Nashville Opera at Cheekwood
Join us for an evening where music meets the beauty of summer. Set among Cheekwood’s gardens in full bloom, Nashville Opera brings powerful voices and unforgettable stories into one of the city’s most stunning outdoor spaces. Bring a lawn chair or spread out a blanket and enjoy wine available for purchase—by the glass or bottle—along with beer, cocktails, and bites from local food trucks. Gather with friends and experience live opera in a setting that invites you to slow down, take it in, and feel something real.
Nashville Opera artists will perform a mix of opera favorites and familiar classics, creating a night that is both approachable and deeply moving. Whether it’s your first time or your hundredth, you’ll find yourself part of something shared: music, story, and a community coming together under the open sky. Come curious. Leave changed.
- Thursday, May 28, 2026
- Gates open 5 PM. Performance starts 6 PM
- 1200 Forrest Park Dr, Nashville, TN 37205
Meet The Artists
Sarah Antell
Sarah Antell is an Ojibwe Mezzo-Soprano from Phoenix, Arizona, whose love for storytelling and connection shines both on and off the stage. Sarah has enjoyed sharing her voice through outreach and performances all over the United States, including with Cleveland Opera Theater, the Nashville Opera, and Opera Louisiane. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Antell’s “rich voice and magnetic stage presence have wowed audiences nationwide” -Deryck Todd, Todd Productions. Offstage, Sarah is a passionate photographer, capturing the rehearsal process and the everyday moments of an opera singer’s life, which she shares through her social media. This year, you can catch Sarah at the Seagle Festival from July through August, and in Fortuna the Time Bender vs. the School Girls of Doom in November!
Miles Aubrey
Equally at home onstage or in the orchestra pit, Miles’s
theater credits include the Broadway companies of Jersey Boys (seven years as Norm Waxman) and Ring of Fire (OBC). Select TV/Film: Jersey Boys (dir. Clint Eastwood), Unsolved Mysteries, Sportsdome, Fatal Attraction. An in-demand guitarist, Miles has toured internationally with several major label artists, and shared the stage with the likes of
Kenny Loggins and Willie Nelson. Miles has appeared on The Tony Awards, The Tonight Show, Today Show, Seth Meyers, The Daily Show, NPR’s Tiny Desk and the Opry. Endorsements include Taylor Guitars, PRS, Reverend, Fender, Kyser, and others.
Alysha Nesbitt is a Detroit-born soprano whose recent engagements include performances with the Nashville Opera, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra, the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, and Portland Opera. She is also a recent participant in the Nashville Bel Canto Foundation intensive training program and previously participated in Nashville Opera’s HBCU Masterclass Series. She has been featured as a soloist in major works including Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Handel’s Messiah. She has also appeared as a featured artist in the H.T. Burleigh Festival at the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. Her operatic credits include The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, and One Vote Won, in addition to appearances in Nashville Opera’s “Opera on Wheels” series. Most recently, she completed a regional performance tour of When Marian Sang with Nashville Opera throughout Central Tennessee, a recital honoring the legacy of Marian Anderson. Mrs. Nesbitt is a first-place winner of the 105 Voices of History National Soloist Competition and a two-time district qualifier for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. She holds a degree from Tennessee State University and is an alumna of the Mary Ragland Emerging Artist Program with Nashville Opera.
Keri is a Lirico-spinto soprano whose career has taken her to many of the world’s most renowned stages, from the Metropolitan Opera and Canadian Opera Company to the English National Opera, Seattle Opera, and Gran Teatre del Liceu. Praised by the New York Times for her “appealing brew of dark and creamy colors” and by the Washington Post for her “tonal opulence,” she has built a career interpreting some of opera’s most iconic roles, including Tosca, Mimì, Donna Elvira, Amelia, and Cio-Cio-San. In addition to her performance career, she serves as the Chief Strategy & Operations Officer at Nashville Opera, where she leads with a passion for arts education, community engagement, and creating spaces where the arts thrive. She also co-hosts Screaming Divas alongside acclaimed soprano and dear friend Sondra Radvanovsky, a podcast and video series featuring candid conversations with artists and leaders shaping today’s opera world. Across every facet of her work – on stage, behind the scenes, and in conversation – she is committed to advancing the transformative power of the arts, nurturing the next generation of singers, and building cultural spaces that inspire connection, excellence, and impact.
Steven McCoy is a Nashville-based performer, tenor, and enthusiastic defender of the Broadway canon. Favorite performance credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Quasimodo), Ragtime (Younger Brother), Follies (Young Buddy), and Hairspray (Link Larkin). He has also appeared in several Nashville Opera events including Opera on the Mountain and Opera Jukebox. Steven graduated from the University of Memphis in 2020 and is very happy to currently be singing instead of answering emails. In his free time, he DJs, collects vintage clothing, and inevitably leaves antique stores with at least one thing he did not need.
Stephen Carey is the Director of Education & Engagement, over Opera On Wheels, Chorus Master, and Resident Pianist with Nashville Opera. He has previously worked on the staffs of Fort Worth Opera and Opera Memphis, has worked for the following opera festivals: Charlottesville Opera, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, Chautauqua Opera, Ashlawn-Highland Opera, and worked in the opera departments at both University of North Texas and Texas Christian University.