Extending the Stage – Madison Opera

Extending the Stage – Madison Opera
Extending the Stage
Every season, Madison Opera supplements its mainstage performances with innovative ways to experience and explore the breadth of the art form. From recitals to online lectures and in-person panel discussions, we invite you to join us off the stage for an enlightening exploration of opera.
Community Previews
Join Madison Opera for free previews of our operas at local retirement communities! Madison Opera staff will offer a multimedia look at each opera’s composer, history, and our upcoming production, including a performance by a Studio Artist.
All previews are FREE and open to the general public.
Community previews have now concluded for this season. Please check back in summer 2026 for preview dates for the 2026-2027 season.
Digital Previews
Have tickets to a performance? Thinking of buying some? Join General Director Kathryn Smith for a multimedia preview of each show, with an entertaining look at its composer, history, and music, as well as information on Madison Opera’s production.
Watch live for the chance to ask questions of Kathryn during the preview; the previews will then remain online for you to watch whenever you wish.
Digital Preview:
Così fan tutte
Streamed live on April 2
Watch now on Youtube
Digital Preview:
La Bohème
Streamed live on October 16
Watch now on Youtube
Digital Preview:
Everlasting Faint
Streamed live on January 15
Watch now on Youtube
Studio Artist Recitals
Join Madison Opera’s Studio Artists for hour-long recitals of arias and ensembles from opera, art song, and more. Recitals are FREE and open to the public.
Studio Artist recitals have now concluded for this season. Please check back in August 2026 for new recital dates for the 2026-2027 season.
Opera Up Close
Madison Opera’s popular series of behind-the-scenes previews of each opera returns! General Director Kathryn Smith leads a multimedia exploration of the history of each opera, followed by a roundtable discussion with the production’s leading artists and creative team.
Opera Up Close is held at
The Margaret C. Winston Madison Opera Center.
Admission is $20 for non-subscribers, $10 for 2 show subscribers and free to 3 show subscribers, payable at the door.
and save up to $60 on Opera Up Close tickets.
Così fan tutte
Up Close
Sunday, April 19, 1-3 pm
Opera Talk with Kathryn Smith
Opera contains so much more than what happens on stage in one production. In these hour-long lectures, General Director Kathryn Smith takes a dive into centuries of history, thematic connections, and stories, illustrated with slides, video, dry humor, and cute animals.
A Musical Diagnosis: Opera and Medicine
Streamed live on September 18.
Available to watch now on Youtube
In the stereotypical opera, the heroine dies of a tragic disease – one that does not prevent her from singing before she dies.  Medicine figures into more than just operatic death scenes, though. Join Kathryn for a dive into medicine in opera: the patients, the doctors, the diseases, and the strange elixirs that don’t always work as intended.
Opera Takes a Holiday
Streamed live on December 11.
Watch on Youtube
‘Tis the season!  While opera companies typically don’t perform around the holidays – theaters are full of
Nutcrackers
and
Christmas Carols
– opera characters themselves celebrate the occasional holiday.  Take a sleigh ride with Kathryn into pieces from
La Bohème
and
Werther
to
Cavalleria Rusticana, Parsifal, Paul Bunyan, La Juive, Moses und Aron, Silent Night,
and more.
The Art of Operatic Disguise
Streamed live on March 12 at 7pm CDT
Watch on Youtube
Did you know that the addition of a mustache, cape, or half-mask renders you completely unrecognizable, particularly while you’re singing?  Many opera plots turn on disguises, some more convincing than others.  Join Kathryn for a peek into the closet of operatic disguises, from comedies like
Così fan tutte, Die Fledermaus,
and
The Barber of Seville
to more serious works
like A Masked Ball, Fidelio, Rigoletto,
and more.
All Opera Talks will stream via Youtube. Watch live for the chance to ask questions of Kathryn during the talk; the talks themselves will remain online for you to watch when it suits you.
Looking for more?
Check out the archive of previous Opera Talks here.
Opera Postcards from Madison
Like love notes to our hometown, our Opera Postcards pair performers and places to bring you soaring music, a little bit of drama, and a lot of smiles. Watch below as we take you to the Children’s Museum, Central Library, Chazen Museum of Art, Olin Park, and the Overture Center for the Arts.
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 Bohè
me
; 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
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 Traviat
a;
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 & Juli
et (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)
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 Bohèm
e (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 Bohèm
e; 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)
Hailey Cohen
Berta,
The Barber of Seville
Hometown:
Edgemont, NY
Madison Opera Debut:
Dorothée,
The Anonymous Love
r (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 Cenerentol
a (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 Bohèm
e (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 Bohèm
e (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 Spee
ch
(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);