OperAloha

Join us for OPERALOHA with Love, an epic Valentine celebration blending Opera with Hawai’i’s diverse musical traditions. Experience a musical feast of Opera, Fado, Hawaiian songs, and Jazz performed by a world-class talent lineup including Cuban-American soprano Maria Valdes, Samoan-New Zealand soprano Aivale Cole, American tenor Christopher Oglesby, Korean bass-baritone Jongwon Han, and producer Ronny Michael Greenberg. Leave on a high note this season of love with a program that will touch your heart.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

American soprano Maria Valdes has been praised as a "first-rate singing actress and a perfectly charming Gilda" by the New York Times. Her 2023-2024 season features significant symphonic and recital debuts, including performances with the Greensboro Symphony in Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and the Phoenix Symphony in Strauss’s Four Last Songs. She will also be featured in recitals with Il Cenacolo Italian Club, the Cathedral of St. Paul, and other notable venues, and will return to Houston Grand Opera to cover Maria in The Sound of Music. In the 2022-2023 season, Ms. Valdes made her Metropolitan Opera debut covering Papagena in The Magic Flute and returned to Atlanta Opera as Léontine in L’Amant anonyme. She also performed with the San Jose Symphony in Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Carmina Burana, and participated in the Madison Chamber Music Festival with tenor John Riesen. Her other notable engagements included roles with Hawaii Opera Theater and the Metropolitan Opera. Previous seasons highlight Ms. Valdes's versatility and prominence in the operatic and concert stages. She debuted with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 4, and performed with the Phoenix Symphony, Hawaii Opera Theater, and Berkshire Opera Festival. She has also collaborated with prestigious organizations such as the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Chattanooga Symphony, and San Francisco Opera, and has been recognized with awards including the top prize at the regional Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions.

New Zealand soprano Aivale Cole, currently based in London, has an illustrious international career. She studied in New Zealand and Australia, and her remarkable performances have graced stages across New Zealand, Australia, London, Italy, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Cambodia, China, Japan, India, Fiji, Samoa, and Noumea. Aivale won the prestigious Lexus Song Quest in 2009 and contributed to the soundtrack of the iconic film, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." In 2019, she premiered the song cycle 'DAUGHTERS,' with a libretto by Tammy Brennan and music by David Chisholm in Sydney, receiving rave reviews. That summer, she captivated London audiences with back-to-back performances in 'The Silk Moth' by Bushra El-Turk and 'Treemonisha' by Scott Joplin at the Grimeborn Festival, followed by her role as Desdemona in the GAFA Arts Collective's innovative 'Rotello: The Rugby Opera' at the Opera City Festival. In November, Aivale debuted as the Waldvogel in GAFA's opera version of 'Siegfried.' She continued to garner acclaim with her performance of the 'Daughters Opera' premiere in New Delhi, India, in January 2020, further solidifying her status as a dynamic and versatile soprano on the global stage.

Korean bass-baritone Jongwon Han, lauded for his “sweet, silky baritone” and “charming and witty” stage presence, is rapidly rising in the opera world. Winner of Third Prize at the 2022 Operalia World Opera Competition, Mr. Han's 2022/23 season includes debuts with Dayton Opera in Handel’s Messiah and Palm Beach Opera in Madama Butterfly (Bonzo). He is also a San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow. In summer 2022, he joined Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist, covering Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Mr. Han made his professional debut at the Vernazza Opera Festival in Italy and has performed in Osaka, Seoul, and New York City. His roles include Don Giovanni, Figaro, Masetto (Don Giovanni), Schaunard (La bohème), and Barone Douphol (La traviata). He has a strong affinity for sacred music, performing in Bach’s Cantata BWV 140, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Sparrow Mass, and Haydn’s Theresienmesse. A 2021 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Grand Finalist, Mr. Han has won numerous awards, including the 2022 Vero Beach Opera Rising Stars 1st Prize, Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition 3rd place & audience choice award, and the 2021 Stephen De Maio Memorial Award. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Seoul National University, a master's from Mannes School of Music, and studied at The Juilliard School’s Artist Diploma in Opera Studies program.

American tenor Christopher Oglesby made his San Francisco Opera debut as an Adler Fellow during the 2018-2019 season, performing roles such as Dancaïre in Carmen, Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette, Edmondo in Manon Lescaut, and Jaquino in Fidelio. During his tenure as an Adler Fellow, he also covered Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra, and performed as First Commissioner in Dialogues des Carmélites. Previously, Oglesby was a Resident Artist with Utah Opera in the 2017-2018 season, singing Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette and as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Utah Symphony. He debuted as Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress with the 2018 Merola Opera Program. An active soloist and recitalist, Oglesby has performed at the SF Film Festival, Dallas Puccini Society, Vallejo Festival Orchestra, and in the Schwabacher Recital Series at San Francisco Opera. He is a recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant. Recently, he made his role and company debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Sarasota Opera (2022-2023) and as Boris in Kát’a Kabanová with West Edge Opera (2021). Upcoming roles include mainstage debuts as Rodolfo in La bohème and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Oglesby will be a principal artist for four mainstage productions with San Francisco Opera in the 2024-2025 season.

Ronny Michael Greenberg is a Pianist and Producer whose virtuosic talents have graced the stages of esteemed venues across the globe. As founder and CEO of Taste of Talent, a non-profit that showcases the transformative power of Music and Art through innovative cultural programs and promotes entrepreneurial empowerment of Artists, he has established himself as a leading figure in the world of performing arts. Among his producer credits are the Merola Opera Program's 2021 Gala, Grace Cathedral's annual summer solstice concert "TILT", and “Opera Aloha”, a showcase of Opera, the diverse musical traditions of Hawai’i, and the personal stories of world class Opera Talent. Mr. Greenberg has graced the stages of some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including the Vienna Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall, and Montreal's Place des Arts Theater. He has worked closely and proudly with the San Francisco Opera since 2015 and many esteemed organizations such as the Merola Opera Program, San Francisco Ballet, Hawai’i Opera Theater, Filoli Historic House & Gardens, Music at Kohl Mansion, Cincinnati Opera, American Bach Soloists, Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, the Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival, and Festival Napa Valley. Through his artistry, Mr. Greenberg is passionate about challenging the boundaries of genre and culture, always searching for new ways to bring people together through collaboration and artistic freedom.

To purchase tickets to see OperAloha at the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center, follow our purchase tickets link to the right. Single tickets for this performance will go on sale September 3, 2024.

• Advance Sales/At the Door General: $20/$25
• Advance Sales/At the Door Discount: $15/$20
• Advance Sales/At the Door UHH/HCC Students w/valid ID & Children 17 & Under: $10/$15