They came from San Diego, Orlando and Albuquerque for a winter of COVID-19 isolation in Milwaukee.
But Florentine Opera performers Emily Michiko Jensen, Taylor-Alexis DuPont and Nathaniel Catasca were concerned less about the weather and more about how much they would get to sing.
In a normal year, the early-career vocalists who spend a year here as Baumgartner Studio Artists keep their larynxes busy with performing roles in mainstage productions, touring with the Florentine's school show for children and singing gigs at coffeeshops and festivals.
During this pandemic year, they've sung mostly for video cameras, as the Florentine recorded its school show and other performances for online viewing.