This is Steven Osgood’s sixth season as General and Artistic Director of the Chautauqua Opera Company. During his tenure the company has reconfigured its season schedule to include longer runs of selected productions, chamber operas, and a Festival Week to celebrate the 90th anniversary season in 2019. Contemporary music has become a staple of Chautauqua Opera Company’s repertoire each season. The Composer-in-Residence position which was created in 2016 has been expanded this season to include two Composer Fellows.

Steven has conducted the world premieres of over 20 operas, including in recent seasons Breaking the Waves at Opera Philadelphia, JFK at Fort Worth Opera, The Scarlet Ibis, Thumbprint, Blood Moon, and Sumeida’s Song for the PROTOTYPE festival, as well as Missy Mazzoli’s Song from the Uproar with Beth Morrison Projects. He has been conductor mentor on two occasions for Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative, leading the premieres of six new operas.

From 2001 to 2008 Steven was Artistic Director of American Opera Projects, where he conducted numerous developmental workshops. He founded the company’s internationally recognized Composers and the Voice Fellowship and remains the program’s Artistic Director. He conducted the premieres of As One in its sold-out run at BAM, and Paula Kimper’s Patience and Sarah at the 1998 Lincoln Center Festival.

In March 2020 Steven was in preview performances at Lincoln Center Theatre for the world premiere of Intimate Apparel by Ricky Ian Gordon and Lynn Nottage, based on her play of the same name. The production was put on hold when Broadway closed for the pandemic and is slated to return for its official opening and extended run January through March 2022.

Since 1995 Carol Rausch has served as Music Administrator/Chorus Master, overseeing the musical components of the company and the Young Artist Program.

Carol is also the Chorus Master/Music Administrator for the New Orleans Opera. She has won awards for both choral direction and for the company’s success in arts education throughout Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Carol has previously worked for Virginia Opera, Greater Miami Opera (now Florida Grand Opera), Ohio Light Opera and Opera Columbus. She has taught at The Ohio State University and has been on the staffs of Kenyon College and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Carol is currently head of the opera department at Loyola University New Orleans, where she has musically prepared and conducted numerous performances. In January 2018 the city of New Orleans hosted the National Opera Association conference, for which Loyola produced Tom Cipullo’s award-winning chamber opera After Life.

Carol has performed as a member of the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra and the Metamorphosis Chamber Ensemble. She has remained active as a coach and recital pianist, including concerts with Jennifer Rowley, Marquita Lister, Fabiana Bravo, Ned Barth, Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet, Greer Grimsley, Luretta Bybee, Anthony Laciura, Melanie Helton, Brenda Harris and Bryan Hymel. Carol often accompanies the Gulf Coast regional auditions for the Metropolitan Opera National Council and has judged both the district and regional levels of competition throughout the U.S.

Carol holds degrees from Indiana University and The Ohio State University, and she pursued a year of study at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Brussels, Belgium, as a Rotary Foundation Graduate Fellow. Her piano teachers have included Jorge Bolet, Earl Wild, Richard Tetley-Kardos and Sonja Anschütz.

Michael Baumgarten has been the Director of Production and Resident Lighting Designer for Chautauqua Opera since 1999, and for Opera Carolina in Charlotte since 2005. Michael has designed lighting for over 450 productions at regional and international opera companies, including New York City Opera, Teatro del Giglio/Lucca, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Arizona Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera Kansas City, Palm Beach Opera, Toledo Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, and Manitoba Opera during his thirty-plus year design career. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama and member of United Scenic Artists-Local 829, he assisted on Broadway during the 1980’s, working with such designers as Craig Miller, Tom Skelton, Beverly Emmons, Jim Ingalls, and Richard Nelson.

Helen Hassinger joins the Chautauqua Opera Company team as Manager after previously holding the positions of Audition Manager and Company Manager.  Prior to joining Chautauqua Opera Company, Helen worked in international education as the Metropolitan College International Administrator at Boston University.  Helen has also held administrative roles with NUOVA Vocal Arts, Aspen Music Festival, and Seaglass Theater Company.

A former Chautauqua Opera Young Artist, Helen is no stranger to Chautauqua Institution’s stages.  In 2017, she appeared with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and also performed the roles of Soprano 2 in Hydrogen Jukebox and Ninfa in Orfeo.  In 2018, Helen performed Donna Anna in Chautauqua Opera’s production of Don Giovanni as a returning Apprentice Artist.

Helen is a graduate of St. Olaf College and Boston University.

Suzanne serves as the Director of Arts Education at Chautauqua Institution, responsible for the development and implementation of arts education programs in the K-12 public schools. Since her arrival in 2017, over 20,000 students have participated in these programs by writing plays, drumming their hearts out, singing their lungs out and overall, sharing their unique selves through artistic expression. Suzanne also serves as the operations manager for the School of Music, combining her skill sets in education and event production to aid in envisioning compelling performance and learning experiences for pre-professional musicians who attend during the Summer Assembly.

Prior to her time at the Institution, Suzanne taught in K-12 and higher education settings as a percussionist, conductor and music historian. Trained as a classical percussionist, she was a member of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra for 20 years and also enjoyed a performing career as pit musician for musicals on drum set. She was in high demand as guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout Illinois and Indiana.