Entering it's nineth season, the Artists in Residence Program allows Pensacola Opera to deliver opera to thousands people in our community each year. This program provides training and performance experience for young opera professionals. In residence for seventeen weeks, January through April, these artists form the casts for operas that tour in the schools, perform roles on the main stage, cover principal roles and sing for numerous community organizations and outreach events throught the season.

The 2012 Artists in Residence Program is sponsored by Ron Miller in honor of Jan Miller.

For information about Pensacola Opera's Artists in Residence Program, visit our auditions page.

2012 Artists in Residence

Jennifer Juilfs, Soprano: Jennifer Hendrickson is a Texas native who received her Masters of Music and Bachelor of Music from Louisiana State University studying under Robert Grayson and Dr. Lorraine Sims. With the Louisiana State University, Ms. Hendrickson sang many roles including Lauretta in Gianni Schicci, and Cunegonde in Candide. She made her professional debut with Opéra Louisane, performing the role of the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute. Ms. Hendrickson has also performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra singing Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Magnificat, Louisiana State’s University’s Orchestra singing Brahm’s Ein Deutsches Requiem, and the Louisiana Symphonietta, singing Mozart’s Litaniae Lauretanae. Last spring, she debuted with OPERA Iowa singing the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute, as well as in the James Collier Yong Artists Program with Des Moines Metro Opera. Ms. Hendrickson has also performed as a professional recitalist in Louisiana, Texas, Iowa and South Dakota.

Mitchell Hutchings, Baritone: Mitchell Hutchings has performed numerous roles in both opera and musical theatre productions including Marcello in La Bohème, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia, Germont in La Traviata, Frank in Die Fledermaus, Ben in The Telephone, Quince in a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Benoit and Alcindoro in La Bohème, the title role in Sweeney Todd, Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors and Jud Fry in Oklahoma!. He essayed the role of Timothy Cratchit in the world premiere of God Bless Us Every One, a Christmas opera by Thomas Pasatieri, at DiCapo Opera Theatre. This past summer, Mr. Hutchings was an Apprentice Artist for Opera Saratoga and has participated in young artists programs at Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, the Czech American Summer Music Institute and V.O.I.C.E. Experience, Project: Total Interpretation. Mr. Hutchings is an alumnus of Western Carolina University and Florida State University.

Samantha Korbey, Mezzo-Soprano: Samantha Korbey, formerly a Ph.D. candidate in Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Connecticut, terminated her degree at the Master’s level in 2007 to devote herself fully to the pursuit of an opera career. She recently received her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music where she was a student of Marlena Malas. Performances include the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Mrs. Bassett in Hoiby’s Summer and Smoke, Alkandre in Fauré’s Pénélope and Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff, (all with Manhattan School of Music), as well as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Chautauqua Institute. Professional credits include opera choruses in the Connecticut Opera productions of Carmen, Don Pasquale, Tosca, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail and Don Giovanni. Samantha was the 2011 winner of the Joan Taub and Alan Ades Competition as well as the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition New England Regional Finalist. This past summer, Samantha was an apprentice in the Sante Fe Opera Program.

Joseph Shadday, Tenor: Joseph Shadday, a native of Indianapolis, IN, received his B.M. at DePauw University and his Master of Music at the University of Maryland Opera Studio where he studied with Prof. Gran Wilson. Joe has performed many operatic roles including Don Ramiro is La Cenerentola, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas and Almamiva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Joe spent his past two summers as an Apprentice Artist with Sante Fe Opera. Joe will make his debut with Pensacola Opera singing Borsa in Rigoletto and Goro in Madama Butterfly.

Dana Sadava, Pianist and Music Director: Dana Sadava is thrilled to be the Music Director of Pensacola Opera's Artist in Residence Program.  A conductor of operatic and symphonic repertoire, she has conducted productions and concerts at the University of Michigan, Comic Opera Guild, Community Womens Orchestra, Hot Springs Music Festival, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the new music ensemble Zero Blue.  She was the assistant conductor of Banff Opera as Theatre in 2010, and was made junior faculty in 2011.  Recently, she was the coach of the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble, performing for several thousand school-children in Indiana and serving as orchestral and rehearsal pianist for mainstage productions.  She studied piano at the Oberlin Conservatory, where she was awarded the Thomas Klutznick Scholarship for study at the Aspen Music Festival.  She studied orchestral conducting with Kenneth Kiesler at the University of Michigan, earning a Master of Music degree on a merit scholarship.  Before delving into musical life, Miss Sadava was an engineer and received much recognition for her research and leadership. 

Carrington Konow, Stage Manager: Hailing from Chicago, IL, Carrington Konow recently completed his Bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in Theatre Design/production with an emphasis in Stage Management and Properties. Carrington’s most recent work in the world of opera was with Des Moines Opera (DMMO) where he worked in the DMMO stage management team on Dialogues of the Carmelites and La Boheme. Additional credits include Stage Manager for Macbeth, A Perfect Wedding, Bleacher Bums and Properties Manager for Dangerous Liasons, Bhopal and Much Ado About Nothing.