Emily Thebaut, Executive director & co-founder
Mezzo-Soprano Emily Thebaut is a Los Angeles based performer, voice teacher and Co-Founder of Los Angeles based non-profit, New Opera West. Emily is also currently a doctoral student in Vocal Arts at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music where she is the Head Teaching Assistant and President of the student chapter of the National Association of Teacher’s of Singing (SNATS). Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Emily taught voice and piano in the Bay Area for 6 years and created and ran a non-profit pop-up opera troupe, Opera on the Spot.
Mark Lanz Weiser, Artistic director & Co-founder
Mark Lanz Weiser is a composer of opera and concert music. His music has been described as “brilliantly expressive” (Washington Post), “potent and well-made” (San Francisco Chronicle), and “ravishing” (San Jose Mercury News). Awards include the ASCAP Foundation Rudolf Nissim Prize, the Ithaca College International Heckscher Composition Prize, and the NATS National Art Song competition. He has held residencies at the Yaddo colony in New York and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and his music has been published by Boosey & Hawkes and Editions Bim International Music Publishing.
Mark Lanz Weiser received his bachelor’s degree in piano performance and master’s degree in composition from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. He is currently Assistant Professor in Composition and Director of Music Theory at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.
Isabella tang, Board president
Isabella Tang is a business strategist, singer-songwriter, and pianist. Her music background includes classical piano studies at the Colburn School and original pop album & music video releases as an award-winning songwriter. Her business background includes time as an NBCUniversal executive and as a management consultant. Currently, Isabella leads global experiences strategy at Netflix, focused on shaping entertainment experiences for guests around the world. Isabella received her MBA from The Wharton School and her bachelor’s degree in Economics from Stanford University.
nicole holly, board secretary
Nicole Mariutto is an operations manager and musical theatre enthusiast. She received her BA in Cinema Studies at the University of Central Florida and has since worked in people operations at a video game live-streaming tech startup in Los Angeles. Passionate about making theatre accessible to everyone, Nicole is thrilled to be working with New Opera West on its mission to introduce a whole new audience to the wonderful world of opera.
Amy punt, Board treasurer & Co-Founder
Amy Punt is a screenwriter, essayist and new opera librettist. Her libretto, Mirror Game, with composer Celka Ojakangas is a 2019 recipient of the Opera America Development Grant for Female Composers and was commissioned by Portland State University where it will premier in November of 2019. Her first opera, The Place Where You Started, music by Mark Lanz Weiser, was first commissioned by Portland State University and premiered in 2016. It then went on for a run in Shanghai, China and in 2018 received its Los Angeles debut. Both productions featured Stage Director, Kristine McIntyre’s visionary direction. Punt’s essays have been spotlighted in publications like Salon, Alternet and in literary journals The Weeklings and The Rathalla Review. She has appeared as a commentator on MSNBC, The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell. Originally from Chicago, Punt began her career writing and directing original plays for The Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Bailiwick Repertory, and Strawdog Theater Ensemble. After receiving her Master of Directing for Cinema/ TV and Communication at Regent University, she moved to Los Angeles and began working at The Writers Boot Camp where she had the opportunity to develop scripts with Warner Brothers Animation and teach screenwriters professional development of their screenplays. Punt coaches professional screenwriters through her screenwriting development company at DrillItDownScripts.com.