DMMO Announces 2026 Wine, Food & Beer Showcase Artists
We’re thrilled to welcome an incredible trio of performers to this year’s tasting event: baritone Chad Sonka, soprano Shelby Sievers VanNordstrand and pianist Allen Perriello. Throughout the evening, guests will experience pop-up opera, art song and musical theatre performances while tasting their way through some of Iowa’s finest restaurants, wineries, breweries and distilleries. And all while supporting a powerful cause: OPERA Iowa, Des Moines Metro Opera’s statewide touring troupe, which brings transformative music education and arts experiences to more than 25,000 students each year.
Meet the Artists
Chad Sonka has established himself as an artist with a diverse array of skills in the world of voice. In a recent notable engagement, he performed the role of Dr. Falke in Cedar Rapids Opera’s Die Fledermaus. He was also a featured soloist with the Central Iowa Symphony, performing Ravel's Don Quichotte à Dulcinée. Previous performing credits include La bohème (Marcello) with Opera Quad Cities; A Royal Feast by Ching (Alidoro, world premiere) with Savannah OPERA; Tosca (Scarpia – cover) with Central City Opera; Gianni Schicchi (Marco) with Savannah Music Festival; Man of La Mancha (Don Quixote) with Cedar Rapids Opera; The Mother of Us All (Virgil T.), The Rape of Lucretia (Junius) with Manhattan School of Music; and Amahl and the Night Visitors (King Melchior) with Nevada Opera. Equally versed in concert works, he has performed Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, Mendelssohn's Elijah (Elijah), as well as his Carnegie Hall debut with Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem. He was the first-place winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions – Iowa District in 2017.
Shelby VanNordstrand has appeared as a soprano soloist from the continental United States to Indonesia, China, Japan, Hawai’i, Lithuania, and Oman. She is especially passionate about new art song and opera and loves to be involved in the creation of new works. You can hear her on the album “Storms & Stars, songs for soprano and piano by Jodi Goble”, available for streaming on all major platforms. She was awarded an honorable mention in The American Prize, Women in Art Song in 2023. As a teacher, her students have been named winners of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Student Auditions at the state, regional, and national levels and winners of the National Opera Association's Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition. She has presented at the National Collegiate Music Society Conference, National Opera Association Conference, NATS National Conference and other state and regional conferences. She currently serves as President-Elect with the National Opera Association and serves in regional leadership with the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Shelby joined the faculty of the Department of Music and Theatre at Iowa State University in the fall of 2024. Previously, she served as Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Allen Perriello is a highly regarded pianist, vocal coach, administrator, and educator. Allen is currently the Director of Artistic Administration at Des Moines Metro Opera. Previously, Allen was the Head of Music at Minnesota Opera and the Director of the Young Artists Program at The Glimmerglass Festival. A graduate of the Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera, Allen has held music staff positions at Arizona Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Seattle Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera. He has appeared in recital with a wide array of singers at venues including Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Cincinnati Song Initiative. He judges regularly for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and Schmidt Vocal Arts. This season, Allen looks forward to residencies at The Hartt School, New England Conservatory of Music, and University of Iowa.