Chelsea Opera Welcomes Two New Board Members

Ms. Casey worked as Artistic Planning Associate Manager with the New York Philharmonic and has served as an Associate Producer for Amore Opera and Chelsea Opera. She recently became the managing director of VisionIntoArt and is also the personal assistant for a celebrated TV/Film/Theatre Actor and Director. Trained as a classical singer at the University of Michigan and New England Conservatory, she performs with her recital group, Voices of Women. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Art Song Preservation Society of New York which works to develop programs that promote art song in NYC, and with them, co-hosts an internet podcast, “A Toast To Song”. Ms. Casey’s initial involvement with Chelsea Opera was as a chorus member for the 2006 production of Pagliacci.

Mr. Potter, a Banker for almost 40 years, is currently an Assistant Vice President of Compliance at Metropolitan National Bank in New York City. Prior to MNB, Mr. Potter held audit positions with The Bank of New York and Bank of Utica. While at Bank of Utica, he served as President of the Utica Chapter of the American Institute of Banking (AIB), earning a Chapter of Excellence Award from the National AIB. Also during this time he earned the Volunteer of the Year Award from New York State AIB. He has served as treasurer for a number of organizations throughout his career. Also a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music with a BA in Music Education and a concentration in voice, Mr. Potter has had many opportunities to sing as a soloist and chorister in recital, opera, oratorio and church choirs, and currently sings in the Men and Boys Choir at The Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City, New York. He is a board member for the Cathedral Choirs Development Fund which supports the work of the choirs of the Cathedral.

Formed in 2004 by professional singers, Lynne Hayden-Findlay and Leonarda Priore, the company was launched with an all-volunteer production of Suor Angelica. Initially, Ms. Priore and Ms. Hayden-Findlay had only intended to produce this one opera. However, artist and audience response was so compelling that they agreed to move forward, incorporating Chelsea Opera and obtaining their IRS non-profit designation in a record eight days. They have since produced Cavalleria Rusticana, Amahl and the Night Visitors (three times), Pagliacci, Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi, The Ballad of Baby Doe, The Scarf, The Bear, a 5th Anniversary production of Suor Angelica, Le Nozze di Figaro, and This is the rill speaking/Bermudas and The Medium. Their November 2010 production of Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied garnered rave reviews from both The New York Times and Opera News. Madama Butterfly last June featured the return of “America’s Tenor”, Daniel Rodriguez. The company’s first world premiere, The Mark of Cain by Matthew Harris and Terry Quinn, opened on schedule in November, just a week after the city was devastated by Hurricane Sandy! Chelsea Opera, was a WNYC-FM *STAR* Incentive recipient. Support has been received from The Banfi Vintners Foundation, The Bettina Baruch Foundation, The Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, The NYU Community Fund, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). In-kind support is provided by JetBlue Airways, the official airline of Chelsea Opera.

For further information, visit www.ChelseaOpera.org or write to ChelseaOpera@aol.com.