Team and Board Members Bios

About Us

Hometown Opera Company is a group of singers in Rochester and surrounding areas who love opera and love sharing it with others. We create musical projects, partner with existing creatives, and provide a positive and supportive community for opera singers.

The group began when a small group of singers banded together to create more opportunities for classically trained singers in Southeastern Minnesota. It was late in 2022 that six founding members decided to put together a concert of arias that would showcase their voices and this profoundly important art form. The idea was a hit, as was their debut concert in February of 2023. The audience reception was overwhelmingly positive, and the group had friends and supporters reaching out in the following weeks to express excitement and enthusiasm about future projects.

The group began holding monthly salons at their accompanist's home studio where they would bring an art song or aria to sing for their peers. It was a way for them to share and celebrate the genre and to hear what other singers in the group had been working on. Word of mouth spread quickly and the group attracted more classically trained singers with operatic experience who were excited to find a community of singers in Rochester.

The group met consistently and shared collective vision and plans over the following months, performing in a few events like summer community gatherings, parties, and some outreach projects in Rochester and its outskirts.

In August 2023, a subgroup of the opera company created their first educational outreach project: "Pirates of Penzance" in which they performed excerpts from the operetta, involving students from Rochester Public School's Summer of Discovery. The project was met with great excitement, and the groups efforts to engage students in the performance of opera was a big success.

2023 wrapped up with Carols at Eventide at the Historic Chateau, a concert of Christmas music from ages past. It was a lovely program of music which was at times light hearted and joyful, and at other moments solemn and reverent.

First season's final concert was in February of 2024, one year after their debut concert. "Apricity: the Warmth of the Sun in Winter" was a gorgeous collection of classical art songs by Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, and Liszt, and displayed voices that warmed the hearts of it's audience.

The group held auditions in August of 2024, casting singers from Rochester, surrounding cities, and the metro area to perform in its exciting 2024-25 season that will broadens their landscape and scope with bigger productions. Projects include a madrigal concert and play in December, a concert of opera scenes collaborating with local composer Kevin Dobbe in March, and its very first full opera to be performed at the Charles E. Gagnon museum in Rochester in July of 2025.

Mission Statement

The Hometown Opera Company aims to make opera accessible and enrich the cultural experiences available in Southeastern Minnesota through educational programs, opera performances, and collaborative projects with local artists. As an organization, we aim to shape the future of opera by fostering fresh and diverse audiences and empowering a creative group of artists to present, develop, and progress opera

Philosophy

Hometown Opera Company's goal is to create singing projects for singers and audiences to enjoy, and for that purpose we maintain and encourage a spirit of collaboration with one another and other singers, musicians, and creatives in our community. We have high standards for ourselves as singers and for the quality and caliber of our performances. Our singers are well prepared to sing for an audience and in our salons, memorizing repertoire whenever possible. We bring our best forward as musicians and people, knowing that sharing our gift with others is a privilege and gift. Texts are learned with attention to diction of the languages sung, and singers have taken time to learn translations and develop interpretations of the character that is being performed. We always aim to honor the composer's intentions and regard common practices of the period and repertoire. Our best shines through when we understand that great singing happens as a result of consistent and dedicated practice, good technique, and applied musicianship. We have fun with each other while we take part in this practice that allows us to share part of ourselves in our humanity and connect with others.

Executive Committe

Kate Rogers, Executive Director

Stefanie Margaret Tranchida, Artistic Director

Board of Directors

Stefanie Margaret Tranchida President
Kate Rogers, Vice President

Megan Dotzler, Secretary

Jordan Brown, Treasurer

Erin Haefner, Librarian

Blanka Melbostad, Website and Graphic Design

Theresa LaValla, Volunteer Coordinator

Beth Hauser, Costumes and Props

Grant Holsinger, Community Outreach

Board of Directors

Stefanie Tranchida

President

Artistic Director, Founding member

Stefanie Margaret Tranchida is a lyric soprano originally from metro Detroit, now based in Southeastern Minnesota. After completing her Master’s Degree in Music Education with a focus in voice and choral conducting at the Conservatorio di Musica G. Tartini in Trieste, Italy, Stefanie returned to the U.S. to pursue a multifaceted career in performance and opera production.
As a singer and director, Stefanie is passionate about making opera artistically vibrant and widely accessible. She enjoys her work as Artistic Director, where she has led a range of immersive and site-specific productions, including the upcoming Gianni Schicchi at the Plummer House.
Her recent performance credits include the soprano solos in Handel’s Messiah, John Rutter's Requiem, as well as the role of Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. Stefanie also enjoys performing musical theatre with Calliope Theatre Company. She has recently served as the vocal director at the Rochester Civic Theatre for Newsies, Anastasia, and the upcoming production Frozen.

Kate Rogers

Vice President

Executive Director, Founding member

Kate is a Rochester native and first started singing as a youngster in school and church. Kate's main interest was always music, so she earned her BA in Vocal Music Education from University of Minnesota, Morris where she studied voice with Hope Koehler and Ken Hodgson. After several years in education, she explored other career paths, and found her niche as a medical receptionist at Limb Lab, a prosthetics and orthotics clinic in Rochester. For many years, Kate seriously considered attending graduate school to earn an MA in vocal music, but ultimately decided to carve her own path as a singer. She has studied singing with some notable teachers and coaches in the metro area, and Alexander Technique through the Mind Body Music School out of St. Paul. She also sings as a jazz vocalists with the Notochords, a big band in Rochester and has performed onstage in plays and musicals at Rochester Repertory Theatre, Rochester Civic Theatre, Absolute Theatre, and Z Theatre in Zumbrota.

Meghan Dotzler

Secretary

Megan Dotzler, mezzo soprano, was most recently seen singing in a local production with the Rochester Chamber Music Society, Here in this Garden in 2023. Another recent performance includes Sièbel in Faust with Opera Reading Project in 2021. She performed La Suora Infermiera and La Suora Zelatrice in Suor Angelica with Music On Site, Inc. in 2019. She also attended Chicago Summer Opera in 2019 where she performed Nireno in Giulio Cesare and performed scenes as Carmen (Carmen), The Witch (Hänsel und Gretel), and Noémie (Cendrillon). Past roles include Mercédès in La tragedie de Carmen/Carmen, Oktavian in scenes from Der Rosenkavalier and Nancy in Albert Herring with University Opera Theater at the University of Minnesota. She received her master of music degree from the University of Minnesota where she studied with Adriana Zabala and her bachelor of music degree from Concordia College, Moorhead. An avid choral performer, she is also a member, soloist, and section leader with the Choral Arts Ensemble in Rochester, MN since 2016. Megan is currently studying to become a board certified music therapist through Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN.

Jordan Brown

Treasurer

Originally from Des Moines, IA, Jordan Brown is a local Rochester Singer and Educator. Jordan studied Vocal Performance at The University of Northwestern-St. Paul where he gained extensive experience in Opera and Musical Theater performance. During his time in university Jordan performed dozens of roles and sang consistently with the Northwestern Choir. In 2018 Jordan made his debut with Minnesota Opera in the production of Silent Night by Kevin Puts. During his time in the Twin Cities, Jordan sang with different choirs including the Cathedral of St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir and the Two Rivers Chorale. He currently teaches privately and sings with the Choral Arts Ensemble of Rochester. His most recent performance was in collaboration with the Rochester Chamber Music Society and the premiere of Robert S.P Gardner’s chamber opera Here In This Garden.

Erin Haefner

Librarian

Erin Haefner, mezzo-soprano, hails from Byron, Minnesota. She received her bachelor’s degree in Flute Performance from Luther College in Decorah, IA and recently received her master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. Erin’s 2022 opera credits include Margaret “Meg” March (Little Women), Daughter (Daughter), Ada Blake (A Certain Madness), and Rachel (If I Were You). Erin recently received the Frank and Sally Hansen Singer/Actor Award of Excellence. Erin has performed around the world, including London, Paris, and in the famous Vienna Musikverein. Erin currently resides in Byron, Minnesota, singing with the Rochester Symphony Chorale, Choral Arts Ensemble, and working for the Rochester Symphony Orchestra as the Director of Operations and Education and Music Librarian.

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Blanka Melbostad

Website & Graphic Design

Blanka is a Lyric Coloratura Soprano with Graphic Design background. Recent credits include "The Sorcerer" and "Utopia, Ltd." with Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera, as well as "Die Csárdásfürstin" with Opera on the Lake.

Theresa LaValla

Volunteer Coordinator

Theresa is new to Hometown Opera (both as volunteer coordinator and patron) but is so amazed by the talent of the performers and the commitment of the leadership team to bring a variety of music and theater experiences to Rochester. If you are interested in getting involved or helping out feel free to ask her about it!

Beth Hauser

Costumes & Props

Erin Beth Hauser is a Rochester Native, RN, and mama to four. She has been volunteering her time as costume designer for Hometown Opera Company this season, and has enjoyed using her time, talents, and vast costume collection to bring their performances to the next level. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Grant Holsinger

Community Outreach

Grant is a classically trained Bass from Stillman Valley, IL. IT was there that he grew the love for theater and performance that led him to Luther College in 2013 to pursue and graduate in 2017 with a degree in vocal performance. While there he studied with Baritone, Dr.Gary Moss, and was coached by Dr. Jessica Paul and Dr. Nicholas Shaneyfelt. Often described as Rich and Full, His voice is well suited to Basso Profundo and Basso Buffo roles. Roles performed include Bogdanovitch in Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow and Don Alhambra De Bolero in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers. While not having performed in a Full opera for several years, He is super excited to Join Hometown Opera Company to help bring some opera to SE Minnesota!

Tickets

About Us

Mission Statement

Philosophy

Executive Committe

Board of Directors