Upon her 2015 LA Opera debut as Susana in ¡Figaro! (90210), Opera News called Maria Elena Altany ``delightfully smart and quicksilver.`` She continues to perform with LA Opera Connects, and has performed with Long Beach Opera, New Orleans Opera, Opera San Luis Obispo, Pacific Opera Project, New Opera West, The Hammer Museum and the LA Philharmonic. She is a Company Member and a regularly featured performer with the groundbreaking opera company The Industry, led by director Yuval Sharon.
This performance is dedicated to mothers desperate to rejoin their children. The separation of children from their loved ones and caretakers due to residency status is intolerable. Maria Elena stands firmly in solidarity with migrating families. A portion of the artist’s fee has been donated to The Florence Project and the Texas Civil Rights Project.
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Austin Spangler is a dynamic multi-talented actor and movement director who has won awards in Rome, Cannes and New York for numerous film projects over the last ten years. Most notably gaining international acclaim with ‘Embrace Life’, while action choreographing on some of the world’s biggest stages; Bregenz Fespiel, Austria, Royal Opera House and LA Opera with the likes of Nabucco, Andre Chenier, The Magic Flute, Tosca and The Ring Cycle.
Born in Connecticut, Austin graduated from Central St Martins School of Fine Art London, going on to successfully work in theatre, film and opera with the likes of Ralph Fiennes (Julius Caesar), Russel Crow (A Good Year), Daniel Brule (The Face of an Angel), and Bryn Terfel & Susan Bullock at ROH, while also stunt training with members of Cirque de Sole, De la Guarda and RC Annie, Austin was then asked to teach on the Young Artist Programmes at LAO & ROH.
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