2025 Artist Bios

KING IDOMENEO – Roland Hawkins II (he/him)

Roland Hawkins II (Tenor) boasts over 20 years of professional experience across a diverse array of musical venues and genres. He has worked with local and national institutions such as the Minnesota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Portland Opera, Chanhassen Dinner Theater, and the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. Roland is excited to return as a “Pick-Up Truck Operetta” alumni and continue this wonderful tradition of bringing classical and contemporary music productions to local and community spaces.

KING IDOMENEO – Phill Takemura Sears (he/him)

Phill is a resident baritenor and librettist in the Twin Cities. He brings his “stunning voice to twists and turns of baritone lines” (Jamey Guzman, composer of Green Thumbed, 2025) and will now do the same with the role of Idomeneo!

Since 2018, Phill has performed with Minnesota Opera in roles and chorus, having helped premiere new works like Puckett’s The Fix , Prestini’s Edward Tulane, and the soon-to-be-premiered Sankaram’s The Many Deaths of Laila Starr.

He has written for Really Spicy Opera, SongSlam, and he looks forward to developing and singing new works with local artists.

PRINCE IDAMANTE & CELLO – Joni Griffith (she/her)

Joni Griffith is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and movement artist currently residing in Minneapolis, MN. She has toured for seven seasons with Mixed Precipitation, bringing joyful outdoor opera everywhere from farms to city centers across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Joni is an associate artist with The Birth Play Project, a company of 11 artists creating work that places reproductive stories in public memory. She is also a frequent collaborator with Twin Cities physical theater group Combustible Company, helping devise numerous shows blending the boundaries between dance, text, and music.

In addition to performing, Joni has written, recorded, and performed original music for multiple shows in the midwest and east coast, including composing the choral harmonies for ANTI-GONE (Needs More Work Productions) – awarded “Best Tragedy” of the 2025 NYC Fringe Festival. Original music credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Monster Heart, The Tempest, and Measure for Measure, and Elemental Body.

When not working on music you can find her gleefully riding her bike through the city or across the country! www.jonigriffith.com

ARBACE & CELLO – Nick Miller (he/him)

Nick is crazy excited to be back with The Truck this year! Previous Mixed Precipitation appearances include Faust, Romeo and Juliet, The Magic Flute, and Donald Giovanni. Recent shows: Triassic Parq (Minneapolis Musical Theatre), A Christmas Carol (St. Croix Festival Theatre), Rusalka (Little Opera of the North) and The Hairy Ape (Combustible Company). Current upcoming shows: The Winter’s Tale (Twisted Canon), An Iliad (Combustible Company). Outside of theater, Nick enjoys making and talking about music of any time/genre/universe. He also likes karaoke.

ENSEMBLE & FRONT OF HOUSE – Alex Yang (he/him)

Alex Yang is a Minneapolis-based actor, singer, and puppeteer. He returns to Mixed Precipitation for the fifth consecutive summer and has been involved with every volume of the Pickup Truck Opera thus far! When not on the road, he frequently collaborates with Phantom Chorus Theatre (Dealing with Dragons), Heart of the Beast (Impact Theory of Mass Extinction), and Minnesota Opera (The Barber of Seville).

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & ENSEMBLE – Scotty Reynolds (he/him)

Scotty Reynolds (he/him) is a stage director, performer, and producer passionate about theatrical events that connect artists and community. His theater company, Mixed Precipitation, has been producing opera since 2008, including seventeen seasons of outdoor productions in community gardens, orchards, and farms throughout Minnesota. Favorite productions include the Olympic quadrangle opera and sport salon, Tonya and Nancy: The Opera, and Falstaff and the Working Wives of Lake County.

He has also performed with Frank Theatre, the History Theatre and the departed Bedlam Theater. Scotty has had many outdoor adventures throughout the Midwest and New England with Tiger Lion Arts in Nature: A Walking Play. In 2023 he directed Twelve Angry Jurors at St. Croix Festival Theatre.

He is a recipient of the 2017 and 2025 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. He has 15 years of performance highlights as an instructor and director at the Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts, including creating performances for the Walker Art Center’s Choreographer’s Evening and the Ivey Award-winning Broken Brain Summit.

ARBACE SWING – Jason Kornelis (he/him)

Jason Kornelis is an actor, performer, and multi-instrumentalist based in the Twin Cities. You may have seen him in past Mixed Precipitation productions such as The Odyssey, Philemon and Baucis, King Arthur, and Tonya and Nancy: The Opera. When not performing, Jason can be found petting as many dogs as possible.

ILIA – Kaoru Shoji (she/her)

Kaoru is a classically trained soprano known for her deeply expressive voice and emotional depth, with a gift for performing across genres from opera to musical theater. A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, she has since performed with the MN Opera, Dayton Opera, Artistry Theater in Bloomington, the Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company, and in benefit concerts across Europe. Most recently, she appeared as Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act with Lyric Arts of Anoka, and her other notable roles include Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore, Sister Sophia and Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow, and the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, amongst others. When she’s not singing, you’ll find her lifting at the gym or chilling with her cat Alan—her favorite audience of one.

HECUBA – Debi Kilde (she/her)

Debi has been delighting Twin Cities audiences with her big voice and onstage antics for over 20 years. Area credits include:  Nautilus Music Theatre, Skylark Opera, Old Log, History Theater, Illusion Theatre, Sidekick Theatre, Plymouth Playhouse and The Jungle Theatre. A regular concert soloist and cabaret singer about town, check out her website www.debikilde.com and insta: @debikilde for upcoming gigs and dates for her one woman cabaret, “Scattered and Sparkly”. Debi loves bright colors, fancy dresses and laughing. She lives with her handsome husband and two hilarious young children in St. Paul.

ILIA SWING – Therese Kulus

ELECTRA – Jill Suzanne Morgan (She/Her)

Jill Suzanne Morgan is a Minnesota native who is pleased to be spreading the love for classical music! Most recently seen with Minnesota Opera to workshop an upcoming world premiere.

Jill has been featured around the Twin Cities and is excited to be returning to Mixed Precipitation! Jill was seen last summer around the Twin Cities and Wisconsin performing outdoors as Siebel (Faust) and can’t wait to belt out some Elettra (Idomeneo) with the company this summer.

You might have also seen her onstage in various productions with The Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, with Opera Reading Project as Macaria (Ofrenda), Journey North Opera as Taller Daughter (Proving Up), and Skylark Opera as a soloist on their concert series. Other roles include Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti), Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito), Cherubino (Le Nozzle di Figaro), Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), Meg Page (Falstaff), and Olga (Eugene Onegin). Known for her outrageous facial expressions and infectious energy, Jill can’t wait to get you on board with her character’s journey.

ELECTRA – Alexis Reed (she/her)

Praised for “singing with dramatic conviction and gorgeous tone” by Cleveland Classical, soprano Alexis Reed is establishing herself as a soaring vocalist with a gift for acting. 

Experienced in both classic and contemporary repertoire, Reed has performed the roles of the Sandman and Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Léontine (L’Amant anonyme), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Nannetta (Falstaff), Annina (La traviata), Ma (Proving Up), Lisette (La rondine), Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw), and Mrs. X.E. (Angel’s Bone). Resume highlights include performances with MN Opera, Amelia Island Opera, Lakes Area Music Festival, and Cleveland Opera Theater. 

This summer, Reed is thrilled to have the opportunity to make two role/company debuts in her home state of Minnesota, performing the roles of Dahlia in Green Thumbed with Opera Athena and Electra in The Return of King Idomeneo with Mixed Precipitation. To learn more, please visit alexisreedsoprano.com

MUSIC DIRECTOR & APOLLO – Gary Ruschman (he/him)

Mixed P Music Director Gary Ruschman is a critically-acclaimed performer, conductor, and composer who works in a broad range of musical traditions. He toured the globe with Cantus, and appeared across past seasons with NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, Boston Pops, Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Bach Ensemble, Mankato Symphony, and Festival Musique en L’Île de Paris. Called “terrific” by MPLS.ST.PAUL Magazine, Ruschman leads the vocal and choral programs at North Hennepin Community College and St. Timothy Lutheran Church of St. Paul, composes for concerts, television, and film, and is currently writing a solo collection of new bluegrass songs. Gary’s scores have been featured by BBC Two, C-SPAN, Minnesota Opera, New Age Notes, KFAI FM and American Public Media, Madison Square Garden, and the Center for Interfaith Relations’ Festival of Faiths. https://www.youtube.com/GaryRuschman

NEPTUNE & ACCORION – Trevor Woggon (he/him)

Trevor Woggon is a Minneapolis-based bass who is excited to make his Mixed Precipitation debut this summer! A student of Metropolitan Opera alumnus Dennis Petersen, Trevor’s powerful vocal presence and opulent tone make him a sought-after artist in opera, choral, and musical theater settings. Past roles include High Priest Caiaphas (Jesus Christ Superstar), King Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) and Pish Tush (The Mikado). He also sings with the Minnesota Chorale, and serves as the Bass Section Leader at Hamline United Methodist Church. In addition to his vocal work, Trevor is a music director, arranger, and orchestrator and collaborates frequently with local musicians. Check out his website at trevorwoggon.com

ZEUS & VIOLIN – Marc Harroo (he/him)

Marc Harroo is an active violinist, composer and educator based in Minnesota.. He serves as the Director of Youth Education for the Lakes Area Music Festival and is a member of Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as an adjunct lecturer of Violin and Viola at the University of Minnesota Duluth. https://www.marcharroomusic.com

ZEUS & VIOLIN – Galina Đorđević (she/her)

STAGE DIRECTOR – Paul Coate (he/him)

This is Paul’s third summer with Mixed Precipitation, previously appearing as Tebaldo in “Romeo & Juliet” and serving as the cover for “Faust” last season.

Paul’s previous directing credits include productions of “The Prom”, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”, “The Who’s TOMMY”, “Be More Chill”, and “A Chorus Line” at SPCPA, where he taught music, theatre, and voice for several years. Paul has also directed theatre productions for Breck School, Lyric Arts, Lakeshore Players, and Normandale Community College, where he now serves as an Academic Advisor.

Paul is a veteran Minnesota stage performer, having appeared at the Guthrie Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Skylark Opera, Lyric Opera Of the North, Artistry, Park Square Theatre, History Theatre, Sidekick Theatre, Theatre Elision, Duluth Playhouse in the role of “Sweeney Todd”, and several productions at Theatre Latte Da, including repeated appearances in national tours of “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914”, which was filmed in 2019 and can be streamed via PBS. Paul is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. www.paulrcoate.com

STAGE MANAGER – Ches Cipriano (they/them)

Ches Cipriano is a Filipino, Queer, first-generation American based in Minneapolis. They operate as a community cultivator, producer/organizer, radical joy seeker and mixed-media collaborator. Their artistic practice is rooted in puppetry, animation, and tickling curiosities. They treasure community-based art, and you can often find them as the loudest laugher in an audience. Since 2017, they have shared their work on- and off- stage at spaces as small as Adventures in Cardboard and as big as Dragon Con in Atlanta, and with theater and opera companies throughout Minnesota. Connect with them on Instagram @chesarthey

CHOREOGRAPHER – Antonia Perez (she/her)

This is Antonia’s first time working with Mixed Precipitation. She has choreographed for Park Square Theatre, Theatre in the Round, and many Musical Juniors in her time. She is looking forward to being a part of this wonderful company. 

COSTUME DESIGN – Rhiannon Fiskradatz (she/her)

Rhiannon Fiskradatz is a theatre artist, musician and craftswoman. Her costume design practice draws on twenty years’ experience in professional, youth, & immersive theatre; the circus arts; corporate entertainment; dance, and puppetry. She specializes in upcycling, the use of creative materials, and surface design techniques like hand painting, beadweaving & embroidery. She has most recently costumed for Black Label Movement, BRKFST Dance, the U of M Dance Dept, Ten Thousand Things, Wayward Theater, Theater Mu, Interact Center for Visual & Performing Arts, and, of course, Mixed Precipitation. Rhiannon is a core member of Phantom Chorus Theatre and co-produces/performs with Shanan Custer an intersectional feminist sketch, song & ritual series called Songversations. She also makes music under the name MaMa Faerie, is a vocalist for a variety of bands, manages the VocalEssence Singers Of this Age, and composes for theatre. She is grateful to be a longtime member of the Pickup Truck Opera community!

SCENIC DESIGN – Abby Palen (they/them)

Abby Palen is a director, designer, and performer. Abby’s long standing fascination with puppetry fabrication and performance has taken them across North America. For Abby, puppets express ideas and emotions that transcend the human form; a puppet can embody many anythings and anyones simultaneously. Abby is a founding member and director of Rabbit Foot Puppetry and is grateful to have collaborated with The Chicago International Puppet Festival, Paperhand Puppet Intervention, Bread and Puppet Theater, In the Heart of the Beast, The Fox and Beggar Theater, and The Chicago Sculpture Institute, among many others. 

PUPPET / PROP DESIGN- Rachel 

LIGHTING CONSULTANT – Trevor Zapiecki

WEEK ? STAGE MANAGER – Will Dierenfield

WEEK 1 STAGE MANAGER – Calvin Friedman

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR – Alan Hodder