Internationally acclaimed stage director Greg Eldridge joins CCM’s opera faculty

 

CCM Dean Stanley E. Romanstein has announced the addition of acclaimed stage director Greg Eldridge to the college’s roster of distinguished performing and media arts faculty members. Eldridge joins CCM as Associate Professor of Opera Directing.

Greg Eldridge. Photo/Andrej Uspenski

Originally from Australia, Eldridge has worked on over 60 productions across eight countries at some of the world’s most famous opera houses. His work has been praised by critics for its “thoughtful and effective” staging, with “detailed characterizations and considered through-lines” a hallmark of his directing style.

A former recipient of a Bayreuth Scholarship from the Wagner Society of Victoria, Eldridge is one of only two people to have graduated from both of the world’s most prestigious opera directing programs – the Merola Program in San Francisco and the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme in the UK. He has received 5-star reviews for his work for the national opera companies of Australia, Iceland and the United Kingdom, and has been the recipient of awards including Most Outstanding Director (OperaChaser Awards, 2018) and Best Director (Broadway World Awards in Sydney, 2019).

After receiving the 2004 Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Study of Philosophy, Eldridge studied Opera Directing at The Opera Studio Melbourne in Australia and the Accademia Europea di Firenze in Italy before relocating to the United Kingdom. After serving as Trainee Resident Director at The King’s Head Theatre in London, Eldridge worked on productions including I gioielli della Madonna for Opera Holland Park, all four operas of Der Ring des Nibelungen for Longborough Festival Opera, Così fan tutte for the Landestheater Rudolstadt and he became the youngest director ever engaged by the state opera company in his hometown when he directed Ludus Danielis for Victorian Opera.

In 2013, Eldridge became the youngest – and first Australian – director to join the young artist program of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden in London. There, he worked under luminary directors including Sir David McVicar, Sir Richard Eyre, John Copley and Kasper Holten, along with conductors including Sir Antonio Pappano, Mark Wigglesworth, Alexander Joel, Nicola Luisotti, Marc Minkowski, Ivor Bolton and Gianandrea Noseda. Eldridge has also worked alongside international opera stars including Jonas Kaufmann, Sondra Radvanovsky, Rolando Villazón, Sonya Yoncheva, Sir Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie von Otter, Sir Willard White, Dame Sarah Conolly, Nina Stemme, Roberto Alagna, Denyce Graves, Angela Gheorghiu and many others.

In 2016, The Royal Opera created a new position especially for Eldridge – the Jette Parker Associate Director – and Eldridge joined the board of Stage Directors UK (SDUK), the industry body representing and advocating for directors of live theatre throughout the United Kingdom. During his time on the board, SDUK published papers exposing inequalities in the freelance artist sector, provided evidence-based studies to government bodies and authored a major report alongside the National Theatre, RADA and The Old Vic that provided recommendations for structural changes in the way arts training organizations and theatres engage with directors from underrepresented demographics.

Eldridge has contributed articles to publications including Limelight Magazine, The Guardian UK and OperaNow Magazine, and has given guest lectures at the Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and St John’s College Cambridge, among others. He holds an Exceptional Talent visa from the United Kingdom, and has been recognized as an Artist of Extraordinary Ability by the United States government.

“CCM’s Departments of Opera and Voice provide unparalleled training programs for singers, stage directors and opera coaches. Our students will benefit from Greg’s vast experience on the world stage,” said Romanstein. “I want to thank our search committee – which was co-chaired by Robin Guarino and Denton Yockey, and included Bill McGraw, Mary Stucky, Jim Gage and Mark Gibson – for their help identifying CCM’s next great opera faculty member.”

About CCM Opera

The Department of Opera at CCM boasts one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches and directors in the United States. Students at CCM work with some of the most renowned teachers and artists active in the field today.

CCM students frequently advance to the final rounds of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, which is widely considered to be the nation’s most prestigious vocal competition. In 2019, soprano Elena Villalón (BM Voice, ’19) was named a Grand Finals Winner at the competition while she was still finishing her undergraduate degree at CCM. CCM’s other recent Grand Finals Winners include Jessica Faselt (MM Voice, ’16) in 2018, Amanda Woodbury (MM Voice, ’12) and Yi Li (AD Opera, ’13) in 2014 and Thomas Richards (MM Voice, ’13) in 2013. At least two CCM singers advanced to the Upper Midwest Regional Auditions in this year’s Met National Council Auditions: artist diploma students Amber Monroe and Teresa Perrotta.

CCM singers also recently won awards in other prestigious national competitions. Jessica Faselt won a $10,000 award and Alisa Jordheim (DMA Voice, ’15; MM Voice,’ 10) won a $1,000 Encouragement award at the 2020 George London Foundation Awards Competition for young American and Canadian opera singers. Jasmine Habersham (AD Opera, 2015; MM Voice, 2013) won the silver medal in the 2020 American Traditions Vocal Competition. Edward Nelson (BM Voice, 2011; MM Voice, 2013) won first prize at the 2020 Glyndebourne Opera Cup. Perrotta also advanced to the finals of the 2020 Lotte Lenya Competition.

In addition, CCM Opera productions have received some of the National Opera Association Production Competition’s highest honors throughout the years.

CCM Opera graduates have performed on the stages of the world’s greatest opera companies, including Cincinnati Opera, Metropolitan Opera (New York), Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera (London), La Scala (Italy) and more.

Learn more at ccm.uc.edu.

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Featured image at top: A production photo of La scala di seta directed by Greg Eldridge at Royal Opera House Covent Garden London. Photo/Holly Pigot

Acclaimed Musician Demarre McGill Joins CCM Faculty as Visiting Assistant Professor of Flute

CCM Interim Dean bruce d. mcclung has announced the appointment of lauded flutist Demarre McGill as Visiting Assistant Professor of Flute. Winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, McGill is a leading soloist, recitalist, and chamber and orchestral musician.

A native of Chicago, McGill began playing the flute at age seven. He attended Chicago’s Merit School and was a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. At age 15, he appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony.

McGill received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner. He continued his studies with Baker at The Juilliard School, where he received a Master of Music degree.

McGill has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony and Baltimore Symphony.

In September 2017, McGill will return as principal flute of the Seattle Symphony. He previously served as principal flute of the Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Florida Orchestra and Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. He recently served as acting principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

As a chamber musician, McGill is a founding member of The Myriad Trio and is a former member of Chamber Music Society Two. He has participated in the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Marlboro Music, La Jolla Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival and Stellenbosch Chamber Music Festival in South Africa, among others.

McGill is the co-founder and artistic director of the chamber music organization Art of Élan. In 2014, he founded the McGill/McHale Trio with clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Michael McHale. The trio’s first CD, Portraits, was released by Cedille Records on August 11.

Media credits include appearances on PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center, A&E Network’s The Gifted Ones and NBC’s Today Show and Nightly News. McGill also appeared on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood with his brother when they were teenagers.

Please join us in welcoming Professor McGill to the CCM family!

Learn more about CCM’s illustrious faculty by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/faculty.

Acclaimed Mezzo-Soprano Quinn Patrick Ankrum Joins CCM Voice Faculty

CCM Interim Dean bruce d. mcclung has announced the addition of acclaimed mezzo-soprano Quinn Patrick Ankrum, DMA, to the college’s roster of distinguished voice faculty members. Ankrum’s appointment as Assistant Professor of Voice becomes effective on August 15, 2017.

Celebrated for her strong lyric voice, sizzling coloratura facility and engagingly sincere personality, Ankrum has performed a wide variety of repertoire spanning the centuries from Claudio Monteverdi to John Harbison. She has sung with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States, as well as with the National Orchestra of Mexico in Mexico City.

In the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons she demonstrated her versatility as she collaborated on the operatic, recital and concert stages with musicians in Missouri, Texas, New York, Florida and Kansas, along with international engagements in Toulouse, Paris, Mondavio (Italy) and Oban (Scotland). She will return to the U.K. this May where she will appear in a recital featuring the music of American composers at East of England Organ Day at the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, as well as in a concert featuring the music of Rameau with the East Anglian Academy.

Ankrum is an advocate of contemporary composers. She recently premiered Romanian composer Vlad Burlea’s chamber piece “Oglinda” (Texas and Kansas 2016) and created the role of the Mother in the world premiere of J. Todd Frazier’s opera Breath of Life (Lubbock, Texas, 2015).  In addition, she co-premiered John Harbison’s chamber work Crossroads with colleagues at Texas Tech University (2013). She is the co-creator of Living Song Project with pianist and University of Oklahoma faculty member Elizabeth Avery, DMA. This unique database project promotes the art song and vocal chamber music of living American composers.

In addition to being an active performer and teacher, Ankrum takes an interest in musicians’ health and wellness. She is an Andover Educator trainee, and will be licensed to teach the course What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body when she finishes her training.

Ankrum received degrees from Trinity University in San Antonio (BM, MAT), the University of Colorado at Boulder (MM) and the University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music (DMA), where she studied with Robert McIver. She was a Young Artist in the Glimmerglass Opera Young American Artists Program and the Baltimore Opera Studio, and participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program.

She has been a finalist and winner in numerous regional and national competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions (Rocky Mountain Region) and the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards competition (2nd place winner, 2006). She has served on the faculties of the State University of New York at Fredonia, Nazareth College (Rochester, New York) and Texas Tech University (Lubbock).

Please join us in welcoming Ankrum to the CCM family this fall!

Learn more about CCM’s illustrious faculty by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/faculty.

CCM’s Faculty Artist Series Continues Jan. 9

Acclaimed faculty artists from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music take center stage during 12 diverse performances this spring! Running from January 9 through April 23, these programs highlight music from multiple genres, from classical styles to contemporary commercial music and beyond.

 

Each concert in CCM’s Faculty Artist Series is free and open to the general public, offering audiences the chance to hear recitals by internationally renowned artists in CCM’s stunning performance halls.

Please refer to the listings below for a complete schedule and additional performance information.
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CCM’S SPRING 2017 FACULTY ARTIST SERIES

8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9
• Faculty Artist Series •
Dror Biran, piano
J.S. BACH: Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825
J.S. BACH: French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816
SCHUMANN: Carnaval for Piano, Op. 9
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10
• Faculty Artist Series •
Kimberly Trout, viola
John Kurokawa, clarinet
Hitomi Koyama, piano
MIKLÓS RÓZSA: Introduction and Allegro, Op. 44
MAX BRUCH: Selections from Eight Pieces, Op. 83
SCHUMANN: Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15
• Faculty Artist Series •
THE PAT AND JULIE SHOW(A.K.A. DIVA: RECONSTRUCTED)
Patricia Linhart, soprano
Julie Spangler, piano
2016 was a wild year, and we plan to kick it out of here in style. Pat and Julie promise a program full of surprises, assisted by James Bunte and Luke Dumm along with special guest Mary Stucky. Get here early for your party favors and stick around for the construction.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17
• Faculty Artist Series •
Thomas Baresel, tenor
Amy Johnson, soprano
Kenneth Griffiths and Mark Gibson, piano
Join us for an evening of art song featuring French duets by Hue, Duparc and Saint-Saëns, along with operetta duets by Lehár, Strauss and Milloeker. This program also features Alan Louis Smith’s Windows: Five Songs of Love and selected songs of Rachmaninoff.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22
• Faculty Artist Series •
IN RECITAL
Daniel Weeks, tenor
Donna Loewy, piano
Featuring songs by Schubert, Quilter, Donizetti, Tosti and Dubois.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23
• Faculty Artist Series •
FROM BLUES TO BEBOP AND BEYOND
Craig Bailey, saxophone
Featuring Steve Allee, piano; Dan Karlsberg, piano; Eric Lechliter, trumpet; Zak Granger, trombone; Aaron Jacob, bass; Juan Megan, drums and percussion; Art Gore, drums
Craig Bailey performs selections from throughout his career, including music by Ray Charles, Art Blakey, Panama Francis and original compositions inspired by his world travels.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25
• Faculty Artist Series •
James Bunte, saxophone
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE
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4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5
• Faculty Artist Series •
(UN)STRUCTURED
Awadagin Pratt, piano
CCM Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence Awadagin Pratt presents 300 years of fantasies and fugues – from Bach to the future – assisted by Charles Dennis Thurmond, Russell Burge and others.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13
• Faculty Artist Series •
Kurt Sassmannshaus, violin
Christoph Sassmannshaus, cello
Rohan DeSilva, piano
This concert features Theodor Kirchner’s piano trio version of Brahms’ Sextet in B-flat, Op. 18, which was approved by Brahms but only recently published by Bärenreiter. Other works include Fritz Kreisler’s Syncopation, one of his few original works for piano trio, and Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne for violin and piano.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15
• Faculty Artist Series •
CCM FACULTY JAZZTET
Featuring CCM String Quartet-in-Residence, The Ariel Quartet
For the first time, CCM’s acclaimed jazz faculty artists collaborate with CCM’s renowned String Quartet-in-Residence, the Ariel Quartet. World premieres by faculty members Steve Allee, Craig Bailey and Kim Pensyl will feature virtuoso string sounds combined with exciting improvisations. Grammy Award-winning New York composer and CCM alumnus Michael Patterson will also debut a new work. Featured on stage will be paintings by internationally recognized visual artist Anna Socha VanMatre.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24
• Faculty Artist Series •
LOU HARRISON CENTENNIAL CONCERT
Percussion Group Cincinnati and Friends
Featuring music spanning composer Lou Harrison’s entire career, including music written for Percussion Group Cincinnati.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
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4 p.m. Sunday, April 23
• Faculty Artist Series •
Michael Unger, organ
Featuring solo and chamber music by Mendelssohn, Haydn and others, celebrating the historic 1866 Koehnken and Company Organ at Plum Street Temple.
Location: Isaac M. Wise Temple, 720 Plum Street, Cincinnati 45202
Admission: FREE
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Event Information
All events listed here take place in CCM Village on the campus of the University of Cincinnati unless otherwise noted. Admission to Faculty Artist Series performances is free and reservations are not required.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation