Detroit Opera Resident Artists
Melanie Spector, soprano
Praised for her “beaming soprano” by Operawire, Melanie Spector was born and raised in New York City. She is a second-year Resident Artist at Detroit Opera, where she made her debut as the High Priestess in Verdi’s Aida singing next to operatic stars Angel Blue and Christine Goerke. For this performance, Melanie received critical acclaim for her “exceptional pitch, pristine sound, and unwavering commitment to operatic excellence” (Operawire). Other recent performances include Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 52, Mozart's “Vorrei spiegarvi, o dio” K. 418 and Requiem with the Midland Symphony Orchestra and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Wayne State Wind Symphony at Detroit Symphony’s Orchestra Hall. In her first season at Detroit Opera, she has covered the roles of Atalanta in Handel’s Xerxes and Margarita Xirgu in Golijov’s Ainadamar. She has been recognized by prestigious organizations including the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and the Gerda Lissner Foundation. Melanie's recent highlights include Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte at Michigan’s Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, and in August she will make her role debut as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Savannah Opera during the 2023 Savannah VOICE Festival.
During Detroit Opera's 2023-2024 main stage season, Melanie will be featured as a soloist in Arias and Overtures, Beyond the Pit and in John Cage's Europeras 3 & 4. Melanie will also sing the role of Chochulka in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen.
Lisa Marie Rogali, mezzo soprano
Award-winning mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali has been praised for her “nuanced voice” and “spontaneity” on the stage. She is quickly establishing herself as a versatile performer of opera, musical theater, contemporary, and concert music. During the 2022–23 season, she debuted the roles of Princess/Lucy/Fancy Doll #1 in Minnesota Opera’s world premiere of Paola Prestini and Mark Campbell’s Edward Tulane and performed her first Hansel in Opera Birmingham’s production of Hansel and Gretel. On the concert stage, she was featured as a soloist with the Naples Philharmonic, the Masterwork Chorus, and Williamsport Symphony Orchestra. This summer, she will return to the Glimmerglass Festival to sing Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette and Paquette in Candide. Lisa has been featured in roles on the stages of companies including Minnesota Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Opera Saratoga. Lisa has earned top accolades from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Jensen Foundation, Giulio Gari Foundation, Gerda Lissner Foundation, American Traditions Vocal Collection, Lotte Lenya Competition, and many more. Lisa holds a master of music degree in vocal performance from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Pennsylvania State University.
During Detroit Opera's 2023-2024 main stage season, Lisa will be featured as a soloist in Arias and Overtures, and Beyond the Pit. Lisa will also sing the role of Kate Pinkerton in Puccini's Madame Butterfly, the role of The Dog in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen and will cover the role of Dodo in Missy Mazzoli's and Royce Vavrek's Breaking the Waves.
River Guard, tenor
River Guard is a Canadian tenor from Hamilton, Ontario, living in Montréal, Québec. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music and an opera diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a master’s degree in opera from the University of Toronto Opera School, where he studied with Wendy Nielsen. River is a 2021 recipient of the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance and Residency Program from the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School. He is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Opera in the 21st Century program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Past roles include Lensky in Eugene Onegin (Highlands Opera Studio), Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia (Glenn Gould School), Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi (Canadian Vocal Arts Institute/CVAI), Miles in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Proving Up (Aspen Music Festival and School), Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Highlands Opera Studio), Don José in La tragédie de Carmen and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus (l’Atelier d’opéra Université de Montréal). This summer at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, River will cover the roles of Cavaradossi in Tosca and Sam Polk in Susannah, and he will be a participant in the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria.
During Detroit Opera's 2023-2024 main stage season, River will be featured as a soloist in Arias and Overtures, Beyond the Pit and in John Cage's Europeras 3& 4. River will also cover the role of Pinkerton in Puccini's Madame Butterfly and will sing the role of Pasek in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen.
Rolfe Dauz, baritone
Filipino-American baritone Rolfe Dauz is quickly becoming recognized for his beautiful voice, sensitive artistry, and compelling stage presence and has garnered international acclaim for his "focused baritone, perfect diction, and dramatic acting” (Calgary Herald). He was selected as a Vocal Fellow at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center this summer, when he will perform in concerts and recitals curated by soprano Dawn Upshaw, who leads the Vocal Arts Program. Rolfe was a 2022 Festival Artist the Chautauqua Opera Company, performing roles in Virgil Thomson’s The Mother Of Us All and Kamala Sankaram and Susan Yankowitz’s contemporary opera-theater work Thumbprint. During the 2021–22 season, Rolfe performed the role of Wotan/Hingaan Jann in composer Yadi Nursalim Anugerah and librettist Miranda Lakerveld’s new opera Ine Aya’ at the renowned Holland Festival; he reprised the role in a Holland Festival touring production throughout Indonesia. His vocal-piano duo with Lithuanian pianist Gabrielė Žemaitytė, Youth and Love, was awarded second prize at the 2021 International Copenhagen Lied-Duo Competition, and he performed a livestream recital in the Grote Zangers series at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ concert hall in Amsterdam.
During Detroit Opera's 2023-2024 main stage season, Rolfe will be featured as a soloist in Arias and Overtures, Beyond the Pit and John Cage's Europeras 3 & 4. He will also sing the roles of Yamadori and The Imperial Commissioner in Puccini's Madame Butterfly, and will cover the role of Jan in Missy Mazzoli's and Royce Vavrek's Breaking the Waves.
Ben Reisinger, baritone
Ben Reisinger, a baritone from Rochester, New York, living in Lansing, Michigan, returns as a Detroit Opera Resident Artist for the 2023–24 season. Last season, he made his professional debut with Detroit Opera, performing as Wagner in Gounod’s Faust and Maestro in Osvaldo Golijov’s Fountain of Tears (Ainadamar). He also covered the roles of Valentin (Faust) and Elviro (Handel’s Xerxes). Reisinger is a two-time District of Michigan winner in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and a proud recipient of the Dr. David DiChiera award in 2020 and 2021. During his studies at Michigan State University, Ben worked with composer Ricky Ian Gordon during a production of Gordon’s Grapes of Wrath. Reisinger has participated in masterclasses led by artists including renowned singers Renée Fleming, Christine Goerke, and Ana Maria Martinez and conductors Roberto Kalb and Francesco Milioto. Ben was selected as a Northeast Vocal Finalist for the esteemed Michael Feinstein’s Great American Songbook Competition in New York City, and he will perform this July as a finalist in the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition in San Francisco.
During Detroit Opera's 2023-2024 main stage season, Ben will be featured as a soloist in Arias and Overtures, and Beyond the Pit. Ben will also cover the role of Sharpless in Puccini's Madame Butterfly and will sing the role of The Sadistic Sailor, and cover the role of Terry in Missy Mazzoli's and Royce Vavrek's Breaking the Waves.
