UTSA Lyric Theatre LADIES' NIGHT

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LADIES' NIGHT An evening of works featuring womens' voices

THE WORST ON EVER | Belshaw A PICNIC CANTATA | Bowles CAPTAIN LOVELOCK | Duke

February 27, 2021 at Woodlawn Theatre

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“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

- Pablo Picasso

UTSA attracts musicians who are hungry to make their mark in the arts and are committed to social good.

We cultivate educators, composers, entrepreneurs, performers, marketers, and pedagogues.

We cultivate artists.

AUDITIONS January 30, 2021* February 20, 2021* May 1, 2021 *scholarship audition date ApplyMusic@utsa.edu music.utsa.edu

THE WORST ONE EVER composed by Gary Belshaw Stephanie | Bree Belle Jennifer | Autumn Riley Jessica | Kaylee Rios Conducted by Raymond Sifuentes Directed by Ms. Michelle Pietri

A PICNIC CANTATA composed by Paul Bowles Lady 1 | Eva Alpar Lady 2 | Greta Glasscock Lady 3 | Madeline Gutierrez Lady 4 | Belle Perea Conducted & Directed by Jourdan Laine Howell

CAPTAIN LOVELOCK composed by John Duke Terentia, the mother | Andrea Tovar Pernille, the maid | Ava Upshaw Leonora, the daughter | Shirlyn Davenport Laurentia, the daughter | Maggie Wolfe Kirsten, the matchmaker | Casey Winkleman Conducted by Troy Peters Directed by William McCrary

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PRODUCTION STAFF William McCrary| director Jourdan Laine Howell | director Michelle Pietri | director & choreography Troy Peters | conductor Raymond Sifuentes | conductor Kieley Morales | pianist, The Worst One Ever & Captain Lovelock Anna Hakobyan | pianist, A Picnic Cantata Ben Grabill | technical director, Woodlawn Theatre, UTSA Lyric Theatre Eli Howell | lead audio engineer Ben Farrar | scenic director & audio engineer Josh Ralph | stage manager Tyrique Ivey | stage manager James Borrego | video production Jourdan Laine Howell | video design, A Picnic Cantata Christopher Rodriguez | executive & artistic director, Woodlawn Theatre

SPECIAL THANKS Tracy Cowden | chair, UTSA Department of Music Steven Hill | administrative support Jourdan Laine Howell | program notes Savannah Blanton | score preparation John Zarco | conducting assistance Cindy Solis | events manager, UTSA Department of Music Christopher Besch | voice faculty, UTSA Department of Music Crystal Jarrell Johnson | voice faculty, UTSA Department of Music John Nix | voice faculty, UTSA Department of Music Susan Olson | voice faculty, UTSA Department of Music

THE WORST ONE EVER Life is hard and full of waiting; waiting for love, waiting for respect, waiting for triumphs. Such is the fate of three young college students in Gary Belshaw’s THE WORST ONE EVER. We quickly discover that each student is wrought with angst over their individual predicaments.

Stephanie nervously waits for an important grade to be posted because, "mama only loves me when I get an A." Jessica frustratingly waits for her dad to see her as an adult because, "I'm not your baby anymore...I'm old enough to be on my own." Jennifer angrily waits for her boyfriend to understand her needs because, "He's my boyfriend and I love him...but he's clueless as a football!"

Composed for three singers, piano, and percussion (including a glockenspiel), THE WORST ONE EVER received its debut performance in 2010 by Wayland Baptist University's Opera Scenes Department. The work has been consistently performed at universities across the country and is heralded as a "perfect vehicle for young singers" that serves as "a gateway drug to opera."

This is UTSA Lyric Theatre's first performance of THE WORST ONE EVER.

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A PICNIC CANTATA A PICNIC CANTATA tells an interesting tale of four friends who enjoy a Sunday picnic in Hat Hill Park. The day brings delightful moments: enjoying a garden’s offerings of ‘big plump top quality bulbs’ the colors of tropical birds; a scrumptious meal with ‘five kinds of pie’ - who can resist a slice of cherry? Yet amidst the happy occasions and quirky humor, a secret affair is revealed that the friends must address. The ordeal is summed up in the poignant line, “Look at the outline of the city. No wonder our lives have their ups and downs.”

Composed by Paul Bowles for two pianos, percussion, and four women's voices, and with text by James Schuyler, A PICNIC CANTATA debuted in 1954. Bowles' initially thought to score the work for two tenors, baritone, and bass, but the piece was recast for women.

Bowles' engaged four African-American singers from The Juilliard School for the premiere. Very few recordings exist of the work.

Likewise, evidence of staged versions of the work are few and far between as cantatas are traditionally performed in the concert style, without staging. UTSA Lyric Theatre is proud to produce a fully Staged production of Bowles’ A PICNIC CANTATA for the San Antonio community and the opera community.

This is UTSA Lyric Theatre's first performance of A PICNIC CANTATA.

CAPTAIN LOVELOCK Love teaches a great many lessons. For Terentia, a wealthy widow, the lesson is not entirely pleasant! After a boisterous trip to the capital, Terentia finds herself quite inspired by the many young officers she encounters, noting that, "'while I was in town...I began to feel a thrill right down here...where my heart is!" Thrilled by the prospect of marriage, Terentia tells Pernille the maid that she will employ Madame Kirsten, a marriage broker, to assist in finding a suitable match. Alas, Pernille tells Terentia's daughters Lenora and Laurentia of their mother's hopes and the sisters plot to upset Terentia's ridiculous plans.

After all, "there is nothing quite so uncouth as when age would copy the actions of youth."

The sisters and the maid meet with Madame Kirsten and devise a plan to introduce Terentia to Captain Lovelock, a "twenty-four year old with a face like a god." Upon their introduction, Terentia falls madly for Captain Lovelock, not recognizing that the captain is really Pernille in disguise! Once the deception is revealed, Terentia is outraged, vowing revenge. But at the urging of Leonora, Laurentia, Kirsten and Pernille, Terentia realizes her folly. All is forgiven and the group partakes in "jolly, jolly, jollity and merriment!"

CAPTAIN LOVELOCK was first performed by the Seagle Colony Opera Guild in 1953. While no record of a previous UTSA performance exists, casting notes scribbled into the score housed in UTSA's John Peace Library may indicate such a performance. Whether the first or second offering, we are excited to present John Duke's CAPTAIN LOVELOCK under the direction of the incomparable Dr. William McCrary.

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NOCHE ESPAÑOLA An evening of Spanish zarzuela and género chico

UNA VIEJA | Gaztambide EL GRUMETE | Arrieta GOYESCAS | Goyescas

Directed by Lyric Theatre faculty with Guest Conductors Troy Peters, Yoojin Muhn, and Hector Garcia

Debut performances coming this April.