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
Praised for her versatility and range, lyric soprano Angela De Venuto is quickly establishing herself as a formidable presence in the classical music world. Her recent performances include appearing as a soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra, performing Mozart’s concert aria “Bella mia fiamma, addio” with the Intermezzi Ensemble, … Read more
Melanie Budreck is a multi-disciplinary artist currently living in Park Ridge, Illinois. A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University with a B.M. in vocal performance, she was most recently seen on stage in the “Operetta Around The World” benefit concert with Great Lakes Operetta. Melanie’s other recent credits include the roles of Wanda in The Grand … Read more
Bill is delighted to be collaborating again with Sasha, having worked with her on many operas and musicals at NEIU. He is an eighteen time Jeff Award nominee for Outstanding Costume Design. He has won the award six times, most recently the 2023 Non-Equity and the 2023 Equity Large Theatre awards. He is also the … 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 Betrayal … Read more
THERESA EGAN (professional chorus) is thrilled to make her Opera Festival of Chicago debut! She was most recently seen as the Nettie Fowler understudy, and ensemble for Music Theatre Works production of Carousel. She was also ensemble in the company’s 2023 production of Brigadoon. An active crossover singer and teacher, she has sung with companies … Read more
Meg Thomas-Cary is a singer/songwriter and private music teacher located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She studied contemporary music at Columbia College Chicago and got her MFA in vocal performance at the Popakademie in Mannheim, Germany. Meg is ecstatic to get to take part in this wonderful production with so many skilled performers.