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. (Tickets Available Here)
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)
2026 Apprentice Bios
EMILY HOFFMAN
Emily Hoffman, soprano, holds a Graduate Performer’s Certificate in Voice and a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Connecticut, where she studied with Dr. Constance Rock. As a member of UConn’s Opera Theater program, Ms. Hoffman’s roles included Orpheus (Orphée aux enfers), Madam Kirsten (The Beautiful Bridegroom), the Imposter/Decider (Welcome to Limbo: A Purcell Purgatory Pastiche), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), and Daters #2, #41, #82, #86 (Speed Dating Tonight!). She also performed with UConn’s Collegium Musicum, Concert Choir, and Festival Chorus, appearing as a soloist in Fauré’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. Ms. Hoffman was featured in UConn’s Junior/Senior Honors Recitals, Freshman/Sophomore Honors Recitals, and several voice department Songfest recitals. Last spring, she received Third Place in the Advanced Division at the Connecticut NATS Auditions. Previous summer engagements include a Communications Apprenticeship with the Glimmerglass Festival, as well as participation in UConn’s Summer Music in Strasbourg program, Westminster Choir College’s CoOPERAtive program, and the Collaborative Piano Institute’s Vocal Academy.
Emily Hoffman
Jonathan Clough
JONATHAN CLOUGH
Jonathan Clough, tenor, is a rising senior pursuing a Bachelor of Music in voice performance at Andrews University, located in Berrien Springs, Michigan. While primarily studying voice under Charles Reid, Jonathan is also an accomplished pianist, studying solo repertoire under Dr. Chi Yong Yun and collaborating with other musicians as an accompanist. Opera credits include: Count Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Albert Herring (Eponymous), and Tobias Ragg (Sweeney Todd). Music direction credits: The Rocky Horror Show and Rent (The GhostLight Theatre). Jonathan is a two-time winner of Andrews University’s Young Artist Concerto Competition, performing the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no 3 in C minor (2025) and a package of three arias (2026) with the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra, and was a top 10 finalist in the 2025 VanderLaan Prize, an undergraduate vocal competition hosted by Opera Grand Rapids. In December 2025, Jonathan had the opportunity to collaborate with the University of Notre Dame’s opera program, where he performed the roles of Cacambo, the Governor, and Captain Vanderdendur in a production of Candide, also covering the titular role. After graduation, Jonathan hopes to pursue a graduate degree in either vocal performance or collaborative piano.
STEVEN CROOK
Steven Crook was raised on a farm in northwest Arkansas. Some of his performed roles include Escamillo in Bay View’s Carmen, Postman in South Bend Lyric Opera’s The Scarf, and Sciarrone in South Bend Lyric Opera’s Tosca. It was in his hometown of Alma, Arkansas where he started his music career as a singer in his church’s choir. He continued singing in choirs and performing in musicals until he went on to college. Steven went to the University of Central Arkansas for his undergraduate where he received a bachelors in music education. This is where he found his love of opera and performing. He then finished a masters in vocal performance and literature with Nathan Gunn at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign and is now an Adjunct Voice Instructor of Musical Theatre Voice at Illinois Wesleyan University. Some of his upcoming roles include Le Baron de Pictordu in Soo Theatre’s Cendrillon and covering Silvio in Soo Theatre’s Pagliacci.
Steven Crook
Mia Farinelli
MIA FARINELLI
Soprano Mia Farinelli is a Master’s student at the Mannes School of Music studying with Wendy Bryn Harmer. Recognized for her passion for culturally informed storytelling, she brings a distinctive voice to both operatic and contemporary performance. She most recently appeared as a Model in the Mannes production of Korngold’s The Silent Serenade, which was also its US premiere and described by the New York Times as “…winningly melodic, rhythmically crisp and successfully funny”. She has also given world premieres of works by composers such as Gail Harris (From the Other Side of Time), Jasmine Karimova (Suite for a Clown: Skipping), and Bruno Robles-Rendón (Angular Faceted Broken Rubble). Farinelli is also an accomplished choral singer, workshopping and performing new works with ensembles like Berkshire Choral International, Downtown Voices, Choral Chameleon, and International Orange Chorale. Beyond the stage, Farinelli is a certified learning and development professional, facilitator, and coach, with extensive experience training executives in leadership, problem-solving, and communication. She is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of artists and professionals, drawing on her expertise in adult education and business acumen to help emerging creatives build meaningful and sustainable careers.
KAIDA HEINTZELMAN
Kaida Heintzelman, mezzo-soprano, is celebrated for her rich tone and dramatic style. As a rising junior undergraduate, she is beginning to make her mark in the classical opera scene. Her love for singing started at age four. She began experimenting with her voice, and she eventually developed a passion for opera. During high school, Kaida took private vocal lessons with the renowned mezzo-soprano Patricia Risley. Her impressive achievements include performances and awards from the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, the American Choral Directors Association, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Currently, she is expanding her studies at Susquehanna University, where she studies under acclaimed mezzo-soprano Amanda Stante and professors David Steinau and Amy Voorhees. Her notable performance venues include Stretansky Concert Hall, Rhode Island’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium, and Carnegie Hall. Beyond her performance, Kaida is a dedicated advocate for arts diversity and serves as an activist in the humanities.
Kaida Heintzelman
Timothy Levesque
TIMOTHY LEVESQUE
Tim Levesque, tenor, is a Vermont native, and began his love of music playing the piano works of J.S. Bach. Through the Marlboro Music Festival in VT he developed a special interest in vocal repertoire and delved into learning the Passion works by Bach. He went on to study vocal performance at Wheaton College as a baritone. There, he focused on the solo concert work of Handel, Mozart operas such as Le Nozze di Figaro, and German lieder.
Post Collegiate he began lyric tenor repertoire, where he has landed ever since. He pursued music in Boston for several years, being involved with productions at The Longy School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and Vox Opera in Worcester, MA. Tim has a special interest in Bel Canto technique and French Grand Opera Repertoire. While in Boston, he performed works by Edward Elgar, Gustav Mahler, Steven Sondheim, Rossini, Britten, and Mozart.
He is currently completing his Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance at The Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT, studying with baritone Troy Cook. Recent appearances have included Count Belfiore in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera, Opera Gala performances of Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Hartt’s Annual American Art Song Showcase, and Masterclasses with bass-baritone Ryan Speedo-Green. Upon the completion of his Masters degree he hopes to explore operatic singing opportunities in Europe and the U.S.
Tim is a strong advocate of emphasizing the singer-actor in classical repertoire and loves teaching this concept to young singers. When not singing, he works with animals at an ER clinic, and enjoys water sports, horse riding, and cooking. He is a strong advocate that life experience is the key to enriching the depth of vocal performance.
LIZA MOSS
Liza Moss, soprano, holds a Master’s of Music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City where she studied voice with Dr. Aidan Soder and performed under Linda Ade Brand. Liza also completed a Bachelor’s of Music in vocal performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Dr. Mary Schiller and performed under David Bamberger. At UMKC Liza sang La contessa in Le nozze di Figaro and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. Other recent credits include Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus and First Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Stafford Opera
Troupe and La Fée in Viardot’s Cendrillon with Nightingale Opera Theater. Liza has performed scenes from Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Falstaff, Der Rosenkavalier, and Peter Grimes.
Liza Moss
Yizhou Zhao
YIZHOU ZHAO
Yizhou Zhao is a first-year Master of Music student in Voice Performance at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she studies with Suna Gunther. She appeared as the Spirit in Hansel and Gretel with UNL Opera, and her performance experience spans opera, recital, choral, and concert settings. Highlights include the NATS Competition Finalists Concert at the University of Wyoming, the UNL Diction Recital, and the Sino–Italian Concert at Teatro Caio Melisso in Spoleto, Italy. She is currently a member of University Singers and looks forward to joining the Soo Opera program this summer.
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
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
BIOS
RICHARD GAMMON (STAGE DIRECTOR)
Richard Gammon, a Filipino American stage director, has directed for Wolf Trap Opera, Detroit Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, and Virginia Opera. Acutely interested in contemporary American opera, he directed the world premieres of Family Style, Kandake, and Black Coffee for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ New Works Collective, The Lake at ArtSounds; and new productions of Bound (Anchorage Opera), Scalia/Ginsburg (Princeton Festival), Buoso’s Ghost (Detroit Opera), and An American Dream (Hawaii Opera Theatre, Virginia Opera, Opera Santa Barbara). Richard, as the director of the Opera Maine Studio Artist Program, programs and directs almost exclusively contemporary operas including Paul’s
Case, Rappahannock County, As One, and Rocking Horse Winner. Creative positions include directing for the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, the National Asian Artists Project, and Cleveland Play House; leading workshops for NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program; and creative associate for Sean Curran
Company’s Dream’d in a Dream (BAM Next Wave Festival).
RICHARD GAMMON (STAGE DIRECTOR)
Casey Robards (Conductor)
CASEY ROBARDS (CONDUCTOR)
Maestra Casey Robards (Suh Jung Ahn) is a Korean American adoptee whose work has been seen throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Central America, South America, and Asia. She has worked with Santa Fe Opera, Kentucky Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Indianapolis Opera, New Orleans Opera, Opera Columbus, Soo Opera, El Paso Opera, South Bend Lyric Opera, and the Bay View Music Festival, where she worked for seventeen seasons. Known for her collaborative leadership, stylistic range, and intimate understanding of both singers and instrumentalists, Maestra Robards’ recent repertoire includes productions of Pagliacci, Le nozze di Figaro, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, La traviata, La bohème, Die Zauberflöte, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, An American Dream, Susannah, Three Decembers, and Little Women. In parallel with her work as a conductor, Robards is an accomplished pianist and vocal coach. She is represented by Marvel Artists Management and is on faculty at the University of Illinois.
CHAUNCEY PACKER
Versatile tenor Chauncey Packer honed his craft in theater and musical theater productions including Baby, The Wizard of Oz, School House Rock Live, and Big River. He performed in Paris’ Louvre Museum in controversial and provocative European choreographer/director Robyn Orlin’s Babysitting Petit Louis. In 2013-2014, he was cast in the First National Broadway Tour of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess as the Honey Man and Sportin’ Life cover. Mr. Packer is featured on several commercial recording releases including Nashville Symphony’s Porgy and Bess on Decca Records and Paragon Ragtime Symphony’s Treemonisha and Black Manhattan Volume 3, both on New World Records. He is featured to critical acclaim in San Francisco Opera’s DVD release of Francesca Zambello’s Porgy and Bess.
Most recently Mr. Packer made débuts with Washington National Opera as Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess, the New World Symphony in their presentation of Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and returned to Charlotteville Opera for his role début of Don Jose in Carmen. Additionally, he sang the role of Ali in Edmond Dede’s Morgiane in a special presentation with Opera Lafayette in collaboration with Opera Creole and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and appeared with the New Jersey Festival Orchestra for their annual 3 Holiday Tenors concert. Other recent engagements include Alfredo in La Traviata with Knoxville Opera, Roldofo in Opera Memphis’ Beale Street La bohème, appearances with the South Florida Symphony and Louisiana Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah, and his return to The Metropolitan Opera as Howard Boucher in Dead Man Walking and a reprisal of the role of Spinner in Fire Shut Up in Bones. In the upcoming season, Chauncey will return to the stage of The Metropolitan Opera for Porgy and Bess and to Washington National Opera as Judge Danforth in The Crucible.
In the 2022-2023 season, Mr. Packer joined The Metropolitan Opera to sing Bardolfo in Falstaff and Luis Rodrigo Griffith in Champion. He also made his role début as the Witch in Hansel and Gretel at New Orleans Opera, brought his celebrated Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess to Germany’s NDR Elbphilharmonic Orchestra, sang and danced as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls with Charlottesville Opera, and reprised his Cavaradossi in Tosca for the Soo Theatre. Other recent highlights include his role début as Cavaradossi in Tosca and as Jo the Loiterer in Mother of us All at Chautauqua Opera, his return to The Metropolitan Opera as Robbins & Crab Man in Porgy and Bess and Spinner in Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in my Bones, a role he reprised in 2022 with Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Scalia in Scalia/Ginsberg at Chautauqua Opera.
Mr. Packer made his Metropolitan Opera début in the roles of Sportin’ Life, Robbins, and Crabman in Porgy and Bess, was a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Colour of Music Festival, appeared in concerts with the Saint-George International Music Festival and the Harrisburg Symphony, was Sportin’ Life with New York Harlem’s Porgy and Bess at Teatro Regio in Torino, Italy, and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Soo Theatre Project in Michigan. He has performed with Nashville Opera, Mobile Opera, Pensacola Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Pacific, and New Orleans Opera. He has sung the roles of Rodolfo (La bohème), Alfredo (La Traviata), Pong (Turandot), Werther, Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Sam (Susannah), Ruggero (La rondine), Dr. Blind (Die Fledermaus), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Arturo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Amon (Akhnaten), and Sportin’ Life, Mingo, and Robbins (Porgy and Bess). Of his Sportin’ Life the Atlanta Journal proclaimed “Here Chauncey Packer was the complete entertainer…” He has performed the role in his 2008 debut with Paris’ Opera Comique, his 2016 debut at Teatro alla Scala, as well as with Tulsa Opera, Atlanta Opera, Opera Birmingham, San Francisco Opera, and a tour throughout Europe with New York Harlem Theatre.
On the concert platform, he has joined Edmonton Opera, Baton Rouge Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Mobile Symphony, Gulf Coast Opera, Shreveport Opera, Grand Rapids Symphony, Pensacola Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria, Louisiana Philharmonic, Signature Symphony, and Torun Symphony Orchestra. He was also featured in a concert at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées with the Orchestre Symphonique de la Garde Républicaine benefiting the organization Women of Africa. He was an apprentice with Des Moines Metro Opera and Utah Festival Opera, received his bachelor’s degree from University of Mobile, pursued a Master of Music from University of New Orleans, and postgraduate studies at Louisiana State University in music and theater. Chauncey is a featured soloist on three Grammy Award winning recordings. Porgy and Bess, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, and Champion, all with the Metropolitan Opera.
CHAUNCEY PACKER (CANIO)
THOMAS GUNTHER (TONIO)
THOMAS GUNTHER (TONIO)
Thomas Gunther, Tonio, performs a diverse repertoire spanning opera, musical theatre, and concert works. He was recently seen as Marcello in La Bohéme with South Bend Lyric Opera and Fiorello in Opera Omaha’s The Barber of Seville and as Elder McLean in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah. His concert credits include Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, Handel’s Messiah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Britten’s War Requiem, and the requiems of Duruflé and Fauré. Notable stage roles include Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Marcello and Schaunard (La bohème), Germont (La traviata), Scarpia (Tosca), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), Billy Bigelow (Carousel), Javert (Les Misérables), and the title roles in Sweeney Todd and Don Giovanni. He has worked with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Merola Opera Program, Des Moines Metro Opera, Soo Opera Theatre, and others. He serves on the voice faculty at Doane University, the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and maintains a private studio.
KAREN BEACOM (NEDDA)
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 the title roles in Puccini’s Tosca and Floyd’s Susannah, Violetta in La Traviata, Mimí in La Bohème, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Micaëla 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 BEACOM (NEDDA)
JOHN ARNOLD (SILVIO)
JOHN ARNOLD (SILVIO)
Bass-Baritone
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.
SCOTT WICHAEL (BEPPE)
Scott Wichael is a versatile tenor celebrated for his dynamic character portrayals and stylistic range across opera, operetta, and contemporary works. With a career spanning more than two decades, he has appeared with companies throughout the United States and abroad, earning recognition for his compelling stage presence and musicianship in both comic and dramatic repertoire.
Recent and upcoming engagements include Beppe in Pagliacci with Soo Theatre, Aegisth in Elektra with Dramatic Voices Midwest, and performances in Le Nozze di Figaro and La Fanciulla del West with North Carolina Opera. He has also appeared as Steuermann in Der fliegende Holländer, Herodes in Salome, Jaquino in Fidelio, and Mime in Das Rheingold.
A frequent interpreter of character tenor repertoire, he has portrayed The Witch in Hansel and Gretel and Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte with multiple companies, as well as Spoletta in Tosca, Pang and Pong in Turandot, Bardolfo in Falstaff, and Don Curzio in Le Nozze di Figaro. His repertoire also includes leading and featured roles such as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado, and Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha.
He has collaborated with distinguished organizations including Des Moines Metro Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Omaha, Indianapolis Opera, Tulsa Opera, and Asheville Lyric Opera. He has also appeared in world premiere productions, including Ourland and The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
SCOTT WICHAEL (BEPPE)
2025 Opera Events Calendar
2026 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.”
Tickets for the Soo Opera’s Touring Production of Pagliacci available here.
