OperaFest 2026
La Bohème
June 6, 2026 @ 7:30PM
June 7, 2026 @ 2:00PM

Skyview Auditorium
1775 High Sierra Boulevard
Billings, Montana

Cast and Crew

Andy Meyers - Director
Amy Schendel - Assistant Director
Jacoby Holte - Chorus Master
Debra Gloor - Property Manager
Mary Ann Conners - Costumes
Michael Yenny - Accompanist
Emma King - Supertitle Creator & Operator
Lucinda & Steven Butler - Production Team Leaders
Aaron Schendel - Sets and Technical Director
Lucas Graf - Marcello
Jacoby Holte - Schaunard
Anne Kania - Benoit, Alcindoro
Anthony Ruiz - Rodolfo
Amy Schendel - Mimi
Daren Small - Colline
Bethany Smith - Musetta

Andy Meyers, Director
Posts include Artistic Director of Fort Peck Summer Theatre; Season Director for House of Spirits Seattle/NYC; Managing Director for Performing Arts at Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island, NY; Interim Producing Artistic Director at Post Playhouse, NE. He is a frequent guest director for companies such as Arizona Broadway Theatre, Public Theatre of San Antonio, Lewiston Civic Theatre Missoula Children’s Theatre, Shawnee Playhouse and Bigfork Summer Playhouse.
In Billings specifically, Andy has helmed Billing Studio Theatre’s The Spitfire Grill and Honky Tonk Laundry, and Backyard Theatre’s Rent at The Babcock. Andy is Co-Producer for the hit UK production of Alice in Wonderland, originated at Marylebone Theatre, London. As an actor he recently performed in Tannhauser at The Met Opera, NYC; National Tours of Annie, Bus Stop and A Christmas Carol; and he has appeared Off-Broadway in Cricle of Friends and as Dick in the 35th Anniversary of Dames at Sea. Andy’s passion for arts education led him to establish AM Theatrical, Inc, with the mission to encourage engagement in the arts by producing performances that reflect the served community; presenting events that benefit groups in need; supporting artistic educational opportunities; and creating theatre focused on inspiring young audiences. A native of Missoula, MT, Andy is a graduate of Walnut Hill School of the Arts in Boston, Wagner College in New York, and holds graduate degrees in Musical Theatre and Nonprofit Management from University of Montana.






Michael Yenny, Accompanist

Known for his unique musical versatility, Wyoming native Michael Yenny holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2009), where he studied piano performance with Mark Clinton. In addition, Dr. Yenny studied collaborative piano with internationally acclaimed Professor of Collaborative Piano, Anne Epperson. Dr. Yenny served as faculty accompanist at Angelo State University and is currently the staff accompanist at Northwest College. He is also in high demand as a church musician, recital soloist, orchestral pianist, musical theatre and opera pianist, choral accompanist, independent piano teacher, and composer and arranger.









Anne Kania, Benoit and Alcindoro

Meet Anne Kania, who will sing the roles of Benoit and Alcindoro in Rimrock Opera's production of La Bohème.
Anne Kania, contralto, has been involved in Early Music from a young age, playing recorder to a semi-professional level. Then, in her early thirties, she began to take singing lessons. A fine contralto voice (eventually) emerged, which has been widely praised for its richness and flexibility.
Anne moved to Montana in 2007 from New Zealand, where she had maintained a busy concert schedule under her other alias, Anne Lamont-Low. There, she performed with all the major choirs and orchestras in repertoire ranging from the Evangelist in Scarlatti’s St John Passion (NZ premiere) to Verdi’s Requiem, the title role in Handel’s Solomon, Messiah, the Bach Passions, Mass in B Minor and Christmas Oratorio, Beethoven’s Choral Symphony and Mass in C, Anthony Richie’s Ahua, Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater, and countless other works. She has performed in Europe, appearing in the 2000 Mitte Europas Festival with the Wiener Akademie under Martin Haselboeck, and in Neumünster, Germany, under the direction of Hans-Jürgen Schnoor. She toured Germany in 2000 as soloist with Bach Musica and in Russia and Europe with the Christchurch-based CBS Choir.
Her concert appearances include Elgar’s Sea Pictures, with the Christchurch Symphony, and Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’Ete with both the Christchurch Symphony and the Wellington Sinfonia. Her highly successful one-woman show, Remembering Kathleen Ferrier, performed throughout NZ and in the UK, has been released as a CD.
Operatic roles include Third Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Madame Larina in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Marilyn Klinghoffer in John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer, the Principessa in Suor Angelica, Flora in La Traviata, Martha in Gounod’s Faust and Calliope in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. Since moving to Montana, she has appeared in concerts with the Billings Symphony and Chorale, performed with Early Music ensemble, 'The I90 Collective', and since 2013 has been a much-loved and frequent soloist with Helena ensemble, Musikanten Montana, under the direction of Kerry Krebill, performing a wide range of early music and 20th century American masterpieces.
Anne lives in Shepherd, MT with husband Bruce and their two dogs, and spends her time between running a business (Floating Island International), singing, playing viola da gamba and, whenever possible, hunting.

Daren Small, Colline
Daren Small is a distinguished bass-baritone soloist in the American Northwest. He enjoys sharing his passion for singing, both on stage as well as in the classroom and voice studio. Small earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Based in his hometown of Billings, Montana, Dr. Small is currently the Assistant Professor of Voice at Montana State University Billings. Throughout his entire career, he has enjoyed opportunities to share his “clear and rich-timbred voice” with all audiences.
Dr. Small made his soloist debut at Montana State University during their 2006 performance of Mozart’s Requiem. Since then, he has performed as a soloist in many venues. His most recent operatic appearances include: L’incoronazione di Poppea, Awakenings, Die Zauberflöte, Turandot, Aïda, The Crucible, Rigoletto, Tosca, and La Bohème. He is continually hailed as one of the finest bass soloists to sing Handel’s Messiah. His recent concert appearances include performances of Fauré’s Requiem, Bach’s Mass in B Minor and St. John Passion, Stravinsky's Les Noces, and Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. Small was also a winner of the District Metropolitan Opera National Council (MONC) Auditions for Montana and Idaho in 2015. He went on to win the 3rd place Encouragement Award at the Northwest MONC Finals in 2016.
While earning his Bachelor of Music Education and his Master of Education degrees from Montana State University, Dr. Small developed his passion for performance and teaching. He is an active member of the American Choral Directors’ Association, NAfME, and the VoiceCare Network. He has also served as the Chorus Master for the Rimrock Opera in Billings, Montana. Many reputable soloists and educators have and continue to influence his career including Tom Baresel, Dennis Rupp, Lowell Hickman, Dr. Jon Harney, Dr. Kirk Aamot, and Dr. Steven Hart. Additional information about Daren Small can be found at darensmall.com.







poster credit Melanie Fabrizius