President: Gabrielle Liberman ’28

Gabrielle is a sophomore studying History and pursuing minors in Music Performance and German. She sings Soprano and studies under David Kellett. Gabrielle is a long-time opera buff who loves the drama, humor, and most importantly, the community of opera! Outside of POCO, she is a member of the Princeton Tigerlilies, the Glee Club, and a community service cohort focused on arts education. As President of POCO, she hopes to make opera exciting and accessible for all!

Vice President: Evan Shidler ’27

Evan is a History major and Baritone from Short Hills, NJ. He is pursuing minors in Musical Performance and Italian and is a member of Mathey! Evan used to sing in the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus years ago as a boy soprano!

Publicity Manager: Vanessa Niu ’29

Vanessa Y. Niu is a Comparative Literature major, singer, and writer from New York City. She has had the pleasure of premiering Danny Clay’s “Music for Hard Times” with the Living Earth Show, performing as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Duruflé’s Requiem at Trinity Church Wall Street, and making her concert debut with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony singing Mozart’s “Deh, per questo istante solo” in the 2024 Kaufman Music Center Concerto Competition at Merkin Hall. Off the stage, she’s also the New York State Youth Poet Laureate and has written lyrics and librettos for composers at Juilliard.

Music Director: Yizhe Sun (1st Year PhD)

Yizhe is a conductor, pianist, and percussionist, and he is excited to serve as Princeton Opera Company’s first music director since its revival. Before joining Princeton as a graduate student in physics working in the Levin lab in EEB, Yizhe studied Music and Physics at Harvard College and was trained as a conductor under the guidance of Federico Cortese. During his time at Harvard, Yizhe was heavily involved with Harvard College Opera, joining first as a rehearsal pianist for the 2023 production of The Merry Widow, then as its music director for the 2024 production of Falstaff, and finally as its president for the 2024-25 season. In addition to his involvement with HCO, he was also an assistant conductor and percussionist to the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra. He is looking forward to leveraging his experience to help POCO grow on the Princeton campus.

Treasurer: Yehyun Hong ’28

Yehyun is an Operations Research & Financial Engineering major, Baritone, and Cellist from Watkinsville, Georgia. He is a part of PUO, a member of Butler College, and is pursuing a minor in Music Performance. He is most excited to get to know all of the lovely singers of POCO and goof off during rehearsals!

Opera Chair: Lukas Palys ’29

Lukas is a Public and International Affairs major and Baritone from Dallas, Texas. He is a member of many singing ensembles at Princeton, including the Nassoons. He is pursuing minors in Music Performance, Russian, and East European and Eurasian Studies. He is a member of Forbes College and is most excited about collaborating with instrumentalists to create amazing events this season!

Social Chair: Kate Pugh ’29

Kate is a Molecular Biology major from San Antonio, TX. She is pursuing a minor in music performance. She plays the double bass in the Princeton University Orchestra, and is so excited to be joining the pit for POCO’s first full opera production, Gianni Schicchi! An avid lover of opera and musical theatre, she looks forward to many more POCO productions and events in the future.

Social Media Chair: Nicole Samaan ’29

Nicole is a Chemical & Biological Engineering major and Soprano from Richland, Washington. She is a proud member of Whitman College and is pursuing minors in Music Performance and Bioengineering. Outside of singing, Nicole enjoys playing on the club tennis team.

Publicity Chair: Yara Almoussa ’28

Yara likes to think that she would have made it big in the opera scene if it weren’t for her complete lack of musical ability. She’s an EEB major, pre-dental, and a lover of learning new languages! Outside of POCO, she’s the President of The Princeton Tiger Magazine, a humor and satire publication, a dancer with RAQS, and she sews with MEND at their weekly popups. She loves opera and is so excited to work with POCO!

Rehearsal Chair: Hugh Choi ’29

Hugh is a freshman from Great Neck, New York, studying Molecular Biology and pursuing minors in Cognitive Science and Flute Performance. A proud resident of NCW, he members multiple music ensembles, including OPUS, the Princeton University Orchestra, and Princeton Music Outreach. Having performed in numerous opera pits for productions including The Marriage of Figaro, La Bohème, and Die Fledermaus, Hugh is excited to bring his love for collaborative music-making to campus! In his free time, he enjoys folding origami and playing badminton.