Next Opera Thursday is June 4th!

at Villa Tronco Italian Restaurant featuring Taylor Johnson, soprano and Dr. Johnnie Felder, tenor with Blade Boulware, pianist

Join The Palmetto Opera on

June 4th

featuring

Taylor Johnson, soprano and Dr. Johnnie Felder, tenor

with

Blade Boulware, pianist

If you wish to reserve a table for June 4th, please call the restaurant at 803-256-7677.

*Please note that Opera Thursday will take a brief pause in July. Enjoy the 4th!*

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Learn more about the performers

Taylor Johnson, Soprano

As her mother tells it, Taylor has been gracing stages since the tender age of 2, debuting at her family church with her grandmother accompanying at the piano. Once seated, the little girl whispered to her mom, “I want to go back” and she’s been singing ever since. The South Carolina native gravitated to opera and classical music in middle school, loving the dramatic outlet of expression, a sentiment that she still holds and exhibits to this day. 

An alumna of Florida State University and Converse College, Johnson wields a thrilling and emotive spinto soprano voice, leaning into chamber music, oratorios, spirituals, and concert works, such as the Verdi Requiem, Mozart Requiem, and Carmina Burana. She’s been a guest soloist for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. An enthusiastic competitor, Taylor is a1st place winner of the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition and a 2nd place winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (southeastern region). She had the privilege to be a guest artist for the unveiling of the National Historical Marian Anderson Museum’s commissioned statue of the legendary contralto in Philadelphia, PA. Johnson has also performed internationally as the titular character in Suor Angelica with the Operafestival di Roma. Stateside, Taylor attended the Chautauqua Opera Young Artist Program in New York.

She made her operatic debut as Strawberry Woman in Cincinnati Opera’s run of Porgy and Bess, garnering an honorable mention in its 2012 review of Opera News. Johnson breathed life into the role of Hecuba in the original chamber opera work, Troiades by Dr. David Berry, debuting the character, written with her voice as inspiration. 

In addition to performing, Johnson worked in her hometown of Orangeburg, as a faculty member at Claflin University, sharing her joy of singing through vocal pedagogy and creativity. During her time there, Johnson developed a penchant for scriptwriting, and created several innovative opera scenes showcases for her students, combining poetry, monologues, improv and classical song. 

Taylor currently resides in Columbia, SC with her beautiful daughter, Cadence Melody. She is currently developing a quasi-autobiographical one-woman show and plans to open an online vocal studio in 2026. 

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Dr. Johnnie J. Felder, Tenor

Johnnie J. Felder, tenor, is a native of Vance, South Carolina and holds bachelor and graduate music degrees from Benedict College and the University of South Carolina respectively. In 2022, Mr. Felder earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance. He has also undergone extensive vocal training in the opera studio of the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, and in the soloist program of the 20th annual Varna International Music Academy Festival. An expressive opera singer known for his impressive range, lyricism, and captivating vocal power, Felder made his 2019 European debut in Varna, Bulgaria as Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Felder’s leading roles include Beppe in Donizetti’s Rita, Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, and Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Felder was an inaugural member of the 2022 Spoleto Festival USA Choral and Vocal Fellowship (Charleston, SC). Felder was a member of the brilliantly captivating chorus in the world premiere of Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’ new opera, Omar, conducted by Maestro John Kennedy. Felder also stepped in, at moment’s notice, for renowned tenor, Paul Groves, in three performances on the Spoleto Festival Chamber Music Series in a world premiere of 5 Songs of Stevie Wonder with internationally acclaimed pianist and composer, Stephen Prutsman, at Charleston’s historic Dock Street Theatre.

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Opera Thursday was created to entertain lifelong aficionados and introduce new listeners to the beauty of opera. Join us each month at Villa Tronco for an unforgettable evening of fine dining, lively company, and captivating performances of arias and Broadway favorites by Midlands-area opera singers.

Dinner begins at 6:00 PM. The performance is at 7:00 PM.

Reservations are required.