Dreamers and Directors
American Opera Theater is led by an engaging and diverse team of arts professionals and community leaders.
More About Those Behind AOT
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Timothy Nelson, Artistic Director
Sophie-Louise Roland, General Director
Board of Directors
Alexandre Ledbetter, Chairperson
Stephen Campbell, Vice-Chairperson
Dana Johns, Secretary
Jeffrey Grabelle, Treasurer
Jesse Hellman
Joel Meneses
Deborah Saunders
Roberto Vela
Timothy Nelson leads a new generation of young directors. Most recently he was honored as a awardee in the Opera Europa International Directing Prize. He founded American Opera Theater to challenging audiences’ ideas about opera as theater. Nelson is known for innovative productions of traditional repertoire, rarely heard work, and for the creation of new opera. He develops approaches to expanding understanding of opera as theater, concert, and ritual, to connect the art form with contemporary social questions and dialogues.
Most recently Nelson directed “David et Jonathas” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, a cabaret “Carmen” based loosely on Peter Brook’s version, of which the Baltimore Sun said Nelson “out-Brooked Brook”, Philip Glass’ “Hydrogen Jukebox” as part of the 2009 presidential inauguration festivities, and “Songspiel”, an original Kurt Weill offering with soprano Sylvia McNair. This season included Handel’s “Jephtha” for the Handel Choir of Baltimore and “Giulio Cesare” with Opera London. Upcoming projects include Peter Maxwell Davies’ “The Lighthouse” for the Nationale Reisopera, “La Boheme” for Toronto’s Opera York, and a production of Kurt Weill’s “Lost in the Stars”. He has received grants from Geoffrey C. Hughes Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
A committed educator Nelson leads workshops in opera as theater at Indiana University and at Georgetown University. He is Artistic Director of the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy, and is a guest instructor at the Netherlands Opera Studio and the Dutch National Opera Academy. His work as a director has been praised as at once “progressive” and “knowledgeable” – “propulsive” and “fluid”. The New York Times calls his work “the future of opera” while the Baltimore Sun calls his productions “vivid, postmodern” with “striking stage pictures”, saying his work is “fresh, inventive, invigorating”.
Hailed for her “excellence, purity of voice and emotional intensity,” Sophie Louise Roland recently sang the roles of Madonna Capuleti and Tebaldo in the International Opera Theater’s world premiere of Romeo e Giulietta in Citta della Pieve (Italy), Carmen with both American Opera Theater (Baltimore, MD) and Opera Lirica Italiana, Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Opera Brasov, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Opera Lirica Italiana, as well as the title role in Carmen with both Janiec Opera Company. Other highlights include La Prieure in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, Dame Quickly in Falstaff, La mère in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Luna in the North American premiere of Jeppe by Sven David Sandström. Future engagements will see Ms. Roland again in Italy, as Purcell’s tragic heroine and the Sorceress in Dido & Æneas, and as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, in solo recitals in Sardinia, Philadelphia, Baltimore, London, Hamilton, Québec, Toronto, Elora, and in Italy.
In addition to her operatic credits, Ms. Roland recently was featured singing in Jean-Claude Labrecque’s film, Infiniment Québec and on the artist Jorane’s compilation CD, Jorane X. She also appeared in Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky under the baton of Maestro Erick Kunzel. Ms. Roland has appeared in concert with ensembles such as the Guelph Chamber Choir, the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Hamilton, London Fanshawe Symphonic Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Mrs. Roland was chosen to participate for the celebrations in honor of Marilyn Horne’s 70th birthday at Carnegie Hall.
Dr. Roland is General Director of the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy, and holds the rank of Assistant Professor of Music in the Don Wright Faculty of Music, University of Western Ontario. She holds a DMA from Indiana University.