StudyGuide TheYoungArtistsofthe PalmBeachOpera Thursday,January31,2013at10:15a.m. Showlastsapproximatelyonehourandisgearedforgrades5 12 EisseyCampusTheatre PalmBeachStateCollege 11051CampusDrive,PalmBeachGardens 561 207 5900 THESTORY/SHOW: Opera astorytoldinwordssettomusic PalmBeachOpera syoungartistswillsingariasandensemblesfromfavoriteoperasand discusselementsofoperawithstudents.theprogramwillincludeselectionsfromla CENERENTOLAbyGioachinoRossini,LATRAVIATAbyGiuseppeVerdi,andLABOHEME bygiacomopuccini. THEMESANDIDEAS(ConceptsExplored): LoveandLoss Loyalty Forgiveness Betrayal Honor Friendship RolesinSociety
THECOMPANY/ARTISTS: YOUNGARTISTSOFTHEPALMBEACHOPERA ThePalmBeachOperaYoungArtistProgramisastepping stonetoasuccessfulcareerasanoperasingerfor post graduate and emerging singers. During their five month residency in Palm Beach they develop and polish essential stagecraft and performance skills, aided by musical and career guidance from Palm Beach Opera s experienced artistic staff. The Young Artists are Palm Beach Opera s community ambassadors, performing throughout the area in education and outreach concerts as well as coveringlead roles and performingcomprimariorolesonthemainstage. BONNIESHERMANBROWN SOPRANO BonnieShermanBrown,anativeofJackson,Mississippi,recentlycompletedherstudiesat ManhattanSchoolofMusicwhereshesangthetitleroleinLuciadiLammermoor,andwasalso featuredinperformancesaskonstanzeindieentführungausdemserail,themaidinpowder herface,emmelineinemmeline,andjulietteinroméoetjuliette.missbrownhasbeena memberoftheaspenoperatheatrecenter,wheresheperformedscenesfromzaïdeandsweeneytodd.miss BrownwasrecentlynamedafinalistintheJoanTaubAdesVocalCompetition,andreceivedan encouragementawardfromthegerdalissnerinternationalvocalcompetition.anaccomplishedviolinist, MissBrownhasperformedwithorchestrasallovertheworld,includingWashington,D.C.andNewYorkCity tothepeople srepublicofchina.missbrownhasbeentherecipientofmanyawardsinbothclassicalviolin andbluegrassfiddling,includingthekennedycenternationaltrusteesfellowship,themississippisymphony ConcertoCompetitionWinner,MTNAstateandregionalwinner,andtheTennesseeValleyOldTimeFiddlers Association1 st placewinner.missbrownholdsabachelorofmusicinviolinperformancefromvanderbilt University,andbothaMaster sdegreeandprofessionalstudiescertificateinvoicefrommanhattanschoolof Music ALEXANDRABATSIOS SOPRANO AlexandraBatsios,anativeofSt.Louis,hasbeenpraisedforhercolorfulvoice,crispdiction, andstrongstagepresence.ms.batsioswasayoungartistatoperanorthfortwoseasons performingthevixeninthecunninglittlevixen,lucyinthetelephone,clorindainla Cenerentola,andcoveringtheroleofAdinainL elisird amore.herpreviousrolesinclude MadameHerzinDerSchauspieldirektor,FiordiligiinCosìfantutte,JosephineinH.M.S.Pinafore,andSusanna inlenozzedifigaro.awinnerofsigmaalphaiota sgraduateperformanceawards,shehasbeeninvitedto participateinprivatecoachingsandmasterclasseswithrenatascotto,nicocastel,anddaltonbaldwin.asa soloist,herconcertengagementshaveincludedmozart srequiemindminorandmassincminor,brahms Ein deutschesrequiem,orff scarminaburanaandbach smagnificatwiththechamberorchestraofphiladelphia. Ms.BatsiosreceivedaBachelorofMusicinVocalPerformancefromMillikinUniversityandaMasterofMusic invoiceperformanceandpedagogyfromwestminsterchoircollege. SHIRINESKANDANI MEZZOSOPRANO Hailedforher pleasingandpliantvoice (OperaToday),IranianCanadianmezzosoprano ShirinEskandaniisanavidperformeronboththeoperaticandrecitalstage.Duringthe2011 2012seasonMsEskandaniappearedasayoungartistwithPalmBeachOperawhereshe performedtherolesofkatepinkerton(madamabutterfly),gertrude(roméoetjuliette)and Alisa(LuciadiLamermoor)onthemainstage.ShealsosangtheroleofMercedesinCarmenwithOpera TheatreofSt.LouiswhereshewasareturningGerdineYoungArtist.AfrequentsoloistShehasperformedin numerousworksincludingbach smatthaus Passion,Haydn snelsonmass,handel smessiah,anddurufle s Requiem.ShehaspremieredseveralworksincludingTheOratoriotoEndallOratorioswiththeVancouver SymphonyOrchestraandtheRoyalWinnipegBallet sperformanceofhandel smessiahms.eskandanihas workedasayoungartistwithsyracuseopera,thegreenmountainfestival,theashlawnoperafestival, OperaontheJames,andBanffOpera.SheisthrilledtobereturningtoPalmBeachOperathiswinterfortheir 2012 2013season. 2
3 MEGANMARINO MEZZOSOPRANO Notedforher ambervoice andpowerfulstagepresence,meganmarinoisbecomingasought afterperformerinoperaandmusicaltheater.her2012 2013seasonbringsroleandhouse debutsatthevirginiaoperaaspitti SinginTheMikado,TheCaramoorInternationalMusic FestivalasCiroinCiroinBabiloniaandthemezzosoloistinMendelssohn samidsummer Night sdream,operafortcollinsasrosinainilbarbieredisivigliaandoperacoeurd AleneasMercédèsin Carmen.In2011 2012audiencessawdebutsatOperaColoradoasthe3rdWoodNymphinRusalkaandTisbe inlacenerentola,anitainwestsidestoryandhermiainamidsummernight sdreamattheaspenmusic FestivalandthetitleroleinLaCenerentolawiththeBaltimoreConcertOpera.Otherrecentrolesinclude: OrlofksyinDieFledermaus,HanselinHanselandGretel,Cherubino&2ndBridesmaidinLeNozzediFigaro, PhoebeinYeomenoftheGuard,LucretiainTheRapeofLucretiaandtheGreekTrioMezzointhepremiereof DavidChesky sawardwinningoperaticsatirethepig,thefarmerandtheartistatthenycfringefestival. ShehasbeenastudioartistatSarasotaOpera,anapprenticeatDesMoinesMetroOpera,anAspenOpera TheaterFellowandhastouredwithOperaIowa,CentralCityOperaandVirginiaOpera. MARCOSTEFANI TENOR MarcoStefaniofPleasanton,CaliforniarecentlymadehisdebutwithOperaTheaterofSt. LouisasaGerdineYoungArtistandjoinstheyoungartistprogramatPalmBeachOperain 2013wherehewillbeheardasDonRamirointhefamilyperformanceofLaCenerentola. RecentlyMarcohasbeenheardintheSongContinues MasterClassserieswithRenée FlemingatCarnegieHallandmadehisprofessionaldebutwithStocktonOperasingingRinuccioinGianni Schicchi.OtherrolesincludeFentoninFalstaffandCountAlmavivainIlbarbierediSivigliaforIndiana University,FerrandoinCosifanTutteandErnestoinDonPasqualeforMusicAcademyoftheWest.He performedhisfirstsolorecitalashishometowndebuttoasoldoutaudienceatthefirehouseartscenter.a previouswinnerofthepalmbeachoperavocalcompetition,marcohasalsoreceivedawardsfromthe StocktonOperaGuildandMarilynHorneSongCompetition.InDecemberof2011,MarcoreceivedhisMaster ofmusicdegreefromindianauniversity.hecompletedhisundergraduatestudiesattheuniversityofthe PacificandisathreetimealumnusoftheMusicAcademyoftheWest. KYLEERDOS KNAPP TENOR HailedbyOperaNewsforhis shiny,sizabletenor, KyleErdos Knapphasdevelopeda reputationasoneofthemostversatileyoungsingersemergingtoday.whilestudyingatthe EastmanSchoolofMusicandtheUniversityofMichigan,Kylebecameamemberofthe inauguralseasonofthewolftrapoperastudio,aswellasperformedtenleadingrolesover threeyearswiththeohiolightopera.in2011hejoinedthecompanyoftheoperatheatreofst.louis,where hehasperformedforthelasttwosummers.hemostrecentlyappearedinst.louisastobiasinsweeney Todd.Aperformerofextraordinaryversatility,Kyleisequallyathomeintheworldsofopera,operetta, musicals,oratorioandconcertmusic,earlymusic,andstraighttheater.hehasperformedextensivelywith Grammy winningluteninstpaulo Dette,includingthetitleroleinLully sthéséeandtestoinmonteverdi sil CombattimentodiTancredieClorinda.Asaconcertsinger,KylehasperformedworksbyMozart,Bach,Kodály, Monteverdi,Britten,Mendelssohn,andmanyothers.HehassungunderthebatonsofStephenLord,Martin Katz,MichaelBorowitz,andKennethKiesler,andregularlyperformswithcompaniesacrosstheUnited States.HecanbeheardsingingleadingrolesontheAlbanyRecordslabelinrecordingsofTheMikado, Patience,andSousa selcapitan.kylehasisathreetimeprize winnerofthemetropolitanoperacouncil Auditions.
SCOTTPURCELL BARITONE ScottPurcell,originallyfromWestville,NewJersey,recentlycompletedhissecondseasonasa YoungArtistwiththeBelCantoprogramattheCaramoorInternationalMusicFestival,where hecoveredtheroleofzambriinrossini srarelyperformedciroinbabilonia.inthe2011 2012seasonhemadeseveralconcertappearancesincludingtheCaramoorClassicsconcert series.hispreviousrolesincludethepiratekinginthepiratesofpenzancewithoperanewjersey,dick DeadeyeinH.M.S.Pinafore,FigaroinLenozzediFigaro,andMr.GobineauinTheMedium.ScottjoinsthePalm BeachOperaYoungArtistProgramduringthe2012 2013seasonwherehewillsingDandiniinthefamily performanceoflacenerentolaaswellasorestesiniphigénieentauridefortheoneoperainonehour series.heholdsabachelorofmusicinvocalperformancefromwestminsterchoircollege,wherehewasa featuredsoloistinperformancesofcarminaburanaandbach sst.matthewpassion,andappearedasdon AlfonsoinCosifantutte. PETERTOMASZEWSKI BASS BARITONE OperaNewsMagazinepraisedPeterTomaszewskiintheOctober2010issueforhisworkas thephysicianinmacbethwithdesmoinesmetroopera.hereturnedtodmmolastseasonto coverthetitleroleindonpasquale.thebaltimoresunwroteofpeabodychamberopera s TroubleinTahiti: PeterTomaszewski,asSam,gotfirmlyintocharacterandsangwith considerablenuanceandcommunicativeweight. Otherrolesinclude:NickShadowin(whichwasPeabody s Lyric ModelPerformingArtsCenterdebut),PapagenoinDieZauberflöte,LeComteinManon,TheFatherin HanselandGretel,Parson/BadgerinTheAdventuresofSharp EarstheVixen,andtheArmchair/Treein L enfantetlessortilege.peterhailsfrombellingham,washington.heearnedhisbminvocalperformance fromwesternwashingtonuniversity,wherehewaswinnerofthe2004concertocompetitionperforming Mussorgsky ssongsanddancesofdeathwiththewwusymphonyorchestra.peterpreviouslyservedin AmeriCorps NationalCivilianCommunityCorps,andIn2006herodesoloona6,000milecross America bicycletour.petergraduatedfromthepeabodyconservatorywithamastersofmusicinvocalperformance aswellastheoperagraduateperformancedegree.histeachersincludejohnshirley QuirkandStanley Cornett. PRE PERFORMANCEDISCUSSIONS: 1. Priortoattendingtheperformance,studentsshoulddiscussaudienceetiquette. Commonetiquetterulesinclude: a. Respectforperformers b. Nofood,drinks,orguminthetheatre c. Notalking,nocellphonesandnocamerasinthetheatre d. Clappingshouldbepoliteandappropriate 2. Throughdiscussionorwrittenresponse,reflectonthefollowing: a. Whataresomeplaysorlivetheatreproductionsyouhaveseen? b. Haveyouseenanoperabefore? c. Howisastorytoldthroughmusic? d. Whatisanopera?Howitisdifferentfromothermusicalforms(classical, musicaltheatre,jazz,country,etc.) 4
e. CompareandContrast:Howistellingastorythroughmusicthesame/different fromaplaywithspokenword?amovieinatheatre?atelevisionshowathome? Abook?Whichdoyouprefer?Why? f. Explorethemesthatarecommonlyfoundinoperas(love,hate,betrayal, discovery,friendships,loyalty,honoretc.) 3. Defineanddiscussvocabularyusedinopera. a. Leitmotif thematicpassageofmusic:amusicalthemethatrecursinthe courseofaworktoevokeaparticularcharacterorsituation. b. Orchestra alargegroupofmusiciansplayingclassicalmusic,consistingof sectionsofstring,woodwind,brass,andpercussionplayers,anddirectedbya conductor c. VocalRanges 1. Tenor highmale 2. Baritone mid rangemale 3. Bass lowmale 4. Soprano highfemale 5. Mezzo Soprano mid rangefemale 6. Contralto lowfemale d. Composer somebodywhocomposes:acreatorofsomething,especially ofmusic e. Librettist authorofopera'swords:awriterofthewordsforadramatic musicalworksuchasanoperaormusical f. Musicalscore awrittenformofamusicalcomposition;partsfor differentinstrumentsappearonseparatestavesonlargepages g. Aria operasong:amelodysungsoloorasaduetinanopera,oratorio,or cantata h. Recitative singinglikespeech:astyleofsingingthatisclosetothe rhythmofnaturalspeech,usedinoperafordialogueandnarration 4. Comparestoriestoldthroughspokenwordvs.storiestoldthroughmusic.Howare theythesame?howaretheydifferent?whatemotionsdotheyevoke? 5. IntroduceclasstoDVDoraudioofariasorrecitativesfromclassicoperasto familiarizethemwithwhattheywillbeseeingandhearinginthetheatre. POST PERFORMANCEDISCUSSIONS: 1. Haveadialogueabouttheperformance.Whatdidthestudentslikeaboutthe program?whatdidn ttheylikeaboutit?whatsurprisedthem? 2. Discusstheinterplayofvoiceandorchestra.Howdidtheinstrumentalmusictell thestorywithouttheuseofvoice? 3. Discussthehistoricalbackgroundofthestoryandhowitwasachievedonstage (costumes,sets,props,etc.). 5
CLASSROOMACTIVITIES: 1. Havethestudentswritetheirownoneactstoryandsetittomusic. 2. Chooseascenefromapopularoperaandhavestudentsperformthesceneusing costumes,props,backdrops,etc.assignstudentsrolesincludingsingers,director, setdesigner,propsmistress,costumehead,etc. 3. Discusstherolesofthecomposerandlibrettistandpairstudentstocomposeasong. 4. Introduceaclassicoperasceneandaskstudentstoresetitinadifferenttime period. 5. Havestudentschooseacharacterfromanoperaandwritetheirbackstory.How didthecharactergettothispointinwhichwemeetthem?whatistheirfamily situation?whoaretheirfriends?howdoestheirstorycontinueoncetheoperais over? 6. Discussotherstylesofmusic.Havethestudentschooseoneariaandorchestrate thesonginadifferentstylesuchasjazz,musicaltheatre,classical,country,rock,etc. INTERACTIVELINKS: Usetheselinksintheclassroomtoexploreoperafurtherwithyourstudents; Morecomprehensivedefinitionsandexamplesofopera http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/opera Bringingoperatothepublicina flashmob http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zmwrityo3w OperaAmerica slearningcenterwhichprovideseducationalresourcesaboutopera http://www.operaamerica.org/content/education/learningcenter/index2.aspx AclipfromaproductionofLaCenerentola http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb5vmj8jfs4 AclipfromaproductionofLaBoheme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u9dvzrx0yg AclipfromaproductionofLaTraviata http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce0vndnocnc INTERNETLINKS: Ageneralsiteforoperainformationwww.operaamerica.org SanDiegoOpera sglossaryofoperaswww.operapaedia.org PalmBeachOperawww.pbopera.org MetropolitanOperaGuildwww.operaed.org WashingtonOperahttp://artsedge.kennedy center.org 6