Artistic Staff
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Christopher Koch is currently Music Director of Ozarks Lyric Opera, Music Director of the Juneau Symphony, Music Director of the Missouri Philharmonic, Music Director of the Madrona Festival, and a co-founder of the Ozarks Performing Arts League. He also serves as Executive Director of Ozarks Lyric Opera and was formerly music director the the contemporary group Ensemble 21. He has appeared as a guest conductor with orchestras across the United States, Australia, and Canada and is active nationally as an early music specialist (recorder) in recital, concerto, and conference performances. Additionally, he has been privileged to work on projects or commissions with numerous composers including John Corigliano, Steven Stucky, Christopher Rouse, James Mobberley, Jonathan Newman, Nicolas Maw, Angelica Negron, Carlyle Sharpe, and DJ Sparr. Koch also spent two decades in higher education, most recently at Drury University. Under his direction, Drury ensembles toured regionally and performed at multiple state conferences, participated in composer commission projects, and were recognized nationally by the College Band Director's Association, the American Prize Competition, and by numerous granting organizations. He received his Bachelor of Music degrees in flute performance and music education from the Eastman School of Music, Master of Music degrees in flute and orchestral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, and the Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from the University of Washington. He is also a contributing author for the book series A Composer’s Insight: Thoughts, Analysis, and Commentary on Comtemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band (Meredith Music Publications) and resides in Oregon with his wife Danielle and daughter Ella.
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Executive Director and
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Artistic Director
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Michael Spyres was born and raised in the Ozarks and grew up in an extremely musical family. Mr. Spyres is one of the most sought-after Tenors of his generation with 8 DVD’s and 25 cd’s to his name, he has been celebrated on the world’s most prestigious international opera houses, festivals and concert halls. Accomplished and acclaimed in the widest range of repertoire, his unique career has taken him from every genre from Baroque to Classical to 20th century, while firmly establishing himself as an expert within the Bel Canto repertoire as well as within Rossini and French Grand Opera.
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The 2021/2022 season sees Michael's solo album debut, BariTenor, for Warners/Erato with the Strasbourg Philharmonie under the baton of Marko Letonja as well as his return to the stage in an incredibly wide range of repertoire from Lieder to BelCanto and Wagner to French Grand Opera and Verismo. This exciting season will see his return as Florestan in Fidelio with Raphael Pichon and Pygmalion at Opera Comique de Paris, his role debut as Wagner’s Tristan in a concert version of Act 2 with Opera de Lyon, his role debut as Canio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci with the OLOpera, his return as Romeo to the Houston Grand Opera, as well as his anticipated debut in the title role of Mozart’s Idomeneo again with Pichon and Pygmalion in festival d’Aix en Provence. In addition to the opera stage he will make his recital debut with Mathieu Pordoy in Atelier Lyrique deTourcoing, Theatre du Capital Toulouse, Festival Les Volques, as well as two separate recitals in Paris. On the concert stage Michael will star with the Ravello Festival, Opera Philadelphia, Strasbourg Philharmonie, Warsaw Philharmonia, Gran Theatre de Liceu, Theater an der Wien, Theatre des Champs Elysees, and Teatro alla Scala.
Since 2015 Michael has had the honor to be the only International Opera Star who is not just a performer but also an impresario. Mr. Spyres has been the Artistic Director of his hometown opera company, the Ozarks Lyric Opera and has been involved in every aspect of the renaissance of his regional company. In addition to being the active Artistic Director he has translated libretti and actively teaches masterclasses while guiding young artists careers. The last years have seen him produce numerous events as well as 5 operas and gala concerts. For the 2019/2020 season Michael wrote/produced the 40th anniversary gala as well as an original pastiche on the life of Handel. This season will see his return to the OLOpera's main stage in over 10 years to star in his original vaudeville pastiche coupled with his role debut as Canio in his original concept of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.
Michael has worked with some of the world's most renowned conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Mark Elder, Valery Gergiev, Emmannuelle Haim, Sir Andrew Davis, Fabio Luisi, Michele Mariotti, Alberto Zedda, and John Nelson. In his meteoric rise Michael has quickly established himself as one of the greatest singers of his generation and has already sung at many of the world's most prestigious Opera houses and festivals worldwide such as Teatro San Carlo, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Aix en Provence Festival, Opera National de Bordeaux, Opera Comique, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Covent Garden, English National Opera, Nederlands National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Berliner Festspiele, Opera Theatre Saint Louis, Chicago Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, ABAO Bilbao Opera, Teatro Real de Madrid, Wiener Staatsoper, and the Salzburger Festspiele.
In addition to his operatic career Mr. Spyres is equally accomplished within the concert world and has given concerts and recitals in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Prague, Pesaro, Bologna, Napoli, Sao Paulo, A Coruna, Tokyo, Cape Town, Shanghai, Vienna, Dresden, Berlin, Munich, Lyon, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
This and future seasons will see him star at the Metropolitan Opera New York, Theater an der Wien, Gran Teatro de Liceu, as well as his return to the Theater an der Wien, Opéra National of Paris, Théatre Champs Elysée, Opéra Comique, Opera de Lyon, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and his hometown opera, the OLOpera in Springfield, MO, USA.
Since 2015 Michael has had the honor to be the only International Opera Star who is not just a performer but also an impresario. Mr. Spyres has been the Artistic Director of his hometown opera company, the Ozarks Lyric Opera and has been involved in every aspect of the renaissance of his regional company. In addition to being the active Artistic Director he has translated libretti and actively teaches masterclasses while guiding young artists careers. The last years have seen him produce numerous events as well as 5 operas and gala concerts. For the 2019/2020 season Michael wrote/produced the 40th anniversary gala as well as an original pastiche on the life of Handel. This season will see his return to the OLOpera's main stage in over 10 years to star in his original vaudeville pastiche coupled with his role debut as Canio in his original concept of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.
Michael has worked with some of the world's most renowned conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Mark Elder, Valery Gergiev, Emmannuelle Haim, Sir Andrew Davis, Fabio Luisi, Michele Mariotti, Alberto Zedda, and John Nelson. In his meteoric rise Michael has quickly established himself as one of the greatest singers of his generation and has already sung at many of the world's most prestigious Opera houses and festivals worldwide such as Teatro San Carlo, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Aix en Provence Festival, Opera National de Bordeaux, Opera Comique, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Covent Garden, English National Opera, Nederlands National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Berliner Festspiele, Opera Theatre Saint Louis, Chicago Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, ABAO Bilbao Opera, Teatro Real de Madrid, Wiener Staatsoper, and the Salzburger Festspiele.
In addition to his operatic career Mr. Spyres is equally accomplished within the concert world and has given concerts and recitals in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Prague, Pesaro, Bologna, Napoli, Sao Paulo, A Coruna, Tokyo, Cape Town, Shanghai, Vienna, Dresden, Berlin, Munich, Lyon, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
This and future seasons will see him star at the Metropolitan Opera New York, Theater an der Wien, Gran Teatro de Liceu, as well as his return to the Theater an der Wien, Opéra National of Paris, Théatre Champs Elysée, Opéra Comique, Opera de Lyon, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and his hometown opera, the OLOpera in Springfield, MO, USA.
Business Manager/Education Director
Sean Spyres has performed around the world, but was born and raised in the Ozarks into a very musical family. The self-proclaimed “Hillbilly Von Trapps” performed every weekend at funerals, weddings, small store openings, and American Legion halls in the region. He currently lives in Springfield with his partner Kate Hundley, and has two children, Owyn and Elliot.
Spyres is the Administrative Director of the Ozarks Lyric Opera and has been involved with the company for over 20 years. He has performed many roles including Pangloss “Candide,” Tamino “Die Zauberflöte,” and Nanki-Poo “Hot Mikado.” Behind the scenes at OLO, Spyres has directed several productions (“Trouble in Tahiti,” “Don Pasquale”) and wrote the librettos for two original children’s operas, “Alice in Wonderland: A lesson in honesty," and “The Wizard of Opera: A lesson in cooperation” that were performed for over 5,000 children in the Ozarks. Recently, Spyres has performed the roles of Archibald in “The Secret Garden,” and Judas in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Springfield Little Theatre. Other regional performances include tenor soloist in Haydn’s “The Creation,” Mozart’s “Requiem,” Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” and Handel’s "The Messiah.” Operatic roles include “The Defendant “Trial by Jury,” Dancairo/Morales “Carmen,” Borsa “Rigoletto,” Benoit/Alcindoro “La Boheme,” Frederic in "Pirates of Penzance," and Blind in "Die Fledermaus.” In 2006 Spyres made his European debut (Don Ottavio "Don Giovanni") in Hartberg, Austria and also sang the role of Doge in Rossini's "Otello" in a production at the Rossini Festival that is available under the Naxos label. Spyres toured Japan with the Baden Stadttheater performing Gastone in "La Traviata" and sang as a tenor ensemble soloist with the Arnold Schoenberg Chor at the Aix en Provence Opera Festival. While working in Vienna, Spyres sang as a soloist with the Arnold Schoenberg Chor for a number of Mozart works dedicating the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth and also worked at the Raimund Theater as a soloist for the annual Weihnachtskonzert. Spyres received a Masters of Music in Opera Performance from Wichita State University, and a BM from Drury.
Spyres is the Administrative Director of the Ozarks Lyric Opera and has been involved with the company for over 20 years. He has performed many roles including Pangloss “Candide,” Tamino “Die Zauberflöte,” and Nanki-Poo “Hot Mikado.” Behind the scenes at OLO, Spyres has directed several productions (“Trouble in Tahiti,” “Don Pasquale”) and wrote the librettos for two original children’s operas, “Alice in Wonderland: A lesson in honesty," and “The Wizard of Opera: A lesson in cooperation” that were performed for over 5,000 children in the Ozarks. Recently, Spyres has performed the roles of Archibald in “The Secret Garden,” and Judas in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Springfield Little Theatre. Other regional performances include tenor soloist in Haydn’s “The Creation,” Mozart’s “Requiem,” Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” and Handel’s "The Messiah.” Operatic roles include “The Defendant “Trial by Jury,” Dancairo/Morales “Carmen,” Borsa “Rigoletto,” Benoit/Alcindoro “La Boheme,” Frederic in "Pirates of Penzance," and Blind in "Die Fledermaus.” In 2006 Spyres made his European debut (Don Ottavio "Don Giovanni") in Hartberg, Austria and also sang the role of Doge in Rossini's "Otello" in a production at the Rossini Festival that is available under the Naxos label. Spyres toured Japan with the Baden Stadttheater performing Gastone in "La Traviata" and sang as a tenor ensemble soloist with the Arnold Schoenberg Chor at the Aix en Provence Opera Festival. While working in Vienna, Spyres sang as a soloist with the Arnold Schoenberg Chor for a number of Mozart works dedicating the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth and also worked at the Raimund Theater as a soloist for the annual Weihnachtskonzert. Spyres received a Masters of Music in Opera Performance from Wichita State University, and a BM from Drury.
Affiliate Artists
Resident Stage Director
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Mezzo soprano and stage director Dr. Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn thrives on a performing career that includes oratorio, opera, art song, and musical theater. A frequent oratorio soloist, she has soloed at Carnegie Hall in the Mozart Requiem, Haydn’s Creation Mass, and Vivaldi’s Gloria and locally with the Springfield Symphony as the mezzo soloist forBeethoven 9 and Mahler 2. Internationally and domestically she performs in solo and chamber recitals with traditional as well as more obscure repertoire. Of the over 35 opera roles to her credit, favorites include Carmen; Dorabella in Cosí fan Tutte; Isabella in The Italian Girl from Algiers; Angelina/Cinderella in La Cenerentola; Aldonza in Man of la Mancha; Petra in A Little Night Music; and she created the role of Rosemary for the world premiere of Libby Larsen’s jazz opera, Picnic. Most recently she has been featured at the Springfield Regional Opera as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro and Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti. Wilcox-Daehn can be heard on the Albany Record label as Adah in Naughty Marietta, Bertha in The Red Mill, singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” on Gold & Silver: Celebrating 25 Years of Ohio Light Opera and she recently recorded the wind ensemble arrangement of De Toda La Eternidad by Libby Larsen with Dr. John Zastoupil and the MSU Wind Symphony. Her collaboration with pianist Dr. Elizabeth Avery earned the pair the Ernst Bacon American Prize for their performance of songs by Sergius Kagen. The team will be touring in 2019-2020 with a recital of songs by female composers that include Malibran, Viardot, Clara Schumann, Crawford Seeger, Price, and Larsen.
As the Director of the Missouri State University Opera Theatre, Wilcox-Daehn has staged and produced performances that span many style periods including full operas by Purcell, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Offenbach, Johann Strauss, Puccini, Menotti, and living composers including Trinkley, Kirchoff, Ching, and Conte. The ensemble performs for outreach events and concerts throughout Springfield and has excelled on the national stage with multiple first place in the nation accolades from the National Opera Association’s National Scenes Competition. Wilcox-Daehn is currently an Associate Professor of Voice and Opera. She serves as the Central Region Governor for the National Opera Association, is the Resident Stage Director for the Springfield Regional Opera and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity and AGMA. |
Chorus Master
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Conductor, keyboardist, and bass-baritone Dr. James R. Davidson currently serves as Chorus Master and Associate Conductor of Ozarks Lyric Opera, Associate Conductor of the Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies and Music Education at Drury University, and Advisory Director of Music Ministries and Principal Organist of First and Calvary Presbyterian Church. He is the former Founding Artistic Director of the Springfield Chamber Chorus, Korrepetitor and Musikalishe Assistentin of the Neue Eutiner Festspiele in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and Director of Choral Activities at Ozark and Hazelwood Central High Schools in Missouri. His recent guest conducting appearances include the Springfield-Drury Civic Orchestra, the Nürnberg Löhe-Chor, and the Prague Hlahol Society Chorus and Orchestra. Davidson’s choirs have garnered international acclaim, frequently collaborating with other local, national, and international choruses and orchestras. In addition to his conducting duties, Davidson maintains an active performance career as a collaborative keyboardist and chorister. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Education (Vocal/Choral Emphasis) and Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Missouri State University, and the Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Kansas School of Music, where he was awarded the Sandra Keller-Daugherty Outstanding Graduate Conductor Award. He resides in Springfield, Missouri with his wife Amelia and their three children—Elinor, Felix, and Violet.
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Stage Manager
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Amy Andreassen is Assistant Conductor of Ozarks Lyric Opera and Principal Conductor of the Missouri Philharmonic. She is also an accomplished horn player and frequently
performs throughout Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas in a variety of ensembles including SoNA, Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, Springfield Symphony, Springfield Regional Opera Orchestra, and the Springfield-Drury Civic Orchestra. She earned a Master of Music degree in Horn Performance from Northern Illinois University in 2000, with emphases in conducting and theory. She was Director of Instrumental Activity at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska from 2000 to 2003. Classroom work quickly became one of her most rewarding endeavors. |
Assistant Conductor
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