Connecticut Lyric Opera (CLO) proudly announces a new chapter in its history with the appointment of Anastasia Rege as Artistic Director and Kelly Whitesell as General Director. Together, these visionary leaders will guide the company into its next era, building on CLO’s artistic legacy while expanding its community impact, educational outreach, and audience engagement across Connecticut. Both Rege and Whitesell bring deep roots in the company and the art form. As accomplished opera singers who have performed on the Connecticut Lyric Opera stage, they lead with firsthand artistic experience, a collaborative spirit, and a shared commitment to programming that reflects the world audiences are living in today.
“Watching Ana and Kelly step into these leadership roles is profoundly meaningful – both to the company and to me personally,” said Jūratė Švedaitė, co-founder and outgoing Artistic Director of CLO. “Each of them began her journey with me as a young student, when they first performed in our chorus and began discovering the depth and possibility of their own voices. Over time, that relationship evolved and I later had the joy of sharing the stage with them as colleagues after they returned from their studies. To witness that full artistic arc – from student to peer to leader – is deeply moving. They bring exceptional musical intelligence, imagination, and integrity, along with a deep respect for this art form. I have every confidence that they will carry this work forward with the energy and vision needed to keep opera vibrant, meaningful, and relevant for audiences today.”
Together, Rege and Whitesell will lead a season that points toward CLO’s future, including:
- “What It Costs to Sing: A Recital with Kelly Whitesell” on April 18 in Bloomfield and April 19 in New London
- Abigail Adams, planned for May 2026 or this fall as part of Connecticut Lyric Opera’s celebration of America’s 250th. Dates and venues to be finalized and announced soon.
Anastasia Rege is a soprano, music director, and educator whose leadership at Connecticut Lyric Opera is grounded in nearly two decades of artistic, educational, and community-centered work. Recently appointed Artistic Director of CLO, she brings a deep connection to the company, having sung with the CLO chorus since 2006, as well as a long-standing commitment to expanding opera’s reach through innovative programming and audience engagement. Rege is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Music Education at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, and serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Hartford, where she teaches choral conducting and supervises student teachers; over more than a decade, she has taught vocal and instrumental music across New York and Connecticut, founding and directing ensembles including chamber choir, concert chorus, gospel choir, marching band, drumline, and an all-girls rock band.
Her interdisciplinary STEM Music Appreciation curriculum, centered on students building functional world instruments, has been featured by the Connecticut Music Educators Association, and her doctoral research examines instrument-making as a culturally responsive teaching practice. She also serves as Director of Music Ministry at St. Columba Church in Brooklyn, New York, where she is organist, cantor, choirmaster, and curator of an annual sacred chamber concert series. Performance highlights include singing with Kyiv Camerata in the North American premiere of Oleksandr Shchetynsky’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, the world premiere of Hoguera de Silencios in Milan, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Carnegie Hall, and Ariel Ramírez’s Misa Criolla at Lincoln Center.
Kelly Whitesell is a Connecticut soprano, educator, director, and arts leader whose work bridges performance, pedagogy, production, and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a growing focus on the intersection of opera and puppetry. As General Director of Connecticut Lyric Opera, she leads the company alongside Artistic Director Anastasia Rege in a partnership rooted in shared history on the Connecticut Lyric stage, helping shape a season that reflects contemporary audiences through community engagement, new voices, and artistically ambitious programming. Kelly is a Doctor of Musical Arts student and Graduate Assistant in the University of Connecticut Voice Department, where she teaches Opera Studio and Stage Skills for Singers.
She holds a Master of Music in Voice & Opera from UConn and dual Bachelor of Music degrees in Voice Performance and Music Education from the Eastman School of Music. She also serves as Music Director of Old Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Bloomfield and teaches private voice at the Choir School of Hartford and Thames Valley Music School, bringing a strong commitment to mentorship, vocal health, and music ministry. Her doctoral research explores the pedagogical relationship between opera singers and puppetry, and in 2025 she produced and directed The Watering Hole and Polar, two contemporary English operas on climate change, as part of UConn Opera’s collaboration with UConn Puppet Arts. Performance highlights include her Italian debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Orchestra da Camera di Greve in Chianti, the title role in Poulenc’s La voix humaine, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Hartford’s Bushnell Theater with Connecticut Lyric Opera, and her professional debut as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare with Connecticut Lyric Opera in 2022.
Connecticut Lyric Opera, founded in 2003, is a full-season professional opera company in Connecticut dedicated to enriching the cultural life of Connecticut and beyond through high-quality opera, concerts, and educational programming. Rooted in a mission that emphasizes inspiring, involving, and instilling a love of opera in audiences and artists alike, CLO has built its history on presenting both beloved classics and compelling new works while creating meaningful opportunities for performers and communities to engage with lyric theater. Guided by artistic excellence and a strong commitment to accessibility, the company continues to expand its impact through performances, partnerships, and outreach that welcome new audiences and affirm opera as a living, relevant art form in Connecticut today.