2009-11-20 Opera [recital program]

              School of Music
U N C G
UNCG Opera Theater presents:
Gilbert & Sullivanʼs Mozartʼs
Trial The
by Jury Impresario
November 20-22, 2009
Aycock Auditorium
The Impresario
Music by English translation by
W. A. Mozart Geoffrey Dunn
Adaptation, orchestration and original dialogue
David Holley
First performed on February 7, 1786
Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
Cast
Madame Heartmelt, an aging diva ............................................................................................ Liz Frazer *
Lisa Foerster +
Mademoiselle Warblewell, a young and, as of yet, untested singer ....................................... Tara Sperry *
Elizabeth Westerman Yoder +
Mr. / Ms. Cash, the Impresario(a) of the local opera company .......................................Lindell O. Carter *
Sylvia Sharp +
The Stage Manager..................................................................................................................Sylvia Sharp *
Lindell O. Carter +
The Tenor ......................................................................................................................................Logan Cox
* performing November 20 & 22
+ performing November 21
Synopsis
Dueling Sopranos!! The stuff of reality television!! When the curtain opens, we are in the midst of a
performance (by a modern opera company) of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury. When the leading lady
(Angelina) misses her entrance and cannot be found, two of the sopranos from the chorus step forward to
suggest that they should sing the role in her absence. They try to prove to the Impresario (Cash) just why
they should be given the chance to sing the part.
Director’s note for The Impresario
Our presentation of The Impresario is an exciting realization of one of the primary goals of a
comprehensive music education program: for the academic aspect of music (theory, history, etc.) to inform,
improve and influence the performance area of the discipline. Last spring, I gave one of our Doctoral
students, Philip van Lidth de Juede, a question on his comprehensive exams, in which I presented to him
the following hypothetical scenario: you are the director of a university opera program producing
Menotti’s one-act opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. Create a budget and choose another one-act with
which to pair Amahl. Philip came up with the idea that, on the evening of an Amahl performance, the
soprano singing the part of the Mother was stuck in traffic, and it was clear that she would not make it in
time for the beginning of the show. Two shepherdesses from the chorus stepped forward to compete for the
chance to sing the Mother, and thus, performed Mozart’s The Impresario. I thought it was a brilliant idea!
This past summer, as I was debating what show to present as the fall opera, I knew it was time to do
another Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, since the UNCG Opera Theatre presents G&S every two years. I
thought of Trial by Jury, which we had not mounted since presenting it at the Guilford County Courthouse
in 1999. Indeed, I had previously programmed Trial by Jury and The Impresario as a double-bill at the
Southern Light Opera in 1992. When I recalled Philip’s very creative concept, I thought it would be well-suited
to these two operas, and I called him to ask his permission to use/adapt his idea. So - thank you
Philip for providing the inspiration for this evening’s entertainment via a rigorous academic endeavor!
*****Intermission*****
Trial by Jury
Words by
W.S. Gilbert
Music by
Sir Arthur Sullivan
Orchestration by
Edmund Rickett
(by permission of G. Schirmer, Inc.)
First performed on March 25, 1785
Royalty Theatre, London
Dramatis Personae
The Learned Judge ....................................................................................................................... James Keith
The Plaintiff (Angelina) ..................................................................................................... Carmen Prather *
Stacy Dove +
The Defendant (Edwin) ............................................................................................. H. F. Kelly W. Burns *
C. Blayne Ziegenfuss +
Counsel for the Plaintiff ....................................................................................................... R. Kyle Melton *
Charles Williamson +
Usher ....................................................................................................................... Edward Vaughn Clegg *
Michael D. Jones +
Foreman of the Jury ............................................................................................Christopher Paul Juengel *
James G. Williams +
Bridesmaids ....................................................................................................................... Chelsea Bonagura
Laura Dawalt
Miranda Freeman
Karen Hayden
Joann Martinson
JoAna Rusche
* performing November 20 & 22
+ performing November 21
Ensemble of Townspeople and Jurymen
Dana Boyle
Rebekah Bray
Emily Byrne
Margaret Carpenter
Liane Elias
Alice Henderson
Jessica Mariskanish
Anne Claire Niver
Ciara O’Neill-Mendoza
Rachel Roby
Ashlea Ross
Maggie Schwenker
Julia MacDonald
Erica Wonder
William Britto
Kelly Burns
David Clark
Edward Vaughn Clegg
Michael D. Jones
Gerand Jordan
Chris Juengel
Kyle Melton
Paolo Pacheco
Charles Williamson
Blayne Ziegenfuss
James Williams
Scene: A Court of Justice
Argument
Edwin, tiring of his sweetheart, Angelina, falls in love with another; Angelina accordingly hails him into
court for breach of promise. At the rise of the curtain, the Usher, while enjoining impartiality of the
Jurymen, shows a definite partiality himself for the fair Plaintiff. Edwin explains that he simply happened
to fall in love with another girl. Though both the Jury and Judge indicate that they have had similar
episodes in their past, they have little sympathy for him.
After the Jury is sworn in, Angelina appears and immediately captivates all the men present. Her lawyer
gives a stirring speech, and she falls sobbing on his breast
Edwin proposes various solutions, but in vain. He offers to marry her if he may marry his other sweetheart
later, but her lawyer objects. Edwin tries to dissuade her from wanting to marry him at all, saying that
when he is drunk he would beat her. The Judge proposes the Edwin be made drunk to see whether he
would, but her lawyer objects again.
Finally, the Judge, disgusted at the objections and eager to get away, marries Angelina himself.
(by permission of G. Schirmer, Inc.)
***************************
Orchestra
David Holley, Conductor
Violin I
Jane York
Violin II
Theresa Fox
Viola
Diane Phoenix-Neal
Cello
Diane Bonds
Bass
Rebecca Marland
Flute
Jared Edmiston
Oboe
Thomas Turanchik
Clarinet
Jonathan Salter
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Production Staff
Aycock Auditorium Manager ........................................................................................................ Brian Fuller
Aycock Auditorium Technical Director ....................................................................................... James Goins
Producer/Stage Director/Conductor..............................................................................................David Holley
Assistant Music Director and Principal Coach.......................................................................Benjamin Blozan
Chorus Master (Trial by Jury) .......................................................................................................James Keith
Repetiteurs/Chorus rehearsal pianists ................................................................ Pamela Meys Kane, Wei Jiao
Lighting Designer ............................................................................................................................Eric Stevie
Set Designer ................................................................................................................................David Holley
Stage Manager ................................................................................................................................Erin Stevie
Light Board Operator ..................................................................................................................... Laurell Bell
Sound Board Operator ............................................................................................................... Alex McCourt
Flyman ...................................................................................................................................Geoffrey Tilford
Deck Hand/Props ............................................................................................................................Jeb Medley
Costumes .............................................................................Juanita Dunlap, Eastern Costume, Trent Pcenicni
Make-up Supervisor/Wigs/Facial Hair ...................................................................................... Trent Pcenicni
Costume Mistress ............................................................................................................................Ivey Barker
Opera Theatre Graduate Assistants ...................................................................Edward Clegg, JoAna Rusche
Program Typesetting and Printing .................................................................................................. Noah Hock
Supertitles ...........................................................................................................JoAna Rusche, David Holley
Supertitle Operators ........................................................................................................... Pamela Meys Kane
Wei Jiao
Artist Biographies
Chelsea Bonagura (Bridesmaid) is a first year MM student in Vocal Performance studying with Dr. Carla
LeFevre. A soprano, she earned a BM from the Eastman School of Music in her hometown of Rochester,
NY, where she was featured as Aloes in Chabrier’s L’Etoile, as well as in several newly composed operas.
She has performed in the United States and Italy, spent several summers studying in Europe (including
France, Italy, and Germany), and she has sung with world-renowned tenor Gregory Kunde and his
orchestra and chorale in Rochester.
H. F. Kelly W. Burns (Edwin) has performed roles in opera, operetta, musicals, concert works, and plays
with the Manhattan School of Music Opera Studio, the University of Mississippi Opera Theater, the Lyric
Opera Studio Weimar, and the Oxford Shakespeare Festival. He holds a BM in Vocal Performance and an
MM degree in conducting from the University of Mississippi. Mr. Burns has appeared on the concert stage
as tenor soloist in Messiah, Chichester Psalms, Hailstork's I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes with the Memphis
Symphony Orchestra, and Mozart's Requiem. He is pursuing his DMA and is a student of Dr. Robert
Bracey.
Lindell O. Carter (The Impresario), a native of the Bronx, NY, has been called “a promising young tenor
… who lacks nothing in power and carry.” Recent operatic credits include Gastone in La traviata and Boy
1 in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, both with the Greensboro Opera, as well as Kaspar in Amahl and the
Night Visitors and Jenik in The Bartered Bride with the UNCG Opera Theatre. Lindell made his European
debut this summer in Paris with a recital of French mélodie and has appeared as tenor soloist in Messiah,
Mozart’s Requiem, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah.
Edward Vaughn Clegg (Usher) was a Grace Moore Scholar at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville,
where he received a BM in Vocal Performance before beginning his MM in Vocal Performance at UNCG
last fall. A bass-baritone and student of Dr. Donald Hartmann, Edward is a Graduate Teaching Assistant
and has performed the roles of King Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) and Kecal (The Bartered
Bride) with the UNCG Opera Theatre. Other credits (from UT) include Norton (La Cambiale di
Matrimonio), Fiorello (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Elder Ott (Susannah), and Snug (A Midsummer Night’s
Dream).
Logan Cox (The Impresario Tenor) hails from Hillsboro and made his UNCG Opera Theatre debut in The
Mikado in 2008. He is a Junior Vocal Performance major and a member of the UNCG Chorale and the
Spartones. Last summer, Mr. Cox sang the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
with the Orange Community Players. He studies voice with Dr. Nancy Walker.
Laura Dawalt (Bridesmaid) earned her undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance from Wheaton
College in Illinois. Ms. Dawalt studies with Dr. Robert Bracey and is a second year MM student at UNCG,
where she covered and sang the role of Christine Schoenwalder in Libby Larsen’s Picnic last Spring. Other
recent credits include Amy in Little Women and Miss Titmouse in Too Many Sopranos. She has also sung
in Susannah, Candide, Camelot and La Bohème with the Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music
Festival.
Stacy Dove (Angelina) began her performance career on the musical theatre stage, appearing in such roles
as The Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods) and Marty (Grease). A trained dancer, she danced and sang in Crazy
for You, Will Rogers Follies, and Brigadoon. Last spring, Miss Dove made her operatic stage debut as
Esmeralda in the Greensboro Opera Company’s “Opera at the Carolina” performance of Smetana’s The
Bartered Bride and sang in scenes from Ariadne auf Naxos and Lakmé in student-directed scenes in
August. Stacy earned a BM in Vocal Performance from Liberty University before pursuing her MM with
Dr. Nancy Walker at UNCG.
Lisa Foerster (Madame Heartmelt) is a coloratura soprano in her first year as a DMA student of Dr. Nancy
Walker. A recipient of the Hayes Fellowship, Ms. Foerster taught voice and related courses for five years
at Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC. With a BM from St. Olaf College and an MM and Artist Diploma
from the Cleveland Institute of Music, she made her professional operatic debut with Lyric Opera
Cleveland, singing the roles of Marie in Daughter of the Regiment and Blondchen in Abduction from the
Seraglio. She then spent thirteen years performing in Germany, appearing with the Theater Nordhausen in a
variety of roles, including the Queen of the Night, Frasquita, and Olympia.
Liz Frazer (Madame Heartmelt) is pursuing a DMA in Vocal Performance at UNCG, where she won the
2009 Concerto Competition. She is an active recitalist and soloist and recently performed in
Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Haydn’s St. Nikolai Mass, and A Good Man is Hard to Find, a new opera by
David Volk. Miss Frazer received her BA at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, where she
performed the title role in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanthe and Abigail in The Crucible by Robert Ward. Her stage
credits at East Carolina University, where she received her MM, included a reprise of Abigail in The
Crucible, as well as Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites and Elisa in Mozart’s Il re pastore.
Miranda Freeman (Bridesmaid) is a Sophomore Vocal Performance major from New Hampshire studying
with Dr. Robert Wells. She made her UNCG Opera Theatre debut in Amahl and the Night Visitors last fall
and sang the role of Hata in The Bartered Bride last spring. Favorite past roles include Rosa Bud (The
Mystery of Edwin Drood), Edith (Pirates of Penzance), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), and Hansel (Hansel and
Gretel). She is excited to be involved in another opera here at UNCG and wishes to thank all of the people
who put so much effort into the show! Miranda is a member of the University Chorale.
Karen Hayden (Bridesmaid) studies with Dr. Robert Wells in pursuit of her MM in Vocal Performance.
She received her BM from the UNC School of the Arts, where she portrayed Lisetta in Haydn’s Il mondo
della luna, Shirley Kaplan in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and Miss Todd in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the
Thief. She has sung as a chorus member with the Magnolia Baroque Festival and in numerous operas with
UNCSA and Piedmont Opera. Karen attended the University of Miami Frost School of Music Summer at
Salzburg, where she was a winner of the program’s performance competition. Earlier this month,
she appeared in the ensemble of Greensboro Opera's production of Verdi's La Traviata.
Michael D. Jones (Usher) is a Sophomore pursuing a BA at UNCG in the studio of Dr. Donald Hartmann.
His operatic credits include Colline in La Bohème, Fiorello in the Barber of Seville, Count Paris in Romeo
and Juliet, Tom in Un Ballo in Maschera, and King Theseus in the musical A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
In addition, he has been a member of the Opera Carolina Educational Outreach Touring program. As a
concert violinist, Michael has toured Europe and performed throughout the Southeastern United States and
served as the concertmaster of the West Shore Symphony.
James Keith (The Learned Judge and Chorus Master) hails from Phoenix, AZ. He is in his second year as
a Doctoral student in Choral Conducting and is the director of the UNCG Men's Glee Club. He received his
MM from UNCG and his bachelor's degrees in Vocal Performance and historic automotive restoration from
McPherson College, McPherson, Kansas; James was featured on the History Channel for his restoration
work on President Eisenhower's 1942 Cadillac limousine, housed at the Eisenhower Presidential Library.
James has enjoyed his past performances with UNCG Opera Theatre, including the roles of Pish-Tush in
Mikado, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, and the Uncle in the world premiere of Seth Colaner’s He Cried
Uncle.
Christopher Paul Juengel (Foreman of the Jury) is currently completing a BA in Voice at UNCG and will
be graduating in December of 2009. A veteran of the UNCG Opera Theatre, operas in which he has
appeared include HMS Pinafore, The Tender Land, Libby Larsen’s Barnum’s Bird, and The Mikado. Chris
and his wife, Meredith, recently welcomed their first child into the world and are thankful for all the many
blessings life has offered them. He is excited to be a part of one last opera with UNCG before graduating,
especially another Gilbert & Sullivan show.
Joann Martinson (Bridesmaid) appeared as the soprano soloist in Haydn’s Creation with the Choral
Society of Greensboro earlier this month. Ms. Martinson has performed operatic roles including Barbarina,
Yum-Yum, Adele, Norina and Violetta. She has also participated in productions of The Merry Widow, La
Bohème, and La Traviata as part of Western Plains Opera and Emerald City Opera’s Artist Institute. A
frequent NATS winner, she also won the 2003 Encouragement Award and Bel Canto Institute Orchestral
Performance Award. Joann received her BA from Minot State University (as a student of Dr. DeVera
Bowles) and is currently pursuing her MM at UNCG, where she studies with Dr. Robert Bracey.
R. Kyle Melton, (Counsel for the Plaintiff) was a member of the ensemble in Greensboro Opera’s recent
production of La traviata. He is pursuing a BM in Vocal Performance at UNCG; his portrayal of the
Counsel is his first principal role with UNCG Opera Theatre. A Sophomore born in Valdese, NC, he
appeared in the ensembles of Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Bartered Bride last year. A student of
Dr. Robert Bracey, Mr. Melton won First Place in the 2009 NC NATS auditions and placed third in the
Mid-Atlantic Regional auditions.
Carmen Prather (Angelina) is a second year Master’s student in Vocal Performance and studies with Dr.
Carla LeFevre. She received her BM in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Shorter College.
While singing with the Shorter Chorale, Carmen performed on Cathedral tours in England and Italy,
performing in notable venues such as St. Mark's Basilica and St. Peter's Basilica. Since moving to
Greensboro, Carmen has served as a Choral Scholar for Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church. Her
previous roles include Dianna in Orpheus in the Underworld and the title roles in Suor Angelica and Dido
and Aeneas.
JoAna Rusche (Bridesmaid) mezzo-soprano, has performed with the outreach program of Long Leaf
Opera Company and, this fall, performed with the Greensboro Opera Company in the ensemble of La
traviata. Her operatic roles include Fidalma (Il Matrimonio Segreto), the Parisian Journalist (Les mamelles
de Tirésias) and Babs (Just for the Night). She studied music abroad in Italy and in the United Kingdom at
the Royal Academy of Music in London. Ms. Rusche holds a BM in Vocal and Piano Performance from
UNC Chapel Hill, where she was a recipient of the Sidney M. Dowd Piano Scholarship. Currently, she is
pursuing an MM in Vocal Performance at UNCG as a student of Dr. Clara O’Brien.
Sylvia Sharp (The Impresaria) received an MM from The Cleveland Institute of Music, where her roles
ranged from Mrs Hildebrand in Street Scene to Fidalma in Il Matrimonio Segreto. She most recently
appeared in Greensboro Opera Company’s L’Elisir d’Amore and La traviata, and last spring covered and
sang the role of Irma in Libby Larsen’s Picnic with the UNCG Opera Theatre. She performed two seasons
with Cleveland Opera and recorded the role of Anna from Randall Thompson’s Nativity on the Koch label.
A student of Dr. Robert Wells, Ms. Sharp is pursuing an MM in Vocal Performance at UNCG.
Tara Sperry (Mademoiselle Warblewell) created the role of Millie Owens in the world premiere of Libby
Larsen’s Picnic last spring, commissioned by the UNCG School of Music. She is pursuing her MM,
studying with Dr. Robert Bracey. She received her BM from the University of Utah, where she sang the
roles of Jenny Hildebrand in Street Scene, Fanchette in The Lantern Marriage, and Frasquita in Carmen.
In addition to her operatic credits, she has appeared on the concert stage as the soprano soloist in
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Handel’s Messiah, and Faure’s Requiem. During the summer of 2005, Ms.
Sperry participated in La Musica Lirica Young Artist Program in Urbania, Italy.
James G. Williams (Foreman of the Jury) is a Sophomore pursuing his BM in Vocal Performance at
UNCG, where he studies with Dr. Robert Wells. He has appeared in several UNCG Opera Theatre
productions, including last spring’s The Bartered Bride, in which he played the role of the Daredevil.
He is a graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, where under the
tutelage of Tom Dickinson, he participated in various opera scenes from Mozart’s Così fan tutte and The
Marriage of Figaro.
Charles Williamson (Counsel for the Plaintiff), tenor, is “an audience favorite…with a robust voice”
(Classical Voice North Carolina). Charles has portrayed Vasek in The Bartered Bride and Kaspar in
Amahl and the Night Visitors with the UNCG Opera Theatre, as well as Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus at
NC Central University. In May of 2009, Charles sang a recital in his native Passaic, New Jersey and
premiered two scenes from Criseyde, a new opera by American composer Alice Shields, in Greensboro.
Mr. Williamson recently won First Place in the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs state competition
and studies with Levone Tobin-Scott, as he pursues his MM at UNCG.
Elizabeth Westerman Yoder (Mademoiselle Warblewell), soprano, was a masters merit scholarship
student at Florida State University, where she studied with Metropolitan Opera Tenor Stanford Olsen.
Since then, she has been a young artist with Orlando Opera, the Janiec Opera Company (Brevard Music
Festival), the Seagle Music Colony, and the Asolo Music Festival. She created the role of Edda Saint Juste
in the new opera, Bliss, by conductor and composer Joseph Illick, who has written music specifically for
Elizabeth. Currently, Ms. Westerman Yoder is a student of Dr. Carla LeFevre and a Graduate Teaching
Assistant, as she pursues her DMA in Vocal Performance at UNCG.
C. Blayne Ziegenfuss (Edwin) is a Junior Vocal Performance major at UNCG. Previous UNCG Opera
Theatre appearances include the role of the Circus Ringmaster in The Bartered Bride and participation in
the ensembles of The Mikado and Amahl and the Night Visitors. A student of Dr. Donald Hartmann, he
placed third in the NC NATS auditions last spring. Mr. Ziegenfuss made his Greensboro Opera debut this
month, singing in the ensemble of La traviata. Originally from Hendersonville, NC, his stage credits also
include leading roles in musicals such as Guys and Dolls and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum.
ARTISTIC STAFF
Benjamin Blozan (Assistant Music Director and Principal Coach) received his MM in Accompanying and
Opera Coaching from Temple University, his MM in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Illinois, his
BA from Warren Wilson College and is currently pursuing his DMA in Collaborative Piano from
UNCG. Benjamin has attended workshops at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria,
the Académie International d’Eté de Nice, and the Académie de Villecroze. An experienced vocal coach,
accompanist, and performer, Benjamin has worked at Opera Carolina, Nashville Opera, Lake George
Opera, Delaware Valley Opera Company, Westminster Choir College, Illinois Wesleyan University, and
Illinois State University. His primary teachers include Andrew Harley, James Douglass, Lambert Orkis,
Dalton Baldwin, John Douglas, and Charlie Abramovic.
David Holley (Producer/Stage Director/Conductor/Set Designer) has been the Director of Opera at UNCG
since 1992. Last April, he produced, directed and wrote the libretto for the UNCG Opera Theatre’s world
premiere of Libby Larsen’s Picnic, which was commissioned by the UNCG School of Music. In June, Mr.
Holley performed, lectured and gave Master Classes in universities and concert halls throughout China with
four winners from the Fourth Annual Charles A. Lynam Vocal Competition. His productions at UNCG
have consistently won awards in the National Opera Association’s annual Opera Production Competition,
including seven first place awards 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) and three second place designations for La vida breve (2008), Albert Herring (1997),
and Gianni Schicchi (1993).
Wei Jiao (Repetiteur and Chorus Rehearsal Pianist) was born in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, P. R. China
and received her BA in Music Education in China. She went on to receive her BM in Piano Performance at
Columbus State University in Columbus, GA and earned her MM in Piano Performance at Syracuse
University. She is now pursuing a DMA at UNCG, where she is a full-time graduate assistant for the
UNCG Opera Theatre and group piano classes.
Pamela Meys Kane (Repetiteur and Chorus Rehearsal Pianist) is a DMA Organ Performance student at
UNCG. She holds both a BM and MM in Organ from Catholic University in Washington, DC, where she
played Sunday liturgies and concertized at The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. In addition
to church and recital work, Pam taught elementary, middle and high school music in New Jersey, Arizona
and Maryland for over twenty five years. As a veteran teacher, she was selected to serve with the Master
Teacher Collaborative for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, Pam founded and directed
her own performing arts school in Morristown, NJ which continues to serve over 300 students per year.
Eric Stevie (Lighting Designer) is a 2001 graduate of UNCG with a BFA in Theatrical Design and
Production. Some of his past lighting design credits include Orpheus in the Underworld (for the UNCG
Opera Theatre), which won the 2001 National Opera Association Opera Production Competition, The Little
Princess, The Nutcracker, and Liza and the Riddling Cave and The Promise. Eric and his wife, Erin,
founded and own Imagine Design & Production Services Inc, a local production company providing
lighting, sound and design support for events throughout the Southeast. In his free time Eric enjoys
traveling, rock climbing, sailing and windsurfing.
Trent Pcenicni (Make-up Supervisor/Wig Designer) has worked in Theatre, Opera, and Film for many
years as an actor, singer, dancer, designer, and technician. Trained at the Baltimore Opera Company, he has
a strong passion for Lighting, Set, and Costume design. Mr. Pcenicni worked as a designer in and around
Asheville until moving to Greensboro in 2005. Since moving to the Triad he has worked for Triad Stage,
Community Theatre of Greensboro, Open Space Café Theatre, NCA&T School of Drama, and NCSA.
This production marks the fifth UNCG Opera Theatre production on which he has worked.
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Emergency Exit Information & Concert Etiquette
Patrons are encouraged to take note of exits located in all areas of the auditorium. In an emergency, please
use the nearest exit, which may be behind you or different from the one which you entered.
Please turn off cellular phones, pagers, and alarm watches. As a courtesy to other audience members and to
the performers, please wait for a break in the performance to enter or exit the hall.
Program Note: The Impresario
Many of Europe’s great palaces have a building called an “orangery,” a heated space where delicate plants
are kept in the winter months away from the outdoor snow and cold. Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace is no
exception. Its orangery is a large structure, 26 feet wide but more than 625 feet long, and is warmed by hot
water flowing through a series of troughs under the floor. Metal grates allow the heat to rise into the room.
It is the unique design of this room that made it the ideal location for the premiere of Mozart’s Der
Schauspieldirektor on a cold February day in 1786.
Duke Albert of Sachen-Teschen in the Netherlands and his wife, Archduchess Marie Christine, sister of the
Austrian Emperor, were planning to visit Vienna, as was Prince Stanislas Poniatowski, King of Poland.
Emperor Joseph II decided to have a special reception for the guests, and the only room large enough to
house such an event – that could also be heated – was the orangery at Schönbrunn. The palace was the
summer home of the Hapsburgs, so heating its ceremonial rooms was not necessary. And for what the
Emperor had in mind, no room at the Hofburg in central Vienna would work.
Joseph II’s idea was to have a sumptuous afternoon meal followed by two short operas, one in Italian and
the other in German. Antonio Salieri, who would be named the Imperial Kapellmeister two years later, was
commissioned to write the Italian work, Prima la musica e poi de parole (“First the music, then the
words”). Mozart’s contribution was the Der Schauspieldirektor (“The Impresario”). This was a Singspiel –
a theater piece in German with spoken dialogue and musical numbers. The long, narrow shape of the room
allowed for stages to be set up at either end, and the audience moved from one end to the other between
works. As Salieri was a favored composer of the monarchy, his opera was performed at the west end of the
orangery, closer to the palace. From appetizers to the final musical notes, the entire event took six hours.
The following day, the Wiener Zeitung printed the following account of the occasion:
The Orangery had been prepared most lavishly and attractively for luncheon of the guests. The table,
beneath the orange trees, was most prettily decorated with both local and exotic flowers, blossoms
and fruits … After the banquet, a new play with arias, called Der Schauspieldirektor, was performed
by actors of the Imperial and Royal National Theater on a stage especially erected at one end of the
orangery. At the conclusion, an opera buffa, likewise newly composed for the occasion, and entitled
Prima la musica e poi de parole, was given by the company of the Court Opera, on the Italian stage
erected at the other end. All this time, the orangery was most gloriously illuminated with numerous
lights from candelabra and wall brackets.
Neither composer’s name was mentioned in the review.
Although the Emperor apparently enjoyed Salieri’s work more than Mozart’s, after the two works were
performed four days later in the Kärntnertortheater, the newspaper critics had the opposite opinion. One
said that the singspiel “contained some special beauties,” while another preferred the German music to the
Italian and “that is surely not the result of national pride.”
The plot of Der Schauspieldirektor was suggested to librettist Gottlieb Stephanie by the Emperor himself.
Comedies that tell of behind-the-scenes workings of a theater were quite common at the time. This
particular story was set in Salzburg, and this must have had a special meaning for Mozart. It was in the
town of his birth that the great composer learned to love the stage, and is where he first met Emanuel
Schikaneder, who would later commission, write the libretto, and play the lead role in Mozart’s best-known
singspiele, Die Zauberflöte. (Mozart’s other well-known singspiel is Die Entführung aus dem Serail, also
with a libretto by Stephanie.)
For their efforts, Salieri received one hundred ducats while Mozart received only fifty. This is actually
fitting because the Singspiel contained only limited music: an overture, two arias, and two ensembles.
Mozart had been in the middle of composing Le nozze di Figaro when the commission for Der
Schauspieldirektor arrived. He took a break from the larger work, and, between January 18 and February 3,
1786, wrote the Singspiel performed tonight. It was finished a mere five days before its premiere, which, as
was typical of the day, did not leave much time for rehearsal. One can hardly imagine such a situation
today.
David L. Nelson
Professor of Music, UNCG
Mandolin provided courtesy of
The Music Barn
920 S. Chapman Street
Greensboro, NC 27403
(336) 272-2118
www.musicbarninc.com
***************************
Scenery consultation, construction, staining and finishing by:
Imagine Design
and
Production Services, LLC
www.imaginedps.com
(336) 299-2962
(336) 299-2966 - fax
info@imaginedps.com
6901 Downwind Road ~ Unit C
Greensboro, NC 27409
Upcoming UNCG Opera Events:
L’Enfant et les
Sortilege
(Ravel)
&
L’Enfant Prodigue
(Debussy)
April 8-9 & 11, 2010
Aycock Auditorium
***************************
Department of Vocal Studies Faculty
Dr. Robert Bracey, Chair
Dr. Donald Hartmann
Mr. David Holley, Director of Opera
Dr. Carla LeFevre
Ms. Clara O'Brien
Dr. Carole Ott, Choral
Ms. Levone Tobin-Scott
Dr. Nancy Walker
Dr. Robert Wells
Dr. Welborn Young, Director of Choral Activities
School of Music
U N C G
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
sixty. As such, the UNCG School of Music ranks among the largest Schools of
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
addition, an enclosed multi-level parking deck is adjacent to the new music
building to serve students, faculty and concert patrons.
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 frequently schedule informal
discussions, open rehearsals, and master classes at UNCG.
Costs of attending public universities in North Carolina, both for in-state and out-of-state
students, represent a truly exceptional value in higher education.
For information regarding music as a major or minor field of study, please write:
Dr. John J. Deal, Dean
UNCG School of Music
P.O. Box 26170
Greensboro, North Carolina 27402-6170
(336) 334-5789
On the Web: www.uncg.edu/mus/