Little Red Riding Hood and Puss in Boots fabulous cast!

Chelsea Obermeier (Red riding Hood) is a Lyric Soprano based out of Los Angeles, California. Chelsea has performed around the country with a variety of companies, including Opera Carolina, Pacific Opera Project, Independent Opera Company, and Opera Omaha.

During her time in California, Chelsea has joined Pacific Opera Project as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and in the chorus of several productions, including Carmen at the Ford Amphitheater and Don Giovanni. Chelsea has also sung with Independent Opera Company as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni in 2019.

A native of Nebraska, Chelsea has performed with Opera Omaha singing the Dog in the Hans Krása’s Brundibár, at the Ralston Theatre as Tuptim in The King and I, and with the University of Nebraska Opera Theatre as Nancy in Britten’s Albert Herring. She has also participated as a young artist with Opera Carolina’s OperaXpress educational outreach program, singing the Tortoise in the Tortoise and the Hare set to the music of Rossini. Additionally, she has trained as a young artist with the CoOPERAtive Program and the Crittenden Opera Workshop.

Chelsea holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master of Music degree from Temple University in Philadelphia.

ALEXIS WESLEY, Mat/Babushka (Mother/Grandmother) Versatile actor/mezzo-soprano Alexis Wesley is a frequent performer with IOC. Equally at home in opera, oratorio, musical theatre, stage plays and film, she is also a writer and producer of independent film and theatre. Locally, she has performed principal roles with Pacific Opera Project, Mission Opera, The Definiens Project and IOC. Favorite roles include Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd), Charlotte (A Little Night Music), Prudie Cupp (Pump Boys & Dinettes), Miss Todd (The Old Maid and the Thief), Madame Flora (The Medium), Kashcheevna (Kashchey the Immortal), Spring Beauty (The Snow Maiden), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Princess Anhilte (The Gipsy Princess), Gertrude (Roméo et Juliette) and Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro). Favorite oratorio solo work includes Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Handel’s Messiah, Kodály’s Missa Brevis, Buxtehude’s Jesu Meine Freude and Vivaldi’s Gloria. She is a frequent soloist at churches across LA County. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she holds an MM in Voice from CSUN and is a graduate of the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting in NYC. By day, she is a graphic designer.

Jamie Sanderson, baritone (Wolf/Oldest Brother/Courtier) possesses a voice that critics have described as “mellifluous” and “commanding.” He recently played the first priest in Opera Neo’s virtual production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. in 2019 he played the Captain in Opera Neo’s production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. Jamie earned a Master of Music from the Peabody Institute and a Bachelor of Music from the University of California, Irvine. At the Peabody Conservatory, Jamie performed as Marco in Gianni Schicchi, Le Baron in Massenet’s Cherubin, the Father in an outreach production of Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel, and covered Manfred in Jake Heggie’s Out of Darkness: Two Remain. He was also featured as a street singer in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass under Maestro Marin Alsop.

Britta Sterling, soprano )Narrator/Head Hunter) is a Los Angeles based soprano, who has performed in operas and operettas with various companies around Los Angeles; including with Mission Opera, Glendale Centre Theater, Opera en Castellano, Cal State Los Angeles Opera Theater, Celestial Opera Company, and CSU Northridge Opera Theater. She has performed as a featured soprano soloist and chorister with the Roger Wagner Chorale on their Goodwill Heritage Tour of Japan and South Korea. Britta graduated from CSU Northridge with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance.

Arkansan mezzo-soprano Rae Shrum (Narrator/HeadLumberjack/Ensemble) moved to Southern California in 2015 to pursue her performance career. Since then, she has appeared in productions throughout California, performing for Lyric Opera of Orange County and Pacific Symphony among others. Notable roles include Hansel (Hansel & Gretel), Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti), Armelinde (Cendrillon), Mercédes (Carmen) and Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus). This year, Rae was selected as a semi-finalist in the Palm Springs Opera Guild competition. Previously she was featured as a principal soloist in Opera Theatre Unlimited 48-Hour Opera Festival. Rae looks forward to upcoming performances with Landmark Opera and Long Beach Camerata Singers. Beyond her vocal artistry, she is also a skilled pianist, actress, and dancer, having been featured in non-singing roles in numerous local productions.In recent years, Rae has sought to use her voice both on and off-stage to connect more audiences with the world of opera and classical music. Outside of performing, Rae also teaches music lessons and serves as Digital Content Manager for Pacific Opera Project. Rae received her Bachelor's of Music in Performance from Chapman University.

Phil Pritchard (Puss) trained at the Mountview Conservatoire in London, UK and The Kogan Academy of Dramatic Art.

Recent Credits include Kismet, directed by Lonny Price, at The Granada Theater, Santra Barbara, Il Postino at Opera Santa Barbara and The Mikado with the Pacific Opera Project. He played Ferrando in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera Company's production of Mozart's COSI FAN TUTTE and Sesto in GIULIO CESARE. He also appeared as Benvolio in Gounod's ROMEO & JULIET, Bobyl in THE SNOW MAIDEN by Rimsky-Korsakov., and as Don Ottavio in DON GIOVANNI all for The Independent Opera Company.

Phil's first role in the US was in the Beatles Musical BACKBEAT at The Ahmanson Theatre. In the The UK he has appeared in THE BARBER OF SEVILLE at The Royal Opera House Linbury Studio, LA TRAVIATA for Opera Piccola at The Edinburgh International Festival, the West End Production of Sondheim's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, and in the Cameron Mackintosh production of LES MISERABLES.

Alex Perkins, tenor (Middle Brother/Ogre) has always had a passion for music. Alex studied voice at El Camino College under the tutelage of Rhona Klinghofer, M.M., Julliard, where he was a featured soloist with the orchestra. It was also there where he debuted is first opera role, King Kaspar in Ahmal and the Night Visitors. Since then, Alex has performed with Long Beach Opera in their productions of The Death of Klinghofer and Difficulty of Crossing a Field and with IOC in their production of Die Fledermaus. He is also an alumnus of the Angel Vocal Arts program, performing in several of their arts and oratorio recitals. For the past 9 years, Alex has performed with The Ensemble, a South Bay based group of classical singers who have produced an annual concert series of opera favorites. Follow him on Facebook @alexperkinstenor

Phil Meyer is happy to be returning to the Independent Opera Company as the King in Puss in Boots. Phil’s opera repertory consists of Bad Guys, Old Guys, and Funny Guys. A founding member of the Pacific Opera Project, Phil has played, among many others, the title role in Sweeney Todd (Bad Guy); Osmin in the Star Trek themed The Abduction from the Seraglio (Old Guy/Funny Guy/Bad Guy); PooBah in The Mikado (Funny Guy); Father in the world premiere of The Monkey’s Paw (Old Guy) and Sam in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti (Bad Guy). Other leading roles in Los Angeles include Leporello in Don Giovanni (Funny Guy) with Mission Opera Company, Sarastro in The Magic Flute at the Broad Theater (Old Guy); King Filippo in Don Carlo with the LA Met (Old Guy); Mephistopheles, in Center Stage Opera’s Faust (the Baddest Guy); the title role in Don Pasquale (Funny Guy/Old Guy/Bad Guy) with the Angel City Opera; Kecal in The Bartered Bride (Old Guy) and Achilla in Giulio Cesare (Bad Guy) with the Celestial Opera; and Olin Blitch in Susannah (Bad Guy) and the title role in Verdi’s Falstaff with the Repertory Opera Company (Old Guy/Funny Guy/Kinda Bad Guy). Concert appearances have included the bass soloist for the Verdi and Mozart Requiems as well as Handel’s Messiah

Rachel Yeo, soprano (Princess) received her Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Mount Saint Mary’s University with a full scholarship. During her time at school, she sang for numerous academic festivities, commencements, and local charity events. She was also a Senior Category winner for the 2014 Pasadena Schubertiade Lieder Competition as well as for VOCE in 2014 and 2015. In 2016, she was invited to perform in the Korean Music Association of Southern California’s Young Artist Debut Concert. Rachel has performed with the Independent Opera Company (IOC) in their production of Macbeth and sang the role of Cobweb in the IOC’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She also participated in the Celestial Opera Company’s production of Madame Butterfly. In 2018 and 2019, she was featured as a young artist for the Korean Cultural Center’s Ari Project. In 2021, she sang as a soloist in the St. Andrew Church’s 26th Annual Bach to Broadway Concert. She has been singing with the Wagner Ensemble since 2012 and has been a soprano soloist at Oneonta Congregational Church in South Pasadena since 2014. Upcoming engagements include LA Opera Connects’ May 2022 production of On Gold Mountain.

Tenor, Daniel Brennan (Jean/Marquis de Caraba) is a native of New Jersey, currently residing in Los Angeles. He recently earned a BFA in Vocal Performance at Carnegie Mellon University. During his time there, he had the great pleasure to study with Douglas Ahlstedt. In addition, he participated in the CMU Chorus and CMU Singers, the CMU Treblemakers, and performed in numerous operas at CMU, most notably as Azor in Zémire et Azor. During his #me in Pittsburgh, he performed at Carnegie Music Hall and PNC Park, with various ensembles within the city. He also performed in many concerts with Carnegie Mellon’s experimental music performance group, the Exploded Ensemble. Most recently, Daniel has been spending his time in Los Angeles singing with the Verdi Chorus, and performing with the Independent Opera Company and the Lyric Opera of Orange County, in roles such as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S Pinafore. He looks forward to continuing to expand his performance career in LA and NYC.

Becky Zhang (ensemble/Courtier Greeter) is a soprano from China and now a vocal performance major graduate student in CSUN. She received her undergraduate degree in China , and was majored in Music Education. She has extensive experience teaching elementary school students. She has also performed in China, Spain and Japan during her undergraduate years. During her time studying in the US, she participated in CSUN's opera program and worked on two operas, which are Street Scene by Kurt Weill and Così Fan Tutte by Mozart.

JENNA JACOBSON (ensemble) has been singing professionally since age six. An alum of UCLA and the Royal Irish Academy of Music, she is a published writer, former editor for The Getty Foundation, and has 15+ years of experience in straight theatre, technical theatre, and opera. Favorite past roles include Nicklausse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof, and Liza in Notes from Underground. Recently, she premiered the role of Rachel/Cleopatra in Samson and the Burning Bush at Long Beach Playhouse. Her extensive choral experience includes the Eric Whitacre Virtual Choir Project, and nationwide performances with the Angeles Chorale. She was also a soloist for Rejoice! Gospel Choir in Dublin, Ireland until the pandemic. She is thrilled and blessed to be singing with such a talented cast and company!

Kristin McGinnis (ensmble) is currently a student at California State University Northridge and she is studying Vocal Performance. This will be her first opera, but she has performed in a choral setting in venues across the world such as Carnegie Hall, The Mormon Tabernacle, and the Sydney Opera House