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Seattle Opera.

Staff Directory

Directors

General Director:

Aidan Lang

Director of Development:

Lisa Bury

Director of Artistic Administration & Planning:

Aren Der Hacopian

Director of Marketing & Communications:

Kristina Murti

Director of Education & Community Engagement:

Barbara Lynne Jamison

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Finanical Officer:

Richard A. Johnson

Director of Artistic Operations & Season Planning:

Melanie G. Ross

Director of Human Resources:

Nancy Del Villar Vive

Departments

Administration

Dominica Myers
Board Relations Manager/Special Assistant to Aidan Lang

Denná Good-Mojab, Deanna Waldon
Administration Interns

Artistic

Mary Brazeau
Artistic Administration Manager

Meggie Watson
Associate Director of Artistic Planning

Jonathan Dean
Dramaturg

Paula Podemski
Company Manager

Emmy Ulmer
Titlist

Anna Patch
Artistic Planning Intern

 

Music

John Keene
Head of Music Staff and Chorusmaster

Philip A. Kelsey
Assistant Conductor

David McDade
Head of Coach-Accompanists

Jay Rozendaal
Coach-Accompanist/Orchestra Librarian

Emily Cabaniss
Music Assistant/Company Librarian

Stephen Wall
Chorus Personnel Coordinator

Beth Kirchhoff
Chorusmaster Emeritus

Anthony Sharp
Library Digitization Intern

Janey Thompson
Cataloguing Intern

Development

Megan Penhoet
Development Associate

Planned Giving

Janell Johnson
Associate Director of Development—Estate and Gift Planning

Madeleine Orton
Temporary Planned Giving Associate

Annual Giving and Donor Services

Marcella Morrow
Donor Communications Manager

Michael L. Moore
Development Operations Manager

Erica McIntyre
Development Operations Coordinator

Caroline D'Ambro
Donor Stewardship Manager

Laurine Mille
Development Special Events Intern

Capital Campaign

Nina Yarbrough
Capital Campaign Associate

Individual Giving

Allison Rabbitt
Associate Director of Development—Individual Giving

Tracy Reich 
Senior Individual Giving Officer

Matthew Lider, Catherine Merlo
Individual Giving Officers

Kim Ositis
Development Research Manager

Julia Curns-Welch
Individual Giving Coordinator

Institutional Giving

Christine Johnson-Duell
Foundation and Government Giving Manager

Alex Kyger
Corporate Giving Manager

Education & Community Engagement

Evan Bennett, Nicole Sonbert
Learning and Engagement Managers

Mark Allwein
Operations Manager

Jennifer Beaty
Research and Data Analyst

Molly Mandeltort
Programs Coordinator

Elizabeth Thompson
Education & Community Engagement Associate

Jennifer Bromagen, Ben Cleveland, John Coons, Laura Dean, Katrina Deininger, Casie Dietrich, Serena Eduljee, Jon Farmer, Glenn Guhr, Mike Heitman, Li-Tan Hsu, Harry Todd Jamieson, Tim Janecke, Rachel Kessler, Annie Lareau, Katie McKellor, Cheryse McLeod Lewis, Jessica Milanese, Cobey Mandarino, Jamie Namkung, Debbie Pierce, Melissa Plagemann, Marcus Shelton, Greg Smith, Meg Stohlmann, Revere Taylor, Lucy Weber
Teaching Artists

Finance

Marissa Betz-Zall
Controller

Michael Joyce
Senior Financial Analyst

Randee Byrd
Payroll Manager

Trevor Torres
Payroll Assistant

Lindsey Morck
Accounts Payable/Receivable Associate

 

Facilities and Operations

Claudia Gallagher
Associate Facilities Director

 

Information Systems

Kristina Austin
IT Manager

Iain Quigley
Desktop and User Support Technician

Stuart McLeod
Software Systems Administrator

Marketing & Communications

Brittany Rall
Associate Director of Marketing

Kelly Colglazier
Graphic Designer

Gabrielle Nomura Gainor
Media Relations Manager

Ed Hawkins
Marketing Manager/Copywriter

Dana Johnson
Digital Marketing Manager

Jessica Murphy Moo
Publications Editor

Erika Norris
Web Producer

Genevieve Hathaway
Photographer and Social Media Assistant

Hailey Burt
Marketing and Communications Coordinator

 

Sales and Services

Michelle M. Carrasquillo
Associate Director of Marketing, Sales and Services

Kathryn Wahlberg
Audience Services Manager

Gregory Schell
Ticket Operations Manager

Corrie Yadon
Audience Services Coordinator

Bri Ludvigsen
Subscriber Relations Coordinator

Britt Coundiff, Caroline Faflak, Taylor Kesterson, Hanako O'Leary, Katelynn Marshall Sheinin
Audience Services Representatives

Debra McKinney, Maggie Rogers, Anne Szeliski
Box Office Representatives

 

Direct Sales

Bernard Pack
Direct Sales Manager

Mary Hobbs, Albert Sanders
Senior Account Representatives

Michael Dicus, Erin Hart, Virginia Jackson, Dorothea Kopta, Mario Reichlin, Trish Saunders, Alex Smith, Toni Zeigler
Account Representatives

Production

Robert F. Reynolds
Interim Technical Director

Chris Reay
Assistant Technical Director & Projection Design Coordinator

Connie Yun
Assistant Lighting Designer

Alicia Moriarty
Technical Financial Administrator

 

Costumes

Susan I. Davis
Costume Shop Manager

Heidi Zamora
Costume Show Manager

Ieva Ohaks
Costume Rental-Stock Coordinator

Sophy Wong
Costume Assistant

Denise Barry
Lead Cutter

Miriam Goodman-Miller
Crafts Supervisor

Shanna Sincell
Cutter

Cynthia Abbott, Laura Girardot, Laura Me Smith
First Hands

Kate Hartman, Yoko Niendorf, Anji Wetherill
Stitchers

Julie McPheters, Patricia Toovey
Crafts

Ron Erikson
Wardrobe Head

Christy Kazimour
Assistant Wardrobe Head

Elaine Ortiz
Costume Intern

Natalie Shih
Costume Shop Intern

 

Hair & Makeup

Liesl Alice Gatcheco
Hair & Makeup Manager

Eva Robins
Lead Principal Hair & Makeup Artist

Shelby Richardson Rogers, Calli Dey, Ashlee Naegle, Trisha Partida
Principal Hair & Makeup Artists

MJ Fjellestad, Anne McGowan, Stephanie Rue-Lane, Kelly Schmidt, Julia Wing-Krafft, Terry Wright
Hair & Makeup Artists

Faith Matthews
Assistant Hair & Makeup Manager

 

Stage Management

Yasmine Kiss
Production Stage Manager

Mike Janney, Thea Railey
Assistant Stage Managers

Liana Dillaway
Production Assistant

Emma Crowe
Stage Management Intern

 

Stage Crew

Charles T. Buck
Master Stage Carpenter

Jack F. Harrison
Assistant Master Stage Carpenter

Justin Lloyd
Head Flyman

Chris Balducci, Jason Balter, Dallas Duell, Ian Gardner, Adam Lantz, Krysten Ronningen, Jason Wagoner
Assistant Stage Carpenters

Jim Nash
Master Electrician

Martin Cunningham
Assistant Master Electrician

Dave Hult
Audio/Video Supervisor

Desirae Brownlee, Chris Dimoff, Jim Gable, John Small
Assistant Electricians

Petrude W. Olds, Jr.
Properties Master

Sandy Burke
Assistant Properties Master

Jason Montgomery
Properties Assistant

Candy Solie
Lightboard Operator

Jack Burke
Master Sound Technician/Designer

 

Scenic Studios

Michael Moore
Scenic Studios Manager

Kitty Kavanaugh
Master Scenic Artist

 

 

Executive Bio

Aidan Lang. Copyright Rick DahmsAidan Lang, General Director

Aidan Lang became Seattle Opera's General Director on September 1, 2014. Selected by the Seattle Opera Board of Trustees after a two-year, international search process, Lang moved to Seattle in March, 2014 to effect a smooth transition of leadership from Seattle Opera's previous General Director, Speight Jenkins.

Read more

Before moving to Seattle, as General Director of New Zealand Opera from 2006 to 2013 Lang strove to ensure that every production was theatrically stimulating and musically ambitious. Working collaboratively is a top priority for Lang, and during his tenure New Zealand Opera implemented a series of collaborations with such companies as Glyndebourne, Opera North, and Welsh National Opera, bringing exciting productions from directors Nikolaus Lehnhoff (Jenůfa), Tim Albery (Macbeth), and Christopher Alden (Turandot) to New Zealand. In addition to bringing productions in, Lang made it a priority to develop the capacity to build productions in the country, establishing New Zealand's first-ever opera production workshop. This workshop resulted in international co-productions with Scottish Opera (L'italiana in Algeri), Victorian Opera (Serse), and last year's Der Fliegende Holländer and La Cenerentola with Opera Queensland in Australia. Future international co-productions are also underway with Cape Town Opera, West Australian Opera, Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Australia, and Victorian Opera. Lang's collaborative approach has also reaped significant rewards in the business area. With the expansion of the company's reach to include Christchurch, in addition to its performing centers in Auckland and Wellington, Lang rebranded New Zealand Opera as a truly national company, one that serves the entire country. The partnership Lang spearheaded with Creative New Zealand (the country's national arts development agency) resulted in significant increases to its core grant funding, securing long-term financial stability for the company.

Prior to leading New Zealand Opera, Aidan Lang held artistic leadership positions at Buxton Festival, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, and Opera Zuid in the Netherlands. Concurrent with these leadership positions, Lang was a sought after freelance director working around the world. Among other productions, he directed the first Brazilian production of Wagner's Ring at the historic Teatro Amazonas in Manaus. Other noted productions include Le Comte Ory (Welsh National Opera), Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (Lisbon), The Turn of the Screw (Salzburg) and the British premieres of The Magic Fountain by Frederick Delius (Scottish Opera) and Cornet Christoph Rilke's Song of Love and Death by Siegfried Matthus (Glyndebourne). As Artistic Director of the Buxton Festival, Lang expanded the Festival to include Baroque and contemporary music, tripled its audience attendance, and delivered significant operating surpluses in each year. He was a key part of the triumvirate senior management team at Glyndebourne, where he held dual positions for nine years. He succeeded in developing a unique identity for Glyndebourne Touring Opera, distinct from the larger Glyndebourne Festival, and continuing the company's tradition of nurturing young singers. Concurrent with his positions at Glyndebourne, he was appointed the inaugural Artistic Director of Opera Zuid, a newly created touring company based in the Netherlands. During his leadership, Opera Zuid's impact and the quality of its work were such that the company received national funding and is now a permanent fixture of operatic life in the Netherlands. Born in 1957 in the UK, Lang is a graduate of The Tiffin School and the University of Birmingham. He relocated to Seattle with his wife of 24 years, the former soprano Linda Kitchen, and their 17-year-old daughter, Eleanor. In addition to his operatic leadership skills and international directing experience, Lang is an accomplished musician, having studied clarinet since the age of 8.

Main Photo © Elise Bakketun  |   Aidan Lang photo © Rick Dahms, Kelly Tweedale photo © Yuen Lui