedy, straight plays and concert appearances. He has sung the lead roles in operas such as Faust, Rodolfo (La Boheme), Turridu (Cavalleria Rusticana), and his personal favorite Canio (I Pagliacci). He toured the Southeast as Ralph (H.M.S. Pinafore). Other roles include the Red Shadow (The Desert Song), Phillipe (The New Moon), and Lt Cable (South Pacific). For ten years he served as co-director of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions for the southeast district. He has also performed leading roles in two world premieres of two operas: Anton (Elizabeth of Russia) and the Ghost of Marc Anthony (Octavian and Cleopatra).
Stephen Fee - Lyric Tenor
 Stephen is Maestro Laurenti's newest student, and has a promising future as a lyric tenor. He has portrayed Rudolfo (La Boheme) with Tampa Bay Opera. He is a college student at USF studying English Literature, and a native of St
Petersburg.
Lauren Fullerton – Mezzo Soprano
Lauren is a student at USF pursuing a degree in music, and is the youngest singer with Tampa Bay Opera. She has performed in a number of concerts with Maestro Laurenti and at USF. She has portrayed Lola (Cavalleria Rusticana) in opera scenes, and is the understudy for Carmen through USF’s Opera program. She sang in the chorus of La Traviata with Sunstate Opera.
Baron Garriott – Tenor
Baron has appeared as Alfredo (La Traviata) and as Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly). He is a singer/song writer living in Sarasota, and has worked with numerous theatre and opera companies. He has been a featured soloist with the Symposium Singers and Gloria Musicale. He has worked with artists such as Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, and Regis Philbin.
Veronica Klos – Mezzo Soprano
 Veronica began singing as a gift to herself for her 42nd birthday, and has been studying music and opera with Mario Laurenti ever since. She was in the chorus of both La Traviata and Madama Butterfly, and portrayed Annina in La Traviata. She has performed in many concerts with Tampa Bay Opera and Sunstate Opera. She hopes to inspire others to follow their bliss at any age!
Chris Lewis – Baritone
 Chris is very active in the Tampa Bay area as a church soloist and opera soloist with both Sunstate Opera and Tampa Bay Opera. His debut role was Dr. Grenville (La Traviata). Other roles include the Imperial Commissioner (Madama Butterfly), Zuniga (Carmen), the Jailor and Angelotti (Tosca), Ramphis (Aida), Private Willis (Lolanthe) and Guran (Princess Ida).
Jolanda Nel – Soprano
Jolanda received her masters degree in opera from the Pretoria Technikon School of the Performing Arts in her native South Africa. In addition to her work with the Sunstate Opera, she has performed in Denver, Colorado and with the International Lyric Academy in Rome. Her roles include Constanza (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Despina (Cosi Fan Tutte), Rita (Rita), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Luisa (The Fantasticks), Madam Goldentrill (The Impressario), and Violetta (La Traviata).
Carol Pollock – Dramatic Soprano
 Carol possesses a voice that has been described as both “powerful” and “rich”. Early performance experiences came from singing as a youngster with the Tampa Bay Children’s Chorus for seven years. Ms. Pollock later went on to earn her BM in Vocal Performance from the University of South Florida. Operatic roles include the Dragonfly from Ravel’s “The Bewitched Child” and Carmen Ghia from P.D.Q. Bach’s “The Stoned Guest”. She has also performed as a soloist with the choir of Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Tampa. In addition to her blossoming singing duties, Ms. Pollock currently teaches elementary music.
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