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Orchestra Conductor on Stage

OPERA & CONCERTS

Guild Opera Company presents operas and concerts yearly.

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DARCY & RICHARD KOPCHO SEASON
2025-2026

FREE  SUMMER OPERA

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FREE EVENT

Made possible by Darcy & Richard Kopcho

JUNE 27 & 28

Friday & Saturday at 7:30 PM 

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RIVER OF THE VALLEY

22103 Vanowen St, Canoga Park, CA 91303
(Ample parking behind the church)

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KIMBERLY POLI (CARMEN)

Kimberly Poli has been a featured  soloist in venues such as Pennsylvania’s Fulton Opera House, Hershey Theater and Sunoco Theater; the Civic Theater of Indianapolis, Kresge Auditorium in Michigan, the Mark Taper Auditorium and Catalina Jazz Club in Los Angeles, and the Chatterbox Jazz Club in Indianapolis. In addition to performing oratorio, concert music and jazz,  she has appeared in principal roles with the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble, Harrisburg Opera Association (PA), Lancaster Opera (PA), Capitol Opera Harrisburg (PA), Loudoun Lyric Opera (VA), VOPA (CA) and Guild Opera (CA). Roles include Carmen (Carmen), Stephano (Romeo et Juliette), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro), Suzuki (Madame Butterfly), Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Bella (Paganini) and Hansel (Hansel and Gretel). Kimberly is an active church musician, having held long term positions at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena, and Saint Andrew Catholic Church in Pasadena, just to name a few. A passionate music educator, Kimberly teaches piano and voice lessons to all ages in the San Fernando Valley, and is the Director of School Programs for Guild Opera Company, which has been bringing professional operetta performances to Los Angeles elementary schools since 1949. 

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DAVID DE MELO (DON JOSÉ)

Tenor David De Melo has performed in leading roles such as Radamès in Aida with the Temecula Valley Symphony, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana with the Con Forza Lyric Theatre, and Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca and Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Mediterranean Opera Festival in Sicily. This past season, Mr. De Melo covered the role of Macduff in Macbeth for the Guild Opera Company and is delighted to return to perform with Guild Opera again in the role of Don Josè in Carmen. He has also performed B. F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut. He has sung with various orchestras and opera companies, including the San Diego Community Orchestra and Inland Valley Opera, and performed as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Handel’s Messiah. With experience in both opera and Broadway standards, Mr. De Melo has appeared in roles such as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables: In Concert, Joe in VOPA’s recent production of Oklahoma!, and The Lover in Menotti’s Amelia Goes to the Ball.

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VERONICA ROBINSON (MICAËLA)

Veronica Robinson is a multidisciplinary Soprano from Los Angeles who has performed with opera companies across the U.S. She won first prize in the 2023 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Young Artist Awards for the Los Angeles region, and was also a finalist in the 2023 NATS Artist Awards and the 2024 AIMS Meistersinger competitions. As an Apprentice Artist at Sarasota Opera in 2023, she sang in the choruses of Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Ernani, and Thérèse. Veronica has performed roles such as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Un Amante in Il Tabarro, and Suor Osmina in Suor Angelica. She has also sung in opera scenes from works such as Lucia di Lammermoor, Anna Bolena, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Traviata, Il Pirata, and Chérubin. Veronica holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the Bob Cole Conservatory at CSU Long Beach, where she won the 2022 Concerto Competition. Her choral soloist repertoire includes Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Rutter’s Requiem and Gloria. She has performed with ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New West Symphony and appeared in the opera chorus for Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at the Ojai Music Festival. Veronica has recorded for multiple liturgical albums, has appeared on the Dark Encounter film soundtrack, featured at the Cannes Film Festival, and on the demo album for the upcoming musical, Jo - The Little Women Musical. During the Halloween and Christmas seasons, she can be seen performing on Disneyland properties with acapella ensembles. Outside of music, Veronica also works as a bridal makeup artist.

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DAVID HODGSON (ESCAMILLO)

David Hodgson has sung as principle baritone in many operas including The Magic Flute, Rigoletto, La Bohème, Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana, The Tales of Hoffmann, Susanna, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, Oedipus Tex by P.D.Q. Bach, and Der Freischütz over the past two decades. In addition to traditional opera, Mr. Hodgson has been selected by notable composers John Biggs and Enrique Gonzales Medina to originate leading roles for the premieres of their operas: Hobson's Choice by John Biggs, and Serafina y Arcangela by Enrique Gonzales Medina. Engagements as soloist for oratorio and other orchestral works have included Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Händel’s Messiah, Durufle’s Requiem and Mozart’s Requiem. Recently Mr. Hodgson has debuted a collection of art songs Six Robinson Songs, adapted from poems by E.A. Robinson written for baritone and left hand piano by Patrick Rindt. As a Ridgecrest resident Mr. Hodgson has brought opera to the city as founder and director of the Ridgecrest Opera Guild. And now, as director of the newly formed Ridgecrest Opera Workshop, Mr. Hodgson continues to introduce both audience and performers to opera.

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You are invited to watch these talented upcoming young artists perform their best arias in a public concert this Saturday!

These young artists are currently enrolled or have graduated from local music departments by such institutions as UCLA, CSUN, USC, Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and Azusa Pacific University. Many have received awards and recognitions by competitions such as Laffont Metropolitan Opera Competition and Opera Buffs, as well as participated in productions with local companies including LA Opera Connects and Los Angeles Opera Chorus.

SCHOLAR ARTIST FINALISTS

Lora Bashmakian

Jayden Bluestein

Fantasia Guerra-Rivera

Habin Kim

Estefani Lopez

EMERGING ARTIST FINALISTS

Talar Arslanian

Lily Berthold

Shyheim Selvan Hinnant

Joanna Kim

Sabrina Langlois

The first, second and third prize winners will be announced at the end of the concert.

SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2024 at 7:00 PM​

Congregational Church of Chatsworth

20440 Lassen Street

Chatsworth, CA 91311

Highlights from past shows

Established in 1949, Guild Opera Company is the second oldest opera company

in California after the San Francisco Opera.

 

Our alumni have included such world famous singers as Metropolitan Opera star mezzo Marilyn Horne, baritone Heinz Blankenburg, actress and soprano Mary Costa, who spoke and sang the role of Princess Aurora in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and many other Disney films, and voice over artist Marnie Nixon, whose film career as a dubbing singer includes The King and I, West Side Story, My Fair Lady and dozens more.

Guild Opera Company introduces opera to the community and strongly believes in creating opportunities for young up-and-coming talent to gain experience and perform in fully staged opera productions with professional singers.

Tosca by Puccini - Carlos Oliva & Emma Berggren

TOSCA

Rigoletto by Verdi - Carlos Oliva & Caroline Nelms

RIGOLETTO

Cosi fan tutte by Mozart - Kim Poli, Ralph Cato & Alena Bernardi

COSÌ FAN TUTTE

La Boheme by Puccini - Gabriel Manro & Alena Bernardi

LA BOHÈME

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