Operations & Artistic

Andreas Mitisek, General Director

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Jerry Tietz, General Manager

Chicago native Jerry Tietz joined Chicago Opera Theater in the fall of 2010 as the Artistic Administrator. Jerry began his career in arts administration as an artistic intern at Glimmerglass Opera, and became the company's Artistic Coordinator after his first summer. From Glimmerglass he moved to New York City where he held the position of Artist Manager in the vocal division at Barrett Vantage Artists for three years. He graduated with B.M. in vocal performance from Lawrence University in 2005.

Terry Harper, Director of Production

Terry began his opera career while still in college in Texas when he took a load out call for Texas Opera Theater, this lead to 5 years touring with that company, the touring arm of Houston Grand Opera.

HGO then pulled him up into the main company as Assistant Technical Director for 2 years and then on to Technical Director.

Terry loves the road so much that when an opportunity came up to tour the world with Magician David Copperfield as Production Manager, he couldn't refuse. After 2 ½ years with David, he became Mr. Copperfield's Company Manager. Terry spent 5 total years on the road with Mr. copperfield

After leaving the world of magic, Terry got back into opera, splitting his time with Opera Omaha as Director of Production and summers outside of Denver with Central City Opera as Technical Director.

Terry comes to Chicago from Vancouver Opera as Director of Production for 6 years. Terry has also worked as a rock and roll Lighting Designer and musical theater Sound Engineer.

Born and raised in Houston Texas. Terry has two beautiful children, Hanna and Riley, that he loves very much!

Jane Hulburt, Artistic Coordinator

Jane is a graduate from Lawrence University with a BA in German and Music (Piano). Jane moved to Leipzig, Germany directly after college on a Fulbright Scholarship as an English Teaching Assistant. After her East-German experience, Jane moved to Chicago where she started her Artistic Administration career as an intern with Baroque Band before interning at Chicago Opera Theater during the 2011 Spring Festival Season. She started as Artistic Coordinator at COT in the winter of 2012. Jane also teaches high school choir and band part time, as well as voice and piano when she has extra time.

Scott Gilmore, Director of Musical Studies

Scott's operatic credits as coach, assistant conductor and chorus master include the San Francisco Opera, Salzburg Festival, Cologne Opera, Opéra de Lyon and Opera Australia. He has worked with major international conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, James Conlon, Charles Mackerras, Michelangelo Veltri, Carlo Felice Cillario and Kent Nagano. His work in the training and development of singers has taken him to positions with the Opéra national de Paris, London's Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the San Francisco Opera Center and the young artist programs of Cologne Opera, Opera Australia, and Florida Grand Opera. He is currently Head of Music Staff and Director of Musical Studies at Chicago Opera Theater, and Assistant Professor of Opera and Vocal Coaching at Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University, where he studied piano with Dr Ludmila Lazar. He is a guest coach at the Santa Fe Opera, an adjudicator for The Metropolitan Opera Competition, and a contributing editor to Boosey & Hawkes' series of operatic choral octavo editions. An active vocal recital accompanist, he has been heard live, on recording, and in both television and radio broadcasts. The San Francisco Chronicle dubbed him "a singer's colleague and best artistic friend."

Jacqueline Egger, Finance Manager

Development

Cornelius Bouknight, Development Associate

Laura Stef-Praun, Development Associate for Foundation Relations

Laura Stef-Praun has over ten years experience in research and in writing for targeted audiences. In the past, Laura worked for the Career Advising and Planning Office at the University of Chicago, where she wrote grants seeking funding for a new professional seminar for graduate students. She also taught for four years in the writing programs at the University of Chicago and at Purdue University. Laura holds a PhD in Victorian British Literature from the University of Chicago, and her dissertation research studied the connection between disability, spectacle, and performance in the nineteenth century.

Originally Romanian, Laura loves opera. She fondly recalls her first opera season ever at the age of 10, which she attended with her mom. They purchased a subscription to the Opera in Bucharest, Romania and saw Aida, Nabucco, La Traviata, and Carmen. Laura's favorite opera is Tosca.

Laura is fluent in Romanian and French, and she can speak conversational Italian.

Marketing & Audience Services

Jimsi Kuborn, Director of Marketing 

Originally from Rockford Illinois and graduated with honors from Northern Illinois University with a focus in Merchandising and Marketing. Jimsi brings twelve years of marketing and business development experience to COT. Her most recent position was the Director of Marketing for the Boise Philharmonic, also holding positions in marketing for small and large companies such as First American Title. Jimsi has even accessed her entrepreneurial spirit and worked with a start-up catering company. Many years of hard work has resulted in several million dollars in revenue and donations. Also very active in event planning and coordination in her career with multiple volunteer and board positions held over the past ten years. Some non-profits organizations include Chambers of Commerce, Real Estate organizations, Boise Young Professionals, Opera Idaho and the international dance company Trey McIntyre Project

Annelise Lawson, Marketing Associate

Annelise graduated summa-cum-laude from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota with a B.A. in Psychology and Theatre Arts. Before starting with Chicago Opera Theater in fall of 2010, she interned at such theaters as The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis and iO Chicago. She is also an actress and company member at Dream Theatre Company in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.

Brian Gore, Audience Services Manager

Brian graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a BFA in Theatre. He like so many others in this great city is a graduate of the improvisation training programs at Second City and iO Chicago. Before coming to Chicago Opera Theater he was the box office manager and social media director for Innovation- a local promoter of touring Broadway shows and celebrity speaker tours. In the summer of 2008 he traveled to the Arezzo Italy's international theatre festival performing in a semi-improvised play; it was there that he first encountered Opera with a special cabaret performance of The Magic Flute.  When not at COT he can be seen performing in sketch and improv shows around town. 

Theresa Masse, Box Office Assistant 

Theresa just moved to Chicago after earning a BFA in Acting from Emerson College in Massachusetts. Previously, she was an assistant box office manager at the Cutler Majestic and Paramount Theaters in downtown Boston. Exposed to opera from a young age, her favorite is probably Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra! Her areas of ongoing study include singing, acting, and dialects of the English language.  

Education

Linden Christ, Education & Outreach Manager

Linden Christ made her international debut as Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with the Rome Opera Festival in 2005. She made her professional American debut in 2008 as First Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre. In August, she sang the role of Ellen in Lakme with Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis. Her roles include: Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw, Euridice in Orpheus in the Underworld, Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dew Fairy and Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, and the Woman in the Wall in The Yellow Wallpaper. Christ is the artistic director of a new youth outreach company called Opera Play-House. This year OPH will perform the opera, The Three Bears by Jonathan Stinson for schools, churches, and other venues. In addition, Christ directs the Bell Choir and Children's Choir at North Park Covenant Church. Christ graduated magna cum laude from Depauw University and spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. Christ completed her Master's Degree in Vocal Performance and Musicology from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where she was also the music history department's teachers assistant for two years. Christ resides in Chicago, where she studies with Judith Haddon and is a native of Metamora, Illinois.