Super Flute

Tamino: M. Andrew Jones

Tenor M. Andrew Jones captivates global audiences with his resounding voice and captivating performances. Demonstrating the epitome of modern operatic excellence, his artistry leaves an indelible impression, earning critical acclaim and fervent praise.

After a temporary hiatus due to the pandemic, Jones made a triumphant return to the stage, showcasing unwavering commitment and artistry. Notably, his portrayal of Lenski in a concert with Queen City Opera, mesmerized audiences with his “firm, heroic” sound full of depth and emotion.

Much acclaim has followed his portrayals of Max in Der Freischütz and Mime in Siegfried at Valhalla Productions in San Francisco, solidifying his reputation as a versatile and technically adept artist. Notable performances include Gulbrand in Queen City Opera’s production of Undina by Tchaikovsky, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Queen City Opera, as well as roles such as the 1st Armored Man/Second Priest in Die Zauberflöte with Dayton Opera, The Messenger in Aida, and the Innkeeper in Der Rosenkavalier with Cincinnati Opera.

Jones has embraced diverse musical experiences, including portraying Benny “Kid” Paret/Benny Jr. in Champion and the vibrant character of Sellem in The Rake’s Progress, collaborating with the esteemed Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. His talents have been recognized by Cedar Rapids Opera Company, where he portrayed Spoletta in Tosca, and CCM Summer Opera, where he powerfully embodied the complex and troubled Don José in Carmen.

Jones holds a Master’s of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music, studying under the renowned Kenneth Shaw and a Bachelor of Arts in Music under the esteemed Ed Andereck at Luther College.

First Lady: Claudia Neff

Claudia Neff is a soprano based in Montréal, QC. This season she sang the slapstick role of Noémie in Cendrillon with Opera McGill, and the tragic Isabelle and Madeline in a student-led production of Henry Mollicone’s 1978 chamber opera, The Face on the Barroom Floor.

In the 2022-2023 season, Claudia stretched her directing legs as assistant choreographer for Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with Opera McGill. Additionally, she mounted a self-staged “tour de force” performance of Jonathan Dove’s unaccompanied song cycle, Ariel, incorporating elements of ballet and modern dance. 

Throughout 2019 and 2020, Claudia performed with Roundabout Opera for Kids Cincinnati as Rosina in their abridged touring production of The Barber of Seville. At the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), she sang the roles of Adele in Die Fledermaus and La Musica in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo.

A recent Canada transplant, Claudia completed her Master of Music in 2024 at McGill University in Montréal, QC, where she studied with Dominique Labelle. Born and raised in Cincinnati, she holds a Bachelor of Music from CCM.

A dedicated choral singer, Claudia has performed with a number of ensembles in the Cincinnati area, including Coro Volante, Collegium Cincinnati, Heri et Hodie, and the Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas.

An avid hobbyist, Claudia can be often be found embroidering, artistic rollerskating, cooking, rock climbing, or playing fetch with her cat, Wren. 

Second Lady: Lauren McAllister

Cincinnati-based Mezzo-Soprano Lauren McAllister recently curated and performed a recital, Take Yourself With You, for Vocal Arts Ensemble Cincinnati, appeared as Vesta in the world premiere of Fierce with Cincinnati Opera, premiered Melissa Dunphy’s Mel et Lac with Heri et Hodie, and performed as Alto Soloist with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra in Tippett’s A Child of Our Time. Upcoming soloist performances include the Bach B Minor Mass with Vocal Arts Ensemble Cincinnati, Dvořak Stabat Mater with Musica Sacra Cincinnati, Bach’s transcription of the Pergolesi Stabat Mater with the Bach Ensemble of Saint Thomas, and Beethoven 9 with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.

Lauren performs regularly with a variety of choral ensembles, including Conspirare, the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Collegium Cincinnati, and Heri et Hodie. She is a co-founder of two ensembles: the Avimimus duo and Seven Hills Baroque. Lauren is an artist on four Grammy®-nominated recordings for Best Choral Performance: Conspirare’s House of Belonging (soloist), The Singing Guitar (soloist), The Hope of Loving (soloist), and the PaTRAM Institute Singers’ Sander: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. 

Operatic highlights include Queen of the Virtues in Hildegard von Bingen’s Ordo Virtutum (Collegium Cincinnati), Laura (Iolanta, Queen City Opera), Lazuli (l’Étoile, Sin City Opera), Melanto (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Opera Louisiane), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus, Undercroft Opera), Courtier and Maid cover (The Witches of Venice, Opera Saratoga), and La Perichole (title role, Sin City Opera). As a soloist, Lauren has performed a variety of Bach cantatas with the Bach Ensemble of Saint Thomas, appeared in staged productions of the Pergolesi Stabat Mater and Bach’s Saint John Passion, and debuted with the Lubbock Symphony for their Chamber Sound! Series with works by Jennifer Jolley and David T. Little. Other notable appearances as a soloist include the Bach Ascension Oratorio and B Minor Mass, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Handel’s Messiah, Fern Hill (Corigliano), Ode to Common Things (Ratcliff), Considering Matthew Shepard by Craig Hella Johnson, and the US premiere of the Telemann Brockes Passion.

Lauren earned her Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music (CCM). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from the Eastman School of Music. Lauren was the 2015 Nebraska District winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, was a finalist in the 2012 Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition, and won first place in the 2011 Syracuse Civic Morning Musicals Competition.

Third Lady: Tess Klibanoff

Tess is a singing actress, stage director, choreographer, and burlesque artist under the stage name of Paris Euphoria. She just completed two title role debuts in Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia and in Handel’s Agrippina. She made her company debut as Morozova in Tchaikovsky’s Undina with Queen City Opera.

Other recent credits include Mère Marie in Poulenc’s Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Ruth in Gregory Spears’s The Righteous, and Dritte Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Recent directing credits include Handel’s Rinaldo and Bach’s Coffee Cantata. She was a young artist at Opera Company of Middlebury, singing Lucilla in Rossini’s La Scala di Seta. Some upcoming projects include Nathan Felix’s Immersive Opera at Cincinnati Art Museum, recording the role of Sarah Ann Bowen in William Call’s Ruth: A Girl From New York, and recording the role of Elfwynn in Andre Fratto’s Æthelflæd. She is delighted to work with Queen City Opera again, and can’t wait for Super Flute.

Papageno: E. Scott Levin

Bass-Baritone, E. Scott Levin (Papageno, Co-Librettist) has been described as being “larger than life,” having a “smooth, buttery voice,” “incredibly sharp timing,” and delivering “well-considered impersonations grounded in truth.” He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis and a Graduate Certificate in Vocal Performance from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.

Since 2002, Scott has sung in over twenty productions with Union Avenue Opera in Saint Louis and nearly thirty productions with Pacific Opera Project in Los Angeles. Scott has performed nearly seventy distinct roles including Don Alfonso in Covid fan Tutte, Papageno (Mario) in “Super” Magic Flute, Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro and Il barbiere di Siviglia, Don Pomponio in La Gazzetta, KoKo in The Mikado, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, and Leporello in Don Giovanni to name a few. In 2015, Scott made his Los Angeles Opera mainstage debut as Dr. Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi, starring Plácido Domingo, and in 2019, he made his LA Opera feature role debut as Hormigon in El Gato Montes, also starring Domingo. Scott is thrilled to make his Queen City Opera debut with his own concept and libretto of Mozart’s masterpiece, co-written with Josh Shaw, director. 

Queen of the Night: Alea Vernon

Cherokee Indian, and Italian-American Soprano, Alea Louise Vernon obtained her Bachelors degree at The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Elliot Madore and William McGraw. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School Pre-College Division; and an alumna of The Ensign-Darling Fellowship at The Bushnell Theater in Hartford, Connecticut. 

Ms. Vernon grew up in the New Haven area of Connecticut. Much of her childhood was spent making Sunday Sauce at Nana’s, learning about her Dad’s home and stories, and apple picking with her brothers. Drawing from her multi-cultural background, Ms. Vernon enjoyed learning about and honoring family traditions, especially from her Italian-American and Appalachian Cherokee descendants.

Ms. Vernon has been a featured soloist with organizations appearing in renowned theaters such as Carnegie Hall, Paul Hall, The Bushnell Theatre, Peter J. Sharp Auditorium, Seiji Ozawa Hall, and The New World Center. This season, Ms. Vernon could be heard throughout the greater Ohio region as a soprano soloist in the Lord Nelsen Mass by Hayden, the Nunes Garcia Requiem, Messiah, and Mozart’s Requiem. 

At CCM, Ms. Vernon was involved with projects spanning multiple genres including art song, opera, and musical theater. She debuted as Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, as well as Die Königin der Nacht. In 2022 Ms. Vernon made her debut with the Princess Cruise Line and headlined in their on-board production, where she sang the role of Die Königin der Nacht. On this same tour, she also performed a solo concert with the house orchestra, which repertoire spanned from golden age musical theater to classical cabaret standards, to operatic hits. Ms. Vernon is particularly passionate about twenty-first-century music. This spark ignited when she did her first world premiere in October of 2018, in The Midwest Composers Symposium. Since then, she has been involved in several premieres in both opera and concert repertoire. In 2022, Ms. Vernon premiered the song “Take This Job and…” by Evan Mack, as a collaboration with Cincinnati Song Initiative. The two have plans to debut the rest of the song cycle in 2024. Additionally, she workshopped Revenants, a new opera, written by Eli Lucas with the Scandinavian Society. 

Prior to beginning her studies at CCM, Alea spent her summers at The Casentino Voice Festival in Popi, Italy, New York Summer Music Festival, The Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and The Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. In the summer of 2019, Ms. Vernon was a member of The Janiec Opera Company at Brevard Music Center. She became one of the youngest members to ever hold residency. In 2020, she was scheduled to be a Colburn Fellow at Songfest in Los Angeles, California, as well as join the Berlin Opera Academy, in Germany, prior to the pandemic. 

Ms. Vernon is a National YoungArts Winner, Second Place Winner in SongSlam, a competition that commissions new works, a 3Arts Scholarship Winner, First Place in The American Prize Women in Song, Pre College Division, First Place in The American Prize Women in Opera, Pre-College Division,  and a two time George London Scholarship Recipient. 

Monostatos: Corbin DeSpain

Corbin DeSpain, tenor, is a professional singer and music director in Cincinnati, OH. He works towards the intersectionality of art forms, specifically tying music to other mediums. Corbin works with pro choir and other organizations locally and nationally. In February 2018, Corbin performed a world premiere; With Every Gust of Wind: Four Haiku by modern and Grammy winning composer D.J. Sparr. In January 2019, Corbin was invited to premiere the piece in Chicago, IL with the Chicago Composers Orchestra, and in 2020 Mr. DeSpain recorded the premiere piece for a Grammy nominated album with Naxos and Innova recording studios on the album Hard Metal Cantüs, which was released November 13, 2020. He was contracted in 2018 to plan the voice component of Ballet Lubbock’s 2019 spring production and previewed this collaborative effort with company dancers at the 2018 fall Gala. In 2019 Mr. DeSpain then premiered Dream Aloud: An Evening of Voice and Dance with Ballet Lubbock’s Company Dancers. DeSpain was most recently seen on stage as the title role Galileo in Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei with CCM Opera in 2021.

Other recent credits include: The Magic Flute, La Rondine, Verdi’s Requiem, and Bach’s St. John Passion. Corbin has engagements with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, The Lubbock Chamber Orchestra, The Union, VAE, Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra of Colorado, Chorus of the Big Bend and San Antonio Chamber Choir. While pursuing his Master’s of Voice Performance at The University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music, Corbin received an appointment as Director of Music and Worship at Epiphany UMC in Loveland, OH. Mr. DeSpain holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education – certified all levels. Corbin is thrilled to be debuting with Queen City Opera on this exciting production! 

Pamina: Erin Keesy

Soprano, Erin Keesy is a Kentucky girl at heart and is currently based in Cincinnati, OH. She has been praised for her musicality, artistry and sensitivity. In addition to singing, she teaches voice at the University of Louisville. She has a diverse performing resume including professional solo and choral engagements. Recent 2023-24 engagements include performing with Teddy Abrams, Composer and Conductor of MAMMOTH, a new work performed by the Louisville Orchestra and Louisville Chamber Choir at Mammoth Cave in a once in a lifetime performance with Yo-Yo Ma honoring our nations National Parks.

She was also featured in the stage premiere of a new opera called The Knock with Cincinnati Opera. More recently, she performed the title role in Tchaikovsky’s Undina with Queen City Opera and was the soprano soloist for Händel’s Messiah with the Louisville Orchestra in December. Upcoming engagements include the role of Zerlina in Cincinnati Opera’s season opener of Don Giovanni, Pamina in an exciting new production of The Magic Flute depicting Mozart’s beloved cast as characters from well known video games, and the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with the Grammy-Winning Louisville Orchestra.

In her free time, she enjoys drinking coffee, building jigsaw puzzles and being out in nature on a really nice hike. 

First Spirit (Toad): Jackie Stevens

Soprano, Jackie Stevens enjoys an active performing and teaching career in the Cincinnati area, singing with ensembles such as the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Collegium Cincinnati, Coro Volante, Heri et Hodie, and the Queen City Sisters.

As an educator, Jackie teaches voice at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music and Xavier University seeing over thirty students a week in a variety of degree programs.

Past roles include Poppea in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea and Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte.

Jackie holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music as well as a Bachelor of Music from Texas Tech University, all in vocal performance.

Second Spirit (Toad): Erin Alcorn

Praised for her “beautiful, limpid quality, “angelic,” and “expressive” singing, soprano Erin Alcorn is praised for her versatile performances in recital, concert, opera, musical theatre, new music, and early music. 

In the 2023-2024 season, Ms. Alcorn appeared as Miss Lightfoot in Fellow Travelers with CCM Opera, as a recitalist for Cincinnati Song Initiative and LYNX, and as a soloist for the Greater Dallas Choral Society at the Meyerson Symphony Center, the CCM Wind Symphony in Eric Whitacre’s Goodnight Moon, Northern Kentucky Community Chorus in Mozart’s Regina coeli, Dayton Bach Society in Handel’s Israel in Egypt, and the Seven Hills Baroque Ensemble. 

Ms. Alcorn covered the role of Musetta in La bohème in Cincinnati Opera’s 2022 Summer Festival. In 2022 she also appeared as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C with the University of Cincinnati’s CCM Chorale and Chamber Orchestra. 

A Resident Artist with Tri-Cities Opera in its 2020-21 season, Ms. Alcorn performed the role of Adina in The Elixir of Love, Francine in Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers (Sankaram), and covered the role of Miranda in Miranda: A Steampunk VR Experience (Sankaram). She was to make her Tri-Cities Opera debut as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Scalia/Ginsburg (Wang), and Clorinda in La cenerentola, but all were canceled due to the pandemic.

Ms. Alcorn has held artist residencies with Music Academy of the West (2017), The Song Continues at Carnegie Hall (2017), and The Dallas Opera Outreach (2014-2015). She has also served as a core chorister for Opera Philadelphia and Cincinnati Opera. 

Ms. Alcorn has completed all but her dissertation for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (CCM). She holds a Bachelor of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music from the University of North Texas.

Third Spirit (Toad): Junyue Gong

A passionate and hearty storyteller, Junyue Gong, a Chinese mezzo-soprano, is quickly establishing herself as a versatile artist with an eclectic range of musical interests spanning from baroque to the present day. Ms. Gong believes in creating a more empathetic world through art and great storytelling.

Her recent operatic performance highlights including Bianca in Britten’s Rape of Lucretia, Marcellina in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Ms. Gong’s 2023 Season in Des Moines Metro Opera as an Apprentice Artist where she sang the role of Nicolette in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges (cover) and she performed in the Stars of Tomorrow concert in July with the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra and Opera Scene Concert as Dorabella in Così fan Tutte, Sesto in Giulio Cesare, Jade Boucher in Dead Man Walking. There, she also appeared in the core choruses of Bizet’s Carmen and Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges. Last season, she performed the role of Sister Gertrude in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). For the 2024 summer season, Ms. Gong will be joining Queen City Opera as Toad (3rd Spirit) in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Ms. Gong will also be joining Cincinnati Opera in the choruses of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio. 

Ms. Gong has been included in masterclasses with world-renowned conductors and musicians such as Pierre Vallet and Paul Appleby. In 2023, she was the winner of the Career Bridges Grant Awards, and also one of the Finalists in the Classical Singers Vocal Competition Young Artists Division. Ms. Gong is pursuing her Artist Diploma from The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Ms. Gong also received her M.M. in Vocal Performance from The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and her B.M. in Vocal Performance from The Sichuan Conservatory of Music in China. 

Sarastro: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt is a versatile performer who is thrilled to be a part of this production of Super Flute.  Michael studied voice at the Jacobs School of Music and the College-Conservatory of Music where he recieved his Master of Music as well as an Artist Diploma. He has performed with such companies as Cincinnati Opera and Dayton Opera. 

When not singing on the opera stage, Michael also performs as both a guitarist and bassist.  Michael is currently the professor of guitar at Thomas More University, and plays bass in a local outlaw country band Pauly & The Fall From Grace. Michael also serves as the Director of Technical Arts at Epiphany United Methodist Church in Loveland.

Michael mains Ganondof in Super Smash Bros. and Tanooki Mario in Mario Kart.

First Guard: Travis Pearce

Tenor Travis Pearce is a Cincinnati-based artist who has been performing in the area for several years. He has performed with Cincinnati Opera for multiple years while also frequently performing with Queen City Opera. He has been heard in the roles of First Prisoner in Beethoven’s Fidelio, Max in Weber’s Der Frieschütz, and as Almeric in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta.

Other roles in his repertoire include Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Sam Kaplan and Lippo Fiorentino in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene and Mr. EEE in the world premiere of Martian Chronicles. Travis has been a featured soloist with orchestra in Haydn’s Creation and Handel’s Messiah, most recently as the guest tenor for Bluffton University and Miami University.

While attending the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, Travis was awarded the Harold Heiberg Liedersänger Preis for his extraordinary performances of Schubert lieder. As the winner, he was later invited to sing a recital of lieder and operetta for the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Second Guard: K. Michael Young

Mike Young, baritone, is from Cortland, Ohio, where he received his first video game console in 1990, a Nintendo Entertainment System. Mike can complete the underwater level of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles without taking any damage.

Mike attended The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where he achieved the rank of Master in StarCraft II doubles play. Mike currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio and is on faculty at Thomas More University. His Hearthstone Battlegrounds MMR is 8000. Mike also enjoys singing.

Papagena: Rachel Kobernick

Rachel Kobernick is a soprano currently based in Cincinnati, OH. Most recently, Rachel was an apprentice artist with Sarasota Opera for their winter season, and made her role and company debut as Anne in A Little Night Music with Indianapolis Opera. Rachel’s 22/23 season included the role of Nella in Opera on the James’ production of Gianni Schicchi, as well as a workshop of Gregory Spears’ newest opera, The Righteous, with Cincinnati Opera. Rachel sang in the choruses of Lucia di Lammermoor and Madame Butterfly in Cincinnati Opera’s summer season, and returned in the fall to workshop the role of Willie alongside Christine Goerke in Lincoln in the Bardo, a new Missy Mazzoli work commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. Additionally, she covered the title role in Tchaikovsky’s Undina with Queen City Opera and premiered two new roles in Nathan Felix’s immersive opera series in Albuquerque and Louisville.

In 21/22, Rachel joined Opera on the James as a young artist, performing Pamina and The Queen of the Night in a touring version of Magic Flute, and the Shepherd Boy in Tosca. That summer, she joined Cincinnati Opera as a chorus member in Aida and La Bohème and joined Queen City Opera in their production of Fidelio. In the Spring, she premiered the role of Radcliffe in Nathan Felix’s Immersive Opera The Great Flood, as well as sang the soprano solo in Joseph Shwantner’s orchestral work, Sparrows, with Musica Nova at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. 

Rachel is passionate about introducing opera to new audiences, and works frequently in outreach initiatives with Cincinnati Opera, Opera on the James, and more. Rachel enjoys performing in all areas of the genre, singing as a soloist and ensemble member with local arts organizations such as Cincinnati Song Initiative, Ensemble Con Fuoco, Kol Reyna and most recently, Trevor Kroeger’s The Union within The Breath Collective Ensemble. Additionally, Rachel is passionate about straight theater, performing Lindsay Partain’s one woman play The Way You Made Me last September. 

Aside from performing, Rachel has gained experience in stage management and opera direction, working professionally with the Ohio Light Opera Company during the summer of 2018 and with the Eastman Opera Theatre for over six productions. Rachel is currently a cantorial soloist at Isaac. M Wise Temple in Cincinnati, where she regularly cantors shabbat and high holiday services. Additionally, Rachel works as the Music Assistant for both contemporary and traditional worship at Epiphany United Methodist Church in Loveland, OH. 

Rachel graduated with a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music where she studied with Gwen Coleman, and holds a BM in vocal performance from the Eastman School of Music. Rachel currently has a private studio where she teaches voice, piano, and music theory to students of all ages, and is always welcoming new students! In addition to her focus on opera, production, and outreach, Rachel has a love for languages and graduated with an Italian minor as well as a certificate in art’s leadership.

Stage Director and Production Designer: Josh Shaw

Named as one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of the Year in 2023, Josh Shaw is the Founding Artistic Director and CEO of Pacific Opera Project (POP), which has been described as “L.A.’s most exciting new opera company.” Over the past thirteen seasons, Mr. Shaw has directed over 60 productions at POP, including The Rake’s Progress, Ariadne auf Naxos, La Calisto, Tosca: A Moving Production, and La boheme: AKA “The Hipsters”.  A frequent librettist for English updates, his Star Trek inspired Abduction from the Seraglio and Nintendo inspired The Magic Flute AKA #SuperFlute have gained national attention and have been produced at multiple companies, shattering attendance records.

Since turning his attention to directing in 2011, Mr. Shaw has directed over 100 productions at companies including Opera Santa Barbara, New Orleans Opera, Opera Orlando, Festival Opera, Gulfshore Opera, Intermountain Opera, Salt Marsh Opera, Opera Neo, and Opera in the Heights. Mr. Shaw’s Barbiere di Siviglia at Opera Santa Barbara was described as “riotously funny” and “thoroughly amusing from overture to final bow.” His work as a director has been described as “Brave and unflinching,” “Ingenious,” “Relentlessly and adorably rambunctious,” “with enough good comic ideas for at least three productions.” As a producer, he has been praised for his “supreme savvy” and “high level of production quality” with “the power to enthrall and captivate audiences.”

Recent projects include a new English adaptation of Die Fledermaus, a ground-breaking production of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta starring “The Blind Soprano” Cristina Jones, and the US premiere of Vivaldi’s Ercole su’l Termodonte. One of the busiest directors during Covid, Mr. Shaw directed more than a dozen productions during the pandemic including US staged premieres of Gluck’s La Corona and Il Parnaso Confuso, a drive-in Don Pasquale for Opera Santa Barbara, and an updated Cosi – “Covid fan tutte” set in 2020. Other recent projects include productions of Don Giovanni, La Gazzetta (Rossini), La Traviata, Into the Woods, The Mikado, and Tabasco: A Burlesque Opera, a newly rediscovered operetta by G. W. Chadwick, last performed in 1894, which was described as “delightful, packed with humor, and a feast for all the senses” by The New Orleans Advocate. In addition to directing the production, Mr. Shaw also wrote a new book and additional lyrics for the project that celebrated the McIlhenney Company’s 150th anniversary. 

Beyond the rewrite of Tabasco, Mr. Shaw has written several English version libretti including a Wild West setting of Die Lustige Witwe, a contemporary setting of Die Schauspieldirektor, a production of Die Zauberflöte set in the world of 1990s video games, Covid fan tutte, a Star Trek inspired Abduction from the Seraglio, a 1930s Hollywood Fledermaus, and a groundbreaking production of Madama Butterfly sung in Japanese and English, a co-production of POP and Opera in Heights (Houston).

Conductor and Queen City Opera Artistic Director: Isaac Selya

In 1994, Isaac Selya manifested his enormous talent for video games by placing second in the Cincinnati qualifier for the Blockbuster Video Donkey Kong Country competition. In addition to this skill, he has extensive experience as a conductor, pianist, vocal coach, cellist, and entrepreneur. He is the Music Director of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and founder and Artistic Director of Queen City Opera, where he has led acclaimed performances that combine high-caliber opera with contemporary relevance.

He conducted the Los Angeles stage premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta at Pacific Opera Project, in collaboration with the National Federation for the Blind, and with blind soprano Cristina Jones in the title role.

Isaac made his German debut conducting the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in the fall of 2018. He has also conducted performances with the Xiamen Philharmonic, the Dayton Philharmonic, the National Symphony of Guatemala, the Chelsea Symphony, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.

Isaac’s conducting can also be heard on the soundtrack to the award-winning video game, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows. He started his professional music career at the age of 18 singing in the chorus of the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem, Israel. He holds a BA from Yale College, where he was principal cellist of the Yale Symphony. He completed an MM in conducting at Mannes College, where he won a competitive grant from the New School Green Fund to present a concert dealing with environmental advocacy. He holds a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, where his research focused on Mozart’s use of the baritone voice. He has contributed scholarship to publishers Bärenreiter, Henle, Schott, Breitkopf & Härtel, and the University of Chicago Press/Casa Ricordi in the critical editions of the works of Bach, Beethoven, Bizet, Mascagni, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Wagner, and Weber.

He has three cats: Tosca, Aida, and Tamino.