Ray Charles Performing Arts Center @ Morehouse College
Steele Roots WORLD PREMIERE
Friday, June 20, 2025 @ 7pm
Sunday, June 22, 2025 @ 3pm
96-Hour Opera Project Showcase
Saturday, June 21, 2025 @ 3pm
Slumgullion Charitable Fund
Welcome
Hello and welcome to The Atlanta Opera’s 96-Hour Opera Festival.
We’re delighted to have you with us for this celebration of creativity, storytelling, and the future of opera.
The 96-Hour Opera Festival is a unique gathering of composers, librettists, performers, mentors, and producers—and you, our audience, are the essential sixth element in this creative constellation. I invite you to meet and connect with talented artists whose original 10-minute opera scenes premiere at this Festival. Selected from a sizeable pool of applicants, these teams represent the incredible diversity of this country, bringing personal perspectives rooted in their cultural heritages and visions for the future. We’re excited to share these works with you.
In past competitions, creative teams explored stories tied to Atlanta and Georgia. Thanks to our remarkable non-profit partners at Morehouse, the Oakland Cemetery, and the Atlanta History Center, we’re honored to present the world premiere of Steele
Roots by Dave Ragland and Selda Sahin. This moving chamber opera, which tells the story of an extraordinary yet unsung Atlantan, Carrie Steele Logan, grew from their submission to our 2023 competition.
During our showcase, we look forward to sharing a selection from Water Memory (Jala Smirti), the work of composer Kitty Brazelton and librettist Vaibu Mohan, which received the grand prize last year and is now in development. Your feedback and reactions are an important part of this creative journey.
At the heart of the 96-Hour Opera Festival, the Showcase and premiere performances, is the need to find practical ways to nurture talent and encourage creativity—making space for new voices in opera that speak to our time and to our future. Your presence helps bring these stories to life.
It’s my great pleasure to welcome you.
Enjoy the Festival!
Tomer Zvulun
Carl W. Knobloch, Jr.
General
& Artistic Director
photo: The Sintoses
Welcome
The 96-Hour Opera Festival is part competition, part incubator, part celebration. It’s scrappy, ambitious, and full of heart. If you’ve ever wondered what opera looks like when it’s written by the voices we don’t usually hear this is it.
The 96-Hour Opera Project started in 2022 with a bold and simple question: what would happen if we gave talented composers and librettists from underserved communities just four days to workshop, stage, and present a brand-new opera?
That intense timeframe became part of the thrill, part of the challenge. But underneath the pressure-cooker format was a deeper mission to shake up the operatic canon and create space for new voices, new stories, and new ways of seeing.
Over the past four years, it’s grown into something bigger. We now call it the 96-Hour Opera Festival because it’s become more than just the competition. The Festival includes developmental workshops,
the competition and showcase, full productions of past winners’ work, and deep community engagement.
There aren’t many programs that commission new operas—fewer still that offer sustained financial and logistical support throughout the development process. That commitment has sparked organic interest from many creative people, including some surprising (and thrilling) applications to the program.
While our mission is to support emerging opera-makers, we never forget the audience. These works aren’t polished and traditional—and that’s the point. They’re fresh, immediate, often unorthodox. We hope people come away thinking, “I didn’t know opera could do that.”
Leading this project has changed the way I think about opera. It reminded me of how powerful urgency can be: not just in how we create, but in why we create. It’s taught me that when you invite new people to the table, the entire form transforms in beautiful, unexpected ways.
Welcome and enjoy!
Jessica Kiger Director of Community Engagement & Education
photo: Jeff Roffman
STEELE ROOTS
THE STORY OF CARRIE STEELE LOGAN
WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCES
Friday, June 20, 2025 at 7:00 pm | Sunday, June 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Ray Charles Performing Arts Center | Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA
COMPOSER Dave Ragland | LIBRETTIST Selda Sahin
COMMISSIONED BY The Atlanta Opera
CONDUCTOR Nicole Hardin
DIRECTOR Tazewell Thompson
SCENIC, PROPS & PROJECTION DESIGNER Donald Eastman
COSTUME, WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER Gibron Shepperd
LIGHTING DESIGNER Jaime Mancuso
FILMED MEDIA Felipe Barral
CAST
CARRIE STEELE Indra Thomas
RAYMOND Daniel Rich
MICHAEL Martin Bakari
RUTH Amanda Sheriff
SARAH Rehanna Thelwell
ORCHESTRA
VIOLIN Lisa Morrison
BASS Emory Clements
CLARINET David Odom
FRENCH HORN David Bradley
PIANO Nyle Matsuoka
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Chaowen Ting
ASSISTANT STAGE DIRECTOR Zakiyia Gray-Hamlett
STAGE MANAGER Liz Campbell
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Julia Whitten
SUPERTITLES OPERATOR Amy Williams
COPYIST Tory Westbrook
NEW WORKS PRODUCER Alejandra Martinez
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Lesh’In Edwards
FESTIVAL INTERN Mekhi Holly
Synopsis
Atlanta Terminal Railroad Station in 1888. Carrie Steele holds a tiny, crying baby. Carrie, a formerly enslaved woman and an orphan herself, works at the station as a matron and has been caring for babies and children abandoned at the station. She’s raising money to start an orphanage. The station allows the children in her care to play in empty boxcars while she’s at work. She’s teaching one of the older kids (Ruth) to read, and the station attendant (Raymond) helps her as best he can. A train arrives, and a mysterious man named Michael enters the station. He’s wearing modern clothes, but no one seems to notice. When Carrie is needed elsewhere, Michael offers to hold the baby that she’s tending. His caring for the baby is effortless, and when
Carrie comes back, he reveals that he knows who she is. In a time shift that confuses Carrie, the scene transitions to the present day in Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery—where Carrie is buried.
The baby Michael holds is his own and it’s revealed that Michael is a direct descendant of one of the children rescued by Carrie. He’s brought his daughter to Carrie’s grave to show her where they are from—an attempt to connect to his past.
Carrie learns that the home for orphans that she was working so hard to fund gets built—and still exists today. In an abstract merging of time and place, Michael, together with people directly changed by Carrie and her home, pays homage to her and her legacy—a legacy that continues to influence lives to this day.
Tomer Zvulun with the 2023 competition winners Dave Ragland and Selda Sahin, along with Antinori Foundation Grand Prize sponsor Ron Antinori. | photo: Raftermen
About Carrie Steele Logan
For more than 36 years, Carrie Steele Logan (c. 1829-1900) worked as a steward of the public—first as a matron at the Macon, GA, train depot, then as a maid at Atlanta’s Union Station train depot. Despite the fact that she was enslaved as a child, she learned to read and write early in her life and was described as a ‘noble Christian.’ Her compassion moved her to help the children she saw wandering the streets and the babies who were often abandoned at the train station. At first, she sheltered them in her home and received permission to tend to them in an abandoned train car while she was working. She raised money to build a home for the children by speaking about her life and by publishing and selling a small autobiography. The book was well received and in total, she raised $5,000.
She built a three-story brick orphanage that was dedicated on June 20, 1892, and brought in 50 children, who attended school, were taught domestic and farm skills, and trained in Bible studies. An updated and relocated facility, now called the Carrie Steele-Pitts Home, continues to provide shelter and services to children.
The first presentation of an excerpt from Steele Roots at the 2024 96-Hour Opera Festival with Indra Thomas singing the role of Carrie Steele. | photo: Raftermen
Carrie Steele Logan. | photo: public domain
Cast & Creative
Dave Ragland composer
Dave Ragland is a four-time EMMY-nominated composer, conductor, vocalist, and pianist based in Nashville, Tennessee. Known for his dynamic voice in contemporary classical, choral, and operatic music, Ragland has been praised as “über-talented” by The Nashville Scene. His compositions have been commissioned and performed by leading organizations including LA Opera, Portland Opera, Nashville Opera, the Nashville Symphony, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Ragland’s opera ONE VOTE WON, created to commemorate the centennial of women’s suffrage, earned two Mid-South Regional EMMY nominations and two Telly Awards. He received the 2021 American Prize in Composition and the 2022 Adams-Owens Composition Award from the African American Art Song Alliance. In 2024, he premiered Seven Prayers: Hope for Everyone, a choral work exploring diverse perspectives on hope, commissioned by Resonance Ensemble to wide acclaim. As the Artistic Director of Inversion Vocal Ensemble, Ragland leads a touring vocal collective that has performed with artists including Brandi Carlile, Ruby Amanfu, and Tanya Tucker. Inversion has appeared at the Ryman Auditorium and the National Museum of African American Music. Dedicated to mentorship and arts education, Ragland is a composer mentor for 91Classical’s Student Composer Fellowship and serves on the board of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. A passionate advocate for equity and storytelling in music, Ragland’s work reflects deep cultural insight and emotional resonance, positioning him as a vital voice in the American music landscape.
Selda Sahin librettist
Selda Sahin is a versatile Turkish-American songwriter, composer, and performer known for her work in musical theater, film, television, and pop music. Her accolades include a 2020 “Best of Fest” honor at The Adirondack Film Festival for American Reject and a finalist position in the 16th Annual Great American Song Contest for the song “The Storm.” Sahin wrote original songs for the feature film American Reject in collaboration with Derek Gregor, her long-time writing partner. Additionally, their musical Modern about a group of Amish teens on their Rumspringa was developed in 2019 at The Village Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals, the ASCAP Grow a Show Workshop, and The ASCPA Foundation’s Musical Theatre Workshop led by Stephen Schwartz. The work received further development at the Bloomington Playwrights Project in February 2022. With Autumn Reeser and Derek Gregor, Sahin developed a new musical titled Particle, which saw its original development at the Imagen program at Michigan State University in 2021. Sahin wrote the lyrics to the musical short film Grind starring Anthony Rapp. Her musical All Fall Down, for which she wrote both music and lyrics, was developed at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Penn State NuMusicals, and TheatreLab. She was selected for the ASCAP Songwriters Collective and received an Emmy for her work on Passion: Live at Lincoln Center at Lincoln Center.
Cast & Creative
Nicole Hardin conductor
Nicole Hardin is a versatile violinist, composer, arranger, and conductor based in Nashville, Tennessee. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, she earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education in 2005. Initially a music educator, Hardin transitioned to a full-time music career in 2013, which led her to work with renowned artists such as Lauryn Hill, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Mariah Carey, and Toni Braxton. As the founder of Strings Chick Music Company, Hardin has arranged and composed for major events, including the Grammy Awards, the Country Music Awards, and the American Music Awards. Her work has been featured on television programs like The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Jimmy Kimmel Show. In addition to her commercial work, Hardin is dedicated to promoting Black voices in classical music. She leads The Black Exchange, a string quartet that showcases the contributions of Black composers and musicians. The ensemble has performed at venues such as the Columbia Museum of Art as part of the “More Than Rhythm” series. Hardin’s recent solo work includes the 2024 single “Alive,” reflecting her ongoing evolution as an artist.
Tazewell Thompson director
Tazewell Thompson is an award-winning director of opera and theater who is also a playwright, librettist, lecturer, teacher, and actor. His opera, Blue, with composer Jeanine Tesori, won the Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera in 2020. The New York Times and Washington Post listed Blue as Best in Classical Music for 2019. Blue has been produced at The Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera, Dutch National Opera English National Opera, in Seattle, Pittsburg, and at Chicago Lyric Opera. His acapella musical Jubilee: Fisk Jubilee Singers premiered at the Seattle Opera in 2024. At Lincoln Center, his newly commissioned libretto for the world premiere of Gathering Song, was hailed by The New York Times as “thrilling in its polish and expressive range.” His poem Ghostlight: A Howl for the Lost City of Broadway was published in The New York Times as a lament for the many theaters closed by the pandemic. His work in the industry has been acclaimed with many awards and EMMY Award nominations.
Cast & Creative
Donald Eastman scenic, props & projection designer
The acclaimed designer’s premiere productions include Blue (Glimmerglass Festival), Steve Reich’s 3 Tales (BAM), Philip Glass’s Appomattox (Washington National Opera), Douglas Cuomo’s Arjuna’s Dilemma (BAM) and Tazewell Thompson’s Jubilee (Seattle Opera). His designs for opera and theatre have been seen across America and in Europe. Donald is a NEA/National Opera Institute grantee and the recipient of a Village Voice OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence.
Gibron Shepperd costume, wig & makeup designer
2019 CFDA future fashion graduate Gibron Whitney Shepperd was born in a multicultural/multi-ethnic home in Southern California. Shepperd’s work has been featured in print publications, films, and creative projects such as Human Shift, Wussy Magazine, and Beyonce’s Black as King. He creates a design world that is sophisticated and sensitive. Through the brand seek, Shepperd delivers intrinsically desirable clothing and art objects for men through the use of exceptional materials, textures, tantalizing colors, and provocative shapes and patterns. The philosophy at GIBRON is to push the field of menswear forward; the male form must be subjected to interpretation, objectified, and studied much like its female counterpart has been for centuries. Emphasizing gender neutrality and androgyny and removing the man from a “practical life,” exploring color and silhouettes from cultures beyond the western canon. In Fall 2020, Shepperd released Sons of Abraham, a visual memoir consisting of 15 short essays and poems that was the companion to his Spring 2019 collection of the same name. The following season held a book reading and art exhibition at the Wren’s Nest in the historic West End, Atlanta; presented by NBAF. Shepperd is currently living in Atlanta, developing a follow-up collection.
Cast & Creative
Jaime Mancuso lighting designer
Jaime Mancuso is a freelance lighting designer and this is her first design with The Atlanta Opera. As an Atlanta-based artist since 2020, she is very happy for this chance to design for opera. This cast, crew, and artistic team have been a blast to work with. Please enjoy this wonderful production! Some of her previous experience includes Dream Girls, Wicket, Vanity Fair, An Act of God, Evenings of Dance, Lord of the Flies, and Così Fan Tutte.
Martin Bakari Michael
Martin Bakari, tenor, is widely acclaimed for his portrayal of Charlie Parker in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, a role he has performed with Arizona Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Dayton Opera, New Orleans Opera, and Indianapolis Opera. Recent engagements have included Carmina Burana (Carnegie Hall), Kodály’s Psalmus Hungaricus (Grant Park Music Festival), the premiere of Paul Moravec’s A Nation of Others (Carnegie Hall), The Pirates of Penzance (Virginia Opera, Kentucky Opera), Madama Butterfly (Dallas Opera, Opera Philadelphia), Das Rheingold (Seattle Opera), Falstaff (Houston Grand Opera), Turandot (Opera Colorado), Le nozze di Figaro (Seattle Opera, Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival), The Cartography Project (Washington National Opera), and a United Kingdom recital tour (Mirror Visions Ensemble). Internationally, he has appeared at major venues in Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Frankfurt, Cologne, Tel Aviv, and Bari. Bakari’s 2024-25 season included Il barbiere di Siviglia (Indianapolis Opera), the premiere of Jubilee (Seattle Opera), Madama Butterfly (Utah Opera), La traviata (Seiji Ozawa Music Festival - Japan), Bootleg Joe in a workshop of The Factotum (Portland Opera), and appears with Boise Philharmonic, Calvin Oratorio Society, and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. Upcoming seasons include his debut with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (with recording), the Nashville Opera, Music of Remembrance, and Lyric Fest, and returns to Seattle Opera, Opera Colorado, Dayton Opera, and the Boise Philharmonic. A 2018 George London Competition award winner, Bakari’s Dowson Songs (Naxos) was featured by Opera News as a “Critic’s Choice” album.
Cast & Creative
Daniel Rich Raymond
Daniel Rich is a Baltimore-born baritone celebrated for his expressive voice and dynamic stage presence. A recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, he made his Met debut in the 2022–23 season in Der Rosenkavalier and has performed roles including Pâris in Roméo et Juliette and Chester in Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones. In 2024, he debuted at Des Moines Metro Opera as the First Nazarene and covered Jochanaan in Salome. He also appeared in the world premiere of American Apollo by Damien Geter and Lila Palmer, and debuted with Opera Philadelphia in Missy Mazzoli’s The Listeners, covering the roles of Dillon and Paul Devon. Rich’s concert work includes Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Alexandria Symphony, Carmina Burana with the Richmond Symphony and Berkshire Choral International, and sacred works by Mary Lou Williams and Duke Ellington at Walt Disney Concert Hall. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2019 with Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music under Leonard Slatkin. Rich holds degrees from Morgan State University and the Manhattan School of Music and has earned top honors in the George Shirley Vocal Competition and the Black Brilliance Art Song Competition.
Amanda Sheriff Ruth
Amanda Sheriff is an American soprano recognized for her expressive performances and vocal versatility. Completing her second year as a Studio Artist at The Atlanta Opera, she recently performed the role of Papagena in The Magic Flute. This season, she will also debut as Jess in The Listeners with Opera Philadelphia as well as returning to perform Zerlina in Don Giovanni. In 2024, Sheriff made her role debut as Musetta in La bohème with Intermountain Opera Bozeman and returned to the Glimmerglass Festival to perform Satirino/L’Eternità in La Calisto. During 2023, she was a finalist for the Ryan Center, joined The Atlanta Opera Studio program, and was a Young Artist at the Glimmerglass Festival, premiering the role of Calista in Rip Van Winkle. Sheriff’s earlier engagements include performing Despina in Così fan tutte with Opera Delaware and Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw with Opera Baltimore. She has also appeared as Miss Lightfoot in Fellow Travelers and covered roles in Platée during her time as an Apprentice Artist at Des Moines Metro. A graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance, Sheriff has been recognized for her tonal beauty and stage presence.
Cast & Creative
Rehanna Thelwell Sarah
Rehanna Thelwell, mezzo-soprano, is acclaimed for her magnetic performances and expressive vocal power in a wide variety of repertoire. A New Jersey native, she earned degrees from Northern Arizona University and the University of Michigan, where she studied with Nadine and Daniel Washington. Thelwell’s recent engagements include the title role in Carmen at Washington National Opera, which was hailed as “stupendous” by Parterre Box. She made her mainstage debut at San Francisco Opera performing in the premiere of Rhiannon Gidden’s Omar. She appears later this season as Forester’s Wife (The Cunning Little Vixen) with the Detroit Opera. A recent graduate of the Washington National Opera Cafritz Young Artist program, Thelwell was seen at the Dutch National Opera as Girlfriend/Congregant 3 in Jeanine Tesori’s Blue, roles which she reprised later in the season at Washington National Opera. Other notable roles include Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti and Anna in The Seven Deadly Sins with Madison Opera and Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with The Atlanta Opera.
Indra Thomas Carrie Steele
Known for her lush and warm voice, soprano Indra Thomas has performed at many of the world class opera houses and venues, such as the Metropolitan Opera and the Vienna State Opera; she has performed at prominent venues here in the US, France, Germany, Spain and England, including the Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall. Among numerous top orchestras with which she has appeared are the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony and Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra—as well as leading orchestras in Paris, Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands, Japan, Finland, South Korea, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, Boston, Cleveland and Detroit. Ms. Thomas has graced several famous music festivals such as the Bregenz Festspiele in Bregenz, Austria, Les Chorégies d’Orange in France and the Proms Summer Festival in London. Her movie credits are The Upside and the Academy Award-winning film Driving Miss Daisy. She was Emmy-nominated for her performance of the Porgy and Bess Suite on the New Year’s Eve Broadcast Live from Lincoln Center; Grammy-Nominated for her recording of Michael Tippett’s A Child Of Our Time with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Off-Broadway opera Intimate Apparel, a multiple award nominee. And lastly, Thomas is recipient of the Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement Award. Indra Thomas is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. She has a BM from Shorter College and an Artistic Diploma from the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She serves as Artist-in-Residence in Voice at Berry College in Rome, GA.
96-Hour Opera Project Showcase
Saturday, June 21, 2025 @ 3pm
Welcome Tomer Zvulun & Dr. David Morrow
Introductions Andrea Davis Pinkney, host
2025 Story Prompt
In Greek mythology, the original star-crossed lovers Pyramus and Thisbe whispered tender exchanges to each other through a crack in the wall that otherwise kept them apart. Write a scene in which two people who love each other break a boundary (or boundaries) to be together. What do they stand to lose by their defiance? What do they have to gain by accepting each other, fully and openly, for who they truly are?
10-Minute Scenes:
Desert Bloom
Gillian Rae Perry composer | Mo Holmes librettist
Teo - Isabella Chaney, mezzo-soprano
Mia - Talia Aull, soprano
Andrew Bayles music director/pianist
In sun-scorched West Texas, a young woman steals a moment with her ghostly lover and considers making the ultimate sacrifice in order to be together—truly—forever.
Rose, Tree (Rosenbaum and Li)
Dina Pruzhansky composer | Hai-Ting Chinn librettist
Oay Mei Li - Xiaohan Chen, mezzo-soprano
Mina Rosenbaum - Alexandra Watson, soprano
Aly Soriano music director/pianist
Two mothers—a Jewish Holocaust survivor and an American-born Chinese woman—overcome cultural boundaries to support their children’s interracial love in 1967 Atlanta.
sub rosa
Daniel Sabzghabaei composer | Ashlee Haze librettist
Reverend - Tiffany Uzoije, soprano
Parishioner - Ethan Godfrey, tenor
Tim McReynolds music director/pianist
A reverend and a parishioner must choose between sacred boundaries and forbidden desire during a powerful, confessional encounter.
TransBliss™
Rebecca Gray composer | Rachel Gray librettist
Kara - Leah Partridge, soprano
Alanna - Karina Mandock Saldivar, soprano
Choo Choo Hu music director/pianist
In a future ruled by translation tech, two people fall in love through an app— until its heavy-handed tone policing inspires them to share their true voices and vulnerabilities.
Mi sangre, mi corazón
Iván Enrique Rodríguez composer | Laura Barati librettist
Camila - Maria Clark, soprano
Santiago - Travis Hall, tenor
Eric Jenkins music director/pianist
A mother and son, torn apart by prejudice, must confront the cost of silence, the weight of forgiveness, and the fragile hope of finding each other before it’s too late.
A scene from Water Memory (Jala Smirti)
2024 Antinori Grand Prize Winner
Kitty Brazelton composer | Vaibu Mohan librettist
Chaowen Ting conductor | Erika Tazawa pianist
Janani - Indira Mahajan, soprano
Malli - Tanushka Sisodiya, soprano
Chandru - Jacob Lay, baritone
MPO - Samantha Burke, soprano
Joseph - Tim Miller, tenor
Hydrangea Chorus - Hanan Davis, soprano; Ebony Collier, alto; Tim Miller, tenor; Michael Ntwa Ydjumbwiths, bass
Intermission scan to vote for your favorite opera
Announcement of Winners
STAGE MANAGER Aletha Saunders
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Jonesia Williams
SUPERTITLES OPERATOR Amy Williams
PROGRAM DIRECTOR Jessica Kiger
NEW WORKS PRODUCER Alejandra Martinez
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Lesh’In Edwards
FESTIVAL INTERN Mehki Holly
JUDGES
Priti Gandhi
Ricky Ian Gordon
Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Tazewell Thompson
Tomer Zvulun
Perry & Holmes
Gillian Rae Perry Composer
Gillian Rae Perry is a composer and songwriter whose work explores mental health, childhood, the subconscious, and dream worlds. She is currently the Vanguard Emerging Opera Composer with Chicago Opera Theater. Her orchestral piece I’m Sorry to My Body won the 2023 Ravinia Breaking Barriers Call for Scores and was performed by the Chicago Philharmonic. Perry’s music has also been performed by the Tennessee Valley Music Festival Orchestra, Mostly Modern Orchestra, Euclid Quartet, Aperture Duo, and members of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, where she was a Composition Fellow from 2018 to 2020. She released two songwriter albums and two classical records, and has been praised as “audacious” and “thought-provoking” (Music Web International) and for “speaking from the heart” (Sinusoidal Music). She studied at the EAMA-Nadia Boulanger Institute in Paris, where she refined her skills in harmony, counterpoint, musicianship, and composition under renowned educators Narcís Bonet, Michelle Merlet, and Philip Lasser. She holds degrees in music composition and film from Southern Methodist University and an MFA in music composition from The California Institute of the Arts. Deeply influenced by film, dance, theater, and poetry, Perry creates emotionally resonant works that blur the lines between genres, often weaving text and music into immersive narratives.
Mo Holmes Librettist
Mo Holmes is a Black, queer, Southern playwright, librettist, and dramaturg, whose work explores identity, community, and resilience. Born in San Antonio and raised along the stretch from Texas to Alabama, her storytelling is known for its emotional depth, sharp wit, and innovative form. Mo is the recipient of the Next Wave Initiative Lorraine Hansberry Award, a Jane Chambers Playwriting Award finalist, and a two-time O’Neill National Playwrights Conference semi-finalist. Her writing has been produced and developed at esteemed institutions, including the Sam French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the Playwrights’ Center, Vertigo Theatre, and Minnesota Opera. As a dramaturg, Mo brings a thoughtful and collaborative approach to new play development, supporting artists at Good Apples Collective, the Guthrie Theater, Jungle Theater, and Columbia University School for the Arts. She emphasizes authenticity and clarity of vision in every project she touches. Currently an MFA candidate in Playwriting and an Undergraduate Writing Program Teaching Fellow at Columbia University School of the Arts, Mo is also passionate about arts accessibility and mentorship. She believes in storytelling as a tool for empathy and social change, continuing to create bold, resonant work that amplifies marginalized voices and challenges conventional narratives.
Pruzhansky & Chinn
Dina Pruzhansky Composer
Dina Pruzhansky is an award-winning composer and pianist whose work spans classical concert music, cabaret songs, liturgical pieces and musical theater. Born in Azerbaijan to Jewish Ukrainian parents and raised in Israel, she now lives in New York City. Praised for her “cinematic, movingly evoking” compositions (Broadway World) that “bring forth the liveliest playing” (The New York Times), she has performed in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, Bargemusic, Symphony Space, The 92nd Street Y, numerous international festivals, as well as broadcasts, including WQXRFM. Her opera-film Heroes of New York, (libretto by Briana Hunter), was selected for the Opera on Film Opera Philadelphia Festival O22. In 2014, her opera Shulamit premiered in NYC, and was later presented at the JCC of Manhattan Auditorium and shown, in part, at the Aspen Music Festival 2019. A graduate of the Mannes School of Music, she holds an MA in piano performance (summa cum laude) and a BA in art history. An alumnus of the BMI Advanced Musical Theater Workshop, Pruzhansky was named a finalist for the Fred Ebb Award for Excellence in Musical Theater writing (with librettist Matt Schatz), and for the NYMF 2019 (musical Central Park). A passionate educator and an arts advocate, she is the author of I Can Play Chopin, a beginner’s piano book, and is active in music education and lecture programs.
Hai-Ting Chinn Librettist
Hai-Ting Chinn’s performance career as a mezzosoprano spans music from medieval to new, and a range of theatrical styles from performance-practice to wildly experimental. She was featured in The Wooster Group’s La Didone, in the most recent revival of Einstein on the Beach, and in several monodramas written for her, as well as more standard operatic, oratorio, and concert repertoire. As a librettist, Hai-Ting has become known as a champion of science communication through song, especially focusing on the work of women in STEM. As such, she is the creator and librettist of Science Fair: An Opera With Experiments, a staged show of science set to music; Astronautica: Voices of Women in Space, a visual album of songs based on the words of women astronauts, created with vocal trio Triumphatrix; and Meltdown, (in which a glaciologist loses her cool), a collaboration with librettist David Cote and composer Stefan Weisman. Of mixed Chinese and Jewish ancestry, Hai-Ting is a native of Northern California and currently resides in New York City. She holds degrees from the Eastman and Yale Schools of Music.
Sabzghabaei & Haze
Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei Composer
Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei is a creator whose work examines time through different lenses—unpacking notions of tradition, exploring memories, and investigating nostalgic frameworks that lean forward. His music has been commissioned and presented by organizations including the New York Youth Symphony, JACK Quartet, Ensemble Proton Bern, Alarm Will Sound, National Sawdust, the International Contemporary Ensemble, the American Composers Orchestra, TAK Ensemble, loadbang, and the Duisburg Philharmonic. Additional collaborations include the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Beth Morrison Projects, bassist Robert Black, Contemporaneous, Guerilla Opera, Chorus Austin, the Young New Yorkers Chorus, Pro Coro Canada, The Esoterics, OPERA America, Vocal Essence, and others. His works have been presented at prominent festivals and venues such as the Intimacy of Creativity Festival, the New York Festival of Song, the Moab Music Festival, and the Banff Centre, among others. Daniel holds a doctorate from Cornell University and is currently a GATES Postdoctoral Fellow at Université Grenoble Alpes. Beyond his musical and interdisciplinary projects, he also translates Persian poetry, blending his creative and cultural passions into his artistry.
Ashlee Haze Librettist
Ashlee Haze is a celebrated poet and spoken word artist from Atlanta by way of Chicago with over 15 years of experience. Known for bringing poetry to unexpected spaces, she has collaborated with New York Fashion Week, Atlanta United, H&M, NPR’s Tiny Desk (with Blood Orange), and more. Her viral poem, For Colored Girls who Don’t Need Katy Perry when Missy Elliott is Enough, even inspired a visit from Missy Elliott herself. Ashlee won a 2023 Silver Telly Award for voiceover and original copywriting, and is the host of Moderne Renaissance, an educational podcast for creatives. Her poetry collection SMOKE, was released in 2020 with a second edition in 2023. She began writing at ten and became a Grand Prize Winner of V-103’s “Got Word” Youth Poetry Slam at age 15. A Georgia State University graduate with a degree in Philosophy, Ashlee transitioned to a full-time artist in 2016. In 2020, she founded Philosophy Media Group, a boutique production agency focused on film and audio storytelling rooted in her lived experiences. Her wide-ranging collaborations include artists such as Devonté Hynes, Andrea Gibson, and Ensemble Vim. A seasoned performer in National Poetry Slam competitions, Ashlee continues to amplify unheard voices through her work. When not writing, she enjoys cooking competition shows and connecting through her art.
Gray & Gray
Rebecca Gray Composer
Rebecca Gray is a soprano, composer and improviser who is passionate about performing and creating both classical and contemporary repertoire. Infusing queerness and feminism into her artistry, Rebecca’s work is marked by creativity, energy and a unique voice appreciated in the creation of new work. She has performed with Pacific Opera Victoria, Musique 3 femmes, Tapestry Opera, OperaQ, and Esprit Orchestra among others. Career highlights include premiering the lead in Pomegranate (2019) with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and appearing as a finalist at the Eckhardt-Gramatté Contemporary Music Competition. Her opera video Jess for Pacific Opera Victoria won an Opera America Award for Excellence in Digital Opera. Rebecca’s compositions merge lyricism and experimental approaches. She received an Opera America Discovery Grant and Canada Council funding for BUS Opera, an absurdist fantasy about millennial alienation on public transit. Her choral work Heaven is not Home, inspired by Wuthering Heights, won first prize at the 2024 SOCAN Awards for Young Composers. As a graduate of the University of Toronto Opera School, she performed roles such as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) and Diane (Orphée aux enfers). She collaborates frequently with ensembles such as FAWN Chamber Creative, Pro Coro, and Soundstreams. Her Raccoon Opera, created with writer Rachel Gray, explores the housing crisis and premiered in Montreal and Banff in 2024.
Rachel Gray Librettist
Rachel Gray is a multimedia artist based in Ottawa whose work explores intersections of art, ecology, and community. She has undertaken residencies at the Everglades National Park (Florida) and at the Klondike Institute for Art and Culture (Yukon) focusing on environmentally engaged artmaking. As the Artistic Director and later Executive Director of BEING Studio, a studio space for artists with developmental disabilities, she championed accessibility in the arts. Rachel frequently collaborates with researchers to create accessible, interdisciplinary projects. Notably, she worked with the Isenberg Lab to create an animated film to share stories from a palliative care unit, aiming to fight stigma and amplify marginalized voices. A founding member of Ghost Rooster, a disability arts collective dedicated to exploring the intersection of dance and film, Rachel integrates puppetry, visual art, dance and movement in her filmmaking aesthetic. The collective’s debut short film will tour Canada in 2025. Her work centers disability experiences and non-human consciousness, using collaborative and inclusive creative processes. She continues to seek opportunities to collaborate and explore art as a site for community connection. She has a BA in English from King’s College and Dalhousie University and a BFA in Visual Arts from the University of Ottawa.
Rodríguez & Barati
Iván Enrique Rodríguez Composer
Dr. Iván Enrique Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican composer celebrated for his fiery and emotionally powerful music. His works have been praised by the San Francisco Classical Voice, Boston Classical Review, and New York Concert Review and performed across the Americas and Europe in renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, Harpa in Iceland, and Jordan Hall in Boston. Rodríguez has garnered numerous awards, including the ASCAP Leonard Bernstein Award (2019) and ASCAP Rudolf Nissim Prize (2023). His international accolades include prizes at Italy’s Rimini International Choral Competition (2014) and the Maurice Ravel Composition Competition (2015). His orchestral work A Metaphor for Power, exploring themes of Latinx identity and equality, premiered with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra during the prestigious Edward T. Cone Composition Institute. Deeply committed to social justice, Rodríguez has collaborated with the Vision Collective to bring music to refugee communities and champions Puerto Rican heritage in works like Concerto for Puerto Rican Cuatro and Strings Orchestra His music has been recorded by prominent artists such as Lara Downes and soprano Stephanie Lamprea. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico and both Master’s and Doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School, where he was awarded the Gretchaninoff Memorial Prize and C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellowship.
Laura Barati Librettist
Laura Barati is a librettist and deviser whose work explores untold stories and layered identities, informed by her experience as the queer daughter of a Jewish Colombian mother and a Muslim Iranian father. She challenges traditional genres with a critical but joyful lens, examining intersection of gender, race, and sexuality. Her current commissions include The Interaction Effect with composer Pamela Stein Lynde for Fresh Squeezed Opera’s 2027 season, Caravana de mujeres with composer Nicolas Lell Benavides (in development with MassOpera’s New Opera Workshop), and Inside Out with composer-performer IVA. Past collaborations include 75 Miles with composer Matt Boehler, Henna Leaves and Uprising with composer Aleksandra Weil, Thirst with composer TJ Rubin, The Cost of Healing with Edward Shilts, the musicals How To Create A Young Girl with composer TJ Rubin, Miss Havisham’s Wedding with lyricist David Gomez and composer Jude Obermüller, and The Electric Brain’s We Regret To Inform You That Reza Is Dead. Her work has been presented at the American Opera Project, Opera America, The Tank, Prospect Theater Company, NYMF, and Don’t Tell Mama; and regionally at Washington National Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Lowbrow Opera Collective, Barrington Stage Company, and others. A resident artist at American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program, she holds an MFA in Graduate Musical Theatre Writing from NYU Tish and is a founding member of the Chicago-based devising collective The Electric Brain.
After the showcase on Saturday, June 21, scan this code to vote for your favorite opera, or visit atlantaopera.org/vote.
The Audience Choice winner will be announced following the showcase.
Scenes from the 2024 96-Hour Opera Festival. | photos: Raftermen, The Atlanta Opera Film Studio
AboutWater Memory (Jala Smirti) centers around Janani, a South Asian woman in her late 50s-mid 60s, with an incredible green thumb. Stylish and graciously commanding, Janani has been exhibiting signs of dementia, her condition rapidly worsening. Concerned about her well-being, her children decide to try using a Memory Processing Operator (MPO) as Janani’s home health aide. MPO will learn from Janani how she likes to live her life as well as becoming a memory bank where Janani can store treasured memories and information as her mind continues to fail. MPO can directly replicate Janani’s idiomatic patterns so recurrent information mirrors exactly Janani’s original input. A lover of gardening, Janani first teaches MPO about her garden. Janani learns to trust MPO to guide her through this next chapter of her life.
Now under development, Water Memory (Jala Smirti) was awarded the Antinori Foundation Grand Prize in the 96-Hour Opera Project in June 2024. Written by Kitty Brazelton and Vaibu Mohan, Water Memory (Jala Smirti) is based on a provided prompt of integrating AI into a creative work. The two were paired by the 96-Hour Opera Project team and the match was serendipity. Both composer Kitty Brazelton and librettist Vaibu Mohan shared the experience of witnessing the decline of a beloved older woman in their family due to dementia. For this creative team, Water Memory (Jala Smirti) has become a deeply personal story about the power of memory, family, and connection.
The winning team behind Water Memory (Jala Smirti) at the 2024 competition: Musical Director and Pianist Erika Tazawa; Composer Kitty Brazelton; Librettist Vaibu Mohan; and MezzoSopranos Hanan Davis and Xiaohan Chen. | photo: Raftermen
Kitty Brazelton Composer
Kitty Brazelton, a NYC-based composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist, has been recognized with two Opera America awards, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music and an NPR-broadcast choral commission with Garrison Keillor. She has always championed music’s power to unite. Brazelton’s recording project the world is not ending—we’ve been here before brings six works into immersive audio, with over 75 singers and instrumentalists recorded worldwide. Other milestone works include I am not my Photograph (you cannot erase me) premiered by the L.A.-based Isaura String Quartet, and Essential Prayers Project—an a cappella work that revisits the tradition of prayer in intimate house concert settings. Most recently, after leaving her professorship to compose full time, Brazelton teamed with digital multimedia MASARY Studios to create Recursion and Release —four hours of live a cappella choral music digitally transformed for FirstWorks Providence RI’s street festival. Brazelton’s vocal quintet sang newly composed polyphony, with text from Jack Kornfield’s guided “Meditation on Letting Go,” while attendees embarked on a physical journey through spatialized choral clouds of sound and light in the dark garden, chapel, and sanctuary of an 1847 church.
Vaibu Mohan Librettist
Vaibu Mohan is a writer, musician, dancer, director, and producer specializing in bringing South Asian forms of storytelling and theater into the Western sphere. She founded the series Work In Progress at 54 Below that gives early career writers a place to present their work. New York City premieres include: Life Of A Lemon (NYU/ AOP Opera Labs), Keep It Cheery (Brooklyn Children’s Theater), and the concert presentation of Sati: Goddess Incarnate at 54 Below in July 2023. Mohan debuted off-Broadway songwriting of Village Songs at Rattlestick Theater (Spring 2022) and is a writing consultant on White Rose (off-Broadway January 2024). As a Bharatnatyam performer and creator, Mohan creates pieces that stretch the genre and explore connections between disparate artforms. Mohan has performed at 54 Below, Greenroom 42, La Mama Theater, Lincoln Center, and Midnight Theater. She is a graduate of the NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program.
Tomer Zvulun with the 2024 competition winners Kitty Brazelton and Vaibu Mohan. | photo: Raftermen
Judges
Priti Gandhi
Priti Gandhi is a leader in opera administration, innovative casting, and a passionate artist advocate in the field. In 2023, she joined the artistic department of the Metropolitan Opera as Associate Director of the Laffont Competition—the largest nationwide search for new talent in the opera industry. After a long international opera career that included performances with companies like the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, UNAM in Mexico City, Seattle Opera, the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, she then transitioned into artistic administration with San Diego Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Portland Opera. Among her credits, she is a frequent speaker on national industry panels regarding artist advocacy and innovation in casting, a member of the artistic advisory council of the Asian Opera Alliance, and past advisor on grant panels for new works (such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Midwest, and Opera America). Ms. Gandhi is a recent Executive MBA graduate in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute, the American Express Women in Leadership Music Academy, an alumna of the Opera America Leadership programs, and a frequent judge for competitions such as The Richard Tucker Awards, the Friends of Eastman School of Music Vocal Competition, and the Belvedere Competition. She is also a sought-after audition master class instructor and career guest lecturer for young artists, with organizations including the New England Conservatory, The Juilliard School, The Denyce Graves Foundation, Mannes School of Music, University of California at San Diego, and young artist programs around the country.
Ricky Ian Gordon
Ricky Ian Gordon is a celebrated American composer whose work bridges art song, opera, and musical theater. Born in Oceanside, NY, and raised on Long Island, he studied piano, composition, and acting at Carnegie Mellon University before settling in New York City, where he became a prominent voice in contemporary vocal music. Gordon’s music has been performed and recorded by a host of renowned artists including Renée Fleming, Audra McDonald, Nathan Gunn, Kelli O’Hara, and Kristin Chenoweth. The New York Times described his style as “blithely blurring the lines between art song and high-end Broadway,” likening it to “caviar for a world gorging on pizza.” His operas include The Garden of the FinziContinis, Intimate Apparel, Ellen West, 27, Morning Star, A Coffin in Egypt, The Grapes of Wrath, and Orpheus and Euridice (OBIE Award). His musicals include Sycamore Trees and My Life with Albertine. Gordon’s next premiere is This House for Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and his Huit Chansons de Fleurs premiered at the Kennedy Center in 2024. He’s also widely recognized as a master teacher and frequent composer-in-residence across the U.S. He has received awards from ASCAP, NEA, Carnegie Mellon, and more. His works are published by Presser, Hal Leonard, and Carl Fischer and are widely recorded.
Judges
Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
Tinashe Kajese-Bolden is an award-winning director, actor, and producer currently serving as the Jennings Hertz Artistic Director at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. A graduate of the University of Illinois with a BFA in Studio Acting, she is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award for Directing. Recent directing credits include Toni Stone (co-production between Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Alliance Theatre), The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd and Nick’s Flamingo Grill (World Premieres at the Alliance Theatre), School Girls, Or the African Mean Girls Play (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre), Ghost (Alliance Theatre), Native Gardens (Virginia Stage Company), Pipeline (Horizon Theater), and Eclipsed (Synchronicity Theatre, Best Director Suzi Bass Award). She has also worked as a director and actor regionally and on and off Broadway making significant contributions with appearances in The Suicide Squad, Marvel’s Hawkeye, Cherish the Day, Dynasty, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. In her previous role as the BOLD Associate Artistic Director at Alliance Theatre, Kajese-Bolden stewarded the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab, cultivating new works for Atlanta-based artists, and oversaw the Spelman Leadership Fellowship, the first mentorship program of its kind partnering a regional theatre with an historically Black college and university to offer paid career opportunities for students interested in arts leadership positions.
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Andrea Davis Pinkney (author and librettist) is acclaimed as the librettist for the Houston Grand Opera’s The Snowy Day, with composer Joel Thompson, a work based on the beloved classic by Ezra Jack Keats. As a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of numerous books, Pinkney has garnered multiple Coretta Scott King Book Awards, the Boston Globe’s Horn Book Honor, and the Parenting Publications gold medal. She is a four-time NAACP Image award nominee, and has been inducted into the New York Writers Hall of Fame. She and her work are the subject of the Emmy-nominated short film, Andrea Davis Pinkney: National Author Engagement. As a producing partner, Pinkney has served as the creator of numerous theatrical and creative leadership roles at the Walt Disney Company, Essence magazine, the CBS Magazines Group, and Simon & Schuster.
Judges
Tazewell Thompson
Tazewell Thompson is an award-winning director of opera and theater who is also a playwright, librettist, lecturer, teacher, and actor. His opera, Blue, with composer Jeanine Tesori, won the Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera in 2020. The New York Times and Washington Post listed Blue as Best in Classical Music for 2019. Blue has been produced at The Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera, Dutch National Opera, English National Opera, in Seattle, Pittsburg, and at Chicago Lyric Opera. His acapella musical Jubilee: Fisk Jubilee Singers premiered at the Seattle Opera in 2024. At Lincoln Center, his newly commissioned libretto for the world premiere of Gathering Song, was hailed by The New York Times as “thrilling in its polish and expressive range.” His poem Ghostlight: A Howl for the Lost City of Broadway was published in The New York Times as a lament for the many theaters closed by the pandemic. His work in the industry has been acclaimed with many awards and EMMY Award nominations.
Tomer Zvulun
General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeli-born Tomer Zvulun is also one of opera’s most exciting stage directors, earning consistent praise for his creative vision, often described as cinematic and fresh. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses around the world, including The Metropolitan Opera, the opera companies of Israel, Buenos Aires, Wexford, Glimmerglass, Houston, Washington National Opera, Seattle, Detroit, San Diego, Minnesota, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and Wolf Trap, as well as leading educational institutes and universities such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, Boston University, and IVAI in Tel Aviv. Since becoming General and Artistic Director in Atlanta, he has increased the operations of the company from three to six productions per season, while stabilizing the financials and during his tenure, secured Atlanta Opera’s position as one of the top 10 opera companies in the US. Some of his noted achievements include launching the successful Discoveries series, creating the first young artist program, tripling the company’s annual fundraising, creating a film studio, and building a theatre in a circus tent where performances were conducted safely during the pandemic. He leads a creative team in mounting the first new production of all four operas of Wagner’s Ring cycle in the Southeast and the first since the pandemic in the U.S. The cycle continues next season with Twilight of the Gods. His work has attracted international attention by earning numerous awards and prizes including nomination of The Atlanta Opera for the International Opera Awards in London and the selection of his production Silent Night as both the Irish Times and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as production of the year. His focus on innovation led to an invitation to deliver a TED Talk as well as a case study being taught at Harvard Business School.
Atlanta Opera Staff
EXECUTIVE
Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun
Managing Director Micah Fortson
Executive Assistant & Board Liaison Misty Reid
Special Projects Manager Nancy Kritikos
ARTISTIC / MUSIC
Music Director Emeritus Arthur Fagen
Director of Artistic Administration
Artistic & Operations Manager
Meredith Wallace
Megan Bennett
Chorus & Orchestra Manager Chris Bragg
Artistic Services Coordinator
Orchestra Librarian
PRODUCTION
Production & Facilities Advisor
Elizabeth Graiser
Phil Parsons
Robert Reynolds
Director of Production Planning Meggie Roseborough
Director of Production Operations
Technical Director
Associate Technical Director
Associate Technical Director—Operations
Amy Smith
Rick Combs
Rodney Barge
Bram Sheckels
Props Supervisor & Artisan Paige Steffens
Production Finance Specialist Ruth Strickland
Calling Stage Manager
Liz Campbell
Assistant Stage Manager Julia Whitten
Competition Stage Manager Aletha Saunders
COSTUME
Costume Director
Sarah Burch Gordon
Show Manager Paula Peasley-Ninestein
Communications Coordinator
Stock Manager / Wardrobe Supervisor
Master Draper / Tailor
First Hand .....................................
Lead Stitcher
Stitcher
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION
Allison Hines
Jenn Rogers
Mary Cruz Torres
Gibron Shepperd
Margaret Tennant
Michelle Lee
Director of Community Engagement & Education Jessica Kiger
Education Manager
Amy Williams
Community Engagement & Education Coordinator Jonesia Williams
Community Engagement & Education Associate Julia Whitten
DEVELOPMENT
Development Managing Director ............... Jessica Langlois
Director of Development—Individual Giving ......Jonathan Blalock
Associate Director of Development Operations Katy Gardner
Board Relations & Campaign Manager ..............Aaron Walker
Individual Giving Manager ...................... Luke MacMillan
Development Communications & Volunteer Coordinator Sasha Svirshch
FINANCE
Chief Financial Officer Christina Paloski
Controller Lawanda Coleman
Accounting Manager Britt Herring
Senior Accountant David Tubbs, Jr.
ADMINISTRATION
Chief Administrative Officer Kathy J. White
Director of Facilities Kenneth R. Timmons
HR Manager Winona Cobb
MARKETING
& AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Director of Sales & Marketing Rebecca Brown
Creative Services Manager Matt Burkhalter
Assistant Director of Sales & Marketing Emily Crisp
Box Office Associate Patty de la Garza, Justin Stanley
COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Director of Communications & Public Relations Michelle Winters
Communications & Marketing Manager Ashley May King
THE ATLANTA OPERA FILM STUDIO
Director of The Atlanta Opera Film Studio Felipe Barral
Short-Form Video Editor Brittney Fontus
THE ATLANTA OPERA STUDIO ARTISTS
Stage Director Elio Bucky
Mezzo-Soprano
Aubrey Odle
Tenor Wayd Odle
Soprano Amanda Sheriff
Bass-Baritone..................................... Jason Zacher
PRODUCTION SUPPORT
96-HOUR OPERA FESTIVAL LIVESTREAMS
Additional Camera Operators
Sound Capture & Live Mixing
Sound Monitor
Livestream Technical Operator
Livestream Technical Support
Switcher Operator
Adam Khan, Valeriia Luhovska, AJ Paug
Tim Whitehead
Preston Goodson
Gerald Griffith
Keelan Bearden
Felipe Barral-Secchi
