Bret Thom
Bret Thom began his performance career at the age of four as an Elvis impersonator, a pursuit he continued through middle and high school before transitioning into blues and rock as the lead singer of several bands. While in college, Bret began formal classical voice studies and quickly gravitated toward opera. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Old Dominion University and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Florida State University.
Bret spent two seasons with Virginia Opera, singing in the chorus and performing various cover and comprimario roles. In 2020, he and his wife relocated to Colorado, where he worked with Central City Opera as a touring artist and as a member of the company’s community outreach program.
Now based in Lecanto, Florida, Bret is proud to be part of the St. Petersburg Opera community. Recent engagements with St. Pete Opera include Elder Ott in Susannah and appearances in Holiday Sparkle. He will return later this year as a cover for the role of Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème.
Teresa Ancaya
Teresa is an active piano soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in piano performance with a minor in Spanish from the University of South Florida. She did post- graduate study in piano accompaniment in Austria. Teresa has appeared as a soloist with The Florida Orchestra and the Imperial Symphony Orchestra. In 2013, Teresa performed at Carnegie Hall with USF’s Chamber Singers.
Currently, she serves as an accompanist for the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg Opera Company, Patel Conservatory, Opera Tampa, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills Chorale, and plays for various schools in the Tampa Bay area. Teresa has taught piano, coached singers, and accompanied students and faculty at Florida International University, the University of Miami, Florida Southern College, Southeastern University, and the University of South Florida.
Teresa has also accompanied for V.O.I.C.Experience, the Vocal Arts Academy, Classical Voice Intensive at the Straz Center, and with the Gulf Coast Youth Choirs. In addition to playing piano, Teresa has appeared with the Opera Tampa Chorus in three operas under the baton of Maestro Anton Coppola.
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