NINA WEST (Andrew Levitt) He rose to international prominence on the 11th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Other notable credits include Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead (Ginsey Tonic), Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Divine), “Dragging the Classics: The Brady Bunch” (Alice), and voiceover work for Nickelodeon’s “Blue’s Clues,” “Baby Shark’s Big Show,” “RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race,” the recent “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9,” “Drag Me To Dinner,” Bobby Moynihan’s “Loafy,” Hulu’s “The Bravest Knight”, and documentaries Lady Like and Kings, Queens, and In Betweens. On stage, he starred as Edna Turnbald in the national tour of Broadway’s Hairspray The Musical.

Nina has hosted events around the world. Of note: 74th Annual ACE Eddie Awards, Disney+ Pride Special, events at San Diego Comic-Con, and galas for SAGE and Bring Change to Mind, among others. His charitable foundation, The Nina West Foundation, has raised over $3 million dollars for charities in central Ohio and around the world. His first children’s book, The You Kind of Kind was published in 2022 by PA Press. 2025 saw the publication of a book of essays by drag authors, including Nina, entitled No Tea No Shade: Life As Drag Queen. It is available from Harper Collins at bookstores everywhere. Nina is thrilled to announce that her beloved best-selling children’s book, The You Kind of Kind, will make its world premiere on April 2, 2027, in Columbus, Ohio at the Columbus Children’s Theatre. The production will run through April 23, 2027 at the Riffe Center in downtown Columbus.

Nina has performed with Kermit the Frog and The Muppets. It does not get better than that.

Jessica Leigh, soprano, is a versatile singing actress comfortable in a wide range of repertoire. Recognized for her artistic honesty and effortless vocal production, she is dedicated to creating an experience through music. This intentionality shines through each performance, whether it be Schumann’s tender “Mondnacht,” Violetta’s fiery “Sempre Libera,” or the heartbreaking “She Used to Be Mine” from Waitress. Ms. Leigh’s interpretation of the soprano solo in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 was described as “transcendent,” and her rendition of Fantine’s “I Dreamed a Dream” from the hit musical Les Misérables was noted for its “piercing delivery.” She has been part of numerous programs and companies including Opera Columbus, UK Opera Theatre, Opera Maine, Lyric Opera Studio Weimar, Bay View Music Festival, and The Lexington Theatre Company. Performance credits include the title role in Susannah, La Traviata (Violetta), Le nozze di Figaro (Susanna), Die Zauberflöte (Pamina), La Bohème (Mimì), Sondheim on Sondheim, and Songs for a New World.

As a concert artist Jessica has been a guest of the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra for Carl Orff’s Carmina burana and Poulenc’s Gloria; the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic for Mozart’s Requiem; and she debuted with the Canton Symphony Orchestra in March 2026 for Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. Ms. Leigh is also a member of a prestigious touring company, The American Spiritual Ensemble, who recently headlined the international music festival La Folle Journée and performed over ten concerts to sold-out audiences.

Off the stage, Jessica maintains a regular teaching schedule and continues scholarly pursuits in research. As a teacher, she works with children, teens, and adults, focusing on building a strong technique based on efficient use of breath and the body as an instrument.

Research interests include a particular concentration on African American women composers, and on the subjects of sexual violence in music theatre and practices regarding artist care during productions. She is co-author with Dr. Jennifer Campbell on a paper entitled “Staging Susannah on a University Campus in the Post-Covid-19 and #MeToo Era: A Case Study.” The paper was presented in March 2024 at an international musicology conference, “Exploring Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Music Theatre,” at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

Upon completion of her thesis entitled “Essence of the Heart: Layered Human Experience in Eva Jessye’s ‘My Spirituals,’” Jessica was awarded a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in voice performance from the University of Kentucky. Writings and scholarship are listed under the authorship of “Jessica Bayne” or “Jessica Brunet.”

Known for his stage savvy, Robert Kerr’s foundation in opera began in musical theater. Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times wrote of his Falstaff: “He made words matter and conveyed the self-delusion of this likable laughingstock… “. Known to Opera Columbus audiences, Robert Kerr returns this season in Tosca and Fellow Travelers. His past performances with the company include the King in Aida; the world première of The Flood by Korine Fujiwara with libretto by Stephen Wadsworth; the title role of Gianni Schicchi; and, Tonio in Pagliacci. Notable credits include a return to Rose Theater with Atsushi Yamada conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of New York in an all-Verdi concert; he was Pooh-Bah in The Mikado with Performance Santa Fe!; the title role of Rigoletto with Opera Projects Columbus in addition to the title role in Gianni Schicchi with the company. He has been heard as Germont in La traviata with the Philharmonia Orchestra of New York at Lincoln Center and as soloist in Mozart’s Requiem; and, has appeared with the local symphonies on numerous occasions. In prior seasons, Mr. Kerr returned to Japan for engagements in performances of Requiem by Minoru Miki in Natori and reprising the work at Rose Theater at Lincoln Center; he has covered the role of the King in El Gato con Botas with Gotham Chamber Opera; and, was soloist with the New York City Opera Orchestra in a Japan tour of Carmina Burana. Other engagements include his appearance at the Kennedy Center Honors with Sondra Radvanovsky and Joseph Calleja in an Aida tribute to honoree, Martina Arroyo. Equally at home in musical theater, Mr. Kerr has sung King Hildebrand in Princess Ida with So. Ohio Light Opera; the role of Peachum in The Threepenny Opera with Amarillo Opera; and Pooh-Bah in The Mikado.

Rolando Salazar has served as the Associate Conductor/Chorus Master for The Atlanta Opera, Assistant Conductor and pianist at the Bellingham Festival of Music, and was recently seen in performances with The Atlanta Opera (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Pagliacci), Red River Lyric Opera (Le Nozze di Figaro), Permian Basin Opera (Tosca), Rome Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Ballet (The Nutcracker), Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, the Ozark Family Opera (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Georgia State University Orchestra, and with Atlanta Concert Opera (Messiah). He has also recently collaborated with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Opera Lousiane (Les contes d’Hoffmann), and with Madison Opera. Mr. Salazar keeps an active coaching and collaborative piano schedule in Atlanta, preparing numerous singers for engagements with major orchestras and opera houses worldwide.

www.rolandosalazarconductor.com

A native of Worcester, outside of Cape Town in South Africa, Hisham Omardien has been a recognized member of the artistic community in Columbus Ohio (USA), for over two decades. Starting his training at the Julia Hickman Academy of Dance, taking Ballet as a subject at Worcester Secondary School and training with Dudley Tomlinson at the University of Cape Town’s Ballet School, Omardien danced with both CAPAB Ballet, the now Cape Town City Ballet and former State Theatre Ballet before joining BalletMet in 2000. A two-time recipient of the prestigious South African Balletomanes Award,Omardien also earned the 2004’s Violetta Boft Memorial Award.

His favorite performance roles were the lead in George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, the title role in David Nixon’s Dracula, the role of Armand in Veronica Paeper’s Camille, Don José in her Carmen, dancing in Dwight Roden’s Carmina Burana, the Man in Stanton Welch’s Maninyas, the Pas de Deux Couple in James Kudelka’s There Below and his Gazebo Dances. Gazebo Dances received rave reviews from New York critics when BalletMet was invited to perform at the Joyce Theatre. After retiring from dance, Omardien went on to become Rehearsal Director with BalletMet, working with renowned choreographers from around the world. Omardien is married to fellow retired company dancer and Rehearsal Director of BalletMet, Olivia Clark Omardien, with whom he is raising his daughter Safiyyah and his son Zayn.

Alan Tyson is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, and community leader from Columbus, Ohio, whose journey in the arts began at age nine. His passion for performance and storytelling later led him to study Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and spend nearly a decade working in New York City across theatre, film, and commercial platforms. Alan continues to work as an actor, director, writer, and creative collaborator committed to inclusive storytelling and community impact. Beyond the arts, he serves as Executive Assistant to the President & CEO of the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, serves on the Advisory Council for the Gateway Film Center, is an alumnus of the African American Leadership Academy and the Lincoln Theatre’s Expand Your Horizon Artist Incubation Program, and co-founded Inspire2Teach1, a nonprofit focused on expanding access to arts education, mentorship, wellness, and financial literacy for youth.