La Boheme - Opera Guild of Rochester

Nellica Rave, Wardrobe Coordinator
Nellica Rave is pleased to be working with Mercury Opera Rochester for her seventh production.
Ms. Rave has been designing costumes nation-wide for ten years. She has her MFA in Costume
Design from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Favorite projects include designing
West Side Stories for New World Theater, Blithe Spirit for Pioneer Valley Summer Theater,
and costume shop for the Paralympics Opening Ceremonies in 2002. She has worked locally for
the JCC, Eastman Opera Theatre, RIT, Irondequoit Theatre Guild and TYKES. Ms. Rave is on the
staff of Mercury Opera Rochester as the resident Costume Collection Manager. She and her
husband are the very proud parents of 16-month-old red-haired Raimonda.
Ken Saltzman, Stage Manager
Ken Saltzman returns to Rochester directly from stage managing La Sonnambula and La
Traviata with Michigan Opera Theatre. Earlier this year, Ken stage managed Mercury Opera’s
production of Don Giovanni, as well as his 8th Yuletide Celebration with the Indianapolis
Symphony Orchestra, a benefit concert given by Jessye Norman, Le Nozze di Figaro, and his
2nd world premiere opera, Cyrano, with Michigan Opera Theatre. Ken has worked with opera
companies in cities that include Philadelphia, Atlanta, Honolulu, Tucson/Phoenix, Indianapolis,
Dayton and Memphis. Upcoming engagements include The Music Man with our nation’s
2nd largest theatre, Kansas City Starlight Theatre, and the return to Detroit for Michigan Opera
Theatre’s world premiere, Margaret Garner starring Denyce Graves, which Ken will then
bring to Chicago. Ken and his partner, Duane Prill, make their home on Lamoka Lake in the
Finger Lakes region.
Matthew Scheidt, Production Manager/Technical Director
A native of Rochester, Matthew Scheidt has been building scenery and working in production
management for Eastman Opera Theatre for the last six years. He has worked in the local
theatre scene for over 15 years as stagehand and audio engineer. In addition, Mr. Scheidt has built
the sets for Mercury Opera Rochester’s productions of L’Amico Fritz, L’Elisir d’Amore,
Abduction from the Seraglio, and Don Giovanni. This is his fourth production with the
company as Production Manager and Technical Director.
Tatiana Vassilieva, Accompanist
A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Tatiana Vassilieva is a dual Master’s degree candidate at the
Eastman School of Music studying piano performance with Nelita True and collaborative piano
with Jean Barr. She has recently completed her Bachelor’s degree in piano performance at
Eastman with Nelita True and Fernando Laires. As a soloist, Ms. Vassilieva has appeared with
the Rochester Philharmonic, Cornell Chamber, Eastern Festival, and the Greece Symphony
orchestras. Other performance highlights include a “Rising Stars Recital” at the Eastman
Young Artist International Piano Competition and the Eastern Music Festival concert at
the Kennedy Center. Ms Vassilieva is also a skilled accompanist and has been a recipient of
Eastman’s “Excellence in Accompanying Award” for the past two years. Last May, she won first
prize in piano at the Jessie Kneisel Competition for the Performance of German Lieder. Ms.
Vassilieva received additional training in collaborative piano at the Music Academy of the West
in Santa Barbara, CA, and the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, MA, where she will return
this summer.