Tenor Benjamin Dutcher has been seen on operatic and theatrical stages across the country.  A Twin Cities based singer, actor, and educator, his repertoire covers a vast range of both opera and musical theater, and includes on-camera appearances for History Channel and PBS.  Benjamin is known for his “plaintive tenor” being the “soul of the production”.  His work is praised as “deeply involving… [Benjamin] completely engages the emotions of the audience”.

Previous engagements include work with Theater Latté Da, Asolo Repertory Theater, Artistry Theater, Trademark Theater, Six Points Theater, Opera Columbus, Out of the Box Opera, Skylark Opera, Mill City Summer Opera, St. Croix Valley Opera, and Minnesota Opera. Most recently, he made his straight play debut in the critically acclaimed “Ironbound” with Frank Theatre. Benjamin was a part of the Drama Desk Award-winning Cast of “All is Calm” presented Off-Broadway at the Sheen Center in NYC, and especially loves being a dad.

Known for his stage savvy, Robert Kerr’s foundation in opera began in musical theater. Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times wrote of his Falstaff: “He made words matter and conveyed the self-delusion of this likable laughingstock… “. Known to Opera Columbus audiences, Robert Kerr returns this season in Tosca and Fellow Travelers. His past performances with the company include the King in Aida; the world première of The Flood by Korine Fujiwara with libretto by Stephen Wadsworth; the title role of Gianni Schicchi; and, Tonio in Pagliacci. Notable credits include a return to Rose Theater with Atsushi Yamada conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of New York in an all-Verdi concert; he was Pooh-Bah in The Mikado with Performance Santa Fe!; the title role of Rigoletto with Opera Projects Columbus in addition to the title role in Gianni Schicchi with the company. He has been heard as Germont in La traviata with the Philharmonia Orchestra of New York at Lincoln Center and as soloist in Mozart’s Requiem; and, has appeared with the local symphonies on numerous occasions. In prior seasons, Mr. Kerr returned to Japan for engagements in performances of Requiem by Minoru Miki in Natori and reprising the work at Rose Theater at Lincoln Center; he has covered the role of the King in El Gato con Botas with Gotham Chamber Opera; and, was soloist with the New York City Opera Orchestra in a Japan tour of Carmina Burana. Other engagements include his appearance at the Kennedy Center Honors with Sondra Radvanovsky and Joseph Calleja in an Aida tribute to honoree, Martina Arroyo. Equally at home in musical theater, Mr. Kerr has sung King Hildebrand in Princess Ida with So. Ohio Light Opera; the role of Peachum in The Threepenny Opera with Amarillo Opera; and Pooh-Bah in The Mikado.

Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Hannah Marie Bullock is an exciting emerging artist making her footprint in the opera world. This season, Ms. Bullock is thrilled to return to Opera Columbus for a debut performance of Lucy Brown in The Threepenny Opera.

The 2023-2024 season brought Ms. Bullock’s debut as Second Lady in The Magic Flute (Opera Columbus) and a reprise of Micaela in Opera Columbus’ new production of Carmen. During this season, Ms. Bullock was also a finalist in the James Toland Foundation Elizabeth Greenfield Award Competition.

In the 2022-2023 season, Ms. Bullock made her debut performance of Micaela (Carmen) in a co-production between Camerata Bardi and Teatro Grattacielo in Heraklion, Crete. She also performed the role of Countess Ceprano in Opera Columbus’ Rigoletto.

Previous season engagements include a young artist position with the inaugural Opera for Peace Academy in Rome, Italy in Summer 2022. Spring 2022 also brought Ms. Bullock’s debut in contemporary opera with the role of Moremi in Vanqui (Opera Columbus). In Summer 2021, Ms. Bullock had the pleasure of performing Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) with the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia.

Ms. Bullock is a graduate of Capital University with Bachelor of Music in Music Technology and of Ohio University with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance. In addition to performing, Ms. Bullock is the founder and Creative Director of SimplySing Studios, whose mission is to support the young artist community by providing recording services with a specialty in recording the operatic voice

Everett McCorvey, tenor, is a native of Montgomery, Alabama.  He received his degrees from the University of Alabama, including a Doctorate of Musical Arts.  He has performed in many cities around the world and theaters across the country, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Kennedy Center, Aspen Music Festival, Radio City Music Hall, Birmingham Opera Theater, Teatro Comunale in Florence, Italy, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, England, as well as performances throughout Spain, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Austria, Japan, China, Brazil, Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Hungary, Mexico, Peru and France.  He joined the Tony Award-winning Sherwin Goldman Production of PORGY AND BESS at Radio City Music Hall in 1982 and was also part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Debut Production of Porgy and Bess in 1985.

McCorvey’s career has spanned all areas of the performing arts business from performer to musical director, stage director, voice teacher, producer, impresario, orchestra conductor, union representative, administrator, and mentor.

McCorvey recently conducted the World Premiere of Stella Sung’s Opera THE SECRET RIVER with Opera Orlando in December 2021.  The Librettist for the opera was Pulitzer Prize Winner Mark Campbell. He was also featured in Taormina, Sicily conducting the Grand Finale Opera Gala at the Mythos Opera Festival 2018, and in December 2019, he conducted the Dvořák Symphony #9 in Prague’s Smetana Hall with the North Czech Philharmonic. Upcoming concerts include Musikverein Golden Hall in Vienna conducting the Boshualave Martinu Philharmonic and in Haydn Hall Vienna with the Euro sinfonietta as well as an upcoming Word Premiere with the Santa Fe Opera’s Opera for All Voices in performances of THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE by Chandler Carter with the libretto by Diana Solomon Glover.  Later in 2022, McCorvey will serve as Chorus Master with the Santa Fe Opera production THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE and Music Director and Conductor for the Kentucky Opera performances of the same work.  McCorvey served as the Music Director and Conductor of the World Premier of BOUNCE, The Basketball Opera, conceived and directed by Gretha Holby with the lead composer Glen Roven and author and librettist Charles R. Smith, Jr. Additional music for BOUNCE was written by Tomas Doncker and West Side Story Film Star Ansel Elgort. https://bouncethebasketballopera.org

This past September 11, 2021, on the 20^th Anniversary of the attacks, he conducted the National Chorale and the US Army Field Band in New Jersey’s 9/11 Commemoration at Liberty State Park.

He has also appeared in television movies and feature films including The Long Walk Home. Dr. McCorvey’s operatic roles include Don Jose in Carmen, Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Fenton in Falstaff, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Puck in La Grande Duchess de Gerolstein, and many others. Orchestra and Oratorio works include the Beethoven Symphony #9, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, and the St. Matthew Passion, among others.

Vocal Excellence is a hallmark of Dr. McCorvey’s work.  As a teacher, he has given masterclasses and vocal workshops throughout the United States, Europe, South America, China, Japan, and Poland.  Dr. McCorvey is the founder and Music Director of the American Spiritual Ensemble,  www.americanspiritualensemble.com a group of 24 professional singers performing spirituals and other compositions of African-American composers dedicated to keeping the American Negro Spiritual alive.  In its 27-year history, the group has presented over 600 concerts including 20 tours of the United States and 17 tours of Spain. Presently the American Spiritual Ensemble is the only professional ensemble of its kind dedicated solely to the American Negro Spiritual. The Ensemble has released twelve CDs: On My Journey Now – The American Spiritual Ensemble on Tour, Ol’ Time Religion, Lily of the Valley, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; The Spirituals;  The Spirit of the Holidays; The Duke Returns; Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts; Mosaic, featuring Metropolitan Opera Star Angela Brown; Stand the Storm, Featuring American Soprano Jeryl Cunningham; Been in the Storm Too Long featuring American Baritone Kenneth Overton as well as two CD’s featuring the music of John Jacob Niles produced by McCorvey featuring American Soprano Hope Koehler.   McCorvey recently produced a CD Anchored in the Lord featuring singers from the Bay View Music Festival’s American Negro Spirituals Intensive program, where McCorvey serves as Director.

The US Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) has produced six Documentaries featuring McCorvey’s work, including It’s a Grand Night for Singing: 10^th Anniversary (1992); Impresario (2002); A Tribute and a Toast to Opera (2005); The Spirituals (2007); The American Spiritual Ensemble in Concert (2017); and It’s a Grand Night for Singing 25^th Anniversary (2017).

Dr. McCorvey is also in his seventh season as the Artistic Director of the National Chorale of New York City www.nationalchorale.org.  Celebrating 54 years of great choral singing, the National Chorale is a symphonic choir that performs at Lincoln Center in New York City.  The National Chorale is well-known in New York and around the region for its performances of the great choral titans as well as for the popular New York Messiah Sing-In at Lincoln Center!  The Sing-In is one of the oldest sing-in’s in the country.

Dr. McCorvey has served on the faculty of the New York State Summer School of the Arts in Saratoga Springs, New York where he was Artist-in-Residence and Associate Conductor and is also a frequent advisory panelist and on-site reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts Opera/Musical Theatre program in Washington, D.C.  He also served on the faculty of the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria.  He is on the opera faculty in the summers at the Bay View Music Festival in Petoskey, MI, www.bayviewassociation.org/performingarts/musicfestival, and is co-director of the Bay View Music Festival’s American Negro Spirituals Intensive program, a program dedicated to helping young singers learn about the American Negro Spirituals.

Dr. McCorvey is a teacher and vocal advisor to many singers in the profession. Dr. McCorvey has been the recipient of several awards highlighting his teaching, research, and service. Recent awards include the SEC (South Eastern Conference) Faculty Achievement Award, given to a faculty member from each of the 14 SEC Athletic Conference schools.  He was also the recipient of the  UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement in 2018. This award is one of UK’s most prestigious awards given to one Kentuckian, it recognizes high intellectual achievement by a Kentuckian who has made a contribution of lasting value to the Commonwealth. The award also promotes education and creative thought.  Other awards include the Lexington Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (2020); two Regional Emmy Awards for UK Opera Theatre’s summer production of “It’s A Grand Night for Singing” (2018);  the Notable African-Americans in Lexington Award given by the Lima drive Seventh-Day Adventist Church (2018);  the Central Music Academy Lifetime Achievement Award (2015), the Alabama Governor’s Artists Award, the highest arts award given to an artist from Alabama (2015), the Salvation Army Community Service Award (2014) and the Camp Horsin’ Around Community Service Award (2014).  In 1998 he was the Acorn Award Recipient given by the Kentucky Advocates for Higher Education. This prestigious Award goes to only one Professor in the state of Kentucky who exemplifies excellence, innovation, and creativity in teaching and research. Dr. McCorvey was also the recipient of an outstanding faculty award from the University of Kentucky Lyman T. Johnson Alumni Association for 1998 and was selected to receive the Outstanding Alumni Award in the Arts from the Society for the Fine Arts at the University of Alabama, his Alma Mater, in February of 1999.

Dr. McCorvey produced only the second full-length recording of The Tender Land by Aaron Copland with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre recorded in Zlin, Czech Republic, and released in January 2002, featuring singers from the University of Kentucky Opera Program with Kirk Trevor conducting the Boshuslave Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra. Two other CDs released in 2008, were a world premiere of a new opera, The Hotel Casablanca, by Thomas Pasatieri, produced by Dr. McCorvey and performed by the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre and a collection of songs by John Jacob Niles, performed by soprano Hope Koehler and produced by McCorvey.  Both recordings were released by Albany Records.  In the spring of 2010 UK Opera released a new CD of Die Fledermaus with Maestro John Nardolillo conducting and in December of 2010 a World Premiere CD of Thomas Pasatieri’s new opera God Bless Us Everyone which premiered in New York at DiCapo Opera with students from UK Opera and which received a rave New York Times Review.

Dr. McCorvey is of the belief that every citizen in the country should find ways to give back to his or her community, city, or country.  He has been very active in his volunteer activities working to keep the arts as a part of the civic conversation and currently serves on many local, regional, and national boards. In his home state of Kentucky, he is Chairman of the Kentucky Arts Council Board and nationally he is on the Sullivan Foundation Board of Trustees, www.sullivanfoundation.org, an organization dedicated to supporting young professional singers with career grants and study awards for continuing development.  He holds an Endowed Chair in Opera Studies/Director of Opera and Professor of Voice at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.  www.ukoperatheatre.org.

In September of 2010, Dr. McCorvey served as the Executive Producer of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Alltech 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games held in Lexington, Kentucky.  The Opening Ceremony was broadcasted on NBC Sports and was viewed by over 500 million people worldwide.  The Alltech 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games was the largest equestrian event to ever be held in the United States.   He is married to soprano Alicia Helm.   They have three children.

Julia Noulin-Mérat has been the General Director + CEO of Opera Columbus for the past 4 seasons. With OC, Noulin-Mérat is redefining the very concept of regional opera, with original productions that celebrate emerging talent, fresh perspectives, and modern technology, engaging a new, diverse audience. Julia was named the “2024 Nonprofit Executive of the Year” at the Medical Mutual Pillar Awards. Previously, Noulin-Mérat was for 8 years the Associate Producer at Boston Lyric Opera and was the co-Artistic Director of Guerilla Opera having begun her tenure as their Producer + Director of Production for 11 years. She is the creative director for Hong Kong-based More Than Musical. In addition, Noulin-Mérat has worked on over 400 opera, theater, and television productions, including 26 new operas, 22 new plays. Other projects include a TEDx talk on site-specific opera productions, Neverland (China Broadway): a $20 million, 50,000 square immersive theater piece in Beijing, a PPE friendly outdoor Fall Festival (Atlanta Opera), an immersive Pagliacci (Boston Lyric Opera) production complete with fairgrounds inside an ice rink and Playground (Opera Omaha) a National touring operatic sound sculpture. She has served on the panel for OPERA America adjudicating the Tobin Director- Designer showcase and is actively involved in the Women’s Opera Network, first as a mentee (General Director distinction) and now this year as a mentor. Noulin-Mérat is a part of the OA Leadership Intensive cohort and currently serves on the OPERA America Board of Directors. With over 20 years of experience in the performing arts industry and a big advocate for cultural equity in opera, she is a graduate of Boston University with a Masters in Business Arts Administration, an MFA in Set Design, a Diversity Inclusion certificate from ESSEC Business School, a social media marketing specialization from Northwestern University, a Fundraising Development Specialization from UC Davis, a Finance & Leadership certification from Harvard Business School. Her work has been featured in Opera News, LiveDesign, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to name a few.

Lonelle Yoder has been working in the Columbus theatre scene for years and is happy to join the Opera Columbus team again. Recent props credits: Witch (Available Light Theatre), Indecent, 9 to 5: The Musical, and But You Could’ve Held My Hand (CATCO). When not building props, Lonelle does wildlife rehab, tends her garden, and makes jam out of foraged wild fruits.