OLO Staff
Michael Spyres
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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. 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.
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.
Sean Spyres
General 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.
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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.
Lindsey Wheatley
Marketing and Development Director
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Lindsey Wheatley is the Director of Marketing and Development with the Ozarks Lyric Opera. Lindsey has worked in Marketing and Social Media for the past 7 years and is looking forward to raising the visibility of the Opera both locally and nationally to help grow the support from our community. She is very excited to be working to maximize our patrons' experience with so many innovative performances in the upcoming seasons. Lindsey is a native to the area growing up in Rogersville, MO and graduating from MSU. In her free time she enjoys doing anything outside with her family, Her and her husband live in Springfield with her two children ages 6 and 2.
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Jay Jackson
Resident Stage Director/Community Engagement Coordinator
Jay Jackson (Stage Director) is thrilled to return to the dramatic helm of Ozarks Lyric Opera where, in the late 1990’s, he staged both SUSANNAH and THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. Mr. Jackson was honored to win his first Big Easy Award (local TONY Award) for Best Production/Direction for his triumphant reinterpretation of Puccini’s IL TRITTICO for New Orleans Opera. His 2nd Big Easy Award was bestowed on his TOSCA for the same company. Mr. Jackson’s direction received critical praise in the international Opera News Magazine for his production of THE MAGIC FLUTE at Madison Opera in Wisconsin. He made his debut at New York City Opera with Mark Adamo’s new opera LYSISTRATA. With the San Francisco Opera, he staged FIGARO and Handel’s ARIODANTE. During his 11 year tenure as stage director of the Chautauqua Music Festival in upstate New York, Jay mounted 25 fully-produced operas in their 5000-seat Amphitheater & Black Box Theater. Highlights include A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE RAKE’S PROGRESS, and EUGENE ONEGIN.
Mr. Jackson’s TURANDOT with Opera Pacific at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Southern California was reviewed by The Los Angeles Times: “Director Jay Jackson elicited persuasive action from his principals. Liu’s suicide was excruciatingly intense. King Timur’s farewell to the slave girl was uncommonly poignant.” John Farrell of U-Entertainment wrote of the Ping, Pang, Pong exchange, “Instead of allowing their scene together to slide into farce, director Jay Jackson allows them dignity, spicing the scene with brilliant but subdued comedy that is human and warm.” Jackson’s other directing credits include: New National Theater of Tokyo, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera Omaha, Utah Festival Opera, Indianapolis Opera, New York Chamber Opera, Mississippi Opera, Palm Beach Opera and Opera in the Ozarks. Mr. Jackson was conferred a bachelor’s degree from William Jewell College and a master’s degree from Northwestern University.
Mr. Jackson’s TURANDOT with Opera Pacific at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Southern California was reviewed by The Los Angeles Times: “Director Jay Jackson elicited persuasive action from his principals. Liu’s suicide was excruciatingly intense. King Timur’s farewell to the slave girl was uncommonly poignant.” John Farrell of U-Entertainment wrote of the Ping, Pang, Pong exchange, “Instead of allowing their scene together to slide into farce, director Jay Jackson allows them dignity, spicing the scene with brilliant but subdued comedy that is human and warm.” Jackson’s other directing credits include: New National Theater of Tokyo, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera Omaha, Utah Festival Opera, Indianapolis Opera, New York Chamber Opera, Mississippi Opera, Palm Beach Opera and Opera in the Ozarks. Mr. Jackson was conferred a bachelor’s degree from William Jewell College and a master’s degree from Northwestern University.
Susan Brummell Belcher
Development Coordinator
A former student of OLO founder, Dawin Emanuel, Susan Brummell Belcher trained as a young artist with the Chicago Lyric Opera Center for American Artists. Her professional opera credits include Clorinda in La Cenerentola with the Opera Company of Philadelphia opposite Maria Ewing, Norina in Don Pasquale opposite Sir Geraint Evans, and Adele in Die Fledermaus with Jerry Hadley. She has recorded with the Gregg Smith Singers and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Locally, Ms Belcher has appeared with OLO, Springfield Little Theatre and Springfield Contemporary Theatre.
Ms. Belcher served as both Education Director and Executive Director of the Springfield Regional Opera aka OLO from 1999-2003, then stage-directed productions for the Wildwood Young Artists Touring Company and the Wildwood Summer Opera Camp for young audiences in Arkansas.
Long dedicated to the joy of pairing donor passions with philanthropic opportunities, Ms. Belcher helped found Western Carolina University’s “Friends of the Arts,” chairing at various times the marketing, development, and gala committees. She served in similar capacities for the Highlands-Cashiers (NC) Chamber Music Festival and created and developed WCU’s Best of Controlled Chaos film festivals. Ms. Belcher currently serves as secretary on the Ozarks Lyric Opera Board of Directions and on the Springfield Regional Arts Council Board of Directors.
Ms. Belcher served as both Education Director and Executive Director of the Springfield Regional Opera aka OLO from 1999-2003, then stage-directed productions for the Wildwood Young Artists Touring Company and the Wildwood Summer Opera Camp for young audiences in Arkansas.
Long dedicated to the joy of pairing donor passions with philanthropic opportunities, Ms. Belcher helped found Western Carolina University’s “Friends of the Arts,” chairing at various times the marketing, development, and gala committees. She served in similar capacities for the Highlands-Cashiers (NC) Chamber Music Festival and created and developed WCU’s Best of Controlled Chaos film festivals. Ms. Belcher currently serves as secretary on the Ozarks Lyric Opera Board of Directions and on the Springfield Regional Arts Council Board of Directors.
