Mentee Becomes Mentor

Article Published: 28 Mar 2023

Mentee Becomes Mentor

When Julia Noulin-Mérat was co-artistic director of Guerilla Opera back in 2019, she participated as a protégé in OPERA America’s Mentorship Program for Women Administrators, receiving mentorship from Cheryl Hickman, head of Opera on the Avalon. Fast forward four years, and Noulin-Mérat is now general director and CEO of Opera Columbus. “The skills and experiences I gained working with my mentor played a big part in my eventual appointment at Opera Columbus,” she says.

The Mentorship Program for Women Administrators, which launched in 2018, was the brainchild of OPERA America’s Women’s Opera Network, an affinity group dedicated to advancing gender parity in the field. Five years later, the cohort of mentors and mentees continues to grow and develop. “These protégés represent the future of opera leadership, and we look forward to watching them soar,” says Laura Lee Everett, OPERA America’s former chief programs officer, noting that two alums of the program will serve as mentors this year.

Noulin-Mérat herself is serving as a mentor for the 2023 Mentorship Program. For the next year, she’ll work with Katrina Fasulo, director of development at Opera Saratoga, to identify areas where skills can be improved and develop an action plan for professional growth.

Noulin-Mérat and Fasulo will be working alongside two other mentor-protégé pairs: Barbara Lynne Jamison and Megan Elk, and Tamara Vallejos and Jessica Gonzalez. (Like Noulin-Mérat, Vallejos was also a protégé in 2019.) Each pair will develop a personalized plan for professional development based on the goals of the protégé, and will work together through remote and in-person sessions, including meetings at Opera Conference 2023 this May in Pittsburgh.

THE 2023 PROTÉGÉ-MENTOR PAIRS

Megan Elk, Protégé
Engagement Producer, Lyric Opera of Chicago
Elk (they/them) is a mezzosoprano, producer, and arts administrator whose work spans opera, musical theater, cabaret, and ensemble-devised theater. At Lyric Opera of Chicago, they worked for five years as a teaching artist in Chicago Public Schools before being promoted recently to engagement producer.

Barbara Lynne Jamison, Mentor
General Director and CEO, Kentucky Opera
Since taking the helm of Kentucky Opera in 2018, Jamison has spearheaded multiple new initiatives, including commissions, engagement programs, creative placemaking projects, and a community-led approach to producing mainstage opera. In 2021, Jamison led the company’s move to a newly renovated opera center.

Katrina Fasulo, Protégé
Director of Development, Opera Saratoga
In addition to her development role at Opera Sartoga, Fasulo is an active arts volunteer and advocate within her community who has served on multiple granting panels. She has previously held roles at organizations including Opera NexGen, Seattle Opera, Opera MODO, The Glimmerglass Festival, and Loft Opera.

Julia Noulin-Mérat, Mentor
General Director and CEO, Opera Columbus
Noulin-Mérat is an American, French, and Canadian producer and designer who is in her third season as general director and CEO of Opera Columbus. Previously, Noulin-Mérat served as associate producer at Boston Lyric Opera and co-artistic director of Guerilla Opera, and is currently the creative director for the Hong Kong-based More Than Musical.

Jessica Gonzalez, Protégé
Marketing Manager, Houston Grand Opera
In addition to Houston Grand Opera, Gonzalez has worked for several nonprofit performing arts organizations, including The Glimmerglass Festival, Apollo Chamber Players, and Opera in the Heights. A soprano by training, Gonzalez studied opera at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and earned a master’s degree in arts leadership from the University of Houston.

Tamara Vallejos, Mentor
Director of Marketing, The Juilliard School
Vallejos has more than a decade of experience in marketing and communications at organizations including Seattle Opera, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and Opera Colorado. In her role at Juilliard, Vallejos focuses on supporting recruitment and admissions efforts across the school. Before turning to marketing, she enjoyed a career as a music journalist.

This article was published in the Spring 2023 issue of Opera America Magazine.