Opera Conference 2026 closed with a facilitated closing conversation to reflect on shared experiences, surface key insights, and discuss how individuals would carry the work forward. In this session, attendees were invited to:
Quodesia “Quo” Johnson (she/her) is a healing practitioner, speaker, community facilitator, writer, equity specialist, strategist, and racial equity coach recognized nationally for her unique approach to shaping spaces of connection, shared values, and creativity. With a personal mission to support people and disrupt oppressive systems, Quo serves organizations of regional, national, and international impact in the nonprofit arts, culture, education, and social justice sectors through her collaborative consulting practice. Her current roles include social justice advisor (OPERA America); company culture consultant (The Dallas Opera); founder and space moderator (Black Administrators of Opera); and Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project.
Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate is a Chickasaw-American father, classical composer, and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, dedicated to the development of American Indian classical composition.
Commissioned by esteemed groups such as the New York Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra, Cantori NY, Turtle Island Quartet, and Dover String Quartet, Tate received a 2025 Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient from The Cleveland Institute of Music, was appointed a Cultural Ambassador for the U. S. Department of State in 2021, and was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame. He is a governor-appointed Creativity Ambassador for the State of Oklahoma, an Emmy Award-winner for The Science of Composing, and his music is featured in the HBO series Westworld.
Dr. Kirsten C. Kunkle (Mvskoke) has been lauded as the leading Native American soprano in today’s classical music world. Career highlights include world premieres of Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s Loksi Shaali’, American Indian Symphony, and Ko’koom’feena, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 at the Kennedy Center, performing at Carnegie Hall, becoming a NAXOS recording artist, writing for OPERA AMERICA magazine, and premiering her first opera libretto, Girondines. Her composition Reclaim the Land was written for the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park and has been featured on All Things Considered and BBC Radio. She is the Co-Founder/Artistic Director of Wilmington Concert Opera.
www.kirstenckunkle.com
Rebecca Hass is Director of Engagement and New Works for Pacific Opera Victoria and winner of the 2022 Opera Canada Ruby for her impact as a changemaker. An alumna of Opera America’s Leadership Program and the Banff Indigenous Leadership program, she works as a consultant bridging classical music and civic engagement. This season, she led Found in Translation, translating arias into Indigenous languages, and launched a new work development program to create original operas for middle school students. Of Métis and mixed European descent, Rebecca is also a mezzo-soprano, theatre maker, broadcaster, and creator of the podcast What’s Up with Opera.
Chase Hopkins is the general director of Chicago's acclaimed Haymarket Opera Company and the artistic director of Opera Edwardsville. Hopkins was appointed as Haymarket’s first general director in 2020. Recently, Hopkins made his directorial debut at Haymarket Opera Company with Hasse's Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra starring Kangmin Justin Kim and Lauren Decker, which received praise from Heidi Waleson in the Wall Street Journal, saying "Chase Hopkins, the director, wisely had the performers interact naturalistically, and the portrait of their relationship deepened through the evening." Chicago Classical Review praised Hopkins' staging as "skillful and alert to the intimate nature of the piece." Previously, Hopkins served as a creative producer for three innovative cinematic productions of Handel operas that received praise as “an inspiring and relevant modern production” (Operawire) and “a superb document of a Handel opera” (Chicago Tribune). Hopkins served as creative producer for the 2022 production of L’Amant Anonyme by Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, which was praised by the Chicago Tribune for “making history.” The world-premiere recording of this forgotten work was released in collaboration with Chicago’s Grammy Award-winning label, Cedille Records, earning a 5-star review from the BBC Music Magazine and praise for “luxury casting” by Gramophone. Hopkins also served as creative producer for Haymarket’s 2022 production of L’incoronazione di Poppea, which was included in the Chicago Tribune’s “Top Performances of 2022.” Hopkins is currently pursuing executive training at the Harvard Business School.
Vincent Rutter-Covatto (he/him) is an arts leader and producer based in New York City. He is the director of learning and leadership at OPERA America, where he develops leadership and professional development programming for opera company administrators, independent producers, and artists. 2025 marks his 10th year at the company, where he previously served in roles in the membership department and the National Opera Center. He is an alumnus of OPERA America's 2019 Leadership Intensive. In 2023, he and his husband, Jordan, founded counter codex, an interdisciplinary performance company where he serves as the company producer. Counter codex prioritizes community-building around its performances, which center LGBTQIA+ perspectives. Outside of his work in the arts, Rutter-Covatto can be found taking classes at the Harlem YMCA, volunteering for political causes, and spending time in the West Village.
