A Fire in Water
Two goddesses try to protect their sons from all harm, but their sons' love for their companions makes them vulnerable - makes them human, allowing them to break like snapped twigs, like fingernails, like hearts.
... Love is mortal.
Performances:
Thursday, July 10: 8:15pm
Tuesday, July 15: 6:15pm
Sunday, July 20: 4:45pm
Wednesday, July 23: 6:15pm
Saturday, July 26: 12:00pm
Tuesday, July 15: 6:15pm
Sunday, July 20: 4:45pm
Wednesday, July 23: 6:15pm
Saturday, July 26: 12:00pm
Venue:
Atlas - Lang
1333 H St. NE
Washington, DC 20002
1333 H St. NE
Washington, DC 20002
Reviews:
"Above all, this piece has something that's hardly promised from Fringe performances: polish. The performances are sharp. The libretto and the score are built of painstaking echoes and pairings. And while the simple set doesn't see a lot of movement, each individual tableau is carefully composed into a slow-motion, geometric shift."
"The singers fill the space so surely that the company never feels small, their volumes meshing perfectly with the excellent chamber musicians. The goddesses stun when they soar and the demigod-heroes wring every drop of drama from their arias."
"In short, this opera aims for a high note—and hits it."
-- Camila Domonoske, Washington City Paper. Read it here.
*****
"[T]his work deserves attention. All too often, Fringe productions veer into camp or the ridiculous. It’s refreshing to see the Silver Finch Arts Collective go for it with such serious purpose and the dedication of assembled talents. I urge audiences to come prepared to cheer for love and weep for useless, unstoppable war."
"... there is some wonderful – and singable – poetry imbedded in [the libretto]. 'As in your quiet heart you knew war would be hell,' sings Achilles to his warrior friend."
"Stage Director Courtney Kalbacker manages to create wonderful stage pictures that are appropriately dignified by involving the two stunning singers, [...] Buonaiutu [sic] channels well a something-other-worldly sorceress for her goddess archetype and sings with a siren’s brilliance. Riegle presents a kind of great earth mother. Both channel the ache of mothers unable to prevent their beloved boys from death and the destruction of war."
"Tanya Ruth, with a wonderfully rich and expressive voice is Andromeda. Winter, as the highest soprano, has a bell-like sound (...) with LaBonte nestling in between, blending beautifully."
"Andrew Sauvageau is a very expressive singer-actor with a rich baritone that can play rough for effect."
"Kyle McGruther, [...], is most affective as the war weary Patroclus."
"Artz possesses a high lyrical instrument with good flexibility"
"The score has great range and conveys a variety of colors and rhythms. Here it drives like war drums. At other times it feels delicate as gossamer. The throbbing melodic lines denoting grief mount to a place where the pain feels unbearable. The tight instrumental ensemble supports the work well. Oberhauser gets much mileage out of his 5-piece orchestra and is able to find a way to blend the sounds of two quite different approaches to composition the co-composers represent into a seamless whole."
"Bob Grannan’s costumes work well, especially the sea-foam green and the fiery-toned gowns of the two goddesses. Alison V. Hall made good use of color washes on the vast back wall of the Lang stage at Atlas to create emotional shifts in the epic work."
-- Susan Galbraith, DC Theatre Scene. Read it here.
*****
"It’s exciting that companies like Silver Finch Art Collective are using Fringe to bring new takes on classical disciplines to audiences in an affordable fashion."
"The Silver Finches (...) made simple but strong choices which keep the production clean and really make it work."
"Choreography is simple and precise but elegant..."
"Danielle Buonaluto [sic] as Artemis and Kristina Reigle as Thetis both have those soaring sopranos you’d expect. Andrew Sauvageau as Achilles provides a dramatic and booming baritone. The score by Michael Oberhauser and Terrance Johns feels slightly unnerving, even in its prettiest moments. The interaction of voices and orchestra is nicely balanced with voices sometimes working against the score, sometimes echoing, sometimes perfectly in harmony and occasionally standing alone."
-- Chris Griffin, DC Metro Theater Arts. Read it here.
"The singers fill the space so surely that the company never feels small, their volumes meshing perfectly with the excellent chamber musicians. The goddesses stun when they soar and the demigod-heroes wring every drop of drama from their arias."
"In short, this opera aims for a high note—and hits it."
-- Camila Domonoske, Washington City Paper. Read it here.
*****
"[T]his work deserves attention. All too often, Fringe productions veer into camp or the ridiculous. It’s refreshing to see the Silver Finch Arts Collective go for it with such serious purpose and the dedication of assembled talents. I urge audiences to come prepared to cheer for love and weep for useless, unstoppable war."
"... there is some wonderful – and singable – poetry imbedded in [the libretto]. 'As in your quiet heart you knew war would be hell,' sings Achilles to his warrior friend."
"Stage Director Courtney Kalbacker manages to create wonderful stage pictures that are appropriately dignified by involving the two stunning singers, [...] Buonaiutu [sic] channels well a something-other-worldly sorceress for her goddess archetype and sings with a siren’s brilliance. Riegle presents a kind of great earth mother. Both channel the ache of mothers unable to prevent their beloved boys from death and the destruction of war."
"Tanya Ruth, with a wonderfully rich and expressive voice is Andromeda. Winter, as the highest soprano, has a bell-like sound (...) with LaBonte nestling in between, blending beautifully."
"Andrew Sauvageau is a very expressive singer-actor with a rich baritone that can play rough for effect."
"Kyle McGruther, [...], is most affective as the war weary Patroclus."
"Artz possesses a high lyrical instrument with good flexibility"
"The score has great range and conveys a variety of colors and rhythms. Here it drives like war drums. At other times it feels delicate as gossamer. The throbbing melodic lines denoting grief mount to a place where the pain feels unbearable. The tight instrumental ensemble supports the work well. Oberhauser gets much mileage out of his 5-piece orchestra and is able to find a way to blend the sounds of two quite different approaches to composition the co-composers represent into a seamless whole."
"Bob Grannan’s costumes work well, especially the sea-foam green and the fiery-toned gowns of the two goddesses. Alison V. Hall made good use of color washes on the vast back wall of the Lang stage at Atlas to create emotional shifts in the epic work."
-- Susan Galbraith, DC Theatre Scene. Read it here.
*****
"It’s exciting that companies like Silver Finch Art Collective are using Fringe to bring new takes on classical disciplines to audiences in an affordable fashion."
"The Silver Finches (...) made simple but strong choices which keep the production clean and really make it work."
"Choreography is simple and precise but elegant..."
"Danielle Buonaluto [sic] as Artemis and Kristina Reigle as Thetis both have those soaring sopranos you’d expect. Andrew Sauvageau as Achilles provides a dramatic and booming baritone. The score by Michael Oberhauser and Terrance Johns feels slightly unnerving, even in its prettiest moments. The interaction of voices and orchestra is nicely balanced with voices sometimes working against the score, sometimes echoing, sometimes perfectly in harmony and occasionally standing alone."
-- Chris Griffin, DC Metro Theater Arts. Read it here.
We took some great photos of our meetings, rehearsals, and marketing events. Check them out on:
Facebook: facebook.com/silverfinchartscollective
Twitter: @silverfincharts
Instagram: @silverfincharts
Facebook: facebook.com/silverfinchartscollective
Twitter: @silverfincharts
Instagram: @silverfincharts
Cast:
Danielle Buonaiuto
Artemis - Soprano - Goddess of childbirth and life-long protector of Alexander the Great. Her temple in Athens burnt to the ground on the same day that Alexander was born.
With a repertoire spanning four centuries, Danielle Buonaiuto is proud to count herself as part of a versatile and dynamic generation of singing actors. Her fruitful collaborations with composers both emerging and established, however, set her apart; she is sought after for her compelling characterization and gift for storytelling, and her commitment to new music makes her performances of these works especially authentic.
Ms Buonaiuto maintains an active solo performance schedule. Most recently, she toured Quebec and Ontario as Musetta in La Bohème with Jeunesses Musicales Canada. Her solo album, Songs of Innocence and Experience, with pianist Bethany Pietroniro, was released this spring 2014 and is available through www.innocenceexperience.com. She is also affiliated with the LUNAR Ensemble, a Baltimore-based pierrot ensemble.
In June, she brings contemporary song to Los Angeles as a Songfest Professional Fellow, before her reprisal of Artemis in A Fire in Water. In August, she joins the Lucerne Festival Academy in their inaugural vocal fellowship program.
Ms Buonaiuto will appear in concert in Baltimore one final time, on September 18, before relocating to San Francisco, where she expects to be completely exhilarated by the new music scene. For calendar, media, and information about her CD, visit her on the web at www.daniellebuonaiuto.com .
With a repertoire spanning four centuries, Danielle Buonaiuto is proud to count herself as part of a versatile and dynamic generation of singing actors. Her fruitful collaborations with composers both emerging and established, however, set her apart; she is sought after for her compelling characterization and gift for storytelling, and her commitment to new music makes her performances of these works especially authentic.
Ms Buonaiuto maintains an active solo performance schedule. Most recently, she toured Quebec and Ontario as Musetta in La Bohème with Jeunesses Musicales Canada. Her solo album, Songs of Innocence and Experience, with pianist Bethany Pietroniro, was released this spring 2014 and is available through www.innocenceexperience.com. She is also affiliated with the LUNAR Ensemble, a Baltimore-based pierrot ensemble.
In June, she brings contemporary song to Los Angeles as a Songfest Professional Fellow, before her reprisal of Artemis in A Fire in Water. In August, she joins the Lucerne Festival Academy in their inaugural vocal fellowship program.
Ms Buonaiuto will appear in concert in Baltimore one final time, on September 18, before relocating to San Francisco, where she expects to be completely exhilarated by the new music scene. For calendar, media, and information about her CD, visit her on the web at www.daniellebuonaiuto.com .
Kristina Riegle
Thetis - Mezzo-soprano - Sea nymph / demi-goddess and the mother of Achilles.
KRISTINA RIEGLE (Thetis) is quickly establishing herself as an exciting andengaging singing actor on the opera, theatre and concert stages. Recent credits include CHILDREN OF EDEN in Concert at The Kennedy Center, directed and choreographer by Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Some other notable credits include Mark Adamo’s LITTLE WOMEN (Jo), LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (Cherubino), A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Desirée Armfeldt), CARMEN (Mércèdes), ALCINA (Ruggiero), WEST SIDE STORY (Consuelo), RAGTIME (Kathleen/Ensemble), LA TRAVIATA (Flora), THE MERRY WIDOW (Olga), and COSI FAN TUTTE (Dorabella).
Ms. Riegle enjoys the process of developing new work. In October 2013 she sang in the World Premier of Christopher Theofanidis' Virtue with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. During the summer of 2013, she was seen as Francesca in the Development Workshop of ENCHANTED APRIL directed by Robert Pullen and Stephen Brotebeck at Arena Stage, and as Princess Marguerite in a staged reading of the new musical ONE MORE NIGHT for the Kennedy Center Page To Stage Festival. Other recent work includes developing the role of Susan in a reading of the new noir opera LADY ORCHID by composer Dan Shore, and portraying Monsieur de Bressac in two staged readings of MARQUIS DE SADE'S 'JUSTINE' by Meron Langsner and Silvia Graziano.
Ms. Riegle holds a M.M. in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory, and B.A. degrees in Music and Biology, as well as an Artist Certificate in Vocal Performance from the College of Charleston. She currently resides in the DC area and is a Co-Founder/ Director of Opera on Tap DC Metro. For more information on her work, please visit http://www.kristinariegle.com.
KRISTINA RIEGLE (Thetis) is quickly establishing herself as an exciting andengaging singing actor on the opera, theatre and concert stages. Recent credits include CHILDREN OF EDEN in Concert at The Kennedy Center, directed and choreographer by Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Some other notable credits include Mark Adamo’s LITTLE WOMEN (Jo), LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (Cherubino), A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Desirée Armfeldt), CARMEN (Mércèdes), ALCINA (Ruggiero), WEST SIDE STORY (Consuelo), RAGTIME (Kathleen/Ensemble), LA TRAVIATA (Flora), THE MERRY WIDOW (Olga), and COSI FAN TUTTE (Dorabella).
Ms. Riegle enjoys the process of developing new work. In October 2013 she sang in the World Premier of Christopher Theofanidis' Virtue with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. During the summer of 2013, she was seen as Francesca in the Development Workshop of ENCHANTED APRIL directed by Robert Pullen and Stephen Brotebeck at Arena Stage, and as Princess Marguerite in a staged reading of the new musical ONE MORE NIGHT for the Kennedy Center Page To Stage Festival. Other recent work includes developing the role of Susan in a reading of the new noir opera LADY ORCHID by composer Dan Shore, and portraying Monsieur de Bressac in two staged readings of MARQUIS DE SADE'S 'JUSTINE' by Meron Langsner and Silvia Graziano.
Ms. Riegle holds a M.M. in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory, and B.A. degrees in Music and Biology, as well as an Artist Certificate in Vocal Performance from the College of Charleston. She currently resides in the DC area and is a Co-Founder/ Director of Opera on Tap DC Metro. For more information on her work, please visit http://www.kristinariegle.com.
Andrew Sauvageau
Achilles - Baritone - Mythical hero of The Iliad.
Hailed by the Baltimore Sun for the shining color in his voice and the spark and nuance of his acting, by the Washington Post for tackling challenging music with aplomb, and by the New York Times for his contained ferocity in concert, baritone Andrew Sauvageau brings life to the characters he sings, both in operatic and in concert settings. His diverse repertoire spans six centuries, from music of the renaissance to the present day.
Andrew has appeared in performances at the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, The National Gallery of Art, Tanglewood Music Festival, Baltimore's Walters Art Gallery and ArtScape, and Washington’s Capital Fringe. Andrew has a particular affinity for Romantic Lieder, and a strong love for 20th century and contemporary song. He has premiered several works by emerging composers including Ruby Fulton, Jake Runestad, Nicholas Vines and Joanna Lee.
Andrew has recorded on Naxos with Opera Lafayette, was stage director for the world premiere of Runestad's short opera The Toll and the American premiere of Lee’s Mannequins, and is a founding member of the Baltimore-based new music ensemble hexaCollective. He studied with Milagro Vargas at University of Oregon, and at Peabody Conservatory with William Sharp, where he worked regularly with Phyllis Bryn-Julson and John Shirley-Quirk.
Hailed by the Baltimore Sun for the shining color in his voice and the spark and nuance of his acting, by the Washington Post for tackling challenging music with aplomb, and by the New York Times for his contained ferocity in concert, baritone Andrew Sauvageau brings life to the characters he sings, both in operatic and in concert settings. His diverse repertoire spans six centuries, from music of the renaissance to the present day.
Andrew has appeared in performances at the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, The National Gallery of Art, Tanglewood Music Festival, Baltimore's Walters Art Gallery and ArtScape, and Washington’s Capital Fringe. Andrew has a particular affinity for Romantic Lieder, and a strong love for 20th century and contemporary song. He has premiered several works by emerging composers including Ruby Fulton, Jake Runestad, Nicholas Vines and Joanna Lee.
Andrew has recorded on Naxos with Opera Lafayette, was stage director for the world premiere of Runestad's short opera The Toll and the American premiere of Lee’s Mannequins, and is a founding member of the Baltimore-based new music ensemble hexaCollective. He studied with Milagro Vargas at University of Oregon, and at Peabody Conservatory with William Sharp, where he worked regularly with Phyllis Bryn-Julson and John Shirley-Quirk.
Kyle McGruther
Patroclus - Spoken role - His best friend and lover.
Kyle McGruther (Patroclus) is honored to be reviving his role as Patroclus in this wonderful piece of music and art. A multiple award-nominated stage and screen actor, as well as storyteller (DCGhostTours.com), he has just finished a local tour with Maryland Shakespeare Co. as a touring artist and performer, as well the rave-reviewed, Helen-Hayes Recommended run of Living Out at GALA Hispanic Theatre. Currently he is filming an independent feature-length in Richmond and preparing to work on a series of short films in July. Kyle is a distant graduate of Franklin Pierce College, with a degree in Music (Theory & Composition, Voice focus), and a current student at The Studio Theatre Acting Conversatory and the School of Life who has been acting and working in theater constantly since he decided to pursue acting professionally, and moved from Japan to the DC area in 2012.www.kylemcgruther.com
Kyle McGruther (Patroclus) is honored to be reviving his role as Patroclus in this wonderful piece of music and art. A multiple award-nominated stage and screen actor, as well as storyteller (DCGhostTours.com), he has just finished a local tour with Maryland Shakespeare Co. as a touring artist and performer, as well the rave-reviewed, Helen-Hayes Recommended run of Living Out at GALA Hispanic Theatre. Currently he is filming an independent feature-length in Richmond and preparing to work on a series of short films in July. Kyle is a distant graduate of Franklin Pierce College, with a degree in Music (Theory & Composition, Voice focus), and a current student at The Studio Theatre Acting Conversatory and the School of Life who has been acting and working in theater constantly since he decided to pursue acting professionally, and moved from Japan to the DC area in 2012.www.kylemcgruther.com
David Artz
Alexander - Tenor - Conqueror of the ancient world.
A native of Central New York and graduate of both Syracuse University and Peabody Conservatory, rapidly upcoming vocal artist David Artz has been engaged by the Oswego Opera Company, Syracuse Opera Company, Syracuse University Opera Theatre, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Peabody Conservatory Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera Baltimore, Singers' Theatre of Washington, Opera Delaware, Bel Cantanti Opera Company, Young Victorian Theater Company, Baltimore Concert Opera, Operafestival di Roma, Opera AACC, the Silver Finch Arts Collective, AIMS in Graz, and Accademia Europea dell'Opera.
A “powerful,” high lyric tenor with a methodically exceptional extended range, David is well at home in the roles of Bel Canto schools (Ernesto, Tonio, Arturo, Nemorino), roles of grand French style (Nadir, Romeo, Gerald, Remendado, Jose), in the striking roles of Verdi and Puccini (Alfredo, the Duke of Mantua, Rodolfo, Rinuccio, Prunier), and the lighthearted roles of German-style Operetta and Light Comic Opera (Alfred, Blind, Ralph Rackstraw, Detlef, Barinkay, Danilo, Nanki-Poo).
Roles sung on mainstage or symphony stage, either recently or in coming months include the tenor soloist in “Carmina Burana,” Alexander in the new opera “A Fire in Water,” Le Remendado in "Carmen," Ottavio in "Don Giovanni," Judge Danforth in "The Crucible," Sellman in the new opera "Marilyn's Room," Gherardo and Rinuccio in "Gianni Schicchi," Monostatos and Tamino in "Die Zauberfloete," Nadir in "Les pecheurs de perles," Ernesto in "Don Pasquale," Edgardo in "Lucia di Lammermoor," Prunier in "La rondine," Arturo in "I puritani," Bill in "A Hand of Bridge," Sabinin in "A Life for the Tsar," Blind and Alfred in "Die Fledermaus," Lysander in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Flavio in "Norma," Brighella in "Ariadne auf Naxos," Nadir in "Les pecheurs de perles," and Borsa in "Rigoletto."
The 2014 performances of “A Fire in Water” mark David’s first engagement by the Silver Finch Arts Collective.
A native of Central New York and graduate of both Syracuse University and Peabody Conservatory, rapidly upcoming vocal artist David Artz has been engaged by the Oswego Opera Company, Syracuse Opera Company, Syracuse University Opera Theatre, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Peabody Conservatory Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera Baltimore, Singers' Theatre of Washington, Opera Delaware, Bel Cantanti Opera Company, Young Victorian Theater Company, Baltimore Concert Opera, Operafestival di Roma, Opera AACC, the Silver Finch Arts Collective, AIMS in Graz, and Accademia Europea dell'Opera.
A “powerful,” high lyric tenor with a methodically exceptional extended range, David is well at home in the roles of Bel Canto schools (Ernesto, Tonio, Arturo, Nemorino), roles of grand French style (Nadir, Romeo, Gerald, Remendado, Jose), in the striking roles of Verdi and Puccini (Alfredo, the Duke of Mantua, Rodolfo, Rinuccio, Prunier), and the lighthearted roles of German-style Operetta and Light Comic Opera (Alfred, Blind, Ralph Rackstraw, Detlef, Barinkay, Danilo, Nanki-Poo).
Roles sung on mainstage or symphony stage, either recently or in coming months include the tenor soloist in “Carmina Burana,” Alexander in the new opera “A Fire in Water,” Le Remendado in "Carmen," Ottavio in "Don Giovanni," Judge Danforth in "The Crucible," Sellman in the new opera "Marilyn's Room," Gherardo and Rinuccio in "Gianni Schicchi," Monostatos and Tamino in "Die Zauberfloete," Nadir in "Les pecheurs de perles," Ernesto in "Don Pasquale," Edgardo in "Lucia di Lammermoor," Prunier in "La rondine," Arturo in "I puritani," Bill in "A Hand of Bridge," Sabinin in "A Life for the Tsar," Blind and Alfred in "Die Fledermaus," Lysander in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Flavio in "Norma," Brighella in "Ariadne auf Naxos," Nadir in "Les pecheurs de perles," and Borsa in "Rigoletto."
The 2014 performances of “A Fire in Water” mark David’s first engagement by the Silver Finch Arts Collective.
Brian McDermott
Hephastian - Spoken role - His best friend and lover
BRIAN MCDERMOTT is a graduate of Montgomery College and a student at George Mason University where he studies acting, directing, and writing with big dreams of one day making a student loan payment. His most recent appearances include The Iceman Cometh (Quotidian Theatre Company), Normal(Molotov Theatre Group), and Nero/Pseudo (WSC Avant Bard). Later this year he will be making appearances in The Tempest with Annapolis Shakespeare company and Hedda Gabler with Quotidian Theatre Company. Brian is a Marine Corps Veteran and in his spare time enjoys studying food, music, whiskey, and language. Sláinte!
BRIAN MCDERMOTT is a graduate of Montgomery College and a student at George Mason University where he studies acting, directing, and writing with big dreams of one day making a student loan payment. His most recent appearances include The Iceman Cometh (Quotidian Theatre Company), Normal(Molotov Theatre Group), and Nero/Pseudo (WSC Avant Bard). Later this year he will be making appearances in The Tempest with Annapolis Shakespeare company and Hedda Gabler with Quotidian Theatre Company. Brian is a Marine Corps Veteran and in his spare time enjoys studying food, music, whiskey, and language. Sláinte!
CarrieAnne Winter
Porrima - Soprano - A star in the Virgo constellation. Protectress of childbirth.
CarrieAnne Winter hails from Rockford, MI, and is known for her expressive phrasing and comic acting. A graduate of the Maryland Opera Studio, she made her professional opera debut with Opera AACC in the role of Marietta, where she was described as having a “shimmering sound.” (Bay Weekly). The Washington Post declared her a “perky Blond[chen]” (in Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio), and the Baltimore Sun has also praised her “stellar vocal and acting talents.”
CarrieAnne made her Kennedy Center debut this past March as the soprano soloist in the Washington Ballet's program, British Invasion. Other recent credits include Blonde/Abduction from the Seraglio with In Series, Inés/Les Bavards with Lycée Rochambeau’s music program, and Dew Fairy/Hansel and Gretelwith Loudon Lyric. A great supporter of new work, CarrieAnne premiered 2 operas, a song cycle, 2 Masses, and workshopped John Musto’s Inspector General with Wolf Trap Opera. This past year, CarrieAnne also had the pleasure to premiere new chamber works in the newly opened National Opera Center in Manhattan with Rhymes with Opera.
CarrieAnne has brought her voice to many productions, including Despina/Cosi fan tutte, Rosalba/Florencia en el Amazonas, Die Königen der Nacht/Die Zauberflöte, and Gilda/Rigoletto. Her concert work includes Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert's Mass No. 2 in G, and Rutter's Requiem. A diverse singer with a jazz background, she has shared the stage with Johnny Mathis, Darmon Meader, and Bobby McFerrin. Visit carrieannewinter.com for upcoming events.
CarrieAnne Winter hails from Rockford, MI, and is known for her expressive phrasing and comic acting. A graduate of the Maryland Opera Studio, she made her professional opera debut with Opera AACC in the role of Marietta, where she was described as having a “shimmering sound.” (Bay Weekly). The Washington Post declared her a “perky Blond[chen]” (in Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio), and the Baltimore Sun has also praised her “stellar vocal and acting talents.”
CarrieAnne made her Kennedy Center debut this past March as the soprano soloist in the Washington Ballet's program, British Invasion. Other recent credits include Blonde/Abduction from the Seraglio with In Series, Inés/Les Bavards with Lycée Rochambeau’s music program, and Dew Fairy/Hansel and Gretelwith Loudon Lyric. A great supporter of new work, CarrieAnne premiered 2 operas, a song cycle, 2 Masses, and workshopped John Musto’s Inspector General with Wolf Trap Opera. This past year, CarrieAnne also had the pleasure to premiere new chamber works in the newly opened National Opera Center in Manhattan with Rhymes with Opera.
CarrieAnne has brought her voice to many productions, including Despina/Cosi fan tutte, Rosalba/Florencia en el Amazonas, Die Königen der Nacht/Die Zauberflöte, and Gilda/Rigoletto. Her concert work includes Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert's Mass No. 2 in G, and Rutter's Requiem. A diverse singer with a jazz background, she has shared the stage with Johnny Mathis, Darmon Meader, and Bobby McFerrin. Visit carrieannewinter.com for upcoming events.
Hillary LaBonte
Situla - Soprano - A star in the Aquarius constellation. Water-bearer.
Hillary LaBonte (Situla) is an upcoming soprano in the Baltimore area. She has appeared with Opera AACC, Loudoun Lyric Opera, hexaCollective, Young Victorian Theatre Company, the Vivre Musicale series, the Victorian Lyric Opera Company, Great Noise Ensemble, the Mobtown Modern series, the Handel Choir of Baltimore, at the Baltimore Basilica, and the Nation’s Capitol. Roles include Yum-Yum (The Mikado), Zara (Utopia Ltd.), Isabel (El Capitan), Mrs. Anderssen (A Little Night Music), Ann Putnam (The Crucible), and Cupid (Semele). In 2010, she was the recipient of the Phyllis Bryn-Julson Award for the Commitment to and Performance of 20th/21st Century Music.
Hillary grew up in Kaneohe, Hawaii. She is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College and the Peabody Conservatory.
Hillary LaBonte (Situla) is an upcoming soprano in the Baltimore area. She has appeared with Opera AACC, Loudoun Lyric Opera, hexaCollective, Young Victorian Theatre Company, the Vivre Musicale series, the Victorian Lyric Opera Company, Great Noise Ensemble, the Mobtown Modern series, the Handel Choir of Baltimore, at the Baltimore Basilica, and the Nation’s Capitol. Roles include Yum-Yum (The Mikado), Zara (Utopia Ltd.), Isabel (El Capitan), Mrs. Anderssen (A Little Night Music), Ann Putnam (The Crucible), and Cupid (Semele). In 2010, she was the recipient of the Phyllis Bryn-Julson Award for the Commitment to and Performance of 20th/21st Century Music.
Hillary grew up in Kaneohe, Hawaii. She is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College and the Peabody Conservatory.
Tanya Ruth
Andromeda - Mezzo-soprano - A constellation. Mother of seven sons.
Mezzo-soprano Tanya Ruth has appeared across the United States and in Europe singing opera, chamber music, oratorio, and in recital. She was most recently heard singing the role of Hermia in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute in San Francisco, where she previously performed La bonne chanson in recital with piano quintet.
An avid advocate of new music, Tanya has sung as a soloist in a number of world and regional premieres, including Josh Perry-Parrish’s symphonic cantata All This the World Well Knows, Leo Svirsky’s song cycle De Profundis, and David Lang’s Pulitzer prize-winning piece The Little Match Girl Passion.
Particularly drawn to German repertoire, Tanya studied in Middlebury College’s German for Singers program in Vermont, where she sang the role of Ramiro in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera and performed Gustav Mahler’s Das himmlische Leben in recital. Tanya made her European debut in 2012 with the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in Germany singing the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. This year, she returned to the LOSW to sing the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.
Mezzo-soprano Tanya Ruth has appeared across the United States and in Europe singing opera, chamber music, oratorio, and in recital. She was most recently heard singing the role of Hermia in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute in San Francisco, where she previously performed La bonne chanson in recital with piano quintet.
An avid advocate of new music, Tanya has sung as a soloist in a number of world and regional premieres, including Josh Perry-Parrish’s symphonic cantata All This the World Well Knows, Leo Svirsky’s song cycle De Profundis, and David Lang’s Pulitzer prize-winning piece The Little Match Girl Passion.
Particularly drawn to German repertoire, Tanya studied in Middlebury College’s German for Singers program in Vermont, where she sang the role of Ramiro in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera and performed Gustav Mahler’s Das himmlische Leben in recital. Tanya made her European debut in 2012 with the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in Germany singing the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. This year, she returned to the LOSW to sing the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.
Orchestra:
Flute - Kimberly Eloshway
Viola 1 - Michael Sinni
Viola 2 - Lelia Walker
Percussion - Rob Murray
Piano - William Yanesh
Viola 1 - Michael Sinni
Viola 2 - Lelia Walker
Percussion - Rob Murray
Piano - William Yanesh
Creative Team:
Shannon Berry - Librettist
Shannon Berry holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in Literature from Northern Michigan University. Her poetry has appeared in Dappled Things and The Bend. She has also collaborated with composers on various projects including Lux Infinita and Songs for Memory and Earth by Sarah Horick, This is NOT my Life by John Maggi and Stephen Lewis, and "Temptation," part of Fallen Angels by Michael Oberhauser. She has taught writing at The George Washington University, Northern Michigan University, and St. Mary's College. She currently lives and writes in Washington, DC.
Terrance Johns - Composer
Terrance Johns is extremely excited to be working with the wonderful team of friends and artists at Silver Finch. No stranger to the opera, musical theatre and concert stage, Mr. Johns is best known locally as a composer and performer of contemporary chamber and art song with his ensemble Words&Music, Inc. As a tenor soloist, Mr. Johns has been heard from New Orleans to New York and has had the pleasure of working with such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Heinz Fricke, and William Christie. Mr. Johns holds degrees in Vocal Performance and Choral Studies from Loyola University School of Music (1993) and Prague Conservatory (1995). More information can be found at terryjmusic.com
Courtney Kalbacker - Director
Courtney Kalbacker is very pleased to be a contributing member of the Silver Finch Arts Collective. An accomplished performer, stage director and voice instructor, she loves all facets of opera theatre. She spent five summer seasons designing the curriculum and instructing the "Acting for Singers" course at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, working with gifted high-school singers. She has directed numerous opera scenes in this capacity, staging the works of Mozart, Handel, Chabrier, Menotti, Rossini, and many others. Previously, she has enjoyed introducing even younger performers to the world of stagecraft as the Director of the Oklahoma City University Academy Youth Music Theatre Company and was involved with all aspects of production, staging, and instruction for several seasons. Ms. Kalbacker has also appeared as a guest director for the Oklahoma City University Opera Workshop and as the assistant director for the midwest premiere of Pasatieri's Hotel Casablanca with the Oklahoma Opera & Music Theatre Company. She frequently collaborates with composers of new works, maintaining special relationships with composers Katarzyna Brochocka, Jodi Goble, Naftali Schindler, and Avery Griffin, as well as staging the premiere of Ailon Heitner's Master of Prayer in 2010. She currently serves on the board of The Victorian Lyric Opera Company in Rockville, M.D., performs frequently as a lyric coloratura soprano, and maintains a voice studio in Baltimore, where she lives with her husband baritone Jeffrey Grayson Gates. Please visit www.CourtneyKalbacker.com for more information.
Michael Oberhauser - Producer, Composer, Music Director
Michael Oberhauser's music has been performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, on the Kojo Nnamdi show on WAMU 88.5, by Opera Alterna, by the Ohio Northern University Symphony Orchestra, the Ohio Northern University Singers, and the opera department at the Catholic University of America. Two of his operas have been performed as part of the Fringe Festival: Magnum Opus in 2009, and Fallen Angels in 2012. BM: Ohio Northern University, MM: Catholic University, and he is currently working toward his doctorate at the University of Maryland.
Contributors:
Warrior
- Cory Davis - Erica Haman - Zain Shariff - GillianShelley -
Hero
- Craig Cruz - Kyle Gullings - Joy Johns - Bryant Morado - Katherine Offutt - Kaye C Scott -
Star
- Twanna A. Hines - Donald J McCullough - Amanda McDonald -
Constellation
- Ed Brune - Anne Buonaiuto - Joan Challinor -Kari Chesney & Brian Lavin - Barry Galef -
- Mitchell Galloway-Edgar - Kristin Jackman - Vicki Sauvageau - Andrew H Weaver - Diarmid Weir -
- Mitchell Galloway-Edgar - Kristin Jackman - Vicki Sauvageau - Andrew H Weaver - Diarmid Weir -
Demigod
- Melissa Coombs - Peter and Kitty Gallanis - Courtney Kalbacker - David Kalbacker - Ray & Nancy Oberhauser - Carole Popchock -
This production is presented as a part of the 2014 Capital Fringe Festival, a program of the Washington, DC non-profit Capital Fringe.
