About

As the longtime Lighting Director at the Washington National Opera, A.J. has designed more than 40 productions, including Macbeth, Il trovatore, Don Giovanni, Gods & Mortals, and The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson. His work at WNO also includes six world-premiere operas—An American Soldier, Penny, Better Gods, The Dictator’s Wife, Proving Up, and Taking Up Serpents—as well as 39 world-premiere one-act operas, numerous galas, and special events.

At The Kennedy Center, A.J. works as a key lighting designer across opera, theater, and musical events. Recent projects include: The Kennedy Center at 50 (broadcast nationally on PBS); On Stage at the Opera House—a six-month pandemic-era series that transformed the Opera House by building a stage over the seats and placing a limited audience onstage; A Time to Sing with Renée Fleming and Vanessa Williams; Love Letters, starring Martin Sheen and Melissa Fitzgerald.

A.J. is widely respected for his work as a revival and remount lighting designer. He’s recreated and adapted dozens of major productions for designers such as Chris Akerlind, Mark McCullough, and Bruno Poet—including La traviata, La bohème, Champion, The Lion, the Unicorn and Me, Porgy and Bess, and West Side Story, both nationally and internationally. He is known for preserving a designer’s original intent while skillfully adapting productions to meet each venue’s artistic and technical needs.

His scenic design for Godspell! at Flint Repertory Theatre—staged in a swimming pool—earned BroadwayWorld's Best Scenic Design award. His scenic work shows the same architectural sensibility, collaboration, and inventive use of space that define his lighting.

Known for working quickly and collaboratively under pressure, A.J. brings a strong artistic point of view and technical precision to every project. He delivers expressive, polished designs across traditional and non-traditional performance spaces alike.

His work has received multiple honors, including eight Helen Hayes Award nominations for Outstanding Lighting and/or Scenic Design. He is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.