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Classic Series

Fire. Fury. Verdi.

Saturday
Apr 25, 2026

7:30 pm

Alberta Bair Theater

2801 3rd Ave N

$20-77

One of the most captivating operas … is not an opera at all. Our Diamond Celebration comes to a sparkling, dramatic conclusion with Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem. From muted sorrow to sheer terror to prayerful hope, this concert will be a soul-stirring event as Maestra Anne Harrigan leads the Orchestra, Chorale, and four exquisite soloists in her final Classic Series performance.

Call 406-256-6052 to order tickets or 406-252-3610 for more information.

Billings Symphony Chorale

Edward Elgar
Nimrod from Enigma Variations

Giuseppe Verdi
Requiem

  • While a Requiem is inherently religious (a Requiem is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased) Verdi himself was not necessarily religious; he often claimed, "to be not an outright atheist but a very doubtful believer."
  • Many of the movements contain operatic gestures and often is called an "opera in disguise", which makes sense as Verdi was first and foremost an opera composer.
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Guest Artists

STEPHANIE DOCHE | MEZZO-SOPRANO

Starring in leading roles nationwide, Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche has impressed audiences with her outstanding technical skills and fierce stage presence. 2025 performances Diana/Giove in La Calisto, plus the title role in Carmen with Opera Memphis, Angelia in La cenerentola with Fort Worth Opera, Sesto in La clemenza di Tito with Washington Concert Opera, the title role in La tragedi de Carmen at Tulsa and the Verdi Requiem with Billings Symphony. Opera. In 2024 the busy mezzo sang Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with San Diego Opera, Nicklausse in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Opera In Williamsburg, Diana/Giove in La Calisto with Opera Memphis and Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Teatro Nuovo. In 2023 she performed Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Florida Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and Gulfshore Opera, as well as Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri with St. Petersburg Opera and Piacere in Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno with Opera Neo. She returns to San Diego Opera in 2026 as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia.

A graduate of the Florida Grand Opera Studio, Stephanie has received awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the D’Angelo Competition, the Orpheus Vocal Competition, the Camille Coloratura Awards, and the SAS Performing Arts Company Vocal Competition.

LAUREN MARGISON | SOPRANO

Lauren Margison is making her mark as an exciting emerging soprano. This season, she returns to the mainstage of Opéra de Montréal this season as Mimi in Puccini’s La bohème and debuted the title role of Alceste with Toronto’s Opera in Concert. Recently, Lauren revisited the roles of Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and Anna in Puccini’s Le villi, and debuted the role of Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello, all with Staats theater Mainz. Engagement highlights include Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen with Pacific Opera Victoria, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for Orchestre symphonique de Québec, The Csardas Princess with Toronto Operetta Theatre, and the titular role of Barber’s Vanessa with Toronto’s Opera in Concert.

Margison has been featured as Mïcaela in Carmen with the Brott Music Festival, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Highlands Opera Studio, and appeared in concert with the PRISMA Festival in Strauss’s Four Last Songs. She appeared as Mimi in a special presentation of La Bohème with artists of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble at The Four Seasons Centre and was also featured in the COC’s Elektra.

During her 2017-2018 season, Lauren appeared as Clorinda in La Cenerentola with l'Opérade Montréal and Missia in the Atelier lyrique’s production of La Veuve joyeuse. Lauren has also appeared as a soloist in Hommage à Reynaldo Hahn with the Société d’art vocal de Montréal, in the new opera Mishaabooz’s Realm with the Highlands Opera Studio and Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, and in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Mozart’s Requiem with Vox Luminosa and Choeur de Laval.

An alumna of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, she was a member of the prestigious Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, a laureate of Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, and was the youngest finalist to appear in the prestigious and highly competitive Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Vocal Competition. A finalist and prizewinner in the 2017 George London Foundation Awards, Lauren went on to take first prize in the 2018 competition. She has garnered additional recognition in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, was a semi-finalist in the Concours International Musical de Montréal (2022), and won Edmonton Opera’s inaugural Rumbold Vocal Prize (2022). Lauren was honored to be named a Sylva Gelber Foundation winner in both 2022 and 2024.

A versatile soprano, she has performed extensively both in Canada and internationally, specializing in classical, jazz and pop repertoire. Some highlights include performances for Opera Ontario, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, The Beaches Jazz Festival, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Cincinnati Pops, Hannaford Street Silver Band, the noon hour concerts at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts–Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Ottawa Choral Festival Gala, and the Venetian Ball under the baton of Marco Armiliato, (fundraiser for Villa Charities, Toronto) held on the main stage of the Four Seasons’ Centre for the Performing Arts.

ALEKSEY BOGDANOV | BARITONE

Baritone Aleksey Bogdanov is celebrated for his powerful voice and compelling stage presence, earning acclaim across major opera houses worldwide. His 25/26 season includes debuts with The Atlanta Opera in Götterdämmerung (Alberich/Gunther cover) and San Diego Opera in Carmen (Escamillo), as well as returns to San Francisco Opera for Rigoletto (Il Conte di Monterone), The Metropolitan Opera for Arabella (Mandryka cover), and Lyric Opera of Chicago for Salome (Erster Nazarener/Jochanaan cover). Future seasons include a return to his home company, San Francisco Opera.

Last season, Aleksey made his debut with Pacific Symphony in a staged production of Das Rheingold (Donner), and returned to The Metropolitan Opera for Die Frau ohne Schatten (Der Einäugige) and Pique Dame (Tomsky cover), San Francisco Opera for Un ballo in maschera (Renato cover) and Tristan und Isolde (Kurwenal cover), Palm Beach Opera for Roméo et Juliette (Capulet), and The Glimmerglass Festival for The Rake’s Progress (Nick Shadow). On the concert stage, he appeared with the Cathedral Choral Society in Ethel Smyth’s Mass in D and with The Clarion Choir in Rachmaninoff’s Spring Cantata.

DERREK STARK | TENOR

Hailed by Opera News for his “handsome sound,” and described as a “standout” by the Wall Street Journal, tenor Derrek Stark is quickly establishing a reputation as an elegant performer with nuanced and stylish singing. In the 2025–2026 season, Mr. Stark will return to Opera Tampa to sing the Narrator/Quint in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. Last season, he returned to Pacific Opera Project as the Prince in Rusalka, made a debut with Amelia Island Opera as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, joined Knoxville Opera as Fredric in The Pirates of Penzance, and sang Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Gulfshore Opera. With Opera Tampa, he sang the title role of Candide and covered Rodolfo in La bohème. He also made his Carnegie Hall debut with MidAmerica productions as the tenor soloist in Schubert's Mass in C and Vivaldi's Magnificat. Equally at home in concert repertoire, Mr. Stark recently joined the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance for a New Year’s Eve concert, performed as the teno rsoloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, and made his New Jersey Festival Orchestra debut in their Holiday Concert. In the 2023–2024 season Mr. Stark returned to the Metropolitan Opera roster to cover Prunier in La rondine—a “Met Live in HD” production.

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