Adriane Fink (protégé)
Director of Institutional Partnerships, Lyric Opera of Chicago

Adriane Fink joined Lyric Opera of Chicago as director of institutional partnerships in 2018. In this role, Fink is an integral part of the institutional team, building a pipeline of corporate and foundation prospects. She is responsible for the creation and execution of fundraising strategies for select projects and works in collaboration with the full development team to reach its goal of more than $32 million in annual support.

Fink’s career includes more than 15 years of work in fundraising, and before joining Lyric, she served as the director of institutional giving at the Curtis Institute of Music. She previously held positions at Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Americans for the Arts and Indianapolis Opera. She holds a B.M. and M.M. in flute performance and a B.S. in arts administration from Butler University. Fink performs as a freelance flutist in the Chicago area.

Ashley Magnus (mentor)
Edlis Neeson General Director, Chicago Opera Theater

Ashley Magnus began her career as a production coordinator for the opera department at Utah Symphony | Utah Opera. She went on to hold leadership positions in events and development with the company, while also singing professionally as a mezzo-soprano. Magnus joined Chicago Opera Theater in 2015 and became the Edlis Neeson general director in 2019. Under her leadership, COT executed the largest production in its history, grew core annual fundraising by 28 percent, received a major grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the new Vanguard Emerging Opera Composer Program, and implemented a robust strategic plan.

Magnus was named one of 2019's Top 30 Professionals in the Performing Arts by Musical America. She is a graduate of OPERA America’s Leadership Intensive and serves on the steering committee of OPERA America’s Women’s Opera Network. Magnus holds an M.B.A. from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.

Aliana de la Guardia (protégé)
Co-Artistic Director, Guerilla Opera

Aliana de la Guardia is a Cuban-American artist who enjoys a multifaceted career as a vocalist, actor, educator and entrepreneur. As a soprano, she has garnered acclaim for her “dazzling flights of virtuosity” (Gramophone) in performances that are “fizzing with theatrical commitment” (The Boston Globe). She has enjoyed many collaborations with today’s most eminent composers, and has worked with American Lyric Theater, Beth Morrison Projects, Boston Conservatory’s New Music Festival, Boston Modern Orchestra Project and the Center for Contemporary, among other organizations. As a co-founder of the Boston-based Guerilla Opera, she has produced 15 world-premiere operas with lead roles tailor-made for her ferocious stage presence.

As an educator, she has been a featured guest artist at Harvard University, Lawrence Conservatory, Vermont College of Fine Arts and University of Memphis, and she served on the performance faculty at Hubbard Hall Opera Theater. She also maintains an active private studio in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Lee Anne Myslewski (mentor)
Vice President of Opera and Classical Programming, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

Lee Anne Myslewski was recently appointed vice president of opera and classical programming at Wolf Trap Foundation, a role in which she oversees all aspects of Wolf Trap Opera, an artist-centric training program whose alumni are singing in prestigious houses around the world. In addition, she serves as the executive producer and co-host of Center Stage from Wolf Trap, a nationally syndicated radio program.

Myslewski joined Wolf Trap Opera in 2006, and during her tenure, she established the Untrapped series of programming, which has featured partnerships with the Shakespeare Theatre, Taffety Punk, Children’s National Medical Center, The Phillips Collection and the National Orchestral Institute. She also created the artistic advisor position for Chamber Music at the Barns and has participated in the casting and programming of operatic productions for over a decade. She holds degrees in opera performance from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Maryland and is an alumna of OPERA America’s Leadership Intensive.

Karina Kacala (protégé)
Director of Advertising and Promotions, Opera Philadelphia

Karina Kacala is the director of advertising and promotions at Opera Philadelphia, where she oversees marketing efforts for the company’s annual fall event, Festival O, and spring stagione season, with an eye toward attracting new audiences and boosting retention. Her primary responsibilities include crafting multi-channel marketing plans, directing the company’s email program, spearheading advertising buys, and managing special audience-engagement initiatives, such as VIVACE, a community for young professionals, and Opera on the Mall, a free outdoor opera broadcast. Recent speaking engagements include presenting on Opera Philadelphia’s email program at Capacity Interactive’s Digital Marketing Boot Camp for the Arts.

Before joining Opera Philadelphia, Kacala directed marketing and communications for a diverse array of organizations, including First Person Arts, the Center City Jazz Festival and Shakespeare in Clark Park. Her background as an opera singer and assistant stage director enables her to tell Opera Philadelphia’s story with first-hand knowledge of the genre and a personal passion.

Peggy Kriha Dye (mentor)
General and Artistic Director, Opera Columbus

Peggy Kriha Dye, general and artistic director of Opera Columbus, has led a complete artistic transformation, supporting emerging operatic talent, innovative collaborations and original productions that engage diverse audiences and push the boundaries of traditional opera. In 2018, Musical America named Dye one of its Professionals of the Year as a part of its “Movers and Shapers” special edition. She is a graduate of OPERA America’s Leadership Intensive program and serves on the OPERA America board.

Dye is an accomplished artist who has performed with major opera companies and orchestras throughout the world. She originated the role of Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, written and conducted by André Previn at San Francisco Opera, and reprised the role with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Washington National Opera.