Synopsis
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ACT 1 The water nymph Rusalka has fallen in love with a human—the Prince—when he came to swim in her lake. Now she wants to become human herself and live on land to be with him. Rusalka’s father, the Water Sprite, is horrified and tells her that humans are evil and full of sin. When Rusalka insists, claiming they are full of love, he says she will have to get help from the witch Ježibaba. Rusalka calls on the moon to tell the Prince of her love. Ježibaba arrives and agrees to turn Rusalka into a human—but warns her that if she doesn’t find love she will be damned and the man she loves will die. Also, by becoming mortal, she will lose her power of speech. Convinced that her feelings for the Prince can overcome all spells, Rusalka agrees and Ježibaba gives her a potion to drink. As dawn breaks, the Prince appears with a hunting party and finds Rusalka by the lake. Even though she won’t speak to him, he is captivated by her beauty and leads her away to his castle. From the lake, the voices of the Water Sprite and the other water nymphs are heard, mourning the loss of Rusalka.
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ACT 2 At the Prince’s castle, the Gamekeeper and the Kitchen Boy talk about the approaching wedding of the Prince and his strange new bride, whose name nobody knows. The Prince enters with Rusalka. He wonders why she is so cold toward him but remains determined to win her. A Foreign Princess, who has come for the wedding, mocks Rusalka’s silence and reproaches the Prince for ignoring his guests. The Prince sends Rusalka away to dress for the ball and escorts the Princess into the castle for the beginning of the festivities.
In the deserted garden, the Water Sprite appears from the pool. Rusalka, who has become more and more intimidated by her surroundings, rushes from the castle in tears. Suddenly recovering her voice, she begs her father to help her, telling him that the Prince no longer loves her. The Prince and the Princess come into the garden, and the Prince confesses his love for her. When Rusalka intervenes, rushing into his arms, he rejects her. The Water Sprite warns the Prince of the fate that awaits him, then disappears into the pool with Rusalka. The Prince asks the Princess for help but she ridicules him and tells him to follow his bride into hell.
ACT 3 Rusalka waits by the lake once again, lamenting her fate. Ježibaba appears and mocks her, then hands her a knife and explains that there is a way to save herself: she must kill the Prince. Rusalka refuses, throwing the weapon into the water. When her sisters reject her as well, she sinks into the lake in despair. The Gamekeeper and the Kitchen Boy arrive to ask Ježibaba for help. The Prince, they say, has been bewitched by a strange wood girl he was going to marry. Enraged, the Water Sprite rises from the lake, saying that it was the Prince who deceived Rusalka. Terrified by the supernatural sight, the two run away. The wood nymphs enter, singing and dancing, but when the Water Gnome explains to them what has happened to Rusalka, they fall silent and disappear.
The Prince, desperate and half crazy with remorse, emerges from the forest, looking for Rusalka and calling out for her to return to him. She appears from the water, reproaching him for his infidelity, and explains that now a kiss from her would kill him. Accepting his destiny, he asks her to kiss him to give him peace. She does, and he dies in her arms. Rusalka asks for mercy on his soul and disappears into the water.
Biographies
Nadine Adisho is a coloratura soprano from Salem, Massachusetts. She completed her undergraduate degree at University of New Mexico under the tutelage of Olga Perez Flora and Kristin Ditlow, and will attend Indiana University for her graduate degree under the instruction of Russell Thomas. Adisho’s past roles include Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, as well as various opera scenes. In 2024, she performed with Opera Lucca, where she covered Nella in Gianni Schicchi, performed various opera scenes, and performed new musical works. She has performed with Opera Southwest as a chorus member for Rossini’s Le Comte Ory, Armienta’s Zorro, and Bizet’s Carmen. Adisho particularly enjoys singing bel canto repertoire.
Alexis Behnke is an emerging soprano based in Baltimore, MD. Recent notable roles include Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), and Fanny (La cambiale di matrimonio), all with Towson University. As a concert soloist, Alexis has performed in Poulenc’s Gloria and Mozart’s Coronation Mass. She has earned first place in the Mid-Atlantic NATS student competition, along with the MD/DC Chapter’s district competition. Alexis holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Towson University and currently studies under Natalie Conte.
Tenor Elijah William Brown is thrilled to return to LAHSOW as The Prince in DvoÅ™ák’s Rusalka. Last summer, he sang as Loge in Das Rheingold with LAHSOW in Chicago, and later this summer Elijah will make his role debut of Siegmund in Wagner’s Die Walküre with Dramatic Voices Midwest.
Previous performances include Ferrando (Così fan tutte) with Utah Valley Festival Opera, Lysander and Tom Snout (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) with Miami Music Festival, and Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) with University of Alabama Opera Theatre. He was also an Artist-in-Residence at the Florida VOICE Project with Sherrill Milnes.
A native of Omaha, NE, Elijah holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Alabama. He currently studies with Manny Perez.
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Mezzo-soprano Madelin Cain is an active performer in the Kansas City metro area, having performed previously with Lawrence Opera Theater, the Overland Park Orchestra, and Opera on Tap. In May 2025, she also made her debut performance with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City chorus in their production of Turandot. She earned her M.M. in Voice from the UMKC Conservatory in the spring of 2023, and she recently completed an Artist’s Certificate program at the same institution, where she studied with Dr. Maria Kanyova. Roles performed with UMKC Opera include Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), and the title role in Massenet’s Cherubin. Other credits include Nerone (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), Tisbe (La Cenerentola), and the Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors). Madelin earned her Bachelor’s in Voice from Georgia Southern University.
Bass-Baritone Marc Cioffi is currently pursuing his Master of Music in Vocal Arts at the Mannes School of Music, where he studies with Baritone Stephen Powell. He has worked with renowned artists and pedagogues including Mark Oswald, and Armen Boyjian, and has coached with Anthony Manoli, Derrick Goff, and Luke Housner. Marc has appeared in masterclasses with Benjamin Appl, Nils Neubert, and Thomas Muraco.
He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, during which time he performed as an ensemble member at Carnegie Hall with Essential Voices USA and the New York Pops. In addition to opera, he is an active recitalist, with performances at the Juilliard Evening Division and the Art Song Preservation Society of New York. Upcoming opera credits include Marchese in La traviata, Vodnik in Rusalka, and Da Ponte scenes at the Bologna International Opera Academy.
Annalee Crawford is a Mezzo Soprano from Clinton, Mississippi. She recently earned her Masters in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Mississippi College. Annalee has had the pleasure of performing in multiple operas with Opera Mississippi and Lyric Stage at Mississippi College. Her most recent operatic roles with the group were Ms.Todd in The Old Maid and the Thief, the title role in Bizet’s Carmen, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and the 3r Spirit in Magic Flute. Performing the iconic role of Carmen was certainly the highlight of Annalee’s college career. Annalee was featured as a young artist two years in a row with the company performing in The Bremen Town Musicians and at multiple holiday celebrations hosted by Opera Mississippi. Annalee performed in many vocal competitions receiving multiple honors through the Laffont Competition and through the National Association for Teachers of Singing. These awards include, an encouragement award through the Laffont Competition, the Governor’sAward at State NATS in Mississippi, and First-Alternate in the Regional NATSAA voca competition. Expanding her repertoire to the world of oratorios, Annalee has recently performed the alto solos in Handel’s Messiah and in Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Pursuing new performance opportunities, Annalee is thankful as a young artist for all the past, present, and future opportunities as she expands her horizon in the world of Opera.
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Soprano Lindsay Feldman is an upcoming senior in the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, studying with Professor Ana María Martínez. In 2025, she will perform as 1st Woodsprite in Rusalka at the Luke Housner Summer Opera Workshop and join
the Lieder Studio at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. She appeared in The Ghosts of Versailles (2025) at Rice University as Revolutionary Woman, Dancing Girl, and Pursuer, and sang in the chorus of Alcina (Fall 2024). Her scene work includes Zerlina in Don Giovanni (2024), performed through both Rice University and the Accademia Vocale Lorenzo Malfatti in Lucca, Italy; Elisabeth from Tannhäuser (2024); Violetta in La Traviata (2024); the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro (2023); and Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffmann (2023). She is a recipient of the Shepherd School of Music Merit Scholarship (2022-present), the Mary Ellen Hale Lovett
Travel Fellowship (2024), and the Schmidt Vocal Arts Scholarship (2022).
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Vincent Fung (Vodnik), lauded for “standing out with his confident baritone”, is a bass-baritone and LAHSOW alumnus based in Washington, DC. Recent engagements have taken him from Miami to Prague, performing the roles of Schaunard (La Bohème),
Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore), and Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro). Later this summer, he will sing Paris in Shakespeare Opera Theatre’s production of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Notable roles include Zuniga (Carmen), Grenvil (La Traviata), Bob (The Old Maid and the Thief), Achilla (Giulio Cesare), and Grandpa Moss (The Tender Land). Enjoying a versatile career spanning the operatic, oratorio, and choral repertoires, Vincent sings with Washington National Opera and Washington Concert Opera, has performed with Washington Opera Society and Pacific Lyric Association, and has appeared as a soloist and chorister for various ensembles.
Originally from San Francisco, he holds an Artist Diploma and a Master of Music from the Catholic University of America and studies voice with Rick Christman.
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Jordan Hammons, tenor, returns to LAH-SOW to reprise the Prince in Rusalka. Most recently he appeared the Young Servant in Elektra (The Dallas Opera). In the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Jordan was a Winner of the Houston District. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, and continued his studies at Southern Methodist University, where he earned a Performer’s Diploma and Master of Music Degree. During his time at SMU, he was honored to receive the Roy and Sue Johnson Award for excellence in opera.
Eric Jorgenson, Vodnik is a bass baritone who enjoys singing Czech repertoire, having performed Kecal(Prodana Nevesta) and Vok(Certova Stena) in the Czech Republic. He has returned to singing recently after many years teaching orchestras, directing church choirs, and raising a family. Before that time he sang as a baritone having performed lead roles with several regional companies throughout the Northeast including Onegin, Guglielmo, Escamillo, Count in Le Nozze, Monterone, Dr. Falke, and Belcore. Additional performances include; Prague where he performed Salieri(RimskyKorsakov) with Singing Actors Atelier, Zlin,- Conte di Luna, Karlovy Vary-Rigoletto, and lieder concerts, including Baden bei Wien where he had masterclasses with Ely Ameling, Erik Werba, and Hans Hotter. He has also performed as a cellist in chamber music and orchestras as well as a conductor of opera and orchestra. He met his wife Alica while conducting Aida at Narodni Divadlo in Kosice, Slovakia and they have two sons, currently at university.
Whitney Myers, soprano, has performed with Winter Opera St. Louis, Tulsa Opera, Music on Site Inc., Opera Programs Berlin, Tundi Productions, Utah Vocal Arts Festival, Dallas Opera, Roanoke Opera, Mississippi Opera, Marble City Opera, Millennium Opera, and Greensboro Opera. She has been seen in the roles of Lady MacBeth in MacBeth, the title role in Carmen, Helmwige in Die Walküre, Chrysothemis in Elektra, Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Elle in La Voix humaine, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Tsarevna in Kashchei the Immortal, Ludmila in The Bartered Bride, Suor Genovieffa and Zelatrice in Suor Angelica, and 1st Lady in
Die Zauberflöte. Myers has also had the pleasure of covering the title roles in Salome and Suor Angelica, as well as Freia in Das Rheingold and Brünnhilde in Der Ring des Nibelungen. Myers has also been seen performing Wagner arias and the Wesendonck Lieder in recital.
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Sara Nealley, soprano, is a native of Ardmore, Pennsylvania, USA. She completed her undergraduate studies in Vocal performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and her graduate studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. She is
currently pursuing a GPD at the Peabody Institute where she studies with Randall Scarlata. Her previous roles include: Vitellia, La clemenza di Tito, Peabody Opera Theatre; Gianetta, The Gondoliers, Ohio Light Opera; Violetta, La Traviata, Mediterranean Opera Studio and Festival; Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte, Opera in the Ozarks; Hanna Glawari, The Merry Widow, College Light Opera Company; Constance, The Sorcerer, College Light Opera Company. Sara was a finalist in the Elgar/Spedding Memorial Lieder Competition and the Ye Cronies Opera Award at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is recipient of an Encouragement Award in Arkansas District of the Metropolitan Opera Competition.
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Sarah Petko is a singer and performer currently based in Philadelphia, PA. She began dancing at a young age, found enjoyment in music through middle and high school choirs, and eventually began performing in fully staged opera and operetta productions. Currently, Sarah is a graduate student at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance finishing a Master of Music in Vocal Arts. While here, she has performed as Dorothée in Massenet’s Cendrillon directed by Rose Freeman, and in the chorus of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, directed by Brandon McShaffrey. Before pursuing her graduate degree, Sarah made her international opera debut with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in Weimar, Germany in their production of The Magic Flute as Zweite Dame and Zweite Knabe. Sarah graduated from James Madison University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Theater Performance and a minor in Theater. While there, she performed in the chorus of numerous JMU Opera Theater productions including Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, Gounod’s Faust, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and various Scenes Concert Programs.
Additional performance production highlights for Sarah include Iolanthe cover and Fairy ensemble in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe with VPCC’s Summer Light Opera, and Second Woman in Jake Heggie’s If I Were You with Nightingale Opera Theater. Sarah has also sung in many choral ensembles and served as a choral manager with the James Madison University Chorus Soprano/Alto, Treble Chamber Choir, The JMU Chorale, and TheMadison Singers. She also performed and managed a local tour for The Madison Singers throughout Rockingham County in May 2022. In her final semester at James Madison University, Sarah had the
opportunity to work as the JMU Opera Assistant for JMU Opera Theater for their productions of Britten’s Turn of the Screw, and the program’s Gilbert & Sullivan Extravaganza, both directed by Dr. Jamison Walker. She was also the President and Public Relations Chair of the JMU Opera Guild, an organization dedicated to the appreciation of opera performance. At Temple University, Sarah has participated in several performances, including the Temple Opera Theater Aria Concert in Fall 2023 and “A Schubertiade” Studio Recital for the studio of Dr. Marcus DeLoach. She also served as Assistant Director for Temple Opera Theater’s production of Britten’s Lucretia directed by kt Shorb in Fall 2023. She was also Assistant Director for Temple Opera Theater’s production of Handel’s Ariodante directed by Ben Robinson and Brandon McShaffrey, and for the Graduate Opera Workshop Scenes Concert directed by Rose Freeman, where she also performed as Anne from Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, as well as Ilia from Mozart’s Idomeneo.
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Oksana Potts is a rising mezzo-soprano praised for her radiant presence and outstanding stagecraft. Audiences and directors alike have noted her bright energy and compelling acting, which she brings to every role with sincerity and emotional depth.
In 2024, she portrayed Alma March in Little Women at the Vienna Summer Music Festival, performed at the historic Ehrbar Saal. That season also featured her as Maman / La Tasse in L'enfant et les sortilèges and covering Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Her 2023 performances with Spotlight on Opera included Suor Osmina and La novizza in Suor Angelica.
Oksana’s growing repertoire highlights her versatility across both classic and contemporary opera, and her warm, expressive mezzo along with her strong lower range continues to capture the attention of new audiences.
American soprano, Veronica Richer, has been receiving recognition for her rich voice and dramatic characterizations, performing a wide variety of operatic repertoire and concert works. She was recently praised for her “particularly lovely tonal sheen” (Parterre Box). This season, Veronica sang Fiordiligi from Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Academy of Vocal Arts under the baton of Robert Kahn and musical coachings by maestro Christofer Macatsoris. She also was a district winner of the Kansas City Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
Veronica is a second year resident artist at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her roles with the academy include Anna Bolena (cover), female chorus in The Rape of Lucretia, Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Marguerite in Faust. Her upcoming performances include Foreign Princess in Rusalka with Luke Housner. Veronica grew up in Bryan, Ohio and is a talented violinist as well as a passionate voice teacher. She is a student of Luis Ledesma’s at AVA.
Mezzo Soprano Josie Mae Sanders is a rising senior at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, where she is studying vocal performance and religion. At PLU, she has been in many productions, including L’elisir d’amore, HMS Pinafore, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and most recently, The Fairy Queen, as Summer. She has also worked with local opera companies in her area, most recently having been in the chorus of La Boheme with Tacoma Opera and Medea with Puget Sound Concert Opera. In September, she will play Spirit #5 in Cendrillon at Vashon Opera on Vashon Island, Washington. She is very excited to be in Philadelphia for the first time this summer, playing 3rd Woodsprite in Rusalka and Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte. When she’s not singing opera, you can find her leading worship at her church, cross stitching, or working with her elementary schoolers at daycare.
Originally from Columbus, Indiana, soprano Emily Sipes is a recent graduate from the master’s program in voice at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Sipes’ recent credits include Donna Elvira (cover) in Don Giovanni with Music On Site Inc., Wellgunde in Wagner’s Das Rheingold with LAHSOW Chicago, Eva Crowley in An American Dream with IU Opera Theatre, the chorus of Indianapolis Opera’s production of Carmen, and Sorella Cercatrice I in Suor Angelica with La Musica Lirica. She has sung various scenes such as Cendrillon in Cendrillon, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, Alice Ford in Falstaff, and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus.
She is a private voice instructor in Greenwood, IN and is a current staff singer at the First United Methodist Church in her hometown. This is her second season with LAHSOW.
Currently based in Kansas City, Lauren Stokke is a versatile young professional actively pursuing the operatic stage. Acclaimed for her "stunning" stage presence and "agile" vocal production, she finds the stage to be a source of both self expression and of healing. This summer she will make her debut as Michaëla in Carmen with Bay View Music Festival. Other recent opportunities include the title role (cover) in Suor Angelica (Opera On Tap - Kansas City), Pamina in Die Zauberflöte (UMKC Conservatory Opera, Fall 2023), Anna Maurrant from Street Scene (Varna International, Summer 2023), Helena from A Midsummer Night's Dream (Miami Music Festival, Summer 2022), and Despina in Così fan tutte (UMKC Conservatory Opera, Spring 2022). Lauren holds a Masters degree in Vocal Performance from UMKC Conservatory under the tutelage of Dr. Aidan Soder. Previous mentors include Gregory Buchalter, Mo Zhou, Dr. Daniel Fung, and Dr. Marc Callahan.
Maggie Troy (2nd Woodsprite): Maggie is a current freshman at NYU studying vocal performance and psychology! She is thrilled to be back with LAH-SOW for Rusalka! Her love for performing began at age 5, and she has been performing ever since, most recently in “Hänsel und Gretel“ and as the witch in “Into the Woods“. She was also previously the First Spirit in The Magic Flute. Maggie enjoys baking as well as playing rugby in her spare