Gina Galati, General Director
Gina Galati is the recent recipient of The Historical Society of St. Louis County’s James O’Flynn Community Service award for founding New Opera Saint Louis, now called Winter Opera St. Louis, where she serves as General Director. Gina received a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Music from Washington University and later received a Masters of Opera from the University of Kansas and earned an Artist Diploma from the Academia Verdiana in Bussetto, Italy. Ms. Galati has performed Rosina in The Barber of Seville with Winter Opera, Amici Opera and the Southern Illinois Music Festival, Musetta in La Bohéme with Witchita Grand Opera, and has performed frequently with the Atlantic Coast Opera Festival, singing Nedda in I Pagliacci, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Norina in Don Pasquale. Gina sang the role of Giorgetta in Union Avenue Opera’s production of Il Tabarro and made her Powell Symphony Hall debut in December 2008 as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the St. Louis Bach Society. Gina has performed the roles of Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Gilda in Rigoletto, Norina in Don Pasquale, Nedda in I Pagliacci, Violetta in La Traviata, Mimi in La Bohème, Baby Doe in The Ballad of Baby Doe, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor and Suzel in L’amico Fritz with Winter Opera St. Louis. In the summer of 2014, Gina sang Norina in Miami Lyric Opera’s Don Pasquale and Rosina in Opera Medellin’s Il barbiere di Siviglia.
Jesse Cunningham,
Collaborative Pianist & Chorus Master
As a pianist, vocal coach, conductor, and educator, Jesse Cunningham has been exposed to a diverse repertoire and worked with a wide range of musicians, from young students to emerging artists and professional musicians. In the past, Jesse was involved with Indianapolis Opera, Chicago Summer Opera, Bay View Music Festival for Opera, MIOpera, New York Lyric Opera, and Lyric Theatre at Illinois and held a staff position at the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College, Eastern Illinois University and Mannes School of Music. Currently, Jesse works as the Chorus Master and Collaborative Pianist at Winter Opera St. Louis. Jesse has a DMA in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a MM and BM in Piano Performance from Florida International University.
Jason Harris, Orchestra Personnel Manager
Jason Harris holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and a Master of Arts in Music from Webster University. A recent trumpet professor at Lindenwood University and Jefferson College, Harris has performed trumpet with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, The Temptations, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, Illinois Symphony, Susan Slaughter’s Holiday Brass, St. Louis Brass Band, and the American Kantorei Orchestra to name a few. Currently, Harris is a member of the Winter Opera St. Louis Orchestra, Union Avenue Opera, Clarion Brass Quintet, and Stonehenge Brass. Jason is currently serving as an Associate Director of Bands at Ladue Horton Watkins High School. As an educator, Mr. Harris has garnered national recognition for his innovative approaches to utilizing technology in music education.
Kelly Thomas, Administrative Director
A Liberal Arts graduate of Harold Washington College in Chicago, Illinois, Kelly Thomas serves as the Administrative Director of Winter Opera St. Louis. She once held the position during Seasons 8 & 9 and, after a hiatus, returned for Season 15, where she manages the box office, patrons & donor relations, studio rentals, and designs advertisement artwork. Her love for opera came when attending the Season 8 performance of Le Nozze Di Figaro, her first opera. If she’s not working, Kelly’s focusing on computer programming and video game design as hobbies. She lives with her husband, their three children, and their dog Willard.
Jen Blum-Tatara, Costume Designer / Costume & Alterations Shop Manager
As a professional costumer who has been working in the St. Louis area for almost a decade, Jen has met and worked with many talented performers and artists throughout the years. She loves to collaborate in any way she can, from designing their costumes to parodying the show she’s running with other backstage technicians. Jen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Theater and English Literature from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and she has returned annually to her alma mater to design costumes for the Cougar Theater Camp every summer. In addition to working at Winter Opera, she also holds the position of costume designer and shop manager at Edwardsville High School, which won the Costume Design and Execution Award from the St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards in 2023. When not working, Jen prefers to spend her time at home reading alongside her husband and three pets.