People
Board of Directors
Houston Grand Opera Board of Directors 2021–22
Officers
Allyn Risley, Chair of the Board
Claire Liu, Chair-Elect; Finance Committee Chair
Janet Langford Carrig, Senior Chair; Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc. Chair Emeritus
James W. Crownover, Chair Emeritus of the Board
Lynn Wyatt, Vice Chair of the Board
Members at Large
Richard E. Agee, Finance Committee Chair
Thomas Ajamie
Robin Angly, HGOco Committee Vice Chair
John S. Arnoldy *
Christopher V. Bacon, Secretary; General Counsel
Michelle Beale, Governance Committee Chair
Astley Blair, Audit Committee Chair
Albert Chao
Louise Chapman
Mathilda Cochran, HGOco Committee Chair
Albert O. Cornelison Jr. *
Khori Dastoor
David B. Duthu *
Frederic Dyen
Warren A. Ellsworth IV, M.D., Studio Committee Vice Chair
Benjamin Fink, Finance Committee Vice Chair
Michaela Greenan, Audit Committee Vice Chair
Dr. Ellen R. Gritz
Robert C. Hunter *
Richard Husseini
José M. Ivo, Development Committee Vice Chair
Marianne Kah, Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc Vice Chair
Yolanda Knull, Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc. Chair
David LePori, Governance Committee Vice Chair
Gabriel Loperena, Development Committee Chair
Richard A. Lydecker Jr.
Beth Madison *
Sid Moorhead
Sara Morgan
Terrylin G. Neale, Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc. Secretary; Treasurer
Ward Pennebaker
Cynthia Petrello
Gloria M. Portela
Matthew L. Ringel
Kelly Brunetti Rose
Glen A. Rosenbaum
Jack A. Roth, M.D., Studio Committee Vice Chair
Manolo Sánchez
Harlan C. Stai
John G. Turner*
Alfredo Vilas
Margaret Alkek Williams
* Senior Director
Administration & Staff
ADVISOR
Ana María Martínez, Artistic Advisor
SENIOR MANAGEMENT
Richard Bado, Director of Artistic Operations/Chorus Master *
Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus Master Chair
Molly Dill, Acting Chief Operating Officer *
Dale Edwards, Director of Marketing and Communications
Deborah Hirsch, Senior Director of Development *
Gregory S. Robertson, Chief Advancement Officer *
Brian Speck, Director of HGO Studio
Melissa Williford, Director of Human Resources *
OFFICE OF THE GENERAL DIRECTOR
Mary Elsey, Chief of Staff to the Acting Operating Officer
Jonathan Moore, Executive Assistant to the Artistic and Music Director
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Luis Franco, Office Services Coordinator *
Denise Fruge, Accounts Payable Administrator *
Matt Gonzales, Database Administrator *
Chasity Hopkins, Senior Accountant
Michael Hornsby, Director of Information Technology
Ty Jones, Network Administrator
Debbie Loper, Payroll Manager *
Gabrielle Reed, Human Resources Coordinator
DEVELOPMENT
Richard Buffett, Director of Major Gifts and Legacy Planning
Kelly Finn, Director of Development, Institutional Giving
Sydnee E. Houlette, Associate Director of Development-Institutional Giving
Scott Ipsen, Director of Patron Services *
David Krohn, Director of Development
Sarah Long, Development Officer
Kelly Nicholls, Director of Development
Lindsey Peters, Associate Director of Special Events
Brooke Rogers, Director of Special Events
Madeline Sebastian, Development Officer
Natalie Wheeler, Development Officer
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Tamila Amanzholova, Graphic Designer
Natalie Barron, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Chelsea Crouse, Creative Manager
Jessica Gonzalez, Marketing Coordinator
Cynthia Lewis, Team Lead *
Catherine Matusow, Editor-in-Chief
Joel Nott, Customer Care Center Coordinator
Candace Pittman, Digital Marketing Manager
Alan Sellar, Videographer
THE GENEVIEVE P. DEMME ARCHIVES AND RESOURCE CENTER
Brian Mitchell, Archivist *
ADVANCEMENT OPERATIONS
Ashley Bales, Senior Advancement Data Manager
Natalie Burrows, Director of Advancement Operations
Ariel Ehrman, Advancement Data Coordinator
Catie Lovett, Advancement Operations Coordinator
M. Jane Orosco, Marketing Data Manager *
Amber Sheppard, Advancement Operations Manager
Denise Simon, Advancement Office Administrator *
HGOco
Kathleen Brown, Programs Coordinator
Andrea Horton, Community Initiatives Coordinator
Alisa Magallón, Interim Director of HGOco
Meredith Morse, HGOco Operations Manager
Emily N. Wells, Senior Producing Manager
ARTISTIC/MUSIC
Richard S. Brown, Orchestra Personnel Manager *
Joel Goodloe, Company Manager
Carolyne Hall, Associate Company Manager
Daniel James, Music Administrator/Artistic Media Manager
Jeremy Johnson, Dramaturg
Eun Sun Kim, Principal Guest Conductor
Kirill Kuzmin, Principal Coach
Mark C. Lear, Associate Artistic Administrator *
Joshua Luty, Music Librarian
Kevin J. Miller, Assistant Conductor
Peter Pasztor, Principal Coach *
Karen Reeves, Children's Chorus Director *
TECHNICAL/PRODUCTION
Kristen E. Burke, Production Manager *
Michael James Clark, Lighting Supervisor *
Norma Cortez, Head of Costumes *
Esmeralda De Leon, Costume Coordinator
Nara Lesser, Costume Production Assistant
Judy Malone-Stein, Wardrobe Supervisor
Melissa McClung, Technical and Production Administrator
Joshua C. McIntosh, Technical and Safety Director
Megan, Properties Design Director *
Dotti Staker, Wig and Makeup Department Head *
Myrna Vallejo, Costume Shop Supervisor *
Annie Wheeler, Stage Manager *
HOUSTON GRAND OPERA STUDIO
Jamie Gelfand, Studio Manager
Miah Im, Studio Music Director
To view the full list of HGO Studio Faculty, click here.
*denotes 10 or more years of service
Orchestra
2019–20 Houston Grand Opera Orchestra
Patrick Summers, Artistic and Music Director
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
Violin
Denise Tarrant*, Concertmaster
Vacant, Assistant Concertmaster
Natalie Gaynor*, Principal, Second Violin
Carrie Kauk*, Assistant Principal Second Violin
Hae-a Lee-Barnes*
Miriam Belyatsky*
Anabel Detrick*
Rasa Kalesnykaite*
Chavdar Parashkevov*
Mary Reed*
Erica Robinson*
Linda Sanders*
Oleg Sulyga*
Sylvia VerMeulen*
Melissa Williams*
Viola
Eliseo Rene Salazar*, Principal
Lorento Golofeev*, Assistant Principal
Gayle Garcia-Shepard*
Erika Lawson*
Suzanne LeFevre*
Dawson White*
Cello
Barrett Sills*, Principal
Erika Johnson*, Assistant Principal
Ariana Nelson*
Wendy Smith-Butler*
Steven Wiggs*
Double Bass
Dennis Whittaker*, Principal
Erik Gronfor*, Assistant Principal
Carla Clark*
Flute
Vacant, Principal
Henry Williford*
Oboe
Elizabeth Priestly Siffert*, Principal
Mayu Isom*
Clarinet
Sean Krissman*, Principal
Eric Chi*
Bassoon
Amanda Swain*, Principal
Michael Allard*
French Horn
Sarah Cranston*, Principal
Kimberly Penrod Minson*, Second Horn
Spencer Park*
Trumpet
Tetsuya Lawson*, Principal
Randal Adams*
Trombone
Thomas Hulten*, Principal
Mark Holley*
Bass Trombone
Kyle Gordon †
Tuba
Mark Barton*, Principal
Harp
Joan Eidman*, Principal
Timpani
Alison Chang*, Principal
Percussion
Richard Brown*, Principal
Orchestra Personnel Manager
Richard Brown*
† - On Leave
For audition information, please visit our Employment and Auditions page.
Chorus
2019-20 Houston Grand Opera Chorus
Richard Bado, Chorus Master
The Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus Master
Nathan Abbott
Geordie Alexander
Dennis Arrowsmith
Cody Arthur
Stephen Ash
Sarah A. Bannon
Zachary Barba
Megan Berti
G. Leslie Biffle
Fredy Bonilla
Andrew Briggs
Andrew B Campbell
Christopher Childress
Patrick Contreras
Esteban Cordero
Sybil Elizabeth Crawford
Ann Scott Davis
Robert Dee
Callie Jo Denbigh
Robert Dingman
Justin Dunkle
Stacia Morgan Dunn
Ashley Duplechien
Ashly Evans
Peter Farley
Don Figg
Ami Figg
Brian M. Gibbs
Dallas Gray
Suzanne Gregory
Nancy Hall
Sarah Jane Hardin
Marvin Henderson
Frankie Hickman
Julie Hoeltzel
Austin Hoeltzel
Jon Janacek
Camille Jasensky
James Jennings
Joe Key
David Kirkwood
Kirsten Lutz Koerner
Brianne Mathews
Wesley Landry
Sarah L. Lee
Amanda Levy
Katie Loff
Aarianna B. Longino
Britany Lovett
Melissa Lubecke
Lindsay Lymer
Sarah Lysiak
Alisa Magallon
Alejandro Magallón
Kathleen Manley
Heath Martin
Neal Martinez
Antonio Martinez
Norman Lee Mathews
Katherine McDaniel
Natasha Monette
Jeff Monette
Matthew Neumann
Iván Nodal
Casey Jones Parrish
Cristino Perez
Geoffrey Peterson
Abby Powell
Nicholas Rathgeb
Gabrielle Reed
Kendall Reimer
Tyler Resto
Hannah Roberts
Kathleen Ruhleder
Johnny Salvesen
Christina Scanlan
Valerie Serice
Paul Joseph Serna
Rodney Sharp II
Brian David Shircliffe
Kate Smith
Kade I. Smith
Kaitlyn Stavinoha
John Stevens
Lauren Henderson-Turner
Lauren Vick
Elizabeth Vickers
Denise Ward
John Weinel
Ofelia Adame
Dalton Woody
Jennifer Wright
Supernumeraries
A supernumerary (or “super”) is a non-speaking, non-singing role in an opera, much like an extra in a film.
Houston Grand Opera regularly seeks adult and child supernumeraries for mainstage productions. If you are interested in being considered for supernumerary roles, please send a headshot or current photo, resume, and current height and weight to company@hgo.org.