The Cast of “The Elixir of Love”

Volume 15Fall 2015Newsletter

We invite you to tune into WYSU-FM 88.5 on Monday evenings at 8PM for the NPR WORLD OF OPERA sponsored in part by Opera Western Reserve.

Randa Rouweyha, soprano, continues to enthrall audiences and earn high critical acclaim for her beautiful light lyric voice, her commanding stage presence, and her remarkable acting abilities. In her recent portrayal of Don-na Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, DC Theatre Scene declared “soprano Randa Rouweyha sings with exquisite purity of tone and ringing clarity”; and hailed her performance of Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata by stating,“Simply put, Rouweyha is this production. Or, at least it’s all her and Verdi’s timeless music.” Randa has sung with numer-ous prestigious opera companies, including Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center. A native of Ohio, and a proud graduate of Youngstown State University and Peabody Conservatory, Randa was last heard at Stam-baugh Auditorium as Rosina opposite renowned tenor Lawrence Brownlee’s Count Almaviva in Opera Western Reserve’s production of Rossini’s Barber of Seville. Randa is pleased and honored to return to her hometown to sing Adina in this exciting new production of The Elixir of Love.

Randa Rouweyha (Adina)

Michael Young (Sgt. Belcore)

Michael Young, baritone, is a native of Cortland, OH. Praised for his dark molten tones, he is described as an authentic Verdi baritone. Michael attended The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree. Recent operatic engagements include Alberich in Wagner’s Siegfried, Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca, Marcello in Puccini’s La Boheme, George Milton in Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, Masetto/Commenda-tore in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Musiklehrer in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. Recent concert performances include baritone solos in Carmina Burana, Faure’s Requiem, Durufle’s Requiem, and the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Michael was awarded First Prize at the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, and is a two time winner in The Corbett Vocal Scholarship Competition, as well as the CCM Undergraduate Vocal Scholarship Competition. Michael is on fac-ulty at The West Chester Academy of Music and The Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble Institute of Music. He also performs as an ensemble member and soloist with The Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble.Upcoming Engagements include Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, baritone soloist in Faure’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Pedro Willis-Barbosa, tenor, was born in Bahia, Brasil, but raised all over the U.S. Pedro studied music at Northern Illinois University and Louisiana State University. A current resident of Cincinnati, OH, Pedro will be making his role debut as Nemorino in Opera Western Reserve’s production of The Elixir of Love. He has sung with Opera for the Young in The Magic Flute and Pirates of Penzance, Opera Louisiana in La cenerentola and L’elisir d’amore, various scenes at Des Moines Metro Opera, Romeo et Juliette atTulsa Opera, La Bohéme at Cedar Rapids Opera, Opera East Texas, various churches and private events. Pedro was also a member of Young Artist Programs at Tulsa Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Louisiane, and Cedar Rapids.

Pedro Willis-Barbosa (Nemorino)

Jason Budd (Dulcamara)

Jason Budd, baritone, recently made his South American debut as the title character in Verdi’s Falstaff with Theatro São Pedro in São Paulo, Brazil. His performances have garnered praise all over the globe, particularly in his specialty, the buffo roles. Other recent engagements include the title role in Britten’s Noyes Fludde with Fremont Opera, Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Kecal in The Bartered Bride both with Boston Midsummer Opera, Bartolo in Il Bar-biere di Siviglia with Opera Western Reserve where he shared the stage with his college friend Lawrence Brownlee, and performances in Detroit, Toledo, Maine, Cleveland and California. This summer he returned to Boston Midsum-mer Opera for their production of Flotow’s Martha and was just seen as Scarpia in Valley Lyric Opera’s production of Tosca, with whom he has directed several productions including La Bohème, La Traviata and Rigoletto.

Kathleen Bachtel (Gianetta)

Kathleen Bachtel, soprano, a native of Massillon, OH, is a second year graduate student of Vocal Performance at Youngstown State University. Throughout her college career, she has performed in numerous operas and scenes, both as a student and as a member of Opera Western Reserve’s Young Artist Program. Notable roles include Susan-na (Le Nozze di Figaro), Valencienne (The Merry Widow), Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice), and Norina (Don Pasquale). Kathleen was last seen as Rosalinda in YSU’s production of Die Fledermaus. Her accolades include 2014 winner of Mu Phi Epsilon’s “Concerto and Aria Competition,” premier soloist for Dr. Daniel Perttu’s A Deo Datus, featured sopra-no for the Renova Music Festival, and is a 5-time VOCI Scholar. Gianetta, in The Elixir of Love, is Kathleen’s debut main stage role with Opera Western Reserve. This Spring, she will be seen as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutté at YSU.

Young Artists Program The Elixir of Love- Synopsis

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TicketsJan Crews

(Musical Director)Robert Pierce

(Educational Outreach Director)

Introducing the Young Artists of 2015-2016

Robert Pierce (Director), BaritoneJan Crews (Music Director), Accompanist

Cesare Depaulis (Guest Conductor)Kathleen Bachtel, Soprano

Victor S. Cardamone, TenorRebecca Enlow, Soprano

Anthony Humphrey, BaritoneDean LaSalandra, Baritone

Patrick Niess, Tenor

The Opera Western Reserve family has had an exciting summer. Last seen as Count Almaviva in our production of The Barber of Seville, Law-rence Brownlee kept busy performing recitals at Glimmerglass Opera with Eric Owens and in Akron for the Tuesday Musical Club. He sang with Pittsburgh Opera in Daughter of the Regiment, and with Opera Philadelphia in an opera specifically written for him! Alex Richardson, who was last seen in La Boheme, is now a cover for the Metropolitan Opera in their new production of Lulu. OWR veteran, Marian Vogel, graced the stage in the role of Adina in a production of The Elixir of Love along with fellow OWR singers Tim Culver, and Brian Keith Johnson. Future performances include singing Bach’s Cantata 191 under the baton of our very own, Susan Davenny Wyner and Beethoven’s Egmont Complete Symphony. Jason Budd recently made his South American debut as the title character in Verdi’s Falstaff with Theatro São Pedro in São Paulo, Brazil. He also performed in several engagements with the Boston Midsummer Opera as well as the Spoletto Festival. Michael Young sang in a production of Wagner’s Ziegfried.

The OWR Young Artists have also been keeping busy with performances at Youngstown State University’s Summer Arts Festival, Dana School of Music Vocal Clinic, Crestview Local Fine Arts Academy, A Summer Evening of Opera fundraiser, and the Acting for Autism Fundraiser. They will be bringing Three Little Pigs back as their featured program in addition to the popular and interactive Fun with Opera free of charge to area schools.

Opera Western Reserve is looking forward to an excellent fall season and hopes to see you at The Elixir of Love in November!

Robert Pierce is entering his seventh year of involvement with Opera Western Reserve and his third year as the company’s Educational Outreach Director. In addition to directing and performing in past Young Artist productions of La Bohéme, Don Giovan-ni, The Three Little Pigs, and The Impresario, he has sung roles in past mainstage productions of La Bohème, The Barber of Se-ville, Tosca, and La Traviata. A native of the Cleveland area, Robert is an experienced performer of opera and musical theater on local stages, such as Cleveland Opera Theater, Valley Lyric Opera, Great Lakes Light Opera, Nightingale Opera Theater, Lakeland Civic Theater, Beck Center for the Arts, and Cleveland Institute of Music. Opera credits include Tosca, The Apothecary, Ariadne auf Naxos, Street Scene, La Rondine, La Vida Breve, The Pirates of Penzance, and Madame Butterfly. Musical theater credits in-clude Violet, Sunday in the Park with George, Mary Poppins, Jerry Springer: The Opera, She Loves Me, and Kiss Me, Kate. Robert received degrees in vocal performance from Otterbein University and Cleveland Institute of Music.

Cesare Depaulis is an Italian conductor that began his musical training at an early age, studying clarinet and music theory in his home country. While spending a year in the United States as a foreign exchange student at Truman High School in Independence, MO, he played clarinet in the Missouri All-State Orchestra and has been awarded with top scores both as a soloist and in chamber ensemble. He pursued his education at the Conservatorio Statale G. Verdi in Milan, studying clarinet and composition and at the Universita Statale degli Studi di Milano, studying Classic and Modern Humanities. Currently, he is attending a two- year master program in orchestral conducting wqith Carl Topilow at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Summer Update

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Young Artists Program The Elixir of Love- Synopsis

Become an Underwriter

Tickets

Tickets for our upcoming production of The Elixir of Love, Friday, November 13, 2014 are now on sale! Order your tickets by calling the Stambaugh Auditorium Box Office at (330)259-0555 or online at: www.stambaughauditorium.com

Supporter $250 2 tickets Orchestra Level Contributor $500 4 tickets Orchestra LevelDonor (and up) $1,000+ 8 tickets Orchestra Level

Remember! Individual Underwriters are entitled to a reservation of complimentary tickets:

Elixir of Love, one of Donizetti’s three most popular operas, including Don Pasquale and Lucia di Lammermoore (which will have its first Opera Western Reserve production in November 2017) was written when he was 34 years old. It was the 40th of the 70 operas which are credited to his name, an impressive record for a man who died at the relatively young age of 51. The opera is a romantic comedy concerning the poor farm boy, Nemorino, who is in love with the beautiful, but unresponsive, Adina, a local landowner. She seems to be bedazzled by the dashing and boastful Sgt. Belcore much to Nemorino’s chagrin. A travelling med-icine showman, the illustrious Dr. Dulcamara, arrives touting his medicine which he proclaims is the cure for all ills. Nemorino asks him if he has the magic elixir that made the mythical Isolda fall in love with Tristan at first sight. The doctor said, “Of course, I do!” and concocts one on the spot. Will this magic elixir work before the wedding of Adina with Sgt. Belcore? Is it the reason all the girls in town suddenly find him irresistible? Is Dr. Dulcamara truly a magician of medicine? You’ll have to come to The Elixir of Love on November 13th to find out! We at Opera Western Reserve are also delighted to announce that Ballet Western Reserve, under the direction of choreographer, Staś Kmieć, will be joining us again for our production this Fall.

Dr. Brian Cestone

Dean Michael Crist

Christine Donaldson

Welcome, Board Members!

Nancy Meacham

Michael Rosenberg

Arnold Wagner

Endowment CampaignOpera Western Reserve announces the establishment of an Agency Endowment Fund Agreement through the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley. The purpose of this endowment is to secure

OWR’s financial future so we can continue to present live operas, provide performance opportunities for young singers and bring music

education into the schools.

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1000 Fifth Avenue, Youngstown, OH 44504

Robert Pierce, Baritone- Educational Outreach DirectorKathy Miller, Accompanist- Music DirectorKathleen Bacthel, SopranoVictor S. Cardamone, TenorLauren Corcoran, SopranoRebecca Enlow, Soprano Dean LaSalandra, BaritonePatrick Niess, TenorKathie Steeb, Soprano

Thank you to our Foundations... and our many wonderful supporters!

Opera Western Reserve Elliot Legow, Chairman Susan Davenny Wyner, Music DirectorDavidVosburgh,ProductionDirector

Dr. Dominic & Helen Bitonte Family FoundationRuth H. Beecher Charitable Trust

Dr. Albert & Suzanne CinelliGasser Chair Company

Dr. Michael & Patricia KavicKennedy Family Fund

Sen. Maurice & Florence Lipscher Charitable FundRalph E. and Esther K. Meacham Memorial Fund

Monday Musical Club FundOhio Arts Council

PNC BankMichael & Rosemary Rosenberg

Frances & Lillian Schermer Charitable TrustAimee & Lulu Seidel Foundation

Thomases Family Endowment of the YoungstownArea Jewish Federation

Walter & Caroline Watson FoundationWarren P. Williamson Foundation

Denise DeBartolo YorkYoungstown Foundation