For nearly four decades, Delaware Valley Opera (DVO) has brought opera and live performance to Sullivan County while creating opportunities for artists and audiences to connect through the arts. As the organization marks its 40th anniversary in 2026, three members of its leadership—founding member and Artistic Director Carol Castel, Board President Suzann Dvorken, and board member and producer Barclay Lottimer—reflect on how DVO began, how it has grown, and what they hope to build for the future.
From grassroots beginnings
Castel remembers DVO’s early days as a grassroots effort.
“It began like so many grassroots organizations,” she said. A small group wanted to create an organization for musicals and plays. They operated under the umbrella of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance until they secured their 501.c.3 status. Their vision still guides us through the dedication of our Board Director Emeritus, Carol Diefenbach, a member of that founding group who has remained an active influence since the company was formed. Early productions were operettas, scene programs, and concerts.
For Castel, the goal was always larger than simply putting on performances. She saw local talent that was not being given enough opportunities.
“I could see that in the people I was working with. So I said, ‘Well, let’s do more. Let’s do more.’”
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She believes the performing arts can teach people about themselves and the world around them.
“If I were creating an education program for the country, I would be sure that there were performing arts classes,” Castel said, describing what people can learn about emotions, connection and the world through the arts.
A chance discovery
Lottimer became involved with DVO years later, after moving to the area during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I came here to be away from COVID in L.A. I had a company in L.A. and it got bad,” he recalled.
One day, while at a laundromat, he noticed an unusual building.
“There was a fisherman down there, and I said, ‘What is that building? Because it fascinated me. … It looked like a theater to me.’”
He eventually returned and found Castel and Dvorken on a ladder putting in a ceiling.
“I introduced myself and said, ‘Is this a theater?’” Lottimer recalled.
The encounter led to a tour and eventually his involvement with the organization. His first impression of Castel and DVO’s other leaders was memorable.
“Either you two are the craziest two women I’ve ever met in my life… or the most courageous,” he told them.
For Lottimer, the theater quickly became more than a building.
“It basically becomes your home,” he said. “If you have partners together like we do, then it becomes a home… a place that you can retreat in a world… that you trust.”
Making opera accessible
For Dvorken, who has loved singing since childhood, DVO represents a chance to share an art form she cares deeply about.
“I kind of consider it my fourth act,” she said.
Her mission is to introduce opera to people who may never have experienced it.
“My passion is to bring this art form to people that go, ‘I don’t like opera.’ Why? How do you know? How many have you ever seen?”
DVO performs operas in English to help audiences connect with the story.
“If you don’t understand the words, then you can’t understand the story,” Dvorken said. “And once you understand the story, then the music makes the story clearer and bigger and gives you the emotion.”
The organization also welcomes local singers and gives them opportunities to perform alongside professional artists.
“We love to include people,” Dvorken said. “They get a chance to sing something different.”
Delaware Valley Opera: More than opera
Over the years, DVO has also developed programming beyond traditional opera. Through Arts Nest and other events, the organization presents concerts, open mics and different forms of live performance.
The goal is to create a place where people feel welcome, whether they come specifically for opera or simply want to experience live arts.
Lottimer sees that broader mission as essential to DVO’s future.
“It’s not about just selling seats,” he said. “It’s about actually building a place that people want to come to.”
The community itself has become part of the organization. DVO relies on volunteers, including local families who host visiting singers during productions. Dvorken calls them “platinum volunteers,” noting that performers and hosts often remain friends after the production ends.
Building for the future
Keeping a small arts organization going for decades has required creativity and resourcefulness.
Castel remembers making productions with whatever was available. “The cheapest set that I ever made was $1.37,” she said.
The organization learned to work with limited resources while gradually putting more investment into performers and musicians.
“Amateurs bring enthusiasm. Professionals bring the craft,” Castel said.
Today, the leaders see sustainability as the next important chapter.
“The dream is to become sustainable,” Castel said, “to have enough funding… to present it better, to have more of an experience for the audience.”
That future will also require more people to become involved.
“We need to have more volunteers to help,” Castel said. “We have a very active board including Suzann, Barclay, Carol Diefenbach, Debra Courtright, and me. We are all committed and devoted to the company, but it’s the family of volunteers that make it all work. We can’t have enough dedicated volunteers.”
Lottimer sees the opportunity to build on DVO’s history while broadening its identity as a professional theater and arts destination.
“We’ve got to create. That’s it. It’s that simple,” he said.
The directors of the company agree that the future of DVO depends on bringing people together through live performance.
“We want to open our arms to people, inclusive, and love people, and include them in what we’re doing here because we all need it so badly,” Lottimer said.
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