Karina Hilleard is an accomplished actor and director. Local credits include: the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center (Turandot), Shakespeare Theatre Company (Tartuffe), Rorschach Theater (Night of the Living Dead), Synetic Theater (Cinderella, Treasure Island), Theater Alliance (Wonderful World of Dissocia, Helen Hayes Nomination – Outstanding Lead Actress), Constellation Theatre Company (Equus, Helen Hayes Nomination – Outstanding Play), Chesapeake Shakespeare (Richard II, Christmas Carol). Internationally, she has appeared at the Bristol Old Vic (Heresies), Theatre Royal Bath (No Blind Faith) and others. Monologue Madness Champion (2013), Karina is also the Performing Arts Chair at Landon School in Bethesda, MD, where she mentors young talent. She is thrilled to join the company of Drowning Ophelia.
Sarah Daniels, lyric coloratura soprano and actor, has been lauded by critics for both her “pinpoint musicianship” (Opera News) and her “enviable swagger” (New York Classical Review) on the stage. Favorite opera roles include Chunky in the world premiere of Chunky in Heat (Experiments in Opera), Monica in The Medium (Chelsea Opera, City Lyric Opera), Constance in Dialogues of the Carmelites (Bronx Opera), and The Rooster in The Cunning Little Vixen (dell’Arte Opera Ensemble). Theatre/film roles include Molly/Karen in Charles L Mee’s absurdist play Bedtime Stories, Allison in Xeniathan: A Movie Musical, and Anne in A Little Night Music. Sarah has worked with composers Jason Cady, Matthew Welch, Alex Temple, Melanie Richards, and Raven Chacon on new solo and chamber works. An alum of Manhattan School of Music where she majored in classical vocal performance, Sarah also studied acting at Stella Adler, HB Studios, SITI Company, and currently with actor/director Tina Mitchell (of Sleep No More and SITI Company) focusing on the physical acting techniques Suzuki, Viewpoints, and Laban. Sarah currently studies voice under Francesca Mondanaro.
Jessa Whitley-Hill was most recently seen in Pipeline Playwrights’ To Be Still as Jane, as Marci in Almost, Maine with The Arlington Players and Lottie in Enchanted April with the Providence Players. Other past roles include: Proof (Claire), A Bright Room Called Day (Agnes), and Peter & the Starcatchers (Sánchez, Hawking Clam). She also played Rona in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with the Starstuff Theatre Collective. Jessa is most proud of helping to build a community theatre and education program in her small hometown in West Virginia. She sends her thanks to the friends who support her and lovingly bullied her into getting back out there and auditioning again.
Audiences will recognize Sonia from her star turn as Cassio in SOT’s 2022 production of Othello. Donning the mustache once again, this time as the ever-conniving Don John, she is over the moon to return to working with such a dynamic and talented cast and fantastic crew. Her love for Shakespeare and opera makes this company a perfect fit. Sonia splits her time between performing onstage and working behind the scenes for theatrical productions, both at the professional and community level. Most recently, she directed Our Town at Fauquier Community Theater to great acclaim. When she last tread the boards, ironically as Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, she earned a best supporting actress nomination. Sonia loves to spend her free time with her family, John, Gwen and Ellie. It’s their love and support that keeps her working in theater and moving forward, for which she’s eternally grateful.
Originally from Williamsburg, Virginia, soprano Kelly Monteith graduated from Philadelphia’s Temple University with the Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance. During her time at Temple, she performed the role of Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro and covered the role of Almera in Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters. Other notable roles include Susanna (cover) in Le Nozze di Figaro and Annabel in the European premiere of Paul Richard’s Mondo Novo with the Vienna Summer Music Festival, as well as Celia in Handel’s Silla with Chicago Summer Opera. During her undergraduate studies at George Mason University, she performed in six mainstage productions, including Belinda (cover) in Dido and Aeneas and Leila in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. Most recently, she was seen in the chorus of Opera Baltimore and Opera Delaware’s joint production of La Traviata. Hero in Much Ado About Nothing/Béatrice et Bénêdict marks Kelly’s debut with Shakespeare Opera Theatre, and she is excited to perform in this beautiful and unique production.
A native of South Africa, Marieke de Koker is a New York City-based mezzo-soprano. Her 2022/23 season included Speaker in AGAMEMNON (Theatre for a New Audience), Cloud in the world premiere of Iceland (Overtone Industries), Liza Elliott in Lady in the Dark (Bronx Opera Outreach) and Giunone in La Calisto (Mannes Opera). Also In 2023 she won the DePaul Concerto competition with her original song cycle Never Again (2021) based on poetry by Valentine Kizito. In 2021 Marieke was an Emerging Artist at the Windybrow Arts Center in South Africa where she was interviewed on the ETV morning show. She has also appeared with RSG radio, Brooklyn Theatre TV, Gauteng Philharmonic, Career Bridges, Johannesburg Opera, Really Spicy Opera, Windy City Performing Arts, and the Art Song Preservation Society of New York, among others. She is delighted to be making her debut in the title role of Béatrice in Much Ado About Nothing/Béatrice et Bénédict with Shakespeare Opera Theater.
Kirsten Nordland is a rising dramatic artist currently residing in Northwest Ohio. Most recently, Nordland joined the Toledo Opera Guild as a chorister for the 2023-2024 season. Her most recent credits include Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with the Trentino Music Festival in Trentino, Italy; Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea at Bowling Green State University; and the Stewardess in Jonathan Dove’s Flight at NUOVA Vocal arts. Nordland is also an avid social activist & digital portrait artist. She strives to combine her passions to help serve the longevity of opera.
a DMV actor and passionate storyteller, Justin made his SOT debut in 2023 as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing/Béatrice et Bénédict, charming audiences with his amiable performance. An Army brat, Justin lived in Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Hawaii, and Tennessee before high school. After studying at Longwood University, he moved to Northern Virginia and has performed in Art of Murder, Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe, Finding Neil Patrick Harris, and Madame Quixota’s Last Words. By day, he’s a magazine editor for Tax Notes Today; by night, he enjoys hiking, video games, and horror novels. Thanks to friends and family for their support!
JP Gorski is delighted to return to SOT as Marcello in La vie de bohème. Audiences will easily recognize JP from his debut with SOT as the scheming Iago in 2022’s Othello, Peter (Father) in Hansel & Gretel, Much Ado About Nothing/Béatrice et Bénédict where he portrayed the dual roles of Berlioz’s Somarone and Shakespeare’s Dogberry, and most recently as The Scottsman himself in SOT’s summer production of Macbeth. After graduating from James Madison University, Gorski studied at Bel Canto in Tuscany (Tuscany, Italy) where he performed as Figaro (The Barber of Seville), Marcello (La bohème), and Rigoletto (Rigoletto). Gorski has performed with numerous regional companies such as Charlottesville Opera, Luray Opera Theatre, and Sarasota Opera (Florida). Gorski performs regularly with Annapolis Opera (Maryland), where he recently appeared as Second Armored Man in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and looks forward to returning to their ensemble for La traviata (March 2025).
A resident of Arlington, Virginia, James McKenzie is a retired member of The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” As a trumpet player, his duties included sounding “Taps” in Arlington National Cemetery for fallen soldiers. He has also participated in inaugurations, concerts, and other military ceremonies and events at the White House, the Pentagon, the National Mall, and throughout the country and overseas. James holds music degrees from Sam Houston State University and Rice University. After catching the acting bug, he graduated from the Honors Conservatory Program of The Theatre Lab School of Dramatic Arts, where he was in productions of As You Like It, and David Mamet’s Reunion. James was previously seen as Leonato in Grassroots Shakespeare DC’s production of Much Ado About Nothing.