FALSTAFF

Cast Bios

**Megan Reader (Alice Ford) | ACO Debut 2020, An Evening with the Bard**
Megan Reader sang with “simplicity and charm” (The Boston Globe) in her Boston Symphony Hall debut as soprano soloist in Haydn’s Creation. Ms. Reader gave her international debut as “Die Königin der Nacht” at the Amalfi Music Festival in Italy. Megan began singing with the Atlanta Opera Chorus in 2008, where she made her solo debut as a “Daughter” in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten. She went on to sing various comprimario roles and special events with the company, including “Barbarina” in their production of Le Nozze di Figaro. Her performed roles include: “Adina” in L’Elisir d’Amore with New Rochelle Opera, “Valencienne” in The Merry Widow with Capitol City Opera, “Cunegonde” in Candide with Georgia TAG, Vera in Hoiby’s A Month in the Country, “Lady with a Handmirror” in Argento’s Postcard from Morocco with Boston University’s Opera Institute, and “Susanna” in Le Nozze di Figaro with L’Orchestra da Camera Boston. As soprano soloist, Ms. Reader sang Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem at Emory, Schubert’s Mass in G with the Asheville Symphony, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with Clemson University. As a guest artist, Megan has sung with the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, the Ludwig Symphony, the Albany Symphony, gloATL, the Michael O’Neal Singers, the Atlanta Opera’s “Opera with an Edge” and Manhattan enCanta. Megan was a Young Artist with the Texas Music Festival’s Le Chiavi di Bel Canto, where she worked with RuthAnn Swensen, as well as, the Opera Studio for the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. As a soloist with Morningside Presbyterian of Atlanta’s Chancel Choir, Ms. Reader has sung Vivaldi’s Gloria, the Fauré Requiem, the Rutter Requiem, and many other great works. Megan sang the soprano solos from Mozart's Requiem in d minor in Vienna's Votivkirche, as well as concerts in Mondsee, Vienna, and Prague. Recently, she tried on the roles of "Mimi" from La Boheme, "Rosalinda" from Die Fledermaus, and the titular role of "Maria Stuarda" by Donizetti with Capital City Opera's Dinner and a Diva series. Lately, she has traveled regionally giving a recital featuring Purcell songs, the lieder of Richard Strauss and Josef Marx, and songs by Stephen Sondheim.

Laurie Tossing (Dame Quickly) | ACO Debut 2019, *Le Nozze di Figaro*
A transplant from Phoenix, AZ, mezzo-soprano Laurie Tossing has called Atlanta home since 2000. She is a regular long-time member of The Atlanta Opera, having performed in more than fifty of their productions. She is also a familiar face on the Capitol City Opera stage, most notably as Gertrude in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and Katisha in The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan. Other recent roles include Marcellina in Atlanta Concert Opera’s production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and L’enfant in Ravel’s L'enfant et les sortilèges with ATLVocalite. She has also performed as Jenny Reefer in Virgil Thompson’s The Mother of Us All, Bellina in Arthur Benjamin’s The Prima Donna, and Hippolyta in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She is occasionally dragged against her will to join the irreverent opera improv troupe, ImprOper, based out of Dad's Garage in Atlanta.

**William Green (Dr. Caius) | ACO Debut 2020, An Evening with the Bard**
William Green, tenor, made his professional debut with The Atlanta Opera in 2013 as Giuseppe in *La traviata*; he has sung with TAO in both comprimario roles as well as a core member of the chorus from 2012-2020. Mr. Green made his Capitol City Opera Company debut as Pedrillo in *The* *Abduction from the Seraglio*; in addition to joining CCOC in each of their main stage presentations, Mr. Green has also performed in their *Dinner and a Diva* and *On the Light Side* programs. In March 2020, he performed the role of Tybalt in Gounod’s *Roméo et Juliette.* Most recently he performed Canio in *Pagliacci* for their 2022 *Dinner and a Diva* series. He is also a co-manager of the Atlanta chapter of Opera On Tap.
Mr. Green is a proud alumnus of the American Wagner Project through the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. He is also pleased to work with the Wagner Society of Washington D.C., having performed multiple recitals for them.

Daniel Weisman (Bardolfo) | ACO Debut 2019, *Le Nozze di Figaro*
Daniel Weisman is a tenor (sometimes) who sometimes sings high notes and believes that he is very funny. He’s a director in that he likes to boss people around and a producer in that he likes to tell them what do sing. He’s sung a lot of places, most of which you’ve probably never heard of, and is a recovering Ohioan. He knows a lot of repertoire (but not too much) and has sung for a lot of people (but not too many) that you may or may not have heard of and may or may not be impressed by. Recently he has been heard singing somewhere, potentially in his shower, much to the dismay of his harshest critic, his cat, who does not believe that he would be a believable Taylor Swift onstage.

**August Bair (Ford) | ACO Debut 2019, Le Nozze di Figaro**
August Bair is an Atlanta native and graduated with a BA from Bard College’s undergraduate voice program in New York and went on to complete his masters in voice at Manhattan School of Music (MSM) in New York City where he sang the role of Count Carnero in Johann Strauss’s *Der Ziguenerbaron*. He sang in the Atlanta Opera’s 2019 productions of *Dead Man Walking, Eugene Onegin*, and *La Traviata*. With Brevard Music Center’s Janiec Opera Company, he has performed the role of Doctor Malatesta in Donizetti’s *Don Pasquale*, covered the roles of Papageno in Mozart’s *The Magic Flute* and Starveling in Benjamin Britten’s *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*, and debuted a major role in J. Mark Scearce’s new opera, *Falling Angel*. In the summer of 2015, August starred in Jonathan Sheffer’s contemporary opera *Blood on the Dining Room Floor* at the Napa Valley Music Festival. He was Mercutio in Capitol City Opera’s 2020 production of *Roméo et Juliette.*

Lucy Miller (Nanetta) | ACO Debut 2019, *Le Nozze di Figaro*
Lucy Miller received her Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from The Ohio State University and her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University. Her favorite opera roles have included Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (The Ohio State University and Georgia State University), Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring (Trentino Music Festival and Georgia State University), and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (Berlin Opera Academy and Atlanta Concert Opera). She has performed internationally in Italy, Austria, and Germany, in addition to winning first place in her category at the Georgia State and Regional National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition and becoming a finalist at the Orpheus and Opera Guild of Atlanta competitions. Ms. Miller has also performed professionally with Peach State Opera, Opera Columbus, Atlanta Concert Opera, the Atlanta Boy Choir, and Capitol City Opera. She currently resides in Decatur, Georgia with her husband and enjoys exploring dream opera roles, jazz, and golden age musical theater in her free time.

**Cameron King (Fenton), ACO Mainstage Debut**
Cameron King, Tenor, recently graduated with his Master of Music in Voice Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Grammy award winning mezzo Michelle DeYoung. Originally from Central Florida, Cameron graduated with his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Florida State University as a student of renowned tenor Jeffrey Springer.
While studying at FSU, Cameron appeared in operatic classics such as Puccini's La Boheme, Marschner's Der Vampyr, Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice, Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict, and Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience, as well as newer works such as Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men. Cameron also performed with Teatro Lirico D'Europa in a travelling performance of Puccini's Tosca. During the 2021 season, Cameron was the first-place winner of the Charleston International Music Competition, first-place winner of the Southeastern NATS Student Auditions, third-place winner of the NATS National Student Auditions, and finished the 2021 season portraying Fenton in Indiana University’s production of Verdi’s Falstaf. During the 2022 season, Cameron portrayed the roles of Alfred and Dr. Blind in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. During the 2023 season, Cameron performed the title role in Bernstein’s Candide with the Jacob’s School of Music, as well as performed excerpts from Carmen and La Bohème in the Jacobs scenes program. Cameron finished 2023 as a resident artist at the Castleton Festival in addition to performing with the Atlanta Opera, singing in the chorus of Verdi’s Rigoletto as well as portraying the Prune Man in their 2024 production of La Bohème. Most recently, Cameron revisited the role of Candide with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet.

**Isabella Chaney (Meg Page) | ACO Mainstage Debut**

Jacob Lay (Pistola) | ACO Mainstage Debut

Jacob Lay, baritone, is an Atlanta native who has performed with several opera companies and music festivals across the country including The Atlanta Opera, Knoxville Opera, Marble City Opera, and Cedar Rapids Opera. He holds degrees in vocal performance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Simpson College. Notable roles he has performed include Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro (Knoxville Opera), Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and The Thug in the world premiere of 'I Can't Breathe’ by Leslie Burrs and Brandon Gibson. Jacob is passionate about performing the works of underrepresented composers like William Grant Still and Dorothy Rudd Moore.