Jill Anna Ponasik, Producing Artistic Director
Now in her 14th season as producing artistic director of Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Jill Anna continues to find great joy in connecting artists and audiences through opera.
Select past productions include: Viardot's Cinderella (Florentine Opera) L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Florentine Opera), Little Mahagonny (Florentine Opera), Oklahoma (Skylight Music Theatre), Ruddigore (MOT / Skylight Music Theatre) Carmina Burana (MOT / Skylight Music Theatre / Chant Claire Chamber Choir / Danceworks Performance Company), Zie Magic Flute (MOT / Quasimondo Physical Theatre), Doc Danger and the Danger Squad (MOT), Svadba (MOT / Wild Space Dance Company), Tales of Hoffmann (MOT / Skylight Music Theatre), A Chorus Line (MOT / Theater RED), Handel’s Bestiary (MOT / Danceworks Performance Company / Lynden Sculpture Garden), The Kreutzer Sonata (Renaissance Theaterworks), Song from the Uproar (MOT / Wild Space Dance Company), 1776 (MOT), Thank You. NEXT! (MOT), The Story of My Life (MOT / Boswell Book Company), Master Class (MOT / Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), The Mikado (MOT), Lucy (MOT) L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (MOT / UWM), Judgement of Midas (Present Music), Guns N’ Rosenkavalier (MOT), Maria de Buenos Aires (MOT / Danceworks Performance Company), Fortuna the Time Bender vs. The Schoolgirls of Doom! (MOT), and 26 (MOT).
An eager creator, always excited to collaborate, Jill Anna has helped develop work with The Decameron Opera Coalition, Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Present Music, Renaissance Theaterworks, The Florentine Opera, In Tandem, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Quasimondo Physical Theatre, Danceworks Performance Company, Wild Space Dance Company, The Alchemist, Theater RED, Carroll University, The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and The University of Wisconsin Parkside. Despite the 337 miles that separate them, she feels especially connected to Nautilus Music-Theater in St Paul, MN.
Jill Anna’s work has been presented in parks and parking lots, ballrooms and breweries, churches, classrooms, gardens, lobbies, recital halls, bookstores, masonic temples, and sometimes, in theatres.
She holds degrees in vocal performance from the University of Minnesota and the Rice University Shepherd School of Music.
Now in her 14th season as producing artistic director of Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Jill Anna continues to find great joy in connecting artists and audiences through opera.
Select past productions include: Viardot's Cinderella (Florentine Opera) L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Florentine Opera), Little Mahagonny (Florentine Opera), Oklahoma (Skylight Music Theatre), Ruddigore (MOT / Skylight Music Theatre) Carmina Burana (MOT / Skylight Music Theatre / Chant Claire Chamber Choir / Danceworks Performance Company), Zie Magic Flute (MOT / Quasimondo Physical Theatre), Doc Danger and the Danger Squad (MOT), Svadba (MOT / Wild Space Dance Company), Tales of Hoffmann (MOT / Skylight Music Theatre), A Chorus Line (MOT / Theater RED), Handel’s Bestiary (MOT / Danceworks Performance Company / Lynden Sculpture Garden), The Kreutzer Sonata (Renaissance Theaterworks), Song from the Uproar (MOT / Wild Space Dance Company), 1776 (MOT), Thank You. NEXT! (MOT), The Story of My Life (MOT / Boswell Book Company), Master Class (MOT / Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), The Mikado (MOT), Lucy (MOT) L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (MOT / UWM), Judgement of Midas (Present Music), Guns N’ Rosenkavalier (MOT), Maria de Buenos Aires (MOT / Danceworks Performance Company), Fortuna the Time Bender vs. The Schoolgirls of Doom! (MOT), and 26 (MOT).
An eager creator, always excited to collaborate, Jill Anna has helped develop work with The Decameron Opera Coalition, Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Present Music, Renaissance Theaterworks, The Florentine Opera, In Tandem, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Quasimondo Physical Theatre, Danceworks Performance Company, Wild Space Dance Company, The Alchemist, Theater RED, Carroll University, The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and The University of Wisconsin Parkside. Despite the 337 miles that separate them, she feels especially connected to Nautilus Music-Theater in St Paul, MN.
Jill Anna’s work has been presented in parks and parking lots, ballrooms and breweries, churches, classrooms, gardens, lobbies, recital halls, bookstores, masonic temples, and sometimes, in theatres.
She holds degrees in vocal performance from the University of Minnesota and the Rice University Shepherd School of Music.
Danielle Gedemer, Company Manager
Danielle Gedemer, soprano, is thrilled to join the MOT staff, after having performed in Night of the Living Opera and L'Orfeo in recent seasons. Since graduating from UW-Milwaukee with a BFA in Vocal Performance, she has enjoyed working with the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in their Connections program, writing a libretto for the Florentine Opera Company’s children's show, Cinderella, singing at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and annually composing songs with her mother for West Bend Parks and Rec Department's summer theatre show. In her free time, she loves spending time with her incredible family and friends.
Danielle Gedemer, soprano, is thrilled to join the MOT staff, after having performed in Night of the Living Opera and L'Orfeo in recent seasons. Since graduating from UW-Milwaukee with a BFA in Vocal Performance, she has enjoyed working with the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in their Connections program, writing a libretto for the Florentine Opera Company’s children's show, Cinderella, singing at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and annually composing songs with her mother for West Bend Parks and Rec Department's summer theatre show. In her free time, she loves spending time with her incredible family and friends.
Kaisa Herrmann, Media Manager
Kaisa Herrmann is a mezzo-soprano based in the Milwaukee area. Taking special interest in early music, she has been a part of various ensembles, most notably the Milwaukee-based ensemble Aperi Animam, as well as CU Boulder’s Early Music Ensemble and UW Milwaukee’s Collegium Musicum. She is currently a cantor and choir member at the Basilica of St. Josaphat. Past operatic roles include Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Nerone (Agrippina), Judy (Night of the Living Opera), Arsamene (Serse), Euridice (L’Orfeo), Narciso (Agrippina), the Sandman (Hänsel und Gretel), Annio (La Clemenza di Tito), the Fox (The Little Prince), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), and Violetta (La Pèrichole). Outside of performing, Kaisa loves working with kids and teaches early childhood music classes at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music through their Smart Start and Conservatory Connections programs. Her heart is fully steeped in the performing world, and she is so thankful for this company that truly works for the artists of Milwaukee.
Kaisa Herrmann is a mezzo-soprano based in the Milwaukee area. Taking special interest in early music, she has been a part of various ensembles, most notably the Milwaukee-based ensemble Aperi Animam, as well as CU Boulder’s Early Music Ensemble and UW Milwaukee’s Collegium Musicum. She is currently a cantor and choir member at the Basilica of St. Josaphat. Past operatic roles include Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Nerone (Agrippina), Judy (Night of the Living Opera), Arsamene (Serse), Euridice (L’Orfeo), Narciso (Agrippina), the Sandman (Hänsel und Gretel), Annio (La Clemenza di Tito), the Fox (The Little Prince), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), and Violetta (La Pèrichole). Outside of performing, Kaisa loves working with kids and teaches early childhood music classes at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music through their Smart Start and Conservatory Connections programs. Her heart is fully steeped in the performing world, and she is so thankful for this company that truly works for the artists of Milwaukee.
Julie Swenson, Administrative Assistance
Andrea Klohn, Graphic Designer
Board of Directors
|
Executive
Cecilia Davis - President Lisa Schlenker - Vice President Sarah Acker - Recording Secretary Alli Neumann - Treasurer Artistic Associates Austin Bare Janna Ernst Jason Fassl Leslie Vaglica |
At-Large
Marcee Doherty-Elst Kristen Grill Paul Kosidowski Diane Lane Jim Padovano Mark Veth Nathan Wesselowski |
Charissa York Glazner, Founder
Artistic Associates
Austin Bare, tenor, is a Milwaukee area performing artist who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a founding member of the early music ensemble APERI ANIMAM and has been performing with them for nearly five years. Through this ensemble he has had the opportunity to perform concerts for Early Music America in Bloomington, IN, and Madison Early Music Festival in Madison, WI. During his studies at UWM he performed roles in Opera Scenes productions including Franz from Tales of Hoffmann, Don Gomez from La Périchole, and The Duke from Rigoletto. Since graduating from UWM, Austin has continued to foster his passion for opera and classical music through Milwaukee Opera Theatre and other projects in the city. His experience with opera in particular has grown through roles such as the Lamplighter in The Little Prince, a Spirit in MOT’s production of Zie Magic Flute, and a performer in Utterance, a collaboration with APERI ANIMAM, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, and composer/librettist Amanda Schoofs.
Janna Ernst has worked continuously as a vocal coach and repetiteur for over 20 years. She currently serves as the Principal Coach and Pianist for the Florentine Opera. She has served as Music Director at Skylight Opera Theater and has also played for New Orleans Opera, Virginia Opera, and Cincinnati Opera. A dedicated educator, Janna has held teaching, coaching and accompanying positions at Southern Methodist University, the University of Oklahoma and, most recently, the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She and her husband, Matthew--Principal Trumpet of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra--perform and tour extensively as a duo, giving performances and masterclasses throughout the country. Janna has a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from San Diego State University, a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Vocal Specialist degree from the University of Michigan where she studied with renowned collaborative pianist and teacher, Martin Katz. Janna and Matthew reside in Shorewood with their two daughters, Madeleine and Margaret.
For more than ten seasons, Jason Fassl has designed lighting for over two hundred theatrical productions in Milwaukee as well as over a hundred other projects across the state of Wisconsin. His work brings illumination solutions to plays, musicals, operas, ballet, and corporate settings. In addition to his work in Wisconsin, Jason served as head sound and lighting technician onboard Royal Caribbean International Cruise lines and has toured the globe with the magician David Copperfield as a programmer and electrician. Regionally his work has been seen at every major theatre in the state. He is an Artistic Associate for First Stage Children's Theatre and the Resident Designer for The Fireside Dinner Theatre.
Jason's designs have spanned the stages of The Milwaukee Ballet, The Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Skylight Opera Theatre, American Players Theatre, Peninsula Players, Renaissance Theaterworks, Next Act Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, The Madison Repertory Theatre and Youngblood Theatre Company, among many others. Jason graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point with a BFA in Theatre Design/Technology and is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.
For more than ten seasons, Jason Fassl has designed lighting for over two hundred theatrical productions in Milwaukee as well as over a hundred other projects across the state of Wisconsin. His work brings illumination solutions to plays, musicals, operas, ballet, and corporate settings. In addition to his work in Wisconsin, Jason served as head sound and lighting technician onboard Royal Caribbean International Cruise lines and has toured the globe with the magician David Copperfield as a programmer and electrician. Regionally his work has been seen at every major theatre in the state. He is an Artistic Associate for First Stage Children's Theatre and the Resident Designer for The Fireside Dinner Theatre.
Jason's designs have spanned the stages of The Milwaukee Ballet, The Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Skylight Opera Theatre, American Players Theatre, Peninsula Players, Renaissance Theaterworks, Next Act Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, The Madison Repertory Theatre and Youngblood Theatre Company, among many others. Jason graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point with a BFA in Theatre Design/Technology and is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.
Leslie Vaglica is a Milwaukee-based Costume Designer whose sense of humor, love of movement and simplicity infuse the characters she costumes. She has designed for dance, theater, opera, ceremony, roller derby, and commercials. Since graduating from Mt. Mary University, Leslie has worked in all phases of costume technology, from stitcher, pattern maker, draper, and designer, to now managing the costume shop at Hope Summer Repertory Theater in Holland, Michigan. She’s had the pleasure of designing regionally including two productions for Milwaukee Opera Theatre.
