Artists – Silicon Valley Opera

Keiko Kagawa

Japanese born and educated, Keiko’s operatic roles include Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) in Madama Butterfly with North Bay Opera, Montana’s Rimrock Opera, Oregon’s Rogue Opera, San Francisco Lyric Opera, and Golden West Opera Company. Other roles include Violetta in Traviata, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Micaela in Carmen, Nedda in Pagliacci, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Suor Angelica in Suor Angelica, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Marguerite in Faust, the First Lady in The Magic Flute, the Mother in Hänsel and Gretel, Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica, Tosca in Tosca, Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, and the First Lady in Christopher Sly. In addition to the opera companies already listed, Keiko has also performed with Golden Gate Opera, City Summer Opera (San Francisco), Oakland Lyric Opera Company, Goat Hall Productions (San Francisco), Marin Opera Company, Cal State East Bay Summer Opera and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has also made a number of appearances as the Soprano Lead in Handel’s Messiah. Keiko also gives occasional recitals, as well as participating in an annual vocal concert in Japan.

Kazuko Oishi (Pianist)

http://kazuko-oishi.com

Kazuko Oishi, Japanese pianist, studied at Kyoto City University of Arts, and has performed as a piano soloist and chamber musician in Japan and the United States. She produced and performed in various charitable concerts for disabled people and for a high school for students with special needs. She also has been an enthusiastic teacher of young children to adults for a long time. Adult audiences at her recent solo recitals, who had not played the piano since childhood, re-discovered the joy of music and started taking lessons from her.

She is currently living in Tokyo and is a conductor of the women's Choir Florian and is an accompanist of the mixed chorus groups Cosmo in California, Tokyo Rakuyu Harmony (a choir of alumni from Kyoto University Chorus) and Cosmo Japan in Tokyo. She has been a full member of the Fortnightly Music Club in California since 2009 and she performs in Fortnightly Music Club concerts. She has collaborated with Ms. Keiko Kagawa for over 10 years on various projects.

Spencer Dodd

Baritone Spencer Dodd is overjoyed to return to the live theater for the first time since COVID. Previous roles include Giovanni and Leporello in Don Giovanni, Figaro and the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dandini in La Cenerentola, Belcore in L’elisir D’amore, and Tonio in Pagliacci. He has performed with San Francisco Opera, West Edge Opera, Pocket Opera, Opera a la Carte outreach with San Francisco Opera, Classical Romantic Concerts in Osaka Japan, and Ars Minerva. He hopes that in the coming season that he will be able to return to postponed performances from COVID which included covering the role of Merrivale in Gordon Getty’s Opera premiere Goodbye Mr Chips at Festival Napa Valley, and singing Friederich in Wagner’s Opera No Love Allowed (Das Liebesverbot) with Pocket Opera. Fortunately during COVID work on both Operas continued as he participated in a readthrough and recording of Goodbye Mr Chips, and also sang excerpts from No Love Allowed for the Wagner Society of Northern California. Additionally he also worked with the early music Opera company Ars Minerva on two separate occasions for Cocktails and Chit-Chat where he performed music by Cavalli and Caccini over a livestream. Spencer works as a voice teacher at Mid Peninsula Music Academy in Redwood City where he teaches students of all skill levels how to realize their musical goals, and in his time off he enjoys fishing, and exploring California's beautiful roads on his motorcycle.

Nicole Takesono

Originally from Hawaii, mezzo-soprano Nicole Takesono has been praised for her rich, warm voice and dedication to character. Ms. Takesono has performed with San Francisco Opera, Opera San Jose, West Edge Opera, Festival Opera, West Bay Opera, among others. Roles performed include Angelina in La Cenerentola, Dido in Dido and Æneas, Flora and Annina in La Traviata, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Mercedes in Carmen, The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Musetta in La Boheme, Papagena and Second Lady in The Magic Flute, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Siébel in Faust, Saint Sarah in Four Saints and Three Acts, Stefano in Romeo and Juliette, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, and Teura/Third Narrator in Bonjour M. Gauguin. Ms. Takesono sings with the San Francisco Opera Chorus, San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Cappella SF, and studies with Deborah Benedict.

Krassen Karagiozov

Baritone Krassen Karagiozov was born in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, where he began his musical studies as a pianist. In addition to concert work as a collaborative pianist in Bulgaria, Turkey, and USA he appeared as baritone soloist for a recital and recordings for the Bulgarian National Radio. During the 2008 – 2009 season, he made his debut as a member of Opera San José‘s resident principal artists, appearing in the title role of Eugene Onegin, Sgt. Belcore (The Elixir of Love), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte) and Escamillo (Carmen). Among the roles that he has performed are Papageno, Conte di Luna, Enrico, Germont, Marcello, Vallentin, Figaro, Sharpless, Vronsky, Count Almaviva, Dandini, Don Giovanni, Tarquinius, Silvio, Schaunard, Lescaut, Masetto, Gianni Schicchi, Harlequin, Peter, Daniello, Angelotti, Rambaldo, Raoul de Gardefeu. Mr. Karagiozov has appeared with opera companies such as New York City Opera, Caramoor Festival, Opera San José, Opera Carolina, Opera Santa Barbara, Lake George Opera Festival, Spoleto Opera Festival, Aspen Opera Theater, West Bay Opera, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, The Opera Company of NorthCarolina, Opera Roanoke, Piedmont Opera Theater and Capital Opera Raleigh. He has also appeared as a soloist for the Fresno Community Chorus and Orchestra, Santa Clara Chorale, Symphony Silicon Valley, the Bulgarian Radio-Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, Carolina Chamber Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra, and Enid Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Karagiozov is a North Carolina district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and First Prize winner of the Charlotte Opera Guild Competition as well as a finalist of the Irene Dalis Vocal Competition and Heinz Rehfuss Vocal Competition.

Michael Taylor

Michael graduated from San Francisco Conservatory of Music with his masters degree in 1990. He has appeared as soloist with many opera companies including Sacramento Opera, Opera San Jose, Marin Opera, Oakland Opera, West Bay Opera and Townsend Opera Players where he sang such roles as Gianni Schicchi, Escamillo in Carmen, the Count in The Marriage of Figaro, Scarpia in Tosca, Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Don Giovanni, Belcore in The Elixer of Love, Tonio in Pagliacci, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Dandini in Cenerentola and Marcello in La Bohème. Mr. Taylor has appeared in concert with the Masterworks Choral, Berkeley Symphony, Vallejo Symphony, Fremont Symphony, Sacramento Choral Society, Schola Cantorum and performed as a vocal soloist with the Oakland and San Francisco Ballet.

Miho Ogawa

Miho was born and raised in Yamagata, Japan. She graduated from Kanazawa University with a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Japanese Education. After for two years working as a Japanese teacher at a public high school in Yamagata, she traveled with her husband to Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, visiting more than twenty countries along the way. She has lived in Austin, Texas, Anchorage, Alaska and San Francisco, and currently resides in Tahoe. She has a young daughter and a son, and a boxer dog.

Masae Nagai

Masae Nagai, soprano, came to the U.S.A from Japan in 1995. She studied vocal performance and graduated from Notre Dame de Namur, Belmont, CA. She participated in BASOTI program and has been featured in productions with Lamplighters, Goat Hall, Opera Rouge and Berkeley Opera. She also enjoys performing in Kokoro Vocal Trio, which was formed in 2006 and has been performing locally at church services and community events. The group enjoys Japanese traditional folk songs and classical music from various periods.

Mayumi Ashiya (Yamaha Electone)

Born and raised in Japan, Mayumi began taking lessons on the electric organ at the Yamaha Music School when she was four years old. She continued her studies through college where she majored in electric organ. Upon graduation, Mayumi became an instructor of electric organ at the Yamaha Music School. In 1992, while teaching there, she won the 1st place in “Classical Category” at Yamaha Japanese National Electone Festival & Competition. She was subsequently chosen to represent Japan in the Yamaha International Electone Competition where she won the Bronze Medal. In each case she played Rachmaninoff’s very demanding “Symphonic Dances.” Since then, Mayumi has given a number of solo concerts in and around Tokyo. Other performances include collaborations with various choral and opera groups including Toyama Civic Opera, Ibaraki and Takatsuki-shi Civic Operas, playing Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel and Onna wa Suteki. In the choral music area, she has collaborated with Keio University（慶応大学） and Nihon Joshidai （日本女子大学）in Dovorak’s Requiem and Fauré’s Requiem, and with Nihon Gakuen （日本学園）where she played the organ transcription of Rigoletto by Verdi. She has also performed Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love” and “Don Pasquale”, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Verdi’s La Traviata, and Puccini’s “Tosca” and “Madama Butterfly”. Mayumi and Keiko have collaborated and performed together since 2003.

Christopher Bengochea

Praised as having “power, sure intonation, and fine diction that come in a package tied with a ribbon of ‘natural sound.’ tenor, Christopher Bengochea has delighted audiences with his unique combination of vocal and dramatic interpretations in performances ranging from oratorio to opera. It is a unique, broadly-projected “wide” sound that can serve lyrical or heroic music equally well.”

Carmello Tringali

Carmello Tringali is a versatile performer, composer and Bay Area native. Mostly utilized as a singer, he is also highly valued for his acting ability. As an aspiring music and drama therapist, he daily involves himself in emotional, psychological and spiritual exploration. He has performed a wide variety of roles in terms of voice type, musical style and character. He is enthralled to be joining Silicon Valley Community Opera as Nemorino in this production of L'Elisir D'amore. Some favorite past roles include: Rodolfo(La Boheme), Candide, Faust, Pinkerton(Madame Butterfly), Mengone(Lo Speziale), Jaquino(Fidelio), Basilio(Nozze di Figaro), Camille(Merry Widow), Don Alberto(L'Occasione Fa Il Ladro), Ko-ko(Mikado), Frederic(Pirates of Penzance), Grosvenor(Patience), Henrik(Little Night Music) and Pirelli(Sweeney Todd).