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Des Moines Metro Opera, Inc.

Our mission: TO PRODUCE opera as a living art form through performance and composition, TO OFFER a stage for American-trained principal artists, TO PROVIDE a high-caliber Apprentice Artist experience that provides extraordinary opportunities for young emerging artists to perform and to participate, and TO DEVELOP regional audiences of all ages through educational outreach programs.

Directors

Michael Egel - Artistic Director

Michael Egel of Indianola, Iowa, was appointed Artistic Director of the Des Moines Metro Opera in September of 2010, after having served as the Artistic Administrator/Director of Education since 1999. He joined the Festival staff in 1994. He is responsible for repertory selection, casting of singers, selecting conductors and stage directors for mainstage productions and oversight of the Company’s collaborations with creative and design teams. During the summer festival season, he coordinates the activities of nearly 200 company members, including creating the performance and singer-training components for the Apprentice Artist Program and often functions as a stage director within the program. During the winter he works with the young artists of DMMO’s OPERA Iowa touring troupe in developing educational materials and artist-led workshops and serving as a stage director for several of their touring productions. In 2008 he initiated the commissioning of a major children’s opera on a subject from Iowa history that was produced in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and was premiered in January of 2009.

His education credentials include a BA in Music from Simpson College and an MM from the University of Memphis. In March he was named to the Des Moines Business Record “Forty under 40” which serves to identify young leaders making an impact in the Greater Des Moines Area.

He has previously been on the administrative and directing staff at both Opera Memphis and the Natchez Opera Festival and has served frequently as an adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions. During the last two years, he has served on the steering committee for the National Singer Training Forum with other singer-training personnel at OPERA America and has presented on the topic of Singer Training at several conferences for them. He has been a panelist for the National Opera Association regarding career issues for young singers and has contributed to national publications regarding the auditioning process and training for singers.

Karol Nickell - Executive Director

Karol Nickell comes to DMMO from the publishing industry, having served as Vice President/Editor in Chief at both Meredith Corporation and the Reader’s Digest Association. Her non-profit experience includes two terms as a Board Director for United Way of America, during which she served as the Board’s Treasurer. A native Iowan, Nickell holds two degrees from Iowa State University and currently serves on the Advisory Council for the university’s Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication.

Robert L. Larsen - Founder and Director Emeritus

Robert L. Larsen of Indianola, Iowa, has served as the Founder and Artistic Director of Des Moines Metro Opera since 1973, and for 37 years, he acted as both conductor and stage director for every production of the Company. He has appeared as conductor with the Mississippi Opera and the DiCapo Opera Theatre in New York, stage director with the Carmel Bach Festival in Carmel, California, and musical and stage director with the University of Arizona Opera Theatre. He was a Professor of Music at Simpson College and also coached singers at Tanglewood and Oglebay Park, West Virginia; Chicago and New York.

In addition to his work as an educator, he compiled and edited the Opera Aria Anthology in seven volumes for G. Schirmer, as well as recordings of piano accompaniments of Mozart arias and Joseph Marx songs. He was selected as a recipient of the first Governor’s Award in Music, the 1999 Iowa Arts Award presented by the Iowa Arts Council for the State of Iowa, the Orpheus Award from Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia for “significant and lasting contributions to the cause of music in America,” Simpson College’s Award for Distinguished Research, and Lambda Chi Alpha’s Order of Achievement.

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Bruce Hughes, President
E.C. Muelhaupt III, President-Elect
Bryan Boesen, Vice-President of Development
William S. Niebur, Immediate Past President
Barbara Cappaert, Treasurer
Adrienne McFarland, Secretary
Patti Barbalato, At-Large
Diane Morain, At-Large
Kristine Hill, Guild Council President

Directors

Pat Brown
Terri L. Combs
Stephanie DeVolder
Andrew T. Dorr
Paul Greenwood
Bryan Hall
Heath Hinkhouse
Kevin Jones
Patrick Kelly
Susie Kimelman
Linda Koehn
Michael LaValle
Holly Logan
Elvin McDonald
Melanie Porter
Betty Ridout
Daniel Shipton
Leo Skeffington
Judy Watson
Wendy Waugaman

Honorary Directors

Mary Beh
Frank R. Brownell III
James M. Collier
Dr. Lawrence Ely
Barbara Gartner
Jo Ghrist
Sara Hill
Shirlie Katzenberger
Mary Seidler
Marilyn Vernon
Doyle Woods

Des Moines Metro Opera Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees

Wendy Waugaman, President
Natalie Tomaras, Treasurer
Jim Berens
Marshall Flapan
Bruce Hughes
Carlton T. King
Marla Lacey
Rich Matthes
Tom McKlveen
E.C. Muelhaupt III
William S. Niebur