Escape into Enchantment! Vashon Opera presents Engelbert Humperdinck's beloved Hansel and Gretel. Journey into a world of fairy-tale wonder with a glorious, sweeping score. Witness Hansel and Gretel's adventure, the tempting gingerbread house, and local celebrity Anita Spritzer as the delightfully wicked witch. Perfect for families and opera aficionados alike. Experience the magic live on Vashon.
Meet the artists
James Brown
General Director, Conductor
James Brown enjoys an eclectic career of conducting, concertizing as a singer, stage directing, and voice teaching. James joined Vashon Opera through stage directing and conducting The Barber of Seville in Vashon Opera's second season. Ever since he has become the musical and theatrical engine behind the company bringing his multiple talents to bear in many productions. In June of 2024, the board invited James to step into the role of General Director to lead the company through its 15th season and beyond. He is the Chair of Vocal Studies at Pacific Lutheran University where he directs the opera and oversees a large voice program. His voice students have gone on to study at graduate programs such as Indiana University, The Juilliard School, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and Yale University. As a tenor, James sang in many professional opera productions under the batons of such conductors as James Conlon, John DeMain, Richard Hickox, Julius Rudel, and Robert Spano. As the regular conductor and stage director for Vashon Opera, James has led productions such as Albert Herring, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, Così fan tutte, Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Die Fledermaus, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, Madama Butterfly, Pagliacci, Tosca, La traviata and Werther.
Peter Dorman
Witch's Minion
Tenor Peter Dorman has been singing with community groups since undergraduate days, beginning with the Amherst College Glee Club and its around-the-world tour in 1969, culminating with concerts at the Baalbek and Athens Festivals and Josquin des Prez’s Missa Mater Patris at Nôtre-Dame de Paris. At the University of Chicago he sang with the University Chorus, the School of Folly madrigal group, and the men’s Vestosterone barbershop quartet. As part of the university’s 14-member Russian choir, Golosa, Peter and his wife, Kathy, traveled in 2001 to Moscow, Irkutsk, and Tarbagatay in Siberia to perform with the internationally acclaimed local choir, Sudbinushka, foremost practitioners of the UNESCO World Heritage tradition of semeyskie singing, centered in the Transbaikal region. He also appeared in several productions of the university’s long-running Gilbert and Sullivan company. On Vashon Island, Peter has been delighted to sing with the Vashon Chorale and to perform as a chorus member, and recently serve as chorus master, in seven of the Vashon Opera productions. In real life he is the only living (or dead) Egyptologist on the island.
Andrew Krikawa
Peter (father)
Baritone Andrew Krikawa was most recently seen by Vashon Opera audiences singing the title role in Rigoletto. Hailed by Opera News as an "accomplished performer possessing an attractive, cultivated baritone, with well-honed acting", Mr. Krikawa has sung for numerous companies including New York City Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Virginia Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera, Opera Festival of New Jersey, Nashville Opera, Annapolis Opera, Central City Opera, Pensacola Opera, Eugene Opera, and DiCapo Opera Theatre. Andrew’s most performed roles include Marcello (La bohème), Sharpless (Madame Butterfly), Germont (La traviata), Albert (Werther), Silvio (I Pagliacci), and Guglielmo (Così fan tutte). Career highlights have also included appearances with Pittsburgh Opera as Albert in Werther and performances of Così fan tutte with the world-renowned Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Mr. Krikawa is a Sullivan Foundation award winner and a recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant. He holds a both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He was seen in the Vashon Opera productions of Cavalleria Rusticana as Alfio, La bohème as Marcello, The Magic Flute as Papageno, Pagliacci Palooza as Silvio, The Tender Land as Top, The Barber of Seville as Figaro, Così fan tutte as Guglielmo, Albert Herring as Sid, The Elixir of Love as Sargeant Belcore, and the title roles in Gianni Schicchi and Eugene Onegin. Relocating to the Pacific Northwest from the Northeast over 20 years ago, Mr. Krikawa helped get Vashon Opera started with his wife Jennifer Krikawa.
Jennifer Krikawa
Gertrude (Step-mother)
Soprano Jennifer Krikawa was recently seen singing Desdemona in Otello and Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro with Vashon Opera. She has sung for numerous opera companies such as New York City Opera, Virginia Opera, Connecticut Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera North, Augusta Opera, Annapolis Opera, Central City Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, and Israel Vocal Arts Institute. Jennifer's roles include: Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow), Blanche (A Streetcar Named Desire), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Mimi (La bohème), Micaela (Carmen), Musetta (La bohème), Laurie (The Tender Land), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Frasquita (Carmen), Antonia (Les Contes d'Hoffman), Tatyana (Eugene Onegin), Giorgetta (Il tabarro), Nedda (I Pagliacci), Tosca and Madama Butterfly. Mrs. Krikawa has appeared at Carnegie Hall as the soprano soloist for Scarlatti's Dixit Dominus, Vaughan William's Benedicite, and Poulenc's Gloria and has appeared at Benaroya Hall as soloist in Mozart's Requiem and Soprano II in Mozart's Mass in C Minor with the Vashon Island Chorale. She pursued contemporary music studies at The Banff Centre for the Arts and she holds a bachelor’s in music from Northwestern University and a master's degree from The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Her awards include First Place NATS winner, First Place Opera Theater of Connecticut Amici Competition, Olga Berzins Vocal Scholarship Award, Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Finalist in Boston and Metropolitan Opera National Council Honorable Mention in Connecticut. She has recorded a CD titled "Songs of Walt Whitman" composed by Malcolm Peyton with Centaur Records. Mrs. Krikawa led as Artistic Director of Vashon Opera for 15 years and is thrilled to join the cast of artists for Hansel and Gretel.
Ellaina Lewis
Sandman & Dew Fairy
Soprano Ellaina Lewis is delighted to be making her Vashon Opera debut in Hänsel und Gretel! Her journey began as part of a richly musical family in Washington D.C. and has led to her current home in Seattle, Washington, where she is frequently seen on opera, concert, and recital stages. She has worked with Seattle Opera since 2011, as a principal and in the ensemble. She has performed with Harmonia Orchestra and Chorus, Tacoma Opera, Seattle Choral Company, and Puget Sound Opera, among others. She has premiered the work of Richard Thompson, Huntley Beyer, Sheila Bristow, Steven Luksan, Myra Platt, Garrett Fisher, and Joshua Kohl, as well as several of the Seattle Opera Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab artists. She recently premiered the title role of Cassandra in William C. White’s epic Opera-oratorio, which Mr. White composed with her voice in mind. The setting is the first of its kind, placing the ill-fated priestess at the center of her own story. Favorite opera roles include Violetta in Verdi's La traviata, Amina in Bellini's La sonnambula, Adina in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, Monica in Menotti's The Medium, and Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. Concert repertoire includes Haydn's Creation, Mozart's Requiem, Mahler's Fourth Symphony, Handel's Messiah, and Villa Lobos' Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5. Her debut album, a collaboration with Joe Williams titled Life's Sweet Shadows: Vocal works of Richard Thompson, was released by Parma Recordings in November 2024, and is available on all platforms and for download. For upcoming engagements: www.lainalousoprano.com.
Emma Petersen
Gretel
Lyric coloratura Emma Petersen’s recent roles include Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff, Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème, Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata, Second Wood Sprite in Rusalka, Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Contessa di Folleville in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims, Yvettte in the Western Canadian premiere of Weinberg’s The Passenger, and La Fée in Massenet’s Cendrillon. She has performed concert and recital works such as Strauss’ Brentano Lieder, Edvard Grieg’s Sechs Lieder, and Prevost’s Musiques Peintes. She has performed at Taos Opera Institute and also in the University of Miami Frost School of Music's program in Salzburg, Austria, where she worked with Barbara Bonney. While living in Vancouver she was the featured soloist in the finale episode of The Amazing Race Canada’s 2022 season, performing Libiamo from Verdi’s La traviata. As the 1st place winner of the Seattle Opera Singer’s Development Competition, she will debut with them in Spring 2026, singing Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and she will make her company debut as Gretel in Vashon Opera’s production of Hänsel und Gretel the same season. She received her Bachelors of Music in Voice from the University of Arizona and her Masters of Music from the University of British Columbia.
Allison Pohl
Artistic Director, Stage Director
Soprano Allison Pohl's vivacious stage presence and spirited singing have inspired enthusiastic responses across three continents. Her work has received positive reviews for her “sparkling voice” (outerstage.com) and “exuberant” performances (Opera News). Of her performance in L'elisir d'amore at Virginia Opera, The Washington Post wrote: “Allison Pohl stood out with a ripe, flavorful soprano and ample character.” Her recent engagements include Violetta in La traviata at Opera Bend, Social Worker/Reporter in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at Seattle Opera, Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire at Tacoma Opera, and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro at Vashon Opera; multiple solo recitals, Handel’s Messiah with Symphony Tacoma, chamber concerts curated by Maestro Keith Lockhart of the Boston Pops, performances with Seattle Chamber Music Society and Brevard Music Center Orchestra; return appearances at Bremerton Symphony, Vashon Opera, and the Listen Live at Lunch concert series; and her debut with Wenatchee Valley Symphony. In the 2025-2026 season, Allison will perform in the United States, Spain, and Portugal, including a solo recital for Second City Chamber Series in Tacoma; and debut as a stage director in Vashon Opera's production of Hänsel und Gretel. As a member of Soprello, Allison has performed chamber music across North America with cellist Alistair MacRae. She is Artistic Director of Vashon Opera, a Seattle Opera Career Grant recipient, winner of the Seattle Philharmonic Concerto Competition, Artist Faculty at Brevard Music Center, and a graduate of SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music and Boston University.
Laurel Semerdjian
Hänsel
Laurel Semerdjian is an American mezzo-soprano of Armenian descent, praised for her “deep, velvety voice” and “enchanting” acting (Pittsburgh in the Round). Recent house debuts include Seattle Opera as Third Lady in The Magic Flute and West Edge Opera as the Witch of Endor in David & Jonathan. In the 2025–2026 season, Ms. Semerdjian will reprise Third Lady in The Magic Flute with Opera San Antonio (house debut). She will sing Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice with Tacoma Opera, and will debut with Opera Las Vegas as Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri (role debut). She will also participate in a workshop of Claude & Marcel by Alyssa Weinberg and Stephanie Fleischmann with West Edge Opera. A champion of new and rare works, Ms. Semerdjian recently made her Carnegie Hall debut as the mezzo soloist in Julio Morales’s Xantolo. She has appeared in Derrick Skye’s Song of the Ambassadors at Alice Tully Hall and the 2023 TED Conference, portrayed Asakir in Mohammed Fairouz’s Sumeida’s Song with Pittsburgh Opera, and sang the title role in a workshop of Fairouz’s Bhutto. In concert, she has appeared with ensembles including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Symphoria of Syracuse, and the Winston-Salem Symphony in repertoire ranging from Mahler and Verdi to Beethoven and Mozart. Ms. Semerdjian is a former Resident Artist with Pittsburgh Opera and holds degrees from the University of North Texas and the University of Southern California.
Anita Spritzer
Witch
Anita Spritzer is a local drag performer whose live vocals, big wigs, and over-the-top looks have snatched the attention of audiences all over the world. Widely known for her singing abilities, Ms. Spritzer is equal parts hilarity, beauty, fierceness, and talent. She is seen weekly on stage at a variety of venues across the greater PNW and is the “hostess with the mostest” at The Mix Tacoma, where she hosts several of their iconic, long-running drag shows. At Seattle Opera, she was recently seen in the world premier of her one woman holiday show Gay Apparel, hosting the Big Opera Party and the Queens Of The Night Halloween Party, as well as her debut recital, Divo to Diva, in 2023. Ms. Spritzer was awarded the Pearl Award by the Tacoma City Council in 2023 for her continued support of and leadership in the queer community. Hosting and producing a number of shows in the PNW, Anita Spritzer leads with love, positivity, and acceptance. When the drag is off, Spritzer is tenor John Marzano. Mr. Marzano has been seen on the Vashon Opera stage as Alfredo in La traviata and Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor amongst others. He has recently appeared at Seattle Opera as Spoletta in Tosca, Beppe in Pagliacci, and Oronte in Alcina. But tonight she IS the BIG, BOLD, BELTING BABE of the PNW.
Erika Strandberg
Birth mother
Erika Strandberg is a Vashon native, performing in many Vashon Opera productions as well as with Drama Dock and Vashon Repertory Theatre. Erika’s first stage role was as an angel in Drama Dock’s Hansel and Gretel in 1990. She is also an avid hobby costumer, designing and constructing costumes for many Vashon shows. Favorite past performances: Pamina in Die Zauberflote (Stanford Light Opera), Lady of the Lake (US, Woodside MT), Winghaven Park (DD), Sweeney Todd (VRT), the Mystery of Edwin Drood (Foothill MT), and Ragtime (WMT). Erika is an SF NATS Advanced Level award winner in both Classical and Musical Theatre and has a PhD in Biomedical Informatics from Stanford University. By day Erika is a Director of Strategic Partnerships in Healthcare AI at Microsoft. Thanks to the Maples/Strandberg families.
Richard Turner
Witch’s Minion
Rick Turner is a 14-year resident of the island. He joined the Vashon Opera chorus for Pagliacci in the spring of 2016 and has since been involved in more than a dozen productions, including some non-singing roles. As an actor and voice talent, Rick has appeared in several TV series, such as Northern Exposure, Grimm, and Leverage. He also had the honor of playing a scene opposite Robert DeNiro in the feature film Men of Honor.