Macbeth Creatives' Bios
José Luis Moscovich, is the conductor for Macbeth. He has been General Director of West Bay Opera since 2006. For the preceding decade he was music director and conductor of the San Francisco Camerata, the only professional orchestra in the US devoted exclusively to the music of Latin American composers. He was also principal guest conductor of the ARTEA Orchestra and the Bay Area Concerto Ensemble. He has also appeared with the Marin Chamber Orchestra, the UCSF Orchestra, the Nova Vista Orchestra, and a number of other ensembles. Recently, he has also conducted prodctions at Opera Santa Barbara and Opera Idaho. He has conducted West Bay Opera’s productions of Nabucco, Falstaff, Carmen, Fidelio, Norma, Salome, Il trittico, Despertar al sueño, Le nozze di Figaro, Madama Butterfly,Yevgeny Onegin, Faust, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Il trovatore, Die Zauberflöte, L'elisir d'amore, Tosca, Otello, Les contes d'Hoffmann, Samson et Dalila, Dido and Aeneas, La vida breve, Turandot, Der Freischütz, Orfeo ed Euridice, Der fliegende Holländer, Cavalleria rusticana, and Pagliacci.He has also conducted at the Teatro El Círculo opera house in Rosario, Argentina; taught master classes in opera performance in Beijing, China and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and lectured for the Wagner Society of Northern California. He was assistant conductor of the San Francisco Choral Society. He wrote the libretto and conducted the premiere of Corpus Evita, an opera by Carlos Franzetti, later conducting the recording of that work for Amapola Records, nominated for a GRAMMY in 2005. His other recording with the Camerata is a CD of Latin American orchestral music, for Klavier Records. He was trained as a clarinetist and conductor in his native Argentina, where he studied at the National Conservatory in Rosario. Selected by the American Symphony Orchestra League, he also trained under Lorin Maazel, and Maurice Abravanel.
Ragnar Conde returns to West Bay Opera as Stage Director for Macbeth . A native of México, he has produced and directed over 70 Performing Arts projects in México, United States, France, Switzerland, Italy and Columbia. Mr. Conde has served as teacher, coach and stage director in several institutions and companies that include SIVAM, ARGOS, Artepost Productions, San Benito Abad Theater, Universidad del Valle de México, Alas y Raíces para los niños, Nickelodeon, Artescenica, ITESM-CEM, National Fine Arts Opera Company, Zacatecas Opera Company, the Madrigalistas Choir, Solists Ensemble, Pro Opera, FIGAROSY, the Centro Histórico Children's Choir, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, West Bay Opera, Golden Ceiba Productions, Mobile Productions, Morela Opera Company, Xcaret Park, Skylight Music Theatre, Pro-Musica and Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra. In film, he is the co-writer of Sin Retorno, an international feature film (Mexico-Colombia), where he worked also as Acting Coach and Second Assistant. He also worked as Acting Coach in Balls, a Colombian feature film. Mr. Conde also adapted the script for the film Siete Años de Matrimonio, featured in Mexico in 2012, and wrote the script for the film Enamorándome de Abril. Mr. Conde has taught classes in acting, dance, corporal expression and arts. He has extensive experience working with children in professional staging for theatre, opera and concerts, and in coaching acting with opera singers. He has also worked in design, production management and stage management in several national and international projects. Mr. Conde was the Appretince Stage Director selected for the Merola Opera Program for 2011 at San Francisco Opera Center. He worked as stage director in the world premiere of Viva Verdi in 2012, the 200 years celebration of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth, at the Hallenstadion, Zürich, under the artistic advice of Lofti Mansouri. He is the General Director of Escenia Ensamble, A. C., a performing arts company in Mexico City supported by the Mexican Government through México en Escena grants, since 2015.
Kara Davis, makes her West Bay Opera debut as choreographer for Macbeth. She is the Co-Artistic Director of projectagora
and danced for Atlanta Ballet, Ohio Ballet, San Francisco Opera Ballet, and as a principal for Ballet Jörgen in Toronto, Ontario. She is a founding member of KUNSTSTOFF and Janice Garrett & Dancers, for both of whom she danced for ten years. She has performed choreography by Margaret Jenkins, Alex Ketley, Amy Raymond, Pearl Ubungen, Val Caniparoli (ACT), and Robert Moses. She has received multiple Isadora Duncan awards and nominations. Her choreography has been shown at the Bates Dance Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, ACDA Nationals at the Kennedy Center, ODC Theater, YBCA, SF MOMA and during her residency at the Headlands Center For The Arts. As an organization, projectagora
has received the generous support of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, University of South Florida, and the Zellerbach Family Fund. She has taught and choreographed at LINES Dominican University and Training and summer Programs since 2005 and earned her MFA from Hollins University in 2013.
Peter Crompton, is the Set Designer for Macbeth. He saw his first opera at the age of ten, but had to wait until 1990 before he was allowed to design and paint one. His previous designs for West Bay Opera include Falstaff, I due Foscari, Carmen, Fidelio, Salome, Il trittico, Yevgeny Onegin, Faust, L’elisir d’amore, Otello, Aida, Turandot, Manon Lescaut, The Threepenny Opera, Don Giovanni, La traviata, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Pagliacci.
Mr. Crompton has designed for Festival Opera, Opera San José, Diablo Light Opera Company, Lamplighters, Bay Area Revels, Marin Theatre Company, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Birmingham Opera, Summer Repertory Theatre in Santa Rosa, Western Ballet, NVC, Santa Barbara Grand Opera, Berkeley Opera, and West Bay Opera, among others. He has won San Francisco Bay Area Critic’s Choice, Shellies, and Goodman Choice awards. Recent productions include Carmen for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Mary Poppins for Santa Rosa Junior College. Mr. Crompton resides in Santa Rosa, where he teaches set design at Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University, and tends an increasingly bizarre sculpture garden with his wife Robyn. The garden is open every October for ARTrails. His sculpture can be seen at Hammerfriar Gallery in Healdsburg.
Callie Floor, is the costume designer for Macbeth. Previous designs for West Bay Opera include I due Foscari, Fidelio, Il trittico, Yevgeny Onegin, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, L’elisir d’amore, Otello, Don Giovanni, Turandot, La traviata, Madama Butterfly, Der fliegende Holländer, Pique Dame, Manon Lescaut, Lucia di Lammermoor, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Un ballo in maschera, The Marriage of Figaro, Les contes d’Hoffmann,
and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Recent projects include The Monster-Builder for Aurora Theatre Co. and Artctic Requiem for Bootstrap Theatre. Ms. Floor earned her BFA from the University of Utah and her Higher Diploma in Theatre Design from the Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London. Since coming to the Bay Area in 1987, she has designed for many theaters, including American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, San Francisco Mime Troupe, and Zaccho Dance Theatre.
Frédéric O. Boulay, is Projection Designer for Macbeth. He made his debut with West Bay Opera as Projection Designer for Les contes d’Hoffmann, and since then has designed projections for Tosca, L’elixir d'amore, Die Zauberflöte, Il trovatore, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Faust, Rigoletto, Yevgeny Onegin, Madama Butterfly, Le nozze di Figaro, Il trittico,, Salome, Norma, Fidelio, Carmen, La bohème, I due Foscari, Falstaff and Nabucco. Frederic's design work is at the intersection of art and technology, and he loves pushing the boundaries of what can be done on stage using new technology. His upcoming engagements as Projection Designer include A Golden Celebration of Dance at the Chicago Auditorium; a new production of Alice in Wonderland with Mark Foehringer Dance Project|SF in San Francisco and the Youth America Grand Prix at the David Koch Theatre in New York City. A native of France, he is a member of United Scenic Artists and holds both a Masters of Arts in Theatre Design & Production and an Executive MBA. Frédéric is of the Owner and Founder of Oaktown Productions and the Managing Director for Rooster Productions. None of this would be possible without the love and support of his amazing wife Magda and his two young boys Étienne & Théodore.
Lisa Cross is Makeup and Wig Designer for Macbeth. She made her debut as makeup and wig designer with the company in Madama Butterfly, and has since designed Yevgeny Onegin, Le nozze di Figaro, Il trittico, Salome, Norma, Fidelio, Carmen, La bohème, I due Foscari, Falstaff and Nabucco. She has also designed recently for Festival Opera. Ms. Cross is an accomplished actress, dancer, singer, choreographer, director and teacher. Her professional performing arts career spans over three decades and includes film, video, commercials, stage, dance, voice, and magic. She designs costumes, make up, and hair for stage, film and opera. She recently directed, designed and choreographed Zombeo and Juliet, The Musical, which was produced at Burlingame High School. She has successfully blended her performance experience with a 30-year career in teaching drama, dance, movement and art at Odyssey Middle School.
Giselle Lee is Sound Designer for Macbeth. Giselle grew up in Mountain View and earned a BA in Technical Theatre from Cal State Long Beach. Following a string of SoCal gigs at various convention centers, theatres, and clubs on the Sunset Strip, Giselle returned to the SF Bay. After doing work with Western Ballet she spent time at West Bay Opera under the mentorship of Tod Nixon and JF Revon and went on to secure a position at Beach Blanket Babylon. She stepped in as Sound Designer last season and has designed West Bay Opera's productions of Le nozze di Figaro, Il trittico, Salome, Norma, Fidelio, Carmen, La bohème, I due Foscari, Falstaff and Nabucco.
Eric Johnson, is Properties Designer for Macbeth. Eric joined West Bay Opera for Nabucco, after over 25 productions in 8 years as resident props designer for San Francisco/Merola Opera. Eric has also been the resident Props Designer for Broadway by the bay for Next to Normal, Singin’ in the Rain, Saturday Night Fever, Aida, Sister Act, and The Music Man. Special thanks to his friends and family for their support and helping hands.
Our productions are made possible, in part, by the generous support of our key partners:
