ABOUT AIO
Photo Credit: Lea Gallardo
Amelia Island Opera (AIO), an artist-led company, was founded in 2021 by opera singers Victoria Isernia, Robyn Marie Lamp and John Tibbetts II. When these three talented vocalists found themselves grounded as the COVID-19 pandemic froze everyone in place, they made their way to Amelia Island, Fla. There they found an arts-friendly community hungry to welcome more classical vocal music to Northeast Florida. Early performances were greeted with great enthusiasm. The three founders recognized a need to create opportunities not only for themselves but also for other world-class emerging artists. Amelia Island offers a perfect place, given the amount of arts & culture organizations supported by the community. AIO is committed to expanding its region's support for vocal music, increased opportunity for performers, and more community and regional performances.
AIO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Amelia Island Opera are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Our Mission
Amelia Island Opera (AIO) seeks to:
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Enrich the cultural fabric of the greater Amelia Island community
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Elevate the voices of world-class emerging artists
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Explore alternative mediums of performance
Photo Credit: Lea Gallardo
Meet the team
John Tibbetts II
President & Co-Founder
Photo Credit: Lily Sheetz
Courtesy of Amelia Islander Magazine
Internationally acclaimed Baritone, John Tibbetts, sings with opera companies and orchestra’s alike across the United States and Canada. An accomplished recitalist, Tibbetts is committed to curating accessible performances for audiences of all ages by fusing traditional recital-forms with popular genres. Tibbetts joins his wife Victoria Isernia appearing in their first "duo-summer-length contract" with Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, last summer as soloist in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, and this summer debuting Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. Tibbetts received his masters degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and his bachelor's degree from Georgia State University. Tibbetts has sung with Opera Atelier, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Palm Beach Opera, Sarasota Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Atlanta Master Chorale, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Opera Saratoga, Kentucky Opera, Cleveland Opera Theater, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and Cincinnati Chamber Opera, amongst others.
Photo Credit: Lily Sheetz
Courtesy of Amelia Islander Magazine
Robyn Lamp
Co-founder
Soprano Robyn Marie Lamp has sung for numerous opera companies and symphonies including Boston Lyric Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Caramoor Music Festival, Palm Beach Symphony, Sarasota Opera, and others. She has won awards from the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, Opera Tampa, Soma International Foundation, and others. Ms. Lamp made her Carnegie Hall debut in her 2018-19 season, singing the soprano solo in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem. Ms. Lamp also has ample experience in the performing arts as an administrator and producer. In addition to co-founding Amelia Island Opera, Ms. Lamp is the Arts Administration and Marketing Associate for IlluminArts, a performing arts company based in Miami, FL. She was also the Company Manager for Ft. Lauderdale's Opera Fusion from 2015 - 2019. She is dedicated to Amelia Island Opera’s mission of creating opportunities for world-class emerging artists and enriching the cultural fabric of the greater Amelia Island community.
Photo Credit: Lily Sheetz
Courtesy of Amelia Islander Magazine
Victoria Isernia
Vice-President & co-founder
Mezzo-Soprano Victoria Isernia is a world-class emerging artist, singing her way through the opera world as a performer of immense versatility, equally at home in opera, operetta, and musical theater. A graduate of the highly prestigious Manhattan School of Music, this summer, Isernia will make her role debut in title role of Bizet’s Carmen. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Isernia, a native New Yorker, was establishing herself throughout Long Island and NYC, not only as performer but as an exciting teaching-artist. Undeterred by the shuttering of company doors across the country, Isernia saw a need to preserve the art form while creating opportunities for her fellow singers. She also remains a proud performing arts teacher with a booming private voice studio on Amelia Island. Isernia loves this community and is very excited about the growth of Amelia Island Opera. Isernia has appeared with The New York Philharmonic, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, and Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, to name a few.
