OPERA America has announced the recipients of its 2026 National Opera Trustee Recognition Awards.

The 2026 honorees for U.S. companies are Thérèse Esperdy of Heartbeat Opera, Robyn Marie Lamp of Amelia Island Opera, Cathy Remson Lazarus of Opera San José, Sylvia Neil of Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Laurie Nelson Randlett of Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. The Association for Opera in Canada selected Richard Rees of Vancouver Opera as the recipient of its parallel Best in Governance Award.

Esperdy serves as board chair of Heartbeat Opera and spent more than three decades in investment banking at JPMorgan, where she held roles including global chair of the financial institutions group. Lamp co-founded Amelia Island Opera in 2021 and serves as secretary of its board while also working as executive director of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival; she has performed as a soprano with companies including Boston Lyric Opera and Sarasota Opera.

Lazarus joined the Opera San José board in 2020 following a public administration career in Santa Clara County and has served as board president for the past three years. Neil is Lyric Opera of Chicago’s first female board chair and serves on its board and executive committee, along with boards including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Randlett joined the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera board in 2013 and later became its president, and Rees joined the Vancouver Opera board in 2017, later serving as chair through 2020 to 2022.

OPERA America will present the awards at its Salutes awards dinner on March 12, 2027, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The awards, which recognize trustees of North American opera companies for their leadership and service, are supported by Bank of America.

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