Mezzo-Soprano Morgan Davis Peckels is active with many ensembles in the Central Florida area. She was most recently seen playing the role of The Mother in Opera Orlando's production of Amahl & the Night Visitors. Before that she was seen in Florida Opera Theatre's production of Trouble in Tahiti and as Kate Pinkerton in The Orlando Philharmonic's production of Madama Butterfly.  Morgan can often be heard as the Mezzo Soprano soloist with the Messiah Chorale Society of Orlando singing Handel's Messiah and is also a very active soloist with The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park. With Bach Festival she was recently heard as Juditha in Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans and the mezzo soloist for Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light and Bach’s Mass in B Minor.

Receiving her Bachelor’s degree from Elon University and her Masters degree from The Boston Conservatory, Morgan is currently on the voice faculty at Rollins College and runs a private studio out of Winter Springs, FL where she specializes in teaching classical and musical theatre .

Baritone Jacob Pence has been hailed by Ken Herman of the San Diego Story for his “robust and colorful” singing and described by performing arts writer Tom Alvarez as “showing finesse...” in his blog On the Aisle. This past February saw Jacob perform the role of Sid in The Girl of the Golden West with Opera Orlando. Previous performances include the role of Pish-Tush in The Mikado with Central Florida Vocal Arts in 2019, and the roles of Dax and The Client in Robert Patterson’s contemporary opera Three Way during the 2018 Orlando Fringe Festival.  Jacob has performed in productions with the St. Petersburg Opera Company, Kentucky Opera, and Indianapolis Opera and as an Emerging Artist with The Crested Butte Music Festival, Music by the Lake at Aurora University, Columbus Opera, The Lexington Opera Society, OperaNeo, and the Martina Arroyo Foundation. A native of Crestwood, Kentucky, Jacob is a graduate of The Ohio State University and the University of Evansville, residing in Orlando, Florida.

Orlando based, American Opera Singer, Sarah Stead sings world wide with The Hollywood Concert Orchestra and with various orchestras and opera companies in the US. Most recently, you may have heard her with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in The Young People’s Concerts or with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Sarah sings locally with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Central Florda Vocal Arts and Opera Del Sol. She is a lyric soprano who enjoys roles such as Juliette, Pamina, and Musetta.  Her Vocal Performance degrees are from The Catholic University of America and Georgia Southern. Sarah also teaches voice lessons in Orlando and mentors aspiring opera singers.

Bryan Hayes is a vocalist, songwriter, arranger and composer.  He's a working artist with a background ranging many genres including Classical, Jazz, Blues, Soul, R&B, Rock, Pop and more. In fall 2013 he received bachelor’s degrees from the University of North Florida in the studies of Classical voice and in Jazz Studies, primary instrument being voice.  He has performed and continues to perform in countless concerts, he has performed major roles in numerous operas, oratorios and theatrical productions, and has toured with different groups in many different countries, including but not limited to; the University of North Florida and University of British Columbia Opera ensembles in two separate productions in the Czech Republic, the University of North Florida Chorale 2010 tour of Italy, the St. John’s Cathedral Choir of Jacksonville 2014 tour of Westminster Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral, a contract with Carnival Cruise Lines in 2014, and numerous shows with the Orlando Philharmonic, Opera Orlando, and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra.

He has performed onstage with such noted artists and ensembles, including but not limited to; The Royal Symphony of England, Reggie Wooten, Ben Folds and Andrea Bocelli.  In 2015 Bryan released his first album of original compositions entitled “This Is Me.”  Bryan aspires to continue a career of performance and composition.  He currently resides in Orlando, Florida.

Desiree has twenty years of performing experience. She works as a Singer/Actress/Dancer for a few major theme parks & resorts here in Florida. Desiree has 9+ years of experience as a adjudicator for theatrical competitions. She has 5+ years of experience as a Musical Theatre instructor for children. She also currently works professionally booking seasonal and year-round projects for a few local entertainment companies, her talent agencies & many theatre companies within and beyond Central Florida.  She studied Performance and Education in Music & Theatre at Valencia Community College and also studied Performance in Music and was an Honors Choir singer at Florida State University.

David Bracamonte, an Arizona native, has been described as having “amazing control between the big powerhouse moments and the softer, subtler sequences, while always moving seamlessly from dialogue to lyric and back again. He is worth your ticket price alone.“ David has his Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance and studied at Northern Arizona University where he was a principal singer in many productions such as The Rape of Lucretia, Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, A Little Night Music and The Fantasticks. David has enjoyed a professional career as a singer and actor across the globe including touring productions, cruise ships and regional theatre. He was most recently seen as Rapunzel's Prince in Into The Woods (Central Florida Community Arts) and as the title role in Sweeney Todd (Insomniac Theatre). Some other favorite credits include Les Miserables (Orlando Shakespeare Theatre), The Drowsy Chaperone (Mad Cow Theatre), and A Tale Of Two Cities (Central Florida Vocal Arts). He can be seen singing at Walt Disney World in Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage where he has performed for over 9 years.  He currently produces, writes and directs seasonal entertainment offerings for Gaylord Hotels.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Soprano, Theresa Leigh Smith-Levin, is proud to be the founder and Chief Executive Director of Central Florida Vocal Arts, parent company to Orlando Light Opera and to co-produce the outstanding cast and crew of The Merry Widow. Theresa is a UCF and Univ. of Miami alumni, who performs regularly throughout the area.  She cantors weekly at St Margaret Mary Church and maintains a music studio of 40+ students. In addition to her private studio, Theresa teaches voice at Dr. Phillips’ H.S. and Dr. Phillips’ PAC School of the Arts.  Theresa was most recently seen singing the role of Philia in Forum, the Baroness in The Sound of Music and Princess Margaret in The Student Prince with Orlando Light Opera.  She is a sought after performer, director and music director of both musical theater and classical vocal works.  She has also produced numerous original productions with Central Florida Vocal Arts. Later this month, she will be performing the one-woman show, Save Me Dolly Parton, produced by Beth Marshall Presents at The Indy Fringe Festival.

Established in the mind of its Founder & Executive Director, Nicole Dupré, Opera del Sol was manifested from her adoration for all things Orlando and her love for opera. Having labored for nearly a decade in various capacities within the world of the performing arts, Nicole imagined, believed, and then conceived a way of facilitating opera for a 21st Century audience. Lifting it beyond the opera house and over the walls of the concert hall and delivering it straight to a multigenerational and multiethnic audience, via Central Florida’s most cherished structures is its mission.  Since 2009, Nicole Dupré has worked alongside and within numerous Performing Arts institutions, including Opera Orlando, The Orlando Philharmonic, Stetson University, UCF, The Orlando Ballet, Vero Beach Opera Company, among others. As a heavily sought after Hair, Makeup and Wig Designer her work has been seen in such productions as: Madama Butterfly, La Traviata, Tosca, Barber of Seville, Marriage of Figaro, Impresario, Les mamelles de Tiresias, Don Pasquale, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Don Giovanni, Magic Flute, Candide, Beauty & the Beast, Don Quiote, Dracula and many more. Her highly regarded expertise in skincare has earned the trust of such notable clientele as: FORBES Magazine, The Today Show, MSNBC, The Golf Channel, WESH2News, and even a 500lb. tiger.

Affectionately regarded as the unofficial Empress Of Orlando, Nicole Dupré is unapologetic about her love and zeal for Orlando. As a graduate of The Mayor’s City Academy, she has determined to help shape Orlando’s Performing Arts culture. Opera del Sol endeavors to re imagine operatic classics, cultivate and create modern gems and expose audiences of every age and background to the wonders of the Performing Arts.

Nishaa Johnson is a singer, pianist, and teacher. Nishaa holds both a Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice Performance and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from the University of South Florida. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Arts Degree with an emphasis in Music, from the University of Central Florida.  She has performed with many organizations within Central Florida, such as CFCArts, Central Florida Vocal Arts, Opera Del Sol, Disney, and Gaylord Palms. Most recently, she performed the role of Laurie in The Tender Land with UCF Opera.  In addition to being a student and graduate teaching assistant at UCF, she teaches private voice and piano from her studio in Orlando, and is an adjunct voice instructor at the Montverde Academy Conservatory of Music.