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SBLO Board of Directors
Emanuel-Cristian Caraman
President and Artistic Director
Emanuel is a founding member of SBLO and a celebrated tenor who has appeared with opera companies, symphony orchestras and on recital stages in Europe, South America and North America. Among his many highlights, he has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, Ateneul Român in Bucharest, and Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna. In May of 2018, Mr. Caraman, received the American Prize Oratorio Award, for an outstanding vocal symphonic artist. He is currently a Professor of Music and Director of Opera Studies at Western Michigan University.
Coley Mroczek
Vice-President
Coley is a longstanding supporter of the arts within the South Bend community, and has served on the SBLO board since 2017. In addition to his work to keep SBLO continually moving forward, he also serves as stage manager for most of the SBLO productions, supporting cast and crew through the rehearsal and preparation process and ensuring that each opera is presented to the audience with the highest overall performance quality possible.
David Ziker
Treasurer
David joined the SBLO Opera Board in 2019 through his affiliation with the Vested Interest and Lang Lab. The board needed structure to its finance and accounting. David offered his willingness to do that. David, born and raised in South Bend, joined his family business in 1978 after graduating from Indiana University, Bloomington with a Business Degree in Finance. David has been a big part of his family’s business transitions and successes for over 4 decades. David served on the Temple Beth-El Board and leadership over 2 decades.
Nancy Menk
Member
Nancy holds the Mary Lou and Judd Leighton Chair in Music at Saint Mary’s College where she is celebrating her 39th year as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities. She also serves as Chair of the Department of Music and teaches graduate conducting at the University of Notre Dame. She is founder and conductor of the South Bend Chamber Singers, completing their 35th season this year. Under her direction, both the South Bend Chamber Singers and the Saint Mary's College Women’s Choir regularly commission, perform, and record new works for their series on the ProOrgano label.
Paul Herman
Member
Paul is a medical doctor and a music enthusiast, who has been a strong contributor to and supporter of the opera and composition communities of South Bend. He was a founding member of Indiana Opera North, and recently premiered his first fully composed opera, The Gift, with SBLO. He now splits his time between South Bend and Chicago where he is involved with and
supportive of numerous arts organizations, including The University of Illinois School of Music
Advisory Counsel and EC/21 Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Rita Koehler
Member
Rita Koehler is a studio artist with over twenty-five years of experience in the field of visual studies examining critical theories from a wide array of fields including art history, media studies, sociology, cultural studies, and philosophy, and how critical theory comes to bear on art making. Koehler’s background includes commercial and documentary photography, curation, teaching, and a studio practice in conceptual, lens-based art. She has served on the Board of Directors of St. Margaret’s House South Bend and the American Society of Media Photographers Michigan Chapter.
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Judy Shroyer
Member
Judy is a long-time supporter of the arts and community building organizations in South Bend. She has served as president of Temple Beth-El and on the board of the Michiana Jewish Historical Society. Prior to her retirement in 2018, she worked as an Executive Assistant for the St. Joseph County Circuit Court.
SBLO Staff & Support
Stephanie Rizk
Interim Director of Programs
As a founding member of LangLab South Bend, Stephanie has supported SBLO from its earliest days. She has over 20 years of experience with project management, grant writing, strategic planning, and team leadership. She currently supports SBLO through the development and execution of a planned growth phase, enabling a sustainable operational and financial infrastructure to ensure a strong future for SBLO as a cornerstone of South Bend's arts community.
