2026 Resident Artists
Marielle Leiboff, soprano
Marielle Leiboff is an American soprano recognized for her commitment to vocal technique and expression. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, she is currently based in San Francisco, where she continues to develop her artistic voice across both traditional and contemporary repertoire. Marielle earned her Bachelor of Music degree magna cum laude from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University and completed her Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Catherine Cook. Her recent operatic roles include “Paquette” in Bernstein’s Candide and “The Barigoule” in Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, as well as “Iris” in Handel’s Semele and the title role in Viardot’s Cendrillon with Vanderbilt Opera Theater. In the 2026 season, Marielle will join San Francisco Opera as a member of the chorus in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and Massenet’s Manon.
Marielle is a recent recipient of the Encouragement Award in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (San Diego District, 2025) and has been recognized as a finalist in the Orpheus Vocal Competition and a semifinalist in the CS Music Competition. An active performer with The Opus Project in San Francisco, Marielle frequently collaborates with and premieres works by living Bay Area composers. Her wide-ranging repertoire spans Baroque, Bel Canto, Romantic, and contemporary music.
Rachel Nelson, soprano
Rachel Nelson is a passionate performer who’s been singing and performing her whole life. Since childhood, she has been participating in community and school theater. It wasn’t until becoming a music major in college that she found a love and appreciation for opera. Rachel is a recent graduate of San Jose State University, where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance. Most recently, she covered Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana at Opera San José in addition to singing chorus for Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci.
Her previous roles include Naiad in Ariadne auf Naxos with Chicago Summer Opera, the Governess in Turn of the Screw and Léontine in L'amant anonyme at San José State University. Her portrayal of the Governess earned her an award for Outstanding Music Performance. She has also performed the soprano solo in Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Haydn's Mass in Time of War in Slovenia. Some of her voice mentors include Luis Alejandro Orozco, Christopher Bengochea, Avery Boettcher and Soula Parassidis. She credits her love of music to her late father, who was a musician himself and always supported her for singing.
Phoebe Dinga, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Phoebe Dinga has performed on international stages in Switzerland, France, Sweden, Austria, and Italy. Since moving back to the San Francisco Bay Area from Europe in 2023, Phoebe made her mainstage debut with Pocket Opera in the title role of Métella in La vie Parisienne, sung with West Edge Opera in their world premiere of Bulrusher, Pocket Opera’s Cunning Little Vixen and La bohème, and sang Angelina in San Francisco Opera Guild’s La Cenerentola. This season, she sang Rosina in San Francisco Opera Guild’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Kate Pinkerton in Pocket Opera’s production of Madama Butterfly, and made her debut with Opera San José as Mother in Madama Butterfly.
In the fall, Phoebe will make her debut with San Francisco Opera chorus in their productions of Simon Boccanegra and Manon. She is a regular teaching artist in many of San Francisco Opera Guild’s programs including Opera Together and Sing a Story. Phoebe is also a professional Polynesian dancer.
Spencer Greene, tenor
San Francisco-based tenor Spencer Greene is a dynamic and expressive performer, praised for his "flexible, expressive voice" and "adroit singing". An MM graduate of Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music, he is quickly establishing himself in the tenor repertoire after initially training as a baritone. He is a two-time award recipient of the Laffont Competition, winning the Minnesota district in 2024 and receiving an Encouragement Award at the San Diego district in 2025.
Greene was recently a member of Des Moines Metro Opera's OPERA Iowa troupe, performing as Dandini in The Billy Goats Gruff and Prince in Cinderella, as well as teaching workshops and masterclasses to students across Iowa. His outreach experience has also included work with the San Francisco Opera Guild's Opera Together program, where he performed as Figaro in the Barber of Seville.
His past roles have included the Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, Danilo in Die Lustige Witwe, Sid in Albert Herring, and Nick Bottom in The Fairy Queen. Additionally, he has covered the roles of Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Cedar Rapids Opera and Alfredo in La traviata with Festival Opera. As a resident artist with Festival Opera this summer, he will sing the roles of Oronte in Alcina and Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore.
Liam Daley, baritone
Liam Daley is a baritone, composer/arranger, and visual artist from San Luis Obispo. He received a Bachelor’s of Music from Sonoma State University with concentrations in vocal performance and composition. He has appeared in several of Festival Opera’s productions such as Norma during the 2022 season. In 2025 he debuted as Silvio in Festival Opera’s Opera in the Park production of Pagliacci.
He has also performed roles with Lamplighters Music Theatre and Pocket Opera in San Francisco such as Strephon in Iolanthe, Piccia Tuccia in The New Mikado and Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus. Back home, he sang with many groups/organizations such as Opera San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo Master Chorale, The New World Baroque Orchestra and Resonance Vocal Ensemble. He strives to continue building his craft and making music as a means of fostering a love of the arts within his community.