Meet Our Teaching Artists
Our Teaching Artists facilitate the Residency Program and Opera on the Spot!
Dedicated to connecting music to our relationships to memory, childhood, love, and culture, the music of composer T. Gregory Bloomfield distorts time and obscures melodies to create hallucinogenic atmospheres for the mind to become lost within. Recognized for his “unpredictable” (Third Coast Review) sound and approaches, his works resemble an eclectic range of mediums, collaborations, and inspirations, regularly working across or becoming inspired by a variety of art forms. The recipient of the Harvard University Fromm Foundation Fellowship, Ty has been a participant at the Edward T. Cone Institute at Princeton University, the American Composers Orchestra Earshot New Music Readings, Composers Conference at Avaloch Farm, the NATS Mentorship Program for Composers, and the JACK Quartet Studio Workshops. His compositions have been performed by leading ensembles, including the New Jersey Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, ensemble vim, TAK Ensemble, JACK Quartet, and Hypercube. His works have been presented at festivals internationally, such as the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, U.S. Navy Band Saxophone Symposium, Dublin International Chamber Music Festival, and the Red Note New Music Festival. He is a Teaching Artist at Opera Philadelphia, and is currently pursuing a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma at the Curtis Institute of Music.
With a distinctive artistic vision that bridges classical and contemporary performance, Dicky Dutton is a multifaceted singer and performance artist based in Philadelphia. They have collaborated with prestigious organizations including National Sawdust, the Fourth Wall Ensemble, New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, The Bard Festival Chorale, and Bearded Ladies Cabaret among others. Most recently they premiered a workshop of Never Land, a queer cabaret written with collaborators Heather Jones & Michael Lewis produced by Aural Compass Projects. Their innovative approach to performance art is exemplified through their original works, including rituals “Amalgamate” and “UMBRA (EXPECTIT)” commissioned by NYFOS and the Why Collective respectively.
Dicky is dedicated to creating and interpreting new works, frequently collaborating with composer, pianist, and partner Michael Lewis in recitals across New York, Paris, Philadelphia, and Arizona. They maintain an active teaching schedule in the greater Philadelphia area while continuing to explore the intersection of classical music and contemporary performance art. When not performing or teaching, Dicky finds inspiration in the company of their partner, Michael, and three beloved bunnies: Cooper, Oliver, and Lulu.
Praised by the Houston Press for performances “full of vigor and spirit,” soprano Elizabeth Gautsche made her professional debut in 2017 with Opera in the Heights as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte. Her repertoire includes Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Armida (Rinaldo), Peep-bo (The Mikado), and the title role in Rusalka. She was also an emerging artist in the Opera Works Summer program in Northern California.
Beyond the stage, Ms. Gautsche is a dedicated Teaching Artist, recently joining Opera Philadelphia. She has held similar posts with Los Angeles Opera and Houston Grand Opera, leading workshops that use music and storytelling to build empathy in communities such as the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center, The Women’s Home, and refugee after-school programs. With the Houston Area Women’s Center, she coordinated and performed in the 2018 benefit concert Exultate! Uplifting Women through Song.
An active educator, she has taught as Adjunct Voice Professor at Sam Houston State University and maintains a nationwide private studio. She previously served in administrative roles with Houston Grand Opera and as assistant at the Accademia Vocale Lorenzo Malfatti in Lucca, Italy.
Ms. Gautsche earned her Master of Music from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and her Bachelor of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Soprano Chloe Lucente is a Philadelphia-based performer, educator, and collaborative artist dedicated to bringing expressive storytelling and musical excellence to both the stage and the classroom. She has performed throughout the United States and abroad in opera, concert, and choral settings, with a repertoire spanning Mozart, contemporary opera, and sacred masterworks.
Recent performance highlights include Alice 2 in Melissa Dunphy’s Alice Tierney with Opera on Tap Philadelphia, Sandman (cover) in Hänsel und Gretel, Zina (cover) in Dark Sisters with Temple Opera Theatre, and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with New York Lyric Opera Theatre. As a concert soloist, she has appeared in Handel's Messiah, David Lang's The Little Match Girl Passion, and Mozart's Exsultate, Jubilate. Chloe is also an active professional chorister, performing with ensembles including the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir and Christ Church Christiana Hundred.
In addition to performing, Chloe is a passionate music educator with extensive experience teaching voice and piano to students of all ages. She is the founder of Studio Lucente, where she provides private instruction focused on healthy technique, artistry, and confidence. Her work as a teaching artist has included collaborations with the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership, Opera Philadelphia, and several schools and community arts organizations throughout the Philadelphia region.
Chloe earned her Master of Music in Vocal Arts from Temple University and her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Appalachian State University. She has furthered her training through prestigious young artist programs, including the Professional Choral Institute at Aspen, Bel Canto Audition Training in Munich, New York Lyric Opera Theatre, and the Italian International Lyric Academy and Chamber Music Campania. She has traveled to England with the Christ Church Choir for a week-long residency at the magnificent York Minster Cathedral.
Whether performing on stage or mentoring the next generation of musicians, Chloe is committed to creating meaningful artistic experiences that connect with audiences and inspire lifelong appreciation for music.
Valentina Sierra (they/she/ella) is a Colombian-American soprano, educator and arts administrator passionate about providing a space for musical cultivation and expression to students of intersecting identities. As an artist, they find it crucial to stay connected to popular music of their culture (salsa, cumbia, reggaeton, etc.), despite their formal training in western classical music. As an educator, her main goal is to actively challenge students to think critically and make connections to the world around them through information and communal discussion.
They earned their Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Minnesota and Master of Music from Temple University. Her operatic roles include Alice 1 (Alice Tierney), Mélisande (Impressions de Pelléas), Presendia (Dark Sisters), and Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro). They are a roster member of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Symphonic Choir, the Philadelphia Chorale and Opera on Tap Philadelphia.
A multilingual educator, Valentina has taught in English, Spanish, and German. Such experience includes work at a German-immersion elementary school in Saint Paul and a US Teaching Assistant position in Viennese secondary schools through Fulbright Austria’s USTA Program. They have supplied translation services in the classroom and co-taught a Spanish-language courses using the lyrics of Reggaeton as a language learning and cultural aid. A Bartol Certified Trauma Informed Teaching Artist, Valentina leads her team to view their artistry and teaching through a trauma-informed lens.
Valentina is a proud member of the Opera Philadelphia Community Initiatives team as the Residency Program Manager and Teaching Artist, as well as a Teaching Artist at Esperanza’s Artistas y Musicos Latinoamericanos (AMLA).
Isabelle Zeledón is a Nicaraguan-American mezzo-soprano and Teaching Artist dedicated to using music and performance to foster empathy, confidence, and creative expression. A passionate advocate for contemporary opera and new music, she has collaborated with composers in the development of new works. Her recent operatic roles include Mother in Menotti’s The Consul, La Zelatrice and La Zia Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, and Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. She has been a semifinalist in the Cooper-Bing, Music International Grand Prix, and Premiere Opera Foundation competitions, and is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA).
As an educator, Isabelle is passionate about creating supportive spaces where students can explore their voices, take creative risks, and connect artistic expression to their own experiences. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in a mind-body-voice approach developed through her mentorship with Dr. Rebecca Folsom, Professor of Voice at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She works with students across classical, musical theatre, and contemporary styles, tailoring her approach to meet students where they are while cultivating curiosity, empathy, and healthy vocal technique.
Isabelle holds a Professional Studies Certificate and Master of Music in Opera from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory, and a Bachelor of Arts in German Studies and International Relations from Tufts University.