Fall's fresh faces

BRYAN GODBOUT, DANCER

Godbout, 27, is dancing with Zenon and Black Label Movement. He also is a guest artist with Shapiro and Smith. Linda Andrews, Zenon's artistic director, speaks highly of Godbout's jumping ability and his sensitivity in movement. "Choreographers are taking note of Bryan," she said. Critics, too. Sheila Regan wrote last season that Godbout was among Zenon's dancers who "move through the space as if weightless." Godbout was a theater major at the University of Minnesota when he caught the eye of Zoe Sealy during a musical-theater class. "She said, 'You have a lot of potential. I think you should audition for the dance program,'" Godbout said. "The thing about dancing is there is no ceiling. It's constantly challenging and you can always improve."

What's next: Godbout will be one of the Zenon dancers in Minnesota Opera's production of Bizet's "Pearl Fishers," opening Sept. 26. He will do Zenon's fall season at the Ritz, Nov. 19-29.

His dream: "My goals are to look back on pieces I've done and say that I've done everything I could. There's no end to that. That I've done something that can invoke social change or passion in other people."

MAIYA PAPACH, VIOLIST

In her second season with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Papach, 31, is acting principal viola while Sabina Thatcher is on sabbatical. Papach also performs in the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), a new-music ensemble, and with Accordo, which includes members of the SPCO and Minnesota Orchestra. Papach joined the SPCO in 2008 and "made an immediate difference in our orchestra," said Sarah Lutman, the orchestra's president. "She is a very focused and intuitive player, with deep chamber-music experience, who brings collegiality and spirit to our ensemble." Papach, born in South Bend, Ind., freelanced in New York before joining the SPCO. "I love smaller ensembles," she said. "I feel like I'm learning from the members here, and that doesn't always happen when you're in a big orchestra."

What's next: Papach will be featured in the Haydn String Quartet and Mendelssohn F minor Quartet, Oct. 2-4. Looking ahead, she will be featured in the Bach program, Dec. 11-13. Accordo plays at the Southern Theatre on Sept. 20, 22.

Her dream: It sounds as if she's pretty content. She said she wants a full-time job and loves small ensembles, and the SPCO is "the only full-time chamber orchestra in the country."

MO PERRY, ACTOR

Perry, 28, has been on our radar for a few years as an actor who does her homework and brings to the stage a detailed piece of work. Last winter, though, she demanded greater attention with her extraordinary portrait of "Hedda Gabler" at Gremlin Theatre. Perry has an innate understanding of character and that rare ability to submerge her ego and forget that the audience exists -- in short, an instinctive actor who builds from the inside out.

What's next: Perry is playing Rhoda and Georgette in Torch Theater's current production of three episodes of the "Mary Tyler Moore Show." She also plays Bianca in Park Square Theatre's "Othello" in October.

Her dream: "Lots of acting, writing -- exciting, challenging projects -- and not a lot of cubicles. I like my vegetable garden too much to move to New York, and I like eating too much to make it in Hollywood."

BRADLEY BENOIT, OPERA SINGER

Benoit, 26, has been a hot property since his acceptance into the Minnesota Opera's Resident Artists Program two years ago. He impressed artistic director Dale Johnson and Floyd Anderson, the head of the RAP. "Brad is unique," Anderson said at the time. "He's able to choose how he produces the note, and I've never seen that in all my years in someone that young." Johnson said after the audition that most tenors Benoit's age are still learning how to get the note out with any technique, "and he was able to mix head and chest. It was fascinating."

What's next: Benoit will be busy this fall. He is singing a major role in Dominick Argento's "Casanova's Homecoming" in November. He is covering Jesus Garcia's Nadir in "The Pearl Fishers," which opens Sept. 26. He's featured in the remaining three shows of the season, beginning with "Roberto Devereux" in January.

His dream: "To inspire people to step outside their comfort zone. I know that may seem vague, but a single dream goal is hard for me to pin down."

KATE NETTLEMAN, BASS

You should be able to pick out Nettleman, 32, at Minnesota Orchestra concerts. She's the only woman among the tall-tree bass section. A fourth-grade violinist, Nettleman switched to bass in junior high. "It was much cooler," she said. "It provides the foundation for harmony and it's a strong rhythmic motivator." Nettleman just spent a year as principal bass with music director Edo de Waart at the Hong Kong Symphony. She loved Hong Kong but she long has wanted to play with the Minnesota Orchestra. "The perfect player adds strength without playing in such a way that separates themselves from the sound," said bassist Bill Schrickel. "Kate embodies the best of that."

What's next: The Minnesota Orchestra opens its season Sept. 24 at Orchestra Hall with Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty."

Her dream: "This is it. The Minnesota Orchestra is one of the best in the country. It's a dream come true."

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299