Our Board

Mandi Barrus
Artistic Director/Co-founder
she/her
Soon details will appear

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

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. Always up for a challenge, she looks forward to using her creativity to shape the company, encourage audience involvement, and develop in innovative ways that 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.

Desiree Buck
Treasurer
she/her
Soon details will appear

Hilary Koolhoven
Social Media
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.

Baxter McLoughlin
Technical Director
he/him
Baxter is proud to be joining Opera Contempo as the Technical Director. He has been working in the theatrical background for many years now and has been lighting theater productions all over Utah and in many other regional productions. He is delighted to be setting up residency with such an amazing organization. He looks forward to assisting in your enjoyment of current and future performances.