Meet our Board of Directors
Karen Wonder Dumont, President
Karen Wonder Dumont, soprano, recently relocated to middle Tennessee from western New York. Favorite musical theatre roles are Rosa Bud (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Marian (The Music Man), Cunegonde (Candide), Johanna (Sweeney Todd), and Kate (Kiss Me Kate). She has a special place in her heart for Gilbert & Sullivan and has enjoyed lead soprano roles in The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, Princess Ida, The Sorcerer, Ruddigore, and Patience. She has done numerous recital programs including Cornell University’s Summer Concert Series. As a concert soloist, favorites include Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. She also enjoys appearing in local charitable cabarets and with Women’s Works, a group dedicated to performing works by women composers. In Nashville she is a Co-Managing Diva for Opera on Tap, which brings live opera to local taprooms. In Ithaca, NY she led the Cornell Savoyards both as a student organization, and later as president during its transition to a nonprofit community theatre organization. It is this company which inspired her to partner with Julie to bring light opera to Franklin. In “real life”, Dr. Dumont is a veterinarian who lives in Franklin with her husband, 3 boys, 2 cats, and Daisy the dog.
Lara Butler, Educational Programs
Mrs. Lara Butler (mezzo soprano) has been teaching piano, voice, choir, theater, and literature since 1994. After earning her degree in music/theater, Mrs. Butler spent her early 20s singing in Gilbert and Sullivan, small operas, and vocal arts ensembles in Colorado. Realizing she preferred teaching to performing, she moved to Ohio for a school job. In Cincinnati, she sang with the vocal arts ensemble there. After taking ten years off to raise a family, she joined several choirs, particularly enjoying the Bach Cantata Choir in Portland, OR. Her special interests include Shakespeare, knitting, extreme discount shopping, liturgical and baroque music, and art house flicks. She moved in 2021 back to Middle Tennessee after three years in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and five children.
Jodi Marcum, Marketing and Development, Stage Director
Jodi Marcum is a multi-talented musician with a particular passion for directing theater productions and music education. With over 50 years of experience in the industry, Jodi has established herself as a versatile and skilled pianist, vocalist, teacher, and mentor.
Jodi’s journey in music started at age 4, when she began taking piano lessons and discovered her love for singing. She began teaching young piano students at the age of 14, and went on to pursue a degree in Music Theater at the University of Northern Iowa, where she honed her skills in performance and pedagogy.
As a teacher, she inspires and guides her students to reach their full potential. As a theater director, she brings out the best in her actors and creates unforgettable productions. And as a performer, she captivates audiences with her musical talent and stage presence.
Julie Gilbreath, Co-Founder
Julie Gilbreath, soprano, is a versatile performer comfortable in opera, operetta, musical theater and choral music. Described as "fun to watch" with "an exceptional instrument," she was a finalist and the Audience Choice Award winner at the 2018 Harold Haugh Light Opera Vocal Competition in Jackson, Michigan. On stage, she has performed light and comic roles such as Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Lady Saphir in Patience, and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Julie has been a chorister with Nashville Opera since 2017 and most recently sang in their 2019-2020 season opening production of Madama Butterfly. Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, she was an active performer in the Dallas/Forth Worth metroplex with companies such as the Fort Worth Opera Chorus, Opera In Concert, the Regal Opera Company and others.
Julie earned her Master of Music in vocal pedagogy from Belmont University. In addition to performing, she has been a private voice instructor for more than 10 years. She lives in Franklin with her husband and daughter.
Shelley Schneider, Engagement and Fundraising
Shelley Schneider is excited to perform with and join the board of Franklin Light Opera. A native Texan and Baylor graduate of vocal performance, she recently moved to Nashville to live closer to her parents. While in Texas, she taught private voice lessons in several colleges in Ft Worth, Houston and Austin. In addition to teaching private lessons, Ms. Schneider has also music directed and conducted several musicals. In 2010, Ms. Schneider studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Her performing career is diverse and includes Shakespeare plays, musicals, operas and cabaret shows. Some favorite performances include Amy in Company by Sondheim and Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti by Bernstein. Ms. Schneider teaches at Belmont University and Lipscomb University as an adjunct professor of voice.
Nicholas Branson, Member at Large
Nicholas Branson (tenor) has been an avid lover of light opera/musical theatre since 2013. He studied classical voice at Lee University in Cleveland, TN and did graduate work at Belmont University.
Nicholas is a choral scholar for The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Brentwood, TN and was asked to perform for the second inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2013 with the Lee University Festival Choir.
Nicholas has performed numerous roles in opera, operetta, and musical theatre including Dr. Neville Craven in The Secret Garden (2015), Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte and Don Curzio/Don Basilio in Le nozzle di Figaro in Prague, Czech Republic and Salzburg, Austria (2017); as well as recent performances with FLO including Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore (2023) and Alfred in Die Fledermaus (2024). He has been a chorus member with Nashville Opera since 2018 and has acted as an understudy to their tenor young artist for two seasons (2019 and 2020).
Nicholas is excited to be a part of the Board for FLO. He is an experienced hobby sewist with a love for historical costume and stage craft; Nicholas acted as the Costume Designer for FLO’s production of Die Fledermaus in 2024 and will be assisting the Costume Designer on future projects as part of his duties with the Board.