2025/26 Season
Upcoming Events:
Meet the Singers: YOC Alumni
🗓 Thursday, March 26 at 7pm - Charlotte Congregational Church, Charlotte
Our second annual Meet the Singers featuring YOC alumni! This special recital will feature tenor Connor Trombly and sopranos Neve Bruno and Emma Cerutti in a program of art song, operetta and opera, accompanied at the piano by Music Director Mary Jane Austin. Already making waves at DePaul University, the Interlochen Academy of the Arts and Norwich University, these three alumni appeared in five different Youth Opera programs, countless Project Serenade concerts, special events, and even in Opera Company of Middlebury professional productions in the chorus. We couldn't be more proud of all they are doing - come here these stars of tomorrow!
Accompanied by YOC Music Director and pianist Mary Jane Austin.
Spring Opera Scenes Production: UNA GIORNATA
An imaginative retelling of the 24 Italian songs & arias.
🗓 Saturday, April 18 at 7pm - CVUUS, Middlebury
🗓 Sunday, April 19 at 2pm - Montpelier Performing Arts Hub, Montpelier
🗓 Sunday, April 19 at 7pm - Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington
Directed by Sarah Cullins and led from the piano by YOC Music Director Mary Jane Austin, Una giornata is the culminating project of YOC’s spring semester after-school program. This year’s cast of 13 young singers represents eight local schools, showcasing the remarkable talent and dedication of our region’s rising performers.
Past Events:
Fall Opera Scenes Production: The Cabaret on 46th
This fall, the Youth Opera Company dived into the imaginary world of a cabaret near the United Nations in with an imaginative, original production involving cabaret and operetta repertoire in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish!
Performances:
🗓 November 29 at 2pm - Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington
🗓 November 29 at 7pm - CVUUS, Middlebury
🗓 November 30 at 2pm - Waterbury Congregational Church, Waterbury
The Dido & Aeneas Project at Champlain Valley Union High School
After a hugely successful run in Addison County, The Dido & Aeneas Project arrived at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg!
In this interdisciplinary collaboration, Teaching Artist Sarah Cullins worked weekly with CVU chorus classes, led by Choral Director Cameron Brownell, to prepare for a spectacular performance during the school’s Celebration of the Arts in January 2026.
🌟 Highlights included:
Choral, solo, and dance selections from Dido & Aeneas
Latin narration by CVU students from Virgil’s Aeneid, in partnership with the Latin department
This project brought history, music, and movement to life — and celebrated the power of collaboration across the arts!
General Manager / Director of Education & Outreach - Sarah Cullins
A native Vermonter, soprano, educator, and arts leader, Sarah Cullins is thrilled to once again call the Green Mountains home as she steps into her new role as General Director of the Opera Company of Middlebury. After training at the New England Conservatory of Music and the Mannes School of Music, Sarah spent a decade in the Andes Mountains of Bogotá, Colombia, where she won the National Voice Competition and became a sought-after soloist in operatic, symphonic, and oratorio repertoire with the country’s leading orchestras, companies, and festivals. During her time in Colombia, she also designed and led a new voice and opera program at the Universidad Central, sparking a nationwide revitalization of operatic training and production. Since returning to Vermont in 2013, Sarah has maintained an active performance schedule, including multiple roles with OCM and numerous collaborations with her husband, Daniel Gaviria, as the 8 Cuerdas Duo. She also runs a large private vocal studio and is the founder of the Youth Opera Company of OCM. From 2021 to 2023, she served on the OCM Board and continues to lead the company’s Education and Outreach programs.
YOC Music Director - Mary Jane Austin
YOC Music Director Mary Jane Austin enjoys a rich musical life in New England involving recital and opera performance, teaching, choral conducting, and championing new compositions. Newly appointed Music Director of the Bel Canto Chamber Singers, she has conducted the Mad River Chorale since 2018, following a long tenure as its collaborative pianist. Her passion for vocal music began at age 16 as a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and deepened while studying with opera legends Claudia Pinza, Maurizio Arena, Enza Ferrari, and Warren Jones. From 1994 to 2016, she worked as repetiteur and coach for the EPCASO summer Italian opera program. Principal keyboardist of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, she was named its "Honorary Conductor" in 2016 in recognition of her contributions to the state’s musical life. A former pianist with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, she regularly performs with groups such as TURNmusic and the Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble. For over a decade, she served as rehearsal pianist and chorus master for the Opera Company of Middlebury and continues to collaborate with Vermont Virtuosi, the Craftsbury Chamber Players, and Eleva Chamber Players. She co-founded Vermont Italian Opera with bass Erik Kroncke and together they direct opera and operettas at the Unadilla Theatre. On faculty at the University of Vermont, she is the organist at the Waterbury Congregational Church and rehearsal pianist for the Vermont Symphony Chorus and South Burlington Community Chorus.
TRAIN. PERFORM. CONNECT.
We are thrilled to announce that, as of September 2023, we have officially added a robust opera education program for teens to our annual activities!
The Youth Opera Company of OCM is made possible through a merger between the Opera Company of Middlebury and the organization formerly known as the Youth Opera Company of Vermont.
The Youth Opera Company of OCM uses opera as a tool to inspire our participants to reach for excellence in a myriad of skills, to build their confidence as singers and people, and to give back to their communities in a meaningful way. To this end, we offer unique training and performance opportunities in after-school programs, summer programs and school residencies, and partner with local arts organizations to offer community service opportunities in senior residences and community centers. All of our programs offer scholarship assistance and a commitment to inclusion.
While opera might seem like an old-fashioned art form that wouldn’t appeal to today’s teens, our programs have successfully proven to participants and audiences alike that opera can be just as relevant and exciting as any other form of storytelling. With simple productions that are fresh and modern, we keep the focus on our singers’ amazing talent and the essential aspects of the story, and have converted many opera skeptics into opera lovers.
Studying opera also requires high-level training in multiple skill sets and the same emphasis on teamwork, discipline and self-confidence as any varsity sports team. Our participants may or may not decide to pursue opera as a career path, but they will certainly be lifelong lovers and supporters of the arts with valuable and transferable skills and a sense of social responsibility that will play an important role in their futures.