Artist Biographies
Emily Margevich (Charlene, Nedda) is “a star in the making” (Bachtrack). Proud to be the first Company Artist in OperaDelaware’s groundbreaking new employment model, this “poised and fearless prima donna” (Musical America) has been performing on stage since the age of two.
Be it opera, musical theatre, or The Great American Songbook, Margevich will always deliver a performance “as passionate as any Taylor Swift epic” (Theatermania). This “luminous soprano” (Wall Street Journal) has “a voice of liquid beauty” (Opera Magazine) that is “big and luxurious, with a cascading quality, like a bolt of silk dropped from a balcony.” (Parterre)
Emily recently starred as OperaDelaware’s Tosca, where her “gorgeous stage presence and voice… of amazing resonance… won the day” (Opera Today). The previous season, she made her OperaDelaware debut as Musetta in La bohème. A recent graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts, her repertoire there included Tatyana (Eugene Onegin), Female Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia), Violetta (La traviata), and Musetta. Her acclaimed Tatyana led to recent company debuts with Opera Baltimore and Heartbeat Opera. This past summer, she appeared as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at the Music Academy of the West. Behind the scenes at OperaDelaware, Margevich is dedicating time to her new Music Education Outreach Initiative for the company, visiting schools to share opera in Wilmington where she lives happily with the love of her life, Dylan Gregg. Look for her new programming this summer at OperaDelaware!
Gerard Moon (Tonio), baritone, has been praised by OperaWire as “a singer with authority and command and incredible stage presence,” and by the Lexington Herald-Leader for his “strong voice, impeccable diction, and a huge sense of fun.” A native of South Korea, Moon is recognized for his rich, lyrical baritone and compelling dramatic presence.
Moon has studied and performed throughout the United States and internationally, with appearances in Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, and across Asia. He earned a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Kentucky, where he studied under Cynthia Lawrence, and pursued doctoral studies following his graduate work. His artistry has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Alltech Vocal Scholarship, National Society of Arts and Letters Award Scholarship, Outstanding Graduate Music Student Award, and the Tom Getchell Scholarship.
A versatile singing actor, Moon’s repertoire includes many of opera’s most demanding baritone roles, including Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Germont (La traviata), Ford (Falstaff), Don Giovanni and Leporello (Don Giovanni), Il Conte (Le nozze di Figaro), the title role in Rigoletto, Dr. Miracle/Coppélius (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), and Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus).
Moon is a Company Artist with OperaDelaware, where his previous performances include the Mandarin in Turandot (spring 2024), Schaunard in La bohème (fall 2024), and Angelotti in Tosca (fall 2025). In the spring of 2026, he debuts Gérard in Giordano’s Andrea Chénier.
Toni Marie Palmertree (Autumn, Stage Director) is recognized as one of America’s most compelling interpreters of Puccini and Verdi heroines, praised for her vocal richness, dramatic commitment, and emotional immediacy. She has appeared on the stage of San Francisco Opera in the title role of Madama Butterfly, where San Francisco Classical Voice wrote that she “claimed her place among the finest vocal interpreters of the role heard here recently.” Additional roles with the company include Nedda (Pagliacci), Liù (Turandot), and covering Amelia (Un ballo in maschera).
Palmertree made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut during the 2019/20 season, stepping into the title role of Luisa Miller for an indisposed colleague. She has also appeared with Palm Beach Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Arizona Opera, West Bay Opera, Festival Opera New Zealand, and Opera Baltimore, singing such roles as Tosca, Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Contessa Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), and Giorgetta (Il tabarro). Oratorio and symphonic highlights include Carmina Burana and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with orchestras across the United States.
A frequent collaborator with OperaDelaware, Palmertree is one of the company’s inaugural Company Artists. She sang Mimì in La bohème with the company last season and returns this season for a role debut as Maddalena di Coigny in Andrea Chénier, in addition to participating in recitals and special projects.
Her recent and upcoming engagements include a return to The Metropolitan Opera as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth with the Seattle Symphony, and concerts with the Reading Symphony Orchestra.
A graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship Program and a participant in the Merola Opera Program, Palmertree is a recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, a grant recipient from The Olga Forrai Foundation supporting emerging dramatic voices, and a winner and finalist in numerous national and international vocal competitions.
Andrew Payne (Beau, Silvio), the Baltimore-based American baritone, has been praised for his “…rich baritone voice” (Music City Review) and “…comedic richness.” (The Frenetic Peripatetic) During the remainder of the 2025/26 season, Andrew will be singing the roles of Harlequin in Pacific Northwest Opera’s Ariadne auf Naxos, Prince Topher in Charlottesville Opera’s Cinderella, and Prosdocimo in Opera Neo’s Il turco in Italia. Recent engagements have included Belcore in L’elisir d'amore (Opera Neo), Horace Derwent in The Shining (Nashville Opera), and Schaunard in La bohème (Shreveport Opera).
Andrew has had the pleasure of being the baritone soloist in Stacey Garrop’s oratorio Terra Nostra. He won first place in Opera Idol hosted by Sherrill Milnes (2020) and has performed in masterclasses with Christine Goerke, Warren Jones, and Keith Phares. Andrew has performed as a principal and young artist with opera companies around the country including Florida Grand Opera, Nashville Opera, Central City Opera, Shreveport Opera, Opera Neo, and others. He received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Temple University, under the tutelage of Dr. Marcus DeLoach, and a Master of Music in Voice and Opera from Northwestern University, where he studied with W. Stephen Smith. Currently, he is a student of Jennifer Rowley. In addition to singing, Andrew has become an avid pickleball player and reader of random Wikipedia articles.
Dane Suarez (Canio) is an American tenor celebrated for his “big, heroic voice” and deeply expressive performances that captivate audiences across the opera and concert stage. Lauded for his powerful emotions and vocal presence, Suarez has built a varied and dynamic career that spans major roles, world premieres, and international appearances.
Recent seasons have seen him make his international debut at the Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland, where he brought rich character and vocal authority to the role of Don Ferolo Whiskerandos in the revival of Charles Villiers Stanford’s The Critic and delivered a solo recital on the National Opera House mainstage. Returning stateside, he performed signature roles including Don José in Carmen with Opera Memphis and originated dual roles in the world premiere flamenco opera Llantos 1492 with Opera Southwest. He also appeared as tenor soloist with ensembles such as the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus in Handel’s Mesías (Messiah en Español), the Erie Philharmonic in Verdi’s Requiem, and the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra in verismo repertoire.
An artist in high demand, Suarez’s 2025/26 season engagements include three major role debuts as Radamès (Aïda) with Opera Southwest, Giovanni (La hija de Rappaccini) with Opera Columbus, and the titular Andrea Chénier with OperaDelaware. This summer, he debuts Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre to sing Justice Scalia (Scalia/Ginsburg) and Richard Henry Lee (1776).
Beyond opera, Suarez has made notable appearances in contemporary theater and recital settings, including an Off-Broadway debut in the world premiere play Montag at Soho Rep. He is a grant recipient from The Olga Forrai Foundation supporting emerging dramatic voices. His career reflects a commitment to both classic repertoire and adventurous new works, brought to life through his commanding tenor and heartfelt musicianship. He resides in Wilmington with his wife, Kerriann Otaño, and their two perfect pups.
The “athletically comic” and “strong-voiced” tenor Max Zander (Dallas, Beppe) has been seen and heard with opera companies and orchestras across the United States and abroad. This season, he makes his house debut with OperaDelaware as Dallas in Service Provider and Beppe in Pagliacci, and returns to the Norwalk Symphony as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, before returning to OperaDelaware for his role debut as L’Incredibile in Andrea Chénier.
Recent seasons have seen him as The Governor and Vanderdendur in Candide with the South Florida Symphony, Sellem in The Rake's Progress as a guest artist with Yale Opera, Fima Votov in the world premiere of Arkhipov by Peter Knell and Stephanie Fleischmann with Jacaranda in Los Angeles, the Tenor Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Evansville Philharmonic, Beppe in Pagliacci with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea, Monostatos in The Magic Flute with the Norwalk Symphony, and Billington in a workshop of Kennedy Verrett and George M. Kopp’s Madame Theremin at the National Opera Center.
Other career highlights include Bardolfo in Falstaff with both the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Berkshire Opera Festival, Pong in Turandot with Cedar Rapids Opera, the Four Servants and Nathanaël in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Opéra Louisiane, Guillot de Morfontaine in Manon with Opera Idaho, Caius in Falstaff with Opera Saratoga, Tamino in The Magic Flute with OPERA Iowa, the Witch in Hansel and Gretel with Bel Cantanti Opera, Harry in La Fanciulla del West with Apotheosis Opera, and Anselmo in Man of La Mancha with Utah Festival Opera.
Sarah Thune (Music Director, Pianist) is a pianist/vocal coach based in Philadelphia. She holds degrees in collaborative piano from the University of Michigan (DMA ‘24) and the University of Colorado Boulder (MM ‘20). Ms. Thune currently holds a position as a pianist at the Academy Vocal Arts, and the 25/26 season will see her on music staff for AVA’s productions of Le nozze di Figaro, I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Falstaff.
IG: @pianothune
John de los Santos (Stage Direction Mentor, Service Provider Librettist) has served as director/choreographer for Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun (World Premiere, Santa Fe Opera), Ghosts (World Premiere, San Diego Opera), Carmen and Don Giovanni (Wolf Trap Opera), Before Night Falls (Opera Southwest), L’heure espagnole (New Camerata Opera), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Rusalka (Manhattan School of Music), La fille du régiment (Minnesota Opera and Boston Lyric Opera), Frida (Opera Orlando), Master Class (Charleston Opera Theater), Kinky Boots (Uptown Players), and Maria de Buenos Aires (Arizona Opera). He currently teaches and directs at the Yale School of Music. As a librettist, John’s first collaboration with composer Clint Borzoni, When Adonis Calls, had its premiere under his direction at Asheville Lyric Opera. His second collaboration with Borzoni, The Copper Queen, premiered as a feature film in 2021. Their third work, The Christmas Spider, premiered under his direction at Opera Louisiane. Service Provider, his commission by Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative, with composer Christopher Weiss, premiered at the Kennedy Center and has since had numerous productions across the country. In 2020, John and Marc Migó were commissioned by UrbanArias to write an operatic film for the Decameron Opera Project. Their piece, The Roost, was directed by John and was included in the archives of the Library of Congress. His new opera with Jorge Sosa, Ofrenda, will premiere this fall at Austin Opera under his direction. He is currently a librettist with Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative where he and composer Kamala Sankaram will premiere an opera based on Stephen King's Misery in 2028.