Opera After Dark: Christmas Cabaret

Jonathan Beyer is a baritone who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Oper Frankfurt, Florida Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Dallas Opera, St. Louis Opera Theater, Austin Lyric Opera, Vancouver Opera, Opera Darmstadt, Fort Worth Opera, Hong Kong Opera, Teatro Petruzzelli, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera de Montreal, Royal Opera House in Oman, Chicago Lyric Opera, Opera Naples and others. He has also appeared with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Netherlands Radio Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Baton Rouge Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Lansing Symphony, Southwest Michigan Symphony, Detroit Symphony, the Erie Philharmonic and the Festival at Aix-en-Provence.

Mr. Beyer was a National Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition. He was the 1 st Place Winner at the Marian Anderson Prize for Emerging Classical Artists. He has also won the Geroge London Foundation, Sullivan Foundation, McCammon Competition, Irma M. Cooper Competition, Violetta DuPont Competition, Rochester’s Classical Idol, New Jersey Verismo Competition, Philadelphia Orchestra Competition, Astral Artist Auditions, Pittsburgh Concert Society Auditions, SAI Competition, American Opera Society Competition, the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Competition, and the Bel Canto Foundation. He has also received awards from the Lissner, Jensen, and Solti Foundations, Zachary, Dalis, Liederkranz, Orpheus, Liederkranz, Neue Stimmen, Palm Beach Opera, and Lynam
Competitions, Sosenko, Lanza, Iturbi, Gari and Puccini Foundations, National Opera Associations.

An avid recitalist, Mr. Beyer has performed in recital through the Vocal Arts Society, Marilyn Horne Foundation, Carnegie Hall Foundation, Chicago Cultural Center, Judith Raskin Foundation, Bertlesmann Foundation, Huntsville Chamber Music Guild, Pittsburgh Concert Society, Van Cliburn Foundation, Over the Rainbow Foundation, Astral Artists, and the Marian Anderson Foundation. He has degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

As a voice teacher, Jonathan was named the Director of the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory in 2024. He has taught at the Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of British Columbia, Montclair State Univeristy and others. Jonathan has also been seen on HGTV, the Food Network, is an official judge for the Miss America Program and is the co-host of The Skating Lesson YouTube channel.

Mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, recognized for her “gleaming vocalism” (Boston Globe), “star acting” (Urban Milwaukee), and “deep expressivity” (New York Times), has sung leading roles with opera companies across the US. In demand for performances of classical and contemporary opera alike, she created the roles of Alma in Keeril Makan and Jay Scheib’s Persona at Los Angeles Opera, and The English Teacher in Gregory Spears opera Paul’s Case with UrbanArias and the Prototype Festival. She has also performed the role of Poppea in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Florentine Opera, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro with Florida Grand Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera and Eugene Opera, and was called “the true star” in Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Mark Anthony Turnage’s opera Greek. Other appearances include roles with Dallas Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Boston, The Castleton Festival, Glimmerglass Opera, and Opera Omaha, among others. She has appeared as a soloist with ensembles including the Apollo’s Fire, Calgary Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, New World Symphony, Nu Deco Ensemble, Bach Festival Society of Florida, International Contemporary Ensemble, and is a core member of the GRAMMY nominated ensemble Seraphic Fire. Ms. Crider has been a prize winner and finalist in many competitions, including the José Iturbi International, Jensen Foundation, Joy in Singing Debut Artist, Oratorio Society of New York, Center for Contemporary Opera, and is a recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation. Crider was also a 2022 Recipient of the Alumni Enterprise Award from the Innovation Institute at Music Academy of the West. Ms. Crider is the founder of the Miami based concert series IlluminArts, and is the Executive Director of the GRAMMY winning ensemble Roomful of Teeth.