Opera Memphis welcomes three exciting performers to the Handorf Company Artist program
The Handorf Company Artist program, which provides career building experiences to emerging singers and pianists through robust performance opportunities and personalized goals, welcomes two rising opera stars to Memphis this week. Additionally, in an exciting first for Opera Memphis, the HCA program will include a company pianist who will join us next week. Keely Futterer (soprano), Sergio F. Mandujano (tenor), and Arthur Bosarge (pianist) arrive in Memphis to begin rehearsals for our March double bill Pygmalion 2.0.
Keely Futterer, soprano
Upcoming Opera Memphis roles: Maya in The Companion (Pygmalion 2.0) & Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte
Arkansan-born soprano Keely Futterer, has been praised by Opera News as a “high-quality lyric soprano with a keen verbal nuance,” and has been seen in performances across the globe in China, Italy, and the United States. Career highlights of Ms. Futterer include the leading ladies of Elle in La Voix Humaine, the title role of Suor Angelica, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, and Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. She received critical acclaim for her role debut of Marie in La fille du régiment at Opera Saratoga, where she was reviewed as having “one of the most gorgeous voices you can imagine with charm to match. Hers [was] a performance you will remember and speak about for years.” She has also performed an array of new opera, in addition to the classics, such as Isabella Beecher in Victoria Bond’s Mrs. President, the Witch Mother in the American premiere of Philip Glass’s The Witches of Venice, and in 2017, she was part of the New Works Forum in NYC with American Lyric Theatre, premiering the role of Sara Turing in The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing.
Sergio F. Mandujano, tenor
Upcoming Opera Memphis roles: Joe in The Companion (Pygmalion 2.0) & Ferrando in Così fan tutte
Sergio F. Mandujano is a Mexican American tenor who will be playing the role of Joe in Robert Paterson’s The Companion as well as Ferrando in Così fan tutti. He attended Seagle Festival 2021 where he performed Rodolfo in La bohème and Broadway excerpts from Hamilton, Follies, Company, and more. Previous credits include Nemorino in L’Elisir D’Amore, Tamino in The Magic Flute, The Witch in Hansel und Gretel, Harry in Company, Burrs in The Wild Party, and Adolpho in The Drowsy Chaperone. He received an Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship nomination for his portrayal of Burrs in The Wild Party and Distinguished Performance by an Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Adolpho in The Drowsy Chaperone from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. He is originally from Norwalk, Connecticut.
Arthur Bosarge, pianist
A native of Fairhope, Alabama, Arthur Bosarge is a pianist and coach whose experience spans a variety of styles, including opera, recital, ballet, and musical theater. Career highlights include productions with Opera Birmingham (Cendrillon), Mountain Rep Theatre (The Andrews Brothers, The Great American Trailer Park Musical), Florida Grand Opera (La bohème, Le Nozze di Figaro, Frida, Werther), Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre (Amazing Grace, A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein), and Opera North (La fille du régiment, Evita, Street Scene, My Fair Lady, La traviata). From 2016-2018, he served as a member of Kentucky Opera’s Barbara and Halsey Sandford Studio Artist Program (Ariadne auf Naxos, Dead Man Walking, The Barber of Seville, Madama Butterfly, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, The Mikado), and is a previous member of Virginia Opera’s Herndon Foundation Emerging Artist Program. Mr. Bosarge holds degrees from Mannes School of Music and the University of Alabama.