ALCINA
Music by Georg Friedrich Händel
Libretto by Antonio Fanzaglia
William Lumpkin, Conductor
Fenlon Lamb, Stage Director
Peyton Tavares, Scenic Design
Sandra Zhihan Jia, Costume Design
Margaret Garrity, Lighting Design
Sienna Siciliano, Stage Manager
Annie Kao, Production Manager
Allison Voth, Principal Coach & Chorus Master
Matthew Larson, Coach & Harpsichordist
Kimly Wang, Répétiteur
Oshin Gregorian, Managing Director
There will be one 15-minute intermission.
Edited for
the
Halle Händel Edition by Siegfried Flesch
Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, U.S. and Canadian agent for Baerenreiter-Verlag, publisher and copyright owner.
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CAST OF CHARACTERS
Alcina..............................*Helena Losada, +Kira Kaplan
Jiayu Li, cover
Ruggiero.............................*Alexis Peart, +Sarah Zieba
Philip Lee, cover
Morgana.................*Margaret Matejcek, +Madeleine Lew
Yomi Park, cover
Bradamante......................*Becca Allen, +Olivia Schurke
Laura Beth Couch, cover
Oronte............*Andrew Bearden Brown, +Nathaniel Bear
Marcus Huber, cover
Oberto.....................*Erin Shea Hogan, +Jordan Knapick
Gretchen Struckmeyer, Madalyn Ivy, covers
Melisso............................*Yunus Akbaş, +Wayne Arthur
Anthony Pilcher, cover
* Thursday Performers + Friday Performers
CHORUS
Kailey Berry, Laura Beth Couch, Chris Hunter, Marcus Huber, Madalyn Ivy, Jiayu Li, Rebecca Nehmeh, Anthony Pilcher, Annabrett Ruggiero, Gretchen Struckmeyer, Michaela Usher
< Find the full program including performer & designer bios by scanning this QR code with your phone camera.
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BOSTON UNIVERSITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
William Lumpkin, Conductor
Violin I
Misty Drake, concertmaster
Kuan-Pei Chen
An-Chi Lin
Sophia Janssen
Naeun Chaun
Cheng-Yeh Tsou
Violin II
Josefina Leonor Guzmán, principal
Rebecca Tozzie
Sofia Nangle
Yi-Cheng Shia
Elizabeth Meyers
Maya Lynn
Viola
Matthew Holzaepfel, principal
Deng Zhang
Rachael Lindsey
Ian Aistrup
Cello
Alexander Norberg, principal
Abigail Fabian
Xiezixuan Wu
Minyung Suh
Bass
Lillian Young, principal
Rui Xu
Oboe
Hannah Staudinger, principal
Mia Fasanello
Bassoon
Nora Cannizzaro, principal
Horn
Christopher Relyea, principal
Alicia Donlon
Continuo
Harpscord
Matthew Larson
Cello
Joel Osinga
Assistant Conductor
Fernando Gaggini
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PRODUCTION & DESIGN TEAM
Assistant Stage Manager............................Maddie Koury
Production Assistant.................................Andrew Green
Run Crew...............................Tiayna Harris, Chuqing Xu
Technical Director..................................Jeffery Petersen
Assistant Scenic Designer.....................Zoe Charbonneau
Properties Head..........................................Cleo Brooks
Assistant Costume Designer....................Sydney Hovasse
Wardrobe Supervisor...............................Penney Pinette
Wardrobe Head..........................................Larissa Foxx
Wardrobe Assistant………………………...............…Jules Trager
Shop Foreman & Draper………………..............….Evan Petrow
Draper………………………………....................…..Stacy Brannan
Crafts Lead……………..................Quinn Nayenezgni Barnes
First Hands…....................…Duncan Michael, Sofia Nastri, Julianna Devaney, Saber Stetson, Ava Luman, Esther O’Shea
Assistant Lighting Designer..........................Lena Broach
Lighting Programmer..............................India Silverman
Lighting Board Operator......................Dylan Gozdziewski
SOM Director of Production.............Christopher Dempsey
SOT Faculty Project Advisor.........................Mark Stanley
Supertitles.................................................Allison Voth
Tsai Center Production Manager....................JoLaine Hall
Tsai Center Production Specialist................Swati Agrawal, Lev K. Laverriere
House Manager.....................................Zachary Kautter
In honor of Opera Institute founder, Metropolitan Opera
Soprano and CFA Dean Emerita Phyllis Curtin, the following students have been named
Opera Institute Phyllis Curtin Artists for 2022-2023 ~
Kira Kaplan
Sarah Rogers
Phyllis Curtin Artists are chosen based on the qualities of professionalism, artistry, diligent study, and collegiality consistent with both the Opera Institute’s mission and Ms. Curtin’s example.
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SYNOPSIS
SETTING: Alcina’s enchanted island — created entirely by her sorcery to lure unwary travelers whom she seduces and subsequently turns into wild beasts and flora when she tires of their love.
ACT I
Bradamante arrives on Alcina’s island with her guardian Melisso in search of the great knight Ruggiero; Bradamante’s betrothed and Alcina’s newest victim. Disguised as her brother, Ricciardo, Bradamante possesses a magic ring with the power to break Alcina’s spell. The first person they meet is Morgana, Alcina’s sister, also a sorceress, though less powerful. Morgana is immediately smitten with ‘Ricciardo,’ much to the chagrin of her lover Oronte. Suddenly, Alcina conjures a beautiful castle complete with enchanted members of court. She arrives with Ruggiero who is completely besotted with the sorceress and appears to have no memory of his previous life. As the court disperses, young Oberto begs for help from Bradamante and Melisso. He is desperately searching for his father whom unbeknownst to him, Alcina has turned into a lion. Ruggiero returns in search of his enchantress. Bradamante and Melisso rebuke him for his desertion, but he cares only about Alcina and replies to their pleas with mocking laughter.
Meanwhile, Oronte, Morgana’s now jilted lover, confronts ‘Ricciardo’ and challenges him to a duel. Morgana stops the fight, and ‘Ricciardo’ argues the case for both sides. Thwarted, Oronte takes his frustration out on Ruggiero. He reveals that Alcina disposes of her former lovers by transforming them into wild animals and rocks. Oronte adds that Alcina has fallen in love with the new arrival, Ricciardo, so Ruggiero will be next on Alcina’s list to transform. Ruggiero is horrified. When Alcina tries to console him, Ruggiero explodes in anger and she’s left begging for his affection.
Bradamante (‘Ricciardo’) finally finds Ruggiero. Ruggiero insists that he despises ‘Ricciardo’ as they are rivals for Alcina’s favor. Meanwhile, Alcina tells Morgana that she plans to transform Ricciardo into a wild beast to prove her love for Ruggiero. Morgana rushes to Ricciardo and begs him to escape the island. ‘Ricciardo’ says he wishes to remain, as he loves another. Morgana believes it to be her, and celebrates with her triumphant aria “Tornami a vagheggiar.”
Melisso brings Ruggiero back to his senses by appearing as Atlante, Ruggiero’s former tutor. With the help of the magic ring from Bradamante, Ruggiero finally sees Alcina Melisso brings Ruggiero back to his senses by appearing as Atlante, Ruggiero’s former tutor. With the help of the magic ring from Bradamante, Ruggiero finally sees Alcina
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and her island as they truly are – a desert, peopled with monsters. Melisso tells Ruggiero to put his armor on and to return to Alcina as if nothing has happened. Ruggiero will ask for Alcina’s permission to go hunting which will allow him to escape unnoticed. Bradamante is hopeful about her reunion with Ruggiero but instead he mistakes her for just another of Alcina’s enchantments and threatens her life. Bradamante despairs; lashing out at the confused knight and begging the god of love to aid her in getting through to him. Ruggiero continues to doubt and chastise himself. Alcina questions Ruggiero’s motives but out of genuine love for the knight, grants him permission to go hunting. In the meantime, Morgana begs Alcina not to turn Ricciardo into a beast and Oberto pesters Alcina for more information about his father. Oronte finally realizes that Ricciardo, Melisso and Ruggiero are in some sort of alliance and warns Alcina. She begs the gods for solace and questions her great love for Ruggiero.
ACT II
Morgana and Oronte continue to plague each others’ thoughts. Ruggiero finally recognizes Bradamante and begs her forgiveness. They plan their escape. Ruggiero bids goodbye to the beautiful yet treacherous island. Morgana and Alcina realize they’ve been deceived, but it is too late: Alcina’s powers depend on illusion, and, as true love enters her life, her magic powers slip away. She tries to call up evil spirits to stop Ruggiero from leaving her, but to no avail.
Oronte and Morgana make efforts to rebuild their relationship; she begs forgiveness. He rebuffs her, but then admits that he still loves her. Alcina tries one last time to seduce Ruggiero. He isn’t moved so she curses him and warns that he will regret his decision. Melisso, Bradamante and Ruggiero meet to plan their attack on the island. Ruggiero leads them into battle. Oronte reports that all is lost and Ruggiero’s forces are winning. Alcina is left with nothing but her tears. Oberto confidently proclaims that he will soon find his father as promised by Alcina. The sorceress gives him a spear and commands him to first kill the lion before him. Oberto recognizes that lion as his father and fends off the barbarous Alcina.
Alcina is beset on all sides with the arrival of Ruggiero and Bradamante. She begs for their mercy but they refuse; she then plots their demise and refuses pity. Ruggiero, deaf to all her appeals, destroys the source of Alcina’s magical powers with the encouragement of Melisso and Oronte. Alcina’s magic palace crumbles to dust and she and Morgana are left powerless. Alcina’s captives are brought back to their human state and sing of their relief and joy. The entire company celebrates the heroic feats of the evening.
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ARTISTIC BIOS
William Lumpkin (Conductor). Lumpkin’s extensive repertoire and career have led to engagements with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Boston Lyric Opera, having previously served on the music staff for Los Angeles Opera, Aspen Opera Theatre, and Wolf Trap Opera. Additionally, Maestro Lumpkin led performances of the Mary Zimmerman production of Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei as part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s New Wave Festival, having previously conducted world premiere performances at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
Jonathan Dove’s Flight with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and again for Boston Lyric Opera, which Opera News praised, stating “Dove’s impressive score was conducted wonderfully by another veteran of the Saint Louis production, William Lumpkin.” Additional credits at St. Louis include La Bohème, The Magic Flute, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Hansel and Gretel. He also joined Boston Lyric Opera to conduct Così fan tutte. Of this production, Opera News stated “Lumpkin kept his players and singers under firm control, at the same time allowing them sufficient liberty to bring out nuances in their performances,” and the Boston Globe noted “His work had brio, style, and heart, and the orchestra played beautifully for him.”
As Associate Professor of Music and the Artistic Director and Conductor for the Opera Institute at Boston University, he has conducted over 40 opera productions, including a co-production with Glimmerglass Opera of E. Loren Meeker’s production of Janacek’s “The Cunning Little Vixen”, a co-commission with New York City Opera of Tobias Picker’s chamber version of his opera “Dolores Claiborne”, and a concert version of “Vanessa” with Boston University alum Lauren Flanigan. He has also appeared as guest conductor at Indiana University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a pianist, Mr. Lumpkin collaborated with Juliana Gondek recording Roger Bourland’s “Four Quartets of Songs and Arias” for Navona Records. A native of Lewisburg, PA, Mr. Lumpkin holds a BM from the Eastman School of Music, an MM in Conducting from UCSB, and a D.M.A. from the University of Southern California.
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Fenlon Lamb was recognized by The Kansas City Star as “one of the most creative forces in Kansas City…presenting satisfying and ingenious productions.” Seen and Heard International praised her “well-honed theatrical sensibility.” Fenlon is the co-creator and Artistic Director of Papermoon Opera Productions that she launched with her artistic partner, Jefferson Ridenour. Together they have created unique, ecologically responsible productions from alternative materials for companies across the US including: Il barbieri di Siviglia with Amarillo Opera and Opera Delaware, Madama Butterfly for Inland NW Opera, Carmen for Annapolis Opera, and Don Giovanni with Pensacola Opera. Papermoon’s La voix humaine r eceived first place in the National Opera Association competition and their flagship production of Hänsel und Gretel was remounted at Palm Beach Opera and Amarillo Opera.
A frequent collaborator with Arizona Opera, she directed the world premiere production of Riders of the Purple Sage and returned to the company for a “fantastic revival of this timely western” (Opera Wire). In recent seasons, Fenlon directed new productions of Charlie Parker’s Yardbird for Arizona Opera and Scalia/Ginsburg for Opera Delaware. She returned to Palm Beach Opera for L’Elisir d’Amore and Così fan tutte and Madison Opera for Lucia di Lammermoor. She debuted at New Orleans Opera with a new production of La Bohème last season and remounted Charlie Parker’s Yardbird at Dayton Opera with Director/Choreographer Du’Bois A’Keen.
Fenlon has directed Carmen for Pensacola Opera, Annapolis Opera, North Carolina Opera, Mill City Summer Opera and Dayton Opera along with productions of Tosca, La Bohème, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Don Pasquale for Palm Beach Opera. Other highlights include, Der Fliegende Höllender for Opera Carolina with Greer Grimsley in the title role and Werther with Gran Wilson at Mobile Opera. As the Director of Opera and Vocal Programming of the Bar Harbor Music Festival, Fenlon has designed and directed engaging productions of Carmen, L’elisir d’amore, Madama Butterfly, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro, La bohème, La Cenerentola, Don Giovanni and Hänsel und Gretel.
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Oshin Gregorian is the Managing Director and Producer for the Boston University Opera Institute. Previous positions include Director of Operations with the ProArte Chamber Orchestra, and General Manager for Collage New Music. Mr. Gregorian holds a BM in vocal performance from Boston University, a MM in vocal performance from Manhattan School of Music, and is a graduate of the Opera Institute with honors. With the Opera Institute, he has been seen as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Il Podesta in La Finta Giardiniera, and Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, among others. He has performed in numerous concerts and oratorio works with ensembles such as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus/Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Newburyport Choral Society, and Boston Youth Symphony, among others. Mr. Gregorian made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2005 under the auspices of Music Armenia.
Matthew Larson received his Doctorate in Collaborative Piano from Arizona State University under the tutelage of Eckart Sellheim. An accomplished recitalist, Dr. Larson has played over 1,000 performances in the US and Europe. He has worked with such varied artists as Metropolitan Opera stars Carol Vaness, Maria Spacagna, Eric Owens, and Lawrence Brownlee; Academy of Ancient Music director Christopher Hogwood; vocal pedagogy pioneer Richard Miller; and the eminent collaborative artist Dalton Baldwin, with whom Matthew was invited to study in New York. Past positions include Assistant Conductor for Boston Lyric Opera; Music Director for the University of Connecticut Opera Program; Staff Pianist for Yale University Opera; Vocal Coach at Brown University; Staff Pianist for The American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria; Music Director of Opera Providence; Vocal Coach at Walnut Hill School for the Arts; Pianist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Festival Chorus; Music Director of Cape Cod Opera; and Vocal Coach for Tanglewood Institute’s Young Artist Vocal Program. Currently, Dr. Larson is on faculty at Boston University; Music Director of Seaglass Theater Company of New Bedford MA; and Minister of Music at First Congregational Church of Milton, Massachusetts. In January 2020
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he earned a Grammy Award as pianist on Boston Modern Opera Project’s recording of Tobias Picker’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Allison Voth is an Associate Professor of Music at Boston University and Principal Coach at BU’s Opera Institute. A well-known coach with a specialty in diction, she has worked with such companies and festivals as Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Boston, Chautauqua Opera, Opera North, Opera Unlimited, The Florence Voice Seminar, and the Athens Music Festival. Also a recognized supertitlist, her titles have been used nationwide, including at Washington Opera and the Chicago Symphony, and, internationally, at the Barbican Festival in London. As a specialist in the music of Paul Bowles, in 1992, she produced and performed in a multi-media performance piece entitled Paul Bowles: One Man, Two Voices at Merkin Hall in New York, and in 1995, she premiered a set of piano preludes in the EOS Ensemble’s Bowles Festival. Ms. Voth is also the Music Director of the Cantata Singers’ Chamber Series and can be heard on CRI recordings.
Lena Broach (she/her) is a 2nd year Lighting Design major and sorceress from North Aurora, IL. She has worked on Let the Right One In, Once, and El Nogalar this year, and she is especially proud of Alcina. She also serves as the Vice President of BU’s Trans Listening Circle. Lena would like to thank her friends, her family, and her partner, Echo, for their support! See more of her work at https://lenalighting.wixsite.com/design
Cleo Brooks is a Sophomore Scenic Design student at Boston University, who has worked on multiple shows including Mankind (props), Little Rowboat (assistant designer, props), and El Nogolar (Assistant designer). She is also a player on BU’s Quadball team, and creates graphic design work for their social media, including their new logo. Cleo would like to thank Zoe Charbonneau, Jeffery Peterson, Lily Bitner, and Peyton for all of the support on the production of Alcina! IG: @cleobrooks.png
Zoe Charbonneau (she/her) is a Theatre Arts major at Boston University and is super excited to working on Alcina! She would love to thank Peyton and Cleo, as well
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as the rest of the design/production team for all of their hard work!
Fernando Gaggini is currently pursuing his Orchestral Conducting DMA at Boston University under the guidance of James Burton. In July 2023 he will be attending Le Domaine-Forget de Charlevoix conducting program with Mtros. Yannick Nezet-Seguin and Kensho Watanabe in Canada. During spring 2023 he conducted Gabriela Lena Frank’s Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout, Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo and Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings in concert at BU and served as assistant conductor for Mahler’s Symphony No.2 ‘Resurrection’ at Symphony Hall. Last October, Gaggini conducted the production of Daniel Catán’s opera ‘La Hija de Rappacini’ as part of the 2022 Fringe Festival. In the 2021/2022 season he conducted Schumann’s Genoveva overture and Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony in concert, and was assistant conductor in the mainstage production of Jake Heggie’s If I Were You. In 2019 he studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Marcus Bosch and Georg Fritzsch. During his time in Germany, he studied piano-coaching with Wolf Storz and conducted the Münchener Kammerorchester, Münchner Symphoniker, Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau, Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock and Bad Reichenhaller Philharmoniker. Gaggini holds a MM degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music with Mark Gibson and Aik-Khai Pung as his mentors. He participated in masterclasses with Ken Lam and Neil Varon. As part of Opera Bootcamp summer program in 2018 he conducted Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, he graduated from his Bachelor in Orchestral Conducting at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina in 2015, where he studied with Carlos Vieu.
Margaret Garrity (she/her) is a first year MFA candidate in the Lighting Design program at Boston University. Recent Lighting Design credits include Save The Whales (Boston University), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Pace University), Down In The Holler (Stella Adler Studio of Acting), Blood, Sweat, Tears (The Tank NYC), and Over the Rainbow: The Rock Ballet
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(Playwrights Horizons). She has recently been nominated and won the award for Best Lighting Design at the 2019 New York Summer Theatre Festival. Check out her website!: www.margaretgarritydesign.com
Sydney Hovasse (she/her) is a Costume Design major at Boston University, who has worked on the Boston University productions of Our Town (Assistant Costume Designer), Little Women (Crafts Team), and Shakespeare in Love (Wardrobe Crew Head). She was also the Costume Designer for the BU student-led production of Mother May I at the Boston Center for the Arts. Sydney would like to thank her family and friends for all their support, and everyone in the costume department for their incredible work on this production!
Sandra Zhihan Jia (she/her/hers) is a costume designer and Master's candidate (MFA '23) in costume design at Boston University, having graduated with a BA in Drama from the University of California, Irvine. Her recent designs include The Chinese Lady at Central Square Theatre, nominated for an Elliot Norton Award, and productions at BU, such as Gone Nowhere, Incels and Other Myths at Boston Playwrights' Theatre. In addition to her theatre work, she designed and worked in various Asian film and media projects and university productions. For more information, please visit her website at sandrazh.com.
Annie Kao (they/them) is a Boston based production manager, accessibility consultant, and photographer. They are currently the Managing Director of OWLL, a social justice artist collaborative. They are in their last year at BU completing an MFA in Theatre Production Management. In their spare time they like creating both functional and sculptural ceramics. annie-kao.com
Maddie Koury (She/Her) is a second year, transfer Stage Management major. She worked as the ASM for Mankind and El Nogalar. She is excited to have had the opportunity to work on Alcina and is grateful for the experience.
Sienna Siciliano (She/Her) is a junior Stage Management major at Boston University. She has worked on numerous BU productions such as Our Town, Three
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Sisters, Exit The King, The Legend of Georgia McBride, and Patterns of Wind.
Peyton Tavares is a second-year MFA Theatre Design candidate (MFA’24) in Scenic Design. She achieved her Undergraduate degree from Marymount Manhattan College with a dual concentration in Scenic Design and Directing. She is thrilled to have worked on this show and feels very lucky to be a part of this process. Her recent credits include: Let The Right One In (Boston University in conjunction with Actors Shakespeare Project) OTP (Boston Playwrights Theatre). And Jado Jehad (Boston Playwrights Theatre) She wants to thank Zoe, Cleo, and Jeffery for making this show. Website: Peytontavares.com Instagram: Peyton5656
Born in China, pianist Kimly Mengyin Wang studied at Musikgymnasium C.P. E. Bach in Berlin, Germany, before immigrating to Canada. She is currently pursuing the Doctor in Musical Arts degree in collaborative piano at Boston University under the tutelage of Shiela Kibbe. Kimly holds a Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano and a Bachelor’s degree in Solo Piano Performance from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. She studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she received a performance diploma. She was the continuo player for Opera Institute’s production of Così fan tutte, ensemble pianist for Catán’s Rappaccini’s Daughter, and she has been enjoying working with the Opera Institute again on the production of Alcina as répétiteur. As an emerging young artist, Kimly has appeared on stage in North America, Europe, and China, playing in a broad range of settings including solo recitals, chamber music concerts, and opera performances. She was the prize winner of the KAWAI Music Competition and Germany Youth Music Competition. Kimly maintains a strong interest in vocal repertoire, which has been enhanced through her work as vocal coach and répétiteur.
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PERFORMER BIOS
Yunus Akbas, baritone, is in his second year at the Opera Institute where he studies with David Guzman. He has sung the roles of John Brooke in Little Women, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte, Paul in If I Were You, Charles Babbage in The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace, and Mr. Webb in Our Town with the Opera Institute. In 2019, Yunus completed his BM in Opera and Concert Singing at Haliç University. Recently in January of 2023 he received an encouragement award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont competition in the Los Angeles District.
Becca Allen (Bradamante), a Seattle-born mezzo-soprano, is a first-year P.D. in Voice student studying with Dr. Lynn Eustis. She received her M.M. in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her past roles include Meg in Little Women with BU’s Opera Institute, Carmen in Carmen, La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica, Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos, Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, The Narrator/Mysterious Man in Into the Woods, among others.
Baritone Wayne Arthur is an artist with a heart-felt intelligence concerned with telling new stories and re-imagining older ones. Recent engagements include Baritone 1 in Anthony Davis’ X:The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Detroit Opera, Odyssey Opera). Wayne was in the Ensemble of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut up in my Bones, (Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago) which won a 2023 Grammy Award for Best Opera Record. During the Fall of 2022, Wayne covered soloist Davóne Tines in MacArthur Grant recipient Tyshawn Sorey’s Monochromatic Light: Afterlife at the Park Avenue Armory directed by Peter Sellars. Wayne was in the Ensemble of Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess (Metropolitan Opera) which won a 2021 Grammy Award. Past credits include Jonathan González’ Lucifer Landing II (Abrons’ Art Center), Errollyn Wallen’s Liverpool Crossing (the cell), Kathleen Battle’s Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey (Metropolitan Opera), Missy Mazzoli’s Songs from the Uproar (LA Opera), Courtney Bryan’s Yet Unheard (National Sawdust). While at the Opera Institute, Wayne has performed the roles of Dr. Rappaccini in Daniel Catan’s La Hija de Rappaccini and John Brooke in Mark Adamo’s Little Women. Future
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engagements include Missa in Angustiis with Coro Allegroon May 7 at Sanders Theater in Cambridge, Ragtime with Boston Pops at Symphony Hall on May 12 & 13 and at Tanglewood on July 8. During the winter of 2024, Wayne will reprise the role of Baritone 1 in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at Seattle Opera. https://www. waynearthur.me/ @waynethur
Nathaniel Bear, tenor, from Melville, NY is currently pursuing his Performance Diploma as a part of the Boston University Opera Institute in the studio of Penelope Bitzas. He began his work at BU singing the role of Giovanni in the 2022 Fringe Festival production of La hija de Rappaccini. Nathaniel has earned degrees in Voice Performance from The Eastman School of Music and Northwestern University, where he performed roles such as Rodolfo in La Boheme, David in the Midwest premier of Jake Heggie’s If I Were You, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, The Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd, and Gérard in Les Enfants Terribles. He made his professional debut with Oswego Opera, singing the role of Alfred in Die Fledermaus. While at Eastman, Nathaniel also sang the role of Strephon in Iolanthe with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the tenor solo in Britten’s War Requiem. For his graduate studies at Northwestern, he was awarded the Eckstein Scholarship. He has also been a finalist in the Classical Singer Competition. Recently, Nathaniel appeared as Don José in Seaglass Theater Company’s production of La Tragédie de Carmen. This summer, Nathaniel will join the Tanglewood Music Center as a Vocal Fellow.
Soprano Kailey Berry is a musician in search of truthful storytelling expressed through the universal language of music. Originally from San Diego, California, Berry is a first-year master’s student under the tutelage of Matthew DiBattista. She earned her BM in Vocal Performance at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. In her most recent appearance, Berry performed as part of the flower trio in Boston University’s production of La Hija de Rappaccini. She has sung with professional ensembles such as Point Loma Opera Theatre, Lyric Stage, and the Carpe Diem String Quartet. Berry has also performed internationally at the Alba Music Festival, Cremona Music Festival, and at Accademia Musicale Chigiana. Proven to be a versatile singer, Berry is best known for her opera, jazz, country, and musical theatre styles. In addition, she has also made appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show
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and The Brandywine Film Festival. Berry has a passion for teaching the next generation of musicians and is currently the Early Childhood Music Specialist at Brookline Music School. She has extensive experience teaching all ages from toddlers to adults and has taught voice and piano at music schools such as Lakewood Conservatory, Park Cities School of Music, Zhen Music & Arts Institute, and Lake Highlands School of Music in Dallas, TX. In her free time you can find her practicing yoga or baking homemade cookies.
Tenor Andrew Bearden Brown is in his first year pursuing a Performance Diploma at the BU Opera Institute under the tutelage of Dr. Lynn Eustis. Hailing from Washington DC, he debuted with the Opera Institute as the Stage Manager in Rorem’s Our Town and later appeared as Laurie in Adamo’s Little Women. Andrew’s solo concert appearances for the season included Handel’s Messiah with Ensemble Altera and with Tempesta di Mare, as well as with Ashmont Hill Chamber Music for Bach’s St. John Passion as Evangelist. He has also appeared as a soloist with ensembles such as Washington National Cathedral Choir, Academy of Ancient Music, and Voces8. Recent operatic roles include Torquemada in Ravel’s L’heure espagnole (Royal College of Music) and Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Felici Opera). Upcoming performances include Marzio in Mozart’s Mitridate with Opera Neo in San Diego this July. Andrew received his early music education as a boy chorister at Washington National Cathedral. Later he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Brown University, as well as a master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the Royal College of Music. In 2023, he received the William Grogan Award in the Oratorio Society of New York’s Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition at Carnegie Hall and won the Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra’s Collegiate Vocal Competition.
Laura Beth Couch, mezzo-soprano, from New Jersey, is a first-year Performance Diploma candidate who studies with James Demler. Laura earned a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from Shenandoah University, and she earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Rutgers University. This past winter, Laura performed as Friedrich Bhaer in the Opera Institute’s production of Little Women. In the fall, she was ensemble for Our Town. With Opera in the Ozarks, she performed the roles of Dorothée in
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Cendrillon and Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor. At Shenandoah University, Laura performed as Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Hannah After in As One. At Rutgers University, she performed La Chatte in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. Coming up in May, Laura will be the mezzo-soprano soloist for the Commonwealth Chorale’s Spring Concert. Additionally, she will be the mezzosoprano soloist for Charles River Chorale’s performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria. Over the Summer, Laura will a young artist at Bay View Music Festival in Michigan. She will perform La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Maestra della Novizie and Suora Infermiera in Suor Angelica, and Babette in Beauty and the Beast.
Erin Hogan, soprano, is a Master of Voice student under the tutelage of Dr. Lynn Eustis. Previously at BU, Erin sang the role of Amy in Adamo’s Little Women, was a cover for Selena and in the chorus of Jake Heggie’s If I Were You. She has performed excerpts of Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice as Eurydice, Yolanda in El Caminante by Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes, and Emily in Our Town by Ned Rorem. In addition to her participation in BU Opera, Erin is a chorister at the Church of the Advent and a Compassion in Action Fellow supported by the Namchak Foundation, a lineage of Tibetan Buddhism based in Montana.
Marcus Huber, tenor, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania is a second-year Masters student from the studio of Penelope Bitzas. With the Opera Institute, Marcus has performed the roles of Laurie in Little Women, George Gibbs in Our Town, David in If I Were You, and William in The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace. Other past roles include Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Detlef in The Student Prince, Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus, and Pisandro in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria. Marcus has been named a winner in the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and OperaLancaster young artist competitions, and will perform with Opera Neo this summer.
Madalyn Ivy is a soprano from Kansas City, Missouri in the first year of her Master’s of Music degree under the tutelage of Dr. Lynn Eustis. She earned her Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance from Roosevelt University in 2021. Previously, she performed in the chorus of Ned Rorem’s Our Town at Boston University and the role Babs in
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Daron Hagen’s Just for the Night at Roosevelt University. This summer she will be traveling to the Czech Republic to perform the role of Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Prague Summer Nights. She would like to thank her parents, Tamara and Bryan, her brother, Andrew, and her partner, Bart, for their continued support.
Praised for her “vocal power”, “youthful allure”, and “clear, piercing, coloratura virtuosity,” American soprano Kira Kaplan is quickly gaining momentum and laud in the opera world. She was most recently seen as the New England Region Finalist and Boston District Winner of the 2023 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Council Auditions and the First Place Winner of the Artist Division in the 2022 Camille Coloratura Competition. This spring and summer will feature several title role debuts including Alcina in Handel’s Alcina with the Boston Opera Institute and Violetta Valery in Verdi’s La Traviata with Brevard Music Center and the Janiec Opera Company. As a Young Artist with the Boston Opera Institute, her roles have included Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte), Diana (If I Were You), and Emily Webb(Our Town) and looks forward to a 2023 debut in the title role of Alcina. Previously performed roles include Madame Herz (Impresario), Le Feu (L’enfant et les sortilèges), and Anne Truelove (The Rake’s Progress). This past season she made her Symphony Hall debut as the soprano soloist in the Brahms Requiem as well as the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra. In February 2022, Kira was a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a winner in the Annapolis Opera Competition. This fall, Kira will be making her international debut as a Young Artist with the UK National Opera Studio.
Jordan Knapick is a soprano from Rockford, IL, currently studying under the tutelage of Dr. Lynn Eustis. She is a first-year Master of Music in Voice Performance student at BU and is very excited to perform her first role with the Opera Institute. Jordan previously received a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and Music Theater from Oklahoma City University, where she studied under Jeffrey Picón. She was seen in the chorus of Rorem’s Our Town last semester at BU, and other previous roles include Lisette in Puccini’s La Rondine and Anne Egerman in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (Opera in the Ozarks), Queen
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of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (LAH-SOW), and Cendrillon in Massenet’s Cendrillon (Oklahoma City University). She was recently awarded the 2nd place winner in the Advanced Classical Treble category of New England NATS in 2023, and she has been a district qualifier the last two years for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. She will attend OperaFest Sewanee this upcoming summer as an Emerging Artist.
Madeleine Lew, soprano, is a Los Angeles native completing her first year as a member of Boston University’s Opera Institute in the studio of Penelope Bitzas. This season, she performed the role of Amy in Little Women, and title role of Beatriz in La Hija de Rappaccini. Previously, Madeleine has sung the role of the Bear in Pulkiss’s world premiere of All the Truths We Cannot See: A Chernobyl Story, Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice, and Yniold in Pelleas et Mélisande among others. She is a 2023 Boston District Winner of the Laffont Metropolitan Opera Competition and has won awards from James Toland Vocal Arts and East Bay Opera League.
Jiayu Li, is a soprano originally from Kunming, China. She is a first-year Performance Diploma student under the tutelage of Professor Penelope Bitzas. Jiayu received her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Master of Music in Voice Performance from Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where she was the recipient of the Artistic Excellence Award. Her recent engagements with Peabody Opera Theatre include Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Helene in Hin und Zurück, and Lady with the Cake Box in Postcard from Morocco in honor of Peabody Composition Department’s 150th Anniversary. She has also appeared as the soprano soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Boston Conservatory Orchestra. Jiayu made her company debut with Opera Steamboat, Colorado, in 2021 as Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito. She returned to Opera Steamboat in June 2022 for her role debut as Musetta in La Bohème. This spring, Jiayu can be seen in the role of Betsey Morey in Jodi Goble’s Whaling Women at BU and covering the title role of Alcina with Opera Institute. Jiayu has also been named the finalist in American Virtuoso International Music Competition and a semi-finalist in Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy International Vocal Competition.
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Helena Losada, soprano, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and grew up in Brazil. In May, she will be graduating as a Master of Voice under the tutelage of Matthew DiBattista. Helena earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. During her time in Brazil, she performed several times as soloist with the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra (OSPA) and the Theatro São Pedro Chamber Orchestra (OCTSP). In 2019, she won 2nd Prize in the Maria Callas International Singing Competition. Last summer, in addition to joining SongFest as a Young Artist and Colburn Foundation Fellow, she performed Pamina and covered Adele with the Berlin Opera Academy. With Boston University, Helena has performed Despina in Mozart's "Così fan Tutte", and covered Beatriz in Catán's "La hija de Rappaccini". She is now singing the title role in Händel's "Alcina". This Summer, Helena will join Opera in the Ozarks to perform the roles of Adina in "L'Elisir d'Amore" and Diane in "Orphée aux Enfers". In the Fall of 2023, she will join University of Houston to pursue a Certificate in Performance degree.
Margaret Matejcek is a soprano from Minneapolis, Minnesota currently finishing her final year of her master’s degree at Boston University. While at BU, she has enjoyed opportunities such as performing in Our Town (Mrs. Webb), If I Were You (Young Woman), two opera scenes performances, and as a soprano soloist in Mozart’s Waisenhausmesse with the Boston University Choirs and Chamber Orchestra. Margaret was also a winner of the 2022 BU at Carnegie Hall competition and represented the voice department in a recital at Carnegie Hall. In addition to her accomplishments at BU, favorite roles include Venus (Venus and Adonis), Yum-Yum (Mikado - adapted), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), Suor Genevieffa (Suor Angelica), and more. She has performed with companies such as Miami Classical Music Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, Source Song Festival, Brooklyn Music School, Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company, and Minnesota Chorale, and looks forward to performing with Minnesota Opera this winter in their production of L’elisir d’amore. Margaret won second place in the 2018 MN-NATS and 2019 Thursday Musical Competitions, and was named a semi-finalist in the 2021 Orpheus Vocal Compe
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tition. Margaret is also co-founder and artistic director of Imaginality Opera, an educational opera curriculum for elementary-aged students. Margaret holds a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and is currently a student of Penelope Bitzas.
Rebecca Nehmeh, mezzo-soprano, is a first year MM student at Boston University, under the instruction of James Demler. Rebecca was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and attended Brooklyn Music School’s Summer Vocal Arts for three summers following her undergraduate studies as a soprano, earning the roles of Eglé from Gluck’s “Écho et Narcisse” and Bastienne from Mozart’s “Bastien und Bastienne.” Following her time at LaGuardia Arts HS, she received her BM from Rutgers University, under the instruction of Finnish soprano, Taina Kataja and continued her studies with Professors Amy Burton and Cyndia Sieden post-grad.
Mezzo-soprano Alexis Peart is a second-year Master of Voice student a Boston University studying with Penelope Bitzas. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and a two-time alumna of the Wolf Trap Opera Studio Artist Program (2020/2021), Alexis was a 2022 winner of BU’s Carnegie Hall Competition. This season, Alexis performs as the Voice of Israel in R. Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses with the Rochester Oratorio Society, Jo in Mark Adamo’s Little Women, Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina with the Boston University Opera Institute, and as the mezzo soloists in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the BU Symphony Orchestra. Alexis then joins Chautauqua Opera as a 2023 Young Artist, where she covers the role of Carmen in La tragédie de Carmen. Especially apt with new music, Alexis debuted the role of Ada Lovelace in the world premiere workshop of Elena Ruehr’s The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage with Guerilla Opera and presented the first live performance of Love in the Time Of, a new song cycle commissioned by Boston Opera Collaborative. She appeared on the Grammy-nominated recording of Anthony Davis’ X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X produced by Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera, and on
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several art song recordings released by PARMA Recordings LLC. Recent operatic highlights include Brittomara in Jake Heggie’s If I Were You (Boston University Opera Institute), the title role Handel’s Giulio Cesare (Chicago Summer Opera), and Der Trommler in Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Eastman Opera Theater).
Anthony Pilcher, baritone, from Buffalo, New York, is a second-year masters student under the tutelage of James Demler. Anthony earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance and Music Education from Ithaca College. With the Opera Institute, Anthony has performed the roles of Gideon March/Mr. Dashwood in Little Women, Dr. Rappaccini in La hija de Rappaccini, Jonathan in If I were you, and The Butler in The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace, and covered the role of Melisso in Alcina. Previously, Anthony has performed the roles of Marcello in La Bohème, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and Dottore Malatesta in Don Pasquale. This summer, Anthony will be a Vocal Fellow at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, IL.
Annabrett Ruggiero, Mezzo-Soprano, is from Orlando, Florida, and is a first-year Master of Voice Student studying under Matthew DiBattista.She has previously performed the roles of Zita in Gianni Schicchi, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Emma Jones in Street Scene, and First Lady in Die Zauberflöte. In 2021 Annabrett became a winner of Stetson University’s Giffin Competition. Additionally, she was granted the honor of representing the voice department in the Stetson Showcase.
Olivia Schurke is a mezzo-soprano from St. Paul, Minnesota pursuing a Masters degree in Vocal Performance at Boston University in the studio of Penelope Bitzas. She has performed several roles with the Opera Institute at Boston University, most recently as Meg in Little Women, and Isabela in La Hija de Rappaccini. During her first year at BU she performed the roles of Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Taller Daughter in Proving Up. In addition to singing, Oivia began studying violin at age 3 and continues to play for enjoyment.
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Gretchen Struckmeyer, soprano, from Raleigh, North Carolina, is a first year Master of Voice student under the tutelage of James Demler. She was seen in the chorus of Adamo’s Little Women and as Lady in the Balcony in Our Town (both at BU). Previous roles outside BU include Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte (both with Appalachian Opera Theatre). She is the winner of the Hayes School of Music Concerto/Aria Competition (Boone, NC) as well as a semifinalist for the Heafner/Williams Competition (Lincolnton, NC).
Sarah Zieba is a Polish-American mezzo-soprano who is currently a part of the Boston University Opera Institute studying with Penelope Bitzas. She recently received her Master of Music at Northwestern University in Voice and Opera Performance. She received a BM in Voice and BA in Biohemistry from there as well. In past summers, Zieba attended the Chautauqua Institution for Voice where she was the mezzo soloist in Mendelssohn's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and performed on recitals coached by Craig Rutenberg and Ricky Ian Gordon. In 2018 she performed Mrs. Grose in Britten's Turn of the Screw with the Northwestern Opera Theater and had the lead role of Brittomara in Jake Heggie’s Midwest premiere of If I Were You in February 2022. With the Opera Institute, she sang the role of Isabela in Daniel Catán’s “La Hija de Rappaciini”, Jo in Mark Adamo’s “Little Women,” and Ruggiero in Handel’s “Alcina.” Recently, she won the RICCO Collegiate Vocal Competitionand will be featured as the alto soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra next spring. Previously, Zieba has performed in masterclasses with Marlena Malas, Brian Zeger, and Barbara Bonney. She is originally from Orland Park, Illinois.
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BOSTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
Established in 1954, Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a community of artist-scholars and scholar-artists who are passionate about the fine and performing arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through art. With programs in music, theatre, and visual arts, CFA prepares students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective, and think broadly. CFA offers a wide array of precollege, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as a range of online degrees and certificates. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF MUSIC: OPERA INSTITUTE
The Opera Institute at CFA School of Music is an intensive, highly selective two-year performance-based training program for emerging operatic artists. A professional faculty and renowned guest artists provide personal support and training in all areas pertinent to a career in opera, including voice, acting, languages, and movement styles. Additionally, the Opera Institute also selects undergraduate and graduate singers from the School of Music who demonstrate true operatic potential and have mastered an intermediate integration of acting, vocal, and movement skills for the Opera Theater, Opera Workshop, and Opera Project programs.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF THEATRE
The School of Theatre at the College of Fine Arts at Boston University is a leading conservatory for the study of acting, stage management, design, production, and all aspects of the theatre profession. These programs of study are enriched by the School’s access to the greater liberal arts programs at Boston University. The School of Theatre values the notion of “the new conservatory” and seeks to provide students with opportunities for artistic growth through a rigorous curriculum, professional connections, and an emphasis on collaboration and new work.
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS ADMINISTRATION
Harvey Young, Dean
Gregory Melchor-Barz, Director, School of Music
Susan Mickey, Director, School of Theatre
Dana Clancy, Director, School of Visual Arts
