People

The dedicated board, staff and administration that supports and fosters our dedicated organization.

Directors

Melanie Kalnins

Executive Director, Development and Communications

Kalnins

Melanie is a seasoned arts administrator with over two decades of experience at premier arts organizations. While she began her professional career in the advertising sales office of CBS Television Networks in Chicago, she quickly determined that her true passion was a career in the arts. For 20 years, she served the legendary Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association in a variety of marketing roles including Director of Marketing and Business Analysis. During her tenure with the CSOA, she increased revenues by $5 million through creative marketing promotions and a sophisticated dynamic pricing strategy. Locally, Melanie served at Artis—Naples as Vice President of Marketing and Patron Engagement where she quickly learned to understand the Southwest Florida market and media landscape. Melanie was first introduced to Opera Naples when she was hired to do marketing and publicity work for the Opera Naples 2024 Festival Under the Stars, and she is pleased to now serve the organization in a more expanded role.

Melanie is a proud graduate of Northwestern University, where she majored in Communications Studies with a minor in Integrated Arts. An accomplished vocalist and pianist, she also has a background in performing in community and professional musical theater productions as well as singing in Chicago rock bands.

Kent Kyle

Director of Administration

Kyle

Kent has dedicated himself to building arts and environmental based organizations of impact to the greater Naples community, most recently with Naples Botanical Garden, Inc. as Planned and Major Gifts Development Officer, and Gulfshore Playhouse, Inc. as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations. Kent has served on local finance committees and is treasurer of a national genealogical society. He was an investment professional beginning with Prudential Securities in NYC, Fleet Enterprises in NJ, and ultimately as a Senior Trust Officer with Merchants Trust Company in Burlington, VT. He holds a Master of Science in Finance from FIU, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economics from Middlebury College, and certification from The Fund Raising School at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He is a past individual member of Greater Naples Area Planned Giving Council, Association of Fundraising Professionals, the FL Southwest Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and was organizationally active with the Central American Botanic Garden Network and the American Public Gardens Association.

Ramón Tebar

Artistic and Music Director

Tebar

Spanish Conductor Ramón Tebar is currently Principal Conductor in Association with the Orquesta de Valencia, as well as Artistic and Music Director of Opera Naples. He was previously Artistic Director of the Florida Grand Opera and Principal Guest Conductor of Valencia’s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia.

Alongside his work in Valencia, the 2022/23 season will see Ramón Tebar make his debuts with the Cincinnati Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Copenhagen Philharmonic, Norrlandsoperans Syfoniorkester, the Würth Philharmoniker, and at the Frankfurt Opera with a new production of Saverio Mercadante’s Francesca da Rimini. This season he will also return to the Teatro Colón to conduct Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles, and to the Szczecin Philharmonic and the Basque National Orchestra in Bilbao for concerts. Ramón Tebar will also direct Opera Naples third annual Festival Under the Stars.

Ramón Tebar is considered one of the leading Spanish conductors of his generation. Acclaimed for his musical versatility, compelling interpretations and orchestra building skills, conductor Ramón Tebar’s international reputation in both the opera and orchestral arenas continues to expand. Among the orchestras and opera companies he has conducted and will conduct are: Philharmonia Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, St. Petersburg Symphony, Moscow State Symphony, Malasyan Philharmonic, Orchestre de Rouen, Het Gelders Orkest, Bulgarian National Radio Symphony, Munich Radio Symphony, Prague Philharmonia, Spanish National Orchestra (OCNE), Spanish Radio Television Orchestra (ORTVE), Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC), Galicia Symphony Orchestra (OSG), Valencia Orchestra,…Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Regio di Parma, Cincinnati Opera, Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Gran Teatre del Liceu, Kremlin Palace, Royal Festival Hall, Kölner Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wiener Staatsoper,…

Ramón Tebar has been recognized with various honors and awards, including the Henry C. Clark Conductor of the Year Award by Florida Grand Opera in 2010 and 2013, The Miami Herald as “Top 20 under 40” and “100 españoles by Marca España”. In 2014, he was bestowed the Cross of Officer of the Order of Mérito Civil in recognition of his cultural accomplishments by His Majesty, the King of Spain Felipe VI.

Tebar has recorded for UNIVERSAL MUSIC, UNITEL CLASSICA and DECCA.

Board

Officers

Bronwen Adams

Co-Chair, Trustee

Adams

Larry Ost

Co-Chair, Trustee

Ost

Larry Ost is the former Chief Executive Officer of a multinational manufacturing company. He is a member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs and of the Circumnavigators Club. He brings his extensive skills in management and planning to the Board.

Gerald Goldberg

Chairman Emeritus

Goldberg

Gerald Goldberg is one of the Founders of Opera Naples and served as Chairman and as General Director of the organization for many years. An aerospace engineer by training, Mr. Goldberg is also a real estate developer and is a member of Naples Board of Realtors.

Linda Kehoe

Secretary of the Board, Director

Kehoe

Linda Kehoe is Secretary of the Board of Directors. Linda brings to the board the organizational skills she developed as National Account Manager for AT&T. She is a member of the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club. She has hosted Resident Artists and Opera Naples Academy students at her home in Naples. Mrs. Kehoe spends the summer in Cooperstown, New York.

Trustees

Jan Burrus

Burrus

Jan Burrus is the retired Chief Executive Officer of GMI Signage Co. She has been a managing partner in several commercial and real estate ventures, including development and management of properties in several states.

Sally Gleason

Gleason

Sally Gleason is the former President and member of the Executive Committee of Grand Rapids Opera. She was a Public Relations Officer, Special Events, for Seyferth and Associates. Mrs. Gleason is a co-founder of the Women’s Giving Circle of SW Florida and is the former communications director of the Christ Child Society of Naples.

John Pepe

Vice Chairman

Pepe

John Pepe is Vice Chairman and Treasurer of Opera Naples. He is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Hydraforce, Inc., and President of JMP Investments LLC. He has served on a number of non-profit boards, including the Order of St. Francis Hospital Group, the St. Anthony Medical Center and Patricia D. Pepe Center for Cancer Care in Rockford, Illinois. He is an adviser to the Venture Capital Committee of OSF Health Care and is a member of the Italian Cultural Society of Naples.

Board of Directors

Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki, DMA | University Partner

Biernacki, DMA | University Partner

Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki is the newly appointed Director of Bower School of Music & the Arts. Prior to FGCU, he has held the position of Professor of Voice and Director of Opera at the University of North Florida where he distinguished himself as an award-winning professor, international performer, opera stage director and academic administrator. He is a frequent recitalist performing a wide range of art song repertoire in numerous European languages. His recent engagements include solo recitals at international music festivals in Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, France, Norway and Canada. He is a researcher of vocal works by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski and his recording of Szymanowski’s art songs titled “In the Mists” is available on MSR Classic label. As an opera singer he appeared in principal roles with Vancouver Opera, Manitoba Opera, Calgary Opera, Orchestra London Canada and Banff Center for Performing Arts. His concert appearances include Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, North Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique du Nouveau Monde in Montreal and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. As an opera stage director, he directed over 30 opera productions at UNF, University of British Columbia, Jacksonville Symphony and European Music Academy in the Czech Republic. In 2007 he established a highly successful UNF Opera Ensemble and UNF Opera Study Abroad Program in Europe where he directed full opera productions in professional opera theaters every summer. Dr. Biernacki is a graduate of University of Manitoba, University of Western Ontario and University of British Columbia. Since 2012 he has served as the Assistant director of UNF School of Music, Director of Graduate Studies and Artistic Director of Cummer Family Foundation Chamber Music Series.

Moira Fennessey

Fennessey

Moira Fennessey was a special speech audiologist and Director of Special Gifted Education for the New Jersey State Department of Education. Mrs. Fennessey is active in the Italian Cultural Society, the Italian American Foundation, Chaine des Rotisseurs, Legatus, and the Latchkey League. She brings her skills in event planning and in governance to the Board.

Livio Ferrari

Ferrari

Livio Ferrari is a co-founder of Opera Naples and the owner of Ferrari Fitness Center.

Susan Mullin

Mullin

Susan Mullin retired from the investment business in Boston where she was a securities trader for Wellington Management and Lehman Brothers. Subsequently, she was a Guardian ad Litem in the Boston Juvenile Court and now is a panel member on the Citizens Foster Care Review Board in Naples. She is a member of the Royal Poinciana Golf Club Scholarship Committee and was a member of the Board there for 6 years.

Melody Sawyer Richardson

Melody was raised in Cincinnati in a family that prized education, appreciated the arts, and instilled a core value that it is important always to support and give back to the community in which you live. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), a master’s degree in social work from Ohio State, and her MBA and law degrees from Rutgers University, where she was on the Law Review.

After a successful twenty-three-year career working in New York City as an attorney at a Wall Street law firm, Chase Manhattan Bank, and then as general counsel for a real estate developer in New Jersey, she returned to Cincinnati to restore her family home in Hyde Park, to work in real estate, and to devote her time to serving on arts, civic, and historic preservation boards.

From 2006 to 2010, Ms. Richardson served as Director, Commercial Division of the Comey & Shepherd City Office, and was named Industry Top Producer in 2007. She has served as a board member for George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Reception Rooms Oversight Board in Washington, D.C. and Winterthur, the Henry Francis Dupont Estate in Wilmington, Delaware. She has served as board chair for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet, and the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority. She has also volunteered on the boards of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival, Contemporary Arts Center, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In 2020, she was honored as one of 100 Influential Women in the Arts by Cincinnati’s Arts and the Power of Her. From 2008 through 2014, she was named to Cincy
Business Magazine Power 100. She has one grown son, Peter Chabris, married to Lynn, and two grandchildren Sophie, 20 and Crisper, 15.

She became a property owner in Naples, Florida in 2008 and spends most of her time here in her condominium in the Venetian Village area of Naples. She also has a condominium in Cincinnati, Ohio. She currently serves on theBoards of Opera Naples and the Red Cross-Florida Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter.

Staff

Rita Albaugh

Director of Box Office and Volunteers

Albaugh

Rita Albaugh is Box Office Manager for Opera Naples where she has overseen ticket sales and provided excellent customer service for 40+ productions. She is renowned for her versatility, attention to detail, passion for opera and devotion to promoting a lifelong love for music and the arts. Rita is a founding charter member of the local chapter of the women’s group Soroptimist of Naples where she served as president, director of membership/publicity and recording secretary. She is a successful grant writer and coordinated fundraising events to benefit PACE Center for Girls, the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, the Alzheimer’s Association – Gulf Coast Chapter, the Alzheimer’s Support Network of Naples, the Neighborhood Health Clinic, and Humane Society Naples. Rita has overseen Opera Naples’ 100+ volunteer member group, arranged schedules for staff operations and assisted the executive team with financial statements and accounting reports, marketing efforts, proofreading, caterers, and valets. She was Box Office Manager and Group Sales Manager for TheatreZone, and has a background in marketing, elder care, and at Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas, in college and professional staffing as well as a buyer in the research division.

Tricia Barrett

Finance and Operations Director

Barrett

Prior to joining Opera Naples, Tricia has consulted and worked with many organizations to improve operational processes and provide accurate and timely financial reporting. She is also experienced managing contracts and implementing software to improve visibility and provide business intelligence. Her industry experience includes banking, property management, real estate development, construction, marketing, senior living and service.

Tricia enjoys time with her family in Collier County. Her appreciation of music and culture made this opportunity with Opera Naples an obvious choice.

Robin Shuford Frank

Music Administrator, Chorus Master, Director of Education and Community Outreach

Frank

Robin Shuford Frank is Director of Education and Community Outreach, Chorus Master, and Music Administrator for Opera Naples. She manages Opera Naples professional Resident Artist Program, Student Apprentice Program, Elementary School tours, and community engagement programs. An accomplished pianist, she is Musical Director for community and youth productions, a rehearsal pianist for main productions, and performs as a collaborative pianist. Frank is the accompanist for The Festival Singers of Florida and performs with the Naples Philharmonic and The Naples Players. She is a frequently sought guest accompanist for choral festivals and has performed and taught masterclasses in China and Indonesia. Frank is also an Adjunct Professor in the Bower School of Music at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Frank’s previous employment includes Adjunct Professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University, Pianist and Coach with Opera New Jersey, rehearsal pianist at Palm Beach Opera, and Artist in Residence at Bak Middle School of the Arts. She has a Masters degree in Accompanying and Vocal Coaching from Westminster Choir College and a Bachelors degree in Music Education from The Florida State University.

Leah Summers

Artistic Coordinator

Summers

Leah has appeared extensively throughout Europe and the US. She has performed leading roles at the Vienna Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburg Opera, New York City Opera, Dallas Opera, Opera Colorado, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Naples, Pittsburgh Opera, Juilliard Opera Center, Opera Orchestra of New York with Eve Queller at Carnegie Hall. A soloist with the NY Chamber Orchestra, the Ensemble Musica Sacra in Salzburg, the Tanglewood Music Festival Orchestra, the New Juilliard Ensemble, the New York Festival of Song and Music Niagara in Canada. She has recorded Mahler’s 8th Symphony with the Dallas Symphony and solo songs by Stephan Volpe.

A recipient of a Fulbright scholarship to Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria, a Herbert von Karajan grant from the Vienna Staatsoper, a William Matheus Sullivan career grant, and a finalist of the Richard Tucker Foundation Awards. She is a graduate of the University of Miami and the Juilliard School in NYC.

Opera Naples Guild Directors

Kathleen Azzariti

Opera Naples Guild Vice President

Azzariti

Lisa Da Silva

Opera Naples Guild Secretary

Da Silva

Tom Weir

Opera Naples Guild Treasurer

Weir

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Your financial contribution provides the solid fiscal base on which locally produced grand opera can grow and thrive in Southwest Florida.

Your gift is a critical part of our operation that not only provides education and outreach programs to adults and students throughout the region but also allows us to continue offering tickets to our performances at prices that are accessible to the entire community. Naming opportunities for Season, Production, Performance and Artist sponsorships are also available.

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