Raúl Morales Velazco
Bass

Raúl Morales Velazco is a member of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) where he will be heard this season as Méphistophélès in Gounod’s Faust. He was born in México and trained in the México Opera Estudio where he performed the roles of Colas in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne, Manuello in Melesio Morales’ opera Anita, Polifemo in Handel’s Acis & Galatea, and Padre Magistral in Penella’s Don Gil de Alcalá.

Raúl made his European debut in 2024 as Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Bartolo/Antonio in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Trentino Music Festival. In 2023 as part of the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia, Raul performed Colline in La bohème and the roles of Bartolo and Antonio at Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. Previous engagements have included Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’elisr d’amore for Ópera Estudio del Noroeste, the Commendatore in Mozart’s don Giovanni for Teatro del Bicenterario, the Sacrastan in Puccini’s Tosca for Teatro Ciudad Sagrada, and Sciarrone in Tosca for Orquestra Filarmónica 5 de mayo.

Raúl won 3rd prize at 2022 Carlo Morelli contest as well as being a finalist in the Concurso Latinoamericano de Canto Radio Filarmonía in Peru. He won second prize in the men’s division of the 2023 Maria Callas Brazilian Singing Contest as well as being a district winner at Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Mexico district and an encouragement Award at Rocky Mountains Region at the same contest.

“In a cast without weaknesses, bass Donato DiStefano’s Don Magnifico stands out. Di Stefano is a great Italian singing actor, commanding every trick in the comedian’s arsenal, and manages to be spectacularly stylish without concealing Magnifico’s abusiveness.”  – Canadian Opera company 

Donato Di Stefano
Bass

One of the most sought after bass buffos in the opera world, Donato DiStefano has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Munich, Paris, Brussels, Toronto, Dallas, Hamburg, Canadian Opera Company, Washington National Opera, Tokyo, and Frankfurt, just to name a few. This season Donato sings the title role in Don Pasquale with Staatstheatre Karslruhe. Future engagements include Geronte in Manon Lescaut with Gran Teatro del Liceu. Most recently he performed the Sacristan in Tosca at the Canadian Opera Company, Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi at the Bayerische Staatsoper, the title role in Gianni Schicchi with Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Don Pasquale with Oper Frankfurt and Karlsruhe, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera Frankfurt,  Don Pasquale at the Tiroler Festspiel Erl and with Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Bartolo in ll Barbiere di Siviglia at the Berlin Staatsoper, Benoit & Alcindoro in La Boheme at Frankfurt and the Canadian Opera Company, Simone in Gianni Schicchi at the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, and Geronimo in Il Matrimonio Segreto at the Staatsoper Köln.

Notable performances include Simone in Gianni Schicchi at the Metropolitan Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, Mustafa in Nancy and Avignon, Bartolo in Munich, Don Magnifico in Valencia, Il Matrimonio Segreto in Köln, Don Pasquale at the Dallas Opera, Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Washington National Opera, Leipzig, Munich and Lisbon, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola at the Canadian Opera Company, Don Magnifico for La Monnaie, L’Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy, and the Minnesota Opera, Bartolo in Leipzig and Hamburg, the title role of Gianni Schicchi in Frankfurt and in Tel Aviv.

Donato Di Stefano’s discography includes two recordings of La Serva Padrona, with La Petite Bande conducted by Sigiswald Kuijken for Accent Live, and one under Gustav Kuhn for Ricordi-Bmg. A broadcast production of the same title for RAI International is slated for release on DVD. He can also be heard as Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro on Naxos, La Traviata with Zubin Mehta on Philips, Rendine’s Un Segreto di Importanza for Ricordi, Linda di Chamounix on Frequenz and Soliva’s Giulio e Sesto Pompeo for the Radio Svizzera Italiana label.

Burak Bilgili
Bass

From the time of his professional operatic debut at the Teatro alla Scala as Don Alfonso in Lucrezia Borgia, Bass Burak Bilgili has had tremendous success singing in internationally renowned venues such as the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Opéra de Montréal, Canadian Opera Company, Liceu de Barcelona, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Caramoor Festival, Savonlinna Festival, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, where he has worked with such conductors as Evenlino Pidò, Nicola Luisotti, and Alberto Zedda.

In the 2024-25 season he performs Michele in Il Tabarro with Musica Viva in Hong Kong, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Naples. His most recent engagements include title role in Rossini’s Maometto II with the Istanbul State Opera, Enrico in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena with Musica Viva in Hong Kong, Sparafucile in Rigoletto with the Rochester Philharmonic, Friar Lawrence in Romeo et Juilette with Opera Naples, and appearances in concert in his native Turkey. Other recent engagements include Dulcamara with Musica Viva Hong Kong, Mozart’s Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, excerpts of Verdi’s Aida and Rigoletto also with the Atlanta Symphony, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Cincinnati Opera, and the title role of Don Pasquale for Michigan Opera Theater (canceled for Covid). Recently he has also been heard as Escamillo at Opera di Firenze, Mustafa in L’italiana in Algieri in Montpellier, Frer Laurent in Beijing at NCPA, and Don Pasquale at Ft. Worth Opera, Oper Köln as Padre Guardiano in La Forza del Destino, L’Opera de Tours as Mustafa in L’italiana in Algieri and Nilakantha in Lakme at the Royal Opera of Oman. He has performed Zaccaria in Nabucco at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the Washington National Opera and the Auckland Philharmonia, Sparafucile in Rigoletto in Mexico, Oroveso in Norma at Florida Grand Opera, Conte de Walter in Luisa Miller at Staatsoper Hamburg, Laurent in Romeo et Juliette and Don Pasquale with Atlanta Opera.

Recent concert engagements include Handel’s Messiah with the Washington National Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Dvoák’s Stabat Mater at Carnegie Hall, Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass with the Atlanta Symphony, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and the Istanbul Symphony State Orchestra, and Ramfis in Aida with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Other notable engagements include Ramfis in Aida with Edmonton Opera, Procida in Vespri Siciliani with the Caramoor Festival, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte for Avignon, Ferrando in Il Trovatore for the San Francisco Opera, Fiesco in Simon Boccangra for L’Opéra de Montréal, The Four Villians in Les conte d’Hoffmann for Virginia Opera and in Beijing, Sparafucile in Rigoletto for Omaha Lyric Opera, Colline in La Bohèmefor Naples Opera, Nourabad in Les Pécheurs de perles for Florida Grand Opera, Leporello and Banquo for Vancouver Opera, Daland in Der Fliegende Holländer for Michigan Opera Theater, and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia for the Canadian Opera Company.