Leah Crocetto, soprano & Tamar Sanikidze, piano

About the Artists

Leah Crocetto

Described by the New York Times as possessing an “agile coloratura technique and a feeling for the Italianate style... with warmth, full penetrating sound and tenderness,” soprano Leah Crocetto continues to astonish audiences with her moving portrayals of opera’s greatest heroines. The 2022/23 season begins with her San Diego Symphony debut in Verdi’s breathtaking Requiem under the baton of Rafael Payare. She also returns to the Sydney Opera House for Opera Australia’s Aida and debuts the fiendish role of Odabella in Attila at Teatro Petruzelli. In recital, she will appear at the Butler School of Music in Austin, Texas, where she is currently on faculty as a lecturer in vocal arts. Hook ‘em Horns! Leah Crocetto also tours with her newly founded trio Momenti, featuring bass-baritone Christian Pursell and pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg, for their first concerts in San Francisco, Napa, and her native Adrian, Michigan. Aiming to create unique and empowering music, performing genre-less, yet extensive, rich, and innovative repertoire, they released their first EP on February 10, 2023.   

Tamar Sanikidze

A “technically nimble and supportive pianist” (The New York Times), Dr. Tamara Sanikidze has performed on the world’s most prestigious stages and serves as the head of voice division, director, producer, and principal coach of the Butler Opera Center and artistic director of the Butler Opera International Competition. As an active recitalist, she partners with Nadine Sierra, Thomas Hampson, Leah Crocetto, Lianna Haroutounian, and Quinn Kelsey. By special invitation, Dr. Sanikidze performed at the White House for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. She frequently coaches for the Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera Center, as well as Young Artist Programs at Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Teatro De’ll Opera di Roma, and Los Angeles Opera. In 2015 she joined the Lehrer Vocal Institute at the Music Academy of the West as Faculty Artist and Audition/Casting judge. Dr. Sanikidze is the recipient of the Marilyn Horne Foundation Award for Excellence in Vocal Accompanying. She holds her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and is an alumna of the Wolftrap Opera Center, Merola Opera Center, as well as the Music Academy of the West, Aspen Opera Center, Cleveland Art Song Festival, and SongFest.

Yingmeige Xiong

Dr. Yingmeige Xiong received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Opera Performance from the University of Texas at Austin and continued to pursue a second doctoral degree in Opera Directing. Before her doctoral studies, she completed both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Classical Voice at the Manhattan School of Music. Dr. Xiong has honed her craft as a mezzo-soprano, showcasing her versatility and skill on opera stages. Her extensive opera experience includes roles such as Polina in Pique Dame, the Ritualist in Tea: A Mirror of Soul, Mercedes in Carmen, and Gianetta in L'elisir d'amore, among others. Additionally, Yingmeige has performed at the Manhattan School of Music and the Trentino Music Festival, and the National Young Singers Program of China, taking on roles in Albert Herring, Cendrillon, Rinaldo and more.

In addition to her achievements as a performer, Dr. Xiong is building a career in opera directing. She served as an assistant director for La Bohème and is preparing for upcoming roles as the director of Audition Fever，assistant stage manager and assistant director for The Ghosts of Versailles and Le Nozze di Figaro at McCullough Theater in 2025. Beyond the classical repertoire, Yingmeige is skilled in piano, dance, and a variety of vocal styles, including musical theater, pop, and jazz, enriching her performances and making her a well-rounded artist.

Under the guidance of mentors like Leah Crocetto, Garnett Bruce, Tamara Sanikidze and Douglas Kinney Frost, Yingmeige Xiong continues to refine her craft, dedicating herself to excellence in both performing and directing in the opera realm.
 

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