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2025

FACULTY

Jennifer Rowley, soprano

Jennifer Rowley

Founder and Director

Voice Teacher

American soprano, Jennifer Rowley, is acclaimed world wide for her unforgettable voice and remarkable stage presence in a richly varied repertoire that spans many of opera’s greatest heroines. During the past several seasons she has appeared at The Metropolitan Opera as 

Roxanne in Cyrano de Bergerac, the title roles of Tosca and Adriana Lecouvreur, Leonora in Il Trovatore, and Musetta in La Bohème; at Opernhaus Zürich and Opera Philadelphia as Amelia Grimaldi in Simon Boccanegra, Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona and the Teatro Colón in the title role of Aida, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Staatsoper Berlin, Opera National de Paris, and Opera de Rouen in her Signature role of Leonora in Il Trovatore, the Semperoper Dresden as both Tosca and Valentine in Les Huguenots, at the Teatro Verdi Salerno in the title role of Manon Lescaut, the National Theatre Prague as Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, and the Royal Opera House, 

Covent Garden as Musetta, among many others. 

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On the concert stage, Ms. Rowley has performed concert performances of Tosca with the Israel Philharmonic led by maestro Zubin Mehta. She was the soprano soloist in Beethoven's colossal Missa Solemnis with the Philadelphia Orchestra both in Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center, and New York City’s Carnegie Hall, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She was the soprano 

soloist for Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Symphony of a Thousand with maestro Fabio Luisi at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, was the soprano soloist with St. Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at Carnegie Hall, and Tove in Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado São Paulo.

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An avid mentor to young artists, Ms. Rowley has created a summer young artist training program called Jennifer Rowley’s Aria Bootcamp. She holds an annual Artist in Residence position at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory and is sought after for her seminars and masterclasses across the globe. A winner of many international competitions, she was awarded 

the Richard Tucker Career Grant, was a top prize winner of the Lucia Albanese Puccini Foundation, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Opera Index Awards, and was a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Consul Auditions.

Jason Ferrante, Banff, Canadian Opera Company, Pensacola Opera

Jason Ferrante

Voice Teacher

Recognized as one of the most sought-after American voice teachers active today, Jason Ferrante has been teaching singing and performing internationally for two decades. His students appear on the greatest operatic and concert stages of the world including the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Salzburg Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Glyndebourne. They have been winners and participants in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, The George London Awards and most of the major singing competitions in the USA.

 

He is regularly sought-out by professional singers for technical advice and by schools, opera companies and training programs for masterclasses and lessons. In 2021, Ferrante served as voice teacher and Director of the Studio for Wolf Trap Opera. In 2025, he continues as voice teacher on the voice faculties of the training programs at Banff, Canadian Opera Company, Pensacola Opera, Portland Opera, Arizona Opera,  Nashville Opera, Florentine Opera, Charlottesville Opera and Brevard Music Center. In previous seasons, he taught for Florida Grand Opera, Virginia Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Kentucky Opera and Opera Omaha.

 

He is a regional and district judge for the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, the Schmidt Vocal Competition, and the National Opera Association Production Competition. Ferrante holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School where his primary studies were with Beverley Peck Johnson and Cynthia Hoffmann. While at Juilliard, Ferrante was nurtured by many of the finest language coaches in the singing world including Nico Castel, Thomas Grubb, Corradina Caporello, Richard Cross, and Kathryn LaBouff. His primary acting studies were with Edward Berkeley and Frank Corsaro. His further studies were at Wolf Trap, Tanglewood and Aspen as well as the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan and the University of Miami School of Music in Salzburg.
 

For further information on his performance career visit www.jasonferrante.com/teaching

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Anthony Manoli, The New School at Mannes

Anthony V. Manoli

Musical Coach

Pianist and Coach Anthony V. Manoli has worked with some of the leading opera companies throughout the world including the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Theatre Des Champs-Elysees, Opera Lausanne and L’Opera du Rhin as assistant conductor and coach/pianist. In addition, The Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera have engaged him as an assistant conductor. Mr. Manoli has collaborated with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Seiji Ozawa, Claudio Abbado, Robert Shaw, Sir Andrew Davis, Richard Bonygne and Sir Colin Davis.  Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Mirella Freni, Jose Carreras, Rockwell Blake, Edita Gruberova and Barbara Frittoli are just some of the singers with whom he has worked.  
 

Mr. Manoli has coached at the Academie Bastille, Domingo-Cafritz Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. In addition, he has worked with the Canadian Opera Company’s Young Artist Ensemble as well as the Young Artist Program for Palm Beach Opera. He is a faculty member of the Mannes College of Music in New York City where he also maintains an active private coaching studio. He appears frequently with Sondra Radvanovsky in recital and has collaborated with tenors Stephen Costello and Matthew Polenzani in concerts within the United States.

Ksenia Leletkina, The Metropolitan Opera

Ksenia Leletkina

Russian Diction

Russian born pianist Ksenia Leletkina enjoys a vigorous career as a sought-after vocal coach, pianist, and Russian diction specialist. She is currently on faculty at the Juilliard School of Music and on staff at the Metropolitan Opera. As an author and editor, her recent publications include Anthology of Russian Songs and the second volume of Libretti of Russian Operas for Leyerle Publications.  

 

Dr. Leletkina taught courses and workshops on Russian diction at Eastman School of Music, NATS, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Naples, and Lindemann Young Artists Development Program for the Metropolitan Opera. Her other engagements include five seasons with Palm Beach Opera where she served as Principal Coach; Eastman Opera Theatre as a coach and music director; as well as musical coach at Opera Naples and the Renata Scotto Opera Program among others.   

 

Dr. Leletkina earned her Doctoral degree from Eastman School of Music in Accompanying and Chamber Music, and her Masters degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, double majoring in Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano

Jesse Martins, Conductor

Jessé Martins

Musical Coach/Conductor

Jessé Martins is a conductor, pianist, and voice coach who has extensive experience working with all types of singers from children to seasoned professionals. He will conduct Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah in Sarasota Opera’s 2026 Winter Opera Festival. 

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Since joining the music staff of Sarasota Opera in 2011, he has been integrally involved in all aspects of the company’s music making. He conducted Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2019), Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (2021), Donizetti’s La fille du régiment (2022) and Lucia di Lammermoor (2024). Maestro Martins was the Chorus Master & Head of the Apprentice Program during the 2020 Winter Festival, and Director of the Studio Artists Program during the 2023 and 2025 Winter Festivals. He has performed as pianist in many concerts for the company and throughout the area. As part of the music staff Martins was the understudy conductor for Rossini’s Il barbieredi Siviglia and L’italiana in Algeri, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni, Eugene D’Albert’s Tiefland, Catalani’s La Wally, Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona, Cimarosa’s Il matrimoniosegreto, Massenet’s Thérèse, and Haydn’s Deceit Outwitted.
 

As Youth Opera Music Director for Sarasota Opera, Maestro Martins conducted the world premiere of Rachel J. Peters’ Rootabaga Country, the U.S. premiere of Dean Burry’s The Secret World of OG, Britten’s The Little Sweep, Dean Burry’s The Hobbit, Krása’s Brundibár and was the associate conductor for the world premiere of Daron Hagen’s Little Nemo in Slumberland. 
 

He has worked extensively as a coach in his native Brazil, New Zealand, and now the Sarasota Opera and area. He is also a member of the Sarasota Piano Trio and curates a chamber music concert series for Venice Public Library.

www.jessemartins.com

Lucy Tucker Yates, Teatro Nuovo, UCLA

Lucy Tucker Yates

Italian Diction

In November 2022 Miss Yates made her Lincoln Center debut as maestro al cembalo for Rossini's Maometto II with Teatro Nuovo. In 2020 she joined LA's The Industry on keyboards for Sweet Land (Du Yun/Raven Chacon) and was made a company member. In 2018 she made her conducting debut as maestro al cembalo at Seattle Opera with the "extremely inventive" O+E (Gluck/Calzabigi 1762 Orfeo ed Euridice), in an "elegantly poetic" English version she created. In 2014 she made her Rossini Opera Festival debut as onstage continuo fortepianist and assistant conductor to Will Crutchfield in Mario Martone's staging of Aureliano in Palmira.
 

Miss Yates first drew international attention as Violetta in a 2002 Franco Zeffirelli production of La traviata (Teatro Verdi di Busseto) and as Monica in The Medium at Spoleto under Gian Carlo Menotti's direction. Critics called her Gilda “perfect” (Piedmont), her Beatrice di Tenda “dazzling” (Fletcher), and her Fiordiligi “deliciously feminine” (Aldeburgh). She appeared as Nedda in Pagliacci at Sarasota Opera and as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Opera Company of North Carolina.


Through twenty years of playing, coaching, and writing alongside Will Crutchfield for Bel Canto at Caramoor and Teatro Nuovo (where she is now Director of Language Studies), Miss Yates has emerged as a cogent and lyrical translator and teacher of Italian grammar and poetry. She has served as dramaturg, titlist, and coach for the New York City Opera. She has taught and coached for over a decade for dell'Arte Opera Ensemble under Christopher Fecteau. She has given master class series on the history of the Italian poetic tradition for Portland Opera and on the mechanics of Italian verse for Fort Worth Opera. She is a Lecturer in Opera in the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA.

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Susan Woodruff Versage, New York City Opera

Susan Woodruff Versage

Musical Coach
Pianist

Susan Woodruff Versage, pianist, received her musical training at the Ohio State University and the University of Illinois with John Wustman.  An experienced recital accompanist, Ms. Versage pursued her career in Europe where she worked with opera companies in Zürich, Lucerne and Neuchatel, Switzerland.  In the United States, Ms. Versage was coach/accompanist for the Houston Grand Opera, the Spoleto Festival, the Kennedy Center, Minnesota Opera, Tulsa Opera, Glimmerglass and Senior Assistant Conductor at the New York City Opera.  Her academic credits include teaching at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and the Konservatorium und Musikhochschule in Zürich, Switzerland.   In addition, Ms. Versage was Assistant Professor in the Opera and Vocal Coaching Departments at Mannes College, the New School for Music.  Recently relocated to Florida, Ms. Versage has been named pianist for the Choral Artists of Sarasota under the direction of Dr. Joseph Holt.

Francois Germain, Cleveland Institute of Music

François Germain

French and German Diction
Musical Coach

Originally from Aix-en-Provence, France, Pianist and vocal coach François Germain has performed extensively in Europe, the United States and Canada as soloist and accompanist. A native French and German speaker, he specializes in French and German vocal repertoire and diction.
 

Currently on the Faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music as vocal coach and Managing Director of Opera, he is also on the music staff of the Semperoper in Dresden, Germany, where he coaches new French language productions. As a lyric diction specialist, he is a founder and editor of The Diction Police, a leading multimedia language resource for classical singers.

For the past fifteen years, Dr. Germain has also been on the Faculty of the University of Miami Frost School of Music Summer Program in Salzburg, Austria, one of Europe's longest running and most respected programs of its kind for singers and vocal pianists.
 

In addition to his performance and teaching activities, Dr. Germain holds a master's degree in political science from the Institut d’Études Politiques (Sciences-Po).
 

www.francoisgermain.net

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Chris Kelly, The Musical Athlete

Chris Kelly

The Musical Athlete

Chris Kelly possesses a Masters Degree in Journalism from Columbia University and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. He has completed education from systems such as Functional Range Conditioning, Postural Restoration Institute, Bill Hartman’s Intensive and Neurokinetic Therapy.

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Chris is the owner of Fitness-Rehab, a sports medicine and holistic training studio located in Lakeland Florida. Through FR, Chris works with a wide variety of clients ranging from professional athletes to pre and post surgery clients seeking to use movement and

breathing to improve their quality of life and athletic performance.

Chris is also the co-owner the Musical Athlete, a physical preparation and performance company for vocalists. Chris uses biomechanical principles and athletic strength and conditioning to help vocalists move, breath and perform better while gaining a new understanding of their bodies. He has worked with hundred of singers including grammy award winning artists and elite operatic and musical theater performers. He is passionate about helping singers support the vocal mechanism by training the body and the breath holistically.

 

In his role as a teacher, Chris has educated hundreds of voice teachers, physical therapists, massage therapists and personal trainers in topics such as movement screening, rehabilitative core training, exercise prescription/modification and much more.

 

Martha Collins, Sarasota Opera

Martha Collins

Dramatic Coach

Martha Collins, the Director of Education at Sarasota Opera, has a long association with the company, having first joined in 2004 as a stage director for the Apprentice Artists program.  She has since directed over 20 mainstage productions, including Dialogues of the Carmelites (2017), Nabucco (2019), Romeo and Juliet (2020), and most recently was stage director of Ernani for the 2023 Opera Festival. She has directed the annual Sarasota Youth Opera production every year since 2005, including Rootabaga Country (2017) and Brundibar (2019) and next season will direct The Little Sweep by Benjamin Britten. She has also directed at numerous other organizations including Tri-Cities Opera, Opera Southwest, New York University, and New England Conservatory. She has extensive teaching credits, including New York University, Swarthmore College, Brevard Music Center, and the Florence Voice Seminar in Italy.

 

Born in Ottawa, Ms. Collins gained much acclaim in Canada as both a concert and operatic performer. She has appeared with the Canadian Opera Company, Festival Ottawa, Vancouver Opera, Calgary Opera, Opera Lyra and Toronto’s Opera in Concert. In 1985 she was a finalist in the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, and in 1986 she was chosen to perform for Prince Charles and Princess Diana at the opening gala of the World’s Fair in Vancouver, British Columbia. On the silver screen, Ms. Collins appeared in the 1987 Norman Jewison film “Moonstruck,” in the role of Mimi.

Drew and Hannah Bullock, Simply Sing Studios

SimplySing Studios
Hannah and Drew Bullock

 Recording Team

Hannah Bullock of SimplySing Studios is an audio engineer turned opera singer growing her expertise in navigating all sides of the classical music industry. As a graduate of Capital University’s Music Technology program, Ms. Bullock is trained in studio engineering, audio for video, film score, and other production skills. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she decided to further her passion for singing by pursuing a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Ohio University. Since then, Ms. Bullock has made professional debuts in a variety of operatic and concert works, most recently including Second Lady (The Magic Flute) with Opera Columbus, Fauré’s Requiem with Peace Choir Chamber Orchestra, and Micäela (Carmen) with Camerata Bardi/Teatro Grattacielo. With the creation of SimplySing Studios, Ms. Bullock hopes to give back to the operatic community and educate singers about classical recording. 

  

Drew Bullock of SimplySing Studios has worked as a professional audio engineer for the past 20+ years. Mr. Bullock has had the pleasure of working with thousands of artists and musicians on a variety of creative projects. While music production has been his core passion, over the years Mr. Bullock expanded his skill set to include audio for video, video production, and photography. In 2011, he started a content creation company that primarily serves both large and small brands spanning multiple sectors. From eBay, Neutrogena, and GNC to Victoria's Secret, American Eagle, and Blue Origin, companies have relied on his studio to create compelling content to grow their brand.



https://www.simplysingstudios.com/

Matthew Holler photographer

Matthew Holler

Photographer

Matthew Holler is a New York City and Florida based fashion and portrait photographer with subjects ranging from fashion and lifestyle models to singers, dancers and musicians. His work has been featured in numerous publications within the US and internationally, including Vogue, Pointe Magazine and Forbes.

Melissa Brown hair and makeup

Melissa Brown

Hair and Makeup

Melissa Brown is a celebrity makeup artist and hair stylist (trained by the one and only Raja from RuPaul's Drag Race) with credits ranging from lifestyle to television. She has had the immense pleasure of lending her artistry to prominent brands including Harley Davidson, LoveShackFancy, Nike, Dillards, SyFy Channel, HSN and FOX among numerous others. Notable celebrity clients include: Octavia Spencer, Mariah Carey, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy and Snookie. 

GUEST ARTISTS

Elaine Alvarez, soprano

Elaine Alvarez

Soprano

Cuban-American soprano Elaine Alvarez burst onto the international opera scene in 2007, making a break-out company debut with her soulful portrayal of Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Conducted by Sir Andrew Davis and directed by Renata Scotto, critics were unanimous with praise: “Conveying lyric pathos seems to come as naturally to Alvarez as breathing” (Chicago Tribune). Characterized by a distinct “buffed bronze soprano” (Opera News), Alvarez has blossomed into a true spinto d’agilità, delivering performances rich with “melting, voluminous sound” (Frankfurter Allgemeine), “spectacular agility” (Opera World Magazine), and “a profoundly genuine sentimentality” (Miami Herald).

 

Notable engagements include Aïda for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti; Tosca with Choregies d’Orange, Opera de Oviedo, and Chautauqua Opera; Mimi in La bohème for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera National de Bordeaux, Teatro Carlo Felice, and Oper Frankfurt, among others; Suor Angelica for Opera Omaha; La Traviata for Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper, Oper Leipzig, Theater St Gallen and Fort Worth Opera; Magda in La Rondine for Oper Frankfurt; Elisabetta in Don Carlo for Maryland Lyric Opera; Desdemona in Otello for Livermore Valley Opera; Kat’a Kabanova with Boston Lyric Opera; Florencia en el Amazonas for San Diego Opera; Cecilia Valdez for Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid; Verdi debuts as Elvira in Ernani, Hélène in Jerusalem, and the title role of Aïda for Opera Royal de Wallonie, as well as her first foray into the bel canto repertoire as Anna Bolena, in Liege and on tour at the Royal Opera House Muscat. Ms. Alvarez has also joined the Metropolitan Opera for several seasons, covering Mimi in La Boheme, Antonia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, and the title roles of Florencia en el Amazonas and Madama Butterfly. 

 

Frank Ragsdale, Frost School of Music

Dr. Frank Ragsdale

Master Teacher

Dr. Frank Wayne Ragsdale is an Associate Professor of Voice, Chair of the Department of Vocal Performance, and Associate Dean of Administration at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Frost School of Music in 2004 and is proud to be an alumnus of the institution. 

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Ragsdale teaches a variety of vocal styles, including classical, musical theatre (legit, belt, and mix), pop, rock, and country. His students have advanced to prestigious graduate programs and have served as young artists with notable opera companies such as Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass, and Florida Grand Opera. Many have performed with respected opera companies, including Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, and Houston Grand Opera, and have been hired by leading theaters on Broadway and across the country. Additionally, his students have received accolades in various competitions, including the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), Lotte Lenya, and the regional and final MET Council Auditions.

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Ragsdale has enjoyed a long and diverse performing career, including opera, oratorio, musicals, plays, and recitals across the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, and Central America. For three consecutive years, he was honored by the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica and Honduras to conduct recital tours and master classes.

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As a respected leader in his field, he coordinates the NATS National Music Theater Competition and is actively involved in various national NATS committees. Ragsdale is a highly sought-after master class presenter worldwide and has been part of the faculty for the Frost School of Music at the Salzburg Summer Program since 2003. He has received multiple teaching awards, including the Excellence in Teaching Award from Oklahoma City University and recognition as an Alumni Centennial Medalist from the Frost School of Music in 2025.

Timothy Oliver, Tenor, Semperoper Dresden

Timothy Oliver

Tenor, German Repertiore Specialist

American tenor Timothy Oliver began his career by earning a "fest contract" with the world famous Semperoper in Dresden, Germany. In his time there, Mr. Oliver has performed in over 60 operas with over 70 roles in his repertoire. Such roles include the Steuermann in Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer, Brighella, Scaramuccio and the Tanzmeister from Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, Arbace from Mozart's Idomeneo, Pedrillo from Mozart’s Entführung aus dem Serail, and Camille de Rosillon from Léhar's Die Lustige Witwe.

 

In addition to his close relationship with the Semperoper Dresden, Mr. Oliver has made acclaimed debuts at numerous other European houses including the Bayerische Staatsoper, Oper Frankfurt, the Berliner Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Leipzig, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Oper Köln, Staatstheater Oldenburg and more. Summer festivals have included the Bayreuther Festspiele, Oper im Steinbruch in Austria, the Santa Fe Opera, as well as the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center with the famous Barrie Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte from the Komische Oper Berlin with which Mr. Oliver has maintained a close relationship having performed in one or more operas a season at the KomischeOper since 2015.

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Mr. Oliver coaches and consults through a platform he founded called Singer2Singer. Through Singer2Singer Mr. Oliver connects with artists at all levels and points of their careers providing instant feedback to optimize performance.

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For further information on Singer2Singer please visit:

www.payhip.com/singer2singer

For further information on his performance career visit:

www.timothyolivertenor.com

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Richard Ollarsaba, bass-baritone

Richard Ollarsaba

Bass-Baritone

Mexican-American bass-baritone, Richard Ollarsaba praised by The Washington post for his “meltingly smooth bass-baritone” and for “evoking a young Ruggero Raimondi in looks and manner,” represented the USA in the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, was a member of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera Chicago for three seasons, and a grand finalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Season 24/25 he made company debuts with Nashville Opera, Hawai’i Opera Theatre, and Charlottesville Operaas Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, and role debuts as Riolobo in Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas with North Carolina Opera, as Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha with Piedmont Opera, and made his return to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera in the title role of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. 

 

Previous opera credits include the title role in Don Giovanni with Opera Hong Kong, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Arizona Opera, Opera Grand Rapids and Opera Carolina, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Pensacola Opera, Escamillo in Carmen with the Glimmerglass Festival, Portland Opera, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, in Le nozze di Figaro as Figaro with New Zealand Opera and Minnesota Opera, and as Count Almaviva with Portland Opera and Virginia Opera.

 

On the concert stage he has been a repeat soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra for performances of Handel’s Messiah, and a Messiah soloist with the Palm Beach Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony. Other soloist credits include Verdi’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Master Chorale of South Florida, Dvorak’s Te Deum with Apollo Chorus of Chicago, Bernstein’s Songfest at the Ravinia Festival, and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood – that concert was telecast nationally on PBS as a gala celebration of the venerable festival’s 75th anniversary.

Geoffrey Loff, Staatsoper Berlin, conductor

Geoffrey Loff

Conductor Geoffrey Loff is a sought-after musical partner to some of the world’s most renowned musical institutions, and has assisted and worked alongside Sir Simon Rattle, Christian Thielemann, Daniel Barenboim, amongst many others. 

The new Assistant to the Music Director at Komische Oper Berlin, Geoffrey was most recently a music staff member of the renowned Staatsoper Berlin. Recipient of the 2025 Olga Forrai Foundation Career Conducting Grant, the 2023 Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation US, 2nd prize at the Blue Danube Opera Conducting Competition, Geoffrey is a graduate of the prestigious Aspen Conducting Academy, Houston Grand Opera Studio, and Minnesota Opera resident artist program.

This season, Geoffrey Loff made his Komische Oper debut leading the world premiere of ‚Inconsistent Fantasy is Reality,‘ was a guest at Vienna Staatsoper, and makes his debuts at the Stara Zagora State Opera House and with the Pazardzhik Philharmonic. In seasons past, Geoffrey has been a guest cover conductor at San Francisco Opera, assistant conductor at Houston Grand Opera, and Music Director of Houston Grand Opera’s HGOco. Upcoming conducting engagements include performances at Komische Oper Berlin and Opera Orlando.

Auditioning in Europe
DIGITELLE, Max Potter, Antoni Mendezona

Digitelle

Social Media and Branding

Digitelle is passionate about equipping independent creatives & non-profits in the performing arts with savvy social media marketing techniques. Our mission is to amplify your voice, foster collaboration, and work together to up the game of a historic industry by being an experienced resource for best practices and marketing strategy.

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We seek to establish a world in which classical creatives, arts organizations, and all non-profits think more like businesses and entrepreneurs. We see good, strategic marketing as a way forward for a historic industry facing the difficulties of modernizing.
 

From the Co-Founders:

Hi! We are Max Potter and Antoni Mendezona - the brains behind Digitelle’s not-so-typical journey. Max, a seasoned digital marketing expert and mezzo-soprano, and Antoni, a social media strategist and soprano, bring over 2 decades of combined expertise to the table.

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As seasoned performers, we know what it’s like to be your own marketing team.  Whether it's creating killer content, devising genius strategies, or developing impactful audience connections through copywriting, we've done it. Digitelle is your go-to resource for mastering the social media game. But here's the twist – at Digitelle, we're not here to run your social media; we're here to arm you with the knowledge to effectively do it yourself.

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