Dr. Brandon Matthews serves as Department Chair and Director of Orchestra at MSU Denver. He teaches conducting, leads the University’s Symphony Orchestra, and serves as music director for MSU Denver’s Opera Ensemble. Dr. Matthews is also an active adjudicator and clinician for competitions and honor orchestras, and regularly collaborates with orchestras and arts organizations in Colorado including the Arapahoe Philharmonic, Longmont Dance Theatre, the Boulder Symphony, and the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. Matthews obtained a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting at Arizona State University, and a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting at Brigham Young University. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance at BYU, and continues to perform on piano, viola, and the violin.

       Soprano Amanda Lauricella has been described as a voice with an “arching thrill to it”

(Isthmus.com). Previous opera roles include Tytania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Gretel in

Hansel and Gretel, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Goldie B. Locks in Goldie B. Locks and

the Three Singing Bears, the Doctor in the world premiere of The Scarlet Professor, Rosina in

Opera for the Young’s The Barber of Seville, and Belle in Opera for the Young’s Beauty and the

Beast. Additional projects include Cedar Rapids Opera, the Berlin Opera Academy, Fresco

Opera Theatre, Madison Choral Project, Just Bach Concerts, and the Stoughton Chamber Music Festival.

        Ms. Lauricella received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice Performance with a minor in

Theatre and Drama at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she published a vocal

repertoire guide for collegiate voice teachers entitled, “Selecting Solo Literature for the

Developing Classical Singer: A Pedagogical Repertoire Guide for Teachers of Voice.” 

Ms. Lauricella was the 2021 recipient of the Charles and Helen Loeb Voice Award, the North

Central Region's winner of the 2021 NATS Artist Awards Competition, and a national finalist

for the Musicians Club of Women 2023 Vocal Competition. She is currently working as a

Touring Artist for Central City Opera as well as an Affiliate Professor of Voice at Regis

University.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Meghan Raynes Matthews developed a deep appreciation for music at an early age, beginning her vocal journey by singing duets with her father in their local congregation. She pursued classical vocal training throughout her adolescence and university years, cultivating a strong foundation in technique and performance.

Ms. Raynes Matthews earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Brigham Young University, followed by a Master of Public Policy from the University of Colorado Denver. She currently a respected government affairs professional with the Colorado Education Association, where she advocates on behalf of public education and Colorado’s students.

Meghan lives in Northeast Denver with her husband, Brandon, and their four children George(18), Sylvia (17), William (14), and Henry (12).

By day, Dennis Quinn serves as Library Director for the City of Littleton, but his love of music goes back at least as far as he can remember. A Texas native, he holds a BM in Music History and Literature from the University of North Texas. He has appeared as a tenor soloist in Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, Mozart's Requiem, and Schutz's Seven Last Words of Christ. His stage credits include the roles of Rolf in The Sound Of Musicand Lun Tha in The King And I. A versatile recitalist, he has presented programs including works by composers ranging from Bernart de Ventadorn to Radiohead. When not involved with music or libraries, Dennis enjoys long hikes in the mountains and spending time with his wife, Lindsay, and their two children, three dogs, two rabbits, and one cat.

Versatile baritone Malcolm Ulbrick hails from Lawrence, Kansas. He received his Masters in Music from CU in May 2014 where he studied with Patrick Mason and performed lead roles in Carousel and Le Nozze di Figaro.   Malcolm has sung leading roles with opera companies throughout the front range including Opera Steamboat and Opera Theatre of the Rockies (OTR).  He has also made concert solo appearances across Colorado with the Boulder Chamber Orchestra for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Mozart’s Requiem, Medelssohn’s Elijah and Haydn’s Creation with the Larimer Chorale, and Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with the Boulder Symphony, among others.  He has a passion for outreach and has been a member of Central City Opera’s educational outreach ensemble for 6 years and performed with OTR’s Opera Goes to School as Dr. Greg in Douglas Moore’s ‘Galantry’.  Malcolm has studied with Martile Rowland and Carol Kirkpatrick.  He currently lives in Denver with his Son, and 3 Dogs.