2026 Renée Fleming Artists

George Jiayi Baolin

Bass

Bass born in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China, has completed his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Texas, Austin. He also received the Professional Studies Certificate degree and the Master of Music degree at Manhattan School of Music in New York. He has performed many leading roles in the Butler Opera Center, including Le Nozze di Figaro (Figaro), Proving up (Sodbuster), La Bohème (Colline), Tea: A Mirror of Souls (Emperor), and Queen of Spades (Surin). Previous credits include Don Giovanni (Commendatore) in the Music Academy of the West, Gianni Schicchi(Simone), Tosca (Angelotti) with the Festival of Tagliacozzo.

Georgia Belmont

Soprano

In 2025, Georgia Belmont made her role debut with Finger Lakes Opera as both Leontine in The Anonymous Lover, and Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto. In summer 2024, she was a Gerdine Young Artist at OTSL covering Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare and Sagredo in Galileo Galilei. In 2023, she made her US theatrical debut in Pasadena Playhouse’s production of A Little Night Music, as Mrs. Nordstrom. In summer 2022, Ms. Belmont joined DMMO, covering Isabella Stewart Gardner in American Apollo, and Peaseblossom/Cobweb in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ms. Belmont received her MM and BM in Vocal Performance from Rice University.

Antonia Sofia Caceres Labyru

Soprano

Chilean soprano, Antonia Cáceres, is a first-year Master of Music Student at The Juilliard School where she studies with Darrell Babidge. She is a recent graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Susanne Mentzer and Andrew King. During her time at SFCM, she performed Pamina in The Magic Flute, Nora in Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea, and Acis in Acis and Galatea. In summer 2025, she attended the Music Academy of the West a Fellow, where she covered the role of Zerlina in Don Giovanni and performed the role of Nanetta in scenes from Falstaff.

Fantine Douilly

Soprano

French soprano Fantine Douilly is completing the final year of her master’s degree at The Juilliard School, where she studies with Darrell Babidge. In the 2024–2025 season, she made her Lincoln Center debut under Louis Langrée’s baton in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges and appeared as a Festival Artist with Opera Saratoga, singing Pauline in La Vie Parisienne. A semi-finalist of the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino (2025) and the Houston Grand Opera Competition (2026), she began her 2025–2026 season collaborating with Barbara Hannigan and appeared as the Sandmännchen in Juilliard’s production of Hänsel und Gretel.

Jason Edelstein

Baritone

Jason Edelstein returns to Aspen singing Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and covering Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. Before returning to Aspen, Edelstein will join The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’s 2026 Gerdine Young Artists. Jason is a recent Encouragement Award recipient from the Florida District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and is currently a Jan Miller Studio Artist at Pensacola Opera. Recent credits include Charlie in Heggie’s Three Decembers, Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème, Guglielmo in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, John Buchanan in Hoiby’s Summer and Smoke, Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Steward in Dove’s Flight.

Jason Garcia-Kakuk

Tenor

Jason Garcia-Kakuk is a tenor originating from Queenstown, MD. His 2025-2026 season highlights leading up to Aspen include performing as Der Steuermann in Die Fliegende Holländer at ArtPark with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Janik in the operatic song cycle, The Diary of One Who Disappeared (Janácek) at the Eastman School of Music, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Eastman Opera Theatre, and multiple engagements with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis as a 2026 Gerdine Young Artist. When Jason is not performing, he enjoys playing guitar, hiking, photography, and games.

Sam Higgins

Countertenor

Sam Higgins is a countertenor who has appeared as a soloist with orchestras and companies including the Boston Symphony Pops, the United Nations, Opera Philadelphia, From the Top, the New Hampshire Music Festival, and ChoralArts Philadelphia, among many others. He has won first prize at numerous competitions including the Schmidt Undergraduate and the Classical Singer Competition, among others. Higgins prides himself on his work in new music, commissioning several pieces including works by Juan Pablo Carreño, Adrian Wong, Howard Frazin, and more. He is a graduate student at Curtis Institute of Music, having completed his B.A. there in 2025.

Brett Michael Hunter

Tenor

Brett Michael Hunter is a 21-year-old tenor from Charleston, South Carolina, and an undergraduate at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studies with Jack LiVigni. Recent roles include Pastore (L’Orfeo), Colombello (Il Re), Alfred (Die Fledermaus), Parpignol (La bohème), and Samana II (Siddhartha, She). A winner of the Schmidt Vocal Arts Undergraduate Competition and the Heafner/Williams Vocal Competition, Hunter has trained at the Music Academy of the West, Houston Grand Opera’s Young Artist Vocal Academy, and the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS program. This summer, he returns to AOTVA to sing Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.

Jason Hwang

Baritone

South Korean baritone Jason Hwang joins 2026 Aspen Music Festival as a Renée Fleming artist. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with tenor William Burden. His past operatic appearances include Peter in Hänsel und Gretel, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Il Marito in Amelia al Ballo and Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi. He will be singing the role of Nick Bottom in 2026 season of AMFS.

Chea Kang

Soprano

Korean soprano Chea Kang is recognized for her distinctive voice and imaginative artistry. She has appeared with San Francisco Opera, debuting as Sister Catherine in Dialogues of the Carmelites and covering Papagena in The Magic Flute, and was a 2025 Merola young artist. A prizewinner in the 2024 Handel Aria Competition, she has trained with Caramoor’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars and the Georg Solti Accademia, and performed internationally in Lee Mingwei’s Sonic Blossom. A Juilliard and SFCM graduate, she will appear in La Belle et la Bête with Opera Parallèle and The Magic Flute at Aspen.

Dana Mays

Mezzo-Soprano

Dana Mays is a Houston-based mezzo-soprano pursuing her Master of Music degree at the Shepherd School of Music, studying with Ana María Martínez and coaching with Bethany Self. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she studied with Wilma MacDougall, won the Molly Robb and Leonie Kayser competitions, received the Edith Brass Prize for Lieder, and was an ABRSM International Scholar. Her performance highlights include solo roles in major works by Vivaldi, Mozart, Rossini, and Bach. She recently appeared as the Third Spirit in The Magic Flute.

Virginia Mims

Soprano

American soprano Virginia Mims returns to Sarasota Opera for the 2025–26 season as Musetta (La Bohème) and in her role debut as Despina (Così fan tutte). In summer 2025, she joined the Aspen Music Festival as a Renée Fleming Artist, performing Musetta alongside tenor Matthew Polenzani. During the 2024–25 season, she made her Carnegie Hall debut as soprano soloist in Taylor Scott Davis' Magnificat. Additional credits include Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Mimì (La Bohème), and Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare). Mims holds degrees from Indiana University and has received awards from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Jensen Foundation, and YoungArts Foundation.

Jacob O'Shea

Baritone

Baritone Jacob O’Shea is an up-and-coming talent known for his dynamic stage presence and rich voice. An alumnus of programs such as the Seagle Festival, Boston University Opera Institute, Central City Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera and Palm Beach Opera, O’Shea returns to the Aspen Music Festival in 2026 for his second summer. Equally at home in standard repertoire and new works, role highlights include Dr Gibbs (Our Town), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Jailer (Tosca), and Paul (Heggie’s If I Were You). O’Shea holds a BM from Syracuse University, an MM from Boston University and currently studies under Bill McGraw.

Carolina Sullivan

Soprano

Lyric coloratura soprano Carolina Sullivan is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2025 she acquired her Master of Music in Voice Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music; previously, she received her Bachelor of Music in Performance from Miami University in Oxford, OH. Carolina is a pioneer of new music, having been seen as G in Allen Shawn’s H and G, a great and terrible story (2021) and Drawing Teacher in Gregory Spears’ Paul’s Case (2012) among others. In 2025 Carolina was the winner of the Camille Coloratura Awards and the Voice of Grove City, Ohio competition.

Binny-Supin Yang

Soprano

Binny-Supin Yang’s recent and upcoming engagements include Opera North, British Youth Opera, and the Seoul Arts Centre. In 2026 she returns to the Seoul Arts Centre for a solo recital as a Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation Artist and will cover First Niece in Peter Grimes for Opera North. She recently performed First Niece with British Youth Opera and made her house debut at Opera Confidencen in Sweden. Her operatic work includes roles such as the Queen of the Night, Gretel, Dalinda, and Emmie, and she also appears regularly in recital, most recently as a Leeds Song Young Artist.