Study
Guide
The
Young
Artists
of
the
Palm
Beach
Opera
Thursday,
January
31,
2013
at
10:15
a.m.
Show
lasts
approximately
one
hour
and
is
geared
for
grades
5
–
12
Eissey
Campus
Theatre
Palm
Beach
State
College
11051
Campus
Drive,
Palm
Beach
Gardens
561‐207‐5900
THE
STORY/SHOW:
Opera
–
a
story
told
in
words
set
to
music
Palm
Beach
Opera’s
Young
Artists
will
sing
arias
and
ensembles
from
favorite
operas
and
discuss
elements
of
opera
with
students.
The
program
will
include
selections
from
LA
CENERENTOLA
by
Gioachino
Rossini,
LA
TRAVIATA
by
Giuseppe
Verdi,
and
LA
BOHEME
by
Giacomo
Puccini.
THEMES
AND
IDEAS
(Concepts
Explored):
Love
and
Loss
Betrayal
Friendship
Loyalty
Forgiveness
Honor
Roles
in
Society
THE
COMPANY/ARTISTS:
YOUNG
ARTISTS
OF
THE
PALM
BEACH
OPERA
The
Palm
Beach
Opera
Young
Artist
Program
is
a
stepping‐stone
to
a
successful
career
as
an
opera
singer
for
post‐graduate
and
emerging
singers.
During
their
five‐month
residency
in
Palm
Beach
they
develop
and
polish
essential
stagecraft
and
performance
skills,
aided
by
musical
and
career
guidance
from
Palm
Beach
Opera’s
experienced
artistic
staff.
The
Young
Artists
are
Palm
Beach
Opera’s
community
ambassadors,
performing
throughout
the
area
in
education
and
outreach
concerts
as
well
as
covering
lead
roles
and
performing
comprimario
roles
on
the
mainstage.
BONNIE
SHERMAN
BROWN
–
SOPRANO
Bonnie
Sherman
Brown,
a
native
of
Jackson,
Mississippi,
recently
completed
her
studies
at
Manhattan
School
of
Music
where
she
sang
the
title
role
in
Lucia
di
Lammermoor,
and
was
also
featured
in
performances
as
Konstanze
in
Die
Entführung
aus
dem
Serail
,
The
Maid
in
Powder
her
Face,
Emmeline
in
Emmeline,
and
Juliette
in
Roméo
et
Juliette.
Miss
Brown
has
been
a
member
of
the
Aspen
Opera
Theatre
Center,
where
she
performed
scenes
from
Zaïde
and
Sweeney
Todd.
Miss
Brown
was
recently
named
a
finalist
in
the
Joan
Taub
Ades
Vocal
Competition,
and
received
an
encouragement
award
from
the
Gerda
Lissner
International
Vocal
Competition.
An
accomplished
violinist,
Miss
Brown
has
performed
with
orchestras
all
over
the
world,
including
Washington,
D.C.
and
New
York
City
to
The
People’s
Republic
of
China.
Miss
Brown
has
been
the
recipient
of
many
awards
in
both
classical
violin
and
bluegrass
fiddling,
including
the
Kennedy
Center
National
Trustees
Fellowship,
the
Mississippi
Symphony
Concerto
Competition
Winner,
MTNA
state
and
regional
winner,
and
the
Tennessee
Valley
Old
Time
Fiddlers
Association
1st
place
winner.
Miss
Brown
holds
a
Bachelor
of
Music
in
Violin
Performance
from
Vanderbilt
University,
and
both
a
Master’s
degree
and
Professional
Studies
Certificate
in
Voice
from
Manhattan
School
of
Music
ALEXANDRA
BATSIOS
–
SOPRANO
Alexandra
Batsios,
a
native
of
St.
Louis,
has
been
praised
for
her
colorful
voice,
crisp
diction,
and
strong
stage
presence.
Ms.
Batsios
was
a
young
artist
at
Opera
North
for
two
seasons
performing
the
Vixen
in
The
Cunning
Little
Vixen,
Lucy
in
The
Telephone,
Clorinda
in
La
Cenerentola,
and
covering
the
role
of
Adina
in
L’elisir
d’amore.
Her
previous
roles
include
Madame
Herz
in
Der
Schauspieldirektor,
Fiordiligi
in
Così
fan
tutte,
Josephine
in
H.M.S.
Pinafore,
and
Susanna
in
Le
nozze
di
Figaro.
A
winner
of
Sigma
Alpha
Iota’s
Graduate
Performance
Awards,
she
has
been
invited
to
participate
in
private
coachings
and
master
classes
with
Renata
Scotto,
Nico
Castel,
and
Dalton
Baldwin.
As
a
soloist,
her
concert
engagements
have
included
Mozart’s
Requiem
in
D
minor
and
Mass
in
C
minor,
Brahms’
Ein
deutsches
Requiem,
Orff’s
Carmina
Burana
and
Bach’s
Magnificat
with
the
Chamber
Orchestra
of
Philadelphia.
Ms.
Batsios
received
a
Bachelor
of
Music
in
Vocal
Performance
from
Millikin
University
and
a
Master
of
Music
in
Voice
Performance
and
Pedagogy
from
Westminster
Choir
College.
SHIRIN
ESKANDANI
–
MEZZO
SOPRANO
Hailed
for
her
“pleasing
and
pliant
voice”
(Opera
Today),
Iranian
Canadian
mezzo
soprano
Shirin
Eskandani
is
an
avid
performer
on
both
the
operatic
and
recital
stage.
During
the
2011‐
2012
season
Ms
Eskandani
appeared
as
a
young
artist
with
Palm
Beach
Opera
where
she
performed
the
roles
of
Kate
Pinkerton
(Madama
Butterfly),
Gertrude
(Roméo
et
Juliette)
and
Alisa
(Lucia
di
Lamermoor)
on
the
main
stage.
She
also
sang
the
role
of
Mercedes
in
Carmen
with
Opera
Theatre
of
St.
Louis
where
she
was
a
returning
Gerdine
Young
Artist.
A
frequent
soloist
She
has
performed
in
numerous
works
including
Bach’s
Matthaus­Passion,
Haydn’s
Nelson
Mass,
Handel’s
Messiah,
and
Durufle’s
Requiem.
She
has
premiered
several
works
including
The
Oratorio
to
End
all
Oratorios
with
the
Vancouver
Symphony
Orchestra
and
the
Royal
Winnipeg
Ballet’s
performance
of
Handel’s
Messiah
Ms.
Eskandani
has
worked
as
a
young
artist
with
Syracuse
Opera,
the
Green
Mountain
Festival,
the
Ash
Lawn
Opera
Festival,
Opera
on
the
James,
and
Banff
Opera.
She
is
thrilled
to
be
returning
to
Palm
Beach
Opera
this
winter
for
their
2012‐2013
season.
2
MEGAN
MARINO
–
MEZZO
SOPRANO
Noted
for
her
“amber
voice”
and
powerful
stage
presence,
Megan
Marino
is
becoming
a
sought
after
performer
in
opera
and
musical
theater.
Her
2012‐2013
season
brings
role
and
house
debuts
at
the
Virginia
Opera
as
Pitti‐Sing
in
The
Mikado,
The
Caramoor
International
Music
Festival
as
Ciro
in
Ciro
in
Babilonia
and
the
mezzo
soloist
in
Mendelssohn’s
A
Midsummer
Night’s
Dream,
Opera
Fort
Collins
as
Rosina
in
Il
Barbiere
di
Siviglia
and
Opera
Coeur
d’Alene
as
Mercédès
in
Carmen.
In
2011‐2012
audiences
saw
debuts
at
Opera
Colorado
as
the
3rd
Wood
Nymph
in
Rusalka
and
Tisbe
in
La
Cenerentola,
Anita
in
West
Side
Story
and
Hermia
in
A
Midsummer
Night’s
Dream
at
the
Aspen
Music
Festival
and
the
title
role
in
La
Cenerentola
with
the
Baltimore
Concert
Opera.
Other
recent
roles
include:
Orlofksy
in
Die
Fledermaus,
Hansel
in
Hansel
and
Gretel,
Cherubino
&
2nd
Bridesmaid
in
Le
Nozze
di
Figaro,
Phoebe
in
Yeomen
of
the
Guard,
Lucretia
in
The
Rape
of
Lucretia
and
the
Greek
Trio
Mezzo
in
the
premiere
of
David
Chesky’s
award
winning
operatic
satire
The
Pig,
the
Farmer
and
the
Artist
at
the
NYC
Fringe
Festival.
She
has
been
a
studio
artist
at
Sarasota
Opera,
an
apprentice
at
Des
Moines
Metro
Opera,
an
Aspen
Opera
Theater
Fellow
and
has
toured
with
Opera
Iowa,
Central
City
Opera
and
Virginia
Opera.
MARCO
STEFANI
–
TENOR
Marco
Stefani
of
Pleasanton,
California
recently
made
his
debut
with
Opera
Theater
of
St.
Louis
as
a
Gerdine
Young
Artist
and
joins
the
young
artist
program
at
Palm
Beach
Opera
in
2013
where
he
will
be
heard
as
Don
Ramiro
in
the
family
performance
of
La
Cenerentola.
Recently
Marco
has
been
heard
in
the
Song
Continues…Master
Class
series
with
Renée
Fleming
at
Carnegie
Hall
and
made
his
professional
debut
with
Stockton
Opera
singing
Rinuccio
in
Gianni
Schicchi.
Other
roles
include
Fenton
in
Falstaff
and
Count
Almaviva
in
Il
barbiere
di
Siviglia
for
Indiana
University,
Ferrando
in
Cosi
fan
Tutte
and
Ernesto
in
Don
Pasquale
for
Music
Academy
of
the
West.
He
performed
his
first
solo
recital
as
his
hometown
debut
to
a
sold
out
audience
at
the
Firehouse
Arts
Center.
A
previous
winner
of
the
Palm
Beach
Opera
Vocal
Competition,
Marco
has
also
received
awards
from
the
Stockton
Opera
Guild
and
Marilyn
Horne
Song
Competition.
In
December
of
2011,
Marco
received
his
Master
of
Music
degree
from
Indiana
University.
He
completed
his
undergraduate
studies
at
the
University
of
the
Pacific
and
is
a
three
time
alumnus
of
the
Music
Academy
of
the
West.
KYLE
ERDOS­KNAPP
–
TENOR
Hailed
by
Opera
News
for
his
“shiny,
sizable
tenor,”
Kyle
Erdos‐Knapp
has
developed
a
reputation
as
one
of
the
most
versatile
young
singers
emerging
today.
While
studying
at
the
Eastman
School
of
Music
and
the
University
of
Michigan,
Kyle
became
a
member
of
the
inaugural
season
of
the
Wolf
Trap
Opera
Studio,
as
well
as
performed
ten
leading
roles
over
three
years
with
the
Ohio
Light
Opera.
In
2011
he
joined
the
company
of
the
Opera
Theatre
of
St.
Louis,
where
he
has
performed
for
the
last
two
summers.
He
most
recently
appeared
in
St.
Louis
as
Tobias
in
Sweeney
Todd.
A
performer
of
extraordinary
versatility,
Kyle
is
equally
at
home
in
the
worlds
of
opera,
operetta,
musicals,
oratorio
and
concert
music,
early
music,
and
straight
theater.
He
has
performed
extensively
with
Grammy‐winning
luteninst
Paul
O’Dette,
including
the
title
role
in
Lully’s
Thésée
and
Testo
in
Monteverdi’s
Il
Combattimento
di
Tancredi
e
Clorinda.
As
a
concert
singer,
Kyle
has
performed
works
by
Mozart,
Bach,
Kodály,
Monteverdi,
Britten,
Mendelssohn,
and
many
others.
He
has
sung
under
the
batons
of
Stephen
Lord,
Martin
Katz,
Michael
Borowitz,
and
Kenneth
Kiesler,
and
regularly
performs
with
companies
across
the
United
States.
He
can
be
heard
singing
leading
roles
on
the
Albany
Records
label
in
recordings
of
The
Mikado,
Patience,
and
Sousa’s
El
Capitan.
Kyle
has
is
a
three
time
prize‐winner
of
the
Metropolitan
Opera
Council
Auditions.
3
SCOTT
PURCELL
–
BARITONE
Scott
Purcell,
originally
from
Westville,
New
Jersey,
recently
completed
his
second
season
as
a
Young
Artist
with
the
Bel
Canto
program
at
the
Caramoor
International
Music
Festival,
where
he
covered
the
role
of
Zambri
in
Rossini’s
rarely
performed
Ciro
in
Babilonia.
In
the
2011‐
2012
season
he
made
several
concert
appearances
including
the
Caramoor
Classics
concert
series.
His
previous
roles
include
the
Pirate
King
in
The
Pirates
of
Penzance
with
Opera
New
Jersey,
Dick
Deadeye
in
H.M.S.
Pinafore,
Figaro
in
Le
nozze
di
Figaro,
and
Mr.
Gobineau
in
The
Medium.
Scott
joins
the
Palm
Beach
Opera
Young
Artist
Program
during
the
2012‐2013
season
where
he
will
sing
Dandini
in
the
family
performance
of
La
Cenerentola
as
well
as
Orestes
in
Iphigénie
en
Tauride
for
the
One
Opera
in
One
Hour
series.
He
holds
a
Bachelor
of
Music
in
Vocal
Performance
from
Westminster
Choir
College,
where
he
was
a
featured
soloist
in
performances
of
Carmina
Burana
and
Bach’s
St.
Matthew
Passion,
and
appeared
as
Don
Alfonso
in
Cosi
fan
tutte.
PETER
TOMASZEWSKI
–
BASS­BARITONE
Opera
News
Magazine
praised
Peter
Tomaszewski
in
the
October
2010
issue
for
his
work
as
the
physician
in
Macbeth
with
Des
Moines
Metro
Opera.
He
returned
to
DMMO
last
season
to
cover
the
title
role
in
Don
Pasquale.
The
Baltimore
Sun
wrote
of
Peabody
Chamber
Opera’s
Trouble
in
Tahiti:
“Peter
Tomaszewski,
as
Sam,
got
firmly
into
character
and
sang
with
considerable
nuance
and
communicative
weight.”
Other
roles
include:
Nick
Shadow
in
(which
was
Peabody’s
Lyric‐Model
Performing
Arts
Center
debut),
Papageno
in
Die
Zauberflöte,
Le
Comte
in
Manon,
The
Father
in
Hansel
and
Gretel,
Parson/Badger
in
The
Adventures
of
Sharp­Ears
the
Vixen,
and
the
Armchair/Tree
in
L’enfant
et
les
sortilege.
Peter
hails
from
Bellingham,
Washington.
He
earned
his
BM
in
Vocal
Performance
from
Western
Washington
University,
where
he
was
winner
of
the
2004
Concerto
Competition
performing
Mussorgsky’s
Songs
and
Dances
of
Death
with
the
WWU
Symphony
Orchestra.
Peter
previously
served
in
AmeriCorps
–
National
Civilian
Community
Corps,
and
In
2006
he
rode
solo
on
a
6,000
mile
cross‐America
bicycle
tour.
Peter
graduated
from
The
Peabody
Conservatory
with
a
Masters
of
Music
in
Vocal
Performance
as
well
as
the
Opera
Graduate
Performance
Degree.
His
teachers
include
John
Shirley‐Quirk
and
Stanley
Cornett.
PRE‐PERFORMANCE
DISCUSSIONS:
1. Prior
to
attending
the
performance,
students
should
discuss
audience
etiquette.
Common
etiquette
rules
include:
a. Respect
for
performers
b. No
food,
drinks,
or
gum
in
the
theatre
c. No
talking,
no
cell
phones
and
no
cameras
in
the
theatre
d. Clapping
should
be
polite
and
appropriate
2. Through
discussion
or
written
response,
reflect
on
the
following:
a. What
are
some
plays
or
live
theatre
productions
you
have
seen?
b. Have
you
seen
an
opera
before?
c. How
is
a
story
told
through
music?
d. What
is
an
opera?
How
it
is
different
from
other
musical
forms
(classical,
musical
theatre,
jazz,
country,
etc.)
4
e. Compare
and
Contrast:
How
is
telling
a
story
through
music
the
same
/
different
from
a
play
with
spoken
word?
A
movie
in
a
theatre?
A
television
show
at
home?
A
book?
Which
do
you
prefer?
Why?
f. Explore
themes
that
are
commonly
found
in
operas
(love,
hate,
betrayal,
discovery,
friendships,
loyalty,
honor
etc.)
3. Define
and
discuss
vocabulary
used
in
opera.
a. Leitmotif
‐
thematic
passage
of
music:
a
musical
theme
that
recurs
in
the
course
of
a
work
to
evoke
a
particular
character
or
situation.
b. Orchestra
‐
a
large
group
of
musicians
playing
classical
music,
consisting
of
sections
of
string,
woodwind,
brass,
and
percussion
players,
and
directed
by
a
conductor
c. Vocal
Ranges
1. Tenor
–
high
male
2. Baritone
–
mid‐range
male
3. Bass
–
low
male
4. Soprano
–
high
female
5. Mezzo‐Soprano
–
mid‐range
female
6. Contralto
–
low
female
d. Composer
‐
somebody
who
composes:
a
creator
of
something,
especially
of
music
e. Librettist
‐
author
of
opera's
words:
a
writer
of
the
words
for
a
dramatic
musical
work
such
as
an
opera
or
musical
f. Musical
score
‐
a
written
form
of
a
musical
composition;
parts
for
different
instruments
appear
on
separate
staves
on
large
pages
g. Aria
‐
opera
song:
a
melody
sung
solo
or
as
a
duet
in
an
opera,
oratorio,
or
cantata
h. Recitative
‐
singing
like
speech:
a
style
of
singing
that
is
close
to
the
rhythm
of
natural
speech,
used
in
opera
for
dialogue
and
narration
4. Compare
stories
told
through
spoken
word
vs.
stories
told
through
music.
How
are
they
the
same?
How
are
they
different?
What
emotions
do
they
evoke?
5. Introduce
class
to
DVD
or
audio
of
arias
or
recitatives
from
classic
operas
to
familiarize
them
with
what
they
will
be
seeing
and
hearing
in
the
theatre.
POST‐PERFORMANCE
DISCUSSIONS:
1. Have
a
dialogue
about
the
performance.
What
did
the
students
like
about
the
program?
What
didn’t
they
like
about
it?
What
surprised
them?
2. Discuss
the
interplay
of
voice
and
orchestra.
How
did
the
instrumental
music
tell
the
story
without
the
use
of
voice?
3. Discuss
the
historical
background
of
the
story
and
how
it
was
achieved
on
stage
(costumes,
sets,
props,
etc.).
5
CLASSROOM
ACTIVITIES:
1. Have
the
students
write
their
own
one
act
story
and
set
it
to
music.
2. Choose
a
scene
from
a
popular
opera
and
have
students
perform
the
scene
using
costumes,
props,
backdrops,
etc.
Assign
students
roles
including
singers,
director,
set
designer,
props
mistress,
costume
head,
etc.
3. Discuss
the
roles
of
the
composer
and
librettist
and
pair
students
to
compose
a
song.
4. Introduce
a
classic
opera
scene
and
ask
students
to
reset
it
in
a
different
time
period.
5. Have
students
choose
a
character
from
an
opera
and
write
their
back
story.
How
did
the
character
get
to
this
point
in
which
we
meet
them?
What
is
their
family
situation?
Who
are
their
friends?
How
does
their
story
continue
once
the
opera
is
over?
6. Discuss
other
styles
of
music.
Have
the
students
choose
one
aria
and
orchestrate
the
song
in
a
different
style
such
as
jazz,
musical
theatre,
classical,
country,
rock,
etc.
INTERACTIVE
LINKS:
Use
these
links
in
the
classroom
to
explore
opera
further
with
your
students;
More
comprehensive
definitions
and
examples
of
opera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera
Bringing
opera
to
the
public
in
a
“flash
mob”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zmwRitYO3w
Opera
America’s
learning
center
which
provides
educational
resources
about
opera
http://www.operaamerica.org/content/education/learningCenter/index2.aspx
A
clip
from
a
production
of
La
Cenerentola
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB5vmJ8jFs4
A
clip
from
a
production
of
La
Boheme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u9DVZRx0Yg
A
clip
from
a
production
of
La
Traviata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce0VnDNocnc
INTERNET
LINKS:
A
general
site
for
opera
information
www.operaamerica.org
San
Diego
Opera’s
glossary
of
operas
www.operapaedia.org
Palm
Beach
Opera
www.pbopera.org
Metropolitan
Opera
Guild
www.operaed.org
Washington
Opera
http://artsedge.kennedy‐center.org
6