by Michael J. Solender
Like many of life’s journeys, charting a career on the operatic stage doesn’t come with an instruction manual or guidebook.
For five aspiring Charlotte performance artists, a new career-development program provides just that, with one-on-one coaching, professional marketing services and opportunities to perform on stage. Best of all? It’s free of charge.
Enter Charlotte Lyric Theatre, an immersive nine-month professional-development program. Here, participants receive intensive vocal coaching along with instruction in languages, stagecraft and performance technique — core disciplines that shape a singer’s artistry beyond pure vocal ability.
The nonprofit launched in late 2025 under the baton and guidance of James Meena, former general director and principal conductor at Opera Carolina. The company’s initial performance series begins in May.
“My entire career has been focused on helping artists, on developing education programs and building something that gives back to artists,” Meena says. “When I was a young conductor, I ran the Pennsylvania Opera Festival in Pittsburgh. I coached singers and started Pittsburgh Opera’s education programs. While directing the Pennsylvania Opera Festival, I led the Three Rivers Training Orchestra, which created training and performance opportunities for young singers and musicians.”
A European-style model
At Opera Carolina, Meena started the Resident Company program, a European-style mentorship and performance initiative. Charlotte Lyric Theatre is modeled after ResCo..
Last spring, after 25 years at Opera Carolina, Meena began laying the foundation for the new venture.
“One of the current artists in the program called me and asked for some help,” Meena says. From there, Meena began contacting the other artists and letting them know he was open to helping them as well.
“And from those private sessions … I realized that after their formal education and study, artists and instrumentalists are thrown out into the business without any real preparation for how to navigate in the professional arena.”
After reaching out to potential donors to determine the level of support for this type of venture, Meena was encouraged. By fall, he had filed for nonprofit status and was off and running. Meena envisions a three-year runway to build out expanded programming, including theatrical performances beyond opera and potential collaborations with other arts organizations.
While the first artists are focused on classic opera, “The umbrella is big enough that it will include instrumentalists, hopefully at some point, young conductors and a youth academy,” Meena says.
Members of Charlotte Lyric Theatre’s first cohort. From left: Zachary Hugo, Corey Lovelace, Amber Rose and Johnathan White. Photograph courtesy Charlotte Lyric Theatre.
Beyond rehearsals
The program is currently funded by private, individual donors. Meena is donating his time and support to the company and is not taking a salary. A search is underway for a physical space for rehearsals. Meena projects he’ll need about $250,000 to fund Charlotte Lyric Theatre’s second season.
“If we were a for-profit business, I’d say we are an employee-owned company,” says Meena, as each member of the initial cohort is taking on administrative responsibilities as part of their participation.
Charlotte Lyric Theatre’s inaugural cohort includes sopranos Corey Lovelace and Amber Rose, baritone Zachary Hugo, tenor Johnathan White, and pianist Daria Ruzhynska, who also serves as the company’s associate artistic director.
Beyond rehearsals, the program will reach into the community with performances at venues across the city. The appearances will give artists valuable stage experience while bringing opera to new audiences, deepening public appreciation for the art form.
Three public performances are scheduled for May, with tickets starting around $25.
On May 3, Music in the Garden featuring the comic operetta, Rita: One Woman — a Husband — and another Husband will be performed at The Duke Mansion. May 7-10, the McColl Center is hosting Charlotte Lyric Theatre in collaboration with Moving Poets in an evening of cabaret and song: Flophouse Cabaret: Ballads of a Dark Horse. And in late May, the company will perform in a showcase concert celebrating America’s 250th anniversary at Carolina Theatre.
Maestro James Meena, photograph courtesy Charlotte Lyric Theatre
A win for Charlotte’s cultural community
As the cultural landscape in Charlotte continues to shift, a new arts organization focused on developing local talent should be a win for the community.
“This program gives emerging artists a reason to stay in Charlotte and build their careers here,” says Meena. “As the city grows, it strengthens the cultural community by creating a local pool of high-level talent that organizations, from the symphony and ballet to festivals across the city, can draw on rather than bringing artists in from elsewhere. We want to give our artists a reason to stay here and flourish.”
