PS21 presents Berkshire Opera Festival
The “innovative, clever, and thoroughly professional” Berkshire Opera Festival (Bachtrack) kicks off its inaugural Resident Artist Program at PS21 with André Grétry’s Zémire et Azor. Directed by Mo Zhou and conducted by BOF co-founder Maestro Brian Garman, the French retelling of Beauty and the Beast is a charming, rarely-staged gem, set in the shimmering yet morally fragile world of Gilded Age America.
Zémire, daughter of the nouveau riche, longs for authenticity while Azor, an old-money recluse disfigured by an industrial accident, hides in a decaying mansion outside New York. When she offers herself to save her father, Zémire discovers Azor’s noble heart. Richly lyrical and emotionally expressive, the work celebrates love’s transformative power and the enduring truth that real beauty lies within.
Soprano Ethel Trujillo, mezzo-soprano Christina Grohowski, tenor Scott Rubén La Marca, and baritone June Young (Will) Kim star in this retelling of the classic tale.
Berkshire Opera Festival’s RAP program is the result of Brian Garman’s desire to train a new generation of BOF artists “the right way” — going beyond the rehearsal room to create a performance-oriented experience, where participants can connect with appropriate opera professionals before learning the music, acting and movement behind real roles — then put it all together onstage.
“It is a profound honor to direct the inaugural RAP production for the magnificent Berkshire Opera Festival. I am thrilled to collaborate with Maestro Brian Garman and so many brilliant artists to bring this rarely-staged gem, Zémire et Azor, back to the stage. This work possesses an exquisite charm that I know will enchant and resonate deeply with the hearts of our audience.” -Mo Zhou, Director.
BOF 2026 RESIDENT ARTISTS
Soprano Ethel Trujillo (Zémire), is a graduate of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma in Puebla, Mexico and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She spent two summers as a Resident Artist at Glimmerglass, and one summer at the Bologna International Opera Academy. Additionally, she has been a finalist and a winner of numerous competitions, including the Gerda Lissner Foundation and The Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition. She will cover the title role in Berkshire Opera Festival’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor.
Mezzo-soprano Christina Grohowski (Fatmé) has been an apprentice artist at The Santa Fe Opera and a participant in Houston Grand Opera’s Young Artists Vocal Academy, and is currently in the Resident Artist Program at Lyric Opera of Kansas City. A recent graduate of SUNY Purchase and the Yale School of Music, she was a finalist in the McCammon Voice Competition and a recent winner of an encouragement award from Opera Index. She will be singing the role Alisa in Berkshire Opera Festival’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor.
Tenor Scott Rubén La Marca (Azor) holds degrees from both the Manhattan School of Music and the Yale School of Music. He has spent two summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and performed with the New York Festival of Song in Manhattan and at Caramoor. Recently, he received an encouragement award from The Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition and a grant from the Career Bridges Foundation. He will sing the role of Normanno in Berkshire Opera Festival’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor.
June Young (Will) Kim (Sander) is a Korean-American baritone and composer. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, he has spent the past seven years studying and performing in Germany – first in Munich, and currently in Stuttgart. He has participated in a variety of master classes, including at Carnegie Hall, and is eager to return to the Berkshires after having been a Tanglewood vocal fellow last summer. He will be covering the role of Enrico in Berkshire Opera Festival’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor.
Dakota Perez (Principal Pianist and Coach) returns to BOF this season as the Resident Artist pianist, after having served on the music staff for last summer’s La Traviata and the 10th Anniversary Concert. He has performed as a concerto soloist with a variety of orchestras in Canada, and was in Calgary Pro Musica’s Young Artists Development Program for two years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Calgary, and is currently finishing his master’s degree at the Peabody Institute. He will be the principal pianist and coach for Zémire et Azor and the Resident Artist Program recitals, while serving as the second pianist for Berkshire Opera Festival’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor.
GUEST ARTISTS
Abbegael Greene (Lisbé) is a multi-faceted vocal artist who enjoys performing a wide-range of repertoire, spanning from Baroque music to the 21st century. Highlights of Ms. Greene’s 2025-26 season include alto soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria and in Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9, a performance of Dominick Argento’s The Diary of Virginia Woolf with Bard College, and the role of Lisbé in Zémire et Azor with Berkshire Opera Festival. Operatic performances include Marthe Schwerlein in Faust with Berkshire Opera Festival, l’Opinion Publique in Orphée aux enfers with Bard College Conservatory, and the title role in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe with The Orchestra Now. An avid recitalist, Ms. Greene has been featured in Signs, Games, and Messages: A Kurtág Festival, was a semi-finalist in the Federation of the Art Song Fellowship Competition, and was a finalist in the Brooklyn Art Song Society Young Artist Auditions. She is a current student of Michaela Martens.
Tenor Zachary Taylor (Ali) is currently a Baumgartner Studio Artist with Florentine Opera, where he’ll be in his second year during the 2026-27 season. During the 2025-26 season, he covered Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, sang Spalanzani and Nathanaël in Les contes d’Hoffmann, sang Spoletta in Tosca, and sang an acclaimed rendition of Justice Antonin Scalia in Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg. Zachary received his Bachelor of Music from Towson University in 2020 and his Master of Music from UNC Greensboro in 2023. He spent two summers as an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera in 2023 and 2024; between those summers, he was a Studio Artist with Pensacola Opera, where he sang Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus. He was also an Emerging Artist with Nashville Opera in 2025, where he sang Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore. He has also sung Pang in Turandot with Opera Carolina, Don José in Carmen and Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Music on Site, the Father in Kurt Weill’s Die sieben Todsünden with the Greensboro Symphony and the Charlotte Symphony, and was the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Greensboro Symphony.
CREATIVE TEAM
Maestro Brian Garman (Conductor) is the William E. Briggs Artistic Director and Co-founder of Berkshire Opera Festival, having conducted its inaugural production of Madama Butterfly in 2016, and every subsequent mainstage production. He also joined the Crested Butte Music Festival in 2018 as the Music Director of Opera, leading a production of Falstaff. Prior to this, he opened Seattle Opera’s season conducting La Traviata, and the preceding fall was appointed the inaugural Music Director of the Seattle Opera Young Artists Program. He was previously on the conducting roster of New York City Opera while concurrently leading runs of Verdi’s Un Giorno di Regno and Chabrier’s L’Étoile at Wolf Trap Opera Company. Maestro Garman was the Resident Conductor of Pittsburgh Opera for ten years, leading several productions to unanimous critical acclaim. Additionally, he was at the helm for numerous performances as Music Director of the Pittsburgh Opera Center. On the senior music staff of The Santa Fe Opera for six years, he was an associate conductor and assisted in the musical preparation of dozens of operas. As a pianist and coach, Maestro Garman is sought after by numerous singers of renown, and has been called upon frequently to give recitals and master classes around the United States and Europe. He has recently completed guest educational engagements at Peabody Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon University, Mannes College The New School for Music, and the University of Michigan.
Mo Zhou (Director) is a Chinese-born stage director. Zhou is a visionary force in opera and theater, celebrated for her innovative productions that transcend traditional boundaries. Her work has graced esteemed stages worldwide, including Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Elbphilharmonie, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in China. Last season showcased Ms. Zhou’s versatility with several exciting company débuts. These included directing the Butler Studio Showcase at Houston Grand Opera, reviving her acclaimed Madama Butterfly with Florentine Opera and Kentucky Opera, La Bohème for Arizona Opera, the revival of Meilina Tsui and Melisa Tien’s The Big Swim for Houston Grand Opera in conjunction with the Asia Society Texas Center and a new production of Così fan tutte for Virginia Opera which she also staged for The Juilliard School. This spring she will make her Canadian début directing Madama Butterfly for Vancouver Opera and finish up the season with a new production of Don Giovanni for Music Academy of the West. This season, Ms. Zhou’s engagements include a début with Opera Colorado for Madama Butterfly in addition to a new production of Madama Butterfly for Calgary Opera, Arizona Opera, and Opera Grand Rapids where Mo currently serves as a guest Artistic Director.
The mission of Berkshire Opera Festival (BOF) is to entertain and enrich the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the Berkshire region by providing accessible and affordable performances of a broad range of operas at the highest artistic standard. Since its inception in 2014 by co-founders Brian Garman and Jonathon Loy, BOF has become an integral part of the Berkshire cultural landscape, producing world-class opera that is musically and dramatically compelling while remaining accessible and affordable. Each season includes at least one fully staged production alongside concerts, recitals, youth education programs, community engagement initiatives, and other audience enrichment activities. Through innovative direction, production design, and casting, BOF ensures that opera’s great works remain both relevant and inspiring for contemporary audiences. In 2025, BOF appointed Natalie Johnsonius Neubert as its first President and CEO; and in 2026, BOF is proud to launch its Resident Artist Program, expanding opportunities for emerging artists and deepening the company’s investment in the future of opera. BOF’s recent mainstage productions include: Verdi’s La Traviata, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Puccini’s La Bohème, and Gounod’s Faust.
Lead sponsorship for BOF’s Resident Artist Program is generously provided by Brad Clark. Additional support is provided by Patrick Riordan and Steve Hatfield.
