2014 San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows
Gaetano Donizetti: Rita
Rita: Maria Valdes
Beppe: Thomas Glenn
Gasparo: Efrain Solis
Maria Valdes
Soprano Maria Valdes has been praised for her sophisticated musicianship and natural tonal
beauty and ease of singing. While still at the beginning of her career, Valdes is already
recognized in the industry as a promising young artist. Her most recent endeavor was singing
the role of Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with the Merola Opera Program in San
Francisco. Last year, she placed third in the southeast region of the Metropolitan Opera
National Council auditions. She went on to win the top prize at the Corbett Opera Scholarship
Competition at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which awarded her full tuition and
a living stipend.
Maria Valdes is a Georgia native and attended Georgia State University where she studied with
Richard Clement. For five years she was a staff soloist at All-Saints’ Episcopal Church, where
she gave two recitals on their concert series. She has been heard in concert with ensembles
including the Georgia State University Singers, the Atlanta Chamber Players, the Atlanta Sacred
Chorale, the choirs of Emory University, Bent Frequency, and at the Bellingham Festival of
Music in Washington. Valdes is thrilled to be returning to San Francisco as an Adler Fellow in
January 2014.
Thomas Glenn
Tenor, Thomas Glenn has performed at the San Francisco Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, The
Lyric Opera of Chicago, Netherlands Opera and The English National Opera among others. His
roles include Ferrando in Così fan tutte and the title role in La clemenza di Tito, as well as Italian
bel canto roles such as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Il
barbiere di Siviglia and Tebaldo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Thomas is a graduate of the prestigious Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera where he
enjoyed performing the Steersman in Der Fliegende Holländer, Vitek in Janacek's The
Makropulos Case, and Gherardo in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. Also at San Francisco Opera,
Thomas created the role of Physicist, Robert Wilson in the world premiere of John Adams'
Doctor Atomic. He reprised this role in many productions and won a Grammy Award for his
participation in the 2011 recording with the Metropolitan Opera on the SONY label. Thomas
holds three degrees in music performance: a bachelor’s from Brigham Young University, a
master’s from The University of Michigan and a doctorate from Florida State University. He is a
past winner of the Concours International de Chant de Canari, France and a semi-finalist in the
Monserrat Caballé Competition.
Efraín Solís
First-Generation Mexican-American baritone Efraín Solís has performed a variety of roles
including the title role in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin with Russian Opera Workshop in
Philadelphia, Guglielmo in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and Figaro in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. At
the San Francisco Conservatory of Music he performed the title role in Mozart's Don
Giovanni, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and the title role in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. In the spring
of 2013 he joined Opera Santa Barbara as a member of their Studio Artist Program where he
sang the role of Il Notaio and covered Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale. As a participant of
the 2013 Merola Opera Program he sang Junius in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia and covered
the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro. Chosen as a finalist for the Metropolitan Opera National
Council Auditions and the 2013 Houston Grand Opera's Eleanor McCollum Competition, he
holds a Bachelor of Music from Chapman University and a Master of Music from the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music.