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

CCM alumnus Leslie B. Dunner conducts Pulitzer Prize-winning opera ‘The Central Park Five’

Anthony Davis’ opera won the prestigious prize after Dunner led the world premiere in June 2019

CCM graduate Leslie B. Dunner (DMA Orchestral Conducting, ’82) conducted the premiere of Anthony Davis’ The Central Park Five last June with California’s Long Beach Opera. In May, the opera won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Composed by Davis with a libretto by Richard Wesley, the opera was described by the jury of the prestigious award as, “a courageous operatic work, marked by powerful vocal writing and sensitive orchestration, that skillfully transforms a notorious example of contemporary injustice into something empathetic and hopeful.”

The Central Park Five’s musical style combines elements of jazz, hip-hop, blues and other historically African-American genres. The opera centers on the five African American and Latino teenagers who were unjustly convicted of a Central Park assault in the 1980s, but were exonerated through DNA evidence 13 years later.

CCM audiences may remember Dunner from his recent appearance on campus. In October 2019, Dunner returned to CCM to conduct the Philharmonia in its “CSI Halloween: Post-Mortem” performance. While on campus, Dunner connected with CCM conducting students over dinner and worked with them in studio class as well as in rehearsals to prepare for the performance.

An award-winning conductor with a glowing international reputation, Dunner is the Music Director of the South Shore Opera Company in Chicago and serves as the conductor of the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, the World Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Interlochen Arts Camp.

Dunner began rehearsals for The Central Park Five shortly after his teaching and conducting work at the Interlochen Arts Academy ended for the 2018-19 school year. In an interview for Interlochen’s website, Dunner commented on the importance of telling the stories and struggles of black Americans through the lens of opera.

“Anthony Davis said something very interesting,” Dunner tells Interlochen. “He had an interview where he was asked what he thought was relevant with opera. Because the interviewer said, ‘Opera was becoming a dead medium.’ And Anthony replied, ‘No. It’s not a dead medium. It’s a dead medium for your stories. It’s not a dead medium for our stories because our stories have not been told in opera.’”

For Dunner, the story of the Central Park Five is very personal. “I grew up in the area where all of this took place,” Dunner tells Interlochen. “I lived eight blocks away. I used to go to that part of Central Park as a kid. All of what went on during that time I have been through.”

From the Central Park Five to today’s #BlackLivesMatter movement, stories of cultural, racial and socio-economic injustices regularly make headlines across the country. “The cycle is still being perpetuated,” Dunner tells Interlochen. “What happened to them should not be happening anymore. Yet it is still happening. That is the relevance. That’s why this was important.”

One month after Dunner led the world premiere of The Central Park Five at Long Beach Opera, another opera focused on wrongful convictions premiered at Cincinnati Opera. The stories of six people who were wrongfully imprisoned and then freed were told in Blind Injustice, a collaboration with CCM, UC’s Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) and the Young Professionals Choral Collective. Based on casework by the OIP and the book “Blind Injustice” by UC law professor and OIP Director Mark Godsey, the highly acclaimed opera was directed by CCM Professor of Opera Robin Guarino and featured several current and former CCM students in the cast.

Efforts to share diverse stories through the performing arts is not limited to tales of wrongful convictions and struggle. In February, Dunner conducted the Toledo Symphony in a program that highlighted classical musicians of color. Selections included excerpts from Nkeiru Okoye’s opera Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom, Duke Ellington’s The River Suite, André Previn’s Honey and Rue and William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1, among other pieces. As Music Director and Interim Artistic Director of Chicago’s South Shore Opera, Dunner furthers the company’s mission to provide greater opportunities for professional artists of color, especially local black artists, in performances of classic and contemporary operas.

“We are just now coming to the foreground,” Dunner tells Interlochen. “So we are using this medium to tell our stories, and we are modifying the medium so that it’s relevant to our population, and that’s what’s interesting, and that’s what’s exciting, and that’s what I want to be a part of.”

Read Dunner’s full interview on Interlochen’s website.

Learn more about Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, The Central Park Five.

CCM Announces the Winners of Its 2020 Opera Scholarship Competition

NOTE: Winners List Updated on April 15, 2020

Twenty-six current and incoming students competed for five coveted full-tuition scholarships and $65,500 in additional awards during the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s 2020 Opera Scholarship Competition.

Since its inauguration in 1976, this annual competition welcomes current and incoming CCM voice students to compete for scholarships and cash prizes. A panel of judges composed of opera industry professionals selects each year’s class of prizewinners.

Six students won awards in this year’s competition, which was conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To maintain social distancing, each participating singer was asked to select two arias. Each singers’ assigned pianist then recorded a piano reduction of the chosen arias and provided audio files, which served as virtual accompaniment for the competing vocalists.

Singers were required to record their performance on their smart phones and submit their recordings back to CCM. These recordings were then shared with the competition’s panel of distinguished judges.

The Winners of CCM’s 2020 Opera Scholarship Competition

Michael Pandolfo, baritone, first-year Master of Music student from Fort Worth, Texas; studying at CCM with William McGraw
Prize: Full-tuition scholarship and the Corbett Award ($15,000)
The Corbett Award is supported by the Corbett Foundation in cooperation with CCM.

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Teresa Perrotta, soprano, first-year Artist Diploma student from Orlando, Florida; studying at CCM with Gwendolyn Coleman
Prize: Full-tuition scholarship and the Italo Tajo Memorial Award ($15,000)
This award is supported by the Italo Tajo Memorial Scholarship Fund (established by Mr. Tajo’s wife Inelda Tajo) in cooperation with CCM.

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Amber Monroe, soprano, first-year Artist Diploma student from Youngstown, Ohio; studying at CCM with William McGraw
Prize: Full-tuition scholarship and the Andrew White Memorial Award ($12,500)
This award is supported by the Andrew White Memorial Scholarship Fund in cooperation with CCM.

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Brittany Logan, soprano, second-year Master of Music student and incoming Artist Diploma student from Garden Grove, California; studying at CCM with Gwendolyn Coleman
Prize: Full-tuition scholarship and the Seybold-Russell Award ($10,000)
This award is supported by the Seybold-Russell Scholarship Fund in cooperation with CCM.

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Amanda Olea, soprano, first-year Doctor of Musical Arts student from Mexico City, Mexico; studying at CCM with Gwendolyn Coleman
Prize: Full-tuition scholarship and the John Alexander Memorial Award ($10,000)
This award is supported by the John Alexander Memorial Scholarship Fund in cooperation with CCM.

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Christina Hazen, mezzo-soprano, second-year Master of Music student from Loveland, Colorado; studying at CCM with Gwendolyn Coleman
Prize: Norman Treigle Award ($3,000)
This award is supported by the Norman Treigle Opera Scholarship Competition Award Fund in cooperation with CCM.

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The judges panel for CCM’s 2020 Opera Scholarship Competition included:

• Evans Mirageas, the Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera
• Peggy Kriha Dye, general director and CEO of Opera Columbus
• Amanda Woodbury, an award-winning soprano and CCM alumna (MM Voice, ’12)

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 opera 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, taking home six of the 18 non-professional prizes awarded in 2010 and four prizes in 2011.

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.

CCM Opera is also part of Opera Fusion: New Works, a dynamic partnership with Cincinnati Opera that offers composer/librettist teams the opportunity to workshop an opera during a 10-day residency in Cincinnati.

Created in 2011 to foster the development of new American operas and generously funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Opera Fusion: New Works has grown into a nationally recognized collaboration which is not only advancing the repertoire, but also serving as an inspiring example of a successful joint venture between an educational institution and a professional performing arts organization.

For more information about CCM, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

Watch: CCM Alumnus Edward Nelson Wins Glyndebourne Opera Cup

CCM alumnus Edward Nelson (BM Voice, 2011; MM Voice, 2013) took home the first prize award at the 2020 Glyndebourne Opera Cup, an international competition designed to discover and spotlight the best young opera singers from around the world. Dame Janet Baker, the competition’s honorary president, gave Nelson his trophy, which was inspired by the golden lyre that Baker used in Glyndebourne’s 1982 production of Orfeo ed Euridice.

This prize includes £15,000 (about $18,400 in U.S. currency) and the guarantee of a professional role at a top international opera house. The members of the deciding jury included opera legends Sumi Jo, Sir Thomas Allen and Dame Felicity Lott, as well as other industry professionals.

Following preliminary rounds in Cape Town, Berlin, London, Milan, Paris, Vienna and New York, six singers advanced to compete in the Glyndebourne Opera Cup final, accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Nelson performed two dramatic arias from Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet before sealing his win with a spectacular performance of “Largo al factotum” from The Barber of Seville. His winning performance is available to watch online at YouTube.

Nelson recently made his European debut with the Norwegian premiere of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande at the Norwegian National Opera. His performances were well-reviewed, despite his having learned the role in just four weeks. Bachtrack.com said that “Nelson impressed with a ringing baritone, excellent French diction and a surprisingly easy top [register].”

This season, Nelson appears with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Vancouver Opera as Figaro in The Barber of Seville, with San Francisco Opera as Bosun in Billy Budd and with the Saint Louis Symphony in Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem. Read more about Nelson’s professional accomplishments.

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Story by CCM Graduate Student Alexandra Doyle

CCM Slideshows: ‘La Clemenza di Tito’

CCM’s brand-new take on Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus) opens this Friday, April 12, and continues through Sunday, April 14, 2019 in Corbett Auditorium. A dramatic tale of vengeance and forgiveness, CCM’s production is set during the Cuban Revolution in 1959.

View the slideshow below for your sneak peek at the opera. Mozart’s last opera seria, La Clemenza di Tito displays some of his most memorable and marvelous arias. Caught between his duty and his heart, Emperor Tito must choose whether to rule with mercy or with an iron fist after he narrowly avoids an assassination plot.

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La Clemenza di Tito runs April 12-14, 2019 at CCM’s Corbett Auditorium. Tickets on sale now through the CCM Box Office.

CCM’s production of La Clemenza di Tito will last 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

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LA CLEMENZA DI TITO
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Edited for the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe by Franz Giegling
Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, US and Canadian agent for Baerenreiter-Verlag, publisher and copyright owner

Creative Team

• Jiannan Cheng, conductor
• Robin Guarino, director
• Josh Cook*, assistant director
• Rachel C. Boylan*, costume designer
• Oran Wongpandid*, hair and make-up designer
• Kathleen Kelly, musical preparation
• Evan P. Carlson*, lighting designer
• Sidney Martin*, props master
• Mark Halpin, scenic designer
• Hankyu Lee*, sound designer
• Margo Leist*, production stage manager
• Kathleen Kelly and Marco Nistico, language coaches
• Ahyoung Jung*, Yang Lin* and Bin Yu*, rehearsal pianists

* CCM Student

Cast List

• Salvatore Atti⁺, Carlos Cardenas^ as Tito Vespasian, Roman Emperor
• Teresa Perrotta^, Jordan Stadvec⁺ as Vitellia, daughter of Emperor Vitellio
• Brenda Iglesias^, Karis Tucker⁺ as Sesto, young patrician in love with Servilia
• Grace Kiver^, Michelle La Jeunesse⁺ as Annio, young patrician in love with Servilia
• Victoria Okafor⁺, Yewon Yoon^ as Servilia, sister of Sesto in love with Annio
• Antonio Cruz^, John Siarris⁺ as Publio, commander of the Praetorian Guard
• Chorus: Elana Bell, Justin Burgess, Victor Cardamone, Victoria Ellington, Anyeé Farrar, Christina Hazen, Ella Joyner Horn, Georgia Jacobson, Nicholas Kelliher, Jordan Krack, Brittany Logan, Jordan Loyd, Raven McMillon, Tayte Mitchell, Miguel Pedroza Gonzalez, Deborah Rivera, Turner Staton, Lindsay Webber, Ryan Wolfe

^ Friday, April 12 and Sunday, April 14

+ Saturday, April 13

Performance Times

• 8 p.m. Friday, April 12
• 8 p.m. Saturday, April 13
• 2 p.m. Sunday, April 14

Location
Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati 

Purchasing Tickets
Ticket prices start at $32. Discounts are available for UC and non-UC students. Service changes may apply for online orders.

Student rush tickets will be available one hour before each performance to non-UC students, based on availability. UC students can receive one free student rush ticket with a valid Bearcat ID, based on availability.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online through CCM’s e-Box Office.

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 more 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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Mainstage Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith

CCM Opera Presents Mozart’s ‘La Clemenza di Tito’

A revolutionary tale of vengeance and forgiveness, this brand-new take on one of Mozart’s final operas displays some of his most memorable and marvelous arias performed by CCM’s stars of tomorrow.

CCM’s Mainstage Series production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus) opens on Friday, April 12 and continues through Sunday, April 14, 2019, at CCM’s Corbett Auditorium. Jiannan Cheng conducts the production, with stage direction by Robin Guarino, the J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair in Opera.

CCM’s production of the opera is set during the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The story focuses on Emperor Tito who must choose a wife, but is unable to find a suitable match. In his search for an empress, Tito narrowly avoids an assassination plot instigated by his protégé Sesto and the former emperor’s daughter, Vitellia, who wants the throne for herself. Caught between his duty and his heart, Tito must choose whether to rule with mercy or with an iron fist.

An esteemed director, Guarino’s work has been seen on stages across the country including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival and Cincinnati Opera, among others. She recently directed The Coronation of Poppea at the Florentine Opera Company in Milwaukee. A Milwaukee arts critic praised her staging of the opera, writing that “her choices are not just intelligent, but entertaining.”

Experience CCM’s brand-new take on Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito from Friday, April 12 through Sunday, April 14, 2019. Tickets on sale now through the CCM Box Office.

CCM’s production of La Clemenza di Tito will last 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

­­­____________________

LA CLEMENZA DI TITO
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Edited for the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe by Franz Giegling
Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, US and Canadian agent for Baerenreiter-Verlag, publisher and copyright owner

Creative Team

• Jiannan Cheng, conductor
• Robin Guarino, director
• Josh Cook*, assistant director
• Rachel C. Boylan*, costume designer
• Oran Wongpandid*, hair and make-up designer
• Kathleen Kelly, musical preparation
• Evan P. Carlson*, lighting designer
• Sidney Martin*, props master
• Mark Halpin, scenic designer
• Hankyu Lee*, sound designer
• Margo Leist*, production stage manager
• Kathleen Kelly and Marco Nistico, language coaches
• Ahyoung Jung*, Yang Lin* and Bin Yu*, rehearsal pianists

* CCM Student

Cast List

• Salvatore Atti⁺, Carlos Cardenas^ as Tito Vespasian, Roman Emperor
• Teresa Perrotta^, Jordan Stadvec⁺ as Vitellia, daughter of Emperor Vitellio
• Brenda Iglesias^, Karis Tucker⁺ as Sesto, young patrician in love with Servilia
• Grace Kiver^, Michelle La Jeunesse⁺ as Annio, young patrician in love with Servilia
• Victoria Okafor⁺, Yewon Yoon^ as Servilia, sister of Sesto in love with Annio
• Antonio Cruz^, John Siarris⁺ as Publio, commander of the Praetorian Guard
• Chorus: Elana Bell, Justin Burgess, Victor Cardamone, Victoria Ellington, Anyeé Farrar, Christina Hazen, Ella Joyner Horn, Georgia Jacobson, Nicholas Kelliher, Jordan Krack, Brittany Logan, Jordan Loyd, Raven McMillon, Tayte Mitchell, Miguel Pedroza Gonzalez, Deborah Rivera, Turner Staton, Lindsay Webber, Ryan Wolfe

^ Friday, April 12 and Sunday, April 14

+ Saturday, April 13

Performance Times

• 8 p.m. Friday, April 12
• 8 p.m. Saturday, April 13
• 2 p.m. Sunday, April 14

Location
Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati 

Purchasing Tickets
Ticket prices start at $32. Discounts are available for UC and non-UC students. Service changes may apply for online orders.

Student rush tickets will be available one hour before each performance to non-UC students, based on availability. UC students can receive one free student rush ticket with a valid Bearcat ID, based on availability.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online through CCM’s e-Box Office.

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 more 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.
____________________

Mainstage Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith

CCM Slideshows: Britten’s Haunting ‘The Turn of the Screw’

Benjamin Britten’s operatic thriller The Turn of the Screw opens at 8 p.m. tonight, Nov. 15, and continues though Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018 in CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater. Get a sneak peek of the production in the slideshow below.

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Based on Henry James’ classic ghost-story novella with Myfanwy Piper’s libretto, The Turn of the Screw tells the story of a young governess hired to care for two orphaned children at an isolated English country house. Shortly after her arrival, she is haunted by the malicious ghosts of a former valet and his lover, who she fears are stalking her innocent charges. Determined to save the children, the governess battles the supernatural while struggling with the apparent complicity of the children. For mature audiences.

Hailed by Stephen King as the ‘quintessential ghost story,’ ‘The Turn of the Screw’ takes a different approach from opera’s usual plot of romance, fairytale or spectacle. Instead, the show frightens audiences with an eerie tale of ghosts and uncertainty. In the words of director Vince DeGeorge, ‘You don’t need to know opera to see this.’ (The News Record)

Tickets are available through the CCM Box Office.

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Creative Team:

• Aik Khai Pung, conductor
• Vincent DeGeorge, director
• Jenny Doctor, dramaturg
• Mark Halpin, scenic designer
• Brandon Thompson*, costume designer
• Mikaela “Mickey” Acton*, production stage manager
• Marnee Porter*, wig designer
• Marie-France Lefebvre, musical preparation
• D’Arcry Smith, dialect coach

* CCM Student

Cast:

• Tyler Johnson as Prologue/Peter Quint cover
• Amber R. Monroe^, Hannah Consenz* as The Governess
• Mischa Sella^, Nicholas Asafiev-Holmes* as Miles
• Allison Anderson^, Amanda Olea* as Flora
• Chelsea Duval-Major^, Karis Tucker* as Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper
  Salvatore Atti as Peter Quint, a former man-servant
  Shannon Cochran^, Yuji Bae* as Miss Jessel, a former governess
• Madeline Jentsch as Miles cover
• Anyea Farrar, Georgia Jacobson as Supernumeraries

Mischa Sella and Nicholas Asafiev-Holmes appear courtesy of the Cincinnati Boychoir.

^Thursday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 17
*Friday, Nov. 16 and Sunday, Nov. 18

Performance Times:

• 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15
• 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16
• 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17
• 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18

Location:
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets:
Ticket prices start at $32. Discounts are available for UC and non-UC students. Service charges may apply for online orders.

Student rush tickets will be available one hour before each performance to non-UC students, based on availability. UC students can receive one free student rush ticket with a valid Bearcat ID, based on availability.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online through CCM’s e-Box Office.

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 campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more 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.
____________________

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith
____________________

THE TURN OF THE SCREW is presented by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. publisher and copyright owner.

Photos by Mark Lyons.

CCM Opera and Voice Alumni Win Prestigious Fellowships

CCM Voice alumnus Samson McCrady in the title role of CCM’s Mainstage Production of Gianni Schicchi, directed by CCM Opera alumnus Andreas Hager.

Two of CCM’s stars of tomorrow recently received prestigious positions in the world of opera. Alumnus Andreas Hager (AD Opera Directing, 2018) was awarded one of two JoElyn Wakefield-Wright Stage Director Fellowships from the National Opera Association. Additionally, Washington National Opera selected CCM Voice alumnus Samson McCrady, baritone, to fill one of only 11 spots for vocalists in its prestigious Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. Cincinnati audiences saw their artistry in action during CCM’s recent Mainstage production of Gianni Schicchi, in which McCrady performed the title role and Hager directed.

Hager was selected as a JoElyn Wakefield-Wright Stage Director Fellow for his summer 2018 work with Wolf Trap Opera, during which he will assist on productions of Idomeneo and Rigoletto. The fellowship includes a stipend to attend an opera stage directing program, and the opportunity to offer a presentation on their fellowship experience at a subsequent NOA National Conference.

Hager’s directorial work spans opera, film, theatre and alternate reality games. Recent directing credits include Il barbiere di Siviglia (Houston Grand Opera), Gianni Schicchi (CCM) and La belle Hélène (Opera North). In addition, he has worked with Opera Philadelphia, the New York Philharmonic, Cincinnati Opera and Opera Columbus. He recently graduated from CCM with an Artist Diploma in Opera Directing and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Cinema Studies from Oberlin College, where he also studied piano performance. He is a winner of Opera America’s Director-Designer Showcase and a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab.

As a Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist, McCrady will perform the roles of Elk/Camel/Butcher in Tesori’s The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me, Wagner in Gounod’s Faust and Sciarrone in Puccini’s Tosca during the Washington National Opera’s 2018-19 season. McCrady will also sing in WNO’s “A Concert of Comic Masterpieces.”

Because many young artists return for a second season, the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program only accepts a handful of new vocalists each season. This year the program welcomed seven new singers and four returning singers, as well as one new and one returning pianist, out of hundreds of applicants.

The artists in this program have an abundance of performance opportunities, including extensive performances at the Kennedy Center and in community-oriented events. They participate in the WNO’s major performances as supporting characters, including free preview performances that will be live streamed on the Kennedy Center’s website.

McCrady and the other Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists will also perform in recitals in Washington, D.C. art galleries and museums, as well as a series of master classes at the Kennedy Center and elsewhere. They will be seen onstage during the WNO’s American Opera Initiative Festival, during which they will have the opportunity to work with living composers and librettists on brand-new works.

Additionally, the program has an exchange program with Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program, which includes a few students from each program visiting the other and performing with their newfound peers.  Next summer, the WNO will send several of its young artists to Moscow for this exchange, culminating in two concerts with the Bolshoi Theatre’s young artists.

During his time at CCM, McCrady studied with Voice Professor Bill McGraw. He performed the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, the King of Scotland in Handel’s Ariodante and Jesus in a staged version of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Outside of CCM, McCrady performed the Mandarin in a semi-staged version of Puccini’s Turandot (Kentucky Symphony Orchestra), Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Queen City Opera), Edward G. Robinson in Robert Xavier-Rodriguez’s Frida (Cincinnati Opera) and Geronimo in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto (Cincinnati Chamber Opera). Before he came to CCM, McCrady received a Bachelor of Music from Roberts Wesleyan College.

CCM Behind-the-Scenes: Directors’ Notes for ‘Suor Angelica’ + ‘Gianni Schicchi’

CCM pairs two of Giacomo Puccini‘s most popular operas Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi for its next Mainstage production, which opens this Thursday, March 22, and continues through Sunday, March 25, 2018. These two operas highlight Puccini’s mastery of emotional storytelling, each sharing two contrasting tales about moral hypocrisy and greed.

CCM graduate students direct each production; Meredith Kitz directs Suor Angelica while Andreas Hager directs Gianni Schicchi. These young directors are not only challenged with mounting top-notch productions, but also have the added difficulty of presenting two distinct operas as a cohesive show.

“Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi work well together because they are so different,” says Hager. “The former takes religion and social order very seriously, while the latter completely skewers the awful and rich Donati family. In Suor Angelica, God is the moral compass, but Gianni Schicchi is about flesh and desire, with both the good and bad urges in every human.”

Tickets for CCM Opera’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schcchi are available now through the CCM Box Office.

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You can read more about the productions in the directors’ notes below:

Puccini’s Suor Angelica tells a story of faith, redemption and unconditional love. Under the ever-watchful eye of the Virgin Mary, a cloistered community faces the the daily toil of life in service of God and the greater good. Any longing for the outside world is left behind, and the encouragement to grow in relationship to God is brought to life in pastoral beauty. When a bitter presence thrusts harsh reality into this delicate atmosphere, will mercy and forgiveness provide the respite and salvation these women seek?

Suor Angelica asks us to see beyond desires and material attachments and surrender to a love that is greater than anything this world has to offer — a love that transcends life itself.

– Meredith Kitz, director of Suor Angelica

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Firenze è come un albero fiorito,
che in piazza dei Signori ha tronco e
fronde,
Ma le radici forze nuove apportano
delle convalli limpide e feconde

Florence is like a flowering tree,
With trunk and branches in the piazza,
But the roots draw new strength
From the clear and fertile valleys.

So sings the lover Rinuccio, begging his narrow-minded family to allow him to marry his girlfriend. The problem: his family does not want him to associate with “newcomers,” as his aunt refers to the non-native born. The aria morphs into a sweeping ode to immigration and the exchange of cultures. Who brought the great arts and sciences to Florence? Arnolfo, Giotto and the Medici were all born outside the city, Rinuccio reminds them.

The family rejects this and doesn’t warm to the marriage until the girl’s father, the titular Gianni Schicchi, crafts a plot to forge a new will and help them inherit their dead uncle’s money. It’s a masterful study in hypocrisy, all the more remarkable because it remains lighthearted and effervescent.

Like the best of Shakespeare, Gianni Schicchi transcends its time period and national distinctions. We recognize each one of the characters onstage. Composed during the final years of World War I, the opera questions the stability of a fossilized world order but also concedes that a rejuvenated and more diverse society will only emerge through a bit of trickery. If the moral lesson is muddied, Gianni Schicchi certainly gets at a fundamental truth: it’s fun to watch the wicked fall.

– Andreas Hager, director of Gianni Schicchi

Suor Angelica will last 1 hour and will be followed by a 15-minute intermission. Gianni Schicchi will last 1 hour. View the program booklet online here.
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CREATIVE TEAM:

• Mark Gibson, conductor
• Meredith Kitz, director (Suor Angelica)*
• Andreas Hager, director (Gianni Schicchi)*
• Theron Wineinger, scenic designer*
• Oliver Tidwell Littleton, lighting designer*
• Rin Marie Schwob, hair and make-up designer*
• Sidney Martin, props master*
• Hankyu Lee, sound designer*
• Chelsea D. Taylor, stage manager (Suor Angelica)*
• Margo Leist, stage manager (Gianni Schicchi)*
• Ashley Trujilo, costume designer*
• Marie-France Lefebvre, musical preparation

*CCM student

CAST LISTS:
SUOR ANGELICA

• Caitlin Gotimer*, Nicolette Book^ as Sister Angelica
• Amber Fasquelle*, Karis Tucker^ as The Princess
• Brenda Iglesias-Zarco as The Abbess
• Briana Moynihan as The Monitress
• Mia Athey as The Mistress of the Novices
• Claire Lopatka*, Allison Anderson^ as Sister Genovieffa
• Hannah Consenz as Sister Osmina
• Madeline Jentsch as Sister Dolcina
• Rebecca Printz as The Nursing Sister
• Amber R. Monroe as Alms Sister 1
• Victoria Okafor as Alms Sister 2
• Amanda Olea as Novice
• Yewoon Yeon as Lay Sister 1
• Natalie Sheppard as Lay Sister 2
• Mercer May Barton as Griffin

GIANNI SCHICCHI

• Jonathan Stinson*, Samson McCrady^ as Gianni Schicchi
• Teresa Perrotta*, Lisa Rogali^ as Lauretta
• Brandon Scott Russell*, Chandler Johnson^ as Rinuccio
• Rebecca Printz*, Abigail Hoyt^ as Zita
• Dongwhi (Tony) Baek*, Tyler Jonson^ as Gherardo
• Murrella Parton*, Amy Joy Stephens^ as Nella
• Daniel Roger Lefebvre Chaitkin as Gherardino
• John Siarris*, Antonio Cruz^ as Betto di Signa
• Michael Hyatt as Simone
• Zane Hill as Marco
• Briana Moynihan as La Ciesca
• Antonio Cruz*, John Siarris^ as Maestro Spinelloccio
• Miles Wilson-Toliver as Ser Amantio di Nicolao
• Joshua Cook as Pinellino
• De’Ron McDaniel as Guccio

* Thursday, March 22 & Saturday, March 24
^ Friday, March 23 & Sunday, March 25

PERFORMANCE TIMES

• 8 p.m. Thursday, March 22
• 8 p.m. Friday, March 23
• 8 p.m. Saturday, March 24
• 2 p.m. Sunday, March 25

LOCATION
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village,
University of Cincinnati

PURCHASING TICKETS
Tickets are $31-35 for adults, $22-25 for non-UC students and $18-21 for UC students with a valid ID. Student rush tickets will be sold one hour before each performance to non-UC students for $12 or $15, based on availability. UC students can receive one free student rush ticket with a valid ID, based on availability.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/mainstage/gianni-schicchi-suor-angelica.

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 campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more 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.
____________________

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s
Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal
Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith

CCM Slideshows: ‘Candide’

Here is your sneak peek at CCM’s Mainstage Series production of Candide, presented in conjunction with the world-wide Leonard Bernstein at 100 centennial celebration. Conducted by Mark Gibson with stage direction by Emma Griffin, the opera opens at 8 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017 in CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater.

Based on Voltaire’s biting satirical novella of the same name, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide follows a naïve young man as he searches for the meaning of life in a cruel and chaotic world. CCM’s innovative new production of Candide uses a mysterious, one-room set design that inspires the theatricality of the show.

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“CCM’s highly imaginative staging of this classic opera-musical is part of a long performance tradition of presenting Candide as a theatrically inventive show,” Griffin says. “In our production, we’ve given the performers a blank canvas with which to create a world of heightened theatricality and magical realism.”

Journey through Voltaire’s “best of all possible worlds” in CCM’s production of Candide, presented Nov. 16-19 in Patricia Corbett Theater. Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone 513-556-4183 or online at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/mainstage/candide.
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CANDIDE
(New York City Opera House Version)
By Leonard Bernstein
Book by Hugh Wheeler, after Voltaire
Lyrics by Richard Wilbur, Stephen Sondheim, John La Touche and Leonard Bernstein

By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., Sole Agent for Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company LLC, publisher and copyright owner.
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Creative Team

• Mark Gibson, conductor
• Emma Griffin, director
• Katie Johannigman, choreographer
• Thomas C. Umfrid, scenic designer
• Oliver Tidwell Littleton*, lighting designer
• Edward Mineishi*, sound designer
• Ann Marie White*, dialect coach
• Reba Senske, costume designer
• Lydia Brown, vocal coach
• William R. Langley*, chorus master
• Pauline Humbert*, stage manager

* CCM student

Cast List

• Brandon Scott Russell# as Candide
• Rob Stahley^ as Candide
• Heidi Middendorf# as Cunegonde
• Shannon Cochran^ as Cunegonde
• Chelsea Duval-Major# as Old Lady
• Karis Tucker^ as Old Lady
• Schyler Vargas as Maximilian
• Rebecca Printz as Paquette
• De’ron McDaniel as Pangloss
• Jacqueline Daaleman, Landon Hawkins, Nick Heffelfinger as Voltaire
• Clay Edwards as Baron
• Mia Athey as Baroness
• Logan Wagner, Grant Peck as Bulgarian Soldiers
• Breanna Flores, Elle Zambarano as Westphalian Soldiers
• Michael Hyatt as High Inquisitor
• Natalie Shepard as Auto-da-fe Victim
• Chandler Johnson as Governor
• Kseniia Polstiankina as Pianist
• Amy Joy Stephens, Briana Moynihan as El Dorado Sheep
• John Siarris as Prefect of Constantinople

^Denotes performers on Nov. 16 and 18
#Denotes performers on Nov. 17 and 19

Performance Times

• 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16
• 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17
• 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18
• 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19

Location
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to Candide are $31-35 for adults, $22-25 for non-UC students and $18-21 for UC students with a valid ID.

Student rush tickets will be sold one hour before each performance to non-UC students for $12 or $15, based on availability. UC students can receive one free student rush ticket with a valid ID, based on availability.

Customizable subscription packages are also available for CCM’s 2017-18 Mainstage Series.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/mainstage/candide.

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 more 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

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith