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020 R 23, 2 CTOBE O M 8:00 P University Opera and the Mead Witter School of Music present I Wish It So: Marc Blitzstein – The Man in His Music Music and Lyrics by Marc Blitzstein Music and Archival Excerpts Compiled and Narration Written by David Ronis David Ronis, Director Thomas Kasdorf, Music Director Friday, October 23, 2020 at 8:00pm www.youtube.com/meadwitterschoolofmusic Video Design Dave Alcorn Costume Design Hyewon Park Musical Preparation Thomas Kasdorf Research Assistant/ Assistant Director Elisheva Pront Production Stage Manager Dylan Thoren Assistant Stage Manager Alec Hansen Technical Director Greg Silver University Opera gratefully acknowledges The compositions of Marc Blitzstein are the support of Opera Props performed under license from the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc. CAST Sarah Brailey * Kenneth Hoversten #~ * University Fellowship Recipients Justin Kroll * # Opera Props Awards ^ Ann Crow Voice and Opera Fund Lindsey Meekhof # ^ ~ Warzyn-Thorpe Scholarship + Perlman Collaborative Piano Graduate Fellowship Steffen Silvis, Narrator Thomas Kasdorf and William Preston +, Pianists MUSICAL NUMBERS Music and lyrics of all songs by Marc Blitzstein, unless otherwise noted Art for Art’s Sake (The Cradle Will Rock) Ensemble The Nickel Under the Foot (The Cradle Will Rock) Lindsey Meekhof Send for the Militia (Parade) Sarah Brailey The Cradle Will Rock (The Cradle Will Rock) Ensemble Music, Music (Regina) Sarah Brailey Expatriate* (No for an Answer) Kenneth Hoversten Be With Me (Reuben Reuben) Lindsey Meekhof Love at First Word (Reuben Reuben) Sarah Brailey & Justin Kroll Stay in My Arms Justin Kroll The Rose Song (Reuben Reuben) Sarah Brailey Modest Maid Lindsey Meekhof Emily (“Ballad of the Bombardier” from Airborne Symphony) Kenneth Hoversten Displaced (Goloopchik) Justin Kroll The Russian Language/ Mamasha Goose (Goloopchik) Lindsey Meekhof I Wish It So (Juno) Sarah Brailey Then (The Magic Barrel) Justin Kroll In the Clear (No for an Answer) Kenneth Hoversten In Twos (This Is the Garden) Ensemble MUSICAL NUMBERS continued From Nine Walt Whitman Songs: Ages and Ages Kenneth Hoversten I am He Lindsey Meekhof As if a Phantom Caress’d Me Justin Kroll Vanzetti’s Last Statement (Sacco and Vanzetti**) Kenneth Hoversten Never Get Lost (Reuben Reuben) Sarah Brailey and Ensemble *Music completed by Leonard Lehrman **Completed by Leonard Lehrman PROGRAM GUIDE I Wish It So: Marc Blitzstein – The Man in His Music is a biographical pastiche that tells the story of Marc Blitzstein’s life through his words and music. It consists of twenty-four songs and ensembles interspersed with spoken excerpts from Blitzstein’s working notes and personal letters, tied together with a narration. The musical numbers have been recontex- tualized from the shows in which they originally appeared to illuminate the narrative. The show opens with Blitzstein’s appearance before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1958, after which we go back in time. Following a brief section on his childhood, we focus on his deep commitment to socially en- gaged art via three pieces from his most famous musical, The Cradle Will Rock (“Art for Art’s Sake,” “The Nickel Under the Foot,” and “The Cradle Will Rock”) as well as a satirical song, “Send for the Militia”. Accompanying the account of Marc’s trips to Europe early in his career, we feature “Music, Music” (Regina), and “Expatriate” (No for an Answer). The next sequence refects the joys and challenges of his courtship and marriage to Eva Goldbeck with three pieces from Reuben Reuben (“Be With Me,” “Love at First Word,” and ”The Rose Song”) plus the poignant ballad, “Stay in My Arms.” After that, we go to London, where Marc served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, for “Modest Maid,” and “Emily (Ballad of the Bombardier),” the latter from Airborne Symphony. After the war, Marc’s concern for those who suffered persecution and whose lives were uprooted is represented in “Displaced (Song of the D. P.)” And his continuing desire to promote understanding between the Russian and American peoples emerges comically in “The Russian Language” and “Mamasha Goose.” All three of these songs are from Goloopchik. Blitzstein’s perpetual yearning for love and his thoughts about maturing are portrayed in “I Wish It So” (Juno), “Then” (The Magic Barrel), and “In the Clear” (No For an Answer). Following that, we consider Marc’s life as a gay man in the pre-Stonewall era with “In Twos” (This is the Garden), and in three settings of poems by Walt Whitman: “Ages and Ages,” “I Am He,” and “As If a Phantom Caress’d Me.” Finally, we have “Vanzetti’s Last Statement,” from his posthumously completed opera, Sacco and Vanzetti, followed by ”Never Get Lost” (Reuben Reuben). These last two selections speak to Marc Blitzstein’s deep sense of humanity and perhaps contain messages for today’s world. DIRECTOR’S NOTE Welcome to tonight’s performance! We are thrilled to be presenting I Wish It So: Marc Blitzstein – The Man in His Music. If you are not familiar with Marc Blitzstein’s work, we’re even more glad you’re joining us, because we feel that Blitzstein simply needs to be known better. His melodies are beautiful and captivating; his harmonies, deeply expressive and emo- tionally resonant; and his lyrics are as smart, insightful, and well-crafted as any of his more famous contemporaries. But, unlike Rodgers and Hammerstein, Kurt Weill, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Leonard Bernstein, his did not become a household name. Why, you may ask? Although works like The Cradle Will Rock, Regina, and his translation of Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera brought him recognition and money, Blitzstein’s politics were decidedly leftist and he was openly gay in an era that was not always friendly to either. Also, the books for his musicals tended to have dramaturgical issues. Neverthe- less, all his shows, including those that were less successful commercially and critically, contain brilliant material. Blitzstein’s genius permeates his work. His is a unique voice and it deserves to be heard more often! I admit that Blitzstein had only minimally been on my radar until a few years ago. Like many people, my familiarity ended with his most well-known works. But, upon learning that the Marc Blitzstein Papers are among the collection at the Wiscon- sin Center for Film and Theater Research, housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society, my interest was piqued. I loved the idea of creating a show using resources right here in Madison that we can share with the University, the community, the state, and beyond! So, I happily immersed myself in his music, spending time in the archives, and putting together this pastiche. It traces Blitzstein’s life and times by recontextualizing 24 songs and ensembles from his shows, juxtaposing them with spoken excerpts from his working notes and personal letters, all tied together with a narration. I am deeply indebted to others who have devoted many years to studying Blitzstein – biographers Eric Gordon and How- ard Pollack; Leonard Lehrman, author of Marc Blitzstein: A Bio-Bibliography and editor of the three-volume Marc Blitzstein Songbook; and to Steven Blier, Karen Holvik, William Sharp, and the New York Festival of Song, whose 1991 recording of Blitzstein songs served as further inspiration for this project. I am also very grateful to Mary Huelsbeck, of the Wisconsin Center for Film and Television, for her generosity, help, and guidance. Most importantly, I think I can speak for everyone who worked on I Wish It So: Marc Blitzstein – The Man in His Music in saying that we, collectively, are just so gratifed to have this body of work – to enjoy, to perform, and to share. We hope you love it as much as we do. David Ronis ARTISTIC STAFF DAVID RONIS, the Karen K. Bishop Director of Opera at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, previously taught at Queens College, Hofstra University, and Wagner College. An award-winning director (three recent awards from the American Prize and nine from the National Opera Association Production Competition) his guest directing engagements include Shreveport Opera, SUNY Potsdam, Rutgers University, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Four Seasons Theatre, Madison Bach Musicians, After Dinner Opera, and Manhattan School of Music. The co-founder of the Baroque Opera Workshop at Queens College, he has directed and taught at AIMS in Graz, Austria, La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy, Westchester Summer Vocal Institute, and the Druid City Opera Workshop. As a performer, he has sung over 50 operatic roles with companies all over the world, concertized extensively, toured nationally in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and appeared in independent flms and nation- ally televised commercials. Thomas Kasdorf currently serves as Associate Lecturer in Voice Coaching in the Mead Witter School of Music at UW-Madison. He received his DMA in Collaborative Piano Performance in 2020 from UW Madison, where he studied with Professor Martha Fischer. Previous UW Opera credits include: Così fan tutte, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Into the Woods, A Kurt Weill Cabaret, Albert Her- ring, Beatrice et Benedict, L’amico Fritz, Ariodante, The Marriage of Figaro, and Medea. Thomas has long held an interest in musical theatre and has performed in over 200 productions as an actor, pianist, musical director, stage director, and conductor. Thomas is currently the Artistic Director of Middleton Players Theatre, an Artistic Associate with Four Seasons Theatre, and Artist in Residence with Middleton Community Orchestra. “Keep the arts alive!” Dave Alcorn is a freelance videographer and digital marketer based in Madison, WI. With an undergraduate and master’s degree in music performance, he specializes in creative videos for the performing arts, having recorded over 500 concerts, performances, and events. His company, Microtone Media, works with artists, community members, and businesses to document and create video projects varying from weddings and religious ceremonies to commercials and documentaries.

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