This program is produced for the New Orleans Opera Association by: Renaissance Publishing, LLC 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Ste. 123 Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 myneworleans.com New Orleans Opera Association 2504 Prytania Street New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 529-2278 Fax (504) 529-7668 neworleansopera.org Executive Editor Jillian Eskew
TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome
4
Performances
7
Cast
12
Women's Guild
17
Scenic Studio
18
A Tribute to David Morelock
20
Upcoming Events
22
Editor Ashley McLellan Art Director Ali Sullivan Senior Account Executive Brooke Genusa Production Manager Rosa Balaguer Arostegui Production Designer Ashley Bravata Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne Copyright 2026 New Orleans Opera Association and Renaissance Publishing, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. © New Orleans Opera Association
NOOA STAFF Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer: Stephanie Laurent Technical Director: Stephen Thurber Producing Artistic Director: Clare Burovac Chorus Master: Carol Rausch Director of External Affairs: Christopher Tidmore Office Manager: Simone Henderson Marketing Manager: Jillian Eskew Box Office Associate: Tricia Anderson Administrative Coordinator: Darby Clinard Accounting Associate: Donna Falgout
NewOrleansOpera.org
3
WELCOME
Welcome to the 2026-27 Distinguished Artists Series and Holiday Concert presented by your New Orleans Opera Association. The setting for this series offering is our incomparable Guild Home in the heart of the Garden District. Enjoy perennial favorites of our stage, Sarah Jane McMahon and Kameron Lopreore, performing highlights from works staged by David Morelock during his own long and distinguished career with us. Hear celebrated soprano, Amanda Majeski, perform art songs by women composers as well as beloved 19th-century lieder. And, experience tenor, Blake Friedman, perform a fascinating program of works by Jewish composers. Along the way, celebrate the holidays with us when Knox Van Horn performs holiday favorites in the festively decorated parlor of the Guild Home. Our goal in presenting this series is to take advantage of the intimacy and hospitality of our Guild Home to feature distinguished artists making unforgettable musical memories for you and your friends. Sit back, relax, and enjoy great music with us. Jay Gulotta, President of the New Orleans Opera Association
4
New Orleans Opera Association
NewOrleansOpera.org
5
6
New Orleans Opera Association
2026 - 2027 Distinguished Artists & Christmas Concert Series
NewOrleansOpera.org
7
October 8 and 10, 2026
Distinguished Artist Concert Series In honor of David Morelock SOPRANO
Sarah Jane McMahon TENOR
Kameron Lopreore PIANIST
Carol Rausch
8
New Orleans Opera Association
December 5 and 9, 2026
Holiday Concert: Christmas Classics Experience Christmas Magic TENOR
Knox Van Horn PIANIST
Micheal Paternostro
January 14 and 16, 2027
Distinguished Artist Concert Series Celebrating the Artistry and Legacy of Woman Composers Alongside 19th-Century Lieder SOPRANO
Amanda Majeski PIANIST
Miloš Repický
10
New Orleans Opera Association
May 13 and 15, 2027
Distinguished Artist Concert Series Exploring the Rich Musical Legacy of Famous and Forgotten Jewish Composers TENOR
Blake Friedman PIANIST
Amir Farid
CAST Kameron Lopreore, Tenor NEW ORLEANS OPERA DEBUT:
Chevalier, Dialogues of the Carmelites, 2025 RECENTLY:
• Pinkerton, Madama Butterfly, Austin Opera • The Prince, Rusalka, Pacific Northwest Opera • Rodolfo, La bohème, The Atlanta Opera UPCOMING:
• Nikolaus Sprink, Silent Night, The Atlanta Opera • La fanciulla del West, Metropolitan Opera • Alfredo, La traviata, Austin Opera & Opera San Antonio • Tamino, The Magic Flute, Florentine Opera
Sarah Jane McMahon, Soprano NEW ORLEANS OPERA DEBUT:
Valencienne, The Merry Widow, 2005 RECENTLY:
• Stella, A Streetcar Named Desire, Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires, Argentina) • Sofia Consoli the Opera Singer, AMC+’s Interview with the Vampire • Soprano Soloist, Faure Requiem, The Shreveport Symphony • Soprano Soloist, Christmas Concert, The Williamsburg Symphony • Micaela, Carmen, Opera Idaho UPCOMING:
• Executive Producer, Scalia/Ginsburg, Federal Bar Association, U.S. District Court • Conductor and Director of Sacred Music, The St. Louis Cathedral Choir and Orchestra Concert • Soprano Soloist, Tricentennial Celebration Concert, St. Mary’s Italian Church • Soprano Soloist, Concert at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence, Paris, France
Carol Rausch, Pianist NEW ORLEANS OPERA DEBUT:
Chorus Master, Macbeth, 1994 RECENTLY:
• Music Director/Conductor, Susannah, Loyola Opera Theatre CURRENT:
• Chorus Master, New Orleans Opera • Chorus Master & Music Administrator, Chautauqua Opera • Instructor of Opera Workshop, Loyola University New Orleans
12
New Orleans Opera Association
Knox van Horn, Tenor NEW ORLEANS OPERA DEBUT RECENTLY:
• Benny Southstreet, Guys and Dolls, Le Petit Theatre • Enoch Snow, Carousel, Summer Lyric Theatre. UPCOMING:
• Albert Lenox, The Secret Garden, Le Petit Theatre.
Micheal Paternostro, Pianist NEW ORLEANS OPERA DEBUT RECENTLY:
• Oscar Levant, Good Night, Oscar, Le Petit Théâtre • Michael/Dorothy, Tootsie, Moonlight Amphitheatre • Lumière, Beauty and the Beast, Moonlight Amphitheatre • Musical Director, Something Rotten!, Moonlight Amphitheatre CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
• Moisheleh/Milt, Soul Doctor, Broadway • Greg, A Chorus Line, Broadway • Billy Van Cleve, Sweet Smell of Success, Broadway • Carmen Ghia, The Producers, Broadway National Tour
Amanda Majeski, Soprano NEW ORLEANS OPERA DEBUT RECENTLY:
• Marta, The Passenger, Oper Frankfurt • Soloist, Beethoven 9, Boston Symphony • Title role, Salome, Semperoper Dresden • Title role, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, BBC Proms • Title role, Káťa Kabanová, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden • Gutrune, Götterdämmerung, Act 3, Tanglewood Music Festival UPCOMING:
• Soloist, Recital, Art Song Chicago
NewOrleansOpera.org
13
CAST Miloš Repický, Pianist NEW ORLEANS OPERA DEBUT RECENTLY:
• Assistant Conductor & Prompter, Metropolitan Opera • Musical preparation, Jenůfa, Metropolitan Opera • Musical preparation, La fanciulla del West, Metropolitan Opera • Conductor, Fallujah, Kennedy Center CURRENT:
• Director, Vocal Studies and Opera, Curtis Institute of Music • Assistant Conductor & Prompter, Metropolitan Opera • Artistic Director, Music for Montauk
Blake Friedman, Tenor NEW ORLEANS OPERA DEBUT RECENTLY:
• Tenor Soloist, Liebeslieder Walzer, New York City Ballet • Tenor Soloist, Schubert: Mass in G, Carnegie Hall • Osiride, Mosè in Egitto, Opera Southwest • Conte Almaviva, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Anchorage Opera
Amir Farid, Piano
NEW ORLEANS OPERA DEBUT RECENTLY:
• Solo recital debut, Weill Recital Hall/Carnegie Hall • Carmina Burana, Oratorio Society of New York, Carnegie Hall CURRENT:
• Staff pianist, Vocal Faculty, The Juilliard School • Pianist, Exponential Ensemble
14
New Orleans Opera Association
NewOrleansOpera.org
15
16
New Orleans Opera Association
WOMEN'S GUILD
The Women’s Guild offers tours of the Guild Home on all Mondays, excluding holidays, between Sept. 14, 2026 and May 24, 2027. Group tours (minimum 10 people) are offered all year, 7 days a week. Appointments for these tours are offered at nolaoperaguild.com/tours. The Guild Home is available for booking for weddings and private parties. If you have any interest, please reach out to nolaoperaguildmedia@gmail.com for more information. The Women’s Guild is a great way to support the arts in New Orleans through volunteer work, as well as educational and social events. The Women’s Guild also hosts a number of events throughout the year, from the Emerging Artists concert series to Mahjong Night to the Mad Hatter’s Gala. Please check out their calendar at nolaoperaguild.org/ calendar to learn more.
If you are interested in joining the Women’s Guild, information is available at nolaoperaguild.org/info.
NewOrleansOpera.org
17
SCENIC STUDIO
H. Lloyd Hawkins Scenic Studio is one of the foremost rental studios of opera scenery and properties in the country, maintaining an inventory of 22 opera productions for both large and small venues. The H. Lloyd Hawkins Scenic Studio is also home to a 30,000 square foot design studio that has a full carpentry and metal shop, a spacious 80’x80’ paint deck and a fully equipped sewing room. It is staffed for year round construction and refurbishing. We can build props and sets to your specifications or if you have a scenic idea but no design, consult with our resident designer about your ideas.
Contact us today so that we can help meet your theatrical needs! Stephen Thurber, Technical Director: sthurber@neworleansopera.org
18
New Orleans Opera Association
NewOrleansOpera.org
19
A TRIBUTE TO DAVID MORELOCK When David Morelock, my friend of many decades, passed away on May 13,2026, he left behind an unmatched legacy of work with the New Orleans Opera Association. The number of operas he staged with the local company certainly will never be equaled. Nor will the fact that he began his local career, not as a stage director, but as a delightful performer in a varied repertoire. Mere statistics can’t tell you of David’s elegance and wit. His incredible knowledge of opera and opera performance history, and his knowledge of several languages. How wonderful it was to be with him, as he recounted delightful and often humorous stories of his life in the theater. To know David was to be in awe of a truly brilliant man. And New Orleans is lucky that he chose to share his brilliance not only as a performer and stage director, but as a guide and mentor to young singers through his work as Director of Loyola Opera Theater. Thank you David, for all you have given to the world of Opera. As you listen to our specially curated musical selections – please remember that they are inextricably linked to David’s brilliantly staged opera performances that so thrilled local audiences for many seasons. Jack Belsom, Archivist New Orleans Opera
20 New Orleans Opera Association
NewOrleansOpera.org
21
22 New Orleans Opera Association
NewOrleansOpera.org
23