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Home , Bandleader, Carol Neblett, Giorgio Tozzi, Martial Singher, Rod Gilfry, The Ghosts of Versailles

Artists/Production Staff

ROBERTA WAIN-BECKER, GENERAL DIRECTOR Founder of Golden Gate in 1996, Roberta staged productions from 1998-2004 in San Francisco at the Palace of the Legion of Honor Florence Gould Theatre. Since 2005, GGO have been performed in Marin County, at the Marin Civic Center theatres. Under her leadership, GGO has presented Madama Butterfly, Carmen, The Telephone, Cavalleria Rusticana, I Pagliacci, and many other fully staged operas.

Roberta helped Golden Gate Opera achieve Professional Company Membership in Opera America in 2011. Under her direction GGO produced a new work, Lincoln and Booth, in 2012. She has provided Community Outreach enrichment to school children at a time when funding for the arts in schools is scarce. In her continuing commitment to develop an audience, and to help the art form survive, she has held annual Aria Party Soirees in living rooms to bring more adults into direct contact with opera. Roberta received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California School of Music. Her professional opera career includes 30 years of international and U.S. regional opera company engagements. Sponsored by the Marin Community Foundation, she attended the University of Indiana Fundraising School in 2006. Golden Gate Opera has won numerous awards for Marketing and Production, as well as the support of foundations, businesses and many generous individuals. In 2008 Roberta initiated GGO’s TV show, “Opera in Your Own Backyard.” She also originated “Opera Story Night at Habitat Books” in Sausalito to develop new fans.

JOHN CEPELAK, COMPOSER John’s grandfather was a soloist in the Pilsen Opera in Czechoslovakia, and his mother encouraged John’s early love for classical music and singing. Living in London during the Blitz at 4 years of age, he was drawn to classical music’s peace and beauty and avidly listened to it on the radio. After immigrating to the U.S. at the age of 8, John continued to follow classical music as a youth in . He was admitted to the High School of Music and Art in New York where he studied vocal music and orchestration. He sang in the Senior Chorus and with that chorus, under the direction of , was given a small solo in a performance of The Second Hurricane by Aaron Copeland. He also sang with that group in Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts on CBS television.

John went on to take music courses at NYU. He was in a large chorus, sang in the Glee Club, and toured the southern U.S. in the NYU Varsity .

After a stint in Nepal with the Peace Corps, he settled in California and earned his Master’s degree at UC Berkeley. He continued singing as a member of the Oakland East Bay Symphony Chorus, The San Francisco Bach Choir, and briefly with Slavyanka, a Russian men’s choir. He currently sings in a church choir in Marin.

John studied voice under Sharon Davis, formerly of the .

John began composing seriously in 1991. He has steadily studied orchestration and produced original music compositions on his own for the last twenty-nine years. These include 3 symphonies, a concerto, parts of a Mass, numerous songs and song cycles, two operas and a full-length ballet with the story collaboration of his wife Christina Rose.

CHRISTINA ROSE, LIBRETTIST Christina was born into a musical family. Her mother was an opera singer, concert soloist and oratorio soloist in . Christina sang classical music and church music from an early age. She was admitted to the High School of Music and Art in New York, where she studied vocal music and orchestration. She sang in Senior Chorus and, with that chorus, under the direction of Leonard Bernstein, was given a small solo in a performance of The Second Hurricane by Aaron Copeland. She also sang with that group in Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts on CBS television. She was also given the opportunity to sing an aria on the NYC student radio station.

Christina completed a major in music at Queens College of the City University of New York. She was honored with an award her freshman year as best soloist of the year for a performance of the aria “Depuis Le Jour” from the opera Louise by Charpentier, accompanied by the full college symphony orchestra.

Coming to California, Christina went on to earn her BA in music and ethnomusicology, with a double major in anthropology, at UCLA, where she performed in a traditional West African percussion . She then earned a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in anthropology.

Christina has been a piano and a voice teacher in Marin County for 20 years. Her first voice teacher was her opera singer mother, and much credit goes to her for the good tips on vocal technique that Christina passes on to her students. She has taught gospel singing technique and performed all over the Bay Area. She has also recorded three albums as a soloist with the Lighthouse Singers of Marin, with the Gospel Music Worship of America (the largest Black gospel music association in the world), and internationally in Japan.

Christina has served as the Minister of Music at Miller Avenue Baptist Church of Mill Valley, CA for the last 30 years. Her original gospel Cantata, Deliverance, was performed and recorded there in 2001, for which she wrote the libretto and music, and also directed and sang. Over the last 15 years Christina has been working with her husband, John Cepelak as his librettist. Most recently her arrangements of spirituals and original music has been added to their opera, Emancipation.

JOHN VAN DAAM, VIDEOGRAPHER John Van Daam, founder of California Video Productions, received a BA degree from the SUNY Buffalo and attended graduate school at UCLA and Cal Berkeley. He began as a professional videographer/producer after working for ten years as a community organizer involved with environmental and social justice issues and as an administrator/teacher at New College of California in San Francisco. After staging the first California convention for recycling with the Berkeley Ecology Center, Van Daam became aware of the power of video. He began making tapes about resource recycling. A video about yard waste recycling was shown at the Earth Summit in Brazil.

One of his most recent projects involved of a promotional video “business card” for the University of the Pacific’s Brubeck Institute. He also travelled to Italy to make a video slide show for Siena Sojourn, a semester abroad program.

California Video Productions generates videos for corporations, schools, universities, organizations and individuals. CVP has worked for the World Health Organization, the Environmental Protection Agency, Digital Equipment, Kaiser Permanente, Prudential Life Insurance, American Express and Fireman's Fund. A series of recruitment tapes was created for the Berkeley Unified School District's Magnet School Program. A promotional tape for the Newport Pacific’s Tiger Fund helped generate $900 million in investment capital. Speeches by Presidents Carter, Reagan and Ford were recorded at their respective Presidential offices for a San Francisco Chamber of Commerce video. His productions include documentaries, signature videos, promotional videos, demonstration and training videos. He also creates special event and family history videotapes. PATRICK BLACKWELL, -—Frederick Douglass 2020 Patrick Blackwell continues to expand his impressive repertoire in opera, oratorio and musical theater. His career has seen him engaged by many of the leading opera companies and orchestras of the US and Europe, including appearances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Festival, the Munich Philharmonic, the and the Opera. Mr. Blackwell trained and studied with Enrico Di Guiseppe at the and began his career as a young artist with the , Houston Opera Studio, the Merola Opera Program with San Francisco Opera, Opera Music Theatre International with Jerome Hines and the Aspen Opera Theatre Center. In Europe Mr. Blackwell has appeared in concert with the Munich Philharmonic in concert performances of Porgy & Bess, conducted by Lorin Maazel and in the Title role Porgy & Bess for New York Harlem Productions’ European tour. Mr Blackwell’s association with this piece is extensive, having appeared as Porgy and in other roles with Utah Opera, the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood (conducted by Sir Simon Rattle), Fresno Grand Opera, the Castleton Festival (conducted by Lorin Maazel), Union Avenue Opera, St. Louis and on tour throughout the United States.

On the concert platform, Mr. Blackwell made his Carnegie Hall debut as the bass soloist in the world premiere of Earnestine Rodgers Robinson’s Crucifixion in addition to performing works by Mozart at the Arts Festival in North Korea, the Fauré Requiem with the Fresno Philharmonic and Osride in Rossini’s Mose In Egitto with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at in New York City.

In the United States, Mr. Blackwell’s operatic engagements have included Leporello , Colline La Boheme, Zuniga Carmen and Dr. Grenvil La Traviata for , Balthazar Amahl And The Night Visitors for Chamber Opera of Chicago, Utah Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera, 1st Nazarene Salome and Dr. Bartolo Le Nozze Di Figaro for Utah Opera, Joe Showboat and Sarastro Die Zauberfloete for Fresno Grand Opera, Ferrando Il Trovatore for Knoxville Opera, Monterone Rigoletto and Sarastro Die Zauberfloete for Union Avenue Opera, Il Re and Melitone La Forza Del Destino for New Jersey State Opera and Tom for New Orleans Opera.

With Chicago Lyric Opera Mr. Blackwell’s roles have included Burnah in Anthony David’s Amistad, Henry Davis Street Scene, Cal Regina and The Duke of Verona Romeo Et Juliette. With Mr. Blackwell has covered Bluebeard Bluebeard’s Castle and the Four Villains Les Contes D’hoffmann and sung the Quartet Bass The Ghosts of Versailles, Ratcliffe , Commissioner Madama Butterfly, Simone and the Notary Gianni Schicchi, 2nd Soldier Salome and Aye Akhnaten.

Future roles include the Title-role Porgy & Bess on tour in Europe, the Title-role Noye’s Fludde for Los Angeles Opera and Jimmy Mahagonny Songspiel and La Mere Les Sept Peches Capitaux for the Opera National du Rhin.

LIMUEL FORGEY, BARITONE—Vice President Johnson, 2012 The performances of baritone LIMUEL FORGEY have been received with critical acclaim in the genres of opera, oratorio and musical theatre. His stage work includes extensive opera and musical theatre roles: The Count and the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with VOCE and Fresno Sequoia Opera; Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with California Opera, Golden Gate Opera, and Fresno Opera; Escamillo in Carmen with Fresno Sequoia Opera, Visalia Opera Company, California Opera Association, and Golden Gate Opera; Germont in La Traviata with California Opera and Golden Gate Opera; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with California Opera Association; Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas with Fresno City Opera, Eisenstein in with Fresno Sequoia Opera; Peter in Hansel und Gretel with Visalia Opera Company and Pullman Opera; Javert and Bishop in Les Miserables with Theater Arts Alliance and Fresno Grand Opera; Piangi in The Phantom of the Opera with COS Sequoia Theatre; Johnson in Cepelak's Lincoln and Booth with Golden Gate Opera, Petrovitch in Crime and Punishment—The Opera with RB Productions Visalia; Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter with RB Productions Visalia; Emile in with Theater Arts Alliance and with Selma Arts Center; and Ko Ko in The Mikado with Pullman Opera. This season Mr. Forgey performs as baritone soloist in Mollicone's Beatitude Mass for the Homeless with Fresno Master Chorale; Carmina Burana with CSU Fresno Orchestra and Master Chorus; and with Fresno Philharmonic in their "Arias and Opera Choruses" concert.

In his performance career, Mr. Forgey has had the pleasure of working with some of opera and musical theater’s most prominent directors and conductors, including Peter Lockyer, Brad Haak and star Patrice Munsel, who was a personal mentor and guide for Mr. Forgey, helping him shape his early career. Prominent coaches include Howard Watkins and Jonathan Kuhner of The Metropolitan Opera, as well as mezzo- Edna Garabedian. He recently performed throughout southern Germany in lieder concerts sponsored by Cal-Arts. Mr. Forgey has collaborated with a number of symphony orchestras as guest artist and soloist, including Fresno Philharmonic, Fresno Master Chorale, Sequoia Symphony Orchestra and Kings Symphony Orchestra.

Radio, Television and Film credits include Crime and Punishment—The Opera Film DVD, NPR Valley Public Radio Soloist in selections from Saint-Saens' Oratorio de Noel, “Suddenly with the Angels” Television Broadcast by KNXT in Fresno and the role of Bandleader of Aventura!, an Independent Feature Film. Mr. Forgey holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Washington State University in Vocal Performance, a Masters of Arts in Music (Vocal Performance) from California State University, Fresno, as well as post graduate work in voice and at the University of Washington.

JACQUELINE GOLDGORIN, SOPRANO—Mary Todd Lincoln, 2012 Ms. Goldgorin began her career in Los Angeles. She has performed with Gateway Classical Orchestra, Chelsea Opera, Opera of the Hamptons, Opera on the Hudson, Connecticut Grand Opera, New York Metro Vocal Arts Ensemble, West Bay Opera and Opera San Jose. In concert, she has performed the Mozart Requiem as Soloist in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil with Pacific Chorale and soloist in the Verdi Requiem with Gateway Classical Music Society. She made her San Francisco debut singing Paula in a concert of highlights from Rio de Mujeres by Hector Armienta, and has enjoyed singing roles with Golden Gate Opera, Opera San Jose, West Bay Opera and Verismo Opera in the bay area. Recent engagements include Fiora in L’amore dei tre Re with Empire Opera, the premiere of a new work by Brent Miller with Magik*Magik Orchestra, a recital series of Spanish and Argentinian music in NYC and California, and soloist in Mozart’s Requiem.

NOAH GRIFFIN, —Frederick Douglass 2012, 2016 Noah Griffin was born in San Francisco. By the age of seven, he demonstrated a love of music and performance. By 12, he had sung with the San Francisco Opera, shared the stage with , Nat Cole and Paul Robeson and helped open Disneyland, all while part of the San Francisco Boy's Chorus. Following a family tradition, he went to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee where his father had graduated 40 years earlier.

Griffin is proud of his membership with the famed Fisk University Jubilee Singers. Not only did they pre-date the famous Whiffenpoofs of Yale by nearly three decades, but introduced the hitherto unknown Negro Spiritual to the world. While at Fisk, Griffin accepted a Summer's History Fellowship at Yale. Following Cole Porter's footsteps, he entered Harvard Law School ('70) where he continued to perform in and around the Boston area. As a member of the Harvard University Choir, he was honored to audition for and solo with Duke Ellington in his Boston performance of The Sacred Concert, which originally debuted at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral in 1966.

Like Cole, the Law School Dean encouraged Griffin's singing, even recommending him to the law firm where Porter was a client. But unlike Cole, Griffin took a 40-year detour in government, politics, and media, only to return to that same law firm more than four decades later to an interrupted dream, forming The Cole Porter Society, intent on preserving, promoting and perpetuating the musical legacy of what Griffin proclaims to be American's finest musical poet of the 20th Century.

GABRIEL MANRO, BARITONE—Abraham Lincoln 2012, 2016, 2020 Multiple Grammy Award winning baritone Gabriel Manro has been called “a new kind of baritone: not lyric, not helden, not Kavalier, not Bariton-Martin — none of those. Rather, he’s a knock-down baritone.” --San Francisco Classical Voice. Indeed, Manro regularly sings dramatic baritone roles such as Don Carlo di Vargas (La forza del destino), Andrei Shchelkalov (), and Tonio (I Pagliacci)

Opera News describes Manro as “Gifted with a striking, sinister baritone that remains strong, even and sonorous throughout the range, he tears into Verdi's music with a vengeance.” -- Opera News.

Mr. Manro made his professional operatic debut as Third Inmate in Jake Heggie's ground-breaking opera Dead Man Walking for Opera Pacific with Frederica von Stade. He went on to perform the role of Inquisitor in Opera Pacific's Candide. Mr. Manro has appeared in numerous contemporary and world-premiere operas and musicals:

As Muscovite Trader in ’s The Ghosts of Versailles (Pentatone Music: Grammy--Best Opera Recording), as the Mousling in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Alice in Wonderland by Unsuk Chin, the Computer in Los Angeles Opera’s The Fly by film composer Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings Trilogy); as The Chauffeur in Opera Santa Barbara’s Séance on a Wet Afternoon by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell); and as Angry Voter in Los Angeles Opera’s Il Postino (Sony Classical DVD). Manro created the role of President Lincoln in Golden Gate Opera's world-premiere Civil War Epic: Lincoln and Booth. Off-Broadway, Mr. Manro led the original cast of Center for Contemporary Opera’s production of Oration by Line Tjørnhøj. On television, Manro appeared as Joel Lynch and Father Jackson in the European premiere live telecast of William Mayer’s: A Death in the Family at the Hungarian National Theater and Opéra Grand D’Avignon which was voted “audience favorite” opera by Mezzo and TBS Network viewers. Manro played Jafar in Walt Disney Company’s original stage production of Aladdin directed by .

Mr. Manro made his European operatic debut as Doctor Bartolo (Il barbiere di Siviglia) with Corfu Opera in Greece. His extensive repertoire and engagements have also included the roles of Bluebeard (Bluebeard’s Castle), Count Almaviva, Bartolo, Antonio (Le nozze di Figaro), Guglielmo, Don Alfonso (Cosí fan tutte), Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Die Sprecher, Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Belcore (L'elisir d'amore), Frédéric (Lakme), Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), Giorgio Germont (La traviata), Schaunard, Coline, Marcello (La bohème), Valentin (Faust), Dandini, Alidoro (La Cenerentola), Alfio (CavalleriaRusticana), Escamillo (Carmen), Scarpia (), Don Pizarro (Fidelio), and Superintendent Budd (Albert Herring). Equally at home in Musical Theater, he has performed numerous roles including Curly (Oklahoma!), Tony (), Abner (Li'l Abner), Schroeder (You're a Good Man Charlie Brown), Lank Sanders (Girl Crazy), Mr. Brownlow (Oliver!), Harrison Howell (Kiss Me Kate), the Governor (Man of La Mancha), and Emile de Becque (South Pacific). See Mr. Manro next as Osmund in the world-premiere stage production of Siegfried Wagner’s Rainulf and Adelasia during this summer’s Bayreuth Festival in Germany.

J. RAYMOND MEYERS, TENOR—Secretary of War Stanton, 2012 J. Raymond Meyers, a.k.a. ”Joe” is a highly sought after West Coast tenor with projects ranging from Verdi to Weill. Over the past five years, he’s turned his attention to the leading roles of the lyric stage. The Duke in Rigoletto, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Ferrando in Cosi fan Tutte, Rodolfo in La Boheme, Hoffmann in The Tales of Hoffmann, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Camille in The Merry Widow, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicci and Alfred in Die Fledermaus are just of a few of the roles for which he is becoming known.

Meyers has been involved in so many different productions in so many different capacities as a singer that to say ”Lyric Tenor” really only captures where he is and doesn’t reflect where he has been and some of the roles which have defined him as an actor/singer in the opera world. Goro in Madama Butterfly, Beppe in I Pagliacci, Bardolfo in Falstaff, Remendado in Carmen, and the Four Macabre’s in The Tales of Hoffmann were his first steps into the singing business, but as someone once said, “the voice cannot be denied,” so instead of being referred to as an “Actor-Singer”, he prefers the reverse of “Singing-Actor” to illustrate his place in the opera business.

He’s been a frequent performer with many of America’s premiere opera companies, including leading and supporting roles with San Francisco Opera, Anchorage Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Tampa, Opera Grand Rapids, Rogue Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Sacramento Opera, San Francisco Lyric Opera, West Bay Opera, Opera San Jose, Stockton Opera, Bear Valley Music Festival, Apollo Performing Arts, Mendocino Music Festival, Pacific Repertory Opera, Festival Opera, Opera Parallèle, West Edge Opera, and Pocket Opera.

Other past projects include Lou Harrison’s Young Caesar with Opera Parallèle, Mozart and Haydn with the Modesto Symphony, and Carmina Burana with San Mateo Masterworks Chorale and Santa Clara Chorale. He returned to Pocket Opera for his debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and made his debut at Sonoma City Opera as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. He was tenor soloist in San Francisco Ballet’s West Side Story Suite, sang Carmina Burana with Ballet San Jose in Shanghai, China, and sang Rodolfo in La Boheme at Pocket Opera in San Francisco. He returned to Sonoma City Opera as Ernesto in Don Pasquale and made his debut at Toledo Opera as Borsa in Rigoletto.

On the concert stage, the tenor is well known for his portrayal of the roasting swan in Carmina Burana. Whether as a “roasting swan” or as guest soloist, he has appeared with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, New West, Napa Valley, Modesto, Santa Rosa, Stockton, Diablo Valley, Redwood, Santa Cruz and Monterey symphonies.

Mr. Meyers made his Motion Picture debut in 2009 portraying an opera singer in the movie, "Milk" starring Sean Penn and directed by Gus van Sant.

MICHAEL ORLINSKY, TENOR—Sam Everyman 2016, 2020 Orlinsky has performed over 50 roles in his career. He has sung roles with many companies in the Bay Area, including West Edge Opera, Livermore Valley Opera, West Bay Opera, Opera San Jose, Solo Opera, Contemporary Opera Marin, the San Francisco Opera Guild and more.

With Main Street Opera in Chicago he sang the roles of Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, and The Father in Hansel and Gretel. Michael works often with contemporary music as a composer and performer. Along with many art songs, he has composed a Requiem.

Michael joined the Lamplighters, singing the role of Piccia Tuccia (Pish Tush) in The (New) Mikado. He also premiered the roles of Ullie in Allan Shearer’s Circe’s Pigs, and Chief Scientist in Alden Jenks’ Afterworld. In 2016 he joined Golden Gate Opera in the West Coast Premiere of Menotti’s The Boy Who Grew Too Fast as Mad Dog. Mr. Orlinsky earned his Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance at North Park University in Chicago. JASON SARTEN, BASS—Sam Everyman 2012 Jason has sung leading and supporting roles with Opera San Jose, Sacramento Opera, Opera San Luis Obispo, Lamplighter’s Music Theatre, Long Leaf Opera, Island City Opera, Abilene Opera Association, Opera Ft. Collins, Cinnabar Opera Theatre, Livermore Valley Opera, and West Bay Opera. Among Jason’s favorite roles are Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Escamillo in Carmen, Marquis de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites, The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. Some recent concert repertoire includes Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Saint-Saens’ Christmas Oratorio, Charpentier’s Midnight Mass for Christmas, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, and Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ.

ALEXANDRA SESSLER, SOPRANO—Elizabeth Keckley 2012 With a voice described as “a magical gift,” Alexandra is a San Francisco Bay Area soprano and voice instructor. She performed the role of Elizabeth Keckley with Golden Gate Opera in 2012’s Lincoln and Booth. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “superb” and delivering a “tender, radiantly pure-toned” sound, Alexandra has garnered a reputation as a powerful leading lady, a dedicated actress, and an ambassador of classical vocal music. A favorite in the San Francisco Bay Area, Alexandra has frequently performed with the San Francisco Opera Guild, Pocket Opera, Lamplighters Music Theatre, Golden Gate Opera, and the San Francisco Symphony, as well as with West Edge Opera and Prodigal Opera. She has been seen in leading operatic roles including Nedda in I Pagliacci, Pamina and The Queen of the Night in , Mimì and Musetta in La Bohème, and in supporting roles such as Despina in Così fan tutte, Sara in Armienta’s La Llorana, and Elizabeth Keckley in John Cepelak’s Lincoln and Booth. Equally talented in the operetta repertoire, she has performed the roles of Phyllis in Iolanthe, Edith in The Pirates of Penzance, and in the title role of Princess Ida. Deeply involved in the Spanish repertoire, Alexandra frequently appears with Opera Cultura as part of her mission to help broadcast the underperformed classical music of the Spanish speaking community. She was the first recipient of Opera Cultura’s Young Artist Fellowship and was featured in their production of Armienta’s Cuentos de Peregrinaciòn, performed at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2014. She reprised the role in 2015 as part of New Works Forum at Opera America’s National Opera Conference. Alexandra also performs Zarzuela and new works in recital for Opera Cultura. An avid recitalist, she is also dedicated to performing the music of women composers. Alexandra has been featured as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus in works including Stravinksy’s Mass, Bernstein’s West Side Story, and Mass Transmission by Mason Bates. She is also regular member of San Francisco's newest all-professional chamber choir headed by Ragnar Bohlin, Cappella SF, with whom she was featured as a soloist on Light of Gold, a Christmas album released on the Delos label. Alexandra holds a Master of Music degree from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Miami. She has received additional training in programs including La Scuola Italia in Italy, University of Miami at Salzburg in Austria, and Intermezzo. In addition to her performance schedule, Alexandra dedicates time to sharing her knowledge with younger generations of singers, holding teaching studios at Spindrift School of Performing Arts and Bronstein Music.

CAROL “KELLY” THOMAS—Aunt Mary Dines Carol "Kelly" Thomas has been ministering in song for literally her entire life. She started singing at the age of 3, performing with her siblings at private events throughout Marin County. She can always be found ministering through song in her church, and the community.

She is a member of Cornerstone Church of God in Christ located in Marin City, California, where she serves as a Partner In Ministry teaching Sunday School, and as Outreach Coordinator.

In addition to ministering at Gospel events throughout the Bay Area, she also has an impressive resume of roles she has played in professionally produced plays, musicals, and dance recitals. She starred in Hairspray at the Mountain Play in Marin County, California, and several musical productions at the College of Marin assuming lead roles.

Carol is a well-known recording artist on the label with TWO (The Word Out) Records and has recorded with various artists including Algerita Stewart, Lawrence Matthews, and Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark singing lead and background vocals. She also enjoys writing and producing Passion Plays, has written a Children's Book titled "A Wheelchair for Baby Jessica" and a collection of other literary works.

Carol is a dedicated mother of four children: Kahaya, Jennifer, Dominic, and Da'Jon, and the proud grandmother of Keith, Kevin, Khamil, D'Anthony, and Khorrey.

KRISTA WIGLE, SOPRANO—Mary Todd Lincoln 2016 Wigle has been hailed by Opera News as “A major find.” Her roles include Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw) with Brava! Opera, Clorinda (La Cenerentola) with Opera on Tap, the Soprano (Trouble in Tahiti) with Opera Parallèle, Cleo (The Most Happy Fella) with Festival Opera, Marcellina () and Dame Quickly (Falstaff) with Cinnabar Opera, Yum-Yum (The Mikado) and Musetta (La Bohème) with Livermore Valley Opera, Blonde (The Abduction from the Seraglio) with Sonoma City Opera, Zerlina (Don Giovanni) with SF Lyric Opera, Adele (Die Fledermaus) with Berkeley Opera, Jenny (The Three Penny Opera) with the SC Chamber Orchestra, Yetta (The Meshuga Nutcracker!), and Carlotta (The Phantom of the Opera) in the Las Vegas and San Francisco productions.

In addition, she has appeared in many featured roles with such companies as North Bay Opera, The San Francisco Opera Guild, Pocket Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and West Bay Opera. Ms. Wigle has appeared as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Symphonies, Mozart’s Requiem with U.C. Berkeley Orchestra, Mendelssohn's Lobgesang and La Traviata in Concert with The Winchester Orchestra, selections from La Rondine with Chora Nova, and Handel's at Davies Symphony Hall. She was also a guest artist at the Chintimini Chamber Music Festival in Corvallis, Oregon, where she performed Bach Arias and The Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson by Aaron . In addition to her active performance career, Ms. Wigle teaches at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) and the San Francisco School of the Arts (S.O.T.A.).

LORI WILLIS, MEZZO-SOPRANO—Susan Mahoney 2012, Elizabeth Keckley 2016, 2020 Lori Willis debuted with Golden Gate Opera in 2012's Lincoln and Booth by Cepelak and Rose, in the role of Susan Mahoney, and subsequently performed the role of Elizabeth Keckley in the 2016 production of Lincoln:The African American Connection and in the videos of Emancipation.

Miss Willis began her musical career as a violinist, receiving scholarships from the University of California Berkeley Young Musicians Program and a scholarship award to attend Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Instead, after obtaining a B. A. in Political Science from UC Berkeley, Ms. Willis gained recognition as a vocalist and went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in vocal performance at California State University, East Bay. She appeared as Maria, Strawberry Woman and Lily in Oakland East Bay Symphony’s production of Porgy and Bess and was a soloist for their performances of The Messiah and Bernstein’s Mass. Ms. Willis also appeared as Mrs. Grose in Oakland Opera’s Turn of the Screw, Ella in Malcom X and Darma in Berkeley Opera’s MacBeth. Recent appearances include member of the chorus ensemble in San Francisco Opera’s production of Porgy and Bess, and as guest artist for the Sacramento Philharmonic for their Signature Series.

ENSEMBLE: Gala Ball Attendees, Union Soldiers, Confederate Soldiers, Servers at Gala Ball : Kit Murphy, Megan McGovern, Pasha Lord Mezzos: Laura Holter, Rachel Larsen, Cindi King, Aron Bateleur : Michael Mendelssohn, R.J. Casteneda, Rafael Mollina, Aaron Ulyssius Parnell : Eric Levintow, Gilbert Spence Bass: Jerry Thompson Supernumerary: Irwin Taranto, wounded soldier

SAN FRANCISCO WALTZING SOCIETY The San Francisco Waltzing Society is a social club originated in the early 1950s by a group of Viennese Waltz enthusiasts replicating the ongoing tradition of the elegant Viennese Waltz Balls of Vienna. They hold an annual ball and periodic dance workshops.

JOHN BALLERINO, PIANIST 2016 John Ballerino grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. He holds a D.M.A. in Collaborative Arts from the University of Southern California, where he also studied Spanish and Latin American literature as part of his doctoral program.

His principal teachers include Gwendolyn Koldofsky, Brooks Smith, Alan Smith, George Katz and Frank Wiens. He is a five-time winner of the Koldofsky Graduate Fellowship in Accompanying, and twice was the winner of the Hans Schiff Memorial Scholarship for excellence in chamber music (U.S.C.). He has also twice received scholarships to the Music Academy of the West (Santa Barbara). Master classes and private coaching have enabled him to work with Martin Katz, Giorgio Tozzi, Evelyn Lear, William Parker, , Dalton Baldwin, Roger Vignoles, Elly Ameling, and Martin Isepp. An accomplished speaker and performer of Spanish and Latin American music, Dr. Ballerino lectures and performs throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Since 1999, John has been the principal coach and Assistant for ten different Zarzuela productions at the Jarvis Conservatory in Napa, California. He has also served as a Spanish diction coach for productions by the Los Angeles Opera and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. In 2007, John was on staff at Los Angeles Opera as diction coach and pianist for the Zarzuela Luisa Fernanda, featuring Placido Domingo in the lead role. In 2010 John was the assistant conductor and Spanish coach for Rio de Sangre, a world premier opera by Don Davis that was produced by the Florentine Opera (Milwaukee).

John is a Continuing Lecturer of Collaborative Arts at the University of California, Santa Barbara. There he teaches Spanish Diction as well as Song and Operatic Literature. He is the former Chorus Master, Principal Pianist and Assistant Conductor for Opera Santa Barbara and has frequently been on the music staffs of the Los Angeles, Florentine (Milwaukee), Utah Festival, Fresno and Sarasota Opera Companies as an Assistant Conductor and Repetiteur.

TIMOTHY LEÓN, PIANIST—First Meeting 2020 is a uniquely diverse artist, equally adept as an operatic tenor, a conductor and a pianist. Mr. León has been featured with such companies as Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Pacific Chorale, Pacific Repertory Opera, Golden State Pops Orchestra, Opera San Luis Obispo, Nevada Opera Theater and in Europe with Opera Toscana, New Operafestival di Roma, Tuscia Operafestival and Narnia Festival.

A specialist in the Italian language and repertoire, Mr. León sings many leading roles in the standard repertoire including Norma, La Traviata, Don Giovanni, and Madama Butterfly to name a few. León’s conducting credits include a double-bill of Pagliacci & Suor Angelica for StageWorks Festival in Washington, D.C., Le Nozze di Figaro, La Traviata, Suor Angelica, L’elisir d’amore and Verdi’s Requiem in Italy with Tuscia Operafestival, and more recently forays into the bel canto repertoire conducting Donizetti’s masterpiece Anna Bolena for Opera by the Glass as well as La Sonnambula and Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and an outstanding production of Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi with Hawkmore Lyric Opera. Mr. León has collaborated with Maestro Fetta and the Marina del Rey Symphony for many seasons on several standard works in the operatic repertoire including Madama Butterfly, Aida, La Traviata, ll Barbiere di Siviglia, Die Zauberflöte, and Pagliacci. Sustaining a critical relationship as a singer, coach and conductor with Tuscia Operafestival and the International Lyric Academy of Rome/Viterbo for more than 14 years, he now collaborates in a similar capacity with the Narnia Festival in Umbria, Italia, which includes training young artists worldwide.

Mr. León's engagements now expand into the German repertoire singing his first Wagnerian tenor role in Los Angeles Lyric Opera's production of Die Feen, and Bacchus in Strauss’ . Maestro León serves as Music Director and Principal Conductor for several Los Angeles based opera companies: Hawkmore Lyric Opera, Landmark Opera and Opera by the Glass, Genesis Opera Theatre in San Diego County, Golden Gate Opera in San Francisco and California Opera Association in Fresno. His collaborative colleagues have included renowned singers Carol Neblett, , Elizabeth Futral, Erie Mills, Birgit Nilsson, Zeffin Quinn Hollis, Fedora Barbieri, Marilyn Zschau, Hao Jiang Tian and Giorgio Tozzi. Future engagements include assistant conducting Bizet’s Carmen with California Opera Association in Fresno this summer, Assistant Conductor of South Pacific with Opera San Luis Obispo in the fall and at the conducting helm again for Verdi’s La Traviata with Landmark Opera in November.

Mr. León has served as Artistic Advisor/Conductor for Tuscia OperaFestival, Music Director/Conductor of The Celestial Opera Company, Assistant Conductor for Pacific Opera Project, Golden Gate Opera, Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival and Pacific Repertory Opera, Narnia Festival and the Marina Del Rey Summer Symphony concerts. He is the founder/creator of the OASIS Concert Series at Hollywood Lutheran Church, which programs vocal and instrumental artists both locally and internationally. He maintains private vocal studios in Los Angeles and New York.

TEMIRZHAN YERZHANOV, PIANIST 2012 Temirzhan Yerzhanov attended the famous Central Music School in Moscow subsequently earning his MA in Piano Performance from the legendary Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory under Professor Mikhail Voskressensky. Still a young student at the Conservatory, he launched his performing career by winning the First Prize and Gold Medal at the XIth International Robert Schumann Piano Competition 1993 in Zwickau, Germany, one of the most respected in the world.

As a performer, Temirzhan Yerzhanov has toured in Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, USA, United Kingdom, China and India. He has soloed with many orchestras including Moscow Radio Tchaikovsky Symphony, Zwickau Philharmonishes, Sacramento Philharmonic, San Luis Obispo Symphony, Vogtland Philharmonie, The Symphony Orchestra of India, working with such conductors as Vladimir Fedoseev, Lothar Seyfart, Johannes Wildner, Michael Morgan, Jiří Malát. He has appeared in prestigious venues such as London Wigmore Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Dresden Sempergalerie, Paris Salle Gaveau, New York Carnegie Weill Recital and Merkin Halls, Moscow and St. Petersburg Philharmonic Halls. Mr. Yerzhanov has been featured on live broadcasts, in studio recordings and talk shows of Deutsche Radio Berlin, Hong Kong Radio, Radio Russia, Capital Radio Sacramento, Orpheus Radio. He garnered much praise for his CDs of Schumann (RCD label) and Prokofiev works including World premiere of Classical Symphony (Con Brio Recordings).

A diverse musician, Mr. Yerzhanov has collaborated with many instrumentalists and opera singers of international acclaim such as Michael Collins (clarinet), Vasko Vassilev (violin), Elena Kelessidi (soprano) and Melody Moore (soprano).

As a conductor he performed with Kazakh Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, Opera Academy of California, Opera Cultura, Google Orchestra and he is an Artistic Director of youth Orchestra Gradus ad Parnassum in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Temirzhan Yerzhanov was a Piano Faculty member for four years at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Many of Mr. Yerzhanov’s students have won top prizes at prestigious international piano competitions such as The Queen Elisabeth in Brussels, The Tchaikovsky in Moscow, Viana da Motta in Macau, AXA in Dublin, Alessandro Casagrande in Terni.

Since his relocation to the San Francisco Bay Area, Temirzhan has successfully combined his performing career with teaching activities. His students appeared in many local festivals and have won gold medals at the US Open Piano Competition. Temirzhan has successfully prepared many students for the ABRSM Grades 1-8 exams in piano. He has presented master classes internationally including Yantai University (China), West Washington University, Clara-Wieck-Gimnasium (Germany), schools, colleges and conservatories in Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

BRIAN ASHER ALHADEFF, CONDUCTOR, MUSIC DIRECTOR 2016 Dr. Alhadeff is an internationally recognized American conductor of opera, ballet, symphony, and musical theater. He is the Artistic Director and Conductor of Opera San Luis Obispo. He is also Principal Conductor of Civic Ballet San Luis Obispo and State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara. Alhadeff studied conducting at the Peabody Conservatory of Music (Baltimore, MD) and the Janácek Academy of Music (Brno, Czech Republic). He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), a Masters of Music from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in 2006. In 2013 Alhadeff developed the Citywide Arts Collaboration concept for Opera San Luis Obispo – a business model for large-scale opera production that unifies the collaborative efforts of several well-established and "opera complimentary" arts organizations under the financial umbrella of one parent arts organization. From 2002 to 2008 Alhadeff was Artistic Director and founder of the Hradec Kralove International Summer Opera Festival. In 2010, Alhadeff conducted the Albanian National Radio and Television Orchestra. From 1997 to 2007 Alhadeff was Associate Conductor of the Beverly Hills Symphony. Alhadeff has also held the position of Principal Conductor for Ballet Tucson (Arizona) and Riverside Ballet Arts (California). Some of Alhadeff's guest conducting highlights include Tulsa Ballet, Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, Karlove Vary Sinfonie, San Luis Obispo Symphony, UCLA Opera Program, South Florida Opera Company, Eastern Sierra Symphony, Bourgas State Opera, Rio Hondo Symphony, Long Beach Opera, Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco, California State University Los Angeles Opera Theater, California Polytechnic State University Opera Theater Workshop, and Grand Valley State University (MI) Opera, Ballet and Musical Theater. Alhadeff frequently lectures throughout the US and abroad on topics having to do with opera, ballet, and musical theater. In 2009 Alhadeff founded Operanutz!, an opera appreciation course which combines live lecture with projection of a variety of original media. He has served on the vocal and conducting faculty for Symphonic Workshops LTD International Opera Workshops, and as a university professor he has guest lectured at numerous colleges and universities as well as served on the faculties of La Sierra University (CA) and Grand Valley State University (MI). He focuses on inspiring all ages and backgrounds through an original, dynamic style of performance education that combines live lectures with seamlessly integrated video projection of a variety of multimedia.

GEOFFREY GALLEGOS, CONDUCTOR, Lincoln and Booth 2012 Geoffrey is a San Francisco Native. As Music Director of Golden Gate Opera, he conducted all GGO main stage productions, including Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, The Telephone, Hansel & Gretel and the world premiere of Lincoln & Booth. Maestro Gallegos is also currently Music Director and Conductor of the Kensington Symphony Orchestra in West Contra Costa County, CA following his appointment in 2004. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Assistant Conductor of the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra of Northern California. In 1991, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra and currently continues his long-standing relationship with the SFCO as a frequent guest. From 1985 to 1990, he held the position of Associate Conductor of the San Francisco Chamber Players Orchestra. Maestro Gallegos recently guest conducted the Diablo Symphony Orchestra and Il Barbiere di Siviglia for the California Opera Association in Fresno. He has guest conducted throughout the US and in Europe. Maestro Gallegos has a deep commitment to arts education that includes 12 seasons as Music Director and Conductor of the Golden Gate Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in San Francisco where he resides.

EDNA GARABEDIAN, STAGE DIRECTOR AND ARTISTIC ADVISOR Ms. Garabedian has directed the company's productions since 2005. These include Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, Lincoln and Booth by Cepelak and Rose, "Opera’s Greatest Hits" Gala, and Hansel and Gretel.

In addition to her work as a director, Ms. Garabedian has performed as a major opera singer to critical and popular acclaim in the United States and throughout Europe. Some of the companies she has sung leading roles with include: Munich Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Kassel Opera, Nurnberg Opera, Hannover Opera, the Spoleto Festival, Staatsoper Bonn, New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Houston Opera, , Baltimore Opera, Kansas City Lyric Opera and Portland Opera.

She has numerous awards to her credit, including the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1970), the Baltimore Opera Auditions, and the Metropolitan Opera. Ms. Garabedian is the founder of the Fresno International Grand Opera and is founder, CEO and Artistic Director of California Opera Association in Fresno. She has taught at the International Music Institute of Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been Chairman of Voice and Opera at the University of Connecticut and University of the Pacific, and served as Professor of Voice on the faculty of Northern Illinois University, California State University at Fresno, American University and San Francisco University.

Ms. Garabedian has been awarded the position of Ambassador of International Exchange Programs for the U.S. and China and tours to Beijing, Shanghai, Hangshou, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, and brings outstanding opera talent from those cities to California Opera Association.

JUSTINE PRADO, STAGE MANAGER In addition to stage managing, Justine Prado is a Bay Area native screenwriter, playwright and comic book author. She holds a BFA from the Academy of Art University and an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles. Since making the move to SoCal, she has seen the premiere of her play The Wait’ll Kill You produced, and worked on the hit television series Weeds. Justine currently has projects in various stages of development and production at several major studios and production companies, and her original comic book series Finding Molly: An Adventure in Cat-Sitting from Emet Comics is available in your local comic shop. Recently, she has returned to her roots in theater as stage manager for Opera San Luis Obispo.

MORGANNE NEWSON, COSTUME DESIGNER Morganne Newson, costume designer for Lincoln: The African American Connection, is a designer for motion pictures, television and theater. "It is always exciting,” she says, “to enter the world of a new script. Each production has its own mood, time period, color palette and journey. To create the perfect look for a show, I delve into the essence of each character as I imagine how they would express themselves through their clothing. The thrill is to inspire the actors as I present them with my carefully selected wardrobe. The magic happens when the actor and my wardrobe merge, and the character takes form." Her flattering designs have pleased many leading ladies and cast members. She has dressed some of the most fascinating performers of our time, including Usher, Rachel McAdam, Burt Lancaster, William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, Eartha Kitt, Sarah Polley, Britney Spears, and many more.

She designs for dance, ice skating and circus performances. She has brought to life contemporary styles, from the world of hip-hop to the Mafia look to the elegance of the Hamptons. Her understanding of a constantly evolving youth culture has been evident in her authentic wardrobe on a number of television series including Straight Up, Tru Confessions and The Famous Jett Jackson. She has pushed the boundaries in futuristic design. She has extensive experience in period clothing, as well, having created looks for the Eighteenth Century, the Nineteenth Century, and for different decades within the Twentieth Century. Ms. Newson created the costumes for her 2nd production with Golden Gate Opera, Lincoln: The African American Connection, having designed for GGO’s Madama Butterfly in 2014, and is designer of GGO’s upcoming The Boy Who Grew Too Fast, coming in fall 2016.

ANDREA PINO, MAKE-UP DESIGNER Marin County resident Andrea Pino deals in extremes. She turns beautiful dancers and singers into serene beauties, but also transforms perfectly able- bodied actors into gruesome visages of violence. Pino's magic wand of choice is makeup, and as a freelance makeup artist for the past 20 years, she's worked in theater, opera and ballet. She's also done makeup for a host of major television shows and Hollywood films shot in the Bay Area, from "Trauma,” "Cosmos” and “Alcatraz” to "Milk," “Money Ball” and “Steve Jobs." She teaches makeup to students majoring in motion pictures and television at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Andrea Pino is a freelance make-up artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, a member of IATSE local 706, Northern California since 1998. Working in commercial, web, film, tv, corporate, print and stage. Union/Non-Union. She's worked many years for the San Francisco Opera and Ballet.

PETER NIELSEN, BUSINESS MANAGER Peter Nielsen holds a real estate broker's license and works as an independent broker for Marin Realty Experts. He represents buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords and investors in Marin and the adjacent North Bay counties. He has over 30 years of experience buying, managing, selling and exchanging homes and investment properties.

Peter has a Computer Science degree from UW Madison and an MBA from UC Berkeley and worked previously as a Director at Fair Isaac during a 16-year tenure, implementing credit scoring systems across the U.S., Canada and the Asia-Pacific region. He has also served as a Product Manager, Project Manager, Program Manager and Line Manager for Fair Isaac and for WebWare, a web-based digital management software start-up. Peter has been a vital part of Golden Gate Opera for 10 years and currently is Contracts Manager, Budgets and Finance.

LAUREL CLEARY, EDITOR, LAYOUT, PR Laurel Cleary has extensive experience in layout and design, both print and online. She worked in the Communications Department of Chapel Hill Church in Gig Harbor, Washington, and more recently has done the design and layout and acted as webmaster for the East Bay performance group Tapestry, of which she is board President.