The Atlanta Opera has announced the artists selected for the 2024-25 Season Studio Artist program.

The young artists will apprentice and perform throughout the season. The selected artists are soprano Amanda Sheriff, mezzo-soprano Aubrey Odle, and bass-baritone, Jason Zacher for a second season, and tenor Wade Odle and stage director Elio Bucky for their first season.

Each Studio Artist is an early career professional with significant training and stage experience, some with lead performances and major concert appearances on their resumes.

The two-year program builds on the company’s commitment to providing opportunities for creative artists at all stages of their careers. The artists are chosen through a competitive audition process and the artists selected for the program receive a seasonal salary and benefits.

In a statement, Meredith Wallace, Director of Artistic Administration at The Atlanta Opera said, “Our Studio Young Artist Program is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of opera talent, providing emerging artists with the vital experience and training they need to succeed in this demanding art form. Over the years, our program has grown significantly, and we are incredibly proud of the talented artists who have gone on to perform on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. Watching our alumni sing at renowned opera houses across the globe is a testament to the transformative impact of this program and the lasting value it brings to each artist’s career.”

Recent alumni of the program include tenor Santiago Ballerini, mezzo-soprano Gretchen Krupp, soprano Susanne Burgess, and tenor Kameron Lopreore.

Bucky is an opera stage director and projection designer who served as the dramaturg for the piano-vocal workshop of “The House of Yes,” a new opera by Kamala Sankaram, Michael Kelly, and Kathleen Kelly. Meanwhile, Odle is in her second year as a Glynn Studio Artist with The Atlanta Opera and performed as an Apprentice Artist with The Santa Fe Opera. She has also performed with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Knoxville Opera, and Utah Lyric Opera.

Wayd Odle is in his second-year Apprentice Artist with Santa Fe Opera and is a winner of the John Alexander National Vocal Competition, the 2021 American Prize award, and earned accolades from The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the Houston Saengerbund Awards, and the Shreveport Opera Competition.

Sheriff is in her second year as an Atlanta Opera Studio Artist and has performed with the Opera Philadelphia, Glimmerglass Festival, and Des Moines Metro Opera, while Zacher has performed at Carnegie Hall and The Glimmerglass Festival.