Peabody Opera Theatre serves the educational needs of our students while offering a variety of operatic performances to audiences in the Baltimore region. Whether onstage or in the rehearsal studio, we strive to make work that reflects our values of community, collaboration, innovation, and optimism.
The opera department’s offerings are divided into two streams: our course curriculum includes movement, acting, and seminar classes where students gain new skills alongside the historical context necessary to put them in perspective. In-house and public performances in a variety of musical and dramatic styles are then used as a laboratory for integrating classroom work with professional best practices. In both the classroom and on the operatic stage, our focus is on building the next generation of working artists. Talent may be subjective, but the skills required to build a career are concrete and these skills can be cultivated in an environment of clear expectations, growth, and the right balance of discipline and encouragement.
Students at Peabody can take advantage of a wide range of performing opportunities in venues large and small. Typically, our offerings include a total of around 6-8 productions and 40 performances annually. Our department encourages students to diversify their interests and expertise during their time at Peabody – whether that means simultaneously singing in both choir and opera, pursuing a double degree, or applying for one of the school’s new LAUNCHpad grants. Opera is the culmination of many arts, and we believe Peabody is an excellent place to explore multiple points of view.
Catrin Davies, stage director, acting teacher, and mezzo-soprano, has been an opera professional since 2001. Born in Washington, DC, and possessing British citizenship, Davies has lived, performed, and directed in the United States, Canada, and the UK.
Mary Duncan Steidl, Managing Artistic Director of Peabody Opera, recently directed the premiere of Time and Chance, by Tony Award-winning playwright Mark Medoff. She has directed over 50 operas at venues across the U.S.
Melissa Freilich works as a director, teacher and fight choreographer in Baltimore, MD. She is an Instructor for Dueling Arts International, a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors, and an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
A South Carolina native, Dr. Lester Green has extensive credits as a multi-disciplinary musician, pedagogue, and vocal coach.
Christopher Pennix leads a dynamic career in dance, teaching, opera, and fitness as a certified yoga and cycle instructor.
Laurie Rogers is director of the Young Artist Program and Head of Music Staff at Opera Saratoga, and has worked nationally and internationally as a conductor, pianist, and vocal coach.
Grammy-nominated pianist Joy Schreier is praised by Plácido Domingo as an “orchestra at the piano” and hailed by Opera News as a “superbly emotive pianist [that] wrings every nuance out.” She is acclaimed as an “ideal support” at the piano, “providing much of the evening’s musical nuance” (The Washington Post) and “perfection itself…the dream accompanist.”
Gloria Yin is a conductor, pianist, and singer from London, UK, now based in the USA. Their professional projects are motivated by radical creativity, collaboration, and community, with particular interest in socially-relevant contemporary opera