San Francisco Lyric Opera Production Team

Barnaby Palmer has conducted in Michigan, the Czech Republic and San Francisco Lyric Opera's productions of Das Rheingold, La Traviata, Die Walküre, Madama Butterfly, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème, Così fan tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Pasquale, L'Elisir d'Amore, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, La Cenerentola, Un Ballo in Maschera, Carmen, Abduction from the Seraglio, Tosca, The Rape of Lucretia, Il Trovatore, Die Zauberflöte, and Romeo & Juliet. Mr. Palmer also conducted L'Elisir d'Amore for the Livermore Valley Opera. Mr. Palmer received his B.M. from Cleveland Institute of Music, and his M.M. from University of Michigan. Mr. Palmer studied with acclaimed conductors including Alan Gilbert, Rossen Milanov, Larry Rachleff, and is currently working with Michael Morgan.

Attila Béres was born in Romania, later moved to Budapest, and is now a Hungarian citizen. He is currently the main director at Operetta Theater, Budapest. He has been director at the National Theater in Pécs, Hungary, and at Gardonyi Géza Theater in Eger. Productions directed include Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne, Lehar: Gypsy Love, Nagy: Ibusar, Brecht and Weil: Threepenny Opera, Lehar: Merry Widow, Hamvai - Rejtö - Varrö - Darvas: Quarantine in the Grand Hotel, Huszka: Baroness Lili, Faydeau: The Fools, Dostoevsky: The Evil, Albee: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Jávori: Wedding Dance, Molnár: Carousel, Sophocles: Oedipus Rex, Chekhov: Platonov, Lerner-Loewe: My Fair Lady, Stein - Bock -Harnick: Fiddler on the Roof, Shakespeare: As You Like It, László: The Shop on the Corner. Mr. Béres holds a PhD in theater from Targu-Mures, Romania and a masters degree in directing from University of Theater, Film, and Television, Budapest. He also holds a masters degree in mathematics.

Heather Carolo is very honored to be directing for San Francisco Lyric Opera. As a Bay Area native, Ms. Carolo received her B.M. and M.M. degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she was twice honored with a certificate of excellence for her work as a performer, director, and choreographer. As a performer, she has been seen on stages both in Europe and America with leading roles in such productions as Carousel, The Music Man, Le Nozze di Figaro, The Fantasticks, Carmen, La Bohème, Daughter of the Cabinet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Into the Woods, City of Angels, The Sound of Music, The King and I, South Pacific, Transformations and The Boyfriend. Her more than 25 productions as a director/choreographer have been performed with the San Francisco Conservatory’s Opera Program and Musical Theatre program, San Francisco Opera Center, Western Opera Theatre, Holy Names College, Peninsula Teen Opera, and Festival Opera. Heather is a collegiate professor at SFCM.

Kristen Brown, a Texas native, has been acclaimed for her impressive, ringing soprano (Marin Independent Journal), and hailed as San Francisco's up-and-coming powerhouse (Petaluma Argus-Courier, Santa Rosa Press Democrat). Kristen made her professional debut in 2007 as Magda Sorel in Menotti's The Consul with Cinnabar Opera, and after much success as a mezzo-soprano, Kristen is enjoying a new repertoire of soprano roles, including Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Vanessa (Vanessa), and Elsa (Lohengrin). Kristen has won awards from the Pacific Musical Society Young Artist Competition, the East Bay Opera League Competition, and the Long Island Masterworks Competition. She holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

E.E. "Chip" Grant IV earned his Master of Music degree in conducting at New England Conservatory in Boston. While there he conducted Stravinsky’s Histoire du Soldat with dancers from the Boston Ballet and traveled to Rome to be assistant conductor with Opera Festival di Roma in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. In the summer of 1996 Mr. Grant moved to San Francisco and began singing baritone with Volti, a professional chamber ensemble that specializes in performing 20th/21st century compositions. With Volti he conducted performances of Virgil Thompson’s Four Saints in Three Acts. Chip has served as Chorusmaster with San Francisco Lyric Opera for six seasons.

Paul Lorton, Jr. teaches information systems at the University of San Francisco but has the qualities needed to be property manager – he shops with imagination and speed. Mr. Lorton has been involved in multiple Lyric Opera productions, beginning as a volunteer on Rigoletto and advancing to the property role with La Cenerentola. His prior work with opera began in the ticket office for various cultural events including Opera workshops, films of Russian Operas and a road tour to Los Angeles of the San Francisco Opera while a student at UCLA in the middle of the last century. For the past 9 years he has offered a course in Opera to freshmen entering USF.

Dean G. Loumbas created choreography and movement for its recent repertoire including Lucia di Lammermoor, Romeo & Juliet, The Magic Flute, Carmen, L’Elisir d’Amore and La Traviata. Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Nominee for "Outstanding Achievement in Choreography" (A Little Night Music and Oh, Kay!), he has choreographed for TheatreWorks, Ray of Light, Lamplighters, San Francisco State, University of San Francisco, Iowa State, University of Illinois, City College of San Francisco and Sonoma State. He has danced classical ballets and sung in musicals and opera. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Iowa State in Speech, Theater and Communication Education and a Master of Science from Bradley University in Speech and Hearing Sciences.

Meghan Muser is thrilled to be working on her thirteenth production with San Francisco Lyric Opera, her first being Madama Butterfly for which she received numerous plaudits, Carmen, which required the fitting of some three hundred garments, and most recently The Rape of Lucretia, Il Trovatore,The Magic Flute, Romeo & Juliet, Lucia di Lammermoor, Tales of Hoffman, La Bohème and Aida. Other credits include Hansel and Gretel and The Magic Flute with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Roman Fever and A Village Singer with San Jose State University . Ms. Muser graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco with a BFA in Fashion with an emphasis on textile design.

David Ransom started with San Francisco Lyric Opera as a supernumerary but shifted to production work, starting with the design of the dragon in Wagner’s Siegfried. He handled the lighting design and production of Das Rheingold and special effects and scenic elements for Die Walküre. His other lighting and set design efforts with the Lyric Opera include La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème, Le Nozze di Figaro, Cosi fan tutte, L’Elisir d’Amore, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, La Cenerentola, Un Ballo in Maschera, Tosca, The Rape of Lucretia, Il Trovatore, The Magic Flute, and Romeo & Juliet.

Jean-Francois Revon is pleased to be the resident set designer of San Francisco Lyric Opera. Credits include the world premiere of The Tale of the Nutcracker for Opera San José; Tosca, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Cosi Fan tutte, and The Italian Girl in Algeria for Opera Santa Barbara; The Turn of the Screw, Carmen, The Consul, The Tales of Hoffman, among many others for West Bay Opera. He has also designed for Berkeley Opera, North Bay Opera, Livermore Valley Opera and Mission City Opera. Mr. Revon grew up in Paris, where he started his design career and received a degree in scenic design from the Ecole Superieur des Arts et Technique.

Lena Toney began working with San Francisco Lyric Opera in 2005's production of Carmen as a volunteer. Since then she has worked on every production and is now head of the makeup department. She is a licensed makeup artist with a strong art background. Lena enjoys the excitement and challenge of every production and looks forward to every show with the enthusiastic crew and cast.

Marianne Kruze teaches Computer Science and Computer Graphics at a Silicon Valley middle school. As an active volunteer for San Francisco Lyric Opera, Marianne manages the “front of the house” for each performance along with Al Chavez. She contacts and schedules all of usher volunteers. Marianne, involved with the Lyric Opera for over 5 years, thoroughly enjoys being part of the team and eagerly looks forward to every performance. Marianne is also an active volunteer with the Muscular Dystrophy Association in San Francisco and San Jose.

Barton Evans has always been attending performing arts since subscribing to Menlo Park Players Guild in 1976, following his return to the Bay Area after serving in the army. Since then, he and his wife Andrea have become subscribers to many of the arts including theatre and symphony in addition to various opera companies. Over the course of meeting for breakfast with former colleagues from Stanford, our property master Paul Lorton suggested Bart consider involving himself with San Francisco Lyric Opera. Upon learning the Lyric Opera would soon be in need for someone to serve as the new treasurer, he was kind enough to volunteer his time. Prior to entering retired life, Bart was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Dionex Corporation, where he served for 28 years and retired in 2005. Bart also served in the Army Reserve for over 30 years and retired as a Colonel in 2002.

Bob Scher performed in summer stock and went on to serve as producer and production manager in off-Broadway theater -- including Escurial (Ghelderode), Santa Claus (e.e. cummings), and Calvary (W. B. Yeats) for which he also composed “water-pure music” (NY Times). He has worked as writer, composer, editor, and line producer for documentary films, one of which, Above San Francisco, narrated by Orson Welles, is in three international film collections, including La Cinémathèque Française and MOMA (NY). He has recently completed a musical (music and lyrics) and is currently at work on an opera (libretto). Bob feels privileged to be able to apply his theatrical experience and organizational skills to this highly accomplished company.