Download The Pirates of Penzance

The Pirates of Penzance
A comic opera in two acts
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Libretto by W. S. Gilbert
Cast
Friday/Sunday
Saturday
Major-General Stanley
The Pirate King
Samuel
Frederic
Sergeant of Police
Mabel
Edith
Kate
Isabel
Ruth
Charles Daniel
James Held
Skyler Schlenker
Max Hosmer
Luke Williams
Meagan Mahlberg
Brianna Provda
Megan Schirado
Caroline Vickstrom
Taylor Raven
Kristofer Buxton
Frank Fainer
Zachary Begley
Paul Kroeger
Chas Duthoit
Abigail Triemer
Megan Montalbano
Caty Wilcox
Sophie Malia Ledingham
Kristyn Christman-McCarty
Chorus of Pirates: Aaron Jenkins, Kristofer Buxton, Danny Thompson,
Chas Duthoit, Kevin McKenzie, Zac Barger, Zachary Begley, Skyler Schlenker
Policemen: Michael Hoffman, Nathan Ellgren, Nick Boschert,
Michael Coduto, Harry James-Roxby
General Stanley’s Wards Lauren Morales, Maggie Masciarelli, Sophia Dove,
Kate Manley, Caty Wilcox, Susanna Jacobson, Audrey Wilson
Stage Director
Music Director and Conductor
Sunday Conductor
Assistant Conductor
Chorus Master
Assistant Director, Dance Captain
Choreographer
Lighting and Set Design
Musical Preparation
Rehearsal Pianists
Leigh Holman
Nicholas Carthy
Joshua Horsch
Joshua Horsch
Joshua Horsch
Kimmy Crawford
Stephen Bertles
Peter Dean Beck
Mutsumi Moteki, Bob Spillman
Emily Alley, Deborah Hui, Benjamin Lubbers,
Alaina DeBellevue
The Pirates of Penzance will run approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes,
including one 20-minute intermission.
A special thank you to Harlequin Costume Company
of Winnipeg, Canada, for providing the costumes.
Special thanks to Boulder’s Lucky’s Market for its continued support and
donations to the CU Opera program.
EKLUND OPERA PROGRAM — The Pirates of Penzance, Oct. 24-26, 2014
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EKLUND OPERA PROGRAM — The Pirates of Penzance, Oct. 24-26, 2014
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Orchestra
Violin I
Nathan Southwick
Marisa Ishikawa
Callie Brennan
Julie Nelson
Cameron May
T. J. Wessel
Esther Hou
Sarah Elert
Violin II
Lauren Pokorzynski
Tracy Viator
Morgan Denney
Krystian Salva
Crystal Schneckenberg
Allison Charles
Viola
Codi Ng
Conrad Sclar
Aleksa Kuzma
Andrew Keeve
Cello
Cecelia Swanson
Vela Mrdjen
Ryan Farris
Avery Johnson
Double Bass
Megan Gore
Amanda Johnson
Oboe
Emily June
Clarinet
Michael Moy
Kai Lai
Bassoon
Cameron Burnes
Flute/Piccolo
Elisa Muzzillo
Colleen White
Horn
Taryn Lee
Maggie Rickard
Trumpet
Carrie Blosser
Aaron Jensen
Timpani
Joe Della Penna
Percussion
Jacob Bori
Trombone
Bryce Reiber
Mason Jackson
Production and Technical Staff
Technical Director
Assistant Technical Director
Production Assistant
Stage and Production Manager
Costume Designer
Costume Assistant
Hand Prop and Wig Master
Makeup Designer
Assistant Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Recording Engineer
Piano Technician
Ron Mueller
Jeff Rusnak
Chris Martin
Hally Albers
Tom Robbins
Allison Milan
Tom Robbins
Jeannete Hickok
Lane Melott
Courtney Williams
Kevin Harbison
Ted Mulcahey
CU Presents
Dean, College of Music
Executive Director
Operations Manager
Marketing Director
Communications Director
Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
Graphic Designer
Public Relations Assistants
Programs Assistant
Production Assistant
Box Office Manager
Box Office Services Manager
Box Office Assistants
Photography
Robert S. Shay
Joan McLean Braun
Nick Vocatura
Laima Haley
Clay Evans
Daniel C. Leonard
Karen Schuster
Rachel Dodson, Emily Scraggs, Colin Wichman,
Amelia Weller
Stephanie Doctor
Margaret Romero
Andrew Metzroth
Michael Casey
Ciara Glasheen-Artem, Sydney Bogatz, Starla Doyal,
Lucas Munce, Harper Nelson, Melanie Shaffer,
Bradley Steinmeyer
Glenn Asakawa, Patrick Campbell, Casey A. Cass
Macky Auditorium Staff
Director
Operations Manager
Assistant Director
Technical Director
Assistant Technical Director
House Manager
Assistant House Manager
Rudy Betancourt
John Jungerberg
Sara Krumwiede
JP Osnes
Rhett Snyder
Rojana Savoye
Nicole Anderson
Program editor: Clay Evans | Cover design: Karen Schuster | Program insert layout: Emily Scraggs
Synopsis
Act I — A rocky seashore on the coast of Cornwall, England
On the coast of Cornwall, at the time of Queen Victoria’s
reign, Frederic celebrates the completion of his 21st year
and the end of his apprenticeship to a gentlemanly band
of pirates. The pirates’ maid of all work, Ruth, appears
and reveals that, as Frederic’s nursemaid long ago, she
misheard Frederic’s father’s instructions and apprenticed
the boy to a pirate, instead of to a ship’s pilot.
Frederic has never seen any woman other than Ruth, and
he believes her to be beautiful. The pirates know better
and suggest that Frederic take Ruth with him when he
returns to civilization. Frederic announces that, although
it pains him, so strong is his sense of duty that, once
free from his apprenticeship, he will be forced to devote
himself to the pirates’ extermination. He also points out
that they are too kind to be successful pirates — as
orphans, they feel obliged to set prisoners free if they
too are orphans. Frederic notes that word of this has
gotten around, so captured ships’ companies routinely
claim to be orphans.
Frederic invites the pirates to give up piracy and go with
him, so that he need not destroy them, but the Pirate
King says that, compared with respectability, piracy
is comparatively honest. The pirates depart, leaving
Frederic and Ruth. Frederic sees a group of beautiful
young girls approaching the pirate lair, and realizes that
Ruth misled him regarding her appearance. Sending Ruth
away, Frederic hides before the girls arrive.
The girls burst exuberantly upon the secluded spot.
Frederic reveals himself and appeals to them to help him
reform. One of them, Mabel, responds to his plea, chiding
her sisters for their lack of charity. She offers Frederic her
pity, and the two quickly fall in love. The other girls discuss
whether to eavesdrop or to leave the new couple alone,
deciding to “talk about the weather,” although they steal
glances at the affectionate couple.
Frederic warns the girls about the pirates, but before
they can flee, the pirates return and capture all the girls,
intending to marry them. Mabel warns the pirates that
the girls’ father is a Major-General, who soon arrives
and introduces himself. He appeals to the pirates not
to take his daughters, leaving him to face his old age
alone. Having heard of the famous Pirates of Penzance,
he pretends that he is an orphan to elicit their sympathy.
The soft-hearted pirates release the girls, making MajorGeneral Stanley and his daughters honorary members
of their band.
Act II — A ruined chapel by moonlight
The Major-General sits in a ruined chapel on his estate,
surrounded by his daughters. His conscience is tortured
by the lie that he told the pirates, and the girls attempt to
console him. The Sergeant of Police and his corps arrive
to announce their readiness to arrest the pirates. The girls
loudly express their admiration of the police for facing
likely slaughter at the hands of fierce and merciless foes.
This unnerves the police but they finally leave.
until then, though to Mabel “It seems so long”; Frederic
departs. Mabel steels herself and tells the police that
they must go alone to face the pirates. They muse that
an outlaw might be just like any other man, and it is a
shame to deprive him of “that liberty which is so dear
to all”. The police hide on hearing the approach of the
pirates, who have stolen onto the estate, intending to
avenge themselves for the Major-General’s lie.
Left alone, Frederic, who is to lead the police, reflects
on his opportunity to atone for a life of piracy, at which
point he encounters Ruth and the Pirate King. They have
realized that Frederic’s apprenticeship was worded so as
to bind him to them until his twenty-first birthday—and,
because that birthday happens to be on 29 February (in
a leap year), it means that technically only five birthdays
have passed, and he will not reach his twenty-first
birthday until he is in his eighties. Frederic is convinced
by this logic and agrees to rejoin the pirates. He then
sees it as his duty to inform the Pirate King of the MajorGeneral’s deception. The outraged outlaw declares that
the pirates’ “revenge will be swift and terrible.”
Just then, the Major-General appears, sleepless with
guilt, and the pirates also hide, while General Stanley
listens to the soothing breeze. The girls come looking
for him. The pirates leap to the attack, and the police
rush to the defence; but the police are easily defeated,
and the Pirate King urges the captured Major-General to
prepare for death. The Sergeant has one stratagem left:
he demands that the pirates yield “in Queen Victoria’s
name”; the pirates, overcome with loyalty to their Queen,
do so. Ruth appears and reveals that the pirates are “all
noblemen who have gone wrong.” The Major-General is
impressed by this and all is forgiven. Frederic and Mabel
are reunited, and the Major-General is happy to marry his
daughters to the noble pirates after all.
Frederic meets Mabel, and she pleads with him to stay,
but he feels bound by his duty to the pirates until his 21st
birthday—in 1940. They agree to be faithful to each other
— Wikipedia.com
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From the Stage Director
Leigh Holman,
Director of Opera Studies
London to attend a performance at the D’Oyly Carte
Opera Company and afterward contacted internationally
renowned G&S baritone John Reed.
At the CU Eklund Family
Opera Program, we move
forward. We also look back.
Jackson invited Reed to Boulder to direct the Gilbert and
Sullivan summer productions and he returned each year
for 10 years to direct students in the G&S style. Dean
Bob Fink promoted the festival and it gained a national
reputation, serving as a successful recruitment tool for
the college. Singers traveled from all over the country to
audition for Reed and after being hired, many returned to
continue their graduate vocal studies at CU-Boulder —
including professional singers Raouf Zaidan and Ashraf
Sewaillam, who came to the college because of the
festival’s reputation.
The Pirates of Penzance holds
a special place in the heart
of Americans. After the world
premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera in New
York City, in 1879, The New York Times praised the
work, writing, “it would be impossible for a confirmed
misanthrope to refrain from merriment over it.” It was an
instant hit in New York and remained a hit even as W.S.
Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan and D’Oyly Carte took it back to
London for its 1880 premiere.
Much like the relationship between Americans and
The Pirates of Penzance, Boulderites have a deep
connection to Pirates and other works of Gilbert and
Sullivan. Opening in 1980, former CU Opera Director
Dennis Jackson, professor of voice, and opera professor
Kuniaki Hata began the Gilbert and Sullivan Summer
Festival at the CU College of Music. The two went to
From the Music Director
Nicholas Carthy
Many years ago, while I
was giving a pre-concert
lecture on Edward Elgar’s
symphonic music, I blithely
claimed that he was the first
proper English composer
since the death of Henry Purcell, in 1695. After the lecture
I was collared by a gentleman who introduced himself
as the president of the Sir Arthur Sullivan society. He
took me to task for failing to recognize that Sullivan,
born 15 years before Elgar, deserved that title, or at
the very least, Sullivan would have been the first great
composer since Purcell had he not been sidetracked by
that wordsmith W.S. Gilbert, and the need to earn his
daily bread. He also pointed out quite forcefully that his
society had absolutely nothing to do with the Gilbert and
Sullivan society, and made clear just what he thought of
that complete oeuvre. And thus the legacy of one of the
most successful, and fraught, artistic partnerships the
world has known continues.
Sullivan was born in 1842. His father was a military
bandmaster and by the time Arthur was 8, he was already
proficient in all the instruments of the band. He studied
in London and Leipzig and very soon was being touted
as England’s most promising young composer. But that
did not pay the bills and Sullivan was unable to make a
living on his commissions alone. And so he turned his
hand to comic opera.
Sullivan’s first opera, Cox and Box (1866), to words by
F.C. Burnand, was criticized by a young Gilbert (then
writing dramatic critic for the magazine Fun) for being
“in many places, of too high a class for the grotesquely
Reed’s productions took hold in the hearts of Boulder
audiences and a strong G&S fan base emerged. Since
Jackson’s retirement, few G&S titles have been revived,
so we felt it was time to rekindle the fire that John and
Dennis started with this production of The Pirates of
Penzance. It is my hope that you too will experience the
humor, the music, the vitality and indeed, the legacy,
represented in tonight’s production.
absurd plot to which it is wedded.”
Sullivan was eventually introduced to Gilbert by a mutual
friend, the composer Frederic Clay, in 1869. Two years
later Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated for the first time.
The 1870s were a time of enormous change in the arts.
A rapidly growing, better educated, middle-class needed
to be entertained, so theaters were shedding their seedy
reputation and starting to produce more family-friendly
entertainment. The introduction of street lighting also
meant that the journey home from the theater late at night
was much safer. One of the great theatrical innovators at
that time was Richard D’Oyly Carte, probably the most
successful theater owner and impresario of the 19th
century, and it was he who brought Gilbert and Sullivan
into his fold.
The successes came thick and fast, and brought the
three men fame and fortune.
But after about seven years of astonishing achievement,
Sullivan was ready to move on. He had had no success
at all trying to persuade Gilbert to try more serious fare,
and his contract with D’Oyly Carte gave him no time
to realize his ambition of writing the first English grand
opera. He was also under great pressure from the musical
establishment to abandon comic opera and reclaim his
title as England’s first serious composer in 150 years. But
just as he was about to break free, in November 1882,
he suffered a massive financial loss when his broker
went bankrupt, and so felt obliged to sign a contract
with D’Oyly Carte for a further five years of Gilbert and
Sullivan.
The relationship between the two men became
increasingly troubled. In March 1884, Sullivan told Carte
Carthy (cont.)
“it is impossible for me to do another piece of the
character of those already written by Gilbert and myself.”
Nevertheless the pair produced several new works in
this period, including their most successful opera, The
Mikado.
The partnership eventually disbanded in 1890, not
because of Sullivan, but because of what became known
as the “carpet incident.” In this convoluted tale, briefly
told, Gilbert found discrepancies in the accounts of
D’Oyly Carte pertaining to the purchase of carpet for the
front of house at the Savoy theatre and things escalated
from there, culminating in a vexatious law suit.
Freed from his obligations, Sullivan went on to realize his
dream of writing a grand opera. Ivanhoe, based on the
book by Sir Walter Scott, opened in January 1891. That
was not, however quite the end of their collaboration.
There was a sort of reconciliation that year and they
penned two more operas, neither of which was very
successful. The relationship soured anew and at a party
to celebrate the anniversary of their first work, The
Sorcerer, in 1898, the two men refused to talk to one
another. Sullivan died in 1900.
There are many ravishing moments in The Pirates of
Penzance, as well as brilliant parodies of French operetta,
Italian bel canto, and the English hymnal and psaltery. It is
definitely the work of a master, with an assured dramatic
hand, and an extremely deft touch. It is very interesting
(though probably ultimately useless) to speculate on what
Sullivan might have become, had there been no Gilbert,
but, had that been the case, we would not have had the
The Pirates of Penzance, one of the most delightful little
gems of the operatic repertory.
The Company
Hally Albers
(Production Stage Manager)
Hally Albers is a stage management instructor at
Colorado State University. She has been stage manager
with the San Francisco Opera, Spoleto Festival, Los
Angeles Opera, Opera Fort Collins, the University of
Northern Colorado and the Central City Opera. She has
been assistant stage manager with the Santa Fe Opera
and Houston Grand Opera.
Zachary Barger
(Pirate)
The Pirates of Penzance marks baritone Zachary Barger’s
first performance with CU Opera. His credits at the
University of Colorado Boulder are Hanschen Rilow in
Spring Awakening and male soloist in Songs I was Born
to Sing (CU Fringe Festival). He was an Anderson’s
Competition finalist in spring 2014. He will appear in
November in Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New
World (CU Theatre and Dance). He is a sophomore vocal
performance BM candidate studying under Professor
Patrick Mason.
Peter Dean Beck
(Set and Lighting Designer)
Peter Dean Beck has been with CU Opera for 21 seasons.
His past productions include La Traviata, Don Giovanni,
Candide, Carousel, Dead Man Walking, Susannah, West
Side Story, La Boheme, The Magic Flute, Hansel and
Gretel and The Elixir of Love. His other professional
credits include the Hawaii Opera Theatre, Arizona Opera,
Atlanta Opera, Skylight Opera Theatre, Edmonton Opera,
Virginia Opera, Chautauqua Opera (New York), Opera
Hong Kong and the Florida State Opera.
Zachary Begley
(Samuel)
Zachary Begley’s credits with CU Opera include Jamie
in Side by Side by Sondheim, Dreadon in Aunt Maggity’s
Dark and Stormy Night, chorus in La Bohème and
Falstaff, and pit orchestra in Oklahoma!, All Shook Up
and Seussical the Musical. Begley is currently pursuing
a BM in voice performance at the University of Colorado
Boulder.
Kristofer Buxton
(Major General Stanley/Pirate)
Kristofer Buxton performed as Hal in CU Opera’s Side
by Side by Sondheim. His other credits include Charlie
in The Foreigner and ensemble in At Buffalo (CU-Boulder
Theatre and Dance), and Warner in Legally Blonde
(Arvada Center Teen Intensive). He was nominated for
the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival
Irene Ryan Award, 2013 and is a student of John Grau.
Nicholas Carthy
Music Director/Conductor
Nicholas Carthy, in his ninth season with CU Opera,
studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and made his
conducting debut at the Landestheater in Le nozze di
Figaro. He also served as musical assistant to Bernard
Haitink and Sir Georg Solti at the Salzburg Festival.
Carthy made his Italian conducting debut with the
Camarata Accademiz of Salzburg and since then has
conducted opera productions in Vienna, Salzburg, Oslo,
Stockholm, Winterthur, Milan, Rome, Naples, Bonn,
Eugene and Tel Aviv. He has conducted orchestras
including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Stockholm,
Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Nordwestdeutsche
Philharmonie, Orchestra RAI di Torino, Orchestra San
Carlo di Napoli and the Accademia Filarmonica Roma. As
a sought-after vocal accompanist, he has performed in
many of the world’s great halls, including Carnegie Hall,
Suntory Hall, Wigmore Hall, Bolshoi Theatre, Musikverein
Vienna, La Scala and the Schubertiade in Hohenems.
Kristyn Christman-McCarty
(Ruth)
Kristyn Christman-McCarty’s credits with CU Opera
include Elaine in Side by Side by Sondheim, Die
Knusperhexe in Hänsel und Gretel, Jo in Little Women
and Dame Quickly in Falstaff. She also originated the
roles of Constance Fennimore Woolson in The Master
and Ms. Which in A Wrinkle in Time with CU New Opera
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Workshop. Other roles include The Third Lady in The
Magic Flute, Olga Olsen in Street Scene, La Voix in
Les Contes d’Hoffmann, La Maestra in Suor Angelica
and Susanna Walcott in The Crucible with the Hillman
Opera Company at SUNY Fredonia. She received her
BME and BM from SUNY Fredonia in 2011. She is
currently pursuing an MM while studying with Jennifer
Bird-Arvidsson.
Kimberly Crawford
(Assistant Director, Dance Captain)
Kimberly Crawford’s past roles with CU Opera include
Lee in Side by Side by Sondheim, Dew Fairy in Hansel
and Gretel and ensemble in La Bohème, The Rakes
Progress, Suor Angelica, Le Nozze di Figaro, Carousel
and Don Giovanni. Her other roles include Venere,
L’incoronazione di Poppea (Manhattan School of Music
Summer Voice Festival), Mimi Marquez in Rent (CUBoulder Theatre) and Sharon Graham in The Master
Class (CU-Boulder Theatre/College of Music). Her honors
include the Undergraduate Development Award at CUBoulder in 2013, singing the
National Anthem at the Leeds School of Business
commencement, 2012, and the
Diverse Music Alliance Scholarship at CU, 2012. She
graduated in spring 2014 with a BM in vocal performance
with emphasis in theater electives.
Charles Daniel
(Major General Stanley)
Charles Daniel’s CU Opera roles include Tito and Mr.
Webster in The Master and covering Peter in Hänsel
und Gretel. Other roles include Vicomte Cascada in The
Merry Widow (Birmingham Music Clubs), Cervantes/
Don Quixote in The Man of La Mancha (The University
of Alabama at Birmingham), The Abbot and Astrologer
in Britten’s The Burning Fiery Furnace (UAB), Athamas
in Handel’s Semele (UAB), Count Almaviva in scenes
from The Marriage of Figaro (UAB) and First Priest in
The Magic Flute (UAB). A tenor, he is pursuing a MM
in voice performance and is a scholarship recipient at
the University of Colorado Boulder. His voice teacher
is Grammy Award-nominated baritone Patrick Mason.
Daniel debuted his first operatic tenor role in the summer
of 2014 for Caruso’s The Master at CU New Opera
Workshop.
Charles Douthit
(Sergeant of Police, Pirate)
Charles Douthit has also performed as a chorus member
in Falstaff and The Rake’s Progress (CU Opera). He is
pursuing his choral BME at the College of Music and
studies with Patrick Mason.
Sophia Dove
(Ward)
Sophia Dove’s credits at CU Opera include Sandman
Hänsel und Gretel, chorus in Le Nozze di Figaro and
Falstaff, and the cover of Elvira in L’italiana in Algeri.
Her other credits include chorus in Tosca (Cedar Rapids
Opera Theater) and Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Taos Opera
Institute).
Nathan Ellgren
(Policeman)
Nathan Ellgren’s theatrical credits include Ensemble in
Spoon River Anthology (Boulder Acts), Galen in Believe
and Van in Dog Sees God (CU-Boulder Fringe Festival),
understudy for all male roles in Metamorphoses, Alan
Seymour in Picnic (CU-Boulder Theatre), Todd in Far
Away, ensemble in Litmus, Student/Mormon Missonary
in 14 (CU-Boulder Theatre). His musical theater credits
include Leon Czolgosz in At Buffalo:The (CU-Boulder
Theatre), Simon Stride in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The
Musical (Dairy Center for the Arts), Brad in Sexting: The
Musical (CU-Boulder Fringe Festival) and Frank Decker
in Working: The Musical (Osseo High School).
Frank D. Fainer
(The Pirate King)
Frank D. Fainer’s credits with CU Opera include Stevie
in Side By Side by Sondheim, Schaunard in La Bohème
and Jesus in Godspell (Scottsdale Community College).
James Held
(Pirate King)
James Held’s CU Opera credits include The Father
(Peter) in Hänsel und Gretel and Alcindoro in La Bohème.
Other credits include Creonte in Cherubini’s Medea,
(University of Wisconsin-Madison), Leporello in Don
Giovanni and Flynt/Gremio in Kiss Me, Kate, Sid in Albert
Herring and Dick McGann in Street Scene (Seagle Music
Colony). He also has now premiered two operas,
performing the role of Hendrik Christian Andersen/
Hammon in The Master (CU New Opera Workshop) and
The British Guy in Wired for Love (Madison New Muse).
He is the Coulter Scholarship recipient at CU-Boulder
and received the Warzyn-Thorpe and Opera Props
Scholarships from UW-Madison. He received his BM
in vocal performance from the University of WisconsinMadison, where he studied under baritone Paul Rowe.
Held is a second-year MM vocal performance student
at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying with
Patrick Mason.
Michael Hoffman
(Policeman)
Michael Hoffman’s previous roles include Dreuet/George
Jr. in Sister Carrie (Florentine Opera Co.) chorus in Cosi
fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte, Parables, Die Fledermaus and
The Bartered Bride (University of Minnesota). He is a
first year MM vocal performance student studying with
Patrick Mason. He earned a BM in vocal performance
from the University of Minnesota in 2014.
Leigh Holman
Director of Opera Studies
Leigh Holman balances her teaching and professional
stage directing career in the US and abroad. As well
suited to new operatic works as she is to traditional
works, she has produced and directed workshops
of operas in association with composers including
Libby Larsen, Herschel Garfein, Lori Laitman, Robert
Aldridge, Daniel Kellogg and Kirke Mechem. As founder
of CU NOW (New Opera Workshop), she continues to
passionately promote the creation, collaboration and
production of new American works.
Joshua Horsch
(Conductor/Assistant Conductor/Chorus Master)
Joshua Horsch’s current positions include assistant
conductor/rehearsal pianist for Fort Worth Opera,
co-music director/conductor of the CU Symphony
Orchestra, assistant conductor for the CU Symphony and
Chamber Orchestras and assistant conductor/chorus
master for CU Opera. His other positions have included
guest music director for CU Opera’s production of Side
by Side by Sondheim, assistant chorus master for the
Colorado Music Festival, conductor/pianist for CU New
Opera Workshop, conductor/pianist for the Newport
Music Festival and staff music director/conductor for
the Boston Opera Collaborative. Guest conducting
engagements include Las Orquestas Sinfónicas de Tarija
and the Lyatoshinsky Chamber Orchestra of Ukraine. His
workshop conducting includes the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and
Chorus and the Bohuslav Martinu Symphony Orchestra.
He received a MM degree in orchestral conducting from
the Pennsylvania State University and a BM degree in
piano performance from Ithaca College.
Max Hosmer
(Frederic)
Max Hosmer’s CU Opera credits include Rodolfo in La
Bohème, Henry James in The Master, Bruce in Side
by Side by Sondheim, Laurie in Little Women, Fenton
in Falstaff, Calvin O’Keefe in A Wrinkle in Time, Sellem
in The Rake’s Progress, Eduardo in La Cambiale di
Matrimonio, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Lefty Calibrini
in Ludlow and Don Basilio/Don Curzio in Le Nozze di
Figaro. His other credits include Young Collector in A
Streetcar Named Desire (Townsend Opera Players),
Fenton in Falstaff (Emerald City Opera) and Gastone in
La Traviata (Townsend Opera Players). His honors and
awards include the Bernard Polak Memorial Award and
the Myrle F. Hoffman Award from the Denver Lyric Opera
Guild Competition and 2nd place in Division II of the
National Opera Association Collegiate Opera Scenes
Competition. Hosmer is a student of Patrick Mason and
Matthew Chellis.
Susanna Jacobson
(Ward)
Susanna Jacobson has recently appeared in the chorus
of Mozart’s Cosí fan Tutte (Bethesda Summer Music
Festival).
She is a sophomore BME student at CU-Boulder.
Harry James-Roxby
(Policeman)
Harry James-Roxby’s CU-Boulder credits include Georg
in Spring Awakening, General Glossop in Jekyll & Hyde.
He is a junior at the University of Colorado Boulder and
has recently been working with Full Body Singing.
Aaron T. Jenkins
(Pirate/cover for Fredric)
Aaron T. Jenkins’ CU Opera credits include chorus in The
Rake’s Progress, Bardolfo in Verdi’s Falstaff and Bruce in
Side by Side by Sondheim.
Paul Kroeger
(Fredric)
Paul Kroeger’s credits include Albert Herring in Britten’s
Albert Herring, Don Basilio in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro
and Orpheus in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld
(Southern Methodist University) and Lindoro in L’itlaiana
in Algeri (Seagle Music Colony, New York). In summer
2014 he sang with CU NOW at CU-Boulder, where he
is pursuing a MM under Patrick Mason. Named one of
13 people to watch in 2013 by FD Luxe, the fashion and
culture magazine of The Dallas Morning News, Kroeger
graduated summa cum laude from Southern Methodist
University in May 2013.
Sophie Ledingham
(Isabel/Ward)
Sophie Ledingham sang in the ensemble of La
Bohème with CU Opera. Her other roles include the
Drowsy Chaperone in The Drowsy Chaperone, Crystal
in Little Shop of Horrors, and Sylvia in All Shook Up
(Theatre Aspen School). She is pursuing a BM in vocal
performance at CU-Boulder and studies with Jennifer
Bird-Arvidsson.
Meagan Mahlberg
(Mabel)
Meagan Mahlberg’s credits with CU Opera include
Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Marcellina in Le nozze
di Figaro, Susannah in Susannah, Violetta in La Traviata,
Elvira in Don Giovanni and Queen of the Night in The
Magic Flute (which she also performed for a benefit
concert with the Boulder Youth Symphony), Elektra in
Idomeneo, Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos and Bianca in The
Rape of Lucretia. Her other credits include Vanessa in
Vanessa (Boulder Opera), Hetty in The Clever Artifice of
Harriet and Margaret (world premier for composer Leanna
Kirchoff) and Suor Angelica in Suor Angelica (Opera
Oggi, New York). A student of Jennifer Bird-Arvidsson,
Mahlberg is currently pursuing the PC program at the
University of Colorado. Mahlberg earned her MM in voice
performance and BM in voice performance from at CUBoulder, where she is pursuing a performance certificate
and studying with Jennifer Bird Arvisson.
Kate Manley
(Ward)
Kate Manley’s CU Opera credits include chorus in La
Bohème, Le Nozze di Figaro and Suor Angelica. She is
a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder majoring
in vocal performance.
Maggie Masciarelli
(Ward)
This is Maggie Masciarelli’s first production with CU
Opera. Her previous credits include Baker’s Wife
in Into the Woods and Ida Strauss in Titanic the
Musical (Centerstage Theatre Company), and Vivienne
Kensington in Legally Blonde the Musical (Fairview High
School). She is pursuing a BME in choral music education
at CU-Boulder.
Kevin McKenzie
(Pirate)
Kevin McKenzie’s credits with CU Opera include chorus
in Falstaff and La Bohème. He studied with Dr. John Grau
during the 2013 school year and he is currently pursuing
a BM vocal performance degree under Matthew Chellis.
Megan Montalbano
(Edith)
Megan Montalbano performed with the ensemble in
CU Opera’s La Bohème. Her credits with CU-Boulder
Theatre include Rona in 25th annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee and Audrey in As you Like it. Her other
credits include Steph/Ensemble in RENT (Ignite Theatre
Co.), Ermengarde in Hello Dolly and Mrs. Webb in Our
Town (Country Playhouse). She is a BFA musical theater
student.
EKLUND OPERA PROGRAM — The Pirates of Penzance, Oct. 24-26, 2014
| 303-492-8008 | cupresents.org | C-7
EKLUND OPERA PROGRAM — The Pirates of Penzance, Oct. 24-26, 2014
C-8 | cupresents.org | 303-492-8008 |
Lauren Morales
(Ward)
Lauren Morales’ credits with CU Opera include Clorinda
in La Cenerentola and chorus in Falstaff. She is a senior
BM student at CU-Boulder and is a student of Abigail
Nims.
Ron Mueller
(Technical Director)
Ron Mueller has been with CU Opera for 17 seasons.
His past CU Opera productions include La Traviata,
West Side Story and Dead Man Walking. His other
professional credits include Skylight Opera, University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
and Boulder’s Dinner Theatre.
Brianna Provda
(Edith)
Brianna Provda’s CU-Boulder credits include Dottie in
Side by Side by Sondheim (CU Opera) and Meg in Little
Women and Denise in 14 (CU Theatre and Dance —
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Awards first
place winner). Her other credits include Anne in A Little
Night Music (Harrower Summer Opera), Ariel in Footloose
(Musical Theatre Village) and Samantha/Kaya/Molly in
The American Girls Revue (American Girl Theatre Los
Angeles). Her awards include Musical Theatre Finalist
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Awards,
second place, NATS Regional Denver Auditions, first
place, California Thespian Festival and Top Ten Finalist in
Vocal Performance, Orange County Icon. She is a student
of Matthew Chellis and Adam Ewing and will graduate in
December with BFA in musical theater.
Taylor Raven
(Ruth)
Taylor Raven’s other roles with CU Opera include Lady
Wolseley, Governess and Miss Loring in The Master,
Die Knusperhexe in Hänsel und Gretel and chorus in La
Bohème. Her other credits include Annio in La Clemenza
di Tito, Martha in Dream Lovers, La Voix in Les Contes D’
Hoffman (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Her
honors and awards include UNC Concerto Voice Finalist,
2012 and the Hayden B. Renwick Achievement Award,
2013. She is pursuing a MM in voice performance and
studies with Abigail Nims.
Tom Robbins
(Costume Designer)
Tom Robbins has been with CU Opera for 23 seasons. His
past CU Opera credits include Don Giovanni, Anything
Goes, Susannah, Carousel and The Rake’s Progress. His
other professional credits include Bonfils Theater, Opera
Colorado and the Colorado Ballet.
Megan Schirado
(Kate)
Megan Schirado’s CU-Boulder credits include Hänsel in
Hänsel und Gretel, chorus of La Bohème and Maggie in
The Clever Artifice of Harriet and Margaret (CU Opera).
Her other credits include Meg Page in The Merry Wives of
Windsor/Falstaff (Johanna Meier Opera Theatre Festival)
and Dido and Aeneas (Northern State University). She
earned first place in the 2013 National Association of
Teachers of Singing competition and has performed
“Parto, ma tu ben mio” from La Clemenza di Tito as a
guest soloist with the NSU Civic Symphony Orchestra.
Schirado is currently an MM student at CU-Boulder.
Skyler Schlenker
(Samuel/Pirate King cover/Pirate chorus)
This is Skyler’s Schlenker’s first performance with CU
Opera. His previous credits include Second Man in
Armor in The Magic Flute and Cerberus in L’Orfeo (Ithaca
College). For summer 2014 he was a young artist with
the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center,
where he performed the role of Kromov in The Merry
Widow, several roles in the world premier of Speed Dating
Tonight, and ensemble in Falstaff. Schlenker is pursuing
a BM in vocal performance major at CU-Boulder and has
a BA in drama from Ithaca College.
Daniel Thompson
(Pirate)
Daniel Thompson sang the role of Louis in Side by Side
by Sondheim with CU Opera. He is studying computer
science engineering and vocal performance at CUBoulder.
Abigail Triemer
(Mabel)
Abigail Triemer performed the role of Gretel in Hänsel und
Gretel with CU Opera. Her other credits include Serafina
in Il Campanello di Notte and Corinna in Il Viaggio a
Riems (Wichita State University) and Soeur Constance in
Dialogues des Carmelites (Opera Academy of California).
She earned a BM from Wichita State University in 2013.
Caroline Vickstrom
(Isabel)
Caroline Vickstrom’s CU Opera credits include Dottie in
Side by Side by Sondheim and chorus in La Bohème. Her
other credits include Lisa in Quilters (CU-Boulder Theatre)
and Leisl in The Sound of Music (Evergreen Chorale). She
studies vocal performance with Abigail Nims.
Catherine Wilcox
(Kate)
Catherine Wilcox’s CU Opera credits include Bianca in
The Rape of Lucretia and Ursule in Beatrice et Benedict
(opera scenes program). She was a finalist in the 2013
CU-Boulder Anderson competition and is currently
pursuing a BM degree.
Luke Williams
(Sergeant)
Luke Williams’ CU Opera credits include Pistola in Falstaff
and Father Trulove in The Rake’s Progress. His other
credits include Lucas in The Student Prince, Lodovico in
Otello, Sciarrone in Tosca (Utah Festival Opera), Marco in
A View from the Bridge, Superintendent Budd in Albert
Herring (Indiana University) and Angelotti in Tosca (Opera
Delaware).
Audrey Wilson
(Ward/cover for Ruth)
This is Audrey Wilson’s first performance with CU Opera.
Her other roles include The Monitor in Suor Angelica and
Venere in L’incoronazione di Poppea (Oakland University).
She is a first year MM student in vocal performance/
pedagogy and studies voice with Abigail Nims.