Operation Opera 2022 Program

OPERATION OPERA FESTIVAL Operation Opera is an innovative 7-day festival/institute presenting high-caliber performances of contemporary chamber operas and art songs. In its second season, Operation Opera will be hosted by Gonzaga University between June 7th to 12th. Organized by the Four Corners Ensemble, a contemporary ensemble and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the festival closely collaborates with Gonzaga’s Music Department and the Myrtle Woldson Performing Art Center.

Founded in 2017 by GU Composition faculty Shuying Li, the Four Corners Ensemble (4CE) roster includes Erika Boysen, Flute Faculty at University of North Carolina - Greensboro, Joshua Anderson, Clarinet faculty at University of Nevada - Reno, and Christina Adams, Violin/ Viola faculty at the University of South Florida. Four Corners Ensemble initiated the first Operation Opera Festival at the University of Michigan in 2018, where eight contemporary operas were premiered by musicians from across the globe. At this year’s Operation Opera, 4CE will be joined by several guest artists including cellist Allan Hon, pianist Mi-Eun Kim, and percussionist Paul Raymond.

During Operation Opera’s second season at its new home, Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA), four operas composed for chamber ensembles will be performed and twelve composers will create art songs/song cycles with paired singers that have been selected through an international call. Participant singers and composers will present the four chamber operas and seventeen art songs/song cycles at the end of the festival in collaboration with the Four Corners Ensemble, vocal coaches/pianists Annie Flood, Greg Presley, Scott Rednour, and conductors Glen Adsit and Robert Spittal. Vocal faculty and artistsin-residence include Vocal Director Jadrian Tarver, as well as Amy Porter, Nicholas Klein, Yvette Keong, and Hidenori Inoue. Invited composers and singers will participate in a variety of career-enhancing activities while at Operation Opera, including seminars, masterclasses, lectures by festival faculty, interactive rehearsals with Four Corners Ensemble musicians, and final concert-setting performances of operas and premiere performances of art songs.

FOUR CORNERS ENSEMBLE The Four Corners Ensemble (4CE) is a non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status. It was founded to promote contemporary classical music and cultural diversity. With members originally from different countries and cultural backgrounds, 4CE is dedicated to the mission of cultivating diversities and international collaboration by creating and performing contemporary music with musicians from different cultures, exploring new compositions, and bringing high-quality concert experiences to a variety of communities around the globe.

Founded in 2017, 4CE has been featured in collaborations with the Hartford Opera Theater, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and also initiated the first Operation Opera festival at the University of Michigan (where eight contemporary operas were premiered by musicians from across the globe). 4CE was the ensemble-in-residence multiple times for the International Chopin & Friends Festival in New York, where members also served as judges for the annual “New Vision” Composition Competition, which culminated in performances of the winning works by Four Corners Ensemble.

Four Corners Ensemble has performed in venues throughout North America and China, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and the Polish Consulate-General. As part of its international outreach, 4CE traveled to China in May 2019 for the inaugural Jimo Ancient City International Classical Music Festival in Qingdao, in addition to participating in residencies at the Qingdao University of Science and Technology and Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where members performed works from “World Map” and gave masterclasses and lessons. 4CE’s debut album, “World Map,” has received published acclaim in Gramophone, Pizzicato, and Take Effect, and American Record Guide. To learn more, visit https:// www.fourcornersensemble.org.

OPERATION OPERA STAFF Shuying Li

Joshua Anderson

Artistic Director & Composer

Director of Programming

Jadrian Tarver

Annabella Gelmetti

Vocal Director

Executive Assistant

Christina Adams

Kendra Brislawn

Managing Director

Program Assistant

FOUR CORNERS ENSEMBLE Erika Boysen

Allan Hon*

flute

cello

Joshua Anderson

Mi-Eun Kim*

clarinet

piano

Christina Adams

Paul Raymond*

violin/viola

percussion *guest member

OPERATION OPERA FACULTY Hannah Acheson

Hidenori Inoue

Greg Presley

piano

baritone

piano

Glen Adsit

Yvette Keong

Scott Rednour

conductor

soprano

vocal coach

Don Bogen

Nicholas Klein

Robert Spittal

guest speaker

tenor

conductor/composer

Robert Carl

Shuying Li

Ken Steen

composer

composer

composer

Annie Flood

Amy Porter

Jadrian Tarver

vocal coach/piano

soprano

baritone

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE Concerts All concerts will be held in the Recital Hall of MWPAC. Each performance runs between 60 and 90 minutes with no intermission. Seating is General Admission. Festival combo tickets are available at discounted rates.

Tickets are Free for GU Faculty, Staff, and Students with GU ID at Box Office June 10th at 7:30pm

When Purple Mountains Burn Shuying Li, composer • Julian Crouch, libretto A world premiere opera based on the lives of American-Chinese author Iris Chang and Shiro Azuma, a Japanese solider during World War II. This new work explores the atrocities committed by the Japanese during the war and the ways such traumas cut across time and space.

Yvette Keong, soprano • Hidenori Inoue, baritone • vocalists-in-residence • Four Corners Ensemble • Glen Adsit, conductor June 11th at 7:30pm

Art Song Series

This performance will feature world premieres of fifteen original art songs written by festival composers and performed by festival vocalists. Featuring pianists Greg Presley, Annie Flood, and faculty composer Ken Steen.

June 12th at 2:00pm

Four Chamber Operas World premieres of four new operas: Memories from a Maiden Voyage, Kyle Ukes • A Portrait of a Whirlwind, Maxim Samarov • Haber’s Law, Jonathan Newmark • The Demon Princess, Qianni Lin Jadrian Tarver, baritone • Amy Porter, soprano • vocalists-in-residence • Four Corners Ensemble • Glen Adsit, conductor • Robert Spittal, conductor

Masterclasses All masterclasses are held in Music Hall 101. Free to all participants, $5 at the door for the public. Free to festival combo ticket holders.

Nick Klein, tenor June 7th, 3-4pm McKenzie Rybka Fond Affection - Bacon Con amores, la mi madre - Obradors

Fengyue Zhang Ganymed - Schubert L’orage s’est calme - Bizet

Amy Porter, soprano June 8th, 1-2pm Megan Cullen To this we’ve come - Consul Selection from Armide - Lully

Andrea Bickford Transport from Holland from “Out of Darkness” - Heggie L’enfant Prodigue - Debussy

Yvette Keong, soprano June 9th, 2:30-3:30pm Maura Shaefer Zueignung - R. Strauss What Good Would the Moon Be - Weill

Rachel Steinke Vois sur l’archet frémissant from “Les Contes d’Hoffman” - Offenbach Too Late for Love - Coleridge-Taylor

Hidenori Inoue, baritone June 9th, 3:30-4:30pm Catherine Raible Song to the Moon from “Rusalka” - Dvořák Il est doux. Il est bon. from “Herodiade” Massenet

Tabatha Hogan Come ready and see me - Huntley O mio babbino Caro - Puccini

Lectures Free to the public. Dates, times, and locations of specific events are listed below.

The Efficacy of Mental Practice for Motor Skill Enhancement in Singing Nicholas Klein June 7th from 1-2pm, Recital Hall of MWPAC Anatomy of an Aria from Harmony Robert Carl June 8th from 1-2pm, Recital Hall of MWPAC Let’s Talk: Composer-Performer Relationship Jadrian Tarver June 9th from 1-2pm, Recital Hall of MWPAC just prior to and at the beginning of lockdown 2020 Ken Steen June 10th from 1-2pm, Recital Hall of MWPAC Words and Music Don Bogen June 11th from 9-10am, Recital Hall of MWPAC My Compositions, and Other Thoughts on Music Robert Spittal June 11th from 1-2pm, Recital Hall of MWPAC

WHEN THE PURPLE MOUNTAINS BURN Shuying Li, composer • Julian Crouch, librettist 7:30 PM, June 10th, 2022 Recital Hall, Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA CONDUCTOR

Glen Adsit IRIS CHANG

Yvette Keong

SHIRO AZUMA

Hidenori Inoue

CHORUS SOPRANO

TENOR

ALTO

BASS

Andrea Bickford, Tabatha Hogan, McKenzie Rybka Kendra Brislawn, Ruby Gibford, Rachel Steinke FOUR CORNERS ENSEMBLE

Robert Waltenbaugh

James Heer, Fengyue Zhang

Erika Boysen

Allan Hon*

flute

cello

Joshua Anderson

Mi-Eun Kim*

clarinet

piano

Christina Adams

Paul Raymond*

violin/viola

percussion *guest member

PROGRAM NOTES When the Purple Mountains Burn involves collaborations between composer Shuying Li and librettist, stage designer, and director, Julian Crouch. This opera explores the connections between Iris Chang and Shiro Azuma to the Nanking Massacre which took place in China during World War II. Iris Chang was an American-Chinese best-selling author whose book, “The Rape of Nanking” forever changed the way people view the Second World War in Asia. Through her work to uncover and reveal the dark acts of the massacre, she became consumed by depression which resulted in her suicide at age 36. Rooted in a different time and in a different place, Shiro Azuma was a Japanese soldier who openly admitted to his participation in Japanese war crimes against the Chinese during World War II. This opera explores the following question about humanity: What is the darkness lurking within us that attempts to justify such horrific acts of violence between groups of people? The intent of this opera is to present a story that is told by the seemingly separate experiences of Iris and Shiro weaving together a journalist’s powerful message and a soldier’s haunting confession into a song that will resonate with all humankind.

When the Purple Mountains Burn was commissioned by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and is supported by OPERA America and the Houston Grand Opera. The piano-vocal workshop was hosted by the Houston Grand Opera on Feb. 22-25, 2022.

LIBRETTIST’S NOTE “When The Purple Mountains Burn is about Iris Chang, an American Chinese journalist whose bestselling book, "The Rape of Nanking," a chronicle of the atrocities committed in 1937 by occupying Japanese forces, helped break a six-decade-long international silence on the subject. Despite the huge success of her book, Iris committed suicide in 2004.

Iris's grandparents had fled Nanking just before the occupation, eventually settling in the United States, and a part of our opera that will not be presented today has Iris's mother Ying Ying Chang tell the story of Hansel and Gretel to the young Iris. The metaphors and images from that fairy tale infuse the whole piece.

If Iris mirrors Gretel, then the Japanese ex-soldier Shiro Azuma mirrors Hansel. Shiro was only one of very few soldiers who confessed to the atrocities, and as a result suffered great persecution within his own country. He visited China seven times in his later years to apologize to the Chinese people.

Although Iris and Shiro never met in person they conducted a dialogue through an exchange of letters.

The Witch from Hansel and Gretel symbolizes both the external spirit that can result in the inhumanity of war, but also the internal force that can lead someone to tragically take their own life.”

– Julian Crouch WARNING: Some lines are quoted directly from Iris and Shiro’s writings and contain graphic depictions of violence and sexual assault.

ART SONG SERIES 7:30 PM, June 11th, 2022 Recital Hall, Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA Featuring: Annie Flood and Greg Presley, piano The Absence

Ken Steen (b. 1958) Text by Denise Levertov Amy Porter, soprano Joshua Anderson, clarinet Christina Adams, violin

White Sail at Midnight

Sarah Marze (b. 2001) Text by Ginny Lowe Connors

McKenzie Rybka, mezzo-soprano Emptiness 2610 E. Tremont Ave, the Bronx

Text by Patricia Horn O’Brien

Catherine Raible, soprano Renewal of Strength Only a Word

Del’Shawn Taylor (b. 1993) Text by Francis Ellen Watkins Harper

Jadrian Tarver, baritone

Hush-a-bye Baby Ring-A-Ring O’Rose

Del’Shawn Taylor (b. 1993) Text by Del’Shawn Taylor Sarah Marze, soprano

Envy #4

Phil Thompson (b. 1996) Text by Helen Phillips Ketti Jane Muschler, soprano

Sea Rose Huntress

Nathan Wasner (b. 1988) Text by Hilda Doolittle Ketti Jane Muschler, soprano

Heat Night James Heer, Baritone Spirits of the Dead

Joshua Adler (b. 1998) Text by Edgar Allen Poe Maura Schaefer, soprano

Remain

Annabella Gelmetti (b. 2000) Text by Annabella Gelmetti Rachel Steinke, mezzo-soprano

Surrendered Love

Nathan Felix (b. 1981) Text by Nathan Felix Kendra Brislawn, mezzo-soprano

Dreams & Seasons Maura Scaefer, soprano It’s Sweet When the Breeze Blows Softly

Kyle Ukes (b. 1987) Text by Arnaut de Mareuil

Tabathan Hogan, soprano The COVID Bake-Off

Monica Chew (b. 1977) Libretto by Sandra Flores-Strand Megan Cullen, soprano Fengyue Zhang, baritone

PROGRAM NOTES The Absence Ken Steen “The Absence is part of a collection of songs for soprano and mixed chamber ensemble entitled Each to Each, on poetry by British-born American poet Denise Levertov (1923-1997).

As a song of extended duration, The Absence was conceived as a monodrama, or as a kind of operatic scene or soliloquy.

Having read much of Levertov’s published works, I was struck by the concision and depth of expression in her poems. Wanting to gain further insight into her work, I undertook what has become ongoing research of her poetry through the study of source materials contained in the Denise Levertov Papers, MO601, Dept. of Special Collections at Stanford University Libraries. Through study of original manuscripts and notebooks, handwritten drafts and editings, I have had the privilege to observe the development of individual poems from earliest drafts to published texts. This in turn has informed my approach to composition of the songs, including The Absence, with heightened awareness of poetic evolution, and clear focus on the inference of expressive nuance.

“The Absence” By Denise Levertov, from COLLECTED EARLIER POEMS, copyright © 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1979 by Denise Levertov. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation.”

White Sail at Midnight Sarah Marze “When poet Ginny Lowe Connors first sent me this poem, I heard it in music right away. The poem is about a person processing the loss of someone they loved while walking on a foggy boardwalk. They think they see their lost person in the fog, but quickly the figure disappears again. I have set many of Ginny Lowe Connors’ poems, and I find her work so magical because she is able to allow the psychology of a character to unfold so naturally. I knew McKenzie was the perfect singer to deliver this emotional text, so I gave her a lyrical melody so she can just soar over the watery, undulating piano part.”

Emptiness 2610 E. Tremont Ave, the Bronx Sarah Marze “In a collection of poems about Connecticut Poet Laureates, I came across a curious poem by Patricia Horn O’Brien in the shape of an apartment building. The poem is about her childhood home, and consists of a list of specific images. In our discussions, O’Brien spoke of the joy and relief a person can feel when they come to realize that everything in the material world is transitory. Setting this was a challenge, because the poem is very stream-of-consciousness. In

order to tell the story, I ended up dividing the poem into “scenes” that each have their own key area. The quirky character in this song comes to celebrate the joy in “nothing” by the end of the journey. Catherine and I connected over the possibilities for character development over the course of the song, and I look forward to seeing her create the character!”

Renewal of Strength & Only a Word Del’Shawn Taylor “As a Black composer, I have always felt the call to compose music that sings the untold stories of Black Americans. I believe it to be a special opportunity to set the text of Black poets who have come before me, as it allows for the opportunity for us to commune decades and sometimes centuries apart through the transformative conduit that is art. Setting the text of Frances Harper was a balm for my soul. Renewal of Strength, the second art song in my cycle, That Blessed Hope speaks not to the tragedy of a life enslaved, but sings of the perfected resilience and unshakable faith that my ancestors had in God, who renewed their strength day by day. In the third and final art song in the song cycle, Only a Word, echoes the strength and peace of the enslaved Black kings and queens amid weariness, strife, grave injustice, and war. This strength and peace was assured in knowing that God, not “massa”, not any man, but God was in control.”

Hush-a-bye Baby & Ring-A-Round the Rosie Del’Shawn Taylor “As a person with a love for fairy tales and folklore, I have always wanted to reimagine nursery rhymes to explore their potentially dark origins. In Hush-a-bye Baby, the second art song in my cycle, Dark Rhymes, what sounds like a sweet lullaby is truly a parent singing a cautionary tale to their infant about how pride leads to one’s fall. Ring-A-Round the Rosie, is the third and final art song. Here the piano begins with the traditional melody as the kids all take their place in the circle. The melody slowly transforms into a dance that continues slow as one by one the children die of the bubonic plague.”

Envy #4 Phil Tompson “Ketti Jane Muschler and I were both interested in setting a prose work for this project, and “Envy #4” from Helen Phillips’ And Yet They Were Happy immediately stood out. The text contains beautiful poetic imagery and powerful emotion, but the real action of the piece is in the gradual unveiling of perspective – the narrator’s perspective towards the images described, the reader’s perspective towards the narrative, the subjects’ imagined perspectives toward their surroundings – I felt that this dynamic lent itself very well to a musical setting.

To mirror this unsteady ground, I collaged together several different textures: an impressionistic wash for the lyrical portions, a jazz-inflected interlude as the narrator wanders

into fantasy, and plaintive, consonant clarity as the true emotional implications of the text become clearer. Over the course of the piece, these different styles contrast, collide, and combine over a tonally ambiguous frame, before, despite the narrator’s best didactic efforts, fading away into uncertainty.”

Sea Rose Nathan Wasner “Ever since I first discovered Hilda Doolittle’s poetry (pen name, H.D.), I’ve wanted to turn Sea Garden, her first book of poetry, published in 1916, into a song cycle. To that end, I’ve set four poems from the collection. One of its principle themes is the preference for beauty attained through adversity, and nothing demonstrates this as succinctly as the five flower poems, of which Sea Rose is the first.

Rather than the picturesque version of a rose, here she conjures one thrashed by waves, “marred and with stint of petals.” It is because of the ordeal it has endured, the struggle it has had to overcome and the resultant scars, that it is “more precious / than a wet rose / single on a stem.”

Accordingly, I infused the piece with harmonies that inhabit a space in between happy or sad, beautiful or ugly, starting with a chain of minor/major seventh chords. Harmonic movement stagnates as the singer describes the rose’s inadequacies: “meagre flower, thin, / sparse of leaf.”

Then the vocal melody rises and falls in a series of arcs, charting the path of the rose as it is “lifted in the crisp sand / that drives in the wind.”

Huntress Nathan Wasner “In Huntress, we are invited to join a band of hunting women as they navigate a rough terrain accompanied by hounds. The music begins staccato and dissonant, like a march. Though the base meter is 4/4, the rhythm is as shifting and unstable as the “loose earth” the women trample. “We stand tense” initiates a standstill as they peer through a clearing — “Do you see?

Are you already beaten by the chase?” — only to dive right back in on the word “chase.” As they climb “the ploughed land,” the music modulates upward, growing in intensity with spattered overtones from the piano. Then the sense of time slows down; they whirl “with a parched cry / into the woods,” calling to their comrades who are lagging behind. Finally, after a mad dash to “follow the quickest one,” the music sputters to a halt, exhausted.”

Heat Nathan Wasner “Another theme in Sea Garden, derived from H.D.’s love of Greek literature and mythos, is supplication of the forces of nature. “O rough hewn / god of the orchard, / I bring you an

offering,” the poet cries in “Orchard,” while laying out a quintet of discarded fruits. In part two of “Garden,” which I have set and renamed “Heat,” she entreats the wind to disperse the heat which stifles the ripening fruit.

The piece begins with a fluttering ostinato, unfolding gently as the voice calls out to the wind.

As the plea becomes urgent, it stubbornly holds onto the B sonority, pushing the invocation to a heightened pitch. The music falls, and we enter an unexpected region with C in the bass.

“Fruit cannot fall into heat / that presses up and blunts / the points of pears,” the singer wails.

As in Sea Rose, we hear a chain of minor/major seventh chords, while the singer’s melody floats on top. The music peters out, and we return to the opening motif, once again summoning the wind to “cut the heat— / plough through it, / turning it on either side / of your path.”

Night Nathan Wasner “Much of this piece is a perpetuum mobile — a steady stream of eighth notes careening at an “unfaltering pace,” mirroring the ruthless process the night inflicts upon the roses. After firmly establishing the key of C minor, the music takes a turn, modulating downward. “Under at a grave pace / till the leaves are bent back / till they drop upon the earth.” Finally, when “they are all broken,” rhythm and harmony are shattered, replaced by static chords which lean on the augmented triad. The tempo falls too, and the last stanza is delivered like a declamation. On the final word, the fast music revives for one last hurrah before fading away completely.”

Spirits of the Dead Joshua Adler “This piece is set to a poem by the famed American author Edgar Allan Poe. Anyone who is familiar with Poe’s work will not be surprised by the macabre nature of the piece. The poem describes emotions surrounding death and the transition from the world of the living to that of the dead.”

Remain Annabella Gelmetti “I composed Remain with the help of vocalist Rachel Steinke. We corresponded through email during her study abroad in Italy. I asked Rachel for her fondest early-COVID-lockdown memories to inspire this art song. She told me, during this time, she moved home and would go for walks around her neighborhood. For a year, Rachel watched the same tree nearby endure the seasons. “I had seen the same tree bloom and its flowers wither and fall, and I had this epiphany that I had never really watched the seasons change in nature.” She also shared with me a memory of meeting a neighbor with a garden full of fresh fruit. Rachel and I

connected over similar happy memories during this strange moment in history. Remain captures the experience of discovering tranquility amid interesting times.”

Surrendered Love Nathan Felix “An art song in Spanish about feeling invisible and longing for your significant other to see you as they did in the beginning. Inspired by a personal narrative in my life of the exploration of my hispanic heritage that I rejected growing up due to the absence of my father and the discrimination I experienced.”

Dreams & Seasons Nathan Felix “An art song about how the different seasons stir up past memories of love and loss. Inspired by the life of Coco Chanel. Chanel has been an inspiration to me as a bold, independent woman who lived a truly rags to riches life but died without a love by her side. As seasons come and go I find myself both reminiscing about the people and places I’ve connected with which has added so much color to my life all the while weighing the importance and meaning of my life as time rolls on.”

It’s Sweet When the Breeze Blows Softly Kyle Ukes “The lyric poetry of the 12th century troubadour Arnaut de Mareuil is a song cycle prototype of sorts. Similar to 19th century song cycles, Arnaut’s poems were set to music and bounded by a central theme. That theme was the famous medieval concept of unrequited love, inspired by his actual infatuation with Azalais of Toulouse, the wife of his courtly patron. Eventually forced to flee due to his ongoing flirtations with Azalais, the majority of his surviving poems are said to have been about her and his love for her. Six out of the surviving twenty-five poems we have of Arnaut are known to be set to music. In that spirit, this english translation* has been composed for the soprano voice of Tabatha Hogan. “ *Translation into English by A.S.Kline. This art song is compliant under the US Fair Use Act for the following reasons: (1) Transformative work. Art song (music) adds to the original source material. (2) Translation is a historical/factual work and not a creative work. (3) Art song (music) does not impede upon the same market as the original source material (printed text).

(4) Original text source is not protected under US Copyright Law. The COVID Bake-Off Monica Chew

“Lilly is a famous baker who has been invited to go toe to toe with nemesis Bobby at the Coolest Cake Creation Competition. Her reputation, her business, and a large cash prize are on the line. It is the day before the competition and Lilly has had no taste or smell for thirteen days. She sings about wanting to regain her senses before the big competition. She reads an article that makes her feel encouraged that she might get her taste back by tomorrow. She decides to call Eve, her sous chef, to help her come up with a plan to get her taste back. As she goes to call Eve, Bobby, her nemesis, calls to antagonize her.”

FOUR CHAMBER OPERAS 2:00 PM, June 12th, 2022 Recital Hall, Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA FEATURING

FOUR CORNERS ENSEMBLE Erika Boysen

Christina Adams

Mi-Eun Kim*

flute

violin/viola

piano

Joshua Anderson

Allan Hon*

Paul Raymond*

clarinet

cello

percussion *guest member

Memories from a Maiden Voyage Kyle Ukes, composer (b. 1987) CONDUCTOR

Robert Spittal

Libretto by various authors ARTHUR GEE, HENGRY HODGES, HENRY JULIAN, EWART BURR, ALBERT ERVINE

Robert Waltenbaugh

EDWINA TROUTT

Tabatha Hogan MARION MEANWELL

Catherine Raible

THOMAS MUDD, JAKOB JOHANSSON, KENTUCKY DOCTOR, RICHARD ROUSE

James Heer

FRANCIS MILLET, FREDERICK WRIGHT JULIETTE LAROCHE, KATE BUSS

Rachel Steinke

Jadrian Tarber

Haber’s Law Jonathan Newmark, composer (b. 1953)

Libretto by Don Bogan

CONDUCTOR

Glen Adsit FRITZ

Fengyue Zhang

CLARA

Ruby Gibford

A Portrait of a Whirlwind Maxim Samarov, composer (b. 1969)

Book by Jolie O’Dell Lyrics by Basil Considine

CONDUCTOR

Robert Spittal ÉLODIE MACRATH, A SINGER

FLYNN STEVENS, A PAINTER

JORDAN MARSHALL, A POET

SAGE GUTIERRES, A WRITER

NOELLE JOHNSON, A PAINTER

TYLER JOHNSON, A DESIGNER

Ketti Jane Muschler McKenzie Rybka Kendra Brislawn

James Heer

Andrea Bickford

Robert Waltenbaugh

The Demon Princess Qianni Lin (b. 1993)

Libretto by Caroline Cao

CONDUCTOR

PRINCESS

Glen Adsit

Amy Porter

QUEEN

KING

Megan Cullen

Jadrian Tarver

PROGRAM NOTES Memories from a Maiden Voyage Kyle Ukes “Memories from a Maiden Voyage is an operatic experiment where historical prose was used as the primary source material for this libretto. More specifically, this chamber opera is a collection of various letters and telegrams that survived the sinking of the Titanic back in 1912. Treating historical prose as the subject material this way expands upon the utility and flexibility of opera. Collage No. 1 features various messages from passengers ranging from 1st to 3rd class. Collage No. 2 is a collection of three letters from crewmembers to their loved ones. Lastly, the Finale features one letter written by Kate Buss who describes to her confidant the evening concert she is enjoying along with her fellow passengers. This finale also showcases a cello solo.”

Haber’s Law Jonathan Newmark “Haber’s Law tells the true story of Fritz Haber, Nobel Prize-winning chemist, and his wife Clara, pacifist and the first German female chemistry PhD. Haber devoted himself to the German cause in World War I. To break the stalemate in the trenches, in 1915, he carried out the first chlorine gas attack at Ypres. Clara, horrified at what she considered Fritz’s prostitution of science, could not dissuade him from developing chemicals as weapons, and committed suicide with his service revolver. Undeterred, Haber developed more lethal chemicals throughout the war, but could not stave off German defeat in 1918. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1919 for his pre-war work, which massively increased agricultural yields and saved millions from famine. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Haber, a converted Jew like Clara, was exiled. He died in Switzerland in 1934, en route to Palestine to co-found the Weizmann Institute. The Nazis weaponized Haber’s last invention, Zyklon B, and used it to murder millions, including Haber’s relatives. The composer taught this story, in the US Army’s Chemical Casualty Management courses, to over 10,000 students over 16 years. Haber’s Law, which Fritz derived, relates exposure to concentration x time, and is still a fundamental principle in toxicology.”

A Portrait of a Whirlwind Maxim Samarov “A Portrait of a Whirlwind is a coming-of-age story of Noelle, a talented young painter, who has recently come out of the closet as a lesbian. Coming from a poor, conservative family in a small town in the South, Noelle is inexperienced in the ways of the world and struggles to find her bearings in the new environment as she arrives at MacRath Art Colony for her first artist residency. Noelle soon enters into a romantic relationship with a fellow resident Élodie, a sophisticated and worldly singer. Élodie is wealthy and is in fact a co-founder of the colony,

but she hides both these facts. The couple is blissfully happy at first, but soon the differences in their backgrounds start to show, leading to a crisis in the relationship. A Portrait of a Whirlwind is a full-evening 3-act opera; the fragment performed consists of Scenes 1 and 3 of Act II.” The Demon Princess Qianni Lin “Once upon a time in a kingdom, a warmongering king eagerly expected a healthy heir to be born. However, the queen, who was forcibly married to the king, has a terrible idea that their child would turn out to be a demon, an undesirable heir. Then the queen is greeted by a vision of her daughter, who vows to usurp her father and avenge his warmongering. The queen finds herself welcoming this future. Initially performed as a 15-minute play, through arias and duets, the course of the future is fantasized rather than reevaluated. Its contemporary music style claws into the psychological drama of the players.”

FACULTY & STAFF BIOGRAPHIES Shuying Li Artistic Director, Operation Opera A believer that music has the innate power to promote cultural diversity by connecting people through universally human passions and values, Shuying Li’s compositions have been performed by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Alarm Will Sounds Ensemble, American Lyric Theater, Argus Quartet, Four Corners Ensemble, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Hartford Opera Theater, Donald Sinta Quartet, Orkest de ereprijs (Netherlands), Avanti!

Chamber Orchestra (Finland), ICon Arts Ensemble (Romania), Cecilia Quartet (Canada), Ascanio Quartet (Italy), Atlas Ensemble (Netherlands), among others. Shuying has received awards or grants from OPERA America, China National Arts Fund, ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prize, The American Prize, International Antonin Dvorak Composition Competition, New Jersey Composers’ Guild Commission Competition, International Huang Zi Composition Competition, the Michigan Music Teachers Association Commissioned Composer Competition, Melta International Composition Competition, etc.

Originally from China, Shuying holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the Hartt School. She is the Assistant Professor of Composition and Music Theory at Gonzaga University, as well as the founder and artistic director of the contemporary ensemble and non-profit organization, Four Corners Ensemble. In Fall 2022, Shuying will join the faculty at the California State University, Sacramento. Upcoming projects include performances by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Moscow Contemporary Ensemble (Russia), Women’s Wind Ensemble; an opera commissioned by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with librettist Julian Crouch in development with the Houston Grand Opera; as well as a band consortium commission by 20 universities including the Hartt School, University of Michigan, New England Conservatory, Cornell University, and University of Illinois, etc. For more information, please visit http://www.shuyingli.com.

Jadrian Tarver Vocal Director, Operation Opera; Baritone Jadrian Tarver, a native of Haines City, Florida, has maintained an active roster as a conductor, clinician, composer, and recitalist and has soloed and conducted in many performances.He has performed with Atlanta Opera, Peach State Opera, Capitol City Opera Company, and Michigan State University Opera and Opera Grand Rapids. Operatic roles include Germont in La Traviata, the title role of Gianni Schicchi, Dr. Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, King Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Bonze in Madama Butterfly, and Marcello in La Boheme.

Musical Theater roles include Mr. Lindquist in Little Night Music and the Duke/Dr. Carrasco/ Night of Mirrors in Man of La Mancha.

In addition to performing, he is an advocate for musicians of color. He established an independent publishing company, Indigo Press LLP, which focuses on publishing the works of underrepresented composers of color. In a similar vein, he curated the Sankofa Recital Series, a vocal artist collaborative that brings awareness to the music of African diasporic composers.

While as a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University, he was appointed project manager of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) for the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts and the College of Music. In this joint position as a student leader and project manager, he developed relationships across campus, cultivated programming, and activities important to Michigan State University’s community while advancing progress in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Mr. Tarver holds the Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Bethune-Cookman University, the Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University, and a Doctoral Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance from Michigan State University.

Yvette Keong Soprano Originally from Sydney, Australia, soprano Yvette Keong is a unique performer who strives to unite the intimate emotionality of classical music with its ability as a modern force of change.

Hailed as a “soaring soprano” of “clarity and promise” (Opera News), Ms. Keong was a 2020 recipient of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship, highlighting her Chinese-Australian heritage at the core of her artistic identity. She was the recipient of The Rohatyn Great Promise Award at the Eastern Region of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was the recent Third Prize winner of The Gerda Lissner Foundation’s Lieder/Song Competition. Ms. Keong was selected as one of six singers to participate in SongStudio at Carnegie Hall, led by Renée Fleming. She performed as Adina in Juilliard Opera’s production of L’elisir d’amore, where she also sang as Henrietta M. in Thomson’s The Mother of Us All, in a collaboration the New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Juilliard School. This season, she made debuts with Annapolis Opera as Clorinda in La Cenerentola, the Aspen Music Festival as the soprano soloist of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and in recital at National Sawdust. Ms. Keong is a recent graduate of The Juilliard School, where she was a Gluck Community Service Fellow and the proud recipient of the Novick Career Advancement Grant.

Hidenori Inoue Bass-baritone Bass-baritone Hidenori Inoue hails from Himeji, Japan. In the 2021-22 season he made a role and company debut with MTM Hong Kong as Escamillo in Carmen, sang Angelotti and covered Scarpia in Tosca with Opera Columbus, performed the role of Fasolt in Virginia Opera’s production of Das Rheingold, sang Colline in the MTM/Opera Columbus film of La bohème, and recorded the role of Nourabad in Les pêcheurs de perles for InSeries Opera.

In 2022, Hidenori sings Sarastro in The Magic Flute with North Carolina Opera and debuts the title role in Boito’s Mephistopheles with Knoxville Opera. He also covers the role of Kobun in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs and sings Ferrando in Fidelio for Austin Opera.

In 2020 Hidenori sang another Commendatore with Pensacola Opera, and returned to Tulsa Opera for the Bonze in Madama Butterfly. In the 2018-19 season he sang Leporello and Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Opera Steamboat, and the Bonze in Madama Butterfly with Virginia Opera and Opera Omaha.

Mr. Inoue holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, and a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music.

Nicholas Klein Tenor A teacher, singer, conductor, and pianist/accompanist/coach based out of Seattle and Spokane based tenor, Dr. Nicholas Klein is often known for his warmth and clarity of tone in addition to his exceptional musicianship. Dr. Klein recently joined the music faculty as a Lecturer in Vocal Music at Eastern Washington University, where he teaches Diction, Vocal Pedagogy, Ear Training and Sight Signing, and Opera Workshop in addition to his full studio of private voice students. He also holds a position as an adjunct Instructor of Voice and Director of the new Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Dissonance, at Seattle Pacific University. Nicholas recently earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Washington where his dissertation research focused on The Efficacy of Mental Practice for Motor Skill Enhancement in Singing.

Prior to his studies at UW, Nicholas earned a Master of Music degree in Music Education, Kodály Certification and Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the Capital University Conservatory of Music in partnership with the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music in Kecskemét, Hungary. Recently, Nicholas has been seen on stage at the University of Washington as Don José in Carmen and Larry/Matt in The Face On The Barroom Floor.

Nicholas has also recently been seen singing various roles in productions of American Portraits, German and English Arias and Scenes, and a recital program of Schumann’s Dichterliebe. Nicholas has competed at numerous Regional National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions, where he has won numerous awards.

Amy Porter Soprano Dr. Amy Porter has been part of the Gonzaga Music Department since 2013, teaching a variety of courses including applied voice, vocal pedagogy, song literature, and ear training labs. She has served as Director of Discantus Treble Chorus (formerly GU Women's Chorus) since Fall 2017. Dr. Porter also taught at Whitworth University as Lecturer of Music (applied voice and related courses) from 2012-2019. She is the new Artistic Director of Spectrum Singers, an all-

inclusive community chorus in Spokane. Dr. Porter is honored to serve as Interim Director of Choirs and Voice Studies and conduct GU Concert Choir in addition to Discantus Treble Chorus this year.

She earned her DMA in Voice with a doctoral minor in choral conducting with Dr. Kenneth Fulton and her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with mezzo-soprano Dr. Lori Bade. Her Master of Music degree (Vocal Performance) and Professional Studies diploma were earned at Mannes College of Music in New York City with soprano Ruth Falcon. She also studied voice privately in New York with soprano Leyna Gabriele. Her professional conducting experience has included collegiate, liturgical, opera, and community choruses.

A Louisiana native, Dr. Porter has appeared in many standard operatic roles, including Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte), Violetta (La Traviata), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Mimi (La Bohème), Marguerite (Faust), Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro), and Alice (Falstaff ). She has performed more contemporary operatic works, including Poulenc’s one-woman monodrama La Voix Humaine (Femme), Dinos Constantinides’s psychological one-act opera Rosanna (Angelina), and a partially televised production of David Amram’s Twelfth Night (Countess Olivia), as well as early music productions, including Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (Dido) and the New York City premiere of Hildegard von Bingen’s medieval morality play Ordo Virtutum (Victory). An ardent solo performer of pre-classical repertoire, she was a founding member of the Baton Rouge Early Vocal Ensemble (BREVE). Dr. Porter has performed recitals, concerts, and oratorio repertoire throughout the United States. She remains active as a professional soprano, performing recently as a featured soloist with INO (Inland Northwest Opera), Spokane Symphony, Spokane Kantorei Choir & Collegium Orchestra, and Chorale Coeur D'Alene.

Annie Flood Vocal Coach; Pianist Annie Flood is a collaborative pianist and vocal coach in the Spokane area. Trained as a pianist and vocalist, she loves the challenge of combining poetic and musical ideas presented within vocal music. She serves as staff accompanist for the Music Department at Gonzaga University, where she rehearses and performs with their choirs and several student voice recitals each semester. Annie also plays for numerous high school choirs and voice studios.

Originally from Maryland, Annie worked extensively with musical organizations in the Baltimore/Annapolis area before moving West, including the Peabody Institute Opera Outreach. She is also a church musician, and held positions at the U.S. Naval Academy and the Baltimore Basilica. She currently serves in the music ministries at Hamblen Park Presbyterian Church and St. Aloysius Church in Spokane.

As a musical theatre musician, Annie has become a sought after music director and pianist.

She served as music director for Moby Dick - A Musical, a show written and produced by a Spokane team that was awarded performances in the Chicago Musical Theater Festival. Other

recent theatre credits include the award-winning Little House on the Prairie (Music Director, Spokane Valley Summer Theatre), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (keyboardist, Gonzaga University), and Something Rotten (Music Director, Whitworth University).

Passionate about the impact of music within a community, she teaches private lessons, and was active in initiatives that spread classical music and positive change throughout Baltimore.

Annie earned her M.M. in vocal accompanying from the Peabody Conservatory and her B.A. in music from the University of Notre Dame.

Greg Presley Pianist A graduate of Yale and Juilliard, Mr. Presley has appeared as soloist with the Spokane Symphony, the Washington-Idaho Symphony, and the Yale Symphony and has performed many concertos with the Spokane Opera Orchestra. He frequently performs two-piano and chamber music works, including recent seasons collaborating with Zuill Bailey and Connoisseur Concerts and has also appeared with Thomas Hampson and Christopher O'Riley in concert. He is principal keyboard player for the Spokane Symphony. He had a long career in modern dance music collaboration, and worked closely for several years with Martha Graham.

After years on the faculty of Florida State University he returned to Spokane in 1996 and spent a decade as the pianist of the Spokane Opera.

He has been a member of the piano faculty at Gonzaga University since the Fall of 2001. He has had a number of successful prize-winning students who have gone on to careers in music.

Scott Rednour Vocal Coach; Pianist Scott Rednour has a varied career as pianist, coach, conductor and teacher. He has collaborated in concerts with William Warfield, Tenor Robert White, Hilda Harris, Lise Lindstrom and Stephen Salters; and appeared across the US and Europe in venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Brownville Concert Series, Cadaques Music Festival (Spain) and The Rezidenz in Würzburg, Germany. In addition to appearing in many concerts in Europe and the US with Ulrike Nüßlein as Klavierduo, he has performed with the Otelia Camarata in Germany.

He has worked with Milwaukee’s Skylight Opera Theater, Spokane Opera, Chautauqua Symphony, Spokane Symphony and served as Music Director/Conductor for productions which include The Ballad of Baby Doe (Moore), Pelleas et Melisande (Debussy), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten), The Medium (Menotti) and Semele (Handel).

He served as Head Coach/Coordinator of the Voice Program at the Chautauqua Institution’s Music Festival. He has taught at Spokane Falls College, The Juilliard School and The Manhattan School of Music. Currently he is on the faculty of Eastern Washington University. He coaches and performs regularly with Inland Northwest Opera.

Glen Adsit Conductor Glen Adsit is the Director of Bands at The Hartt School, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, co-conducts the Foot in the Door Ensemble, and teaches graduate conducting.

Professor Adsit was appointed the Director of Bands at The Hartt School in 2000 and was awarded the 2014 Larsen Award for outstanding teaching at the University of Hartford. In addition, in 2015, he was named one of the “Top 40 Educators Making a Difference” by Music For All. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Musikverein (Vienna, Austria), Benaroya Ilsley Hall (Seattle, Washington), Carnegie Hall’s Stern Hall (New York, New York), the Central Conservatory (Beijing, China), Harpa, (Reykjavík, Iceland), Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater (Rochester, New York) and Symphony Hall (Boston, Massachusetts).

A champion of new music, the Hartt instrumental ensembles have premiered over fifty works and have hosted over one hundred guest conductors, composers, and performers in his time at Hartt.

The Hartt Wind Ensemble has recorded four compact discs for the NAXOS label; Passaggi, Dragon Rhyme, Terra Cruda, and Heavy Weather. In reviews, Gramophone Magazine describes The Hartt Wind Ensemble as “stellar,” and Fanfare Magazine wrote, “and on the evidence of his two Naxos CDs, Adsit is simply one of the finest conductors leading a wind ensemble today.”

He is currently serving as the President-Elect of the College Band Director’s National Association. In addition, Adsit is the founder of two national consortium groups; National Wind Ensemble Consortium (NWECG), institute for the Advancement of Secondary and Primary Instrumental Repertoire Excellence (ASPIRE).

Robert Spittal Conductor; Composer Robert's music has been described as "inventive”, "clever" and "full of musicality" by critics and musicians. His works have been commissioned and performed by some of the finest professional and academic musicians in North America, Europe, South America and Asia, including The Bay Brass, Borealis Wind Quintet, Atlanta Chamber Winds, and North Texas Wind Symphony,and his works have been performed in concert halls in New York, Bangkok, Vienna, Cologne, Milan, as well as Interlochen, the "Music for All" Honor Band of America, the National Orchestra Festival/ASTA the WASBE international conference, the American Bandmasters Association conference, the National Flute Association conference, the Midwest Clinic, ASBDA, numerous All-State bands, and the CBDNA Western/Northwestern Conference. His music has been honored with a number of awards, most recently in 2019 when his “Diversions” for clarinet and winds received 1st Prize in the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Competition.

Robert's music frequently combines sophisticated art music forms and techniques with a nonpatronizing sensitivity toward audience accessibility. This duality - the musician's concern for aesthetic sophistication and artistic integrity, and for communicating more openly and directly to a listener - has been developing since his adolescent years as a serious flute student in the Cleveland Institute of Music's Preparatory program, and a free-lance saxophonist in horn sections of jazz, r&b and other dance bands.

Robert Spittal is Professor of Music at Gonzaga University (USA), where he served as led the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds from 1992-2018. He now leads Gonzaga’s Creative Music Lab Ensemble and teaches conducting and music theory, and mentors students in the undergraduate conducting minor. Spittal received a Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Eugene Corporon.

Prior to CCM, he studied with Michael Haithcock (Baylor University, MM, 1990) and Craig Kirchhoff (BME, Ohio State University, 1985). He has also studied conducting with Frank Battisti and H. Robert Reynolds. Robert is the conductor of the professional brass ensemble Clarion, and he has led performances by the Spokane Symphony, Spokane British Brass Band, Mosaic Chamber Ensemble, and numerous collegiate and high school bands and orchestras in the US and Canada.

Ken Steen Composer Ken Steen's music and sound art is recognized internationally for its authentic vitality, remarkable range, and distinctive personal vision: from Mumbai to Tripoli, Buenos Aires to Reykjavík, Melbourne, and NYC. Whether acoustic, instrumental or vocal, electronic, or some multimedia combination, his work has been characterized as seductively gorgeous, featuring sumptuous textures of gradual yet unpredictable evolution.

Since 2010 Steen's multifarious sound works have enjoyed over 200 performances worldwide.

Upcoming commissions include a new piano trio for the Galen Trio (Greece), and a set of pieces for Entwyned Early Music for early instruments and electronics, both to be premiered in Spring of 2022. Most recently, his 7.1 surround soundwork í efternär aftur, premiered at the 2021 Bernaola Festival in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, and his video puppet opera APART/MENTAL was named winner of the 2020 Bury Court Opera Award (U.K.)., available on Helio ) beginning mid-December 2021), a new web-based performing arts film platform <helioarts.com>. Steen is Professor of Composition and Theory at the Hartt School, University of Hartford.

Robert Carl Composer Robert Carl’s music is performed regularly throughout the US and abroad. It concentrates on solo piano, chamber, orchestral, choral, and electroacoustic media. Its aim is to create a sense of space that provides the listener with a sense of freedom and openness. He has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters (the 1998 Charles Ives Fellowship as well as a 2106 Arts & Letters Award). Residencies include MacDowell, Yaddo, UCross, Djerassi, Millay, Bogliasco, Camargo, Copland House, Tokyo Wonder Site, and Bellagio. He lived in Japan for three months as an Asian Cultural Council Fellow in 2007. New World Records has released three CDs his works (music for strings; electroacoustic pieces inspired by Japan; and large ensemble/ orchestral). In 2021 an all-orchestral CD was released by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project; and Harmony, an opera based on the meeting of Charles Ives and Mark Twain, with libretto by Russell Banks, was premiered in August 2021.

He writes regularly on new music in a variety of forums and magazines, and is the author of Terry Riley’s In C (Oxford University Press). In 2016 Bloomsbury Press released Jonathan Kramer’s posthumous text Postmodern Music, Postmodern Listening, which Mr. Carl edited. In fall 2020 Bloomsbury also published a book of his essays titled Music Composition in the 21st Century: A Practical Guide to the New Common Practice.

He is currently chair of Composition at the Hartt School, University of Hartford.

Erika Boysen Flute Flutist and pedagogue, Erika Boysen, is a leading innovator within interdisciplinary performance. Particularly known for her uniquely evocative collaborations including movement, singing and acting, Boysen uses these forms of creative expression both in performance and as a method for teaching artistic concepts. For her demonstrative expertise and virtuosic performance, she has been invited to Asia, Australia, Central American, Europe, and across the U.S.A. to perform in recitals, teach master classes, and lead creative workshops.

Active on all fronts, recent highlights include: solo and chamber performances in Shanghai, China, guest artist appearances at the University of Panama, Flutes by the Sea Workshop in California, and Anatomy of Sound Workshop in Michigan. Additionally, Boysen recently released the video mobile app, Moving Sound, that features newly commissioned solo works for the singing, speaking, moving flutist by composers: David Biedenbender, Mark Engebretson, and Jane Rigler. The app, available for download on apple and android devices, includes a moving score, interviews with composers and behind-the-scenes footage from the recording process A native of Iowa, Erika Boysen is based in North Carolina where she serves as the Associate Professor of Flute at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She received her Doctorate

of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan, where her dissertation recitals featured collaborations with spoken word, dance, and visual art. Further education comes from the New England Conservatory and University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She is grateful to her former teachers, who include Amy Porter, Paula Robison, Dr. Tadeu Coelho, Dr. Kimberly Helton, and Mark Sparks.

Joshua Anderson Director of Programming, Operation Opera; Clarinet Joshua Anderson is an active orchestral and chamber musician and has given performances in such venues as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall. Joshua holds the position of Principal Clarinet with the Reno Philharmonic and has played under the baton of such conductors as Valery Gergiev and Peter Oundjian. As a chamber musician, Joshua has performed internationally alongside members of the New York and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. He is a member of the Four Corners Ensemble, which was recently in residence at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and is an artist member of the Jimo Ancient City Chamber Music Festival in Qingdao, China. Additionally, he is currently a member of the International Clarinet Festival 2022 Artistic Leadership Team, which is preparing for the ICA 2022 Festival in Reno, Nevada.

Joshua has worked as a teaching artist for Yale's Music in Schools Initiative, the MPulse Clarinet Institute, the Flatirons Chamber Music Festival Young Artist Program and the Lake Tahoe Music Camp. He currently serves on the faculty of the University of Nevada, Reno as Assistant Professor of Clarinet.

Joshua attended the Interlochen Arts Academy and holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, the Yale University School of Music and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

He is a Backun Artist and performs on Backun Lumière Clarinets.

Christina Adams Managing Director, Operation Opera; Violin/Viola Dr. Christina Adams is Instructor of Violin, Viola, and Chamber Music at the University of South Florida, and also serves as the Assistant Director of Strings and Chamber Music at the Brancaleoni International Music Festival. She holds degrees from the University of South Florida, Boston University, and a D.M.A. from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Adams appears frequently as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. She has collaborated with leading artists from around the country, including New York Philharmonic principals Frank Huang, Michelle Kim, Cynthia Phelps, and Carter Brey, and has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Festival appearances include the Killington Music Festival, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Hot Springs Music Festival. She has previously held positions with both the Ann Arbor and Jackson

Symphony Orchestras, and her performances have been heard on radio stations throughout the U.S., including several appearances on WUSF 89.7.

One of Dr. Adams’s main areas of focus is making classical music relatable and accessible. She previously served as the artistic director of "If Music Be the Food...Lansing," a concert series that directly benefits the Greater Lansing Food Bank. Additionally, she was a member of Chamber Music Michigan, an initiative that focuses on outreach concerts within the Ann Arbor community. Currently, she is a member of the Musicista Collective, a community concert series in the Tampa area spearheaded by violinist Sungho Jung.

Dr. Adams is an enthusiastic advocate for contemporary classical music and has worked closely with composers Augusta Read Thomas, David Del Tredici, Salvatore Sciarrino, Michael Timpson, and Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, and has premiered and recorded pieces for Taiwanese composer Chihchun Chi-Sun Lee. She is the violinist/violist of the Four Corners Ensemble, a new music group that focuses on the universal nature of music and cultivates pieces from diverse backgrounds. She can be heard on Navona Records with the Four Corners Ensemble on their album, “World Map.” Allan Hon Cello Praised for his lush, professionally robust string sound and a finely tuned sense of pitch, cellist Allan Hon enjoys a multi-faceted career, from concert recitalist to chamber and orchestral musician, and has performed for audiences in Asia, Europe, Canada, and North America.

A prizewinner in many competitions, he is a strong advocate of chamber music, and is the cellist of the Zelter String Quartet, the Gold Prize winner of the 2021 Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition. He has also performed with some of the leading artists in today’s society, such as Nicholas McGegan, Yayoi Toda, and the Attacca String Quartet. Allan has worked with groups such as the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra and Cantata Profana.

He also serves as a substitute cellist for the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and was also a part of the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo, Japan, for their 2015-2016 season.

Beyond classical music, Allan is also active in the studio scene, performing on soundtracks such as Encanto, The Orville, Kingdom of Hearts 2.5 ReMIX, and Final Fantasy XV. He has also performed with Video Games Live, as well as with Herencia Flamenca, where he performed flamenco shows alongside accomplished singers, dancers, and musicians from Spain and Venezuela.

Allan holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he studied with Desmond Hoebig, a Master of Music and Master of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music, where he studied with Aldo Parisot, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he

studied with Andrew Shulman. When he’s not playing the cello or partaking in musical activities, he loves exploring new places and looking for the next tastiest brew.

Mi-Eun Kim Piano Raised throughout the midwestern United States, pianist Mi-Eun Kim has performed on stages across the country, as well as in Europe and Asia. Pianist Mi-Eun Kim is a prizewinner of the Liszt-Garrison Competition’s Liszt Award, the Corpus Christi solo prize, the International Institute for Young Musicians, Missouri Southern International Competitions and Young Arts (National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts). Festival appearances include Piano Summer at New Paltz, Gijón Piano Festival, Art of the Piano at Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music, PianoTexas, The Gilmore Keyboard Festival, and Kneisel Chamber Music Festival. Recent performances include the complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle, with recent performances at Butler University's Beethoven @ 2020 Series, Loyola University in New Orleans, Yiin Art Hall in Busan, South Korea and was invited as a guest lecturer at Atlantic Music Festival. She appeared as a soloist with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony and Omaha Symphony.

Ms. Kim is a highly sought after collaborative pianist and active chamber musician. She has collaborated with Danielle Belen, Rohan De Silva, Wei Yu, Simon James, Horacio Contreras and composer William Horne. She has given chamber music performances at the Innsbrook Institute, Garth Newel Music Center, Atlantic Music Festival, and Shepherd School of Music.

She was faculty pianist at Sounding Point Academy, the Liberec International Violin Academy in the Czech Republic and is currently faculty at Center Stage Strings as a chamber music coach, and theory & analysis instructor.

Ms. Kim recently served as visiting professor of piano at Loyola University in New Orleans and Hope College in Holland, Michigan. She completed her master’s and doctoral studies in Piano Performance at University of Michigan and is currently pursuing a Specialist Degree (Artist Diploma) with Logan Skelton. She also holds a B.A. in History through the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange program where she studied with Seymour Lipkin. Previous teachers include Richard Cass, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Yong-Hi Moon and Christopher Harding.

Ms. Kim has recorded William Horne's Sextet for Piano and Winds on the Blue Griffin label.

Paul Raymond Percussion A native of Michigan, Paul Raymond joined the Spokane Symphony as a section percussionist in early 1974 and became Principal Percussion in 1986. Besides his duties with the orchestra, Paul performs in a Caribbean band called Moko Jumbie and can often be found playing in the

pit with the visiting Best of Broadway productions. In addition to performing, he is currently on the faculty of Whitworth University, SFCC, and Holy Names Music Center. Paul holds a Bachelor of Music degree from EWU and a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.

Annabella Gelmetti Executive Assistant Annabella Gelmetti is a Portland-based singer-songwriter, composer, and producer. Annabella recently graduated from Gonzaga University as Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in music composition and a conducting minor. Annabella founded and organized the Gonzaga University Emerging Artist Series, a year-long recital series dedicated to providing a platform for students of all backgrounds and majors to present original music of any genre in a concert environment.

With a background in songwriting, Gelmetti infuses storytelling into all of her work. She writes and produces in many different styles and genres, including folk, alternative, jazz, and concert music, and performs around the Portland and Spokane metro areas. Annabella recently finished her first Washington State tour of her electro-acoustic ballet, "The Fearies," in collaboration with choreographer Sarah Glesk and the Gonzaga Blue Repertory Dance Company; a ten-person ballet-based company; she directed the final performance joined by a live chamber orchestra.

Gelmetti is moving to Nashville this fall to pursue a career in songwriting and performance.

Visit her website: https://annabellagelmetti.wixsite.com/portfolio.

Kendra Brislawn Program Assistant Kendra Brislawn is a Mezzo-Soprano from Vancouver, WA, currently pursuing Music Education and Psychology degrees at Gonzaga University, where she studies voice with Dr. Amy Porter.

She has been a choral vocalist for 17 years, played piano for 16 years, and has extensive experience as a soloist (in church and theater most often). Recently, Kendra performed the role of Rosa Bud in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," sang in a Masterclass with Dr. Julia Bentley, and was a soloist for multiple movements of the Gonzaga Concert Choir's performance of Bach's "Magnificat". She is currently an accompanist for Spokane Children's Theater, and will be Music Director for their production of "Sound of Music'' later this year. Along with Operation Opera, she is looking forward to her Senior Recital in the fall, as well as completing her time at GU with student teaching next spring. After graduating, Kendra looks forward to directing high school choir, and pursuing her master's degree in Music Therapy.

VOCALIST BIOGRAPHIES Andrea Bickford Soprano Andrea Bickford is praised for her musical sensitivity, stage acting, and vocal power (The Ithaca Times). Possessing a diverse repertoire, Ms. Bickford has sung on opera and concert stages worldwide including the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, at the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti in Milan, Italy and with the Orchestra Sinfonica Carlo Coccia of Novara in Arona, Italy. Ms. Bickford was recently in the world premiere of the opera “Liebovar” with Opera Boheme in Trenton, NJ in 2022 as well as “Windows” with Lowbrow Opera Collective. Ms. Bickford’s compelling stage presence paired with her extensive background in dance couples to deliver consistent, graceful, and meaningful performances.

Kendra Brislawn Kendra Brislawn is a Mezzo-Soprano from Vancouver, WA, currently pursuing Music Education and Psychology degrees at Gonzaga University, where she studies voice with Dr. Amy Porter.

She has been a choral vocalist for 17 years, played piano for 16 years, and has extensive experience as a soloist (in church and theater most often). Recently, Kendra performed the role of Rosa Bud in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," sang in a Masterclass with Dr. Julia Bentley, and was a soloist for multiple movements of the Gonzaga Concert Choir's performance of Bach's "Magnificat". She is currently an accompanist for Spokane Children's Theater, and will be Music Director for their production of "Sound of Music'' later this year. Along with Operation Opera, she is looking forward to her Senior Recital in the fall, as well as completing her time at GU with student teaching next spring. After graduating, Kendra looks forward to directing high school choir, and pursuing her master's degree in Music Therapy.

Megan Cullen Hailed by Opera News as “first rate,” Megan Cullen is a young, dramatic soprano whose powerful voice and compelling characterizations are capturing the devotion of audiences throughout the world. In 2022, Megan will sing the title role of Armide (Gluck) with Halifax Summer Opera and return to OperaMaya as a Guest Artist. She recently sang the role of Masha and covered the role of Liza in Pique Dame (Tchaikovsky) with West Bay Opera. Megan is based in Northern California and was educated at The San Francisco Conservatory, Boston University, and The Juilliard School. Follow her career on her website at www.megancullen.com.

Ruby Gibford Ruby Gibford is a current Junior at Eastern Washington University studying Music Education and Vocal Performance. She transferred from Spokane Falls Community College where she worked as a Music Theory and Class Piano tutor, and graduated with an Associate Degree in Music. Ruby’s recent performances include her junior recital with works by Mozart, Vivaldi, and Schumann, and an alto chorus role in Inland Northwest Opera’s production of Orfeo ed Euridice. Since 2020, Ruby has served as an Alto Choral Scholar and Junior Choir Assistant Conductor at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Outside of school and work, she loves singing barbershop, hiking, and paddle boarding.

James Heer Biography unavailable at time of printing.

Tabatha Hogan A native of Fort Worth, TX, Tabatha Hogan is an Operatic Soprano and choral vocalist at Texas Wesleyan University. She is finalizing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal performance. Tabatha has performed scenes from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, and many others during her collegiate career. Tabatha is very excited to participate this summer in the Operation Opera festival in both the opera and art song categories.

Sarah Marze Sarah Marze is a composer, vocalist and conductor from Canton, Connecticut whose work is concerned with musical storytelling. Sarah studies voice with Dr. Constance Rock and composition with Dr. Kenneth Fuchs at the University of Connecticut. This summer, she received an UConn IDEA Grant for her project "Let Us Sing: Contemporary Art Songs for Young Singers." Her recent performance credits include singing with the UConn orchestra for the Concerto Competition Winners’ Concert, as well as with UConn Opera in Menotti's "The Telephone." More of her work can be found at www.sarahmarze.com

Ketti Jane Muschler Ketti Jane Muschler is the founder of the Mixtape Recital Series, a bespoke production company for art song recitals in Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC. Mixtape's 2022 premiere season features performances by drag queens, silver screen reenactors, and sopranos who have triumphed over vocal injury, discrimination, assault, and ageism from the

classical music industry. Ketti's own 2022 performance season includes Carmen in Virginia, Song from the Uproar in Pittsburgh, and La Traviata at Wolf Trap.

Catherine Raible Soprano, Catherine Raible, is known for her dramatic interpretation of American operatic roles including Birdie Hubbard (Regina), Anna Maurrant (Street Scene), Magda Sorel (The Consul), and Announcer (Moore’s Gallantry). She has been featured as Nella (Gianni Schicchi) and Mimì (La Bohème), and excerpts from Falstaff (Alice Ford), Norma (Adalgisa), Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira), and Dialogues des Carmélites (Madame Lidoine). In recital, Catherine has collaborated on performances of Barber’s Hermit Songs and Strauss’s Opus 27. Catherine is passionate about bringing the arts into the community through artistic administration. She has worked for UNT Opera, On Site Opera, Anthony Laciura Foundation for the Arts, and Spotlight on Opera. Currently, Catherine is the Director of Programming and Performance at New Song School of the Arts which serves over 800 students in North Texas.

McKenzie Rybka McKenzie Rybka is a mezzo-soprano from Valatie, New York. She received her B.M. in Vocal Performance from Nazareth College and will complete her M.M in Vocal Performance from Syracuse University in Spring 2023. Most recently, McKenzie has performed the role of Baba from Menotti's "The Medium" at Syracuse University, in collaboration with Chelsea Opera.

Aside from partaking in Operation Opera, she is currently preparing for her next recital. After graduating from Syracuse University, McKenzie plans to audition for artist diploma and young artist programs in hopes of performing with opera companies throughout the United States.

Maura Schaefer Soprano Maura Schaefer is from Bellingham, WA. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Voice Performance from Whitworth University where she studied voice with soprano Dr. Amy Porter. A frequent soloist around the Spokane community, Maura recently appeared as a soloist with the Spokane Symphony Chorale in Handel’s Messiah. Additionally, she has performed with Inland Northwest Opera, singing the roles of Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro (2018) and Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (2019). This fall, Maura will be pursuing her Masters of Music at Louisiana State University where she will study with mezzo-soprano Dr. Lori Bade.

Rachel Steinke A native of San Jose, CA, Rachel Steinke is an operatic mezzo-soprano and choral vocalist at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music- California State University Long Beach. Pursuing a Bachelor of Music Degree in Opera Performance, Rachel has performed in scenes as Mozart’s Cherubino, Tchaikovsky’s Larina, Verdi’s Meg, Delibes’ Mistress Bentson, Sondheim’s Countess Charlotte. This summer, Rachel is excited to perform in Four Corners Ensemble’s Operation Opera program as well as the N.E.O Voice Festival in Los Angeles.

Robert Waltenbaugh Robert Waltenbaugh is a Tenor currently pursuing a Music Education degree at Gonzaga University where he studies voice with Dr. Amy Porter. He has been a choral vocalist for 12 years. 10 of those years have been spent at the Northwest Boychoir and Vocalpoint! Seattle program, and 2 have been spent with the choirs at GU. He has had 4-part-harmony and rock solo experience during his high school years. During that time, he has learned the ins and outs of choreography, stage presence, and emotional embodiment. Recently, he performed the Deposuit Potentes aria for Bach's "Magnificat" and performed the role of Deputy in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood". He is currently employed as an office administrative assistant at Gonzaga's Music Department. Along with the many musical opportunities at Gonzaga and the Spokane area, he looks forward to his Junior Recital next year and to meeting new people.

After graduating from GU, Robert looks forward to directing middle school choir, and collaborating with musical artists.

Fengyue Zhang Since moving to the U.S. from China for high school, Fengyue Zhang has participated in NAfME All-American Honors Choir, World Youth Honors Choir (Interlochen), & Concert Choir & Chamber Chorus at Gonzaga University (B.A. in Music, Vocal Performance). His other performances include masterclasses with Nathan Gunn and Thomas Hampson; Registrar & Chorus (Madame Butterfly) & Wolf/Woodsman (Little Red Riding Hood) w/ INO; Antonio (Le nozze di Figaro) & Chorus (Don Giovanni) w/ PSN; The Fence (Considering Matthew Shepherd) w/ Gonzaga University; WMEA Solo & Ensemble Bass div. state 3rd Place; and Musicfest NW Young Artist div. 2nd Place. Fengyue is seeking a career in opera, musical theatre, and choral performance.

COMPOSER BIOGRAPHIES Joshua Adler Joshua Ryan Adler (b. 1998) is a composer of acoustic and electronic music and violist based in Tampa, Florida. Adler’s music integrates various influences, including Medieval chant, minimalism, serialism, and jazz. Adler began compositional studies as a music major at the State College of Florida, later transferring to the University of South Florida to pursue a Bachelor of Musical Arts in acoustic/electronic composition. He has studied under professors Paul Reller and Dr. Benjamin D. Whiting, has formerly studied under Rex Willis, and has taken lessons and masterclasses from Michael Timpson, Chichun Chi-sun Lee, Matthew Kennedy, Hilary Tan and Baljinder Sekhon II.

Monica Chew Monica Chew (she/her, https://monicachew.com) is an Oakland pianist and composer. In 2017 she released her first solo album, Tender and Strange. A “gifted player with an affinity for deeply sensitive expression” (Whole Note), she has been featured on radio stations worldwide.

She started composing in 2017 and couldn’t be happier about it. Prior to 2015, she worked nearly a decade as a principal software engineer on security and privacy at Mozilla and Google. She lives in Oakland with her husband, an 1899 Steinway B, a clavichord, and a disused violin.

Nathan Felix Nathan Felix is a Brooklyn based, Mexican-American music composer known for his immersive operas and experimental films. His music has premiered in Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain, Japan, China, Sweden, Denmark, Mongolia and the United States and his music has been featured on the BBC, MTV, NPR & PBS. Felix often focuses on telling Latinx themed stories and minority stories that highlight border issues, underserved communities and his hispanic heritage.

Annabella Gelmetti Annabella Gelmetti is a Portland-based singer-songwriter, composer, and producer. Annabella recently graduated from Gonzaga University as Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in music composition and a conducting minor. Annabella founded and directed the Gonzaga University Emerging Artist Series, a year-long recital series dedicated to providing a platform for students of all backgrounds and majors to present original music of any genre in a concert environment.

With a background in songwriting, Gelmetti infuses storytelling into all of her work. She writes and produces in many different styles and genres, including folk, alternative, jazz, and concert music, and performs around the Portland and Spokane metro areas. Annabella recently finished her first Washington State tour of her electro-acoustic ballet, "The Fearies," in collaboration with choreographer Sarah Glesk and the Gonzaga Blue Repertory Dance Company; a ten-person ballet-based company; she directed the final performance joined by a live chamber orchestra.

Gelmetti is moving to Nashville this fall to pursue a career in songwriting and performance.

Visit her website: https://annabellagelmetti.wixsite.com/portfolio.

Qianni Lin Qianni Lin (born in 1993 Oct 13th) is a rising Chinese young composer pursuing a Doctor Degree in composition at Hartt School of Music University of Hartford. She earned Master Degrees of both composition and music theory at the Manne School of Music. Qianni began studying piano at the age of 4 and began studying composition at the age of 13. Currently, she studies with Dr. Robert Carl.

Her electronic piece Ripple has been performed on the National Student Electronic Music Event at University of North Texas in 2018; and performed on Electronic Music Midwest Festival at Kansas City Community College in September 2019. Her string quartet Rebound, commissioned by the Beo String Quartet, has been performed at the Charlotte New Music Festival in 2018. Her choral piece Epitafio para un Poeta has been performed by the C4 choir in The Church of St. Luke in the Fields in New York City in the same year. Her chamber music piece Diamond Unicorn Horn which was commissioned by coMUSICation program performed at Mannes School of Music in June 2019. Her violin solo Sobremesa performed on PRISM 20/20 concert for University of Hartford 100 years anniversary: and Tomorrow Will Be Better Charity Concert for Wuhan China at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in 2020. Her aria Latisha’s Lament has been performed on Really Spicy Opera The Art Institute online showcase in 2020. Her aria I Will Taste Salt to See You Again was commissioned by Boston Singer Resources has performed at First Parish Dorchester at Boston in 2021. Her string quartet Backsplash commissioned by the New Britain Museum of American Arts has been performed at the museum in 2022

Jonathan Newmark Jonathan Newmark earned his composition MM from the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music in 2015, under Joel Hoffman and Michael Fiday. His scores are published by TrevCo and WaveFront, and appear on three CD releases, including those by the Altius Quartet and pianist Martin Jones. A 1974 graduate of Harvard College, he earned his MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1978. He is professor of neurology, USUHS; neurologist, DC VA Medical Center; retired Colonel, US Army Medical

Corps; NIH consultant; and an authority on medical response to chemical warfare and terrorism.

Sarah Marze Sarah Marze is a composer, vocalist and conductor from Canton, Connecticut whose work is concerned with musical storytelling. Sarah studies voice with Dr. Constance Rock and composition with Dr. Kenneth Fuchs at the University of Connecticut. This summer, she received an UConn IDEA Grant for her project "Let Us Sing: Contemporary Art Songs for Young Singers." Her recent performance credits include singing with the UConn orchestra for the Concerto Competition Winners’ Concert, as well as with UConn Opera in Menotti's "The Telephone." More of her work can be found at www.sarahmarze.com

Maxim Samarov Maxim Samarov was born in Moscow, Russia in a family of musicians; he performed extensively around the world as a cellist and conductor. He is currently the orchestra director at Tulane University. Among his recently premiered compositions are cantata “Ars Moriendi” (II place American Prize) and monodrama “Falling…”; he's the author of a symphony, a guitar concerto and more. His symphonic suite “Birth of a Culture” has been accepted for performance by Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Fragments of his opera-in-progress “A Portrait of a Whirlwind” were recently performed to warm response of the audience; nearly complete opera is already generating potential performers' interest.

Del'Shawn Taylor Del'Shawn is an award-winning musician, author, and arts equity advocate. As a soloist, he has won awards from competitions such as American Prize and the Metropolitan International Music Festival, while making debuts on national and international stages. As composer, he has premiered new works with numerous organizations like the Julius Quartet, the Cincinnati Song Initiative, Really Spicy Opera, White Snake Projects and many more. Currently, DelʼShawn is the composer for the musical adaptation for the award-winning book "Stars in the Sky." It will be workshopped in New York City in 2022. He is a board member of Art Song Colorado and serves on the board DEI committees of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and Thompson Street Opera Company.

Phil Thompson Phil Thompson is a composer and pianist from Spokane. He received bachelor’s degrees in Music and Creative Writing from Fordham University in 2019, and plans to relocate to New York City this summer to pursue a postgraduate degree in concert music composition in the Juilliard Extension Division.

Kyle Ukes Kyle Ukes (b. 1987) is an American composer and librettist currently living in Tacoma, Washington. He received a BA in Music Composition and a Minor in Linguistics from UC Santa Barbara (2009), and a MM in Music Composition from Cal State Long Beach (2011). In 2017, Kyle was awarded an artist in residence to the renowned Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico. His primary focus has been writing for the voice ever since then. This concert series is his first premiere as a professional composer. Inquiries can be made at KyleUkesComposer@gmail.com.

Nathan Wasner Nathan Wasner is a composer based in Kirkland, WA, who loves to write music driven by extramusical sources. He grew up studying classical piano and composition, and participated in the Seattle Symphony Young Composers Workshop, where he learned to write chamber music in group classes led by composer Samuel Jones. Other past teachers include Bright Sheng, Evan Chambers, Dr. Peter F. Wolf, and Warren Kunz. In addition to traditional composing, he also makes electronic music, writes songs, and is one half of the band, Vital Quarry, in which he is co-composer/singer/producer and plays trumpet and keyboards.