Program - Val Machin Opera Scenes

CONSERVATORIUM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra consists of approximately 90 of the most talented young instrumentalists in Queensland. The orchestra performs an annual series of orchestral concerts, large choral works, operatic and musical theatre productions in addition to a wide variety of creative collaborations both on-site as well as in the wider community. Queensland Conservatorium supports an annual commissioning project, supporting the creation and performance of new works and the orchestra collaborates regularly with other departments in the Conservatorium, and across the university.

Students in the Queensland Conservatorium orchestral program have the unique opportunity to perform under the baton of a variety of conductors, instilling a flexibility required in the profession. Resident conductors Johannes Fritzsch, Peter Luff and Peter Morris are joined each year by distinguished guest conductors from around the world, providing students with the rich variety of experience they will find when entering the profession. Notable guest conductors have included Sir Neville Marriner, Peter Sculthorpe, Jessica Cottis, Nicholas Braithwaite, Natalia Raspopova, Larry Rachleff and Elim Chan, to name a few.

Violin 1 Julia Hill

Clarinet Rory Davison

Violin 2 Claire Litwinowicz

Bassoon Milly Yip

Viola Kyle Brady

French Horn Prudence Russell

Violoncello Ariana Dedecius

Trumpet Tennyson Hall

Contrabass Charlotte Scanlan

Trombone William Muir

Flute Vittoria Von Caemmerer

Percussion Mikaela Thomsen Jessica Postle

Oboe Shana Hoshino

Keyboard Glockenspiel Mia Huang

SPECIAL THANKS Special thanks to Dr Glenda Powell OAM, whose long-standing support of the Val Machin Opera Scenes, named in memory of her mother, has continued to provide our emerging opera students with invaluable experiences at the Conservatorium.

Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University 140 Grey Street, South Bank 4101 Concert Enquiries: (07) 3735 6241 Connect with us /queenslandconservatorium @qldCon_Griffith @qldcon /qldcon griffith.edu.au/music griffith.edu.au/queenslandconservatorium queenslandconservatorium.com.au Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work, and pays respect to the Elders past, present and emerging.

Correct at time of print CRICOS Provider - 00233E

Queensland Conservatorium would like to acknowledge and thank the following supporters of the opera program: Dr Damien Thomson and Dr Glenise Berry IS and H Wilkey Friends of Opera Inc, Gold Coast Mr Wis Jablonski and Mrs Christina Jablonski

Queensland Conservatorium would like to acknowledge the support of the Jani Haenke Charitable Trust in purchasing instruments for the following students in tonight’s performance: Julia Hill, Violin Rory Davison, Clarinet

VAL MACHIN

Queensland Conservatorium Acting Director Associate Professor Peter Morris

Ensembles Administrator Daniel Fossi

Deputy Director (Research) Professor Brydie-Leigh Bartleet

Marketing Officer Kendal Alderman

Acting Deputy Director (Learning & Teaching) Associate Professor Donna Weston

Communications Officer Louise Crossen

Head of Performance Associate Professor Peter Luff

Technical Officers Keith Clark, Len McPherson,

Conservatorium Manager Stuart Jones

Venue Officer Alexander Penca

Technical Manager Cameron Hipwell Front of House Operations Manager Michael Hibbard Operations Administrator Clare Wharton

Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University is operating under a COVID-19 safe plan. For more information visit queenslandconservatorium.com.au

OPERA SCENES

FEATURING SCENES FROM DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, CARMEN AND LA BOHÈME CONDUCTOR DANE LAM DIRECTOR JACQUI SOMERVILLE

THURSDAY 20 & FRIDAY 21 MAY, 7.30 PM CONSERVATORIUM THEATRE QUEENSLANDCONSERVATORIUM.COM.AU

PROGRAM

MOZART DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE Finale

MOZART DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE Finale

The three Spirits appear and announce the first rays of the morning sun. Convinced Tamino no longer loves her, Pamina contemplates suicide, but the Spirits intervene. Two men in armour help Tamino prepare for his final trials. Now free to speak, he is reunited with Pamina. Protected by the magic flute, Tamino and Pamina successfully undergo fire and water ordeals. The three Spirits also manage to prevent Papageno from killing himself, telling him to use the magic bells to bring a wife to him. Papagena appears. The two sing of their happy life to come – making many little Papagenos and Papagenas. The Queen of the Night and her three Ladies, led by Monostatos, attempt to overthrow Sarastro but are cast out by the light of the rising sun. Sarastro and the brotherhood praise and thank Osiris and Isis. As dawn breaks, Pamina and Tamino are hailed for enduring all the ordeals with beauty and wisdom.

BIZET CARMEN Act 3, Scene 1 PUCCINI LA BOHÈME Act 2

DIRECTOR’S NOTE I was always fascinated by opera from a young age, and I remember as a student buying cheap tickets to the gods and watching many an opera at London’s ENO. My favourite was Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk; it started my passion for Shostakovich as well as opera. It is therefore great to return to direct the Machin scenes this year. As head of the acting course here at the Con, it has been a welcome addition to my post.

Considered three of the five most performed operas in the world, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s La Bohème have been enlightening to work on. Each scene contains a different world and I have played around with the notion of magic and light in Magic Flute, the underlying sense of foreboding and darkness in Carmen, and leant into the colour and vibrancy of La Bohème; a place on the eve before Christmas.

Thanks go to every single member of the cast and chorus and to the wonderful production team. Special thanks also go to Jill, Bridget and Jasmin for their support, detail and precision in organisation. I hope this Machin scenes proves to be a memorable evening.

Jacqui Somerville, Director

BIZET CARMEN Act 3, Scene 1 Late at night the smugglers carry their goods through the mountains and meet in a hideout outside of Seville. Carmen’s love for Don José is fading and the two argue. Frasquita and Mercédès read their fortunes in cards. For the two girls, the cards reveal a life of wealth, love, and luxury but Carmen’s cards spell death—for her and Don José. The women join the smugglers on their trip to the city to distract any guards. Don José stays behind to watch the camp.

PUCCINI LA BOHÈME Act 2 It is Christmas Eve, and a festive crowd celebrates in the Latin Quarter. Hawkers sell their merchandise to the revellers and children rush after the toy seller Parpignol.

The Bohemians dine outside the Café Momus.

Rodolfo buys Mimi a hat and introduces her to his friends. Suddenly Marcello notices his former girlfriend Musetta walk by with the wealthy and older Alcindoro. Musetta also notices her former lover and sits close to him trying to attract his attention. She makes a fuss, yet Marcello deliberately ignores her.

Pretending that one of her shoes is pinching her feet, she sends Alcindoro to get a new one and throws herself into Marcello’s arms.

As the six friends are about to leave, a waiter brings their bill, but they have no money left.

Musetta solves the problem by having the amount added to Alcindoro’s bill.

CAST

CHORUS

ARTISTS

DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE Mozart (Sung in German)

Sopranos Eboni Burrows Gabrielle Diaz Sara Donnelly Sky Kim Jolanta Kudra Dakotah Love Louisa Nelson Taisha Paterson-Burr Lucy Stoddart Anna Tafani Ruby Washington Caitlin Weal

DANE LAM, CONDUCTOR

JACQUI SOMERVILLE, DIRECTOR

Australian-Chinese conductor, Dane Lam, is Principal Conductor of the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra. Operatically, he enjoys a close relationship with London’s Opera Holland Park and companies including Opera Queensland, Opera Australia and Scottish Opera. He was recently appointed Resident Conductor and Associate Music Director of Opera Queensland.

Jacqui worked as an actor, theatre director, writer and producer for more than 20 years in the UK before coming to Brisbane to lead the Bachelor of Acting course at QCGU. She recently directed the 3rd year acting students in The Rover by Aphra Behn. She previously directed the Val Machin Opera Scenes in 2019 and Sondheim’s Company at the Brisbane Powerhouse for the 3rd year BA in Musical Theatre in 2018.

Pamina Sara Donnelly Tamino Ronan King-Rose Papageno Aidan Hodder Papagena Dakotah Love Monostatos Heath Mick The Queen of the Night Louisa Nelson 1st Lady Imogen-Kate Bye 2nd Lady Anna Tafani 3rd Lady Sophia Mortensen Sarastro Jack Bolton 1st Spirit Eboni Burrows 2nd Spirit Sky Kim 3rd Spirit Clair Wheatley 1st Armed Man Declan Ross 2nd Armed Man Vikram Goonawardena

CARMEN Bizet (Sung in French) Frasquita Mercédès Carmen Don José Remendado Dancaire

Jolanta Kudra Sophia Mortensen Alla Yarosh Ji Zhang Heath Mick Joel Berndt

LA BOHÈME Act 2 (Sung in Italian) Mimì Rodolfo Musetta Marcello Schaunard Colline Alcindoro Parpignol Hawker Boy

Caitlin Weal Ji Zhang Gabrielle Diaz Oliver Heuzenroeder Camilo Lopez Vikram Goonawardena Dallas Tippet Luke Mears Heath Mick Tashana Hardy

Mezzo-Sopranos Imogen-Kate Bye Tashana Hardy Sophia Mortensen Monica Ruggiero Aylish Ryan Matilda Smith Jemma West Clair Wheatley Alla Yarosh Tenors Oguzhan Aksoy Nikhil Deo Liam Jackson Ronan King-Rose Luke Mears Heath Mick Jackson Muir Declan Ross Ji Zhang Basses Joel Berndt Jack Bolton Vikram Goonawardena Oliver Heuzenroeder Aidan Hodder Freddie Klein Camilo Lopez Logan Tinney Dallas Tippet David Upcher

Dane made his debut, aged eighteen, with the Sydney Symphony and has since conducted: the Queensland, Adelaide, Canberra, Dunedin, Kunming, Shandong, and Suzhou Symphony Orchestras, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Het Residentie Orkest, City of London Sinfonia, Manchester Camerata, South Bank Sinfonia, Liverpool Philharmonic Ensemble 10/10, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Verbier Festival Orchestra, and the Juilliard Orchestra.

Recent engagements include Angela Hewitt, Stephen Hough, Ning Feng, Barry Douglas, and Kirill Gerstein with XSO; La bohème and Don Giovanni at Opera Australia, L’arlesiana and Così fan tutte for Opera Holland Park, Giulio Cesare for Bury Court Opera, Orfeo ed Euridice for Opera Queensland, The Rake’s Progress and La traviata for Scottish Opera.

In 2021, Dane Lam will lead seasons of Le nozze di Figaro in Brisbane, La clemenza di Tito in Canberra and will conduct the Xi’an Symphony (with Martha Argerich as soloist) and the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras.

Jacqui has directed numerous productions (some award winning) nationally, internationally, on the London fringe and off West End, as well as directing many productions in various drama schools. She has led educational projects for Royal Shakespeare Company, Out of Joint, Shakespeare’s Globe, Oxford Stage Company, Headlong and Filter and taught and directed at RADA, East 15, Guildford, Bretton Hall, LIPA and Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance. Jacqui joined QCGU from Mountview Academy wof Theatre Arts, London, where she was the Head of Postgraduate Studies and Head of Acting & Musical Theatre.

Other positions held include Artistic Associate with Oxford Stage Company/Headlong; Education Consultant/ Associate Director at Donmar Warehouse London with Declan Donnellan; Resident Assistant Director at the RSC (working closely with Cicely Berry and John Barton.)

CREATIVES

MUSIC CREDITS

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Conductor Dane Lam

Chorus Master/Vocal Coach/Repetiteur Jillianne Stoll

Stage Manager Bridget O’Brien

Director Jacqui Somerville

French & Italian Language Coach Teresa Desmarchelier

Movement Support Lois Redman

Lighting Designer & Programmer Keith Clark

Surtitle Preparation Jillianne Stoll

Production Manager Len McPherson

Assistant Director (Volunteer) Jasmin Smith

Surtitle Operation Mark Connors Buck Outdoor Ptd Ltd

Orchestral Manager Daniel Fossi Lighting Operator Kieran Cerato Stage Technicians Owen Arnold, Brayden Clark Wardrobe Coordinator Bridget O’Brien