AMERICA SINGS is a concert series that amplifies the voices of BIPOC artists, who have historically been underrepresented on the concert stage. Each event will feature a wide array of classical, jazz, and popular music. AMERICA SINGS concerts will be hosted in partnership with Caffè Lena, and will also be live-streamed to the public for free, but viewers are encouraged to contribute through a virtual donation to support both Opera Saratoga and this concert series.

Helena Colindres (they/them) is a nonbinary versatile vocalist, educator, and activist of Nawataketza ancestry. As a rising opera vocalist, they have performed roles such as die Königin from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, the Governess in Britten’s Turn of the Screw, Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, Therese in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles di Tiresias, and recently made their professional debut as Winnie in Beecher’s Sky on Swings with Opera Saratoga. Additionally, they have won first place at various competitions such as the Camille Coloratura Awards and the Sylvia Green Voice Competition and are a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda Honors Association.

When they are not singing, they are sharing their knowledge with their community through their private voice studio. They are passionate about teaching voice through an anti-racist, anit-ableist, non-gendered, anatomy-based, cross-training approach that refuses to put styles of music into a hierarchy.

Helena graduated from the Peabody Conservatory with their MM in Voice and Pedagogy in May 2022. They also have a BM in Voice and a BA in Comparative American Studies with a concentration in Identity and Diversity from the Oberlin College and Conservatory and an AA in Latin American and Latinx studies as well as an AS in social sciences from City College of San Francisco. Born and raised on Yelamu Ohlone land to refugee parents, Helena is passionate about fighting for marginalized people and feels blessed that they get to build community through their art, teaching, and organizing everyday.

From string quartets and choir works to an Opera for guitars and cajon(a Peruvian drum), Johnny Gonzalez embraces every medium and genre with great zeal throughout his compositional endeavors as he strives towards authentic and meaningful connection between his music and audience. A recent graduate from Towson University of Baltimore with a Bachelor of Music, Gonzalez is an adamant composer at heart who also enjoys collaborations at the piano, seeing them as wonderful opportunities for workshopping and developing artistic rapport between composer and performer. Some of his latest works include the setting of romantic poems to music such as Byron's "She Walks in Beauty" and Poe's "Annabel Lee" for voice and piano. Other works include a set of therapeutic piano pieces entitled "Dreamscapes" and the orchestral chamber work "Masque of the Red Death" suite based on the short story of the same name. Having studied and taken courses in writing and dramaturgy, Gonzalez incorporates these skills into his text settings and lyric writing with many of his latest works featuring original lyrics and, currently, an original libretto for an all Spanish Opera. Born in Maryland, Gonzalez is both a proud American and son to immigrant parents hailing from El Salvador and Peru. Despite their limited-English proficiency, Gonzalez himself is fluent in both English and Spanish and boasts a rich heritage that can be seen reflected throughout his work.