ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Rachel Deatherage is a captivating performer with a rich, warm timbre. Lauded for her "dark" voice (San Diego Story) with its “shimmering” vibrato (Daily Republic) she gifts her audience with performances that are both vocally and dramatically compelling. At Opera NEO she brought personality and authenticity to the stage, delivering her repertoire with “irresistible vocal panache and knowing inflection” (San Diego Story). Last season Ms. Deatherage made her European debut singing Angelina in Schloss Kirchstetten’s production of La Cenerentola, where she was praised as "an immensely engaging personality. Equipped with a mezzo-soprano that is ideal for bel canto singing." Ms. Deatherage’s 2021-2022 season included the roles of Bradamante in Handel's Alcina, and Isabella in l'italiana in Algeri (canceled due to Covid) as well as her participation in Opernfest Prague (canceled due to Covid) and the Bayrische Opernakademie. Ms. Deatherage also sang her UK debut as Angelina in Barefoot Opera's 2022 touring production of La Cenerentola. She is excited to reprise the role in both the UK and Europe this coming year.
She can be found online at www.racheldeatheragemezzo.com and on instagram @DeatherageConfidential.
Veronique Kherian is a San Francisco-based mezzo-soprano. She has performed in operas and operettas throughout the Bay Area, including Macbeth, Pagliacci, HMS Pinafore, Candide, Trial By Jury, and La Belle Hélène. She is known for her unique cheese pairing recital series, Miss Cheesemonger Sings, over the years, combining her great love of artisan cheese and classical singing. When not singing, she can be found running her portrait photography business. Instagram: @verokherian.
Frank Johnson (San Francisco) is a composer/arranger, conductor/musical director, pianist and educator, with performance and composition degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. He served as Founding Director of Pittsburgh Philharmonia; Executive Director of Music at Gretna; and General Director of Mississippi Opera. He has provided music and vocal direction for TheatreWorks, Marin Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Beach Blanket Babylon, American Conservatory Theater, Pocket Opera and many other companies. Compositions include score/sound design for Lord of the Flies, Importance of Being Earnest, Shakespeare and other stage works, songs, works for chorus, dance, chamber, orchestral and electronic works. He is noted for chamber music and song explorations of composers such as Samuel Barber and Toru Takemitsu, and for cabaret. Among local educational associations have been the SF Community Music Center, San Francisco State University, and as faculty and adjunct to the Masters Degree Program of American Conservatory Theater.
