KRISTY CHAMBRELLI (Stage Director)
Kristy Chambrelli has mounted Operatic and Musical Theatre productions throughout the United States and Europe. She is the Associate Artistic Director for Hartford Opera Theater and a previous resident opera director for the Asolo Art Song and Aria Festival in Asolo, Italy. She has taught and directed for New England Conservatory, The Hartt School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Florida State University, and Clark University. Her production of Jekyll & Hyde was awarded the 2014 Moss Hart Award in the College/University Division for "...fresh, imaginative, creative treatment within the intent of the playwright". She was named to the SDCF Observership Class for 2015-2016. Kristy was an SDC Respondent for KCACTF Region 1. She served as the Youth Director assisting Maxwell Williams on A Christmas Carol (Hartford Stage). She worked with Michael Bolton, Shelton Becton and the New Haven Choir in preparation for BBC/NBC’s Clash of the Choirs. Kristy is a Co-Founder and Artistic Director of IN MEDIAS ARTS- a new media and performance art collective. She has a BM from The Boston Conservatory. She studied Film Scoring and Composition at Berklee College of Music and Opera Directing at Florida State University. She is a Directors Lab North Alum and is a proud associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
JOSEPH A. HODGE (Conductor)
Praised for his "musicianship and energy on stage" (Manchester Journal Inquirer), Joseph Hodge currently serves as the Music Director of Hartford Opera Theater, Manchester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, and the Connecticut Valley Symphony Orchestra. Joseph graduated from the Hartt School of Music in 2012, where he studied conducting with Edward Cumming and was the Assistant Conductor of the Hartt Symphony Orchestra. Now in his seventh season as Music Director of Hartford Opera Theater, Joseph has recently led performances of Menotti's Old Maid and the Thief and Dan Shore's An Embarrassing Position. Guest conducting engagements bring him to Texas each year to work with the Abilene Opera Association, and he is the Assistant Conductor of the Ash Lawn Opera Festival in Charlottesville, VA. Also a graduate of the University of Virginia, Joseph has worked with orchestras in Virginia, including the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, Youth Orchestra of Charlottesville and Albemarle, and the Wintergreen Symphony Orchestra. He has previously studied conducting with Christopher Zimmerman, Kate Tamarkin, Kenneth Kiesler, and Joseph Gifford.
CAITLIN FLEMMING (Assistant Director/Stage Manager)
Caitlin Flemming is currently a Senior at the Hartt School of Music, studying Vocal Performance. Caitlin began her studies on Long Island and followed in her parent's footsteps in coming to the Hartt School. Upon coming to school, Caitlin has taken part backstage in the school's productions of Street Scene and Amahl and the Night Visitors. With the constant help and support of Kristy Chambrelli, Caitlin has learned to Stage Manage and Assistant Direct starting with scenes in the Hartt School's Blackbox in 2015. This past year, she has been involved as an assistant director and stage manager at the Hartt School, Connecticut Concert Opera, and Hartford Opera Theatre. She is looking forward to furthering her education in directing this summer in taking a Practical Approach to Directing at Yale. She will be directing her first blackbox production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, at the Hartt School this coming fall. Caitlin is incredibly grateful for all of the experiences she has been given by Kristy and looks forward to working with her more in the future!
MEREDITH ERNSTBERGER (Assistant Stage Manager)
Meredith, mezzo soprano, is currently studying Vocal Performance at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. Previous roles at Hartt include Third Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld. She recently made her professional debut as Mother/Grandmother in Seymour Barab’s Little Red Riding Hood at Connecticut Concert Opera. She is very excited for this opportunity to work with Hartford Opera Theater.
MARTINA RODRIGUEZ (Scenic Design)
DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ (Costume Design)
CAZMIR BZYDRA (Lighting Design)
MICHAEL KORMAN (Repetiteur)
Michael Korman is thrilled to join the HOT staff. As a pianist, he has performed with HOT in the 2014 New in November Festival, as well as the 2015 Old Maid and the Thief/An Embarrassing Position double bill. Michael teaches piano locally, and holds an MM degree from the Hartt School. A church organist and choir director, Michael is the director of music at First Church of Christ in Unionville, CT. Michael brings a wealth of web development experience, having worked professionally in both academia and government, and holds degrees in computer science. For more information, please visit his website.