Kansas City Metro Opera

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Below you will find our Mission Statement, further information about Kansas City Metro Opera and information about our Board of Directors.

Mission Statement

The mission of Kansas City Metro Opera is to create rehearsal and performance opportunities for Kansas City area high school students, college students and semi-professional singers, instrumentalists and conductors. Kansas City Metro Opera will provide safe, supportive, informative and educational experiences for all participants and through this process, produce concert productions of operas and operettas.

Goals

Our main goals are to create, to communicate and to learn: to create opportunities for singers, instrumentalists and conductors; to communicate and work with one another; to learn from one another during the educational and fulfilling processes of producing operas and operettas.

This company has been created to fill the gap in the Kansas City metropolitan area; we are here to offer networking, education and performance venues for Kansas Citians.

Rehearsal and Performance Information:

Organized rehearsals will be conducted in the Kansas City metropolitan area, creating a supportive and professional rehearsal environment for all participants. Rehearsals of each opera or operetta will begin no later than six weeks prior to the first performance. These rehearsals will be directed by Kansas City metropolitan area teachers, coaches and conductors chosen by the board of directors. An outline of the proposed rehearsal schedule will be provided to each participant before the first rehearsal.

Performances will take place in Kansas City metropolitan area venues and will be concert productions of operas or operettas. Though performances will not be staged with a set, they may be costumed, if possible, depending upon budget and opera or operetta. Performances will involve all performers and participants. It is anticipated that performances will, in the beginning, be presented in Kansas City metropolitan area churches, synagogues and other venues due to budget restraints.  It is also anticipated that performances will progress to more diverse venues in the Kansas City metropolitan area in order to create the best performance experiences possible for both the participants and audiences.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Patrick D. Buckley, President & Artistic Director

Patrick Buckley has performed professionally in opera, operetta and oratorio across the United States and Europe. He has been teaching voice privately for over 10 years, tutors Music Theory, German, French, and English, and is the Music Director of the Kol Ami Religious School in Prairie Village, Kansas.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in German language and literature from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Patrick performed at The Lyric Opera of Kansas City for 11 consecutive seasons and has recently performed roles in joint productions of Paul Mesner's Puppets and Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City including the Father in Hansel and Gretel and Ko-Ko in two separate productions of The Mikado.  Patrick has been seen in many other roles with the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City, including Harry Easter in Street Scene, the Old Man, the Husband, The Youth and an Angel in four different productions of The Wise Women, Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore, the 98 year old First Yeoman in The Yeomen of the Guard, and Camille de Rosillon in The Merry Widow
 Patrick has sung numerous leading and supporting roles in opera productions with the Kansas City Metro Opera Workshop

Patrick has been featured nationally modeling in print advertising, acting in national broadcast television advertising as well as talent in non-broadcast corporate training videos and is a Certified Paralegal.

S. Lee Fenwick, Production Director

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Lee Fenwick graduated from Xavier University with a Bachelor of Science degree in music education with a minor in voice. Lee is a NASM and APEX Certified Master Personal Trainer and works full-time as a personal trainer.  He has held music director positions in churches for over ten years with experience with adult and children’s vocal ensembles as well as adult and children’s handbell choirs. Lee has sung with the opera chorus of The Lyric Opera of Kansas City.  He was an Angel in the 2001 Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City production of The Wise Women.  He has sung with other choruses in Kansas City including the Fine Arts Chorale and Musica Sacra and was music director of Madrigalia Bar Nonne and Carolers of Note for two years.  Lee was the music director of North Woods Christian Church in Parkville, Missouri until it closed. 

Lara Steinel, Vice President & Marketing Director

Lara Steinel recently joined the board, bringing with her nearly 25 years of experience in sales and marketing, primarily in the newspaper industry and the arts. She was recruited by USA Today shortly after its launch and designed and implemented USA Today’s national sales training programs. She served as Eastern Regional Sales Manager, overseeing sales and marketing in New York City, Boston, Washington, DC and thirteen other major markets.


She left USA Today to join the Washington Post. Under her sales management and marketing leadership, fine arts advertising posted revenue records every year under her tenure.


Lara was a soloist in Kansas City Metro Opera’s 2006 production of Handel’s Messiah and also implemented the group’s first broad-scale publicity plan in 2007. She sings professionally in several area venues including the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where she sings in the 12-voice professional chamber choir, Schola Cantorum; and at Congregation Kol Ami in Prairie Village where she is both a soloist and choir member. Lara is also an experienced choral conductor and musical theater performer and studies voice with Patrick Buckley.

Edgar Palacios, Business Director

Originally from Miami Beach, Florida, Edgar graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, emphasis on Vocal Performance in May 2008. He is currently in the MBA program at Rockhurst University.  Edgar was most recently seen as Signor Gaudenzio in Heartland Bel Canto’s production of Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino. Edgar first performed with Kansas City Metro Opera in the 2005 production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe as Private Willis. He has also appeared in other Kansas City Metro Opera’s productions as Sir Marmaduke in The Sorcerer, a soloist in Handel’s Messiah, and as the Judge in Trial by Jury. Edgar’s chorus roles include UMKC’s 2007 production of Pirates of Penzance and the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City’s 2007 production of The Mikado. Edgar was the Director of Music Ministries at Trinity United Methodist Church in 2006.

Co-Founder

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Kansas City Metro Opera
Building a Future for Opera
 
 
 
 
Kansas City Metro Opera is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) Corporation