Bailey Sutton is a young American soprano rapidly gaining recognition for her shimmering, silver tone and nuanced musicality. Originally from La Grange, North Carolina, Bailey frequently performs in concert and on the opera stage with North Carolina Opera as a soloist and ensemble member. She recently created the role of Hero in the world premiere of Evan Keene’s Much Ado About Nothing at Stafford Opera Troupe, and has also portrayed Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel and Drusilla from Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea. In addition to opera, Bailey has performed many musical theater and straight theater roles, such as Mrs. Nordstrom from Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, and Abby Brewster from Joseph Kesselring’s Arsenic and Old Lace.

Bailey was a finalist in the 2019 Orpheus Vocal Competition in Tennessee, where she won the Donizetti Award; later that season, she was selected as a Young Artist for the 2020 CoOPERAtive program at Westminster Choir College and was a semi-finalist in the 2020 Premiere Opera Foundation + NYIOP Vocal Competition.

Off the stage, Bailey is passionate about serving her community through the arts and empowering young musicians. She currently serves students as the director of choirs and musical theatre at North Lenoir High School, in addition to teaching voice lessons and performing as a regular soloist at the First United Methodist Church in Wilson, NC. Bailey holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from East Carolina University. 

Jason Nichols, who sings “with vulnerability and passion” (The Roanoke Times), is a versatile tenor with ample experience both on stage and in the studio. Jason performs frequently with Opera Arlington and has recently made concert and recital appearances abroad in Paris, Prague, Olomouc, and Madagascar. In the 2019-2020 season, he appeared in The Dallas Symphony’s production of Salome under conductor Fabio Luisi, and premiered the modern adaptations of two operas by J.H. Schmelzer at the Olomouc Baroque Festival in the Czech Republic. This past season, Jason performed in multiple cities in the Czech Republic as part of a recital series that revived rare works of Czech art song.  A 2016 district winner in the Metropolitan Opera Competition and Apprentice Artist with Opera Roanoke, Jason has also performed under the illustrious batons of Marzio Conti, Hilary Griffiths, Lukas Beikercher, Marius Stieghorst, and Steven White.

On the opera stage and in concert, Jason has appeared as Don José (Carmen), Il Duca (Rigoletto), Rodolfo (La Bohème), and many more. He holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Georgia and a Graduate Artist Certificate from the University of North Texas.

Collaborative pianist Jiaqi Chen is in demand throughout the DFW Metroplex for her sensitive interpretations of diverse classical repertoire. Returning for her second concert performance with Opera Arlington, Jiaqi is an assistant pianist for The Dallas Opera’s outreach program. An experienced collaborator, she has performed with various musicians in a wide variety of genres, spanning vocal and instrumental music, opera, musical theater, and choral repertoire. She is an alumna of University of Southern California and is currently pursuing her Doctoral of Music Arts degree at the University of North Texas.