CoOPERAtive Summer Program

RIDER UNIVERSITY

Westminster Choir College presents…

PROGRAM

AT WESTMINSTER

2021 Concerts & Master Classes J U LY 4 – 23

About the Program THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM PROVIDES THREE WEEKS OF INTENSIVE TRAINING FOR THE YOUNG SINGER. The program is presented in cooperation and consultation with professionals in the field to help young singers build and strengthen their artistic toolbox. We will help build upon existing skill sets, offer new tools for artistic expressivity and help the young singer find their focus in how to learn.

Crucial to the success of the singer is working in consultation with the singer’s teacher, who will be called upon to help customize the program specifically for their singers. CoOPERAtive will assess the strengths of all participants, nurture their talents and assist in the skill development.

Participants receive private voice lessons, music, language and drama coaching, as well as classes in body work, diction, and drama. Our focus is on musical style, performance technique, dramatic presentation, language, diction, and body awareness. Selected participants will serve as mentors to the concurrent summer programs at Westminster Choir College of Rider University.

Learn more at: R I D E R . E D U / C O O P E R AT I V E

Students Please click on the photo of each student to read their full bio.

Syona Ayyankeril

Caroline G. Collins

Madison R. Hammel

Alicia Barry

Kathryn Corbino

James Harris

Madison Bowling

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Mary Rebecca Fetterman

Harrison Heard

Corinna Brueckner

Emily Finke

Sydney Hoel

Danielle Casós

Mary Galstian

Carol Jarrett

Apurva Jolepalem

Grace Mead

Elizabeth Schroeder

Lillie Grace Judge

Abby Merk

Anne Elise Teeling

Jacob S. Keleman

Neil Mitchell

Sarah Van Ells

Shannon Lally

Alaina Saliba

Michael H. Woods

Olivia LaPointe

Isabelle Magdalene Schelbaum 5

Faculty & Master Class Presenters

Susan Shiplett Ashbaker Director, CoOPERAtive With over 35 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. Continue reading...

Deborah Birnbaum Guest Master Teacher Deborah Birnbaum is an internationally established voice teacher and breath support specialist. Ms. Birnbaum is regularly scheduled for guest teaching engagements at the Metropolitan Opera (Lindemann Young Artist Development Program), San Francisco Opera (Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellowship Program), The Santa Fe Opera, Carnegie Hall: Joyce DiDonato Master Classes, The Lyric Opera of Chicago (The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center), Houston Grand Opera Studio, Wolf Trap Opera and The Washington Opera Cafritz Young Artist Program.

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Tory Browers Recital Coordinator, Voice Teacher Soprano Victoria Browers has established herself as a versatile singer who is at home in various repertoires. As an avid performer of song and 6

vocal chamber music, she has been heard in numerous venues throughout the US and her recital repertoire runs the gamut from the baroque songs of Henry Purcell to contemporary premieres. A program of Russian songs at the Roerich Museum in NYC, multiple appearances at the Stony Brook Chamber Music Festival, a concert featuring the music of Libby Larsen and an 80th birthday celebration of composers John Harbison and William Bolcom, both at Zipper Hall in Los Angeles, are among her favorites performances to date. Continue reading...

Ennio Brugnolo Italian Language Coach Mr. Brugnolo is a native of Rome. While studying architecture, he frequented the Accademia Vocale Tito Schipa in Rome and studied voice with Maestro Antonio Cappello. In 1960 he was singing in the Coro Polifonico Romano and 1962 he started to appear in comprimario roles in various Italian theaters located in Siena, Spoleto, Cosenza, Modena, Bologna, Cagliari and Rome, with singers like Tebaldi, Scotto, Stella, Freni, Simionato, Nilsson, Moffo, Del Monaco, Di Stefano, Bergonzi, Luchetti, Pavarotti, Corelli, Siepi, Ghiaurov among many others. Continue reading...

Jay Carter Coordinator of Vocal Studies, Voice Teacher Mr. Carter has gained a reputation as one of the nation’s finest countertenors. A frequent collaborator with both period and modern ensembles, he is recognized as a leading interpreter of late Baroque repertoire and has been lauded for his luminous tone, stylish interpretations, and clarion delivery. Though a specialist in the earlier repertoire, Carter has premiered modern works by John Tavener,

Augusta Read Thomas, Chester Alwes, and Anthony Maglione. As an avid recitalist he presents works from outside the standard countertenor repertory including works

by Schumann, Poulenc, Wolf, and Howells.

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Margaret Cusack Guest Master Teacher Soprano Margaret Cusack is Professor and Chair of the Piano and Voice Department at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where she teaches private voice, opera literature, and voice pedagogy.

She has been a Regional Governor of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and is currently a member of the Artist Faculty at the Brevard Music Center. Ms. Cusack’s current and former students have sung at the San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Washington Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Glimmerglass Opera, Mississippi Opera, Eugene Opera, and the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and the Stuttgart Opera in Germany.

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Brent Funderburk Master Vocal Coach One of the nation’s most promising collaborative pianists, Mr. Funderburk is also fast becoming known as a recitalist, coach, and music director. Having served as pianist and music director of the Metropolitan Opera’s nationwide 2016 “Rising Stars Concert Series” tour, he helped anchor the 2020 world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Intimate Apparel. The first opera produced by Lincoln Center Theater, this was developed by LCT and the Metropolitan Opera as part of the Met/ LCT New Works Program, which is dedicated to developing new opera and musical theater.

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Ellen Jackson Stage Director/ Drama Coach Ellen Jackson is an opera and theatre director based in the US. She has worked with such companies as The Atlanta Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Arizona Opera, Opera San Antonio, OperaDelaware, Westminster Opera Theatre, and Opera Ithaca. In the 2019-20 season, Ms. Jackson served as Studio Stage Director at The Atlanta Opera, where she assistant directed each production on the company’s season, including Tomer Zvulun’s new production ofSalome, Francesca Zambello’s production of Porgy & Bess and Joan Font’s La Cenerentola. Continue reading...

Warren Jones: Guest Master Teacher Pianist. Warren Jones was born in Washington D.C. and later grew up in High Point, North Carolina. He currently resides in New York City where he teaches at the Manhattan School of Music. Jones has previously taught at Rutgers University, Music Academy of the West and performed as a guest artist in residence at the New England Conservatory and UNC School of the Arts.

He has participated as a jury member of the China International Piano Competition (2019), the Montreal International Vocal Competition (2018), Van Cliburn Piano Competition, Naumberg Awards and the Metropolitan Opera auditions. Continue reading...

Yelena Kurdina Master Vocal Coach Extraordinary pianist, recitalist, coach, prompter and assistant conductor, Yelena Kurdina is among the most sought after collaborators in the opera world today.

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A specialist in Russian repertoire at The Metropolitan Opera for over 25 years, Ms. Kurdina became Placido Domingo’s private coach for his preparation of “one of the most important roles of his career,” Ghermann in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. Ms. Kurdina joined Mr. Domingo for the productions in New York, Los Angeles, Washington and the Vienna Staatsoper, and also accompanied him in concert on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in a program of Spanish music.

science, and movement for performers. He received his doctorate in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy with minors in music theory and movement/postural analysis at Indiana University. He studied voice with Dr. Robert Harrison and pedagogy with the late Paul Kiesgen. Continue reading..

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Mark Moliterno is an accomplished professional opera singer, voice teacher, yoga teacher, IAYT-certified Yoga Therapist, workshop leader, and author.

He is considered a thought-leader in the area of 21st Century vocal pedagogy, a master teacher of both singing and classical yoga, and a specialist in helping people understand and connect to their authentic voices. Mr. Moliterno holds the BM and MM degrees in Voice and Opera from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where his teacher and mentor was the famous vocal pedagogue, Richard Miller. Continue reading...

Tesia Kwarteng Mezzo, Being a Professional Singer Before, During, and After Covid Tesia Kwarteng is a Ghanaian-American multi-faceted artist equally at home on the operatic stage, on screen and in the studio. She recently made her Austin Opera debut featured in recital as a part of their Live from Indy Terrace Broadcast. Tesia was also a featured soloist in the ensemble of the Grammy Award winning production of Porgy and Bess at The Metropolitan Opera. She will make her Off Broadway debut at Lincoln Center Theater in Ricky Ian Gordon’s new opera Intimate Apparel understudying the role of Mayme and performing in the ensemble. She has participated in the Young Artist Programs at the Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Tri-Cities Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Chautauqua Opera and Virginia Opera. Continue reading...

Sean McCarther Stage Craft Baritone Sean McCarther serves as Associate Professor of Voice and Director of Graduate Studies at Westminster Choir College where he teaches classical and musical theater voice, voice 8

Mark Moliterno Yoga Instructor

Johnathon Pape Guest Master Teacher Johnathon Pape’s directing career spans theater, musical theater and opera, and he has staged a wide range of productions throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Recent work includes Eugene Onegin and Falstaff for The Seagle Music Colony; Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking for Tulsa Opera; Madama Butterfly and Sweeney Todd for Tri-Cities Opera; Turandot and La Traviata for Dayton Opera, and Carmen Inside Out—a one-woman version of Carmen that he created with mezzo-soprano Kirsten Chavez, which premiered in London in 2017. Carmen Inside Out has since been seen in France and various locations in the U.S., and is scheduled for performances in Japan and Germany in 2021. Continue reading...

Daniel Rigazzi Stage Director/ Drama Coach Dan Rigazzi has been directing theater and opera for over twenty years—from Shakespeare and Puccini to contemporary plays and musicals. In addition to his work at theaters and universities around the country, Dan has been on the Directing Staff at the Metropolitan Opera since 2008.

Most recently, Dan helped re-open the Lyric Opera of Kansas City with Baseball: A Musical Love Letter, a revue celebrating the National Pastime, which he created with Kathleen Belcher. Continue reading...

Laetitia Ruccolo French Language Coach French-Italian pianist Laetitia Ruccolo is one of the most sought-after vocal and diction opera coaches. She is the cofounder of the company Bare Opera in New York City. She regularly works for opera companies all over the world, and she has taught masterclasses in several American universities like Mannes College of Music, Manhattan School of Music or Wellesley College, and she has been a vocal and diction for numerous young artists programs. She is often called by the Metropolitan Opera Education department to play for their performances, or for the masterclasses of Met artists. She is a faculty member of the Mascarade Opera Studio in Florence.

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Debra Scurto-Davis Diction Teacher/Coach Debra Scurto-Davis is a pianist and vocal coach who has made her life’s goal the promotion of excellent artistry,

principally through educating others. She is currently on the faculty of Westminster Choir College, where she coaches and teaches English, French, Italian and German diction; and The Shipley School, where she has a studio of 30 pianists. She is also on the Westminster coaching faculties of the CoOPERAtive Program in Princeton, New Jersey and the Florence Voice Seminar in Italy.

Continue reading...

Ulrike Shapiro German language Coach Ulrike Shapiro, a native of Celle, Germany, has been the German Diction coach at the Curtis Institute of Music since 2001. She has coached projects at Opera Philadelphia, since 1994 in addition to serving as assistant stage director on productions there and at Glimmerglass Opera, Seattle Opera, and L’Opera de Monte Carlo, among others. She has taught German Lieder at the Peabody Conservatory, where she received Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, as well as a graduate performance diploma in voice. Her teachers included Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Mark Markham, Thomas Grubb, and Webb Wiggins. Continue reading...

Keith A. Wolfe General Director, Opera Birmingham: Resources for Young SIngers Mr. Wolfe joined Opera Birmingham as its General Director in January 2015, leading the company as it expands both the variety of works presented on the stage as well as opportunities to engage with the community in programs off the stage.

He helped the company launch a successful chamber opera series, bringing powerful contemporary stories to life through song, and started informal pop-up Opera Shots concerts and an annual Children’s Opera 9

performance. Prior to Opera Birmingham, Keith worked fourteen seasons with Fort Worth Opera, first as Managing Director since 2001 then as Executive Director as of March 2014. He also served as the former Artistic Director of the Fort Worth Men’s Chorus, and was appointed as Interim Director of the Opera Studio at Texas Christian University in Fall 2013. Continue reading...

Darren Keith Woods Guest Master Teacher Darren K. Woods is currently the Artistic Director of the Seagle Festival, one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious singer training program and also of the newly formed American Center for New Works Development. Mr. Woods has been with Seagle in some leadership capacity since 1996. Mr. Woods was formerly the General Director of Fort Worth Opera (2001-2017) a company that was transformed by restructured festival format, and a devotion to new American opera. Considered a leading expert in 21st century opera composition, Mr. Woods was hailed by Opera News in 2012 as one of the “25 influencers in the world of opera” for the next decade. Continue reading...

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Schedule of Concerts & Master Classes

Concerts Thursday, July 15 | 7:30 p.m.

This Life Waxes and Wanes: Prayers, Dreams and Departures - Songs & Arias in English and German Friday, July 16 | 7:30 p.m.

La Vie en Chanson, L’air, et L’amour - Songs & Arias in French Wednesday, July 21 | 7:30 p.m.

Since You Love Me and I Love You - Songs & Arias revealing all aspects of love Thursday, July 22 | 7:30 p.m.

Magic, Manipulation & Marriage - Just another night in the Opera House!

Friday, July 23 | 7:30 p.m.

An Evening of Opera Spanning the Centuries - Handel to Bernstein, 1685-1990

Master Classes Sunday, July 4 | 4 p.m.

Your Musical Toolbox - CoOPERAtive Program Director Susan Ashbaker Tuesday, July 6 | 7:30 p.m.

Warren Jones I Wednesday, July 7 | 7:30 p.m.

Warren Jones II Friday, July 9 | 7:30 p.m.

How to approach early repertoire - Jay Carter Monday, July 12 | 7:30 p.m.

Building on Tradition - Margaret Cusack

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Acknowledgments

The CoOPERAtive Program would like to thank the many individuals and organizations that have provided support over the years. Among those we’d like to recognize this year include: J. Truman and Ludmila S. Bidwell, Jr. Humphrey Chang Katharine Bidwell Foundation for Young Singers George and Diane Goeke Robert Y. and Anne McMahan Princeton Friends of Opera Those wishing to support CoOPERAtive and its talented students may visit:

ALUMNI.RIDER.EDU/WESTMINSTER Under “Give to,” click on Other and enter CoOPERAtive.

Thank you!

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2083 Lawrenceville Road Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-3099 R I D E R . E D U / C O O P E R AT I V E