The Songs of Les Mis(ish)
“Do you hear the people sing?” from Les Misérables, music and lyrics by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil
- Soloist: Hudson Smith
“Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof, music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
“Rumor in St. Petersburg” from Anastasia, music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
- Soloists: Maddie D’Arco and Natalia Romero
“Invisible” from Beetlejuice, music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect
- Soloist: Emily Buliung
“All That Matters” from Finding Neverland, music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy
- Soloist: Gabby Maresco
“Say It Somehow” from The Light in the Piazza, music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
- Soloists: Mekayla Fountaine and Eddie Hayes
“Three Little [Friends]” adapted from The Mikado, music and lyrics by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
- Soloists: Mekayla Fountaine, Sophia Mura, and Rebecca Gatto
“I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story, music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim
- Soloists: Catherine Boyd, Grace Austin, and Rebecca Gatto
“Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid, music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman
- Soloist: Benson Jovel-Truong
“Bésame Mucho” by Consuelo Velázquez
- Soloists: Rowan Parsaca and Manny Coleman
“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey (Perry, Schon, Cain)
- Soloists: Anya Speranza and Jules Mast
“You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen, music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
- Soloists: John Calandra and Hannah Sywulski
“Show People” from Curtains, music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb
- Soloists: Gabby Maresco, Nate Yauchzee, Rowan Parsaca, and Liam Van Buren
“Ex-Wives” from Six, The Musical, music and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
- Soloists: Hannah Sywulski, Angelina Rubiano, Johanna Hovanec, Rowan Parsaca, Antoinette Parisi, and Kat Keegan
“Dancing Through Life” from Wicked, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwarz and Winnie Holzman
- Soloist: Noah Driscoll
“Astonishing” from Little Women, music and lyrics by Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein
- Soloist: Hannah Sywulski
“Right This Way” from Bandstand, music and lyrics by Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor, arranged by Mitchell T. Gilly
- Soloists: John Calandra, Eddie Hayes, Noah Driscoll, Hudson Smith, and Kameron Karim
“One Day More” from Les Misérables
- Soloists: Manny Coleman, John Calandra, Eddie Hayes, Kenzie Caccamo, Hannah Sywulski, Nate Yauchzee, Madeline Nokland, Kameron Karim
Members of the Spring 2024 Crane Opera Ensemble:
Grace Austin
Catherine Boyd
Matthew Bridge
Emily Buliung
Liam Van Buren
Kenzie Caccamo
John Calandra
Manny Coleman
Maddie D'Arco
Noah Driscoll
Mekayla Fountaine
Becky Gatto
Eddie Hayes
Johanna Hovanec
Benson Jovel-Truong
Kameron Karim
Kat Keegan
Rebekah Lucia
Gabby Maresco
Jules Mast
Sophia Mura
Tommy Murdock
Madeline Nokland
Antoinette Parisi
Rowan Parsaca
Natalia Romero
Angelina Rubiano
Adam Sheifer
Hudson Smith
Anya Speranza
Hannah Sywulski
Sarah Westcott
Nate Yauchzee
Synopsis
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a dress rehearsal? Les Mis(ish) provides a unique look at the fun, and, at times, serious moments cast members through the course of a rehearsal break.
Act 1 begins with a student’s late arrival and the announcement of a 5-minute break to reset for a full run of the dress rehearsal. During the 5-minute break, the theatrical concept of “suspending the disbelief” is fully engaged as the short break is packed with rumors, deep personal questions, romance, memories, and comradery.
Act 2 highlights themes of perseverance, music history enthusiasm, audition success, and dreams of the future.
About the Crane Opera Ensemble
The award-winning Crane Opera Ensemble is a significant source for opera and music theatre in the North Country region of New York State. The ensemble provides exciting opportunities for students to experience all facets of opera and musical theater performance and production through rehearsals, coaching, and classes related to performance practices and production techniques. COE’s 2023 production of The Enchanted Pig by Jonathan Dove and Alasdair Middleton won 1ST place in the National Opera Association Production Competition. The Crane Opera Ensemble is proud to host the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Competition, supporting nationallyrecognized composers and librettists every four years. In the Fall of 2024, COE will premiere the winning work, Computing Venus, by Timothy Takach and Caitlin Vincent.
Acknowledgements
The Crane School of Music
William Gibbons, Dean
David Heuser, Associate Dean
Tom Grabowski, Performing Arts Facilities Manager
Karen Miller, Budgeting and Scheduling Secretary
Nils Klykken, Chair of Vocal Performance Department
Music Director’s Note
This weekend we are excited to present to you a jukebox musical. This term is typically used to describe a show that is built around selected songs from a single composer, composer/lyricist team, or other thematic grouping that is all brought together around a narrative script. This is similar to the familiar genre of the musical revue. You may have heard of some of these kinds of shows: Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978), Mamma Mia (1999), or more recently, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (2013).
The jukebox musical that we will perform for you, Les Mis(ish), as compiled by my fantastic colleague, is an extension of our original intention to spend a semester workshopping musical theatre genres with our students in the Crane Opera Ensemble. You will hear a wide variety of styles, from operetta to modern pop and rock. At the Crane School of Music, we are proud to offer vocal instruction and performance opportunities that span a variety of genres for the training of the 21st century vocal artist and educator. For some of these students, it is their first experience performing in a non-classical genre. For others, this is familiar territory.
We look forward to more productions of music-theatrical works in the future alongside the continued traditions of opera. Coming up next in the Fall of 2024, the Crane Opera Ensemble and Opera Orchestra will premiere a new opera, Computing Venus by Timothy Takach and Caitlin Vincent, the winner of the 2024 Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Award. Computing Venus tells a story of the life and work of astronomer Maria Mitchell, one of the earliest female pioneers of science and STEM education in the United States. We hope you will join us for this premiere November 1-3, 2024 in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater.
Director’s Note
It has been an honor to work with this talented cast! The concept for Les Mis(ish) was derived from a need to use pre-existing theater repertoire yet rooted in a desire to give students an opportunity to participate in a fully staged production. Much time was spent in selecting the repertoire and crafting simple dialogue to provide continuity from one song into the next. This production has specifically been geared towards the family-friendly audience. It is our desire as music educators to encourage the youth of America to explore and pursue their artistic talents. One way we hope to support the local youth is by providing a production that is accessible to a variety of ages, while at the same time providing food for thought for the adults in the audience.
Pedagogically, the idea of showing the backstage happenings during a production rehearsal sprovided a natural and familiar environment from which our singers could build their personas. Due to the original nature of this production, the cast are all playing characters that share their name. The only thing more challenging than playing an unrelatable character is playing a variation of yourself.
Thank you for coming and supporting the Crane Opera Ensemble! I hope you enjoy our original production of Les Mis(ish)!
Production Staff Bios:
Katie Burnham (Stage Director) Dr. Katie Burnham is a classically trained soprano, originally from the Midwest, known to "enthrall the crowd". She holds degrees in Vocal Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory (DMA), the Chicago College of Performing Arts (MM) and Bradley University (BM). As a performer she has performed nationally and internationally with the Adirondack Performing Arts Fellowship, the Maggie Ohstrom-Bryant concert series, Chicago College of Performing Arts, Shepherd University, Peoria Municipal Band, and Bradley University. In addition to classical music, Katie enjoys singing and exploring musical theater styles.
Andrew Voelker (Music Director) Vocal coach and pianist Andrew Voelker brings more than twelve years of experience as a performer, music director, and educator to SUNY Potsdam. Andrew is in demand as a vocal coach, specializing in lyric diction and contemporary score analysis. They hold degrees in piano and voice from Northern Illinois University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Indiana University (DM, ABD). While serving as Associate Instructor of Collaborative Piano at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, they coached productions of Le nozze di Figaro, La traviata, Little Women, Serse, and L'Incoronazione di Poppea. In the spring of 2023, Andrew assisted in preparing vocal roles for the premiere production of Shulamit Ran and Charles Kondek's opera Anne Frank. Andrew also spent three years as the music director for the graduate opera workshop directed by internationally renowned soprano Heidi Grant Murphy.
Amanda Morris (Choreographer) is a choreographer, dancer, vocalist, instrumentalist, and actor. She is delighted to work with the Crane Opera Ensemble. Amanda has previously choreographed, staged, and performed with Adirondack Performing Arts Fellowship among others. A classically trained vocalist and flutist, Amanda holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance and an Applied Minor in Flute. Some favorite past performance roles include Pamina in The Magic Flute and Meg in Little Women the Musical.
Jon Daniels (Lighting Designer) Jon was born and raised in Potsdam, NY. He is grateful for the opportunity to be part of his first production at Crane, though he is no stranger to the lighting booth. He currently serves as the lighting director for the Arts Program of NNY and has over a decade of experience designing lighting. Some of his favorite productions to be part of have included A Christmas Carol and Joseh and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Josh McGrath (Assistant Lighting Director) A graduate of the Crane School of Music, Josh holds degrees in Piano Performance and Music History & Theory. Hailing from Potsdam, he is no stranger to the theater. He has appeared in shows such as Fiddler on the Roof (2X), Pirates of Penzance, Cinderella, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Christmas Carol (2X), and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Today Josh works as a nonprofit marketing consultant and is co-host of the Ardent Pursuit Podcast.
James W Wildman (Sound Engineer)
Internationally in the fields of opera, ballet and drama, James Wildman has worked with: Alfred Wopman of the Vienna State Opera, Franco Ferraris of La Scala, Ande Anderson of Covent Garden. His design credits include productions with: Josh Brolin, Carol Burnett, Sandy Duncan, Gregory Peck, Leoni Rysenik, Bobby Short, Marlo Thomas, Eli Wallach, Diane Wiest, John Williams, Anthony Zerbe and Joanne Woodward. His designs have appeared in the USA in numerous regional theatres and on Broadway. His work is also included in the National Theatre Archive at Lincoln Center in New York.
Jacob Frenyea (Assistant Director) is excited to be joining the Crane Opera Ensemble once again for their spring production. A native of Johnstown, Jacob spends his summers collaborating with artists from Broadway and beyond to mount productions at the historic Proctor’s Theater in Schenectady, New York. When he is not working behind the scenes, Jacob pursues his love for performing, some of his notable roles include, “Mr. Northwind” from “The Enchanted Pig”, “Gomez Addams” from “The Addams Family” & “The Bishop/Ensemble” in “Les Misérables”. Thank you, Dr. Burnham and Professor Voelker, for this amazing opportunity. Enjoy the show!