New location, new time, new look!
Please join us as we return to the historic Lyric Theatre in downtown Kansas City, now home to Kirk Family YMCA. This year, Opera Dives Deep will be held from 6:00–7:00 pm.
This series provides audiences with fresh insights from regional scholars and industry professionals to enrich appreciation and understanding of the operas in our season. Both established operagoers and curious newcomers alike are sure to make discoveries.
Opera Dives Deep is held at Kirk Family YMCA, Respect/Responsibility Room, 222 W 11th St., Kansas City, MO 64105.
Upcoming Events
Something Old, Something New
Dr. Andrew Granade, speaker
- Monday, September 15, 2025, 6:00–7:00pm
After countless rejections, librettist Jacopo Ferretti finally found a winner when he pitched an adaptation of La Cenerentola (Cinderella) to rising composer Gioachino Rossini. What followed was a whirlwind—forty-six days of feverish collaboration, borrowed arias, and bold departures from the familiar fairy tale script. Gone were the glass slipper and fairy godmother and, in their place, clever disguises and a sorcerous philosopher. The result? Cinderella—a comic opera that gleefully blends the traditional and the unexpected into something unmistakably Rossinian. Join us as we explore how this last-minute idea became one of opera’s most enchanting reinventions.
Andrew Granade is Professor of Musicology at The University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory. He is the author of Harry Partch: Hobo Composer, “Cracking the Code: What Notation Can Tell Us About Our Musical Values” in the first volume of Open Access Musicology, and several articles on music and science fiction television and music history pedagogy. He is currently editing two collections (one on Harry Partch and the other on Arkansas music for Illinois Press), and is beginning a monograph about the wind band in American history. He also co-hosts the podcast “Hearing the Pulitzers” with David Thurmaier.
Meet the Designers of Cinderella
Tracy Davis-Singh, speaker
Steven C. Kemp, speaker
Amanda Seymour, speaker
- Monday, September 22, 2025, 6:00–7:00pm
Meet the designers behind our brand-new, Wes Anderson-inspired production of Cinderella in a conversation moderated by Lyric Opera’s Tracy Davis-Singh, Director of Production. Learn about the process of bringing a new production to life—from inspiration to collaboration to production. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and connect directly with the creative team.
Tracy Davis-Singh has served as Director of Production at Lyric Opera of Kansas City since 2007, following her tenure as a Stage Manager with the company beginning in 2003. With a career in opera production spanning more than 25 years, she has held stage management roles at renowned companies including Houston Grand Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Seattle Opera, Pensacola Opera, and Mobile Opera.
Tracy takes particular pride in having worked on the world premieres of Cold Sassy Tree and John Brown, as well as contributing to the original audio recording of The Shining. Her favorite opera is Rossini’s La Cenerentola, a work she returns to often for its charm, wit, and musical brilliance.
Known for her deep commitment to artistic excellence and her collaborative leadership style, Tracy continues to champion the power of live performance, and the behind-the-scenes work that brings grand opera to life.
Steven C. Kemp is a set designer for opera, theatre and events. Originally from Houston, Texas, he received his MFA from UC San Diego and currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri. He has designed for more than forty opera companies and over fifty productions in NYC as well as for a multitude of regional theatres, cruise ships and international tours.
For Lyric Opera of Kansas City, he has recently designed Cavalleria Rusticana | Pagliacci, Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Abduction from the Seraglio, Sketchbook for Ollie, The Haberdasher Prince, and Maya and the Magic Ring. He also works frequently with The Atlanta Opera, New Orleans Opera, Sarasota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Indiana University, and many more. For Opera San Jose his thirty designs include the West Coast Premieres of Anna Karenina, Silent Night, and the American premiere of Alma Deutscher’s Cinderella.
In NYC his work Off-Broadway has been seen at Second Stage Theater, The Duke on 42nd Street, Fellowship for the Performing Arts, York Theatre Company, Mint Theater Company, 47th Street Theatre, New Worlds Theatre Project, The Shop, The Cherry Lane Theatre, The Playwright’s Realm and Keen Company where his 11 productions include the Off-Broadway revivals of Tick, Tick…Boom!, Ordinary Days, John and Jen, Marry Me a Little and the new, award-winning world premiere of Adam Gwon’s All the World’s a Stage. Other NYC credits include work at 59e59, HERE Arts, Clubbed Thumb, Studio 42, and fifteen productions for New School For Drama.
His international credits include designs for the West End in London and the current tours of Sesame Street Live!, Peppa Pig Sing Along, Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour, as well as Baby Shark Live!, PJ Masks Live!, and Nickelodeon Takeover at the Feria de Leon 2025. He has designed regionally at Pasadena Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Antaeus Theatre Company, Bucks County Playhouse, Royal George Theatre, Stages Houston, Hudson Stage Company, Gulfshore Playhouse, Catholic University of America, and multiple productions for Norwegian Cruise Line.
Steven also worked extensively as an Associate Designer for Robert Brill and David Gallo on Broadway, national tours, The Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Disney Theatricals, Dreamworks, and a multitude of other regional theatres and companies. Additional work has included Associate Design credits for Jesse Poleshuck, Walt Spangler, Christopher Acebo, and Assistant Design for Christopher Oram, Alexander Dodge and exhibit and broadcast design with Clickspring Design, Gallagher & Associates and Jack Morton Worldwide. His design for Candide at Des Moines Metro Opera won Honorable Mention at the 2021 Golden Trezzini Awards for Architecture and Design. Falstaff was selected as a finalist in the World Stage Design 2017 exhibit in Taipei, Taiwan. His work was selected for exhibition in the USA student exhibit in the 2007 Prague Quadrennial and he was the 2008 USITT Rose Brand Scenic Design award winner and was the 2013 Live Design Broadway Master Class speaker for associate set design. For more, follow Steven @stevenckempdesign and www.stevenckemp.com
Amanda Seymour is a New York based costume designer for theatre, opera, television, film, and dance. She has been lucky enough to continue in this career providing clothes appropriate for the character to tell their story, and comfortable for the artist to have confidence in their performance.
Credits Include: Elizabeth Cree, The Glimmerglass Festival; The Barber of Seville, Columbus Opera; Riders to the Sea, Empty the House, Curtis Institute of Music; Candide, Tanglewood Music Festival, Ravinia; Roméo et Juliette, Idomeneo, Le Pauvre Matelot/ Les Mamelles de Tirésias, Wolf Trap Opera; La finta giardiniera, Don Pasquale, The Juilliard School; La bohème, Ariadne auf Naxos, The Barber of Seville, Opera Theatre of St. Louis; Paul’s Case, New York City Prototype Festival; Rusalka, Opera San Antonio; Diner: the Musical, Delaware Theatre Company; Oliver!, Paper Mill Playhouse. Film/TV Assistant Costume Design: Deliver Me From Nowhere, A Complete Unknown, Mean Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (season 3–5, Emmy® nominations); Godfather of Harlem (season 1); Respect. Associate credits: Disney’s Frozen on Broadway; Hedwig and the Angry Inch First National Tour; Madonna’s Rebel Heart World Tour. www.amandaseymourdesign.com
Tragically Timeless
Dr. Neal Long, speaker
- Monday, November 3, 2025, 6:00–7:00 pm
One of the most popular and widely-performed operas, Madame Butterfly, is a tragic story of unrequited love, betrayal and sacrifice. A time capsule of early twentieth-century cultural perspectives, this piece continues to reach modern audiences with its poignant score and heart wrenching plot. Join us to rediscover the vivid arias, emotional depths and riveting drama of this classic Puccini opera.
Neal Long is the Director of Learning at Lyric Opera of Kansas City where he carries out the organization’s mission of education and community engagement with programs designed to promote artistic literacy in Kansas City and provide audiences the social-emotional tools needed to connect deeply with what they see on stage. An accomplished musician, Neal has performed leading operatic tenor roles throughout the United States and regularly serves as music director and director. A new music champion and enthusiast, Neal has premiered works by several composers and is responsible for overseeing the commission and production of three works for intergenerational audiences at Lyric Opera of Kansas City—Rachel J. Peters’ Sketchbook for Ollie, Rosabella Gregory and Dina Gregory’s The Haberdasher Prince, and Lori Laitman and Dana Gioia’s Maya and the Magic Ring. A passionate educator, Neal has taught at institutions including The University of Kansas and Missouri Western State University.
Tragically Timeless
Dr. Neal Long, speaker
- Monday, November 3, 2025, 6:00–7:00 pm
One of the most popular and widely-performed operas, Madame Butterfly, is a tragic story of unrequited love, betrayal and sacrifice. A time capsule of early twentieth-century cultural perspectives, this piece continues to reach modern audiences with its poignant score and heart wrenching plot. Join us to rediscover the vivid arias, emotional depths and riveting drama of this classic Puccini opera.
Speaker Information coming soon.
Previous talks
From Here and There
Dr. Genaro Méndez, speaker
Dr. Stacy Méndez, speaker
Mica Méndez Bauer, speaker
- Monday, February 24, 2025, 7:00–8:00 pm
Join us for an overview of the rich story and music of Cruzar la Cara de la Luna. Drawing on their own lived experiences, the Méndez family will provide an illuminated synopsis of the opera with insights into mariachi, Mexican American identity, and the Bracero program. This contextual journey will deepen your appreciation and understanding of the opera and its powerful themes.
Mexican-American lyric tenor Genaro Méndez has a versatile and wide-ranging career as a leading operatic tenor, chamber and solo recitalist, and voice professor. This spring, Genaro will make his Lyric Opera of Kansas City debut as Emperor Altoum in Turandot. Previous operatic performances include Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles, Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Alfredo in La traviata, Quint in Turn of the Screw, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, and Ferrando in Così fan tutte.
A Nevada native, Genaro is the oldest son of immigrant parents and was a first-generation college student. Genaro began his formal music studies at the University of Nevada, Reno where he studied under the late master teacher of voice and Nevada Opera founder Ted Puffer. Under Maestro Puffer’s mentorship, Genaro completed his undergraduate degree and performed in over thirty Nevada Opera productions as a chorus member, in comprimario roles, and as a leading tenor. He continued his musical studies at the University of Illinois, performing with world-renowned vocal coach John Wustman on a United States tour of the complete songs of Schubert. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Oregon, studying under Milagro Vargas.
As a University of Kansas Professor of Voice, Genaro is a dedicated teacher of vocal technique, diction, and repertoire. His students have enjoyed numerous accolades, including placing in regional and national voice competitions, earning opera apprenticeships, and performing in leading roles with opera companies across the country.
Passionate about educational opportunity and equity, Stacy Méndez has worked for over twenty years at The University of Kansas (KU), helping first-generation, high financial-need students access and be successful in college. Most of her professional life has been in service of Kansas students whose families have worked in migratory and seasonal agriculture (i.e., meatpacking, poultry processing, dairy farms, feedlots, harvesting crops, etc.).
Having recently earned her doctorate in higher education administration, Stacy now serves as the director of Heartland CAMP, a federally-funded KU program that helps students from agricultural labor backgrounds make a successful transition during their first year of college. A mezzo-soprano, Stacy also has a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and sang for many years as a chorus member with Nevada Opera. In her spare time, she enjoys watching new generations of young singers develop at KU, singing occasionally with Lawrence community groups, and learning how to play the guitar.
Invested in systemic change in higher education, Mica Méndez Bauer has spent nine years working with underserved populations at The University of Kansas (KU). During her time with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Méndez Bauer advised students through the Hawk Link program—a student program intentionally crafted to support students of color, queer students, and undocumented students while they navigated their first two years at KU. Additionally, Méndez Bauer acted as a primary liaison for Support Services for Undocumented Students by aiding university offices in developing their offerings to serve students of all documentation statuses. Since 2022, Méndez Bauer has worked to transform graduate STEM education in ways that support the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives, knowledge, values, and experiences as the Education Program Coordinator for the Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership at The University of Kansas. With a Bachelor of Arts in History of Art and a Master of Arts in American Studies, Méndez Bauer is passionate about food studies and performance studies, as well as the role of art in histories of oppression.
Meet the Artists of Cruzar la Cara de la Luna
Octavio Moreno, Laurentino in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna
Vanessa Alonzo, Lupita in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna
Cecilia Duarte, Renata in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna
- Monday, March 3, 2025, 7:00–8:00 pm
Meet the talented artists of Cruzar la Cara de la Luna! Learn more about their careers, their unique experiences bringing this groundbreaking opera to life, and the stories behind their performances. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions and connect directly with the cast.
Mexican-American baritone Octavio Moreno received his Doctorate in Music at the University of Arizona. Moreno participated in the Young Artist Program at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, followed by the Houston Grand Opera Studio. Moreno won first place in the Linus Lerner International Voice Competition in 2018, third place in the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers in 2008, third place in the Carlo Morelli Competition in Mexico City, and first place in both the Mariana de Gonitch Competition in Cuba in 2001 and Premio Ciudad Trujillo in Peru in 2004. Moreno also represented Mexico in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2009, and the Paris International Competition in 2010.
Moreno has sung with companies such as the Chicago Lyric Opera, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, Bellas Artes Opera in Mexico City, and the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, among others. Moreno premiered the roles of Moncada in Zorro, Xihuitl in the second-ever mariachi opera El Pasado Nunca Se Termina, and the Role of Laurentino in the first-ever mariachi opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna. He has also appeared in roles such as Marcello in La bohème, Tonio in Pagliacci, Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles, Don Alfonso in Cosi fan Tutte, Vronsky in David Carlson's Anna Karenina, John Proctor in Robert Ward's The Crucible, Germont in La traviata, Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, the title role in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and Sourin in The Queen of Spades, and Belcore in The Elixir of Love. Mr. Moreno made his symphonic debut performing with the San Antonio Symphony in the Ginastera's ballet, Estancia, singing the Baritone Solo. Future engagements include Carmina Burana with Tucson Symphony, and General Moncada in Zorro with Arizona Opera.
A soloist in the GRAMMY® Award-winning album Duruflé: The Complete Choral Works, Cecilia Duarte has been praised by The New York Times as “A creamy voiced mezzo-soprano.”
Cecilia created the role of Renata in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera (2010, 2013, 2018); Châtelet Theatre in Paris, France; Chicago Lyric Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, The Fort Worth Opera, Teatro Nacional Sucre, in Quito, Ecuador, New York City Opera, El Paso Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Opera San Antonio. Other roles originated are Renata in El milagro del Recuerdo (Houston Grand Opera, 2019, and 2022; Arizona Opera, 2021); Dido in The Queen of Carthage (Early Music Vancouver and re: Naissance Opera); Jessie Lydell in A Coffin in Egypt, (Houston Grand Opera and the Wallis Annenberg Center in L.A.); Gracie in A Way Home (Houston Grand Opera and Opera Southwest); Harriet/First Responder in After the Storm (Houston Grand Opera); Alicia in Some Light Emerges (Houston Grand Opera); and Alma in “Boundless,” the first episode of Houston Grand Opera’s web opera series Star-cross’d.
Operatic roles: Linda Morales in Laura Kaminsky's Hometown to the World, Melissa in Alcina, Sarelda in The Inspector, Maria in Maria de Buenos Aires, and Loma Williams in Cold Sassy Tree, among others. Her experience in early music includes performances with Ars Lyrica Houston, Mercury Houston, Boston Early Music Festival, Bach Collegium San Diego, re: Naissance Opera, Early Music Vancouver, Pacific Music Works, Blue Heron, The Newberry Consort, and Tafelmusik. She is a vocalist in the Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, performing early and contemporary music.
Houston native Vanessa Alonzo embarked on her ranchera music journey under the mentorship of the late Alfonso Guerra at Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts. Since 2010, Vanessa has enhanced her vocal versatility through her participation in operatic performances, such as her role as Lupita in the first mariachi opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (“To Cross the Face of the Moon“) by José “Pepé” Martínez and Leonard Foglia.
Her portrayal of Lupita has earned nationwide acclaim, gracing prestigious venues such as the Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, El Paso Opera, and San Diego Opera, alongside the renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán and Mariachi los Camperos. In 2015, Vanessa originated the role of Juana in Foglia and Martínez's second Mariachi Opera, El Pasado Nunca Se Termina (“The Past is Never Finished”), embarking on a tri-city premiere tour with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Diego Opera, and Houston Grand Opera. Her contributions continued with the premiere of Houston Grand Opera’s El Milagro del Recuerdo in 2019, reprised with Arizona Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and San Diego Opera.
Vanessa's talents have also captivated international audiences in France, Ecuador, Norway, Vietnam, and Ireland. In recognition of her influence and leadership in the music industry, Vanessa was honored with the Influential Latina Award at the Houston Mariachi Festival in 2023 and the International Leadership Award from the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation in 2014.
Dr. Aaron Ziegel, speaker
Dr. Aaron Ziegel will join us for two different presentations about Turandot. Please note: the events will take place in person at the Kauffman Foundation Center, with the speaker joining remotely via video call.
Dr. Aaron Ziegel is an Associate Professor of Music History and Culture at Towson University, where he has been a member of the faculty since 2013. He teaches courses on music in the United States of America, Western art music history, opera studies, symphonic and choral literature, and writing about music. Dr. Ziegel engages widely in public musicology and is a familiar pre-concert lecturer in Baltimore, Maryland, and the surrounding region. He is the Scholar-in-Residence with Opera Baltimore, presenting multi-part lecture series that accompany every opera the company produces each season, all of which are published on the company’s “Opera Insights” webpage. In addition to his work with Opera Baltimore, he frequently lectures for Pro Musica Rara, Handel Choir of Baltimore, and OperaDelaware. His published scholarship has traced the emergence of a nationalist style of opera writing during the early years of the twentieth century. In collaboration with Towson University student singers, he curated a program of long-forgotten scenes and arias from Romantic-era American operas. He received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, summa cum laude, and a Master of Music in Music History at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, before earning a PhD in Musicology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Turandot's Unfinished Ending
Monday, April 21, 2025, 7:00–8:00 pm
Learn the true story of Puccini's unfinished opera, Turandot—how Puccini died of cancer in 1924 before completing the work, how his colleague Alfano sought to complete the missing final scene, and how the conductor Toscanini honored the maestro's memory at the opera's premiere in 1926. The history behind the score proves to be just as intensely dramatic as the opera that unfolds onstage.
Puccini, Modernism, and the End of an Era
Monday, April 28, 2025, 7:00–8:00 pm
Join us for a deep dive into the sound world of Turandot, including Puccini's compositional idiom, his engagement with the styles of his modernist contemporaries, and his search for sonic inspiration in the then unknown and largely inaccessible world of Chinese music. Equipped with an understanding of Puccini's musical inner workings, you can be a more insightful listener when you attend the opera.
