Renaissance & Passion

Opera News lauds Jeni Houser’s performances as “commanding and duplicitous, yet also vulnerable. She has a bright future above the staff.” In the 2021-22 season, she makes her role debut as Lucia di Lammermoor in a return to Madison Opera. She also returns to her sought-after interpretation of Königin her Nacht in Die Zauberflöte in her debut with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and returns to the Metropolitan Opera for the same title. Future seasons see a return to Orff’s Carmina Burana. Her debuts with Seattle Opera as the Controller in Flight and New Orleans Opera in Die Zauberflöte were unfortunately cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic as were her returns to Virginia Opera as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Madison Opera as Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, and On Site Opera as Rosina in Paisiello’s Il barbiere di Siviglia.

She recently made debuts with the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and Dallas Opera as Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte, a role she has also sung to great acclaim with Minnesota Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Central City Opera, and Kentucky Opera. She returned to the Dallas Opera stage as the title role in The Golden Cockerel. With the Wiener Staatsoper, she made her international debut as Frantzi in the world premiere of Staud’s Die Weiden, after which she joined the company for its productions of Die Zauberflöte and Trojahn’s Orest.

​The soprano won second place at the Nicholas Loren Vocal Competition in 2014. She was a district winner and regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2013 and 2011 after earning an encouragement award in 2010, and was a national semifinalist in the NATS Artist Award Competition in 2010. She holds degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Lawrence University.

Hailed by the Miami Herald for his “penetrating tenor,” tenor Justin Kroll is working toward the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his Associate of Arts in Music in 2010 from McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, and his Bachelor of Music in Music History & Literature (2013) and Master of Music in Voice Performance (2016) from Baylor University.

An active performer, the 2021/22 season sees Justin make his house debut at Madison Opera singing Arturo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Other recent operatic performances include: Narcissus in a premiere performance of Christopher Cerrone’s All Wounds Bleed with Latitute 49, Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin with the Russian Opera Workshop, and Spoletta in Puccini’s Tosca with Painted Sky Opera of Oklahoma City.

In competition, Justin represented the USA at the 6th UNISA (University of South Africa) International Voice Competition in Pretoria, South Africa, and was a finalist in the Texoma Region Finals of the 2020 NATS Artist Awards competition.

Baritone Ben Edquist is one of America’s young baritones on the rise, sought after for his work in contemporary opera, musical theatre, and Mozart. As a former member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio he originated numerous roles including Edward Kynaston in Carlisle Floyd’s final opera, Prince of Players. Other highlights with Houston Grand Opera include: Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, the Pilot in The Little Prince, Jigger Craigin in Carousel, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, and Older Thompson in Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied.

Since leaving the Studio, Ben has built close relationships with modern day composers preforming in three other world premieres, portraying Mayo Buckman in Tom Cipullo’s newest opera Mayo, the role of Manfred in Jake Heggie’s Out of Darkness: Two Remain with Atlanta Opera, and, in his European debut, the role of Remo in The Skating Rink by David Sawer with Garsington Opera.

Before the pandemic, Mr. Edquist shared performances of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia (role debut), and Hawkins Fuller in Fellow Travelers with Madison Opera. Most recently, Ben performed Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd with Des Moines Metro Opera and this Spring he will sing the romantic lead in She Loves Me with Madison Opera, Papageno in The Magic Flute and Dr. Sarrasco in Man of La Mancha with Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre as well as make his Lincoln Center debut singing a concert of new works by composer Georgia Shreve.