Butler Opera International Competition

Colin Michael Brush

Colin Brush is the director of the Sarah and Ernest butler Houston Grand Opera Studio. He previously served as artistic administrator for Washington National Opera in Washington, D.C., where he helped plan mainstage operas and other performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with responsibilities including negotiating artist contracts, casting singers, holding auditions, and traveling extensively in search of talent. A former Bosch Foundation Fellow and the recipient of a Flausen arts research grant, Brush holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Vocal Performance from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Music degree in Opera from the University of Maryland. He speaks four languages.

Claudia Chapa

Claudia Chapa (she/her) is an award-winning performer, curator, and Latine cultural advocate. She is the Associate Director of Artistic Administration and the Curator of Hispanic and Latinx Programming at Austin Opera.  As a mezzo soprano, she performed with Dallas Opera, Virginia Opera, San Diego Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, among many other houses. Recent highlights include recording Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Philharmonic at the famed Abbey Roads Studios. In 2017, Chapa made her Carnegie Hall debut as the mezzo soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with Distinguished Concert International New York (DCINY). She received the prestigious Silverman Award, the Monica & Roger McNeill Award and is a grant recipient from the Olga Forrai Foundation. In 2015, she participated in the Young Artist Program at The Glimmerglass Festival and studied vocal performance at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin. In 2022, Austin Opera appointed her as their inaugural Curator of Hispanic and Latinx programming. In this role, she spearheads programming in Spanish and develops initiatives to increase Latine communities’ access to opera. Her dedication to cultural representation in opera continues as the founder of the Latine Opera Alliance, a diverse group of Latine-identifying opera singers, creatives, and administrators striving to uplift and advocate for equity and representation in opera.

Paul HoPper

Paul Hopper is LA Opera’s senior director, artistic planning. His duties in Los Angeles include overseeing all casting for the company and serving as the artistic and strategic head of the company’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. For the five seasons before, he was the Associate Artistic Administrator at The Metropolitan Opera where he worked on the casting of over 200 performances annually, including the Grammy award winning productions of Porgy and Bess, Akhnaten, Fire Shut up in My Bones, and Champion. Previously, he was the assistant artistic director at Houston Grand Opera where he assisted in long term artistic planning and casting, managed special artistic initiatives, and guided a variety of audiences in learning more about opera, including numerous events in support of the company’s first Ring Cycle. As principal dramaturg for the company he worked closely with composers and librettists in the commissioning and development of new works. He regularly serves on the juries for international vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera’s Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, the Queen Sonja International Music Competition, the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition, and the Tenor Viñas Competition. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Houston, Paul is also Artistic Advisor for the Lakes Area Music Festival. He previously held positions at the Santa Fe Opera and ADA Artist Management. 

David Lomelí

David Lomelí is a globally recognized leader in the opera world, celebrated for his innovative approach to artistic strategy and casting. He is Chief Artistic Advisor at Santa Fe Opera and a consultant for Bayerische Staatsoper, The Dallas Opera, Atlanta Opera, and the Croatian National Theater in Rijeka.A former winner of the Operalia competition, Lomelí transitioned from a distinguished singing career to becoming one of the most influential artistic creatives in classical music. As the founder of Lomeli Consulting and a champion for diversity through Opera America, he leverages his unique blend of artistic and technological expertise to shape the future of the performing arts. A proud Mexican, Lomelí is dedicated to fostering creativity, inclusivity, and excellence in opera worldwide.

Tamar Sanikidze

Dr. Tamar Sanikidze is a “technically nimble and supportive pianist” (New York Times) with a distinguished career spanning performance, coaching, and leadership in the opera world. She currently serves as the Sarah and Ernest Butler Endowed Professor in Opera at The University of Texas at Austin, where she is also director, producer, and principal coach of the Butler Opera Center and director of the Butler Opera International Competition. In these roles, Sanikidze plays a pivotal part in shaping the next generation of opera professionals through mentorship, education, and performance.

Sanikidze is a graduate of renowned young artist programs, including the Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera and the Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera. She has held key music staff positions in prestigious opera houses both in the U.S. and abroad.

As an official pianist and Chorus Master for Operalia, the World Opera Competition, Dr. Sanikidze has performed on some of the world’s most celebrated stages, including La Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Artscape Theatre in South Africa, the Latvian National Opera in Riga, and the National Theatre in Prague, among others. Dr. Sanikidze’s global performances across Europe, Asia, and the Americas have earned her a reputation as a sought-after accompanist, assistant conductor, and collaborator, and as an avid recitalist, she has worked with internationally renowned vocalists, including an honor of performing at the White House for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

In addition to her performance career, Dr. Sanikidze is a respected coach and educator, regularly collaborating with distinguished young artist programs such as Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera Center, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Los Angeles Opera. Since 2015, she has been a faculty member at the Music Academy of the West, where she serves as Head of the Vocal Piano Program at the Lehrer Vocal Institute and as an Audition/Casting Judge.

Dr. Sanikidze is the recipient of the Marilyn Horne Foundation Award for Excellence in Vocal Accompanying. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts  from the University of Maryland, College Park and is an alumna of several prestigious programs, including Wolf Trap Opera Center, Merola Opera Program, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Opera Center, Cleveland Art Song Festival, and SongFest.

Melissa Wegner

Melissa Wegner is the executive director of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and the Laffont Competition. She is responsible for identifying, awarding, and developing the world’s most promising operatic talent. A member of the Met’s Artistic staff since 2011, she hears artists in stage and screening auditions at the Met and is additionally responsible for casting the Met’s New Opera Commissions workshops.

Recognized for her leadership in the industry, Ms. Wegner was an official ambassador for Opera America’s 50th Anniversary in 2020, was one of the 2019 Musical America Top 30 Professionals of the Year, and was a 2019 recipient of the Maria Callas Prize of New York from Melos International. In addition to the District, Regional and National rounds of the Laffont Competition, Ms. Wegner has adjudicated international competitions including the Belvedere Competition (South Africa, Russia, Latvia, Germany), Opera’s Golden Voice (Georgia), the Nicola Martinucci Competition (Italy). US Competitions include the Ades Vocal Competition, the SAI Vocal Competition, the McCammon Voice Competition, and NATSAA Competition.

A faculty member of Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Ms. Wegner has also been visiting faculty for Bard College’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program and is a frequent guest speaker and clinician at many of the country’s top conservatories, universities, and summer festivals. She is an active member of Opera America and has presented at the NATS Winter Workshop.

Ms. Wegner holds degrees from Bard College, The Manhattan School of Music, and The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.