2026 Young Artist Fellows
Anna Bjerken
Soprano Anna Bjerken is a Master’s student at the Eastman School of Music studying under Anthony Dean Griffey. A passionate interpreter of both early and contemporary repertoire, Anna has performed with the Boston Early Music Festival and Eastman Opera Theater singing the roles of Margarita Xirgu in Golijov’s Ainadamar, Agrippina in Handel’s Agrippina, and covering Octavia in Keiser’s Octavia. This past season, she performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in their production of Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer, and portrayed Leona’s Mother in Cerrone’s In a Grove and Orfeo in Rossi’s L’Orfeo at Eastman. Anna has sung soprano solos in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vivaldi’s Magnificat and Gloria, and BWV 39, 80, 129, and 202. She looks forward to singing soprano solos in Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard as an inaugural voice fellow at Cleveland Orchestra’s Summer Choral Institute, as well as joining Blue Hill Bach’s Summer Festival as their soprano Young Artist Fellow.
Matilda Smolij
Polish American Mezzo-Soprano Matilda Smolij is a current member of the Maryland Opera Studio and a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Smolij has been seen performing the roles of L’Écureuil (L’enfant et les Sortilèges), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Juno (Orpheus in the Underworld), Third Lady and Third Spirit (Die Zauberflöte), and Zita (Gianni Schicchi). As a concert soloist, Smolij has performed with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, Musica Sacra Cincinnati, Seven Hills Baroque, and the Bach Ensemble at St. Thomas, in works including Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mass in C, Haydn’s Mass in C, and selections from Xerxes, Carmen, and Le Nozze di Figaro. An advocate for Polish repertoire, Smolij has given recitals highlighting Polish art song with the Polish American Symphony Orchestra, the Musica a Villa de Regina Festival, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland.
Ryan McIntosh
Ryan McIntosh is a junior tenor at Missouri State University, studying vocal performance. A dedicated performer, he sings with leading ensembles in Missouri, including the Missouri State University Chorale and Queen City Chorale. He has appeared as a featured soloist with the Chorale on tours across the United States, Africa, and Australia. Ryan is also active in Missouri State Opera Theatre, performing both leading and supporting roles, including Oronte in Handel’s Alcina and scenes as Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff.
He has earned national recognition through the NATS Student Auditions and the National Opera Association’s Robert Hansen Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition. Ryan has furthered his training through programs such as the Minnesota International Choral Academy and the Northwestern University Intensive Vocal Performance Seminar.
Ryan seeks a career grounded in musical and cross-cultural collaboration, bringing communities together through meaningful, sentimental music-making.
Even Brock
Even Brock (they/them) is a bass and choral conductor with a deep enthusiasm for Baroque music. Originally from Barrington, Rhode Island, they currently study choral conducting at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. During their undergraduate years at Yale, they sang in two Baroque operas, co-founded the Yale Undergraduate Chamber Choir, sang with the Schola Cantorum, and studied voice with Gene Stenger and Jared Swope. Even is particularly interested in fugues, regional diction of Latin, and all kinds of vocal ornamentation. This past March, Even was the assistant conductor of Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble’s staged production of Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri and Shaw’s To the Hands. This summer, Even is also singing in the Spoleto Festival in Charleston and the Tafelmusik Summer Baroque Institute in Toronto. In their free time, Even loves playing board games, biking, and cooking.