Victoria Vargas, Mezzo Soprano

Mezzo-soprano Victoria Vargas has sung over twenty-five roles for the Minnesota Opera and has performed with the Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Chautauqua Opera, Sarasota Opera, Ash Lawn-Highland Festival, and others. Roles include Carmen in Carmen, Fenena in Nabucco, Gertrude in Hamlet, Julia Child in Bon Appétit, and Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro. Well-known for creating new roles, she recently sang in the premiere of the opera Generacion Perdida by Jorge Sosa and is the mezzo soloist in the Mozart Requiem with the Mankato Symphony.

John Moore, Baritone

John Moore is praised for his energetic performances and burnished baritone. For the 2025-2026 season, John returns to The Metropolitan Opera; makes his debut with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome; and debuts with the Des Moines Metro Opera and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. During the 2024-2025 season, John debuted with Lyric Opera of Chicago in Mazzoli and Vavrek’s The Listeners; returned to Opera Philadelphia in that same role; debuted with Washington National Opera as Steve Jobs in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, a role he has sung across the United States to great acclaim; and joined the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for concerts of Handel’s Messiah and Poulenc’s Le bal masqué.

James Barnett, Accompanist

A leading producer of Twin Cities recital programming, James Barnett is dedicated to bringing new and forgotten music to the next generation of audiences. He was the founding Artistic Director of LOFTrecital and currently serves as Artistic Director of Skylark Opera Theatre. James has been a featured pianist with many companies and academic institutions across the country, including Minnesota Opera and the Des Moines Metro Opera.