I’m deeply proud of the work we do together, both onstage and in the community. It’s a privilege to guide these singers as they grow, and to share this journey with them as they become powerful ambassadors for the art form.”
Nathalie Doucet
Head of Music and Resident Artist Program Director, Detroit Opera
Individualized study.
Direct performing experience.
The next generation of opera talent.
The Resident Artist Program is led by renowned opera coach and pianist Nathalie Doucet, Detroit Opera’s Head of Music. The program offers individualized study to cater to the unique needs of each artist and aligns with the country’s top training programs. Detroit Opera serves as a nurturing home for these rising stars, supporting and helping them achieve their full potential in the highly competitive opera industry. The program builds on the strong foundations of the Studio Artist program founded by the late Dr. David DiChiera, the company’s founder, while embodying the forward-looking leadership of Yuval Sharon, the Barbara Walkowski Artistic Director of Detroit Opera, President and CEO Patty Isacson Sabee, and Music Director Roberto Kalb. The program was reshaped in 2022 by Detroit Opera’s former Associate Artistic Director, Christine Goerke, to keep pace with the spirit of innovation, outreach, and community-building that has characterized Detroit Opera’s programming and administration since Yuval Sharon’s arrival in 2020.
After an international search, Detroit Opera has announced the four singers selected to train in Detroit Opera’s Resident Artist Program during the 2025–26 season. They are sopranos Brianna J. Robinson and Mia Mandineau, tenor Travis Leon Williams, and baritone Cole Bellamy. Cole and Brianna are each returning for a second year in the program; Mia and Travis will be first-year artists in the program. The four were chosen from more than 800 artists who applied to the program.
The four Resident Artists have committed to an intensive program while living in Detroit from September 2025 through May 2026. They train directly with Nathalie Doucet as their main coach in specially crafted and individualized curricula curated by Doucet, covering voice, movement, language, and career guidance. In addition to hands-on training and mainstage performances with Detroit Opera, Resident Artists also benefit from mentorship by a wide range of guest professionals throughout the season. In the 2024–25 season, guest faculty included soprano Caitlin Lynch, tenor Galeano Salas, bass-baritone Alfred Walker, voice teacher Don Marrazzo, stage director Chía Patiño, fight director and choreographer Katherine Coyl, Italian-language instructor Daniela D’Amico Henderson, and financial planner Brian Rood. Throughout the season, Resident Artists also work with Detroit Opera Staff Pianist John Etsell, Roberto Kalb, and Yuval Sharon. Additional guest artists and faculty in the program since 2022 have included sopranos Ana María Martínez and Janet Williams, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, conductor Francesco Milioto, coaches Ellen Rissinger and Timothy Cheek, and numerous visiting directors and collaborators from across the industry.
In keeping with Detroit Opera’s longstanding focus on making opera accessible to the surrounding community, Resident Artists forge direct ties to Detroit through recitals, concerts, and other collaborations with local schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and institutions. Resident Artists perform regularly during the season for patients at Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital and in public concerts throughout Detroit and the state of Michigan. All Resident Artists begin on a one-year contract, and selected artists are invited to participate in a second year.
For more information about the Resident Artist Program, please contact us at residentartist@detroitopera.org.
