Meet the Artists PAW - Gulfshore Opera

Meet the Artists

Professional Artists Workshop

Christen May Mayer

soprano

Lyric soprano Christen May Mayer is a Florida and Oklahoma based artist performing opera, music theatre and arts outreach. Christen is a recent Arkansas District winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and competed in the MidWest Regional level. A dedicated teaching artist, she has performed hundreds of educational programs and currently serves as an Educational Artist with Painted Sky Opera.
Her professionally performed roles include Sieglinde (Die Walküre) with Dramatic Voices Midwest, Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) with Opera de Metro, Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia) with First Coast Opera, First Witch (Dido and Aeneas) with Opera Kansas and covers of Clotilde (Norma) with New Jersey Opera Theater, and Monica (The Medium) with Bold City Opera and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) with Painted Sky Opera. Upcoming roles include Leonore (Fidelio) and reprisal of Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte). While in Florida she has also
sung in the choruses of First Coast Opera, Palm Beach Opera and Vero Beach Opera.
Christen holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from Oklahoma City University (2024) and a Bachelor of Music from Stetson University, DeLand FL (2019). While enrolled, her roles included Suor Angelica, Fiordiligi, Zweite Dame, Ciesca, Nella, and Geraldine

Grace Lauther

Mezzo-soprano

Grace Lauther is a mezzo-soprano from Naples, Florida and discovered her love for singing through the vibrant performing arts community in Southwest Florida. She recently graduated with her Masters in Voice Performance from Eastman School of Music. She received her Bachelor of Music from Stetson University. She has performed roles such as Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos, Cherubino and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Madame de Croissy in Dialogues des Carmélites as well as Federico García Lorca in Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar. Grace is thrilled to return to her native Southwest Florida as an Emerging Artist with Gulfshore Opera! With them she will be covering the role of Mercédès and performing in the ensemble in their regional touring production of Carmen.

Shengnan Yang

Mezzo-soprano

Shengnan Yang is a young mezzo-soprano recognized for her rich tone and compelling stage presence. She holds a Master of Music degree from the Mannes School of Music and an Artist Diploma from Rutgers University. She has known for her richness and blossom of her low register and the warmth of her mezzo voice.Her operatic credits include Carmen in Carmen, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica, and the Old Lady in Candide.

Mark May

Tenor

Mark May, is an operatic tenor who recently earned his master’s degree in vocal performance from Northwestern University, where he studied with Pamela Hinchman and Kurt Hansen. He recently performed the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute with both the Croatian Opera Academy and Prague Summer Nights, as well as Alfredo in La traviata with La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy. At Northwestern, Mark’s notable roles include the title roles in Albert Herring and Candide, “Der Soldat” in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and Ferrando (cover) in Così fan tutte. He also appeared as Parpignol in La Musica Lirica’s La bohème and has sung in the choruses of Die Fledermaus, If I Were You, and La bohème at Northwestern. Originally trained as a baritone, Mark has developed his naturally rich, dark timbre into an expressive tenor voice through his work with his teachers and coaches.

David Lee

Baritone

David Lee is a baritone with a wide-ranging repertoire, including roles such as Count Almaviva, Malatesta, and Zuniga in Gulfshore Opera’s Carmen. He performed many roles with Virginia Opera where he was an apprentice. Now he is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Miami.