Inez Antoni Mendezona, soprano, makes her West Bay Opera debut singing the role of a grisette in The Merry Widow.

While a student at California State University, Sacramento, Ms. Antoni performed the roles of the First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Amore (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Rosina (The Ghosts of Versailles), and Zerlina(Don Giovanni). She was soloist for the world premier of Brent Chancellor’s On the Essence of Light during the Festival of New American Music. With the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, she was the youth soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah and the soprano soloist in Fauré’s Requiem. Most recently, she was the recipient of the Young Artist Incentive Award from the Henry and Maria Holt Competition in Palo Alto. She will also be performing the role of Flora in The Turn of the Screw with Sacramento Opera in February 2008.

A native of the Philippines, Ms. Antoni is a recent graduate of CSUS with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance.