Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) was not only a composer, but a dramatist and director. He was huge fan of Giacomo Puccini, and his composition style is perhaps best described as Neo-Romanticism or Romantic Lyricism. Abandoning the atonal style of many of his contemporaries, Menotti was indeed Pucciniesque in his approach, although most would agree that he never succeeded in capturing the soaring vocal lines for which Puccini is so well-loved and well-known.
What he did create, however, were of some of the most popular works in theAmerican operatic canon. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his opera’s The Consul and The Saint of Bleeker Street, as well as for his libretto for Samuel Barber’s Vanessa Although he retained his Italian citizenship, he lived in the US for most of his life and considered himself to be an “American” composer, and even became a Kennedy Center Honors recipient in 1984.As many of you may know, the most often performedAmerican opera is his Amahl and the Night Visitors.
Menotti’s operas are also some of the most often performed works by small opera companies and universities. As you will see in these performances, the vocal demands typically pair well with the developing singing artist, and the stories tend to be accessible and appealing toAmerican audiences. That is not to say they are easy or simple. You will observe that The Telephone requires substantial coloratura facility for the soprano, and that The Old Maid and the Thief is filled with challenging melodies, rhythms, and frequent meter changes.
Professor Miller and I wish to thank and congratulate all of our class members for tackling these demanding works, applying their talents and focus, and generously offering what I believe you will find to be a very exciting and engaging performance.
We can’t thank our music staff enough for their dedicated preparation of these works, as well as our amazing CVPAproduction team. It takes a village, and it is such an honor to work with every one of them. We also want to recognize and thank our student composer/pianist/performer, Samuel Kim for his creation of the fabulous radio advertisement “Jingles” that you will hear along the way Enjoy the show!
Richard Leech
The Telephone (or L’amour à trois)
Arguments
Ben is in love with Lucy, and has a very important question to ask her. Lucy is in love with Ben, but there is a third party that is constantly getting in the way Lucy has no idea that there is an issue so Ben must find a creative way to tackle this obstacle to their happiness.
The Old Maid and the Thief
One of the first opera’s commissioned specifically for radio, The Old Maid and the Thief was premiered on NBC radio in 1939. Welcome to our WGMU radio studio, broadcasting some ten years later, as our “guest opera stars” take on the characters of Miss Todd, a respectable and middle-aged maiden lady who’s existence is somewhat empty, being without romance; her maid Laetitia, a pretty young thing who, like her mistress, feels the lack of a man in her life; a neighbor, Miss Pinkerton, who has the reputation as the village gossip; and a young tramp by the name of Bob. Bob is tall, dark, and handsome, and the two women cannot resist inviting him to spend the night and have a meal, and then go to great lengths to get him to stay
Although Miss Todd and Laetitia become concerned that Bob may be the escaped thief and murder that was reported in the news, they decide that it would be better to be killed by a man, than live without one. Bob, a simple vagabond who has never broken the law, discovers the opera’s ironic moral – The devil couldn’t do what a woman can– make a thief out of an honest man.
MasonSymphonyOrchestra
Conductor: Dr. Soo Han
Assistant Conductor: Samuel Keh
Brittany Young*, concertmaster
Suyuan Carrasco*, asst. concertmaster
Natalia Gibbs*
Violin II
Marianna Wolpert*, principal
Youngbin Ko*, asst. principal
Perry Francis
Viola
Sophia Ellis, principal
Jade Lemus*, asst. principal
Cello
David Kim, principal
Jabari DeRoux*, asst. principal
Bass
Clarke McMillen*, principal
Flute
Annie Li
Oboe
Maya Moses
Clarinet
Benjamin Lopez
Bassoon
Jackson Wilson
Horn
Alex Josa
Trumpet
Grace Bascom
Percussion
Jack Papandon, principal
Tobey Koopmans
Piano
Dr. GaYoung Lee
Suyuan Carrasco, librarian
Kate Granger, librarian
Natalia Gibbs, librarian
Samuel Keh, orchestra manager
*Aitel Scholar
Dramatis Personae
The Telephone
Lucy Annie French
Ben Jacob Lee
The Old Maid and the Thief
Beverly Cabot as Miss Todd Elycia Woodham*; Ash Mattos†
Monica McEuen as Laeticia Hannah Cayem
Donna Miller as Miss Pinkerton Julia Messner
Howard Leech as Bob Ethan Yearwood
Bobby as the Foley Artist Ethan Pinentel
The WGMU Studio Singers
Jessie “Tunes” Taylor, Music Director Sarah Clements*; Samuel Kim†
Bitsy Huijie Sun
Mindy Kathryn Yearwood
Bobby Ethan Pinentel
Jimmy Lincoln Hop
Clark Diego Billilngton
*April 25, 2:00 & April 26, 3:00; †(April 24, 8:00 & April 25, 8:00)
ADMINISTRATION & STAFF
MASON OPERA ARTISTIC TEAM
Director of Vocal Studies, Program Director & Producer: Prof. Patricia Miller
Music Director, Conductor: Dr. Soo Han
Stage Director: Prof. Richard Leech
Principal Coach: Prof. Joseph Walsh
Rehearsal Pianist, Coach: Dr. GaYoung Lee
Jingle Composer/Repetiteur: Samuel Kim
Assistant Conductor: Samuel Keh
ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF
Executive Director, Center for the Arts: Julie Thompson
Stage Manager: Donna Reinhold
Scenic Designer: Jonathan C. Dahm
Technical Director: Carrie Cox
Lighting Designer: Sean Cox
Costume Designer: Laurel Dunayer
Sound Designer Reid May
Props Designer: Adrienne Krauel
Hair and Makeup: Taylor S Payne
Assistant Stage Manager: Tess Tsolis
Fly Operator/Deck Crew: Claire Rassmussen
Sound Mixer: Tiara Newman
SCENE SHOP STAFF
Technical Director: Carrie Cox
Assistant Technical Director: Ezekiel Ajibade
Scene Shop Supervisor: Ethan Osborne
Lead Carpenter: Claire Rasmussen
Props Artisan: Vika Hearne
Scenic Painter: Adrienne Krauel
Drafting Intern Tess Tsolis
Paint Interns: Ollie Maxted, Johnny Vo
Production Interns: Anna Crowley, Sanjay Nagar,Kai Yoffe
Scene Shop Practicum Students: Amber Dunton, Brian Gutierrez, Adrian Jin, Laura Schmechel, Will Shin
Volunteer Shop Artisans: Carter Hurd, Aaron Johnston
COSTUME STAFF
Costume Shop Supervisor and Costume Designer: Laurel Dunayer
Assistant Costume Shop Supervisor: Sarah Alspach
Costume Shop Assistant: Alexandra Beverina
Costume Shop Assistant/Lead Wardrobe: Luisa Romero
Opera Wardrobe Run Crew Arrieon Grovner, Molly Repetski
Costume Shop Student Interns: Anna Grace Connole, Arrieon Grovner, Shannon Harrel, Conor Kelly, Eli Nguyen
Holly Pulsifer, Molly Repetski, Bridget Santos
Brianna Zawicki, Arrieon Grovner, Molly Repetski
Costume Shop THR 198 Practicum Students: Myles Early, Emma Harris
Katie Hinden, Quiana Michel
Quinn Premo, Nox Toth, Justin Valentine
MASON OPERA GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES
Dr. Rick Davis, Dean, College of Visual & Performing Arts
Dr. Linda Monson, Director, Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music
Julie Thompson, Executive Director, Center for the Arts
As always, we would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to our ever-loyal Friends of Music and Opera Angels, to Ford’s Theater, and to WGMU Radio for generously allowing us to borrow their call sign.
MASON VOICE FACULTY
Prof. Patricia Miller, Director of Vocal Studies
Prof. Richard Leech
Prof. Jennifer Casey-Cabot
Dr. Darden Purcell
Dr. Caroline Nielson
Prof. Edrie Means-Weekly
Prof. Ian McEuen
Dr. Andrew Smith
Prof. Nancy Anderson
