creative team
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THE FIREBRINGERS
​A New ROK Commission
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Composer   Chappell Kingsland
Librettist   Ben Allen-Kingsland
Stage and Music Director   Amanda Russo
Stage Manager   Satsu Holmes
Costumes   Barbara Abbott and Julia Whalen
Curriculum Guide   Lauren Hime
Run Crew   Moses Kisili

DIDO AND AENEAS
A ROK Adaptation
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Composer   Henry Purcell
Librettist   Nahum Tate
​Stage Director   Laurie Staring
Music Director   Sarah Hoffmeister
​Costumes   Barbara Abbott, Aaron Wardwell, and Julia Whalen
Curriculum Guide   Lauren Hime
Run Crew   Moses Kisili​
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ROK Founding Director, Kimberly Carballo
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Production Manager, Alex Nelson
Social Media Assistant, Chelsea Melcher
​Arts Administration Intern, Binyi Li

amanda russo,
​stage and music director

Amanda made her directorial debut with ROK last year, and is excited to be a part of the artistic team again for their 2014 – 2015 season!  A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Amanda is currently a doctoral candidate in voice performance and literature at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.  During her studies, Ms. Russo has performed the title roles in Handel’s Serse and Massenet’s Cendrillon, Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Octavian in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, Isabella in Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri, and Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.  Amanda has appeared as a soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Akron Symphony, the Wooster Symphony, and the Harvard Symphony.  Her most recent solo concert engagements include Ravel's Shéhérazade, Corigliano’s Fern Hill, and the Duruflé Requiem.  Amanda has performed as a Young Artist with The Glimmerglass Festival and Central City Opera.  Also a passionate voice teacher, Amanda maintains a private studio, teaching students at Indiana University and in the Bloomington community.  She received her Masters of Music in voice performance from Indiana University and her B.F.A. in voice performance with a minor in German from Carnegie Mellon University.  For more information about Amanda’s work and upcoming events, please visit her website: www.amandarussomezzo.com    ​

Photo by Lynn Wayne (http://www.lynnwayne.com)

laurie staring, stage director

This marks Laurie Staring’s 4th season with ROK and her second as director.  Previously, Laurie played the role of Mooch in Mooch the Magnificent in the 2012-2013 season, and the Witch in their abridged production of Into the Woods during the 2011-2012 season.  She completed her undergraduate degree at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the guidance of Paul Kiesgen.  After that, she moved to Boston and earned her master's degree from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Carole Haber.  In 2008, she returned to the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music to pursue her doctoral degree.  She studied with Paul Kiesgen until his passing in April of 2011.  Since then, she has studied with Patricia Havranek.  Some of the roles Laurie has performed include the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Sophia in Tom Jones by Philidor, Nora in Riders to the Sea, Amalia in She Loves Me, Praskowia in The Merry Widow, and the role of Glauco in Acis y Galacea by Antonio de Líteres with Opera Nova Costa Rica, in what was the premiere of this Baroque zarzuela for the Americas.  Laurie enjoys teaching private voice lessons, watching movies, reading, and spending time with her husband and two cats.

sarah hoffmeister, music director

Sarah Hoffmeister, pianist and harpsichordist, began studying at the Jacob’s School of Music in the fall of 2012.  A native of Southeast Missouri, she received an undergraduate degree in harpsichord and piano studies from Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO).  Having finished a MM of music this year at the Jacob’s School of Music, Sarah is beginning her doctoral studies this fall in harpsichord performance.  

At JSoM, she is a Graduate Assistant in the Opera Department as a vocal coach and harpsichordist.  Her most recent performance with IUOT was last season in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and with Joshua Bell as he performed Bach’s Violin Concerto in E with chamber orchestra at IU.  Sarah is also a local piano and voice teacher and is often collaborating as a pianist and harpsichordist with singers and instrumentalists.  She is excited for the future of opera and ROK and has enjoyed very much being involved in this year’s production of Dido and Aeneas! 

satsu holmes, stage manager

Satsu Holmes is a performer and theatre artist currently pursuing degrees in Dance (BS Kinesiology) and Theatre & Drama (BA Hons), with minors in Music and French, at Indiana University.  Her interests and experience cross the range of the performing arts: in addition to performing with IU Theatre, IU Dance Theatre, and Indiana Festival Theatre, among others, she has worked as a choreographer, wardrobe supervisor, dresser, costume assistant, or assistant stage manager throughout Bloomington, IN.  Satsu recently returned from London, UK, where she worked with artists including Marina Collard, Charles Linehan, and Valerie Preston-Dunlop while earning a Diploma in Dance Studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.  Her interest in interdisciplinary collaboration led her to begin research there, focusing on the working relationship between dance teachers and musicians.  This October, catch Satsu onstage in the IU Theatre production of David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly.

KIMBERLY CARBALLO, FOUNDING DIRECTOR

Founder and director of Reimagining Opera for Kids (ROK), Kimberly is Coordinating Opera Coach for Indiana University’s (IU) Opera and Ballet Theater, and an active international performer and educator.  She has previously worked as the mainstage and young artists’ program coach for the Compañía Lírica Nacional de Costa Rica, and music theory instructor and vocal coach at the Conservatorio Musical de Alajuela, the Escuela de Artes Musicales de la Universidad de Costa Rica, and the Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica.  In addition to her duties at IU, she maintains a private studio as a freelance coach, collaborator, and piano teacher.  Kimberly also forms part of the inaugural and ongoing team for Tunaweza Kimuziki (Through Music All is Possible), a project promoting exchange among music educators, scholars, and performers in Kenya and the USA.

​Actualmente Kimberly Carballo es pianista de ópera en la Jacobs School of Music Opera Theater de Indiana University, profesora en el departamento de Música de Cámera y Piano Colaborativo, ejecutante, y educadora con trayectoria internacional.  Ha trabajado como pianista y coach para la Compañía Lírica Nacional de Costa Rica, profesora de teoría y pianista en la Universidad de Costa Rica, el Conservatorio Musical de Alajuela, y la Universidad Nacional.  Además de estas actividades profesionales, en el taller Tunaweza Kimuziki forma parte del equipo inaugural que ha seguido hasta hoy en día; el taller, cuyo nombre significa “A través de la música, todo se puede hacer,” provee oportunidades de interacción e intercambio cultural para músicos y educadores de música, con bases en los EEUU y en Kenya.