A CELEBRATION OF PUCCINI'S THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST. Adapted by Lee Holdridge & Richard Sparks. Educator's Workbook

Transcription

1 A CELEBRATION OF PUCCINI'S THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST Adapted by Lee Holdridge & Richard Sparks Educator's Workbook

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3 LA Opera began producing opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center of Los Angeles County in The company currently performs six to eight operas a year, as well as several operas for students, such as The Prospector, which tour Los Angeles area schools. About 120 people work at the company year-round, planning new operas, raising money to produce the operas, selling tickets, working on lighting, costumes and scenic designs, managing the finances, and creating programs for the community. More people are added when an opera is being produced. People are hired to sing and play in the orchestra, make the costumes, work backstage, and direct the operas. Some of the famous artists who have worked at LA Opera include General Director Plácido Domingo and Music Director James Conlon; singers Sondra Radvanovsky, Eric Owens, Juan Diego Flórez, Bryn Terfel, Vittorio Grigolo, Nino Machaidze, Anna Netrebko and Patricia Racette; directors Woody Allen, Peter Hall, Franco Zeffirelli, William Friedkin and Robert Wilson; and designers David Hockney, Ian Falconer, Gerald Scarfe, Maurice Sendak, and Gottfried Helnwein. Plácido Domingo, Eli and Edythe Broad General Director James Conlon, Richard Seaver Music Director For more information about LA Opera s extensive Education and Community Engagement programs which reach approximately 137,000 people per year, please visit our website: LAOpera.org, call , or educom@laopera.org. Plácido Domingo photo by Greg Gorman. James Conlon photo by Chester Higgins. 1

4 What is Opera? Opera is like a play, but instead of speaking the lines, the performers sing them. It is accompanied by a group of instruments, called an orchestra, and can include dancers and a group of singers who sing together, called a chorus. However, opera with its lavish spectacle, high drama and visual and aural treasures is much more. No other art form contains such diverse elements - singing, acting, lighting, design, orchestra, movement and dance - into such a seamless whole. It engages our minds, captures our hearts and releases our imaginations. When we think of operatic voices, we think of voices that are big and powerful. Opera singers, unlike popular music singers, do not use microphones. Their voices are trained to fill a large hall, and it takes many years of hard work to become a successful opera singer. There are three types of female and three types of male voices. The range is every note that a singer can sing. The highest voices are sopranos (women) and tenors (men). The middle-ranged voices are mezzo-sopranos (women) and baritones (men). The lowest voices are contraltos (women) and basses (men). This performance draws upon one of Puccini s beloved operas, The Girl of the Golden West. Opera Etiquette We want you and your students to have a fantastic time at the opera program. To make that possible, students need to be comfortable and to understand their jobs as audience members. Please go over the following Opera Etiquette with your class before attending the program. Students job as audience members: J MAKE YOUR SCHOOL PROUD by being an excellent audience member please be quiet and listen carefully. Remember you are seeing a live performance not watching television or a movie. The performers can see and hear you (as can other audience members). J LAUGH IF IT IS FUNNY J CRY IF IT IS SAD J CLAP AT THE END of the performance to show how much you liked it. If you really enjoyed it, you can shout BRAVO - which means great job! J HAVE FUN!!! For our teachers and parents: J Please no photography or videotaping during the performance. It s against the union rules and is hazardous to the performers! J Please turn off all electronic devices. 2

5 opera terms Aria A solo song that a character uses to express feelings or comment on the action. Baritone Middle range male voice. Often used for characters who act as best friends, fathers, villains and sometimes heroes. Bass The lowest male voice type. Also a stringed instrument. Bravo Italian word for great job. Chorus A group of singers usually divided into sections of sopranos, altos (generally similar to the mezzo-soprano range), tenors, and basses. Composer The individual who writes the music of an opera. Contralto The lowest female voice type. Conductor The individual who rehearses the ensembles and leads the orchestra and singers in the performances. Costume Designer The person who creates the clothes singers wear on stage. Director The individual who is in charge of how the singers move on stage. S/he directs their emotions and reactions to the singing. Duet Two people singing together. Libretto The text of an opera. Literally, a little book in Italian. Librettist The writer of an opera s text. Mezzo-Soprano Middle range female voice. Sometimes sings the role of a young boy, also known as a trouser role. Orchestra The group of musicians who accompany the singers. Overture An introduction to the opera played by the orchestra. Quartet Four people singing together. Set The furnishings and backgrounds which set the environment for the opera/play. Soprano Highest female voice. Often the heroine of the opera. Stage Manager The person in charge of everything backstage and on stage during the opera performance. Tempo The rate of speed at which the music is played. Tenor Highest male voice. Usually the hero of the opera. Trio Three people singing together. 3

6 Synopsis of the Prospector The Prospector is a one-act opera commissioned by LA Opera and inspired by the opera, The Girl of the Golden West (La Fanciulla del West). The Prospector is really a story within a story. As the opera opens, a lonely Gold Rush prospector is making his way across the desert toward the California gold fields. He has stopped to make himself a pot of coffee, his faithful mule tethered nearby. The stars of the night sky twinkle and sparkle but the prospector becomes nervous - everything seems too quiet! Suddenly a pack of coyotes seem to appear from behind every rock. The prospector begs them not to hurt him but they explain it s been a week since their last meal. So the prospector, and his mule in particular, look mighty tasty! Desperate to save himself, the prospector offers to take the coyotes to Minnie s saloon, known far and wide for the excellent food and the kindness and beauty of its proprietress. The coyotes scoff at the prospector s invitation, Oh, like they let coyotes in a saloon! The prospector sees his opportunity and quickly explains that all sorts of people go to Minnie s, including the very handsome and dashing outlaw, Ramerrez. Thus the prospector intrigues the coyotes, distracting them from their hunger with the promise of a fine story. He begins to tell the story of beautiful and virtuous Minnie and her beloved Ramerrez, Sheriff Jack Rance, and all the miners that Minnie cared for and taught. One day, a different and mysterious man enters Minnie s establishment. He calls himself Johnson and Minnie falls almost immediately in love with him. Her happiness is destroyed though when the Sheriff reveals that Johnson is really the outlaw Ramerrez. But Ramerrez swears that he too loves Minnie and will no longer rob. Minnie tries to save Ramerrez by challenging the Sheriff to a game of poker but the posse catches Ramerrez. Ramerrez s life is threatened until Minnie arrives and demands that they release him. She demands true justice be done that they release and forgive Ramerrez in the manner that she has always cared for and forgiven the miners their faults and shortcomings. The miners suddenly understand that their actions have been unjust and they offer their hands to Ramerrez and Minnie in the spirit of brotherhood. The coyotes are clearly moved by this tale of love and forgiveness as Minnie and Ramerrez depart into the sunset together. Inspired by the prospector s story, the coyotes quickly decide to let him go to find his gold, just as the miners had let Minnie and Ramerrez go in peace to find their own happiness. The opera ends with the prospector walking away in the moonlight to find his treasure even as the coyotes contemplate the real treasures of love and forgiveness. 4

7 About the Music The Prospector includes some of Puccini s music from The Girl of the Golden West, in addition to original music. Below you will find musical moments from The Girl of the Golden West that occur in The Prospector. ACT I Che faranno i vecchi miei (Miner s Lament) In The Girl of the Golden West (La Fanciulla del West), Jake Wallace, the camp minstrel, begins this lament (a passionate expression of grief or sorrow) about his folks, and whether they are thinking about him. This song makes the miners think about their far away homes and loved ones. In our production the prospector sings of missing his Homeland. Minnie, dalla mia casa son partito Sheriff Rance describes his sad life and tells Minnie he loves her. Minnie has no feelings for Rance, and in Puccini s The Girl of the Golden West, it is revealed that Rance is actually already married (gasp!) so Minnie tells him to leave her in peace. Mister Johnson, voi m aveter secatto ( la la waltz ) The Girl of the Golden West contains many examples of dance rhythms, as heard in this waltz. When Puccini went to see the original Belasco play The Girl of the Golden West, waltzes and polkas were played throughout the performance, which may have inspired Puccini to include dance music in his own telling of the tale. In The Prospector, the waltz music can be heard when Minnie and Johnson meet and begin to dance. Quello che tacete Interestingly, Puccini s family filed suit against composer Andrew Lloyd Webber claiming that Lloyd Webber s song The Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera (1986) bore too close a resemblance to Puccini s climactic line Quello che tacete towards the end of Act I of The Girl of the Golden West. The suit was settled outside of court and the public was never informed as to whether or not it was deemed an act of plagiarism. This theme appears throughout The Prospector and is the Coyote s Forgiveness Chorus at the end of the show. ACT II Una partita a poker (Poker song) After Johnson (aka Ramerrez) is discovered, Minnie strikes a deal with Sheriff Rance. She challenges him to a poker game; if he wins, she will hand over Ramerrez and pledge herself to Rance; if she wins, Johnson/Ramerrez goes free. In Puccini s version, Minnie ends up winning the poker game by using hidden cards (CHEATER, CHEATER!). ACT III Ch ella mi creda libero e lontano In The Girl of the Golden West, Johnson is about to be hanged, but sings this aria to beg the miners not to tell Minnie of his tragic end. Let her believe that I gained my freedom, he begs. This tenor solo is said to have been sung by Italian troops during World War I. La tue parole sono di Dio At the end of The Girl of the Golden West, Minnie and Johnson/Ramerrez ride off together escaping danger and leaving California forever. In this final number, everyone says their good-byes. 5

8 Synopsis of The Girl of the Golden West ACT I In the barroom of the Polka Inn, miners gathered for a game of faro share their homesickness. When Ashby of the Wells Fargo agency enters, talk turns to the notorious bandit, Ramerrez, who is believed to be in the area. A scuffle breaks out when the sheriff, Jack Rance, boasts that Minnie, The Girl who runs the inn, will be his wife, but Minnie s entrance breaks it up. News of a stranger takes the miners outside to investigate, and Rance, who tells Minnie he loves her, is rejected. The miners bring in the stranger, who says he is Johnson from Sacramento. He and Minnie recognize each other, having met once on the Monterey trail, and Johnson persuades Minnie to dance with him. Yet another stranger is brought in, Castro, who is a member of Ramerrez band but who throws the miners off the scent by offering to betray his leader. When Rance and the others form a posse, Castro whispers to Johnson that the rest of the band is waiting outside the camp for a signal. The miners leave, and Minnie and Johnson continue their chat; she tells him that the miners leave their gold in her care, and that she would defend it with her life. Johnson accepts her invitation to come to her cabin later that evening. ACT II In Minnie s cabin an Indian couple, Wowkle and Billy Jackrabbit, discuss marriage, a step Minnie has been urging, since they already have a child. Minnie arrives with news of a guest for dinner. Soon after, Johnson enters and begins to court her. Minnie eventually yields, admitting that she has loved him from the start. When a blizzard comes in, she gives her bed to Johnson, and herself rolls up in a bearskin before the fire. Suddenly shouts are heard outside. Minnie orders Johnson to hide, then opens the door to Rance, Nick, Ashby and Sonora, who have come to make sure she is safe. They tell her that Johnson is actually Ramerrez. Minnie does not believe it until they show her a photograph of Johnson, which they got from the bandit s girlfriend. She sends the men away and confronts Johnson, who confesses and tries to explain. But Minnie cannot forgive him, and he leaves, prepared to die. He is shot, whereupon Minnie drags him back into the cabin and hides him. But Rance discovers the wounded man and is about to take him in when Minnie, knowing the sheriff to be a gambler, offers to play a game of poker with him, her life and Johnson s to be the stake. They play, while Johnson lies unconscious; Rance is dealt a better hand of cards, but Minnie cheats and wins the game. ACT III On the edge of the great California forest at early dawn, Rance, Ashby and Nick are waiting. They discuss Johnson, whom Minnie has nursed back to health in her cabin. Shouts are heard. After a long chase Ashby s men capture Johnson, and he is brought in, bound and wounded. The men prepare to hang him. Johnson, who has faced them defiantly, asks only one favor, that they not tell Minnie how he died. Suddenly Minnie dashes in, places herself in front of her lover, and appeals to the men, who finally relent and restore Johnson to her. The two take farewell of the miners and of California and go off together to start a new life. Re-printed from Los Angeles Opera s June 1991 program book. 6

9 Puccini and Belasco The Origins of The Girl of the Golden West Giacomo Puccini s opera, The Girl of the Golden West (La Fanciulla del West), received its successful premiere in New York on December 10, By that time, the composer had already written several important works including Manon Lescaut, La Bohème, Tosca and Madame Butterfly. In direct opposition to certain critics rather lukewarm reviews, the New York public raved rapturously over Puccini s new American Wild West opera; this kind of artistic affirmation could scarcely have been better timed. One can only guess what exactly appealed to the 1910 audiences, but to today s ears it is clear that The Girl of the Golden West represents both a logical continuation of Puccini s musical/dramatic thought and a significant turning point in the composer s artistic growth. Like so many other Puccini operas, the storyline of The Girl of the Golden West focuses on the plight of a strong female protagonist. But unlike the composer s Giacomo Puccini previous works, this opera succeeds in creating a mature musical language which strongly anticipates the chromatic and orchestral innovations of later works such as Turandot (1924). Already we hear a proliferation of augmented chords, resolved in endless creative ways. And, as in Turandot, the orchestra plays an integral role in immediately setting the dramatic pace of the action. From the very first measures of the score, we are drawn into a creative soundscape which captures the imagination of the listener. In a letter by Puccini to his publisher Giulio Ricordi, he writes, The Girl promises to become a second Bohème, but more vigorous, more daring, and on an altogether larger scale. I have in mind a magnificent scenario, a clearing in the great California forest, with some colossal trees. But we shall need eight or ten horses on the stage. The playwright of The Girl of the Golden West, David Belasco, was born in San Francisco, California, on July 25, 1853 after his parents came from London in the gold rush. Belasco grew up in both San Francisco and Victoria, British Columbia. In 1885, Belasco had his first big hit as playwright, director, and independent manager. The Heart of Maryland, his Civil War melodrama, became a runaway success in New York, London, and in a tour across the US In the early 1900s, Belasco refurbished several theaters in New York into world class performance venues. In 1905, Belasco wrote the hit play, The Girl of the Golden West, for which Giacomo Puccini based his opera, The Girl of the Golden West (La Fanciulla del West) in Interesting Fact: David Belasco actually gave the famous actress, Mary Pickford, her stage name. Her real name, Gladys Marie Smith, wasn t fit for the stage, according to Belasco. Gladys didn t suit her and Marie was too common, so he changed it to Mary. Pickford was her mother s maiden name. 7 David Belasco

10 People at at the the Opera opera House house Students, color color the the picture and answer the the questions below. below. Who are we? 1. I am the person who creates the clothes singers wear on stage. 2. We write the words and the music of an opera. and 3. I am in charge of everything backstage and on stage during an opera performance. 4. We are the group of singers who perform and sing as a single body. 5. I work the spotlight. 6. I am in charge of how the singers and other actors move on stage. 7. We are the instrumental ensemble of an opera that can play alone as well as accompany the singers. 8. I rehearse the ensembles and lead the orchestra and singers in the performance. 9. We work together to design how the stage will look. and 10. We are the main characters on stage. 11. I help create the set. 12. We work around the stage hanging lights, working curtains and back drops, etc. Director Lighting Operator 8 Conductor

11 Set Designer & Lighting Designer Costume Designer The Chorus Stage Hand Principal Singers Stage Manager The Orchestra Librettist & Composer Scenic Artist 9

12 The Prospector Word Search L F B O X W V M E B F I T O T G Q I Y J U O Z G B P R O S P E C T O R E W U Q G E R W U M I N N I E F I E X D T A K U O X G J X Y R Y F Z L W R P M C W L G G D Q I V W C A L I F O R N I A Y X T Y M F A V P W T N Q W P L E L F H R K Z D K A X E U Y J U S O U B Z B E L A S C O H N N N Q C Z T A I C P U R Q B F C C E M C E E H S T B R J C Y H A T E W P L R T U M S F U R B B A I U D M W P L B T E O I I S E R L A M E N T H E S O H Q J A S L N S D B J Q I S I F K R S K W H J R C L E H M I L A N F L D Y R P E Z O W U A A R E O A J W Y H M U L E F R K M G F N O I R E Y V P Q A C Z H Z G P B E O R I J C I D D Z B L E M G P U C U I L L E N Q A F R T V U O T D U Z P G F N A D E I V C F C S M E T R O P O L I T A N O D N N X Z C X S Z E X V S J W J X L D I O L K F A D K E M J Q S I Z K X Q U T M M S Y BELASCO MILAN MINER MINNIE MULE POKER PROSPECTOR PUCCINI RAMERREZ SHERIFF TOSCANINI WALTZ CALIFORNIA FANCUILLA LAMENT FREEDOM GOLD HOMELAND METROPOLITAN FORGIVENESS 10

13 world events PUCCINi's LIFE The California Gold Rush 1850 California becomes a state of the USA 1859 Abolitionist John Brown leads an attack on Harper s Ferry 1860 Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th president of the United States 1865 US Civil War ends and 13th Amendment abolishes slavery 1869 The First Transcontinental Railroad connects San Francisco with the Eastern US encouraging Westward Expansion Franco-Prussian War leads to German unification 1902 US gains control over Panama Canal 1902 Congress makes enacts free mail delivery to rural United States 1903 Wright brothers fly first airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina 1906 San Francisco earthquake kills approximately 3,000 people 1908 Henry Ford introduces the Model T automobile 1910 Start of Mexican Revolution 1912 The Titanic goes down in the North Atlantic 1858 Giacomo Puccini born in Lucca, Italy into a family with five generations of respected musicians 1876 Puccini walks eighteen miles to see production of Verdi s Aïda. From that point forward his passion was opera Studies at Milan Conservatory Enters competition for a one-act opera, loses, but is paid for its production anyway Puccini runs off with a married woman named Elvira Gemignani who gives birth to Puccini s son later that same year La Bohème makes Puccini a very rich man Tosca premieres in the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, Italy Puccini is in a near fatal car accident that forces him to use a cane for the rest of his life Madama Butterfly is performed at La Scala in Milan The Girl of the Golden West premieres at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. It was the composer s first opera to premiere outside of Italy World War I begins 1918 World War I ends 1920 European League of Nations is established th Amendment gives American women the right to vote 1918 Il Trittico premieres at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Il Trittico is comprised of three one-act operas: Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi Puccini dies of throat cancer before finishing his last opera Turandot. 11

14 major themes in The Prospector Family: The Prospector features several families groups of people (or animals) who have a caring commitment to one another: the pack of coyotes is one kind of family. They sing about how they think humans are crazy animals who fight one another (which makes no sense to them). The miners sing about their homesickness and loneliness for the families they left back east. Even so, it is apparent that they have formed another family with Minnie acting as their mother and sister. Through their love for one another, Ramerrez and Minnie are becoming a new family themselves, even as the miners become brothers. At the opera s conclusion, there is even the hint that animal and human, coyote and miner, have a newfound understanding of the land, sky and stories that bind all beings together. The California Gold Rush: Many would say that opera is the most sophisticated art form, drawing together the elements of narrative, visual, musical, mechanical, social, economic and political arts and crafts. In The Girl of the Golden West and The Prospector, the power of opera conveys a uniquely American story: the California Gold Rush. In the process, an era is celebrated and largely re-envisioned. It is useful to consider the truthfulness of the opera s depiction of history (written in 1910) and those elements we might now dispute. Multicultural understanding: The regular customers of Minnie s are terribly suspicious of any stranger and ready to expect the worst. The opera features two happy endings in which both the miners and the coyotes overcome their first prejudices. Forgiveness: Everyone is worthy of forgiveness and everyone has been at fault, at one time or another. Through forgiveness, wrongs are erased and a new peaceful balance is achieved. Storytelling: Countless books, plays and poems feature heroes who save themselves and others through the device of a story. In some ways, The Prospector owes as much to 1001 Arabian Nights and Man of La Mancha as it does The Girl of the Golden West. 12

15 Connections to the Gold Rush The Prospector, Puccini s The Girl of the Golden West and Belasco s play that inspired Puccini, are all stories based on what must have been real life accounts of life in a mining camp in and around The Gold Rush, an exciting and colorful period of California history, proves to be a perfect backdrop for the intrigue and drama of opera. Let s look at the connections between history and significant elements of the opera. Miner s Justice When gold was discovered by James Marshall at Coloma in January 1848, California had no law except military law and the remains of Mexican laws. While technically the new mines should have been governed by Mexican laws in regard to mineral wealth and mining, very few Americans knew anything about that system of government and frankly couldn t care less. Prior to the influx of miners in 1849, the early days of mining were very different. James Carson, who mined on Carson Creek in August 1848 wrote: Honesty was the ruling passion amongst the miners of 48. Old debts were paid; bags of gold dust were carelessly left lying in their homes; mining tools, though scarce, were left in their places of work for days at a time and not one theft or robbery was committed. Once word of gold and easy wealth began to spread, there was a tremendous rush of people (about 100,000) to California from all corners of the globe, creating a stress on existing resources. California, new to statehood and Congress, was too consumed with issues of slavery to provide even a territorial form of government for California. This left a need for the law to take a form of self-government. Miners soon found themselves involved in all sorts of controversies over the size and locations of claims, so they had to establish rules to create some sense of order. Each locality began to make its own mining laws and elected a sheriff to oversee each area. Sheriff Rance, a central character in The Prospector, is an example of the typical legal authority or arm of the law that was common during the Gold Rush. The days of honesty were over! Only one year after his initial report, James Carson had a different take on the conditions in This honesty was not to be found in the crowds that daily thickened around us in forty-nine. Hordes of pickpockets, robbers, thieves, and swindlers were mixed with men who had come with honest intentions Murder, thefts and robberies soon became the order of the day. When there was a need for a jury, the miners were called together without much legal formality. When a decision was made, there was no appeal. Since there were no jails or prisons in the early camps, the punishment was immediate and drastic. In The Prospector, Sheriff Rance s posse of miners catches Ramerrez and brings him to face Rance and his type of Gold Rush justice. 13

16 Connections to the Gold Rush Women in the Gold Rush It is clear that times were not easy during the Gold Rush, especially for women, though the rough and ready atmosphere of the frontier and the Gold Rush did provide a unique sort of opportunity. The class society of the east coast was gone, creating more freedom for women to create a market for their skills. Since there were not many women in the mining camps and towns, those that had domestic skills were in great demand and they could charge top dollar for their services. Minnie, the saloon keeper in The Prospector, is the type of strong and enterprising woman that could weather and profit from the life of the Gold Rush. She is capable and nurturing and is the glue that holds the mining community together. Most accounts of women in the Gold Rush are from surviving letters, diaries, newspapers, and reminiscences. The following is an account by Luzena Stanley Wilson, who seems a lot like the character of Minnie. I determined to set up a rival hotel. So I bought two boards from a precious pile belonging to a man who was building the second wooden house in town. With my own hands I chopped stakes, drove them into the ground, and set up my table. I bought provisions at a neighboring store, and when my husband came back at night he found, mid the weird light of the pine torches, twenty miners eating at my table. Each man as he rose put a dollar in my hand and said I might count him as a permanent customer. I called my hotel El Dorado. From the first day it was well patronized, and I shortly after took my husband into partnership. Culture Clash The Gold Rush was like a petri dish for racial friction and hatred. People of disparate cultures lived and worked in close proximity. American, French, Mexican, Chilean, American Indian, Chinese, African American, Italian, German, and a myriad of other cultures mingled and haggled for diminishing resources. The American miners were especially intolerant of all other nationalities as they considered the land theirs by right and any foreigner as an invader of that right. This resentment was fairly universal but was especially bitter toward the Mexicans and Chileans and to a lesser degree the French. Ramerrez, the Mexican bandit from The Prospector, seems to be a victim of prejudice. The miners are especially suspicious of Johnson when he appears in Minnie s bar, most likely because of his looks, though it was common for miners to be suspicious of any new character in their midst. It may be that the character of Ramerrez was based on the real, larger than life character of Joaquin Murieta. The notorious Murieta was certainly the most famous bandit of his time and even was the inspiration of the character of Zorro. One positive effect of this clash of cultures has left a lasting imprint on the culture of California in an area that may surprise you - cooking. The mix of cultures in the mining camps found one positive and creative outlet in the fusion of different cuisines. Food, being not only a necessity of life, was also a means of socialization and cultural identification and people experimented with different ingredients, spices, and recipes from various cultures. To this day, California is known for its cuisine of mixing elements from various cultural traditions. 14

17 Creators of The Prospector Lee Holdridge, Composer Lee Holdridge, born in Haiti, spent his early years in Costa Rica, and began music studies on the violin at ten. At 15, he moved to Boston to study composition with Henry Lasker, and later moved to New York to continue music studies and begin his career as a composer. He came to the attention of Neil Diamond who brought him to LA to write album arrangements. A string of gold and platinum hits followed, which led to their collaboration on the film score for Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Since then he has scored numerous films including Splash, Big Business, Mr. Mom, Micki & Maude, 16 Days Of Glory, Mustang Country, The Beastmaster, Jeremy, Sylvester, A Tiger s Tale, Old Gringo and El Pueblo Del Sol. Television work includes Moonlighting, Beauty and the Beast, the eight-hour remake of East of Eden, The Tenth Man, Dreamer of Oz, One Against the Wind and The Story Lady. More recently, he scored Unlikely Heroes, the Oscar-winning Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport, The Mists of Avalon and recently The Prime Ministers, Parts 1 and 2 for Moriah Films. His extensive repertoire of concert works includes The Golden Land, the Jefferson Tribute, his Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra, his suite from the opera Lazarus and his Beloved, the orchestral suite Scenes Of Summer and numerous other orchestral works. Recent works include the Dallas Symphony Orchestra premiere of Ode to Orion for solo horn and orchestra. He received six Emmys and both Emmy and Grammy nominations for the title song for Moonlighting, co-written with Al Jarreau. He composed the operas The Prospector and The Magic Dream and the one-act Journey to Córdoba commissioned by LA Opera s Education and Community Engagement Department. Recently Plácido Domingo and LA Opera premiered the full length opera Dulce Rosa based on an Isabel Allende short story. Filmed in HD, a television premiere and DVD is planned for the near future as well as productions by other opera companies. Richard Sparks, Librettist Born in England, and a graduate of Oxford University, Richard Sparks moved with his family to Los Angeles in His original plays, adaptations and translations have been staged all over the UK, from the West End to the Welsh National Theatre, as well as touring overseas as far as New Zealand. He has written extensively for TV and radio. He is the author of three books, and his lyrics have been recorded by talents as diverse as Dom de Luise, Eric Idle, Vanessa Williams and Plácido Domingo. He began his partnership creating operas with Lee Holdridge with LA Opera s Journey to Córdoba. The Prospector, The Magic Dream and Tanis in America have since followed. All these are operas of an hour or less, for LA Opera s Education and Community Engagement. Other works with Mr. Holdridge include The Golden Land, a millennial commission for the California Symphony; and Concierto Para Mendez, a musical celebration of the remarkable life of trumpet virtuoso, Rafael Mendez (LA Opera). Film work with Maestro Holdridge includes songs for the film The Secret of N.I.M.H. 2, and, in collaboration with Brian May of Queen, they created an opera for puppets in the film The Adventures of Pinocchio. Mr. Sparks has translated, adapted and directed several classics of the opera repertoire, including Il Seraglio for the Washington Symphony; a new libretto for LA Opera s 2006 Hansel and Gretel; and, for LA s El Dorado Opera, a new production of Don Giovanni in both Italian and a new Spanish translation (also 2006). In 2012 he directed Stravinsky s The Soldier s Tale, starring Jack Black, for the Young Musicians Foundation at LACMA. In May 2013, Mr. Sparks wrote the libretto for, and directed the production of, Maestro Holdridge s fulllength opera, Dulce Rosa, an LA Opera production at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, conducted by Plácido Domingo. The Prospector Company Cedric Berry- Sherifff Rance Bass-baritone Cedric Berry received his music diploma from Interlochen Arts Academy, and both his Bachelor s and Master s degrees from the University of Southern California. He gained his first professional experience as a Resident Artist with LA Opera, performing the roles of Fiorello in The Barber of Seville, Schaunard in La Bohème, Second Philistine in Samson et Dalila, Wagner in Faust, Crébillon in La Rondine, and First Mate in Billy Budd. Mr. Berry has also performed with Pacific Repertory Opera, Long Beach Opera, The Industry, UCLA Opera, and USC Opera. He made his European debut as Jake in a concert version of Gershwin s Porgy and Bess in Madrid, and Cuenca, Spain. He also appeared with LA Opera at the Savonlinna Opera Festival singing the role of First Nazarene in Salome, and sang a concert in tribute to Paul Robeson for the Banlieues Bleues festival in Paris, France. On the concert stage, he has appeared with Bakersfield Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic and Santa Fe Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Arizona Symphony, the Telemann Chamber Orchestra in Tokyo and Osaka, the Luckman Jazz Orchestra, the New West Symphony, the Southwest Chamber Orchestra, the Pasadena Pops Orchestra, the California Philharmonic and the LA Philharmonic. He has been the recipient of several awards including first place in LA s Artist of the Future Competition, the Italian Educator s Vocal Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera Western Region Competition. Recent Los Angeles engagements include the lead role of Kublai Khan in Invisible Cities, an opera which was a 2014 Pulitzer Prize Finalist. The production was listed as Best of 2013 by the Los Angeles Times. The documentary of the production received and Emmy Award, and a CD was recorded and released in Nov (CedricBerry.com) Nicholas Boragno - Coyote / Miner Bass-baritone Nicholas Boragno is a native of Southern California. Mr. Boragno joined Chautauqua Opera in summer 2015 as a young artist where he sang the Captain in Eugene Onegin and the First Apparition in Macbeth. Last year, Mr. Boragno performed the role of Basilio in LA Opera Education and Community Engagement department s tour of Figaro s American Adventure. He went on to make his role debut as Leporello in Don Giovanni as a professional guest artist at the University of Alabama Opera Theatre. In 2015 he was also awarded first place in the Henry and Maria Holt Memorial Scholarship Competition with West Bay Opera in San Francisco. In summer 2014, Nicholas sang as a young artist with Opera Saratoga where he performed the role of Bindy McCall in the world premier workshop of Evan Mack s new opera, Roscoe, as well as being featured in The Magic Flute and The Elixir of Love. In 2013/14 he had the privilege to sing with LA Opera twice, first performing the role of Coyote in The Prospector and then on the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage in Billy Budd conducted by James Conlon. He attended Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he graduated with honors. While at MSM he performed the role of Giorgio in the US premiere of Paisiello s Nina, o sia La Pazza Per Amore to enthusiastic reviews from The New York Times. Mr. Boragno made his European debut in 2010 singing Schaunard in La Bohème with the Stuttgarter Opernschule. He is thrilled to be rejoining the cast of The Prospector at LAO reviving his role as the silly Coyote Lisa Eden - Minnie / Mule Soprano Lisa Eden first appeared with LA Opera s Education and Community Engagement department as the soprano lead in Who Wants to be an Opera Singer? (2010). She has since had her LA Opera mainstage debut in The Ghosts of Versailles (2015), and has become a primary teaching artist in residence at multiple schools throughout LA County integrating vocal music with school curriculum. Ms. Eden can also be seen in many of the department s recitals and touring productions. In addition to her work for LA Opera, Ms. Eden also appears nationally and internationally as soloist and in recital at such distinguished venues as the Kennedy Center, the Cosmos Club, Strathmore Mansion, the Baltimore Basilica, the National Cathedral, St. Patrick s Cathedral, the Embassies of France, the Netherlands, and Monaco, An die Musik, Liederkranz in New York, the Dean Lesher Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Harvard Club in Boston, and the Stefaniensaal and Helmut-List-Halle in Graz, Austria. Opera credits include Violetta in La Traviata, Leonora in Il Trovatore and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Teatro dell Opera di Milano, Anna in Le Villi and Mélisande in Impressions of Pelleas with Opera Vivente, Die Vertraute in Elektra with The Washington National Opera, Violetta in a concert version of La Traviata with the AIMS Festival Orchestra, Roggiero in Washington Concert Opera s production of Tancredi, Euridice in the California Music Festival production of Gluck s Orfeo ed Euridice, and Fiordiligi in the Bay View Music Festival s Così Fan Tutte. At the 27th Annual Meistersinger Competition in Graz, Austria, she took both First Prize and the Audience Favorite Award. Ms. Eden also had the honor of singing at the Inaugural Day Prayer Service for both Presidents Obama in 2009 and Bush in (LisaEden.com) Ray Frisby - Percussionist Ray Frisby - percussionist, drummer, studio musician, live performer and educator - moved to Los Angeles from Boston where he graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music. Among his many feature film soundtrack credits are Public Enemies, Batman & Robin, Batman Forever, Mrs. Doubtfire, Red Dragon, A Time To Kill, Heat, Addams Family Values, The Cable Guy, Volcano, City Slickers II, Free Willy II, Alien 3, The Good Son, Demolition Man, First Wives Club and For The Boys. He s performed on-camera as a percussionist and drummer in such films and TV shows as Walk Hard, Frasier, ER and many ads, including two Super Bowl commercials. He s toured the US with Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, Japan with Ron Stein s Hollywood Superstars, and Europe and 15

18 the UK as principle percussionist and soloist with The Los Angeles Symphonic Winds. He s performed with LA Opera, Long Beach Symphony, Antelope Valley Master Chorale, Musical Theatre Guild, Opera A La Carte, Mora s Modern Rhythmists, Johnny Mathis, Juan Gabriel and Rita Moreno. He maintains a full roster of private drum and percussion students and has been staff percussionist with LA Opera s Education and Community Engagement since Orson Van Gay II - Johnson/Ramerrez Tenor Orson Van Gay II possesses a unique voice that captivates audiences with his charisma and command of the stage. The lyric tenor most notably performed the lead role in, Night of the Living Dead Opera at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland, PA. He was brilliant in the haunting role of Orlando in the Industry s innovative production Hopscotch in downtown Los Angeles. Last year, he showcased his vocal versatility in his debut role as Bernard Curson (Cherubino) in LA Opera s adaptation of Mozart s The Marriage of Figaro: Figaro! (90210). He was a featured soloist, at the Italian American Museum of LA s Taste of Italy in Los Angeles, Jimmy Kimmel s Italian Feast of San Gennaro in Hollywood and the Voices of Hope benefit concert. In November 2014, Mr. Gay was honored to premiere the title role in LA Opera s secondary in-school opera production of Orpehus, and he is delighted to reprise the role for the 2015/16 season. (OrsonVanGay.com) Vivian I-Miao Liu - Synthesizer Pianist Dr. Vivian I-Miao Liu has worked with the Long Beach Opera, Opera Idaho, Opera Pacific, Classical Singers Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Songfest, Boys Choir of Harlem, Calico Winds, California Quartet, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Redlands Bowl, Riverside Philharmonic, Southwest Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference, International Double Reed Society Conference, and Pokorny Low Brass Seminar. In concerts, she has collaborated with musicians from the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, LA Opera Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, San Diego Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Shanghai Philharmonic, and Vienna Philharmonic, as well as singers from the Baltimore Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, LA Opera, Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, and Washington Opera. She has performed internationally in Taiwan, Russia, Austria and the US, and has appeared on the radio and television in Taiwan. She received a DMA in keyboard collaborative arts from the University of Southern California. She has given lectures at the Tainan National University of Arts in Taiwan. She has been invited to judge competitions at the MTAC and SYMF. She is the principal rehearsal pianist with the National Children s Chorus and works as an adjunct at the Azusa Pacific University Vincent Robles - Mr. Puccini / Coyote / Miner Baritone Vincent Robles is absolutely thrilled to once again be performing with LA Opera s Education and Community Engagement department and reprising the role of Mr. Puccini / Coyote in this seasons production of The Prospector. He has sung under the batons of such conductors as Grant Gershon, Charles Dutoit, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Leonard Slatkin, John Alexander and Gustavo Dudamel. He has sung professionally with the LA Opera Chorus, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Guild Opera and has performed as a baritone soloist and ensemble member throughout the United States and Europe. Most recently, he toured with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and LA Philharmonic in the world premier production of John Adams oratorio The Gospel According to the Other Mary. He is also the bass soloist of the Coventry Choir at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. He has sung numerous operatic and musical theatre roles including Sid in Albert Herring, Dancairo in Carmen, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, the title role in Giulio Cesere, Father in Hansel and Gretel, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night s Dream, the title role in Gianni Schicchi, the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, Judd in Oklahoma, El Gallo in The Fantasticks and Priest in Paul Salerni s world premiere of Caruso s Last Broadcast. Mr. Robles received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Redlands and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from California State University, Northridge. He is an alumnus of the acclaimed LA County High School for the Arts as well as the OperaWorks summer program. Previous roles with LA Opera Gunther in German Opera Tales and as Sage/Priest in The Festival Play of Daniel. (VincentRobles.com) Tali Tadmor - Conductor / Pianist Pianist Tali Tadmor is a Los Angeles-based pianist, music director and vocal coach. She has collaborated with prominent musicians such as choral composer Eric Whitacre, Metropolitan Opera Soprano Angela Meade, and Broadway legend Stephen Schwartz, and has performed extensively at venues around the globe including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and The Great Hall at the heart of China s Forbidden City. Recent projects include LA Opera s premiere production of Dulce Rosa, in which she served as Assistant Conductor to the company s General Director, Placido Domingo, as well as performances with the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Though classically trained, Tali is active in a wide variety of musical settings, ranging from world music, pop and Jewish worship, and her own compositions. Tali received both Master and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees with honors from the University of Southern California (USC) majoring in Keyboard Collaborative Arts. She currently teaches at the Herb Alpert School of Music at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). (TaliTadmor.com) Eli Villanueva - Stage Director Eli Villanueva has earned outstanding credentials as a performer, and has become a respected name as a stage director and published composer. He has appeared internationally in leading baritone roles including Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Marcello and Schaunard in La Bohème, and Falke in Die Fledermaus with such noted companies as the San Francisco Opera Center and LA Opera; as well as for the Cultural Arts Festival in Cortona, Italy. Mr. Villanueva recently directed Benjamin Britten s Noah s Flood at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles, conducted by James Conlon. This event combined a community cast and orchestra of over 400 as well as professional artists from LA Opera. Presently, Mr. Villanueva is resident stage director for LA Opera s acclaimed Education and Community Engagement department. For their In-School Opera programs, he teaches and directs more than 1,500 students annually in original productions. These one-act operas include his very popular compositions, Figaro s American Adventure and The Marriage of Figueroa, working with his brother LeRoy Villanueva as librettist. Mr. Villanueva s compositions are praised for their appeal to audiences and performers alike. In addition, compositions ranging from solo vocal and choral works to popular handbel songs can be found through publishing companies like Fred Bock Music and Laurendale Associates. Mr. Villanueva has appeared as guest stage director for universities throughout Southern California. LeRoy Villanueva - The Prospector Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions and San Francisco Opera s 1st prize Scwabacher Award, American baritone LeRoy Villanueva was also the first recipient of the Lotos Foundation Award, earning him his debut at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall. He has sung with San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, Geneva, Montreal, Dresden, and Paris Opera houses to name a few. He has sung with major orchestras, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Suisse Romande, and Tokyo Symphony Orchestras. He and his brother Eli have written three children s operas for LA Opera s Education and Community Engagement Programs. They are Figaro s American Adventure (published by Cherry Lane Music), The Marriage of Figueroa and The Legend of Cannery Row which is debuting in the spring of Miki Yamashita - Coyote / Miner Soprano Miki Yamashita is delighted to reprise her role as Coyote/Miner in The Prospector. She recently made her LA Opera mainstage debut as Soon-Yi (Marcellina) in Figaro! (90210). With the Company s Education and Community Engagement department, Ms. Yamashita originated the title role of The White Bird of Poston, and continues to serve as teaching artist, leading the Choralmania choir at the Hollenbeck Palms retirement community. In musical theater, her credits include the role of Connie Wong in A Chorus Line (national tour), Maria in West Side Story, Tuptim in The King and I, and Luisa in The Fantasticks. As a comedic actress, Ms. Yamashita has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and has worked full-time as an improv/sketch player at the Walt Disney World Resort. She has performed her one-woman show, The Geisha Next Door, at Upright Citizens Brigade and at Stanford University, as part of their Asian American Studies program. A former figure skater, she created and co-hosted the talk show Lutz Chat, a flamboyant and satirical homage to the world of competitive figure skating. She is the producer and host of her own live concert series Opera Off The Cuff, which is dedicated to featuring ethnically diverse performers from the worlds of both stand-up comedy and opera. As a dramatic actress, Ms. Yamashita has played principal roles on TV series such as Law & Order, As The World Turns, and One Life to Live. She studied classical voice at New England Conservatory of Music, drama at Yale University, and holds a B.A. in English Literature from Mount Holyoke College. (MikiYamashita.com) Melissa Ficociello - Set Designer Melissa Ficociello is a Los Angeles based designer for theater, film and theatrical environments. After obtaining her undergraduate degree from University of Cincinnati, DAAP: School of Design, Art Architecture and Planning, she cofounded the Joint Workshop, a design/build furniture studio, incorporating unconventional materials with a minimalist design aesthetic. She obtained her MFA from Cal Arts and is currently a faculty member at East Los Angeles College, mentoring students in set design and props for theater. Melissa is also lead scenic artist at LA Opera and a member of Local 800, Art Directors Guild. (mficociello.com) Paula Higgins - Costume Designer Paula Higgins has been doing theatre for a living for over twenty years. She has designed costumes for dozens of operas, her favorites being La Traviata at Opera In The Ozarks and Albert Herring (which she designed for director Eli Villanueva). In the fall of 2006, she designed costumes (and received an LA Weekly Theatre Award Nomination) for The Nibroc Trilogy at The Actors Co-op while moving and rehabbing an 80-year old house. She designed costumes for The Magic of Lawrence and Priscilla, a television special that aired in Singapore. Ms. Higgins teaches at California State University, Northridge, where she designs costumes and acts as the department Prop Master. Ms. Higgins is originally from Main Street in Hometown, Il. 16

19 LETTER TO PERFORMERS Write a letter to the performers. Try to use the words in the word bank below. What did you like most? What did the music sound like? Did the singers use props or costumes to help tell the story? Who was your favorite performer? On a separate piece of paper, or at the bottom of this page, draw your favorite part of the performance. Give the letter and the drawing to your teacher to send back to us. Acting Aria OPERA WORD BANK Baritone Chorus Composer Duet Soprano Tenor 17

20 135 N. GRAND AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA For more information about LA Opera s extensive Education and Community Engagement programs which reach approximately 137,000 people per year, please visit our website: LAOpera.org, call , or educom@laopera.org.