Who We Are

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Grammy Award winning pianist and conductor Dennis Doubin was to makes his conducting debut with Vegas City Opera in 2019-2020 season with Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment" which was postponed until March of 2021 due to COVID-19. A Henderson resident, Maestro Doubin has led Henderson Symphony orchestra in several performances. A full-time member of San Francisco Opera music staff, Dennis has been asked to prepare every facet of the opera production. He can be found coaching singers, prompting performances, and conducting backstage banda. Mo Doubin made his SFO debut conducting Puccini's "La Bohème" at the War Memorial Opera House in 2014.  He also appeared leading Verdi's "La Traviata" and Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" at Opera San José in recent seasons. Dennis began his musical journey in Moscow, Russia at the Moscow Boys Chorus and Choral Academy, where he also excelled as a pianist. After immigrating to the United States, he was a student at Idyllwild Arts Academy and would go on to study piano with Vitaly Margulis in Los Angeles. He became assistant conductor at Los Angeles Opera and subsequently assisted with vocal projects for Los Angeles Philharmonic. Other professional engagements include, Seattle Opera, San Diego opera and Sacramento Opera. Mo Doubin further honed his skills in the SFO's Merola and Adler programs. A sought-after coach, Dennis has coached and collaborated with some of today's most important vocalists that include Renee Fleming, Diana Damrau, Leah Crocetto, Dolora Zajick, Ramon Vargas, Brandon Jovanovich, Michael Fabiano, Stephen Costello, Bryn Terfel, George Gagnidze, Ildar Abdrazakov and others.

Skip hails originally from western Pennsylvania and is living his best life pouring his art heart into Vegas City Opera. He is a countertenor & baritone who believes that performance is an essential expression of the human experience. Everyone deserves the opportunity for cultural growth and artistic communion! He studied voice at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT before embarking on his long, strange journey.  His visions have unfolded on and off myriad stages across the country and abroad in Germany and China, eventually landing him in Las Vegas, where he and the cunning Ginger Land-van Buuren brought Vegas City Opera to life.  He has many years of stage experience, none nearly as satisfying as here in Las Vegas.  During his days he challenges his mind working as a Nurse in Infection Prevention at UMC Hospital. His dedication lies in his work, his family, and bringing opera to his community in ways that will surprise them, engage them, and ultimately enrich their lives. 

Before moving to Las Vegas from New York City Ginger was a Portland Opera Resident Artist. While in NYC Ginger was well received by The New York Times and Opera News in the New York debut of An Incomplete Education, with The Bronx Opera, in which she sang the lead role of Gontron le Comte. In her professional operatic career Ginger performed with Palm Beach Opera, Dicapo Opera Theater, Pacific Opera, Opera In The Heights, Natchez Opera Festival, Portland Opera, Opera Astoria and the National Lyric Opera, singing the roles of Queen of the Night, Lucia di Lammermoor, Donna Anna, Madame Goldentrill, Constanza, Gilda, Cunegonda, Miss Wordsworth, Violetta, Musetta, Lady with a Hand Mirror, and Nella among others. Ginger also performs in concert across the country with her TechnOpera band OperaRisque’. Ginger is also a member of Actor's Equity and has performed as Irene Molloy in Hello Dolly, Madame de le Grande Bouche (The Wardrobe) in Beauty and the Beast, Ellie Mae in Showboat, Lucy in The Telephone, Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel , Velma in Chicago, Rose Murrant in Street Scene, and Clara in Passion. As a member of SAG Ginger can be found on the big screen in the movie, Find Me Guilty, starring Vin Diesel and in the award winning short film Cold Dark Night Of Brilliance, in the role of the “Angel of Mercy” in which she performed and recorded the title track and is also the voice the “Laughing Opera Singer” in the Fandango commercials in theaters nationwide. After relocating to Las Vegas with her husband Christiaan, Ginger co-founded Vegas City Opera with Skip Galla Katipunan, and continues to perform with the company. Ginger feels very lucky to have found an amazing group of talented people to work with and call friends here at Vegas City Opera. 

Dean Balan is a dynamic collaborative pianist and music director based in Las Vegas. Current appointments include Music Director and Conductor for Vegas City Opera, company pianist for the Nevada Ballet Theatre and UNLV Ballet, and music director at his church. Recently, Dean was a Fellow of the Collaborative Piano Institute, where he studied with faculty from the Metropolitan Opera. 

Dean became a theatre musician at age 13, when he was hired by Las Vegas’s Super Summer Theatre series. Favorite theatre credits include: Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular at the Venetian Resort; Mary Poppins at the International Thespian Festival; The Fantasticks; and the educational pilot of Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical.

Dean has been featured at the Las Vegas Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast and Serenades of Life: Doctors in Concert, presented at the Smith Center in Downtown Las Vegas. He is also an active orchestral keyboardist and has appeared with the Desert Winds Orchestra, UNLV Wind Symphony, and Henderson Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to keyboard work, Dean has an extensive background in choral, barbershop, and contemporary a cappella music. He has been a guest clinician for the Las Vegas A Cappella Summit and appeared with choirs at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, as well as with the Candlelight Processional Chorus at the Disneyland Resort. 

Dean earned his B.A. in Anthropology from UNLV, with a Minor in Biological Sciences. He is a member of AFM Local 369-Las Vegas and the Theatre Musicians Association. Visit him online at the Las Vegas Accompanists directory (www.facebook.com/LVpiano) or www.deanbmusic.com. 

Emily Kurcan Stephenson is active behind the scenes of several opera organizations. She is the Director of Outreach and Education for Vegas City Opera. Ms. Stephenson also serves as a Co-Managing Diva with Opera on Tap, most recently founding the Las Vegas chapter with Dr. Michelle Latour and Stephanie Redman.  Previously she worked with the Colorado and Twin Cities chapters as both a Co-Managing Diva and regular soloist.

Ms. Stephenson holds an MM in Vocal Performance and an MA in Musicology from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music.  Her research has been presented to the Southwest Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology, and published on Operagasm.com. She holds a BM in Vocal Performance from Baldwin-Wallace.  She studies with renowned soprano Luana DeVol.  

Andrew Stephenson Kurcan is a Multimedia Producer and Creative Director who partners with corporate and artistic sector clients to create exciting, purposeful content. After spending nearly two decades working on projects spanning the film, television, radio, and corporate realms, Andrew knows how to drive a project from inception to delivery. Blending careful planning with strategic risk management, his work is results-oriented, attuned to customer needs and expected outcomes.

Andrew has successfully mounted international production projects for a number of Fortune 500 and 1000 companies. Equally comfortable in front of top CEOs and heads of state, his experience and candor allow for a free and innovative exchange of ideas. In addition to his extensive technical and creative production background, Andrew is a classically and jazz-trained musician.

Andrew holds a Master of Music in Trombone Performance from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. 

Rebecca has performed operatic roles all over the country and the world. She is a graduate of Northern Arizona University, and has received certificates from the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, The Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute and The Opera Academy of California in San Francisco, CA, the Crittenden Opera Theater Institute in Washington DC, and the Flagstaff in Fidenza program in Fidenza, Italy. She has performed in numerous productions with Arizona Opera and Phoenix Opera and only recently moved to the Las Vegas area. Most recently, she performed the roles of The Witch in Hansel and Gretel, The Mother in The Consul and The Woman in Erwartung with Sin City Opera. She runs the Noteworthy Vocal Studio Las Vegas, and has 20 years of experience teaching and training young singers. She made her Opera Directing Debut with Sin City Opera’s L’Etoile in the Spring of 2017, where she took the whole production into outer space! She brings a bounty of enthusiasm and a depth of experience to the Vegas City Opera Production Team and is excited for the opportunity to help expand this great art form in the Las Vegas Valley.

Richard L. Hodges, is a native of Greensboro, N.C. Richard is a 2019 nominee for Best Lead in a Musical with the Las Vegas Valley Awards for his role in Gianni Schicchi with Vegas City Opera. His other recent roles include the Preacher in Sweet Land with The Industry L.A., Michele in Il Tabarro, , and Hamlet in the opera Hamlet to name a few. Some of his other roles include Frank in Die Fledermaus, Porgy from Porgy and Bess and Peter in Hansel and Gretel. He is an Emerging Artist in the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices program and has received several awards. Most notable he was a finalist in the American Institute of Musical Studies, Meistersinger Competition. He was also one of the 2018 UNLV Concerto Competition Winners. He has been featured in numerous orchestral and chamber concerts which include performances of various operatic arias and scenes as well as master works such as Here and Now by Christopher Theofanidis with the UNCG Orchestra and combined choirs and the Messiah by Handel. Mr. Hodges has been a featured soloist and recitalist performing with Angels Vocal Arts, The Industry LA, Vegas City Opera, Opera Las Vegas, Henderson Symphony Orchestra, the UNLV String Orchestra, the famed UNLV Wind Orchestras, Greensboro Opera Company, North Carolina Opera Company and other organizations throughout his career. Mr. Hodges continues to give masterclasses and performs with other local and regional organizations. His upcoming performances include the show Harriet Tubman with Vegas City Opera and a Recital of Black Composers sponsored by St. John’s in the Village, NYC.

Although best known as a performer, Mr. Hodges has been writing, directing and composing for quite some time. His most recent work, Women of the Black Panthers was premiered with Vegas City Opera and featured his new composition “Be Proud” in which he wrote the poem and music. This work will also be featured as part of Vegas City Opera’s 2020 Song Cycle Project.  In collaboration with Vegas City Opera, Mr. Hodges has also created the playwright book for 2 other shows, Coretta Scott King and Sojourner Truth. A new work about the life of Harriet Tubman will be premiered this summer in Las Vegas as well as other collaborative projects happening in the upcoming seasons. 

Richard received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Master of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Bachelor of Music from North Carolina Central University. He currently serves as the Assistant Professor of Voice at South Carolina State University.