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PAL Research Guide

Medieval music with a blue box around it that says 'Voice Resources' over the blue in white textHere you'll find a growing list of resources on solo voice, chamber music, and choral music. 

To ask for help on more specific subjects or to request resources be added contact the

Performing Arts Librarian via email.

Library of Congress Call Numbers for Voice

M - Scores

M1495-5000--Vocal music

     M1497-1998--Secular vocal music

          M1611-1626--Songs

     M1999-2199--Sacred vocal music

ML - Music Literature

ML128.V7--Vocal music: Bibliography

ML1400-3275--Books about vocal music

MT - Instruction and Study

MT820-915--Singing and vocal technique

Opera Gene News

  • WNO’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs: Once More with Cafritz Star ShineThis link opens in a new window Friday night’s performance had a special appeal – for this performance only, all the soloists were members of the Washington National Opera’s Cafritz Young Artists program.  While their young artists are often featured in supporting roles in each of their fully staged operas, one later performance is typically cast with only Cafritz members.  This performance only, there were also Cafritz singers in these three main roles: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Chrisann Brennan.  The talented and accomplished young artists, those continuing and newly inserted, did not disappoint.  More on that, later. For the May 9 performance the new Steve Jobs (Jonathan Patton), Steve Wozniak (Nicholas Huff), and Chrisann Brennan (Anneliese Klenetsky). Photos courtesy of Washington National Opera. Additional photos shown below are of the cast in the May 2 performance.Greek gods have been the subject of many an opera and being both a human and a Greek god always had issues.  Steve Jobs was a god of technology and a human being; the opera deals with how one affects the other.  The human part bore substantial failings, and the god part supplied society-changing treasures/curses.  Those close to him and who worked with him suffered the mental and emotional trauma he imposed on his path to running off the rails personally and to great heights as a technology god.  His leadership of Apple, especially in the creation of the iPhone, has shifted the dial on human development.  His wife remarked at his memorial service, as attendees departed, that they would all be pulling out their phones as they left.  Maybe that’s how you want to remember him, with total admiration and respect.  If so, this is not your opera.  Creator Jobs was a complex man and his gifts to society were both great and…well, complicated, enabling technology for both use and misuse.  If you are into complexity and what it means to be human, this opera is an entertaining and worthwhile experience, though the opera, like its subject is…well, complicated. Köbun (Wei Wu) advising Steve Jobs (John Moore). Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera. Both, composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell have records of success in creating new operas.  Washington National Opera’s production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (2017) is the tenth production of this opera since its premiere by Santa Fe Opera in 2017.  Key decisions made in crafting an opera about Steve Jobs included presenting vignettes of important inflection points from his life, not in chronological order, and to use electronic sound elements in the music.  The singers wear microphones and some of the music is played by a synthesizer.  The libretto is sung in operatic style, so while an opera, it is a modern fusion of opera and musical theater.  His wife Laurene (Winona Martin) tries to comfort Steve Jobs (John Moore). Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera. The opera begins with Job’s father Paul, played by baritone Justin Burgess, singing in steady, fatherly fashion, to ten-year-old Steven about a workbench he made for his son to use to explore how things work (the son was well played by actor Stone Stensrud).  I have seen Mr. Burgess previously in performances of the American Opera Initiative, Wolf Trap Opera, and Washington National Opera.  A highlight among the vignettes was baritone Jonathan Patton in the role of Steve Jobs announcing the first edition of the iPhone in 2007; Apple is not specifically mentioned nor “iPhone” for legal reasons, but we know.  Mr. Patton was excellent in the role, with crisp, clear vocals that covered a range of emotions throughout the opera; to me it felt like a natural for him.  He presented a stage presence of strength, as I imagine the forceful, complex character Steve Jobs was.  (Baritone John Moore, a highly praised veteran of the role, played the role in the other WNO performances).  I have seen Mr. Patton previously in an AOI performance and two WNO productions.  The most fun scene in the opera was one where he as Jobs and tenor Nicholas Huff as Steve Wozniak, Job’s partner in initiating the Apple empire, hack into “Ma Bell” with a small device, a technological advance that allowed them to “stick it to the man”; of course, Jobs later became “the man”, Mr. Huff as Wozniak was run out of the company by Jobs after delivering an impassioned indictment of what Jobs had become.  Mr. Huff’s strong acting and singing skills were on full display; I have seen him previously in an AOI performance.  Steve Jobs (John Moore) and Steve Wozniak (Jonathan Burton) celebrate their discovery. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera. Bass Wei Wu cast as Steve Jobs’s spiritual advisor, Köbun Chino Ottagawa, deserves his own paragraph.  He was a Cafritz young artist from 2013 to 2016 and has subsequently performed in numerous productions for Washington National Opera; while a young artist, he overlapped with Mark Campbell’s tenure as CYA’s first librettist mentor.  Mr. Wu originated the role of Ottagawa with the Santa Fe Opera and has further developed the role in several productions since then.  His bass voice was golden Friday night, and he was outstanding as Köbun, a centerpiece of the opera.  Steve Jobs became interested in Buddhism early in life and at least contemplated becoming a monk.  Köbun offers Jobs direct criticism as well as spiritual advice.  His admonition to “Simplify” was an element in Apple product design under Jobs.  One of the charming scenes portrayed was Jobs hooking up with fellow college student Chrisann Brennan and doing LSD in a park.  Girlfriend Chrisann was played convincingly by soprano Anneliese Klenetsky who sang beautifully with charm, and then anger and pathos, as Jobs pulled away from her to focus on his obsession, even to the point of brutally denying fatherhood of the child she bore.  I have seen Ms. Klenetsky thus far in one AOI production.  Jobs’ eventual wife and personal savior was played by mezzo-soprano Winona Martin in all performances.  She brought balance to his life and forced him to seek health care he desperately needed.  She sang beautiful arias and duets with Jonathan Patton in a standout performance.  She has impressed as well in other performances I have seen with AOI, Wolf Trap Opera, and WNO.  Mezzo-soprano Michelle Mariposa, who played a supporting role in all performances as Job’s teacher in a Japanese calligraphy class, performed in an AOI opera this year and was one of five winners of Metropolitan Opera’s 2025 Laffont Competition this year!  Individually and as a team, the Cafritz young artists were delights, thoroughly professional, and the cast received an enthusiastic standing ovation at the end. Chrisann (Kresley Figueroa) and Steve Jobs (John Moore) in a better place. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera. Composer Mason Bates was the original composer in residence of WNO.  He is known for combining traditional and electronic sounds.  I found the music interesting and engaging.  Instruments and motifs are associated with different characters.  It’s combination of electronic and orchestral sound was befitting of an opera about a technology icon.  The music was played with crisp perfection with Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya leading the Washington National Opera, which often included meeting the challenge of having to match the beat of programmed electronic music.  Chorus Steven Gathman did his usual fine job leading the WNO Chorus, who also served as Apple employees for several scenes.  The music and the libretto combined to do an excellent job of storytelling, embellished by emotion.  For me personally, I experienced the amplified pounding sound as beating on me a bit and needed the softer gentler music near the end to soothe.The narrative, in keeping with a Zen theme, was organized around the ensō, a distinctive circle, hand drawn in one motion.  The staging of the opera required accommodating a prologue (beginning with the child Steve Jobs, opening of the circle), an epilogue with the child Jobs (completing the circle), and with 17 scenes drawn from a dozen different years presented as random thoughts of Jobs, not presented in chronological order.  The cast supposed to be off stage were seated on benches onstage consistent with the Zen theme.  The stage for almost all scenes was dominated by 28 large screen monitors playing images imbuing the scenes with an aura of technology.  This was an effective presentation; kudos to Revival Stage Director Rebecca Herman.  However, for me the technological sameness imposed by the monitors detracted from many of the emotionally laden scenes, though the consistency allowed the opera to need only one hour and forty minutes to tell its story.Librettist Campbell states in the program notes that “We can’t deny who we are as humans— messy, all loose wires, impossible to program. This is the lesson of this opera and one that I believe Jobs learned in his later years, before succumbing to what he termed ‘the single best invention of life’.”  The opera achieved its goal.  One might ask, however, to what purpose?  So we can all hang our heads in resignation at our fate?  Or to inspire us to cut each other some slack because we are all at the wheel of a car we don’t know and only partially understand.  Mr. Jobs evolved as he created a revolution. Interestingly, all the characters were likable except Steve Jobs. At the end of the opera, I mainly felt sad for him and the people who cared about him, while still admiring his accomplishments; I turned on my iPhone as I left the performance.   At top, Steve Jobs (John Moore) relentlessly and abusively driving his team to create the user friendly device you can hold in your hand that can do everything. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera. Mr. Campbell notes that the resonance of the opera’s message has grown over the years.  I suspect that is true.  The response of those whose lives overlapped with Jobs will be strongly influenced by how they feel about the man, the company, its products, and their impact on their lives.  Future audiences may well connect with the opera as a study of what it means to be human and less as details about a celebrity they knew.  Of course, right now the opera owes much of its popularity to the fame of its subject, so we will see how it ages.  Overall, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs is rich in subject matter, currency, storytelling, staging, performances, and entertainment value.  I thought in failing to emphasize any single aspect of his life the opera had lower impact than it might have, but my wife disagrees and time will tell. Finally, kudos to the Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center for allowing the singers in their Cafritz Young Artist program to perform in the roles of their fully staged operas.  Good for us, good for them!  While I understand the desire to see the established star performers that WNO casts in their productions, the young artists offer an excitement of their own when you attend their special performance. BTW, if you have been bypassing the new, short operas of the American Opera Initiative each January, reconsider; the CYA singers will make you glad you did.  The Fan Experience: Washington National Opera scheduled performances of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs on May 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10 with May 9 having a Cafritz young artists cast.  The opera was sung in English with English supertitles shown overhead.  The opera lasted one hour and forty minutes without an intermission.  Pre-opera talks were offered one hour prior to showtime.  The digital program book can be accessed at this link.  As a heads up, the new 20 minute operas of the American Opera Initiative frequently sell out. Get your tickets for January 2026 early, currently only available by subscription..Parking in the Kennedy Center is typically plentiful at around $25 per day, with a small discount for Kennedy Center members when reserved ahead of the day.  The Metro to Foggy Bottom and the free red Kennedy Center buses, from there to the Kennedy Center running every 15 minutes, are an excellent option.  There is an advantage in getting there a bit early.  KC frequently has multiple performances on its different stages overlapping that can create traffic jams and sometimes security checks when VIPs attend.There are snack stands in the main lobby, and on the Terrace level, the KC Café offers food cafeteria style at moderate prices; fine dining is available on the Terrace level in the Roof Terrace Restaurant; a discount is available to KC members.  Food and drinks except water are not allowed inside the opera house, but you can purchase reusable capped containers with your drinks that you can take inside. Take the container back with you on your next KC visit to get a discount on your drink.  May 13, 2025
  • Virginia Opera's Loving v. Virginia: Exceptional New Opera Revealing the Human HeartThis link opens in a new window Oyez, oyez, oyez (the call of the court to order).  The significance of the landmark Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in the Loving v. Virginia case is so powerful, it can overshadow everything else.  Before that decision in 1967, interracial marriages were illegal in Virginia and about forty other states.  In the opera, when Mildred Loving is asked how she felt when the decision came down, she said simply, “I feel free”.  In doing so, she proclaimed hope for all of us and brought tears to my eyes.  However, I went to Sunday’s premiere of Virginia Opera’s Loving v. Virginia determined to set the significance aside to a degree and put my primary focus on one issue: was it a good opera?  This led to some disagreements with my wife and copy editor Deb at intermission, me being the critical one.  However, by the end of the opera, we were in total agreement.  This is an exceptional opera that deserves and needs to be seen.  The Supreme Court’s decision represented a growth spurt for American democracy, but the Lovings expressed what it meant in human terms; they asked only that they be allowed to live together with their family in Virginia. Flora Hawk as Mildred Loving and Jonathan Michie as Richard Loving in love. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera. Loving v. Virginia was co-commissioned by Virginia Opera and the Richmond Symphony, as a fitting commemoration of Virginia Opera’s 50th anniversary season this year.  Five years ago, they decided to commission an opera with a subject associated with Virginia.  In fact, over his tenure with VO, Artistic Director Adam Turner has selected several works for performance that had ties to Virginia.  He and Lacey Huszcza, President and CEO of Richmond Symphony, gave opening comments.  Composer Damien Geter, a native of Virginia, and librettist Jessica Murphy Moo accepted the commission in 2022.  To direct the opera, VO brought on board world-famous opera star turned director, Denyce Graves-Montgomery; she is black and a native of Washington DC; her husband is a white physician, and they live in Virginia.  He repairs the heart, and she inspires it.  A family gathering around the table. Melody Wilson as Musiel Byrd Jeter, Christian Bolling as Sidney, Flora Hawk as Mildred Jeter Loving, Cordelia Mesecher as Donald, Phillip Bullock as Theoliver “Jake” Jeter, and Adelaide Harr as Peggy. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera. Making and staging an opera of the Loving’s story presented challenges.  It takes place over nine years in different stages, with scenes in their home areas in both Virginia and DC, scenes in courts in both venues, and jail cells, aspects more easily accommodated in a movie.  In fact, there was an excellent film in 2016 titled Loving; actress Ruth Negga was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance.  In brief, in 1958 an interracial couple in Center Point, Virginia were unable to marry because of Virginia’s 1924 Racial Integrity Act disallowing marriage between whites and people of color; anyone with one drop of blood not white in their body was considered colored under the law.  Richard and Mildred got married in DC which allowed their marriage and returned home to Virginia.  They were arrested in their home in the middle of the night and placed in jail.  In their court hearing, after pleading guilty they were sentenced to one year in prison each to be suspended if they did not appear in the state together for a period of 25 years.  They relocated to DC but unhappy with living in the city with their children, they sought relief through the ACLU for help to move back to Virginia, which eventually led to the 1967 court decision vacating their convictions, finding the law unconstitutional, and changing miscegenation laws in place in a majority of the states in the US.  The opera effectively presents the facts of the case but focuses on the human impact of the law and their struggles.  The Loving’s story is a shocking reminder of the degree to which racial prejudice pervaded life in America in a time so close to our own.  Having seen the movie, learned the facts of the case, and witnessed the human toil shown in the movie, I was eager to learn what the opera had to offer that was different and if it was done effectively.  Flora Hawk as Mildred in jail surrounded by members of the chorus representing the masked faces of the “Law”. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera. Upfront, this is one of the best organized performances of an opera that I have seen; early on I thought the action had a Broadway show vibrancy.  Except for the intermission, there is no break in the action or the music; actors and staff move the stage props representing doors, bleachers, court steps, furniture, and jails around as needed swiftly while screen images of a Virginia country view or a DC city view provide backdrops for the action; costume changes seem to appear out of nowhere.  Very clever was the use of masks on several members of the chorus to illustrate the cold, impersonal, officiousness of legal proceedings.  Sometimes the stage was filled with actors and chorus supernumeraries moving about.  From intimate scenes of two people expressing their feelings for each other to a threatening scene of a cross burning to a child injured in traffic to a DC street scene of a demonstration for equal rights, this was a directing tour-de-force.  The human flow of the story was always moving from beginning to climax, and the ending simple silhouette of Richard and Mildred at peace, embracing alone in front of the landscape of the Virginia countryside was one I will long remember.  Kudos to Director Graves-Montgomery and all her associates on the creative team. Flora Hawk as Mildred and Jonathan Michie as Richard being sentenced by Benjamin Werley as Judge Bazile. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera. Composer Damien Geter’s music was beautifully played by 51 members of the Richmond Symphony led by Conductor Adam Turner, foreshadowing and reflecting mood, emphasizing emotions, adding embellishing scenes with beauty.  The libretto of Jessica Murphy Moo told the story well and blended skillfully with the music.  The melodic music had modern elements that helped connect with the story, including an electric guitar in the mix, and marvelously-used sections of the orchestra in expressive ways.  Maestro Turner impressively kept the singers and music moving together.  Having the music playing and maintaining the narrative flow through on-stage scene changes was brilliant.  I offer no criticisms but one wistful longing: writing beautiful arias is and should be enough, but I wish a couple of them had more of a hit tune quality that I would remember long after the performance ended, to increase attendance and keep audiences returning; this opera deserved that and maybe I worry for nothing.  Regardless, I will long remember Loving v. Virginia and recommend it without reservation; I expect it to be played many more times around the country, and given its universality, around the globe. Troy Cook as lawyer Bernard Cohen, Jonathan Michie as Richard, Flora Hawk as Mildred, and Christian Sanders as lawyer Philip Hirschkop celebrate the victory. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera. A large, excellent cast made the most of each opportunity of singing and acting.  Soprano Flora Hawk who played Mildred has a bright soprano voice that floated along in the higher registers with graceful ease, carrying the musical beauty and emotion along with it.  Baritone Jonathan Michie who played Richard Loving sang well and was so believable in the role I felt like he was someone I know.  Their duets were a highlight of the performance.  Those in supporting roles were impressive in singing and in their characterizations.  Mezzo-soprano Melody Wilson portrayed Mildred’s mother in a fashion that made it seem more of a starring role.  Baritone Philip Bullock presented as a wise and caring father of Mildred.  Contralto Alissa Anderson as Richard’s mother added a concerned and caring duet with Richard.  Baritone Troy Cook and tenor Christian Sanders portrayed the ACLU lawyers with humor and conviction who, fresh out of law school, brought the case to the Supreme Court.  Mezzo-soprano Tesia Kwarteng played Mildred’s adventurous friend with a caring spirit.  Tenor Benjamin Werley who portrayed the Sheriff and Judge Bazile so convincingly that during the standing ovation at the end, when he stepped forward, there was a volley of good-natured boos.  The Virginia Opera Chorus was an important element in this production, singing impressively and enhancing the production overall; kudos to Associate Conductor and Chorus Master Brandon Eldredge. Flora Hawk as Mildred Loving and Jonathan Michie as Richard Loving at peace. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera. Loving v. Virginia is a story that could be told from many viewpoints, perhaps focused on expressing outrage at our history of racism, praising the court system, or as a passionate love story.  Composer Geter and librettist Moo chose to focus on the human elements regardless of race, the love of home, of children and family, and the enduring love of life mates, on what it means to be human, and what we need as humans - the freedom to be who we are.  The opera successfully brought home that message in a way that was felt.  The audience on Sunday was quick to its feet to applaud after the performance was over, with shouts of approval and appreciation.  Join in if you can and feel welcome if you can’t.The Fan Experience: Virginia Opera scheduled premiere performances of Loving v. Virginia for April 25, 27 in Norfolk, May 3, 4 in Fairfax, and May 9, 10, 11 in Richmond.  The opera is sung in English with subtitles in English shown on a screen overhead.  The performance lasted about two and a half hours including one intermission.  An informative background pre-opera talk on the Loving v. Virginia case was given 45 minutes prior to curtain time by Sheryll Cashin who is the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law, Civil Rights, and Social Justice at Georgetown University.Virginia Opera’s 2025-2026 season will include performances of Rossini’s Cinderella, Heggie’s Intelligence, and Verdi’s Aida.  Once again, not all of VO’s offerings will be presented in Fairfax; Aida is only scheduled for performances in Norfolk and Richmond.   May 6, 2025
  • Re | Joice: 30 Years of Ryan Brown at Opera Lafayette - Au Revoir, Ryan BrownThis link opens in a new window As Opera Lafayette’s Founder, Artistic Director, Conductor, and frequently Violinist, Ryan Brown has been doing this for 30 years!  OL’s production Thursday night was a tribute to their only leader for all that time.  Founder, Artistic Director, and Conductor Ryan Brown leading the Opera Lafayette Orchestra. Photo by Jennifer Packard Photography; courtesy of Opera Lafayette. Begun originally as the Violins of Lafayette in 1995, the focus was music only.  Singing, dance, and semi-staged operas were added later, eventually to include fully staged operas, and the name was changed to Opera Lafayette for the 2001-2002 season.  I began attending OL performances in 2017 and one of my early reports stated: “Do you think time travel is possible...If you’d like to visit France in the eighteenth century, Opera Lafayette could be your conduit.”  Along the way, Starship OL has also visited the 17th and 19th centuries and included music from a few other countries relevant to France; the authenticity of their performances is enhanced by using period instruments, and many performances are available as recordings.  The company’s activities included community outreach to share the history of the works and the roles that music played in history.  These things have been done with extraordinary scholarship, artistry, and passion under Ryan Brown’s leadership.   Ensemble photo for “Re | Joice: 30 Years of Ryan Brown at Opera Lafayette”. Photo by Jennifer Packard Photography; courtesy of Opera Lafayette. The first portion of the evening’s program was mainly constructed around selections from previous OL productions performed beautifully by a 21-piece orchestra under Maestro Brown’s masterful direction.  The 18th century music was melodious, sometimes pathos filled, sometimes spirited, and responded to the performers singing arias with expert timing and emphasis; sometimes the interplay of the orchestra, or even individual instruments, with the singers was delightful.  Meant to be a harmonious whole, the program began with dramatic arias, bridged by an entr’acte of pomp, then some meaningful comedic arias, and an inspirational ending.  The outstanding group of singers included Opera Lafayette veterans, sopranos Pascale Beaudin, soprano Paulina Francisco, and bass-baritone John Taylor Ward along with OL newcomers, tenor James Reese and tenor Gene Stenger.  In succession each artist added to the beauty and elegance of the production, some using comic or dramatic gestures that enhanced their performances.  The performances began with a selection from Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny’s opéra comique, Le Déserteur (1769).  John Taylor Ward set the tone for the evening using a warm baritone voice to sing “Ah, je respire” with feeling, making it easy to imagine him in the role. OL’s performance of this opera in 2009 led to an invitation to perform in the palace at Versailles.  Next came selections from two operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck previously produced by OL, the first an aria from Armide (1777, performed by OL in 2010) sung by soprano Paula Francisco in which Armide struggles with the conflict between love and allegiance.  There is no description of singing by Ms. Francisco that would be adequate to convey the beauty of her voice, her control and power, and the emotion imbued in her singing.  Had she been the object of King Kong’s affection, he would have been a tame puppy.  Her first aria was followed by a pleasing choral number provided by the other artists, including tenor Gene Stenger who appeared principally in the ensemble numbers.  Bass-baritone John Taylor Ward and soprano Paulina Francisco. Photos by Jennifer Packard Photography; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.Next came two arias from Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice (1762, performed by OL in 2002) sung by tenor James Reese with a chorus following each.  Mr. Reese, a specialist in early repertoire, has an engaging, lively stage presence that stands out and a crisp tenor voice that made his arias both pleasing and affecting.  If I understood his website correctly, he may be performing again with Opera Lafayette next season.  To transition from drama to comedy, Maestro Brown and orchestra played a march from André Grétry’s Le Magnifique (1773, performed by OL in 2011).  The beginning of this piece was captivating but, sadly, it was very short; I wondered if Grétry developed it further.  The switch to comedy began with John Taylor Ward singing an aria from François-André Danican Philidor’s Sancho Pança (1762, performed by OL in 2010) based on Don Quixote, amusingly enhanced by Mr. Ward’s facial expressions and gestures, again displaying his excellent voice and singing. Tenor James Reese and soprano Pascale Beaudin. Photos by Jennifer Packard Photography; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.At last, it was time for Canadian soprano Pascale Beaudin (proud of her Acadian heritage) to be featured.  I have had the pleasure of attending four of her previous performances with OL.  Bilingual in French and English, she fits perfectly with Opera Lafayette.  As usual, she sang with charm and delight an aria from Grétry’s L’Epreuve villageoise (1784, performed by OL in 2015) expressing her resolve to teach her suitor a lesson.  Tenor James Reese followed with a playful singing of an aria from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Platée (1745), and the first portion of the program ended with an ensemble rendering of Vaudeville “Je vais revoir ma chère métairie” from Sancho Pança.   Well done, all around. An ensemble featuring soprano Paulina Francisco, tenor Gene Stenger, bass-baritone John Taylor Ward, and tenor James Reese. Photo by Jennifer Packard Photography; courtesy of Opera Lafayette. After intermission, short film clips were shown from three previous OL productions accompanied by amusing and charming commentary by Pascale Beaudin at the podium.  The first clip was from the 2020 production of Beethoven’s Leonore (1805), the culmination of OL’s ambitious Leonore Project, in which Ms. Beaudin played Marcelline.  Interestingly, she also played Marceline in OL’s production of Pierre Gaveaux’s Leonore, ou L’Amour du conjugal, an earlier opera version of the Leonore story.  The next clip was from Ol’s 2014 Les Fêtes de L’Hymen et de L’Amour, ou Les Dieux d’Egypte (1747), a Rameau opera/ballet that enlisted three dance groups, the New York Baroque Dance Company, Kalanidhi Dance, and the Sean Curran Company.  The final clip was from OL’s 2020 The Blacksmith, a Nick Olcott/Ryan Brown American adaptation of the Le Maréchal ferrant (1760), a French opéra comique by François-André Danican Philidor.  Staging a comedic opera, outdoors, with seating on spaced bales of hay, beside a barn, on a ranch, in Colorado, with a film made for public viewing, was Opera Lafayette’s way of spitting in COVID’s eye and raising everyone’s spirits, not to mention keeping a few musicians and singers employed.  In his program notes, Director Brown states about OL productions, “…perfection is not the goal. Happily, we've sought expression and discovery.”  Do you need any more evidence? Okay, one more: not only did OL unearth buried treasures, but presented them in creative ways; take a look at the outrageous Machine Dazzles’s costumes in my blog report on their 2023 performance of Io by Rameau at this link.At the end of the clips, Ryan Brown came out to the podium with Patrick Quigley to introduce Mr. Quigley as the incoming Artistic Director and Conductor and said it seemed like time for some Mozart.Conductor Quigley then directed the orchestra in performing Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate (1773) with the vocal by Paulina Francisco.  At first, I found myself involuntarily rejecting Conductor Quigley’s presence in front of the orchestra.  This event felt personal.  In a way that’s hard to explain, I feel over the years I’ve gotten more than entertainment from OL under Director Brown’s leadership, maybe sustenance of some kind, perhaps continuing proof that the world is a good place to be.  However, he could not have done Conductor Quigley a better favor than introduce him leading that evening’s orchestra, accompanying that soprano’s singing.  Ms. Francisco and the orchestra performed the piece with such inspirational beauty, I came around to at least not rejecting Mr. Quigley.Conductor Brown returned for the last selection, the “O doux moment” Trio from Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini’s Oedipe à Colone (1786, performed by OL in 2004) sung beautifully by Paulina Francisco, James Reese, and John Taylor Ward.  Exiting Artistic Director Brown said that the piece called for a life of love and virtue, and he wanted to end with that, and a befitting ending it was. Stepping down Founder and Artistic Director of Opera Lafayette Ryan Brown. Photo by Jennifer Packard Photography; courtesy of Opera Lafayette. It has been my pleasure and my privilege to attend and write about Opera Lafayette performances since January 2017.  This performance made me realize how much I missed that went before!  See a list of my reports below included to show the variety and sustained excellence of OL’s productions.  OL’s niche included discovery of great music enshrouded in history.  Many of their productions were modern premieres, music not heard since their first splash, and one, by black composer Edward Dédé, Morgiane, had never been performed before.  Most OL productions were new to me.  Old is new if you have not seen it before, and with Opera Lafayette, sometimes never even heard of it before.  My OL mantra over the years quickly became don’t ask, just go, be entertained, be educated, and be enriched.  I learned a good bit about history and how music mattered, how music was intertwined with that history.  The cultural enrichment was always inclusive and never condescending.  Thursday night was vintage Ryan Brown.  The quality of Opera Lafayette’s delightful retrospective program and performance on Thursday night, arranged by Artistic Director Brown, revealed a man more at the height of his powers than one stepping down.Thank you, Ryan Brown!The Fan Experience: Opera Lafayette performs its works in both DC and NYC. On April 30,  “Re | Joice: 30 Years of Ryan Brown at Opera Lafayette” was performed in NYC’s St. Bartholomew’s Church and on May 1 in the Terrace Theater of DC’s Kennedy Center.  The vocals were sung in French with English subtitles projected on a screen.For this performance there was no pre-performance talk. The program book, as of this report, still online at this link. For your perusal of at least part of Opera Lafayette’s variety of performances, is a list below of ones I have written about since 2017; I wish I had started earlier.OPERA LAFAYETTE: FROM VIOLINS TO OPERA, CLOAKED IN ROMANCEJanuary 19, 2017OPERA LAFAYETTE AND MY FIRST LEONOREFebruary 22, 2017AN ELEGANT EVENING OF EARLY MUSIC, COMPLIMENTS OF OPERA LAFAYETTEOctober 27, 2017WAS IT JUST A DREAM? TIME TRAVEL WITH OPERA LAFAYETTEFebruary 6, 2018OPERA LAFAYETTE’S CERERE PLACATA: THOSE CRAZY RICH NEAPOLITANSOctober 31, 2018OPERA LAFAYETTE’S RADAMISTO: FAITHFUL WOMEN, GREAT MUSIC, AND SPIRITED DANCINGFebruary 9, 2019OPERA LAFAYETTE/HEARTBEAT OPERA’S LA SUSANNA: OPERA'S BACK TO THE FUTUREApril 24, 2019OPERA LAFAYETTE’S VENUS AND ADONIS: DEATH BY BAROQUENovember 23, 2019SITTING DOWN WITH OPERA LAFAYETTE’S RYAN BROWN: THE LEONORE PROJECT AND MOREFebruary 13, 2020OPERA LAFAYETTE’S LEONORE: BEETHOVEN, AUTHENTIC AND IMAGINEDFebruary 29, 2020LE MARÉCHAL FERRANT (THE BLACKSMITH): OPERA LAFAYETTE PREMIERES AN AMERICANIZED OPÉRA COMIQUEOctober 17, 2020OPERA LAFAYETTE’S THE BLACKSMITH ON FILM: OPÉRA COMIQUE PUTS ON A COWBOY HATNovember 12, 2020OPERA LAFAYETTE’S “FÊTE DE LA MUSIQUE”: SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, AND FREE ALL DAYJune 16, 2021OPERA LAFAYETTE’S SILVAIN: PRETTY MUSIC YES, BUT MOREJune 5, 2022OPERA LAFAYETTE’S 2022-2023 SEASON: ENJOY THE HISTORY, RELISH THE MUSICNovember 21, 2022OPERA LAFAYETTE’S “IN THE SALONS OF VERSAILLES”: ELEGANT AND SPARKLING PERFORMANCESDecember 5, 2022OPERA LAFAYETTE'S PERGOLESI!: A PROGRAM TO REMEMBERFebruary 5, 2023OPERA, DANCE, AND DAZZLE: OPERA LAFAYETTE'S MAY PREMIERES OF TWO OPÉRAS-BALLETSApril 22, 2023OPERA LAFAYETTE'S OPÉRA-BALLET PREMIERES: A FUN LÉANDRE ET HÉRO AND AN AUDACIOUS IOMay 4, 2023OPERA LAFAYETTE'S COUPERIN LE GRAND: TIME TRAVEL, FIRST CLASSOctober 27, 2023OPERA LAFAYETTE'S "FROM SAINT-CYR TO CANNONS: MOREAU AND HANDEL'S ESTHER" - THEATER AS MASS MEDIAFebruary 12, 2024OPERA LAFAYETTE'S LES FÊTES DE THALIE: ENTERTAINMENTS WITHOUT SADNESSMay 5, 2024OPERA LAFAYETTE'S MORGIANE: EDMOND DÉDÉ RECLAIMEDFebruary 7, 2025  May 4, 2025
  • Shakespeare Opera Theatre's Drowning Ophelia: Powerful, Well DoneThis link opens in a new window For companies I especially like, I don’t always look too closely at what is being performed.  I assume I will enjoy whatever is up; Opera Lafayette and Washington Concert Opera come to mind.  I wrongly assumed that Shakespeare Opera Theater, a local treasure, would be presenting an operatic riff on the Ophelia from Hamlet, the opera.  Turns out, it wasn’t opera but a play, a maiden voyage for SOT.  I got to be present at the first performance of a play by Shakespeare Opera Theatre!  Well, there are some opera connections here.  The sum of it was that my instinct, if not my assessment, was right, and I am glad to have seen this powerful drama, performed affectingly by talented young actors/singers and produced cohesively by production staff and crew.  Jessa Whitley-Hill as Jane observing an innocent(?) gift. Sarah Daniels as Ophelia in her tub comforted by a stuffed toy alligator. Photos courtesy of Shakespeare Opera Theatre.Ophelia is of course the character in Hamlet who is shunned by her true love, warned by her brother about him, and then loses touch with reality altogether after her father is killed by her estranged love, leading her to drown herself, all the while singing some beautiful arias.  If you followed all that, forget it, except that Ophelia was controlled by men, did drown herself, and did sing some pretty songs.  The play being presented was playwright Rachel Luann Strayer’s Drowning Ophelia (2012), which is billed as a one-act, dark comedy about sexual abuse.  You might ask how something so corrosive can be funny.  It can’t, but there can be humor in the life around it.  Ever laugh at a funeral when something funny happens, inadvertently, maybe a butterfly lands on a speaker’s head.  Theater is not a lecture but entertainment that strives to communicate experientially.  Drowning Ophelia uses humor to soften our way into facing a disturbing topic and leading us to connect viscerally with the lost innocence and serious harm being wrought.  Author Strayer wrote some songs into the play but did not provide the music; she left vocals up to stage directors.  Dr. Lori Lind, Artistic and Managing Director of Shakespeare Opera Theatre as well as Director and Production Manager for this production, drew melodies from composer Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet which put the poetry in the play to effective use. SOT under her direction performed an adaptation of the opera Hamlet in 2020 and could draw on that experience.  Her program notes for Drowning Ophelia state, “You will hear an excerpt from the “Spring Chorus” used to set the words of Ophelia’s Valentine song that is reprised throughout the show. You will hear an excerpt from the cavatina portion of Ophelia’s “book aria” and of course, music from her mad scene. The words are Shakespeare’s and the music is Thomas’, with tweaks to make the English words fit the original French setting. Therein, we accomplish our mission of bringing classical theater and classical music together!”  The singing is done acapella, as is required by the playwright, but Dr. Lind’s choice provides a connection to opera and enhances the production, making Jane’s loss of control more palpable. Edmund (Karina Hilleard) in a playacting dinner with Jane (Jessa Whitley-Hill). Photo courtesy of Shakespeare Opera Theatre. In Drowning Ophelia, for a while we don’t know what is going on, especially what is real, but with the narrative and deft staging, the story is revealed.  (Spoiler alert for the remaining plot description while the ending will not be revealed).  Jane is a deeply disturbed woman who is hallucinating, visualizing Ophelia living in her bathtub.  Ophelia with her chatter and singing are a constant distraction and disturbance to Jane; eventually we come to realize that Ophelia is a 12-year-old Jane whose victimization she wishes to expunge from her memory.  Ophelia has a brother Adam who visits her often, and sometimes also converses with Jane; eventually we realize that Adam is Jane’s brother whose recent death she cannot face; it has ended any hope for closure with an older brother who sexually abused her at the age of 12.  To deal with her real life she employs an actor Edmund to visit her to act out imaginary dinner-dates where she and Edmund  wear costumes from different time periods while imitating that period’s manner of speech.  Much of the humor derives from these visits, though they are not without conflict, as Edmund realizes that Jane is not altogether present.  I won’t reveal the ending but will conclude with playwright Strayer’s statement: “This play is a love letter to those who have suffered. There is always hope.”  Dr. Lind revealed in her notes that part of what moved her to do this play was her own family trauma from a deceased brother, leading her to want everyone to see this play.  Ophelia (Sarah Daniels) in her tub with older brother Adam by her side. Photo courtesy of Shakespeare Opera Theatre. The centerpiece of the small but effectively decorated performance stage was a child’s room containing a bathtub and a piano; to its left was an apartment wall hiding a bedroom not seen, fronted by a bench with a large wooden box; and to the right, a dining table for two beside a wall with a kitchen behind it not seen.  A telephone and answering machine play important roles.  Costumes, both modern day and from different periods for the play-acting dinners, were well done.  The characters moved around as well, moving on and off stage in a natural flow, while wearing non-slip footwear to deal with water splashes from the tub.  The atmosphere of an independent woman hiding and confronting her issues in a small apartment was effectively created with lighting effects enhancing this atmosphere.  The constant adding of water to the tub by different characters built the tension leading to the denouement.  When it comes to storytelling, a lot can be done with a little.  Notice the details like the carefully selected shopping bags.  Furthermore, for this play the intimacy of the theater was an enhancing element.  Kudos to Director Lind, her performance staff (Asst Director/Stage Manager and Lighting Designer EJ Fultz, Assistant Stage Manager Tim Vinson, and Graphic Designer/Webmaster Laura Sage ), and crew (Carpenters Ray Raymond and Wade Smith, Wardrobe by Susan Gardiner, Executive Producer Gene Allen and Associate Producers Tammy Rogers, Wade Smith, and Rick Knight).The stars of the performance were four professional actors/singers, well chosen for their roles; all seemed real though two were imaginary.  I’m not sure actors are trained to embody imaginary; however, their usage by playwright Strayer put the focus on Jane, making us eyewitnesses to Jane’s turmoil and its destructive impact on her life.  We root for Jane to break free and fear she may not.  Over the evening, we were amused, laughed, had tears well up in our eyes, enjoyed the refreshments, and the company.  In the end, those who have suffered were given hope, but for all, the path of destruction is now embedded in our memories.  I viewed this play with a mindset from quite a few years ago.  My great hope is that modern empowerment of women will lessen the incidence of all sexual abuse, especially in families, but I have not seen evidence it has. A tender moment between Ophelia (Sarah Daniels) and Jane (Jessa Whitley-Hill) and a tender moment between Jane (Jessa Whitley-Hill) and Edmund (Karina Hilleard). Photos courtesy of Shakespeare Opera Theatre.I will mention each of the players by name, but the important point is how well the ensemble performed together to deliver a compelling story and the author’s message so affectingly.  Each actor/singer’s role was essential; any weak link could have deflated the production.  Kudos to all.  Jane was played by Jessa Whitley-Hill, a veteran performer and promoter of small theater productions.  Jane was a demanding role which requires the actor to maintain conversations with two imaginary characters from her past as well as  converse and act in different roles with one real person, while displaying a range of emotions in each of these interactions.  There were some minor rough spots.  At one point I was confused as to what was real and what was imagined when all the characters were on the stage at once.  Actress/lyric coloratura soprano Sarah Daniels played Ophelia.  She is a young veteran of opera and theater, drawing impressive praise from NYC opera critics.  At first, I thought she was playing a teenager in the role of Ophelia and was surprised and even more dismayed to find out Ophelia was just twelve.  She was a delight as a constant source of irritation to Jane.  Her vocalizations were appealing and stylized for the character.  She has a beautiful singing voice, performed marvelously singing acapella, creating for me my first tinge of regret this was not opera. A moment becoming too intimate between Ophelia (Sarah Daniels) and Adam (Justin Meyer). Photo courtesy of Shakespeare Opera Theatre. Photo courtesy of Shakespeare Opera Theatre. Ok, let’s move to the guys.  Oh, did I say that actor Edmund was a pants role acted by Karina Hilleard.  Ms. Hilleard is an accomplished actress, having appeared with Washington National Opera and Shakespeare Theatre Company.  She auditioned for the role of Jane, but then was Dr. Lind’s choice for Edmund after actor Justin Meyer, an SOT veteran, expressed an interest in playing Adam.  Ms. Hilleard performed well and was convincing in her role displaying both interest in Jane as a human connection and repulsion from Jane in her disturbing behavior.  Their comedic but edgy scenes together were a highlight.  On reflection, I think having this be a pants role distracts a wee bit from the focus of the play though perhaps adds to the absurd comedic element (Note: my wife vehemently disagrees there was an issue in making this a pants role; I tried to explain that…oh, you’ve heard enough).  Actor/Singer Justin Meyer effectively and confidently played Adam as a likable teen, then college student, as part of Jane’s hallucinations.  But eventually, we see him differently as his interactions with Ophelia grow worrisome.  A dramatic highpoint was Jane and his attempt at reconciliation, resulting in her admitting her true feelings.  Mr. Meyer performed impressively in a range of characters in two previous SOT productions that I have seen.  Well done, all!Shakespeare Opera Theatre’s Drowning Ophelia entertained and communicated its message affectingly.  When the play was over, a short talk back with the actor/singers and staff ensued.  As I looked at this team, I felt that I had received a gift from all involved.The Fan Experience: Performances of Shakespeare Opera Theatre’s Drowning Ophelia were scheduled for April 4, 5 (2), 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 (2) at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church in McLean. A ‘pay what you will’ option is available for Friday performances; see this link for tickets.  The performance lasted about an hour, and the cast and staff led by Dr. Lind returned after the final applause for an approximately 20-minute interesting discussion with attendees that chose to remain.  Additional information is available in the online program book.  Free parking is available.From Dr. Lind’s text in the program book for Drowning Ophelia: With April being Domestic Abuse Awareness month, it gave the opportunity for visibility I hoped to amplify with this play. Abuse does not always come with a shout, but most often with a whisper. It builds imperceptibly over time, and the victims become conditioned to their abuse like the proverbial frog in the slowly boiling pot of water. Recovering from such prolonged trauma causes lifelong mistrust of one’s own judgement, which is one of the most difficult mental hurdles to overcome. PTSD, ADHD and Dissociative disorders often stem from the cognitive dissonance of enduring abuse from someone who is a family member and who otherwise does love and care for you.Shakespeare Opera Theatre will return to its usual genre with its production of s Romeo and Juliet on July 11, 12, 13, 14 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church and July 18, 19, 20 at Grace Episcopal Church. This production will be a mix of Charles Guonod’s eponymous opera and Shakespeare’s more famous play. Dr. Lind says it will speken in Shakespeare’s english and sung in Guonod’s french. While the 2025-2026 season has not been formally announced as yet, we can look forward to Hansel and Gretel, Susannah, and Tartuffe. Dr. Lind reports that 2026 will be all American music for the 250th anniversary of the birth of the nation. . SOT’s performances have more of a party atmosphere rather than the church service atmosphere of our major opera halls.  I have found little pretense with SOT; they readily own their limitations and still manage to engage us fully.  Dress is “as you like it” and seating is at tables.  Snacks and drinks are offered for sale which can be consumed before, during, or after performances.  Attendance by children is welcomed, though for Drowning Ophelia only ages 11 and up, parental discretion advised. The play includes suggestive behavior but nothing more overt than a kiss.This report, as is usual, has benefited immensely from my wife Debra serving as copy editor.  My wife writes a travel blog called fiammatravels.com for which I serve as the copy editor.  Apr 8, 2025
  • Annapolis Opera's La Traviata: A Charmer, Thrilling at TimesThis link opens in a new window Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata (1853), a leading candidate for most popular opera of all time, is about a sex worker with a good heart and strength of character; think academy award winner “Anora” with better music.  Also, much less skin.  Instead, Mr. Verdi’s opera touches our hearts, revealing our commonality in valuing true love, sacrifice, and kindness in the face of societal disapproval, while immersing us in exquisitely beautiful music that makes us feel deeply the emotional impact of the story.  It also provides singers an opportunity, especially the soprano playing Violetta, to demonstrate their talent.  Annapolis Opera’s telling checked all the boxes, as the company continues to hit above its weight class.  The packed house on Sunday agreed with this assessment and expressed their appreciation in thunderous applause and a fast-out-of-their-seats standing ovation. Ethel Trujillo as Violetta and Lawrence Barasa as Alfredo in Annapolis Opera’s La Traviata. Photo by Michael Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera. Violetta is based on a real courtesan in mid 18th century Paris (for reference, in the year of its premiere, 1853, Italy was yet to become a unified country, Napoleon III was the emperor of France, and the U.S. was less than ten years from the beginning of its bloody Civil War).  Librettist Francesco Maria Piave based the opera on a book and play by Alexandre Dumas, fils.  You know the familiar plot line: boy gets girl (falls for sex worker), boy loses girl (father intercedes to save the family’s good name), boy gets girl back (father reveals he engineered the breakup), girl dies (she had consumption/tuberculosis from the very beginning).  There is also a duel involved.  Sorry about the ending, it was never going to end well but not my fault.  I would have had them move as a couple to Rome to escape the family problem, Violetta get healed by the pope, and have a dozen kids; but had I presented that to any good opera composer, he would have had the boy start drinking and have an affair, the girl turn to drugs, and one of the kids get run over by the pope’s carriage.  So, in the end yes, Violetta dies of consumption, singing beautifully all the while.  And we, having been marvelously entertained, go home humming the great tunes, but more importantly, having reaffirmed our common love of human virtue.  Ethel Trujillo as Violetta and Gustavo Ahualli as Giorgio. Photo by Michael Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera. Director Eve Summer said in her program notes that Alexandre Dumas, fils’ book and subsequent play tells the story of Violetta from a man’s perspective (yes, Mr. fils’ more famous father was Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo).  The opera version, La Traviata, is all about Violetta.  AO’s risky bet in casting the young Mexican soprano Ethel Trujillo in the lead role paid off handsomely, kudos to Artistic and Music Director Craig Kier.   Ms. Trujillo is a very young performer, having graduated from the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia in 2024; for her bachelor’s degree from Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, she graduated summa cum laude.  She has an impressive record of place finishes in many opera competitions in the US and Europe.  She appeared as Rosina in AVA’s production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia.  One of the pleasures of seeing popular operas like La Traviata multiple times evolves from seeing what different performers bring to the roles, and promising young talents such as Ms. Trujillo, make it an especially enticing experience.  (For the record, skin was totally out of the question in Verdi’s day. Heck, the censors would not even let him use the name he preferred, Amore e Morte (Love and Death), too dramatic, I guess. However, Director Summer did have some kissing involved, doubt that would have gotten by 19th century censors.) Ethel Trujillo as Violetta, John Tibbetts as Barone Duophol, and Joanne Evans as Flora. Photo by Michael Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera. Back to soprano Ethel Trujillo who turned in a very strong performance as Violetta.  She has a powerful instrument and sings beautifully.  Her trills and flourishes in Act I were a thrilling delight, though I’m not sure always technically perfect.  I was most impressed with her acting and singing in the second half of the opera with more straightforward vocals of great emotional depth showing more of her full range.  In those solo arias and duets, she excelled.  My wife commented, and I agreed, that we wished we could time travel to hear Ms. Trujillo perform ten years from now.  Her voice still has a youthful edge, and it will be interesting to see how it changes as she matures and her experience deepens.  If she returns to Annapolis Opera, mark it as a must-see event.There are two other lead roles in La Traviata, Violetta’s newfound love, Alfredo and his father, Giorgio.  The role of Alfredo was played by tenor Lawrence Barasa.  He has a rich tenor voice and sings beautifully with remarkable diction and phrasing.  Mr. Barasa, a native of Kenya, is also a young performer, who began singing in a choir and is relatively new to opera.  He also has an impressive record in vocal competitions.  I thought the quality of his singing solo and in duets was superb.  However, I found his acting to be somewhat stiff, causing vocals in different situations to sound similar, an area for a young performer to develop further; I feel he might be ready for Radamès but not Florestan (my wife thought his acting was just fine).  The father Giorgio was played by baritone Gustavo Ahualli who is an experienced professional having performed in over 50 roles; he is also a voice teacher.  He provided a compelling concerned father who quickly sensed Violetta was a person of substance, then later regretted his role in her suffering.  I especially enjoyed the rich duets between him and Ms. Trujillo. Ethel Trujillo as Violetta, John Tibbetts as Barone Duophol, Lawrence Barasa as Alfredo, and Joanne Evans as Flora. Photo by Michael Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera. The performance was firmed up by a bevy of supporting cast members, many noted local performers, that included Joanne Evans as Violetta’s friend Flora, Andrew Adelsberger as Dr. Grenvil, John Tibbets as Baron Douphol, Violetta’s main benefactor, and Patricia Hengen as Annina, Violetta’s doting maid.  Also enhancing the performance was Anthony D. Anderson as Marchese, Patrick Kilbride as Gastone, Max Alexander Cook as Giuseppe, J.P. Gorski as Commissioner, and Henry Hubbard as Servant.  I will single out mezzo soprano Joanne Evans, who piqued my interest with excellent singing in her brief solo.The Annapolis Opera Orchestra’s 27-piece ensemble played Verdi’s music beautifully under the direction of Conductor Craig Kier.  The first gorgeous melody in the overture tells us someone is going to die; if ever there was music for a modern hospital TV series, this is it.  The overture moves to some dance music; okay, there will be some fun, and then explodes rapidly to take us into the salon’s party atmosphere.  Maestro Kier maintained excellent coordination with the singers and kept the music showcasing and not overpowering the vocals.  The cast served as the choir and were impressive in that role; kudos to Principal Coach and Chorus Master Joann Kuleza. Ethel Trujillo as Viioletta and Lawrence Barasa as Alfredo. Photo by Michael Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera. Director Summer’s staging used simple atmospheric sets enhanced by lighting; kudos to Lighting Designer and Production Manager Chris Brusberg.  The costumes were a visual delight and appropriate for the time period; kudos to Wardrobe Supervisor Sharlene Clinton, and to Wig/Make-up Designer Priscilla Bruce who transformed Violetta from an attractive young courtesan to a bed-ridden, physical wreck at the end.  Dancing in opening scenes immediately created the party atmosphere of the salon and later enhanced the fun of the matador scene.  The deathbed finale was well designed by Director Summer.Annapolis has a population of around forty thousand and yet has one of the best small opera companies in the US.  La Traviata was another triumph for them and a selling point for the city.  Kudos to all involved!The Fan Experience: Performances of La Traviata were scheduled for March 14 and 16 in Maryland Hall. The opera was sung in Italian with English supertitles on screens placed on both sides of the stage.  The performance ran about two hours forty-five minutes with two intermissions.  There was a pre-opera talk scheduled one hour before the performance.La Traviata was the last staged production of the season for AO.  However, The 37th Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition will take place in Maryland Hall on April 13, a free event.  The program book indicated Don Giovanni and Hansel and Gretel are scheduled for next season.   The company will formally announce its 2025-2026 season on April 13.In her opening comments, President of the Board Dr. Carletta Allen revealed one piece of evidence supporting Annapolis Opera’s prominence.  AO Director Kathy Swekel was “recently honored by Opera America for her tenure at the helm of our Company”.  Ms. Swekel was one of only five individuals to be so honored among all of the opera companies in the United States. Mar 18, 2025
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ChoralNet News

  • Susquehanna Chorale to Present Its Spring Concert, “My Spirit Sang All Day”This link opens in a new window The Susquehanna Chorale, a nationally acclaimed adult chamber ensemble of 40 auditioned singers, will present its spring concert series, My Spirit Sang All Day, May 16-18, under the direction of Linda L. Tedford. The series begins on Friday, May 16 at Derry Presbyterian Church, Hershey, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 17 at Market Square Presbyterian Church […] May 15, 2025
  • A Guide to Choir Management Software—and Why Your Choir Needs ItThis link opens in a new window Whether you’re leading a professional vocal ensemble or managing a community choir, chances are you didn’t sign up for hours of admin. You’re here for the music—the harmonies, the performances, the joy of singing together. That’s where choir management software comes in.  Designed specifically for choral organizations, choir management software brings everything under one digital […] May 15, 2025
  • Thames Philharmonic Choir Swing into SummerThis link opens in a new window Join Thames Philharmonic Choir on Saturday 14 June for a fun-filled journey into the realm of choral jazz. With music by legendary jazz pianist George Shearing, alongside British choral giants John Rutter and Bob Chilcott, this promises to be an evening of cool harmonies, funky rhythms and everything in between. We’re joined by one of […] May 15, 2025
  • “A Garden of Song” Sunday, June 1, Stow, MA, USAThis link opens in a new window The Sounds of Stow (Barbara Jones, artistic director) presents our final concert of the season, “A Garden of Song,” Sunday, June 1st at 4:00 p.m., First Parish of Stow/Acton, 353 Great Road, Stow. Directed by Christina Kennedy and accompanied by Pauline Oliver, the performance will feature a variety of folk songs plus rich and rewarding […] May 15, 2025
  • “EVERY CHILD HAS KNOWN GOD” with BYU SingersThis link opens in a new window I’m thrilled to share a link to the video of my piece, “EVERY CHILD HAS KNOWN GOD.” My friend Andrew Crane and the BYU Singers deliver a wonderful performance of it. Enjoy!     May 15, 2025
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