Class Notes 1940s Fiora Corradetti Contino ’47 is the subject of a new biography. Joan Whittemore’s chronicle, Maestra— The Legacy of Fiora Corradetti Contino, considers the life of a woman who came from an illustrious operatic family to achieve musical and theatrical success throughout the United States. Contino served as artistic director and conductor of Opera Illinois for 20 years and conducted some of the nation’s finest orchestras on stages from Alaska to New York City—a very rare exception in that male-dominated world. She blended her performance career with teaching at Indiana University, the Peabody Conservatory, and the University of Texas at Austin, in addition to 12 summers on the faculty at the Aspen Music Festival. Whittemore’s book is available at amazon.com.
1960s
Connie Matthews Webber ’64 coordinated a Class of 1964 Choral Sing that took place in Warner Concert Hall on Saturday, May 24. Part of the class’ 50th anniversary celebration at the 2014 Commencement and Reunion Weekend, the 56
1970s Wendy Rolfe-Dunham ’74 and Professor of Organ James David Christie ’75 coordinated two recitals presented by the classes of 1973, ’74, and ’75 during the 2014 Commencement and Reunion Weekend. The first took place in Warner Concert Hall, the second in Clonick Hall. Michael Pisani ’76, professor of music at Vassar College, was appointed editor of American Music (published by the University of Illinois Press) in January. Pisani has worked with the Texas Opera Theatre, the Pacific Northwest Wagner Festival, and Opera New England, among others, in roles ranging from rehearsal pianist to conductor.
1980s Steven Isserlis ’80 gave a historical twist to standards of the repertoire, recording Beethoven’s cello sonatas with Robert Levin playing a fortepiano, based on an 1805 Viennese model. “It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate instrument,” James Mannheim wrote for AllMusic, as Isserlis and Levin show that Beethoven “pushes the rapidly developing piano to its limit.” Lee Koonce ’82 has been appointed executive director of the Ballet Hispanico, described by Broadway World as “the nation’s preeminent Latino dance institution.” Previously, Koonce was executive director of the Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City. Kristin Lancino ’82 was named executive director of the arts management company IMG Artists. She will direct the Artist Management divisions for North and South America. Previously, Lancino was vice president at G. Schirmer Inc., where her work focused on managing composers.
The Upside of Villainy
The word from backstage was that Iago was feeling better. The German performer Falk Struckmann had been beset with allergies during the lead-up to Lyric Opera of Chicago’s run of Otello in the fall of 2013. But after struggling through the final dress rehearsal, he was deemed well enough to portray Shakespeare’s grand villain on opening night. So Struckmann’s cover, baritone Todd Thomas ’84, was given the choice of watching the gala debut from backstage or taking a seat amid the tuxedos and gowns. He opted for the suit and the plum ticket near the front of the house. But as Iago emerged for his Act I drinking song, it was clear to all that Struckmann was not well. “He was struggling and missing his notes,” Thomas recalls thinking. “And I’m like ‘Oh my God. Something really dramatic is about to happen, and it’s going to involve me.’” As the performance continued, a flashlightwielding usher summoned Thomas from the darkness. “She grabs me by the arm and says, ‘I hope you’re the Iago cover.’ “I said, ‘No, I’m the doctor —I thought you needed a doctor.’” Within minutes, Thomas shed his tux in favor of Elizabethan finery, and let loose his pipes for a shocked and delighted crowd—even ending Act II on a rarely attempted, perfectly delivered high note. “That’s one of the great things about being a cover: It’s your show,” he says. “It was thrilling. We had a great time, and the ovation from the audience was huge.” So too was the praise that followed from the Chicago Tribune, among others: “The show went on, with Thomas turning in an honorable performance that saved the day and earned him a grateful ovation.” Since then, Thomas (pictured above at the post-show ball with the opera’s Desdemona, soprano Ana María Martínez) has cut his ties to working as an understudy. “There’s a fine line you walk as a cover: You have to be seen and not heard—and not even seen too much,” he says. “You’re a walking insurance policy for the theater.” In March, Thomas made his debut with Florida Grand Opera as Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca, a role he will reprise with Ottawa’s Opera Lyra in 2015. He will also bow as Rigoletto for Atlanta Opera and return to Florida Grand Opera as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. This fall, he’ll make his Wagner and company debut as Alberich in Pacific Opera Victoria’s Das Rheingold. “I’m so very thankful and privileged to be singing the music I’m singing,” Thomas says. “One of the best signs of success is when you get to choose your work, and I don’t want to spend my life waiting for somebody to get sick.”— ERICH BURNETT
BROUWER: CHRISTIAN STEINER; THOMAS: CHERI EISENBERG
Composer Margaret Brouwer ’62 has a new CD of chamber music on Naxos. Shattered, a collection of five pieces for various small ensemble settings, expresses Brouwer’s anger and frustration with American aggression abroad. The Italian blog Percorsi Musicali reviewed this latest work saying that Brouwer is “able to move with ease in the labyrinths of various inspirations (romantic, baroque or modern).”
event was conducted by Assistant Professor Jason Harris, director of choral ensembles at Oberlin.