Recognized as an “energetic” performer by The NY Times, Italian conductor Christian Capocaccia is in his second year with Symphoria as Assoc. Conductor & Youth Orchestra Dir., as well as music dir. of Syracuse Opera. Born in Rome, he attended the Santa Cecilia Music Conservatory and is a graduate of Indiana University. As a guest conductor he has appeared both in the U.S. and Europe leading ensembles such as the Orchestra di Roma e del Lazio, Moscow Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica Città di Grosseto, Orchestra Città Aperta, International Chamber Ensemble, Orchestra da Camera delle Marche, Orchestra Sinfonica di Pesaro, and Pittsburgh Opera, among many others.

Canadian born soprano Alexandra Deshorties was raised in Marseille, France, where she attended the Conservatory and “earned a gold medal/first prize for her performance in vocal juries.” She continued at the Manhattan School. A winner of the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions (and a participant in the National Council Winners Concert) at 21, she entered the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann program and made her debut as the High Priestess in Aida. She has since appeared in a large number of roles both with the Met (Elettra (Idomeneo), Konstanze (Die Entführung), Countess (Figaro), and Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) and with other companies, e.g. Dallas, Seattle, Welsh National, San Francisco, Houston Grand, Salzburg Festival, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Theater an der Wien, Gstaad Festival, among others.

Mezzo soprano Katie Hannigan has performed with Rochester Lyric Opera, Merola Opera, Buffalo Opera, SUNY Purchase Opera, Opera on the Avalon & other companies. Her orchestral credits include NYS Ballet & Lyric Theatre, Rochester & Buffalo Philharmonic, Rochester Oratorio Society and others. A former prize winner of the CMM competition, she earned degrees from SUNY Purchase & Eastman. Dr. Hannigan is an Assistant Professor at Nazareth College.

Tenor Mark Goodrich, has performed in recital, opera & oratorio throughout the U.S., Italy, Greece & Yugoslavia. Operatic roles include Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Sextus in Giulio Cesare, Nemorino in L’Elisir D’Amore, Fenton in Falstaff & the title role in Albert Herring. He has sung major roles in works by Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Handel & Saint-Saens, as well as Baroque music. Trained at Yale & U. of Michigan, he currently serves on the Cal State-Fullerton faculty