2026 Resident Artists
John Bartenstein, Lighting Designer and Production Manager, La Cenerentola, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Fiddler on the Roof.
John Bartenstein returns to Opera North for another season. His career design highlights include Les Misérables and Evita with Lauren Kennedy; Oliver! and Miss Saigon with Kevin Gray; Steel Magnolias with Tony Award winner Beth Leavel; Cabaret with Deborah Gibson, The King and I with Golden Globe winner and Tony-nominated Lou Diamond Phillips, Fiddler on the Roof with Tony-nominate Paul Sorvino, Driving Miss Daisy with Sandy Duncan; The Full Monty with Emmy winner Sally Struthers, Jekyll and Hyde with Sebastian Bach; The Producers with Bill Burns; and Sweeny Todd with Tony-winner Norm Lewis.
Kyle Ahmeer Bethea, 2026 Guest Artist. Miner-Lead Dancer, Windsor Ballroom Guest, Wedding Footman, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Kyle Ahmeer Bethea is a NJ/NYC based actor, singer, and dancer who recently received his BFA in Musical Theatre at Montclair State University. During his time there, he performed in musicals such as Spring Awakening (Melchior), Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (Gregory), and Jesus Christ Superstar (Pilate). Before Montclair, Kyle Ahmeer attended Mercer County Community College where he earned his Associate’s in Fine Arts and had the opportunity to perform for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, winning the Excellence in Devised Theatre Award. Kyle Ahmeer is currently on the Book of Mormon National Tour as a Swing and Dance Captain. Regional Theaters include; Timber Lake Playhouse and John W. Engeman Theater. Please, with an open heart, enjoy! | Instagram: @k_abethea | Website: www.kyleahmeer.com.
Maureen Brennan, 2026 Principal Artist. Yenta, Fiddler on the Roof.
Maureen returns to Opera North this year bringing a wealth of experience and charm. Her accomplishments include… Broadway: Candide (Tony nomination, Theatre World Award), Going Up, Knickerbocker Holiday, Little Johnny Jones, Stardust. Opera North: Mrs. Mullins and Star keeper, Carousel. Jack’s Mother, Into the Woods. Regional: (select) Les Misérables, La Cage aux Folles, You Can’t Take it With You, Annie get Your Gun, My Fair Lady, Gypsy, Carousel, Side by Side by Sondheim, History of the American Film, The Most Happy Fella, I do! I do! Sylvia, Sound of Music, Calendar Girls, Film: Disney soundtracks; Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Concerts: SUNRISE, SUNSET, The Songs of Sheldon Harnick, Together Again- Brennan and Dvorsky in Concert. Current: Eleanor and Alice, Conversations Between Two Remarkable Roosevelts. www.maureenbrennan.com.
Linda Brovsky, Director, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Linda Brovsky’s innovative productions are found throughout the United States and internationally, including the Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Los Angeles Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Glimmerglass Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera, with repertoire ranging from standard classics to world premieres. She recently made her debut with the Canadian Opera Company directing her critically acclaimed Seattle Opera production of Don Quichotte starring Ferruccio Furlanetto, Anita Rachvelishvili and Quinn Kelsey. Other credits include Aida for Opera Carolina, La Traviata for Cincinnati Opera, Tosca for Portland Opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Madama Butterfly for the Pittsburgh Opera, Rigoletto for Seattle Opera, Die Zauberflote for Portland State University, Guys and Dolls for Charlottesville Opera, L’Elisir d’Amore for Teatro Petrarca (Italy) and Indiana University Opera Theater, The Gypsy Baron for Manhattan School of Music, and Countess Maritza for Pacific Opera Victoria in British Columbia.
Orion Carter, 2026 Guest Artist, Fiddler on the Roof.
Orion is so excited to be a part of Opera North’s production of Fiddler On The Roof. He is a graduate of the Musical Theatre BFA program at Wright State University. Orion is especially excited to help tell this story because in our current world, it’s important to say out loud, “No one ever should be forcibly displaced from their home, their family, and their culture.” Orion would like to thank his mom for supporting him on all his goals.
Keaton Brown, 2026 Resident Artist, baritone. Male Quartet Baritone 1, Dandini cover, La Cenerentola; Bushy, 2nd Dandy, Farmer at Rally, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Perchick, Fiddler on the Roof.
This season Mr. Brown will be a resident artist with Opera North, will be seen in Houston Grand Opera’s touring production of The Velveteen Rabbit, and will debut with HOPERA in their new adaptation of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti. He will also be the baritone soloist for Handel’s Messiah with the Brazosport Symphony and for Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Bach Society Houston. In the 2024-25 season, Mr. Brown was an Emerging Artist with Nashville Opera, performing as Boatswain in H.M.S Pinafore. He debuted as the baritone soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Symphony of Southeast Texas. Mr. Brown was an emerging artist with the Seagle Festival for two summers, where he performed the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Fredrik in A Little Night Music. Mr. Brown received his Master of Music degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and his Bachelor of Music degree from San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Linda Collazo, 2026 Resident Artist, mezzo-soprano. Effie, Farmer Wife, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Shaindel, Fiddler on the Roof.
Linda performed this season at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium as a soloist with Choirs of America, as Dorabella in Così fan tutte with Bronx Opera, as Indy in the new opera To The People Like Us by Jorge Sosa with White Snake Projects, and presented a recital with the Savannah Voice Festival, a solo in Handel’s El Mesías with Orlando Sings, and enjoyed a Zarzuela residency with Pablo Zinger and Maria Brea at Teatro Circulo in NYC. She has covered Carmen in The Opera Next Door’s production of La Carmencita at Lincoln Center and as Studio Artist at Opera Orlando sang Shepherd Boy in Tosca; Frida (cover), Lupe, and Natalia Trotsky in Frida; Wood Sprite 2 in Rusalka; Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor; and Stepmother in The Juniper Tree. Other engagements include Carmen in La Tragedie de Carmen with Camerata New Jersey, soloist at Lincoln Center, Vocal Fellow at Aspen Music Festival, and young artist with Opera Naples, Sarasota Opera, and Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance. Linda has received awards from the Laffont and Gerda Lissner Competitions.
Lwazi Dlamini, 2026 Resident Artist, baritone. Dandini, La Cenerentola; Barney, 3rd Dandy, Miner at Rally, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Lwazi was born in The Kingdom of Eswatini and began undergraduate vocal studies in 2017 at the University of Cape Town, where he sang numerous roles, including the Count in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Marco in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Guglielmo in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte. Lwazi received the Bachelor of Music (BM) degree from South African College of Music (SACM, UCT) in 2020. He then entered the Cape Town Opera Judith Nelson Young Artist Program, graduating in March 2024 having sung two Puccini roles, Rambaldo in La Rondine and Schaunard in La Boheme. He also sang the role of Zurga in Bizet’s Pearl Fishers, as Peter in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, as bass soloist in Händel’s Messiah and in the title role in Gianni Schicchi. In August 2024, Lwazi moved to Dallas and began his study with Professor Hill Moore at SMU where he earned the Performers Diploma in December 2025, singing the roles of The Clock in L’enfant et les sortileges by Ravel, and the Judge in Sweeny Todd. He won Third Place in the TEXOMA Region NATS Competition, and Third Place in the TEXOMA NATS Artist Award and last summer, sang the role of Billy in Carousel at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein. This past January, Lwazi won Third Prize in the 7th UNISA International Voice Competition in Pretoria, South Africa, then returned to Dallas to begin his MM in Voice, which he expects to complete in 2027. As a member of The Dallas Opera Education and Outreach Young Artists program since fall 2024, Lwazi has sung the roles of the King and the Businessman in TDO productions of The Little Prince. He sang the role of Papageno in SMU’s production of Mozart’s Magic Flute in March.
William Dopp, 2026 Resident Artist, bass-baritone. Don Magnifico, La Cenerentola; William Jennings Bryan, Saloon Bouncer, Albert the Bellboy, Cousin Jack, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Constable, Fiddler on the Roof.
William is a native of New Orleans and holds an MM in Vocal Performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and a BM in Vocal Performance from Southeastern Louisiana University. He joined Florida Grand Opera as a Studio Artist for their 2025–2026 season, where he made his debut as the British Major in Kevin Puts’ Silent Night. At the Shepherd School, William performed the roles of Louis XVI in The Ghosts of Versailles, Fasolt in Das Rheingold, Melisso in Alcina, Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia, Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin, Littore in L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Carl Olsen in Street Scene. Last summer, William made his debut with The Florentine Opera as the Commentator in Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg. Additional credits include Vodník in Rusalka with LAH-SOW and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with FIO Italia in Urbania, Italy.
Rachel Enelow, 2026 Guest Performer. Ensemble, Fiddler on the Roof.
Rachel is so excited to be participating in her first production with Opera North. She has worked with community theater groups including NCCT, We the People Theater, and was in the chorus of Raylynmor Opera’s Marriage of Figaro in June. She’s currently going into her senior year at Keene State College and will graduate with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance.
Ashley Fabian, 2026 Principal Artist, soprano. Elizabeth “Baby” Doe, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Ashley is quickly earning recognition for her artistry in both comedic and dramatic roles. Her 2023 debut at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium with Master Voices in the role of Phyllis in Iolanthe was acclaimed by the New York Classical Review as “a vision of sunshine and joy” with a “lovely lyric soprano;” and by parterre box for her “voice of immense warmth and scintillating spin.” This season she was the soprano soloist in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with Coastal Symphony of Georgia, performed in a program of Russian music with Amadeus Concert Ensemble, joined the Gulf Coast Symphony for “A Night at the Opera,” and reprised her Carmina Burana with Reno Philharmonic and West Virginia Symphony. Since her critically acclaimed Columbus Symphony Orchestra debut in 2022, Ashley has sung Carmina Burana with the Tucson Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Glacier Symphony, Bozeman Symphony, and the Utah Symphony. In the 2026-2027 season, she will add the Winston-Salem Symphony and Richmond Symphony to that list.
Nancy Ferguson, 2026 Guest Performer. Ensemble, Fiddler on the Roof.
Nancy is making her Opera North debut. Originally from New Jersey, she moved to the Upper Valley ten years ago. A lifelong singer, she credits her father with igniting her passion for music. In high school, she performed for five years with the USO and sang in the chorus for recordings of Berlioz’s Requiem, Faust, and Martha. After choreographing musicals post-high school, she balanced medical school with playing flute, piccolo, and oboe in pit orchestras. A trip to Ireland rekindled her love of Irish music, leading to regular performances with Irish Billy Briggs in Trenton and with Morning Star at festivals in New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. She continues her musical studies at the Upper Valley Music Center. Special thanks to her husband Richard Lawson and pianists Michael Ferreri, Russell Eiffert, and Bob Egan. After 40 years in Emergency Medicine, retiring from Alice Peck Day in 2020, she remains active in volunteering medically in the US and abroad.
Arabella Garrison, 2026 Guest Performer. Villager, Fiddler on the Roof.
Arabella, an 8th Grader at Crossroads Academy, is thrilled to return to Opera North for her third summer and perform in Fiddler on the Roof for the second time! Favorite recent credits include Young Amelie (Amelie), Molly (Peter and the Starcatchers), Fan (A Christmas Carol), Amanda Thripp (Matilda), and Bielke (Fiddler on the Roof). Other credits include Pilot’s Daughter (The Little Prince), Crush (Finding Nemo, Jr.), Miss Honey (Matilda, Jr.), Young Carmen (Carmen), and Tessie (Annie). When not performing, she plays viola and piano and enjoys dancing and singing. She has placed in both state and regional NATs singing auditions. She thanks her family and friends for supporting her enthusiasm for performing, and for understanding when she says, “I can’t, I have rehearsal.”
Eric Gonzalez, 2026 Guest Artist, Fiddler on the Roof.
Eric Gonzalez, all the way from Barcelona, Spain, is honored to join the Opera North family after his regional theatre debut in the world premiere musical “Aguardiente” originating the principal role of Eve/Z and being also part of the ensemble. He is also excited to announce that he will be in the original cast of the first North American Tour of the Broadway musical “Boop!” starting this October. All of that in his first year after graduating from AMDA where he studied in LA and NY while training with some of the biggest choreographers in the industry. He wants to thank his family, friends and teachers (especially David Cady) for believing in him when he doubted and for helping him to get here. Ig: eriicgonzzz
Jason Gonzalez, 2026 Resident Artist, tenor. Ramiro, La Cenerentola; Sam, Father Chapelle, Farmer at Rally, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Fyedka, Russian tenor, Fiddler on the Roof.
From Santa Barbara, CA, Jason has had success with both operatic and concert repertoire. During his 2024-2025 season, he sang the tenor solo in Carmina Burana at Baltimore’s Meyerhoff Symphony Hall under the baton of Andrew Grams, and the tenor solo in Haydyn’s Missa Anguistis at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, as well as several other solo Bach concerts in Baltimore. He sang the role of Rinuccio in Tri-Cities Opera’s production of Gianni Schicchi, and premiered the role of Alexander Scriabin in The Death of Alexander Scriabin, by Antonio Sanz Escallón. Jason is continuing his residency at Tri-Cities Opera, performing in La Traviata as Gastone, and Alfredo cover). Jason holds degrees from Oklahoma City University and the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
Adam Grupper, 2026 Principal Artist, baritone. Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof.
Adam played the Rabbi in Bartlett Sher’s acclaimed Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof, and understudied the role of Tevye, which he performed more than forty times. More recently, he stood by for Nathan Lane in Pictures From Home. His other Broadway credits include My Fair Lady, Wicked, The Addams Family, Forty-Five Seconds From Broadway, La Boheme, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Wild Party, Guys and Dolls, The Secret Garden, City of Angels, and Into the Woods. Off-Broadway: I Can Get It For You Wholesale and Merrily We Roll Along. Regional: Gatsby: An American Myth at ART (directed by Rachel Chavkin, music and lyrics by Florence Welch), and Spin at the Wilma Theater (Barrymore nomination, Best Actor). Film: Sisters Inc, Spirited, and Music and Lyrics. TV: recurring roles on Love Story, Pose, and Dopesick. In addition, Adam is an award-winning audiobook narrator, credited with more than two hundred titles. www.adamgrupper.com.
Lee Heinz, Choreographer, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Lee has performed on Broadway, in national and international tours in Peter Pan, A Chorus Line, Dancin’, Once Upon a Mattress, and 6 productions of West Side Story. She has been a frequent guest artist and choreographer with Chautauqua Opera. She has directed at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and at the Triad Theatre, and choreographed and directed off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. Heinz served as the assistant director for the original production of Zombie Prom at the Variety Arts Theatre in New York. At Stephens College, where she headed the Musical Theatre BFA, she directed and choreographed The Winter Wonderettes and directed Sweet Charity and The Heiress. She is currently on the faculty at American Musical and Dramatic College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts in NYC. She is a member of Actors’ Equity, SAG-AFTRA, AGMA, AGVA, VASTA, and SDC and has an MFA in Classical Acting from Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy.
Carla Jablonski 2026 Principal Artist, mezzo-soprano. Augusta Tabor, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Carla is a two-time Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano hailed by The New York Times as a “seasoned and multi-dimensional” performer. Now in her 10th season and over 19 productions with The Metropolitan Opera Chorus, her notable appearances include Verdi’s Requiem: The Met Remembers 9/11, Turandot, Eugene Onegin, Lohengrin, and Nabucco. Select solo roles include Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Secretary (The Consul), Annina (La Traviata), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), and Emma Jones (Street Scene), with Florida Grand Opera, Heartbeat Opera, Central City Opera, and Opera Santa Barbara. On the concert stage, she has performed at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall with ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Recent theatre and film credits include Lovesick: A Rock Opera and Always. A Drama Desk Award recipient, Carla earned degrees from The Juilliard School (MM) and the Manhattan School of Music (BM).
Joshua Jeremiah, 2026 Principal Artist, baritone. Horace Tabor, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Joshua is hailed as “rich-voiced” by The New York Times and for his “warmly appealing, burnished” voice by Opera Today. Last season he performed in a world premiere with Beth Morrison Projects as Niles in Sensorium Ex and presented a workshop of the new piece The Sheltering Tree with Hawaii Opera Theater. He made a house début with South Dakota Symphony Orchestra as the Preacher in Giants in the Earth and returned to Dallas Symphony covering Alberich for their performances of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. For the 2025-2026 season, Joshua joined Heartbeat Opera as the Doctor in Vanessa, returned to Toledo Opera as Escamillo in Carmen, débuted with Piedmont Opera as Tonio in Pagliacci, and returned to Hawaii Opera Theater for the world premiere of The Sheltering Tree.
David Kahng, 2026 Resident Artist, bass-baritone. Alidoro, La Cenerentola; 4th Dandy, Ute Indian, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
David joins Opera North from Cheonan, South Korea was named a Young Artist at the Accademia Verdiana, and a Fellow at the Music Academy of the West in 2025, performing Commendatore and Leporello in Don Giovanni and Chucho in William Bolcom’s Lucrezia and as Shiro Azuma in When the Purple Mountains Burn at Houston Grand Opera. As a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera, he performed Barone in La Traviata at the Filene Center and covered Elder Ott in The Susannah. His repertoire also includes Melisso in Alcina, Howard in Missy Mazzoli’s The Listeners, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. David won First Prize and the Todd Duncan Legacy Award in the Artist Division of the 2026 National Opera Association Competition and received an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and a scholarship from the Henry W. Bull Foundation. He holds an MM and Professional Studies diplomas from the Mannes School of Music and a bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University.
Justin Lahue, Set Designer, La Cenerentola.
Justin is a Boston based scenic and projections designer making his Opera North debut. NH credits include work with the Seacoast Repertory Theatre (2025 Broadway World Award - The Wild Party), Prescott Park Arts Festival, Player’s Ring, and NH Theatre Project. NYC: My Dinner With André (Harbor Stage) and Click (world premiere - The Tank). Regional: Alleyway Theatre, Harbor Stage, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (2022 Broadway World Award - Straight White Men), Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Central Square, Company One, Hub Theatre, Firehouse Center for the Arts, Wheelock Family Theater, Speakeasy Stage, Argyle Theatre, and Westport Country Playhouse. Film: A Passage of Time, The Drive to Sing, Not on This Night (Cannes Film Award, Regional Emmy nomination). He is a frequent guest artist and speaker for colleges across New England with select credits at Boston Conservatory, Harvard, Northeastern, Suffolk, Brandeis, and College of the Holy Cross. He holds a BA in Theatre from Suffolk University and is a proud member of United Scenic Artists 829. www.justinlahue.com.
Emily Levin, 2026 Guest Performer. Ensemble, Fiddler on the Roof.
Emily Levin is excited to be part of the chorus for Fiddler on the Roof, one of her favorite musicals. She has sung in several choirs over the years and was a member of the Revels North Midwinter Revels chorus in 2025, fulfilling a lifelong dream. When not singing, Emily works at Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), helping states advance energy and climate policies to decarbonize buildings and industry. She lives in East Montpelier, Vermont with her family and enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, kayaking, and reading.
Henry Malueg, 2026 Resident Artist, tenor. Male Quartet Tenor 2, La Cenerentola; Old Miner, President Chester Arthur, Mr. Mulligan, Stage Doorman, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Motel Kamzoil Fiddler on the Roof.
From McFarland, WI, Henry graduated with his MM from Temple University this spring where he sang the role of Nick in the collegiate premiere of The Handmaid’s Tale and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. Last summer, Henry made his regional debut in Opera Magnifico’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor as Normanno. He was an Emerging Artist with the Seagle Festival and performed as Don José in Carmen. Henry also performed as an emerging artist with the Bay View Music Festival and Harrower Summer Opera. He received his bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire where he performed the title role in Orpheus in the Underworld, as Olive’s Dad and the Male Understudy in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and as Macheath in The Threepenny Opera.
Ben Marshall, 2026 Guest Artist. Dancer, Fiddler on the Roof.
Originally from Chicago, Ben Marshall is thrilled to be joining the company of Fiddler on the Roof at Opera North. Recent credits include The Prince of Egypt (Aaron) and Annie (Rooster) at The Argyle Theatre. Off-Broadway: The Office! A Musical Parody (Dwight), Fire Island, Flight School, and Pinkalicious. Ben is a proud graduate of Western Michigan University. Endless love and gratitude to Evan Pappas, Deb Roshe, and The Price Group for their constant support, guidance, and belief in him.
IG:@baemarshall
James McCartney, Sound Designer, La Cenerentola, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Fiddler on the Roof.
James McCartney returns to Opera North for the eleventh year as Sound Designer. Previous posts include as Sound Designer to several of New England’s well-known cultural organizations including twenty years each with Boston Lyric Opera and The Cape Playhouse. James was also on the staff of the Citi Performing Arts Center in Boston as the audio engineer at the Shubert Theatre for twelve years. He is currently a member of the faculty of the College of Fine Arts in the School of Theatre Arts at Boston University, where he teaches Sound System Design for the Theatre and an introductory class in Production Audio. He is a member of IATSE Local 11, where he is a Trustee and Apprentice Training Coordinator. James spent a decade in New York doing production work for many Broadway shows and tours including Tea at Five, Chicago, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, I’m Not Rappaport, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Beatlemainia, The Magic of David Copperfield, The King and I, A Chorus Line, and Master Class.
Samantha McGonigal, 2026 Resident Artist, mezzo-soprano. Mama Court, Saloon Madam, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Fruma Sarah, Fiddler on the Roof.
Based in Columbus, Ohio, holds an MM in Vocal Performance from DePaul University. Recent performance highlights include as Marthe in Iolanta, La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica, Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice, Die Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte, and as Ruth in Dark Sisters. Samantha made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as a member of the Supplemental Chorus in the double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, and in Carmina Burana. She also covered the role of Bernice Barbelle in this season’s Lyric Opera of Chicago outreach production of Katie: The Strongest of the Strong by Faye Chiao. She was a Young Artist at the Opera Festival of Chicago, where she covered the role of La Vecchia, and sang in the chorus of Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre rei and Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci. She also joined Sarasota Opera as an Apprentice Artist, where she covered the roles of Mrs. McClean in Susannah and Praskowia in The Merry Widow. She also performed in the chorus for their productions of La Bohéme, The Merry Widow, Il Trovatore, and Susannah.
Rebecca Ming, Costume Designer, La Cenerentola, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Fiddler on the Roof.
Rebecca Ming, based in New York City, has designed costumes for theater, dance, and opera and returns to Opera North for a third summer. She loves the ephemeral nature of live performance and enjoys the collaboration of working in theater. She designed for Opera North’s productions of Orpheus in the Underworld (2024), Rigoletto (2024), Into the Woods (2024), Carmen (2023), Carousel (2023), Così fan tutte (2022), La Traviata (2022) and Scalia/Ginsburg (2019). Other favorite credits include: The Turn of the Screw and The Merry Widow (Queens College), The Conversation (The 29th Street Rep), and Hair (The Skyline Theater). She received her BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Grace Monsanto, 2026 Resident Artist, mezzo-soprano. Meg, Silver Dollar (grown), School Girl, Hotel Guest, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Hodel, Fiddler on the Roof.
From Eubank KY, Grace believes that music and the arts have the power to transform audiences and communities which leads her to work in arts outreach programs and arts education. She has recently appeared as The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, L’enfant in L’enfant et les sortilèges, and as a Rising Star Recitalist with the Basically Beethoven Festival. She will be appearing soon with The Dallas Opera Outreach Program and other DFW musical theatre and opera companies. She holds a BA in Vocal Performance from Asbury University and received her MM in Vocal Performance from Southern Methodist University in May.
Mariam Mouawad, 2026 Resident Artist, mezzo-soprano. Angelina, La Cenerentola; Mary, Foreign Diplomat Wife, Miner Wife, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Chava, Fiddler on the Roof.
Lebanese-American Mariam returns to Opera North where, last season, she performed as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, The Fox in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince and the Housekeeper in Man of La Mancha. She recently won the LA District in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, was a 2024-25 Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Voice Competition semi-finalist, the 2024 Marilyn Horne Song Competition Winner, the First-Place winner of the 2023 MTNA Young Artist Competition and the 2022 First Place Winner of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus Young Artist Competition. This season she has performed the role of Abla in the Arabic opera Antar wa Abla in the United Arab Emirates and covered the title role in L’enfant et les sortilèges at the San Diego Symphony and Mercedes at San Diego Opera. Mariam was a Resident Artist with the Fort Worth Opera where she sang the role of Tisbe and covered the title role in Rossini’s La Cenerentola and the role of Meg in Little Women. She was a 2024 Lehrer Vocal Institute Fellow at Music Academy of the West where she performed the title role in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and covered the title role of Carmen. As a Resident Artist with Shreveport Opera, she performed Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Musetta in La Bohéme. At the Shreveport Opera she was a principal artist in the role of Carmen. Mariam completed her MM in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at the University of Houston, under the tutelage of Melanie Sonnenberg.
Dylan Mroszczyk-McDonald, 2026 Guest Performer. Avram, Ensemble, Fiddler on the Roof.
Dylan Mroszczyk-McDonald lives in Norwich with his wife and three children. He enjoys rowing and woodworking and has been making music since he could reach the piano keys; which, at age three, was barely. Trumpet, chorus, jazz band, a cappella with Hyannis Sound on Cape Cod, singing aboard cruise ships, Revels North, and clawhammer banjo all followed. Music, he learned early on, is how communities hold themselves together; how tradition gets passed on even as the world beneath it shifts. What we preserve, what we release, and how we care for the people caught in between has become his life’s work. He now helps organizations navigate exactly that tension, which means Fiddler on the Roof has always felt less like fiction than reality.
Ken Munsey, 2026 Guest Performer. Rabbi, Ensemble, Fiddler on the Roof.
Ken Munsey is no stranger to upper valley stages . Before retiring as technical director for the Opera House, he helped make countless shows “happen” for NCCT, Opera North, City Center Ballet of Lebanon, and the Lebanon Schools, as well as the countless touring artists and productions which played that venue each year. From the other side of the footlights, Ken has performed in several NCCT productions. He was Tevye in the 1975 and 2005 productions of Fiddler On The Roof, Albert Doolittle in My Fair Lady, The Priest in Man of La Mancha, Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, and Emile DeBec in South Pacific. He also sang Falke in an early Opera North production of Die Fledermaus. Ken retired from the Lebanon Schools after 35 plus years as a music specialist. He continues performing with the Bel Canto Chamber Singers. He lives in Canaan NH with his wife Nan and their Main Coon Cat “Gus.” In his “spare” time, Ken enjoys gardening and pursuing the hobby of model railroading.
Meghan Nelson, 2026 Resident Artist, soprano. Kate, Samantha, Baby Doe cover, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Ensemble, Fiddler on the Roof.
From Fairfax, VA where she maintains an active voice studio, Meghan is a recent graduate of the Maryland Opera Studio. At the University of Maryland, she performed Selena in Jake Heggie’s If I Were You, Serpetta in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, and The Acolyte in Ashi Day’s The Fishwife. She received her BM in Vocal Performance from James Madison University where she sang roles including Anne Trulove in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Phyllis in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe, and Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte. She was also a young artist with Opera Roanoke. Meghan won First Place in the 2023 NATS National Competition, was a finalist in the 2022 CS Music National Competition in Chicago and placed First in the 2022 Sue Goetz Ross Competition in Bethesda, MD.
Veronica Richer, 2026 Resident Artist, soprano. Clorinda La Cenerentola; Sarah, Foreign Diplomat Wife, Minor Wife, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Grandma Tzeitel, Fiddler on the Roof.
Praised for her “fearless high register and good projection and enunciation” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer), Veronica this year performed as the Countess in Strauss’s Capriccio and in Verdi’s Falstaff with the Academy of Vocal Arts. She also appeared as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Rutgers University–Camden. In 2024, she debuted at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, performing the title role in Suor Angelica with the AIMS Festival Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Lukas Beikircher at the prestigious Musikverein für Steiermark, then appeared as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte with the Academy of Vocal Arts, conducted by Robert Kahn at the Helen Corning Warden Theater, and as Marguerite in AVA’s children’s production of Faust under conductor Steven White. Veronica was recognized by the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and last year was named a Kansas City District Winner. She also received an Encouragement Award in the 2019 New Haven District. She has performed the title role in Suor Angelica and Nella in Gianni Schicchi with the Bay View Music Festival and was a resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts, where she covered Anna Bolena and performed Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia. She sang in Handel’s Messiah with Camerata New York directed by Richard Owen and appeared in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, and John Musto’s Penelope’s Songs as well as being a featured soloist in a recital series at Carnegie Hall. Veronica she premiered The Art of Change, an innovative opera by French composer Jean-Baptiste Barrière integrating electronic music and vocal improvisation. She holds an MM in Vocal Performance from the Mannes School of Music in New York City and a BM from the Boston Conservatory. Veronica is in her third year as a resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts.
Mary Owens, 2026 Guest Performer. Elizabeth “Lily” Tabor, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Mary is thrilled to return to the Opera North Summerfest for her second production, having previously appeared in The Little Prince. Her recent credits include Lulu in Waitress at Northern Stage and Haunted Village Theater at BarnArts. Mary studies voice at New England School of the Arts, trains at The Dance Collective, and is an active participant in the Youth Ensemble Studio at Northern Stage. When she’s not performing, she can be found in the dojo practicing karate at Okinawan Academy. She is grateful to all her teachers for nurturing her love of the stage and to Opera North for this incredible opportunity!
Zhihui Pang, 2026 Resident Artist, tenor. Quartet Tenor 1, Ramiro cover, La Cenerentola; 1st Dandy, Miner, Hotel Guest, Butler at Ball, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Originally from China, is pursuing a DMA at the Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland, where he studies with Kevin Short. He previously earned graduate degrees from the University of North Texas and Indiana University, and a BA in Journalism and Communication from Renmin University of China. Pang’s operatic roles include Rodolfo in La bohème, Don José in Carmen, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Ruggero and Prunier in La rondine, and The Governor in Candide. He has also appeared as tenor soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Zhihui received the Opera Omaha Guild Award and the Marge & Jim Hewitt Encouragement Award at The Met’s Laffont Competition Nebraska District (2026), as well as the Verdi Award at the Orpheus Vocal Competition Student Division (2023).
Evan Pappas, Director, Fiddler on the Roof.
Evan Pappas returns to Opera North where he directed Into the Woods, Carousel, Evita, West Side Story, Kiss Me, Kate, The Barber of Seville, and The Daughter of the Regiment. He is the Artistic Director of The Argyle Theatre in Babylon, NY and has directed A Chorus Line, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Guys and Dolls, Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Producers, The Full Monty, Miracle on 34th Street, Cabaret, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story, for The Argyle. Off-Broadway he directed: A Letter to Harvey Milk, Liberty, Wonderful Town, DuBarry Was a Lady. For Manhattan School of Music, he directed The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Drowsy Chaperone, and The Hills Are Alive. Regionally he has directed: Sister Act, The Color Purple, and Kinky Boots (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina); The Music Man (Gainesville Symphony Orchestra with Maestro Evans Haile); Lucky Stiff (Arizona Broadway Theatre); Murder for Two and My Way (Depot Theatre); Funny Girl and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (San Francisco’s Broadway By the Bay), etc. As an Actor, Evan has starred on Broadway in Parade (OBC), My Favorite Year (OBC), Putting It Together (opposite Carol Burnett), and A Chorus Line. Off-B’way: I Can Get It For You Wholesale (Outer Critics Nomination), Café Society Swing, The Immigrant, Pera Palas, etc. London West End: Merrily We Roll Along, Follies. Regional: Lucky Stiff (Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor), Pajama Game (Joseph Jefferson Nomination), and many plays and musicals at The Guthrie Theatre, Hartford Stage, The Cleveland Playhouse, The Olney Theatre, ACT SF, Goodspeed Opera House, The MUNY, etc. Tours: A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, Durante, Superstar, On Golden Pond, and he has done more than a hundred commercials and voice-overs.
Samuel Rachmuth, 2026 Resident Artist, bass-baritone. Male Quartet Baritone 2, Alidoro cover, La Cenerentola; Jacob, Doctor at Rally, Denver Politician, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Lazar Wolf, Fiddler on the Roof.
Based in New York City, Samuel earned his BM and MM degrees from the Mannes College of Music. He performs the role of Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof, covers Alidoro in La Cenerentola, and appears in The Ballad of Baby Doe. This past season Samuel was bass soloist with the Mercury Chamber Orchestra in Houston in Mozart, Cats and Mice. He joined Opera Saratoga for its education tour, performing the role of Max in Stone Soup, followed by a workshop performance in American Opera Projects’ production of The Riddle by Tamar Muskal. He returned to Charlottesville Opera as part of the Wallace Works series in a double bill of Patrick Soluri’s Embedded as Producer and The Tell-Tale Cell Phone as Mr. L. Usher. Last season he returned to Mannes as a guest artist in the role of Atticus Finch’s Trainer in David T. Little’s Vinkensport. He made his soloist debut as the bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Orchestra of the Bronx and Bronx Opera, where he also performed the role of Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. He returned to Charlottesville Opera to cover the Modern Major General in The Pirates of Penzance and appeared in the new work Rossini Perduto with Teatro Grattacielo. Samuel has performed with opera companies across the United States, including Central City Opera, Sarasota Opera, Teatro Grattacielo, Teatro Nuovo, the Mercury Chamber Orchestra (Houston), Opera Saratoga, Charlottesville Opera, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, and Bronx Opera.
Deborah Radloff, 2026 Principal Artist, mezzo-soprano. Golde, Fiddler on the Roof.
Returning to Opera North she has toured nationally with Menopause The Musical 2; Off-Broadway in Caucasian Chalk Circle (Classic Stage Company); Off-Off Broadway in The Winter’s Tale (Rude Grooms), Romeo & Juliet (Rude Grooms), Twelfth Night (Rude Grooms), Much ADO About Nothing (M.O.D theatre), and Mother Knows Best (where she was named “Best Emerging Solo Artist” at the United Solo Theatre festival). Regionally, Deborah appeared as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof at the Argyle Theatre where she also did Bye Bye Birdie. In addition, she did Last of the Red Hot Lovers (Northern Stage), Richard III and Death of a Salesman (The Old Globe). Television/film appearances include God Friended Me, For Life, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 4), and Wrath/Mercy (Oxford Film Festival short 2024). New media include The New Peggy and The Pulp Tales Of Gwendolyn Gween. She received a Master’s of Fine Arts from The Old Globe/USD.
Deborah Roshe, Choreographer, Fiddler on the Roof.
Debbie Roshe most recently choreographed Fiddler on the Roof as well as choreographing and co-directing A Christmas Carol at the Argyle Theater. Other work at the Argyle includes Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She has also choreographed Beautiful, Jersey Boys, A Christmas Carol, The Little Mermaid, The Bodyguard, Beauty and the Beast, and Memphis at The Gateway Playhouse; Palm Beach at La Jolla Playhouse; A Novel Romance and Zona, The Ghost of Greenbriar Off-Broadway; Damn Yankees at the Ivoryton Playhouse; Sing A Christmas Song at George Street Playhouse; and a National Tour of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. She appeared on Broadway and with the national touring companies of Song and Dance, La Cage Aux Folles, Woman Of The Year, West Side Story, and Camelot. She is also well known for her classes at Steps On Broadway and Broadway Dance Center in NYC that attract Broadway dancers and Radio City Rockettes.
James Rotondo, Scenic Designer, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Fiddler on the Roof.
James Rotondo is a set designer for opera and theatre based in the greater Boston area. His designs have been seen from coast to coast across North America, working at companies from the Prescott Park Arts Festival in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to the Pacific Opera Victoria in Victoria, BC, Canada. James and his team of collaborators won the 2022 Tobin Director-Designer Prize and presented their design for Fellow Travelers at the 2023 Opera America Conference. Recent productions include Rigoletto, The Little Prince (Pacific Opera Victoria), Pagliacci (Glimmerglass Festival), Songbird (Washington National Opera), The Prom (Wheelock Family Theatre), Fiddler on the Roof (Argyle Theatre), Into the Woods, The Pajama Game, and Romeo et Juliette (Manhattan School of Music). For more information, visit www.jamesrotondo.design.
Isla Rudner, 2026 Guest Performer. Silver Dollar Tabor, The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Isla Bea Rudner is a rising 3rd grade student at Hanover Street School in Lebanon, NH. She is passionate about all her school “specials,” with a particular love for PE and math. Outside the classroom, Isla enjoys singing, dancing, skiing, horseback riding and playing with her friends and little brother. Isla’s stage credits include being a member children’s ensemble in the Opera North production The Little Prince and an orphan in the HSS Drama Club production of Annie Kids. She is thrilled to return to the stage this summer.
Juan Rojas is a New York City-based actor from Bogotá, Colombia. He holds a BFA in Musical Theater from Universidad del Rosario and has continued his training at Steps on Broadway and the Joffrey Ballet School. His credits include West Side Story at Paper Mill Playhouse, Mamma Mia! in Colombia and Blood Wedding with the Phoenix Theatre; he has also appeared in New York Fashion Week. @juuuaaaaannn
Alex Paul Sheerin, Director, La Cenerentola.
Alex Paul Sheerin, who returns to Opera North where he directed Carmen and Rigoletto, is a stage director based on Long Island, NY, and is currently the Director of Opera at Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, as well as the Artistic Director of Hofstra Opera Theater at Hofstra University. As the young artist director in residence at Indianapolis Opera he directed Puccini’s Madama Butterfly as well as several virtual programs including The Three Little Hoosier Pigs, an opera for children. Credits include Don Giovanni (Music on Site,) Hänsel und Gretel (Queens College), Alcina (Queens College), Die Fledermaus (Music On Site and Quisana), A Little Night Music (Quisisana), Cosi fan tutte (Hofstra University, Music On Site), and The Medium (Chicago Summer Opera). Alex has received several awards from the National Opera Association, including a directing Fellowship, and an award for his production of The Turn of the Screw. This summer, Alex returns to Quisisana for Romeo et Juliette and Orpheus in the Underworld, and to QSVI for Orpheus in the Underworld.
Tzytle Steinman, 2026 Resident Artist, mezzo-soprano. Tisbe, La Cenerentola; Emily, School Marm, The Ballad of Baby Doe; Tzeitel, Fiddler on the Roof.
Originally from San Diego, CA, Tzytle, described as a “natural operatic comedienne,” returns to La Cenerentola as a stepsister for the fourth time in her career and also portrays her namesake, Tzeitel, in Fiddler on the Roof. Tzytle has performed with companies including The Glimmerglass Festival, Chicago Opera Theater, Ohio Light Opera, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, San Diego Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Modesto, and Florentine Opera. Her repertoire includes Mistress Slender in Salieri’s Falstaff, Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore, Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti. A Grand Prize Winner of the Patricia Crump Vocal Competition and multi-year Laffont Competition award recipient, she holds degrees from Northwestern University and Boston Conservatory. Tzytle once appeared as a contestant on The Price Is Right and enjoys hiking with her dog, Golde. Social media: @Tzytle.
May Thomasson, 2026 Guest Performer. Villager, Fiddler on the Roof.
May Thomasson is a rising 8th grader at Richmond Middle School. She performed as Gracie Shin in NCCT’s production of The Music Man (2024), as Young Student in Trumbull Hall Troupe’s production of Matilda (2025) and was Storyteller 1 in Frozen Jr. at Northern Stage (2025). She studies dance at The Dance Collective and has also performed in three Revels North shows. Outside the theater, she enjoys drawing, crafting, reading and creative writing. She’d like to thank her family, friends, dance teachers, directors and choreographers.
Noriko Yasuda, Assistant Conductor/Principal Coach. La Cenerentola, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Fiddler on the Roof.
Noriko Yasuda began her career in Osaka, Japan as an accompanist with the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and Osaka College of Music Opera House. In that capacity, she worked with Seiji Ozawa, Toru Takemitsu, Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Alfred Kraus, among others. An active vocal coach and accompanist in the Boston area, she has worked with Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Baroque, Handel and Haydn Society, Emmanuel Music, Chorus Pro Musica, New England String Ensemble, and La Donna Musicale. Her credits as opera continuo are Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, Orontea, Alcina, Xerxes and Dido and Aeneas. She is a member of the faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She is the principal coach at Opera North and staff accompanist/coach at Brandeis University. In 2009 she received the George Seaman Excellence in Teaching Award from Longy School of Music of Bard College.
Sohee Yoon, 2026 Resident Artist, Pianist/Assistant Coach.
Sohee is working with Opera North this summer on La Cenerentola and The Ballad of Baby Doe. She completed her BM and MM in piano performance at Kookmin University in Korea and is currently continuing her studies in piano performance at Southern Methodist University. At SMU, she studies piano with Carol Leone while working as the studio accompanist for the Barbara Hill Moore vocal studio, gaining extensive experience working as both a solo and collaborative pianist. She participated in the RPPF Festival, has won several solo piano competitions and done extensive work in chamber music. Through chamber music competitions and collaborations with a wide range of musicians, she has developed strong ensemble skills, flexibility, and a collaborative approach that informs her work as an opera pianist and coach.