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Our Killer Team
Killer Queen Opera is a femme-lead collective of multi-disciplinary artists based in the New York City area.
Our Mission: Relevance, Representation & Accessibility​​​
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Scroll below to read more about the individuals that make Killer Queen Opera possible!
Karina Camile Parker
Soprano & Director | Co-Founder & Co-Director
she/her/hers
Karina Camile Parker (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based director, soprano, and teaching artist. Karina is the co-founder of Killer Queen Opera Co, an innovative new opera company, & The Music Co-Lab, a voice studio for singers of all ages and musical backgrounds. Karina is an active teaching artist, currently working as an Associate Conductor for the National Children’s Chorus.
As a multi-disciplinary director and performer, Karina specializes in early music, new works, folk music, performance art, and musical theater. She has worked with organizations such as the NBL, Carnegie Hall, DECODA Music, Pittsburgh Resonance Works, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, and The Laguna Beach Playhouse. Some of her recent directing highlights include iPhone Arias (Hawthorne), La Voix Humaine (Poulenc), 9131: A Sing Sing Opera* (Wilson), Being Ariodante* (Dawe), and L’incoronazione di Poppea, (Monteverdi).
Karina also specializes in solo, chamber, and choral music. Her past choral work includes performances under the direction of internationally renowned conductors Manfred Honeck, Andrés Cárdenes, Eph Ehly, and many more. Karina has had the honor to work with many ensembles such as Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, UN Symphony Orchestra, and The Canticum Novum Singers.
Karina received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in vocal performance and Certification in music education from Carnegie Mellon University. Karina is proudly queer and disabled.
Christina Swanson
Mezzo-Soprano & Director | Co-Founder & Co-Director
she/her/hers
Mezzo-Soprano Christina Swanson (she/her) is a performer, director, and performance artist based in New York City. Swanson received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan and her Master of Music from New York University. In the arenas of opera and concert, Swanson has performed with the Oratorio Society of New Jersey, Utah Festival Opera, Lakeland Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Surry Arts and Events in Maine, Hudson River Opera, Opera MODO, NYU Opera Theater and as a soloist with the NYU Orchestra.
Swanson thrives as a theater-maker and director. She is the co-founder of Killer Queen Opera Company, with which she co-directed and co-produced a film version of the opera L’incoronazione di Poppea, supported by the Brooklyn Arts Council. The film was made available to Brooklyn communities in three public venues, fulfilling Killer Queen’s mission of relevance, representation, and accessibility. Other directing includes “Last Resort: An Evening of Opera Scenes,” with the New York University Classical Voice Collective.
Swanson is also a movement artist and performance artist. She co-choreographed the new musical, “Triangle Cruise,” which premiered in NYC in June 2022. In her music and performance art, Swanson explores themes of physical identity through original movement and sound. Her performance art has been seen at the Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Montreal Fringe festivals, in addition to Movement Research in New York City.
Marie Anello
Mezzo-Soprano | Resident Grants & Administration Assistant
she/her/hers
Marie Anello is a classically trained mezzo-soprano with experience in opera, musical theater, cabaret, jazz, voice acting, and drama. She has had the pleasure of performing with companies like the Penobscot Theatre Company, New York City Opera, Soho Playhouse, Write Act Repertory, Encompass New Opera Theatre, the Pittsburgh Festival Opera Young Artist Program, and as Ottavia in Killer Queen Opera's inaugural film production "Poppea." Recent credits include Izzy in the world debut of "Trapped! The Musical: A Lobster Tale", Betty Compton in the immersive production "Tammany Hall", and her one woman cabaret, Spektorology, co-produced with Killer Queen Opera.
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Marie also works as a writer and editor, specializing in book reviews, publishing industry journalism, and graphic novels.
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www.marieanello.com
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Jay St. Flono
Sopranista & Author | Artist in Residence
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St. Flono (sopranist) is a classical singer, actor, librettist and author from Brooklyn, New York. Having performed in both avant-garde and traditional productions, Jay has worked with artists such as Bill T. Jones in “Deep Blue Sea” (2021) and has appeared with NYC Opera, the Unsung Collective at Lincoln Center and in concert as a soloist with the Grace Chorale of Brooklyn and SugarHill Salon. Jay was a 2019-2021 Librettist Fellow with Composers and the Voice (AOP) where they completed the libretto, Spirit in the Vine.
Milan Furtado
Photography, Dance, & Choreography | Resident Photographer
she/her/hers
Milan Furtado is an artist based in New York and Los Angeles, specializing in dance, photography, choreography and filmmaking. Graduating in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from New York University. Milan has worked as both a choreographer and performer in productions of various scopes. Milan has both performed and choreographed works featured in the Battery Dance Festival and Ikada KoDaFe International Dance Festival. Currently Milan works alongside the Killer Queen Opera Company as a dancer performing in their productions of Orfeo and Madam. Outside of the realm of creation, Milan is one of the co-founders of AGORA, an artistic community focused on cultivating the work of emerging artists. Milan is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of all of her creative pursuits, bringing a fresh perspective to each project she undertakes.
www.milanfurtado.com
Efthimi Matsamakis
Photo, Video, & Audio | Resident Editor
he/his/him
Efthimi is an editor, photographer, musician, and visual artist based in NYC.
For inquiries: efthimimatsamakis@gmail.com
Killer Queen Opera Board Members
Board of Trustees
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Karlye Whitt
Seiko Elmore
Wyn Delano
Advisory Board​
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Marie Anello
Lucas Bouk
Bea Goodwin
Jay St. Flono
Mari Moriarty​
Faron Stalker Esq.
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Honorary Board​
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Debby Applegate
Joanne Swanson Esq.
Mara Waldman
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