Bios
Cast:
Spencer Adamson:
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Kelly Curtin:
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Katherine Fili:
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Annie Gill:
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Elizabeth Mondragon:
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Nigel Rowe:
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Orchestra:
Elena Forbes - Clarinet
Elizabeth G. Hill - PianoElizabeth G. Hill is an accomplished soloist, chamber musician, orchestral pianist, and educator. Her recent concert appearances include performances for the Embassy Concert Series in Washington DC, the Center for Jewish History in New York, and the Robert-Schumann-Haus in Zwickau, Germany. A devoted supporter of new music, Elizabeth’s work in contemporary music ranges from solo to chamber performances, including premieres at the The Fringe Festival (Washington, DC), and the West Fork New Music Festival (Fairmont, WV). Elizabeth is the Principal Pianist with Baltimore-based chamber orchestra, Symphony Number One. She is a co-founder of Meraki, a chamber ensemble dedicated to making a social impact through music.
Elizabeth’s principal instructors of solo and collaborative piano include Drs. Lise Keiter, Eric Ruple, Gabriel Dobner, and Ralitza Patcheva. Elizabeth studied Piano Performance at Mary Baldwin College and James Madison University. She earned the Doctorate in Musical Arts (DMA) in Chamber Music at The Catholic University of America. |
Molly Jackson - Violin (7/14, 7/15, 7/26)
Ava Shadmani - Violin (7/21, 7/22)
Andrew Weaver - Viola
Creative Team
Corinne Hayes - Stage DirectorA dynamic new voice on the opera scene, stage director Corinne Hayes has recently presented work with Miami Music Festival, Shreveport Opera, and Mississippi Opera. In the 15-16 season, Corinne's new production of Così fan tutte for Winter Opera St. Louis was highly praised in Broadway World, which stated — "Corinne Hayes manages her players wonderfully. Every move is natural, stage pictures are well composed, the chorus is given lovely detail, and every instrumental passage is filled with meaningful physical action. All in all a beautiful job by Ms. Hayes."
Other company debuts in 15-16 included Carmen with Shreveport Opera, Hansel and Gretel with Red River Lyric Opera, and Menotti's The Medium with Bel Cantanti Opera. Corinne returned to Bel Cantanti in the new year with a double bill of Poulenc's La voix humaine and Rimsky-Korsakov's Mozart and Salieri. The 16-17 season continues with company debuts at Mississippi Opera (Rigoletto) and Miami Music Festival (Le nozze di Figaro). In the 17-18 season, Corinne joins the production team of Washington National Opera for The Little Prince and Candide as assistant director to world-renowned stage director Francesca Zambello, and returns to Miami to direct a new production of La rondine. In June 2014, Corinne made her DC debut with Teatro Lirico of DC, directing La Verbena de la Paloma at the GALA Hispanic Theatre. In addition to her work in the zarzuela repertoire, Corinne has created site-specific productions of David Conte’s The Gift of the Magi and Gershwin's Blue Monday with Marble City Opera — in collaboration with beloved Knoxville jazz band The Marble City 5, Blue Monday played to sold-out houses in 2015. Corinne holds an MM in Stage Direction from Florida State University and a BA (magna cum laude) in Music from the University of Missouri. She is proud to be represented by Marvel Arts Management. |
Joseph Kaz - Composer/Librettist (The Female Stranger), Producer
Headshot and bio coming soon!
William Kenlon - Composer (Dreamless), Producer, Music DirectorDr. William Kenlon (b. 1983), based in Washington DC, is a composer specializing in music for chamber, choral, and jazz ensembles. Described as "pointed and groovy" (New Music Box), Kenlon's music continues to garner praise for its "lyrical personality that is original and strong" (Boston Musical Intelligencer), and for its sophisticated tonal explorations: "solid without being dense, clear without being sparse, and ever-changing without being random" (ibid). Enjoying performances on both coasts and on both sides of the Atlantic—most frequently in New England, but also at other locations such as Washington DC's Kennedy Center—Kenlon has studied with composers from a variety of traditions and backgrounds, including John Hilliard, Jason Haney, Chuck Dotas, John McDonald, and Mark Edwards Wilson; he has also taken lessons with Forrest Pierce, Gabriela Lena Frank, Stacy Garrop, and Libby Larsen, among others. Kenlon has studied at McGill University and at the New England Conservatory, and holds the B.Mus. degree (magna cum laude) from James Madison University, the M.A. from Tufts University, and the D.M.A. from the University of Maryland, which he attended as a Flagship Fellow.
Among the ensembles that have read and/or performed Kenlon's music are the James Madison University Jazz Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra (Harrisonburg, VA); the Tufts Wind Ensemble, Jazz Orchestra, New Music Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra (Boston); the QX Quartet (Worcester, MA); the East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (Boston); the Spektral Quartet (Chicago); and Ensemble Nouveau Classical (New York). He has received commissions from NotaRiotous (resident ensemble of the Boston Microtonal Society), the JMU Treble Chamber Choir, the Tufts Chamber Singers, and baritone In Dal Choi (Washington, DC), among others. Recordings of his music have been released commercially by flutist Elizabeth Erenberg and by the Six Degree Singers. Most recently, William is proud to be a co-founder and administrator of the District New Music Coalition, which promotes the performance and appreciation of contemporary music by connecting performers, composers, institutions, and audiences located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area through concerts, conferences, and active community-building. |
Vanessa Moody - Librettist (What Gets Kept)
Headshot and bio coming soon!
Michael Oberhauser - Composer/Librettist (The Name on the Door), Producer, Music DirectorMichael Oberhauser's music has been performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, on the Kojo Nnamdi show on WAMU 88.5, by the Silver Finch Arts Collective, 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. Notable commissions include pieces for the University of Maryland Opera Studio and Christian Youth Theater in Chicago. Michael is a composer from Maumee, Ohio. After receiving his Bachelor of Music degree in composition from Ohio Northern University, where he studied with MJ Zank, he moved to Washington, DC to attend the Catholic University of America. He studied there for his Masters degree in Music Composition with a Stage emphasis with Andrew Earle Simpson. In May 2015 he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Maryland. He studied there with Lawrence Moss and Mark E. Wilson.
Michael founded the Silver Finch Arts Collective in 2012 to bring a new, collaboration-minded voice for performing arts (especially opera) to the Washington, DC area. He is also a co-founder of the District New Music Coalition (see William's bio!) |
Frances Pollock - Composer (What Gets Kept)Known for her “bold and bracing” (Baltimore Sun) opera writing, Frances Pollock’s music “pulls no punches and never flinches.” (City Paper) Originally from North Carolina, Frances’s music has been performed all over the country by the Bridge Ensemble, Prima Volta, The North Carolina Governors’ School, Divine Waters Ensemble, and many others. In 2015, she wrote her first opera, Stinney, which won multiple awards including John Hopkins University’s Diversity Innovation Grant and Best of Baltimore award. From 2016-2017, Frances was composer in residence for the Divine Water’s Ensemble. In 2016, Frances was commissioned by Washington National Opera to write a one-act opera entitled “What Gets Kept.” Frances is a founding member of the new music non-profit, Prima Volta. She is a composition fellow with American Opera Projects and with the Aspen Summer festival. Frances holds a B.M. in Theory and Composition from Furman University and an M.M. in Voice from Peabody Conservatory. She is continuing her graduate composition studies at Yale University.
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Michael Sullin - Assistant Director/Stage Manager
Headshot and bio coming soon!
Katie Vagnino - Librettist (Dreamless)
Headshot and bio coming soon!