Our Board

Mandi Barrus
Artistic Director/Co-founder
she/her
Mandi is an opera producer and mezzo-soprano originally from Seattle, WA. She and co-founders Anna Romney and David Campbell founded Opera Contempo in January 2020 after a particularly inspiring Opera Literature class during her Masters program at the University of Utah. In Opera Lit, Mandi and Anna lamented the blatant misogyny inherent in many opera libretti, and even in the scores. They decided they wanted start an opera company that would center stories by and featuring people traditionally under-represented in the opera world. Opera Contempo was born! Mandi has served as the Artistic Director of the company since its founding.
In her performing career, Mandi enjoys singing opera and musical theater regionally and within Utah. Mandi serves as the secretary on the board of St George Opera.

Anna Romney
Secretary/Co-founder
she/her
Soon details will appear

Natalie Easter
Marketing Lead
she/her
Natalie, an avid supporter of Opera Contempo since the beginning, is thrilled to engage at a higher level as the Marketing Lead. Always up for a challenge, she looks forward to using her creativity to shape the company, encourage audience involvement, and develop innovative ways to connect new and seasoned listeners to bold new views on opera. Natalie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Utah and a Master’s Degree in Opera from University of Kansas and performs often around the state of Utah. Natalie will use her education and experience to help bridge the gap between tradition and innovation in the modern opera scene.
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Kate Williams
Company Manager
she/her
Kate is new to the opera world but is excited to be able to support all of the creativity in this organization. Kate has a Masters in Educational Leadership and is a science teacher turned professional specialist for Davis school district. She loves all things theater and music.

Jessica Rudman
Composer-in-Residence
she/they
Soon details will appear

Desirée Buck
Treasurer
she/her
Desirée Buck has been a fan of opera since she went to her first at the age of 12. She has worked in finance and operations roles throughout her career and completed her MBA at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah in 2022. Desirée is thrilled to be part of giving voice to under-represented artists through her work with Opera Contempo.

Hilary Koolhoven
Social Media Assistant
she/her
Hilary has been eager to support Opera Contempo since its infancy, and is delighted to be joining the board helping with Social Media. Hilary has been an active member of Utah’s singing community for several years, both as a performer and as an administrator. Hilary graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in vocal performance from Westminster College in 2014 and received a Master of Music degree from the University of Utah in 2016. Since 2017 she has been an adjunct music faculty member at Westminster College, where she has directed and assistant directed several of their Opera Studio productions. As a performer, she has worked with such companies as Utah Opera, The Ohio Light Opera, The Franco-American Vocal Academy, St. George Opera, and most recently with Opera Contempo in their production of The Combat.
Upcoming Events
- Halloween MasqueradeSat, Oct 25Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee
- Matinee-Protectress: Act IISat, Nov 22The Voice Box at the University of Utah
- Protectress: Act IISat, Nov 22The Voice Box at the University of Utah
- The Velveteen Rabbit in ConcertSat, Dec 13SLC Library Auditorium
- Duo Matices: Latin-American Art SongSat, Mar 28Alliance Theater