2026 Opera Apprentice
Soo Opera Apprentice Program
July 16th – August 9th, 2026
Soo Apprentice Artists…
Perform a role in Viardot’s Cendrillon Apprentice Opera, accompanied by the Apprentice Orchestra
Understudy leading roles, sing comprimario roles, and/or lead sections of the ensemble in the mainstage production, Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci
Perform a solo with full orchestra in the Aria Showcase Concert
Work with professionals from across the country in masterclasses, lessons, coachings, and workshops
Cost: $1,200 (total, tuition + housing July 15th-August 10th)
Apprentice Photo Gallery
2022 Apprentice Artist Concert: Hayley Shoemaker, Sebastian Sorensen, Krista Lawrence Sorensen, Samuel Kennedy, Rachael Green
2022 Apprentice Artist DIE FLEDERMAUS
2022 Curtain Call DIE FLEDERMAUS
2023 Apprentice Artist GIANNI SCHICCHI
2022 Soo Opera Apprentice Artist & Orchestra Concert; John Nardolillo, conductor
2026 Opera - Pagliacci
Wednesday, August 5th, 2026 – 7:00pm – Soo Theatre
Friday, August 7th, 2026 – 7:00pm – Soo Theatre
Sunday, August 9th, 2026 – 4:00pm – Center for the Arts at Mission Point – Mackinac Island
Stay Tuned for Details
Testimonials
My name is Emily Misch, and I'm an opera singer currently based in NYC. As an opera professional for the past ten years, I've performed in a number of venues across the United States, Canada, and Europe. I recently performed with Soo Opera in Sault Ste Marie; although my time with the company was short, it was one of the most joyous performing experiences I've ever had because of the palpable enthusiasm, care, and talent the community has for theater and music! One highlight was getting to see the
lovingly restored Soo Theatre. It's such a remarkable venue, and its presence creates an incredible opportunity to bring theater and music to the town. Its continued renovation would bring so much value to the arts and the community, and I think it is the perfect candidate to receive grant money from the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund!
All best,
Emily
Past Opera (2025)
Le Nozze Di Figaro
Wednesday, August 6th, 2025 – 7:00pm – Soo Theatre
Friday, August 8th, 2025 – 7:00pm – Soo Theatre
Sunday, August 10th, 2025 – 4:00pm – Center for the Arts at Mission Point – Mackinac Island
Directed by: Jon Truitt
Conducted by: Casey Robards
Count Almaviva – Thomas Gunther
Countess Rosina Almaviva – Karen Hughes Beacom
Figaro – Eliam Ramos
Susanna – Suna Avci Gunther
Cherubino – Alla Salakhova
Marcellina – Martina Portychova
Doctor Bartolo – WM Clay Thompson
Barbarina – Sofia LoConte
Don Basilio / Don Curzio – Travis Richter
Antonio – WM Clay Thompson
BIOS
JON TRUITT (DIRECTOR)
Jon has established a national presence as a stage director and operatic baritone in the United States, having directed over 35 professional productions alongside more than 35in academia. Recent professional directing efforts include Desert Song, Don Pasquale, and Fidelio in 2023, Falstaff and Turandot in 2022, il barbiere di Siviglia in 2021, La Fanciulla del West in 2020, and Norma and L’Elisir d’amore in 2019 at theatres across the U.S. A previous professional production of Die Zauberflöte was featured in Opera America magazine and his award-winning script translation of the opera has been remounted multiple times around the country, one of which featured the debut of internationally acclaimed bass Samuel Ramey as Sarastro.). Jon Truitt has also appeared as a leading baritone with professional opera companies across the United States, including the New Orleans Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Asheville Lyric Opera, Mobile Opera, Pensacola Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, Opera Illinois, the Crested Butte Music Festival, Jacksonville Opera, Soo Opera Theatre, and the Jefferson Performing Arts Society in more than forty roles from the baritone repertoire. On the concert stage, he has sung with many regional symphonies like the Evansville
Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, Acadiana Symphony, and Muncie Symphony in such works as Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Handel’s Messiah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Britten’s War Requiem, Puccini’s Missa di Gloria, Vaughn Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and in many public solo recitals. Several of his concert performances have been broadcast on Public Radio and Television. He was a two-time apprentice artist with the Des Moines Metro Opera, a Metropolitan Opera Regional finalist, and a NATSAA Indiana State Winner. Dr. Truitt is also the Associate Director for Academic Affairs in the School of Music at Ball State University, in addition to being Opera Director and Professor of Voice
Jon Truitt (Director)
Casey Robards (Conductor)
CASEY ROBARDS (CONDUCTOR)
Korean American adoptee, Casey Robards (Suh Jung Ahn) is a music director, pianist and vocal coach known for her sensitive musicality, expert collaborative skill, and stylistic versatility. Her performances regularly cross between opera, art song, chamber music, and musical theatre. She has given recitals throughout the United States, and in Europe, Central and South America and Asia. In 2024-2025, Robards has conducting debuts with Kentucky Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Opera Columbus, El Paso Opera, Soo Opera and presents song recital programs with Kenneth Overton, Karen Slack, Latoya Lain, and Jennifer Lien. Dedicated to the performance, research and promotion of music by Black composers and writers for nearly three decades, her recent recording release “What Dreams We Have” with Kenneth Overton (Lexicon Classics) debuted at #10 on the Billboard Chart for Top Classical Album. Her latest CD release is “Contemplations” (Navona Records) with Bernhard Scully, formerly with the Canadian Brass. Robards is Music Director of Ensemble Concert 21 a chamber group devoted to the performance of contemporary music and the mentorship of young and emerging composers and Chair of the Sacred in Opera Initiative (National Opera Association). An experienced pedagogue, Dr. Robards is currently Asst. Prof. of Lyric Theatre at the University of Illinois and has also been on the faculty of Indiana University, Oberlin Conservatory and Central Michigan University. Over 17 seasons at the Bay View Music Festival, she co-directed an opera scenes program and the American Spiritual Intensive, served as Head of Collaborative Piano and played hundreds of concerts as a faculty artist. She has worked as coach/repetiteur for Santa Fe Opera, New Orleans Opera and given workshops and masterclasses at several colleges. www.caseyrobards.com
DR. CARA CHOWNING (RÈPÈTITEUR)
is in demand as coach, music director, and collaborative artist; she performs extensively throughout the US, South America, and Europe as duo partner and chamber musician. A frequent guest pianist, coach and conductor, Dr. Chowning is heard annually at summer festivals such as the Bar Harbor Music Festival, Mozart in the Knobs, and regularly performs as collaborative pianist at conventions of the National Flute Association, NASA and the International Double Reed Society. Internationally, she has been guest coach for the American Institute of Music Studies in Graz, Austria and Teatro Bicentenario in San Juan, Argentina, as well as invited artist for ABRAF in São Paulo, Brazil and the Mitad al Mundo Festival in Quito, Ecuador. Dr. Chowning has lectured and performed for Road Scholars, Uniworld cruises and been broadcast on Public Television and Radio. As a founding member of Trio Village, she is passionate about bringing music, especially from under-represented composers to diverse audiences and venues.
Dr. Chowning has prepared opera and musical theater productions at the professional, young artist, and collegiate level. She has served on the music staff of Indianapolis Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Opera Cleveland, Finger Lakes Opera, Kansas City Lyric Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, the Bar Harbor Music Festival and Cleveland Opera where she created and prepared nationally recognized opera educational programs for performance in schools across Northeast Ohio. She has served on faculties of the Cleveland Institute of Music, Simpson College, Oklahoma City University, and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and her students and private coaching studio singers can be heard in young artist programs, in opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Utah Opera, on cruise ships worldwide, and both off and on Broadway.
As founder of In-tune Artistry, Dr. Chowning coaches professionals in the arts and beyond to unlock their full performance power and achieve theirs and their organizational goals. Her unique approach to wellness draws on her experiences as a 500 YTT yoga teacher, stretch coach, and multi-certified sound healer and Breathwork guide. Dr. Chowning has presented breath and movement workshops at institutions such as Ball State University, Columbia College, Washburn University, UNC Charlotte, and in numerous online coaching and audition programs. She teaches regular weekly yoga classes and leads monthly Breathwork events in different Muncie locations.
Dr. Chowning is currently the vocal coach at Ball State University and Chorus Master for Indianapolis Opera. She is a founding member of Trio Village, an all-female chamber music group committed to performing and commissioning works by historically under-represented composers. She loves exploring and working at the intersection of breath, wellness, and artistry.
Dr. Chowning holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Northwestern University, a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Accompanying and Vocal Coaching with a cognate in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
DR. CARA CHOWNING (RÈPÈTITEUR)
THOMAS GUNTHER (COUNT ALMAVIVA)
THOMAS GUNTHER (COUNT ALMAVIVA)
Baritone Thomas Gunther has performed a wide range of opera, musical theatre, and concert repertoire around the world. He is thrilled to return to one of his favorite places to reprise the role of Count Almaviva after first performing it in the Soo 14 years ago. Other favorite stage performances include Marcello (La Boheme, Dominican Republic), Stanley Kowalski (A Streetcar Named Desire, Merola Opera), Germont (La Traviata, Soo Opera and Bay View), Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte, Schenectady Symphony), Captain Corcoran (H.M.S. Pinafore, Union Avenue Opera), Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus, Winter Opera of St. Louis), Billy Bigalow (Carousel, Soo Opera), Javert (Les Miserables, University of Kentucky), Dandini (La Cenerentola, Opera in the Heights), Silvio (I Pagliacci, Sugar Creek), Raul (Phantom of the Opera, University of Kentucky), and the title roles in Sweeney Todd and Don Giovanni. He has additionally worked with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program, Des Moines Metro Opera, the International Vocal Arts Institute, Bay View Opera, and La Musica Lyrica, Indianapolis Opera, Kentucky Opera, Maryland Opera, Amelia Island Opera, and First Coast Opera. Upcoming engagements include the roles of Fiorello and Elder McClean in Opera Omaha’s productions of The Barber of Seville and Susannah. Mr. Gunther is an adjunct voice professor at Doane University in Crete, NE and at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he works with musical theatre students. He also maintains a private voice studio.
KAREN BEACOM (COUNTESS ALMAVIVA)
With a voice and stage presence described as “warm and lyrical with a lot of dramatic power” by the Omaha World Herald, Karen Hughes Beacom has made a name for herself on the opera and concert stage. A Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Finalist, her career has crossed borders, with international performances at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, China as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Tianjin Symphony and as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro under the baton of Joseph Rescigno in Novafeltria, Bellaria and Sant’Archangelo, Italy.
This versatile soprano has performed dozens of leading roles in opera, with highlights including Violetta in La Traviata, Mimí in La Bohème, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Micaela in Carmen, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Fiordiligi in Cosí fan tutte, and Alexandra in the world premiere of O Pioneers!, among others. Her opera credits include Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Omaha, Sun Valley Opera, DuPage Opera Theatre, Chautauqua Institution and Soo Opera.
Recent solo concert highlights include Handel’s Messiah and Saint-Saëns Oratorio de Noël with Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Keewenaw Symphony, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Sault Symphony Orchestra in Ontario, Canada. Karen has also appeared with the Summit Choral Society in Akron, OH, the Nebraska Choral Arts Society in Omaha, Nebraska and recorded backup vocals on the Mannheim Steamroller album Christmas Extraordinaire.
In addition to performing, Karen is the founder and artistic director of the Soo Opera in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Founded in 2007 as a part of the Soo Theatre Project, Soo Opera has brought fully staged works with orchestra to the Eastern Upper Peninsula every year since its inception, including annual performances on Mackinac Island at Mission Point Theater, with their first Mackinac Island performance at the Grand Hotel. Karen also serves as the Artistic Director of Soo Theatre Project and as Director of Music at Little Stone Church.
Karen holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studied under Metropolitan Opera Mezzo-Soprano Ariel Bybee. A student of Bybee’s in New York City where she attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Karen subsequently followed her mentor and teacher to earn her degree in the field of opera. Karen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Harp Performance from DePauw University.
KAREN BEACOM (COUNTESS ALMAVIVA)
ELIAM RAMOS (FIGARO)
ELIAM RAMOS (FIGARO)
is a Puerto Rican singer with a rich bass-baritone voice who has performed opera and concert works with companies in the United States, Spain, Israel, Puerto Rico and Mexico. His artistic engagements range from traditional opera and symphonic concerts, to zarzuelas and modern compositions. The Metropolitan Opera Guild featured Mr. Ramos in their Verdi’s Baritones Serie in their 2022-2023 season in which he also made his Carnegie Hall Debut with Clif Hardin’s Requiem.
Mr. Ramos engagements for 2024-2025 include Alfio from Cavalleria Rusticana with Regina Opera, Bach’s Cantata No. 33 with Bach in Baltimore, the Doctor in the world premiere of The Extinctionist with Heartbeat Opera, Hayden’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, various roles with the American Opera Project’s Opera Lab, the role of Cascada and the cover of Baron Zeta in Lehar’s Die Lustige Witwe (Merry Widow) with Geneva Light Opera, Pap (Fannie Lou Hammer’s husband) in the world premier of Is This America with White Snake Projects, Scarpia in Tosca and Silvio in I Pagliacci both with Regina Opera and Bach’s Cantata 82 with Bach in Baltimore, soloist in the world premier of Paul Aiken’s Missa Pro Terra at Carnegie Hall, Beethoven’s 9th with the New Britain Symphony Society, Dumas in Rossini Perduto with the Long Island Concert Orchestra, Dulcamara in L’Elisir D’Amore with Boston’s Bar Harbor Festival, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro with Soo Opera, as well as different concerts in the NYC area.
SUNA AVCI GUNTHER (SUSANNA)
is thrilled to spend another summer season with Soo Opera both on and off stage. She has previously appeared as Flora (La Traviata), Musetta (La Bohème), and Mrs. McClean (Susannah), and has directed productions of Gianni Schicchi, Die Fledermaus, excerpts of Le Nozze di Figaro, and The Magic Flute. She has performed around the world in Chile, Peru, Micronesia, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Turkey, primarily as a “cultural ambassador” of the U.S. State Department. During the school year, Dr. Gunther teaches at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her latest projects include commissioning and premiering micro-operas about the lives of real women with the SALT quintet and arranging a book of Turkish songs for voice and piano which is under contract with Hildegard Publishing. Dr. Gunther holds degrees from Northwestern University and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and grew up in the Chicagoland area. She currently lives in Lincoln, NE with her husband Thom and their two daughters.
SUNA AVCI GUNTHER (SUSANNA)
ALLA SALAKHOVA (CHERUBINO)
ALLA SALAKHOVA (CHERUBINO)
is a mezzo-soprano currently pursuing a master’s degree with the University of Maryland’s Maryland Opera Studio. Recent credits with MOS include Fisherman in The Fishwife (world premier), Frau Reich cover in Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, and scenes from Ariadne auf Naxos (The Composer) and Florencia en el Amazonas (Paula). Next season, she will perform Ramiro in La finta giardiniera and Brittomara in If I Were You.
This summer, she performed opera scenes with the Brott Music Festival and makes her role debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Soo Opera. Select credits include Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette), The Secretary (The Consul), Orphée (Orphée aux enfers), Petermann (Monsieur Choufleuri), Mrs. Northwind (The Enchanted Pig, Canadian premier), and Drusilla (L’incoronazione di Poppea) for which she was praised for possessing “the presence of a seasoned performer” (Opera Canada). Salakhova is a 2024 Maryland District Winner of The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the student winner of Edmonton Opera’s inaugural Rumbold Vocal Prize, and was a finalist in the Prizewinners Concert competition at Mozarteum Salzburg. An avid concert performer, she sang Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen as the winner of U of A’s 2023-24 Concerto Competition and was a 2024 Toronto Summer Music Art of Song Fellow.
MARTINA PORTYCHOVA (MARCELLINA)
is a Czech mezzo-soprano whose voice weaves a rich tapestry of emotion and storytelling, rooted in the vibrant culture of her homeland. Growing up in the picturesque landscapes of the Czech Republic, she was surrounded by a rich musical heritage that inspired her to pursue a career in opera from an early age. She holds both a Master’s and a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Voice Performance from University of Arizona, reflecting her deep commitment to vocal excellence and scholarship.
Having grown up in Eastern Europe, Ms. Portychova speaks a number of languages. Her repertoire ranges from Baroque to contemporary opera, showcasing her versatility and interpretative depth. She has performed a variety of roles across opera and concert stages including Carmen (Carmen), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Jo (little Women), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Angelina ( La Cenerentola), Nicklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Baba (The Medium), and Old Lady (Candide). She collaborated with esteemed conductors such as Maestro Toshiyuki Shimada, Thomas Cockrell, Steven Crawford, Martin Doubravsky, Elizabeth Hastings, Mariusz Smolij, Guillaume Tourniere, and earning critical acclaim for her ability to bring characters to life with authenticity and emotional resonance. She has also worked with soprano Martina Arroyo, Katherine Johnson and opera coaches such as Pedro Yanez of Paris Opera and Gregory Buchalter of Metropolitan Opera.
In addition to her performance career, Martina is a dedicated voice teacher with 17 years of experience, mentoring students of all levels and preparing them for successful auditions and careers in music.
Moreover, Martina is a champion for cultural exchange, believing that music has the power to connect people across borders. She frequently collaborates with artists from various backgrounds, creating unique performances that celebrate diversity and foster understanding.
MARTINA PORTYCHOVA (MARCELLINA)
WM CLAY THOMPSON (BARTOLO/ANTONIO)
WM CLAY THOMPSON (BARTOLO/ANTONIO)
Praised for his “mahogany-timbred” voice and “imposing presence” (Opera News), with The Washington Post noting the “sinister undercurrent” of his sound and lows that “smolder like magma,” American bass Wm. Clay Thompson is emerging as one of the most compelling voices of his generation.
In the 2024–2025 season, Thompson appears as Leporello (Don Giovanni) and Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte) with Virginia Opera, Colline (La bohème) with Charleston Opera Theater, and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with North Carolina Opera. Concerts include Zuniga in Carmen with the Sioux City Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem with Camerata Chicago, and Mozart’s Solemn Vespers and Bach’s Magnificat with the New Choral Society.
A recent member of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, he debuted there as the King in Aida, Zuniga in Carmen, and Chevalier Deux in Le Comte Ory, while also covering key roles in Jenůfa, Don Carlos, Ernani, and the world premiere of Proximity.
He has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Minnesota Opera, Arizona Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Château de Versailles Spectacles, and Wolf Trap Opera, among others. Notable roles include Méphistophélès, Leporello, Figaro, Nick Shadow, Olin Blitch, Prince Gremin, Colline, and Collatinus.
A recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from The Shoshana Foundation, he is an alum of the Ryan Opera Center and Minnesota Opera’s Resident Artist Program. He studied at the University of Kentucky and the University of North Texas and lives in New York City.
SOFIA LOCONTE (BARBARINA)
is a 20-year-old soprano, originally from Madison, Wisconsin. She will be entering her third year of vocal performance study at DePaul University in Chicago, where she has the privilege of studying under Professor Jeff Ray. This April, she won first place in both the Schubert Clube, Bruce P. Carlson Student Scholarship Competition, and the Chicago Chapter NATS, Classical division. Sofia recently performed as Gherardina and a Chorus Nun in her university’s production of Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica, respectively. She will be performing Laurie in DePaul’s production of Copland’s The Tenderland, this fall. She is thrilled to be joining Soo Opera for the first time this summer, making her role-debut as Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro! As an avid lover of the French language and of animals, Sofia spends her free time serving as an officer with the DePaul French Club, as well as volunteering at PAWS Animal Shelter.
SOFIA LOCONTE (BARBARINA)
TRAVIS RICHTER (BASILIO/CURZIO)
TRAVIS RICHTER (BASILIO/CURZIO)
is an opera singer by trade having performed in more than 40 operatic and musical theatre productions on professional stages across the country. Dr. Richter began performing professionally with some of the most respected and prestigious apprentice artist programs in the country, including Utah Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera and Central City Opera. These apprentice artist opportunities served as a springboard for his career as a principal artist with Soo Opera Theater, Rimrock Opera, Nevada Opera, Mobile Opera, Charlottesville Opera, Pensacola Opera, New Orleans Opera Association, Opera Louisiane, and Des Moines Metro Opera. As a tenor soloist Dr. Richter has performed with the Louisiana State University Symphony (Beethoven’s 9th Symphony), Baton Rouge Symphony (Händel’s Messiah), and the Utah Symphony. In addition to performing, Travis has taught voice at the collegiate level for Tulane University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Eastern Kentucky University, Southern University, and Baton Rouge Community College. After teaching at the collegiate level for more than ten years Travis received his certification in K-12 music education in Louisiana and began teaching at Westdale Middle School in Baton Rouge, LA. In July of 2018 he moved back to Iowa and is currently the Director of Choral Activities at Regina Jr. High and High School in Iowa City, IA. There he directs the High School Choir, Jr. High Choir, and musical theater. Travis currently resides in Iowa City with his wife, Molly Dahlberg, and their cats Father Vicar Priest and Catsy Feline. An avid baseball fan, Travis has gotten, and caught, more than 75 foul balls at MLB and MiLB games in more than 20 different stadiums across the country including Minute Maid BallPark in Houston, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
2025 Opera Apprentice
Soo Opera Apprentice Program
July 17th – August 10th, 2025
Soo Apprentice Artists…
Perform a role in the Apprentice Opera, accompanied by the Apprentice Orchestra
Understudy leading roles, sing comprimario roles, and/or lead sections of the ensemble in the mainstage production
Perform a solo with full orchestra in the Aria Showcase Concert
Participate in outreach performances around Northern Michigan
Work with professionals from across the country in masterclasses, lessons, coachings, and workshops
Cost: $1,200 (total, tuition + housing July 17th-August 10th)
Online Applications will be accepted through March 1st, 2025
2025 Opera Events Calendar
2025 Soo Opera Calendar of Events
Please see the poster to the right for all of the upcoming Opera-related events.
Visit the Soo Theatre Box Office for Tickets to Events happening at Soo Theatre.
Email opera@sootheatre.org to reserve your spot at our Annual Fundraiser Home Concert “Around the Piano.”
To purchase tickets for the Soo Opera’s Touring Production of Le Nozze Di Figaro, click here.
Past Opera (2024)
Susannah
By Carlisle Floyd
Produced by Soo Opera
Conducted by Casey Robards
Directed by Anna Rebek
Starring Karen Beacom in the title role of Susannah along with a stellar cast of guest artists, Soo Opera faculty and Apprentice Artists all supported by our amazing local opera chorus!
Carlisle Floyd is one of America’s foremost composers. Though he has also written in other forms, he is renowned for his operas, for which he also writes the libretti. The most famous and popular is his third opera, Susannah, premiered in 1955 and the second most performed of all American operas. Updated and set in Tennessee, it is loosely based on the Apocryphal tale of Susannah and the Elders. The work is rooted in vernacular folk melodies and hymns and contains soaring melodic beauty.
TWO CHANCES TO SEE THIS GRIPPING TALE AT THE HISTORIC SOO THEATRE
Performances at Soo Theatre:
Wednesday, August 7, 2024 – 7pm
Friday, August 9, 2024 – 7pm
Additional Tour Performance on Mackinac Island at
Mission Point Center for the Arts:
Sunday, August 11, 2024 – 4pm
1 Lakeshore Drive
Mackinac Island, MI 49757
Tickets available at: www.mackinacartscouncil.org
CAST/CREW:
Conductor – Casey Robards
Director – Anna Rebek
Stage Manager – Sara Porter
Master Carpenter – Craig Flickinger
Orchestra Manager – Maggie Twining
Susannah Polk – Karen Beacom
Sam Polk – David Pelino
Olin Blitch – John Arnold
Little Bat McLean – Nate Petsche
Elder Hayes – Travis Richter
Elder Gleaton – Rob Allen
Elder McLean – Thomas Gunther
Elder Ott – Timothy Schmidt
Mrs. Hayes – Maitri White
Mrs. Gleaton – Lydia Bangura
Mrs. McLean – Suna Gunther
Mrs. Ott – Molly Dahlberg
Citizens of New Hope Valley, TN
MIRANDA ALLEN, JAMES ALLOR, ELAINE ALLOR, IYLA BEAULIEU, JACK CALLAGHAN, JENNIFER COMPO, SAM COX, ELLAH DEAGHAN, BEN DEATRICK, PAT DEATRICK, ABIGAIL DICK, WILLIAM DICK, SHANNON ENGEL, AYLA GUNTHER, JUNIPER GUNTHER, REAGAN HINZE, SASCHA KUENZER, NANCY KIRKPATRICK, NATALIE PENDAS, SARA PERFETTI, SARA PORTER, CINDY SMITH, SHREYAS SUNDAR, LILA TUZINOWSKI, TESSA WOOLEVER, ELLA YOUNG
BIOS - OPERA LEADS
CASEY ROBARDS (CONDUCTOR)
Korean American adoptee, Casey Robards (Ahn SuhJung) is a music director, pianist and vocal coach known for her sensitive musicality, expert collaborative skill, stylistic versatility and expressive conducting. She has given performances throughout the United States, Europe, Central and South America and Asia. In 2024-2025, Robards debuts with Indianapolis Opera (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Opera Columbus (Le Nozze di Figaro), El Paso Opera (Bon Appétit) and Soo Opera (Susannah). She has worked as repetiteur for Santa Fe Opera, New Orleans Opera, and Kentucky Opera, and has conducted Three Decembers, The Scarf (South Bend Lyric Opera); Die Zauberflöte, La Boheme, La Traviata, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica (Bay View, Michigan), Carmen (Wichita, Kansas) and Water Riot in Beta: A Cyberpunk Rock Opera (Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago). Robards is Music Director of Ensemble Concert 21, a chamber group devoted to the excellent performance of new music by established composers while mentoring and creating opportunities for local student composers.
A sought after collaborative partner, Robards maintains an active recital schedule, including separate touring programs with Karen Slack, Kenneth Overton, and LaToya Lain promoting justice and healing through art song and spirituals by Black composers. Her latest CD with baritone Kenneth Overton celebrates the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar. She frequently performs in a piano duo with her husband, pianist/composer, Anthony Patterson and has recorded CDs with Bernhard Scully (horn), Fangye Sun (violin), and Sara Fraker (oboe).
Dr. Robards has held positions at Indiana University, Oberlin Conservatory, Central Michigan, and has a 31 year relationship with the Bay View Music Festival. Robards was a NATS Professional Intern, a Songfest Professional Development Program Participant and conducting fellow in the Banff Opera in the 21st Century program. She received the Henri Kohn Memorial Award for outstanding achievement at Tanglewood Music Festival. She chairs the Sacred in Opera Initiative for the National Opera Association and has been active in IKCAS, NATS and CMS. She is the foremost expert on Black composer, John Daniels Carter, the subject of her dissertation. She is currently Asst. Professor at the University of Illinois. www.caseyrobards.com
CASEY ROBARDS (CONDUCTOR)
Jennifer Allor (Repetiteur/Vocal Coach)
JENNIFER ALLOR (REPETITEUR/VOCAL COACH)
Jennifer is a Chicago-based pianist, vocal coach, and conductor from Chapel Hill, NC. She is on faculty of the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where she serves as music director for the undergraduate opera and vocal coach. She is a frequent recitalist in the Chicago area and last year performed as a Vocal Chamber Music Fellow for the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago (CAIC). This summer, she joined the faculty of the Bay View Music Festival as Coach and Assistant Conductor for their production of La Cenerentola.
Jennifer is a graduate of the Chicago Opera Theater/Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University Professional Diploma and Young Artist Program. During the 2021-2023 seasons, she worked on productions of Carmen, The Cook-Off (Shawn Okpebholo), Becoming Santa Claus (Adamo), The Beekeeper (Wang Lu), Król Roger (Szymanowski), and the world premieres of The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing (Justine F. Chen) and Quamino’s Map (Errollyn Wallen) with COT. She has also been an apprentice coach with Prague Summer Nights (Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte), served as pianist and coach for Soo Opera Theatre (La Traviata, La Bohème, Tosca) and was principal pianist/coach for Chicago Summer Opera (Le Nozze di Figaro).
Jennifer has played under conductors including Lidiya Yankovskaya, Jane Glover, and John Nardolillo. She holds a Professional Diploma in opera from Roosevelt University, a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
KAREN BEACOM (SUSANNAH)
With a voice and stage presence described as “warm and lyrical with a lot of dramatic power” by the Omaha World Herald, Karen Hughes Beacom has made a name for herself on the opera and concert stage. A Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Finalist, her career has crossed borders, with international performances at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, China as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Tianjin Symphony and as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro under the baton of Joseph Rescigno in Novafeltria, Bellaria and Sant’Archangelo, Italy.
This versatile soprano has performed dozens of leading roles in opera, with highlights including Violetta in La Traviata, Mimí in La Bohème, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Micaela in Carmen, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Fiordiligi in Cosí fan tutte, and Alexandra in the world premiere of O Pioneers!, among others. Her opera credits include Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Omaha, Sun Valley Opera, DuPage Opera Theatre, Chautauqua Institution and Soo Opera.
Recent solo concert highlights include Handel’s Messiah and Saint-Saëns Oratorio de Noël with Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Keewenaw Symphony, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Sault Symphony Orchestra in Ontario, Canada. Karen has also appeared with the Summit Choral Society in Akron, OH, the Nebraska Choral Arts Society in Omaha, Nebraska and recorded backup vocals on the Mannheim Steamroller album Christmas Extraordinaire.
In addition to performing, Karen is the founder and artistic director of the Soo Opera in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Founded in 2007 as a part of the Soo Theatre Project, Soo Opera has brought fully staged works with orchestra to the Eastern Upper Peninsula every year since its inception, including annual performances on Mackinac Island at Mission Point Theater, with their first Mackinac Island performance at the Grand Hotel. Karen also serves as the Artistic Director of Soo Theatre Project and as Director of Music at Little Stone Church.
Karen holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studied under Metropolitan Opera Mezzo-Soprano Ariel Bybee. A student of Bybee’s in New York City where she attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Karen subsequently followed her mentor and teacher to earn her degree in the field of opera. Karen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Harp Performance from DePauw University.
Karen Beacom (Susannah)
DAVID PELINO (SAM POLK)
DAVID PELINO (SAM POLK)
David Pelino, tenor, is a vocal artist well versed in both solo and ensemble repertoire. Some of David’s solo credits include tenor solo repertoire in works such as Theodore Dubois’ The Seven Last Words of Christ, Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, G.F. Handel’s Messiah, and Adolphus Hailstork’s I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes, as well as performing the roles of King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors and the Evangelist in J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion. Awards he was won for his singing includes the Grady-Rayam 2018 Upper Division Negro Spiritual Prize, the 2019 Central Region NATS Advanced Division 1st Place Winner, as well as being a National NATS semifinalist in 2020.
Equally at home in ensemble singing, David has had the distinct privilege of being able to sing both at home and abroad. He performs with nationally and internationally renowned ensembles such as the American Spiritual Ensemble, Prometheus, Seraphic Fire, and Kinnara
JOHN ARNOLD (OLIN BLITCH)
John Arnold is an Atlanta-based singer, actor, writer, podcast host, and multi-instrumentalist. John has performed to great acclaim with opera companies and associated emerging and resident artist programs across the United States, including the Atlanta Opera, Boston Opera Collaborative, Des Moines Metro Opera, Detroit Opera, Kentucky Opera, Knoxville Opera, Madison Opera, the Merola Opera Program, and Opera New Jersey. He is also in demand as a concert and oratorio soloist and has built a reputation for delivering performances imbued with a unique combination of vocal clarity, elegant musicality, and dramatic sophistication.
JOHN ARNOLD (OLIN BLITCH)
NATE PETSCHE (LITTLE BAT MCLEAN)
NATE PETSCHE (LITTLE BAT MCLEAN)
Nate Petsche is a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance. During his time at UNL, he enjoyed performances as Edward in Big Fish, Amédée in O Pioneers!, Kaspar in Amahl in the Night Visitors, Arpad in She loves me, and many emsemble/cover roles. This summer, Nate was fortunate enough to be in the company of the Ohio Light Opera, and got to check off a bucket list role as Rolf in The Sound of Music. After Soo, Nate plans to take his first real break since lockdown, and hopefully figure out exactly what he wants to be when he grows up.
DR. TRAVIS RICHTER (CHORUS MASTER/ELDER HAYES)
Dr. Travis Richter is an opera singer by trade having performed in more than 40 operatic and musical theater productions on stages across the country including Utah Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Central City Opera, Rimrock Opera, Nevada Opera, Mobile Opera, Charlottesville Opera, Pensacola Opera, New Orleans Opera Association, Opera Louisiane, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Soo Opera Theater. Dr. Richter has taught voice at the collegiate level for Tulane University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Eastern Kentucky University, Southern University, and Baton Rouge Community College. In July of 2018 he moved back to Iowa with his wife, Molly Dahlberg to teach junior high and high school choir at Regina Catholic Education Center. An avid baseball fan Travis has gotten more than 75 foul balls at MLB and MiLB games in more than 20 different stadiums across the country.
DR. TRAVIS RICHTER (CHORUS MASTER/ELDER HAYES)
ROB ALLEN (ELDER GLEATON)
ROB ALLEN (ELDER GLEATON)
Rob Allen was raised in Rudyard and graduated from Rudyard High School. He attended MSU as a voice major before joining the US Air Force. He has previously been a member of the Community Chorus while living in Stephenson, MI, and is currently a member of the Hiawathaland Community Chorus in Rudyard. Rob has previously performed as a member of the chorus for several operas at Soo Theatre including Tosca, La Traviata, and La Bohème. Last winter, he appeared as Santa Claus in his first musical, Elf.
THOMAS GUNTHER (ELDER MCLEAN)
Thomas Gunther was seen recently as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana with Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Schenectady Symphony Orchestra, and Shaunard in La Bohème with First Coast Opera and Amelia Island Opera. As a concert soloist, he has performed Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Britten’s War Requiem, Faure’s Requiem, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Handel’s Messiah. Operatic roles include Scarpia (Tosca, Soo Opera Theatre), Germont (La Traviata, Soo Opera Theatre and Bay View Opera), Guglielmo (Cosí fan tutte, Schenectady Symphony), Pangloss/Voltaire (Candide, Union Avenue Opera), Captain Corcoran (HMS Pinafore, Union Avenue Opera), Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus, Winter Opera St. Louis), Danilo (The Merry Widow), Falke (Die Fledermaus), Marcello (La Bohème), Dandini (La Cenerentola), Masetto (Don Giovanni), Mercutio (Romeo et Juliette), Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Silvio (I Pagliacci), and the title roles in Sweeney Todd and Don Giovanni. Mr. Gunther has performed with the Dominican Republic National Symphony and with the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco with their production of composer André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire as Stanley Kowalski. Musical Theatre credits include Billy Bigalow (Carousel), Javert (Les Misérables), and Raul (Phantom of the Opera). Mr. Gunther is currently Professor of Voice at The Omaha Conservatory of Music in Nebraska and Adjunct Professor at Doane University.
THOMAS GUNTHER (ELDER MCLEAN)
DR. TIMOTHY SCHMIDT (ELDER OTT)
DR. TIMOTHY SCHMIDT (ELDER OTT)
Dr. Timothy Schmidt, bass baritone holds degrees from Westmont College (B.A. in Music), University of Northern Colorado (M.M. with a dual emphasis in vocal performance and conducting), and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (D.M.A. in Vocal Performance and Literature). He is on the faculty at Southeast Missouri State University as a Professor of Music, where his instruction includes applied voice, vocal pedagogy, music theory, and co-direction of the opera program. His vocal teaching and performance experience encompasses classical, musical theater, and commercial vocal styles. His alumni have performed in national and international opera houses, and on Broadway and in national touring musical productions. He previously taught as an adjunct instructor at Millikin University and Illinois Wesleyan University, and as a Visiting lecturer at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Schmidt’s operatic repertoire includes Figaro and Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Frank in Die Fledermaus, Mr. Budd in Albert Herring, Arkel in Pélleas et Melisande, Dr. Grenvil in La Traviata, and patter roles in numerous Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. In 2005, he created the role of “Isaiah Bartlett” in the world premier performance and recording of Where the Cross Is Made by Nancy Van de Vate. In 2011, he traveled to the Czech Republic to record the role of Claudius in Van de Vate’s setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In 2018 he performed the role of Frank Maurant in the Bulgarian premiere production of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene with the Varna Opera Academy. He has previously performed with Soo Theater as Dr. Neville Craven in The Secret Garden, the Bonze and Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly and as Dr. Grenvil in La Traviata.
SHANNON ENGEL (MRS. HAYES)
Shannon Engel is a senior Vocal Music Education major at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She is a student of Dr. Jana Holzmeier. Recent credits include Lucy in Nebraska Wesleyan’s production of “The Telephone,” and various roles in Nebraska Wesleyan’s Fall 2023 Opera Workshop program. In July 2022, she had the privilege of studying under Harolyn Blackwell at the New York University Classical Voice Intensive. Shannon also works for First Plymouth Church in Lincoln, NE, where she co-directs a K-2 children’s choir and sings for the adult choir. This is Shannon’s Soo Opera debut. She would like to thank the Pearle Francis Finigan Foundation for supporting her participation in this program.
SHANNON ENGEL (MRS. HAYES)
MAITRI WHITE (MRS. GLEATON)
MAITRI WHITE (MRS. GLEATON)
Maitri White, Panamanian-American soprano and DEIA advocate Maitri White has always recognized that solidarity and transparent communication among artists is the key to equity in the performing arts industry. Currently based in Detroit, MI, Maitri is a freelance opera singer and Equity Initiatives Administrative Coordinator for the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. For the 2023-24 season, chorus engagements include Madame Butterfly and The Cunning Little Vixen with Detroit Opera. This summer, she is a featured artist in recital for the Pine Mountain Music Festival and as a young artist with Soo Opera, where she will sing Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte and Mrs. Gleaton/ Ensemble in Susannah. In the 2022-23 season Maitri performed as a member of the chorus for Detroit Opera’s productions of Faust, Aida in Concert, and Ainadamar, and was also featured as a young artist with the Pine Mountain Music Festival. Maitri holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan. She looks forward to returning to UM to begin her Master of Music this fall.
SUNA GUNTHER (MRS. MCLEAN)
Suna Gunther, serves as Assistant Professor in the Voice and Jazz areas of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music. She is thrilled to return to the Soo to work with Opera Workshop and Apprentice Artists after most recently directing Gianni Schicchi and Die Fledermaus and singing the role of Musetta in La Boheme. Other recent performances including the role of Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitor, UNL), Flora (Soo Opera), and Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutte, Schenectady Symphony), choral engagements with the Grant Park Chorus of Chicago, jazz concerts, and art song recitals. As a member of the SALT quintet, she recently commissioned and premiered microoperas and ensembles by four composers highlighting the lives of real women. Her teaching roles include past positions as faculty of the Brancaleoni International Music Festival in Piobbico, Italy, Coordinator of Voice at the College of Saint Rose in New York, Instructor of Musical Theatre at University of North Dakota, Instructor of Voice at Berea College in Kentucky, Music Theory at Indiana University, and as a freelance collaborative pianist. Her directing and conducting credits include productions spanning Baroque opera to contemporary musical theatre, and she is currently preparing and arranging an anthology of Turkish Song. She lives in Lincoln, NE with her husband Thom and their two daughters.
SUNA GUNTHER (MRS. MCLEAN)
MOLLY DAHLBERG (MRS. OTT)
MOLLY DAHLBERG (MRS. OTT)
Molly Dahlberg, is a mezzo-soprano living in Iowa City, Iowa. She is thrilled to return to Soo Opera where she performed Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus in 2017 and Berta in The Barber of Seville in 2016. Her favorite roles include Jo in Little Women with Spotlight On Opera in Austin, TX; Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Opera Louisiane in Baton Rouge, LA; and Rheinmaiden/Valkyrie/Norn in The Ring, and abridged version of Wagner’s Ring Cycle by Michael Borowitz with Opera Louisiane. Dahlberg also performs burlesque as Madame la Chatte, frequently appearing in Iowa City in solo and group performances with Bawdy Bawdy Ha Ha.
Opera Apprentice
Soo Opera Apprentice Program
July 18th – August 11th, 2024
Apprentices will…
- Perform a role in the Apprentice Opera, The Magic Flute (in English), performed with Apprentice Orchestra
- Perform an aria with full orchestra in our Apprentice Aria showcase
- Understudy leading roles, sing comprimario roles, and/or serve in leadership positions in the chorus of the mainstage production, Susannah
- Participate in outreach performance events throughout Northern Michigan
- Work with top tier professionals in master classes, lessons, and workshops.
Previous summers have included productions of Tosca and Gianni Schicchi (2023), Die Fledermaus and La Bohème (2022), and La Traviata with a truncated Le Nozze di Figaro (2021).
Previous clinicians and coaches have come from the Yale School of Drama, Chicago Opera Theatre, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Kentucky, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and University of Arkansas.
Cost: $1200 tuition & housing
2024 Opera Events
2024 Soo Opera Calendar of Events
Stay tuned for the events poster that will be published and made available to the right for all of the upcoming Opera-related events.
Visit the Soo Theatre Box Office for Tickets to Events happening at Soo Theatre.
Email opera@sootheatre.org to reserve your spot at our Annual Fundraiser Home Concert “Around the Piano.”
Past Opera (2023)
Tosca
Giacomo Puccini
Performances at Soo Theatre
August 9 & 11, 2023 – 7:00pm
Performance on Mackinac Island
August 13, 2023 – 4:00p
Synopsis:
Passionate love, political intrigue, and tragic sacrifice come together in Tosca, Giacomo Puccini’s thrilling masterpiece of Italian opera. Set in Rome during the Restoration period, Tosca tells the story of the fiery diva Floria Tosca and her lover, the revolutionary artist Mario Cavaradossi, as they navigate a world of corruption and danger. With its sweeping melodies and high-stakes drama, Tosca is a timeless tale of love, sacrifice, and the struggle for freedom and justice.
Cast:
Floria Tosca – Karen Beacom (soprano), Resident Artist
Mario Cavaradossi – Chauncey Packer (tenor), New York, NY
Baron Scarpia – Thomas Gunther (baritone), Lincoln, NE
Cesare Angelotti – Eliam Ramos (bass), New York, NY
Sacristan – Rick Ziebarth (baritone), Chicago, IL
Spoletta – Travis Richer (tenor), Iowa City, IA
Sciarrone – Juan Garcia, Little Rock, AR
Tosca Program
Opera Apprentice
Soo Opera Apprentice Program
July 22nd – August 13th, 2023
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Apprentices will have the opportunity to…
- Perform a role in the Apprentice Opera, Gianni Schicchi
- Perform a solo with full orchestra in our Aria showcase
- Understudy leading roles, sing comprimario roles, and/or serve in leadership positions in the chorus of the mainstage production, Tosca
- Participate in outreach performance events on Mackinac Island and elsewhere in Northern Michigan
- Work with top tier professionals in master classes, lessons, and workshops. Previous clinicians and coaches have come from the Yale School of Drama, Chicago Opera Theatre, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Kentucky, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and University of Arkansas.
Cost: $475 housing, $500 tuition ($975 total)
2023 Opera Events Calendar
2023 Soo Opera Calendar of Events
Please see the poster to the right for all of the upcoming Opera-related events.
Visit the Soo Theatre Box Office for Tickets to Events happening at Soo Theatre.
Email opera@sootheatre.org to reserve your spot at our Annual Fundraiser Home Concert “Around the Piano.”
To reserve your ticket for Gianni Schicci on Mackinac Island at the Mission Point Resort Theater click here.
To purchase tickets for the Soo Opera’s Touring Production of Tosco, click here.
