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Seattle Opera.

Staff Directory

 

Directors

General and Artistic Director:

James Robinson

Chief Financial Officer:

Marissa Betz-Zall

Director of Development

Chris Burkett

Director of Artistic Administration & Planning:

Aren Der Hacopian

Chief Operations Officer:

Angela Gist

Director of Marketing & Communications:

Kristina Murti

Director of Programs & Partnerships:

Dennis Robinson, Jr.

Production Consultant:

Paul Horpedahl

Departments

Administration

Natasha Blanchette
Operations Associate

Elizabeth Schultz
Executive Office Administrator

Human Resources

Kristin McCarthy
Human Resources Manager

Artistic

Blaine Inafuku
Associate Director of Artistic Administration & Planning

Aric Lee
Artistic & Music Assistant

Jonathan Dean
Dramaturg

Paula Podemski
Company Manager

Emmy Ulmer
Titlist

Amy Jurkiewicz
Child Supervisor

Music

Michaella Calzaretta
Head of Music Staff & Chorus Master

Philip A. Kelsey
Assistant Conductor

David McDade
Head of Coach-Accompanists

Jay Rozendaal
Coach-Accompanist & Orchestra Librarian

Stephen Wall
Chorus Personnel Coordinator

Beth Kirchhoff
Chorus Master Emeritus

Michael J. Hawk, Tiffany Townsend
2024/25 Resident Artists

Development

Robert Babs
Development Operations Manager

Raymond Chao
Associate Director of Development – Individual Giving

Julia Curns-Welch
Associate Director of Development – Institutional Giving

William Ekstrom
Events Coordinator

Maria Meyer
Associate Director of Development – Stewardship & Events

Emma Potter
Development Operations Coordinator

Mariana Sandoval
Individual Giving Officer

Lauren Superville
Individual Giving Officer

Isabel Thomas
Associate Director of Development – Campaigns & Operations

Emma Ming Wahl
Individual Giving Project Specialist

Diana Wu
Individual Giving Officer

Programs and Partnerships

Gemma Balinbin
Youth Programs Manager

Alexei Cifrese
Programs & Partnerships Coordinator

Kenneth Kellogg
Artistic Ambassador

Sara Litchfield
Associate Director of Youth Programs

Marjoram Jonathan Lynn
Engagement Manager

Lokela Alexander Minami
Associate Director of Community Engagement

Clara King
Tour Coordinator

Clarice Alfonso, Zach Martin, Myah Rose Paden, Elizabeth Peterson, Melissa Plagemann, William Schlott, Ivy Zhou
School Tour Singers

Jessica Andrews, Jose Iniguez, Melissa Plagemann, William Schlott, Katie Stevenson
Teaching Artists

Mia Falcone, Johanna Mergener
Teaching Assistants

DJ Jordan, Katie Stevenson, Nancy Zylstra
Voice Teachers

Li-Cheng Hung, Steven Luksan
Collaborative Pianists

Finance

Randee Byrd
Payroll Manager

Erica McIntyre
Staff Accountant

Lindsey O'Connor
Controller

Facilities

Todd Clark
Facilities Manager

Will Faulhaber
Facilities Assistant

Information Systems

Brendan Carlson
Systems Engineer

Stuart McLeod
SQL Developer & CRM Administrator

Iain Quigley
Systems Administrator

Marketing & Communications

Arryn Davis
Social Media Manager

Joshua Gailey
Communications & Public Engagement Manager

Glenn Hare
Associate Director of Communications

Larisa J. Melkumova
Graphic Designer

Symone Sanz
Digital Marketing Manager

Meg Stoltz
Associate Director of Marketing

Hank Tian
Web Producer

Chloe Woodward
Marketing & Communications Coordinator


Sales and Services

Neal Castelo
Ticketing Operations Manager

Erin Cunningham
Audience Services Assistant Manager

Betsy Heimburger
Audience Services Coordinator

Debra McKinney
Audience Services & Group Sales Manager

John Renfroe
Associate Director of Marketing, Sales and Services

Corrie Yadon
Senior Manager, Patron Experience

Julia Barnes, Eric Jeffords, Nick Passabet, Christy Pulliam
Audience Services Representatives


Amusements Gift Shop

Holly Duncan
Gift Shop Manager

Maggie Kase
Gift Shop Office Administrator

Debra McKinney
Amusements Associate

Production

Alicia Moriarty
Assistant Production Director

Rachel Walrath
First Assistant Production Manager

Kaitlin Losansky
Second Assistant Production Manager

Ben Rampley
Assistant Technical Director

Ranleigh Starling
Assistant Lighting Designer


Costume, Hair, & Makeup

Kathleen Trott
Costume Shop Manager

Ashlee Naegle
Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer

Cheryl del Rosario Lavarias
Costume, Hair, and Makeup Administrative Manager

Nell Thompson
Costume Show Manager

Bel Callero
Costume Rental Assistant

Cynthia Abbott
Lead Cutter/Draper

Cora Brown, Gillian Paulson
Cutter/Drapers

Lauren Karbowski, Rachael Smith-Ferri
First Hands

Amy Bengston, Marie Kramer, Yoko Niendorf
Stitchers

Miriam Goodman-Miller
Crafts Supervisor

Amara Madeo
Crafts Assistant

Courtney Kessler-Jeffrey
Wardrobe Head

Christy Kazimour
Assistant Wardrobe Head

Jeremiah Canonico, Kim Dancy, Scott Gray, LeDawn King, Julie McPheters, Tony Oteromarrero, Kat Rhind, Steve Stoudt, Myles Wright
Dresser

LeDawn King, Steve Stoudt
Wardrobe Daywork

Julia Wing Krafft
Lead Wig Artisan

Jenn Hill, Juliette Lewis
Wig Artisans

Sarah Alexander, Jenn Hill, Trisha Partida
Wig Maintenance

Rosetta Greek, Trisha Partida
Lead Hair and Makeup Artists

Sarah Alexander, Patti Wilmot
Principal Hair and Makeup Artists

Luce Cousineau, MJ Fjellestad, Mary-Frances Greek, Amara Madeo, "Jojo" Proud, Leslie Rosen, Traci Thorpe, Terry Wright
Chorus and Supernumerary Hair and Makeup Artists


Stage Management

Jonathan Moore
Production Stage Manager

Mike Egan
Video Stage Manager

Jonathan S. Campbell, Quinn Chase
Assistant Stage Managers

Amanda Balter
Production Assistant


Stage Crew

Justin Loyd
Master Stage Carpenter

Jason Balter, Bruce Warshaw
Assistants Master Stage Carpenters

William Montes
Head Flyman

Matthew Lint, Jeremy Meier, Robert Millard, Monica Schulz
Assistant Stage Carpenters

Jim Nash
Master Electrician

Martin Cunningham
Assistant Master Electrician

Anna Freelund, Jessica Gable, Jim Gable, Matt Johnson
Assistant Electricians

Olivia Dagley
Head of Properties

Adam Lantz
Assistant Head of Properties

Jay Gosselin
Assistant Properties

Chris Reay
A/V Supervisor

Dave Hult
Projections Programmer

Lucious Taylor
Video Engineer

Candy Solie
Lightboard Operator

Dale Skyllingstad, Greg Zatloka
Master Sound Technicians

 

 
Principals, dancers, choristers, stage directors, stage managers, assistant stage managers, and assistant directors employed in our productions are members of the American Guild of Musical Artists AFL-CIO.

The musicians are represented by the Seattle Symphony and Opera Players’ Organization, a Chapter of the International Guild of Symphony, Opera, and Ballet Musicians.

Scenery construction and stage crew work is performed by employees represented by I.A.T.S.E., Local #15.

Costume and wardrobe work is performed by employees represented by I.A.T.S.E., Local #887.

Scenic artists and hair/makeup work is performed by employees represented by I.A.T.S.E., Local #488.

Executive Bio

James Robinson. copyright David Jaewon OhJames Robinson, General and Artistic Director

James Robinson, a celebrated stage director and arts administrator who has worked at opera houses across the US and globe, is Seattle Opera’s fifth General and Artistic Director. He comes to the Pacific Northwest after serving as the Artistic Director at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for 16 years, where he directed numerous world premieres, among them Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27, Jack Perla’s Shalimar the Clown,and Tobias Picker’s Awakenings. Additionally, he mounted innovative revivals of such operas as John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer and Nixon in China, Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei, and the American premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland.

At Seattle Opera, Robinson directed the 2004 production of Bizet’s Carmen, which sold the most tickets of any production in the company’s history.

Read Full Bio

Robinson’s work with companies of all sizes and with a wide range of resources has given him a keen insight into how opera companies can create art in a sustainable and innovative manner. During his time at OTSL, he oversaw the restructuring of the production department, streamlining the company’s workflow to allow for a more efficient allocation of resources. He also maintained strong relationships with donors, which resulted in a $45-million legacy gift in early 2020, at that time the largest in the company’s history.

James Robinson has directed three productions for the Metropolitan Opera: Porgy and Bess and Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the company’s first opera by an African American composer. He has directed numerous productions for Houston Grand Opera (The Abduction from the Seraglio, Giulio Cesare, Lucia di Lammermoor, La bohème,and the world premiere of Daniel Catán’s Salsipuedes), San Francisco Opera (Norma, The Elixir of Love, Il trittico,and the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne),the Canadian Opera Company (Norma, Elektra), and the Santa Fe Opera (Così fan tutte, Vanessa, the American premiere of Huang Ruo’s Dr. Sun Yat-sen,and the world premiere of his M. Butterfly). His work has also been seen in productions for Lyric Opera of Chicago, LA Opera, The Dallas Opera, Washington National Opera, New York City Opera, the Royal Swedish Opera, English National Opera, the Dutch National Opera, Opera Australia, the Hollywood Bowl, the London Symphony, and many more.

As Artistic Director of Opera Colorado (1999–2008), Robinson spearheaded tremendous artistic and financial growth, in addition to helping to usher in the new Ellie Caulkins Opera House, where the company maintained successful collaborations with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

His three Metropolitan Opera collaborations resulted in three Grammy Awards for Best Opera Recording. He has been nominated in the Best Director category for the International Opera Awards, as well as in the Best New Opera category for Champion.

Main Photo © Elise Bakketun  |   James Robinson photo © David Jaewon Oh  |   Christina Scheppelmann photo © Philip Newton