Butterfly Cast Bios
Olga Chernisheva, soprano, sing CioCioSan in Madama Butterfly. She made her debut with West Bay Opera singing the title role in Manon Lescaut. She was seen earlier this season as Tatiana in Yevgeny Onegin. She has also appeared with the company as Leonora (La forza del destino). A native of Russia, Ms. Chernisheva has appeared at the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow in a number of roles, including Maria (Mazeppa), Anne Trulove (The Rake’s Progress) and Musetta. At the Kazan Opera Theater she sang Mimi. She also appeared with the Stanislavsky Opera Theater (Mimi and Micaela) before emigrating to the U.S. In this country, she has appeared with Hawaii Opera Theater as Mimi; Illinois Opera Theater as Tosca; San Francisco Lyric Opera as Aida, Di Capo Opera as Manon Lescaut, and she has sung Cio Cio San with Opera North, Golden Gate Opera, Martinez Opera, Gold Coast Opera and Cedar Rapids. She sang Musetta for Tampa Opera and in the Merola Program. She has also appeared with the Bohemian Opera as Liu (Turandot); with Livermore Opera as Nedda (Pagliacci); and with Golden Gate Opera in the title role in Suor Angelica. Internationally, Ms. Chernisheva has performed with Hong Kong Opera (Liu), Mälmo Opera Theater in Sweden (Musetta), Cairo Opera (Tosca) and Teatro Massimo in Palermo (Aida, and Carlotta in Schreker’s Die Gezeichneten). Earlier this season, Ms. Chernisheva appeared with San Jose Opera in the title role in Tosca. Ms. Chernisheva’s recent concert stage engagements include the Verdi Requiem with the Orchestra Sinfonica Romana at the concert stage of Santa Cecilia in Rome and at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, as well as appearances in Quatar with Gala concerts, Opera Santa Barbara in evenings of music by Giocomo Puccini and Verdi, DiCapo Opera (Rachmaninoff’s Francesca da Rimini).
David Gustafson, tenor, sings Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. Previous, appearances with West Bay Opera include Cavaradossi (Tosca), the title tole in Otello, Radames (Aida) and Calaf (Turandot).  Internationally recognized for his robust, expressive voice, he made his San Francisco Opera debut in 2010 as Sentinelle (Cyrano Di Bergerac). Most recently he was heard as Edgardo (Lucia di Lammemoor) Eugene Opera, Turiddu (Cavalleria Rusticana) and Canio (Pagliacci) Opera San Luis Obispo, Otello (Otello) West Bay Opera/Festival Opera co-production, and as Cavaradossi (Tosca), Tony in the world premiere of Heart of the Soldier at San Francisco Opera, and he made his operatic concert debut in Tokyo. Gustafson’s roles cover a wide range, from Radamès, Calaf, Pinkerton, Rodolfo (La bohème) and Alfredo (La traviata) to Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Ramiro (La cenerentola), Lionel (Martha), Beppe (Pagliacci), Alfred (Die Fledermaus), Nemorino (The Elixir of Love), and others. A frequent oratorio singer, Gustafson has sung masses of Beethoven, Verdi, Mozart, Schubert and Haydn, Messiah (Handel), Magnificat in D and cantatas of J.S. Bach, as well as Carmina Burana (Orff), The Seven Deadly Sins (Weill) and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. In addition he sang the world premiere, presented by Eugene Symphony, of Robert Kyr’s Symphony No. 9 as well as its European premiere in Denmark. We was heard as Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia) with the Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra, for the Chinese premiere of the Rossini masterpiece. In addition to live London performances at Abbey Road Studio, London, Gustafson recorded Prince Hal/Henry V (Gordon Getty’s Plump Jack) with the London Philharmonia. In 2006 Gustafson headlined the Gala Opening Concert of the Cesky Krumlov International Music Festival in the Czech Republic.
Kristen Choi, mezzo-soprano, sings the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. Her previous roles with the company include Zerlina (Don Giovanni )and the First Witch (Dido and Aeneas). Recent roles include: Isabella (L'italiana in Algeri) at Livermore Valley Opera; Suzuki at Opera San Antonio; Paquette (Candide) at Glimmerglass; and Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) at Sarasota Opera. Ms. Choi will return to Opera San Antonio to sing Mercedes (Carmen) in the fall and will travel to Bordeaux and Toulouse to reprise her role as Paquette with Glimmerglass Festival's production of Candide. In the spring of 2017, Ms. Choi will sing Suzuki with Washington National Opera. She is a recipient of an encouragement award from the Western Regionals in the Metropolitan Opera National Council competition and was a District Winner in San Diego.
Igor Vieira, baritone, sings the role of Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. He made his West Bay Opera debut singing the role of Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. Other roles with the company have included Lescaut (Manon Lescaut); Tomsky (Pikovaya Dama); Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte) and Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore). He made his company debut as stage director in Il trovatore. Mr. Vieira sang Happy (La fanciula del west) and Gubetta (Lucrezia Borgia) with the San Francisco Opera; Pelleas (Pelleas et Melisande)  at Amazonian Opera Festival, Manaus, Brazil; Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Teatro Solis, Montevideo, Uruguay; and Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia) at the Teatro Barakaldo, Bilbao, Spain; as well as Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore) and Tonio (Pagliacci) for Sacramento Opera. Most recently he was heard as Don Magnifico (La cenerentola) with Opera in Williamsburg. Mr. Vieira has sung with the National Symphonies of Colombia (Carmina Burana), Brazil (Beethoven’s 9th) and Uruguay (Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem). He is a world finalist of the fifth Luciano Pavarotti Voice Competition in Philadelphia and a Kaplan Foundation Award winner for outstanding artistry.
Michael Desnoyers, tenor, sings Goro in Madama Butterfly. He made his debut with West Bay Opera as Pang (Turandot). He has also sung Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail);  Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte) and Spalanzani (Les contes d’Hoffmann). He has sung more than 50 roles on many Bay Area stages, including performances with Opera San Jose, West Edge Opera, Lamplighters’ Music Theatre, Cinnabar Theatre and Pocket Opera. He has performed most of the major roles in the Mozart tenor repertoire, including Tamino (Die Zauberflöte); Ferrando (Così fan tutte); and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni). Other favorite past roles include the title role in Albert Herring; Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia); Frederic (The Pirates of Penzance); Nanki-Poo (The Mikado); Bénédict  (Béatrice et Bénédict)  and Dorvil  (La scala di seta). Mr. Desnoyers is a frequent concert soloist, having appeared in Bach’s Johannes-Passion and Matthäus-Passion; Handel’s Messiah;  Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass in C;  Schubert’s Winterreise and Die schöne Müllerin, and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle. He was a member of the Chautauqua Opera Young Artist program where he performed the role of Monostatos (The Magic Flute 2011) and understudied the role of Spoletta (Tosca 2009). Mr. Desnoyers is featured in Lamplighters’ CD recordings, singing Cyril (Princess Ida); Ernest (The Grand Duke); and Lord Tolloller in Iolanthe.
Ryan Bradford, baritone, sings Yamadori and the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly. He made his company debut Wagner (Faust). Ryan made his debut as Jake Wallace and Sid (La fanciulla del West) at the Castleton Festival, Virginia, under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel. Recently he completed a young artist residency with Opera Santa Barbara and made his house debut there as Masetto (Don Giovanni). Bradford made his Virginia debut as John Brooke (Little Women) with Opera on the James and performed a German lieder recital series with mezzo-soprano Fredericka Von Stade. He was also a resident artist with Shreveport Opera, where he sang Baron Duphol (La traviata), Samuel (Pirates of Penzance) and Dandini (La cenerentola). He has an upcoming engagement with the Munich Philharmonic in a production of La fanciulla del West and this summer he will be a young artist with Opera on the Avalon making his Canadian debut in the world premiere of the opera Ours. A DePaul University alumnus, he received a master of music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has received distinction from the East Bay Opera League, Florida Grand Opera Young Patronesses, and Pacific Musical Society.
Kiril Havezov, bass-baritone, sings the role of the Bonzo in Madama Butterfly. He is also the understudy for Sharpless. He made his West Bay Opera debut singing Monterone (Rigoletto). A native of Sofia, Bulgaria, Mr. Havezov has performed regularly with the largest opera theatres in Bulgaria, including the Sofia National Opera, Bulgarian National Music Theatre, Rouse State Opera, Stara Zagora State Opera and many more. In 2013 he sung the role of Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) in China with Opera Art Lirica. Since his debut on the American opera stage last season he has performed with Opera San Jose, West Bay Opera and Island City Opera. Significant roles recently performed include Schaunard (La bohème) and Gaudenzio (Il signor Bruschino) with Island City Opera; Monterone (Rigoletto) and Haly (L’italiana in Algeri) with Opera San Jose; Zupan (The Gypsy Baron), Cascada (The Merry Widow) and Gasparo (Rita) with the Bulgarian National Music Theater; Hermann (Les contes d’Hoffmann) and Sonora (La fanciulla del West) with the Sofia National Opera; Sharpless  with Stara Zagora State Opera; Belcore (L’elisir d’Amore) and Selim Pasha (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) with State Opera of Ruse and many more. On the concert stage, Mr. Havezov has been a soloist with numerous ensembles, including the Pleven Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bulgarian National Music Academy Orchestra. He has made ​​several recordings for the Bulgarian National Radio. As an actor, Mr. Havezov has appeared in many theater productions and films. He also works as journalist, writes for Capital, a newspaper in Bulgaria, and has a Ph.D. in Graphic Design.
Carolyn Bacon, soprano, makes her West Bay Opera debut singing Kate Pinkteron in Madama Butterfly. She performs with companies across the Bay Area, including Opera San Jose, Opera Parallèle, Pocket Opera, and Foothill Music Theatre. Repertoire highlights include Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Musetta, Frasquita (Carmen), Helene (Hin und Zurück), Cinderella (Into the Woods), and Julie Jordan (Carousel). Ms. Bacon was a Resident Artist with Utah Festival Opera, where she understudied two mainstage roles and was featured as a Principal Dancer. She has also trained with the Opera Academy of California and the Oregon Bach Festival. Before receiving her Master’s Degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she studied neuroscience and medicine, and spent a semester abroad at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany. Upcoming engagements include the title role in David Lang’s The Little Match Girl, based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, with Yello Performances in Florida.
Zoe G. Lai, plays the non-singing role of Dolore (Sorrow) in Madama Butterfly. Zoe loves to sing.  She won the second Prize at the 2015 Kids N Fun Festival singing contest in Cupertino, CA.  She will perform the solo song Castle on the A Cloud at the Friendship Festival Mozarteum in Salzburg in June 2016. Zoe spent the second half of 2015 traveling in Asia.  She will be attending Harker School starting next August.
Share by: