2008-02-07 Mikado [recital program]

              The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Opera Theater presents:
The Mikado
or
“The Town of Titipu”
Libretto by W.S. Gilbert
Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan
February 7-10, 2008
Grimsley High School
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Opera Theater presents:
The Mikado
or
“The Town of Titipu”
Libretto by W.S. Gilbert
Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan
First performed March 14, 1885
Savoy Theater, London
Dramatis Personae
The Mikado of Japan Philip van Lidth de Jeude
Nanki-Poo, his son, disguised as a wandering minstrel, Marshall Rollings
in love with Yum-Yum
Ko-Ko, The Lord High Executioner of Titipu Robert Wells
Pooh-Bah, Lord High Everything Else Donald Hartmann
Pish-Tush, A Noble Lord James Keith *
Cory Alexander +
Hayden Cedric Dawes (cover)
Yum-Yum Natalie Fagnan *
Christina Friedmann +
Meghan D. Johnson (cover)
Peep-Bo Three Sisters, Wards of Ko-Ko Melinda Whittington *
Diána Thompson +
Clara Ray Burrus (cover)
Pitti-Sing Marian Towe *
Sidney Glasgow Dixon +
Emily Byrne (cover)
Katisha Liane Elias *
Kate Farrar +
* performing 2.7 and 2.9
+ performing 2.8 and 2.10
Ensemble of School Girls, Nobles, and Guards
Linnea Bixler
Clara Burns
Emily Byrne
Sidney Dixon
Meghan D. Johnson
Liane Elias
Kate Farrar
Natalie Fagnan
Christina Friedmann
Sarah Griffiths
Hansi Hoskins
Diána Thompson
Marian Towe
Melinda Whittington
Jonathan Albright
Cory Alexander
Lindell Carter
Logan Cox
Hayden Dawes
Carlos Fuentes
Chris Juengel
James Keith
Blayne Ziegenfuss
ARGUMENT
Before the action of the opera begins, Nanki-Poo has fled from the court of his father, the
Mikado of Japan, to escape marriage with an elderly lady, named Katisha. Assuming the
disguise of a musician, he has fallen in love with a fair maiden, Yum-Yum. Nanki-Poo has
been prevented from marrying her by her guardian, Ko-Ko, who wishes to marry her
himself. Ko-Ko, however, has been condemned to death for flirting. When Act I opens,
Nanki-Poo is hastening to the court of Ko-Ko in Titipu to find out whether Yum-Yum is now
free to marry him.
From Pooh-Bah (a corrupt and proud public official) and Pish Tush (a nobleman), Nanki-
Poo learns that Ko-Ko has instead become Lord High Executioner, thus preventing the
sentence of decapitation from being carried out. Ko-Ko is, in fact, going to marry Yum-Yum
that very afternoon.
Everything seems to be going well for Ko-Ko, but suddenly a letter comes from the Mikado
ordering him to execute somebody or else lose his position of Lord High Executioner. He is
in a quandary to find someone to execute, but Nanki-Poo appears, bent upon suicide
because he cannot marry Yum-Yum. By conceding to him the right to marry Yum-Yum for
a month, Ko-Ko persuades Nanki-Poo to be the subject for the public execution when that
month is up. There is general rejoicing in this apparent solution to the problem, marred
only by the unexpected appearance of Katisha, in quest of the vanished object of her
affections, Nanki-Poo. She is driven away, but threatens to go to the Mikado about the
matter.
Act II opens with Yum-Yum preparing for her marriage with Nanki-Poo. As all are singing a
"merry madrigal," Ko-Ko comes in with the news that he has just discovered a law stating
that when a married man is executed his wife must be buried alive. To save Yum-Yum
from that fate, Nanki-Poo decides to kill himself at once. However, this again throws Ko-Ko
into a quandary to find someone to execute (especially as he has heard that the Mikado is
at that moment on his way to Titipu). Nanki-Poo magnanimously offers himself for
immediate decapitation, but Ko-Ko is unable to perform the act without some practice.
Another way out of the difficulty presents itself: Ko-Ko has Pooh-Bah make a false affidavit
that Nanki-Poo has been executed, and bids Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum leave the country.
The Mikado soon appears. Ko-Ko thinks that the object of this visit is to see whether the
execution has taken place. He accordingly produces the affidavit and describes with gusto
the execution. But the Mikado has actually come at the prompting of Katisha in search of
his lost son. When the fact transpires that the person whom Ko-Ko has supposedly
executed is really the Mikado's son, Ko-Ko and his accomplices are declared guilty of
"compassing the death of the Heir Apparent." The only hope for them is to admit the
falsehood of the affidavit and produce Nanki-Poo alive. Nanki-Poo has already married
Yum-Yum and so cannot marry Katisha, who will surely insist on the execution of Nanki-
Poo and Yum-Yum. Ko-Ko solves the problem by offering his hand to Katisha. After he
sings her the touching ballad of "Willow, Tit-Willow," she accepts him. The end of the opera
comes with Nanki-Poo's discovering himself as the son of the Mikado.
-- G.Schirmer, Inc.
ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES
Cory Alexander (Pish-Tush) was director of Choral Activities at Central Florida Community
College from 2001-2005 and is currently a DMA student in Choral Conducting at UNCG.
He holds a MM degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Florida in Gainesville
and a BA in Vocal Music Education from Central College in Pella, Iowa. As a performer,
Mr. Alexander has sung under several notable conductors, including Robert Shaw, and has
appeared many times as a baritone soloist, including a performance of Schubert’s Mass in
G recorded in Carmarthen, Wales for Welsh television. He appeared as part of the Octet of
Singers in last fall’s production of Libby Larsen’s Barnum’s Bird.
Clara Ray Burrus (Peep-Bo cover) is a member of the UNCG Chamber Singers and has
previously appeared in UNCG Opera Theatre productions of The Tenderland and The
Ballad of Baby Doe. This past fall, she sang the role of Johanna in the UNCG
Theatre/School of Music production of Sweeney Todd. A junior, Ms. Burrus studies with Dr.
Nancy Walker, as she pursues her BM in Vocal Performance. Originally from Canton, NC,
her past credits include Cinderella in Into the Woods, Eliza in My Fair Lady, and Maria in
West Side Story.
Emily Byrne (Pitti-Sing cover) is a sophomore Vocal Performance major studying under
Levone Tobin Scott. She sang the title role in the UNCG Opera Theatre’s 2008 “Tour to the
Schools” production of Carmenella, Meg in The Ballad of Baby Doe, and she has appeared
in the ensemble of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Emily’s off-campus performing
includes appearances in Wesley Memorial Church’s presentations of Handel’s Messiah and
Mendelssohn’s Elijah as a soloist and choral member.
Hayden Cedric Dawes (Pish-Tush cover) appeared as Marco in the Greensboro Opera
Company’s 2006 production of Gianni Schicchi and with UNCG Opera Theatre as
Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Jacob in The Ballad of Baby Doe, and Bob
Becket in HMS Pinafore. A junior pursuing a BM in Vocal Performance, he studies with
Levone Tobin Scott. Additional past credits include Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, and
roles in Annie and Bye Bye Birdie. Mr. Dawes has placed third in both state and regional
NATS competitions, and serves as bass section leader for Providence Baptist Church in
Greensboro.
Sidney Glasgow Dixon (Pitti-Sing) is a senior at UNCG pursuing a major in Vocal
Performance and a minor in Technical Theatre. Originally from Pittsboro, NC, Ms. Dixon
has several performances to her credit, including an appearance in the the Octet of Singers
in Libby Larsen’s Barnum’s Bird, as well as in the ensembles of Amahl and the Night
Visitors, The Mighty Casey, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Anything Goes, and A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum. She is a member of the UNCG Chamber Singers, as
well as a section leader at the Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Liane Elias (Katisha) is a junior Vocal Performance major studying under Levone Tobin
Scott and is earning a minor in drama. A native to the Triad, Ms. Elias has performed on
stages in Winston-Salem and Greensboro, as Jack’s mother in Into the Woods, and in the
ensembles of the UNCG Opera Theatre’s production of Amahl and the Night Visitors and
Barnum’s Bird. She recently was seen in the cast of Five by O’Henry at the Greensboro
Historical Museum.
Natalie Fagnan (Yum-Yum) hails from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She received her BM in
Vocal Performance in May of 2006 from the Oberlin Conservatory, where she performed
the role of Maria in West Side Story. She is a first-year MM student in Vocal Performance
at UNCG, where she sang the role of Jenny Lind in last fall’s Barnum’s Bird by Libby
Larsen. In March of 2007, Natalie was chosen as the Rose Bowl winner of the Calgary
Kiwanis Music Festival, won in Provincials and went on to compete as a finalist in Nationals
in New Brunswick. In April of 2008, Natalie will be making her hometown debut, performing
as a featured soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
Kate Farrar (Katisha) from Hillsborough, NC, is a junior currently majoring in Vocal
Performance and French. A past first-place winner in the Mid-Atlantic region of NATS, Ms.
Farrar has performed in several UNCG Opera Theatre productions, including Barnum’s Bird
(Octet) and as an ensemble member in The Ballad of Baby Doe and The Tender Land. In
addition to her performances with the UNCG Opera Theatre, she has also participated in
numerous productions with the Opera Company of North Carolina and the Long Leaf Opera
Company.
Christina Friedmann (Yum-Yum) is currently in her second year pursuing her MM in Vocal
Performance at UNCG with Dr. Robert Bracey. Most recently, Ms. Friedmann made her
Capital Opera Raleigh debut as Annina in La Traviata and sang the role of Tom Thumb in
UNCG’s production of Libby Larsen’s Barnum’s Bird. Other credits include Lauretta in
Gianni Schicchi, Adele in Act II of Die Fledermaus, The Countess in Figaro’s Wedding, and
the First Hand Maiden in Luigi Zaninelli’s Snow White at the Teatre del Maggio Musicale in
Florence, Italy. A native of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, she earned her BME from Syracuse
University and enjoys sewing and traveling.
Donald Hartmann (Pooh-Bah) joined the UNCG School of Music Voice Faculty in the fall of
2006, after teaching for sixteen years the University of Eastern Michigan. Dr. Hartmann
has been described as possessing a, "big, rich voice with an amazing timbre." Recent
engagements have included Capulet in Roméo et Juliette and the Sergeant of Police in The
Pirates of Penzance with Opera Carolina, Swallow in Peter Grimes with L’Opéra de
Montréal, and return appearances with the Madison Opera as the Commendatore in Don
Giovanni and Benoit/Alcindoro in La Bohème. Michigan Opera Theater audiences have
seen him as Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro and Luther/Crespel/Schlemeil in The Tales of
Hoffmann, and he has portrayed the Bonze in Madama Butterfly and Raimondo in Lucia di
Lammermoor with Toledo Opera, as well as Colline in La Bohème for Opera Lenawee and
Pooh-Bah in The Mikado with Nashville Opera.
Meghan D. Johnson (Yum-Yum cover) recently won the UNCG Concerto Competition, is a
past first place winner in the NC NATS auditions and won second place in the Mid-Atlantic
Regional NATS auditions. Ms. Johnson, who studies with Dr. Carla Lefevre, has appeared
in numerous UNCG Opera Theatre productions, including The Tenderland, Amahl and the
Night Visitors, H.M.S. Pinafore, and The Mighty Casey. An avid learner of languages, in
addition to pursuing a BM in Vocal Performance, she is completing a BA in Spanish.
James Keith (Pish-Tush) is a native of Phoenix, Arizona and will graduate in May with his
MM in Choral Conducting. He earned his BM in Vocal Performance and a BA in Historical
Automotive Restoration in 2006 at McPherson College. While at McPherson, he performed
the title role in The King and I, which led to his marriage to his wife, Amanda, who played
opposite him as Anna. In 2005, he was driver for the Barrett Jackson auction at the
Peterson Museum in Los Angeles and was featured on the History Channel for restoring
President Eisenhower’s 1942 Cadillac.
Philip van Lidth de Jeude (The Mikado of Japan) has had a singing career that has
spanned over thirty years, beginning as a baritone with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Providence
Opera Theater and Regina Opera, among others. He made the transition to tenor,
whereupon he sang in Europe in many houses, including Zurich Opera, Deutsche Oper
Berlin, and the Bavarian State Theater at Gärtnerplatz. His roles have included Otello,
Radames (Aida), Herod (Salome), the title role in Peter Grimes, the Male Chorus (The
Rape of Lucretia) and Canio (Pagliacci). At UNCG, he is currently pursuing his DMA,
studying voice with Dr. Robert Bracey and Opera Production with David Holley.
Marshall Rollings (Nanki-Poo) has appeared in the ensembles of Greensboro Opera
Company’s productions of Rigoletto, The Marriage of Figaro and Madama Butterfly. In
addition, he sang the roles of Sam, President Chester A. Arthur and the Stage Doorman in
The Ballad of Baby Doe, and performed in the ensembles of The Tender Land and Amahl
and the Night Visitors, all with the UNCG Opera Theatre. A junior Vocal Performance
major from Sherrills Ford, NC, Marshall won first place in the North Carolina and Mid-
Atlantic Regional NATS auditions in 2006.
Díana Thompson (Peep-Bo), soprano, received her BM in Vocal Performance from
Augusta State University, where she studied with Dr. Linda Banister and won the Concerto
Competition in 2005 and 2007. While in Augusta, she appeared with the Augusta Opera in
its productions of H.M.S. Pinafore and The Tales of Hoffmann. At ASU, she sang the roles
of Miss Silverpeal in The Impresario, Sister Genovieffa in Suor Angelica,as well as the First
Witch and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas. A first-year MM student at UNCG, Ms. Thompson
studies with Dr. Nancy Walker.
Marian Towe (Pitti-Sing) mezzo-soprano, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal
Performance from Austin Peay State University, where she studied with Sharon Mabry.
Ms. Towe made her operatic debut as a chorus member in the Gilbert and Sullivan Society
of Houston's 2003 production of The Mikado and her solo opera debut as Mrs. Jones in
Kurt Weill’s Street Scene at Austin Peay in 2005. A second-year MM student in Vocal
Performance, she returns to the UNCG Opera Theatre stage after portraying Samantha
(Augusta Tabor’s maid) in last spring’s The Ballad of Baby Doe and attending the American
Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria last summer.
Robert Wells (Ko-Ko) is currently Assistant Professor of Voice at UNCG and teaches
studio voice and vocal pedagogy. He also serves as Artist/Faculty at the Schlern
International Music Festival in Voels am Schlern, Italy. A frequent recitalist and
collaborative artist, Dr. Wells has also enjoyed an active performance career in both
oratorio and opera in New York State and the Midwest, and his performances have taken
him to Great Britain and Europe. He has sung leading roles in Le Nozze di Figaro, Così fan
tutte, and Albert Herring and has appeared as baritone soloist in such works as Benjamin
Britten’s War Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and the St. John Passion of J. S. Bach. He
formerly served on the faculty at the State University of New York College at Fredonia,
where he was Co-Chair of the Voice Faculty and was a sought-after clinician and
adjudicator.
Melinda Whittington (Peep-Bo) appeared as Mrs. Mister in Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle
Will Rock and Mollie Sinclair in Floyd’s The Sojourner at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she
earned her BM in Vocal Performance. Last fall, she portrayed the Beggar Woman in the
UNCG Theatre/School of Music production of Sweeney Todd and sang in the ensemble of
Barnum’s Bird. Ms. Whittington has appeared with the Long Leaf Opera in productions of
Vanessa, Kismet, and Venus and Adonis, and has been seen in Capital Opera Raleigh
productions of L’Elisir d’Amore and Madama Butterfly. She teaches voice lessons and
children’s music at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Durham.
ARTISTIC STAFF BIOGRAPHIES
David Holley (Producer/Stage Director/Conductor/Choreographer) is the Director of Opera
at UNCG, where his productions have consistently won awards in the National Opera
Association’s Opera Production Competition, including first place for Susannah (2004),
Little Women (2003), Orpheus in the Underworld (2001), The Consul (2000), Dialogues of
the Carmelites (1997), Amahl and the Night Visitors (1996), and Don Giovanni (1994). An
active performer as well, he has sung leading tenor roles such as Tamino, Romeo, and
Pinkerton throughout the United States and Canada. Mr. Holley is the librettist for Libby
Larsen’s operatic adaptation of William Inge’s Picnic, commissioned by the UNCG School
of Music which will be premiered at UNCG in April of 2009.
Trent Pcenicni (Principal Costume Design and Construction/Make-up and Wig Supervisor)
has worked in Theatre, Opera, and Film for many years as an actor, singer, dancer,
designer, and technician. He apprenticed with wigmaster Cindy Ludwig of The Baltimore
Opera Company and works professionally as a wig and makeup artist; he worked as a
designer in and around Asheville, NC until moving to Greensboro in 2005 to attend UNCG.
Trent was the costume shop manager at Blue Ridge Community College for 3 years and
now acts as the Wardrobe and Wig master at Triad Stage.
Erin Stevie (Lighting Designer) founded Imagine Design and Production Company with her
husband Eric after graduating from UNCG with degrees in design and production. Erin has
worked often and in different capacities with the UNCG Opera Theatre, including as lighting
designer for Barnum’s Bird, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Consul, and Little Women. The latter two
of these won first place in the National Opera Association Opera Production Competition in
2001 and 2004, respectively.
Pamela McDermott (Chorus Master/Assistant Conductor) is a first-year doctoral student at
UNCG, where she served as the chorus master for last fall’s UNCG Opera Theatre
production of Libby Larsen’s Barnum’s Bird. She comes to us from Farmville, VA where
she was teaching at Longwood University, working with the Commonwealth Chorale, and
leading church music. Ms. McDermott has degrees from James Madison University and
East Carolina University. She has conducted Amahl and the Night Visitors and has
accompanied opera scenes, but most of her stage experience comes from the circus-like
atmosphere of high school, community, and resort productions as a singer, actress, dancer,
choreographer, accompanist and/or director.
Susan Young (Repetiteur) is the staff accompanist at Greensboro College but is no
stranger to UNCG, where she earned her MM in Accompanying and has served as the
pianist for numerous UNCG Opera Theatre productions, including this year’s production of
Barnum’s Bird. Originally from Valdese, NC, Ms. Young’s professional credits include
playing for a touring production of Amahl and the Night Visitors with Opera Carolina and
recording two soundtracks for New York tours of shows. She is presently serving as the
Music Director and Organist at College Place UMC, and served as supertitle operator for
three Greensboro Opera productions.
Christy Wisuthseriwong (Repetiteur) a native of Raleigh, NC, is currently pursuing her
DMA in collaborative piano at the UNCG, where she studies with Dr. Andrew Harley. She
received her BM in piano performance and pedagogy at Meredith College and her MM in
collaborative piano under Benton Hess at UNCG. Christy has been a piano teacher at the
Music Academy of North Carolina since 2006 and has worked in the Greensboro area as a
freelance pianist at UNCG, Greensboro College, and Guilford College. She has served as
accompanist for many UNCG Opera Theatre productions, including Conrad Susa’s The
Wise Women, Menotti’s The Consul and The Old Maid and the Thief, Offenbach’s Orpheus
and the Underworld, and the North Carolina premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women.
ORCHESTRA
David Holley, Conductor
Violin I
Jane York, Concertmistress
Violin II
Theresa Fox
Gretchen Heller*
Viola
Angela Toney
Cello
Diane Bonds
Bass
Stephen Jackson
Flute
Allison Fletcher
Laura Pritchett Kaufman*
Oboe
Thomas Turanchik
Mark Biggam*
Clarinet
Shawn Copeland
Holly Kortze*
Percussion
Mike Austin
* February 8 performance
Orchestration by Edmond Rickett, used by permission from G. Schirmer, Inc., copyright
owner
*****************************************************************************************************
The UNCG Opera Theatre would like to thank the following, without whom this production
would not have been possible:
Dr. John J. Deal Noah Hock Blondie Johnson
Jennifer Scott Ella Thompson Amy Moore
Cort McClaren Trent Pcenicni Wyndell Earles
Marshall Johnson Nathan Olawsky Eve Hubbard
Steve Gilliam Dianna Carter Neal Thacker
Jerry Kidd Juanita Dunlap Janice Wells
Jane York The Ohio Light Opera First Presbyterian Church
Melody Choplin Grimsley High School Richard Zaruba
Keith Miller Jeannie Craddock HBD. Inc.
Jill Yesko Susan Wilson
PRODUCTION STAFF
Producer/Stage Director/Choreographer David Holley
Chorus Master/Assistant Conductor Pamela McDermott
Repetiteurs Susan Young, Christy Wisuthseriwong
Lighting Designer Erin Stevie
Scene Designer David Holley
Scenic painter Jennifer Baker
Light Board Operator Erin Stevie
Flyman Andrew Owens
Principal Costume Design and construction Trent Pcenicni
Katisha costume design and construction Eastern Costume Company
Men’s Chorus costumes Ohio Light Opera
Women’s Chorus costumes Eastern Costume Company
Costume Running Crew Ashley Newby, Sarah Huff
Make-up Supervisor/Wigs/Facial Hair Trent Pcenicni
Opera Theatre Graduate Assistants Natalie Fagnan, Andrew Owens
Program Typesetting and Printing Noah Hock
Supertitles Natalie Fagnan, David Holley
Supertitle Operator Christy Wisuthseriwong
Media Sonsor WMAG – 99.5 FM
Poster and Cover Design Trent Pcenicni
********************************************************************************************************
MEDIA SPONSOR
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The UNCG School of Music has been recognized for years as one of the elite
music institutions in the United States. Fully accredited by the National
Association of Schools of Music since 1938, the School offers the only
comprehensive music program from undergraduate through doctoral study in
both performance and music education in North Carolina. From a total
population of approximately 16,000 university students, the UNCG School of
Music serves over 600 music majors with a full-time faculty and staff of more than
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Music in the South.
The UNCG School of Music now occupies a new 26-million-dollar music building,
which is among the finest music facilities in the nation. In fact, the new music
building is the second-largest academic building on the UNCG Campus. A large
music library with state-of-the-art playback, study and research facilities houses
all music reference materials. Greatly expanded classroom, studio, practice
room, and rehearsal hall spaces are key components of the new structure. Two
new recital halls, a large computer lab, a psychoacoustics lab, electronic music
labs, and recording studio space are additional features of the new facility. In
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Living in the artistically thriving Greensboro—Winston-Salem—High Point “Triad”
area, students enjoy regular opportunities to attend and perform in concerts
sponsored by such organizations as the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the
Greensboro Opera Company, and the Eastern Music Festival. In addition,
UNCG students interact first-hand with some of the world’s major artists who
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Costs of attending public universities in North Carolina, both for in-state and out-of-
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(336) 334-5789
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