Shayna Leahy currently serves as the Artistic Administrator for HPAF after spending two summers as the Director of Production. She most recently returned to New York City Opera in September 2023 to direct Roméo et Juliette, after previously leading productions of Lucia di Lammermoor and Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Bryant Park. She has also been a staple with Wichita Grand Opera, having previously directed productions of Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Otello, Il Trovatore, and Aida for them. Her productions are hailed as being “deeply felt, and deeply moving” with emphasis on “fine acting as well as strong singing” (Wichita Eagle). She served as Assistant Director of Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance Program in New York, was faculty for the Opera Academy of the Midwest, and is currently the Director of Vocal Studies at Highland Community College, where she has led a nationally-recognized opera education initiative in collaboration with Wichita Grand Opera. Her productions at HCC have been Region V finalists in KCACTF, and she received the Region V KCACTF Outstanding Music Director award for her work on Rent. In addition, she has coached and music directed multiple students who have received national KCACTF awards for Distinguished Performance in a Musical.
