David Preston Durrett
Founder of the Como Opera Guild

David was born in Como, MS and lived in both Sardis, MS and Batesville, MS while growing up. He graduated from high school in Okeechobee, FL. His father was the late Rev.Thomas Durrett. His mother is Mary R. Gray of Senatobia. David was a veteran of over 125 productions in Opera, Musical Theatre, Plays, Movies, Television, Commercials, and Sacred Music throughout the United States and Canada. In his over 25 year career, (which actually started at the Panola Playhouse in Sardis), he performed with San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera Memphis, New York City's Opera in the Parks, Omaha Playhouse, Playhouse on the Square - Memphis, and Nebraska Theatre Caravan; along with a host of other civic, regional, and community theatres. In addition to performance, his degrees include an A.F.A in Music from Northwest MS Comm. College, a Bachelor of Music from the University of Mississippi, and Master of Fine Arts in Theatre/Music from the University of Mississippi. Oxford audiences might remember him from his portrayals of “Huey Long” in Kingfish! And “Big Daddy” in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Gwen Durrett
President

Gwen is the first cousin of David Durrett, the Founder of the Guild. A 1979 graduate of South Panola High School in Batesville, MS, Gwen received her BSN in 1984 from the University of MS School of Nursing. As a Registered Nurse, she worked for 18 years in Labor and Delivery becoming a Certified Inpatient Obstetric Nurse, and in 2002, a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Gwen has been employed from 2002 to present with the Renal Care Group in Southaven, MS as Charge Nurse. She has been active in charitable organizations, predominately with the March of Dimes.

Gwen is instrumental in the founding of the Guild with David and shares his dream of bringing opera to the children of North Mississippi.

Bonnie Durrett Long
Vice President/Director of Fundraising

Bonnie has over 20 years of direct involvement with business management, including records maintenance, inventory management and customer service. She currently holds the position of Volunteer Coordinator with AseraCare Hospice of Senatobia and is responsible for recruiting, training, and coordinating the volunteer staff of the hospice organization, as well as maintaining records and providing education to the community.

Bonnie’s past and present work experience involves extensive work in product sales and customer relations. Her day–to–day involvement with the various aspects of financial record keeping continues to be a crucial part of business operations management. Well–versed in financial computer software, Bonnie has been responsible for maintaining financial records for national and international business sales. Additional responsibilities have included purchasing, quality control and product liability insuring that clients’ needs were met.

Bonnie holds degrees and certifications from the following: AutoZone, Dow Electronics, Genesis Communications, The American Institute of Banking, Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, Florida, and the University of Mississippi.

Active in the community, she is a member and Vice President (President–Elect) of the Como Rotary Club, Sponsorship Committee Chairman and Team Captain with the 2007 Tate County Relay for Life (to benefit the American Cancer Society), and sings regularly as a member of the Chancel Choir with First Baptist Church of Senatobia.

D. Scott Rhines
Vice President of Public Relations

Scott a 37 year old, life-long resident of Hernando, MS has just moved to Como and will start building his personal home in January 2007. He is currently an Art & Antiques Dealer with Main Street Market Antiques in Tunica, MS. Other experience includes that of Merchandising Consultant in the Atlanta, GA and Las Vegas, NV markets. Scott also builds and re-models homes for his own investment property business, D.Scott Rhines, Investment Properties, LLC. Scott graduated from Delta State University in 1992 with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. Since taking over as V.P. of Fundraising in the spring of 2004, the Guild has solicited over $75,000 in private and corporate funds.

Scott is looking forward to living in Como and being apart of raising the area's awareness and appreciation for the arts.

Mimi Herring
Treasurer

A graduate of Como High School, Mimi attended the University of Mississippi. She worked at a variety of jobs while raising her family in Como, including administrative assistant for a lawyer, retail sales person for Talbots of Memphis, and Fountain's Fine Jewelry in Memphis, and also as a travel agent in Oxford, MS. Her family grown, Mimi is thankfully retired and enjoying it. She is responsible for depositing and tracking contributions and working the Box office at all performances.

Anne Davis
Historian

INFORMATION TO BE ADDED!

Stephen Eisenhard
Artistic Consultant to the Company

Stephen Eisenhard, Director, graduated from the University of Cincinnati under the tutelage of Italo Tajo. His extensive repertoire spans both buffo and dramatic characters including the Baron in La Traviata, Dulcamara in Elixir of Love, and Bartolo, in Barber of Seville and Marriage of Figaro. Stephen has sung with numerous companies throughout the country, including Michigan Opera Theatre, Connecticut Opera, Memphis Opera, Sarasota Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera de Puerto Rico, and San Francisco's Western Opera Theatre. Because he had the good sense to marry a girl from Como, we will of course absolve him of the blame for the Civil War and Reconstruction. Stephen also directed our very successful production of The Barber of Seville last June and also our past May production of Don Pasquale.