Company of Middlebury UPDATE Spring 2013

Notes from our Artistic Director

Tchaikovsky is in our cultural DNA. Just the mention of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, or The Nutcracker and I start to hear surging melodies and swirling harmonies. If you happened to catch the Champlain Philharmonic Orchestra’s superb reading of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony at Town Hall Theater recently, you were reminded of this composer’s flair for drama and sheer beauty. You gotta love this guy.

Long known for his orchestral works, many people are not aware that Tchaikovsky tried his hand at opera as well. He wrote eleven , but it is Eugene Onegin, based on the novel by Pushkin, that is acknowledged as his masterwork. His operas are tricky. The libretti are in Russian, of course, and American singers generally learn Italian, German and French, in that order. That may be why many opera lovers have never seen a production of this magnificent opera.All the more reason, then, for Opera Company of Middlebury to take up the challenge. We’ve developed a reputation in recent years for taking chances. In the past three years we’ve tackled Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, Puccini’s La Rondine and Massenet’s Thaïs, none of which is standard fare and all of which were hugely successful for the company. Onegin will be our biggest challenge yet. We believe it deserves a full period production, with elaborate sets and detailed costumes. And, of course, our internationally known conductor, Maestro Emmanuel Plasson, will be on hand to bring out every texture and color in the score. Expect something magnificent.

I know I say this every spring, but this year it feels especially true: I can’t wait to get started.

Douglas Anderson

Our 10th Anniversary - Mark Your Calendars

Meet the Singers - Sunday, May 19 Tickets $25 - See Pages 4 & 5

Eugene Onegin - 5/31 8 pm • 6/2 2 pm • 6/6 8 pm • 6/7 8 pm • 6/8 8 pm Tickets $50 and $55 (Balcony) Pre-performance Talks One Hour Before Curtain Time at Memorial Baptist Church (across from THT)

10th Anniversary Concert & Dinner - Saturday, August 17, 7 pm - See Page 2

Concert $75 Dinner $75 (immediately following at the Swift House Inn)

Tickets available at Town Hall Theater Box Office: 802-382-9222 Website: www.townhalltheater.org Fundraising 10th Anniversary Concert and Dinner The Opera Company of Middlebury will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special concert and dinner. Proceeds from these events will be placed in our 10th Anniversary Fund to help underwrite the cost of future productions. Four outstanding singers will perform Saturday, August 17 at the Town Hall Theater. Following the concert, a dinner with the artists will be served at The Swift House Inn. Returning to OCM will be two of our singers from , OCM’s first production: Yonghoon Lee, , debuted in March at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in as Cavaradossi, a role he sang for us in 2005. In April, he returned to the Vienna State Opera to star in the title role of , a role he has sung at the and with the Met on tour in Japan. Stephanie Weiss, soprano, was Micaela in our Carmen. She now enjoys a European career mostly affiliated with the Deutsche Oper in Berlin.

Two singers whose careers we expect to be long and glorious will also join us:

Bevin Hill, mezzo-soprano, sang with OCM in The Pearl Fishers and La Rondine.

Branch Fields, bass, sang with us last June in Thais.

10th Anniversary Concert & Dinner Cricket Foundation The Cricket Foundation of Boston Saturday, August 17 at 7 pm awarded the Opera Company of Middlebury a challenge grant of Concert at THT $75 $10,000. The purpose of the grant Dinner at the Swift House Inn $75 was to launch the Company’s 10th Anniversary Fund. Support was rapid and enthusiastic. The $10,000 Tickets on sale at THT Box Office came from memberships, Corporate 802-382-9222 Memberships, and Board members. The money will be used to strengthen or at the company’s financial position as it www.townhalltheater.org enters a second decade of performing world class opera performances.

“We thank everyone who gave,” said This will be a night to remember. David Clark, OCM President. “These It happens only once a decade. gifts are a welcome expression of support for what OCM has done over A portion of the price may be deducted as a charitable contribution. the past ten years.”

2 New Board Members

We are delighted to introduce three new members to OCM’s Board of Directors. Fran Bull, internationally acclaimed artist, owner and founder of Gallery in-the-Field in Brandon, is our most recent board member. She is also an opera singer of some talent, having joined Meredith Parsons in a concert to benefit the Town Hall Theater at her gallery, and later hosted OCM’s charming production ofA Dinner Engagement. Her magnificent paintings formed the set for ourCarmen. Fran and Beth Thompson (a Founding Artist of OCM) performed a beautiful concert at THT a few seasons ago. Fran so enjoyed her participation in the auditions for our upcoming production of Eugene Onegin, she readily accepted the invitation to join the OCM Board.

Sally Molnar and her husband Al moved to Middlebury this past summer from over the mountain. We didn’t give her any time before we invited her to serve on the OCM Board. Sally is passionate about opera, and she is extraordinarily knowledgeable. She has been active with the Green Mountain Opera Festival in Waitsfield, a professional opera company that performs at the Barre Opera House. In addition to her love of opera, she and Al can be seen on the slopes or bicycling along the byways. Pat Mraz jumped into board responsibility from day one as recording secretary. Undaunted, Pat enthusiastically embraces the world of opera. Pat has been active in the Middlebury community since 1977, when she and her family moved to Middlebury from Georgia, Vermont, to undertake the family business, Champlain Valley Apiaries. She is a lifelong educator, having been on the faculty of Georgia Elementary School, Champlain Valley Union High School, Leicester School and UVM Continuing Education. Pat has served on the Ilsley Library Board and the Chittenden South Technology Committee and currently serves on the State Board of Vermont Adult Learning.

In Memoriam Are You a 2013 Member Yet? Please consider supporting our amazing company with your annual membership. Your contribution is greatly appreciated, and more than that, memberships are the foundation of our financial viability.

Specific information on becoming a member and the benefits of membership can be found on our website. Membership envelopes are available at the Town Hall Theater, or you may call OCM membership chair, Joann Langrock, at 352-4204.

Francine Pauline Delphia June 11, 1942 - April 18, 2013 We recently lost a much beloved and respected OCM Board member who was also a very dear friend. Fran Delphia was helpful and creative in so many ways. As our webmaster, she built a website of which we are all so proud and that has attracted many compliments from opera singers and fans far and near. She will be missed.

3 Darik Knutsen Suzanne Bray Wilkins Kantorski-Merrill Meet the Singers Three days after they arrive in town, the cast of Eugene Onegin will be introduced to the community at our popular event “Meet the Singers.” This year, on Sunday, May 19, we will gather at the The Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Center, on the corner of Duane Court and Charles Avenue. Doors open at 4:30 pm for a pre-show beverage, then starting at 5 pm each singer will perform an aria of his or her choice, after which we will have the chance to visit with them over drinks and hors d’oeuvres.Tickets are on sale now at the Town Hall Theater Box Office, by telephone 802-382-9222, or online. Admission is $25 per person. townhalltheater.org. Adopt an Artist A wonderful way to support the Opera Company of Middlebury is to underwrite a singer, an orchestra member, or one of our Directors. (Both Directors have been adopted already.) Good friendships have developed from just such arrangements. Donors who adopt an artist will receive an invitation to a special reception to meet the cast, and will be invited to attend rehearsals. Contributions from $100 and up are welcome. Send check or credit card information to OCM or call Sally Molnar at 802-388-2668.

Dawn Pierce Lisa Chavez Jenni Bank

4 Stephanie Benkert Michael Boley Jonathan Z. Harris

Erik Kroncke Giliana Norkunas Barbara Paterson

Olga Perez Flora Brad Raymond Paul Scholten

5 The Audition Process What We Look For in Our Singers by Scott Morrison There are a number of things we look/listen for when we go to New York to audition singers. First, of course, is the voice. Does the singer have the technique and vocal ‘sound’ that will fit our opera? Several times we heard a singer for our Eugene Onegin production and thought, ‘he doesn’t sound Russian’ or ‘her voice doesn’t have the right timbre for the heroine, Tatiana’. A singer for our productions doesn’t have to have the largest voice in the world because Town Hall Theater is small compared to other opera houses, and sometimes we eliminate a singer because the voice is too big. Since we present operas in a venue that allows singers to be right in front of us, not football fields away, we want singers to have the look of our characters. No way could we get away with having a sixty-year-old artist singing the part of a teenager. And the singer has to have the same manner as the character being Audition Team. portrayed—girlish, funny, earnest, devilish, or whatever. Standing, L to R: Dr. James Malcolm, Scott Morrison, Mary Longey. Seated: Doug Anderson, Debby Anderson. Finally, unusually for opera auditions which are often impersonal Missing from the photo is Maestro Emmanuel Plasson. and rushed, we ask the singer to sit down and chat with us. This helps us determine whether he or she has the personality appropriate for the part and also, frankly, whether he or she can interact on comfortable terms with the maestro and director and our other singers. We have no room for ‘divas’ in this intensely cooperative venture.

Additional Comments from our Audition Team Doug Anderson: “We had over 500 submissions this year, of which we could only hear about 80 in New York. As our reputation grows, the singers who come to us are more and more accomplished, with really impressive resumes. You cannot imagine how much fun it is to sit for two days and listen to such extraordinary talent.” Editor’s Note: After OCM’s first few auditions in NYC, Director Anderson remarked how thrilling it was to see Opera Company of Middlebury up on the same board that listed the big companies holding auditions that day...the , for example. Chip Malcolm:“As the non-musical ‘lay member’ of the audition team I know what I like. In opera, finding the right person for the role goes to another dimension in making the job fun and somewhat complex. Performers must look the part, have the potential to act the part and, of course, have a voice. We look for voice size, range, clarity, emotion and good diction in the language they are singing. They also must fit well with our team. Viewing the process from the beginning until the closing performance is great fun and one of the best parts of being involved with OCM.”

6 The Audition Process (Cont’d)

Mary Longey:“I look forward to our New York City auditions every year with great anticipation, although one might wonder why, given the long drive (leaving Vermont in the early hours) and two days during which we hear a singer every ten minutes for eight hours. One of my responsibilities at auditions is to greet each singer in the hallway outside Founding Artists the audition room, checking off arrivals and rearranging the schedule on the fly around Douglas Anderson late trains, early arrivals who have to dash off to another audition, and the occasional no- Carol Christensen Beth Thompson show. Then I return to the audition room to sit and give my attention to the audition. I am Meredith Parsons McComb hopping up and down every ten minutes all day for two days! It is great fun to meet such Greg Vitercik a range of singers, who have spent much time and money on training and are devoting Board of Directors their lives to opera. They can be nervous or over-confident, friendly or aloof, and I have David Clark, President found it fascinating how much one can learn about a person in two minutes in that hallway. Carol Miller, Vice President Michele Brown, Treasurer Invariably, the singers we end up choosing to cast are the people I liked the most when I met Pat Mraz, Secretary Debra Anderson them. OCM values personality on a par with singing, and I think it shows in the resulting Fran Bull productions. I am already looking forward to next year’s trek to New York!” Tom Jones Joann Langrock James Malcolm We Get E-mails... Sally Molnar J. Scott Morrison “...thank you again for the opportunity to sing for your company. Yours was one of the most Marian Wright, Guild President relaxed and enjoyable audition panels I’ve ever sung for and Middlebury is a gorgeous Artistic Director town! I’m so glad I made the trip up. Have a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to Douglas Anderson performing for you again in the future.” Music Director Emmanuel Plasson “...thank you so much for the opportunity to audition for you on Saturday in NYC. I can’t tell Production Manager Mary Longey you how wonderful it is to sing for such a warm group of people who are so respectful and

Opera Company of Middlebury kind. I wish that auditioning were always this pleasurable!” P.O. Box 803 Middlebury, VT 05753 “...it was a pleasure singing for you and your colleagues yesterday. It is nice (and rare!) to 802.388.7432 have such a positive audition amidst a busy season. I enjoyed singing for you and talking Newsletter: Marian Wright with you and your colleagues. Thanks for making our trip up to Middlebury such a positive Joann Langrock Photography: Max Kraus experience!”

www.ocmvermont.org Editor’s Note: OCM holds auditions in Middlebury and New York City.

Bruce and Kyla Lisman hosted an introduction of Eugene Onegin for Chittenden County residents at their Shelburne home. Pictured are Douglas Anderson, left, OCM Artistic Director, who spoke about OCM’s 10th anniversary celebrations; Anna Noggle, star of OCM’s 2011 La Rondine, who sang; and Bruce and Kyla Lisman, who hosted the event.

Cover: Young Girl with Green Eyes by Alexj von Jawlensky (1846-1941) 7 Nonprofit Opera Company of Middlebury US Postage P. O. Box 803 PAID Middlebury, VT 05753 Permit No. 176 802.388.7432 Middlebury, VT THT Box Office 802.382.9222