Image from Armida, 2019. Photo by Gina Proulx.
Opera is a collaborative art form. These are the people who created a phenomenal 10 Seasons with VHO.
Artists, 2015-2025
The VHO Troupe
A Troupe is a group dedicated to collaboration over years to develop a distinctive body of work. VHO was founded around a core Troupe of exceptional singers.
Matt Boehler, bass
Janinah Burnett, soprano
Tracy Cox, soprano
Rachelle Durkin, soprano
Will Ferguson, tenor
Carlton Ford, baritone
Sari Gruber, soprano
Miriam Gordon-Stewart, soprano
Tom Hammons, bass-baritone
Chuanyuan Liu, countertenor
Brenda Patterson, mezzo-soprano
Michael Slattery, tenor
Victor Ryan Robertson, tenor
Jorell Williams, baritone
Sarah Wolfson, soprano
Conductors
Christine Brandes, conductor
Conrad Chu, conductor
Ace Edewards, conductor
Kathleen Kelly, conductor
Stephen Kushner, chorusmaster
Michael Slon, chorusmaster
Instrumentalists
Katy Ambrose, French horn & Alphorn
Ayn Balija, viola
Simone Baron, accordion
Stephanie Barrett, cello
Adam Carter, cello
Luques Curtis, double bass
David Ellis, viola da gamba
I-Jen Fang, percussion
Terreon "Tank" Gully, drums
Alison Hall, violin
Anna Hennessy, violin
Jakob Hofer, violin
Will Holshouser, accordion
Sarah Huebsch, oboe & recorder
Ari Isaacman-Beck, violin
Jeannette Jang, violin
Don Johns, percussion
Nora Krohn, viola
David McCormick, violin
Andrew McEvoy, guitar
Allison Monroe, violin
Matt Niess, trombone
Katie Overfield-Zook, viola
Rebecca Patterson, cello
Kelly Peral, oboe
David Perry, clarinet
Jacob Roege, violin
Caleb Rose, clarinet
Daniel Sender, violin
Leslie Shank, violin
Peter Spaar, contrabass
Chelsea Starbuck Smith, violin
Donovan Stokes, contrabass
Jennifer Streeter, harpsichord
Karlyn Viña, percussion
Kristen Wojcik, cello
Dan Zhang, viola
Garrick Zoeter, clarinet
Guest Singers
Matteo Adams, tenor
Audrey Babcock, mezzo-soprano
Corey Bix, tenor
Matthew Burns, bass-baritone
Alyson Cambridge, soprano
Eduardo Chama, bass-baritone
Troy Cook, baritone
Sean Cooper, baritone
Adam Diegel, tenor
Marissa Howard, soprano
Ria Ipa, mezzo-soprano
Nancy Allen Lundy, soprano
Marjorie Maltais, mezzo-soprano
Emma McNairy, soprano
Amandalynne Perzyk, soprano
Keith Phares, baritone
Randall Scarlata, baritone
Ted Schmitz, tenor
Jennifer Zetlan, soprano
Directors & Choreographers
Lee Biolos, director
Katharine Birdsall, choreographer
María Daniel, choreographer
Miriam Gordon-Stewart, resident director
Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell, director
Alek Lev, director
Designers & Visual Artists
Blanton Alspaugh, sound engineer
Ted Coffey, sound design
Caroline Cook, costume design
Celena Cox, costumes & lighting design
Tracy Cox, costume design
Dripps + Phinney Studio, set design
Brielle Duflon, textile artist
Lisa Eller, costume design
Michael Fitts, visual artist
Ashley Florence, visual artist
Melissa Goldman, set design
John Grant, visual artist
Meredith Heiderman, costume design
Emily Herr, muralist/ set design
Will Kerner, video design
Lana Lambert, printmaker
Melissa Malone, visual artist
Thadd McQuade, set & lighting design
Brenda Patterson, set design
Joshua Reid, lighting design
Mark Schuyler, lighting design
Annie Temmink, costume design
Yimeng Teng, set design
Marisa Williamson, multimedia artist
Ensembles & Collabs
Antares
Cardboard Safari
Early Music Access Project
Forte Dance Crew
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Light House Studio
Lyric Fest
Monticello & The International Center for Jefferson Studies
The National Gallery of Art
The Paramount Theater/ Met in HD Broadcasts
The Quarry Gardens at Schuyler
Tom Tom Festival
UVA Book Traces Project/ Alderman Library
UVA Chamber Singers & USingers
VMDO Architects
Actors
Kara McLane Burke
Dee Campbell
Jen Downey
Sandra Mae Frank
Shand Macdonald
John Maucere
Thadd McQuade
Sîan Richards
Jackie Roth
Warren "Wawa" Snipe
Fana Tesfagiorgis, dancer
Amber Zion
Pianists
Ji Yung Lee, Chief Repetiteur
Donna Balson
Emily Baltzer
Linda Blondel
Keith Brown, jazz piano
Adrianne Duncan
Margo Garrett
Seung-Hye Kim
Justina Lee
John Mayhood
Tim McReynolds
Shelby Rhoades
Robert Rocco
Shelby Sender
Renate Rohlfing
Tracey Schimmel-Reed
Isaac Selya
Laura Ward
Composers, Poets, Librettists, Scholars
Simone Baron, composer & arranger
Matt Boehler, composer
Willy Conley, ASL translator
Jules Dameron, ASL Master
Dr. Andrea Douglas, scholar
Adrianne Duncan, composer/ arranger
Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell, playwright
Emily Moore, poet
Gregory Orr, poet
Sandra Seaton, poet
Miriam Gordon-Stewart, playwright & librettist
Will Holshouser, composer & arranger
Brenda Patterson, arranger
Photographers & Filmmakers
Ézé Amos, photographer
Chris Farina & Reid Oechslin, filmmakers
Eamonn Farrell, cinematographer
Miriam Gordon-Stewart, film director
Gina Proulx, photographer
Keith Alan Sprouse, photographer
SINGTANK
Tracy Cox, co-founder
Ronnita Miller, co-founder
Brenda Patterson, co-founder
Ariana Wehr, director of operations