Jullia Behbudov, soprano, returns to West Bay Opera to sing the title role in Tosca. She made her debut singing Desdemona in Otello. Most recently she sang Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) with Opera Neo, Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow) with Mission Opera, Columbine (Smyth, Fête Galante) with Lyric Opera of Orange County, Lisa in Pique Dame (State Opera Theater, Baku-Azerbaijan), Tatyana (Eugene Onegin and Mimi (La bohème) at Youth Theater (St. Petersburg, Russia), Marguerite (Gounod, Faust) in Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at Hermitage Museum, Iolanta (Tchaikovsky, Iolanta) at State Academic Capella (St. Petersburg, Russia) and State Opera Theater of Komi Republic (Russia), concerts at Mariinsky Theater Concert Hall. Her training includes prestigious programs like the International Opera Academy in Montecatini, Italy and an internship at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. She got her Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Vocal Performance at Herzen State University (St. Petersburg, Russia).

Robert Balonek,  bass-baritone,  returns to West Bay Opera to sing Scarpia in Tosca. He made his WBO debut singing the title role in Der fliegende Holländer in 2023, and he returned to sing Iago in WBO's production of Otello last season. A native of Rochester NY, Mr. Balonek recently sang Angelotti (Tosca) with Opera San Jose while covering Scarpia. Mr. Balonek has also covered the roles of Ford (Falstaff) and Count (Le nozze di Figaro) for Opera San Jose, as well as performing the role of Marcello (La bohème) for Opera Modesto. Recent appearances include productions of Rigoletto (Boheme Opera of NJ), Il barbiere di Siviglia (Opera on the James & Boston Midsummer Opera), Owen Wingrave (Little Opera Theater of NY), Handel’s Saul (Canterbury Choral Society), Le nozze di Figaro (Opera on the James & Chelsea Opera), and Gianni Schicchi (PAC at Purchase). World premieres include Ernesto (Ricky Ian Gordon’s Garden of the Finzi Contini) with NYC Opera, Jaap (Gerald Cohen’s Steal a Pencil for me), and Father Francis (Raphaël Lucas’ Confession). Recordings include Prospero (Lee Hoiby’s Tempest) and Father Francis (Raphaël Lucas’ Confession) for Albany Records.

Chung-Wai Soong, bass-baritone, returns to WBO to sing the Sacristan in Tosca. He made his West Bay Opera debut as First Nazarene (Salome) in 2017. He recently sang Il zio Bonzo in Pocket Opera’s bilingual Madama Butterfly, Dottore Grenvil (La traviata) with Festival Opera, and Imperial Commissioner (Madama Butterfly) for Opera San José.

Mr. Soong has performed with San Francisco Symphony as Mityukha (Boris Godunov) and in Peter Grimes. Other roles include Alidoro (La cenerentola), Melchior (Amahl and the Night Visitors), and the title role in Il Ducato - The New Mikado with Lamplighters Music Theatre. For Hawaii Opera Theatre, he has sung Marco (Gianni Schicchi) and Benoit/Alcindoro (La bohéme). He has also sung with West Edge Opera, Opera Parallèle and Philharmonia Baroque. His extensive repertoire includes Christus (St. John Passion), Raphael/Adam (Haydn’s The Creation), Fauré Requiem, Bach Mass in B minor, and Mozart's Requiem. World premieres include David Chesworth’s Stabat Jesus, Lisa Bielawa’s groundbreaking streaming opera Vireo, and Meira Warshauer’s Elijah’s Violin. He sang Schumann’s Dichterliebe at the Melbourne International Festival, which was broadcast live nationally on ABC.

Caleb Alexander, tenor, returns to West Bay Opera to sing Spoletta in Tosca.  He made his WBO debut earlier this season singing the 3rd Jew and 2nd Nazarene in Salome.  A native of Los Angeles, Caleb most recently premiered the role of Paul Schrade in Benavides’ Dolores with the 2025 West Edge Opera Festival. Other recent appearances include Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) with the Handel Opera Project, Tebaldo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) and Alfredo (La traviata) with Verismo Opera, First Soldier understudy (Zorro, Armienta) with Opera San Jose, Eisenstein understudy (Die Fledermaus) with Santa Cruz Opera Project, Ramiro understudy (La cenerentola) and Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore) with San Francisco Opera Guild, Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte) and the Ballad Singer (Of Mice And Men, Floyd) with Livermore Valley Opera, Baron Beaucoup (The Three Feathers, Laitman) with Solo Opera, Mafia Guy and Grady understudy (The Shining, Moravec) with Opera Parallele, and Parpignol (La boheme) and Mercury (Orphée aux Enfers) with Pocket Opera. He was also a 2025 Emerging Artist with Arcady International.

Isaiah Musik-Ayala,  bass, returns to West Bay Opera to sing Angelotti in Tosca.  He made his WBO debut as Surin in Pikovaya Dama (The Queen of Spades), and he has since appeared with WBO as Ramfis (Aida), Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Jochanaan and 1st Soldier (Salome), Oroveso (Norma), and Lodovico (Otello). A native of Northern California, Mr. Musik-Ayala most recently performed with Virginia Opera as Alidoro (La Cenerentola) after his role deut as (Tartuffe) with Pocket Opera, and singing Lodovico with WBO. Earlier in the season, he sang the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with Greenville Symphony as well as Haly (L’Italiana in Algeri) and the Bonze (Madama Butterfly) with Anchorage Opera. He recently made his début at the Los Angeles Philharmonic as The Groundskeeper in Oliver Leith’s Last Days, a new opera chronicling the last days of Kurt Cobain, under the baton of Thomas Adès. Other recent highlights include Rocco (Fidelio) with the Opera Company of Middlebury, Banquo in Heartbeat Opera’s Lady M, a reimagined adaptation of Verdi’s Macbeth, and Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin) with Union Avenue Opera.

Mr. Musik-Ayala is slated to sing Melisso (Alcina) this summer with Festival Opera in collaboration with the San Francisco Early Music Society.   www.isaiahmusik-ayala.com

James Cowing, bass-baritone, makes his principal singer WBO debut singing Sciarrone in Tosca. He has previously sung with the company in the ghost chorus of Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer, and choruses of Falstaff, Nabucco, L’elisir d’amore, Il trovatore and Don Giovanni. He has performed with California Lyric Artists as King (Aida), Baron Douphol (La traviata), Zuniga (Carmen), Betto (Gianni Schicchi); and has recently sung as the soloist in Beethoven 9 and Handel’s Messiah with the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra. He was heard as Mr. Bennet in the world premiere of Kirke Mecham’s Pride and Prejudice. James has performed in the chorus in 18 productions at Opera San Jose, where he has also appeared as the Jailer in Tosca and covered several roles. He has been a member of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus since 1995, and has sung with the American Bach Soloists Academy Chorus and San Francisco Festival Chorus, as well as the Pittsburgh Symphony chorus. James resides in Mountain View, California.

Stephen Miller,  bass-baritone, returns to WBO to sing the role of the jailer in Tosca. He most recently was seen as the Herald in Otello.