The Evening’s Program:

Meet the Composers:

The University Composer’s Collective (UCC) is a student-run organization that is dedicated to creating more opportunities for performances and professional development for composers starting out their careers at the University of Utah. Advised by Dr. Jessica Rudman and Dr. Miguel Chuaqui, the UCC has collaborated with other student organizations as well as professional performers. Recent collaborations include a Pierrot (+Percussion) Ensemble concert with new works, and an evening of new opera scenes performed by Opera Contempo. The UCC has collaborated with the Student Opera Guild, the University of Utah Crimson Harps, and various student string quartets. In addition to these performance opportunities, the UCC also hosts workshops on how to write for various instruments, most recently the harp and the organ. 

Dawn Marie Wells is a soprano studying vocal performance and music theory at the University of Utah with Professor Julie Wright-Costa. She has played the Mother in Hansel and Gretel, and looks forward to playing Madam Flora in The Medium. She loves composing and hopes to eventually write an opera.

Monica Mendoza is a composer and flutist from Salinas CA. Monica is working on her PhD in Composition at the University of Utah and is the winner of the 2025-26 Steve Roens Prize for composition. Her work has been featured at Electronic Music Midwest and SEAMUS.

Sadie Olsen is a composer who writes for classical voice with a focus on opera. Sadie is currently getting her undergraduate degree in music composition from the University of Utah. Her work focuses on themes of gender, sexuality, and love. Sadie often arranges her own text from older literary works.

Scott Bigler is a composer and pianist who has studied at the University of Utah. Always of a more sensitive temperament, Scott finds refuge in music as a space where he can express his innermost feelings to the world. He aspires to be a film and media composer.

Utah-based composer Caleb Martin is best known for his vocal writing, from barbershop to art song to pop. A devoted student of the styles he adores, he writes music dense with delicious detail. He is currently writing a series on Utah’s myths, from pioneer seagull miracles to Uinta Basin UFOs.

Nelson LeDuc earned his Bachelor of Music in Composition in May of this year and is grateful to be included in this program. He was deeply moved by the joy expressed by the women in this photograph, particularly in light of the dangers they must have faced during this time.

Meet the Performers:

The pianist for the evening will be Dr. Carol Anderson.

Emelia Hartford is a Senior BA in Music. She originally hails from Seattle. Most recently, she was in The Tenderland and covered the Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel at the University of Utah. This year she is covering Frasquita in Carmen and singing Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium.

Mezzo-soprano and DMA student Mandi Barrus focuses on partnering with composers and artists of all disciplines to make new works come to life. She has premiered the roles of Artemis in Jessica Rudman’s Protectress and Nature in Anthony Buck’s Le Roman de Silence, and looks forward to premiering the role of Nana in Lisa Neher’s The Velveteen Rabbit this Christmas.

Nahal Falahatimarvast is a lyric coloratura soprano, studying under renowned mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chávez. She has appeared in several productions with UOpera, including Amahl and the Night Visitors, Die Fledermaus, and La Bohème. Her recent role with Uopera was “Sandman” in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and her future role will be “Frasquita” in Bizet’s Carmen in December 2026.

Sarah Mair is known for her emotional depth and her love of new music. Sarah is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Voice Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Utah, where she continues to pursue her passion for new music and performance.

Kaylee Smith is a soprano from North Salt Lake who lives for drama and connection when it comes to performing. She is pursuing her master’s in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Utah. She received her Bachelor of Music from Snow College. She previously performed the role of Madame Herz in Mozart’s “Der Schauspieldirektor” and Papagena in “Die Zauberflöte.”

Dorian Dillon is a 4th-year Vocal Performance and Trombone Performance major at the University of Utah. She has a deep love for the world of Art, performing Opera, Musical Theater, and symphonic works, and has a background in ballet and ballroom dancing. This year, she looks forward to performing as Morales in Bizet’s Carmen with the University of Utah.

Anneli Abbott is a freshman mezzo from Houston, who participated in the All-State competitions through her sophomore year. She then moved to Utah where she won 1st place in several competitions, including UVO Future of Opera, NATS, Sterling Scholar, and Schmidt. She was accepted and offered scholarships into New England Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music, but ultimately decided to study with Kirstin Chàvez at the U. 

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Header Image: A sight and sound performance at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 2021.