Introducing our Spring 2021 Resident Artists
Joseph McBrayer is a rising tenor, originally from Dallas, Georgia. He has notably performed as the tenor soloist in Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem as well as Alfredo in La Traviata, Woz (The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), and Tamino (Die Zauberflöte). Recently, he was invited to be a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Mr. McBrayer previously performed with Capitol City Opera and The Atlanta Opera while earning his BM from Kennesaw State University, then he continued on to Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music for his MM studies.
Soprano Hayley Lipke has been praised for her “fire” and “vocal drama.” This spring, Lipke gave life to Violetta in Zambello’s production of La Traviata under the baton of Arthur Fagen with IU Opera. At the Jacobs School of Music, Lipke earned her BM and MM in Vocal Performance and entertained audiences as Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Gertrud Mutter (Hänsel und Gretel), and Rosalba Montealban (Florencia en al Amazonas). Praised as an “outstanding soloist”, Hayley has performed as the soprano soloist in numerous works and continues to gain recognition in major competitions in the operatic repertoire, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Indiana District.
Baritone Ian Murrell is a native of Vandalia, Illinois and has been praised for his "Powerful, resonant baritone" and "commanding stage presence" by Indiana Public Media. He is an up-and-coming singer with stage experience in opera, musical theater, operetta, and oratorio. Ian graduated with a Masters degree from Indiana University, where he was seen as Belcore in The Elixir of Love, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Harry Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life, and Ned Keene in Peter Grimes with IU Opera Theatre. Ian is an alumnus of the Chautauqua Opera Company, Aspen Music Festival, and Asheville Lyric Opera Young Artist Programs.
Madison Montambault, mezzo-soprano, has demonstrated versatile performance ability across her operatic repertoire, which includes the Old Lady (Candide), Bradamante (Alcina), Carmen (Carmen), Madame de Croissy (Les Dialogues des Carmélites), and Dorabella (Così fan tutte). She made her professional debut with Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings as Mrs. Williamson in David Lang’s The Difficulty of Crossing a Field and was recently seen as Muley’s Wife in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath with Michigan Opera Theatre. Most recently, she debuted with Sarasota Opera as a member of their Apprentice Program. A native of Ann Arbor, MI, Madison holds a BM and MM in Voice Performance from The University of Michigan.
Spring 2021: Pianist Andrew Pham is a sensitive collaborative pianist based in Oregon. He has played overseas in Germany, Costa Rica, and Italy. He has played locally for organizations including the Oregon Bach Festival, Oregon Mozart Players, Cascadia Chamber Opera, and University of Oregon. In 2017, with soprano Emma Rose Lynn, he founded Spire Duo, a song partnership dedicated to innovative concert programming. In September 2020, he produced and directed an outdoor opera production of “The Banshee” by Daniel Daly. Andrew received degrees from University of Oregon (M.M. Collaborative Piano), Indiana University (M.M. Piano Performance), and James Madison University (B.M. Piano Performance/Music Composition). Andrew is happy to join Indy Opera for a second season!
Fall 2020: A South Korea-born pianist, Sky Haneul Lee is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California where she studied Keyboard Collaborative Arts. A prizewinner of the NSAL Instrumental Music Competition and Instrumental Competition of Romantic Music, Lee received the KCA Ensemble Award, KCA Department Award, and Gwendolyn Koldofsky Scholarship while at USC, and she collaborated extensively with USC Thornton Opera. She also holds a degree in Piano Performance from Indiana University where she served as an Associate Instructor and a collaborative pianist at IU String Academy. Recently, she has spent her summers at Pittsburgh Festival Opera and Musiktheater Bavaria in Germany as a Collaborative Pianist Fellow.
Soprano Hayley Lipke has been praised for her “fire” and “vocal drama.” This spring, Lipke gave life to Violetta in Zambello’s production of La Traviata under the baton of Arthur Fagen with IU Opera. At the Jacobs School of Music, Lipke earned her BM and MM in Vocal Performance and entertained audiences as Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Gertrud Mutter (Hänsel und Gretel), and Rosalba Montealban (Florencia en al Amazonas). Praised as an “outstanding soloist”, Hayley has performed as the soprano soloist in numerous works and continues to gain recognition in major competitions in the operatic repertoire, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Indiana District.
Baritone Ian Murrell is a native of Vandalia, Illinois and has been praised for his "Powerful, resonant baritone" and "commanding stage presence" by Indiana Public Media. He is an up-and-coming singer with stage experience in opera, musical theater, operetta, and oratorio. Ian graduated with a Masters degree from Indiana University, where he was seen as Belcore in The Elixir of Love, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Harry Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life, and Ned Keene in Peter Grimes with IU Opera Theatre. Ian is an alumnus of the Chautauqua Opera Company, Aspen Music Festival, and Asheville Lyric Opera Young Artist Programs.
Madison Montambault, mezzo-soprano, has demonstrated versatile performance ability across her operatic repertoire, which includes the Old Lady (Candide), Bradamante (Alcina), Carmen (Carmen), Madame de Croissy (Les Dialogues des Carmélites), and Dorabella (Così fan tutte). She made her professional debut with Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings as Mrs. Williamson in David Lang’s The Difficulty of Crossing a Field and was recently seen as Muley’s Wife in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath with Michigan Opera Theatre. Most recently, she debuted with Sarasota Opera as a member of their Apprentice Program. A native of Ann Arbor, MI, Madison holds a BM and MM in Voice Performance from The University of Michigan.
Spring 2021: Pianist Andrew Pham is a sensitive collaborative pianist based in Oregon. He has played overseas in Germany, Costa Rica, and Italy. He has played locally for organizations including the Oregon Bach Festival, Oregon Mozart Players, Cascadia Chamber Opera, and University of Oregon. In 2017, with soprano Emma Rose Lynn, he founded Spire Duo, a song partnership dedicated to innovative concert programming. In September 2020, he produced and directed an outdoor opera production of “The Banshee” by Daniel Daly. Andrew received degrees from University of Oregon (M.M. Collaborative Piano), Indiana University (M.M. Piano Performance), and James Madison University (B.M. Piano Performance/Music Composition). Andrew is happy to join Indy Opera for a second season!
Fall 2020: A South Korea-born pianist, Sky Haneul Lee is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California where she studied Keyboard Collaborative Arts. A prizewinner of the NSAL Instrumental Music Competition and Instrumental Competition of Romantic Music, Lee received the KCA Ensemble Award, KCA Department Award, and Gwendolyn Koldofsky Scholarship while at USC, and she collaborated extensively with USC Thornton Opera. She also holds a degree in Piano Performance from Indiana University where she served as an Associate Instructor and a collaborative pianist at IU String Academy. Recently, she has spent her summers at Pittsburgh Festival Opera and Musiktheater Bavaria in Germany as a Collaborative Pianist Fellow.
The Resident Artist program focuses on developing young artists through a complete training experience. IO resident artists present operatic performances and education experiences throughout Indiana and in neighboring states.
