Dawn Wolski
General & Artistic Director
Dawn Wolski has served as the General and Artistic Director of Inland Northwest Opera (INO) since 2017. She has led the organization during its rebranding from Opera Coeur d’Alene to Inland Northwest Opera, broadening its reach of professional opera across Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.
With a focus on sustainability, infrastructure, community engagement and education, INO audiences and revenues have grown exponentially during her leadership. Leading roles have included acclaimed talent from major markets. Under her tenure, the operating budget has more than doubled with productions such as H.M.S. Pinafore, Tosca, Carmen, The Merry Widow, The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte and Madame Butterfly.
Dawn joined INO on the heels of a successful international singing career, performing two dozen opera roles, multiple concert works and appeared on television programs in Europe, China, and the U.S. Dawn served two enlistments in U.S. Army where she performed with the London Symphony, Boston Symphony, National Symphony, and the Cincinnati Symphony. She has shared the stage with a variety of performers such as Julie Andrews, Wayne Brady, Wynonna Judd, Pam Tillis, Chris Isaak, as well as several U.S. presidents. She holds a Master of Music Degree from Manhattan School of Music in NYC, and a BA in Music from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Kimberly Babb
Director of Development
Inland NW Opera
Melody Heaton
Director of Marketing
melody.chang@inlandnwopera.com
For years, Melody Heaton has continued to be a noteworthy leader in the performing arts marketing vertical. With previous experience managing community outreach & engagement programs, digital marketing, reporting, and special projects for Spokane’s Best of Broadway series, she was also proud to contribute to the national Broadway industry as a member of the Broadway League’s marketing forum planning committee.
With a strong belief that arts are what makes communities thrive, Melody takes pride in applying an inclusive marketing strategy, with an emphasis on digital marketing and intentionally engaging all types of audiences. She is uniquely well-versed with integrating in-house marketing & ticketing solutions for performing arts organizations.
Melody is a mezzo-soprano who received her degree in Music from Washington State University and performs regionally with a number of local performing arts organizations. Her true passion is arts advocacy and truly believes that arts are a necessary part of education She currently sits on the board of the Spokane Symphony in the Chorale advisory position. She is also proud to serve as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Communities in Schools of Spokane County.
Justin Schmidt
Technical Director
Inland NW Opera