Staff

Emilee Shen | Executive Director

Emilee Shen is the Executive Director of Opera Grand Rapids, Michigan’s longest-running professional opera company. Since joining the organization in 2019, she has expanded its programming and led the company through significant growth and change, including the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under Emilee’s leadership, Opera Grand Rapids has grown from presenting two major productions each season to offering more than a dozen performances and community programs annually. During the pandemic, she led the company’s transition to digital programming, producing Scalia/Ginsburg within 24 hours of the industry shutdown. She later produced a socially distanced grand opera that was livestreamed to a minor league baseball stadium. In 2024, she served as Executive Producer of Stinney: An American Execution, which received an Emmy nomination, and created Hip Opera, a genre-bending production that brings together classical opera and hip hop.

Before joining Opera Grand Rapids, Emilee served as Executive Director of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she led advocacy, environmental education, and legal efforts focused on protecting the Catawba River. Her work to hold Duke Energy accountable for coal ash contamination was featured by 60 Minutes, CNN, The Rachel Maddow Show, National Geographic, and The Atlantic.

Earlier in her career, Emilee led Northwest Michigan Supportive Housing in Traverse City, overseeing seven federal grant programs and expanding both funding and the number of households served.

Across her career, Emilee has focused on building strong organizations, developing innovative programs, and connecting people and resources to advance mission-driven work.

Savana Beal | Development Manager

A California native now based in West Michigan, Savana Beal brings experience in both fundraising and the performing arts to Opera Grand Rapids. She has led development efforts across multiple nonprofit organizations, specializing in donor engagement, storytelling, and event-based fundraising that builds meaningful community connections.

Savana most recently served as Development Director at Comprehensive Therapy Center, where she oversaw fundraising strategy, donor relations, and large-scale events. She also co-founded LOT318, a nonprofit focused on community development and volunteer engagement in underserved communities.

In addition to her work in development, Savana has an extensive background as a professional singer. She was a contestant on American Idol and has performed internationally, including for U.S. troops, as well as at high-profile events and venues such as LA Live. She also works as a voice and performance coach, supporting singers in building confidence and stage presence. Her experience as a performer informs her approach to audience engagement, helping create compelling and accessible arts experiences.

Savana earned a B.A. in Communication Studies with an emphasis in interpersonal communication from Azusa Pacific University.

Sarah Horlings | Box Office and Marketing Manager

William Bokhout | Collegiate Education Leader

William Bokhout’s (Operatic baritone) performance career has taken him coast to coast in as many as 35 different operatic roles, countless solo appearances and directing of over 40 different stage productions. He has been featured with Opera Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Symphony, Durufle’ Requiem in Carnegie Hall, the Pine Mountain Music Festival, and the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra. His operatic roles include Barone Douphol in Verdi’s LaTraviata, Count Ceprano and Marullo in Verdi’s Rigoletto, the Sacristan in Puccini’s Tosca, Dr. Bartolo in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, El don Cairo in Bizet’s Carmen, Gregario in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliette, Slim in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, and Father in Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel. He also appeared as the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with the Blue Lake International Repertory Opera. In concert Mr. Bokhout has been featured with the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra as soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and The Music of Final Fantasy. In 2003, Mr. Bokhout founded The 2nd Act opera company, a professional touring group dedicated to promoting Opera as an art form to young people, performing in many of the schools in the area as well as touring with his wife Hollis presenting Children’s Opera Workshops in elementary schools across the country. Mr. Bokhout is the composer of 6 original children’s operas and is also known as The Opera Farmer, the tile role of a feature length independent family film.

Rachel Mills | Youth Education Leader

Praised for her “comedic timing and sense of theatrical flair” (Near North Now) as well as her “lovely, clear voice” (The Rapidian), Rachel Mills is a soprano from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who has performed in operatic performances in the United States, Europe, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

Rachel has performed in several recent seasons with Opera Grand Rapids, appearing as Zerlina in Don Giovanni,Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Papagena in The Magic Flute and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro. Rachel also sang Zerlina with Opera Carolina in 2022 and Papagena with Toledo Opera in 2018. Other roles include First Boy in The Magic Flute (Welsh National Opera), Anne in A Little Night Music (Castleton Music Festival) and Polly in Beggar’s Opera(Opera’r Dddraig).

Rachel recently appeared as a soloist in Handel’s The Messiah at Dubai Opera. She is a passionate recitalist and has performed a series of recitals with pianist Katalin Zsubrits in Budapest, Sopron, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Grand Rapids, MI and Fairfield, CT. She has performed Villa Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras with members of the Welsh National Opera Orchestra in 2015, and a year later as a guest soloist at New York University Abu Dhabi with French cellist Yan Levionnois. Rachel enjoys contemporary and experimental music and has worked with students at the Art Institute of Chicago in a light and noise installation called within IMMITANCE. She sang Elliott Carter’s Of Challenge and Of Loveas well as Joseph Schwantner’s Two Poems of Agueda Pizarro in recital at Lutkin Hall in Evanston, Illinois.

Rachel holds a Master of Arts in Opera Performance from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, a Master of Music in Voice and Opera Literature from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from Arizona State University.