OUR MISSION
MassOpera cultivates experiences for artists and audiences that challenge the status quo and reflect our diverse community.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- To produce the highest quality artistic product possible
- To ensure singers and all artists are compensated for their work and technical skills
- To produce at least one fully staged opera OR musical with orchestra per season
- To ensure gender parity both on-stage and off
- To educate singers to be great artists and great business people
- To engage the public both as audience members and life-long learners
- To support new work and tell new stories
- To ensure representation of all kinds of races, religions, genders and gender identities, sexual orientations, cultures, and body types on stage both with the characters we present and the artists who portray them
MassOpera is a proud member of
HISTORY
MassOpera was founded in 2007, as MetroWest Opera, by Artistic Director Dana Varga, to provide young classical singers performance opportunity to fill the gap between conservatory and a flourishing professional career. When MetroWest Opera was founded, there were only a few small opera companies in the Boston area, and the time was ripe to create more opportunity for these emerging singers.
The main tenets of MetroWest Opera’s mission were to:
- Provide paid performance opportunity emerging classical singers
- Produce fully staged opera with orchestra
- Produce standard repertoire so that singers could tackle roles they would need to know to flourish in this very competitive industry
- Choose repertoire that ensures gender parity in casting
In 2010 MetroWest Opera introduced its first Annual Vocal Competition for Emerging Artists, in which singers compete for cash prizes, and has held this program annually (and now bi-annually) ever since. In addition to our Annual Production and Vocal Competition, MetroWest Opera created several programs to help with professional development of singers (Artist Development), including Audition Preparation Evenings, The Business of Singing Workshop, and other educational programs.
FUTURE
The future IS MassOpera. During our 10th Anniversary Season in 2017 and 2018, both the board and staff of MetroWest Opera felt that we had successfully fulfilled our mission for ten years, but that the landscape of opera in Boston had shifted, and so too should our mission and values.
We were now one of several small opera companies, each with a slightly different mission and approach to opera. Through a series of group exercises, countless conversations, and much soul-searching we decided we wanted to:
- Have the opportunity to produce musical theatre and other performance mediums, alongside that of opera
- Support and encourage all the various and talented artists and designers who make opera so powerful and entertaining
- Produce original works that have never been told, alongside venerable standard repertoire
- Commit to serving and inspiring our audience. An opera company is nothing without its audience!
Therefore, looking to our audience, we—MassOpera—will:
- Be forward thinking and ever-responsive
- Strive to push the operatic art-form forward to tell diverse and compelling stories
- Advocate for artists and the art we produce
- Contribute to the quality of life and cultural landscape of Greater Boston
- Act as an engine of economic activity that has ripple effects throughout the region
- Look to you, our audience, for stories that need to be told and heard, that reflect your accomplishments and struggles and the immense diversity of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
MassOpera will create a place for everyone at the table.
Jeff Candiello - Board Member
Engineering Leader, Cisco
Bio
Jeff Candiello, a graduate of UMass Amherst and Brandeis University, runs the Agile Enablement practice for the Network Threat Defense group at Cisco. He loves problem solving and is driven by operational excellence. He is also a 13 year member of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. Jeff was introduced to opera through the company and has since become passionate about opera as well as MassOpera’s mission.
Gary Casagrande - Board Chair
Head Global Market Strategy, Confluence
Bio
Gary is the Head of Global Market Strategy at fintech firm Confluence having joined the company in 2016. Gary has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry having worked most recently at Brown Brothers Harriman as the head of Financial Reporting and Expense Administration and at JP Morgan before that. Throughout his career, Gary has focused on continuous operational improvements, efficiency, and client service. Gary has a Bachelor’s Degree from Bryant University in Business Administration with a focus on Finance.
Jennifer Edmunds Matson - Board Clerk
Owner, Jennifer Edmunds Massage
Bio
Jennifer Edmunds Matson is a certified licensed massage therapist with over 15 years of experience. Since 2010 she has operated her own practice, Jennifer Edmunds Massage, located in Arlington, MA. She brings a true passion for her work following many years in the corporate world. Jennifer graduated Eastern Nazarene College with a business degree.
Mary Flynn - Board Member
Retired Planning and Management Professional
Bio
Mary began her career in 1978 in urban planning for the City of Cambridge. She returned to those roots when appointed to the City’s Planning Board where she currently serves as Vice Chair. Mary is interested in using her management and planning experience to strengthen small non-profit organizations like MassOpera, that embrace Boston’s history, culture and diversity. She is Vice President of the Board of Roxbury’s Shirley-Eustis House Association and also Chairs its Budget and Finance Committee. Mary has a Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University and an MBA from Boston University.
Amanda Goodrum - Vice President
Law Student, Loyola University
Bio
Amanda is a Diversity Consultant for Diversity@Workplace. Amanda has 12 years’ experience in Operations and Compliance but has been passionate about diversity and inclusion since high school. During her time at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., Amanda participated in the firm’s LEAD program, the Associates Program at The Partnership, and numerous volunteer activities including the United Way’s Women United Executive Committee. Amanda, who currently resides in Lynn, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Trinity College.
Sharon Jusczak - Board Member
District Design Manager, Ethan Allen
Bio
Sharon is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and is a MBA graduate student at the University of Southern New Hampshire. She is a District Design Manager at Ethan Allen. Sharon is passionate about the arts and interior design. She especially loves performance art and musical theatre. Sharon is committed to advancing Mass Opera’s mission through community involvement and artist advocacy.
Dr. Edward Nardell - Board Member
Professor of Medicine and Public Health, Harvard University
Bio
Dr. Edward Nardell is a Professor of Medicine and Public Health based at Harvard University and the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Division of Global Health Equity. His academic focus is tuberculosis (TB) – the disease that killed Violeta, Mimi, and countless other characters, performers, authors, and composers over the centuries. But love of opera started much earlier with a lifelong interest in vocal music – perhaps inherited through his Neapolitan roots. Other musical interests include the recorder and early music, singing cabaret and in the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. He directs a piano-based concert series at his Brookline residence, Longwood Towers.
Ulysses Thomas - Board Member
Professional Jeweler, Van Cleef & Arpels
Bio
Ulysses is a retail sales professional in the world of fine jewelry and holds credentials from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). A southern native, Ulysses first came to Boston to pursue a master’s degree in classical voice at Boston University. His once very active singing career included two fellowships at Tanglewood Music Center, operatic engagements with Boston Lyric Opera, and a long association with Boston Baroque, amongst other professional music organizations. Even with a shift in focus towards vocation of sales, Ulysses still maintains a career in performance through his work on staff at The Parish of All Saints, Ashmont (and as a member of The Bach Project) and as a concert/oratorio soloist. In his personal time, Ulysses‘ interests include researching cultural/social history, reading poetry/classic literature, photography, and style & fashion.
Alisa Cassola
Director of Content Marketing
Bio
Christie Gibson
Co-Director of New Opera Workshop
Bio
Christie Gibson, New Opera Workshop Program Director, is a multidimensional producer, performing artist, and director. In addition to running OperaHub in Boston for ten years, she has worked for film company Ebb Pod Productions, Opera Providence, the USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, the Brown University Music Department, and the Atelier Lyrique of the Opéra National de Paris. She has held many production positions including production manager, stage manager, costume designer, hair and makeup designer, technical director, master electrician, vocal coach, choreographer, dramaturg, and sound designer. Her producing work has been honored with grants from Opera America, New England Foundation for the Arts, Boston Cultural Council, the Bob Jolly Charitable Trust, and the Harvard Musical Association. Producing credits include DIVAS, El Gato con Botas, La Hija de Rappaccini, Der Vampyr, Socrate, The Long Christmas Dinner, and Michael Ching’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, along with MassOpera’s current NOW project:Caravana de mujeres.
Wen Gu
Director of Community Engagement
Bio
Wen Gu is a China-born soprano and voice/piano teacher based in Massachusetts. She holds an MM in Vocal Performance from Longy School of music of Bard College. Wen won the second prize of Best Debussy Performance 2019 and the third prize of Best Mozart Performance 2020 in the Great Composer Competitions. Wen has performed several roles and concerts with Longy School of Music, Chicago Summer Opera and Cremona International Music Festival.
Katrina Holden-Buckley
Director of Digital and Social Media
Bio
Katrina Holden is a lyric soprano who has appeared with Boston Lyric Opera, Odyssey Opera, MassOpera, and Connecticut Lyric Opera, among others, as well as in recital and concert throughout the country and in both Austria and Italy. Also known for her critical commentary and music industry writing perspectives, she has been published in The Theatre Times, The Arts Fuse, Classical Singer Magazine, and Boston Singers’ Resource. Katrina has been a passionate advocate in the Boston arts scene for 15 years. She is excited to renew marketing work, since being previously involved in marketing with Boston Opera Collaborative. As a longtime member of Opera on Tap’s Boston Chapter, she orchestrated casting roster members for several performances, including a charitable event for WGBH’s A Celtic Sojourn. She holds an MA in Vocal Performance from The New England Conservatory and an undergraduate degree in Music and English from Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.
Cassandra Lovering
Co-Director of New Opera Workshop
Bio
Cassandra Lovering is a Boston-based Elliot Norton and IRNE award nominated director, producer, dramatic coach, teacher, and dramaturg. Her work examines gender roles and relationships with a particular focus on the experience of women. As the PAD of MassOpera, she’s excited to head up new programming like the New Opera Workshop and to direct Die Fledermaus in the Spring. Some directing selections include: It’s not about my mother (new work) Little Dog Laughed (IRNE and Norton Nominated) Suor Angelica, Trouble in Tahiti, Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night and The Beautiful Bridegroom. This winter she will be part of the National Young Arts Program’s creative team for the classical instrumentalists division. She received her MA in Theatre from Villanova University with a focus on directing and dramaturgy. She is a Lincoln Center Director’s Lab 2018 Alum.
Carla Maniscalco-Giovinco
Director of Productions
Bio
Mezzo-soprano, Carla Maniscalco-Giovinco is a versatile performer andtheater professional working throughout the greater Boston area. Performing most recently at Trinity Church (Topsfield), North Shore Music Theater, MassOpera Opera, the Salem Philharmonic Orchestra, and the North Shore Summer Concert Series Carla also works in technical theater as a production stage manager, wardrobe and run-crew with several regional companies, Summer Institute for the Vocal Arts, MassOpera, NEMPAC Opera and North Shore Music Theater, and Opera del West being among them. Working on all aspects of a production from the initial idea to the final execution is thrilling and exhilarating.
William Neely
Executive Director
Bio
William Neely has been the Executive Director of MassOpera for five years. He also is a freelance marketing and development consultant with non-profits and small businesses. He has a background as a theatre and film actor, and now frequently performs in cabaret settings and sings with the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. He serves on the Board of Directors of the North Shore Alliance of LGBTQ Youth.
Brynne Pulver
Director of Operations and Administration
Bio
Brynne Pulver is a Boston based Soprano, Paralegal, and Administrator. She holds an MM and GPD in Voice Performance from The Boston Conservatory, and both a BM in Voice Performance and a BM in Music Education from Appalachian State University. Brynne has performed in various roles and ensembles with many of Boston’s major opera companies including MassOpera, Odyssey Opera, NEMPAC, Promenade Opera Project, and Boston Opera Collaborative. In addition to singing, she works as an Administrative Assistant and Paralegal at Kara Law Offices in downtown Boston. She is excited to join the MassOpera team as Director of PR & Social Media Curation!
Dana Lynne Varga
Founder & Artistic Director
Bio
Dana Lynne Varga is the Founder and Artistic Director of MassOpera. She is an accomplished soprano, voice teacher, entrepreneur and career coach, and presently on the voice and opera faculty of the Longy School of Music. Dana won first place in the 2016 Classical Singer National Competition. She has sung with numerous organizations including Boston Lyric Opera, Odyssey Opera, the Caramoor International Music Festival, Opera Maine, the Cantata Singers, the Metropolitan Chorale, the Springfield Symphony, Coro Allegro, and the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra. Favorite operatic roles performed include Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Musetta in La Boheme, Micaëla in Carmen, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus and the title roles in Alcina and The Merry Widow. An avid concert soloist, recent highlights include Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, the Brahms Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Handel’s Israel in Egypt and Messiah, and the Bach Magnificat and B Minor Mass. Dana holds the DMA degree from Boston University and the MM degree from the New England Conservatory. Visit Dana’s performance website at www.danavarga.com and her career coaching site/blog at www.theempoweredmusician.com
MASSOPERA
16 1/2 HANCOCK ST., APT. 2
SALEM, MA 01970
978 210 2709
[email protected]