Diane Garton Edie has worked with OFY since 1991 in various capacities: singer, board member, librettist, stage director, company manager and, since 1996, artistic director.

Ms. Garton Edie's work as stage director, librettist and primary artistic outreach/ education coordinator has been recognized and supported locally, regionally, and on the national level. Her libretti for OFY's hailed collection of adaptations have been enjoyed by school and family audiences throughout the upper Midwest since 1994. Ms. Garton Edie has adapted/created libretti for The Barber of Seville, The Elixir of Love, The Pirates of Penzance, Orpheus Returns, The Magic Flute, Rusalka, and Hansel and Gretel. The recent publication and rental of these works now makes this uniquely accessible repertoire available to an even wider audience.

Ms. Garton Edie has enjoyed a combined career in performance, play writing and directing, and arts administration. With degrees in theatre and drama from Smith College and Indiana University, her special province is out-of-the-mainstream cultural arts programming for participants and audiences from a broad age, geographic and socio-economic range. Previous projects include Creative Arts Over 60, an educational and recreational program for older adults; the International Youth Arts Festival, a performing and visual arts showcase; regional operetta/opera/musical theatre productions; and several original artist-in-residence productions.

GENERAL DIRECTOR

Dan Plummer joined the Opera for the Young administrative staff in 2007 and holds the position of general director. 

Dr. Plummer's career in opera began on stage. He made his European debut singing at the Silesian Theatre in the Czech Republic at the age of 21. He performed with Opera for the Young in The Magic Flute ('01) and returned for the 2006 tour of The Barber of Seville.  Other singing career highlights include performances with the Aspen Music Festival, the Pine Mountain Music Festival, and in the chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. 

In 2005, Dr. Plummer's operatic career moved off stage when he took on an administrative role with the Madison Opera. In his position as Director of Community Affairs, he was responsible for grants management, as well as the company's printed and electronic marketing materials. In addition, he assisted in preparing and presenting community education and outreach programming.

Returning to Opera for the Young in 2007, this time in an administrative role, was a natural next step. As a performer, Dr. Plummer saw the impact OFY's programming had on children in inspiring their love of the arts. Now, as an administrator, he has been a part of extending that reach beyond the elementary school. The expansion of community programming, like Opera for the Young at Heart, has created greater access to the arts and has furthered the company's mission to ignite enthusiasm for opera.

Dr. Plummer holds a Bachelor of Music with Honors and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a Master of Music with Honors from The New England Conservatory of Music. His areas of study were vocal performance and opera production. At UW, Dr. Plummer was selected to be a Bolz fellow and teaching assistant. In this role, he taught private voice and undergraduate diction for the School of Music.

TOUR MANAGER/
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Sarah Smogoleski became a member of the OFY team in January of 2008. She spent the last year working at the Wisconsin Union Theater, where she continues to work part-time. Before moving to Madison in 2007 she was an intern at the Central Wisconsin Children's Museum and tour manager for the UWSP Players, both based in Stevens Point, WI. In addition to her role at OFY, Sarah works with composer Scott Lamps. The pair have started their own business writing music for wedding ceremonies. Ms. Smogoleski was born and raised in Green Bay, WI, and is a graduate of Bay Port High School. She earned a B.A. in arts management with a minor in music from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.

Jeffrey Sykes, DMA (music director) has been with OFY since 1995. He adapted the scores for OFY's productions of The Magic Flute, Barber of Seville, and Rusalka, A Mermaid's Tale. Dr. Sykes has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and western Europe. A founding member and Artistic Co-Director of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society of Wisconsin, Dr. Sykes made his Carnegie Hall debut this year with BDDS colleague, flutist Stephanie Jutt, and oboist Gerard Reuter under the auspices of the Pro Musicis Foundation. He holds degrees with honors from the University of North Carolina, the Franz Schubert-Institut in Baden-bei-Wein, Austria, and the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Sykes's recent engagements include a live radio broadcast solo concert for Wisconsin Public Radio; performances for the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. He can be heard on several CD recordings as a soloist and chamber musician.

Photo of Jeffrey Sykes by Katrin Talbot.

Last Updated: February 6, 2010