Known for her versatility and energy on the podium, Detroit Opera veteran Chorus Master Suzanne Mallare Acton has more than 160 production credits covering seven languages. In addition to her chorus work, Suzanne has conducted over 35 productions for the company, including West Side Story, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, The Music Man, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, Die Fledermaus, La traviata, A Little Night Music, a staged version of Carmina Burana with members of Cirque du Soleil, The Medium, A View from the Bridge, Les pêcheurs de perles, and Frida. Additional conducting credits include My Fair Lady and La traviata for Dayton Opera; The Merry Widow and Madama Butterfly for Artpark; Tosca for Augusta Opera; La traviata, L’elisir d’amore, and Gianni Schicchi for Verdi Opera Theatre; and Frida for El Paso Opera. Suzanne was guest conductor for the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Bach Festival, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, and Dearborn Symphony Orchestra. She premiered Too Hot To Handel at the Detroit Opera House, Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, and The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis. For 25 years, Suzanne was artistic director of Rackham Choir. Under her leadership, the Rackham Choir received the prestigious 2008 Governor’s Awards for Arts & Culture for outstanding contributions to arts and culture in Michigan. Suzanne has been recognized by Corp! Magazine as one of Michigan’s 95 Most Powerful Women. In 2014, she was one of 12 women selected as WJR’s Women Who Lead.

Sadarra J. Fields, a Michigan native, originally from Lansing, is an educator, conductor, vocalist, and pianist. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education from Western Michigan University and a Master of Science in Education - Family Life from Concordia University Wisconsin. Currently, Sadarra teaches choir at Forsythe Middle School in Ann Arbor. She is a singer in Detroit’s Brazeal Dennard Chorale; a pianist for Detroit Northwest Seventh-Day Adventist Church and Clarenceville United Methodist Church; and is a trauma recovery coach. Sadarra is a foodie who enjoys yoga, salsa dancing, travel, blogging, and spending time with loved ones.