Join Cincinnati Opera Center Stage and special guests for an open and honest discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the opera industry. The conversation will feature a panel of opera administrators and performers discussing diversity challenges and opportunities to break down barriers in the field. The program concludes with a question-and-answer session.
Quodesia Johnson, education and company culture manager, The Dallas Opera
Janice Liebenberg, moderator; director of corporate giving and equitable arts advancement, ArtsWave, and member of the Cincinnati Opera Center Stage Board Associates
Charles Chip Mc Neal, director of diversity, equity, and community, San Francisco Opera
Victoria Okafor, soprano, Cincinnati Opera artist
This event will be streamed live—registration is not required. Watch on Facebook or YouTube on Tuesday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m.
About the Panelists
Quodesia Johnson
Quodesia “Quo” Johnson (she/her/hers) continues to forge a dynamic and exciting career in arts and culture, gaining local and national recognition for her unique approach to fostering shared belonging as a speaker, space facilitator, collaborator, equity specialist, and creative. Combining her background in the performing and visual arts, teaching artistry, and trauma-informed healing methods, Quo cultivates unique experiences that center truth and connection to dismantle systems of oppression.
Her current roles include education and company culture manager of The Dallas Opera; founder and space moderator of Black Administrators of Opera; Steering Committee member of OPERA America’s Racial Justice Opera Network; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee chair of Bishop Arts Theatre Center; Racial Healing Committee member of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation; and creator, co-host, and content curator for Taking the Stage with Kristian and Quo. The Dallas native is a proud graduate of Prairie View A&M University and is currently earning her MA in arts administration from Goucher College.
Janice Liebenberg, moderator
Janice Liebenberg is the director of corporate giving and equitable arts advancement for ArtsWave. She leads the organization’s business development efforts and stewards grantmaking to advance BIPOC artists. She manages the new arts series Flow, an African American Arts Experience and cultivates the affinity group Circle of African American Leaders for the Arts.
Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Janice earned a bachelor of science in psychology from Northern Kentucky University. Janice is a member of the Cincinnati Opera Center Stage Board Associates and is a proud alumna of Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s WE Lead Class 13 and C-Change Class 8. She and her husband, Andy, are raising their three kids—Olivia, Isabella, and Damion—in the heart of the Cincinnati’s arts district in Over-the-Rhine.
Charles Chip Mc Neal
Charles Chip Mc Neal, director of diversity, equity, and community for San Francisco Opera, is an award-winning arts educator and dance specialist with a background in musical theater, television, and film. He is a certified integration learning specialist with expertise in social-emotional learning, cultural competency, and culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. His expertise is at the intersection of arts, education, and social justice, and he is currently a PhD candidate in transformative studies in education with an emphasis on emancipatory pedagogies. Chip lectures worldwide on organizational change, human consciousness, and healing-informed teaching practices.
Victoria Okafor
A native of Hyattsville, Maryland, Victoria is a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and a frequent performer with Cincinnati Opera. Her mainstage appearances with the company include Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro and Alesha in the world premiere of Blind Injustice. She has also been part of Cincinnati Opera and CCM’s joint Opera Fusion: New Works workshops, as well as Cincinnati Opera community programs such as the Share the Love Truck Tour. Victoria performed in the Cincinnati Opera centennial documentary Cincinnati Opera at 100 singing “A Quality Love” from Margaret Garner, and is currently featured in the digital streaming program Opera…from a Sistah’s Point of View.