Tickets
ON SALE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1st at 12 PM
Individual Concert: $75
Festival Pass: $200
One ticket for all three concerts per pass
For more information about SHSF please visit sagharborsongfestival.org
The Church is delighted to announce the return of Sag Harbor Song Festival – the annual, beloved autumnal celebration of vocal performance, now in its fifth year!
The six young operatic stars who will make up the roster of Sag Harbor Song Festival 2026 on the third weekend in September are: Tessa McQueen, Elisa Sunshine, Meridian Prall, Daniel O’Hearn, Ben Taylor, and Michael Sumuel.
Each singer is a musician of great talent and accomplishment. Together, they will present a program of opera, musical theater, songs, and lieder in three concerts on successive days in late September. In doing so, they follow in the footsteps of the immensely successful four previous Sag Harbor Song Festivals.
The 2026 event will again be led by two extraordinary directors: Artistic Director Brad Woolbright and Music Director Robert Tweten. Details of the individual concert programming will be available on August 1st
Tickets will go on sale on Saturday, August 1 at 12 PM.
THE 2026 TALENT
Tessa McQueen
Soprano
Photo by Dario Acosta
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Acclaimed for her radiant lyric soprano and compelling stage presence, Tessa McQueen is a second-year member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera. She made her debut last season in Rigoletto (Countess Ceprano) and appears this season in The Magic Flute (First Lady) and La traviata (Annina).
In the summer of 2026, McQueen returns to Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist to sing the title role in Puccini’s Tosca. She previously joined the company as a Studio Artist, where she covered Faust (Marguerite), sang in the choruses of Semele and Faust, and performed scenes from Idomeneo (Elettra), Falstaff (Alice Ford), and Der Rosenkavalier (Marschallin).
Highlights of upcoming seasons include her European debut at the Salzburg Easter Festival in Wagner’s Die Walküre (Helmwige), presented as part of the festival’s new Ring cycle with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Kirill Petrenko and directed by Kirill Serebrennikov.
A prize-winning artist, she was named a National Finalist in The Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition in 2024, following wins in the Colorado–Wyoming District and Rocky Mountain Region. She is also a prizewinner of the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition and the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition.
McQueen holds a Master of Music from Rice University and a Bachelor of Music, with honors, from Oklahoma City University, where her roles included The Bartered Bride (Marie), Susannah (title role), and Massenet’s Cendrillon (title role). She is currently based in New York City.
For more see: www.tessa-mcqueen.com
Elisa Sunshine
Soprano
Photo by Shervin Lainez
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Celebrated for her “blend of vocal sparkle and theatrical charisma” by the San Francisco Chronicle, American soprano Elisa Sunshine returns to San Francisco Opera in a double appearance in the 2025-26 season (Page and Gilda cover, Rigoletto, Flower Maiden and Squire, Parsifal), both conducted by Music Director Eun Sun Kim. She also makes exciting debuts with Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera (Lucy, Fellow Travelers), and The Santa Fe Symphony (Handel’s Messiah). Ms. Sunshine looks eagerly ahead to future collaborations with The Santa Fe Opera, Sag Harbor Song Festival, the Santa Rosa Symphony, and Austin Opera.
Highlights of recent seasons include collaborations with Lyric Opera of Chicago (covering Gilda, Rigoletto; Susanna, Le nozze di Figaro; Marie, La fille du régiment), debuts with Boston Symphony Orchestra (Juliette, Die tote Stadt), Philharmonia Baroque (Messiah), the San Francisco Symphony (Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and The Atlanta Opera (Iris, Semele), for which she garnered critical acclaim as “the most delightful singer of the evening” for her “superb technique and Mozartean timbre. She will excel in leading roles” (OperaWire). Ms. Sunshine debuted with The Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist as Annina in La Traviata and covered Sheila in the world premiere of The Righteous.
Ms. Sunshine is an alumna of the San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship Program, The Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program for Singers, and Merola Opera Program. She is a prizewinner in The Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition and a finalist in the Queen Sonja Singing Competition.
For more see: www.elisasunshinesoprano.com/
Meridian Prall
Mezzo-Soprano
Photo by Dario Acosta
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Mezzo-soprano Meridian Prall is the 2025 2nd Prize Winner of the Queen Sonja Vocal Competition, 2024 Third Prize Winner of Operalia, Grand Finals Winner of The Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, and the recipient of the 2023 Rose Bampton Award from The Sullivan Foundation.
In the 2025-26 season, Meridian will make many exciting debuts including with LA Opera for Die Zauberflöte (Dritte Dame) and The Dallas Opera for Dialogues des Carmélites (Sister Mathilde). She will also debut on the roster of The Metropolitan Opera for Madama Butterfly. On the concert stage, Meridian will debut with San Diego Symphony for a staged production of L'enfant et les sortilèges (La chatte/ La libellule/ L'écureuil) conducted by Rafael Payare, and appear with Boston Baroque for Ferrandini's Il Pianto di Maria under the baton of Christian Curnyn. In the summer of 2026, she will return to The Santa Fe Opera for Rodelinda (Eduige) conducted by Harry Bicket and Eugene Onegin (Filipyevna).
Last season, Meridian returned to The Atlanta Opera for Die Zauberflöte (Dritte Dame) and debuted at Hudson Hall for R. B. Schlather’s new production of Giulio Cesare (Cornelia). On the concert stage, Meridian debuted with Washington Concert Opera for La clemenza di Tito (Annio) and returned to Toledo Symphony for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She also appeared with St. Croix Valley Opera in their Opera on the River summer concert series.
Ms. Prall is a graduate of the University of Toledo and University of Michigan and graduated in 2020.
For more see: www.opus3artists.com/artists/meridian-prall/
Daniel O’Hearn
Tenor
Photo by Dario Acosta
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In the 2026-27 season Daniel O'Hearn will return to Pittsburgh Opera to sing the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto where he most recently sang Rodolfo in La bohème. He also debuts with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra for performances of La Bohème. Recent appearances include Deutsche Oper Berlin for his house and role debut as Matteo in Arabella; The Metropolitan Opera singing Ruiz in Il Trovatore and The Master of Ceremonies in The Queen of Spades; Wolf Trap Opera as Lensky in Eugene Onegin and Don José in Carmen; Utah Opera to perform Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore; Seattle Opera debut singing Remendado in Carmen; Opera Saratoga for a special concert event of La Bohème; Washington Concert Opera singing Lord Cecil in Roberto Devereux; Vashon Opera performing Roméo in Roméo et Juliette and The Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto; and the Lyric Opera of Chicago where he covered Javier Camarena as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto.
He has worked with conductors Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir Donald Runnicles, Enrique Mazzola, James Gaffigan, Ludovic Morlot, Harry Bicket, Nicholas Carter, Thierry Fischer, Keri-Lynn Wilson, José Luis Gómez, Antony Walker, Daniele Callegarim, Steven White, and more.
Mr. O'Hearn has performed diverse concert repertoire including Wolf'‘s Italienisches Liederbuch and Mörike-Lieder, Stravinsky's Pulcinella, Handel’s Messiah, Bach's Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147, Vivaldi's Magnificat, RV 610 and Martini's Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
Mr. O'Hearn won the 2nd place prize at the 42nd International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition Finals Concert held in Jūrmala, Latvia. He is an alumni of The Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
For more see: www.danielohearntenor.com
Ben Taylor
Baritone
Photo by Jessi Rogers
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Benjamin Taylor’s 2025-26 season includes his debut at Seattle Opera in Carmen (Escamillo) and returns to The Metropolitan Opera in Porgy and Bess (Jake) and Carmen (Moralès) and to Charleston Opera Theater in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro).
In the 2024-25 season, Mr. Taylor made company debuts at Arizona Opera in La bohème (Marcello), Madison Opera in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro), and Charleston Opera Theater in La bohème (Schaunard). He also debuted at Washington National Opera in Porgy and Bess (Jake). On the concert stage, he appeared with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic in Lt. Kijé, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Buffalo Philharmonic in Sanctuary Road (William Still), the Dayton Philharmonic in Fauré’s Requiem, the Evansville Philharmonic in Carmina Burana, and with Opera Omaha for their Opera Outdoors concert. He also returned to North Carolina Opera for Opera in the Park.
Additional performances included debuts with Bayerische Staatsoper in La fanciulla del West (Bello), Austin Opera in Pagliacci (Silvio), Boston Lyric Opera in La bohème (Schaunard), OperaDelaware/Opera Baltimore in La traviata (Germont), and The Princeton Festival in Così fan tutte (Guglielmo). He also returned to The Metropolitan Opera in Carmen (Moralès), The Magic Flute (Papageno), and Dialogues des Carmélites, Detroit Opera in Breaking the Waves (Jan), Berkshire Opera Festival in La bohème (Marcello), and again at Opera Philadelphia in La bohème (Schaunard) and Simon Boccanegra (Paolo). Benjamin made his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra in La fanciulla del West (Bello) and he sang Carmina Burana with both Symphoria and Northwest Florida Symphony.
For more see: www.benjaminctaylor.com
Michael Sumuel
Bass-Baritone
Photo by Jeanie Horton
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In the 2026-27 season, American bass-baritone Michael Sumuel, lauded as having “vocals that are smooth and ingratiating” (Daily Camera) will return to LA Opera as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, conducted by James Conlon, a role he will also sing with the Boston Symphony and Andris Nelsons at the Tanglewood Festival, as well as with Boston Lyric Opera. Other opera performances include the title role in Porgy and Bess with Opéra de Monte Carlo, and Leporello in Don Giovanni with the Edinburgh International Festival. A sought-after concert artist, Mr. Sumuel will appear with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Mozart’s Requiem, Jane Glover and the San Francisco Symphony for Haydn’s Creation, Jaap wan Zweden as Christus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Radio France, Jonathan Cohen and the Handel & Haydn Society for Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderatro, and Handel’s Messiah with Jane Glover and the Minnesota Orchestra and Kansas City Symphony, as well as with Mercury Houston.
Last season, Michael Sumuel returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Papageno in Julie Taymor’s The Magic Flute, Porgy at Houston Grand Opera, Leporello at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Achilla in Giulio Cesare at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, as well as Alberich, a role debut in Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle, also at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Concert highlights included Brahms’ Requiem with the San Diego Symphony, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at St. John the Divine in New York City for New Year’s Eve. He currently resides in San Francisco with his wife and son.
For more see: https://imgartists.com/roster/michael-sumuel/
Brad Woolbright
Artistic Director
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Following receipt of a bachelor’s degree in dance from Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville), Brad Woolbright interned at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, leading to an invitation to spend a summer at the Santa Fe Opera. Woolbright retired from the Santa Fe Opera in December 2020 following 43 years with the Company, the last several serving as Director of Artistic Administration. During his tenure at Santa Fe, he was involved in the presentation of more than 40 American and World Premieres, including the GRAMMY®-nominated recording of Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain and the GRAMMY® Award–winning Best Opera Recording of Mason Bates and Mark Campbell's opera, (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. He has served as a judge of numerous vocal competitions including the Richard Tucker Award and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Robert Tweten
Music Director
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Robert Tweten has performed extensively as both a pianist and conductor throughout the United States and his native Canada,and currently holds the positions of Head of Music Staff for the Santa Fe Opera and Music Director of Graduate Opera Studies for the New England Conservatory.
Tweten’s musical journey began as a soloist, highlighted by his victories in competitions such as the Canadian National Piano Championship and the Du Maurier Search for Stars. However, he soon discovered his true passion for collaborating with singers, leading him to perform alongside many of the industry's leading talents across North America and Europe.
During his tenure with the Santa Fe Opera, Tweten has been on the podium for six productions, most recently stepping in during the 2022 season for three performances of Falstaff. Robert has conducted 18 productions with the Utah Opera/Symphony since his debut in 2005, and other companies he has collaborated with include: Lyric Opera of Chicago, Calgary Opera, Vancouver Opera, Florentine Opera, Opera San Antonio, Kentucky Opera, Edmonton Opera, Dayton Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Tulsa Opera, and Sarasota Opera.
In addition to his opera work, Robert is also the Music Director for Santa Fe’s Festival of Song, where he curates and performs recitals with artists from the Santa Fe Opera’s summer roster. This season, he has conducted Sweeney Todd with Utah Opera, as well as Later the Same Evening and Così fan tutte at the New England Conservatory and Rigoletto with Pacific Opera Victoria.
Learn more at www.roberttweten.com