Michael Varilla, 24, is a rising tenor from Newtown, Pennsylvania. He graduated with a M.M. in voice from Indiana University and a B.M. in vocal performance from the University of Florida. While in school, Michael has performed Sam Clay in IU Opera’s co-production with the Metropolitan Opera of the premiere of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette, Ferrando in Così fan Tutte, Remendado in Carmen, and in the chorus of The Merry Widow, Eugene Onegin, Carmen, and Sweeney Todd. His other past engagements include Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, covering Don José in Carmen, the tenor solo in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Coronation Mass in C and being part of the chorus for Suor Angelica, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Thompson’s The Peaceable Kingdom, Ellingboe’s Requiem, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. In 2026, Michael will join the Sarasota Opera Apprentice program.