Born in South Korea, tenor Duke Kim initially wanted to become a Korean pop singer before falling in love with opera. A 2021 grand finals winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and a 2022 second-place winner of Operalia, Kim is a rising star in the opera world with an upcoming Metropolitan Opera debut as Tamino in The Magic Flute. He has performed all around the world with highlights including leading roles with:  

• Irish National Opera 
• Washington National Opera 
• Seattle Opera 

A recent graduate of the Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera, Kim has also had additional training with Wolf Trap Opera’s Studio Program and Palm Beach Opera’s Benenson Young Artist Program, as well as studying at Chapman University and the Shepard School of Music at Rice University.  We can’t wait for him to debut with us with his portrayal of Romeo, a role he recently performed in Washington DC.  

Amina Edris 

Hailed as a “revelation” by  Forum Opera   and praised for her “lustrous” tone by Opera News, soprano Amina Edris has been a star with both critics and audiences alike. Born in Egypt but raised in New Zealand, she fell in love with music as a child when she would listen to her uncle play the lute, guitar and Egyptian percussion instruments. That has given her a wide musical palette. She's now tackled a variety of roles from Baroque music to world premieres, but her specialty is the French repertoire. She’s performed the title role of Manon    at the Opera National de Bordeaux, Opera National de Paris and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu. She will be making her LA Opera debut as Juliet, a role she’s previously performed in Paris.  

Justin Austin 

While baritone Justin Austin performed in an online recital with us in 2021, we’re ecstatic to have him now make his mainstage debut with us. Born into a family of opera singers, he started off his career on prestigious stages such as Teatro Real Madrid, Bregenzer Festpiele, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. Austin has been nominated for a Drama Desk Award and he's been praised by The New York Times   for his “mighty lyric voice” and by Opera News for being “vocally impressive, verbally elegant.” Austin has also collaborated with some other famous artists from other mediums such as Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Lauryn Hill, The Root, and many others. We’ll have the honor of having Austin show off his portrayal of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet   and he’ll also return to us in the spring as Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte.  

Yuntong Han 

Chinese tenor Yuntong Han is one of our new Young Artists and we’re over the moon about him making his mainstage debut with us. Han studied vocal performance at the New England Conservatory of Music and earned a master’s degree at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music where he studied with Heidi Grant Murphy and Kevin Murphy. Han was a finalist in the 2023 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition as well as a vocal fellow at Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute. He will be portraying the key role of Tybalt in our production of Romeo and Juliet. 

Laura Krumm 

Wagner fans in Los Angeles might remember mezzo-soprano Laura Krumm’s 2023 portrayal of Siegrune in Die Walkure with the LA Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl. San Francisco Opera audiences had the pleasure of hearing her earlier, during her time as an Adler Fellow. She has performed numerous roles with that company, with the San Francisco Classical Voice praising her “exceptionally beautiful mezzo” singing. She has also appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Pacific Northwest Opera. We can’t wait to see what Krumm has in store with her portrayal of Stephano in Romeo and Juliet.  

Nathan Bowles 

The next Young Artist making a debut in Romeo and Juliet is tenor Nathan Bowles. Born in Minot, North Dakota, and formerly based in Dallas, Bowles has made waves in the opera world for being a finalist in the 2024 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, after winning the New Orleans district and Gulf Coast Region. Bowles has portrayed Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet   before at the Dallas Opera and will get to revive the role at his new home here in Los Angeles. He’ll be back on our stage later this season as the Torero in Ainadamar   and as Borsa in Rigoletto.  

Margaret Gawrysiak 

The last singer on our list is mezzo-soprano Margaret Gawrysiak, who recently made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Auntie in Peter Grimes.   Later this season, she’ll perform Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress   at Opera Omaha and return to the Met to cover Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro. Her most recent engagements include the Verdi Requiem with the Madison Symphony, Marcellina with New Orleans Opera and Madison Opera, and the Marquise de Berkenfield in The Daughter of the Regiment   with Minnesota Opera.   She tackles a diverse range of roles from Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin   to unconventional parts for opera singers such as Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd.   We can’t wait to see her portrayal of Gertrude (the Nurse) in Romeo and Juliet. 

Domingo Hindoyan 

One of today’s most exciting and celebrated conductors, Venezuelan native Domingo Hindoyan is the chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the principal guest conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Hindoyan has led acclaimed orchestra all over the world including our very own LA Phil. 

On top of that he’s led performances at some of the biggest opera houses in the world including:  

• Teatro Real Madrid 
• the Metropolitan Opera 
• Staatsoper Berlin 
• Vienna State Opera 
• Lyric Opera of Chicago and more.  

He’ll be conducting our first four performances of Romeo and Juliet,   and we are honored to have him share his incredible talent with us.