TOSCA

Cast

Anush Avetisyan // Tosca

Soprano Anush Avetisyan, who - at age 21 - “proved to be a gifted singer and interpreter beyond her years” (German World Magazine), is a graduate of Yale University Academy of Vocal Arts, and UCLA with a double major in Vocal Performance and Music Education and is currently based in Berlin, Germany. She has performed with Opera Theater of St. Louis (Richard Gaddess award recipient), Wolf Trap Studio Young Artist, Pittsburg Festival Opera, Oberlin in Italy, Mediterranean Opera Studio, and Music Academy of the West. She sang Gretel with the Music Academy of the West, was a Fast Pitch Awardee for her mission to promote Armenian Classical music in the classical canon and was a Digital Finalist for her Armenian Folk repertoire by Komitas Vartapet. Other awards include first places in the Inaugural Deborah Voigt Vero Beach International competition, Palm Springs Opera Guild competition, Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition, the Music International Grand Prix, and she is a 2021 American Prize Recipient (Livermore Valley Opera). She looks forward to making her Tosca debut with Heartbeat opera in April of 2023.

Chad Kranak // Cavaradossi

Chad Kranak (tenor) has an active operatic career in the U.S. and abroad and has been praised for his "lyrical eloquence" and "attractive lyric sound" by Opera News. His recent engagements include Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos), Cavarodossi (Tosca), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Luzio in Wagner's Das Liebesverbot, as well as the tenor soloist in the Rachmaninoff Vespers, Mozart Requiem, Saint-Saëns Requiem, and an art song recital with St Thomas Church. He has performed with St. Petersburg Opera, Barn Opera, New Rochelle Opera, St Thomas Church, Voices of Ascension, Bard Music Festival, and the Sequoia Symphony. More info can be found at www.chadkranak.com

Gustavo Feulien // Scarpia

A baritone from Argentina, Gustavo most recently performed the role of Payador (María de Buenos Aires by Piazzolla) in São Paulo, Brazil. A role that he will sing again 2023 in San Antonio, Texas.

Other roles include Don Giovanni, Scarpia, Rigoletto, Silvio (Pagliacci), Marcello and Schaunard (La Bohème), Sharpless (Madame Butterfly), Conde di Luna (Il Trovatore), Escamillo (Carmen), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Conde Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Eugene Onegin, Rober (Iolanta), Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Herald (Lohengrin), among others. 

He has performed in the USA, Germany, Canada, Israel, Guatemala, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Dubai and Oman. 

Christopher Nazarian // Sacristan/Spoleta/Jailer

Christopher recently performed with St Petersburg Opera as Cadmus/ Somnus/ Priest (Semele), Arch Bishop (Juana) with Del’arte Opera, and Angelotti (Tosca) with New Rochelle Opera. In previous seasons, he performed Maestro Spineloccio (Gianni Schicchi) with St. Petersburg Opera Florida, Zaccaria (Nabucco), Le Duc (Romeo et Juliet), Count Ceprano (Rigoletto), with Sarasota Opera, Colline (La Boheme), Dr Grenvil (La Traviata) with New Rochelle Opera, Pistola (Falstaff) with Martina Arroyo Foundation-Prelude Performance, The King (Aida) with Gateway to Classical Music NYC.

Career highlights include bass solos in Bernstein’s Mass at the Sydney Opera House and has been awarded; Outstanding Lead Actor by Theatre Tampa Bay 2019 in the role of Leporello (Don Giovanni) with St. Petersburg Opera.

Joseph Lodato // Angelotti/Shepherd

Italian-American Baritone, Joe Lodato is a top contender for the Verdi Baritone repertoire on the international scene. Described as possessing a “historic - golden aged voice” with a “stunningly beautiful timbre, italianate snarl, mixed with a controlled passion and deep understanding of the repertoire”, “this is an artist poised to breakthrough in a major way.”

Having sung the title roles of Rigoletto and Don Giovanni, Amonasro in Aida, Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera, Germont in La Traviata, Peter in Hansel und Gretel all to great acclaim, he has diligently prepared many of the core roles in the fach with the world's top maestri.

Reza Mirjalili // Undercover Police, Sciarrone

Reza Mirjalili is a New York City based actor, born and raised in Iran. He is currently earning his MFA in Acting at the Actors Studio Drama School where he is being trained in Strasberg’s Method. Before moving to the US, Reza got his BA in Film Directing from Tehran University of Art in Iran, while simultaneously taking acting classes. This led to his performances at “Independent Theater of Tehran” and “Molavi Hall” in Tehran. He also acted in short films, a radio play, and did voice overs for short documentaries. He sends his love to the people of Iran, whom he’d love to represent through his art.

Masih Rahmati // Undercover Boss, Anonymous Man

Masih Rahmati started his performing activities by joining Aasoo Performing Arts (2017-2019, NYC) and performed in “Partners in Crime”, a play reading (2018, Gibney Studio, Manhattan, NY.), and “Ingress“, a physical theater piece(Emruz Festival, 2019, Brooklyn, NY). Masih attended Monologue, Dialogue, and Acting workshops mentored by Mohammad Aghebati in NYC. He joined Maaa Theater in 2019 as an actor, movement training assistant, and text analyst. Masih is a Cognitive Neuroscientist (Ph.D., New York University, 2019). He also plays multiple percussion instruments and practices woodworking as a hobby. Masih’s sports skills include horseback riding, soccer, table tennis, and volleyball.

MEET THE DIRECTOR

Shadi G // Director & Co-Adaptor

Shadi G. is a Theatre/Film director, Choreographer from Iran based in NYC. She has directed, Threshold of Brightness (BMP), Memorial (NYU Tisch), Banned (Broadway Bound), Glimpse (Rattlestick Theatre), Mother Courage (Hunter College), Fen (Columbia University), Untitled (Rattlestick Theatre), Lucretia (HERE), Death of Yazdgerd, Titus Andronicus (Yale School of Drama), The Slow Sound of Snow (Yale Cabaret). She co-curated Yale Summer Cabaret season, directing Trojan Women, and Lear. Also she co-founded/co-curated Emruz Festival, and Peydah Theatre Company. Shadi was a 2016 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow, the 2018 directing fellow at Rattlestick Theatre and the winner of Robert L.B. Tobin Showcase 2019. She is looking forward to her future productions: Selling Kabul (Signature, DC) and Tosca (Heartbeat Opera) 2023. See Shadi G.’s website for more.