Richard W. Robbins serves as director of choral activities at Shenandoah Conservatory and is the chorus director and James Erb Choral Chair of the Richmond Symphony Chorus. Known for his expressive and compelling leadership, Robbins’s choral work has been described as “moving” by the Houston Chronicle. Robbins’ operatic credits include chorus preparation for productions with … Read more
Andres Fiz is a Chicago-based projection designer. They are delighted to be returning to the Chicago Opera Festival, having designed projections for Il prigioniero last year. Other credits include Orfeo ed Euridice (DePaul Opera Theatre), Wipeout (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble), Les Misérables (TUTS, Houston) and Danceworks – Signal::Transfer (Northwestern University). Their associate projection design credits include … Read more
Katrina Dubbs has performed with several ensembles in Chicago, including Grant Park Music Festival and Music of the Baroque. This is her second season performing with Opera Festival of Chicago. In addition to her singing engagements, Katrina teaches with Music of the Baroque’s Strong Voices program. Before moving to Chicago, Katrina enjoyed singing in Los … Read more
Grace Reynolds is a Chicago-based props designer and actor who is so excited to make her debut with Opera Festival of Chicago! Most recently, she has worked with DePaul Opera Theatre as props designer for Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi, and with The National Theatre for Children as a tour actor. A 2023 graduate of Viterbo University, … Read more
Catherine O’Shaughnessy is a rising orchestral and opera conductor in the United States and abroad. Avidly committed to Chicago’s dynamic musical scene, she is delighted to return for a third season as part of the team at Opera Festival of Chicago. Catherine also serves as the executive and music director of Chicago Fringe Opera, is … Read more
CeCe Hastreiter is a versatile soprano acclaimed for her dynamic performances across both classical and musical theater repertoires. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2019 and completed her Master of Music at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts in 2021. Hastreiter has performed a wide range … Read more
Bass-baritone Jess Koehn is a native of the midwest, born in Wichita, Kansas. However, he grew up in Arizona and spent time in Louisiana before settling in the suburbs of Chicago. During his education, Jess studied voice with Dr. Larry Day and Grayson Hirst at the University of Arizona, BM, and with Dennis Jesse at … Read more
Cary has appeared in several light opera and musical theater roles with Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works), including Nicely Nicely in Guys and Dolls, Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha, Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Samuel in Pirates of Penzance, and Vanderdendur in Candide. Cary was also an ensemble member/ Val Jean understudy in the 3rd … Read more