Experience big voices in an intimate setting! Join Opera Colorado’s Artists in Residence for a lively concert of arias and ensembles from opera, musical theatre, and more. Whether you’re a longtime opera lover or simply curious, enjoy an up-close encounter with rising talent and music that moves you.

Resident Artist Bios:

CONNOR BUCKLEY is a pianist, vocal coach, and conductor originally from Western Maryland.

This season, he joins the Artist in Residence Program at Opera Colorado and returns to the Lakes

Area Music Festival as repetiteur. He recently served as staff pianist and coach at Chicago Summer

Opera, Conductor/Associate Music Director at Nebraska Repertory Theatre, Assistant Conductor at

Sarasota Opera, and completed a Guest Artist residency with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Prior to these appointments, he was a Resident Artist at the Lakes Area Music Festival and an

Apprentice Artist at Palm Beach Opera.

Previously, he joined the music staff at Des Moines Metro Opera, where he also served as Music

Director for Opera Iowa’s educational outreach tour. His additional experience includes roles with

the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the San Francisco Opera Center, and the Manhattan

School of Music.

Connor is a highly regarded performer in chamber and recital settings and has demonstrated his

versatility as a conductor through various choral and musical theatre performances. His

accompaniment expertise has supported coachings and masterclasses led by prominent figures such

as Julia Bullock, Martin Katz, Ian Bostridge, César Ulloa, Susanne Mentzer, and Libby Larsen. He is

a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Ithaca College.

DIANE MACHIN is a director, writer, and choreographer who works across the artistic mediums in

theatre and opera. Never one to limit herself, Diane has directed straight plays, musicals, as well as

operatic repertoire of all varieties. Her work is defined by its aliveness—by the rigor of performance,

the strength of ensemble, and the shared experience between artists and audience. Some favorite

credits include her adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest, complete with her additional

scripting of the character Oscar Wilde, a Christmas-themed Gianni Schicchi for Music on Site Inc.

(with ransacked presents), and directing and creating virtual sets for the online world premiere of

the opera A Storm We Call Progress, a new work about environmental sustainability which

premiered online during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Diane wrote and directed Young

Gods, which premiered at the Performing Garage home of the Wooster Group in November 2019.

The script received a Story Summit Founder’s Award and was a semi-finalist for the Drama League's

Next Stage Residency. Upon moving to Chicago in 2024, she acted as assistant director for Chicago

Opera Theater and at Steppenwolf Theatre for their production of Amadeus directed by Robert

Falls. Since summer 2022, she has served as Resident Assistant Director at Opera Theatre of St.

Louis as well as scene director for Center Stage Concert alongside artistic director Patricia Racette.

When not bringing stories to the stage, Diane can be found cozying up with a book alongside her

fiancée Holly, their two cats Remy and Kovu, and Charlie the dog (who thinks he’s a cat).

MASON FONATINILLA O’BRIEN is a baritone from Memphis, Tennessee and a returning Artist

in Residence with Opera Colorado for the 2026-27 Season. This season, he looks forward to

performing the First Apparition in Macbeth, Daddy/Tim in The Snowy Day, Teacher/Space

Kitty/Taxi Driver in the touring production of Earth to Kenzie and singing in the chorus of The

School for Lovers (Così fan tutte). During the 2025-26 Season, he appeared on the Ellie Caulkins

mainstage as Barone Douphol in La traviata and Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, as well as

in Opera Colorado’s touring productions of Roméo et Juliette (Mercutio) and The Pirates of

Penzance (Major General). Mason holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Denver’s

Lamont School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Kentucky. Favorite

recent roles include Count Gil in Il segreto di Susanna with Fort Collins Opera, Leporello in Don

Giovanni at Prague Summer Nights, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the title role

in Gianni Schicchi at Lamont Opera, and the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly with the

Colorado Springs Philharmonic. When he’s not on stage, he can usually be found searching for good

coffee, a decent gym, or the one rehearsal room where the piano is actually in tune. Mason can

usually be found exploring Colorado’s mountains, thrifting for vinyl records, or convincing friends

to see another Rockies game.

BRIDGET RAVENSCRAFT is thrilled to return to Opera Colorado as a soprano Resident Artist

for a second season, where she will sing the roles of Kenzie (Earth to Kenzie), Amy/Soprano 1 (The

Snowy Day), Apparition 3 (Macbeth), and in the chorus of and study cover Despina in The School

for Lovers (Così fan tutte). During her first year of residency, she sang the roles of Annina (La

traviata), Juliet (Romeo & Juliet), and Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance). In the spring, she will make

her house and role debut with Boulder Opera Company, singing the role of Marguerite in Gounod’s

Faust. This past summer, she reprised the role of Mabel in Quisisana Resort’s production of The

Pirates of Penzance.

In May of 2025, Bridget graduated with her Artist Diploma from the University of Illinois Urbana-

Champaign where she studied with Yvonne Redman. During her two years at UIUC, she performed

in Oklahoma! (Aunt Eller), Monteverdi’s Orfeo (La Musica), was awarded second prize in the

Krannert Debut Artist Competition and was a recipient of the Stotler Fellowship. The University

partnered with the United States Embassy and the Centro Cultural in Costa Rica, where Bridget

and three classmates travelled throughout rural Costa Rica performing concerts and masterclasses

as a part of their Promising Young Artists Program. She was an apprentice artist with Des Moines

Metro Opera where she sang in the choruses of Sweeney Todd and Pique Dame and spent two

summers as a conservatory artist at the BayView Music Festival singing in Fiddler on the Roof

(Hodel), La Cenerentola (Clorinda), and Carmen (Micaëla). She is forever grateful for the support

of her family to pursue her dreams.

EMILY THOMPSON, soprano, is originally from South Florida but comes to Denver by way of

Chicago, where she received a master’s degree from Chicago College of Performing Arts at

Roosevelt University. She attended Florida State University for her bachelor's degree, studying voice

with Marcy Stonikas. Currently, she studies with Alexandra Lobianco. Recent performances include

several world premieres, such as Pale Courage by Kyong Mee Choi (Lady Jade Song), and Chicago

premieres of The Last Word by Craig Carnahan (Dusty) and On Call: Covid-19 by David Shenton

(Seoul Healthcare Worker). She has since sung the titular role in Suor Angelica, sang in Das

Rheingold (Wellgunde), and participated in opera choruses for works by Verdi and Donizetti. In

2025, Emily received an Encouragement Award in the Indiana District Laffont Competition.

Outside of opera, Emily has found joy and success in being a part of several ensembles in the

Chicagoland area. In the 2025-26 Season, she joined Consonance for their 50th season in which

they performed various works including Here I Am, a multimedia symphony celebrating the

centennial of the 19th amendment, by Jocelyn Hagen. She performed with Chicago-based treble

ensemble La Caccina and was the Soprano Soloist in Illiana Oratorio Society’s performance of

Handel’s Messiah. Emily also has experience as a crossover artist and discovered much of her

lifelong love of singing through musical theatre.

Emily is excited to be a Resident Artist for Opera Colorado’s 2026-27 Season, during which she will

be performing in Verdi’s Macbeth (2nd Apparition), Earth to Kenzie (Edwin/Eddie), The Snowy Day

(Mama/Ensemble), and The School for Lovers (Così fan tutte) (Fiordiligi cover/Chorus). She is

looking forward to building community and forging friendships as she finds a new musical home in

Opera Colorado this season.

Chinese lyric mezzo-soprano XIAO XIAO is quickly gaining recognition for the warmth and

brilliance of her voice, as well as her soulful artistry and compelling stage presence.

Xiao’s notable roles include the title role in La Cenerentola and L’enfant et les sortilèges, Ma Joad

in The Grapes of Wrath, Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Contessa in I Due Figaro, Linfea and Il

Destino in Cavalli’s La Calisto, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Mercédès in Carmen, Hiroko (Mama)

in An American Dream, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Jim in The Gift of the Magi, and Henrietta

Wong in the premiere production of Harvey Milk, among others. Her concert highlights include

Handel’s Messiah and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. Xiao has made a strong impression through

engagements with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, The Glimmerglass

Festival, and Opera de Metro.

Embracing both traditional and contemporary works, Xiao has participated in several world

premiere and newly commissioned works, helping bring new stories to life. From the operatic stage

to the recital hall, she is passionate about creating meaningful connections through music and strives

to bring depth, authenticity, and emotional resonance to audiences around the world.

Xiao was a District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and is also a prizewinner

of the Toscanini International Competition and the Orpheus Vocal Competition. She holds degrees

from the China Conservatory of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and New England

Conservatory, and recently earned her DMA from Michigan State University.

In the 2026-27 Season, Xiao joins Opera Colorado as a Resident Artist, performing the Lady-in-

Waiting in Verdi’s Macbeth, covering Dorabella in Mozart’s The School for Lovers (Così fan tutte),

and appearing as the Mother in the touring production Earth to Kenzie. She will also return as

Snake/Sheep in The Big Swim, the opera commissioned by Houston Grand Opera and Asia Society

Texas, celebrating the Year of the Sheep.

Contact the host of Opera Colorado: Arias & Ensembles

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