Suor Angelica & Hermit Songs Hermit Songs Composed by Samuel Barber Presented under license by G. Schirmer, Inc., copyright owners.
Suor Angelica Composed by Giacomo Puccini Opera Titles by Susan Shiplett Ashbaker PowerPoint and Title Score by Elizabeth Rosenberg and Allison Christiansen
Westminster Opera Theatre Susan Shiplett Ashbaker, director Susan Shiplett Ashbaker, Music Director and Conductor Michelle Eugene, Stage Director
Friday, November 17, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. Yvonne Theater Rider University 2083 Lawrenceville Road Lawrenceville, N.J. Rider University gratefully acknowledges the generous support of: The Herbert B. Mayo Performance Endowment The Martinson Family Foundation for its support of theater technology equipment. Michael T. '89 and Susana Santaguida '89 Gummel for their support of our new Rider Friend of the Arts patron program.
PLEASE NOTE: The unauthorized use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, is strictly prohibited. Out of courtesy to the performers and everyone in the audience, please refrain from using cell phones and electronic devices during the performance.
Director’s Note Thank you for attending this evening’s presentation of Samuel Barber’s Hermit Songs and Giacomo Puccini’s one-act opera, Suor Angelica. Although the two pieces differ in musical genre, style, period, language, and concept, we felt that the shared theme of the religious life made the two an interesting pairing. Both sparked our imaginations about those who have devoted their lives to religious devotion, study, acts. In 1953, American composer Samuel Barber set poetry of 8th to 13th-century Irish monastics in his Hermit Songs. We can only assume the sometimes-surprising topics and points of view expressed in the poems were the authentic musings, desires, and contemplations of monks, nuns, and pilgrims navigating their daily lives. Any narrow ideas of the mindset of a person living a religious life are eliminated as you listen from the first through the tenth song. The story of the libretto of Puccini’s Suor Angelica, while it also gives us entry to the private emotional life of cloistered individual, was instead an original work of the imagination written in 1914 by Italian Giovacchino Forzano, also a playwright and stage and film director. As we rehearsed, I hoped this insight into the minds of actual historical authors of the Hermit Songs source texts as well as the fictional women in Forzano’s convent would prevent us being limited by stereotypes or lack of imagination as the students created their portrayals. Preparing to stage the opera, the students discussed all of the different reasons that a woman might have entered the convent: a religious calling, poverty, death of one’s parents, the fulfillment of a family ambition, opportunity for study, avoidance of marriage, atonement for an aberration, etc, etc. Staging these pieces gave the students the opportunity to strive to make their character’s inner lives as rich and inclusive as their own. While inclusivity might feel like a contemporary idea to us, works of art like these remind us that human diversity of need, imagination, and spirit has always existed and has been recognized and celebrated in sometimes unexpected places. As with most great works of literature and music, I’m left with no answers but only questions in contemplating the mysteries of the human need to explore religion, spirituality, and the divine Other. What happens at the end of Suor Angelica? Does Angelica have a true mystical experience? Does her human brain create the fantasy that she so desperately needs to believe? Are we missing the point by needing to know? I have a great appreciation for the refusal of these compositions to attempt to simplify the human experience of that search. Michelle Eugene
Synopsis Hermit Songs The Hermit Songs, commissioned by the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation, were first performed by Leontyne Price, soprano, with the composer at the piano, at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., on October 30, 1953. They are settings of anonymous Irish texts of the eighth to thirteenth centuries written by monks and scholars, often on the margins of the manuscripts they were copying or illuminating – perhaps not always meant to be seen by their Father Superiors. They are small poems, thoughts or observations, some very short, and speak in straightforward droll, and often surprisingly modern terms of the simple life these men led, close to nature, to animals and to God. Some are literal translations and others, where existing translations seemed inadequate, were made especially by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman. Samuel Barber (in the original G. Schirmer edition)
Suor Angelica The action begins at sunset at a small convent in late 17th century Italy. The nuns are heard singing the Ave Maria in the chapel for service. Two lay-sisters enter, late for chapel, after which we are introduced to Sister Angelica, who is also late but takes care to perform the penance of kissing the threshold of the church before entering. The service ends and the sisters leave the chapel. The Monitor explains to the lay-sisters the penance the sisters must perform for various infractions, which are met with varied responses from the guilty parties. The rest of the sisters are invited to take part in recreation in the courtyard. Sister Genevieve revels in the beauty of the fountain water turned golden by the setting sun, a phenomenon that occurs just 3 days of the year and is celebrated with a religious festival. The sisters remember Sister Bianca Rosa, who passed away one year before, and decide to pour some of the golden water on her tomb. Sister Angelica reflects on how the Virgin Mary anticipates and supplicates for the desires of the living, and the beauty and eventual fulfillment of death. The Monitor reminds the sisters to avoid desire in life, leading them to contemplate their own desires and perceived innocence or sinfulness. Sister Angelica denies having any personal desires, leading the others to whisper their knowledge that Angelica painfully yearns for news of her family, who haven’t visited or written to her in the seven years since she arrived. They speculate about her wealth and what act might have resulted in her being confined to the convent. One of the nursing sisters arrives, pleading for Sister Angelica’s aid to treat a sister who suffered a nasty wasp sting. Sister Angelica complies and is praised for her knowledge of medicinal flowers and herbs. The next arrival is a bounty of supplies collected from outside the convent by a few of the sisters, who also announce a very grand carriage
waiting outside the convent gate. This attracts the attention of Sister Angelica, who anxiously interrogates them as to the details of the carriage. The sisters see that she desperately hopes it holds members of her family. The Abbess announces that the visitor is, indeed, Sister Angelica’s aunt, the Princess, and urges her to offer up her anxiety and to conduct herself appropriately as she receives the visit. Despite Sister Angelica’s deep emotion upon seeing her aunt, the Princess does not offer her any warmth. She explains to Sister Angelica why she has come: Angelica’s younger sister is getting married and the Princess, being in charge of the family estate, is here to have papers signed allowing for its division. Sister Angelica, however, wishes to have her aunt’s forgiveness for the sin which is now revealed. Seven years ago, Angelica had a child out of wedlock, shaming family. The nun pleads for forgiveness and news of her son, having had no word for seven years, reminding her aunt that the Virgin Mary watches their exchange. The Princess finally shares the devastating news that the child succumbed to a deadly illness two years ago. In shock, Angelica signs the papers and her aunt leaves the convent. Angelica privately mourns the death of her son, never having known his mother’s love, and desperately asks when she will be released from this life to be reunited with him. When the other sisters return from the cemetery, they observe that Sister Angelica has had her desire fulfilled with her aunt’s visit and Angelica, in an ecstatic state, responds that she has been blessed with grace and can see her path before her. The sisters sing their thanks and praise to the Virgin. In the darkness of the evening, Angelica proceeds to gather herbs and flowers and concocts a brew which she drinks. She thanks the flowers for bringing her peace at last. She sees her son appear before her and begins to feel the effects of the poison as she suddenly becomes aware that she has committed a mortal sin, forever barring herself from his presence in Heaven. In desperation, she begs the Virgin to save her for the love of her baby. Angelica dies as she experiences the miraculous deliverance of her soul and the reunion with her son. Michelle Eugene
Special Thanks to: A special thank you to all the wonderful and supportive voice teachers that provide the base of learning for all we do. A special thanks also to our colleagues in the Music Theater and Dance departments for the rich collaboration that benefits our students and productions. And deep thanks to Kathleen Ebling Shaw for her support of Westminster Opera Theatre.
Cast Hermit Songs At Saint Patrick’s Purgatory Church Bell at Night St. Ita’s Vision The Heavenly Banquet The Crucifixion Sea-Snatch Promiscuity The Monk and His Cat The Praises of God The Desire for Hermitage
Jacqueline Burkholder Grace Comeau Eleanor Rees Abi Culkin Alex Farah Nathan Anderson Emma Clark Nathan Anderson Jessica Bella Jacqueline Burkholder
Suor Angelica (In order of appearance) La Zelatrice Prima Conversa Seconda Conversa La Maestra Della Novizie Suor Dolcina Suor Genovieffa Suor Angelica La Sorella Infermiera Due Sorelle Cercatrici Prima Sorella Cercatrice Seconda Sorella Cercatrice La Badessa La Zia Principessa Ensemble
Supernumerary
Ally Christiansen Brenna Richards Jessica Bella Grace Comeau Kelly Ye Eleanor Rees Krista Hastings Alex Farah Abi Culkin Emma Clark Jacqueline Burkholder Elizabeth Rosenberg Nathan Anderson Jessica Bella Jacqueline Burkholder Ally Christiansen Emma Clark Grace Comeau Abi Culkin Alex Farah Brenna Richard Elizabeth Rosenberg Eleanor Rees Kelly Ye Karin Torchia
Artistic Staff Set Designer Costume Designer Lighting Designer Props Designer Rehearsal Pianist Production Stage Manager
Buck Linton Jim Parks Todd Loyd Melody Marshall Nikolay Verevkin Jamel Baker
Student Staff and Crew Rehearsal Pianist Technical Director Chorusmaster Supertitle Operator Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager Assistant Costume Designer Wardrobe Supervisor Wardrobe Runner Light Board Operator Props Supervisor
Diego Bustamante Rylee Berger Benjamin Shively Maya Cooper Dakota Patterson Elise Carey Gavin Yauchzee Emily Porter Siegel Sarah DeFrates Grace Wolf Trinity Babino Mitchell Wiley
Orchestra Piano Organ Harp Bells
Nikolay Verevkin Diego Bustamante Jacqueline Kerrod Jessica Koscak, Gregory Nappa, Samantha Noble
Administrative Staff Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Director of Production Management Director of Performance Management Associate Director of Performance Management Coordinator of Performance Management
Kelly Bidle Jason Vodicka Buck Linton Kristen Rodgers Leandra Acosta Samuel Stephenson
About the Cast NATHAN ANDERSON, “SEA-SNATCH”, “THE MONK AND HIS CAT”, ENSEMBLE, baritone: first year Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy and Performance student (studies with Bryan Hymel). Hometown: Dickson, Tennessee. Past Engagements: Uberto (La Serva Padrona) Tennessee Technological University; participation in the CoOPERAtive program 2023. Upcoming Engagements: Choir Member, Westminster Symphonic Choir. JESSICA BELLA, SECONDA CONVERSA, “THE PRAISES OF GOD”, soprano: first year Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy and Performance student (studies with Elizabeth Sutton). Hometown: Naperville, Illinois. Past Engagements: Lola (Gallantry), Geraldine (A Hand of Bridge), and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) Illinois State University Opera; finalist in ISU’s 2021 Concerto/Aria Competition; featured soloist on the Civic Chorale Concert at ISU spring 2023. JACQUELINE BURKHOLDER, LA BADESSA, “AT ST. PATRICK’S PURGATORY”, “THE DESIRE FOR HERMITAGE”, mezzo-soprano: sophomore Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance student (studies with Christopher Arneson). Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Past engagements: Soloist with Marian Anderson National Historical Society; Soloist in recital with Philadelphia Ethical Society. Upcoming Engagements: Choir Member, Westminster Symphonic Choir. Awards: Best Vocal Performance, Paul Phoenix Academy, Hong Kong, China. ALLY CHRISTIANSEN, LA ZELATRICE, soprano: second-year Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy and Performance student (studies with Margaret Cusack). Hometown: Leamington, Utah. Past Engagements: Léontine (L’amant anonyme) with Ithaca Opera Studio Program; Katherine Howard, Anne Boleyn Cover (Try Me, Good King), Ensemble (The Ghosts of Gatsby) Westminster Opera Theatre; Ida (Die Fledermaus) and Queen Cover (Die Zauberflöte) Brigham Young University. Upcoming Engagements: Soprano Soloist (Vivaldi’s Gloria in D) New Jersey Master Chorale. Awards: 1st place, Westminster Choir College Voice Award Competition 2023; 2nd place category winner, Cal-Western Regional NATS Audition 2022, Semifinalist BYU Young Artists in Voice Competition 2021, 1st place category winner, Northern Utah District NATS Auditions 2021. EMMA CLARK, SECONDA SORELLA CERCATRICE, “PROMISCUITY”, mezzo-soprano: first year Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy and Performance student (studies with Margaret Cusack). Hometown: Danville, Pennsylvania. Past Engagements: participation in the 2023 CoOPERAtive program, Conducting Scholar for the Reading Choral Society. GRACE COMEAU, LA MAESTRA DELLE NOVIZIE, “CHURCH BELL AT NIGHT”, mezzo-soprano: first year Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy and Performance student (studies with Robin Massie). Hometown: Bristow, Virginia. Upcoming Engagements: Choir Member, Westminster Symphonic Choir; Choir Member, Westminster Choir.
ABIGAIL CULKIN, PRIMA SORELLA CERCATRICE, “HEAVENLY BANQUET”, soprano: junior Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance student (studies with Sally Wolf), minor in Arts and Entertainment Industries Management student. Hometown: Woodbine, Maryland. Past Engagements: Katherine of Aragon (Try Me, Good King) Westminster Opera Theatre, Ensemble (The Ghosts of Gatsby) Westminster Opera Theatre, Ensemble (Cendrillon) Westminster Opera Theatre. Upcoming Engagements: Choir Member, Westminster Symphonic Choir; Choir Member, Westminster Choir. Awards: 1st place Westminster Choir College 2023 Voice Award Competition, 2nd place Westminster Choir College 2022 Voice Award Competition. ALEXA FARAH, LA SORELLA INFERMIERA, “THE CRUCIFIXION”, soprano: sophomore Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance student (studies with Margaret Cusack). Hometown: Northvale, New Jersey. Awards: 2nd place category winner, New Jersey NATS Festival of Singing 2023. ELEANOR REES, SUOR GENOVIEFFA, “ST. ITA’S VISION”, soprano: senior Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance student (studies with Christopher Arneson). Hometown: Huntington, New York. Past Engagements: Maguelonne (Cendrillon), Jane Seymour (Try Me, Good King), Ensemble (The Ghosts of Gatsby), Ensemble (Hänsel und Gretel) Westminster Opera Theatre; participation in the 2023 CoOPERAtive program. Awards: 3rd place category winner, New Jersey NATS Festival of Singing 2022, 4th place Westminster Voice Awards 2022. BRENNA RICHARD, PRIMA CONVERSA, soprano: junior Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance student (studies with Margaret Cusack). Hometown: York, Pennsylvania. Past Engagements: Choir Member, Westminster Chapel Choir; Choir Member, Westminster Symphonic Choir. Upcoming Engagements: Choir Member, Westminster Symphonic Choir; Choir Member, Westminster Choir. ELIZABETH ROSENBERG, LA ZIA PRINCIPESSA, mezzo-soprano: senior Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance student (studies with Bryan Hymel). Hometown: Rising Sun, Maryland. Past Engagements: Zelda ‘48 (The Ghosts of Gatsby) Westminster Opera Theatre. Armelinde (Cendrillon) Westminster Opera Theatre. Awards: 1st place category winner, New Jersey NATS Festival of Singing 2022 and 2023; 2nd place category winner, Westminster Voice Scholarship Awards 2022; 3rd place category winner, Westminster Voice Scholarship Awards 2023. QINGYANG “KELLY” YE, SUOR DOLCINA, soprano: second year Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy and Performance (studies with Kathy Price). Hometown: Hangzhou, China. Past Engagements: Choir Member, Westminster Symphonic Choir.
About the Artistic & Administrative Staff LEANDRA ACOSTA, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT (she/her), is a graduate of Rider University with degrees in dance performance and arts administration. During her time performing at Rider, she was awarded both the Dance Merit Scholarship and Mildred S. Hawkins Dance Scholarship and helped adopt the
Dance Mentorship Program. She is grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many fantastic choreographers during her time performing at Rider including: Kate Ladenheim, Randy James of 10 Hairy Legs, Angela Cusumano, Merli Guerra of Luminarium Dance, Jennifer Gladney, Robson Alves, Lynn Neuman of Artichoke Dance, and Ryan Davis. She was recently featured as a choreographer for the 2023 Senior Dance Capstone performance, Acknowledgements. In her role as Associate Director, Leandra creates programs for and manages the social media pages for the Department of Performing Arts and Westminster Choir College. SUSAN SHIPLETT ASHBAKER, MUSIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR, Associate Professor/Director of Westminster Opera Theatre for Westminster Choir College at Rider University and Director for the CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster brings over 40 years of experience in the performing arts. Ms. Ashbaker is active in the opera/vocal world as an independent artistic advisor/consultant, master class presenter, lecturer, and opera/vocal coach. Her experience on both sides of the opera industry gives her a rare and comprehensive approach to key elements of career advancement for singers as well as a unique vantage point in the administration of opera companies, arts organizations, and institutions of higher learning. She is in demand as a master class presenter, having taught recently at Boston Conservatory, University of Miami, Montclair University, and Rutgers University among others.
Ms. Ashbaker was affiliated with Tri-Cities Opera for 5 years; 4 as General and Artistic Director, and 1 as Artistic Director, and “transformed the company in every way imaginable,” according to the former Board Chair. Additionally, Ms. Ashbaker served Opera Company of Philadelphia (OCP) for 16 years, the last 11 as director of artistic and music administration. She led casting practices and reestablished the Company as a pioneer in offering advancements to young singers before they achieved national or international recognition; gave unique opportunities to well-established artists; and supervised all activities of the artistic and music departments. Under her direction, OCP established an intern program with the Curtis Institute of Music. Ms. Ashbaker has worked as assistant conductor/vocal coach with New York City Opera, European Center for Opera and Vocal Arts, Israeli Vocal Arts Institute, International Vocal Arts Institute in Montreal, Theater am Goetheplatz (Bremen, Germany) and Academy of Vocal Arts, and she was on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music for nearly 20 years. A frequent judge for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and former participant on the MET Quiz Show, Ms. Ashbaker has also participated as panelist with Opera America, New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, judge for the Jensen Foundation, Marian Anderson Emerging Artist Competition and the Richard Tucker Foundation Auditions, among others. Ms. Ashbaker recently published The Vocal Coach Approach: When Practice Makes Perfect (a guide to help singers of all levels learn to practice - and love it!) available from Inside View Press: www.voxped.com JAMEL BAKER, PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER, received his BS in Speech Communication from Millersville University. Jamel is based in Philadelphia and has stage managed for companies both local and nationally. Some of his past credits
include: The Choice, Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Sunset Baby, The Lydie Breeze Trilogy, Warplay, Boycott Esther, Pass Over, Rockaby, and Fool For Love. Jamel is currently the Lead Producer at Passage Theatre Company and serves on the board of Directors Gathering. MICHELLE EUGENE, STAGE DIRECTOR, is an actor, singer, performance coach, voice therapist, director, and teacher; MFA in Classical Acting at the Shakespeare Theatre’s Academy for Classical Acting at GWU; member of Actors Equity Association and SAGAFTRA; Adjunct Instructor at Westminster Choir College; Acting Coach and Teacher for the Willson Vocal Academy; Teaching Artist at West Chester Studio for the Performing Arts; Certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework; Licensed Speech Language Pathologist. She is very happy to return to Westminster Opera Theatre to stage direct this fall, having directed last year’s production of Cendrillon. Michelle has performed onstage appearing with companies at the Wilma, Mauckingbird, Gas & Electric Arts, Cape May Stage, Rep Stage, and Peterborough Players, among others, and was nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role for her work at the Metropolitan Playhouse. Favorite roles include Brooke (Other Desert Cities), Ruth (Blithe Spirit), Elizabeth Proctor (The Crucible), Goneril (King Lear), and Anna (The Baltimore Waltz). She has performed with Tony Awardç winner James Whitmore and Tony Award® Nominee Forrest McClendon. Her on-camera work includes the awardwinning documentary, Letters from Baghdad and the television series Servant and Law & Order: SVU. Michelle’s education also includes a Vocal Performance degree from the Catholic University of America and a Speech and Hearing Sciences degree from Indiana University Bloomington, but she continues to consider herself a lifelong student and feels privileged to be able to share her love of craft and artistry with her own students. KRISTA HASTINGS, TITLE ROLE/SUOR ANGELICA, is a young full lyric soprano pursuing a career in opera performance. She holds a B.M. in voice performance as well as a M.M. in voice performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. This summer she was a young artist with the Janiec Opera Company in Brevard, NC, where she covered the role of Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, the soprano solo in Verdi’s Requiem, and performed the Stepmother in Sondheim’s Into the Woods. She has performed in Europe and the United States in La Traviata, Suor Angelica, Little Women, Die Zauberflöte, and Cendrillon. At Westminster Choir College she sang the title role of Marie in Marie Begins by Ellen Fishman in the 2020 world premiere. In 2021, she performed the role of Fiordiligi in Westminster Opera Theatre’s production of Così fan tutte by Mozart. Among her accolades, she was named first place runner-up in the Eastern NATSAA competition, first in the Eastern Regional NATS, New York NATS, and New Jersey NATS competition, and was distinguished with the Encouragement Award at the Philadelphia MET Council auditions. Recently, Krista was named Winner of the Nebraska District in the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, winner of the John Alexander National Vocal Competition, and U.S.A winner of the International Mozart Competition. BUCK LINTON, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT/TECHNICAL DIRECTOR. Earning his MFA in Scenography and Technical Design (Virginia Tech), Buck joined Rider University as its Technical Director in 2012 and became the Director
of Production Management in 2022. He professionally produced more than 200 productions with such venues as The Kennedy Center, Paper Mill Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse and McCarter Theatre. Selected works include Travesties, Sleeping Beauty Wakes, Take Flight, Herringbone, Lookingglass Alice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Falstaff, Die Zauberflöte, Pelléas et Mélisande, Dialogues des Carmélites, La Clemenza di Tito, Oreste, Sunjata Kamalenya, The Odyssey Experience, Die Fledermaus, Rigoletto, Turandot, Chicago, EDDA (Ping Chong & Sequentia Ensemble, international tour). Since 2012, he has produced more than 100 productions for Rider University’s College of Arts and Sciences in the performing arts. TODD LOYD, LIGHTING DESIGNER, is the lighting director for Rider University’s Department of Performing Arts. He supervises the lighting for every performance that the department produces in addition to mentoring several students that assist in designing, hanging, focusing, and programming the lighting for each show. At Rider he has designed over 30 productions including plays, musicals, dance recitals, cabarets, and operas. Some of the highlights include Kiss Me, Kate, Clean Slate: A World Premiere Musical, The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong, Urinetown, Cabaret, Polaroid Stories, Rider Dances: Moving in Our Community, Pippin, Bright Star, Hair, Heathers The Musical, The Theory of Relativity, Once On This Island, She Kills Monsters, Our Town, A Chorus Line and Metamorphoses. Other selected professional projects include Rock of Ages and Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery at Forestburgh Playhouse, Clean Slate: A World Premiere Musical and The Gun Show at Passage Theatre, and Journey to Oz with the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and Experiential Theater Company. MELODY MARSHALL, PROPS DESIGNER, is a theatre artist, writer, and teaching artist in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing and MA in English at Arcadia University. Her most recent work has been producing Skerryvore: A Tale of Terror in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. JIM PARKS, COSTUME DESIGN, is excited to be a part of this production of Suor Angelica and Hermit Songs. He is currently working as Rider University’s Costume Shop Supervisor. Jim has been designing costumes for theatre, opera, film and television on and off for 30 years with Princeton University, The National Shakespeare Co., McCarter Theatre, The American Globe Theatre, The History Channel and many more. Most recently his work could be seen at Middlesex Counties Plays in the Park production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. SAMUEL STEPHENSON, COORDINATOR OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT (he/him/his), received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in English Literature and Music from Wabash College, graduating magna cum laude under a full-ride Lilly Scholarship. As a Joseph Flummerfelt Scholar, he received his Master of Music in Choral Conducting with distinction from Westminster Choir College. Samuel has performed with many choirs across the world. He toured with the Wabash College Glee Club internationally to Taiwan and organized and managed the renowned Choral Institute at Oxford, a summer program at the University of Oxford for inspiring conductors to work with leading figures in the choral world. He has performed with The Same
Stream, whose recordings can be found on all major music services, and at the Weiwuying National Center for the Arts as part of the opera chorus for Verdi’s La Traviata. Most recently, Samuel conducted Morten Lauridsen’s Mid-Winter Songs with the Westminster Choir in concert at Washington D.C. He currently works as the Performance Management Coordinator at Rider University and Music Director at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Warminster, PA. KARIN TORCHIA, SUPERNUMERARY. Now in her 23rd year at Rider, Karin Torchia serves as the senior associate director of athletics for external operations and development and senior women's administrator. In this role she serves as the sport administrator for field hockey, softball, women's lacrosse and volleyball and acts as an advocate for all of Rider's women's athletics programs. In addition, she is primarily responsible for the promotion and marketing of all of Rider's 21 NCAA Division I varsity sports, oversees the department's social media, branding and licensing efforts, coordinates advertising and corporate sponsorship fulfillment for the athletics department and plans the annual Rider Athletics Golf Gala, National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Kid's Day Out, MAACness and Hall of Fame events. Torchia also directs the department's community relations efforts, serves as a liaison between the athletics department and various on-campus and external committees and is responsible for overseeing the efforts for all ESPN3 and ESPN+ productions of Rider's home athletic event broadcasts. She also has oversight of all spirit groups at Rider (cheerleaders, dance team, pep band, and mascot) as well as the sports communications department. Torchia also coordinates the department's DEI efforts as the Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee (ADID) and serves as the athletic department's liaison to the University's Title IX office. She also previously hosted a feature show on BroncVision (via the athletics website gobroncs.com) called Broncs Hot Seat which has showcased some of Rider's teams, student-athletes and coaches. NIKOLAY VEREVKIN, REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE PIANIST, is a pianist and chamber musician. In 2021, he joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music as an instructor, vocal coach and staff pianist. He maintains a long-standing position as a coach and recital pianist with the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute Program for Singers. Previously, Dr. Verevkin had been on the faculty at The Juilliard School in the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts, as Visiting Assistant Professor in the Vocal Department of Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and as faculty coach at SongFest’s Summer Art Song Institute in Los Angeles. In the fall of 2021, Nikolay Verevkin debuted on the stage of Carnegie Hall alongside baritone Michael Chioldi. Dr.Verevkin has accompanied and presented numerous recitals and concerts including with Carnegie Hall’s New York Citywide program, New York Festival of Song, InSeries of Washington D.C., Beth Morrison Projects/Saratoga Opera, The Bohemians, Music Academy of the West, and Toronto Summer Music Festival.
About the Student Staff & Crew RYLEE BERGER, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, senior Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Design and Technology and Arts and Entertainment Industries Management. Hometown: Cooper City, Florida. Past Engagements: Scenic/Sound Designer (Like Father, Like Son) with The TANK NYC; Production Stage Manager (PSM) (Cinderella/Don Quixote) with the American Repertory Ballet; Assistant Stage Manager (Clean Slate: A World Premiere Musical) with Passage Theatre; and Assistant Technical Director (ATD)/Audio Swing (The Prom), PSM/ATD (Urinetown), PSM/Co-Scenic Designer (The Children's Hour), and PSM (Polaroid Stories) with Rider University. Upcoming engagements: Production Stage Manager (Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812) with Rider University. DIEGO BUSTAMANTE, REHEARSAL PIANIST, second year Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy and Performance student (studies with James Goldsworthy). Hometown: Chico, California. Past Engagements: Rehearsal Pianist (The Threepenny Opera) University of the Pacific Opera Theatre; Rehearsal Pianist (Cendrillon), and Rehearsal Pianist (Try Me, Good King) Westminster Opera Theatre; participation in the 2022 CoOPERAtive Program.
ELISE CAREY, ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER, sophomore BFA in Acting for Film, Television, and Theatre, BA in Theatre Design and Technology; Hometown: Bucks County, PA; Previous tech credits: Wardrobe Supervisor (Kiss Me, Kate), Lead Stagehand (The Children’s Hour); Performance credits: Swing (Bean a Long Day) BEN SHIVELY, CHORUSMASTER, second year Master of Music student (studies with Dr. James Jordan and Dr. Donald Nally). Hometown: Platte City, Missouri. Past Engagements: Head Choir Director at Rodeo Palms Junior High School; Voice and Performance Faculty for the Barbershop Harmony Society. Current Engagements: Conducting Intern for the New Jersey Master Chorale; Music Director at Hopewell United Methodist Church. EMILY PORTER SIEGEL, ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER (they/them), junior Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting for Film, Television, and Theatre and Bachelor of Arts in English (Literature Concentration). Hometown: Memphis, TN. Professional credits: Shipwrecked! (Stitcher, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey). Educational Credits: As You Like It (Costume Designer, STNJ Summer Professional Training Program Final Project). Rider Credits: Much Ado About Nothing (Costume Designer), of bodies changed (Director, Divisor, Costume Designer, self-produced), Rider Dances ‘23: Expanding Communities (Assistant Costume Designer), Clean Slate (Assistant Costume Designer), The Lonely Hearts Club Cabaret (Costume Designer, RSTC), The Children’s Hour (Stage Manager), Urinetown (Assistant Costume Designer), Rider New Works ‘22 (Stage Manager / Costume Designer), Pete(her) Pan (Stagehand), Hänsel und Gretel (ASM), and Pippin (ASM). Upcoming: Radium Girls (Assistant Costume Designer). GAVIN YAUCHZEE, ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER, freshman BFA Acting for Film, TV, and Theatre student (studies with Ivan Fuller). Hometown: Huntington Beach, California.
About Rider University, Westminster Choir College, & The Department of Performing Arts Located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Rider University is a private co-educational, student-centered university that emphasizes purposeful connections between academic study and real-world learning experience. Rider prepares graduates to thrive professionally, to be lifelong independent learners, and to be responsible citizens who embrace diversity, support the common good, and contribute meaningfully to the changing world in which they live and work. The College of Arts and Sciences is dedicated to educating students for engaged citizenship, career success, and personal growth in a diverse and complex world. The college cultivates intellectual reflection, artistic creativity, and academic maturity by promoting both broad academic inquiry and in-depth disciplinary study, while nurturing effective and ethical applications of transferable critical skills. The College consists of four schools: the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Communication, Media, and Performing Arts, the School of Science, Technology, and Mathematics, and Westminster Choir College. Culturally vibrant and historically rich, Westminster Choir College has a legacy of preparing students for thriving careers as well-rounded performers and musical leaders on concert stages, in schools, universities, and churches, and in professional and community organizations worldwide. Renowned for its tradition of choral excellence, the college is home to internationally recognized ensembles, including the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which has performed and recorded with virtually all of the major orchestras and conductors of our time. In addition to its choral legacy, Westminster is known as a center for excellence in musical pedagogy and performance. Through its dynamic mix of academic programs, The Department of Performing Arts helps aspiring professional performers, producers, managers, designers, technicians and entrepreneurs find their unique path in an ever-evolving industry. Acknowledged as innovative and contemporary, the Department of Performing Arts aspires to build a more equitable, engaging and sustainable future for the performing arts while exploring the many diverse historical, cultural, social and creative threads that add to our rich tapestry. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON UPCOMING PERFORMANCES, SUBSCRIPTION AND PATRON PROGRAM OPTIONS, VISIT RIDER.EDU/ARTS.