Anyone who saw and heard tenor James Valenti (Maurizio) in our Washington Concert Opera production of Il Guiramento, can easily understand why he has been named the winner the prestigious 2010 Richard Tucker Award. He is considered one of his generation's brightest rising stars. Having made his debut at Milan's Teatro alla Scala in 2008 as Rodolfo under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, the 2009/10 season marked James Valenti's debut with the Metropolitan Opera and The Royal Opera at Covent Garden, both as Alfredo in La traviata opposite Angela Gheorghiu.

Mary Elizabeth Williams (Adriana) makes her debut with Washington Concert Opera and continues our tradition of introducing Washington-area audiences to rising young singers, just as we did with tenor Lawrence Brownlee and soprano Sarah Coburn. After a year-long stint in the touring company of Showboat, Mary Elizabeth joined the young artist program at the Opera National de Paris in 2002 and has since received rave reviews for her performances as Tosca and Leonora, among others. She has sung with New Orleans Opera, Seattle Opera, Atlanta Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Opera Grand Rapids, and The Choral Society of New York

Mezzo soprano Elizabeth Bishop (Princess de Bouillon), who gave us such memorable performances as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana and Sara in Roberto Devereux returns to WCO in this production of Adriana. A favorite of audiences everywhere, and in Washington in particular, Betsy Bishop's abundant acting and musical talents make her a natural for the role of the Principessa.

Tenor Giuseppe Filianoti (Werther) opened the season at La Scala, where he is a frequent guest, with Rossini's Moïse et Pharaon. He made his Covent Garden début in 2000 as Alfredo in La Traviata, returning in the title role of Donizetti's Dom Sébastien in 2005 and recently as Nemorino in L'Elisir d'amore. In 2005 Filianoti made his widely celebrated American début at the Metropolitan Opera as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Signature roles at the Met include Nemorino, the Duke of Mantua, and Ruggero. In addition to the Met, he has appeared to great accolades at the San Francisco Opera, Carnegie Hall, the Los Angeles Opera and the Chicago Lyric Opera. Giuseppe Filianoti has also performed in the major opera houses of Europe, including: Berlin, Vienna, Barcelona, Florence, Hamburg, Madrid, Paris, and Munich.

Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore (Charlotte) is well-known for her vocal talents, energetic acting, and natural beauty, qualities that quickly established her as an emerging star. She made her professional debut at the l'Opera de Nice in1986, and during the next decade she performed dozens of leading roles with major European houses: Paris, Vienna, London, Edinburgh, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva, Milan, Buenos Aires and Salzburg.

In 1994 she returned to the United States in a triumphant Carnegie Hall appearance with the Opera Orchestra of New York and Eve Queler. This success was followed by winning the prestigious Richard Tucker award that same year, and a debut as Rosina at the Metropolitan Opera in 1995. Following that success she became a regular attraction at the Met, singing a wide range of roles.

Soprano Joélle Harvey (Sophie) is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most promising young talents of her generation. She is the recent recipient of a 2009 Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, a 2010 Encouragement Award (in honor of Norma Newton) from the George London Foundation, and a Third Prize award in 2010 from the Gerda Lissner Foundation

She has performed with Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Eugene Opera, Atlanta Opera, Dallas Opera, and Portland Opera. This summer she returns to Glimmerglass Opera as Seleuce in the U.S. professional stage premiere of Händel's Tolomeo

Recipient of a 2008 Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grant, baritone Timothy Mix is recognized for the beauty of his voice and his compelling stage presence. He received critical acclaim for his pivotal role as Edward Gaines in the New York premiere of Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison's Margaret Garner, in a new production by Tazewell Thompson, for which he received New York City Opera's 2008 Christopher Keene Award. Washington audiences will recognize him from his performance this past season as Ford in Verdi's Falstaff with WNO. He has also appeared with San Francisco Opera, Arizona Opera, Toledo Opera and Opera Southwest.

In addition to having received the Founder's Award from the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and the Helen Jepson Dellera Award from the Bradenton Opera Guild, Timothy Mix has received awards in several competitions, most notably the Mirjam Helen International Singing Competition, the Palm Beach Opera Competition and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.