Artists' bios can be found here
On Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 3:00 pm, The Palmetto Opera will bring their full-scale production of the grand opera Tosca to the Koger Center for the Arts featuring an internationally renowned cast. Tickets are on sale now through the Koger Center Box office at www.kogercenterforthearts.com or by calling 803-251-2222.
Tosca is set in Rome in June 1800, when Rome is threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy.
It is a tragic and political love story and explores how love overcomes all. Mario Cavaradossi, a painter, is deeply in love with Floria Tosca, a famous singer. Scarpia, the chief of police, has arrested Cavaradossi and proposes a deal to Tosca that if she gives herself to him, he will free her lover.
This story has it all - love, lust, murder, and political intrigue – and with Puccini’s richly romantic score, it is one of the world’s most loved operas. Tosca will be performed in the original Italian with English super titles projected above the stage. You are also invited to an elegant “Meet the Cast” reception immediately following the performance in The Gallery.
Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 20 minute intermission
Tickets are on sale now at the Koger Center Box Office!
Prime Orchestra: $65
Side Orchestra: $60
Back Orchestra: $60/$45
Accessible Seating: $45
Student w/ valid ID: $25
$5 off for Senior Citizens
A note on ticket purchasing:
Tickets for The Palmetto Opera's Tosca are NOT available through any other website other than www.kogercenterforthearts.com. Beware of third party scamming websites. These tickets will be more expensive and will not be honored.
There is a $2 Koger Center Restoration Fee on each purchased ticket.
Internet and Phone Sales: These sales are subject to additional fees that vary per event/ticket price. You can avoid internet and phone fees by visiting the Box Office in person.
There are free 15 minute parking spots on Park Street in front of the Box Office.
Koger Box Office:
806 Park Street
Columbia, S.C. 29201
803-251-2222
Monday-Friday
9:00 a.m.-5:00 PM
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MEET THE ARTISTS OF TOSCA!
Rochelle Bard, Soprano
Floria Tosca
Soprano Rochelle Bard has been described as an ‘exquisite singing actress’ with a specialty in bel canto and Verdi repertoire. Performances include the title roles of TOSCA, NORMA, AIDA, MARIA STUARDA, and LUCIA DILAMMERMOOR, as well as Odabella in ATTILA, Abigaille in NABUCCO, Elisabetta in ROBERTO DEVEREUX, Violetta in LA TRAVIATA, Leonora in IL TROVATORE, Roselinde in DIE FLEDERMAUS, and Lady Macbeth in MACBETH, at such companies as Opera Tampa, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Sarasota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Knoxville Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Idaho, Opera Theater of Connecticut, Opera Company of Middlebury, and Sacramento Opera. In multiple productions of THE MERRY WIDOW, she has performed the witty title role, most memorably under the baton of Anton Coppola. Described as ‘absolutely magical’ for her portrayal of Tosca in Hawaii, critics also acclaimed her Odabella in ATTILA as ‘a tour de force both musically and dramatically.’
In concert with orchestra, Ms. Bard recently debuted as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Knoxville Symphony, and has performed excerpts from LES HUGUENOTS, TALES OF HOFFMANN, ESCLARMONDE, NORMA, ADRIANA LECOUVREUR, and SEMIRAMIDE. At Lincoln Center, Ms. Bard was the soprano soloist in CARMINA BURANA in a stunning production with Alvin Ailey dancers. She has also been the soloist on the stages of Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Boston Symphony Orchestra, National Chorale, Opera Orchestra of New York, and Tallahassee Symphony. In November 2024 she performed in a Verdi Gala concert with Sarasota Opera featuring excerpts from AIDA, LA FORZA DEL DESTINO, and BALLO IN MASCHERA.
Ms. Bard earned a Masters’ degree from the New England Conservatory and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music from her alma mater, the College of the Holy Cross. A pianist before finding her classical voice, she is also the Music Director at church in West Hartford, CT.
Victor Starsky, Tenor
Cavaradossi
Tenor Victor Starsky, a native of Richmond Hill, New York, received critical acclaim this year for his performances as Don José in Sarasota Opera’s production of Bizet’s CARMEN, as well as his role debuts with New York City Opera as Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini’s TOSCA and Maurizio in Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s production of Cilea’s ADRIANA LECOUVREUR. Starsky made his debut as Nemorino with Charlottesville Opera in their production of Donizetti’s L’ELISIR D’AMORE. Starsky performed the role of Jim Casy in Master Voice’s Carnegie Hall presentation of Ricky Ian Gordon’s THE GRAPES OF WRATH. Of Starsky’s Don José, The Observer writes “While possessing a voice that flexes with nuance, the genius of Starsky’s stage performance is how he shares each tiny tear in his moral fabric as he follows and succumbs to Carmen despite every effort to cling to what he knows is moral and right. Watching his slow crumbling into unhinged desperation is unforgettable.”
Starsky returned to Sarasota Opera as the tenor soloist in their fall 2024 Season concert, “THE MUSIC OF GIUSEPPE VERDI”, and looks forward to the title role in Verdi’s STIFFELIO with Sarasota Opera in winter 2025. In 2023, Starsky made his debuts as Radamés in Verdi’s AÏDA and George Gibbs in Rorem’s OUR TOWN at the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater. He performed Roméo in Gounod’s ROMÉO ET JULIETTE with New York City Opera and Rodolfo in Puccini’s LA BOHÈME with Wichita Grand Opera. Starsky was honored to perform The Celebrant in Leonard Bernstein’s MASS with the premier conductor Maestro Maurice Peress in 2014. As an Adler Fellow with San Francisco Opera, was awarded the Shoshana Foundation’s Richard F. Gold Career Grant.
Engagements for Victor during the 2024/2025 season include appearances as Maurizio in Cilea’s ADRIANA LECOUVREUR with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Cavaradossi in TOSCA and Tenor Soloist in an all-Puccini Concert with New York City Opera, tenor soloist in a, all Verdi Concert and hte title role in Verdi’s STIFFELIO with Sarasota Opera, Cavaradossi in TOSCA with Teatro Lirico D’Europa, the Duke in Verdi’s RIGOLETTO with Teatro Lirico D’Europa, and Pinkerton in New Jersey Ass. of Verismo Opera’s production of MADAMA BUTTERFLY at the newly renovated QPAC in New York.
Michael Nansel, Baritone
Scarpia
Michael Nansel is an award-winning singer and actor. Best known as an opera singer, he is also an accomplished recitalist and concert artist and appears frequently in musical theater classics. Between Opera and Musicals, Mr. Nansel has over 80-roles to his credit. He sings music from the Mozart to Sondheim, from Verdi to Rodger & Hammerstein. He was the Wichita Grand Opera Singer of the Year in 2012 and was the dual winner in 2003 of the Washington Area Theatre Community Honors for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical and Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. He has also twice been a member of Casts nominated for Helen Hayes Awards.
His voice has been described as “stentorian”, “rich” with “great vocal and emotional power”. Reviewers have also remark that his acting “communicates deep humanity”, can be “tender and anguished” and that he is “the top banana”.
Mr. Nansel possesses a diverse repertoire ranging from the comedic Figaro (BARBER OF SEVILLE), Don Giovanni (DON GIOVANNI) and Falstaff (FALSTAFF) to the dramatic Count di Luna (IL TROVATORE), Scarpia (TOSCA) and Macbeth (MACBETH). Among his most widely acclaimed roles are the Di Luna, Iago (OTELLO), Figaro, as well as Danilo (THE MERRY WIDOW), and the title Character in SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET as well as Germont in LA TRAVIATA. His concert credits include MENDELSOHN’S ELIJAH, HAYDN'S CREATION, MOZART'S REQUIEM, FAURE'S REQUIEM, HANDEL'S MESSIAH, BRAHMS’ REQUIEM, BEETHOVEN’S MASS IN C MAJOR, and Block’s SACRED SERVICE (Avodat Hakodesh).
He has been conducted by several Maestros of note including Julius Rudel, Plácido Domingo, Eugene Kohn, Marin Alsop, Steven Mercurio and Gregory Buchalter. Directors of note include Stephen Lawless, Jonathon Loy, Jayme McDaniel, James Marvel and Scott Schwartz. He has shared the stage with Joyce DiDonato, Salvatore Licitra, Yunah Lee, Denise Graves, Lucas Meachem, Samuel Ramey and Paul Plishka. Currently, Mr. Nansel resides in the Washington, DC area with his wife of 38 years. He is represented by Randsman Artists Management and studies voice with Andrea DelGiudice.
Carlos Conde González, Baritone
Sacristan
Acclaimed by the press as “a performer of great intelligence, versatility and warmth”, international singer and maestro Carlos Conde González, is an actor and musician with a thirty-year career as a performer of the operatic genre. Along with luminaries such as Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo, Carlos has performed on many of the world’s most important stages, including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and New York’s Carnegie Hall. Known for his interpretations of Italian roles; his favorite Bartolo in THE BARBER OF SEVILLE is a role he has performed more than 400 times in 35 different productions. In addition to his training in opera at the Juilliard School’s Opera Center, Carlos studied drama at the University of Puerto Rico and was awarded his Doctor of Musical Arts from the State University of New York.
Dr. Conde is a recognized professor of vocal pedagogy with emphasis on Neuro Singing and the Old Italian School of Singing. His career as an educator has taken him through academic platforms in Japan, England (Guildhall School of Music and the Jette Parker Apprentice Program at the Royal Opera Covent Garden), Switzerland (Basel Opera Studio), Sri Lanka (University for the Performing Arts/Colombo), Israel (Tel Aviv University and the Israel Vocal Arts Institute), Malta (University of Malta), and in the United States: Juilliard, Mannes, Texas Tech, Miami University, Rutgers and the City University of New York. Currently Dr. Conde is the director of CC- Performing Arts, an artistic and vocal consulting agency with presence in Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Japan, Austria, Italy, Germany, England, and the United States.
Vladimir Hristov, Bass
Sciarrone
Bulgarian bass Vladimir Hristov has been a soloist with Teatro Lirico D'Europa in performances in the USA and Europe since the winter of 2003. His roles include the Bonze in MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Monterone in RIGOLETTO, Sciarrone in TOSCA, Fiorello in BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, the King in AIDA, Dr. Grenvil in LA TRAVIATA and the High Priest in NABUCCO with Opera De Massy – Paris.
Seth Younglove, Tenor
Spoletta
American tenor, Seth Younglove was born-and-raised in South Carolina. He earned his BA in Music (vocal performance) and Theatre (performance) at the College of Charleston. Following his undergrad, he stayed with the College of Charleston School of Music as an Artist in Residence to continue his career and education. Some of Seth’s recent performances include Rodolfo (LA BOHÈME), Greve Opera Academy – Italy summer 2024, Tamino (DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE) Hoffmann (LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN) and Eisenstein (DIE FLEDERMAUS), College of Charleston Opera. He is making his debut with Teatro Lirico D’Europa in Puccini’s TOSCA.
Nathan Strock, Bass-Baritone
Angelotti
Nathan Strock (bass-baritone) is a native of North Carolina currently living in Potsdam, New York. Strock’s opera career began in North Carolina with Opera Wilmington, where he played Count Ceprano in Verdi’s
RIGOLETTO, Don Alfonso in Mozart’s COSÍ FAN TUTTE, Marchese in LA TRAVIATA, and Leporello in OW’s production of Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI with the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra. During his graduate degree, Strock performed the roles of Billy Bigelow in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL, Mr. Gobineau in Menotti’s THE MEDIUM, and Cascart in Leoncavallo’s ZAZÀ. Strock holds a M.M. in Music Performance from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music (‘22) and a B.M. in Vocal Performance from UNCW (‘16).
Maestro Jason Tramm
Conductor
Maestro Tramm currently holds the following musical positions: Artistic Director/Principal Conductor, MidAtlantic Artistic Productions (with whom he made his Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium) debut in 2015). Executive Director, Light Opera of New Jersey, Music Director, the Taghkanic Chorale, and Music Director, Putnam Chorale.
He served as Artistic Director of the New Jersey State Opera from 2008 to 2012, where he collaborated with some of the finest voices in opera, including Samuel Ramey, Vladimir Galouzine, Angela Brown, Gregg Baker, and Paul Plishka. His 2009 HDTV broadcast with PBS affiliate NJN of "Verdi Requiem: Live from Ocean Grove," garnered an Emmy Award nomination.
The busy maestro is entering his 19th season as Director of Music, in Residence, of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association in the summer months, where he leads the choral, orchestral, and oratorio performances in the historic 6,500-seat Great Auditorium. In addition to the Ocean Grove Choir Festival, a beloved event in its 64th year and attended by thousands, he has appeared on two National Public Radio broadcasts live from the Great Auditorium.
An accomplished educator, he serves as an Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at Seton Hall University where he leads the University Chorus, Chamber Choir, Orchestra and conducting. In 2017, Seton Hall University Awarded him the University Faculty Teacher of the Year. He is also actively sought as a clinician and regularly presents lectures on a wide variety of musical topics.
A sought-after guest conductor, he has led symphonic and operatic performances in Italy, Romania, Hungary and Albania. Engagements for the 24/25 season include: Teatro Lirico D'Europa TOSCA performances in SC and FL, New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera performances of MADAMA BUTTERFLY in NJ and NY, Camerata Bardi (Manhattan), and a concert tour of Italy with performances in Rome, Assisi and Venice in May of 2025.
GIORGIO LALOV
Artistic Director, Stage Director, Set and Costumes Design
Born in Bulgaria, GIORGIO (Gueorgui) LALOV is the stage director, artistic director, and set and costume designer for TEATRO LIRICO D'EUROPA - 1988 to the present. LALOV, has been performing in and directing full-scale opera productions with international casts since his debut at La Scala, Milan at the age of 25. He speaks English, French, Italian, Bulgarian, and Russian fluently. Since 1988, his opera productions have been presented at major venues in France, Belgium Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Italy, Sicily, Denmark, South America, the Island of Martinique, and the USA including performances for Opera Dijon, France, Opera De Massy, Paris, performances at Salle Pleyel, Paris, Pavillion Baltard, Paris, Okinawa Performing Arts Center in Japan, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Theatre Carre, Amsterdam, Congresshaus, Zurich, Theatre Trinidade, Lisbon, Teatro Atlantida, Barcelona, Salida de La Compania, Madrid, Teatro Cervantes, Madrid, Teatro Bueno Vallejo, Madrid, Teatro Lope de Vega, Seville, Le Cirque Royale, Brussels, LʼAtrium Theatre on the Island of Martinique and over 150 major performing arts venues throughout the USA (including over a dozen American regional opera companies: Syracuse Opera, Opera Rochester, Opera Delaware, Augusta Opera, Palmetto Opera, Opera New Hampshire, Golden Gate Opera, Springfield Regional Opera, Opera Wichita, Palm Desert Opera Guild, Shreveport Opera, Opera Asheville, Opera Tampa Bay, Gold Coast Opera, CT Lyric Opera, Light Opera NJ, Boheme Opera NJ, and New England Opera Association -. at this time (2025) - well over 5,500 performances worldwide and still going.
Mr. Lalov has designed the sets and costumes for and staged full-scale productions of: Puccini's LA BOHEME, TOSCA and MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Verdi's LA TRAVIATA, IL TROVATORE, RIGOLETTO, AIDA, and NABUCCO, Mozart's DON GIOVANNI, LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, and DIE ZAUBERFLOTE, Bizet's CARMEN, Wagner's LOHENGRIN, Lehar's MERRY WIDOW, Donizetti's LUCIA DI LAMMERMORE and L'ELISIR D'AMORE, STRAUSS DIE FLEDERMAUS, Rossini's IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Mascagni's CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, Leoncavallo's I PAGLIACCI and Mussorgsky's BORIS GODUNOV, all to outstanding critical acclaim from both European and American critics. Mr. Lalov is also the Artistic Director and GM of New Jersey Ass. of Verismo Opera.
The winter 2025 USA tour is the 25h consecutive USA tour for the popular company!
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