A Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program scene study of
BLOND ECKBERT by Judith Weir
ARTISTIC Leslie Dala Amy Seulky Lee
Conductor and Program Director Répétiteur
Luka Kawabata Hillary Tufford Ian Cleary Jonelle Sills
Blond Eckbert Berthe Walther, Hugo, An old woman A bird
CREATIVE Amanda Testini Jenn Stewart Patrick Rizzotti
Stage Director Production Designer Production Design Mentor
MUSIC STAFF Jonathan Darlington Kinza Tyrrell Tina Chang Jim Littleford Tom Shorthouse
Music Director Emeritus Head Coach Coach Orchestra Manager Librarian
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PRODUCTION Autumn Coppaway Michelle Harrison Michael Kerns Tiffany Bishop Evan Bergen Stephen Elgar Jesse Orr Chiara Guizzo Tegan Klancnik Leah Giselle Field Howard Lee
Technical Director Stage Manager Assistant Technical Director Head of Wardrobe Apprentice Wardrobe Head of Properties Assistant Properties Apprentice Technical Director Head Scenic Painter COVID Officer SurTitle Operator
ORCHESTRA Oboe
David Owen, Principal
Clarinet
Mary Backun, Principal Michelle Anderson
Bass Clarinet Michelle Anderson Horn
Laurel Spencer, Principal Nick Anderson
Harp
Elizabeth Volpe, Acting Principal
Violin
Mark Ferris, Concertmaster Angela Cavadas, Associate Concertmaster
Cello
Jonathan Lo, Acting Principal Harold Birston, Acting Assistant Principal
SYNOPSIS
Eckbert and his wife Berthe live in seclusion in the Harz Mountains. One stormy night, Eckbert’s friend Walther arrives and, to while away the time, Berthe tells him her life story. Walther mysteriously knows a great deal about Berthe’s early life and Eckbert’s suspicions grow, eventually leading him to murder Walther during a hunting expedition. Consumed by terror and suspicion, Eckbert retreats into seclusion and revisits the fairy-tale scenes of Berthe’s childhood, accompanied by a magical singing bird. He encounters the old woman who raised Berthe, and at last learns the terrible truth about Walther, Berthe, and himself.
BIOS LUKA KAWABATA
BLOND ECKBERT
| BARITONE,
Nikkei-Canadian baritone, Luka Kawabata returns to the Yulanda M Faris Young Artist’s Program for Vancouver Opera’s 20212022 season. This year, Luka will also make two company debuts as Schaunard in La Bohème (Edmonton Opera) and Escamillo in Carmen (Saskatoon Opera). He is an alumnus of the ‘Digital Emerging Artist Program’ with Manitoba Opera and ‘Opera in the 21st Century’ program at the Banff Centre.
HILLARY TUFFORD
BERTHE
| MEZZO-SOPRANO,
Hillary is a recipient of a Jeunesse Ambassadeurs Lyriques bursary and an RBC Emerging Artist Project Grant. A finalist in The Mozart Project Competition, she was part of the Tapestry Opera’s Dora Award winning ensemble (Oksana G). Hillary has performed roles such as Ramiro (La finta giardiniera), Clara (The Light in the Piazza), and Despina (Così fan tutte); and with the Magisterra Soloists Chamber Group.
IAN CLEARY
AN OLD WOMAN
| TENOR, WALTHER, HUGO,
Tenor Ian Cleary completed an Opera Diploma at the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Music from Wilfred Laurier University. Ian has performed Hoffmann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Armoured Guard in Die Zauberflöte with the UBC Opera Ensemble; Hoffmann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Schoolmaster in Cunning Little Vixen with Opera Laurier; Judge Roan in Parade, and Giuseppe in The Gondoliers with Opera Nuova.
JONELLE SILLS
| SOPRANO, A BIRD
Jonelle Sills is a Dora Award winner for outstanding performance of an Ensemble in Vivier’s Kopernikus with Against the Grain Theatre. Jonelle has an Artist Diploma in Voice Performance/ Opera from The Glenn Gould School and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, Specialized Honours in Music from York University. Past highlights include her Canadian tour as Mimì in La Bohème with Against the Grain Theatre; and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus.
LESLIE DALA | CONDUCTOR AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR Conductor and pianist Leslie Dala is the Associate Conductor and Chorus Director of Vancouver Opera, the Music Director of the Vancouver Bach Choir and the Music Director Emeritus of the Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted in France, Italy, Ireland, the Czech Republic, China, Taiwan and recently made his debut at Carnegie Hall. Earlier this year he recorded the Complete Piano Etudes of Philip Glass for the Redshift label.
AMANDA TESTINI
| STAGE DIRECTOR
Amanda Testini (she/her) is a performer, choreographer, director and educator based on the unceded and ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. She has worked for organizations such as the Arts Club, Bard on the Beach, the Cultch, Theatre Replacement, the Firehall, Vancouver Opera, Savage Society, VACT, and Axis. Amanda is a Jessie Award nominee and a graduate of Studio 58.
AMY SEULKY LEE
| RÉPÉTITEUR
Amy Seulky Lee holds a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of British Columbia. Amy made her debut with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra in 2010 and has since performed in concerts across Canada, United States, South Korea, and Italy. She served as music director for Summer Opera Lyric Theatre and Malfi Productions.
JENN STEWART
| PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Jenn Stewart is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist. Selected credits include: Hamlet (Honest Fishmongers, set), Selfie (Seizieme, set and costumes), Wet (Itsazoo, set), Kuroko (VACT, props), The Invisible Hand (Pi, props). She studied at Studio 58 and is completing her Masters degree at UBC. Jenn is a member of CAEA, the Vancouver Design Forum and the Associated Designers of Canada (IATSE659).
KINZA TYRRELL
| HEAD COACH
Dr. Kinza Tyrrell is the Head Coach of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program at Vancouver Opera. A much sought after vocal coach and accompanist, Kinza has shared recital stages with many renowned singers, including Richard Margison, Erin Wall, Benjamin Butterfield, Daniel Taylor, and Measha Brueggergosman. She is currently the Music Director of the UVic Chamber Singers and also heads the Voice Ensemble there.
MICHELLE HARRISON
| STAGE MANAGER
Michelle has worked in stage management with Pacific Opera Victoria and Vancouver Opera on such operas as For a Look or a Touch, The Barber of Seville, and the Canadian premiere of The Music Shop. Theatre credits include Peter and the Starcatcher (Arts Club) and the Jessie award winning production of Whose Life Is It Anyway? (Realwheels). She is a graduate of UBC.
PATRICK RIZZOTTI
PRODUCTION DESIGN MENTOR Patrick Rizzotti is an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia and designs for live performance, film and television, and virtual/augmented/mixed reality. His process is highly collaborative his work investigate how theatre can be made more immediate, urgent and immersive for an audience. Design credits include numerous world premieres, Off-Broadway productions, and designs throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Memberships: Associated Designers of Canada, and USA 829.
TINA CHANG
| COACH
Described as a “scintillating player,” pianist and Coach, Tina Chang, is on the music staff at Vancouver Opera. Based in Vancouver, she has been involved with various musical organizations in town: Chor Leoni, Sound the Alarm Music Theatre, re:Naissance Opera, and Health Arts Society. She is currently adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia, and on faculty at the Vancouver Academy of Music.
WITH
THANKS The 2021/22 Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program is generously supported by:
Mohammad A. Faris & Family Patricia Charles Mrs. Pamela Friedrich The Edwina and Paul Heller Memorial Fund, held at Vancouver Foundation Dr. George Luciuk and Dr. Lidia Schuster Alan and Gwendoline Pyatt Foundation
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