Little Deaths Cast

LA-based soprano Chandler E. Cummings (she/her) grew up in northern Michigan and received her BA in music & psychology from Wellesley College. A passionate student of opera, Chandler has studied and performed in Europe, Asia, and across North America. She has been featured as the soprano soloist in Fauré’s Requiem and won the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra Concerto Competition, performing Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the acclaimed orchestra. Some of Chandler’s favorite roles include Mimi in La bohème, the title role in Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience, and Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods. Chandler is interested in all things art, nature, and sustainability, and is a passionate animal rights advocate. chandlerecummings.com

Caroline (she/her) is an alumna of the Eastman School of Music, where she earned her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Literature, in the studio of Anthony Dean Griffey. Favorite past roles include Musetta (La Bohème), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Stella (Le Dernier Sorcier), Meg March (Little Women: The Musical), and Belinda (Dido and Aeneas). She appeared in Eastman Opera Theatre’s recent productions of Dido and Aeneas (First Witch), Dialogues des Carmélites (Soeur Anne de la Croix), and Florencia en el Amazonas. While completing her bachelor’s degree at Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music, Caroline was featured in comedic roles in Guys and Dolls (Hotbox Dancer/Mimi) and Viva La Mamma! (Luigia). A native of Macon, Georgia, Caroline performs regularly in the Southeastern United States, and has received critical acclaim for various concert works, most notably for the soprano solos in multiple performances of Handel’s Messiah.

Jessica most recently performed the role of Thatcher in The Mighty Casey with Lyric Opera OC (West Coast premiere). Additionally, she was Mother Superior/Featured Soloist in Source/Filter Music Collective’s production of Sancta Susanna, and she portrayed the title role in The Merry Widow with Mission Opera. Other recent performances include Olympe in Girondines at Mission Opera (West Coast premiere and Broadway World LA Award nominee), Leonore in Fidelio (excerpts) and Beethoven’s 9th with the Symphony of the Vines, and guest soloist with the Verdi Chorus.

Praised for her “agile and enticing” voice, Rae is gaining increasing notice on stages through Southern California. Recent debuts: Andi Jones (The Mighty Casey, Lyric Opera of Orange County) and Oksana (Cossack Beyond the Danube, Independent Opera Company). Known for “pants roles,” her favorites include Cherubino, Hansel, Orlofsky, and Nicklausse. This summer, she makes her role debut as Giovanna (Anna Bolena) with Independent Opera Company. Recital/Concert appearances: Pacific Symphony Outreach, Pacific Opera Project, Leipziger Kammerchor, Long Beach Camerata Singers, and more. Rae received her training at Chapman University.

Jamie Sanderson, baritone, possesses a voice that critics have described as “mellifluous” and “commanding.” He is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but now resides in Los Angeles and performs with many local opera companies. He recently performed the role of Count Gil in Wolf-Ferrari’s Il Segreto di Susanna, as well as Ben in Menotti’s The Telephone. Other recent roles include Marullo in Verdi’s Rigoletto, The Wolf in Cesar Cui’s Little Red Ridinghood, and Leadre in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges. Jamie is also a Fox singer in the Verdi Chorus of Santa Monica and has gone on tour to Japan with the Roger Wagner Chorale. Jamie earned a Master of Music from the Peabody Institute in 2019 and a Bachelor of Music from the University of California, Irvine in 2016.

Praised for his “wonderful lyric tenor” (BizJournal Reviews) and “standout” performances (Parterre Box), tenor Manfred Anaya is quickly gaining recognition for his versatile performances. As a young artist, he trained with Des Moines Metro Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Mr. Anaya has appeared as Gastone in La Traviata with Dayton Opera and Telamone in Ercole su’l Termodonte with Pacific Opera Project. Additionally, he was the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the South Bay Wind Ensemble. An alumnus of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, he portrayed Doctor Caius in Falstaff and the Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites. Most recently, he made his mainstage debut with Opera Santa Barbara as Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro.

Alex has always had a passion for music. Alex studied voice at El Camino College in their Applied Music Program under the tutelage of Rhona Klinghofer, M.M., Julliard, and was a featured soloist with the El Camino College Orchestra. It was also there where he debuted his first opera role, King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Alex continues to study voice with Ms. Klinghofer and has since performed with Long Beach Opera in their productions of The Death of Klinghofer and Difficulty of Crossing a Field. He is also an alumnus of the Angel Vocal Arts program under the baton of Kristof Van Grysperre, performing in several of their arts and oratorio recitals. For the past 11 years, Alex has performed with The Ensemble, a South Bay based group of classical singers who produce an annual concert series of opera favorites. In 2023, Alex had the pleasure of working with Source/Filter in the U.S. premiere of Doggone! A Micro Opera by Gary Carpenter. Alex is also a regular performer with Independent Opera Company in LA, appearing in their productions of Die Fledermaus, Puss in Boots, Love For Three Oranges, The Stone Guest, and more.