Praised for her “lustrous soprano voice”, Evelyn Saavedra is quickly establishing herself as a “gifted young singer to watch” (South Florida Classical Review). Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Florida, Evelyn returned to Pensacola Opera for the 2017/18 season as an Artist in Resident where she was seen in the roles of Maria in Maria de Buenos Aires, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and Antonia in Man of La Mancha. During the 2016/17 season, she debuted as Young Alyce in Glory Denied, Sacerdotessa in Aïda, and Sister Catherine in the Florida premiere of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, where she also covered the role of Kitty Hart. Other operatic credits include Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Rose in Street Scene, The Governess in The Turn of the Screw, Featured Dater in the world premiere of Michael Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight, and Agrippina in Agrippina where she was praised for “coloring her vocalism expressively… she dominated every scene, singing with striking dramatic heft and passion” (South Florida Classical Review).

In 2016 she returned to the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center to perform the female title role of Epiphany Proudfoot in the world premiere of Falling Angel, an opera by J. Mark Scearce, where she was lauded for being an “alluring soprano (who) brought sensitivity to Epiphany” (Wall Street Journal). On the concert stage she has been featured in Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Handel’s Messiah with the Choral Society of Pensacola. The 2017/18 season marked her debut with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra where she appeared as a soloist in their Mozart Madness concert. Other credits include soprano soloist in Vaughn Williams’s Serenade to Music conducted by Keith Lockhart as well as his Symphony No.3 conducted by Jayce Ogren with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra.

Ms. Saavedra holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance & Literature from the Eastman School of Music where she received the first prize at the Friends of Eastman Opera Competition in 2015, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Florida International University.

Mezzo-soprano Camille Sherman hails from the California North Bay Area. In the 2019-2020 season, Ms. Sherman returned to the Portland Opera Resident Artist Program, where she was seen on their mainstage as Kate Pinkerton as well as covering Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Sally in A Hand of Bridge, Announcer in Gallantry, and Asteria in the American professional premiere of Vivaldi’s Bajazet. Previous credits with Portland Opera include Flora Bervoix in La Traviata and Ramiro in La Finta Giardiniera, as well as covering roles Hannah After in As One and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Ms. Sherman also returned to Pensacola Opera in 2019 to make her role debut as Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette.

During the 2017-18 season, Ms. Sherman joined Pensacola Opera as an Artist in Residence, performing the role of María in María de Buenos Aires and the Housekeeper in Man of La Mancha, in addition to covering roles Aldonza in Man of La Mancha and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. Ms. Sherman’s recent seasons include role debuts as the Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos (Berlin Opera Academy, 2017) and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Janiec Opera Company, 2016). In addition to her stage career, Ms. Sherman has also appeared in concert with Nashville Opera and the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, and will debut with Naples Philharmonic as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah this winter.

Over the last few years, Ms. Sherman has garnered acclaim in several competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions where she was recently named a National Semi-Finalist after having won the Northwest Region, and where she won an Encouragement Award in the competition’s Middle/East Tennessee District the previous year. She was a finalist in the Tier 1 of the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition (2019) and the Brava! Opera Theater Competition (2016). She is a two-time winner of the Kalvelage Memorial Award in the Henry and Maria Holt Competition (2016-17) and secured the Jorge Estebanez Scholarship from The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2016).

During her vocal training, Ms. Sherman was in residence at the Janiec Opera Company and at OperaWorks. Ms. Sherman holds degrees in vocal performance from some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, including a master’s degree from The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Catherine Cook, and a bachelor’s degree from The Boston Conservatory. In addition to her work as a singer, Ms. Sherman is an experienced pianist, flautist, and musical arranger.

Eric is a native of South Dakota graduated with a Master’s Degree in vocal performance at the University of Colorado Boulder. There he was a featured soloist in Leonard Berstein’s Mass. In 2010 he performed the role of Tamino in Die Zauberflote with The Opera Theatre of the Rockies and again in 2012 with The Sounds of South Dakota. Eric earned his bachelor’s degree at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As a 2013 Danis Wilson Apprentice Artist at Sugar Creek Opera he sang Lenny in Of Mice and Men and Sam in Susannah.

Brent returns to Pensacola Opera from Gladewater, TX. He recently graduated from the University of Tennessee with his Masters of Music degree in Vocal Performance and graduated with his Bachelor of Music from East Texas Baptist University. For the past two summers, Brent was seen as a Bonfils-Stanton Young Artist with Central City Opera, as well as a Young Artist with Knoxville Opera for two seasons. In his spare time, Brent enjoys reading, fishing, hiking, and playing with his dog, Rosie.