Summer Ward
Executive Director
Summer Ward is a lyric soprano who received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado. Rooted in the belief that music brings both healing and connection, she has dedicated her career to education, therapeutic innovation, and arts advocacy.
Having previously toured with Opera Classica Europa, Summer also plays 5 instruments and recorded an independent folk album in 2022. In 2012, she shifted her career focus to healthcare and received her Master’s degree in Music Therapy from Colorado State University. She developed the first music therapy program within an in-patient psychiatric hospital, serving hundreds of diverse clients, and has since moved into administrative arts and culture programming.
With a comprehensive range of experiences and expertise, the performing arts are the centric foundation to Summer’s passion and vision. She is excited to circle back to her operatic roots and contribute to a thriving arts culture in the region.
Dan Wallace Miller
Artistic Director
At the beginning of his career, Dan Wallace Miller founded and was the Artistic/General Director of Vespertine Opera Theater, a company that was devoted to three things: increasing accessibility to this historically exclusive art form, shattering preconceived notions of what opera could be by focusing on site-specific work, and programming pieces that provoke introspection and discussion. Among the works produced was a commission of Heart Mountain, the story of a Pacific Northwest Japanese-American family that was forcibly incarcerated during the Second World War. With the input of local Japanese-American community leaders such as Densho and Washington State Senator Bob Hasagawa, the work was performed in the former courtroom where their forebears were held and charged in 1942.
Since founding Vespertine Opera Theater, he has directed grand opera in 3,000 seat houses, small and challenging immersive chamber shows, and everything in between. Dan’s extensive directing experience has included Carmen with Kentucky Opera; Il Trovatore, The Combat, and a film version of Tosca with Seattle Opera; Dido and Aeneas with Central City Opera; The Magic Flute with Pacific MusicWorks; and staged excerpts from Der Ring des Nibelungen for the Miami Music Festival Wagner Institute. Other engagements have taken him to Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, Opera Colorado, and The Atlanta Opera.
Kimberly Babb
Director of Development
kimberly.babb@inlandnwopera.com
Kimberly joins the INO team with 15 years of fundraising and non-profit management experience at the Spokane Symphony and Fox Theater, the Spokane Parks Foundation, the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane Foundation, and Visual Aid SF. If asked, she’ll tell you that the best part of working in development in the performing arts is the donors and community she gets to work with on a daily basis.
"The most incredible part of my job is getting to experience the cause I am raising funds for first hand. Every time a performer is on stage, making music, it‘s special. I want to bring that energy and passion to all areas of my work. Connecting with donors through music is enormously fulfilling as a career. I am fortunate in what I do, and I am excited to be a part of the next chapter of INO’s story."
Melody Heaton
Director of Marketing
melody.heaton@inlandnwopera.com
Melody is a mezzo-soprano who received her degree in Music from Washington State University and performs regularly with a number of regional performing arts organizations, including Spokane Symphony, Spokane Valley Summer Theatre, and Spokane Ensemble Theatre. Her true passion is arts advocacy and truly believes that arts are a necessary part of education.
Melody lends her expertise to many organizations on a regional, national, and international level. She is the Board President of Communities in Schools of Spokane County and serves on the board of Spokane Arts and the advisory council for the Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center. Melody also serves as the Vice President of the Asian Opera Alliance, a national organization dedicated to advocating for equity in the arts and accurate representation of Asian artists in opera. In addition to the above, Melody is also the Director of Marketing and Communications for Canto Vocal Programs, which presents young artist training programs in Paris, Romania, Croatia, and the US.
Justin Schmidt
Technical Director
Inland NW Opera