Dring Dring, The Telephone, A Hand of Bridge Study Guide

Dring, Dring, A Hand of Bridge, The Telephone Study Guide coc.ca Canadian Opera Company 2010/2011

A Hand

of Bridge

Dring, Dring

The Telephone

ANA SOKOLOVIC(1968 – )

SAMUEL BARBER (1910 – 1981)

GIAN CARLO MENOTTI(1911 – 2007)

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Table of Contents

April 27, 201111 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.Richard Bradshaw

AmphitheatreFour Seasons Centre for

the Performing Arts.

Introduction to the COC Ensemble Studio ..............................................................................3

Director’s Notes & Biography .........................................................................................................5

Designer’s Notes ..................................................................................................................................7

Dring, Dring ............................................................................................................................................8

A Hand of Bridge ..................................................................................................................................9

Classroom Activities .....................................................................................................................10

A Brief Listening Guide ...............................................................................................................11

The Telephone .......................................................................................................................................13

Classroom Activities .....................................................................................................................14

A Brief Listening Guide ...............................................................................................................15

Biographies.............................................................................................................................................17

Education and Outreach at the COC ...........................................................................................20

Spring and Summer Events for Youth .........................................................................................20

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The COC Ensemble Studio – founded in 1980 with a generous continuing grant from Imperial Oil Limited and with assistance from the Government of Canada – is Canada’s premier training program for young opera professionals. It provides advanced instruction, hands-on experience, and the practical career development skills necessary to succeed as a self-employed artist in a highly competitive international environment.

The Ensemble is chosen through a national audition process. Members of the Ensemble Studio receive a blend of advanced study and practical experience. In this one- to three-year program, singers receive vocal, theatrical and practical career development instruction.

Their practical experience includes understudying major roles, the annual Xstrata Ensemble School tour, special Ensemble Studio chamber productions – like the performances of Dring, Dring, A Hand of Bridge, and The Telephone – and COC mainstage productions at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Introduction to the COC Ensemble Studio

Apprentice stage directors, conductors and vocal coaches participate in the preparation of the company’s mainstage productions, as well as school tour performances and Ensemble Studio productions.

Successful GraduatesSince its inception, more than 150 young Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors and conductors have acquired their first professional operatic experience through this program. Graduates include such well known singers as Isabel Bayrakdarian, John Fanning, Robert Gleadow, Ben Heppner, Joseph Kaiser, Allyson McHardy, Jessica Muirhead, Wendy Nielsen, Gidon Saks and Krisztina Szabó. Successful stage directors include Edmonton Opera artistic director Brian Deedrick, Tom Diamond, Roman Hurko and Marilyn Gronsdal.

The Ensemble Studio is supported by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, RBC Foundation and other generous donors.

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Members of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, 2010. Photo: Chris Hutcheson

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Orfeo ed Euridice is

a rental from Lyric Opera of Chicago.

It’s performed in Italian with English

SURTITLES™.

The preceding

text and additional information about

the Ensemble Studio is from the coc website. Visit coc.ca for more

information.

Check page 17 of

this study guide for bios of the

performers.

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Members of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, 2010. Photo: Chris Hutcheson

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Gian Carlo Menotti and Samuel Barber composed The Telephone (1947) and A Hand of Bridge (1958) just as “American opera” was beginning to take on a life of its own, separate from the European operatic tradition, which is perhaps one reason these works feel so close to American musical theatre. The setting for both operas is intentionally banal: a living room or kitchen in a house somewhere –anywhere, really – in suburban America. Lurking beneath this “normal” setting, always submerged, are the true thoughts, desires and vices of the characters. In the course of the show, we get a glimpse under the surface – first, in A Hand of Bridge, through monologues that break the theatrical fourth wall, allowing us to listen in on the private thoughts of each character and then, in The Telephone, as various layers of truth and deceit unfold through overhearing Lucy’s phone conversations. We’ve set the operas in the early 1960s – now popularly known as the Mad Men era – a time when the battle of the sexes was being waged every day in offices and homes throughout the country and the world was slowly, surely, becoming “modern.”

Director’s Notes

5

Mad Men is a popular contemporary

television series, “Set in 1960s New York. The sexy, stylized and

provocative AMC drama Mad Men follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising, an

ego-driven world where key players make an art of the sell.” www.amctv.com/shows/

mad-men

Ted Huffman

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http://www.amctv.com/shows/mad-men

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American stage director Ted Huffman has garnered considerable acclaim for his work in opera, including a nomination for Best Opera Direction in Opernwelt for his 2010 production of Henze’s El Cimarrón. His shows have been described as “the most visually striking and emotionally resonant opera productions in recent years…brilliant” (Time Out NY), “splendid,” “visually memorable” and “destination-worthy” (Opera News), “excellent... a compelling musical and theatrical experience” (The New York Times), “a sumptuous display of emotional intensity” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “an experience that very well may be once in a lifetime” (Parterre Box). Directing projects in 2011/2012 include Hänsel und Gretel for Pittsburgh Opera, Carmen for Opera Birmingham, Theodora for Opera Bergen (Norway), La Bohème for Amarillo Opera, La Voix Humaine for the Greenwich Music Festival and the Ohana Arts Festival (Hawaii), and Cocteau’s Le Bel Indifférent, featuring cabaret star Meow Meow. Mr. Huffman also joins the directing staff of the Metropolitan Opera during the 11/12 season for the revival of Billy Budd. This summer, he will serve on the faculty of Songfest at Pepperdine University. Mr. Huffman co-founded the Greenwich Music Festival with conductor Robert Ainsley and continues to serve as the company’s artistic director. For the festival, Mr. Huffman has directed acclaimed productions of Henze’s El Cimarrón, Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis and Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria. In 2008, he was honoured with the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming from Chamber Music America. Mr. Huffman attended the boarding school Choate Rosemary Hall and Yale University, where he graduated in humanities. He is also a graduate of San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program and the recipient of a Jerwood Opera Writing Residency from the Aldeburgh Festival (U.K.) He apprenticed with director Robert Wilson at the Watermill Center.

For more information visit www.tedhuffman.com.

Ted Huffman (Director)

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After discussion with the director it was decided that the time period, or setting, for these pieces would be the late 1950s, early 60s – or as we have been referring to it – Mad Men style. The influence for the aesthetic came from the popular television show Mad Men, which also takes place during this time. When staging a piece like The Telephone it is important to set the piece in an era in which the telephone was still grounded in land-line technology. It was mainly due to this reason that the piece needed to be set in the past as opposed to the present and we believed that the beauty of the Mad Men era would enhance the liveliness of the music. For the setting we decided to keep the furnishings as simple as possible. Acquiring period furniture from that era can be incredibly expensive and difficult to find. Knowing that the grand piano would be such a presence on the stage, it was decided that all the furniture pieces would be painted in the same lacquered black to match the look of the piano. The setting, in the end, will be created with the use of some simple bentwood chairs, a table and a few props.

Because the set would not be exemplary of the era, it was important that the costumes relayed the feeling of the Mad Men era. Men’s suits at that time had a more fitted silhouette as opposed to the looser, fuller style of the 40s and 50s. Very thin and colourful ties, cuffs at the bottom of suit trousers, and small lapels on suit jackets were also distinguishing marks of men’s clothing from that era. For women, foundation garments and very pointed brassieres were very popular at the time. This being said, with the help of the wardrobe department, we’ve tried to re-create this shape using actual period undergarments or pieces that are as close as possible in order to alter the body shape to that style. Two very distinct silhouettes for women at that time varied between fitted or pencil skirts, and very full panelled skirts which flowed away from the waist with the help of layered crinolines underneath. Lavish jewellery along with printed fabrics and seamed stockings were also distinguishing traits of the time period.

Designer’s Notes

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Examples of women’s silhouettes from the 1960’s.

Robin Fisher

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She has received commissions from Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal, Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company, Esprit Orchestra, Société de Musique Contemporaine Québec, the dance companies De Brune and Cas Public, Molinari String Quartet, Bozzini String Quartet, Orchestre baroque de Montréal, Bradyworks, Jeunesses musicales du Canada, Soundstreams, Adaskin String Trio, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Fibonacci trio, Phoenix Trio, Arraymusic, Evergreen Gamelan, Banff Center and many soloists. In 1995 and 1998 Ms Sokolovic was a three-time winner in the Competition for Young Composers of SOCAN. In 1996 and 2009 she represented Canada at UNESCO’s International Rostrum of Composers, in Paris. In 1999, Géométie sentimentale obtained first prize in the chamber music category and Grand Prix of the thirteenth CBC Radio National Competition for Young Composers. In 2005, Ms Sokolovic won the Joseph S. Stauffer Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts in recognition of her exceptional talent and achievement in composition. In 2007 she won the Prix Opus Prize, presented by Quebec Music Council, for composer of the year. In 2008 she won Jan Matejcek’s SOCAN’s Prize for concert music. In 2005 she wrote her first opera, The Midnight Court, for Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company, which was performed at the Royal Opera House, London, England in June 2006. In 2009, Ana Sokolovic received the National Art Centre Award, commissions and residencies for the NAC Orchestra for the next five years. Ms Sokolovic is currently composing an opera for six female voices for Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, a piece for string quartet and a dancer, and a piece for violin and ensemble for Angele Dubeau and La Pieta. Ms Sokolovic lives in Montreal and teaches composition at Montreal University. For more information about Ana Sokolovic, visit: www.anasokolovic.com.

Composed in 2010 by Ana Sokolovic (1968 – ) by Soundstreams with the Canada Council Fund.

Length: Approximately eight minutes

Number of performers: Four

Instrumentation: Voices

Of special note: This work requires “extended” (read: unusual) vocal techniques, and is a vocal performance art piece.

About Dring, DringComposer Ana Sokolovic writes,

“This little musical theatre is inspired by the telephone and the actions we take around that common object. I tried,

using four different languages, to explore the mechanical side of the machine, our usual answering. This piece is a part of the universal life enchantment. It consists of four

sections: dialling, answering, lullaby and bye-bye.”

About Ana SokolovicAna Sokolovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia in 1968. She studied composition with Dusan Radic and with Zoran Eric. She completed a master’s degree at Université de Montréal under the direction of José Evangelista. She also attended a composition workshop with Tristan Murail and Denys Bouliane. Her repertoire consists of works from soloists to large orchestra, from concert music to incidental music. Several works have been performed in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Belgium, U.K., Ukraine, U.S., India, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia and at the festivals Présence (Paris), Nordic Music Days (Rejkavik), Biennale (Venice), Biennale (Zagreb), Holland Festival (Amsterdam), MNM (Montreal), Cervantino (Mexico) and many others.

Dring, Dring

8

Just

the facts

CAST

Soprano Ileana Montalbetti/Ambur BraidMezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb/Wallis GiuntaTenor Christopher Enns

Voice Type Singer

Baritone Neil Craighead/Adrian Kramer

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Dring, Dring, A Hand of Bridge, The Telephone Study Guide coc.ca Canadian Opera Company 2010/2011 9

A Hand of Bridge

Composed in 1959 by Samuel Barber (American, 1910 – 1981)

Length: Approximately nine minutes

Libretto: In English, by Gian Carlo Menotti (1911 – 2007), who was also a composer and happened to be good friend of Samuel Barber

Number of characters: Four

Instrumentation: Voices and piano accompaniment

About A Hand of Bridge A Hand of Bridge is about four friends gathered to play their evening bridge game. During the game, true thoughts of each of the characters are revealed. While Sally is thinking about which hat to buy, Bill is occupied with his own thoughts of Cymbaline, his mistress, and whether Sally knows about his affair. Geraldine’s thoughts are on her dying mother and David entertains the idea of being as rich as his boss.

A Hand of a Bridge uses music and text to create an intertwined and multilayered narrative. The music that accompanies the characters during the game itself is of the jazz style with swing rhythms and a walking bass line. The music communicates a relaxed atmosphere which symbolizes the masks that the characters are wearing. The

card music also occurs at various points in the opera. The repetition within the music might suggest the nature of the card game.

In addition, each character is accompanied by music that reflects something of their thoughts and personality. For example, Sally’s aria features two different sections. The first has a repetitive driving eighth-note melody. The music mimics Sally’s frustration which gradually increases using dissonance to reflect her mood. The second section is more melodic. Bill’s music is danceable and flowing. David’s melody is built on the pentatonic scale G-A-B-D-E (sol-la-ti-re-mi) while the accompaniment drones the pedal tones E and B (mi and ti). The music reflects his feelings of sadness.

About Samuel BarberSamuel Barber is an American who began composing at age seven. At age 14 in 1925, he studied composition at the Curtis Institute (Philadelphia) under Rosario Scalero, and remained there until 1934, also studying piano and singing. In 1935 he won a Pulitzer scholarship and the American Academy’s Prix de Rome in 1936. His four-act opera Vanessa was performed at the Met in 1958. His opera Antony and Cleopatra (libretto by Zeffirelli), was commissioned for the opening of the new Metropolitan in Lincoln Center in September, 1966. The composer’s music is considered conservative by some, owing to its strong melodies and harmonic language. A Hand of Bridge, Op. 35 (1959) was the second of his three operas.

CAST

Baritone Adrian Kramer/Neil CraigheadSoprano Ambur Braid/Ileana MontalbettiTenor Christopher Enns

Voice Type Singer

Contralto Wallis Giunta/Rihab Chaieb

CharacterDavid, a florid businessman Geraldine, his middle-aged wifeBill, a lawyerSally, his wife

Just

the facts

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Understand how music depicts character in this opera

1. Listen to a recording of this work, and ask students to describe how each character’s part is different. What does this tell us about each character?

Understand the dramatic motivations of the characters

1. Get the students together in groups to play a card game. Ask them to reflect afterwards on what they were thinking about while they were playing. Was it just the game? Or were they thinking about anything at the time that they would not be able to say to the people they were playing with?

2. Talk about secrets: get every student to write down one of their hidden desires or secrets without showing anyone. Ask them to reflect on why it is a secret and why it is so important that no one knows about it.

3. Role playing. Split the class into groups of four or five. Allow each group to come up with a scenario in which someone is keeping a secret from another person in the group. Tell them they will be presenting these to the class and the class will have to guess what the secret is. They can act and sing only no speaking.

Classroom Activities

To keep or not

to keep? What is the purpose of secrets?

Have a discussion in class about the purpose or the value of secrets. Why do

people keep secrets? Are secrets useful or

harmful?

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A Brief Listening Guide

The following sources were used to create this guide:

Naxos Music Library. CD: Samuel Barber Capricorn Concerto, A Hand of Bridge, Intermezzo from Vanessa. American Classics 2004. (Track 4)

Score: Barber, Samuel. A Hand of Bridge (Piano-vocal score). G. Schirmer, 1960. *Measure

00:40, m. 21

Sally says “Once again I’m a dummy, forever dummy.” Perhaps the significance of her making such a statement shows that she is somewhat aware that Bill is having an affair.

Sally starts a new section of the piece in a recitative style saying, “I want to buy that hat of peacock feathers,” which is repeated many times throughout the piece. The instruments match the melodic rhythm of Sally’s part.

In this section of the piece, the instruments lead into Bill’s inquiring thoughts – “I wonder what she meant by ‘always being a dummy.’ Has she found out about Cymbaline?” Then, Bill begins to wonder where his mistress is.

Here, this instrumental theme brings the scene back to the card table (swing, jazz style). The theme returns again a couple times within the piece where the focus is on the game itself.

The music changes tempo and time signature and sets the setting for Geraldine to express her need for love and her worries about her mother.

00:27, m.* 15

00:40, m. 21

00:20, m. 39

2:45, m. 74

3:22, m. 84

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The music suddenly changes its desolate mood (Geraldine’s part) and brings the audience back to Sally and Bill, each singing their own parts simultaneously.

The focus returns on the game itself (same instrumental theme).

Now, the focus is on David fantasizing about what he would do if he was as rich as his boss – a new theme is introduced. Barber puts together the four parts, overlapping some parts and allotting short sections to each part.

A sustained E (Geraldine’s part) is held while the instrumental theme of the four individuals playing bridge comes back once more for the ending.

6:00, m. 114

6:08, m. 118

6:35, m. 32

9:23, m. 194

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The Telephone

Composed in by 1947 Gian Carlo Menotti (Italian-born American, 1911 – 2007), originally to be performed together with and provide a light-hearted contrast to The Medium (1946/1947)

Length: Approximately 22 minutes

Libretto: In English, by the composer

Number of characters: Two

Instrumentation: Voices and orchestral accompaniment (original orchestra consisted of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello, and contrabass). The Ensemble Studio will perform this opera with piano accompaniment.

Of special note: The production had a run of 211 performances on Broadway, and was sponsored by the American State Department for a tour of Europe.

About The TelephoneThe Telephone is a one-act opera buffa (comic opera) that takes place in Lucy’s apartment. Lucy spends most of her time on the telephone while her boyfriend tries to propose to her. The scene starts off with Lucy opening a package given to her by Ben. He explains that he needs to catch his train in an hour and that he has something important to ask her. Then, Lucy is interrupted by a call from her friend, Margaret. When the conversation ends, Lucy gets another call from someone who dialled the wrong number. Then, she dials the phone to check the exact time. Ben is clearly frustrated by this point. However, the telephone rings again and this time, Lucy has an argument with her friend, George, and being upset, leaves to get a handkerchief. When the telephone rings again, Ben gets enraged and almost cuts the telephone cord. Lucy returns just in time to

save the telephone and calls her friend Pamela to talk about the argument she had with her friend, George. Ben curses to himself and while Lucy talks on the phone, he decides to leave. Ben calls Lucy from the telephone booth and he finally proposes. She accepts him, but she tells him to never forget her telephone number which she then dictates to him.

The Telephone has cheerful, jumpy, witty and bright tonal music contrasted with slower minor music that reflects feelings of sadness. Lucy’s part has frequent coloratura passages (elaborate melodies with fast moving or technically difficult notes) placed in the very high end of the soprano range. Individual lines can be clearly heard. It is constructed with conventional harmonic and melodic language. In certain scenes, recitatives are interrupted by sudden melodic outbursts (i.e. a wrong number and Lucy’s sudden desire to call for the correct time). Ben’s part only features one significant solo, which is when he decides that he must destroy the phone.

About Gian Carlo MenottiGian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-born American composer. He studied at the Milan Conservatory from 1923 – 1927 and at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia from 1928 – 1933 with Rosario Scalero, where he also taught from 1948 – 1955. It was at Curtis where he met and became lifelong friends with the composer Samuel Barber. He was primarily an opera composer and achieved international attention with The Medium (1946), The Telephone (1947) and The Consul (1950). All three operas show theatrical flair and the use of music to heighten melodramatic situations. Amahl and the Night Visitors was the first opera he wrote for television in America. Menotti wrote the librettos for all his own operas and for Barber’s operas Vanessa (1957) and A Hand of Bridge (1958).

CAST

Soprano Jacqueline Woodley/Teiya KasaharaBaritone Adrian Kramer/Neil Craighead

Voice Type SingerCharacterLucyBen

Just

the facts

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Understand the dramatic motivation of the characters

1. Talk about the evolution of the telephone and our dependency on electronics.

2. Challenge the students to not use their cell phone for one whole day and see if they can do it. Why is it so hard? Why do we feel this dependency for cellular devices? How does this affect our personal relationships? Do you think that we have become more obsessed with the telephone over time? This opera was written in 1947. What is this telling us about the obsession over the phone, even that long ago?

3. Play the game “telephone.” Get the students to sit in a circle and pass along a message and see how it changes as it goes along. To tie this into music, start it off with a short melody that is sung: you can choose to use lyrics or not. Get them to discuss afterwards how a message or tune can change when it is passed along through a bunch of people. Also, tie it into how when you are on the phone other people around you are listening and only hearing one side of the story.

Classroom Activities

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A Brief Listening Guide

The following sources were used to create this guide:

Naxos Music Library CD: Menotti, G.C.: Telephone (The) [Opera] / Ricercare and Toccata on a Theme from The Old Maid and the Thief / Canti della lontananza (Banks) (Track 1).

Score: Menotti, Gian Carlo. The Telephone. G. Schirmer 1947.

00:40, m. 21

After the telephone rings (which is indicated by a chromatic scale followed by a trill on an oboe), Lucy begins her first conversation on the phone with her friend Margaret.

The second time the telephone rings; this time, it’s someone with the wrong number.

The piano plays broken chords six times, which symbolizes Lucy dialling the number to check the exact time.

There is a sudden musical contrast between the 9/8 Andantino interlude and the Allegro. At this point, Ben is getting impatient.

After the telephone rings for the third time, Ben’s frustration is pointed out with a suddenly loud fortissimo.

4:14, Section 8

8:56, Section 21

9:40, Section 22

10:34, Section 23

10:58, Section 24

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After Ben’s solo, the instrumental interlude depicts Ben noticing a pair of scissors and approaching the telephone cord.

The phone rings again, and the piano passage symbolizes Lucy rushing in to protect the telephone.

Lucy calls her friend Pamela. Again, the piano chords represent Lucy dialling the numbers.

13:26, Section 30

13:54, Section 30

15:12, Section 33

After Ben and Lucy’s duet with Lucy still on the phone, Ben makes his exit.20:10,

Section 42

21:20, Section 45

The phone rings and Menotti makes this phone ring longer, spanning over seven measures; it’s a phone call from Ben, which then transitions into a duet between him and Lucy.

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Ambur BraidToronto-based soprano Ambur Braid is a new member of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. This season with the COC she appears as the Danish Lady in Death in Venice, the Queen of the Night in the Ensemble Studio production of The Magic Flute and Amore in Orfeo ed Euridice. Ms Braid also understudies roles in The Magic Flute, La Cenerentola and Ariadne auf Naxos. She holds her bachelor of music degree from The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music and her master of music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Ms Braid has performed the roles of Diane in Iphigénie

en Tauride (Opera Atelier), Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Princess/Fire in L’enfant et les sortilèges and Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (San Francisco Conservatory) and Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Glenn Gould School). Ms Braid has won the East Bay Opera Competition, the San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition, and the Palm Beach Opera Competition.

Rihab Chaieb Tunisian-born mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb is a new member of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. This season with the COC she appears as the French Mother in Death in Venice, the Third Lady in the Ensemble Studio production of The Magic Flute, Second Secretary to Mao in Nixon in China and Tisbe in La Cenerentola, and understudies roles in The Magic Flute and Ariadne auf Naxos. She graduated from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University with a bachelor of music in vocal performance, where she performed the title role in Carmen, Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress, Sister Mathilde in Dialogues

des Carmélites and Suzy in La Rondine. Ms Chaieb recently performed Dido in Dido and Aeneas with the McGill Chamber Orchestra and Third Spirit in Die Zauberflöte with Opéra de Montréal. She has studied with the Franz Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien (Austria), Opera NUOVA in Edmonton and the International Vocal Art Institute in Tel Aviv.

Neil Craighead Born in Cape Town, South Africa, bass-baritone and COC Ensemble Studio member Neil Craighead was raised in Calgary. With the COC this season, Mr. Craighead appears as the Russian Father in Death in Venice, the First Priest in The Magic Flute and the Speaker, First Priest and Second Armed Man in the Ensemble Studio production of The Magic Flute. He understudies roles in Aida, The Magic Flute, La Cenerentola and Ariadne auf Naxos. Last season for the COC he sang the roles of the Oracle and the Trojan Man in Idomeneo, Japanese Envoy 2 in The Nightingale and Other Short Fables and the Official

Registrar in Madama Butterfly. Mr. Craighead graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2009 with a bachelor of music and was a member of the Vancouver Opera Chorus. He recently performed Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with Opera NUOVA, the bass solo in St. John’s Passion with Vancouver Voices and Pistola in Falstaff, Dr. Furtwängler in The Dream Healer and Colline in La Bohème with University of British Columbia Opera Ensemble.

Christopher Enns Born in Manitoba, tenor Christopher Enns is a new member of the COC Ensemble Studio. This season with the COC, he performs the roles of an American, a Strolling Player, and the Glass Maker in Death in Venice, Tamino in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute and Scaramuccio in Ariadne auf Naxos. He holds his bachelor of vocal performance from the University of Manitoba, and recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a diploma in operatic performance. Recent performances include the title role in Candide, Ecclitico in Il mondo della luna, and Gonzalve in L’heure espagnole with the University of

Toronto’s Opera Division, Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Highlands Opera Studio, and Gastone in La Traviata with Saskatoon Opera. Mr. Enns has also performed with the Toronto Summer Music Academy, Opera NUOVA, the Winnipeg Symphony and the Aldeburgh Connection.

Biographies

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Wallis Giunta A native of Ottawa, mezzo-soprano and Ensemble Studio member Wallis Giunta appears with the COC this season as the English Lady in Death in Venice and the Second Lady in both the mainstage and Ensemble performances of The Magic Flute. Previously, she performed the role of Cretan Woman in the Ensemble Studio performance of Idomeneo and covered the role of Mercédès in Carmen. Other operatic credits include Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Nancy in Albert Herring. She has sung with Opera Atelier, Opera Lyra Ottawa, the Ravinia Festival and the

Regina Symphony. Last season, Ms Giunta was winner of the Ottawa Choral Society New Discoveries Auditions, received a George London Competition Encouragement Award and was a grant recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts. Upcoming engagements include recitals for the Caramoor Festival, New York Festival of Song, Amici Chamber Ensemble and Music Toronto, and she will be joining the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program for the 2011/2012 season.

Teiya KasaharaCanadian lyric coloratura soprano Teiya Kasahara is of Japanese and German heritage and hails from Vancouver, B.C. She is a recent graduate of the COC Ensemble Studio. COC performance credits include the solo in Two Poems by Konstantin Balmont in The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, Frasquita in Carmen, Serpina in La serva padrona, First Wood Sprite in Rusalka, as well as Despina in Così fan tutte and Maturina in Gazzaniga’s Don Giovanni in Ensemble Studio productions. Notable understudies include Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Madame Mao in Nixon in China, the title roles in Maria Stuarda and The Nightingale and

Other Short Fables, Marzelline in Fidelio, Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Zerlina in Don Giovanni. This summer she returns to the Aspen Music Festival as Tytania. Ms Kasahara is a Jeunes Ambassadeur Lyrique Laureate and a semi-finalist in the 13th Julian Gayarre International Singing Contest in Pamplona, Spain. She holds a bachelor of music from the University of British Columbia. This spring with the COC Ms Kasahara appears as Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos.

Adrian KramerCanadian baritone and Ensemble Studio member Adrian Kramer appears with the COC this season as the Hotel Waiter in Death in Venice, Papageno in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute and the Wig-Maker in Ariadne auf Naxos, and reprises the role of the Japanese Envoy 3 in COC’s The Nightingale and Other Short Fables at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He understudies the role of Chou En-lai in Nixon in China. Previously with the COC, he has understudied Moralès and Le Dancaïre in Carmen, and Prince Yamadori and Yakuside in Madama Butterfly. Mr. Kramer has performed with Glimmerglass Opera, the

Castleton Festival, Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Chautauqua Institution and the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival. He holds a bachelor of music from the Juilliard School and a master’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he performed numerous roles including Papageno, Count Almaviva and Pelléas. He has been heard in recital throughout North America and Europe at such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center and the Kennedy Center and in 2005, he was the winner of the Juilliard Honors Recital Competition.

Ileana Montalbetti Originally from Saskatoon, Ensemble Studio soprano Ileana Montalbetti appears with the Canadian Opera Company this season as the Russian Mother and Newspaper Seller in Death in Venice, First Lady in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute and Clorinda in La Cenerentola. She is understudying roles in Aida, The Magic Flute and Nixon in China. Ms Montalbetti recently performed with the COC as Anna Kennedy in Maria Stuarda and Elettra in the Ensemble Studio performance of Idomeneo. Previous COC performances include Fiordiligi in the Ensemble Studio production of Così fan tutte and Mavra

Kuzminichna in War and Peace. She has held two consecutive soprano fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Centre where, most notably, she sang the Celestial Voice in a concert version of Don Carlos under the baton of Maestro James Levine. Ms Montalbetti is a graduate of the opera diploma program at the University of Toronto, where she performed the roles of Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro and the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia. She has also appeared as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni for Saskatoon Opera and the Toronto Summer Music Academy.

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Michael Uloth Born in Kitchener, Ensemble Studio bass Michael Uloth appeared last year with the Canadian Opera Company as The Bonze in The Nightingale and Other Short Fables and the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly. Previous roles with the COC include Don Alfonso in the Ensemble Studio production of Così fan tutte, Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Gavrila in War and Peace. An alumnus of Glimmerglass Opera’s 2007 Young American Artists Program, other operatic credits include Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, Il re di Scozia in Ariodante, Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia, Superintendent Budd in Albert

Herring, and Reverend John Hale in The Crucible. Mr. Uloth is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a master of music in opera, and also holds a bachelor of music and an opera diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University. This season, Mr. Uloth appears as the Priest in St. Mark’s in Death in Venice, the Second Armed Man in The Magic Flute, Sarastro in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute, The Bonze in The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, and Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos. He also understudies roles in The Magic Flute and The Nightingale and Other Short Fables.

Jacqueline Woodley Soprano Jacqueline Woodley is a new member of the COC Ensemble Studio. She holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in opera performance from McGill University and trained at Opera NUOVA in Edmonton and for three years with the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv and Montreal. Ms Woodley’s past operatic roles include Lisette in La Rondine, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Serpina in La serva padrona, Despina in Così fan tutte and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas. As a soloist, she has performed Bach’s St. John Passion, Handel’s

Messiah and Dixit Dominus, Fauré’s Requiem, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore and Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio. This season with the COC, Ms Woodley performs the Lace Seller in Death in Venice and Papagena in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Magic Flute and understudies Amore in Orfeo ed Euridice.

Liz Upchurch – Head of Ensemble Studio Liz Upchurch is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, where she won several prizes as solo pianist and accompanist. As a music director, vocal coach and répétiteur she has worked in 21st-century and traditional opera, music theatre and theatre. She has also covered a wide range of working techniques with singers, actors and instrumentalists in community and educational projects. For many years she worked with young artists at the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh where she played for masterclasses with artists such as Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Suzanne Danco, William Pleeth and Dame Joan Sutherland. Ms

Upchurch has also worked at the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg festival in Germany and the National Theatre in London. She held a faculty position in the 20th-century opera and song program at the Banff Centre for the Arts and was répétiteur and chorus director at Edmonton Opera. As a pianist she has performed all over Europe and has been broadcast with the BBC, Norwegian Radio and the CBC. Ms Upchurch also appeared as a judge on Bravo’s hit series, Bathroom Divas: So you want to be an opera singer!

Tracy Lynne Cann – Stage ManagerTracy Lynne Cann returns to the COC after working as an assistant stage manager on Simon Boccanegra in 2009. A graduate of the theatre program at Brock University, Ms Cann has worked internationally in a variety of theatrical disciplines. Selected theatre companies include: Canadian Children’s Opera Company, GFour Productions, Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, Workman Arts, Buddies in Bad Times, Al Green Theatre, Stirling Festival Theatre, Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, Sudbury Theatre Centre, Carousel Playhouse, ZillA Productions and the Banff Centre for the Arts.

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Opera 101, Ariadne auf NaxosApril 20, 7:30 – 9 p.m. Underground, Drake Hotel 1150 Queen St. W. Brent Bambury, host of CBC’s Day 6 talks with star tenor Richard Margison and exciting young Canadian coloratura Jane Archibald. The first 120 participants receive a free CD of Jane Archibald’s debut solo recording, Haydn Arias, released on the ATMA Classique label, www.atmaclassique.com. All ages, no cover.

Youth Opera Lab, Orfeo ed EuridiceApril 29, 5:30 – 9 p.m. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (145 Queen St. W.)Free dinner, free workshop with a professional opera singer, free glimpse of the first rehearsal with cast and orchestra of Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck) and two free tickets to the dress rehearsal on May 6. Did we mention that this program is entirely free? Apply online by April 21. Ages 16 – 21, free.

Summer Youth Intensive July 4 – 8, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Joey & Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre (227 Front St. E.)Immerse yourself in the world of opera. Morning sessions include group rehearsals, afternoons are divided between elective sessions (vocal masterclass, directing, or costume design) and small ensemble rehearsals of opera excerpts. No audition required, no prior experience required. Register online. Ages 13 – 18, $175.

Have a comment about this study guide? Tell us what you think of this resource for teachers and high school students. Email us at [email protected].

Mission and Vision StatementThe education and outreach team within the Communications Department of the Canadian Opera Company is committed to providing children, youth and adults with high-quality educational programs that are accessible in every sense of the word. All education programs are taught by professional artist-educators, many of whom hold advanced degrees in education and arts and all of whom hold valid police clearance certificates.

Through their efforts, the staff and artist-educators of the education and outreach team seek to support the mandate of the Canadian Opera Company on a local, regional and national level.

About the Canadian Opera CompanyBased in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the five largest in North America. The COC enjoys a loyal audience support-base and one of the highest attendance and subscription rates in North America. The COC celebrates its 62nd anniversary during the 2011/2012 season. Under its leadership team of General Director Alexander Neef and Music Director Johannes Debus, the COC is increasingly capturing the opera world’s attention. The COC maintains its international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation by creating new productions within its diverse repertoire, collaborating with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracting the world’s foremost Canadian and international artists. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects, the Four Seasons Centre opened in 2006, and is also the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada. For more information on the Canadian Opera Company, please visit its award-winning website, coc.ca.

Education and Outeach at the COC

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Spring and Summer 2011 Events

for Youth

http://www.coc.ca

http://www.atmaclassique.com

http://www.coc.ca


Above: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Photo: Sam Javanrouh

The COC offers a wide variety of school programs for Kindergarten to Grade 12.

To find out more, visit our website at coc.ca/Explore or contact:

Education & Outreach AssistantCanadian Opera Company

Tel: 416-306-2392Fax: [email protected]

This study guide was prepared and written by teacher candidates from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education: Ellisa Devries, Jeehyun Kim, and May Hao and prepared for publication by members of the Communications Depaertment.

The COC Gratefully Acknowledges:

Charitable Registration Number: 11883 4829 RR0001

http://www.coc.ca

Documents

Dring Dring, The Telephone, A Hand of Bridge Study Guide