Renegade Opera Team
Administrative Team
Madeline Ross, Executive Director
Executive Director Madeline Ross brings her dedication to immersive, relevant operatic storytelling, accessibility, and equity to her work at Renegade Opera. Ms. Ross has over 10 years of theater production experience, previously founding and serving as Executive Director for Promenade Opera Project in Boston, MA. Ms. Ross’ skills as an administrator, producer, and performer inform all aspects of her career in the arts. Praised for her “brilliant coloratura voice,” “world class” stage presence, and thrilling versatility, Madeline Ross has been seen most recently making her Portland Opera debut as the First Woodspite in Dvorak’s Rusalka and as the Northern Flicker in Bird Songs of Opera with Renegade Opera. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2019 as a jazz soloist where she “scatt[ed] to beat the band” (NY Concert Review). Ms. Ross has also performed with Resonance Ensemble, The Oregon Symphony, 45th Parallel, Opera Theater Oregon, Shaking the Tree Theatre, and was recently hailed for “effortlessly nailing” her performance as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Oregon ArtsWatch). She won first prize at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Classical Voice Competition in 2020, the Annemarie Gertz Prize at the 2024 NATS Artist Awards, and was honored to take part in a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. premiering An African American Requiem by Damien Geter with Resonance Ensemble and NEWorks Philharmonic Orchestra. Recent engagements include three role debuts, as Tamiri in Mozart’s Il re pastore and as Lucinda in Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters with Orpheus PDX (Summer 2023), and as Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with Portland Opera (Fall 2023).
Danielle Jagelski, Artistic Director
Danielle Jagelski is a conductor, composer, and creative producer. At home in both orchestral and theatrical realms, she is the Artistic Director and Co-founder of Renegade Opera, Resident Conductor of PROTESTRA, Producer for First Nations Performing Arts, and Conducting Faculty at Manhattan School of Music-Precollege Division.
Sought out for her execution of contemporary and new works, recent conducting engagements include the US premiere of Never to Return by Karen Sunabacka, Scalia/Ginsberg at Opera Ithaca, Missing by Brian Current at Anchorage Opera, Dark Sisters by Nico Muhly at Temple University, Tlingit Opera at Perseverance Theatre, Adam’s Run by Ruby Fulton at Renegade Opera, National Music & Global Culture Society at Lincoln Center, Garden of Alice by Elizabeth Raum with City Lyric Opera, served as assistant conductor for Le nozze di Figaro at the Estates Theatre.
Past engagements include working with ensembles such as the Opera Theatre Saint Louis, Stanford Symphony Orchestra, Rhymes with Opera, and Manhattan School of Music.
A citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe with Polish-settler heritage, Danielle often collaborates and performs with other Indigenous artists in interdisciplinary projects, along with presenting her research in mixed-race studies and classical music throughout the US and Canada.
As a composer, her most recent premieres have been by New Native Theatre, Hear Us Hear Them Ensemble, MUSE Cincinnati Women’s Choir, American Patriots Project, Artemis Singers. She is currently working on a new work commissioned by Voice of Ascension, "What Do You See" to be premiered in April 2024. She is a recipient of grants from The Plimpton Foundation, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and Native Arts and Cultures, as well as earning a distinction award from the National Opera Association.
Danielle graduated from Hamline University with degrees in classical composition and chemistry, with further studies in conducting from Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Manhattan School of Music.
Abigail Krawson, Community Curator
Abigail Krawson is dynamic performer, an engaging educator, and a passionate producer of innovative opera and vocal performances. She sings with Portland Opera and The Portland Symphonic Choir regularly, and she is also the Director of Children and Youth Choirs at Lake Grove Presbyterian, where she recently soloed with musicians from the Oregon Symphony on works like Handel’s Messiah and Rutter’s Requiem. In the 2022-23 season, she portrayed the Mourning Dove in Renegade’s Bird Songs of Opera, sang a duo concert called Tapestry with friend and vocalist, LaRiche Lamar, and commissioned a new choral work by local composer, Cecille Elliott, for her youth choir. In the 2021-22 season she sang Vivaldi's Gloria and Mozart's Vespers Solennes de Confessore with Eugene Concert Choir, was the soprano Flower in Blythely Ever After, a rock/opera cabaret with Stephanie Blythe at Boston Lyric Opera, and performed with OrpheusPDX as Proserpina in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo. Prior to 2020, Abigail sang Adele in Die Fledermaus with Amarillo Opera, Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica with Opera West, joined both The Phoenix Theatre (Sound of Music) and Arizona Opera (La Bohème) as an ensemble member, and took First Prize at the Southwest Vocal Competition. Past season highlights include the saucy Musetta in La Bohème, the vocally punishing, but ever charming Zerbinetta in Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, the charming Marzelline in Fidelio, and Adamo’s heart-wrenching Beth in Little Women. And on the concert stage, she has performed the solos in Strauss’ Brentano Lieder, Mozart's Requiem, Brahms' Requiem and Handel's Messiah.
Creative Team
Jesse Preis, Creative Team
Jesse A. Preis is a tenor, pianist, and composer, originally from Emblem, Wyoming. Jesse graduated from the University of Montana in 2016 with a BM in Piano Performance & Pedagogy and a BA in Vocal Performance and studied voice abroad in Graz, Austria (The American Institute of Musical Studies) during the summers of 2016. In 2019, Jesse completed an M.M. Vocal Performance at West Virginia University. After relocating to Portland, Jesse has worked as a piano teacher at Hoffman Academy and Lydian Music Studios, the Director of Music Ministry at Prince of Life Lutheran Church and St Stephen Lutheran Church, and as a freelance accompanist. Most recently, in the summer of 2022, Jesse performed as the pianist for Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito (Renegade Opera). Jesse also collaborated with mezzo Claire Robertson-Preis in a 2018 performance of Schumann’s Frauenliebe und -leben. Their recent vocal performances include a complete staged recital of Winterreise, performed in 2018, and a chamber rendition of Vaughan Williams’ Four Hymns, performed in 2019. Jesse has also appeared as Perry in Orfeo in Underland (Renegade Opera), Parpignol in La boheme Warhola (Pittsburgh Festival Opera), the First Priest and Armored Guard in The Magic Flute (WVU), and roles in numerous opera scenes productions.
Claire Robertson Preis, Creative Team
Mezzo-soprano Claire Robertson-Preis is a musicmaker--originally from Missoula, MT. and Boerne, TX. Claire holds double Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music and Russian from the University of Montana in 2016, studying abroad in both St. Petersburg, Russia (FINEC) and Graz, Austria (The American Institute of Musical Studies). With a M.M. Vocal Performance earned from West Virginia University in 2019, Claire's academic focuses include vocal pedagogy, perspectives in musicology, and twentieth-century music theory. While at WVU, Claire worked as a lecturer teaching private voice lessons and served as a Choral Intern with Suncrest United Methodist Church. Currently, Claire works as the Operations Manager for Portland Symphonic Choir and teaches voice to young singers at the Hoffman Academy in Portland, Claire is passionate about making the opera industry a more accessible space now and for future singers.
Joellen Sweeney, Creative Team
Joellen Sweeney is an actor, director, and teaching artist from Portland, Oregon. Her creative research focuses on immersive and site-specific performance; Joellen loves to create and support events that build connectedness between people and their environment. Recent regional credits include work with Renegade Opera (Director: Tito, Orfeo in Underland, Secret Diaries of Pennsylvania Avenue), Seattle Shakespeare Company, Artists Repertory Theatre, Anonymous Theatre, Shaking the Tree Theatre, Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble and Northwest Children's Theatre. She is also a co-founder of Bedrock Theatre, a performance collective that combines storytelling, live music and hiking in parks and wilderness areas. Joellen earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program. She is also a proud alumna of Willamette Univeristy, the Third Rail Repertory Theatre Mentorship Program and the Shakespeare & Company Month-Long Intensive. When she is not at the theatre, Joellen enjoys singing, studying ocean science and hiking with her husband, Alec.
Madeline Tran, Creative Team
Madeleine Tran is a Vietnamese-American soprano, actor, fight choreographer, and occasional street and festival performer. She was born in Tacoma, WA but studied classical voice at the University of Portland under Dr. Nicole Hanig. Madeleine also studies and teaches stage combat under the mentorship of Kristen Mun. She has performed locally with many companies, including Artist's Repertory Theater, Third Rail Repertory, Portland Center Stage, Shaking The Tree, Portland Opera, and Renegade Opera.
Emily Evelyn Way, Creative Team
Hailed as “captivating in her performance” (The Register-Guard, Eugene OR) and “lovely… with a well-focused tone” (Opera News), Emily Evelyn Way is a lyric coloratura soprano based in the Pacific Northwest. She was most recently seen as the Soprano in Renegade Opera’s production She Loves You Back, as Zina in Dark Sisters with OrpheusPDX, Madame Herz in Der Schauspieldirektor in a joint production with Opera Bend and the Central Oregon Symphony, in recital at Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel, Oregon, and in concert with Ping and Woof Opera, singing works from L’Elisir d’Amore, Don Pasquale and La Traviata. Past roles include Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore (Opera Bend), Adele in Die Fledermaus (Eugene Opera), Laurie in The Tender Land, Héro in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Benedict (Eugene Opera), Beth in Little Women (Eugene Opera, Astoria Music Festival), Flora in The Turn of the Screw (Eugene Opera, Opera on the Avalon), and Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel (Opera on the Avalon). Ms. Way has also served as the cover for Violetta in La Traviata (Amore Opera) and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor (New York Opera Exchange). Other notable operatic roles include Königin der Nacht, Nanetta, and Zerlina, among others.
An active recitalist and a frequent presence on concert stages, she was recently seen as the Soprano Soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in the Portland area. Notably, Ms. Way made her Mexican debut as the Soprano Soloist in Carmina Burana with the Festival Alfonso Ortiz Tirado in Alamos, Mexico, which was broadcast nationally. She has performed in concert with Music at the Gate in Queens, NY as the Soprano Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and Exsultate, Jubilate, as well as Bach’s Cantata No. 51. Other notable concerts include Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater at Immaculate Conception Church in Bronx, NY, and a recital series based at St. Martin and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan.
Board
Nicholas Meyer, President
Nicholas Meyer is a diverse singer who maintains an active singing and teaching career in Portland, OR. As a voice & piano teacher, Nicholas has taught thousands of lessons, working with professional musicians, public speakers, rock singers, hip-hop artists, treble & teenage voices, karaoke enthusiasts and everyone in between. Nicholas works with students to create a positive and encouraging environment and caters his lessons to the unique needs of each student. Employing his extensive classical music training and nearly 30 years of piano playing, Nicholas thrives in teaching all styles of music and every experience level, from beginner to advanced.
Jasmine Johnson, Member
Jasmine Johnson made her professional role debut in 2022 with West Edge Opera as Nireno in Giulio Cesare. She was recently seen on stage with Portland Opera as Third Wood-Sprite in Rusalka. Ms.Johnson has a passion for performing new operas and works. She workshopped Another City with Houston Grand Opera, and Omar with Spoleto Festival. She performed with Third Angle Opera in their world premiere of Sanctuaries composed by Daryl Grant. As a Portland Opera resident artist, she took on the role of Concechetta in Carlos Simons’ opera Night Trip written in 2016. She has also been seen on stage with Opera Parallel in the world premiere of their original opera, Amazing Grace. Also, Jasmine performed the role of Mrs. Grose in Turn of the Screw with Opera Theater Unlimited’s in the very first production as a company. Her debut full operatic role was Mrs. Herring in Albert Herring with the San Francisco Conservatory of music where she received her bachelor’s, master’s, and postgraduate degree under the tutelage of Cesar Ulloa. Jasmine Johnson is currently at Portland Opera as the Corporate Relations Manager where she is gaining skills in hopes of running her own opera company one day. She is excited to debut her first symphonic performance with the Oregon Symphony.
Danielle Jagelski, Secretary and Ex-Officio Member
Maddy Ross, Ex-Officio Member
Nicole Leupp Hanig, Former President
Associate Professor Nicole Leupp Hanig is the Head of the Voice Department at University of Portland and teaches Applied Voice, Vocal Performance Workshop, Lyric Theater Workshop and Introduction to Fine Arts. Dr. Hanig is also an Artist/Teacher with Music in the Marche, an opera training program and Festival held in Mondavio, Italy each July. Dr. Hanig’s performance resume includes performances as a soloist with the Jussi Björling Festival in Sweden, the Maggio Musicale Festival in Italy, the Pacific Music Festival in Japan and Atelier Lyrique in France. She has performed a solo recital at St. Martin’s in the Field in London, Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder at Durham Cathedral in Durham, England and was a soloist in Opera Galas for Amnesty International at St. James’ Picadilly in London and for the Cairo Opera in Egypt, which was recorded for Egyptian television. Opera roles include Die Feldmarschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. The Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw, and the role of Sian in development workshops of James McMillan’s opera The Sacrifice which was commissioned for Welsh National Opera. Upcoming projects include a performance of art song inspired by social justice themes at the National College Music Society Conference in Vancouver, BC and a recording of the art songs of Charles Widor for Albany Records.
Kaleb Eidsvoog, Treasurer
Kaleb Eidsvoog, associate attorney at Wool Landon, helps families, large and small, with a variety of estate planning needs. Born and raised in Portland, OR, Kaleb ventured south and spent six years in Arizona pursuing his undergraduate and master’s degrees and working in football operations at Arizona State University. In 2018 Kaleb returned to Portland to begin his legal career, graduating from Lewis & Clark Law School magna cum laude in May of 2021, with a certification in business law.
During law school, Kaleb worked for a year as a Law Clerk at Bonneville Power Administration. He then turned his attention to estate planning, joining Wool Landon as a Law Clerk in June 2020. Following his admission to the Oregon State Bar in October of 2021, Kaleb was promoted at Wool Landon to Associate Attorney.
Founders of Renegade Opera
