Opera under the Stars: Opera, Light Opera and Broadway Favorites
Saturday, June 20, 2026 – 7:00 pm
Uptown Park, Medina, OH
Ohio Regional Music Arts and Cultural Outreach (ORMACO) continues its summer concert series with Opera under the Stars with regional opera professionals on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 7 pm. Enjoy some of your favorite opera tunes, as well as lesser-known works. Also, relish some beloved melodies from operettas and musicals.
Bring your lawn chairs, blankets and picnics to enjoy this free concert. In the event of rain, the concert will be held at The United Church of Christ, 317 East Liberty Street, Medina, OH 44256. For more information, call 419-853-6016.
About the Musicians
Lara Troyer (Soprano) is described as singing with an engaging, robust tone (clevelandclassical.com). Ms. Troyer traveled to Melbourne this past summer to perform the role of Krystyna in the Australian premiere of Jake Heggie’s Two Remain with Nightingale Opera Theatre to great acclaim. “American soprano Lara Troyer was terrific as the conflicted survivor Krystyna. Her engaging presence and attractive, strong, warm voice gave the role a compelling urgency.” (Classic Melbourne) Ms.Troyer made her Porthouse Theatre debut in the summer of 2023, and last summer she portrayed Sister Amnesia in Nunsense. She has performed soprano solos with the Battle Creek Symphony, Master Singers Chorale, Akron Baroque, Singer’s Companye, Kent/Blossom Music Festival, Summit Choral Society, Kent State Chorus and Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Ohio, and the New Sigmund Romberg Orchestra. She has made solo appearances with the Cleveland Opera, Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony Orchestra, Battle Creek Symphony, Heights Chamber Orchestra, Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Lyric Opera, Opera in the Ozarks, and Bay View Music Festival. She currently serves on the voice faculty at Kent State University.
Denise Milner Howell (Mezzo-soprano) is a versatile performer of opera, concerts, and recitals, whose singing has been called “superb” (Cleveland Classical). Her solo engagements include performances with Cleveland Opera Theater, Opera Cleveland, Chautauqua Opera, Kent/ Blossom Festival, Nightingale Opera Theatre, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Akron Lyric Opera Theatre, Akron Baroque, Tanglewood Festival, Carousel Dinner Theatre, and Buffalo Philharmonic. Recent performances include the title role in Johnathan Dove’s contemporary opera Pinocchio, Little Women (Meg), Amahl and the Night Visitors (Mother), Carmen (Mercédès), La cambiale di matrimonio (Clara), Robert Ward’s The Crucible (Rebecca Nurse), and the 2025 world premiere of The Higgler (Mrs. Witlow). A frequent concert soloist, Ms. Howell has performed the alto solos in Handel’s Messiah, Mozart Requiem, Bach Magnificat, Haydn Lord Nelson Mass, Verdi Requiem, Vivaldi Gloria and Duruflé Requiem. Additionally, she is committed to the performance of new works by living composers, and has been heard at Cleveland Ingenuity Festival, The Cleveland Composers Guild, and New to New York Concert Series. Ms. Howell maintains an active voice studio in Medina County, where she trains and mentors the next generation of young performers and future music educators.
Brian Keith Johnson (Lyric Baritone) has performed many roles in opera from Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia to Ford in Falstaff. As a member of Actors’ Equity Association, he has also performed a variety of musical theatre roles ranging from Jim in Big River to Father/God in Children of Eden. His concert repertoire includes most of the major baritone works such as Carmina Burana, Elijah, Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Brahms’ Requiem and Faure’s Requiem. Brian has performed operatic and musical theatre roles across the United States including performances with The Cleveland Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Blossom Festival Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Opera Western Reserve, Carolina Master Chorale, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Porthouse Theatre. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree from The University of Akron and has also studied abroad at The New Opera Academy of Rome in Rome, Italy, and The American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. Brian and his wife Susan retired this year from The Akron Public School System with a combined 67 years of teaching between them. Brian is also an avid motorcyclist.
Amy Sauriol (Collaborative Pianist) enjoys a varied musical career, primarily in Northeast Ohio. After earning two degrees in piano performance from The University of Akron (BM 2005, MM 2007), she was hired as a teacher and accompanist there as well as at Kent State University. In addition to her work at the university level, Amy has worked consistently as a freelance accompanist and church musician for over twenty years. More recent projects include: Partnerships Director for Steinway Piano Gallery Cleveland, Collaborative Pianist with Singers Companye, Faculty at Western Reserve Suzuki School, Pianist with Trio Levain, and Instructor for Playground Sessions Interactive Piano App. Recognized as a Steinway Top Teacher, she currently maintains a full schedule of private students and is an active member of Western Reserve Music Teachers Association, Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, National Guild of Piano Teachers, and Piano-a-thon for Akron Children’s Hospital.