Meet the cast of La Tragedie de Carmen

We are excited to bring this fantastic cast to the stage of the Freede Little Theatre for La Tragedie de Carmen on May 17 and 19! More information and tickets…

Caitlin McKechney (Carmen) is thrilled to be debuting with Painted Sky Opera in her favorite operatic role, Carmen. Select credits include Carmen with Opera Memphis and Tacoma Opera, Inez Serrano in No Exit and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Florida Grand Opera, Maddalena in Rigoletto with Opera Memphis and Opera Connecticut, the title role in La Perichole with Tacoma Opera, Third Lady in Magic Flute, Tisbe in La Cenerentola and mezzo in Hydrogen Jukebox with Nashville Opera. Caitlin has also performed many musical theater roles including Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me Kate and The Witch in Into the Woods. Caitlin founded the Opera Cowgirls in 2011 in Brooklyn as a way to bring opera to the masses, and is still the band leader, mezzo, guitarist and banjolele player for the all-female band. www.caitlinmckechney.com

American tenor Joel Burcham (Don Jose) has firmly established himself as a young professional in the world of opera and classical music. He is known for his dominant stage presence as demonstrated through sensitive acting and "effortless command of his voice," further described by Chris Shull of the Wichita Eagle as a tenor voice of "clarion tone and operatic power." "Burcham's soft voice," declared Jim Edwards of the Chicago Tribune, "was lyrical and smooth as silk but when he opened up his voice, beautiful loud steely notes poured forth." This versatile tenor voice has appropriately enabled Dr. Burcham to command leading roles with several of North America's top companies. Joel has sung 35 principal tenor roles with companies such as Utah Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Omaha, Madison Opera, Opera Fort Collins, Opera Theatre of the Rockies and Painted Sky Opera. Some Joel’s strongest roles include Alfredo, Don José, Pinkerton, Cavaradossi and Faust. As an active concert soloist, Joel has sung with Hawaii Symphony, Colorado International Mahler Festival, South Bend Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Madison Symphony and the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria in works including Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Missa Solemnis, Haydn’s Creation and The Seasons, Verdi Missa Di Requiem, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, and Handel’s Messiah. Dr. Burcham has Voice Performance degrees from University of Wisconsin-Madison (DMA), University of Arkansas (MM) and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (BM). He currently serves as Associate Professor of Voice and Voice Area Chair at the University of Oklahoma.

Hanna Brammer (Micaëla), soprano, is making her Painted Sky Opera debut as Micaëla this season. She has sung the role previously with Sarasota Opera, Wichita Grand Opera, and Opera Memphis. Her recent engagements include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte (Sarasota Opera), Woglinde in Das Rheingold (Pittsburgh Festival Opera), Gilda in Rigoletto (Mississippi Opera), Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Musetta in La bohème (Salt Marsh Opera). Ms. Brammer created the role of Penelope in the world-premiere of Richard Auldon Clark’s operatic adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s play Happy Birthday Wanda June with Indianapolis Opera in 2017. Hanna’s other roles include Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Rose Maurrant in Street Scene, Nuri in D’Albert’s Tiefland, Norina in Don Pasquale, and Violetta in La traviata. Upcoming engagements include Hanna’s return to Sarasota Opera to perform the role of Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, her return to Pittsburgh Festival Opera to sing the roles of Helmwige in Die Walküre, and queen Semele, in Richard Strauss’ Die Liebe der Danae, as well as her role debut as Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte with Festival Amadeus in Montana. Hanna graduated from Manhattan School of Music with a BM, and Indiana University with her MM; both in vocal performance. Hanna is from Traverse City, Michigan.

Tom Sitzler (Escamillo), baritone, has been capturing audiences with his warm, generous voice and convincing stage presence. In 2009, Mr. Sitzler stepped into the professional arena of performing as the Old Gypsy in Il Trovatore  with Union Avenue Opera.   Shortly thereafter, Mr. Sitzler was heard singing Silvano from Un ballo in Maschera with UAO, where Sarah Bryan Miller from the St. Louis Post Dispatch said, “Tom Sitzler… made the most of a small role.”  Three years later, Tom returned to St. Louis to perform the title role in The Boor with Gateway Opera, where he “proved his own skills both with his strong singing style and a good way with comedy.” (Ladue News).  He was seen last seen in Oklahoma City as Scarpia in Tosca with Painted Sky Opera.  In Denver, CO, Tom has been seen as Escamillo in Carmen, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, Horace Tabor in an abridged touring version of The Ballad of Baby Doe, as well as baritone soloist with several local orchestras including Colorado Chamber Orchestra, Boulder Symphony, Larimer Chorale and Orchestra, and Aurora Symphony.  Mr Sitzler also loves teaching voice and piano and is runs a private music studio in PA online.

Zachary DeVault (Zuniga) is a lyric baritone in the Oklahoma City area. DeVault has been seen in recent productions with Painted Sky Opera, such as Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti (jazz trio) and Verdi’s Rigoletto (Marullo). He also sang the role of Charlie in PSO’s semi-staged reading of Jake Heggie’s opera, Three Decembers. DeVault recently graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Master’s in Vocal Performance, and studies with Dr Barbara Streets. DeVault has been involved in many productions with UCO, including Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte (Guglielmo), Flotow’s Martha (Plunkett) and Copland’s The Tender Land (Top), to name a few. DeVault was recently the featured soloist in a concert with UCO choirs during their performance of Vaughan Williams’ Epithamalion. Zachary would like to thank his family and friends for always supporting him and his voice teacher, Dr. Barbara Streets, for giving him the means and courage to perform.

Alex Bolerjack (Garcia) is very excited to be returning to the stage with Painted Sky Opera. Alex has portrayed the roles of Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor, Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Eugene Onegin in Eugene Onegin, and Marco In Gianni Schicchi with the Universty of Oklahoma, as well as the role of Escamillo in Carmen with the Enid Symphony. His theater repertoire also includes Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and Algernon Moncrief in The Importance of Being Earnest with The Bethany Stage if Oklahoma. Alex received his Masters of Music in Voice from the University of Oklahoma and his Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance at Southern Nazarene University.