NOA Opera Production Competition

2024-2025 Production Competition Winners

The winners of the 2024-2025 Opera Production Competition have been announced. Due to the vast range of resources available to producing organizations, the 99 entrants were first divided into Undergraduate, I-IV, and Graduate levels, V-VIII, (based on predominant age group or training level of the cast) and then each level divided into divisions according to production size and budget. A total of 28 awards have been given by the judges.

Photo Gallery

Gallery: 2024-25 Opera Production Winners

Division I

1^st Place (tie)

Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music:
Speed Dating Tonight!, by Michael Ching & Michael Ching (Based on a Concept by Dean Anthony)

Scott Skiba, Director, Designer Producer
Heather Dennen, Choreography
Brittany Powell Blaschke / Steve Shack, Projection Design / Lighting Design
Dean Buck, Conductor & Music Director

1^st Place (tie)

Texas State University:
The Medium, by Gian Carlo Menotti & Gian Carlo Menotti

Michael Leavitt, Music Director
Matthew Haney, Director
Zachary Nelson, Assistant Director

2^nd Place

Chapman University:
Fright Night: Bad Romance!, by Various & Marc Callahan

Marc Callahan, Director
Janet Kao, Music Director
Clara Cheng, Music Director

Division II

1^st Place

Chapman University:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Will Todd & Maggie Gottlieb and Marc Callahan

Marc Callahan, Director
Danko Drusko, Conductor
Morgan Embry, Designer
Janet Kao and Clara Cheng, Music Directors

2^nd Place (tie)

Purchase College:
Amahl and the Night Visitors, by Menotti & Menotti

Jacque Trussel, Director
Hugh Murphy, Conductor

2^nd Place (tie)

Concordia College:
The Three Bears, by Jonathan Stinson & Jonathan Stinson

Dr. Robin Griffeath, Director
Kevin Sütterlin, Conductor, Orchestra Director
Cedar Remmen, Scenic Designer
Katie Curry, Costume Designer

Honorable Mention

University of Alabama at Birmingham:
Priates of Penzance, by Arthur Sullivan & W. S Gilbert

Lara Wilson, Stage Director
Patrick Evans, Music Director
McKenna Shaw, Choreographer
Therrin Eber, Scenic Designer

Honorable Mention

The University of Kansas:
Suor Angelica, by Giacomo Puccini & Giovacchino Forzano

Stella Markou, Director / Scenic & Costume Design
Boris Vayner, Conductor
Ted Taylor, Vocal Coach
Nicholas Sibert, Lighting Designer

Division III

1^st Place

Queens College:
Albert Herring, by Benjamin Britten & Eric Crozier

Alex Paul Sheerin, Director
James John, Conductor
Rebecca Ming, Costume Designer
David Schocket, Lighting Designer

2^nd Place (tie)

Hawaii Performing Arts Festival:
L'incoronazione di Poppea, by Monteverdi & Busenello

Scott Skiba, Director, Producer, Concept
Brittany Powell Blaschke / Steve Shack, Projection Design / Lighting Design
Michelle Hartman, Costume Design
Stephen Stubbs, Conductor & Music Director

2^nd Place (tie)

Pepperdine University:
The Magic Flute, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart & Emanuel Schikaneder

Keith Colclough, Director
David Aks, Conductor
David Wilkinson, Vocal Coach
Rick Aglietti, Scenic Designer

Division IV

1^st Place (tie)

University of Michigan:
Cosi fan tutte, by Mozart & Da Ponte

Kirk Severtson, Conductor
Gregory Keller, Stage Director

1^st Place (tie)

University of Texas at San Antonio:
La voix Humaine, by Poulenc & Cocteau

Jourdan Laine Howell, Director
Anna Hakobyan, Pianist, Music Director
Taylor Malcolm, Soprano, Music Director

1^st Place (tie)

Manhattan School of Music:
Princess Ida: The Glow Up, by Arthur Sullivan & W.S. Gilbert/reimagined by Heather O'Donnovan

Jackson McKinnon, Conductor
Felicity Stiverson, Stage Director and Choreographer
Michael Ruis-del-Viso, Scenic Designer
Jessica Crawford, Costume Designer

Honorable Mention

Oberlin Conservatory:
Cendrillon, by Jules Massenet & Henri Cain

Stephanie Havey, Stage Director
James Feddeck, Conductor
Dr. Kyung-Eun Na, Vocal Coach
Laura Carlson-Tarantowski, Scenic Designer

Division V

1^st Place

The Ohio State University Opera Theatre:
The Turn of the Screw, by Benjamin Britten & Myfanwy Piper

Eric Gibson, Director
Edward Bak, Vocal Coach
Miriam Burns, Music Director
Maranda DeBusk, Lighting Designer

2^nd Place

University of Wisconsin Madison:
The Light in the Piazza, by Adam Guettel & Adam Guettel (lyrics) and Craig Lucas (book)

Thomas J. Kasdorf, Director
Oriol Sans, Music Director
Matthew Albrecht, Lighting Designer
Kenneth Hoversten and Emily Popp, Costume Designers

3^rd Place

Columbus State University:
Double Bill: Suor Angelica & The Medium, by Giacomo Puccini & Gian Carlo Menotti & Giovacchino Forzano & Gian Carlo Menotti

Joshua May, Director
Paul Hostetter, Conductor

Division VI

1^st Place

University of Oklahoma:
L'heure espagnole & Rita, by Maurice Ravel & Gaetano Donizetti & Franc-Nohain & Gustave Vaëz

Nicole Kenley-Miller, Stage Director
Jonathan Shames, Artistic and Musical Director
Student Set & Lighting Designers, Cara Oates & Noah Jittawait
Student Costume Designers, Emily Post & Paige Kasulis

2^nd Place

McGill University - Opera McGill:
Imeneo, by G.F. Handel & Silvio Stampiglia

Patrick Hansen, Director
Dorian Bandy, Conductor
Vincent & Ginette, Set & Costume designs
Stephen Hargreaves, Vocal Coach

3^rd Place

Boston Conservatory at Berklee:
Riders to the Sea/Whaling Women, by Ralph Vaughan Williams/Jodi Goble & Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Millington Synge/Jodi Goble

Nathan Troup, Director
Tiffany Chang, Conductor
Jean Anderson, Vocal Coach
Laurann Gilley, Vocal Coach

Division VII

1^st Place

University of Houston, Moores Opera Center:
Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini & Giovacchino Forzano

Kathleen Belcher, Director
Jorge Parodi, Conductor
Jefferson Ridenaur, Scenic Designer
Shaun Heath, Costume Designer

2^nd Place

Temple University Opera Theater:
Cendrillon, by Jules Massenet & Henri Caïn

Samuel McCoy, Conductor
Rose Freeman, Director
Ellen Rissinger, Principal Coach
Brandon McShaffrey, Producer

3^rd Place

The University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign:
L'Orfeo, by Claudio Monteverdi & Alessandro Striggio

Dawn M. Harris, Stage Director
Andrea Solya, Music Director, Conductor
Rachel Rizzuto, Choreographer
Brian Bembridge, Scenic Designer

Honorable Mention

McGill University - Opera McGill:
The Light in the Piazza, by Adam Guettel & Craig Lucas

David Gately, Director
Jonathan Monro, Conductor
Patrick Hansen, Musical Supervision
Vincent Ginette, Set & Costume design

Division VIII

1^st Place

Manhattan School of Music:
Rusalka, by Anton Dvořák & Jaroslav Kvapil

Kelly Kuo, Conductor
John de los Santos, Stage Director and Choreographer
Michael Ruiz-del Vizo, Scenic Designer
Ashley Soliman, Costume Designer

2^nd Place

Boston University Opera Institute:
Florencia en el Amazonas, by Daniel Catán & Marcela Fuentes-Barain

William Lumpkin, conductor
Amy Hutchison, stage director
Oshin Gregorian, producer

3^rd Place

University of Michigan:
The Turn of the Screw, by Benjamin Britten & Myfanwy Piper

Kirk Severtson, Conductor
Chía Patiño, Stage Director
Kevin Judge, Scenic Designer
Christianne Myers, Costume Designer