NEIU - Opera Workshop

Northeastern Illinois University Department of Music presents

An

Opera Workshop Scene Recital Scenes from: Carmen, Louise, Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Fledermaus, Rigoletto & Violet

Directed by Sasha Gerritson Accompanied by Kay Kim & Jane Kenas-Heller

Performance running time: approximately 2 hours, 15 minutes (including one 15 minute intermission)

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L E T T E R F R O M T H E D I R E C TO R Dear friends, Thank you so much for being here tonight to celebrate and support this Opera Workshop Scene Recital presentation. The students have worked really hard on their singing, acting and language skills. This is a class where students can take the necessary steps to learn and develop as young artists, without the pressure of a full role or production. Much progress was made indeed!

I feel it is so important for students to have a safe, constructive learning environment that challenges them where they are today and encourages them to grow towards the singer/actor they aspire to be.

A very special and heart felt thanks to my friend and colleague Mr. Drew Waters for his assistance this semester. He is a brilliant choreographer and director. I am so grateful that he directed the scene from Violet. We had a wonderful time working together, yet again.

We had an amazing team helping the students flourish this semester. To our accompanists and musical coaches – Kay Kim, Jane Kenas-Heller and Paul Hamilton – you are fantastic!!! Thank you for helping us to make such beautiful music! To our outstanding technical team – Kay Lea Meyers, production leader extraordinaire, Bill Morey, costume designer, Chris Burpee, lighting designer, Sarah Linske, assistant to the director, Steve Zivin, concert coordinator, and the NEIU Auditorium staff and crew – we say a GIANT thanks!

So, to conclude I can only say mille grazie, merci beaucoup, muchas gracias, danke schön and in every other way thank you for making this show possible. In April 2013 we will present a full musical theatre production of Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim, after last year’s modern Opera, as it is our tradition to rotate every other year. Please keep in touch.

Fondly, Sasha Gerritson Director

N E I U D E PA R TM E N T O F M U S I C & T H E DA N C E P R O G R A M Offering Undergraduate Majors in:  Vocal or Instrumental Performance  Choral or Instrumental Music Education Offering Graduate Programs in:  Applied Vocal or Instrumental Pedagogy Offering Minors in:  Music  Dance Please contact Sasha Gerritson at S-Gerritson@neiu.edu or phone 773.442.5906 for more information **Scholarship auditions for new students to be held in March, 2013

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Northeastern Illinois University

A B O U T T H E O P E R A / M U S I C A L T H E AT R E P R O G R A M AT N E I U : About the OPERA/MUSICAL THEATRE Program at NEIU: In order to give our students a variety of experiences, as they go forward with their performing and teaching careers, an intentional four year repertoire rotation was established in 2007. In between major productions we supplement the student learning experience with scene recitals drawn from all types of repertoire.

YEAR ONE: Modern opera, sung in English.

YEAR TWO: Modern musical theater

YEAR THREE: Standard repertoire opera/operetta (sung in the original language, when possible)

YEAR FOUR: Standard/”legit” style musical theater.

2007- 2008 (Year one) Susannah by Carlisle Floyd The Medium by Gian Carlo Menotti 2008-2009 (Year two) Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim 2009-2010 (Year three) La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini (sung in original Italian) 2010-2011 (Year four) The Secret Garden by Lucy Simon 2011-2012 (Year one) A Christmas Carol by Ronald Combs Street Scene by Kurt Weill 2012-2013 (Year two) Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim

PROGR A M Program Sasha Gerritson, director Jane Kenas-Heller & Kay Kim, accompanists I. Carmen.............................................................................................................................Bizet Our scenes from the famous opera Carmen are taken from Acts I & II. All the men in town are falling all over Carmen, the beautiful and sexy gypsy. Only one man pays no attention to her Don José, a local soldier. Carmen throws a flower at him to get his attention and she certainly does. He takes up with her right away.

First we will hear the duet between Micaëla, a peasant girl from Navarre, and Don José’s intended. Micaëla comes to him, bringing news of José’s mother. She has sent Micaëla, who lives with her, to give him a letter. José feels that his mother is protecting him from afar. When he starts to read her letter, Micaëla runs off in embarrassment since it suggests that he marry her.

Then we go to Act II, when the smugglers Dancaïro and Remendado enter. They have business in hand for which their regular female accomplices are essential, Frasquita and Mercédès are game, but Carmen refuses to leave Seville: she is in love. Her friends are incredulous.

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Don José: Wellington DaSilva Micaëla: Mary Lutz Govertsen Frasquita: Robyn Falasz Mercédès: Erica Sauder Carmen: Leticia Garcia Remendado: Cristian Audiffred Dancaïro: Dan Mackey II. Louise..................................................................................................................... Charpentier Set in Paris, we meet Louise, who has fallen in love with her neighbor, Julien. Our scene tonight is taken from Act II, which is set in the dressmaker’s shop where Louise works. Louise is being teased by the other seamstresses for being in love. A band is heard outside and Julien sings a serenade. The girls admire him for his looks and voice. Louise quietly slips away - to run off with Julien. Then we hear the famous aria from the opening of Act III,“Depuis le jour”; the lovers have moved into a cottage overlooking Paris and in the aria she sings of her happiness with her new existence and with her lover.

Irma: Fahimeh Mehrabkhani Camille: XiaoLi Wang Gertrude: Gretchen Sheirok Elise: Jessica Fisher Suzanne: Yleana Morales Madeline: Margot Kinscherff Louise: Michelle Guy The Forewoman: Evelyn Priebe Errand Girl: Neydi Jimenez Blanche: Lilian Pilto Julien: Michael Brauer III. Le Nozze di Figaro.........................................................................................................Mozart Set in a fancy country estate outside Seville, in the late eighteenth century. Susanna is the fiancée of Figaro. Both of them work for the Count and Countess Almaviva. The Count is always trying to sneak around behind his wife’s back, which causes her to be extremely jealous and quite sad. Our scene tonight is taken from Act III. We meet Marcellina, an older noblewoman, who has been trying to essentially buy young Figaro’s love by offering to get him out of debt.

The Count and his friend Don Curzio are trying to make it happen. But then Marcellina is astonished but thrilled to discover that Figaro is in fact her long-lost natural son by Bartolo. Mother and son embrace, provoking Susanna’s anger until she too learns the truth. We meet Cherubino and Barbarina, who are involved in this plot to trick the Count. Cherubino has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time! And Antonio, the trusty gardener has no problem telling the Count all about his adventures. Finding a quiet moment, the Countess recalls her past happiness, then she joins Susanna in composing a letter that invites the Count to the garden that night.

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Count Almaviva: DaRell Haynes Figaro: Brennan Roach Don Curzio: Dr. Dave Wojtowicz Bartolo: Dan Mackey Marcellina: Jillian Mayer Susanna: Angela Zuniga Countess: Sarah Linske Antonio: Jerry Lee Brown Barbarina: Hannah Yoo Cherubino: Margot Kinscherff Northeastern Illinois University

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INTERMISSION (15 minutes) IV. Die Fledermaus..........................................................................................................J. Strauss Our scene tonight is taken from Act II of this famous comic operetta. In the palace of Prince Orlofsky, the nobleman’s guests, Adele, the chambermaid posing as a party guest among them, await the greeting of their host. Orlofsky gets up to talk, quite bored — even with Falke’s promise of a comedy of errors. The prince proclaims his guests free to do anything that suits their fancy — “Chacun à son gout.” Adele, dressed in one of her Mistress Rosalinde’s most elegant gowns, laughs off Eisenstein’s suggestion that she resembles his wife’s chambermaid.

Frank enters, and Rosalinde, also invited by Falke, arrives disguised as a temperamental Hungarian countess; she is soon wooed by her own reeling husband Eisenstein, whose pocket watch she steals to hold as proof of his philandering. The guests move on to a magnificent dining area to toast the joys of wine, good fellowship and love. Champagne flows, and the guests dance wildly until dawn.

Adele: Theresa Egan Eisenstein: Alex Makkawy Rosalinde: Jodi Jean Amble Prince Orlovsky: Laura Camacho Falke: Anthony DeFrancisco Franke: Fred Sivils Party guests: Cristian Audiffred, Freddie Collier, Jessica Fisher, Janelle Gianakopolous, Ivan Kolev, Jillian Mayer, Yleana Morales, Hector Payan, Tammy Worl

V. Rigoletto........................................................................................................................... Verdi Our scene tonight comes from Act III of this very famous opera. At night, outside the assassin Sparafucile’s run-down inn on the outskirts of town, Rigoletto (the angry court jester) and his daughter Gilda watch as the Duke flirts with the assassin’s sister and accomplice, Maddalena.

Gilda is heartbroken, having thought the Duke was in love with her alone. Rigoletto sends his daughter off to disguise herself as a boy for her escape to Verona, then pays Sparafucile to murder the Duke. As a storm rages, Gilda returns to hear Maddalena persuade her brother to kill not the Duke but the next visitor to the inn instead. Resolving to sacrifice herself for the Duke, despite his betrayal, Gilda enters the inn and is stabbed.

Gilda: Sasha Rashidee Rigoletto: DaRell Haynes Maddelena: Rose Guccione The Duke: Jung Hyun Hwang Sparafucile: Dan Mackey VI. Violet (directed by Andrew Waters)................................................................................................ J. Tesori This touching musical is set in America during the 1960’s. The story is about Violet Karl, who was tragically injured by an axe blade at age 13, leaving a deep gash which runs from her nose all the way down her left cheek.

In our scene tonight we see the 25-year-old Violet, terribly scarred from her injury, is at a Greyhound bus station, boarding the bus (“Surprised”). Her destination is a televangelist in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that she has been watching on television for years. Being a strong believer in God, she believes that the televangelist will be able to make a direct connection from her to God and make her scar disappear. On the bus, she meets an old woman who is heading Opera Workshop

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to Nashville, Tennessee to visit her son, “who works in the cellophane plant”. Violet eyes the woman’s pale unblemished skin with envy and thinks about the things that she would like to ask the televangelist to change about herself (“On My Way”).

While the bus makes a stop (“M&Ms”), Violet meets two soldiers: the attractive, womanizing Monty, and Flick, who is African-American. Because the story takes place in 1964, during the Civil Rights Movement, Flick is often discriminated against during the journey.

Then we switch to a scene from Act II where Violet departs the bus and enters the chapel where a rehearsal is being held for the next episode of the televangelist’s show. (“Raise Me Up”)

Violet: Gretel Mink Hansen Young Violet: Neydi Jimenez Old Lady: Lucy Kennedy Flick: Miguel Long Bus Driver/Narrator: Brennan Roach Lulu: Janelle Gianakopolous Leroy: Wellington DaSilva Passengers: Freddie Collier, Harris Covington, Sasha Gerritson, Drew Waters, Tammy Worl

TECH / NEIU PERSONNEL Director......................................................................................................................................................... Sasha Gerritson Director (Violet Scene).............................................................................................................................. Andrew Waters Accompanists..........................................................................................Paul Hamilton, Jane Kenas-Heller, Kay Kim Production Manager.................................................................................................................................Kay Lea Meyers Lighting Designer............................................................................................................................. Christopher Burpee Costume Designer................................................................................................................................................Bill Morey Videographer................................................................................................................................................... Michael Roth House Manager....................................................................................................................................................Steve Zivin Assistant to Director........................................................................................................................................Sarah Linske Programs...............................................................................................................................................Marcus Promotions Photography............................................................................................................................................................Joe Davis

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Northeastern Illinois University

CAST BIOGR APHIES Jodi Jean Amble (Rosalinde) is pursuing a Masters Degree in Applied Vocal Pedagogy at NEIU. She is a singer and songwriter, performing in Chicago and throughout the Midwest with the Jodi Jean Band (www.jodijean.com) and Jenny Dragon (www.jennydragon.com). Theatre credits include work with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Remy Bumppo, American Players Theatre, Bialystock and Bloom (Milwaukee, WI) and Maine Shakespeare Festival. She is a student of Dr. Phyllis Hurt.

Cristian Audiffred (El Remendado in Carmen & Party Guest #9 in Die Fledermaus) is a junior at NEIU, majoring in Vocal Performance. In his words “Working with Sasha is an awesome experience and I can’t wait for more years to come!” He studies voice with Dr. Hurt. He gives thanks to his parents and Mrs. QuattrinCampagna for their endless support. “I wouldn’t be here today without them!”

Michael Brauer (Julien) has completed his undergraduate work in Vocal Performance at NEIU and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Vocal Pedagogy here as well. He is a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Grant Park Music Festival Chorus. His vocal solo work includes performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Light Opera Works (Evanston), Des Moines Metro Opera, Minnesota Opera, Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra, Union Avenue Opera (St. Louis, MO), Opera for the Young (Madison, WI) and Muddy River Opera (Quincy, IL). Currently he is the Music Director at St. John’s Episcopal Church in the Old Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago. He is a student of Dr. Phyllis Hurt.

Jerry Lee Brown (Antonio) Long a stage and concert hall performer, Jerry has appeared at NEIU in Opera Workshop productions of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience in 2007, Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods in 2009, the 2010 production of La Bohème and, most recently, in the 2011 production of A Christmas Carol. He is an alumni of NEIU and is pleased to appear here again working with this fine ensemble of friends and musicians.

Chris Burpee (Lighting Designer) is glad to be back at NEIU, after designing lights for last year’s productions of A Christmas Carol and Street Scene. Chris’ lighting can be seen around town, including Redtwist Theatre where he is the Resident Lighting Designer. Chris also

designs for many other educational productions, including for College of Lake County, Chicago HS for the Arts, Guerin Prep HS, and Plainfield South HS. Chris is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Laura Camacho (Prince Orlovsky) is a music major at NEIU studying private voice with Dr. Phyllis Hurt. She had an exciting junior recital and was thrilled to have a lead role in last semester’s production of Street Scene, in which she played the part of Mrs. Emma Jones.

Freddie Collier (Party Guest #8 in Die Fledermaus & A Passenger in Violet) is very excited to be in this scene recital. He is an aspiring vocal performance major at NEIU and studies voice with Kathy Cowan. He was last seen as City Marshall Henry in Street Scene and in A Christmas Carol.

Harris Covington (A Passenger) This is Harris Covington’s 2nd opera performance at NEIU. He has traveled around the United States and around Europe in various choirs and Bluegrass bands. He is a Vocal Music Education Major at NEIU and enjoys participating in choirs and small ensembles.

Wellington Da Silva (Don Jose in Carmen & Leroy in Violet) is a student in NEIU’s Music Vocal Performance program. He has performed leading roles in numerous operas and musicals at Northeastern and is so pleased to have been a part of this scenes recital. He is a private student of Michael Melton and was last seen as Sam Kaplan in Street Scene, the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol and Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden.

Anthony De Francisco (Falke) is a freshmen music education major at NEIU. Anthony is found more commonly in the pit rather than on the stage as he is first and foremost a trombone player but loves the stage no less than the pit. Anthony has played shows such as Gypsy, Ragtime, Urinetown, and will be playing Cabaret this fall. Anthony was most recently The Interpreter in The King and I and was Roger in his senior year high school production at Lane Tech in Grease. Anthony looks forward to being a part of as many productions as possible at NEIU and would like to thank his director, Sasha Gerritson, for being an instrumental part of his first semester at NEIU. Opera Workshop

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Theresa Egan (Adele) is currently working towards her Masters in Vocal Pedagogy at Northeastern Illinois University and is the winner of Northeastern’s 2012 Concerto Competition, the winner of the 2011 Opera Piccola scholarship, and the winner of the 2011 Ruth Chakos Memorial Scholarship. She can be seen as Papagena in American Chamber Opera’s summer production of Magic Flute. She was recently seen as Susanna from Le Nozze di Figaro and Sister Constance from Dialogues of the Carmelites in the Opera Training Institute of Chicago’s Young Artist summer scenes program.

Additionally, she sang Leonora in NEIU’s summer scene recital production of La Favorita, Mrs. Fiorentino in NEIU’s production of Street Scene and Mrs. Cratchit in NEIU’s production of A Christmas Carol. Her previous credits include Papagena (understudy) in Verismo Opera Theater’s production of Magic Flute and as Musetta (understudy) in the company’s production of La Boheme and as the principal Musetta in NEIU’s April 2010 production.

Her credits also include Gianetta from Elixir of Love and Laurie from The Tender Land in Northeastern’s Opera Scenes and as Rose in NEIU’s production of The Secret Garden in 2011.

Robyn Falasz (Frasquita) is a junior Vocal Performance Major at NEIU. She studies voice with Dr. Bob Heitzinger. She would like to thank Sasha for the opportunity to participate in this wonderful performance.

Jessica Fisher (Elise in Louise & Party Guest #1 in Die Fledermaus) is thrilled to be appearing on the Northeastern stage for the first time. She is in her first year at Northeastern pursing her second Bachelor’s Degree in Music. She studies with Mr. Melton. She has performed around the Chicagoland and Indiana area since graduating with her Theater Degree from DePaul. When not onstage, she directs and choreographs for Citadel Theatre. She thanks Andrew for being her better half. LVYA Mom! Leticia Garcia (Carmen) is a senior Instrumental Music Education major at NEIU. She has performed in the orchestra pit for productions but this is her first opera being involved performing on-stage. She enjoys playing saxophone and singing in jazz ensembles and has recently begun playing the tuba.

Sasha Gerritson (Director & Passenger in Violet) is extremely grateful to all the people who helped to make tonight’s performance possible.

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A graduate of NEIU and DePaul, Sasha has been the NEIU Opera Director for almost six years, in addition to teaching Music Theory. This year she has taken on the new role of Recruitment and Scholarship Coordinator for the Department of Music, a job she loves! In her spare time she sings opera and musical theatre and serves as the Music Minister of the Park Ridge Community Church. Sasha lives in Glenview with her husband Eugene Jarvis and their sons Nate and Josh.

Janelle Gianakopolous (Party Guest #2 in Die Fledermaus & Lulu in Violet) is very excited to be in her third opera. She would like to thank her director Sasha Gerritson for giving her this opportunity and her family for being so supportive of her singing. She is a NEIU Vocal Education Major and studies voice with Kathy Cowan.

Rose Guccione (Maddalena) is a student in the NEIU Dept. of Music, where she studies with Dr. Phyllis Hurt. She was last seen at NEIU Opera as Anna Maurrant in Street Scene. More recent performances by the soprano include a private concert at Symphony Center, the Widow Piper in Victor Herbert’s Babes in Toyland with Chicago Folks Operetta’s, in Mussorsky’s Boris Godunov at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and a concert of music by Mieczysław Weinberg in Warsaw’s Teatr ydowski. Declared “the genuine article of Verdi singers” by the Chicago Tribune for her performance of Leonora in Verdi’s Il trovatore, Rose has performed a variety of Verdian roles including Leonora in La forza del destino, Elisabetta in Don Carlo and the title role in Aïda - a Chicago Tribune Critic’s Choice. Rose has performed roles in works by Puccini, Menotti, Massenet, Bizet, Lehár, Britten and Rossini.

In recital, she has sung at Ravinia, Carnegie Hall and on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series. Her South African recitals garnered headlines that read “Guccione rare and memorable” and “American soprano delights.”

Rose is on the faculties of Sherwood at Columbia College and Dominican University. She is a Salsation Theatre Company ensemble member and proprietor of OperaGram.com® - singing telegrams with an operatic twist.

Michelle Guy (Louise) is a senior Biology and Music Performance major at Northeastern Illinois University, where she studies with Dr. Robert Heitzinger. She is the 2012 winner of the Orvieto Award and spent three weeks this past summer in Italy studying art song and Italian language as a represetative of NEIU Music. In

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previous years she has performed the roles of Alice in The Secret Garden, Alice in A Christmas Carol and Rose in Street Scene. She is ecstatic to be performing the role of Louise in scenes from Charpentier’s Louise and thanks her family and friends for their loving support.

Paul Hamilton (Vocal coach, Accompanist) a native of Savannah, Georgia, has developed a versatile career as a pianist, composer and music director. Venues: Carnegie Hall; Cappella/ Smolny Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Russia; Tokyo International Oboe Competition; Galway Music Festival, Ireland; Ravinia Festival, Chicago. Pianist/ coach: The Secret Garden & La Bohème, NEIU; Redwoods Opera Workshop with Elizabeth Vrenios, Mendocino, California; conductor/ pianist, The Barber of Seville, Opera Fresca, Mendocino; Odetta & Robert Sims in Norfolk, Virginia; Simon, Sykes, & Sims with Robert Sims, Sony recording artist Jubilant Sykes, and opera veteran Simon Estes. Composer: The Winter’s Tale, Equus, On Golden Pond, Tartuffe, Sadako and a Thousand Cranes, Alice in Wonderland, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. Theatre: A Lot of Living with Charles Strauss, New York. The Light in the Piazza, Goodman Theater; Jesus Christ Superstar, Drury Lane Theatre; Sweeney Todd, Ravinia.

Gretel Mink Hansen (Violet) a Florida native, is a graduate from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in Coral Gables, Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance.

Gretel received numerous scholarships and awards for Vocal Excellence from the University and performed in Opera and Musical Theater Productions throughout South Florida. Since graduation, Gretel has sung in various venues in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria, worked for The Walt Disney World Company, and The Orlando Opera. She is currently a resident artist with Chamber Opera Chicago and is working towards her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at Northeastern Illinois University, studying under Dr. Phyllis Hurt. She was lucky enough to have played Rose Maurrant in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene at NEIU as well as Susanna in Susanna’s Secret with Sinfionietta Bel Canto, within 2 weeks of each other this past spring.

She would like to thank her family and Sasha Gerritson for believing in her.

DaRell Haynes (Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro & Rigoletto in Rigoletto) is a first year Master’s student studying with Dr. Robert Heitzinger. DaRell was last seen playing the 4

Villains in Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann with Katydid Productions where he was also seen as Raimbaud in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory. Having received an acclaimed first appearance as Figaro in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville with Candid Concert Opera, DaRell recently returned to Candid Concert Opera in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro as the Count. DaRell is a graduate of The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University where he received his Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Richard Stilwell and Samuel Ramey.

While at CCPA he has been seen in the roles of Le Directeur in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias, Le Chat in Ravel’s L’enfant et Les Sortileges and Gasparo in Donizetti’s Rita. While in Chicago, he has also been seen in Main Street Opera’s productions of Menotti’s The Telephone as Ben and Wolf-Ferrari’s Susanna’s Secret as Count Gil, and the role of Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème with Chicago Opera Theater’s PopUp Opera. A 2011 Evanston Music Club scholarship winner, Haynes was seen in the title role in Waking Lazarus with Endpoint Theatre and John Brooke in Sugar Creek Symphony and Song’s production of Little Women. Haynes was in the 2011 production of La Cenerentola with Lyric Opera of Chicago’s outreach program, Opera in the Neighborhoods as Alidoro. He is the 2012 Opera Idol winner sponsored by V.O.I.C.Experience and The North Shore Hotel.

Jung Hyun (Jake) Hwang (The Duke) is a native of South Korea. He is a NEIU graduate student studying voice with Dr. Phyllis Hurt. He also studied with William Lewis, Gary Lakes, Richard Stilwell, Tracy Watson, and Giulio Favario. He has performed Hoffmann from Tales of Hoffmann (2009), Rinuccio from Gianni Schicchi (2008, 2000) Albazar from Turkey in Italy (2004), and Monsieur Vogelsang from Impresario (2005). He has also performed the tenor solo in works such as The Messiah by Handel and Coronation Mass by Mozart, and others. Last year he appeared in the NEIU Opera production of Street Scene, in which he sang the role of Lippo.

Neydi Jimenez (Errand Girl in Louise & Young Violet in Violet) is a Junior at NEIU studying Vocal Performance with Dr. Robert Heitzinger. She has played the previous roles of Ayah The Secret Garden, Martha Cratchit A Christmas Carol and Jenny Hildebrand Street Scene. She is honored to be participating in her 4th production here at NEIU as The Errand Girl in Louise and Young Violet in Violet.

In her spare time, Neydi loves to read Calvin and Hobbes comics and watch Disney movies!

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Jane Kenas-Heller (Accompanist, Vocal Coach) served as the staff accompanist for the NEIU Music Department until her recent retirement in December 2010. Jane earned her Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy degree at NEIU and accompanies the Park Ridge Chorale, is organist at Edgewater Presbyterian Church in Chicago, and enjoys performing with her clarinetist husband, Irwin.

Lucy Kennedy (Old Lady) a veteran of the Chicago community theater scene, Lucy is thrilled to be making her first appearance on the NEIU stage. She studies voice with Rebecca Patterson and this summer flew to Belgium for her second international choral festival with the fabulous Park Ridge Community Church Chancel Choir. She would like to thank Sasha for the opportunity to work with such a talented and nice bunch of young people, and Drew and Jane for their patience and persistence with her rustiness. “As I travel on…”

Margot Kinscherff (Madeline in Louise and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro) is an NEIU graduate student at large, studying Vocal Performance. She has her Bachelor’s degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is a voice student of Dr. Phyllis Hurt.

Kay Kim (Accompanist, Vocal Coach) An active collaborator, pianist Kay Kim performs an average of over 50 concerts a year both domestically and internationally. She has been one of the pianists of Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s conductor’s rehearsals, performed with the Stradivari Society artists and collaborated with Chicago Chamber Musicians.

As a member of musical ambassador group Trio Chicago and Friends, Ms. Kim performs worldwide in Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia. She has been heard in CBS ‘Early Show’, WFMT ‘Impromptu’ and Dame Myra Hess Series.

Ms. Kim serves as a full-time staff pianist and as an instructor of piano accompanying at NEIU. Her previous teaching and staff positions include Northwestern University, Indiana University and the Juilliard School. She holds a doctoral degree in piano performance from Northwestern University.

Ivan Kolev (Party Guest #6) lives in Arlington Heights. This is his second semester at Northeastern. He transferred from Harper College with a Major is English and a Minor in Music.

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Sarah Linske (Countess) is thrilled to be a part of this scene recital! Some of her favorite roles include Lily (The Secret Garden), First Lady (The Magic Flute), Adina (L’Elisir D’Amore) and Rapunzel (Into the Woods). Sarah received her Bachelor of Music from Western Michigan University, Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy from NEIU and spent 2 summers studying Opera and German Lieder at the AIMS program in Graz, Austria. She performs locally with Chamber Opera Chicago, the NEIU Music Department and Park Ridge Community Church. She’d like to thank her friends and family for their constant love and support.

Miguel Long (Flick) is excited to be a student at NEIU, majoring in Vocal Performance. This is his fifth NEIU production, the last few including Street Scene, A Christmas Carol and The Secret Garden. Some of his favorite roles include: Seaweed in Hairspray, Hero in A Funny Thing Happened..., Roger in Grease, and Lun Tha in The King and I. Miguel would like to express his love and gratitude to all of his friends and family, whose love, enthusiasm, and support mean more then they could ever know.

Mary Lutz Govertsen (Micaela) is thrilled to be back performing with NEIU, where she earned her teaching degree in 2011 and is currently a student-at-large. At NEIU, Mary performed the role of Anna Maurrant/Street Scene; Ghost of Christmas Past/A Christmas Carol; Lily/The Secret Garden; and Mimi/La Bohème. Mary has performed with many companies in Chicago; recently, she has sung Olympia/Antonia/ Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. She was an apprentice at Opera New Jersey, where she covered the role of Clorinda/La Cenerentola and at Opera Cedar Rapids, as Fiordiligi/Cosi fan tutte. Upcoming performances include Rosalinde/Die Fledermaus, First Lady/The Magic Flute, and a second season as a company member with Lingerie Lyrique.

Dan Mackey (El Dancairo in Carmen, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro & Sparafucile in Rigoletto) is, very happily, a first year grad student at NEIU. A native of the Chicagoland area, he attended Roosevelt University for his undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance. Dan serves proudly as a bass soloist and section leader in St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church choir (Evanston, Illinois) under the direction of Mark Crayton, as well as teaching voice in a suburban high school.

Recently, Dan appeared as ‘Il commendatore’ in

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American Chamber Opera’s 2012 production of Don Giovanni and will appear as ‘Dr. Falke’ and ‘El Dancairo’ in the 2013 season. Dan would like to thank his family and friends for their support and a special thanks to Sasha Gerritson for all of her help and guidance!

Alex Makkawy (Eisenstein) is a senior at NEIU, Vocal Performance major and is thrilled to be returning to the NEIU stage for yet another fabulous production. He was seen as Ebeneezer Scrooge in last fall’s production of A Christmas Carol and as Sam Kaplan in the spring production of Street Scene. Other NEIU roles include Dr. Craven in The Secret Garden and Schaunard in La Bohème. Alex will be graduating this year with a BA in voice performance and would just like to thank Sasha for giving him the life changing opportunity to get to work with her on so many fabulous productions. “It has truly been an honor to get to work with such a talented cast, crew and of course, director.”

Jillian Mayer (Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro & Party Guest #3 in Die Fledermaus) is a junior Vocal Performance major at Northeastern Illinois University, studying private voice with Dr. Hurt.

She was most recently seen in Underscore Theatre’s production of The Rocky Horror Show.

Favorite credits include The Secret Garden (Martha), Hairspray (Tracy Turnblad), and Les Miserables (Madame Thenardier). So much thanks and love to everyone involved in the show and to Sasha for this amazing learning experience. Enjoy the show!

Fahimeh Mehrabkhani (Irma) is a transfer student from BIHE (Bahai Institute for Higher Education). She is a NEIU Vocal Music Education major, studying voice with Dr. Phyllis Hurt.

Kay Lea Meyers (Production Manager) loves working for Sasha Gerritson and has been a part of several Music Department productions under Sasha’s direction, including The Secret Garden, Street Scene, Susannah and The Medium.

She is proud to have a production team (and an auditorium staff!) made up of incredibly talented individuals who are also good and kind people.

She sends the world’s biggest thank you to Sasha for taking her in, for building her up, and for giving her every opportunity to find happiness and strength in herself. Kay is super blessed.

Yleana Morales (Suzanne in Louise & Party Guest #5 in Die Fledermaus) is a sophomore in the NEIU Music Education department and studies voice with Kathy Cowan. This is her third semester involved in the opera workshop.

Bill Morey (Costume Design) designed NEIU’s Street Scene, The Secret Garden and A Christmas Carol. He is a two time Equity Jeff Award winner as well as the recipient of two After Dark Awards and a BroadwayWorld Chicago Award. For more info please visit www.billmorey.com Hector Payan (Party Guest #7) is a freshman at Northeastern Illinois University, participating in his first opera scene recital. Hector plans to study psychology and hopes to continue his involvement in the music and opera department. He would like to thank his parents and Mrs. Quattrin-Campagna for their support.

Lilian Pilto (Blanche) is a sophomore at NEIU and this is her second performance in an actual Opera. She is a Vocal Music Education major.

She comes from Gordon Technical High school, where she took part in theater each year of her high school career, as well as All-City High School Choir. She hopes with this experience she will be able to play more prominent roles later on, but is delighted to take part in this scenes recital.

Evelyn Priebe (The Forewoman) has a long history of performing. She has a particular affinity for the musical stage, having performed in many operas, operettas and Broadway-style musicals. She again returns to the NEIU stage as a Community Listener in Musical Theatre.

Sasha Rashidee (Gilda) Chicago Credits: The Marriage of Figaro (Susanna), A Chorus Line (Maggie), Rocky Horror Picture Show (Usherette), Fiddler on the Roof (Fruma Sara), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator), NBC’s The Playboy Club (Audition Bunny, 3rd Episode), Star’s Boss, MTV’s Underemployed. Four productions with the Lyric Opera of Chicago including appearances in Doctor Atomic, Abduction from the Seraglio, Carmen and The Magic Flute. Sasha is a graduate student at large, studying with Dr. Heitzinger. This is her second scene recital at NEIU. Brennan Roach (Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro & Bus Driver/Narrator in Violet) is a graduate student in the NEIU Vocal Pedagogy program, where he studies with Dr. Bob Heitzinger. A Opera Workshop

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CAST BIOGR APHIES

c o n t.

native Chicagoan, Brennan has been seen recently performing leading roles in: Street Scene, A Christmas Carol and The Secret Garden at NEIU, as well as professionally in: Shadow of a Gunman, with Seanachai Theatre Company, The Student Prince, at Light Opera Works, 50 PLAYS by Joe Janes, as part of the WNEP director’s series, Sweet Bird of Youth and Murphy’s Law with The Artistic Home, and Finding Eleusis with Terra Mysterium as part of The Chicago Fringe Festival. He appeared regionally in Into the Woods at Reagle Musical Theatre of Greater Boston. Brennan holds an undergraduate degree in music from The Boston Conservatory.

Michael Roth (videographer) graduated from Southern Illinois University with a degree in Radio Television Production. He worked at WSIL TV 3 an ABC affiliate for four years, three of which he was the morning news show producer.

He enjoys making Documentaries, and short Independent films in his spare time.

Erica Sauder (Mercedes) is an undergraduate music major at Northeastern, part-time nanny, fulltime musician, and 5 year resident of the Windy City. She leads the band Parchwork, and spends her weekends (when she isn’t playing for a wedding) singing at Park Community Church.

Erica is delighted to be involved in her second opera with Sasha & Co. And thanks her on-stage hOOs-bAHnd for all the Farble Mountains of Ice Cream they’ve enjoyed together!

Gretchen Sheirok (Gertrude) is thrilled to be in another show at NEIU. This makes her 22nd appearance singing and being the prop mistress.

She also enjoys singing in local choir groups around the city and suburbs.

Fred Sivils (Franke) “This is my seventh appearance in a Sasha production. La Bohème, the 2010 Fall Scenes Recital, The Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol and Steet Scene were my previous appearances. I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful cast. Thanks, Sasha!”

Xiaoli Wang (Camille) is a graduate of NEIU Music Department. She has over fifteen years of experience in music and has effectively interacted in three different languages. She has been commended for communication and organizational skills in vocal performance. For the last two summers, Kathy Cowan and Robert Heitzinger have accompanied Xiaoli and cotaught with her in China while teaching private 12

Northeastern Illinois University

lessons, group master classes, and lectures to students who range in age from 14 to 80. Xiaoli truly enjoys giving diverse groups of students feedback to help improve their vocal technique, breath support, and tone focus!

Dr. David Wojtowicz (Don Curzio) returns to NEIU for his 14th show. He has sung leading and supporting roles with Chamber Opera Chicago, James Downing Theater, Light Opera Works, L’Opera Piccola, Music Institute of Chicago, Northeastern, Savoyaires and Trinity Players.

David is active in Choruses at Northwestern and Northeastern Universities, North Shore Choral Society, Park Ridge Civic Orchestra, Peninsula Music Festival, Chicago Sinfonietta, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia and is a soloist at Park Ridge Community Church.

AND… Dave maintains an active dental practice in Skokie.

Tammy Worl (Party Guest #4 in Die Fledermaus & A Passenger in Violet) has been a Music Education major here at NEIU since spring of 2011. She plays percussion, piano and loves to sing. Although she has danced since age 5 and enjoyed drama club and show choir in high school, this is her first time involved in a scenes recital! She is overjoyed to be a part of this very talented ensemble and would like to tell all of her friends and family, “I luv ya!”

Hannah Yoo (Barbarina) is a senior at NEIU majoring in Vocal Music Education, and studying voice with Kathy Cowan. She plays piano and loves to sing. “Thanks, Sasha!”

Angela Zuniga (Susanna) is a Senior at NEIU majoring in Vocal Music Education and studying with Dr. Phyllis Hurt. She aspires to perform as a jazz and classical vocalist/pianist as well as teach both privately and publicly. She is President of NEIU’s Collegiate Music Educators National Conference (NAfME) under the advisement of Sasha Gerritson. “Thank you to all the NEIU music faculty for your encouragement and fellow students for your enthusiasm, it is a pleasure to work with all of you.”