JUNE 25, 26, & 27TH @ 6PM PAERDEGAT PARK IN EAST FLATBUSH, BOUNCE THE BASKETBALL OPERA NEWARDEA WORKS • NEW ARTS AUDIENCES

BOUNCE THE BASKETBALL OPERA

Conductor Dr. Everett McCorvey

Music Director/Assocaite Con- David Wolfson ductor/Principal keyboard

Concept & Direction by Associate Music Director/ Coach/ Second keyboard Kristen Lee Rosenfeld Grethe Barrett Holby Director Grethe Barrett Holby

Lead Composer & Basketball Choreographer Clarence Tennell Music Supervisor Set Designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz Glen Roven Costume Design Jamie Torres

Book and Lyrics by Sound & Logo Design Chidi Ozieh

Charles R Smith Sound Assistant Jeff Moro

Producing Director/ Casting Gloria Parker Additional Music By Production Stage Manager Randy Ahmed Tomás Doncker Ansolo Assitant Director Ada Dolan- Zalaznick Daniel Bernard Roumain

Additional Casting Stephanie Klapper

Wardrobe Assistant Amanda McDowall

Sound Assistant Rob O’Neil no intermission

This show uses sound effects including Stage Hand Josh Chou GUN SHOTS and POLICE SIRENS

PRODUCED BY ARDEA ARTS & DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY OPERA THEATRE ARDEA ARTS NAMES

Grethe Barrett Holby Executive & Artistic Director

Chidi Ozieh Managing & Media Director

Gloria Parker Producing Director

Rob O’Neill Admin & Production Assistant

Tara Mulligan Administration Assistant

Anne Leonardo Secondary Sound Assistant SYNOPSIS Jennifer Sacks Media Assistant/ Props Master BOUNCE is grounded in pressing issues facing today’s society. Based on the Greek myth Chani Sebazco Production Assistant The Flight of Icarus, BOUNCE tells the story of Ike “The Flight” Harris, a high school basketball player bound for stardom. Audiences will see if “Flight” can rebound from the BOARD emotional and physical pain of gun violence as similar stories play out on local basketball Grethe Barrett Holby - President courts across the country. The reality of these serious issues ,which are sometimes over- Ibiayi Briggs - Secretary looked by the media, are now center stage in BOUNCE The Basketball Opera. J. Speed Carroll The production pairs diverse casting with a fresh approach to the arts. Local high school Ray Wetmore students mesh their talents with seasoned professionals using the powerful medium of basketball.They become basketball players, cheerleaders and Flight’s classmates and teammates. Local and state community leaders also join to play important supporting ADVISORY BOARD roles in the opera. Sharon Daniels - Boston University--Opera Institute Basketball is a simple game – get the ball in the basket. But the simplicity of the game Keyen Farrell - Founder, Consistent Conversion erodes when outside forces like money and fame challenge team ethics. Flight is on a fast Jane A Gross - Board Member, Chautauqua Opera track to stardom until his wings are clipped by the actions of a jealous teammate. We Fredrica Jarcho - Freelance Grant Writer experience Flight’s descent, then the powerful epiphany that changes his world forever. Elisabeth Morten - Guildfest Productions Synthesizing the grandeur of operatic singing with the grittiness of street rhythms, elec- tronic dance music and urban hip-hop vocal stylings, BOUNCE asks: how does one rise Marie Reynolds - Independent Producer up after being knocked down? Jill Steinberg - Board Member Opera America, Vision into Art: OMW Andrea Fellows Walters - Community Programming Education Director The Sante Fe The answer is in the game of basketball and the people who play it. David Wolfson - Music Director/Composer

CONSULTANTS Katie Baron, Legal Alter Kendrick & Baron, LLP Sophie Elgort, Photography MIchelle Tabnick Communications, Publicity Lyn Chambers, Accountant CAST LIST

Cast in Order of Apperance Featured Ensemble Roles

Poet...... Seth Ibarrondo MakeOver Girls...... Sophie Denton Kiara Hunter Ike “The Flight”Harris...... Jonathan Kirkland Alexandra Kyriakides T.J.”The Future” King...... Aaron Ramsey Brianna Lowe Coach David Ellis...... Todd Wilander Elizabeth Zotto Announcer...... Troy Press Sabrina. Banks...... Charlotte Dos Santos Henry...... Zailly Mirabal Daphne Woods ...... Ashley Jackson

Dr.Paulo/ College Scout/ Opera Chick...... Susan Gonzalez Kyle...... Jeffrey Zabala Mrs. Lucas...... Patrice E Turner Twitter Girl...... Makelsi Wallace

Guest Artists Apperances Hector The Hellicopter (Trojan Team)...... Gene Paige III Reporter, Cafeteria Lady, Librarian...... Darnese Olivieri Coach for Opposing Teams...... Clarence Tennell Manny the Bull (Athens Park & Scorpians Team)...... Maurice Stewart Policemen...... Detective Robert Thybulle Jumaane Williams Justin Ibarrondo Guest Announcers...... Leonard Elmore Guest Poet...... Shanduke McPhatter

Supporting Roles

Antonio “Ajax” Jackson...... Curtis Willliams

Odell Theus...... Erick Patrick Akili Swift...... Jacob johnson Kwame Lucas...... Jonathan Brown

PRODUCED BY ARDEA ARTS & DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY OPERA THEATRE BOUNCE THE BASKETBALL OPERA Scenes & Musical Numbers Performed by Glen ROVEN-GR, Tomas DONCKER-TD, ANSOLO- AN, Daniel Bernard ROUMAIN- DBR

GMACC OVERTURE Ball Bouncers Odell, Ajax, Akili, Announcer & Co. Akili...... Jacob johnson “The Legend of Flight” (TD) Poet, Full Ensemble Make-over Girl...... Kiara Hunter QUARTER 1 Tie Score. Win by two Coach, Future, Flight, Teammates Spartans...... Keron Welch “The Better Baller” (TD) The Future” King & Opera Chick Game 1: Spartans vs Titans (AN) Flight, Future & All Basketball Players Announcers, Poet,Fans, Scouts BOSS “I Get Digits” (TD) Ike “The Flight” Harris Basketball Players...... Savon Bligen “You See All The Scouts” (TD) Ensemble Antonine Darden “Hi Ike, I mean Flight” (TD) Sabrina Banks Xavier Dupuy Noah Jorge “Oh it’s him/OMGGR” (GR) Twitter Girls (Ensemble) Gene Paige III “Step Up Your Game” (TD/EM) Coach Ellis & Flight Kelvin Ramirez Johnathan Santiago ENTREACT Q1-Q2 Maurice Stewart EBC Game after Game Ball Bouncers & Poet QUARTER 2 Scene 1 So what happened last night Future, Ajax, Odell, Akili, Henry Henry...... Zailly Mirabal Twitter Girl...... Makelsi Wallace That name (GR) Future with Ensemble Kyle...... Jeffrey Zabala “Baby you ready?” (TD) Sabrina & Flight “My baby can Fly” (GR) Sabrina & Flight PPAS Practice: Spartans let’s go Coach & Team Make-over Girls...... Sophie Denton Brianna Lowe “If you really want to ball”(GR) Future/Flight Elizabeth Zotto QUARTER 2 Scene 4 BROOKLYN ARTS “Athens Park after Dark” (DBR) Basketball Players, Future, Flight, Ensemble B-Ball Be Poet

Ensemble...... Jeremiah Murphy We got a problem yo? Future/Opponent/Fligh

HALFTIME LAGUARDIA ARTS HIGH SCHOOL You hear about Flight? Haters

Make-over Girl...... Alexandra Kyriakides QUARTER 3 Scene 1 Game 2: Spartans vs Trojans (AN) Poet, Hector the Helicopter, Future There he is.The MVP. Haters, Future, Sabrina, Flight PRODUCED BY ARDEA ARTS & DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY OPERA THEATRE “He was scoring from everywhere”(GR) Sabrina QUARTER 3 Scene 2 CREATIVE TEAM “A Bullet Bounced“(GR) Flight GRETHE BARRETT HOLBY (Concept & Direction) The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center “Take Control of your Destiny” (GR) Coach Ellis, Flight Festival, Houston Grand Opera, La Scala, LA Opera & companies across the US. Originat- ing cast member ; collaborations with , , QUARTER 3 Scene and Yusef Komunyakaa. Founding Artistic & Executive Director Ardea Arts and Family Opera Initiative; Founder of American Opera Projects; Rockefeller Fellowship “Calculus and Crutches”(GR) Daphne, Flight recipient, Holby holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from MIT. QUARTER 3 Scene 4 “What’s he like?”(GR) Daphne, Makeover Girls GLEN ROVEN (Lead Composer/Music Supervisor) Composer, lyricist, conductor, pianist; “Daphne, You’re a Prize” (GR) Daphne & Friends Founder and Artistic Director for RovenRecords, distributed worldwide by Naxos; 12 –time nominee and 4-time Grammy winner; collaborated with Quincy Jones, Wynton Marsalis, QUARTER 3 Scene 5 Frank Sinatra, Julie Andrews, Aretha Franklin, Renee Fleming, Kathleen Battle and hun- dreds of other celebrities for film, television, Broadway, Carnegie Hall and many other “Why did that bullet just clip my knee” (GR) Flight, Dr. Paulo international venues and orchestras. ENTREACT Q1-Q2 No More Crutches Ball Bouncers, Poet, Fans, Opera Chick, Announcer CHARLES R. SMITH, Jr. (Book and Lyrics) Award-winning author, photographer and poet with over thirty books to his credit including a Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration QUARTER 4 Scene 1 (2010) for his photographs accompanying the Langston Hughes poem “My People” and a Coretta Scott King Honor Author Award (2008) for his biography on Muhammad Ali, Practice: Solid win last night Coach, Future, Players “Twelve Rounds to Glory.” Early books such as “Rimshots”, “Hoop Kings” and “Hoop So, IKE, got your own play now huh? Future, Flight, Teammates Queens” focus on his love of basketball.

QUARTER 4 Scene 2 EVERETT MCCORVEY (Project Music Director) Professor of Voice, OperaLex En- dowed Chair in Opera Studies, and Director and Executive Producer of The University of GAME 3: Spartans vs Trojans (AN) Basketball Players, Coaches Kentucky Opera Theatre: Artistic Director of the National Chorale, New York City; Director, Announcers, Sabrina, Daphne, Fans, Poet, Scouts American Spiritual Ensemble; Vice chair Kentucky Arts Council. Professional Credits: the Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Communale (Italy), Radio Music City Hall. A QUARTER 4 Scene 3 basketball fan, he often sings the National Anthem for UKY Wildcats games. That’s Him! Ajax, Odell, Akili, Students

QUARTER 4 Scene 4 TOMAS DONKER (Additional Music) Global Soul composer and producer. Directs, com- Ever since that night (GR) Flight, Coach Ellis poses and performs with his ensemble, Tomás Doncker Band. Guitarist for James Chance & The Contortions, Defunkt, J. Walter Negro & The Loose Jointz. Collaborated with Boosty QUARTER 4 Scene 5 Collins, Yoko Ono, The Itals, & Prince Charles Alexander. Current projects with Ivan Neville, You Will Rise (GR) Daphne, Flight Bonnie Raitt, Meshell Ndegeocello, Living Colour’s Corey Glover, P-Funk keyboardist Amp Fiddler Shamekia Copeland, & Bill Laswell. QUARTER 4 Scene 7

GAME 4: Spartans Vs. Scorpions (AN) Basketball Players, Coaches ANSOLO (Basketball Game Tracks ) A DJ and Electronic Dance Music Producer, Ansolo has Announcers, Sabrina, Daphne, Fans, Poet, Scouts performed in major EDM concert venues and festivals around the world including Bangkok Korea, the Philipines, Las Vegas, and NYC including Pasha, Electric Zoo, TomorrowWorld, QUARTER 4 Scene 8 Life in Color, and Ultra Music Festivals in Japan, Bali and Miami. He is signed with Island Records a graduate of LaGuardia Arts High School here in New York City. Game Halftime Coach, Ajax, Odell, Akili, Future, Keron

My Kid Got a NameGR Mrs. Lucas, Flight, Mens’ Ensemble DANIEL BERNARD ROUMAIN (Athens Park After Dark Track) is a classically trained com- poser, performer, violinist, and band-leader noted for blending funk, rock, hip-hop and clas- QUARTER 4 Scene 9 sical music into an energetic and experiential sonic form. He combines his classical music Game continued (AN) Teams playing roots with a multicolored spectrum of contemporary black popular music. DBR’s exploration of musical rhythms and pulsing sounds is frequently peppered by cultural references. FINALE This Game, this Game (GR) Flight with entire company PRODUCTION TEAM CAST (NY Music Director, cover Conductor, Principal Keyboard) DAVID WOLFSON SETH IBARRONDO (Poet) David is a music director, composer, orchestrator, arranger, pianist, copyist or synthesizer programmer. BOUNCE is his Seth is eager and excited to be making his professional debut in BOUNCE The Basketball opera. sixth Ardea Arts project. Recent credits include workshops for American Opera Projects and Encompass Music Theatre. David has been music director and/or arranger for numerous regional and Off-Broadway productions, including An JONATHAN KIRKLAND (Ike ‘The Flight’ Harris) is excited to make his Ardea Arts debut. Television: Shades of Blue. Off Evening at the Carlyle and National Pastime, and has played in the pits of over twenty-five Broadway shows, including all Broadway: Cabin in the Sky and Generations. Regional: Sister Act, Cinderella, Showboat. Opera: Tartuffe, Albert Herring, three productions of Les Miserables. Gianni Schicchi, Le Nozze di Figaro. Jonathan was featured soloist in A Gospel Celebration with Wynton Marsalis at Jazz at Lincoln Center. KRISTEN LEE ROSENFELD (NY Assistant Music Director/Second Keyboard) Kristen Lee Rosenfeld’s MD credits include First National Tour of Spring Awakening, Band of Angels with Colman Do- AARON RAMSEY (T.J. ‘The Future’ King) mingo, NYMF, CAP21 and more. Her original compositions have been performed at Joe’s Pub and 54 Below. Upcoming: A NYC native, Baritone Aaron Ramsey is excited about this extraordinary opportunity to sing and play basketball on the feature film Cardboard Castles, and a full-length musical Divided, to be presented at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse this same stage. Credits include Once on This Island, Don Giovanni, and Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Upcoming: Iolanthe summer. Thrilled to be back at Ardea Arts! and L’enfant et les sortilèges with Westminster Opera Theater.

TODD WILANDER (Coach Ellis) CLARENCE TENNELL(Basketball Choreographer) Internationally acclaimed tenor Todd Wilander has sung over 60 operatic roles, including 9 seasons at the Metropolitan Clarence Tennell is a teacher, coach and Athletics Director at the Business of Sports School in Manhattan. His knowledge Opera. Credits include New York City Opera, Opera Hong Kong, Opera Bilbao Spain, Teatro La Fenice, New Zealand in Basketball, as well as his involvement with student athletes drew him into this workshop. He is thrilled to be part of the Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin and the San Francisco Opera. BOUNCE team. ,

(Set Designer) STEPHANIE KERLEY SWARTZ CHARLOTTE MARIA DOS SANTOS (Sabrina Banks) Stephanie Kerley Schwartz (Scenery Design) is a Los Angeles based Scenic and Costume Designer. She is Resident Charlotte Dos Santos is a vocalist, writer, arranger and recent graduate of Berklee College of Music. The Norwegia/Brazil- Designer at Rogue Machine where she has designed multiple world or California premieres. Other companies include: ian native has been nominated for best new single and best new artist by Scandinavian Soul Awards and was artist of the CTG/The Mark Taper Forum, Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, Boston Court, Skylight, International City The- week on Norwegian National Radio. Charlotte has been featured on Bandcamp: Pick Of The Week and is now recording atre, The Matrix Theatre, Circle X, and many others, but she loves working in NY where she started her career. Her work her debut album. has garnered numerous awards and nominations. www.kerleydesign.com ASHLEY JACKSON (Daphne Woods) JAIME TORRES (Costume designer) Ashley Jackson, Soprano and Kentucky native, is delighted to join the New York cast of BOUNCE as Daphne, the role With a degree in fashion design from FIT, Jaime Torres is a born and raised NYC costume/fashion designer. Credits in- she originated in UKOT’s 2016 workshop. Ashley most recently performed in the National Chorale’s Verdi Requiem at Lin- clude Lyle Kesslar’s Collision, The Amoralist production of Rantoul and Die, and two pieces for Peridance Contemporary coln Center. She received her Master of Music at the University of Kentucky where she sang Les Contes d’Hoffmann, The Dance Company. Magic Flute), River of Time La Bohème and Pinnochio.

(Sound Design / Managing Director of Ardea Arts) CHIDI OZIEH TROY PRESS (Announcer) Chidi was born in London, England and currently resides in New York City. He is a writer, director, producer, music com- Troy’s acting credits include principal roles in short films like This Is My Cap (runner-up at the Harlem Film Festival for Best poser and visual effects supervisor known for a number of short films such as Serum (2010), (2012 Best Sci-Fi Short Film Comedy Short) and Her Finale. He’s also appeared onstage as Bryce in The Devil Tree which won Best Play at the 2015 at The Philadelphia Film Festival), Inheritors (2013) and the rotoscope live action animated film Young Mallory (2014) Players Theatre Book Festival. which has been selected for the Best Animated Short Film Award at the 22nd Annual Raindance Film Festival and ANIM- Troy is a host for Fox Sports 1, ESPN Radio/TVl. He currently works for the Brooklyn Nets PACT Animation Film Festival. Chidi studied Music at Thames Valley University. Chidi is currently working on his feature film debut as a writer/director/producer. SUSAN GONZALEZ (Dr. Paulo, Opera Chick, Scout #1) Grammy-nominated Soprano Susan Gonzalez has appeared internationally on stage, film and in numerous operas. GLORIA PARKER (Producing Director/ Casting) Credits include the Bolshoi Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the BBC and recordings on Naxos, Artek, Leonarda and Azur Formerly Sr. Artist Manager, Robert Gilder & Company, Executive and Artistic Director, Opera Avanti. Mezzo soprano: labels. New York City Opera, Washington Opera, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Hamburg Staat- soper, Teatro Reggio Torino, Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli, among many others; Broadway: Showboat, Public Theatre, Stratford Festival, National and International tours; Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Caramoor Festival, BAM, Merkin PATRICE E. TURNER (Mrs. Lucas) Concert Hall, Town Hall, Alice Tully Hall. Recordings: David DiChiera’s Cyrano. An accomplished classical, jazz and gospel pianist, Soprano Patrice E. Turner received a Master of Arts, Bachelor of Music and Music Education from Ohio State University. She also earned a Master and doctor of Music and Music Education RANDY AHMED (Production Stage Manager) i from Columbia University. Artist in Residence at the Frist Corinthian Baptist Church, she teaches at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Is a rising opera stage manager, and is poised to become an exciting voice among American opera directors. Randy Credits include: a debut CD, Introducing Patrice E. Turner, and concerts at Smetana Hall, The Apollo Theater, Carnegie studied voice at both East Carolina University and Eastern Kentucky University, in addition to graduate work in opera di- Hall and The Konserthuset. recting and stage management at the University of South Carolina. Credits: Hänsel und Gretel, Candide, L’elisir d’amore, Così fan tutte, Hélène, Daphnis et Chloé, Little Women, Carousel, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte and most recently, Il barbiere di Siviglia with Pittsburgh Opera. DARNESE OLIVIERI (Reporter, Cafeteria Lady, Librarian) Attended Howard University, there she was a featured soloist in performance for the late Bishop Desmond Tutu. She has worked for the NYC Department of Education as an English and Drama teacher for the last 10 years. Her love and pas- ADA DOLAN-ZALAZNICK (Assistant Director) sion for performing lives on through her continued personal engagement with the performing arts and the students she Ada Dolan-Zalaznick will receive her dual BA from Brown University in Theater Arts and English next year. Ada has is privileged to teach. directed Urinetown, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and Leo Baum’s Guide to Articulating a Skeleton. She has held various internship positions at Saturday Night Live, at the film & television music supervision company Search Party Music, and at the Public Theatre. DETECTIVE ROBERT THYBULLE (Policeman) Officer Robert Thybulle was born in April of 1976 in Brooklyn, NY. He attended P.S. 235 and graduated from Brooklyn College Academy H.S. in 1994.He is egar to be making his Ardea Arts debut in BOUNCE The Basket- ball Opera

JUMAANE WILLIAMS (Policeman) New York City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Brooklyn) represents the people of the 45th Council District in Brooklyn, having originally been elected in 2009, and re-elected in 2013. Williams serves as Deputy Leader of the New York City Council, and chair of the council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings. Williams is co-chair of the council’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, a co-founding member of the Progressive Caucus, and a member of the Black, Latino & Asian Caucus.

LEONARD ELMORE (Guest Announcer) Leonard Elmore is an American sportscaster, lawyer and former National Basketball Association player. Elmore has served as a college basketball analyst for ESPN and has served in the same capacity for CBS Sports’ coverage of the NCAA Tournament. He is egar and excited to be part of a workshop that brings awarness to both his love of basketball and the youth of today. ARDEA ARTS is the premiere company in the U.S. creating new, high quality works of opera and music theater for multigenerational and family audiences. These provocative new works entertain, SHANDUKE MCPHATTER (Guest Poet) challenge and inspire today’s diverse global community, uplift the human spirit and encourage new Mr. Shanduke McPhatter, 36, was first incarcerated at the age of 16. Shortly after, he became one of the first ways of seeing our world. group of young men to join the New York Bloods. He lived a life of crime, fast money and violence and was in and out of incarceration for several years. Now the Executive Director and Founder of Gangstas Making Astro- nomical Community Changes (G-M.A.C.C. Inc.), he is dedicating to helping youth overcome those very same Family Opera Initiative (FOI), a major initiative of Ardea Arts, was established by Holby in 1995. In challenges he once faced. addition to BOUNCE: The Basketball Opera, FOI has commissioned and developed a repertory of opera-works including the holiday opera Flurry Tale by Rusty Magee & Billy Aronson; the swashbuck- CURTIS WILLIAMS (Antonio “Ajax” Jackson) ling Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Richard Peaslee & Kenneth Cavander; the summer pageant Curtis Williams is a first-year MFA candidate at Yale School of Drama. He holds a BA in acting from Santa Fe Uni- versity of Art and Design, where he performed in Den of Thieves, Our Lady of Fireworks! by Kitty Brazelton & Billy Aronson; Animal Tales by George Plimpton, Kitty Brazelton, and Grethe Holby, about “having the gumption to spread ones wings” as well as the accompanying Cat’s JACOB JOHNSON (Akili Swift) Tale for younger audiences. FOI has also premiered Glen Roven’s Goodnight Moon & Plums- five Jacob is 19 years old and graduates this June from Northeastern Academy Brooklyn. He has enjoyed performing songs for kids during FOI’s summer performances in Southampton, NY, David Wolfson’s 10-minute at summer camp and was a featured actor in The Poor Mob Crew at his school this past season. He is thrilled to gem Maya’s Ark based on a true story from inner-city Newark NJ, and a staged and choregraphed be making his professional debut in BOUNCE. version of Babar, the little elephant with The French Institute FI-AF NYC. Works currently in develop- ment are The Three Astronauts, based on the book by Umberto Eco and Eugenio Carmi, by Pulitzer ERICK PATRICK (Odell, Theus) prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa, and an international team of writers and composers. Please Erick is a 20-year old singer, actor, lyricist, and composer currently residing in New York City. A recent graduate see www.TheThreeAstronauts.com for more information. of The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts he has appeared in Footloose,Thirteen, Almost Maine and Our Town. BOUNCE is his first opera and his debut with Ardea Art . Ardea Arts/FOI has collaborated on these new works with extraordinary artists unexpected in the field of family entertainment. Performances have been co-produced with American Opera Projects, JONATHAN BROWN (Kwame Lucas) the Clark Studio Theater NYC, Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, TADA! Youth Theatre NYC, Playfest/ Jonathan Brown is a 5-year old student who is excited to make his Professional debut in BOUNCE The Basketball Orlando Shakespeare Theater FL, NYC’s Central Park Zoo, Infinity Music Hall CT, The International Opera. He would like to thank his family for giving his this opporunity. Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight NM, WNYC’s The Greene Space, & The Parrish Art Museum, with workshops at Atlantic Center for the Arts, American Opera Projects, Ardea Arts Center, Montclair State University-Peak Performances (NJ), and New York City area schools and com- munity organizations.

PRODUCED BY ARDEA ARTS DEVELOPMENT PARTNER UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY OPERA THEATRE ARDEA ARTS DONORS & SUPPORTERS

GOVERNMENT: The National Endowment for the Arts

FOUNDATIONS: The Jaffe Family Foundation, Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Elgort PARTNERS: J. Speed Carroll, Lynn Schneider SPONSORS: Patricia Deans; Aase H Holby COMMISSIONERS: The AKC Fund PLATINUM: The Jody & John Arnhold Foundation,Amy Guttman, Robert L. Turner

GOLD: Michelle Childs,Wegard Holby, Siamak & Angela Samii, Martin and Jean University of Kentucky Opera Theatre began in 1955 under the direction of voice teacher Shafiroff,Raymond F. Steckel, Phyllis Jenness and Phillip Miller, director of the UK Symphony Orchestra. Since then, it has risen from relative obscurity to its position today as one of the leading opera programs in SILVER: Joyce & Barry Cohen The Rabine Family Fund, Melissa A. Geiger, The Nir & North America, largely because of the boundless energy and vision of its director, Dr. Everett Braufman Family Foundation, Susan MacEachron,Beth Wittig McCorvey.Since Dr. McCorvey's arrival at the University of Kentucky in 1992, the program has begun attracting national and international attention. However, UKOT reached new heights BRONZE: Andy Arkin & Nancy Vines, Alex Brown, Emily Bilowitz, Thomas Bryne, and firmly established itself as one of America's premier opera programs with the February Rosalie Calabrese, Nicasio Del Castillo, Franco Colavecchia, Jane Comfort, 2009 performance of Our Lincoln at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Michael J Connolly, Gail Cummings, Janet Cupoli, Scott A. Dunn, Washington, D.C. (See Our Lincoln: Behind the Scenes) The show was one of the first major Sally Ehrenreich, Katherine Komaroff Goodman,Mark Grant, Martin Halfinger, national events marking Lincoln's 200th birthday. Six months later, UKOT students were front- Edward Henkel, Lorna Henkel, Alexandra & Paul Herzan, Paula Kimer,Joseph, and-center once again, representing the Commonwealth and the University of Kentucky at Mineruin, Lisa Outar, Emily Pulley, Marie Reynolds, John Rockwell, Costance the Alltech FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championship at Windsor Castle in En- Sameson, Princes A Saniago, Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence Schechter, Dhiren & gland. They also sang at venues in Ireland as part of boxing legend Muhammed Ali's tour Katherine Shah,Yolanda & Lenny Variano, Sophie & Eric Von Stroh, Peter J. Wender, Raymond Wetmore, Stephen & Anne Whitehouse, of his native land. (See Photo Gallery)Dr. McCorvey credits a talented faculty that works as a team to help students achieve their potential as singers, scholars, and citizens. It includes sopranos Dr. Noemi Lugo, Dr. Angelique Clay, Dr. Elizabeth Packard Arnold, and newly hired Special thanks to: Shea Berry, Pat Birch, Jennifer and Shawn Brown, Norman Boyd, Endowed Chair of Voice Cynthia Lawrence; bass Dennis Bender, and McCorvey, a tenor. Michelle Childs, City Parks Foundation, Michelle Tabnick Communications, Lexington's own Gregory Turay is UKOT's first Artist in Residence. Classical Singer's 2009 Julia craig, Miriam Altshuler & Rieko Davis - Miriam Altshuler Literacy Vocal Coach of the Year Cliff Jackson heads up a team that includes coaches Stephen Penn Agency, Director Arts & Cultural Programs, Joyce Elie, Richard Dolan, Lor- and Tedrin Blair Lindsay, plus Nan McSwain and Bill Cooper. Dr. Jefferson Johnson, Director na Henkel, Joan Horvath, Joan Horvath,Nabate Isles, Len Elmore and wife of Choirs, and Lori Hetzel, Director of Women's Choirs, round out the vocal performance Monique Martin, Everett McCorvey U of Kentucky, Daron“dMaqq” Good- teaching staff.UK Opera Theatre performances take place at the historic Lexington Opera man, Gwendolen Hardwick-Creative Arts Team Sherry Horn & The Cheer- House in downtown Lexington. McCorvey moved performances there in 1994 because, as leaders of John Dewey HS; Gerard Henry; Hunter College Men’s Basketball he says, "Opera should be performed in an opera house." Lexington's beautiful and newly team, Aaron “Sledge” Jones; Rika Lino - Sozo Artists, Shanduke Mcphat- renovated facility is the perfect size to accommodate young operatic voices. Students also ter, Assemblyman Nick Perry Coach Nimbo Providencia Quiles, Darnese gain experience working with its professional union crew.Since 1993, UKOT has put on It's a Olivieri, Jim & Marie O’Neill,Elizabeth Pojanowski, Marie Reynolds, Joan Grand Night for Singing, a cabaret-style production at the UK Singletary Center for the Arts Rue UKOT Martin & Jean Shafiroff, Raymond F. Steckel, Josh Solomon, in June. It is one of Lexington's most popular concerts of the year, and its six performances Shawn and Clarence Tennell, Paul F. Wetmore, Eric Wyche at the 1,500-seat concert hall sell out every year. DEVELOPMENT PARTNER

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

THESE PERFORMANCES ARE SUPPORTED IN PART BY

THE LAURIE M. TISCH ILLUMINATION FUND, JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD & ARTHUR ELGORT

The American Spiritual Ensemble

ARDEA ARTS WISHES TO THANK THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT