2025 Judges
Patrick Carfizzi
Praised for his “vibrant” performances (The New York Times), his “handsome” and “impressive bass” (Opera Today), and his “rich, agile sound” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi celebrates his 25th anniversary season at the Metropolitan Opera, where he has given over 400 performances. This season, he returns there as the Sacristan in Tosca, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Marco Armiliato, and Xian Zhang, alongside Sondra Radvanovsky, Lise Davidsen, and Aleksandra Kurzak over the course of thirteen performances. He sings Agata in Viva la Mamma and the title role in Cimarosa’s Il maestro di cappella at Florentine Opera and he returns to the Met for Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Sivigila, his first performance of this signature role at the company. In the summer months, he sings the title role in Don Pasquale at Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
In the 2023-2024 season, he made his company debut at LA Opera as Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia and returned the Metropolitan Opera as the Speaker in The Magic Flute and Fra Melitone in a new production of La Forza del Destino, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He also joined San Francisco Opera for Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, and sang Leporello in Don Giovanni at Boston Baroque. Over the summer, he returned to Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville.
The season prior, Mr. Carfizzi sang Swallow in Peter Grimes and the Sacristan in Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera. He also returned to Houston Grand Opera as both Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro and Bailli in Werther, and returned to the Tanglewood Music Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, conducted by Andris Nelsons. He also sang Dr. Bartolo with Florentine Opera and Don Magnifico in Cenerentola with Opera Maine.
At the Metropolitan Opera, his home house, his recent roles include the Sacristan in Tosca, the Speaker in The Magic Flute, Brander in La damnation de Faust, and the Lackey in Ariadne auf Naxos. In the 2020-2021 season, he returned to Santa Fe Opera as both Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro and Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, returned to San Diego Opera to reprise his celebrated Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and sang Dr. Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore in a recording made with Seattle Opera. He had also been scheduled to join the Metropolitan Opera as Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Houston Grand Opera as Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, and Arizona Opera as Dr. Dulcamara. The season prior, he returned to Minnesota Opera as Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and had been scheduled to sing Dr. Dulcamara at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.
Notable past operatic engagements include Cecil in Sir David McVicar’s production of Maria Stuarda (Metropolitan Opera), his role debut as Zeta in Lehár’s The Merry Widowopposite Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson, directed by Susan Stroman and conducted by Sir Andrew Davis (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Henry Kissinger in Nixon in China (San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and San Diego Opera), Music Master and Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos (Seattle Opera), Paolo in Simon Boccanegra(Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Houston Grand Opera), Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Santa Fe Opera), Don Magnifico (Houston Grand Opera and Seattle Opera), Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Seattle Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Austin Lyric Opera, and Central City Opera), Taddeo and Mustafa in L’italiana in Algeri (Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Dallas Opera, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City), Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (Houston Grand Opera and Dallas Opera), and Dr. Dulcamara (Houston Grand Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City). Mr. Carfizzi made his company debut at Opera Philadelphia as Bartolo in a new production of Le nozze di Figaro, conducted by Corrado Rovaris, and at Central City Opera as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte.
Mr. Carfizzi made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1999 and has performed over 400 times with the company in a variety of roles, including Schaunard in La Bohème, which was broadcast on the Live in HD series to movie theaters around the world, the Jailer in John Dexter’s production of Dialogues des Carmélites, Masetto in Don Giovanni, Haly in L’italiana in Algeri, Brander in La damnation de Faust, Peter Quince in Tim Albery’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Frank in Jeremy Sams’ new production of Die Fledermaus. Other Met productions include Le nozze di Figaro, Turandot, and Gianni Schicchi.
Mr. Carfizzi made his European debut with Oper Köln as Leporello in Don Giovanni and reappeared with the company as Fra Melitone in La forza del destino. He made his role and company debut as the title role in Don Pasquale with the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, and later returned as the title character in gala performances of Le nozze di Figaro.
Orchestral highlights of Mr. Carfizzi’s recent seasons include performances with the St. Louis Symphony of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem and Vier ernste Gesänge, under the baton of Markus Stenz, as well as Britten’s Peter Grimes under the baton of David Robertson, performed both in St. Louis’ Powell Hall and New York City’s Carnegie Hall in commemoration of the composer’s 100 th birthday. Past concert work includes performances of Handel’s Messiah with the San Francisco Symphony, Maria Stuarda with the Washington Concert Opera, and Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with the Seattle Symphony. He has performed with The Opera Orchestra of New York, Washington Concert Opera, and the Mostly Mozart Festival. Notable conductors with whom Mr. Carfizzi has worked include James Levine, Louis Langrée, Marco Armiliato, Vladimir Jurowski, Plácido Domingo, and Philippe Jordan.
Mr. Carfizzi is a graduate of the Yale University School of Music and the winner of several prestigious awards including the Richard Tucker Career Grant Award, the George London Award, the Sullivan Foundation Award, The Richard F. Gold Career Grant from The Shoshana Foundation, and the Sergio Franchi Memorial Scholarship from the National Italian American Foundation. He also participated in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions where he was the Connecticut District Winner.
Tamar
Sanikidze
Dr. Tamar Sanikidze is a “technically nimble and supportive pianist” (New York Times) with a distinguished career spanning performance, coaching, and leadership in the opera world. She currently serves as Sarah and Ernest Butler Endowed Professor in Opera at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is also Director, Producer, and Principal Coach of the Butler Opera Center and Director of the Butler Opera International Competition. In these roles, Dr. Sanikidze plays a pivotal part in shaping the next generation of opera professionals through mentorship, education, and performance.
Dr. Sanikidze is a graduate of renowned young artist programs, including the Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera and the Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera. She has held key music staff positions in prestigious opera houses both in the U.S. and abroad.
As an official pianist and Chorus Master for Operalia, the World Opera Competition, Dr. Sanikidze has performed on some of the world’s most celebrated stages, including La Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Artscape Theatre in South Africa, the Latvian National Opera in Riga, and the National Theatre in Prague, among others. Dr. Sanikidze’s global performances across Europe, Asia, and the Americas have earned her a reputation as a sought-after accompanist, assistant conductor, and collaborator, and as an avid recitalist, she has worked with internationally renowned vocalists, including an honor of performing at the White House for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
In addition to her performance career, Dr. Sanikidze is a respected coach and educator, regularly collaborating with distinguished young artist programs such as Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera Center, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Los Angeles Opera. Since 2015, she has been a faculty member at the Music Academy of the West, where she serves as Head of the Vocal Piano Program at the Lehrer Vocal Institute and as an Audition/Casting Judge.
Dr. Sanikidze is the recipient of the Marilyn Horne Foundation Award for Excellence in Vocal Accompanying. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of Maryland, College Park and is an alumna of several prestigious programs, including Wolf Trap Opera Center, Merola Opera Program, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Opera Center, Cleveland Art Song Festival, and SongFest.
Allen Perriello
Allen Perriello is a highly regarded pianist, vocal coach, administrator, and educator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the 2019-2020 season, Allen continues as Head of Music at Minnesota Opera and Director of the Young Artists Program at The Glimmerglass Festival. Previously, he was the Head of Music and Director of the Marion Roose Pullin Opera Studio at Arizona Opera for five seasons. He also spent six seasons with Des Moines Metro Opera as a pianist/coach for mainstage productions and the Apprentice Artist Program. A graduate of the Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera, Allen has been a member of the music staff at Pittsburgh Opera, Seattle Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera.
In the 2018-2019 season, Allen appeared with Joélle Harvey at Carnegie Hall as part of the Great Singers: Evenings of Song series, and with the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago. He has appeared in recital as part of the Tucson Desert Song Festival with Daniela Mack, Alek Shrader, and Heidi Stober. With San Francisco Opera’s Schwabacher Debut Recital series, Allen has collaborated with Susannah Biller, Daveda Karanas, Austin Kness, Talya Lieberman, and Edward Nelson. He has also appeared in recital with Zach Borichevsky, David Portillo, and Corinne Winters.
Allen has led master classes at Arizona State University, Baylor University, Lee University, Peabody Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, The University of Arizona, The University of Texas at Austin, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has served as a judge for the Iowa and Pittsburgh Districts of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. The Gibsonia, PA native holds a master’s degree in collaborative piano from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and music education from Ithaca College.