Opera Conference 2026 began with a welcome session led by Jasmine Arielle Barnes, Kate Morton, Quodesia Johnson, Rebecca Hass, and Stefanos Koroneos.
Emmy award winning composer, Jasmine Arielle Barnes, is a Baltimore native, Michigan based composer. As a “composer to watch” (Chicago Tribune) her music has been described as “refreshing..,engaging...,exciting” by San Francisco Classical Voice, "Beautifully lyrical" by The Telegraph (UK), and “the best possible blend of Billie Holiday and Claude Debussy” by Boston Globe. The twice over graduate from Morgan State University and current DMA student at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a 2025 recipient of Opera America’s Discovery Opera Grant for women composers among two other grants from Opera America for her opera “She Who Dared” that premiered at Chicago Opera Theater in June 2025, commissioned by American Lyric Theater with Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, librettist. Barnes has been commissioned by numerous organizations such as NY Philharmonic , American Composers Forum, and Juilliard Pre College, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Atlanta Symphony, Carnegie Hall, National Orchestra Institute Festival, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival and School, among others. Barnes looks forward to making more music and takes great pride in bringing art into the world.
Kate Morton, mezzo-soprano, is a Cherokee Nation citizen from Tahlequah, Oklahoma with a Master of Music degree in Vocal Arts from The Juilliard School. At Juilliard, she performed as a soloist with New York Festival of Song, La Chatte/L’Ecureuil in L’enfant et les Sortilèges, and Sœur Mathilde in Dialogues des Carmelites. She was also a Schwab Vocal Rising Star at New York Festival of Song’s Caramoor Residency. She will be joining The Glimmerglass Festival this summer as a Resident Artist in their productions of Oklahoma! (Ado Annie) and Madame Butterfly. She has been a Festival Artist with Opera Saratoga in their productions of She Loves Me (Ilona Ritter) and La vie Parisienne (Madame de Folle-Verdure). Morton has performed with Opera Saratoga, Opera Montana, Caramoor, Carnegie Hall, National Sawdust, Lincoln Center, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and Canterbury Voices. She premiered the role of Loksi’ in Jerod Tate’s historic Loksi’ Shaali’ with Canterbury and the OKC Philharmonic. Morton has been a guest artist with the Seagle Festival, Alexandria Summer Nights, and the Castleton Festival. Morton’s other credits include Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, and Sor Andrea in With Blood With Ink. Morton is also a proud recipient of the Timothy Long Award and Cherokee Nation Trail of Tears Award.
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.
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.
Stefanos Koroneos is Artistic and General Director of Teatro Grattacielo (NYC). Since 2020, he has transformed the organization from a single annual performance to four productions and ten performances yearly, reaching 10,000+ New Yorkers and achieving sustained operating surplus. He founded Creative Tableaux, a tuition-free arts education program for NYC youth, and Opera at Gotham Park, a free civic series addressing climate change and civil rights. He approaches opera as a living, expandable art form, championing new American works — including a commission for the 2027 LA28 Olympics — while reimagining canonical works through video design, projection art, dance, and poetry.
