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    • Home > Hart Institute > 2019 Participants > Faculty 2019

    Mariana Fonseca

    Mariana Fonseca is a culture focused executive leader in Digital and Marketing. Most recently she served as Vice President of Digital Customer Experience and Loyalty at Virgin Voyages where she team responsible for curating the most irresistible digital experience of any travel brand to support driving growth and brand loyalty.

    Born in Mexico City, Mariana was always drawn to interests and industries dominated by men. While attending the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, she was one of only five women in her Civil Engineering class and upon graduation, she was one of just a very few women working in construction.

    Mariana later graduated with an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. While there, she served as president of the Hispanic Club and was named a recipient of the Mary S. Rosenthal Outstanding Female Student Award. In 2010, she joined American Airlines and has since held leadership positions in finance, alliance strategy, corporate planning and technology.

    At both American Airlines and Virgin Voyages, Mariana has developed a reputation as a champion of impactful results. Responsible for transforming the airline’s digital and delivery practices, she was also hyper-focused on driving adoption of a product culture and empowering teams to be more customer-centric.

    Creating opportunities for others – especially women of color – remains an important part of Mariana’s story. Since 2014, she’s served on the Corporate Advisory Board of Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business. She also sat on the Audit Committee for
    the Texas Women’s Foundation and on the Board of the Dallas Opera. Through those positions she advocated for hiring diversity, advancement and representation.

    Mariana and her husband, Pablo, live in Aventura, FL. They have three children: Paula, Mateo and Sabina.

    Elizabeth Askren

    Conductor and HIWC Alumna & Faculty – The Dallas Opera

    The 2022/2023 season marks several important mainstage debuts for Maestra Askren, including Des Moines Metro Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, and Opéra de Dijon. She has recently collaborated with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Opéra de Paris’ Academy, and the Paris Philharmonic’s La Maestra competition, as well as The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors, of which she is both a proud alumna and Master Teacher. Her award-winning Transylvanian Opera Academy incorporates performance, personal development, and community outreach. She is also the creator of MaestraMagic!TM, an edutainment series on Dallasopera.TV introducing children to music and the arts. Maestra Askren is regularly invited as a guest speaker and moderator. Her TEDx talk, “Why Classical Music is the Wave of the Future”, garnered 3000+ views in 24 hours. She is published in three languages, and is regularly featured in American and European media.

    Carlo Montanaro

    Founder of OperaWebinar and Music Director at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw from 2011 to 2014, Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro was discovered by Zubin Mehta, who recommanded him to the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, where he improved his skills under Leopold Hager, Erwin Acél and Yugi Yuasa for three years.

    Since 2001, Montanaro has conducted opera and concerts in major venues including Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Fondazione Arena in Verona, Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Teatro Comunale in Florence, Fondazione Arturo Toscanini in Parma and Teatro Verdi in Trieste (a collaboration which led to a Japanese tour with the Orchestra). Titles included Lucia di Lammermoor, Nabucco, Aida, Tosca, La Sonnambula, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Madama Butterfly and La Bohème.

    He conducted two works in the 2004-2005 season at Teatro Comunale in Florence, as well as various symphonic concerts with Fondazione Arena Verona, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, Teatro Cilea in Reggio Calabria and Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. He conducted Il Trovatore and Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the State Opera of Stuttgart, as well as Il Barbiere di  Siviglia with Fondazione Arturo Toscanini.

    Highlights between 2006 and 2008 include a great public and critical success conducting Un Ballo in Maschera with the Israeli Opera of Tel Aviv (new production), his American debut in Colorado with Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, I Dialoghi delle Carmelitane in Bilbao to great critical acclaim, and Madama Butterfly at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

    In 2008 he made his debut at La Scala with La Traviata, and he opened the Macerata Summer Festival with Carmen directed by Dante Ferretti. He conducted Il Corsaro at Festival Verdi in Parma and made his debut at Hercules Halle in Munich in a concert with the Weimar Staatskapelle and Erwin Schrott.

    His 2009 opened with Madama Butterfly at the New National Theatre in Tokyo, followed by his return to Opera Colorado in Denver for Così fan tutte and a highly praised new production of Simone Boccanegra at Megaron in Athens, where he was then invited again to conduct Aida. He opened the 2009/10 Season at Canadian Opera conducting a new production of Madama Butterfly, and he conducted Mefistofele in Frankfurt, Verdi’s Requiem at Musikverein in Graz, Roméo et Juliette in Verona, La Traviata in Munich and Aida in Hamburg with great reviews from public and critics.

    In 2011 he debuted with Carmen at Semperoper Dresden to great success, and he was reinvited to conduct Il Barbiere di Siviglia and a new production of Un Ballo in Maschera. Further highlights: Don Quichotte and Attila at Seattle Opera, a new production of Turandot in Warsaw, Lucia di Lammermoor in Bilbao, Aida, Manon Lescaut, Turandot and Macbeth in Hamburg, La Bohème at Teatro Comunale di Firenze, L’Amico Fritz and a new production of Adriana Lecouvreur in Frankfurt, La Traviata in Warsaw and in Cincinnati.

    In September 2012 he returned to Musikverein in Graz to conduct a concert version of Verdi’s Giovanna D’Arco, and since then he conducted Falstaff in Hamburg, Tosca and L’Elisir d’Amore in Munich, Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Tokyo, Don Carlo, Verdi’s Requiem and Turandot in Warsaw, La Bohème in Seattle, Don Carlo in Frankfurt, Il Corsaro in Budapest, Norma at the Festival in Peralada. In season 2013/14, Madama Butterfly in Nagoya and Hamburg, La Traviata in Oviedo, La Bohème in Budapest, The Consul in Seattle, a concert version of Attila in Warsaw, Carmen, L’Elisir d’Amore and Tosca in Munich, Tosca and Il Trovatore at the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg, as well as concerts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra del Santa Cecilia in Rome.

    In season 14/15 he successfully debuted at Opéra Bastille in Paris with Il Barbiere di Siviglia. After that, he was on the podiums of the Hungarian National Philharmonic (Verdi’s Requiem) and Seattle Symphony for a series of concerts. He then conducted a new production of La Fanciulla del West in Hamburg, Rigoletto and La Traviata in Warsaw, Mefistofele in Budapest, Simon Boccanegra in Frankfurt, Rossini’s Stabat Mater in Budapest and Pécs, Nabucco in Seattle.

    Highlights in the recent seasons include the debut at Opéra de Monte-Carlo (Tosca), at Korean National Opera (Tosca and La Bohème), at Sydney Opera House (La Bohème, Lucia di Lammermoor and Werther) and at San Francisco Opera (Carmen and La Bohème), as well as Rigoletto and Madama Butterfly at Warsaw Opera, Maria Stuarda, Madama Butterfly, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto and L’Elisir d’Amore in Seattle, a new production of Rigoletto in Frankfurt, La Traviata at Dallas Opera and in Melbourne, Lucia di Lammermoor at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Rigoletto at Opéra de Montréal, Un Ballo in Maschera at the Hungarian State Opera, La Traviata and Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Opéra de Paris, La Bohème at Hamburgische Staatsoper, La Traviata and Nabucco at Deutsche Oper.

    In concert, he appeared with Cincinnati Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Hungarian National Philharmonic, Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and he conducted Mozart’s Requiem at Teatro Regio di Parma.

    Most recently he conducted Il Turco in Italia and Lucia di Lammermoor with Teatro di San Carlo, Ernani, La Juive and Madama Butterfly with Opera Australia, Tosca with Opéra de Paris, Les contes d’Hoffmann with ABAO Olbe. In concert, he made his debut with the Fort Worth SymphonyOrchestra.
    Future engagements include Madama Butterfly at Palm Beach Opera, Nabucco at the Deutsche Oper, La traviata at Seattle Opera, Tosca at Oper Frankfurt.

    Jenna Wolf

    Jenna Wolf is currently the Publicity and Digital Media Manager at Lenny’s Studio, a renowned female-founded public relations and digital firm, which collaborates with an acclaimed roster of artists and organizations. Previously, she worked in Development and External Relations for Minnesota Opera, and has consulted on fundraising and communications strategies with arts organizations throughout the United States. Jenna was an inaugural member of Arts Midwest’s Future Leaders Network, and has served on the board of the Tempo Young Professionals Organization. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and a Master’s degree in Music from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, both in Horn Performance.

    Dmitry Vdovin

    Dmitry Vdovin, founder and artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre Young Artist Program since 2009, is hailed as the world’s leading vocal coach. He was artistic director and teacher at the Moscow International School of Vocal Art which made it possible for leading opera teachers and specialists from Russia, USA, Italy, Germany and Great Britain to come to Moscow to work with the most talented young singers. He has also been resident guest teacher at the Houston Grand Opera Young Artists Program (HGO Studio) and Opernhaus Zürich. He is regularly asked to serve as a jury member on international music competitions. Among his students are leading soloists in the greatest opera houses, such as the Bolshoi, La Scala, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Opéra National de Paris, amongst others.

    Beth Stewart

    Beth Stewart is the founder of Verismo Communications, a classical music PR firm that prizes authenticity over plasticity, creates space and opportunity in clients’ lives, and operates with unswerving integrity. With Verismo, she has propelled clients to features in top international publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, Opera, Opera News, Billboard, and Gramophone. She has played an integral role in major promotional campaigns, with clients such as mezzo Jamie Barton, soprano Corinne Winters, conductors Eun Sun Kim and Lidiya Yankovskaya, and Against the Grain Records earning recognition from the Solti Foundation US, International Opera Awards, Latin Grammy Awards, Juno Awards, and BBC Music Magazine Awards. Beth’s trademark drive and infectious energy have been instrumental in the launch of Turn The Spotlight, created to illuminate the path to a more equitable future in the arts.