THE OLD MAID AND THE THIEF A MUSICAL COMEDY BY GIAN CARLO MENOTTI A collaboration with Uptown! Opera Tutti Heidi Starr, Director Timothy Crawford, Music Director FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2019 MADELEINE WING ADLER THEATRE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 7:30 PM
The Old Maid and the Thief A grotesque opera in 14 scenes
CAST: Miss Todd ................................................................................................................ Emily Bullock Laetitia ............................................................................................................ Catherine Friedman Miss Pinkerton ............................................................................................................. Heidi Starr Bob .................................................................................................................... Matthew Maisano Announcer ......................................................................................................... Robert F. Collins Foley artist ........................................................................................................... Brydon Lidle IV
Time: 1938 Scenes 1-3 .......................................................................................................Miss Todd’s House Scenes 4-5 ...................................................................................................................... The Street Scenes 6-9 .......................................................................................................Miss Todd’s House Scene 10 ............................................................................................................. The Liquor Store Scene 11-14 ..................................................................................... Back to Miss Todd’s House
Uptown! Opera Tutti! and WCU Opera are proud to collaborate on The Old Maid and the Thief, a radio opera in one act by Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by NBC, The Old Maid and the Thief (1939) was one of the earliest operas composed specifically for performance on the radio. The Old Maid and the Thief exposes the gossips and secrets of a seemingly quiet town. The middle-aged spinster Miss Todd, who spends most of her days simply knitting and gossiping with fellow spinster Miss Pinkerton, has her world turned upside-down when a beggar knocks at her door one rainy afternoon. She and her maid Laetitia quickly become smitten with the handsome wanderer and are eager to shelter him. Even when they find out that he may be an escaped convict, they turn to stealing and robbery to keep him around. Having corrupted all her morals, Miss Todd is then devastated to discover that not only does Bob not care for her, but he is in fact not the thief. Bob does, however, turn to thievery when he and Laetitia run away together with all of Miss Todd’s money when she threatens to pin her own crimes on him. A fast-paced melodramatic opera buffa, The Old Maid and the Thief shows exactly how “the devil couldn’t do what a woman can: make a thief of an honest man!”
Guest artist bios Robert F. Collins, CFA, having recently retired from an investment management career made his stage debut in The True Story of Cinderella. His work in leading a fixed income management team provided him many opportunities to present at conferences and client events, so he is looking forward to “broadening” his presentation skills as the narrator for this production. Mr. Collins received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Ursinus College in 1978 and lives in Swarthmore with his beautiful and patient wife Elizabeth. Catherine Friedman, soprano, has performed a number of operatic roles including the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute with the Lawrenceville School, the Countess Ciprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Boheme Opera, Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and the Governess in Britten’s Turn of the Screw with the University of New Hampshire Opera Theater. She has performed numerous recitals and was the soprano soloist in the Riverside Symphonia’s performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Brydon Lidle IV, has a background in acting and singing ever since he was young. In High School, he was in the select choir at his school and acted and sang in many community theater shows around his hometown of Hershey, PA. It wasn't until college though where he found his love of the technical side of theater. Backstage, was where he truly felt passionate. He studied at Mansfield University where he earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Technology. Through that backstage experience, he learned the perfect mix of the two! Foley Art- Making Sound Effects live. Brydon has performed as the Foley artist for a few "radio plays", and has even helped to direct a few of the "foley performers" and teach them the art. He loves performing still and this is a fun and exciting way to do so!
Matthew Maisano, baritone, a Philadelphia native, is known for his “commanding” and “imposing” stage presence. He was most recently seen singing Albert in Massenet’s Werther as a guest artist with Temple University’s Opera Theater. This fall he sang Prince Ottakar in Wilmington Concert Opera’s production of Der Freischütz. Matthew has performed leading roles with several companies both regionally and nationally. These include: Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Miami Music Festival, The Cleveland Institute of Music Opera theater, Greensboro Light Opera and Song, The Amherst Early Music Festival, Opera on Tap: Philadelphia and Delaware Valley Opera Company. Matthew also loves performing musical theater and the Great American Songbook. Last summer, Matthew played Baptista in Porter’s Kiss me Kate! with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. He also frequently performs as a soloist with Larry McKenna’s New Voices and Mt. Gretna Cabarets, as well as the Rose Tree Pops Orchestra. In addition to singing and performing, Matthew enjoys photography, classic film, hiking, and whale watching! Heidi Starr, is a professional voice coach in Morton, PA and is in her 16th year of entertaining and coordinating Opera Night every Monday evening at Fellini Café, Media. Her vocal students range in age from 7-70 years old. Specializing in teaching and performing classical music, jazz and Broadway standards, Heidi has performed with such organizations as the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Opera Delaware, The Rose Tree Pops, The Media Theatre, Hedgerow Theatre and Players Club of Swarthmore. She has become a beloved performer known throughout Delaware County, singing styles of music from opera to Broadway and standards. Favorite operatic and theatrical roles include: Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Mother in Hansel and Gretel, Amnesia (Nunsense, Nuncrackers, Meshuggah Nuns), Lucienne in A Flea in Her Ear, Mabel Cantwell in The Best Man, and Molly in Smell of the Kill. Heidi received her BFA in Musical Theatre at Syracuse University and is an active member of The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Her longtime mentor and coach is Marvin Keenze of Philadelphia, a recently retired Westminster Choir College professor emeritus.
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UPCOMING WELLS SCHOOL OF MUSIC EVENTS For full event details visit wcupa.edu/music or call (610) 436-2739 Sunday, November 17, 2019, 3:00 PM Harp Festival Gloria Galante, director Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center Sunday, November 17, 2019, 7:00 PM Brass Ensembles Concert Jonathan Fowler, director Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center Monday, November 18, 2019, 8:15 PM Chamber Orchestra Concert Joseph Caminiti & Andrew Yozviak, directors Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall Philips Memorial Building Tuesday, November 19, 2019, 8:15 PM Percussion Ensemble Concert Ralph Sorrentino, director Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center Wednesday, November 20, 2019, 8:15 PM Flute Ensemble Concert Kimberly Reighley, director Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center
*Tickets required for this event.
Events at the Wells School of Music are often supported by individual donors and organizations. Contributions to the Wells School of Music may be made out to: WCU Foundation, 202 Carter Drive, West Chester, PA 19382 Please include “School of Music Deans Fund� in the memo line. For further information, please call (610) 436-2868 or visit wcufoundation.org A majority of performances are available to watch via live stream at Facebook.com/ArtsAtWCUPA and LiveStream.com/wcupa. Mr. Robert Rust, Audio & Visual Technician Steinway & Sons Piano Technical, Tuning and Concert Preparations by Gerald P. Cousins, RPT If you do not intend to save your program, please recycle it in the baskets at the exit doors.
The Wells School of Music | West Chester University of Pennsylvania Dr. Christopher Hanning, Dean