DOUBLE HEADER: AVA's Ellie Dehn (pictured here) and Curtis' Frédéric Antoun (below) headlined in Charleston. : William Struhs

Among the most promising of this year's crop are AVA's Ellie Dehn, 26, and Curtis' Frédéric Antoun, 29. By coincidence, both of them ended up headlining opera productions earlier this month at Charleston, S.C.'s prestigious Spoleto Festival USA, an intoxicating three weeks of music, dance, theater, comedy and art events that draws both international and local crowds—in fact as wide a range of ages, races and classes as I've ever seen at an internationally ranked festival. The québécois Antoun's wonderful diction, romantic stage demeanor and considerable musical prowess made him an unusually convincing hero in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette; Dehn returned to reprise a site-specific, supercharged 2005 production of Don Giovanni with a fearless, ravishingly sung portrayal of Mozart's out-there Elvira worthy of an Almodóvar movie.

Both the soprano and lyric tenor have already been in demand while they've been completing their professional graduate studies in Philly. Dehn, a Minnesota-raised Oberlin graduate with a sweet but powerful voice that relishes the intricate musical demands Mozart places on his prima donnas, sang four Mozart parts in her AVA years. (She adored the specialized working conditions with Maestro Christofer Macatsoris in the jewel box Helen Corning Warden Theater.) Solid grounding working on these roles with teacher Ruth Golden has allowed her to step, sometimes at short notice, into Marriage of Figaro stagings at important regional companies, and has her booked as Anna—Don Giovanni's other stellar role—at several more. Meanwhile, she's appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, made impressive Carnegie Hall showings in supporting leads in Delibes' Lakmé and Rossini's William Tell for Opera Orchestra of New York and—another 11th-hour save—made a superbly received Rome debut in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress.

Antoun had done extensive concert and oratorio work before coming to Curtis to work on the transition to a more operatic style of singing (a matter of range, resonance and support). He warmly credits the school's renowned Marlena Malas for "opening that door" to him, and admires Head of Vocal Studies Mikael Eliasen both for his authority in making decisions and his flexibility in having allowed him to take on outside gigs, including his own last minute step-in (to raves): the title role of Mozart's La clemenza di Tito back home in Montreal.

Antoun and Dehn, friendly acquaintances, once appeared at a gala together and share—besides a general appreciation of Philadelphia—experiences common to students at both schools. Both gleaned lots from local expert Wayne Conner's History of Singing tutorials; both at one time lived in the same apartment house (most AVA and Curtis students get some kind of fellowship to cover housing costs). They confirm a friendly but supportive rivalry between the conservatories' cadres of singers, and a joint "Philadelphia-bonding" when AVA and Curtis people meet on the road.

Sitting in a sunny cafe the day after both had been cheered by festival audiences, they each affirmed, "Spoleto is like opera paradise." Both were staying on nearby Folly Beach, swimming and sunning between intensive rehearsals, and getting used to being congratulated in Charleston's fabulous restaurants. They compared notes on physically challenging concept productions but sincerely praised their musical colleagues and the large offstage teams allowing the operas to go on. Clearly, their Spoleto successes are like a happy oasis between their supportive conservatory training and the rigors of full-blown operatic careers.

Dehn, moving to New York, is drawn to Italy, opera's homeland, where her Rome conductor (the estimable Daniele Gatti) has already engaged further appearances. Antoun has bought an apartment in Montreal, where he has family, a girlfriend, friends, plus another upcoming Roméo. (Magic Flute in Denver is also scheduled.) One hopes the Opera Company and Orchestra are tracking these two—how about Antoun for that rumored Manon opposite Mary Dunleavy?—and that the city that has helped to nurture their burgeoning careers will hear them again before long.