Celebrating the Centennial of Composer Robert Owens

About the Artists

Donnie Ray Albert

Donnie Ray Albert is a regular guest of opera companies and symphony orchestras around the world, including numerous appearances with Opera Pacific, Houston Grand Opera, and opera houses across the U.S., Canada and Europe. He is a resident artist with the Center for Black Music Research at Chicago’s Columbia College. Mr. Albert may be heard on RCA’s Grammy Award and Grand Prix du Disque winning recording of Porgy and Bess, NOW’s recording of The Horse I Ride Has Wings with David Garvey on piano, EMI’s Frühlingsbegräbnis and Eine Florentinesche Tragodie by Zemlinsky conducted by James Conlon, and Simon Sargon’s A Clear Midnight on the Gasparo label.  

Genesis Staple 

Genesis Staple is a senior The University of Texas at Austin where she studies voice performance with Donnie Ray Albert. With a passion for both classical music and contemporary music, she has been featured as a vocalist in many ensembles at the Butler School of Music, including UT Conjunto Ensemble under the direction of Joel Guzman and JJ Barrera, Musical Theatre Workshop directed by Leah Crochetto and Mikhail Smigelski and most recently with Jazz Orchestra directed by Diego Rivera.

Blake Yvonne Phillips

Blake Yvonne Phillips (she/her) earned her Bachelor in Music in performance from Michigan State University where she studied with Mark Rucker. She is working toward a Master of Music in performance at The University of Texas at Austin where she studies with Donnie Ray Albert. During her time at Michigan State, she performed as Countess Charlotte Malcolm in Steven Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, which won second place in Division IV by the National Opera Association. After graduating, Blake performed with the Quinlan Singers and Austin Symphony Orchestra’s Summertime.  She sends lots of love to family and friends for their unwavering support and love. Sporadic updates at @iban_sshi on instagram.  

Joseph Oparamanuike 

Joseph Oparamanuike returns to the international scenes after over five years of re-introducing opera and teaching singing in his country, Nigeria. He founded Comic Opera House in Nigeria and later became the first opera head of the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON). He received his Master of Sacred Music in choral conducting at the University of Notre Dame with Mark Doerries, Nancy Menk, and Stephen Lancaster, and a Master of Music in opera and Post Graduate Diploma in performance (singing) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Scott Johnson through the support of the RCS Trust Fund’s Scholarship. He also holds Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music in singing, Diploma of the Associated Board of Royal School of Music in vocal teaching and B.Eng. in chemical engineering. He is a D.M.A. candidate in opera performance at The University of Texas at Austin, studying with Donnie Ray Albert. His opera repertoire includes, Don Basilio (Le Nozze di Figaro), Begearss (The Ghosts of Versailles), Alfredo/Gastone (La Traviata), Rodolfo (La Boheme), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Count Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Tonio (La Fille Du Regiment), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Nemorino (L’Elisir D’Amore), Prunier (La Rondine), and Tito (La Clemenza di Tito). 

James Maverick

James Maverick joined the Butler School of Music in 2021, where he teaches vocal accompanying and coaches singers. Since 2020, he has been music staff and Assistant Chorus Master at Cincinnati Opera, and has also been music staff at Austin Opera since 2023. He was chorus master and keyboardist for productions of Les pêcheurs des perles and Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, where he was also a Resident Artist from 2017-2019. While in Kansas City, he served on the coaching faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. He has prepared workshops of new operas through Austin Opera's LatinX Residency, Cincinnati's Opera Fusion: New Works program, and Opera Philadelphia. He has previously been a fellow with Wolf Trap Opera, the Merola Opera Program, and the Tanglewood Music Center, and he holds degrees in piano performance, choral conducting, and collaborative piano from Lawrence University and Indiana University.

Rick Rowley

Rick Rowley leads a diverse musical life. He gives concerts with many of the world’s finest instrumentalists and singers and his solo, concerto and collaborative performances have taken him throughout the United States, to Europe and Latin America. Mr. Rowley has made several recordings of solo piano repertoire, chamber music and art songs. His second CD with flutist, Marianne Gedigian, was one of the first recordings issued on the UT Longhorn label. He has recorded piano music of Chopin, Liszt, Granados, Mompou and American composers David Guion, Richard Cumming, Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber. His recordings with sopranos Cheryl Parrish and Mela Dailey also feature music of American composers. He has begun making video performances as part of a series of concerts in partnership with Professor Emeritus Darlene Wiley of the Butler School voice faculty. Mr. Rowley coaches singers and works with collaborative pianists, has taught classes in German, French and American art song, singing and acting for musical theater and a history of musical theater on Broadway. He has appeared three times as soloist with the UTSO and is heard frequently on broadcasts of live performances from the Butler School.

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Upcoming Events

Butler Opera Center Presents
CInderella 
by Jules Massenet

Massenet’s telling of the beloved fairytale has everything you’d hope for: luxurious love duets, a fairy godmother with atmospheric vocal acrobatics, a missing glass slipper, two ugly stepsisters with a mother you love to hate, and an overlooked heroine who ultimately finds true love. Even at its 1899 premiere, critics and audience members alike adored the opera’s snappy wit, compelling music, and its unavoidable charm (princes included) . . .

Friday, October 17 & 24, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 19 & 26, 4:00 p.m.
McCullough Theatre

Tickets

Symphony Orchestra
Friday, September 19, 7:30 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall 

Butler Opera international Competition 
Semi-Finals
Tuesday, September 30, 3:30 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall
Free Admission! 

Finals
Wednesday, October 1, 6:30 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall
Tickets

Jazz Orchestras
Etienne Charles, trumpet & composer
Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall

Schubertiade with Anton Nel & Friends
Monday, November 3, 7:30 p.m.
Bates Recital Hall 

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