QAM is proud to announce the addition of mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen (@ninayoshidanelsen ) to its roster of artists for worldwide management.
Hailed as a “richly powerful singing actress” (Broadway World), Ms. Nelsen captivates audiences throughout North America and Europe with her world-class voice and magnetic stage presence.
Over the past two seasons, Nelsen has maintained an active performance schedule alongside her work as Artistic Director of Boston Lyric Opera @bostonlyricopera , demonstrating a commitment to remaining grounded in the art form she now helps to lead. On the operatic stage, she has performed the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with @utahopera , @anchorageopera , and @calgaryopera , as well as the role of Khanh in Huang Ruo’s Bound with Anchorage Opera. She has also appeared in concert, most recently as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Boise Philharmonic.
In previous seasons, Nina joined Indianapolis Opera for the title role in Carmen and performed the role of Melissa in Alcina with Seattle Opera, Suzuki with Opera Carolina, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with Utah Opera, and Mother Chen in An American Soldier at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, a role that she has previously performed with Bard SummerScape.
Welcome to the QAM family, Nina!
Last week, we gathered for a powerful ConversAAtion on building inclusive spaces within the traditionally rigid and hierarchical worlds of ballet, opera, and classical music.
@adie.baban , @sarahmaviolin , @ninayoshidanelsen , and @georgina_pazcoguin shared personal experiences and explored tangible ways we can create change — from diversifying leadership, administration, and donor spaces, to building stronger solidarity among marginalized communities, having difficult conversations about race and gender inequities, and standing up for one another.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in envisioning a more equitable future for the arts, and for @artsatgoddard for hosting us in their vibrant community space ✨ ICYMI, the full panel recording is available on our YouTube channel!
#AsianAmericanArtsAlliance #ballet #opera #classicalmusic
"150 times as Suzuki. Three non-Asian roles."
That's Nina Yoshida Nelsen's ten-year career in opera - and it tells us everything about the "Butterfly Effect…" There is a similar pattern in productions of Turandot, Pearl Fishers, Lakme, and more.
Episode 3: ReMaster drops tomorrow. 🎭
We're asking the questions the industry has avoided for too long:
→ When does representation become a cage?
→ What does Yellowface actually mean and why does it still happen?
→ How do we honour Orientalist masterworks without erasing the artists inside them?
Featuring voices from Matthew Ozawa, David Henry Hwang, Yunah Lee, Phil Chan, and more extraordinary professionals - this episode doesn't just name the problem. It maps the way forward.
The philosophy? Calling in, not calling out. 🙌
▶️ Out tomorrow! Catch up and watch episodes 1 and 2 - link in bio.
🔔 New episodes every Friday for AAPI Heritage Month.
#BelongingInOpera #AsianOperaAlliance #TheButterflyEffect #CallingIn #AAPIHeritageMonth #RepresentationMatters #AAPIArtists #TransformOpera #Opera #OperaLife #AsianArtists #ClassicalMusic #DiversityInArts #Yellowface #Orientalism
What does it take to build inclusive, empowering spaces in competitive fields defined by rigid traditions and systems of hierarchy?
Join A4 for a panel discussion featuring AAPI performing artists across the classical arts of music, opera, and ballet. Curated and moderated by A4’s Anjeli Jana Memorial Intern @adie.baban , our ConversAAtion brings together incredible leaders and changemakers @sarahmaviolin , @georgina_pazcoguin , and @ninayoshidanelsen to reflect on their own experiences navigating these systems and share how they are advocating for safer, more inclusive spaces for the current and future generations of performing artists—while exploring how shifting these narratives can open the door to new forms of creativity, representation, and community.
📆 5/6, 6:30–8:30pm
📍@artsatgoddard
🎟️ RSVP required - suggested $5 donation. Click our #linkinbio
#AsianAmericanArtsAlliance #opera #ballet #classicalmusic
Three days. Three stages. One truth I keep coming back to. 💫
In the span of 36 hours—from the Boston Public Library’s Daughters in Revolution event → Opera Colorado speaking about Madama Butterfly 🦋 → the Empowering Girls Conference—I’ve felt so grateful to have been invited into these spaces.
Each moment centered on uplifting women. And I keep thinking about what that really looks like.
It doesn’t look like being quiet or agreeable. Instead, it looks like taking up space. Like allowing yourself to shine. Like standing on a stage you never imagined you’d stand on.
And I’m reminded that this is the gift opera has given me—a way to share our humanity out loud. To feel, to witness, to see ourselves in one another. To build connection and community.
Women’s stories—especially those shaped by being underestimated or overlooked—matter. When we share them, we make room. We widen the path.
Maybe that’s what this week has really been about for me—not just stepping forward, but holding the door open.
Because when we tell our stories, we don’t just reflect on where we’ve been—we help someone else imagine where they can go.
And I saw that possibility reflected back in so many high school girls’ eyes today, at the end of these 36 hours.
#AsianAmerican #AAPI #AmericanStory #WomenOfColor #EmpowerHer Leadership RepresentationMatters EmpoweringGirls
Today we’re celebrating something truly incredible—my mom’s 5th re-birthday. 💛
Five years ago, she received a stem cell transplant and was given a second chance at life. This day marks so much more than time—it represents her strength, her resilience, and the courage it took to keep going, even on the hardest days…. And there have been a lot of them.
Mom, you show us every day what love, determination, and grace really look like. Watching you fight your way to this milestone has been nothing short of inspiring.
We are so incredibly proud of you. And more than anything, we are just deeply grateful that you are still here with us.
This is a huge milestone. A true accomplishment. A reason to celebrate in every possible way.
Happy 5th re-birthday, Janice Blair Yoshida. We love you so much. 💛
The ballet and opera communities are clapping back against Timothée Chalamet after he said “no one cares” about them anymore. Hear what he had to say 👆
#timothéechalamet #ballet #opera #nbcboston
What a beautiful and touching performance and production of our opera BOUND at @anchorageopera Anchorage Opera. My heartfelt thanks to the entire casts, creative and production team for making this timely opera shared, heard, seen❤️🪷!
/2025-2026-season/bound/
Cast
Karen Vuong @kvopera
Diane Tran
Nina Yoshida Nelsen @ninayoshidanelsen
Khanh
Jeff Mattsey @jeffmattsey
Stanley/Judge Moriarty
Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ @vanessavananhvo
Đàn bầu Instrumentalist
Production Team
Huang Ruo @huang.ruo
Composer
Bao-Long Chu @b.long_chu
Librettist
Richard Gammon @richardgammondirector
Director
Tian Hui Ng @tianhui_ng
Conductor
Lauren Miller
Scenic Design
Sean Amato
Lighting Designer & Projections Engineer
Elle Janecek
Hair and Makeup Design
Kaeli Braden
Costumes Coordinator
Helen Pospisil
Production Stage Manager
Kristin Ditlow @kristinditlow
Répétiteur/Piano
