Alcina: A Virtual Opera
by Handel
July 18, 2020 at 7:30 PM & July 19, 2020 at 2:00 PM
Here Online
Free Streaming!
Creative Team
Director: Margaret Jumonville
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Conductor: Codrut Bisan
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Assistant Director: Helen Park
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Synopsis
"The famous knight Ruggiero has been abducted by a sorceress. His fiancee, Bradamante, is determined to rescue him. Borrowing some of her brother’s clothes, she disguises herself as a soldier and convinces her guardian. Melisso, to sail to the enchanted island where this sorceress lives. But Alcina’s power is incredibly strong. Ruggiero does not remember his former life, and he does not recognise Bradamante. It is only through the use of a magic ring that Ruggiero is able to see Alcina’s island for what it really is: a desolate wasteland. Everything he has grown to love and know as home has been a lie.
Being reunited with Bradamante strengthens Ruggiero and he is able to defeat Alcina, and her hordes of monsters on the island. He destroys the urn that contains all of her power and the wild beasts and rocks transform back into men; all of Alcina’s former lovers that have been trapped on the island. Wickedness is defeated and true love triumphs.
With some of Handel’s most well-known melodies, and a plot full of heroism, love, and witchcraft, Alcina remains as popular with audiences today as it was at its first performance in 1735".
Citation: “Alcina (Opera) Plot & Characters.” StageAgent, stageagent.com/shows/opera/2474/alcina.
Being reunited with Bradamante strengthens Ruggiero and he is able to defeat Alcina, and her hordes of monsters on the island. He destroys the urn that contains all of her power and the wild beasts and rocks transform back into men; all of Alcina’s former lovers that have been trapped on the island. Wickedness is defeated and true love triumphs.
With some of Handel’s most well-known melodies, and a plot full of heroism, love, and witchcraft, Alcina remains as popular with audiences today as it was at its first performance in 1735".
Citation: “Alcina (Opera) Plot & Characters.” StageAgent, stageagent.com/shows/opera/2474/alcina.
Cast
Alcina - Sara Thomas
Soprano Sarah Thomas recently finished her Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at Westminster Choir College, studying with Amy Zorn. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University, where she sang the Israelitish Woman in Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus. Additionally, Ms. Thomas performed the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Westminster Opera Theater, and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. Most recently, Ms. Thomas performed the role of Almera in the Miami Summer Music Festival’s production of Dark Sisters by Nico Muhly. Sarah Thomas currently lives in New York City, where she studies with Ruth Hennessy.
Morgana - Mary Rose Lieberman
Lyric coloratura Mary Rose Lieberman joins Chicago Summer Opera in their video production of Alcina as Morgana. The following season, Mary plans to sing in H.M.S. Pinafore as Josephine with Opera on the Bluff, which has been postponed due to the Sars-CoV-2 Pandemic. Her previous roles include The Vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen (LSU Opera), La Comtesse Adèle in Le Comte Ory (Chicago Summer Opera), Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (Katy World Theater), and Lady Psyche in Princess Ida (Houston Gilbert and Sullivan Society). In addition, she has covered Aveline Mortimer in Elizabeth Cree (LSU Opera), Giannetta in The Gondoliers (Houston Gilbert and Sullivan Society) and Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld (Luther College Opera). Mary is currently based in both Houston, Texas and Seattle, Washington.
Oberto - Alexandra Oates
Alexandra Oates is a Zwischenfach Soprano vocal performance major at DePaul University studying under Viktoria Vizin. Alexandra’s experience spans opera, musical theater, dance, and sacred music. She has studied with the Oberlin in Italy (2018), Northwestern Summer Seminar (2017), Harrower (2017), and Musica nelle Marche (2019) programs and has been cast in many productions at DePaul. Her performance highlights include Ore Tre in L’Egisto, Betty Doxy in The Beggar’s Opera, Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Elizabeth Doe in The Ballad of Baby Doe. Ensemble roles include Le nozze di Figaro, Hansel and Gretel, Die Fledermaus, Little Women, and La Rondine. For the 2020 summer season, she would have performed in two different productions of Albert Herring as Harry and Nancy with DePaul University and Chicago Summer Opera respectively. However, both were cancelled due to the coronavirus. She is currently cast as Oberto in Chicago Summer Opera’s online Alcina. She is a 2019 Classical Singer semifinalist.
Ruggiero - Katherine Starr
Katherine Starr is a mezzo soprano living in the Chicago area. She recently completed her Masters in Vocal Performance at DePaul University, and she received her Bachelors at Illinois State University in 2018. Recently, she has played Dema from Cavalli’s L’Egisto, as well as Mrs. Peachum from Britten’s Beggar’s Opera at DePaul University. She also played Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Isaac in Britten’s Canticle II, and Ma from Copland’s The Tender Land with Illinois State University. She was a finalist in the 2018 Illinois State University Concerto Aria Competition. Currently, Katherine is a voice instructor with DePaul’s Community Music Division and maintains her own private studio. This is Katherine’s first performance with the Chicago Summer Opera, and she is excited to be debuting her role as Ruggiero.
Bradamante - Lauren Sandison
Lauren is a senior at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where she studies voice with Dr. Lisa Grevlos and is pursuing degrees in music and religion. She has portrayed Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro with the Augustana Orchestra as well as Sam in The Ransom of Sophia by Augustana alumna Callie Stadem. Lauren has been cast in two musicals at Augustana, as Mrs. Peacock in Clue the Musical and Spider in James and the Giant Peach. She has served as a church musician in multiple churches around Sioux Falls and her hometown of Spirit Lake, Iowa. As a soloist, she sang with the combined Augustana Choirs and Orchestra in Vivaldi’s Gloria. She was selected to perform an arrangement of “Voi che sapete” with the Augustana Chamber Winds Ensemble. Lauren won Augustana’s 2019 Concerto Aria competition and performed “Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix” from Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saëns in conjunction with the Augustana Orchestra at the Washington Pavillion in Sioux Falls. Later this summer Lauren will be participating in the Vocal Institute Program of the Atlantic Music Festival in Maine.
Oronte - Michael Butler
Michael Butler is a young tenor gaining traction in the Washington D.C. opera scene, and is currently finishing up his degree at University of Maryland, studying with Kevin Short. After dedicating more than 10 years of his life to intensive study in competitive Classical Piano, he turned to pursue opera as a career. A few of his most recent achievements are First Place in the 2020 Classical Singer National Competition, First Place at the Sue Goetz Ross Memorial Competition for Voice, an Encouragement Award in the Capitol District of the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Winner for the 2018 National YoungArts Foundation Vocal Competition, Second place winner at the 2018 AAMS International voice competition, First place in the 2017 MTNA National Voice Competition, and First Place in the 2015 MSMTA Competition in Classical Voice.
In March of 2020, Michael was hired to perform a lead role in Frances Pollock’s world premiere opera, Briscula the Magician. A few other previous roles Michael has performed have been Dancaire in Bizet’s Carmen with Washington Opera Society, Messenger in Verdi’s Aida with Washington Opera Society, Borsa in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Belcantanti Opera Company, Ivan Lykov in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Czar’s Bride with Belcantanti Opera Company, and the title role in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory with Chicago Summer Music Festival last summer.
Michael is currently a 2020 Apprentice Artist at Des Moines Metro Opera, participating in an online format due to COVID-19. Michael is very excited to make his New York City Opera debut as one of four soloists singing Puccini and Verdi highlights in solo and ensemble fashion, accompanied by the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. This concert was also rescheduled due to COVID-19, and will now take place in August of 2020.
In March of 2020, Michael was hired to perform a lead role in Frances Pollock’s world premiere opera, Briscula the Magician. A few other previous roles Michael has performed have been Dancaire in Bizet’s Carmen with Washington Opera Society, Messenger in Verdi’s Aida with Washington Opera Society, Borsa in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Belcantanti Opera Company, Ivan Lykov in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Czar’s Bride with Belcantanti Opera Company, and the title role in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory with Chicago Summer Music Festival last summer.
Michael is currently a 2020 Apprentice Artist at Des Moines Metro Opera, participating in an online format due to COVID-19. Michael is very excited to make his New York City Opera debut as one of four soloists singing Puccini and Verdi highlights in solo and ensemble fashion, accompanied by the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. This concert was also rescheduled due to COVID-19, and will now take place in August of 2020.
Oronte - Juan Tello
Juan Tello is a Mexico City native. He began singing at age 18, performing Javert in the musical “Les Miserables”. One year later he began trainging as an opera singer as a baritone, which lead him to enter in the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Mexico City, where he become a tenor.
He made his opera debut in 2018 performing the leading role in “Imeneo” by G.F. Händel, wich was a premiere in Mexico. Soon after, he performed Basilio in “Le Nozze di Figaro” by W.A. Mozart, wich allowed him to reprise the role in the prestigious program Chicago Summer Opera in 2019. There, he also performed Guillot in “Le Mariage aux Lanternes” and Monsieur Bellerose in “Monsieur et Madame Denis” both by Offenbach.
He has worked with succesful international personalities such as soprano Alexandra LoBianco, tenor Alan Glassman, soprano Elizabeth Byrne and recognized conductors Sergio Cárdenas, Darwin Aquino and Codrut Birsan.
His chamber soloist repertoire includes Händel’s “Messiah”, Haydn’s “Creation”, Charpentier’s “Magnificat”, song cycle “Dibujos Sobre un Puerto” by José Rolón and Schubert’s “Mass in G Major”.
He made his opera debut in 2018 performing the leading role in “Imeneo” by G.F. Händel, wich was a premiere in Mexico. Soon after, he performed Basilio in “Le Nozze di Figaro” by W.A. Mozart, wich allowed him to reprise the role in the prestigious program Chicago Summer Opera in 2019. There, he also performed Guillot in “Le Mariage aux Lanternes” and Monsieur Bellerose in “Monsieur et Madame Denis” both by Offenbach.
He has worked with succesful international personalities such as soprano Alexandra LoBianco, tenor Alan Glassman, soprano Elizabeth Byrne and recognized conductors Sergio Cárdenas, Darwin Aquino and Codrut Birsan.
His chamber soloist repertoire includes Händel’s “Messiah”, Haydn’s “Creation”, Charpentier’s “Magnificat”, song cycle “Dibujos Sobre un Puerto” by José Rolón and Schubert’s “Mass in G Major”.
Melisso - Nathan Jensen
Nathan Jensen from Hastings, Nebraska has sung on stage in several states nationally and performed internationally in Germany, Holland, and Belgium. Previous roles include playing the “Sprecher” in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, “Superintendent Budd” in Benjamin Britton’s Albert Herring, and “Grumio” in the world premiere of The Taming, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Described as a “yummy bass” with a “formidable stage presence” and a “large voice of considerable range and flexibility,” Nathan completed his Master’s degree in Voice Performance at the University of Northern Colorado in 2020. Nathan received his undergraduate degrees from Hastings College, where he studied Voice Performance and Music Education.