Soprano Misha Penton's diverse performing career includes opera and multidisciplinary performance projects. Most recently, she sang the principal role in Divergence Vocal Theater’s world premier opera, Selkie, a sea tale, composed by Elliot Cole;, and the role of Leah in Ofer Ben-Amots' contemporary multimedia chamber opera, The Dybbuk, presented by the Jewish Community Center Houston's Maurice Adamo Music Foundation Residency. She has also created the roles of Isabelle and Brooklyn in the world premieres of The Masque by Roger Keele for Lone Star Lyric Theater Festival and James Norman’s opera Wake… with Opera Vista; and Marguerite in Norman's Incline, O Maiden, a monodrama for soprano and chamber ensemble, with Audio Inversions, a new music ensemble in Austin, Texas. Misha is the founder, artistic director, and ensemble lead artist of Divergence Vocal Theater, a Houston-based opera and multidisciplinary performing arts company. In 2008-09 she sang Ottavia in Divergence Vocal Theater’s The Ottavia Project, Sapho in The 10th Muse, and was a featured soloist in Autumn Spectre, a multimedia evening of staged arts songs, piano works, and dance. The most recent Divergence Vocal Theater project was the world premier of Selkie, a sea tale, composed by Elliot Cole, a setting of Misha’s libretto. Upcoming projects include Selkie, a sea tale, performances in Austin, Texas in May 2011; and Klytemnestra, with composer Dominick DiOrio, another collaborative musical setting of Misha’s words, premiering in Spring 2011.
