OperaSteamboat

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

LIMITED SPACES!

INTRODUCING

Real-Life Opera

May 18th – 30th
No class May 25th 
4 hours of instruction every day – 5 days a week

A vocal training program for young artists looking for real-life advice and instruction from professionals in the classical music world.

Choose your voice teacher.

Choose your coach.

Early registration increases chance of first selection of voice teacher/coach.

60 min Seminars every day at 10am CST (group)

Seminars by:

60 min of Yoga for Singers by Bridget Skaggs at 12pm CST (group)

Bridget Skaggs is a certified yoga instructor with over 1,000 hours of classroom teaching experience and a passion to share yoga therapeutics with everyone.

In pursuit of her advanced 500-hour teaching certification, Bridget trains annually with Yoga Medicine visionary Tiffany Cruikshank. Through Yoga Medicine she has achieved expertise in Shoulder Orthopedics, Yin and Meditation, Yoga for Athletes, and Myofascial Release, with an aim to blend modern movement science with ancient yoga traditions.

Bridget teaches weekly group classes at yoga studios, fitness clubs, and corporate offices in Chicago, and enjoys working with clients of all ages and ability levels. A class with Bridget includes mindfulness meditation, intentional sequences designed with the student in mind, and approachable themes.

60 min of Voice instruction one-on-one

Voice Teachers:

  • Susannah Biller
  • Daniel Belcher
  • Deborah Mayer
  • Ben Gulley

60 min of Vocal/Language/Acting coaching one-on-one

Coaches:

  • Jeremy Reger
  • Beth Nielsen
  • Mark Trawka
  • Andres Cladera
  • Kathleen Belcher (director/coach)
  • Daina Griffith (actor/director/coach)
  • David Radamés Toro

Susannah Biller

Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle as an “artist ready for the big time,” soprano Susannah Biller was a member of the prestigious Adler Fellowship Program with San Francisco Opera. While in San Francisco, she was seen as Frasquita in Carmen, Lolita in the world premiere of John Harbison’s Heart of a Soldier, Kristina in The Makropoulos Case and Madame Herz in Der Schauspieldirektor. Additional productions with San Francisco Opera include Der Ring des Nibelungen, Serse and Werther. Engagements for 2018-2019 included the revival of her Kitty Packard in Dinner at Eight in her Wexford Festival debut as well as the title role in Madame White Snake on tour with Beth Morrison Projects for the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Musetta in La bohème with Austin Opera, and a return to Opera Theatre of St. Louis as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro. The 2019-2020 season sees her as a soloist for Dona nobis pacem with the Chattanooga Symphony and Carmina Burana with the Memphis Symphony.

Daniel Belcher

GRAMMY® Award-winning baritone Daniel Belcher has performed in many of the world’s music capitals, including Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Geneva, Madrid, Toronto, Montreal, Tokyo, Seoul and Houston. With a repertoire of more than 80 roles, Belcher has championed roles from the Baroque to those composed expressly for him. He came to international attention in 2004 creating the role of Prior Walter in Peter Eötvös’ Angels in America for the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris for which he was hailed by London’s The Guardian as “possessing the kind of powerhouse stuff that indicates a star in the making.”
Belcher most recently created the roles of Inspector Kildare in Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Elizabeth Cree at Opera Philadelphia, James Addison III in Ricky Ian Gordon and Royce Vavrek’s The House Without a Christmas Tree at Houston Grand Opera (recorded for a September 2018 release on the Pentatone label), Lord Bellingham in Lori Laitman’s The Scarlet Letter at Opera Colorado (released on the Naxos label), Brian Castner in Jeremy Howard Beck’s The Long Walk with Opera Saratoga, and Robert Kennedy in Robin de Raaff’s Waiting for Miss Monroe for his debut at The Netherlands Opera and Holland Festival. Other world premiere roles include John Brooke in Mark Adamo’s Little Women (released on the Ondine label and recorded by PBS’ Great Performances), Andy Warhol in Michael Daugherty’s Jackie O (released by Decca on the Argo label) and multiple roles in Tod Machover’s Resurrection (released on the Ondine label), all with Houston Grand Opera. In 2018-19, he created the role of Alfred Stieglitz in Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed’s world premiere of Today it Rains with Opera Parallele and sang Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Fredrik Egerman in A Little Night Music at Madison Opera, and Beaumarchais in John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Chautauqua Opera. The 2019-2020 season and beyond sees him join the Metropolitan Opera for Akhnaten, his debut with OnSite Opera as Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Ponchel in Silent Night in his return to Utah Opera, Abilene’s Father in Edward Tulane with Minnesota Opera, and a return to Houston Grand Opera.

Deborah Mayer

Deborah Mayer’s interpretations of the roles of Wagner, Verdi and Mozart have taken her to some of the world’s leading opera houses. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2013 as Gerhilde in Die Walküre and with the Boston Symphony (Tanglewood Music Festival). Other operatic performances: Brünnhilde: Siegfried (Toledo Symphony), Ada: Die Feen (Theatre du Chatelet, Paris, Mainfranken Theater Würzburg), Donna Anna: Don Giovanni ( Landestheater Salzburg, Mainfranken Theater Würzburg), Abigaile: Nabucco, Elettra: Idomeneo (Mainfranken Theater Würzburg), Leonora: Il Trovatore (Baltimore Opera, Opera Syracuse), Tosca (Opera Theater of Connecticut), Aida (Opera Roanoke, Eugene Opera), Madame Lidoine: Dialogues of the Carmelites (Eugene Opera). Concert performances: Brünnhildes Immolation Scene, Götterdämmerung (Toledo Symphony), Verdi’s Messa di Requiem (Philharmonia Orchestra London, Würzburg Philharmonic), Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Astoria Music Festival, South Bend Symphony), and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder (Daejeon Phlharmonic in Seoul, Korea, Astoria Music Festival). Ms. Mayer can be heard singing excerpts from Cavalleria Rusticana in the 2016 film Through The Looking Glass, available on Netflix.

Ben Gulley

Ben Gulley, operatic tenor & cultural entrepreneur, has been recognized across the globe for his singular blend of talents. Upcoming and recent performances include his debut as the Prince in Rusalka at Opera Steamboat 2019 returning as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos in 2022, Opera on the Park Recital series and debut as Dick Johnson in La Fanciulla del West with Opera Orlando, Louisville Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops Headliner, Soloist debut in Rachmaninov’s The Bells with Richmond Symphony 2020, Opera San Luis Obispo as Tamino in Die Zauberflote 2018, Sarasota Opera as Ismaele in Nabucco 2019 and debut as Pedro in Tiefland 2018, Dr. Marianus in Mahler’s 8th with South Dakota Symphony 2019, concerts with Jacksonville Symphony 2018 & Grand Rapids Symphony 2018, his Carnegie Hall solo debut with The American Symphony and his solo US concert tour presented by Live On Stage 2019-20, amongst other. His international operatic debut was covering the late great Marcello Girodani as Enees in Les Troyens at Hamburg Staatsoper after performing it in San Francisco with Maestro Kent Nagano. He is also a former member of the SONY/BMG recording group The American Tenors. Ben is equally at home in his career in musical theater, and as a singer/songwriter and crossover artist with mainstream artists such as David Foster, Mustafa Shakir, Rogelio Douglas Jr, and Brenna Whitaker. He also released his debut solo album of original pop music IN BETWEEN (available on every major music distribution service). Follow him on social media:@bengulleythinks & www.bengulley.com

Jeremy Reger

International pianist and educator Jeremy Reger maintains an active performing, teaching, and coaching career. He recently returned from São Paulo, Brazil, where he was the principal pianist and vocal coach for the Brazilian premiere of Samuel Barber’s “Vanessa.” He has served on the music staff of Virginia Opera, Eugene Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, Mill City Opera, Central City Opera, Minnesota Opera, Skylark Opera and Aspen Opera Theater. He is an associate professor of vocal coaching at CU Boulder. Prior to that position, he taught at the Music Academy of the West, Christopher Newport University, the Opera Studio of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, and at the Jacob’s School fo Music at Indiana University. A strong advocate of new opera, Reger has participated in workshops of new opera by composers such as Jake Heggie, Tom Cipullo, Ricky Ian Gordon, Kevin Putz, and Mark Adamo. Reger maintains an active opera coaching studio throughout the United States and South America. He has a doctorate from the University of Michigan, studying under Martin Katz.

Beth Nielsen

Beth Nielsen is a pianist and vocal coach who is equally at ease with opera, art song, chamber music, and musical theater. She has served on the faculty at CU Boulder, Metro State University, Northern Arizona University, and Azusa Pacific University and is currently teaching Lyric Diction at the University of Denver. Ms. Nielsen has served as the vocal coach for the Opera Colorado Young Artists, Land of Enchantment Opera Institute, as well as the young artists here at Opera Steamboat This year she was fortunate to continue her work with the Denver Lyric Opera Guild, playing for the preliminary round of their yearly competition. Though her passion is for working with singers, she can also be found working with several string studios in the Denver area. Ms. Nielsen holds a masters and doctoral degree from University of Southern California.

Mark Trawka

Mark Trawka joined Pittsburgh Opera as Director of Musical Studies for the prestigious Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Training Program in the 2003-04 season. In the 2006-07 season, he also took on the position of Chorus Master. Mr. Trawka coaches and performs with the Resident Artists and has also accompanied renowned mezzo-soprano Marianne Cornetti in her Pittsburgh recital appearances. He has been a member of the music staff at Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera and Portland Opera (Oregon), where he was principal pianist and assistant chorus master. Mr. Trawka has served as coach/accompanist at Chautauqua Opera and at Glimmerglass Opera for many summer seasons. In the summer of 2006, he was director of the resident artist program at Berkshire Opera.
Educated at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Southern California, Mr. Trawka began his operatic career in the Houston Opera Studio and in San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program.

Andres Cladera

Uruguayan American conductor Andres Cladera, Artistic Director of Opera Steamboat and former Associate Conductor with Opera Colorado and , is a versatile and cultivated artist in both the operatic and symphonic worlds. He has prior conducting experience with Opera San Antonio, Opera Colorado, Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Edgewood Symphony, Emerald City Opera, Chatham Baroque and San Antonio Symphony. Mo. Cladera holds a Masters of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University and Bachelors of Fine Arts degrees in Piano and Voice Performance from College of Charleston. Cladera was awarded the Outstanding Young Conductor of the year by the Association of Choral Directors of America, as well as first place in several international piano competitions including: Luis Troccoli International Piano Competition, Luis Cluzeau Mortet Piano Competition, as well as the Young Artist Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera House. Upcoming engagements include: Frida with Portland Opera. Mtro. Cladera is represented by Insignia Artists (Gloria Parker).

Kathleen Belcher (director/coach)

Stage director Kathleen Smith Belcher is currently engaged in her 19th year as a member of the directing staff at the Metropolitan Opera.

Among others, she has worked extensively with the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera and the San Diego Opera. Belcher assisted Peter Sellars on the world premiere of John Adams’ Dr. Atomic in San Francisco and helped to remount the production for The Netherlands Opera (Amsterdam), and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Woody Allen, Michael Mayer, Bartlett Sher, Susan Stroman and Julie Taymor are just a few of the directors with whom she has collaborated. As a member of the Metropolitan Opera directing staff, she has collaborated on numerous “Live in HD” broadcasts, including the Emmy-winning production of Don Pasquale.

Engagements for the 2018-2019 season included company debuts directing Gianni Schicchi at La Scala, Rigoletto for Kentucky Opera, a new production of Il barbiere di Siviglia for Chautauqua Opera, and assisting on James Robinson’s new production of Porgy & Bess at ENO and Michael Mayer’s new production of La Traviata at the Met. The 2019-2020 season includes La bohème for Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Rigoletto for Florida Grand Opera, and her return to the Metropolitan Opera for productions of Porgy and Bess and Der Rosenkavalier.

Daina Griffith (actor/director/coach)

Daina Griffith is an accomplished actress on stage, film and television and well as sole owner/operator of her own Acting Studio, Griffith Coaching, LLC. Originally from Hamilton, Ohio, she received her BFA in Musical Theatre from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. Select Theatre credits: AMADEUS, Cabaret, Marjorie Prime, Guys And Dolls, Death Of A Salesman, Circle Mirror Transformation (Pittsburgh Public Theater), The Last Match, The Revolutionists, The White Chip, Speak American (City Theatre), When The Rain Stops Falling, John Gabriel Borkman, The Hard Problem, The River (Quantum Theatre), Oliver! (The Gateway), Jane ho (The Lion Theatre, NYC), Jesus Christ Superstar (Kansas City Starlight), Slow Food (Merrimack REP), The Trimble Wars (Human Race Theatre). Select Film and Television: The Dark Knight Rises (Foley’s Wife, Dir. Christopher Nolan), Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Julie, Dir. Richard Linklater), Holidaysburgh (Angela, Dir. A. M. Lukas) Unsinkable (Countess of Rothes, Dir. Cody Hartman), Happiest Season (Caroler #1, Clea DuVall), “The Outsiders” (Ricki, Recurring Season 1, WGN), “Manhunt” (Emily Lyons, Recurring Season 2, Spectrum). Daina was honored to be named Performer Of The Year by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette in 2014, was nominated for the Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award is 2015, and named Best Actress In A Musical by BroadwayWorld in 2018 for her work as “Little Edie” in Front Porch Theatricals production of Grey Gardens. www.dainamichellegriffith.com, www.griffithcoachingactingstudio.com @dainagriffith

David Radamés Toro
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Formally trained as an opera singer, David transitioned to directing while at The Ohio State University where he studied movement with Jeanine Thompson and directing with Maureen Ryan and Peter Kozma. Since then he has worked at companies including Minnesota Opera, the Wexford Opera Festival, Central City Opera, Opera Saratoga, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, and OperaNEO. As a director, David Radamés Toro integrates his background in physical theatre into directing a wide variety of standard and non-traditional repertoire with a special penchant for Baroque and 20th/21st century works. His production of Cavalli’s Il Giasone was described as “skillfully directed” and “well paced.” In 2013, his production of Philip Glass’s Les enfants terribles was nominated for best opera by the Austin Critics Table. An admirer of modern era opera, David has had the privilege of assisting on world premieres such as Today It Rains (Opera Parallèle, 2019), Dinner at Eight (Minnesota Opera, 2017), The Shining (Minnesota Opera, 2016), and A New Kind of Fallout (Opera Theatre Pittsburgh, 2015). Additionally, He directed the premiere of Rose Made Man: An Inside Out Opera for the Cohen New Works Festival in 2015. In addition to directing and assistant directing, David Radamés Toro coaches singers in acting and audition prep, as well as offers classes and workshops in physical theatre. His workshops in Gestural Mechanics draw from the techniques of Anne Bogart and Tadashi Suzuki, Ettiene Decroux, and Marcel Marceau with the goal of empowering singers to effectively combine musical expression and movement. He has taught movement and acting to singers are Minnesota Opera, OperaNEO, The University of Texas – Austin, and Druid City Opera. David Radamés Toro holds degrees from The University of Texas (DMA), The Ohio State University (MM/MA), and The University of Colorado at Boulder (BM).
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