HOLY GHOSTS a rock opera in two acts by Larry Bell based on the play by Romulus Linney
libretto by Andrea Olmstead, directed by Eve Summer
Complete video with scrollable libretto online: www.HolyGhoststheopera.com
Photo gallery of production: Photos by Andrew Keefe
Libretto: by Andrea Olmstead
Program:
HOLY GHOSTS
An opera by Larry Bell
Libretto by Romulus Linney and Andrea Olmstead
Based on the play by Romulus Linney
Directed by Eve Summer
Opera in two acts by
Larry Bell
Libretto by Andrea Olmstead
Based on the play by Romulus Linney
Conductor/Music Director Larry Bell
Director Eve Summer
Chorus Master/
Assistant Music Director Sharon Brown
Producer Andrea Olmstead
Set/Graphic Designer Katherine Spencer
Lighting Designer Chris Nayler
Costume Designer Cara Pacifico
Hair and Makeup Krisann Kiley
Sound Director Ed Liberatore
Sound Consultant Richard Malcolm
Musical Preparation Maja Tremiszewska, Brett Hodgdon, and Irina Bazik
Production Stage Manager Aurora De Lucia
Assistant Stage Manager Ben Elkin
SYNOPSIS
Southerner Coleman Shedman demands a divorce from his wife, Nancy, who he thinks has left him for a preacher–Oby. Coleman, Nancy, and Oby each recollect the couple's last night together quite differently. It turns out Coleman is mistaken about Oby: Nancy has left him for Oby's elderly father, Obediah Buckhorn. Reverend Buckhorn leads a group of desperate misfits whose worship includes singing four traditional hymns (in the first act) and a literal belief in an obscure verse from the Book of Mark. The act concludes with Coleman's horrified realization he is in the midst of a cult of Pentecostal snake handlers.
In Act II Coleman witnesses a series of religious-conversion testimonials. These worshippers include a woman dying of cancer; a suicidal, roughneck, gay couple; a teenaged couple unprepared for sudden parenthood; a middle-aged woman defying her family to try to find meaning in her life; and a woman accused of killing her sister with poisonous snakes. As the testimonials become more intense and six other hymn tunes appear, the service climaxes with the ecstatic handling of snakes. The only skeptic, Coleman is nevertheless moved to handle a serpent, and, in a blinding flash, finds salvation. Nancy, on the other hand, becomes disillusioned with Buckhorn and leaves the church. All the remaining parishioners embrace their renewed victory over death and celebrate the unchanging love of God.
The information Romulus Linney gives in this play about the history of the Pentecostal Holiness Church With Signs Following, sung by the Rev. Buckhorn and quoted from an apocryphal verse in the Bible by Billy Boggs, is historically accurate. Billy quotes the Book of Mark, Chapter 16, verses 17 and 18: “And these signs shall follow them that believe. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents.” The Reverend reads from an old newspaper clipping about George Hensley, who, in 1909, took this passage literally and founded the Dolley Pond Church of God in Tennessee.
In addition to handling poisonous snakes, the parishioners also drink strychnine to test their faith. Speaking in tongues is common, as a manifestation of religious ecstasy, and laying on of hands—such as when the parishioners bring Rev. Buckhorn “home”–is another feature of this church in which little hierarchy obtains. Rather than listen to a formal sermon, individual members are called upon to “testify.” (In an opera, we would call these “arias.”) Music is part and parcel of the service.
Perhaps surprisingly, considering that this church, which continues to this day, is found in the Appalachian South, racial integration was not an issue. From the beginning the Pentecostal snake handlers were integrated: All souls were viewed as equally deserving of salvation.
For more information on Pentecostalism see Dennis Covington, Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia (New York: Penguin Press, 1995) and Randall J. Stephens, The Fire Spreads: Holiness and Pentecostalism in the American South (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2008).
Both playwright Romulus Linney and composer Larry Bell are from North Carolina, where each has strong connections to Pentecostal services.
Cast in order of appearance
NANCY SHEDMAN, Soprano Natalie Polito
COLEMAN SHEDMAN, Tenor Matthew DiBattista
OBEDIAH BUCKHORN,
JR. (OBY), Baritone Philip Lima
ORIN HART, Baritone Ishan Johnson
HOWARD RUDD, Bass-Baritone Ulysses Thomas
LORENA COSBURG, Mezzo-soprano Lori L'Italien
MRS. WALL, Mezzo-soprano, pianist Sharon Brown
MURIEL BOGGS, Soprano Meena Malik
BILLY BOGGS, Baritone, guitarist Jeffrey McEvoy
REV. OBEDIAH BUCKHORN, SR. (BUCKHORN), Bass Robert Honeysucker
BONNIE BRIDGE, Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Anker
CANCER WOMAN, Mezzo-soprano Bethany Tammaro Condon
There
will be one fifteen-minute intermission.
Orchestra
Steve Kirby, guitar
Maja Tremiszewska, synthesizer
Irina Bazik, piano
Mark Poniatowski, bass
Larry Finn, percussion
Deep gratitude to Fay Chandler and John Moriarity.
Acknowledgements: D'Anna Fortunato, Amy Merrill, Camille Colatosti, Sandro Scoccia, New England Conservatory, Corinne King.
Special thanks to Mark DiGiovanni and Julia Noulin-Mérat.
Katherine Spencer designed the poster/flyer/program cover.
Artistic team biographies
Composer Larry Bell 's music has been widely per-formed in the United States and abroad by the Seattle Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, RAI Orchestra of Rome, Juilliard Philharmonia, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Russe Philharmonia (Bulgaria), Hopkins Sym-phony Orchestra, Boston Civic Symphony, the University of Miami Symphony, ÖENM (Salzburg), the Boston Chamber Music Society, Speculum Musicae, St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, and Music Today (NYC), the Borromeo Quartet, as well as at festivals in Ravinia, Aspen, Valencia (Spain), Pontino (Italy), San Salvador, Moscow Autumn, and New Zealand. The Juilliard String Quartet premiered Bell's first String Quartet, written when the composer was only twenty-one. Sixteen CDs of Bell's works appear on North/South, Vienna Modern Masters, and Albany Records labels. Bell has been awarded the Rome Prize, fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations, and the Charles Ives Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
As a pianist Bell has given recitals throughout the United States, as well as in Italy, Austria, and Japan, and frequently records on compact disc. Bell received his DMA from The Juilliard School, working with Vincent Persichetti and Roger Sessions, and later taught in the Pre-College Division. For a complete catalog of Bell's works and CDs, visit www.LarryBellmusic.com.
Playwright Romulus Linney is the author of three novels, many short stories, and five anthologies of plays, staged throughout the United States and abroad. They include The Sorrows of Frederick , Holy Ghosts , Childe Byron , Heathen Valley , "2" and, most recently, an adaptation of Ernest L. Gaines's novel A Lesson Before Dying , which has been produced in New York and in numerous regional theatres, and an adaptation of Tim O'Brien's novel Going After Cacciato , which was commissioned by the Epic Repertory Theatre. He has won two Obie awards, one for sustained excellence in playwriting, two National Critics Awards, three DramaLogue Awards, and many fellowships, including grants from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations.
His stories appear in many literary journals and in the anthologies Pushcart Prize , New Stories From The South , and Best Of The Year, 2001 and 2002. Linney is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, and the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He is the Founding Playwright of Signature Theatre and was recently inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which gave him both its Academy Award in Literature and its Award of Merit Medal for Drama.
Musicologist Andrea Olmstead (Co-librettist, Producer) is the author of five books including one on the history of The Juilliard School, where she taught Music History for eight years. She has also taught at New England Conservatory, The Boston Conservatory (where for 15 years she taught Opera History to graduate opera majors), Boston University, and UMass-Amherst, and has served as Christopher Hogwood Research Fellow at the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra and Chorus. She has given pre-concert talks to two seasons of H&H concerts, as well as for the Boston Symphony, the Boston Civic Symphony, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Olmstead is also a CD producer. Visit her website at www.AndreaOlmstead.com.
Eve Summer (Director) directs theater and opera and serves as Managing Director for the Foundation for Modern Opera's annual The Shakespeare Concerts and Assistant Executive Director for Commonwealth Opera. Recent directing credits include Extremities , The Woolgatherer , A Midsummer Night's Dream , The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Two Gentleman of Verona , Puccini's Suor Angelica , and her own adaptation of Thomas Berger's novel Neighbors . Last season Summer assistant directed The Nose and The Bartered Bride and directed Little Red Riding Hood at Opera Boston. Recent choreography credits include Romeo and Juliet , The Tempest , and Don Giovanni . Summer holds a degree in foreign languages (French, German, and Italian) and has written translations for Boston Opera Collaborative's productions of Don Giovanni , Gianni Schicchi , and Suor Angelica . This fall, in addition to staging the world premiere of Holy Ghosts, Summer will direct The Merry Wives of Windsor at MIT and stage a new production of Mozart's Così fan tutte at Commonwealth Opera. www.EveSummer.net
Sharon Brown (Mrs. Wall, Chorus Master) has been a singer, conductor, and teacher in the Boston area for almost 25 years. On the voice faculty of Berklee College of Music, she teaches vocal technique classes, the Musical Theater Workshop, vocal pedagogy, as well as private students. She has also taught at Simmons College, The Boston Conservatory, and Northeastern. Her performing credits as a mezzo-soprano include many years with Boston Lyric Opera chorus, as well as several roles with them. She has also performed with Boston Academy, Intermezzo Chamber Opera, Salisbury Lyric Opera, and has sung oratorios with several orchestras in the area.
As a conductor, Brown began and led The Boston Conservatory Women's Chorus for seven years, and recently retired after twenty years as the music director for the Fisk Methodist Church in Natick. She also conducted the Simmons College Choral for four years and led the Masterworks Choral in two of their “Summer Sings.” Brown holds a BM and MM in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory where she studied with Elisabeth Phinney.
Katherine Spencer (Set Designer), an artist and designer who recently moved to the Boston area from Maryland, has a background in traditional woodworking and in acting, but her primary creative endeavor is painting. Katherine studied classics and art at Yale University where, as an undergraduate, she designed the sets for the Yale Drama's 2005 Mainstage Production of Mother Courage and Her Children.
Cara Pacifico (Lighting Designer) is a local freelance costume designer, properties designer, and dramaturg. Her recent costuming work includes Boston Opera Collaborative's Carmen and the premiere of Matthew Vest's opera The Hourglass with Juventas New Music Ensemble. She has previously designed properties for Fort Point Theatre Channel's Present Imperfect , Gurnet Theatre Project's Essential Self Defense and Boston Theatre Works' Elliot Norton Award-Winning production of Angels in America. After returning from the dramaturgy program at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she dramaturged New Repertory Theatre's According to Tip , which won the Elliot Norton's “Outstanding New Script.” Pacifico is a graduate of Tufts University.
Chris Nayler 's (Lighting Designer) previous design work has been seen in the Juventas! productions of The Hourglass and Year of the Serpent, the Boston Opera Collaborative productions of Iphigenie en Aulide , Dialogues of the Carmelites , Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute , and Alcina as well as the premiere of A Prioresses Tale at Eastern Nazarene College. His full-time responsibilities find him managing Kresge Auditorium and other Campus Activities Complex spaces at MIT. He is also a frequent freelancer on corporate and themed events with VDA Productions. This fall Nayler will be designing for the Boston Opera Collaborative production of The Crucible .
Aurora De Lucia (Production Stage Manager) is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association. For more information please visit her website at www.AuroraStageManagement.com.
Ben Elkin (Assistant Stage Manager) is a senior at Brandeis University majoring in Theater Arts. He recently was the Assistant Stage Manager for Boston Opera Collaborative's production of Carmen . At Brandeis he worked on The Threepenny Opera (Run Crew), Salome (Sound Op.), Good (Run Crew), The Misanthrope (Light Board Op.), The Love Talker (Stage Manager), The Dumb Waiter (Co-Props Master), and Anything Goes (Stage Manager).
Cast biographies
Described as “Brilliant” by Opera News , Matthew DiBattista (Coleman Shedman) has performed throughout the United States, Italy, France, and Portugal. DiBattista created the role of Wesley in the Emmy Award-nominated opera Central Park on PBS's Great Performance and sang Martin in The Tender Land (also on PBS). He has sung under such conductors as James Conlon, Seiji Ozawa, Keith Lockhart, and Robert Shaw. DiBattista's recent performances as Bégearss in The Ghosts of Versailles and the Valet Tenors in The Tales of Hoffmann at Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Boston Lyric Opera received critical acclaim. He will repeat The Tales of Hoffmann at Opera Colorado in 2009. DiBattista will also sing Spoletta in Tosca at Opera Colorado (2010), Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro (2010) with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and will cover Xu Xian in the world premiere of Madame White Snake at Opera Boston (2009) where he recently sang Yarzhkin in The Nose . A featured soloist at the Great Waters Music Festival (2009), he will be soloist in Elijah with the Assabet Valley Mastersingers (2010). Recent soloist appearances include Portland Symphony's Magic of Christmas, Boston Classical Orchestra's Music of Love, Britten's Nocturne with the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, Mozart's Requiem with The New Bedford Symphony, and Messiah with the Worcester Chorus. Visit www.dibaunlimited.com.
Soprano Natalie Polito (Nancy Shedman) recently completed the Studio Artist Program of Opera New Jersey, where she covered Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail , and appeared as Marguerite in scenes from Gounod's Faust . Polito's 2008-2009 credits include Rosalinda ( Die Fledermaus ) with Opera del West, Madame Goldentrill ( The Impresario ) with Metro West Opera, Adele ( Die Fledermaus ) with Opera By the Bay, Fanny ( La Cambiale di Matrimonio ) and Donna Anna ( Don Giovanni ), both with Boston Opera Collaborative, and appearances as the Königin der Nacht ( Die Zauberflöte ) with both Worcester Opera Works and Opera del West. Past roles include Violetta ( La Traviata ) with Opera By the Bay, the Königin der Nacht ( Die Zauberflöte ) at the Intermezzo Young Artist Program, Elettra ( Idomeneo ) with Opera Hub, and the title role in Boston Opera Collaborative's Iphigénie en Aulide .
Polito has also been seen in concert with Opera New Jersey, Opera Providence, Longwood Opera, Mass Theatrica, New England Light Opera, and at the Duxbury Music Festival, where she won Third Place in the 2008 Solo Competition. She was also a 2009 Finalist in the Peter Elvins Vocal Competition. Natalile Polito holds an M.M. in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory and a B.M. in Vocal Performance with Honors from Northwestern University.
A recipient of the Boston Globe's 1995 “Musician of the Year,” baritone Robert Honeysucker (Rev. Buckhorn) has thrilled opera audiences in Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Fort Worth, and Tulsa, as well as in New Zealand, Germany, and the Persian Gulf. He has performed with conductors Michael Tilson Thomas, Roberto Abbado, Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur, Keith Lockhart, John Williams, Marin Alsop, and Christopher Hogwood. Honeysucker has also sung with orchestras in Switzerland, Australia, and Japan, and most recently made his London debut at Wigmore Hall. He is a member of Videmus and Jubilee Trio, and has been recorded on Brave, New World, Cambria Master, Koch International Classics, Centaur, Albany, and Videmus Records. Honeysucker is on the faculties of the Boston Conservatory, the Longy School of Music and New England Conservatory's Extension Division.
Philip Lima 's (“Oby” Buckhorn, Jr., cover Hart) burgeoning career has been marked by critical praise: “His singing was glorious” ( The Boston Globe ) – “vibrant baritone and a commanding presence” ( Cleveland Plain Dealer ). Highlights of his most recent and upcoming concert engagements include performances with orchestras in Korea, Ukraine, New York, Boston, Memphis, San Diego, Monterey (CA), Oklahoma City, and more than twenty other U.S. cities. His 2005 performance of Schubert's Winterreise with pianist Beverly Orlove was described by The Boston Phoenix as one of Boston's “Unforgettable Classical Events of 2005.”
Lori L'Italien (Lorena Cosburg), mezzo-soprano, is enjoying a full season after her recent graduation from Longy School of Music, where she earned her M. M. in Opera Performance. Most recently she was engaged with MetroWest Opera as L'Enfant (cover) in L'Enfant et les Sortilèges , as Mercedes (cover) in Boston Opera Collaborative's summer production of Carmen and in a concert of opera excerpts as Carmen and Orlofsky with North of Boston Arts Center. She is a 2004 graduate of the University of Maine where she earned her bachelor's degree in music education. L'Italien's fall season will see her performing the role of Betty Paris in Boston Opera Collaborative's October production of The Crucible and The Mother in Amahl and The Night Visitors with Indian Hill Music in December.
Baritone Ishan Johnson (Orin Hart) had a recent success with Des Moines Metro Opera last season, where he was seen as Jazz in Regina, Junior Mister in Cradle Will Rock and Bobby in Mahagonny Songspiel . Mr. Johnson has been on the roster of Opera Boston for five seasons and was last seen in their acclaimed production of Nose. Other credits include Jake in Porgy and Bess with the Utah Festival Opera, Betto in Gianni Schicchi with the B.U. Opera Institute, Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors with the UNCG Opera Theatre, and Mr. Dashwood in the New England premiere of Adamo's Little Women . He is an alumnus of the James Collier Apprentice Program of Des Moines Metro Opera, and the Utah Festival Opera Young Artist Program and a graduate of Boston University.
Ulysses Thomas (Howard Rudd, cover Buckhorn) has appeared as a featured artist with a number of ensembles in and around the Boston area including Boston Baroque, Masterworks Chorale, Cambridge Concentus, Exsultemus, Boston Choral Ensemble, Newburyport Choral Society, The Concord Chorus, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Emmanuel Music. In February 2008 Thomas made his professional stage debut with Opera Boston/Boston Baroque in Handel's Semele as the High Priest, and in November 2008 he made his company debut with Boston Lyric Opera as Luther and Crespel in Les contes d'Hoffmann and sang the Commendatore in Don Giovanni that season . At Boston University Thomas has appeared as Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia , Sarastro in The Magic Flute , Alcindoro in La Bohème , A Man with a Cornet Case in Dominick Argento's Postcard from Morocco, Bustamente in Massenet's La Navarraise , Rakitin in Lee Hoiby's A Month in the Country , Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Collatinus in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia , and Pope/Cardinal B in Philip Glass's Galileo Galilei . Thomas is currently a doctoral student in vocal performance at Boston University after having received his B.M. from Clayton State University in Georgia and his M.M. from Boston University. Among his honors and awards, Thomas spent two summers as a vocal fellow at Tanglewood Music Center where he worked with artists including James Levine, Phyllis Curtin, and John Harbison. He was a finalist in the 2001 Orpheus National Competition for Vocalists where he received the Richard Strauss Award.
Elizabeth Anker's (Bonnie Bridge) has premiered dozens of works written for her deep contralto voice. Her repertoire spans the medieval work of Hildegard von Bingen to contemporary improvisations. She has performed with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque, the Handel and Haydn Society, Emmanuel Music, and at Bach festivals in San Francisco and France. Opera roles include Ma Moss (Copland's Tender Land ), Galatea (Handel's Aci, Galatea e Polifemo ), and the title role in the modern premiere of Cesti's Semiramide . Recordings include music of Bach, new music, and several discs of American and Shaker hymns. Anker has toured with Sequentia of Cologne, Magnificat Baroque, and the Boston Camerata. She is on the voice faculties of the Longy School of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music.
Jeffrey McEvoy (Billy Boggs), lyric baritone, is an emerging artist who has quickly established himself in Boston. He has sung with Opera Boston, the Boston Opera Collaborative, OperaHub, Kansas City Lyric Opera, Sarasota Opera, Lake George Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera. He has been a Kansas City district finalist in MONCA and first-place winner in the Midwest District of the NATS competition in both the Graduate and Senior Men divisions. McEvoy holds his DMA form the University of Kansas, MM from Wichita State University, and BA from John Brown University. He will be joining the voice faculty at the University of Connecticut this fall. Visit his website at www.jeffreymcevoy.com.
Bethany Tammaro Condon , mezzo-soprano (Cancer Woman), a graduate of the New England Conservatory with a B. M. in Vocal Performance and of the Tanglewood Music Center, sang the role of Maman in L'enfant et les sortileges and the Witch from Hansel and Gretel with Metro West Opera. She reprised the role of Mrs. Noland in The Medium with Mass Theatrica and recently performed two benefit concerts with them. In 2008 she performed in the ensemble in The Magic Flute with the Boston Opera Collaborative. In 2009 she will sing the role of the Mother in Gabriella Snyder's world premiere of The Rough-Face Girl with Mass Theatrica. Tammaro Condon teaches voice privately in Sharon, MA, and at the School of Continuing Education at Braintree High School. She studies voice with Sharon Daniels, Director of the Boston University Opera Institute.
Sharon Brown (Mrs. Wall, see Artistic team biographies.)
Soprano Meena Malik (Muriel) began singing in her native Japan and made her operatic debut as Sandman in Hansel and Gretel . She has performed the roles of Nestoria in Schindemann's Ego , Miles in The Turn of the Screw , the title role of Cinderella , the novice in Suor Angelica , First Witch in Dido and Aeneas, and LaChouette/Una Pastourelle in L'Enfant et les Sortilèges . She has sung with Opera Providence, New England Conservatory, Cedar House Theater, MetroWest Opera, and the Boston Opera Collaborative. Malik has been a featured soloist with various choirs and orchestras in works such as Vivaldi's Gloria , Mozart's Requiem , Fauré's Requiem , and Vaughan Williams's Dona Nobis Pacem . Currently, Malik freelances in the Boston area and continues her private studies with Carole Haber.
Tenor Adrian Jones (chorus, cover Coleman), a native of Jackson, TN, is a recent graduate of the New England Conservatory, where he received a M.M. degree in Voice Performance. He earned a B.M. degree in Voice Performance from Otterbein College in Westerville, OH, where he studied with bass-baritone Robert Nims. Stage credits include Prince Charming in Cendrillon (Massenet), Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro , Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte , Lover in Amelia Goes to the Ball , Dr. Miracle in Le Docteur Miracle , English Tenor in Angelique (Ibert), and Beppe in I Pagliacci . Jones is currently a student of tenor William Cotten.
Amy Dancz , soprano (cover Nancy) recently completed her M.M. in Vocal Performance at the New England Conservatory, and currently studies under Carole Haber. Opera roles include Micaëla ( Carmen , cover), Geraldine ( A Hand of Bridge ), 1st Knitter ( A Game of Chance ), Nella ( Gianni Schicchi ), and 1st Boy ( The Magic Flute ). Upcoming performances include Ann Putnam in Boston Opera Collaborative's The Crucible , and Chorus in Boston Lyric Opera's Idomeneo .
In August, Amy was a featured soloist in Haydn's Creation with Chorus Pro Musica. Internationally, Dancz was chosen to participate in the University of Miami Salzburg program in 2003 and 2006, where she studied with world-renowned soprano Patricia Wise. Both summers she was awarded Salzburg Scholarships for exceptional vocal talent. Dancz has twice been a winner of the Herb Alpert Foundation Scholarship with the Society of Singers.
Sara Bielanski , mezzo-soprano (cover Bonnie) was winner of the 2008 Boston NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Competition in the Professional Division. Mezzo-soprano Sara Bielanski has collaborated with Opera Boston, Newton Symphony, Masterworks Chorale, Chorus Pro Musica, Fine Arts Chorale, Newburyport Choral Society, Quincy Choral Society, New England Light Opera, Longwood Opera, Valley Light Opera, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Pops Chorus, and has appeared as soloist with orchestra at many area universities and churches. Opera highlights include Mercedes ( Carmen ), Dorabella ( Così fan tutte ), Sherry in Salvatore Macchia's atonal opera Insectaphobia!, and Sorceress ( Dido and Aeneas ). Concert solo highlights include Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle , Beethoven's Missa Solemnis , Mozart's Requiem , Stravinsky's Cantata , and Handel's Messiah . Bielanski is also a founding member of the Boston-based classical improvisation group, The Meltdown Incentive, and is an avid jazz musician as well, having performed with jazz legends Sheila Jordan, Rufus Reid, and The Platters lead singer Duke Daniels.
Rachel Selan , mezzo-soprano (cover Lorena), is becoming a sought-after performer in the New England area. A native of Los Angeles, Selan just completed her Graduate Diploma at the New England Conservatory of Music. Performance credits include Carmen (Carmen cover), Le nozze di Figaro (Marcellina), Gianni Schicchi (Zita), Suor Angelica (Principessa), The Mikado (Pitti Sing), Into the Woods (Baker's Wife), The Medium (Mrs. Nolan, Baba cover) L'Enfant et les Sortelèges (Squirrel/Cat cover), The Music Man (Alma Hix), world-premiere Sara McKinnon, and Miss Lonelyhearts (Fay Doyle cover) . She made her Jordan Hall debut in NEC's production of Cole!, returning to the Jordan Hall stage in the world-premiere of Percy Grainger's Random Rounds , A Hand of Bridge (Sally), and Side by Side by Sondheim . Selan is a student of Patricia Craig and a member of Boston Opera Collaborative. She holds a BM from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a MM from the University of Southern California. Upcoming engagements include The Crucible (Rebecca Nurse).
Soprano Erin Holmes (cover Muriel) has appeared with Opera Boston, Opera Providence, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Longwood Opera, New England Light Opera, New England Conservatory Opera Theatre, Opera de West, and Washington D.C.'s Strathmore Hall. In 2008 Holmes made her European debut as L'Aurora in Cavalli's L'Egisto at the Teatro della Biccieraia in Arezzo, Italy. Upcoming engagements include Bridget Booth in Ward's The Crucible with Boston Opera Collaborative. Holmes's fluency in Spanish enables her to serve as a diction coach to may Boston-area singers. She holds a M.M. in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory.
Stephanie Kacoyanis , mezzo-soprano (cover Mrs. Wall), has performed throughout the Boston area. Her opera credits include Third Lady (Opera del West), Marcellina (Indian Hill Opera) and Suor Infermiera in Suor Angelica (Boston University Opera Institute). In concert, she has appeared as a soloist with Cambridge Concentus, Brookline Chorus (where she was also Artist-in-Residence), Newburyport Choral Society, and the Wellesley College Choir. She has performed with the Accademia d'Amore for Baroque Opera (Seattle) and upcoming performances are planned with the Hellenic Music Foundation (New York). She won the Kanellos Award at the 2009 Greek Women's University Club Music Competition. Kacoyanis holds degrees from Wellesley College (English) and Boston University (M.M., voice).
Christie Lee Gibson , mezzo-soprano (cover Cancer Woman), is an opera singer, theater artist, and experimental musician. She has recently performed as The Dragonfly in L'Enfant et les sortilèges with MetroWest Opera, Helen/Farmer's Wife in The Caitlin County Hemp Wars,and Soldier/Famigliari in L'Incoronazione di Poppea with OperaHub. Other roles include Pepa ( Goyescas ), Baba ( The Medium ), Bessie (Songspiel Mahagonny ), Papagena ( The Magic Flute ), and chorus with Opera Providence. Gibson and experimental musician Arvid Tomayko-Peters co-composed and perform the piece Requiem aeternam at festivals and alternative venues throughout New England. She is a member of Fort Point Theatre Channel and works with them as a director, actor, and vocal coach. An alumna of Brown University, she studies with Patty Thom. Visit Christieleegibson.com.
Tenor Cleveland Jones is a native of North, South Carolina, a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Theater. While at Morehouse, Jones began his musical career by performing and touring with the Morehouse College Glee Club both in the chorus and as a soloist. He has performed with the legendary Ray Charles and toured the US as well as cities in Poland. Jones starred as the lead in Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story and performed in many other musicals. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Jones has a degree in Professional Music. At Berklee he was featured in Jason Robert Brown's Parade and Stephen Sondheim's Follies , and numerous other shows.
This is Timothy Mulcahey 's , tenor, first foray into opera since he was a child, singing with Chautauqua Opera and the Chautauqua School of Music in productions of Hansel and Gretel (children's chorus), Street Scene (Charlie), and The Turn of the Screw (Milo). He performed in The Secret Garden at the Turtle Lane Playhouse. After doing many community theater productions in Olean, NY, Mulcahey now attends the Berklee College of Music, majoring in Professional Music with a focus on Songwriting and Composition. At Berklee he has had the opportunity to work on such shows as Disneystock ‘08 (Ensemble), Shwartzamania (Quasimodo), South Park: in Concert! (Satan), The Light in the Piazza (Priest), and recently the lead in Parade (Leo Frank). Mulcahey will be moving to New York City to pursue musical theater writing
Holy Ghosts is chorus-member baritone Brooklyn Rohm 's first fully staged opera. From a young age Rohm was immersed in choral music, Classical, and neo-Classical music. At age nine he became involved with musical theater and, before reaching eighteen, had performed in more than twenty productions, which expanded not only his vocal perspective but also his stage presence. Rohm is currently a third-semester student at the Berklee College of Music. He sees himself growing as a musician and actor by participating in future productions. Rohm also pursues community service, feeling the reward of making people smile through music and a lending hand.
Jeff Martineau, bass-baritone, attended the University of New Hampshire, where he majored in music education in piano and joined the UNH Chamber Singers, which toured Australia in 2006. He became the music director of the all-male a cappella group Not Too Sharp , nominated by CARA as one of the top five groups in the nation for comedy in 2007. Martineau is currently a Berklee College of Music scholarship student studying voice and music business. As an actor he has appeared on the TV shows House Rules and Empire State . Now a member of the professional actors' union AFTRA/SAG, he is currently working on Adam Sandler's Grown Ups , The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg, and Ben Affleck's The Town .
Orchestra members
Mark Poniatowski , bass, is a native New Englander who moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1986. There he performed with such blues greats as Floyd Dixon, Junior Watson (guitarist for Canned Heat), and Kid Ramos (currently with The Fabulous T-birds). His performances throughout the US and Europe include the Boston Globe Jazz Festival, Orange County Blues Festival, California, The River Festival, Wichita, Kansas, The Natt Jazz Festival in Burgin, Norway, and at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria. His Acoustic bass playing can be heard on the former George Carlin Show on Fox TV or at movie theaters during the Sony Digital Dynamic Sound (SDDS) logo.
Poniatowski has recorded several CD's including The Bruce Katz Band "Mississippi Moan" on Audio Quest and The College Boys "Radio Fusion Radio" on Virgin records.
Piano soloist Maja Tremiszewska , synthesizer, is also an avid chamber musician. Her Three Colors Trio won the first prize at the First International Chamber Music Competition of New England and was awarded a performance at the Weill Carnegie Hall. During the summer of 2007 and 2008 she attended the Fontainebleau École d'Arts Americaines in France, where she performed in the hall where Maurice Ravel and Aaron Copland presented their works for Nadia Boulanger. Thanks to the scholarship awarded by the Fontainebleau Associations, she had a chance to work with Phillippe Entremont and Philippe Bianconi. Among other festivals she attended was Bowdoin International Summer Festival in Maine, which also granted her a full scholarship.
Ms. Tremiszewska graduated from Gdansk Academy of Music in Poland, receiving a Masters of Music degree. Her Graduate Performance Diploma is from the Boston Conservatory. In September of 2009 she will begin her doctorate degree at Boston University, which granted her its Dean's Award.
Pianist Irina Bazik was born and studied in Serbia. After starting her second master's degree at New England Conservatory of Music she was offered a full scholarship from The Boston Conservatory. Bazik was the winner of International Competition “Cita di Streza” in Italy, Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition in Paris, Special First Prize winner at the International Competition “Petar Konjovic” in Serbia for the years 1993, 1997 and 2000. After receiving a scholarship from Austrian government, Irina participated in Sommerakademie in Baden.
Since her first solo recital in the age of 10 most of Irina's performances have been recorded and broadcast live for national television and radio stations. Irina has played as a soloist with the Belgrade Radio Symphony Orchestra, Yugoslav army Symphony Orchestra, Simfonia Perugina (Italy).In the past 16 years Irina has performed in Italy, Austria, Sweden, Ukraine, Slovenia, France, and the US. Bazik is starting her third graduate program at Longy Conservatory of Music.
Guitarist, composer, educator Steven Kirby has appeared on over 25 recordings including two as a leader -–Point Of Balance and North Light— and has performed and/or recorded with many of today's most respected contemporary musicians including Chris Potter, George Garzone, Scott Colley, Bruce Barth, Joe Lovano, Harvie Swartz, and others. He has toured throughout the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe. Kirby's music has been played on over 100 radio stations in the US and internationally including features on NPR's “Here and Now,” “Jazz with Bob Parlocha,” and “Eric in the Evening.” His jazz compositions have won awards in the International Songwriting Competition and the Billboard Song Contest and Downbeat . He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and has a masters degree in Jazz Composition from UMass-Amherst. Kirby is currently on the music faculty at Berklee College of Music, Salem State College, and Brandeis University.
At the age of thirteen Larry Finn (percussion) had toured with the 27th Lancers and became one of the top snare drummers in the country. Finn received his undergraduate degree in arranging at Berklee College of Music and received the prestigious Berklee Faculty Association Award.
The drummer for the original National Cast of the Tony Award-winning show RENT , Finn has an extensive resume that includes performing with many of the industry's top artists including Paula Cole, Susan Tedeschi, Peter Wolf, Steve Forbert, Warren Hill, James Montgomery, and Danilo Perez. He currently plays with rock legend Al Kooper.
An Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, where students come from all over the world to study with him, Finn has appeared with legendary bassists including Victor Wooten, Abe Laboriel and Harvey Schwartz. Finn's book Beyond the Back Beat is a number-one best-selling drum book and has been chosen as a best instructional in Modern Drummer's Reader's Poll. His three instructional videos were released through Rittor Music in Japan.