Dean’s Message
Greetings!
Welcome to our final production of Florida State Opera’s 22-23 season. The summer production features two works chosen by students who are completing their Master of Music degrees. The first is an adapted zarzuela by Federico Moreno Torroba titled Luisa Fernanda and the second is an opera by Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed called As One. We are thrilled to continue expanding a diverse and inclusive repertoire at FSU.
These two vastly different works are brought together by an incredible production team under the guidance of directing majors Abril Valbuena and Emerson Haven. Helming the scenic elements is local designer Stephan “Jack” Jammer in his first foray onto the FSU Opera stage. Christina Marullo once again shares her brilliance in the costume design and we welcome another new comer in Lighting Designer Jessica Drayton. Members of the USO orchestra will be playing the string quartet for As One under the fabulous helm of Master’s student Shem Loh. We wish these students the best into their future as they complete their programs.
Opera has long held a special place of prominence at the College of Music and it serves as an ideal vehicle to showcase the talents of our musicians and the professional quality of our sets and costumes. If you are one of many in our community who has been a regular patron of opera at Florida State University, we welcome you back for this wonderful production in Opperman Music Hall. If you are new, we invite your continued interest and support. We hope to see you for the 23-24 season as we present Gioachino Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia in the fall in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, Leoš Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen in the spring, and Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied in May in Opperman Music Hall. Thank you for your continued support of our programs and students.
Sincerely,
M. Todd Queen Dean, FSU College of Music
DOUBLE BILL PRODUCTION TEAM
Music Director - Luisa Fernanda ............................................................... Mikayla Rogers
Music Director - As One .................................................................................... Shem Loh *
Stage Director - Luisa Fernanda ................................................................ Abril Valbuena **
Stage Director - As One .................................................................................... Emerson Haven**
Scenic Designer ...................................................................................................... Stephan “Jack” Jammer
Lighting Designer .................................................................................................. Jessica Drayton
Costume Designer ................................................................................................ Christina Marullo
Wig and Make-up Designer .......................................................................... Caroline W. Bankey
Production Stage Manager............................................................................ Callista Payne
Assistant Stage Manager - Luisa Fernanda ..................................... Reed Worrell
Assistant Director/Assistant Stage Manager - As One ........... Caden Wessner
Spanish Diction Coach - Luisa Fernanda ........................................... Dylan Glenn
* In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree in Opera Coaching
** In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree in Opera Production
LUISA FERNANDA
Music by Federico Moreno Torroba | Libretto by Federico Romero/ G. Fernandez Shaw
Adaptation by Pablo Zinger
The Cast (In order of appearance)
Mariana Mary Botter
Duchess Carolina
Michaela Stiles
El Saboyano / Don Florito
Cody Whiddon
Luisa Fernanda
Sofia Blanco
Mikayla Rogers, piano
AS ONE
Javier Moreno
Matthew C. Youngblood
Don Vidal Hernando
Dylan Glenn
Music and Concept by Laura Kaminsky | Libretto by Mark Campbell & Kimberly Reed
The Cast (In order of appearance)
String Quartet
Gabriela da Silva Fogo and Gabriel Salinas-Guzman, violin
Luiz Barrionuevo, viola; Marina Burguete-Diago, cello
Shem Loh, conductor
Hannah Younger Sebastian Quintero
Hannah Older Dawson Franzino
Medellín, Colombia, 1980s Part I
On a street in the center of Medellín, the seamstress and neighborhood matriarch Mariana greets Carolina, who is returning from conducting government business. A fruit seller sings a tune about a soldier who left his beloved behind in search of military glory. Luisa Fernanda is lectured by her father and Mariana about her love for the young colonel, Javier Moreno, whom they consider to be irresponsible, fickle, and overly jealous. They believe that Luisa Fernanda should instead be with the wealthy landowner, Don Vidal Hernando, and encourage her to at least entertain the possibility of a relationship with him. Luisa stands firm in her infatuation with Javier.
Returning from military duty, Javier greets Mariana, who chides him for not coming to visit more often. Javier tells Mariana that he could never forget this corner of the city, to which he is tied, not only by his greatest dreams, but also by love. Mariana brushes him off. He runs off in search of Luisa Fernanda, but the two end up just missing each other. Luisa instead encounters Vidal, who promises a comfortable life in the countryside. She tells Vidal that she would be with him if she weren’t in love with another man, which gives Vidal the hope to continue pursuing her.
Carolina spots Javier in the street and calls him over to her garden. She flatters him by talking about his many medals and ultimately succeeds in her attempt to seduce the impulsive soldier. This shocks Luisa Fernanda, but not her father or Mariana. Vidal seizes this opportunity to step in as the man who will be loyal to Luisa and proposes to her.
Part II
Vidal is in the city on business. He hopes to meet with his now-fiancée Luisa Fernanda but instead runs into her father. Testing Vidal, Don Florito is evasive about his daughter’s whereabouts, but Vidal makes it clear that he is not a jealous man. Carolina enters and Don Florito leaves after introducing Vidal. Carolina proposes a deal with Vidal that will be mutually beneficial. She tells him that Javier’s alliance is shifting toward the rebels and reveals that seducing him was a ploy to distract him from fully devoting his efforts to the rebel cause. If Vidal were to aid Carolina in getting Javier out of town, he would no longer need to worry about Luisa Fernanda’s split attention. Vidal entertains Carolina’s proposal, but unsure, agrees to continue their conversation later.
Luisa Fernanda finds Vidal and questions him about his conversation with Carolina. Javier comes looking for Carolina, but seeing Luisa with Vidal, becomes jealous and tries to get her to leave with him. She refuses, telling Javier that there is nothing between them anymore and that Vidal treats her better than he did. Vidal steps in to end the argument.
Part III
On the eve of their wedding, Vidal reflects on the joy of his new life with Luisa Fernanda. Seeing Luisa, he senses something is wrong and asks her if she loves him. She responds saying only that she wants to be his wife. Alone, Luisa consoles herself and asks her heart to be silent throughout the pain of losing Javier’s love and coming to terms with marrying Vidal. Javier enters. The tormented Luisa asks Javier to leave, and they both grieve their current afflictions: for Javier, the fall from glory, and for Luisa Fernanda, the cruelty of a love that has come too late. Javier explains that he has been in hiding because there is a warrant out for his arrest. He tells her he will wait in Mariana’s shop; should
she decide to meet him, they could run away together. Vidal returns to find Luisa Fernanda alone and distraught. He asks her one final time to tell him honestly whether she loves him or not and takes her silence for an answer. As Vidal mourns the loss of the woman he loved, Luisa Fernanda follows her heart and starts the life she deserves to live.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
When I set out on my research to program a work for my thesis that would give me the freedom to honor both my roots as a Hispanic woman and the art form to which I have devoted my life thus far, zarzuela felt like a perfect fit. I was inspired by the grandeur that is inherent to the lyric-dramatic art form native to Spain, which incorporates dance, spoken dialogue, and sung popular and operatic music. I was fortunate to have the acquaintance of zarzuela specialist Pablo Zinger, who provided an abridged version of Luisa Fernanda which would be possible to produce in the summer season at Florida State.
Set in Madrid in the late 1860s, the original story of Luisa Fernanda has two concurrent plots: one that follows the common trope of a love triangle (intruded upon by a fourth party), and one that explores the political conflict in Spain during the reign of Queen Isabel II. The original plot portrays the downfall of the Queen’s regime and the success of the revolutionaries against the monarchists.
Our production focuses more heavily on the relationships between the main characters but maintains the heated political climate by shifting the action more than a hundred years after the fall of the monarchy of Spain to a land across the Atlantic Ocean: Colombia in the 1980s. To say the stakes were high throughout this period of Colombia’s history would be a drastic understatement; a humanitarian and economic crisis riddled the country, pinning the Colombian government and the wealthy landowning elite against the working class and against a ruthless guerilla army known as the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia, or the FARC. Violence, riots, strikes, and gruesome deaths on all sides, tainted life in Colombia throughout the second half of the 20th century and well into the 21st century until a peace agreement was signed in 2016.
We meet our protagonists in the early decades of this turmoil, when political alliances often got in the way of friendship and familial bonds, and when the effects of the widespread communist and socialist movements were beginning to take a toll on the conservative government. But we are also welcomed into a place where it always feels like spring, where the lights of the houses on the mountains twinkle over the city in the valley, where neighbors are family, where the colorful streets invite you to sit down for a cafecito. Our production invites you into the beauty of Colombia and asks you to ponder the question of passion versus practicality as our main protagonist navigates choosing between her first love and a man who will provide safety and stability — a question only she can answer.
I want to extend my gratitude to every individual who has played a part in making this production possible; your labor, craft, and minds are invaluable. Thank you to Caroline Bankey, the wearer of many hats; to Matthew Lata, for his tutelage and for his perspective; to Emerson Haven, with whom I am honored to share tonight’s program, for his friendship and unwavering support; and to my parents, for everything.
I hope you enjoy Luisa Fernanda as much as my cast and I have enjoyed the process of putting the show together for you.
AS ONE
A chamber opera for two voices and String Quartet
Music and Concept by Laura Kaminsky | Libretto by Mark Campbell & Kimberly Reed Film: Kimberly Reed | By arrangement with Bill Holab Music
As One was commissioned and developed by American Opera Projects (AOP)
As One film direction and film by Kimberly Reed, commissioned by AOP. As One premiered at Brooklyn Academy of Music, September 2014, made possible in part with funding from BAM/DeVos Institute of Arts Management at Kennedy Center Professional Development Program, OPERA America’s Opera Discovery Grants for Female Composers Program, supported by Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Art Works, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Bronx Council on the Arts, Purchase College Development Fund, Tanner Fund at Utah State University, Jeremy T. Smith Fund, Dr. Coco Lazaroff, Lynn Loacker, Judith O. Rubin, and many generous individuals.
AS ONE – ORIGINAL CREATIVE TEAM
Laura Kaminsky (Composer) Possessing “an ear for the new and interesting” (The New York Times), Laura Kaminsky frequently addresses social and political issues in her work with a distinct musical language that is “full of fire as well as ice, contrasting dissonance and violence with tonal beauty and meditative reflection.” (American Record Guide). In addition to As One (2014; co-librettists Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed), other operas include Some Light Emerges, Today It Rains, Hometown to the World, and Finding Wright. She is co-librettist (with novelist Lisa Moore) and composer for February (2023). Her seventh opera, with a libretto by David Cote, Lucidity, premieres in 2024. Awarded the 2016 Polish Gold Cross of Merit (Zloty Krzyż Zasługi RP) by the President of Poland for exemplary public service/ humanitarian work, Kaminsky has been recognized by the NEA, Koussevitzky Music Foundation, Opera America, Chamber Music America, and USArtists International, among others. On the Purchase College/ SUNY faculty, she is a composer-mentor for Juilliard School’s Blueprint Fellowship program. laurakaminsky. com
Mark Campbell (co-Librettist) The Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning operas of librettist and lyricist Mark Campbell are among the most successful in the contemporary canon. Mark has written 40 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals, text for 7 song cycles and 4 oratorios. His works include Silent Night, The Shining, Sanctuary Road, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Stonewall, Elizabeth Cree, Bastianello/ Lucrezia, Later the Same Evening, A Thousand Acres, Edward Tulane, Unruly Sun, A Nation of Others, and Songs from an Unmade Bed. To support future generations of librettists, Mark created and funds the only award in the history of opera for librettists: the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize, administered by OPERA America. markcampbellwords.com
Kimberly Reed (Film, co-Librettist) Writer and filmmaker Kimberly Reed co-wrote with Mark Campbell the libretti for Today It Rains (Opera Parallèle, 2019), Some Light Emerges (Houston Grand Opera, 2017), and As One (the American Opera Project, 2014), which is the most frequently produced new opera in North America. Her film projections for opera have been called “worthy of Fellini or Bergman” (SF Classical Voice). Ms. Reed’s song cycle Fierce Grace: Jeannette Rankin premiered at the U.S. Library of Congress in 2017. She was the Librettist Mentor for the 2022 cycle of Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative. Her nonfiction writing was published in The Moth, a New York Times best-seller. Kim’s documentary Prodigal Sons won 14 awards and was released in theaters and broadcast worldwide, and her Sundance awardwinning 2018 documentary Dark Money was promptly named by Vogue magazine as one of the 66 Best Documentaries of All Time and shortlisted for the Academy Awards. kimberlyreed.com
SYNOPSIS - AS ONE
*ATTENTION-As One contains a scene of violence—song number #13, “Out of nowhere”—that may be disturbing to some people. The scene lasts approximately 8 minutes and is followed by a satisfying finale depicting the joy of trans self-realization.
Part 1
Introduction – Hannah begins to relive her memories, unpacking her former self.
Paper Route – Hannah experiences her first moment of gender euphoria, wearing a neighbor’s blouse on her morning paper route.
Cursive – Hannah practices her cursive for class. She recalls that her teacher scolded her for her feminine writing, so she attempts to force her hand to write the way she was taught.
Sex Ed – Hannah is pulled into the boys’ room to learn Sex Ed. She wishes she could be in the room with the other girls.
Entire of Herself – While reading the poem “No Man is an Island” for class, Hannah feels compelled to argue that she is, in fact, an island because she feels truly alone.
Perfect Boy – Hannah attempts to become the perfect boy in order to deny her feelings about her gender, striving for achievement at the highest level.
To Know – Hannah sees a transgender woman on TV for the first time. Elated and curious to learn more, she sneakily goes to the library to research this new word “transgender.” She learns there are others like her.
Part 2
Two Cities – Now a young adult, Hannah moves to San Francisco. On one side of the Golden Gate Bridge, she presents as a woman, and on the other side she remains in the closet and presents as a man.
Three Words – A stranger says “Pardon me, miss” to Hannah while she is walking down the street. This is the first time she has passed as a woman, and she feels seen.
Close – Hannah starts hormone therapy and plays the waiting game for changes to occur. She is also caught off guard by the emotional experiences of second puberty.
Home for the Holidays – Writing a letter home to her family, Hannah comes up with excuses to not come home for Christmas. Unable yet to sign it “Hannah” and come out to her family, she simply signs it “-H”
A Christmas Story – At a coffee shop on Christmas day, Hannah has a meaningful encounter with a flirtatious stranger.
Dear Son – Hannah receives a post-Christmas update from her mother, who is worried about her.
Out of Nowhere – As she heads to her car, Hannah is targeted in an act of transphobic violence. Although she escapes, she is deeply shaken. Going online, she researches and discovers how common this violence is. She learns there are others like her.
I Go On/Norway – In the face of this trauma, Hannah decides to go to an island in Norway to process her experiences. Isolated from society, she attempts to connect with nature, and is at first very unsuccessful. As she settles into her environment, she begins to connect with the universe and the things around her. She concludes that the way she exists is natural, and writes postcard after postcard introducing herself to her family and friends for the first time. As she waits to see the northern lights, she is able to accept both her past and her present.
Imagine that you are returning home for the first time in a long time, perhaps after college or moving to a new place. As you go through old boxes, you begin to encounter the vestiges left by your former self. Who is that person? How did they get you here?
As One is, in many ways, a memory play. In the face of the many trials, tribulations, and traumas that life has thrown her way, Hannah attempts to go back to that old mental block and understand her former self, the one that was forced to embody a boyhood that was not authentic to her heart. She experiences the past through that old self, living it alongside that person. She is represented by two performers, but I don’t think we ever get to see what Hannah looks like. We just see how she perceives herself, both past and present.
When As One first premiered in 2014, the landscape for trans representation was radically different. As One is pre-Caitlyn Jenner, pre-Laverne Cox, and even pre-marriage equality. There were no out trans opera singers in the public eye. Composer Laura Kaminsky and Co-librettists Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed sought to create a way to tell Hannah’s story, a story deeply inspired by Reed’s own life experiences, in the absence of any blueprint of how to make this story. It also portrays a kind of transness that is radically different to one today. Hannah experiences transness in the pre-social media world, where to find a definition of the word transgender you must thumb through the card catalogue at the local library rather than looking it up on your smart phone. When approaching As One today, I approach it as a period piece set from the late 80’s to early 2000’s, albeit one that still speaks to our experiences today.
As an artist and a trans man myself, I wanted my thesis project to be something that reflected my community as much as possible. As One is currently the only trans opera that has made its way into the repertoire, having been performed over 100 times and set the career of many trans artists. But the piece is not really about transness at all. Encountering the piece, I was struck by the depth of Hannah’s soul, her resilience, her humor, her sense of curiosity and freedom. Reed and Campbell’s poetry delights me at every turn, and every time I read it, I discover new nuances and recurring images. Kaminsky’s score manages to create a universe out of two singers and a string quartet.
As One is about many things: being seen, the education system, puberty, writing, freedom. It is a coming-of-age story. We all reach a point in our lives where the tides seem to be shifting, and we are called to look back and say “who was that little person who got me here? What were they like?” And the most difficult thing about this process is that you must confront the past that existed-not the one you wanted, or perhaps even deserved, but the one you got. As One asks the question, “How do I hold compassion for the person who got me here?”
Bringing Hannah to life has been one of the greatest joys of my directing career thus far. I am especially honored to present it at Florida State with all that our community is facing this year. Thank you for witnessing this story.
GLAAD: Resources for cisgender people who have questions about the trans community: https://www.glaad.org/transgender/resources
GLSEN: Resources for supporting trans and gender non-conforming students: https://www.glsen.org/supporting-trans-and-gnc-students
Transgender Day of Remembrance: November 20 is commemorated every year as the “Transgender Day of Remembrance,” a time when we remember the many transgender victims of violence worldwide. https://www.tdor.info
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (COURTESY OF GLAAD):
National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) (advocacy)
Transgender Law Center (TLC) (legal services and advocacy)
Gender Proud (advocacy)
Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) (legal services)
Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) (legal services)
Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) (advocacy)
Trans People of Color Coalition (TPOCC) (advocacy)
Trans Women of Color Collective (TWOCC) (advocacy)
Black Trans Advocacy (advocacy)
Trans Latina Coalition (advocacy)
Gender Spectrum (support for families, trans youth, and educators)
Trans Youth Equality Federation (support for families and trans youth)
Trans Youth Family Allies (TYFA) (support for families and trans youth)
TransTech Social Enterprises (economic empowerment)
SPART*A (advocacy for trans military service members)
Transgender American Veterans Association (advocacy for trans veterans)
TransAthlete.com (info about trans athletes)
TransLife Center at Chicago House (support services)
A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY: https://www.transbodies.com
THE CASTS
Sofia Blanco (Luisa Fernanda)
Hometown: Miami, FL
Degree Program: Vocal Performance, Senior
Roles with FSU: Flower (La hija de Rappaccini), Ensemble (Die Zauberflöte), 2022 Opera Workshop Spring Scenes Program
Other Companies: The Dragon (Shrek the Musical), Athena, Goddess of Wisdom
Odyssey by Ben Moore) Coral Reef Senior High School
Mary Botter (Mariana)
Hometown: Jackson, TN
Degree Program: Master of Music in Voice Performance, 1st year
Roles with FSU: Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Ensemble (Die Zauberflöte), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel Opera Outreach ’21), Ensemble (Der Vampyr)
Other Companies: Meg (Falstaff) with Fio Italia
Dawson Franzino (Hannah Older)
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Degree Program: Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance, senior
Roles with FSU: Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Isabela (La hija de Rappaccini),
Mother (Hansel and Gretel Opera Outreach ’21), Ensemble (Die Zauberflöte)
Awards: Hannah J. Beaulieu competition winner 2022
Dylan Glenn (Vidal Hernando)
Hometown: Pleasant Grove, UT
Degree Program: Doctorate in Music Voice Performance, 3rd year
Roles with FSU: Count (Le nozze di Figaro), Dr. Rappaccini (La hija de Rappaccini), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Charlie (Three Decembers), Gil (The Filthy Habit)
Other performances: Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Tisiphone (Hippolyte et Aricie), The Cobbler (The Juniper Tree) with Cleveland Institute of Music, Will (The Divorce ) With Cleveland Opera Theater
Hannah J. Beaulieu competition winner 2022
Sebastian Quintero (Hannah Younger)
Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
Degree Program: Bachelor oof Arts in Music, Senior
Roles with FSU: Pablo Gonzalez (A Streetcar Named Desire), Papageno (The Magic Flute Opera Outreach ’23), Ensemble (Le nozze di Figaro), Ensemble (Die Zauberflöte)
Michaela Stiles (Duchess Carolina)
Hometown: Williamston, MI
Degree program: Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance
Roles with FSU: Papaegna/Lady (The Magic Flute Opera Outreach ‘23), Ensemble/ Shepherdess (Le nozze di Figaro)
Other performances: The Shepherdess (L’enfant et les sortilèges) with Michigan State University, The Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors) with Hillsdale College
Cody Whiddon (El Saboyano / Don Florito)
Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
Degree program: Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance, Senior
Roles with FSU: Tamino (The Magic Flute Opera Outreach ’23), Ensemble (Le nozze di Figaro)
Matthew C. Youngblood (Javier Moreno)
Hometown: Benton, KY
Degree program: Master of Music in Voice Performance, 2nd year
Roles with FSU: Harold “Mitch” Mitchell (A Streetcar Named Desire), Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro), Dr. Baglioni (La hija de Rappacini), Groom (Transformations), 2nd Priest (Die Zauberflöte)
Awards: Hannah J. Beaulieu competition winner 2022
2022–2023
Florence Helen Ashby • Marty Beech • Malcolm Craig
Myron and Judy Hayden • Kirby W. and Margaret-Ray Kemper
Howard Kessler and Anne Van Meter • Linda and Bob Lovins
Meredith and Elsa L. McKinney • Bob Parker • Gloria Priest
Ken and J.R. Saginario • Francis C. Skilling, Jr.
Donna Cay Tharpe • Dr. Ralph V. Turner
Thank you!
THE OPERA STAFF
Dean, Executive Producer
Stage Director/Director of Opera Workshop
Director of Orchestral Activities
Voice Area Coordinator
Rehearsal Accompanists
Scenic Artists
Master Carpenter
Carpenters
Opperman Music Hall Support Staff
Ruby Diamond Support Staff
Opperman Music Hall Crew
Ruby Diamond Crew
Costume Shop Manager
Assistant Shop Manager
Wardrobe Crew
House Manager
Supertitle Operators
Production Manager
Graphic Designer
Marketing Team
Director of Special Projects
Todd Queen
Matthew Lata
Alexander Jimènez
Valerie M. Trujillo
Shem Loh, Mikayla Rogers
Caroline Bankey, Julie Knight, Reona Woods
Cameron Hanmer
Scott Freese, Ray Hattaway
Nick Smith
Ethan Bigelow, Alayna Lee, Russ Marsh, Michelle McDaniel, Eugene McGinnis, Mike Shapiro
Cameron Downs
Wajira Amarakoon, David Bernstein, Ethan Bigelow, Cam Burns, Abbie Capes, Amelia Cooper, Maria Falcon, Scott Freese, Ray Hattaway, Megan Horowitz, Will Howald, Kathryn Ingram, Nick Lohse, Roy Nishimoto-Rivera
Julia Matteson-Bradley
Christina Marullo
Meredith Sponsler, Colleen Towey
Michelle McDaniel
André Peele
Caroline W. Bankey
Tyler Hast, Wendy Smith
Tyler Hast, Megan Mowery
Kim Shively
