OPERA AMERICA SELECTS 14 PARTICIPANTS FROM THE U.S., CANADA AND EUROPE FOR ITS 2016 LEADERSHIP INTENSIVE PROGRAM

Morgan Beckford is a fellowship coach with the Memphis Music Initiative, where she leads a group of musicians in their work with Memphis-area music programs. She is also the children’s chorus director and Summer Conservatory director at Opera Memphis, having directed the children’s choruses for Hansel and Gretel in 2014 and Pagliacci in 2015. Beckford has been passionate about getting students involved with opera since high school, and she is a proud alumna of Opera Memphis’ Conservatory Program. In her free time, she enjoys singing with the Opera Memphis Chorus and in musical theater productions around Memphis. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, in May 2013 with a Master of Music in solo voice, and she received her B.A. in voice from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010.

Michael Blais has been with the Manitoba Opera team for six years, and he currently serves as the company’s director of administration. A former professional dancer, he graduated from the School of Contemporary Dancers with a B.A. (hons.) from the University of Winnipeg. Blais has performed professionally with Le Groupe Dance Lab and Ruth Cansfield Dance. After retiring from dance, Blais transitioned to administration, starting at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts in the position of student and faculty services coordinator. In 2010, he joined Manitoba Opera as part of the company’s transition away from third-party box office services. After three years, Blais was promoted to his current position, in which he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office, working with the board of trustees, organizational governance, box office management, development, and assisting the general director and chief financial officer.

As general director of Opera Orlando, Vincent Connor works with the board of directors to continually increase the company’s visibility and social impact in the community. Connor is an active stage director and is known for his work with WGN’s hit television series Manhattan. He has been praised by the website Living at the Opera for his “remarkable directorial touches” and for his productions containing “dynamic energy” and “nuance and balance.” Connor has directed for companies such as Opera North, Marble City Opera, Opera in the Ozarks and Brevard Music Festival’s Janiec Opera, among others. He is also the co-founder of the online publication Sexi Soprano. Previously, Connor served as director of the Opera Workshop at the University of Delaware, and he worked in administration at the University of Pennsylvania, UMKC Conservatory and the University of Arizona. He has performed leading baritone roles and recitals throughout the U.S. and Italy.

After graduating from Oxford University with a B.A. in Italian and from University College London with an M.A. in European culture and thought, Hannah Griffiths started her career with English National Opera (ENO) as senior producer for its ENO Baylis program. In 2011, she became learning and participation manager at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where she produced a range of creative work with, by and for a broad spectrum of participant groups. During this period, Griffiths was also a member of Opera Europa’s Young Delegates Think Tank. Her passion for Sweden led her to accept the position of head of participation and learning at GöteborgsOperan in 2014. In her current role, Griffiths is part of the artistic department, working on productions and creative projects with the artists of GöteborgsOperan and with diverse communities in the Västra Götaland region of Sweden.

David Lomeli joined The Dallas Opera in 2014 as artistic coordinator. The following year, he was promoted to assistant artistic administrator and special projects, also becoming the first program manager for TDO’s Institute for Women Conductors. Before joining TDO, Lomeli performed as a tenor with many of the world’s leading companies worldwide, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, La Scala and San Francisco Opera. He earned an engineering degree in computer science from the ITESM in Mexico and a post-graduate joint degree in international marketing from the Politècnica de Catalunya and Università di Milano. Since 2014, he has been a consultant for the agency TCM, which handles the career of tenor Javier Camarena. He is a recipient of the National Youth Prize in Arts from the Mexican Government and the First Prize in Plácido Domingo’s Operalia. He has been featured in TED Talks in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Milan, Italy. Lomeli is fluent in Spanish, Italian, French and English.

Colleen Maybin is the director of education and community engagement at Vancouver Opera. She started her career as a teacher in Vancouver and was instrumental in the establishment of the Sarah McLachlan School of Music. After many years mentoring teacher candidates at the University of British Columbia, Maybin moved into nonprofit arts education. In 2009, she became manager of the Arts College at Regent High School in London, England. There, she worked with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Shakespeare Company and Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. After returning to Vancouver, she became the district manager for Arts Umbrella in Surrey. An avid musician, Maybin has been a member of the Band of the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, the Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Vancouver Bach Choir and the award-winning Kew Wind Ensemble in London, England. She sits on the boards of Music on Main and the Coalition for Music Education in British Columbia and is working on a Ph.D. at Simon Fraser University.

Chandra McKern joined Pensacola Opera in 2015 and now serves as its managing director. Previously, she served as director of education and outreach at Nashville Opera, where she was responsible for all aspects of the education and outreach programs, including the Mary Ragland Young Artist Program. Prior to Nashville Opera, McKern was the education director at Pensacola Opera from 2009 to 2012, and she spent four years working for Goldman Sachs and two years at Rockefeller University in New York. Before transitioning to arts administration, McKern had an extensive performing career working with several opera companies, including Tulsa Opera, Opera Birmingham, Nevada Opera, Chicago Opera Theater and Central City Opera. Chandra holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of Music from Indiana University.

Patrick Mühlen-Schulte is part of Houston Grand Opera’s development team, which has a responsibility to raise more than $16 million annually. His focus is on major gifts and individual giving. Mühlen-Schulte has worked as an arts administrator and consultant to major performing arts companies and venues in the U.S. and Australia. Prior to joining Houston Grand Opera, he worked in New York as a corporate business development manager and external affairs executive with Marsh & McLennan, a global financial services and consulting firm. He has an extensive background as a senior policy advisor and chief of staff in the Australian government sector, leading teams in the finance, trade and cultural portfolios. Mühlen-Schulte holds a Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Bachelor of Arts with honors from the University of Sydney, where he majored in vocal studies.

Michelle Myers is a passionate young arts administrator who has loved music and theater from an early age, supporting the arts throughout her life in many capacities, from actor to stage manager to administrator. She currently holds the position of manager of constituent relations at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where she has implemented many innovative and successful new projects and strategies to support the success of the company’s mission. She works with the company’s board of directors and oversees the company’s more than 300-member volunteer guild, in addition to coordinating strategic planning and the stewardship of endowment and planned giving donors. Myers received her B.A. in music business from Southern Illinois University and is a member of the 2016 class of Emerging Leaders at FOCUS St. Louis.

Claire Padien-Havens currently works in the office of the general director of San Francisco Opera, where she oversees special projects and serves as liaison to the board of directors. She has led initiatives at the company, including the leadership transition process, and she oversaw the management of the David Gockley farewell gala concert. Padien-Havens played an active role as a team member for the company’s recent collective bargaining sessions and was an integral participant of the formation of San Francisco Opera’s new experimental programming arm, SF Opera Lab. She is a graduate of New York University and was born and raised in Massachusetts.

Ashley Parks has served as the director of development at North Carolina Opera since March 2016. As the sole development officer, she is responsible for managing the company’s $1.3 million overall fundraising initiatives. Prior to NCO, Parks was the deputy director, patron and individual giving, at the Metropolitan Opera. She was responsible for a team that raised $20 million annually through gifts of $2,500 to $25,000. In addition to managing the renewals of over 4,000 patrons, she also staffed two board members and her own portfolio of more than 100 donors. Parks previously held positions with Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, the Peace Center and Brevard Music Center. She was a panelist on a session promoting positive relationships between opera companies and volunteer guilds at Opera Conference 2012: Creative Resurgence. A trained pianist, Parks has a B.M. in music theory from Furman University and an M.A in arts management from American University.

Two-time Grammy nominee Jennifer Rivera has sung leading roles for opera companies on five continents, including in Germany, Italy, China, Japan, Australia and South America, as well as all over the United States. She recently won the Helpmann Award, Australia’s equivalent to the Tony Award, and was named Debut Artist of the Year in 2001 at New York City Opera, where she began her career and performed over 70 performances during eight seasons. Career highlights include creating roles in three world premieres: Becoming Santa Claus with The Dallas Opera, The Golden Ticket with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Elmer Gantry with Nashville Opera. Rivera is a popular contributor to the Arts and Culture section of The Huffington Post, where she advocates for opera. She currently holds the position of director of artistic development at the Center for Contemporary Opera, where she has worked in fundraising, including donor cultivation and grant writing; artistic administration; casting and hiring singers, conductors and directors; working directly with composers; and ushering the company into a festival format.

Sarah Squire, director of operations at Opera Memphis, has been with the company since 2006. In her current position, she has helped develop and produce Opera Memphis’ annual 30 Days of Opera and the Midtown Opera Festival. She has held various positions at Opera Memphis, including director of education and outreach, artistic administrator, company manager, chorus manager and rental coordinator. Squire has created and written the librettos for five operettas performed by young people, two children’s operas (The Playground King and The Christmas List) and two musical reviews. She has directed numerous educational touring shows, operettas and scenes at Opera Memphis, as well as musical reviews for AIC Choir Camp. Squire is a staff singer and the assistant director of the Boys and Girls Choir at Calvary Episcopal Church. She holds Bachelor of Arts degrees from Rhodes College and the University of Central Arkansas, and she has a Master of Music in voice performance from Louisiana State University.

Lydia Zodda is an arts administrator and performer based in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is currently the operations manager at Ash Lawn Opera, and she was previously with the artistic administration at San Francisco Opera. Zodda holds a Bachelor of Music with honors and Master of Arts in music, science and technology from Stanford University, as well as a Master of Music in vocal performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She was the recipient of the Sudler Prize for the Arts at Stanford, and she was elected commencement speaker for SFCM’s 2014 ceremony, where she spoke about the importance of leadership and outreach in the arts. Her work at Ash Lawn Opera has focused on community engagement, in-depth patron analysis and innovative marketing initiatives.