Ladoga Records

James Maverick has established himself as a versatile pianist, coach, and conductor with engagements across the United States. Since 2020, he has served on the music staff of Cincinnati Opera as Assistant Chorus Master, preparing productions including Don Giovanni, Madama Butterfly, The Pirates of Penzance, and Il barbiere di Siviglia. He has also collaborated on workshops of new operas through Opera Fusion: New Works and Opera Philadelphia.

In Texas, Maverick is a frequent collaborator with Austin Opera, where he has appeared as pianist for Pagliacci, The Manchurian Candidate, and Verdi’s Requiem, and as music director for the company’s LatinX Residency Workshop.

He joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music in 2021, where he teaches vocal accompanying and coaches singers.

Previously, Maverick was Chorus Master and Keyboardist at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, where he was a Resident Artist (2017–2019) and faculty member at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory. A former fellow of Wolf Trap Opera, the Merola Opera Program, and the Tanglewood Music Center, he holds degrees in piano performance, choral conducting, and collaborative piano from Lawrence University and Indiana University

Lily Guerrero, originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been praised for her vibrant stage presence and expressive artistry. A familiar face with Austin Opera, she recently appeared as Frasquita in Carmen and Diana in Cruzar la cara de la luna, a role she also reprised with Amarillo Opera in 2025. Recent highlights include covering Marzelline in Fidelio, singing the soprano solo in Brahms’ Requiem with the San Antonio Choral Society, and appearing as a Vocal Fellow at Spoleto Festival USA in Yuval Sharon’s innovative “backwards Bohème.”

Guerrero has performed leading roles with companies across the Midwest, including Norina in Don Pasquale (Windy City Opera) and Despina in Così fan tutte (Winter Opera Saint Louis). She has also appeared with Wichita Grand Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, and the Franco-American Vocal Academy.

A frequent concert soloist, Guerrero has performed major works by Handel, Bach, Finzi, Rutter, and Haydn. Her competition successes include prizes from NATS, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Pianist and opera coach Tzu Kuang Tan, from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is active in both performance and collaborative settings across the United States. In the 2025–26 season, he serves as Assistant Coach for Porgy and Bess, Silent Night, Of Mice and Men (Butler Studio), and Messiah at Houston Grand Opera.

In summer 2025, Tan was a Young Artist with the Merola Opera Program, where he coached and performed in Rossini’s Count Ory, the “Grand Night of Singing – An American Song Fest,” and the Schwabacher Summer Concert. A winner of the 2022 Marilyn Horne Song Competition, he later gave a recital with Joanne Evans at the Music Academy of the West and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2024 at Zankel Hall through Renée Fleming’s Song Studio.

At the Butler Opera Center (UT Austin), Tan has served as rehearsal pianist and coach for La Bohème, Tea: A Mirror of Soul, Queen of Spades, La Traviata, L’enfant et les sortilèges, The Ghosts of Versailles, and The Marriage of Figaro.

Tan holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, with prior degrees from the University of Michigan and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore.

London-born mezzo-soprano Joanne Evans is a graduate of the Merola Opera Program and has held residencies with the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Britten Pears Young Artist Program, Fondation des Treilles, and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, where she received Le Prix des Amis for Voice.

Upcoming engagements include performances at the Aldeburgh Festival, her role debut as Dorabella with Opera San Jose, a recital with the Ravinia Festival x Ear Taxi Festival, and appearances with Opéra Comique and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

A former Vocal Fellow at Music Academy of the West, Joanne sang Olga in Eugene Onegin and won the Marilyn Horne Song Competition. She is also an alumna of the Opera Colorado Artist-in-Residence Program, where she appeared as Maddalena in Rigoletto.

Joanne won First Prize in the 2022 Handel Aria Competition and was a 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition district winner. She is supported by the Career Bridges Grant, Gerda Lissner Foundation, and Premiere Opera Foundation, and was a 2025 Dallas Opera Lone Star Competition finalist.

She is the co-founder of Loam Music, an artistic partnership developing new works, including Daughter of God, a one-woman chamber opera premiered at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2024.

Nicholas, a San Diego native, is an acclaimed pianist, composer, and educator known for blending virtuosity and innovative musicality. His career includes solo and orchestral performances, prestigious competition wins, and captivating audiences across the U.S. and internationally. He earned a Bachelor of Music from San Diego State University (2018), a Master of Music from the University of Texas at Austin (2022), and is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts there. His competition highlights include First Place in the San Diego State University Concerto Competition (2018) and the Hong Kong International Music Festival Piano Competition, San Diego Division (2017), and a special prize at the White Nights International Piano Festival in Russia (2019).

Nicholas performs at elite events in Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, delivering tailored, high-quality music. His solo recitals and orchestral appearances showcase lyrical sensitivity and electrifying virtuosity. As a composer, he has released albums, including the critically acclaimed 3 Pieces for Piano. As an educator, he has taught over 300 students, many achieving competition success, using a creative, technically precise teaching approach. He also offers masterclasses and workshops in Texas communities.

Soprano Hayan Kim has earned international recognition for her expressive artistry and vocal versatility, performing leading and featured roles across the United States and Korea. Recent highlights include Lan in TEA: A Mirror of Soul (2024), Musetta in La Bohème (2023), Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann (2023), Frasquita in Carmen (2022), Adina in L’elisir d’amore (2021), and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi (2020).

A two-time Apprentice Artist with The Santa Fe Opera (2019–2020), Ms. Kim was selected to cover principal roles in the world premiere of Huang Ruo’s M. Butterfly, and previously appeared in workshops for the opera at Opera America and the Asia Society. Earlier performances include Servilia in La clemenza di Tito, Soo-yeon in From My Mother’s Mother with Houston Grand Opera, and roles with the Aspen Music Festival, where she received the AOC Fellowship in honor of Renée Fleming.

Ms. Kim has been praised by critics for her “silvery tone” (Aspen Times) and “expressive fire” (Voce di Meche). She is a First Place winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (District) and Second Prize winner of the Lois Alba Aria Competition.

Korean-American pianist Dr. Joseph Choi is a versatile 21st-century artist praised for his sensitive, sincere, and scintillating performances. A laureate of multiple international competitions, he has earned distinctions including Second Prize at the 2014 NTD International Piano Competition, Finalist and Best Baroque Performance at the 2016 San Antonio International Piano Competition, and top prizes in the Tuesday Musical Club Competition and University of Texas Concerto Competition.

Dr. Choi has appeared at major venues such as Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Aspen Music Festival, and has performed with ensembles including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Honolulu Symphony, Conspirare, and the Aeolus Quartet.

An active educator, he serves on the faculty of Concordia University Texas, teaching piano, theory, and pedagogy, while maintaining a private studio in Austin whose students have earned international recognition and appeared on NPR’s “From the Top.”

As Artistic Director of the Classical Artists Concert Series and board member of the Pflugerville Arts Council, Dr. Choi champions community engagement through classical music. 

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Bobae discovered her love for the cello at the tender age of eight, and her destiny as a world-class cellist began to unfold. She received her Bachelor of Music from Seoul National University, her Master of Music from Yale University, and her Artist Diploma from the University of Texas at Austin. She has studied with renowned cellists such as Ole Akahoshi, Chungsim Baek, Aldo Parisot, Bion Tsang, and Paul Watkins.

Lee's first taste of international recognition came in 2020 when she received the Grand Prize in the esteemed Fischoff International Chamber Competition. She has also received numerous awards including prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, the Chamber Music in Yellow Springs Competition, and the ARD International Music Competition.

Bobae has performed in prestigious concert halls and stages across Asia, Europe, and North America. Beyond her extraordinary talent as a cellist, Bobae also possesses a deep appreciation for music education and outreach. She actively engages in mentoring young musicians, passing on her knowledge and inspiring the next generation of artists. Through lessons and community programs, Lee seeks to nurture a love for classical music and empower aspiring musicians to reach their full potential.

Zongheng Zhang is currently an Assistant Conductor at Michigan State University.

Throughout his conducting career, Zhang has been invited to guest-conduct the Williamson County Symphony Orchestra and served as Assistant Conductor for the Austin Opera, the Butler Opera Center and Berlin Opera Academy, collaborating with renowned Maestros Timothy Myers and Douglas Kinney Frost. Driven by a deep passion for opera, Zhang has conducted and assisted in numerous productions, including "La Bohème" by Puccini, "The Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky, "Tea: A Mirror of Soul" by Tan Dun, and "Carmen" by Bizet.

From 2016 to 2021, Zhang was the Concertmaster and Principal for The Orchestra Now (TON) and Bard Conservatory Philharmonic in New York, performing under Maestro Leon Botstein at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Fisher Center, Symphony Space, and the Kennedy Center. In March 2022, he returned to Bard Conservatory to serve as Concertmaster for the opera "Salome" by Richard Strauss.

Zhang holds a Double Degree from Bard College in Violin and Viola Performance and Psychology. As a string player, he studied violin with Todd Phillips, Gil Shaham, Luis García-Renart and Adele Anthony, and viola with Melissa Reardon. He won the Violin Concerto Competition at Bard College in 2019 and the Viola Concerto Competition in 2018. During his time at Bard, he also studied conducting with Harold Farberman, Tan Dun, and James Bagwell.