Sancta Susanna Performers

Elise M. Walters is a versatile performer specializing in opera, musical theater, and vocal artistry. Her credits include work with Pacific Opera Project, Theatre West, The Opera Buffs, Independent Opera Company, and many more. Upcoming performances include Storybook Theatre's Ugly Duckling (through January 2025) and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel with Opera Modesto (January-February 2025). Elise is also a dedicated advocate for arts education and underperformed works, teaching private music and acting lessons and serving on the board for Source/Filter Music Collective.

Zineb Fikri is a rising Puerto Rican-Moroccan contralto from Los Angeles. She studied at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles, CA, where she graduated May 2021 with her Masters of Music degree in Vocal Arts and Opera, and earned her Graduate Certificate degree in December 2023. During the 22/23 season, Zineb performed a role debut as Older Woman in Flight by Jonathan Dove with USC Opera in Fall 2022, then in Spring 2023 as the role of Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia by Britten and as the Third Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in USC’s 2023 Opera Scenes. In the summer of 2023, Zineb revisited the role of Third Lady as well as Antonia's Mother from Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach at the Musiktheater Bavaria in Germany. In the 23/24 season, made her role debut as La Baronne in Massanet’s Chérubin with USC Opera and had her stage debut at LA Opera in their mainstage production of Highway 1, USA, by William Grant Still in February 2024. She will perform again with LA Opera in their 2025 production of Ainadamar by Osvaldo Golijov.

Jessica Tivens-Schneiderman, a soprano from Calabasas, CA, has built a career in opera and crossover music. Recent performances include The Merry Widow and Girondines with Mission Opera, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Symphony of the Vines, and Service Provider with Modern Opera Company. She has also performed leading roles with Festival Opera Walnut Creek, Harrisburg Opera, and as a young artist with San Francisco Opera's Merola Program and Seattle Opera. In the crossover realm, Jessica has recorded with David Foster, Josh Groban, and Mike Garson, with whom she released her album Unlimited.

Mezzo-soprano Rae Shrum is gaining recognition on concert and operatic stages, with recent debuts as Oksana in Cossack Beyond the Danube and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus. Specializing in "pants parts," her favorite roles include Cherubino, Stéphano, and Hansel. She has performed with Pacific Symphony, Pacific Opera Project, Long Beach Camerata, and many more. Rae spent 2023 studying in Leipzig, Germany under the tutelage of Elvira Dreßen. Upcoming performances include work with Independent Opera Company and Vibra Voce in spring 2025.

Coloratura soprano Megan Shoaf looks forward to making her Source/Filter debut as Livia in Sancta Susanna! Her opera credits include Eurydice in Orphée aux enfers and The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute. She also has a background in musical theater, with roles such as Penny Pingleton in Hairspray and Roxie Hart in Chicago. Megan graduated from CSUN with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Arts Performance in December 2023 and continues her vocal studies with Jessica Schneiderman.

Jessie Massoudi, an Iranian-American soprano from Southern California, is known for her quirky and fearless stage presence. Her operatic roles include Musetta in *La Bohème* (Desert Theatre League "Best Supporting Actress" nominee), Giulietta in *Les Contes d’Hoffmann*, and Dorabella in *Così fan tutte*. In musical theater, she originated Janine in *Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon* and won DTL’s “Best Supporting Actress” for *Patience*. Jessie holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Redlands and performs in jazz and pop settings.

Marissa Plati (she/her) is an LA based soprano. Recent roles and projects include: Elle in Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine and Harrison Birtwistle’s Three Settings of Celan in concert. She’s performed as a soloist with Ithaca Contemporary Music Ensemble and Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra among others. She loves singing contemporary art song and competed in Sparks and Wiry Cries’ SongSLAM in New York City in 2020 and 2021. When she’s not singing, Marissa is a music librarian at Pomona College and the LA Phil’s YOLA and an editorial assistant at the Journal of Musicology.

Emily Gallagher, praised as “harmonically appealing and splendiferous” (Stage and Cinema), is a Los Angeles-based soprano. She recently performed as John F. Kennedy in *Minute to Midnight* with Synchromy and debuted her solo show *Enchanted Melodies* in New York. Notable roles include Gretel in *Hansel and Gretel* with Pacific Opera Project and Suor Genovieffa in *Suor Angelica* in Vienna. Emily's upcoming performances include Dew Fairy/Sandman in Opera Modesto's *Hansel and Gretel* and Soprano Soloist for the *Rutter Requiem* at La Cañada Presbyterian Church.

Lamia Mazegue, originally from San Diego, is a music industry professional and classically trained mezzo-soprano. She holds a Master’s in Music Industry Administration from CSU Northridge and a Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from CSU Long Beach. Her operatic roles include Dorabella (*Cosí fan tutte*) and Carmen (*Carmen*), and she has performed with San Diego Opera and Vineyard Touring Opera. Lamia works as a Client Success Manager for PaymentHub and founded MIMU, a Los Angeles-based networking group fostering connections in the music industry.

Singer, songwriter, dancer, and choreographer Samantha Rosenberg returns to Source/Filter following her performance in their summer concert, Fresh Brewed Opera. Credits include Die Zauberflöte (Papagena), L’ivrogne corrigé (Mathurine), Street Scene (Jennie Hildebrand), L'enfant et les sortilèges (White Cat, Bat), and Così fan tutte (Despina cover). She has performed with local opera companies, including LA Opera Connects in Las tres mujeres de Jerusalén. Ms. Rosenberg received a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Cal-State Northridge, studying under Diane Ketchie and Mercedes Juan Musotto. She admires Source/Filter Music for its dedication to producing innovative and immersive experiences that spotlight local talent and composers.

Laura is honored to be a part of this production. She has received her Bachelors of Music from Cal State University Northridge. She has most recently appeared as Mother Marry in Marry- a musical with Modern Opera Company.She has also featured as the Wardrobe in Beauty and the beast with Actors Repertory Theater of Simi Valley and Papagena in Landmark Opera’s production of The Magic Flute. Laura has played many roles with VCGSRC including Utopia (Zara) , The Pirates of Penzance(Mabel), Patience(Patience), The Sorcerer(Aline) and Yeoman of the Guard (Elsie). With The Musician Club she performed in Dido and Aeneas (Belinda). She has been a part of Riverside lyric opera in Amahl and the night visitors, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, and HMS Pinafore. She is excited to be joining this cast and crew and is grateful for this wonderful opportunity.

Amanda Mello is an emerging operatic soprano and voice instructor, with her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Performance from CSU Northridge and CSU Long Beach respectively. Amanda has performed with many reputable Los Angeles opera companies, including Lyric Opera of Orange Company, Landmark Opera Company, and Independent Opera Company. Amanda has previously sung as a soprano and soloist for the Los Angeles based professional choir Tonality, and has participated in the widely renowned Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute in Aspen, Colorado. Amanda’s most recent opera roles include Second Lady in the Magic Flute, Mrs. Fiorentino in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and Kaylee in Michael Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight. Amanda is absolutely thrilled to be making her debut in Source Filter Collective.