CCM Voice Alum Joelle Harvey Stars in NYCO Production of “Orpheus”
Joelle Harvey as Eurydice
CCM alumna Joelle Harvey recently starred in New York City Opera’s production of Telemann’s “Orpheus,” singing the role of Eurydice. Harvey, who holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in vocal performance from CCM, was also mentioned in a New York Times review of the production and was praised by Times writer Anthony Tommasini for her “bright, agile soprano” and “winsome presence.”
CCM Alumnus Nathan Stark (AD) covering in Billy Budd at the Met
Bass-Baritone Nathan Stark is currently covering in Billy Budd at the Metropolitan Opera.
What a thrilling, and terrifying, experience to get a call from the Metropolitan Opera saying, “you’re on today, Mr. Stark – the artist you’re covering is sick and unable to rehearse this evening. Please be here in 30 minutes to begin staging Act 1, scene 1. We’ll also need you to sing through the musical run-through of act 2 this evening.”THANK GOD I was prepared musically, off-book and memorized. I barely had time to take a 5 minute shower, warm up my voice (while in the shower) and jump on the A train to Lincoln Center before I was standing between opera superstars like Nathan Gunn, James Morris and Dwayne Croft singing through Billy Budd – an opera I’d never done before. Everybody from the artists to stage director, the coaches to the conductor congratulated me afterward for being so well prepared in stepping in. They were all so very kind to me and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.
CCM Opera/Voice Students and Alumni among winners at 2012 Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition
5 CCM Students (almuni & current) have won awards at the internationally prestigious Gerda Lissner Competition held this past week in New York City. Congratulations!
Results from the 2012 Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition.
Opera, The Golden Ticket features CCM Alumnus Daniel Okulitch
Daniel Okulitch as Willy Wonka
Did you know that The Golden Ticket, American Lyric Theater’s (ALT) first opera commission – based on Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – is being produced for the third time this winter? The Golden Ticket received its world premiere at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2010, followed by its European premiere at Ireland’s Wexford Festival. This month, ALT is partnering with The Atlanta Opera to present The Golden Ticket…and… even more exciting news… we are recording the performances for release on CD later this year!
The recording will featuring many of the singers who premiered their roles at OTSL, including Daniel Okulitch ( as Willy Wonka, as well as many artists who first created their roles in ALT’s New York City workshops. We are also very excited to announce that the recording will be conducted by none other than the composer himself, Peter Ash!
Reviewing the world-premiere, The London Financial Times said that this operatic adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory “captures the wit, wizardry and wonder of Dahl’s story” and has a “fun-filled score, with zippy contemporary ambiance”; and The Chicago Tribune was thrilled to discover a “deliciously droll fantasy kids will cheer…and adults can savor!” By recording The Golden Ticket, audiences around the world will soon be able to enjoy this wonderful new opera for years to come.
Zhang Xuan at The Cincinnati Symphony
Peter Landgren, Zhang Xuan & Robin Guarino
Zhang Xuan & Robin Guarino
Zhang Xuan (CCM Alumna) served as the fifth music director of the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra from 2005 to 2007. In January 2008, she became the first woman to conduct the Staatskapelle Dresden in its principal hall. In March 2009, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi announced the appointment of Zhang as its next music director, the first woman to be named music director of an Italian symphony orchestra, effective with the 2009-2010 season.
CCM Opera Alumni Spotlight – Joélle Harvey
© Arielle Doneson
Where are you call home these days?
I’m currently living in NYC with my soon-to-be husband and manager, Alex Fletcher.
What plans do you have coming up the next year?
In September (after I get married), I will be in Boston to make a recording of Tod Machover’s robot opera Death and the Powers. Most of October will be spent in Venice singing Galatea in Handel’s Acis and Galatea, which I performed at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence this summer. In November I’ll sing Michal in Handel’s Saul with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen at the Barbican in London. I sing three Messiah’s in December (Dartmouth College, Kansas City Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony). In January and February I’ll be in Boston to sing Jenifer in Michael Tippett’s The Midsummer Marriage, along with CCM alums Deborah Selig and Matt DiBattista. In June I’ll sing Bach’s B Minor Mass at the Thomas Kirche in Leipzig with Harry Bickett and the English Concert. After that I’ll be singing Susanna for three months with the Glyndebourne Festival Tour.
What have been some of your highlights in the past year?
I traveled a fair amount over the last 12 months. After singing Seleuce in Handel’s Tolomeo with Glimmerglass Opera in the summer of 2010, I went to Monaco to sing in the world premiere of Tod Machover’s Death and the Powers. That November I sang as the soprano soloist with the San Francisco Symphony in Carmina Burana. I then stepped in at the last minute to sing Messiah with Harry Bickett and the English Concert in a short tour of Spain. This winter I spent time singing in Frankfurt and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and had auditions in Berlin, Paris, and London. In May I sang Sophie in the Washington Concert Opera’s presentation of Werther. I left straight from there to go to Aix-En-Provence, where I spent the summer singing Galatea in Acis and Galatea. Since I got back in July, I’ve mostly been planning my September 3rd wedding!
In the spring of 2011 I received a First Place award from the Gerda Lissner Foundation.
Can you share some fond memories you have of CCM?
I truly enjoyed all of my time at CCM. I have fond memories from my first year of undergrad when the Chamber Choir toured Portugal- how lucky was I to get to do that my first year? I made a lot of great friends, some of whom now live just a few blocks away in NYC. There were also tremendous teachers, such as Dr. Edward Nowacki, and, of course, my voice teacher, Karen Lykes. Karen is the most supportive teacher I’ve ever met, and I feel that it would have been worth six years at CCM just to study with her.
What were some valuable lessons you took with you after you left CCM?
I’m always amazed at the number of former CCM students I run into while singing with various companies. They are consistently the most prepared and hardest working members of any production, and it makes me proud to be able to say that I went to CCM. We were taught to take pride in what we do, do it well, and to be good colleagues.
Would you like to share anything else?
Finally, I would like to admit publicly that I still am in possession of a CCM Chamber Choir black folder. Sorry, Dr. Rivers! 
CCM Opera Alumni Spotlight – Tamara Wilson
Where are you call home these days?
I am living in Naperville, IL a suburb of Chicago but I’m probably home only 6-8 weeks out of the year.
What plans do you have coming up the next year?
I have engagements to sing with The Oregon Bach Festival, Grant Park Music Festival (with fellow CCMer Brendan Touhy) singing Lobgesang by Mendelssohn. Then the rest of the season is more Verdi for me. Aida in Santiago Chile, Trovatore in Toulouse, and Don Carlo in Houston.
What have been some of your highlights in the past year?
I opened the season with Washington National Opera in Washington D.C. and then sang another Ballo with Teatre Principal in Maó, Spain. I sang a number of Beethoven 9 concerts touring Japan with Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart under Helmuth Rilling. Sang Turn of the Screw with L.A. Opera. Made made German debut singing Ada in Wagner’s first opera with Oper Frankfurt under Sebastian Weigle which was recorded and will be released by Oehms Classics sometime next year.
I won the 48th Annual Francisco Vinas Competition held at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain, received a Tucker Career Grant for 2011 from the Tucker Music Foundation and I also was given the chance to sing for the National Endowment of the Arts Opera Honors concert in Washington D.C. I sang “Ernani involami” from Verdi’s Ernani to honor legendary soprano Martina Arroyo.
Can you share some fond memories you have of CCM?
My fondest memories come from three main branches at CCM. First and foremost my voice lessons with Barbara Honn. She is and always will be my closest friend and mentor. I enjoyed my time in Professor Griffiths Art Song class. I love the fact that Professor Griffiths looks at music history in context of everything else that was happening in the arts. Whether is was visual arts, poetry, etc. I still thinks of certain paintings when I’m singing song literature. I learned more in that class than any other while in school. My fondest memories though stem not from the opera department but the choral department. I was given chances to learn and perform repertoire that I am currently singing professionally because of Dr. Earl Rivers. You learn skills in choir that make you a better singer, colleague, and musician. The first solo I learned was from Verdi’s Requiem my freshman year and I just sang that piece for the first time professional at the Oregon Bach Festival last year. The choral department knew I would be singing Verdi before I did.
What were some valuable lessons you took with you after you left CCM?
The main things that CCM instill in their students are discipline and striving for excellence. CCM has this way of challenging it’s students to produce high levels of technical prowess to interpret music to it’s full potential. Being at CCM prepared me for the “real” world and I would argue that preparedness is 90% of what makes a successful musician.
Would you like to share anything else?
I am living proof that you do not need to sing major roles while at school. I only did two operas while at CCM both minor roles and because I focused on my technique and lived in a practice room (not all the time though because you do have to have a certain amount of fun ) I now get to travel the world doing what I love.
CCM Opera Alumni Spotlight – Bronwen Forbay
This CCM Opera Alumni Spotlight will focus on soprano Bronwen Forbay. While at CCM Mrs. Forbay performed leading roles in Handel’s Ariodante and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
Where are you living now?
I am currently living in Durban, South Africa, my hometown. I will be moving back to the US at the end of June 2011.
What projects do you have coming up?
Upcoming performances include my first Violetta in La Traviata with the Cape Town Opera, as well as the soprano soloist in a Mozart Requiem on tour in northern-Italy with my husband, American tenor soloist Randall Umstead (DMA).
What are some projects have you been working on in the past year?
I recently submitted my DMA document and will be graduating from CCM soon. In February 2011 I fulfilled my Fulbright two year home stay obligation and in December 2010 I completed a two year stint lecturing at my alma-mater, the University of Natal (now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal) in Durban, South Africa. I also debuted in the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Cape Town Opera which was highly successful. When I am awarded my DMA in voice performance, I will become the first South African woman (and second South African) to have ever obtained this qualification.
Do you have any fond memories of CCM?
I have many fond memories of CCM but two people who made a huge impact on my life stand out: one is my teacher and mentor, Kenneth Shaw, the other is my husband, Randall Umstead (DMA) who I met at CCM.
Can you talk about something of value you took with you when you left CCM?
Witnessing and experiencing first-hand how the incredibly high level of talent among the students is nurtured and developed to its fullest potential by dedicated and committed staff within a collegial environment. This is very precious and is something I will take with me wherever I go.
Is there anything else you wish to share?
CCM is an extraordinary institution. It changed my life and I am privileged to have been able to undertake my doctoral studies there.
CCM Opera Alumni Spotlight – Caitlin Lynch
Caitlin Lynch is one of the most promising young sopranos on the threshold of a prominent career. Mrs. Lynch was an artist diploma student here at CCM from 2004-2006 where she performed leading roles in Ariodante and Don Giovanni.
photo by Arielle Doneson
Where do you call home these days?
My home base has been Cincinnati– Milton Street, but we are moving to Ann Arbor, MI in the fall. I have mostly been on the road, living out of suitcases, in hotel rooms, etc.
What performances and events do you have coming up?
- Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC– Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium (May 28-June 10)
- Gotham Chamber Opera, NY, NY– Eliza in the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Dark Sister (preview performances Sept. 23-25 and official premiere performances Nov. 9-19)
- Seattle Opera — Micaela in Carmen (Oct. 21-28)
- Baltimore Opera– Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro –(March 9, 11, 2012)
- Dallas Opera– First Lady in The Magic Flute (April 20-May 6, 2012)
- Opera Company of Philadelphia — Eliza in Dark Sisters (June 8, 10, 13, 2012)
Could you share a little bit about what you have been working on this past year?
- Arizona Opera, Konstanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio April 2011
- Palm Beach Opera, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Feb. 2011
- University Musical Society, Ann Arbor, MI, soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Dec. 2010
- Opera Carolina, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Oct. 2010
- Opera Cleveland, Leila in The Pearl Fishers, Sept. 2010
- Awards and accolades: George London Awards Honorable Mention and 3rd place in the New York MET Regional Council Auditions
What are some of your fond memories of CCM?
One of the most inspiring moments I had as a student was singing “Let Evening Come” by William Bolcom for William Bolcom himself in a master class. It was thrilling and humbling and I will never forget it.
Each role I had while I was at CCM taught me something– musically, dramatically, physically. I feel very blessed to have had those experiences. I will never forget singing Ginevra in Ariodante for the first time. I was so overwhelmed by all of that recit. and all of the arias– I never thought I would be able to do it… and then I did. And it felt great. And so many of my fellow cast mates in that production are having fantastic careers right now! CCM has the most extraordinary young talent.
What was something of value that you took from CCM?
I learned how to sing while I was a student at CCM with Bill McGraw’s guidance and patience, and I continue to learn from him now. He is still my teacher and I feel he always will be. He is one of the best teachers in the world and I am forever grateful for his continued guidance
I also learned how to learn music with Tibby Plyler’s innovative teaching and wisdom. She is still the coach I work with when preparing new roles and reviewing old roles. The woman is a genius and her methods unlock and reveal music in the most powerful ways.
The 26th Annual NOA Vocal Competition includes 2 CCM Opera students
In the 26th Annual NOA Vocal Competition, 112 singers entered the Artist Division, with 13 advancing to the finals. 4 singers from this division were chosen to perform for the NOA banquet. Among the four finalists were 2 CCM Opera students. Catherine Martin (MM), an alumna who is currently a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio program, was awarded 1st place and the Todd Duncan Legacy Award AIMS Scholarship. 3rd place, the Marjorie Gordon Award, was given to current CCM Opera masters student Yoon Geong Lee (MM).
Review of Encompass New Opera Theater Production, Angel of the Amazon
Encompass New Opera Theater’s world premiere of Angel of the Amazon featured two CCM Opera students, Caitlin Mathes and José Rubio. Click here to read the previous blog post from March which previewed this production.
OPERAGASM EXCLUSIVE REVIEW: ANGEL OF THE AMAZON
from http://operagasm.com
05/16/11
by Sarah Heisler
Since its inception in 1975, Encompass New Opera Theatre has tried to champion contemporary American opera and develop new audiences for the medium, and its world premiere production of Angel of the Amazon, a new music drama by Evan Mack has done just that. The two-act work is based on the life of Sister Dorothy Stang , who lived and worked among the indigenous farmers of Brazil, fighting for the protection of the Amazonian Rainforest before she was brutally murdered in 2005 by emissaries of the logging companies. Using forty years of letters as source material, Mack manages to craft an interesting and affecting narrative as the action skips from the “present day” of Sr. Dorothy’s death back and forth through time, starting with her first day in the jungle in 1969.
The intimate Jerome Robbins Theatre in the beautiful Baryshnikov Arts Center seems ideally suited to new works; the resident company in the theatre is the famed and innovative Wooster Group. The production design of John Michael Deegan and Sarah Conly enhanced the minimal set with the steady use of projections onto an inverted V of 4 wings of muslin or scrim and a cyclorama. An additional moveable screen provided a frame for clarifying year and place supertitles (think Les Miserables’ time-traveling supertitles). The projections transported the audience from the rain forest to the office of a bishop to the inside of a small hut to the Capitol building all without feeling contrived; it was so masterfully executed as to make opera aficionados wonder why one couldn’t simply replace the monstrous “machine” of the current Met Ring cycle with this more effective and less troublesome projection concept.
Director Nancy Rhodes, who is also Artistic Director of the company, guided the company through one of the most affecting and nuanced productions imaginable. While the singing and acting was generally quite good, it was the confident directing that created much of the emotional impact and brought the composer’s vision to the audience. There was not a moment that was lazy or had not been thought out, yet there was nothing manipulative about the experience. No one was bludgeoned with meaning; the material simply spoke for itself.
Caitlin Mathes as Sister Dorothy Stang in Encompass New Opera Theatre’s Angel of the Amazon. Photo by Richad Termine.
With a new work there it is always interesting to listen as the composer introduces his musical language. The sections of the story in the “present” time were full of long sustained stringers and atmosphere, which made an interesting contrast with the thicker textures, harmonies, and native rhythms of the flashbacks. Musical theater lovers might hear echoes of Jason Robert Brown’s introspective power, Stephen Sondheim’s peerless narrative style, and even Andrew Lloyd Webber’s unflinching use of chromaticism. However to say that Mack’s work is anything but his own would be to do him a disservice. This music is new and inspiringly brave in its breadth, and yet it is easily accessible to an audience that might have been wary of “modern opera.” The true joys were the Act One quintet and the frequent choral numbers, which were written with an obvious understanding of how voices work together to create something bigger. Mack’s truly beautiful libretto was refreshingly strong. Luiz’s Act Two aria was particularly poignant in its expression of anguished doubt. “What does it take to live the life that you wanted?” He rails at God, “I’ve seen what you did to your only son… what will you do to my dream?”
In the title role of Sister Dorothy, mezzo-soprano Caitlin Mathes possessed a bright and engaging voice with penetrating focus that was shown to its best in the upper range when she opened up and supported. Her acting was truly remarkable; never did one question that this fresh and pretty twenty-something singer was a nun living out her life from her late thirties till her death at seventy three. At times, however, more vocal gravitas would have been welcome; occasionally she simply sounded too young.
The standout performance came from baritone José Rubio as the passionate farmer Luiz. His commanding voice had a depth and presence that was enhanced by natural and crisp diction. His handsome sound was consistent through his generous range. This is a role that star baritones should clamor to sing. Bass-baritone Elex Lee Vann made an strong impression in his multiple roles of gunman, logging company representative, and native farmer. His hearty yet chilling opening solo prepared the way for an evening of evenly beautiful and sturdy singing. Baritone Justin Ryan used his instrument with authority and style in his dual roles of the Bishop and the second gunman. Tenor Adam Russell did not fare as well in his roles of multi-generational landowners. His sizeable tenor was occasionally throaty and tight and turned strident at the top.
The orchestra, ably led by Music Director Mara Waldman, was comprised of marimba, guitar, violins, celli, and two pianos and the amazingly textured sound makes it hard to imagine telling this story with any other grouping. Ultimately this work is almost a love letter to Sr. Dorothy; she is portrayed as such a saint that it is sometimes hard to see with her as a real person. Still, this exciting music gives a voice to a truly important story and Encompass New Opera Theatre has given a voice to a truly important new composer.
CCM Opera Alumni Spotlight – Caitlin Mathes
Caitlin Mathes
From time to time CCM Opera would like to highlight alumni that are working in the field of professional opera. This spotlight session will focus on CCM Opera alumna mezzo-soprano Caitlin Mathes. Caitlin was an Artist Diploma student and performed leading roles in Handel’s Alcina, Argento’s Postcard from Morocco & Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea.
Where are you now and what projects are you currently preparing?
- I’m currently living in New York City. I am covering Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia for Opera New Jersey and working on other concerts with them as well. I am performing in a Weill-ed Night Cabaret in New York City in the beginning of August. Staring in the fall I travel to Portland Opera where I will be covering Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Paquette in Candide, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Mary Madalena in Phillip Glass’s Galileo Galilea.
What have been some highlights from the past year for you?
- I recently placed 1st in the 2011 Lotte Lenya Competition, I performed the role of Sister Dorothy Angel in Angel of the Amazon with Encompass Opera and I’ve performed in several cabarets.
Can you talk about some fond memories you have of CCM?
- I remember a piece of advice/ compliment given to me after a competition…. “I do a lot of wine tasting. And sometimes I come across a wine which I know is a quality wine, but it just isn’t my taste. Voices are like that, and you are going to come across people who don’t like your sound, but rest assured, you are a good wine.” So, that day… I learned I needed to start drinking more wine, or at least find people who liked the wine I offer. Or let the wine age a little, breath a little… and then maybe it’ll be more palatable.
What is something of value you took away from CCM?
- Everyone is so talented at CCM. I think CCM really required me to look to myself and find out what it was that I specifically had to offer in my performances. I had to figure out what it was that I could rely on in my own product, because having self is the thing that I think is going to sustain me in this field.
Dallas Opera Competition boasts several CCM Opera students and alumni in the semi-finals
The 23rd Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition will be held on the stage of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Saturday, May 14, 2011. The Competition provides a preview of future stars. At least 20 past Competition winners have performed with major opera companies in USA and Europe. Some of these winners are: Clifton Forbis, Weston Hurt, Latonia Moore, Jennifer Black, Erin Wall, Tekesha Meshè Kisart, to name a few.
CCM Opera participants at this year’s competition include:
- Noel Bouley (AD)
Ian Ramirez (MM)
John Holiday (MM) - Norman Garrett (MM, alumnus)
Brent Turner (MM, alumnus)
CCM Opera alumna Catherine Martin talks her experince in the HGO Studio
Two CCM Opera Alumni win Richard Tucker Music Foundation Grants
CCM Opera is excited to announce that soprano Tamara Wilson (MM) and tenor Andrew Stenson (MM) have been awarded grants from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation.
Tamara Wilson, already an established singer, was awarded one of two Richard Tucker Career Grants of $10,000 recognizing her talent and artistry.
Andrew Stenson was awarded a one of five $5,000 Sarah Tucker Study Grants which are given to young singers who display enormous promise at the beginning of their professional careers.
The awards are chosen by a panel of opera professionals following auditions held at New York’s 92nd St. Y. More than 120 singers were nominated by more than 100 opera professionals including artistic administrators, conductors and directors.
For more information about the Richard Tucker Music Foundation visit their website at http://www.richardtucker.org.
Official Press Release from the Lotte Lenya Competition Recognizing CCM Opera Students Caitlin Mathes and Alisa Jordheim
Kurt Weill Foundation
April 2011
Lotte Lenya Competition
Exceptional talents from the United States, England and China win top prizes in 2011 competition
Caitlin Mathes (AD), mezzo-soprano of Dayville, Connecticut, won the $15,000 First Prize in the finals of the 2011 Lotte Lenya Competition, held on April 16, 2011, at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. Instead of awarding Second and Third Prizes, judges presented three equal prizes of $8,000 each to Jing Lin, soprano, of Putian, China; Emma Sewell, soprano, of London, England; and Jacob Lewis Smith, bass/baritone, of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Judges for the competition were three-time Tony Award nominee Rebecca Luker, Broadway and Encores! music director Rob Berman, and the Artistic Director of the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau, Germany, Michael Kaufmann.
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, which sponsors the competition, distributed a record $58,000 in prizes this year. In addition to the top prizes, judges presented three Lys Symonette Awards of $2,500 each, named in honor of Kurt Weill’s musical assistant on Broadway. Baritone Daniel Schwait of Baltimore and tenor John Viscardi of Philadelphia received awards for Outstanding Performance of an Individual Number, and baritone Jorell Williams of Brentwood, N.Y., received one for Outstanding Vocal Talent. The remaining five finalists each received a total award of $1,000: Alisa Suzanne Jordheim (DMA), soprano, of Appleton, Wisc.; Matt Leisy, tenor, of New York; Chris Pinnella, bari-tenor, of Brielle, N.J.; Peabody Southwell, mezzo-soprano, of Los Angeles; and Trevor Strader, tenor, of Queensbury, N.Y.
Now in its 14th year, the Lotte Lenya Competition recognizes versatile singing actors, aged 19-30, who are dramatically and musically convincing in a wide variety of musical theater styles. For the 2011 competition, each contestant presented a diverse program that included an aria from the opera or operetta repertoire; two songs from the American musical theater repertoire (one pre-1968 and one from 1968 or later); and a theatrical selection by Kurt Weill. After a preliminary round of auditions by video submission, twelve finalists were selected from a group of thirty semi-finalists who auditioned in New York City for adjudicator/coaches David Loud, Carolyn Marlow and Vicki Shaghoian.
Caitlin Mathes takes first prize at the 2011 prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition
CCM Opera is proud to announce that alumna Caitlin Mathes took first prize at the 2011 Lotte Lenya Competition this past weekend in Rochester New York. Click here for more information.
Congratulations Caitlin!
History of the Lotte Lenya Competition:
In 1998, to honor the centenary of the birth of Lotte Lenya (1898-1981), an extraordinary singer/actress and one of the foremost interpreters of the music of her husband, Kurt Weill (1900-1950), the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music established an annual Lotte Lenya Competition.
CCM Alumnus Michael Maniaci sings with Opera Atelier
CCM Opera alumnus Miachel Maniaci will perform the role of Sesto with Opera Atelier in their production of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito. The production runs April 22nd through May 1st. Click this link to read more about this production and Opera Atelier.
Two CCM Opera Alumni win at Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition
Congratulations to Jason Slayden (MM) and Joelle Harvey (MM) who are General Division First Place Winners in the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition. Each will receive $10,000 and will sing on the winners concert in May. Click here to read more about The Gerda Lissner Foundation.
CCM Opera students & alumni win awards at the 2011 George London Competition, Orpheus Competition and Grand Concours de Chant
• CCM Opera tenors Marco Cammarota (M.M.) and Jason Slayden (M.M.) competed in the 2011 George London Competition and received encouragement awards for their performances. Marco and Jason were selected from a pool of 300 singers and invited to New York City to perform in this prestigious competition. Congratulations gentlemen.
• CCM Opera Alumnus and tenor Andrew Stenson (M.M., 2010) recently placed 1st in the Grand Concours de Chant competition in Austin Texas. Click here to watch Mr. Stenson’s performance of Pourquoi me réveiller.
• Abigail Paschke, soprano (M.M.) and Danielle Messina, soprano (M.M.) competed in the National Orpheus Vocal Competition this past weekend. Abigail placed 1st and Danielle placed 2nd. Congratulations ladies.
If you know of other CCM singers (alumni or enrolled) who have won awards or have participated in competitions, post comments here or send an email to ccmopera@gmail.com. We would like to recognize their success and share it with the rest of CCM Opera community.
CCM Opera Directing Alumna Karen Coe Miller accepts position at Oklahoma City University
August 2009 – Karen Coe Miller Started a tenure-track position at Oklahoma City University as Assistant Professor of Music and Assistant Director of Opera and Musical Theater.
Karen Coe Miller
We have approximately 200 vocalists in our program (opera and musical theater). We offer B.M.(vocal performance or musical theater) and M.M. (vocal performance, opera performance, musical theater) degrees. Our production season includes two main stage operas and two main stage musicals. We also have faculty-directed spotlight productions (minimally produced) of one opera and one musical each year. I’m directing for both opera and musical theater and I’m talking to the theater department about directing a play next year.
So far this has been my line-up:
Fall 2009 – Die Fledermaus
Spring 2010 – The Consul
Fall 2010 – La Traviata
Fall 2010 – SMILE
Spring 2011 – Die Opernprobe–a little-known Lortzing operetta
In addition to directing, my primary teaching responsibilities include teaching acting for the opera and musical theater students in the following classes: Music Theater Workshop, Opera Studio, Advanced Acting (this class deals exclusively with scenes from plays and monologues). In addition to my work at the university I did a number of other projects this last year. I was also a guest at University of North Texas in Denton and directed a production of The Turn of the Screw for them in April 2010. Last summer I continued my work as an instructor for the Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute in Minneapolis and I was also on the Stage Artistry faculty for The American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria.
Karen Coe Miller
CCM Alumnus Michael Hendrick covers 3 lead tenor roles at the Met
Michael Hendrick
CCM Opera Alumnus Michael Hendrick (M.M. ’91 & A.D. ’93) will be covering 3 major lead roles at the Metropolitan Opera in the coming months.
Chairman Mao in John Adams’ Nixon in China
The Drum Major in Alban Berg’s Wozzeck
Bacchus in Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos.
Michael made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2007 when he went on as Menelas in Strauss’ “Die Ägyptische Helena” for the opening night performance.
Michael is also performing the title role in Teatro Colón production of Lohengrin this Fall in Buenos Aires.
Bravo Mr. Hendrick, keep the good news coming.
For more information about Michael please visit his website at http://www.michaelhendrick.com
Norman Garrett & Daniel Mobbs perform Bizet’s “Toreador” during a “Random Act of Culture” with Opera Company of Philadelphia
CCM Opera Alumni Norman Garrett (M.M. 2009) & Daniel Mobbs perform at Reading Terminal Market on Saturday, January 8, 2011 for a crowd of surprised and delighted shoppers who responded with a chorus of cheers and a rousing ovation.
CCM Opera Alumnus Andrew Stenson finalist for Grand Concours de Chant
Andrew Stenson (M.M. 2010) has been selected as one of the 10 finalists in the Franco-American Vocal Academy (http://favaopera.org) Grand Concours de Chant, from a total of 216 competitors. Congratulations Mr. Stenson on your continuing successes!
