Artistic Team
Nancy King
Artistic Director
Canadian soprano Nancy King is an active performer, teacher, guest lecturer, and Coordinator for Vocal Performance at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Voice Performance from Boston University, an Opera Diploma from the Longy School of Music, and completed her doctoral residency in Vocal Performance at the University of Minnesota, where she studied with Jean del Santo. Well-known to area audiences, Ms. King is a popular guest lecturer, presenting a series of Opera Lectures and various outreach programs as a part of UNC-WOOP! (UNCW’s Opera Outreach Project!).
A founder of Opera Wilmington, Ms. King has directed two of the company’s productions to date and has sung a leading role in the other two.
Ms. King is also the creative spirit behind Opera Wilmington’s Opera Camp and continues as its director.
Mark Sorensen
Assistant Artistic Director and Costume Designer
Mark Sorensen has created costumes for Broadway shows and national theatre tours, regional theatre productions and – since 2006 – for UNCW’s many theatrical productions. He joined the Opera Wilmington creative team as costume designer for The Merry Widow, our inaugural production, and has colorfully clothed our cast members ever since.
After earning his B.F.A. in Art from the University of North Texas, Mr. Sorensen completed an M.F.A. in Costume Design and Production from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.
As an assistant professor at Denison University and as an adjunct professor at The University of Cincinnati, Mr. Sorensen was actively involved with the Cincinnati Opera, the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Playhouse, working at all levels of costume production.
Daniel Brier
Conductor
Daniel Brier is the Resident Conductor of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of Opera Wilmington. In recent seasons, he has guest conducted a number of regional orchestras, collaborating with a range of artists, including Bobby McFerrin and Rachel Barton Pine.
In 2010, Brier was honored for his “exceptional conducting” during the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic’s International Conducting Competition. Two years later, he received an invitation to study with John Nelson at the Orchestre de chambre de Paris.
Brier received his musical training at the University of Michigan, earning degrees in orchestral conducting.
Max Lydy
Scenic Designer
Before he embarked on a university teaching career, Max Lydy worked as a scenic designer, lighting designer and technical director for several nationally acclaimed theatre and dance companies. His portfolio includes designs for more than 350 productions—among them, the PBS series Dance Talks and the off-Broadway production The Diary of Anne Frank.
Mr. Lydy has created sets for Opera Wilmington’s fully staged productions, sets that provide inventive backdrops for the action and make the most of every square foot of stage space.
Mr. Lydy’s academic preparation includes a B.A. from Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne and an M.F.A. from Purdue University. In addition to his career at UNCW, he has taught at Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, The University of Southwestern Louisiana, The State University of New York at New Paltz and The State University of New York in Stone Ridge.
Aaron Peisner
Chorusmaster
Director of choral activities and assistant professor of music at University of North Carolina Wilmington, Aaron Peisner is also Opera Wilmington’s chorusmaster. He has been known to add his strong baritone to the ensemble in occasional productions as well.
He earned his BA in music at Wesleyan University, his master’s in choral conducting at Yale University and his DMA in choral conducting at the University of Maryland. He conducted choirs at UM and Goucher College before accepting his current post at UNCW. Peisner also is artistic director and conductor of the Cape Fear Chorale in Wilmington.