Ten Questions with Dan Rigazzi

April 1, 2017

Ten Questions with 
Dan Rigazzi
Director, The Magic Flute

1.  Where were you born / raised? 
I was born in Sacramento, California, but grew up a Navy and Marine Corps brat. I lived in a lot of different places like California, Japan, and Washington D.C. 

2.  If you weren’t a stage director, what profession would you be in?
I would be a chef.

3.  The first opera I ever directed was…
The Rape of Lucretia. 

4.  My favorite opera is…
Monteverdi’s Orfeo.

5.  My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
During tech week, I eat a lot of chicken wings. 

6.  People would be surprised to know that…
I’m a huge baseball fan. 

7.  My favorite musical instrument to play is …
Ukulele. 

8.  I like to binge-watch…
The Americans. 

9.  What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
Jonathan Swift, Louis Armstrong, William Shakespeare, and Theodore Roosevelt. 

10.  Everyone should see The Magic Flute because….
It’s a life-affirming celebration of the human family. 

11. Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q:  Why is opera the ultimate art form?
A:  It combines the very best of the arts – music, dance, poetry, drama, visual arts, design, and fashion. All of these different branches come together to tell epic stories filled with larger than life characters. It’s the hardest form to perfect, but when you get it right, it’s unforgettable. 

Don’t miss the chance to see Dan’s production of The Magic Flute, Mozart’s sublime opera that is part fairy-tale, part adventure story, and all enchantment.  Performances are April 21 and 23 in Overture Hall.  Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.

Ten Questions with Joshua Stewart

February 6, 2017

Ten Questions with
Joshua Stewart, tenor
Charlie Parker
in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird

1.  Where were you born / raised? 
I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.

2.  If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
I guess I would be an OB/GYN for Doctors Without Borders. 

3.  The first opera I was ever in was…
Albert Herring when I was 16. I sang the role of the Vicar.

4.  My favorite opera is…
… yet to be written. I believe in the future of music and the arts. The best is yet to come …. 

5.  My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
Vegan stuffed peppers. 

6.  People would be surprised to know that…
I was a professional jazz singer when I was a kid. 

7.  A few of my favorite books are…
A Doll’s House by Ibsen and A Cherry Orchard by Chekhov. 

8.  I like to binge-watch…
Nature documentaries. 

9.  What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
I would LOVE to have dinner with my parents, my nephew and my deceased brother for a good ol’ fashioned family dinner. 

10.  Everyone should see Charlie Parker’s Yardbird because….
It’s a wonderful tribute to an incredible artist that changed jazz and music forever.

Don’t miss the chance to see Joshua in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, the Midwest premiere of this acclaimed new opera about the legendary saxophone player.  Performances are February 10 and 12 in the Capitol Theater.  Tickets start at $25; visit madisonopera.org for more information.

Ten Questions with Angela Brown

February 4, 2017

Ten Questions with
Angela Brown, soprano
Addie Parker in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird


1.  Where were you born / raised? 
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana.

2.  If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
I would be a makeup artist or fashion designer.

3.  The first opera I was ever in was…
Aida!  I was in the Ethiopian slave chorus in 1983 for Indianapolis Opera.

4.  My favorite opera is…
Tosca by Puccini.

5.  My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
A cup of lentil soup and a piece of crusty bread.

6.  People would be surprised to know that…
I’m a vegetarian. 

7.  A few of my favorite books are…
The Color Purple, any coffee table travel book with beautiful pictures, the Bible, The Shack.

8.  I like to binge watch…
Breaking Bad.

9.  What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
Luther VanDross, Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole, and Whitney Houston.

10.  Everyone should see Charlie Parker’s Yardbird because….
It is a total twist from the normal opera.  It is something that everyone will enjoy and understand, especially with the supertitles.  The music is palatable, easy to understand.  You can even leave humming some tunes.  And you learn more about Charlie Parker’s fascinating life.

Bonus:  One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer):
Q:  Tell us about you accessory line, “It’s a DIVA Thang!”
A:  It’s for the elegant, avant-guard woman who is never duplicated, but definitely appreciated.
(Ed. note:  Find out more at its-a-diva-thang.myshopify.com)

Don’t miss the chance to see Angela in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, the Midwest premiere of this acclaimed new opera about the legendary saxophone player.  Performances are February 10 and 12 in the Capitol Theater.  Tickets start at $25; visit madisonopera.org for more information.

Ten Questions with Ron Daniels

February 2, 2017

Ten Questions with
Ron Daniels
Stage Director of Charlie Parker’s Yardbird










1.  Where were you born / raised? 
I was born and raised in a little town across the bay from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The apartment we lived in was literally across the road from the beach and in the distance we could always see the Sugar Loaf standing guard over the entrance to the Bay and the magnificent statue of Christ.  As a boy I always longed to be across the Bay, in Rio…  and maybe that accounts for my loving the life of a director.

2.  If you weren’t a stage director, what profession would you be in?
Next time around, I’m going to be a dancer with the Nederlands Dans Theatre.

3.  The first opera I ever directed was…
Il Re Pastore, which isn’t really an opera.  I thought, “Opera is impossible.  It’s far too difficult.  Music and drama don’t match.”  Fortunately I then went to work on Madama Butterfly and it all made wonderful sense!  Every musical event was tied to the narrative.  What a relief.

4.  My favorite opera is…
…the next one I’m working on.  Right now, it’s Lucia di Lammermoor, which happens next summer in Santa Fe.

5.  My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
I’ll have black beans and rice anytime, preferably sprinkled with toasted manioc meal.  It’s my “there, there” food.  You know, when you’re feeling low or insecure and someone puts their comforting arm around you and says, “there, there!”

6.  People would be surprised to know that…
…that, with my pukka Royal Shakespeare company British accent, English wasn’t my first language.  We spoke Portuguese at home, of course.  It’s a good conversation piece, though:  I always start with “Three guesses where I’m from…”  Not surprisingly, so far no one has got it right. 

7.  A few of my favorite books are…
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

8.  I like to binge-watch…
Detective / crime series on TV.  I saw all of The Night Of in two sittings.  Couldn’t get enough of it.

9.  What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
I’m not all that into dinner parties.  I prefer to dine one on one.  But then I’m quite happy eating alone, or with my kids and grandkids when I’m in the UK.

10.  Everyone should see Charlie Parker’s Yardbird because….
The music is wonderful.  The singers are fantastic.  And because Charlie Parker was not only a musical genius, a jazz icon, but also because it gives us an insight into a truly fascinating and complex human being.

Bonus:  One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer):
Q:  What makes you tick?
A:  I wish I knew.

Don’t miss the chance to see Ron’s production of Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, the Midwest premiere of this acclaimed new opera about the legendary saxophone player.  Performances are February 10 and 12 in the Capitol Theater.  Tickets start at $25; visit madisonopera.org for more information.

Ten Questions with Rachel Sterrenberg

January 30, 2017

Ten Questions with
Rachel Sterrenberg, soprano
Chan Parker in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird


1.  Where were you born / raised? 
I was born in South Bend, Indiana.  My family moved down south when I was 7 years old, so most of my growing-up years were spent in the suburban area of Atlanta, Georgia.

2.  If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
I think I would be really great at professional organizing, or being a personal assistant.  I am very organized, and LOVE being organized!

3.  The first opera I was ever in was…
…a piece that the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre premiered while I was getting my undergraduate degree there.  It was a piece about the early life of Abraham Lincoln and the time he spent in Kentucky.  The opera was called River of Time, composed by Joe Baber.  I sang a small comprimario role.  New works have been at the very start of my opera singing!

4.  My favorite opera is…
Well, I think this answer probably changes for singers ALL the time, but right now I am pretty obsessed with Massenet’s Thais and Britten’s Peter Grimes… Oh, and Eugene Onegin!!

5.  My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
I don’t have one – I will eat anything!!

6.  People would be surprised to know that…
…I am a twin!  She and I are fraternal, and although we have completely opposite interests, she is my best friend in the whole world. 

7.  A few of my favorite books are…
I’m a huge fan of Brené Brown, so all of her books.  The History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (although I still haven’t quite finished… It is really great!), and the Harry Potter books are always go-to’s.  Also, I just finished a super-interesting book called The Science of Yoga by William Broad.  Would definitely recommend it!

8.  I like to binge-watch…
I recently binge-watched the Netflix series The Crown about the current Queen Elizabeth’s early adult life as Queen of England…  I could not stop watching the episodes!!

9.  What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
Joyce DiDonato, Viola Davis, my late great-aunt Dorothy, who was an opera singer (we never met), and Pope Francis.

10.  Everyone should see Charlie Parker’s Yardbird because….
The music will be buzzing in your ears for days…  When I am working on Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, it is almost impossible to get it out of my head!  Also, the singing of the rest of the cast is outstanding.  Everyone has so much fun doing this opera, and I think that translates back into the audience’s experience.

Bonus:  One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer):
Q:  What is your all-time favorite food?
A:  BACON.

Don’t miss the chance to see Rachel in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, the Midwest premiere of this acclaimed new opera about the legendary saxophone player.  Performances are February 10 and 12 in the Capitol Theater.  Tickets start at $25; visit madisonopera.org for more information.


Keely Futterer

Rosina, The Barber of Seville

Hometown: Dover, AR
Madison Opera Debut: Léontine, The Anonymous Lover (2024)

Recently: Anna Sørenson, Silent Night (Wolf Trap Opera); Musetta, La Bohème; Armida, Rinaldo; Charlene, Service Provider; Jazz Trio, Trouble in Tahiti (Minnesota Opera);
Armida, Rinaldo; Vanderdendur, Candide; Angostura, Tenor Overboard (Glimmerglass Festival);
Rodelinda, Rodelinda (Hudson Hall); Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte (Opera Memphis);

Upcoming: Marcellina, Leonora (Chicago Opera Theater);
Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte (Virginia Opera); Verdi Requiem (Erie Philharmonic)


Weston Hurt

Baritone, Opera in the Park

Hometown: Spring, TX
Madison Opera Debut: Germont, La Traviata (2019)

Recently: Sharpless, Madama Butterfly (Houston Grand Opera, New Orleans Opera);
Britten's War Requiem (Opera Roanoke); Scarpia, Tosca (Arizona Opera);
Germont, La Traviata (Lyric Opera of Kansas City); Nabucco, Nabucco (Seattle Opera)

Upcoming: Rigoletto, Rigoletto (English National Opera)

Joshua Sanders

Tenor, Opera in the Park

Hometown: Plain, WI
Madison Opera Debut: Giuseppe, La Traviata (2011)
Also at MO: Tobias Ragg, Sweeney Todd; Inmate, Dead Man Walking; Ensemble, Acis and Galatea

Recently: Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville; Romeo, Romeo and Juliet (Opera San José);
Tamino, The Magic Flute (Nashville Opera); Sam Clay, The Amazing Adventures of
Kavalier & Clay workshop (Metropolitan Opera)

Upcoming:  Victorin, Die tote Stadt (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Sachie Ueshima, wearing white in front of a gray background.
Sachie Ueshima

Zerlina, Don Giovanni

Hometown: Wakayama City, Japan
Madison Opera Debut
Former Madison Opera Studio Artist

Recently: Cio-Cio-San, Madama Butterfly (Virginia Opera); Violetta, La Traviata;
Krystyna Zywulska, Two Remain (UW-Madison)

Upcoming: Cio-Cio-San, Madama Butterfly (Kentucky Opera)


David Walton

Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville

Hometown: Twin Cities, MN
Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2017
Also at MO: Belmonte, The Abduction from the Seraglio

Recently: Ferrando, Così fan tutte (Princeton Festival); Ramiro, La Cenerentola (Toledo Opera);
Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (North Carolina Opera);
Frederic, The Pirates of Penzance (Opera San Antonio); Filippo, Deceit Outwitted (Sarasota Opera)

Upcoming: Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (Minnesota Opera); Candide, Candide (South Florida Symphony);
Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Livermore Valley Opera)

Emily Fons

Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2012
Also at MO: Opera in the Park 2024; Rosina, The Barber of Seville (2015)

Recently: Nicklausse, The Tales of Hoffmann (Palm Beach Opera);
Rosina, The Barber of Seville (Cincinnati Opera, Santa Fe Opera);
Woman, Ghosts (San Diego Opera); Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro (Canadian Opera Company);
Hansel, Hansel and Gretel (New Orleans Opera)

Upcoming: Princess Irene, Tamerlano (Haymarket Opera)

Emily Birsan

Martha Jones, Everlasting Faint

Madison Opera Debut: Barbarina, The Marriage of Figaro (2011)
Recently at MO: Rusalka, Rusalka; Juliet, Romeo and Juliet; Opera in the Park 2016; Musetta, La Bohème

Recently: Speranza Celeste, Ester; Asteria, Tamerlano (Haymarket Opera); Countess Susanna, Il Segreto di Susanna (Opera Festival of Chicago); Euridice, Orfeo ed Euridice (Inland Northwest Opera)

Alan Dunbar

Dr. Knapp, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Winona, MN
Madison Opera Debut: Alidoro, Cinderella (2012)
Recently at MO: Dr. Pangloss / Martin, Candide; 1st Nazarene, Salome; Sipos, She Loves Me; Sen. McCarthy / Interrogator / Frank, Fellow Travelers; Papageno, The Magic Flute; Owen Hart, Dead Man Walking

Recently: Bach’s B-Minor Mass; Uberto, La Serva Padrona; Jesus, St. Matthew Passion (Bach Roots Festival); Emergency Haying (UNI New Music Festival; Winona Symphony Orchestra); Noye, Noye’s Fludde (Santa Fe Opera)


Alison Pogorelc

Stage Director, La Bohème

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: The Knock (Central City Opera); Rigoletto; Moby Dick; The Marriage of Figaro (Metropolitan Opera); Salome (Des Moines Metro Opera); Partenope (Washington National Opera); Agrippina; The Anonymous Lover (Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music); Ariane and Bluebeard (West Edge Opera)

 Upcoming: La sonnambula; I puritani; Tristan and Isolde; La Traviata (Metropolitan Opera); Le Roi David (New York Choral Society); The Old Maid and the Thief (Washington National Opera) 


Haley Stamats

Stage Director, Così fan tutte

Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Carmen (Shreveport Opera); Maria Stuarda (Opera Baltimore); Armida, Proving Opera, Iphigénie en Tauride, Denis and Katya (Pittsburgh Opera); La Bohème (Opera Delaware, Opera Baltimore, Charleston Opera Theater)

 Upcoming: Tosca (Opera Delaware, Opera Baltimore); The Barber of Seville (Charleston Opera Theater)


Martin Luther Clark

Ferrando, Così fan tutte

Hometown: Marshall, TX
Madison Opera Debut: Candide, Candide (2024)

Recently: Macduff, Macbeth (Teatro Nuovo); Walther, Tannhäuser (Houston Grand Opera); Fredrick Loudin, Jubilee (Seattle Opera); Jonathan Dale, Silent Night; Father, The Seven Deadly Sins (Wolf Trap Opera); Luis Griffith, Champion (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Orderly, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Dallas Opera)

 Upcoming: Chevalier de la Force, Dialogues of the Carmelites (Dallas Opera); Pang, Turandot (Metropolitan Opera)


Keturah Stickann

Stage Director / Dramaturg, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Columbia, MO
Madison Opera Debut: Rusalka (2019)
Recently at MO: Salome

Recently: La Bohème (Chautauqua Opera, San Diego Opera); Stuck Elevator, La Traviata (Knoxville Opera); Choreographer, Moby-Dick (Metropolitan Opera); Carmen (Indiana University); The Little Prince (Resonance Works); Hansel and Gretel (Chautauqua Opera); Samson and Dalila (Opera Colorado); Norma (Palm Beach Opera); Don Giovanni (Minnesota Opera)

 Upcoming: Carmen (Knoxville Opera, San Diego Opera); Mosé in Eggito (Opera Southwest); Romeo & Juliet (Opera Theatre of St. Louis)


Stephanie Rhodes Russell

Conductor, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: American Fork, UT
Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2021
Recently at MO: The Marriage of Figaro

Recently: Hansel and Gretel; The Daughter of the Regiment (Utah Opera); Aida; Romeo and Juliette (Arizona Opera); Jungle Book; The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me (Washington National Opera); The Barber of Seville (Austin Opera); Eugene Onegin (Rice University); Don Giovanni (Wolf Trap Opera); The Knock (Cincinnati Opera); Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera

 Upcoming: Charlotte Symphony; Resident Conductor, Fort Worth Symphony


Matthew Treviño

John Preston, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Harlingen, TX
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Sparafucile, Rigoletto (Pacific Opera Victoria); Dr. Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro; Dr. Grenvil, La Traviata (Calgary Opera); Dr. P., The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat (Nashville Opera); Bonze, Madame Butterfly; Ferrando, Il Trovatore (Opéra de Montréal); Friar Laurent, Romeo and Juliette; Seneca, The Coronation of Poppea (Florentine Opera)


Emily Senturia

Conductor, Così fan tutte

Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: The Marriage of Figaro (Wolf Trap Opera, Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera); Bulrusher (West Edge Opera); The Pirates of Penzance (Kentucky Opera); Rinaldo (Minnesota Opera; Glimmerglass Festival); The Rape of Lucretia (Temple University); The Anonymous Lover (Atlanta Opera); Fellow Travelers (Florida Grand Opera); The Barber of Seville (New Orleans Opera); Semele (Opera Santa Barbara)

 Upcoming: La Traviata (Kentucky Opera); Giulio Cesare (Opera Santa Barbara); Rinaldo (West Edge Opera)

Andrew Wilkowske

Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte

Hometown: Willmar, MN
Madison Opera Debut: Senator Potter / General Arlie / Bartender, Fellow Travelers (2020)
Recently at MO: 1st Soldier, Salome

Recently: Dr. Bartolo, The Barber of Seville; Sergeant Sulpice, The Daughter of the Regiment; Papageno, The Magic Flute; Benoit / Alcindoro, La Bohème; (Minnesota Opera); Papageno, The Magic Flute (Des Moines Metro Opera); Dulcamara, The Elixir of Love (Dayton Opera); Maurice Temerlin, Lucy (Eugene Opera)


Sun-Ly Pierce

Dorabella, Così fan tutte

Hometown: Clinton, NY
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro; Suzy, La Rondine (Metropolitan Opera); Fox, The Cunning Little Vixen; Rosina, The Barber of Seville (Des Moines Metro Opera); Dorothée, The Anonymous Lover (Opera Philadelphia); Bertarido, Rodelinda (Hudson Opera House); Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro (New Orleans Opera); Siébel, Faust (Berkshire Opera Festival); Suzuki, Madame Butterfly (Houston Grand Opera)

 Upcoming: Rosa Saks, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Metropolitan Opera); Nefertiti, Akhnaten (LA Opera); Suzuki, Madame Butterfly (Semperoper Dresden; Santa Fe Opera)


Sarah Tucker

Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Micaela, Carmen (Virginia Opera, Sarasota Opera); Mimì, La Bohème (San Diego Opera, Fargo-Moorhead Opera); Liu, Turandot (Gulfshore Opera); Volunteer Girl, Another City (Houston Grand Opera); Pamina, The Magic Flute (North Carolina Opera)

Upcoming: Countess, The Marriage of Figaro (Amarillo Opera)


Sandra Flores-Strand

Librettist, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Librettist Sandra Flores-Strand is based in the US. Sandra has an extensive background in classical singing and theatrical production. Her libretti have been featured by Opera America, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the New York City Fringe Festival, the Arizona Women’s Collaborative, Really Spicy Opera, and more. Sandra writes on a variety of topics but feels compelled to tell stories with a focus on marginalized communities.


Scott Gendel

Composer, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Monona, WI

Scott Gendel is a composer, pianist, vocal coach, and musical generalist from Wisconsin. He has been commissioned by many singers including Karen Slack and Julia Faulkner, along with ensembles like the Madison Symphony Orchestra and C4: The Choral Composer-Conductor Collective. Scott’s work has been performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Ravinia Festival, and recorded by artists including Yo-Yo Ma, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, and Madison Choral Project. Scott is principal vocal coach for Madison Opera and Music Director for Opera For The Young. Please visit www.scottgendel.com for more info.


Madison Barrett

Allie, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Oviedo, FL
Madison Opera Debut
Madison Opera Studio Artist

Recently: Desiree, A Little Night Music; Songbird, Songbird; Margaret, The Light in the Piazza (UW-Madison Opera); Lady Jacqueline, Me and My Girl; Ilene Cavanaugh, The Arcadians; Smitty, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; Flora, No No Nanette (Ohio Light Opera); Soloist, Sondheim on Sondheim (Middleton Player’s Theatre)


Alexandra Burch

Lucy, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: La Crosse, WI
Madison Opera Debut
Madison Opera Studio Artist

Recently: The Governess, Turn of the Screw; Lucinda, Dark Sisters (DePaul University Opera)

Robert A. Goderich

Mr. Gardner, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Deer Lodge, MT
Madison Opera Debut: Amelia’s Servant, A Masked Ball (2012)
Recently at MO: The Governor of Buenos Aires, Candide; Father, The Seven Deadly Sins; 1st Jew, Salome; John Styx, Orpheus in the Underworld; Beppe, Pagliacci; 1st Priest / Armored Man, The Magic Flute; Spalanzani, The Tales of Hoffmann; Pirelli, Sweeney Todd

Recently: Sam Byck, Assassins; Martini, It's a Wonderful Life (Capital City Theater); The Escapologist, Matilda; Featured Singer, Taste of Broadway (Children's Theater of Madison); Pirelli, Sweeney Todd (San Francisco Opera)

Upcoming: Featured Chorus, Between the Acts, Classical Works by Broadway's Greatest Composers (Capital City Theater)


Tori Tedeschi Adams

Elva Heaster Shue, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Frasquita, Carmen (Sioux City Symphony Orchestra); Liesel, The Sound of Music (Houston Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Festival); Susanna, The Marriage of Figaro (CCM Opera); Ritchie / Angelica, The Hours (Cincinnati Opera / Opera Fusion workshop)

Upcoming: Susanna, The Marriage of Figaro (Opera Las Vegas)


Katherine Pracht

Mary Heaster, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Davenport, IA
Madison Opera Debut: Countess Charlotte Malcolm, A Little Night Music (2019)

Recently: Commanding Officer’s Wife / Alto, The Knock; Anna Maurrant, Street Scene (Central City Opera); Mary Johnson, Fellow Travelers (Virginia Opera); Helen, February; Madeline Mitchell, Three Decembers (Opera on the Avalon); Cornelia, Giulio Cesare; Elizabeth Cree, Elizabeth Cree (West Edge Opera); Miss Jessel, Turn of the Screw (IlluminArts); Horatio, Hamlet (State Opera Rousse, Bulgaria)


Wm. Clay Thompson

Colline, La Bohème

Hometown: Lexington, KY
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Figaro, The Marriage of Figaro (North Carolina Opera); Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte; Leporello, Don Giovanni (Virginia Opera); Colline, La Bohème (Charleston Opera); Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte; Father Palmer, Silent Night (Wolf Trap Opera); The King, Aida; Daland, The Flying Dutchman; Zuniga, Carmen (Lyric Opera of Chicago)

 Upcoming: Mark Torrance, The Shining (Nashville Opera)


Kyle White

Marcello, La Bohème

Hometown: Berkley, MI
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Guglielmo, Così fan tutte; William Dale, Silent Night; Valentin, Faust (Wolf Trap Opera); The Commentator, Scalia / Ginzburg; The Learned Judge, Trial by Jury (Fargo Moorhead Opera); Papageno, The Magic Flute (Annapolis Opera); Schaunard, La Bohème (Opera Montana; Kentucky Opera); Nardo, La Finta Giardiniera; Figaro, The Barber of Seville (Opera NEO); Giorgio Germont, La Traviata; Tommy McIntyre, Fellow Travelers (Virginia Opera); Prince Yamadori, Madame Butterfly (Opera San Antonio; Austin Opera)


Emily Secor

Musetta, La Bohème

Hometown: Westfield, WI
Madison Opera Debut: Mrs. Nordstrom, A Little Night Music (2019)
Recently at MO: Diana, Orpheus in the Underworld; Miss. Lightfoot, Fellow Travelers; Annina, La Traviata; 1st Wood Sprite, Rusalka

Recently: Soloist, Mozart’s Reqiuem (Luther College)


Terrence Chin-Loy

Rodolfo, La Bohème

Hometown: Coral Springs, FL
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Vítek, Dalibor (Bard SummerScape);Gualtiero, Griselda (Danish National Opera); Cop 1, Blue (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Ferrando, Così fan tutte (Virginia Opera); Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Opera Omaha); Tamino, The Magic Flute (National Taichung Theater, Taiwan); Don José, Carmen (MasterVoices at Lincoln Center); Pang, Turandot (LA Opera); Romeo, Romeo and Juliette; Victor Frankenstein, Frankenstein (Arizona Opera)

Upcoming: Pinkerton, Madame Butterfly (Arizona Opera); Pong, Turandot (Atlanta Opera); Lucian, Lalovavi (Cincinnati Opera)


Benjamin Taylor

baritone, Opera in the Park

Hometown: Waldorf, MD
Madison Opera Debut: Silvio, Pagliacci (2018)
Recently at MO: Figaro, The Barber of Seville

Recently: Jake, Porgy and Bess (Washington National Opera); Marcello, La Bohème (Arizona Opera); Bello, La Fanciulla del West (Bayerische Staatsoper); Guglielmo, Così fan tutte (Princeton Festival); Jan Nyman, Breaking the Waves (Detroit Opera); Moralès, Carmen; Papageno, The Magic Flute; Thierry, Dialogues des Carmélites (Metropolitan Opera); Silvio, Pagliacci (Austin Opera); Pantalone, The Love for Three Oranges (Des Moines Metro Opera); Paolo, Simon Boccanegra; Schaunard, La Bohème (Opera Philadelphia); West, Castor and Patience (Cincinnati Opera)

Upcoming: Escamillo, Carmen (Seattle Opera); Jake, Porgy and Bess (Metropolitan Opera); Figaro, The Barber of Seville (Charleston Opera Theater)


Andrew Bidlack

Trout Shue, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Madison Opera Debut: Tamino, The Magic Flute (2017)
Recently at MO: Opera in the Park 2025; Steven Kodaly, She Loves Me

Recently: Edmondo, Manon Lescaut (Washington Concert Opera); Third Squire, Parsifal; Sichel, Doktor und Apotheker; Marschallin’s Major Domo / Wirt, Der Rosenkavalier; Der Wirt, Der Traumgörge; First Vagabond, Die Kluge; Augustin Moser, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Oper Frankfurt); The False Assistant, The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken (Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern); Doctor, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Dallas Opera); Lyonnel, Le Roi Arthus (Tiroler Festspiele Erl, Bard Summerscape); Rob Hall, Everest (The Barbican Center); Young Gypsy, Aleko; Paolo, Francesca da Rimini (Odyssey Opera)

Upcoming: Comte de Gloria-Cassis, Les Brigands; Remendado, Carmen (Oper Frankfurt)


Emily Treigle

Despina, Così fan tutte

Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2025

Recently: Filipyevna, Eugene Onegin; Lucia, Cavalleria Rusticana (Canadian Opera Company); Despina, Così fan tutte; Juno / Ino, Semele (Wolf Trap Opera); Tisbe, La Cenerentola; Meg Page, Falstaff; Suzuki, Madame Butterfly; Flora, La Traviata; Miss Violet, Another City; Mère Jeanne, Dialogues of the Carmelites; Gertrude, Romeo and Juliet (Houston Grand Opera)

Upcoming: Second Lady, The Magic Flute (Metropolitan Opera); La Ciesca, Gianni Schicchi; The Monitress, Suor Angelica (Houston Grand Opera); Mère Marie, Dialogues of the Carmelites (New Orleans Opera)


Renée Richardson

Mimì, La Bohème

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2025

Recently: Countess, The Marriage of Figaro (Pensacola Opera); Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte; Donna Anna, Don Giovanni (Wolf Trap Opera); Flower Maiden, Parsifal; Sister Berta, The Sound of Music; Annina, La Traviata; Woman Whose Uncle Loved Maria Callas, Another City (Houston Grand Opera); Mimì, La Bohème; Foreign Princess, Rusalka; Suor Angelica, Suor Angelica (The Academy of Vocal Arts)

Upcoming: Cassandra, The Secret River (Orlando Opera)


David Lefkowich

Stage Director, Don Giovanni


Madison Opera Debut: Acis and Galatea (2013)
Recently at MO: La Bohème, The Daughter of the Regiment

Recently: Cavalleria Rusticana (Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera); The Magic Flute (Grand Teton Music Festival);
Suor Angelica (Out of the Box Opera); Cendrillon (McGill University); Don Giovanni (Opera Colorado)


Kanopy Dance

María de Buenos Aires

Hometown: Madison, WI
Madison Opera Debut: Acis & Galatea (2013)
Recently at MO: Florencia en el Amazonas; Trouble in Tahiti / The Seven Deadly Sins


Lisa Thurrell

Choreographer, María de Buenos Aires

Hometown: Madison, WI
Madison Opera Debut: Florencia en el Amazonas (2018)
Recently at MO: The Anonymous Lover, Trouble in Tahiti / The Seven Deadly Sins
Co-Artistic Director of Kanopy Dance

Recently: Director and Choreographer, Winter Fantasia: Reimagined; Polaris + Revelations;
The Next Generation; Confluence: A Prelude; Graham: In Her Voice; Shades of Light (Kanopy Dance);
Choreographer, Bluebeard's Castle (Des Moines Metro Opera)

Upcoming: Director and Choreographer, Inner Passages (Kanopy Dance);
Choreographer, The Cunning Little Vixen (Des Moines Metro Opera)

03 El Duende - Kirstin Chávez
Kirstin Chávez

El Duende, María de Buenos Aires

Hometown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia / Albuquerque, NM
Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2006

Recently: Glenda, We Shall Not Be Moved (Pittsburgh Opera); Verdi's Requiem (Pensacola Symphony);
Carlotta de Obragón, Zorro (Fort Worth Opera); Suzuki, Madama Butterfly (Dallas Opera);
Mozart's Requiem (Paducah Symphony); Carmen, Carmen (St. Barth's Music Festival)

Upcoming: Carmen, Carmen (Kentucky Symphony Orchestra); Carmen, Carmen Inside Out (the film)


Ryan Nash

Parpignol, La Bohème; David Gassaway, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Longmeadow, MA
Madison Opera Debut: Sergeant, The Barber of Seville (2024)
Madison Opera Studio Artist

Recently: Tamino, The Magic Flute (Opera for the Young); Gherardo, Gianni Schicchi (American Gothic Performing Arts Festival); Frederic, The Pirates of Penzance (Madison Savoyards); Mercurio, La Calisto; Gastone, La Traviata; Albert Herring, Albert Herring (UW-Madison Opera); Rinuccio, Gianni Schicchi (La Musica Lirica USA)


John DeMain

Conductor, Opera in the Park 2025; La Bohème

Hometown: Youngstown, OH
Madison Opera Debut: The Magic Flute (1995)
Recently at MO: Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, Candide, Tosca, Trouble in Tahiti / The Seven Deadly Sins, Salome

 


Rebecca Herman

Stage Director, The Barber of Seville

Hometown: Austin, TX
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Carmen (Austin Opera); Don Giovanni (Opera Colorado, Cincinnati Opera);
Un Cuento de Luces y Sonmbras (LOLA); La Bohème (Glimmerglass Opera);
The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Utah Opera, Calgary Opera)

Upcoming: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Washington National Opera); New Opera Workshop, We Might be Struck by Lighting (LOLA)


Fenlon Lamb

Stage Director, Don Giovanni

Hometown: Princeton, NJ
Madison Opera Debut: La Traviata (2019)
Recently at MO: Lucia di Lammermoor

Recently: La Fanciulla del West (Central City Opera); The Elixir of Love, Così fan tutte (Palm Beach Opera);
The Marriage of Figaro (Portland Opera); Carmen (Opera Santa Barbara);
Charlie Parker's Yardbird (Dayton Opera); La Bohème (New Orleans Opera); Mozart and Salieri (Opera San Jose)


Kamna Gupta

Conductor, María de Buenos Aires

Hometown: St. Genis-de-Puilly, France
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: The Pearl Fishers (Vancouver Opera); In Our Daughter's Eyes (LA Opera / BMP);
Number Our Days (Perelman Performing Arts Center); Glory Denied (Cleveland Institute of Music);
Rocking Horse Winner (Tapestry Opera); The Rip Van Winkles (Glimmerglass Festival)

Upcoming: Ruinous Gods (Spoleto Festival USA)


Frances Rabalais

Stage Director, María de Buenos Aires

Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Madison Opera Debut: Tosca (2023)

Recently: Macbeth (Resonance Works); Hansel and Gretel (Opera Birmingham);
The Magic Flute (North Carolina Opera); The Barber of Seville (Pensacola Opera)


Charles Eaton

Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni

Hometown: Storrs, CT
Madison Opera Debut: Moralès, Carmen (2017)
Recently at MO: Count Malcolm, A Little Night Music

Recently: Ponchel, Silent Night; Brother, The Seven Deadly Sins (Wolf Trap Opera); Schaunard, La Bohème;
Sam, Trouble in Tahiti; Masetto, Don Giovanni; Argante, Rinaldo (Minnesota Opera);
Fedorov, The Christmas Spider (Opéra Louisiane, Marble City Opera);
English Ambassador, The Ghosts of Versailles (Royal Opera Versailles);
Marcello, La Bohème (Imperial Symphony Orchestra)

Upcoming: Mercutio, Romeo & Juliet (Minnesota Opera);
Silvio, Pagliacci (Pensacola Opera)


Jeremiah Sanders

Leporello, Don Giovanni

Hometown: Marian, IN
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: Marcello, La Bohème; Beau, Service Provider; Jazz Trio, Trouble in Tahiti;
Hortensius, The Daughter of the Regiment; Mago, Rinaldo;
Abilenes's Father / Bryce's Father, Edward Tulane (Minnesota Opera);
Colline, La Bohème (Lyric Opera of the North); Lackey, Ariadne auf Naxos (Lakes Area Music Festival);
Charlie, Three Decembers (South Bend Lyric Opera); The Villains, The Tales of Hoffmann (Union Avenue Opera)


Ashraf Sewailam

The Commendatore, Don Giovanni

Hometown: Cairo, Egypt / San Francisco, CA
Madison Opera Debut: Captain, Florencia en el Amazonas (2018)

Recently: Dr. Bartolo, The Barber of Seville (Des Moines Metro Opera, Seattle Opera);
Dr. Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro (New Orleans Opera); Sparafucile, Rigoletto (Opera San Jose);
Giove, La Calisto (Opera Memphis)

Upcoming: Dr. Bartolo, The Barber of Seville (Lyric Opera of Kansas City);
Dulcamara, The Elixir of Love (New Orleans Opera)


Andrew Stenson

Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni

Hometown: Rochester, MN
Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2021

Recently: Pong, Turandot (Metropolitan Opera); Bill, Flight; The Steersman, The Flying Dutchman (Dallas Opera);
Pang, Turandot (Houston Grand Opera); Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Seattle Opera);
Nemorino, The Elixir of Love (Seattle Opera, Minnesota Opera, Florentine Opera);
Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (Opera Colorado, Garsington Opera);
Nikolaus Sprink, Silent Night; Tamino, The Magic Flute (Utah Opera);
Fadinard, The Italian Straw Hat (Minnesota Opera); Danny Chen, An American Soldier (Opera Theatre of St. Louis)

Headshot of Hailey Cohen
Hailey Cohen

Berta, The Barber of Seville

Hometown: Edgemont, NY
Madison Opera Debut: Dorothée, The Anonymous Lover (2024)
Also with MO: Paquette, Candide
Madison Opera Studio Artist

Recently: Zita, Gianni Schicchi (Finger Lakes Opera); Hattie, American Gothical (Cedar Rapids Opera);
Sally, The Boy Who Wanted to be a Robot; K., Would You Eat Me? (Thompson Street Opera)


Lifan Deng

Schaunard, La Bohème
Gregory Snodegar, Everlasting Faint

Hometown: Shenzhen, China
Madison Opera Debut: Fiorello, The Barber of Seville (2024)
Recently at MO: Masetto, Don Giovanni; Ensemble, María de Buenos Aires
Madison Opera Studio Artist

Recently: Marco, Gianni Schicchi (Opera Company of Middlebury); Papageno, The Magic Flute (Opera for the Young); The Police Agent / Mr. Kofner, The Consul (Third Eye Ensemble); Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte, Kaiser Overall, Der Kaisver von Atlantis (Northwestern Opera Theater)

Upcoming: Bill Corey, The Elixir of Love (Opera for the Young)


Laureano Quant

Guglielmo, Così fan tutte

Hometown: Barranquilla, Colombia
Madison Opera Debut: El Payador, María de Buenos Aires (2025)

Recently: Escamillo, Carmen (Wolf Trap Opera); Bill, Aufsteig und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Staatsoper Stuttgart); Schaunard, La Bohème (Wolf Trap Opera); Foreman, Jenufa; Dancaïre, Carmen; Count of Lerma, Don Carlo (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Escamillo, Le tragédie de Carmen; Guglielmo, Così fan tutte (The Opera Next Door); Betto, Gianni Schicchi (Ópera de Colombia); Demetrius, A Midsummer Night's Dream; Captain / Ragotski, Candide (Orquestra Filarmónica de Bogotà)

Upcoming: Slender, Falstaff (Chicago Opera Theater); Zuniga, Carmen (Dallas Opera)


Kelly Guerra

María, María de Buenos Aires

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Madison Opera Debut

Recently: María, María de Buenos Aires (Kentucky Opera); Lupita, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna;
Carlotta de Obragón, Zorro (Opera Santa Barbara); Renata, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (West Edge Opera);
Rosina, The Barber of Seville (Princeton Festival); Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Scalia/Ginsburg (Chautauqua Opera);
Luisa Fernanda, Luisa Fernanda (Opera Hispánica, Opera Williamsburg)

Upcoming: Una Niña, Ainadamar (Metropolitan Opera); Jo, Little Women (Fort Worth Opera);
Isabella, L'Italiana in Algeri (Opera in the Heights); Mrs. Fox, Fantastic Mr. Fox (Opera Omaha)


Alex Taylor

Benoit / Alcindoro, La Bohème

Hometown: Beloit, WI
Madison Opera Debut: Mother, The Seven Deadly Sins (2023)
Recently at MO: Don Basilio, The Barber of Seville

Recently: Green Shirt Guy, Mel Rides the Bus Alone (Pittsburgh Opera)


Levi Hernandez

Dr. Bartolo, The Barber of Seville

Hometown: El Paso, TX
Madison Opera Debut: Papageno, The Magic Flute (2006)
Recent at MO: Alvaro, Florencia en el Amazonas; Opera in the Park 2018

Recently: Diego Rivera, El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego (Opera Omaha);
Tonio, Pagliacci (Hawaii Opera Theatre); Dandini, La Cenerentola (Boston Lyric Opera);
Peter, Hansel and Gretel (Opera San Antonio); Lescaut, Manon Lescaut (North Carolina Opera)

Upcoming: Lescaut, Manon Lescaut (Washington National Opera); Benoit/Alcindoro, La Bohème (Lyric Opera of Chicago);
Alvaro, Florencia en el Amazonas (North Carolina Opera)


Benjamin Taylor

Figaro, The Barber of Seville

Hometown: Waldorf, MD
Madison Opera Debut: Silvio, Pagliacci (2018)

Recently: Bello, La Fanciulla del West (Bayerische Staatsoper); Moralès, Carmen (Metropolitan Opera);
Guglielmo, Così fan tutte (Princeton Symphony); Jan Nyman, Breaking the Waves (Detroit Opera);
Silvio, Pagliacci (Austin Opera)

Upcoming: Marcello, La Bohème (Arizona Opera); Jake, Porgy and Bess (Washington National Opera);
Schaunard, La Bohème (Charleston Opera Theater)


Katerina Burton

Donna Anna, Don Giovanni

Hometown: Ocean City, MD
Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2024

Recently: Mimì, La Bohème; Verna/Young Lovely/Evelyn, Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); JFK: The Last Speech
(National Symphony Orchestra); Britten’s War Requiem (Strathmore Music Center);
Russian Chamber Art Society; Postclassical Ensemble Concert (The Kennedy Center); Girlfriend 2, Blue;
Micaëla, Carmen (Washington National Opera); Alice Ford, Falstaff (Aspen Music Festival);