Meet the Company of Ages Ago and Sullivan Songs

  • Thomas Baker is a vocalist born and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he first began studying classical music under the direction of Jennifer Brown. After completing a bachelor's degree in Drama at Columbia University and singing a cappella with the historic Columbia Kingsmen, he now lives in New York City and trains with Jared Trudeau at the BroadwayVox Studio. He would like to thank his friends and family for their steady love and encouragement. This is his first time singing the music of Gilbert and Sullivan!

  • Martin Everall (Steward/Brown) is delighted to be appearing with Opera Picciona for the second time in as many months, having been seen as Elvino di Pasta in last month’s concert performance of Gilbert and Cellier’s The Mountebanks. A regular Gilbert & Sullivan performer, he has performed roles in all 14 G&S operettas with such companies as Village Light Opera (VLOG), Blue Hill Troupe, Utopia Opera, Troupers Light Opera, Ridgewood G&S, Crystal Opera, and with Savoynet at the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in the UK. He has also had the privilege of playing Scrooge in VLOG’s production of Scrooge and Gilbert and Sullivan version of A Christmas Carol, a role he re-created some years later with show creator Nathan Hull and his Amore Opera. He returned to Amore Opera this past spring where he directed their production of The Magic Flute. Other recent appearances include Inspector Pinckney, et al. in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and the Head Waiter in She Loves Me. Martin also regularly appears in original works with Making Light Productions and was the founding Artistic Director of Lightning Strikes Theatre Company, an acclaimed off-off Broadway company in the ‘90s and ‘00s with which he worked on over 50 productions, both as actor and director, among many other production positions. His next project is a dream role: Dickinson in VLOG’s production of 1776 in mid-November. Dedicated to all my ancestors!

  • Robert Farruggia is thrilled to be making his Opera Picciona debut! Robert previously appeared in The Pirates of Penzance (Frederic) and H.M.S. Pinafore (Ralph Rackstraw) with Blue Hill Troupe. Additional theatrical credits include Into the Woods (The Baker). As an actor, he has performed in Les Misérables on Broadway as well as a number of regional/international credits. The son of two professional Opera singers, Robert also studied classically and was a finalist for the Lotte Lenya International Voice Competition. As a composer, Robert has co-written three musicals with his sister, Cristina. His shows were finalists in multiple festivals and were seen at LAMDA, 54 Below, Soho Playhouse, The Green Room 42, and The REV Theatre Company, as well as featuring Broadway talents such as Tony Nominee Hunter Foster, Ashely Brown, and Nathaniel Hackmann. In addition, Robert holds an M.F.A. in Children's Literature from Hollins University, where he wrote a number of novels. Many thanks to Natan, Marisa, and all involved! 

  • Mezzo Soprano and co-founder of Opera Picciona, Manya Gaver-Holmes is delighted to be tackling the dual accent roles of Mistress MacMotherly and Dame Cherry Maybud. Frequently seen at Regina Opera, she also enjoys performing in Gilbert and Sullivan, including as Little Buttercup at the International G&S Festival in Buxton, England. Manya appeared as the Sorceress in Opera Picciona's sold-out performance of Dido and Aeneas. Favorite roles include Katisha (Mikado), Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), and Madame de la Haltière (Cendrillon). Upcoming engagements include Suzuki in Madame Butterfly at Regina Opera and The Grandmother in Little Red Riding Hood with New Jersey Opera Theater. ManyatheMezzo.com

  • Richard Holmes is happy to join Opera Picciona onstage for this production!  He performed his dual roles in Ages Ago in 2014 with Britain’s professional National Gilbert &Sullivan Opera Company in Harrogate, England, and is pleased to be reacquainted with these crazy characters.  Richard began his professional career 60 years ago in the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus.  As an adult, he has had a far-ranging career.  In New York, he is known best for his 40-plus years  as a leading baritone with New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players (18 principal roles in the entire canon) and as bass soloist with Amor Artis (1984-2025).  Regionally, Richard has sung over 160 roles with Glimmerglass Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Saratoga, and the opera companies of Dayton, Columbus, El Paso, San Antonio, Natchez, and Delaware among many, including principal roles at the Metropolitan Opera as a guest artist.  His favorite roles outside of the G&S repertoire have been Rossini’s Figaro and Dandini (La Cenerentola) Mozart’s Papageno, Valentin in Gounod’s Faust, and Donizetti’s Belcore, Malatesta, and the title role of Viva La Mamma.  In concert, he has been a soloist in Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, London, St. Petersburg, and at the Avignon and Aix-en-Provence Festivals.  Richard has recorded for Albany, Vox, and Newport Classics in repertoire ranging from Palestrina to Mozart to Menotti, and the world premiere of Jack Beeson’s Sorry, Wrong Number.  Richard was featured in Susan Froemke’s documentary, “The Opera House”, alongside Leontyne Price.  He recently co-authored (with his brother, Rupert Holmes) a chapter on HMS Pinafore in the book “50 Key Stage Musicals” and made his debut singing at 54 Below in concerts celebrating the book’s release.

  • Kevin Hull is very excited to be returning to Opera Picciona after serving as a rehearsal pianist for Le 66 and Bastien und Bastienne. He has music directed five Broadway, Sr. productions at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, and teaches piano and performs around the city. When he's not making music, he also makes independent films, animations and internet nonsense under the moniker Kevin Y. His newest short film, Upstairs, premiered at the Chain NYC film festival earlier this year.

  • Alice J. Lambert made her Opera Picciona debut as the Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas in 2026, and has recently collaborated with OPNYC in recording the lost songs from Iolanthe and performing Minestra in a concert reading of The Mountebanks for the G&S Society of New York. Favorite past roles include Phyllis in Iolanthe, Zorah in Ruddigore, Celeste #2 in Sunday in the Park with George, Evangeline Barley in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and Kate in The Yeomen of the Guard, as well as the ensembles of Sweeney Todd, The Grand Duke, Titanic the Musical, and On the Twentieth Century. Love always to her father Phil and to Maddy.

  • Merrill Mitchell is a Midwestern-raised performer and visual artist who is so thrilled to be making her Opera Picciona debut! Recent Off-Broadway theater includes Sober Songs (Theater Row), where she originated the role of Bri. Select regional credits include Frozen (Olaf) Sister Act (Sister Mary Patrick) Into the Woods (Little Red Ridinghood) and Hello, Dolly! (Dolly Levi). As a classically trained vocalist, she has performed operatically in the United States, Spain, and Austria, and is an alumni of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. Merrill would like to dedicate her performances to anyone struggling with illness, both seen and unseen. Extra thanks to God, Celeste, and her family!

    IG: @merrillquinnmitchell
    merrillmitchell.com

  • Renee Ricevuto is a writer and classically trained singer. Recent opera credits with Opera Picciona include the Soprano Chorus and Soloist in The Mountebanks, and the Soprano chorus in Dido and Aeneas. She has also played Sister Billie in Luc Baiwar's The Secret Melody, as well as an ensemble/soloist role in Charles Mee's Big Love. She has performed in multiple prestigious ensembles such as Mastervoices and Brooklyn Youth Chorus. 

    Renee is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School with a 75% merit-based scholarship. Her poetry, fiction, and music research writing has been published in student journals, as well as won multiple undergraduate awards. When she's not writing or singing, Renee loves to draw, embroider, and watch horror movies made by women.