María José Badano is a Uruguayan artist and producer specializing in lyric singing and the performing arts. She trained at the Institute of Music of the Faculty of Arts at the Universidad de la República and completed professional vocal studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. A graduate in Economics from the Universidad de Montevideo, she brings a solid academic background to her cultural management and production work.

She has performed in theaters and unconventional spaces in countries including Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Italy, Germany, and Uruguay. Her artistic versatility spans opera, chamber music, contemporary music, dance, and musical comedy. She is part of several independent artistic collectives in Uruguay, both as a producer and as a performer. She believes in the performing arts' power to build self-knowledge and human connection, generating a benefit for society as a whole.

Agustín Pennino is a Uruguayan countertenor whose artistic career spans Europe, the United States and Latin America. Following his participation in Opera Workshop 2022, he has built a career connected to leading institutions and artists in the world of opera and classical music.He is a member of the Royal Academy Opera for the 2025–27 seasons and has worked with institutions including Teatro di San Carlo, Teatro Ponchielli, Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo, the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, Teatro Solís, among others. His collaborations include Les Arts Florissants, Le Poème Harmonique and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. His career includes performances at Carnegie Hall, where he participated in a masterclass with Joyce DiDonato, as well as work with artists such as Iestyn Davies, Jennifer Larmore, Michael Chance and Julius Drake.Alongside his artistic career, Pennino has developed an active institutional career at the University of the Republic (Udelar), where he served as Vice President of the General Assembly of the University Senate, as a member of the Central Governing Council, and as a Grade 1 Professor at the Faculty of Arts.Throughout his career, Pennino has cultivated a particular interest in the intersection of the arts, education and institutions, actively participating in university and cultural representation and management. This experience has allowed him to develop a broad perspective on the role of cultural and educational institutions in promoting, preserving and providing access to the arts.For Pennino, supporting culture is a way of contributing to a more open, creative and connected society. His commitment to philanthropy stems from the conviction that access to the arts and support for those who create them can generate opportunities and transform lives.

Manuela Hernández is a Uruguayan singer, actress, and producer, born in Maldonado. She considers herself a versatile artist, with a particular focus on interpretation and on its ability to create an authentic connection with the audience. Her experience in opera, musical theatre, and tango has allowed her to explore different artistic languages and stages, including performances across several countries in the Americas and the United States. Among her most significant experiences are starring as María in María de Buenos Aires and receiving the 2025 Graffiti Award for Best Tango Album.

Beyond the stage, she particularly enjoys turning ideas into concrete projects. In the projects she takes part in, she deeply values teamwork, clear communication, organization, and a positive working environment. She is dynamic, committed, and resourceful, believing that the best results emerge when each team member can contribute their strengths toward a shared goal.

Cultural exchange and comprehensive artistic training are central to her. For this reason, being part of Opera Workshop in Maldonado has a special meaning for her: it is an opportunity to contribute her artistic and human experience to a space for training and exchange in the place where she was born.

Nadine Ehlers has extensive experience in administration, organization, and professional support across international, governmental, and cultural environments. Her background includes managing financial transactions and documentation, preparing reports, coordinating administrative activities, and maintaining accurate records. She has worked with international organizations, the Embassy of Uruguay in Washington, D.C., and independent projects, developing strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills. Her professional experience has required discretion, attention to detail, reliability, and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities effectively. This combination of administrative and financial experience provides her with a solid foundation for supporting and overseeing the financial affairs of an organization or project.

Alongside her professional experience, Nadine has a longstanding connection to the arts, particularly to opera. Her connection to opera began at approximately nine or ten years of age, when she had the opportunity to be a “rat de l’opéra” in Susannah, featuring Samuel Ramey, at the Grand Théâtre de Genève in Geneva, Switzerland. The experience remained close to her heart throughout the years and sparked a lasting interest in opera that she now has the opportunity to nurture through her work with the Workshop’s production team. She received nearly eleven years of vocal training in Potomac, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., and has performed Handel’s “He Shall Feed His Flock” as a soloist, in addition to singing several other works from Handel’s Messiah as part of an ensemble. Raised primarily on musical theatre and classical music, Nadine’s passion extends beyond music to the arts as a whole. She enjoys painting, writing, crocheting, knitting, and learning new languages, and sees her involvement with the Workshop as an opportunity to bring together her love of the arts, her organizational experience, and her long-standing connection to opera.

Uruguayan tenor Andrés Presno has developed a significant part of his career in the United Kingdom, where he was a member of the Jette Parker Artists Programme of the Royal Ballet & Opera (Covent Garden) during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons. Since then, he has worked with institutions and theatres across Uruguay, the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America, including the Royal Ballet & Opera, The Grange Festival, Opera North, Welsh National Opera and Teatro Municipal de Santiago.

Trained in Uruguay and later at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, his repertoire includes roles in operas such as La Traviata, Otello, La Bohème, Aida, Carmen, Tosca, Manon, Rigoletto and Il Tabarro, among others.

His professional journey has allowed him to build an extensive network of connections between artists, teachers and institutions across different countries. From this position, he has a particular interest in sharing experiences and creating connections that can open up new possibilities for other singers, especially those at the beginning of their careers. This dimension of his work naturally complements his artistic career and the projects he develops.

In this context, he has developed training and production projects such as Opera Workshop and Ópera Errante, which seek to create encounters between artists, professionals and institutions while bringing new training and professional development opportunities to performers. Through Ópera Errante, he also works to bring opera to different parts of Uruguay and make it accessible to new audiences.