Get to know our 2024-25 Artists in Residence
Opera Colorado travels to all corners of its home state through touring productions and other educational programs, in addition to the operas on stage at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Throughout the season, you might begin to recognize the faces of our Artists in Residence. This specialized, nine-month program nurtures and builds the talents of emerging artists. Each year, we audition hundreds of singers from around the world for the program, and some even return for multiple seasons! Get to know the 2024-25 Artists in Residence and find out what music they’re listening to, what their dream roles are, and more!
Come see the Artists in Residence at their first public performance on Friday, September 20 at the Artist in Residence Showcase.>>
Hallie Schmidt, soprano
Melanie Dubil, mezzo-soprano
Daniel Miller, tenor
Alex Granito, baritone
Oliver Poveda Zavala, bass-baritone
James Eder, bass
Meet the Artist: Hallie Schmidt, soprano
What excites you about Colorado? I am most excited to work with the singers and music staff at Opera Colorado, both resident and visiting! I am also very excited to explore Colorado and work in such a beautiful place.
What are you most looking forward to performing with us this season? I am really looking forward to the Student Matinee of Daughter of the Regiment. Marie has been a dream role of mine since I started singing, and getting to work on this show with Opera Colorado is truly a dream! I also have a big passion for community engagement, so I am excited to continue learning how Opera Colorado involves audiences, and to be a part of that!
What is your dream role? Do I have to pick one?? I was lucky to sing Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos a few years ago, and would LOVE to revisit her. I think Zerbinetta will always remain a “dream role” on my list because there is always more to learn about her. Ariadne is my desert island opera…no pun intended!
What are you doing this summer before you join us in Denver? This summer, aside from preparing for this coming season, I spent lots of time preparing events for the opera company I started last year, Olympia Opera Theatre. We programmed our first full opera for the beginning of August, so a lot of my time was devoted to that project!
If you were an animal, what would you be and why? I would be a cat because I think I am quite adventurous and have a playful personality. Cats also have an ability for intense focus, which I admire and think would come in handy as a singer!
What artist or album do you have on repeat this summer? This summer has been a big Tyler Childers and Brandi Carlile summer for me. But I also keep Etta James, Sam Cooke, and my favorites of that era in constant rotation.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? If I had a superpower it would be apparition, like in Harry Potter (the thing wizards can do where they can teleport instantly to a new location). I think that would be the coolest power. I love traveling and, goodness, that would make it easier!
If you were a wrestler, what would be your entrance song? My entrance music would be something like the final scene from Swan Lake, or “Dies irae” from the Verdi Requiem. I don’t think the competition would expect that, and hopefully it would scare them off!
Meet the Artist: Melanie Dubil, mezzo-soprano
What did you love about Colorado during your first season with us? I loved living in Denver because you get to experience some city living while still being so close to the incredibly stunning Rocky Mountains!
What are you most looking forward to performing with us this season? I’m most looking forward to singing Rosina in our touring production of The Barber of Seville as well as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel.
What is your dream role? To sing Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier would be a dream come true!
What have you been doing this summer before you join us in Denver? I was just up the mountain singing Edith in The Pirates of Penzance and Second Nursemaid in Street Scene with Central City Opera. I also presented a Lunch and a Song recital with them in July.
If you were an animal, what would you be and why? A chipmunk because they are always curious but can be a little rambunctious.
What artist or album do you have on repeat this summer? It’s 100% Charli xcx’s Brat.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? Probably to teleport because it would make traveling a whole lot easier!
If you were a wrestler, what would be your entrance song? In the spirit of Brat girl summer I would have to go with “360” by Charli xcx.
Meet the Artist: Daniel Miller, tenor
As a Colorado native, what are you excited to share about the Denver area with the other Artists in Residence? As a Colorado native, presenting the breathtaking natural beauty of my home state has always brought me joy. The Colorado landscape is nothing short of spectacular, full of vibrancy and color. With limitless outdoor activities at our disposal, I want all of my fellow Artists in Residence to experience all of the natural splendor and exciting wonders Colorado has to offer during our short time together.
What are you most looking forward to performing with us this season? I am most excited to perform on the famous Ellie Caulkins Opera House stage! I grew up seeing various shows, symphonies, and presentations at the Arts Complex and to now be a part of the art and culture here is nothing short of humbling and exhilarating. I’m looking forward to making my parents proud when they see me on the stage—it’ll be a dream come true.
What is your dream role? In a wonderful and serendipitous event, my dream role is actually Tonio from Daughter of the Regiment. I’ve always had a rather high voice, and have been singing the arias from this show for quite some time. I absolutely love the compositional style of Donizetti’s music, especially how he writes for high voices, so it will be quite an honor to be able to perform Tonio in the student matinee this season!
What are you doing this summer before you join us? I’ve been working full time at a local gym in Arvada, 24 Hour Fitness. I will work there until my residency with Opera Colorado begins, and will miss that gym quite a lot. I’ve been able to make lifelong genuine friendships with my coworkers, trainers, and fellow gym guests there and will miss them dearly while I’m away. The local community at that gym is supportive and wonderful, and I will always appreciate them supporting my singing.
If you were an animal, what would you be and why? I would be a house cat. Imagine this: you wake up in the morning and have a bite to eat, and then you see a beautiful, tantalizing ray of sunshine beaming down through a window. You lay your little head down placing yourself in the warmth of the sun and drift into a restful nap. You wake up when it’s time for food, and repeat the process until its night time. Now that it’s dark outside, it’s time to annoy the people who live in your house.
What artist or album do you have on repeat this summer? Aside from all of the opera and romantic music I listen to on repeat, like Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 (my favorite piece of romantic literature that has ever been written), I’ve been listening to Nujabes’ album Metaphorical Music!
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? Flight—soaring through the skies offers freedom, exhilaration, and a unique perspective on the world. It’s also practical for avoiding traffic and reaching remote places. How cool would that be!
If you were a wrestler, what would be your entrance song? My entrance song would be the final movement from Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. If you’ve never heard it, let’s hope I pick up wrestling!
Meet the Artist: Alex Granito, baritone
What did you love about Colorado during your first season with us? Last season at Opera Colorado was so much fun for so many reasons! For me the highlights of the season were performing the roles of Don Giovanni during the Student Matinee and Second Philistine during Samson and Delilah at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, as well as seeing the impact the Artists in Residence had last year performing our touring productions to kids all over Colorado, exposing this art form we love to more people.
What are you most looking forward to performing with us this season? This season I am most excited to perform the role of Schaunard in Opera Colorado’s production of La bohème this spring!
What is your dream role? After last year’s season performing the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, I have to come up with a new answer! Someday I would love to sing the role of Pelléas in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande.
What are you doing this summer before you join us in Denver? This summer I was a Studio Artist at Chautauqua Opera, singing the world premier of Love, Loss, and the Century Upon Us, written by Rene Orth and librettist Jerry Dye.
If you were an animal, what would you be and why? If I were an animal I would be a Bernese Mountain Dog, because I am a hard worker, I love outdoor activities, and I am loyal.
What artist or album do you have on repeat this summer? An artist I have had on repeat this summer is Empire of the Sun, specifically the song “Walking on a Dream!”
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? If I could have a superpower, I would choose teleportation! It would make life so convenient to have instant travel, and I could go anywhere I want at the snap of my fingers, making vacation destinations only a second away.
If you were a wrestler, what would be your entrance song? If I were a wrestler my entrance song would be “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor!
Meet the Artist: Oliver Poveda Zavala, bass-baritone
What excites you about Colorado? I love being in a high altitude place and most importantly the presence of mountains around me. Coming from the Andean highlands, seeing the Rockies out in the distance brings me comfort and makes for a fantastic view.
What are you most looking forward to performing with us this season? Everything! Since I began my training as a young opera singer in Denver in 2016, it has been my dream to sing on stage at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and work with Opera Colorado’s amazing staff and artists. I’ve been blessed with many opportunities to do so already, initially as a chorus member, and most recently as a guest artist for the Don Giovanni Student Matinee last season. Now I get to join the company as a resident artist for the entire season, and I am thrilled about it.
What is your dream role? Unrealistically speaking, I love the role of Rodrigo from Don Carlo, for whom Verdi wrote such beautiful and exciting music. Realistically speaking, though, I think Mephistopheles from Faust, and maybe one day Banco from Macbeth.
What have you been doing this summer before you join us in Denver? I was an apprentice artist with Central City Opera where I played Jose Castro in their production of La fanciulla del West alongside a beyond stellar cast and the best colleagues. In Street Scene, I covered Mr. Olsen and I was one of the officers that apprehends Mr. Maurrant. I was also in the chorus for Pirates of Penzance which opened the season festival with raving reviews and appeared in a segment of CBS News.
If you were an animal, what would you be and why? I’d like to be a Lynx. When I was a young kid, sometimes I would flip through my mother’s books and there was one of animals with captivating photographs. The Lynx caught my eye, so that would be my choice.
What artist or album do you have on repeat this summer? I listen to my own compilation playlists which I have labeled Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on. If I hear a song I like and it’s a Thursday, it goes to the Thursday playlist. There is no real logic to it other than that. Recently, I have been listening to a lot of Chris Benstead’s Wrath of Man. It’s a pretty dark film score, so maybe not for everyone.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? I think immortality. I’m intrigued by human evolution and curious to know where we will be in 1,000 or 10,000 or 100,000 years. Will we become a perfect and peaceful race, will we become warmongers set on total domination of our world and beyond, or will we become extinct? I’d like to know.
If you were a wrestler, what would be your entrance song? “Nookie” by Limp Bizkit. Great track to get pumped and explode in the ring.
Meet the Artist: James Eder, bass
What excites you about Colorado? I am excited to see friends, explore a new city, and take in the natural beauty of the mountains.
What are you most looking forward to performing with us this season? I am most looking forward to performing the role of Hortensius in Daughter of the Regiment. I have never done the show before and I am excited to dive into something new.
What is your dream role? I would love to sing the title role in Boris Gudunov. The show has some of the most powerful and beautiful music in opera.
What are you doing this summer before you join us in Denver? Enjoying a relaxing summer full of fireworks, grilling, and outdoor adventures.
If you were an animal, what would you be and why? I’d be one of those dogs playing poker in the famous painting, A Friend in Need, because I enjoy a card game and I’ve always got your back.
What artist or album do you have on repeat this summer? I am having a throwback summer enjoying the dulcet baritenor of Tom Jones.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? I would want the power to travel through time so I could see the wonders of antiquity
and meet fascinating historical figures.
If you were a wrestler, what would be your entrance song?
The SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song.
We have an incredible group of Artists in Residence joining us this year and we’re excited to share their talents with you in the 2024-25 Season. Are you excited to meet the Artists? Your first chance is their performance on Friday, September 20 at the Artist in Residence Showcase.>> See you there!