The UNCG Musical Arts Guild and
UNCG Opera Theatre present
Amahl and the Night
Visitors
Music and Libretto by
Gian-Carlo Menotti
November 16-18, 2012
Aycock Auditorium
The UNCG Musical Arts Guild and UNCG Opera Theatre
present
AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS
Music and libretto by Gian-Carlo Menotti
By arrangement with G. Schirmer, publisher and copyright owner
Cast
(in order of vocal appearance)
Mother Jessica Johnson*
Sarah Love Taylor+
Amahl Donovan Elliott*
Alex Kotis+
Kaspar Ryan Brock*
Jonathan Ray+
Melchior William Anthony Volney Willis
Balthazar Lesly Dumé
The Page Eric Allen Langer II
Dancers Mary Beth Bulen
Stephany Rayburn
Matthew Rock
* performing November 16 & 18
+ performing November 17
Shepherds and Shepherdesses
Natalie Chamat
Holly Curtis
Amanda Girelli
Gretchen Krupp
Lydia Pion
Maggie Ramsey
Nicole Ramsey
Kari Ringgenberg
Georgia Smith
Hannah Thompson
Emily Wolber
Emma Young
Lauren Young
Susan Young
Sarah Zielinski
Jason Barrios
Matthew Bishop
Ryan Brock
Wilson Brooks
John Jones
Daniel Kosel
Aaron Matson
Andreas Nasser
Nicholas Del Prince
Jonathan Ray
James Smidt
Steven Taylor
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.
The Story of Amahl
Amahl, a crippled shepherd boy of twelve, lives with his mother, an
impoverished widow, in a nearly empty hut. They face a bleak future with little
food to eat or wood for fire. The three Wise Men, on their way to Bethlehem,
stop at the hut and request lodging for the night. Amahl and his mother
welcome them and offer to share what little they have. They are astonished at
the splendor of the Kings’ robes and the gifts being brought to the newborn
child, whom the mother, in her mind, identifies with her own son. The
shepherds, led by Amahl, approach and offer gifts and dances for the Kings.
Following the departure of the shepherds, all retire for the night. The mother
sings of the unfairness of the gifts going to a child whom the Kings do not know,
when she has a child who is starving. Under cover of darkness, while the three
Kings are asleep, the mother steals some of the gold and is caught in the act by
the Page. Amahl awakens and comes to her defense, beating on the Page and
urging Kaspar, one of the Kings, to intercede. Kaspar orders the Page to release
the mother, and Melchior says that she may keep the gold since the Child they
seek has no need of it. The mother is moved by Melchior’s description of the
Child and returns the gold while lamenting that she does not have a gift of her
own to give. Amahl offers his crutch which he lifts and, in so doing, takes a step
without it. The Kings give thanks to God for this miracle, and Amahl convinces
his mother that he should go with the Kings to present the crutch to the Child
himself. As dawn approaches, Amahl sets off with the Kings, and, as the
procession moves away, he plays on his pipe the tune with which the opera
began.
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Notes
What accounts for the popularity of Amahl over forty years after its premiere on
NBC television on December 24, 1951? It continues to receive more
performances than almost any other standard or contemporary opera. I would
imagine that the circumstances under which it was first presented have
something to do with its continuing popularity. Rather than a premiere attended
by a few hundred or even several thousand, the Hallmark Hall of Fame was
watched by millions in 1951 and the following seven years when the opera was
given live televised performances. Few, if any, operas have been afforded such a
launching. But beyond that first decade, it has continued to hold the imagination
of a public, that, I suspect, wants desperately to believe the opera’s essential
message of hope. Amahl’s crippled leg does not prevent his portrayal as one to
whom both parents and children can relate and empathize. The widowed
mother’s unswerving love for her son, even in the midst of poverty and his
tendency to fabricate stories, is as poignant and relevant today as when it was
written. Certainly the opera’s brevity and reduced forces expand both the
potential audience, through its appeal to children, and the number of groups that
can successfully mount a production of Amahl. But beyond these factors, I
remain convinced that Gian-Carlo Menotti has fashioned a miniature
masterpiece that holds our attention dramatically and lifts our spirits
musically… all around a central theme that suggests that it is through giving that
we receive. Do you believe in miracles?
William W. McIver
November , 1993
Artist Biographies
Mary Beth Bulen (Shepherd Dancer) is very excited to be dancing again in Amahl
this year! She is pursuing her MM in Voice at UNCG, where she performed the
role of Zerlina in Don Giovanni last spring and Kate in Greensboro Light Opera
and Song's The Pirates of Penzance last summer. Future engagements include
Emily in Help, Help the Globolinks! with the Greensboro Opera in February and
one of the Six Spirits in UNCG’s Cendrillon (Cinderella) next April. Ms. Bulen
made her operatic debut in Arezzo, Italy singing Hero in L’Egisto and Lisette in
La Rondine with the Oberlin in Italy program. A graduate of the Oberlin
Conservatory, she studies with Dr. Carla LeFevre.
Greensboro native Ryan Brock (Kaspar) was a young artist last summer with
Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, with whom he covered Rodolfo in La bohème at
the Royal Opera House of Oman and performed scenes from Verdi’s Rigoletto
and Otello. Ryan’s recent engagements include Lenski in Eugene Onegin with Bel
Cantanti Opera, and Ferrando in Così fan tutte with the Lyrique-en-Mer Festival
de Belle-Île. His concert appearances include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9,
Haydn’s Creation, and Bach’s Johannes Passion. While earning his BFA from
Carnegie Mellon University, Ryan sang Father Confessor in Dialogues of the
Carmelites, Kaplan and Sam in Street Scene, and Lucano in L’incoronazione di
Poppea.
Lesly Dumé (Balthazar) is reprising the role of Balthazar, which he performed in
last December’s UNCG Opera Theatre production of Amahl. He most recently
performed the role of Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance for the Greensboro Light
Opera and Song Young Artist Program. Other notable roles include the
Commendatore in Don Giovanni for the Greensboro Opera's "Opera at the
Carolina," and Max in Donizetti's Betly. He has appeared in scenes as Count
Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), and Papageno (The
Magic Flute). A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Mr. Dumé is
currently pursuing a MM in Vocal Performance at UNCG, studying with Dr.
Nancy Walker.
Donovan Elliott (Amahl) is a classical saxophonist and a future organist. He is a
seventh grade Caldwell Academy student who developed a passion for music at
an early age. He participated in First Baptist Choir Camp, Eastern Music Festival
Music Camp, Greensboro Youth Chorus, UNCG Summer Music Camp and the
Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, a prestigious academic summer arts program
for aspiring artists in grades three through twelve in Michigan. Donovan was
accepted into Duke Tip program in the fifth grade, elected to the Caldwell
Dialectic Student Council, and inducted into the Junior Beta Club in the sixth
grade. He enjoys reading historical novels, playing recreational soccer,
swimming and gardening. Today, he studies music under Robert Faub, Ann
Doyle, Elena Deangelis and John Alexander.
Melanie Greene (Choreographer) is a MFA student in the dance department at
UNCG. Beginning her dance career in high school, she has participated in a
variety of performance endeavors including North Carolina School of the Arts
summer intensive program, Modernextension Dance Company at UNC-Chapel
Hill, and the Martha Graham reconstruction of Steps in the Street at UNCG in the
spring of 2010. As an aspiring teacher, performer, and choreographer, Melanie is
excited to continue studies that facilitate the intersection of visual and
performing arts, pedagogy, and intellectual scholarship. This is her third
consecutive year participating in the performance and choreographic component
of the Amahl and the Night Visitors Shepherd’s dance.
Mezzo-soprano Jessica Johnson (Mother) recently earned her BA in Music from
the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she performed roles such as the
Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Vistors, Juno and Ino in Handel’s Semele,
Third Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. In
the summer of 2010, Jessica appeared with the Aspen Music Festival covering the
roles of Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro and Samira in Corigliano’s The Ghosts of
Versailles. In addition, Jessica recently placed in the National Association of
Teachers of Singing competition and the Alabama Federation of Music Clubs
competition. Jessica studies with Dr. Robert Bracey as she is pursuing her MM at
UNCG.
Alex Kotis (Amahl) is in the fourth grade and began singing and playing the
piano at an early age and has been active in the children’s choir at First
Presbyterian Church. While there, he performed in several musical productions
under the direction of Tom Shelton, including Feeding the 5,000, Jonah and the
Whale, and Moses and the Freedom Fanatics. Alex has been playing soccer since he
was five and enjoys playing football, biking, fishing with his grandfather and
hiking with his dog, as well as his latest passion: target shooting. This is Alex’s
first venture into opera and he is enjoying the professional experience he is
receiving at UNCG.
Eric Allen Langer II (Page), tenor, is a Junior Choral Music Education major at
UNCG, studying voice with Clara O’Brien. Eric has been performing opera since
2010 upon his arrival to UNCG, appearing as a servant in Don Giovanni and in
various opera ensembles, including Amahl and the Night Visitors, Die Fledermaus,
and the premier of Chicks. In addition Mr. Langer has been performing choral
music since 2002, and while at UNCG has performed with many of the choral
ensembles including the University Chorale and University Chamber Choir.
Jonathan Ray (Kaspar), tenor, graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 2010
with a degree in Music Education. Recently, he attended the Young Artist
Program Opera in the Ozarks, where one of the roles he played was Tamino in
Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. At ATU, he studied with Dr. Jon Clements and Dr.
Arlene Biebesheimer, and played several leading roles, including the title role in
Candide, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, and Henrik Egerman in A Little Night
Music. He is currently seeking his MM in Vocal Performance at UNCG, where he
studies with Dr. Carla LeFevre.
Stephany Rayburn (Shepherd Dancer) has a BA in Theatre from Wake Forest
University and is currently pursuing her MFA in Choreography at UNCG. She
has performed in many plays, musicals and dance concerts, but this is her first
opera. Stephany is trained in ballet, jazz and modern and is highly interested in
post-modern ideas of dance. After completing her Master’s degree, Stephany
hopes to teach dance technique as well as choreography at the collegiate level.
She would like to thank Melanie Greene for giving her this performance
opportunity and her loved ones for all their support.
Matthew Rock (Shepherd Dancer) is a Junior BFA Dance Performance major
with a double minor in BA Theatre Performance and Sign Language Interpreting
at UNCG. He first started his movement career in competitive and recreational
gymnastics. At eighteen, he transitioned to dance. He has choreographed
UNCG dance productions and choreographer classes, The Nutcracker,
gymnastics, and marching band. As dance provides Matthew another outlet to
passionately express himself, he hopes to enter the commercialized dance realm,
perform live theatre, dance for a company, choreograph a myriad of other works,
and possibly have his own arts program.
Mezzo-soprano Sarah Love Taylor (Mother) recently performed Ruth in The
Pirates of Penzance as part of Greensboro Light Opera and Song’s inaugural
season and the role of Oscar the Cat in the world premiere of Alejandro Rutty’s
The Fight to be Favorite with Greensboro Opera. In December 2012, she will sing
Handel's Messiah with the Roanoke College Choir. Her concert repertoire
includes appearances as a soloist with the Durham Symphony Orchestra and the
Concert Singers of Cary. Currently pursuing her MM at UNCG, where she
studies with Robert Wells, she received her undergraduate degrees from UNC-Chapel
Hill in Vocal Performance and French. An active member of the National
Association of Teachers of Singing, she maintains a private studio in Durham,
NC.
William Anthony Volney Willis (Melchior), baritone, sang the role of Warden
Frank in the UNCG Opera Theatre’s production of Die Fledermaus in the Spring
of 2011 and Mr. Gobineau in its production of The Medium in the fall of 2010. He
earned a BA in Vocal Performance from Salisbury University, and in 2006 and
2007 placed in the top three in his categories in the Maryland-Washington, D. C.
NATS auditions. Mr. Willis’ stage and oratorio credits include roles in Dido and
Aeneas and The Boyfriend, as well as Mendelssohn's Elijah, Mozart's Requiem, and
the Bach Magnificat. Prior to coming to UNCG to work on his MM degree, he
served on the faculty of Delaware State University as an adjunct voice instructor.
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Thank you to
Day Images Photography
Wedding Specialists
for photographing Dress Rehearsals
www.DayImages.com
Orchestra
David Holley, Conductor
Violin I
Eve Hubbard, Concertmaster
Julianne Odahowski Steele
Brandon Ironside
Violin II
Jane York*
Roslyn Willis
Violas
Theresa Fox *
Gizem Yücel
Cellos
Diane Bonds*
Gina Pezzoli
Bass
Rebecca Marland
Harp
Bonnie Bach
Piano
Benjamin Blozan
Flute/Piccolo
Janet Phillips
Oboes
Thomas Pappas*
Thomas Turanchik
Clarinet
Sara Hunt
Bassoon
Rebecca Libera
Horn
Catherine Creasy
Trumpet
Donnie McEwan
Percussion
Mike Austin
*principal
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The UNCG Opera Theatre is grateful to the following
for their assistance in producing this show
Jeff Gillis
Chip Haas
Jody Cauthen
Rachelle Walsh
Suzanne Williams
Susan Young
Rebekah Kates
Chris English
Erin Stevie
The Kotis family
Debbie Merritt
Ann Doyle
Tom Shelton
Noah Hock
Miranda Freeman
Amanda Hughes
Amy Moore
Dr. Welborn Young
Jason Barrios
Daniel Crupi
Brian Fuller
James Goins II
Dennis Hopson
Ben Blozan
Day Images Photography
The Elliott family
Wyndell Earles
Classical Voice NorthCarolina
Imagine Design and Production
Special Thanks to the Greensboro Opera Company for underwriting a portion of
the musical staff for Amahl and the Night Visitors and for providing generous
marketing support.
Production Staff
Producer/Stage Director/Conductor David Holley
Principal Coach/Rehearsal Pianist Benjamin Blozan
Technical Director/Lighting Designer Jeff Neubauer
Scene Designer Robert Hansen
Costume Designer Deborah Bell
Wigs and Make-up Trent Pcenicni
Choreographer Melanie Greene
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The Greensboro Opera and the UNCG Opera Theatre present:
February 20 & 21, 2013
7:30 p.m. http://opera.uncg.edu
Carolina Theatre
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Upcoming Opera Events at UNCG
February 20 & 21, 2012 Help, Help, the Globolinks! Carolina Theatre
April 11-12 & 14, 2013 Cendrillon (Cinderella) Taylor Theatre
