Mezzo-Soprano Emily Triebold is thrilled to be returning to the Pensacola Opera stage. Native to Wisconsin, Emily has been praised for her acting abilities in both dramatic and comedic roles.
While tenured as an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera, Emily covered the roles of Minskwoman (Flight) and Julia Child (Bon Appétit!) and played the roles Mrs. Splinters (The
Tender Land) and Baroness (Candide). As both a Resident Artist and Mainstage Artist with Pensacola Opera, she was seen in various concerts and performances, covering Hannah After
(As One) and Zerlina (Don Giovanni) and singing the roles of Ines (Il trovatore) and Mrs. Cripps (H.M.S. Pinafore). This past year, Emily sang Giovanna (Rigoletto) with Nashville Opera as a
Mary Ragland Emerging Artist and covered the role of Martha (Sky on Swings) as a Young Artist with Opera Saratoga.

Aaren Rivard, tenor, is praised for a “full and clear” sound. His 2018-19 season as an Artist in Residence with  Opera Colorado included singing Basilio and Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro, Gastone in La traviata, Roméo in a touring production of Roméo et Juliette, and the Witch in a children’s production of Hansel and Gretel. He was also fortunate to cover the role of Alfredo in La Traviata. He joined Central City Opera in the summer as an ensemble member, as well as a selected singer for their new Encore performances.

Before spending the summer of 2018 with Des Moines Metro Opera as an Apprentice Artist, Aaren received his Master’s in Opera Performance at Wichita State University. While at Wichita State, Aaren studied with world renowned bass-baritones Alan Held and Sam Ramey. Roles performed with Wichita State include Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Bénédict in Béatrice et Bénédict, Tito in La clemenza di Tito, and Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro. Aaren was featured as the Tenor soloist with Wichita State’s performances of Handel’s Messiah, Stravinsky’s Les Noces, and Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Aaren received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Maine, where he studied with Ellen Chickering. He performed roles including Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus and Acis in Acis and Galatea, as well as a wide array of scenes and concerts spanning the entire classical canon. His proximity to Southern Maine allowed Aaren to perform multiple seasons with Opera Maine, including La fille du Regiment, Madama Butterfly, La Boheme, Rigoletto, and Tosca. Aaren was also a Young Artist with Opera Maine for their production of Gianni Schicchi, singing Amantio di Nicolao and covering Rinuccio.Other concerts include a series of Bach Cantatas with White Mountain Music Arts, Mozart’s Requiem and another concert of Handel’s Messiah with the University of Southern Maine, Whitbourn’s Magnificat with the Maine Choral Arts Society, and the musical premiere of Dan Sonenberg’s The Summer King. Aaren is also the recipient of multiple vocal awards, including the Naftzger Vocal Prize, the Barbara Littlefield Vocal Prize, and the Lillian Nordica Award.

Praised for his “skill and verve” (New York Times), Shannon celebrates nearly 30 years as a professional operatic pianist, vocal coach, conductor and administrator. During this time, Maestro Shannon has held leadership positions with Sarah Caldwell’s Opera Company of Boston (Artistic Administrator, Assistant Conductor, Conductor), Virginia Opera (Artistic Administrator, Associate Artistic Director, Conductor), Pensacola Opera (Music Director and Principal Conductor, Artistic Director), Shreveport Opera (Music Director and Principal Conductor), Mobile Opera (General and Artistic Director, Principal Conductor) and the Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music Center (Resident Conductor and Vocal Coach).

Mr. Hoomes has been the artistic director of Nashville Opera since 1995.  Also a freelance stage director, he has directed over 150 productions of opera and music theatre in the US, South America, and Canada.  The New York Times declared his Nashville Opera world premiere of Elmer Gantry “An Operatic Miracle…in Nashville.”  A June 2010 Opera News feature article acknowledged, “Hoomes has proved himself one of the most interesting stage directors in the regional market today with a seemingly limitless knowledge of repertoire.”

Since receiving his masters degree at Indiana University, Mr. Hoomes has worked for many professional opera companies including Opera Lyra Ottawa, Teatro Colón, Cincinnati Opera, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Philadelphia, Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and Opera Columbus.

Mr. Hoomes has directed, among numerous other productions, Salome, Rigoletto, Tosca, The Pearl Fishers, La Bohème, Carmen, and Der Rosenkavalier for Nashville Opera; Madama Butterfly and Carmen for Kentucky Opera; Die Fledermaus and Susannah for Indianapolis Opera; The Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletto, and La Bohème for Opera Carolina; Don Giovanni, Elmer Gantry, and Salome for Florentine Opera; Don Giovanni for Opera Cleveland; Ernani and Jenufa for Sarasota Opera; and Turandot for The Opera Festival of New Jersey, Nashville Opera, Opera Columbus, Opera Memphis, and Opera Carolina.

Recently Mr. Hoomes staged the world premieres of Robert Aldridge’s Elmer Gantry, which was recorded on Naxos Records, and songwriter Marcus Hummon’s chamber opera Surrender Road at Martha Rivers Ingram Hall in Nashville.  He also directed the Southeastern professional premiere of two contemporary pieces, Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine and Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Lighthouse.  In fall 2009 Mr. Hoomes directed the Tennessee premiere of The Fall of the House of Usher by composer Philip Glass, a groundbreaking multi-media production, critically acclaimed both by the Wall Street Journal and Opera News.