Table of Contents
NATCHEZ OPERA FESTIVAL, INC.
P.O. Box 2207, Natchez, Mississippi 39121, 601-442-7464
in association with and supported by
ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome from Artistic Director...........................................................................................2
History of Natchez Festival of Music ...................................................................................3
Calendar of Performances.....................................................................................................4
Calendar5
Season Dedication ................................................................................................................6
Important Information Regarding the Festival......................................................................7
An Evening of Musical Cabaret: The Truth About Love … And The Usual Lies ......................9
Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center ...........................................................................10
Festival Lifestyle Before & After Performances...................................................................11
Alcorn State University Concert Choir Spirituals and Gospel Extravaganza..........................12
An Evening of Broadway featuring Phanton of the Opera......................................................17
Oklahoma!..........................................................................................................................18
The Pfister Sisters.................................................................................................................21
The Telephone......................................................................................................................22
Bluebeard’s Castle ...............................................................................................................23
Letter from the Festival Chairman and Board of Directors ................................................24
The Company ....................................................................................................................25
The Technical Crew ...........................................................................................................30
Plantation Performances.......................................................................................................32
Night of Stars ......................................................................................................................33
Command Performance........................................................................................................34
Closing Gala.......................................................................................................................35
Letter from the Guild and Guild Members........................................................................36
Committees........................................................................................................................39
Housing Angels ..................................................................................................................39
Special Recognition ............................................................................................................40
Contributions .....................................................................................................................41
Mainstage Artists ................................................................................................................44
Guest Artists ......................................................................................................................52
G Train The Musical ...........................................................................................................56
Education Outreach Program .............................................................................................57
Artists in Residence............................................................................................................60
Sacred Music Concert ..........................................................................................................69
Young Artists ......................................................................................................................72
Memorials and Honorariums ..............................................................................................75
Così fan tutte.......................................................................................................................76
2007 Season Highlights ......................................................................................................80
Mission
The mission of the Natchez Festival of Music is to enlighten and enrich the lives of the citizens of the greater Mississippi/Louisiana
region and neighboring areas by producing operas, operettas, musicals, recitals, and special concerts, and by providing educational
outreach programs in music and the performing arts. Our vision is to be a driving force for cultural activity that attracts people
to Natchez and Mississippi from around the world.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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Welcome to Our 2008 Season
want to thank you for your support of this, our 18th season. As you
enjoy looking through this festival program, you will see the high
quality and wide variety of performances available during the month
of May. For eighteen years we have brought the finest professional
performers to the Natchez Festival of Music. We continually seek to
expand, bringing an outstanding Educational Outreach Program to over
15,000 children throughout southwest Mississippi and southeast
Louisiana. This year the composer Christian McLeer and his partner
Monica Harte are directing the education show. We also provide
superior recitals and concerts to our outreach communities.
I invite you to the most spectacular and varied season in our 18-year
history.We offer the gamut, from The Spiritual and Gospel Extravaganza
performed by the Alcorn State University Concert Choir at St. Mary
Minor Basilica, to closing our season with the comic opera COSI FAN
TUTTE by Mozart.The Evening with Bill Lewis at Dunleith should be
outstanding. If it's Broadway you're looking for, The Evening of Broadway
featuring Phantom of the Opera at the Towers will be grand.
BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE by Bartok and THE TELEPHONE by Menotti
will be on May 10. This will be an evening of mystery and intrigue
combined with fun. Don't miss OKLAHOMA! By Rodgers and
Hammerstein, one of the most beloved musicals of all time. If you would
enjoy an evening of jazz, THE PFISTER SISTERS from New Orleans will
entertain you on May 23 at Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center.
All of this plus Plantation Performanes, Special Evening Concerts,
Music on Mondays, and relaxing on weekends with concerts in the park is
available for your enjoyment. Look over this unforgettable season and
experience the magic of Natchez with outstanding performances by the
Natchez Festival of Music.
We are ready to help you with your seson tickets, individual tickets or
special group sales for this wonderful and exciting season. Come and
enjoy great voices, fine orchestra music, beautiful costumes, and
interesting sets.
I
Photo by T.G. McCary
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DAVID S. BLACKBURN
Founding Artistic Director
David S. Blackburn
Founding Artistic Director
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
History of the Natchez Festival of Music
ineteen years ago, Lani and Ron Riches attended the Santa Fe Opera Festival. Flying home, Lani remarked to her
N
husband, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Natchez could have an opera festival like that?”
Acting on this impulse, they immediately scheduled a meeting with civic leaders to discuss the idea. A few days before the
gathering was to take place, a Dr. and Mrs. David Blackburn happened to be staying at the Riches’ historic inn, Monmouth
Plantation. A dear friend of the Riches was also having dinner with them that night. Buzz Harper struck up a casual
conversation with the Blackburns, only to discover that Dr. Blackburn was a well-respected opera teacher and conductor, then
working in New York.
Sitting over coffee on the verandah, Lani voiced her dream of having an opera festival in Natchez and in response,
Dr.Blackburn revealed that two of the performers they heard in Santa Fe were singers in his New York studio. The Blackburns
were invited to stay over and attend the meeting set with the mayor and other interested citizens of Natchez. The meeting was
held at the Carriage House on the grounds of Stanton Hall. Dr. Blackburn was asked by Mayor David Armstrong and the others
to compile a concept of what kind of festival would work in Natchez. After the plans were drawn up the Blackburns returned
to Natchez to present the plan to leading citizens of the area. This meeting, held at Monmouth Plantation, created the Natchez
Opera Festival 17 years ago.
Dr. Blackburn was transformed into a committed Natchez resident as well as the co-founder and artistic director of the
Natchez Opera Festival. A Natchez opera committee was formed; Lani Riches and Bettye O’Brien co-chaired the committee.
Later Ken Miller was appointed as the first chairman to produce a festival. The Natchez Opera Festival incorporated and
formed a board of directors with Dr. David Steckler as chairman. Subsequent board chairmen were Dr. Elmer Gaudet, Jr., Dr.
Don Killelea, and currently, Paris Winn. Later, the Guild board was formed to work in conjunction with the board of directors.
The Guild supports the actual production of the Festival. Guild presidents are as follows: 1992 – Ken Miller; 1993 – Ken
Miller; 1994 – Katherine Killelea, Doris Ann Benoit, and Andree Williams; 1995 – Frank Bauer, Bee Byrnes, and Marcia
Thompson; 1996 – Frank Bauer, Marcia Thompson, and Marge Alexander; 1997 – Marge Alexander and Frank Bauer; 1998 –
Marge Alexander and Frank Bauer; 1999 – Katie Freiberger; 2000 – Patty Killelea; 2001 – Diana Glaze; 2002 – Melinda Ballard
and Layne Taylor; 2003 – Kathy White; 2004 – Karlyn Ritchie; 2005 to 2007 – Cathy Walker; and in 2007 - present Diana
Glaze.
The Mission of the Natchez Festival of Music
The mission and purpose of the Natchez Festival of Music is to provide high quality Opera, Broadway, and Jazz
performances in an area of the United States where very little is available. We seek to provide positive performing opportunities
for outstanding artists; to develop a young artist program to nurture and encourage talented young singers in their careers and
in turn to allow them to share in an educational and outreach school program throughout the Mississippi-Louisiana area.
The festival hires three tiers of performers each season – mainstage artists, artists-in-residence, and young artists. The
Blackburns hold auditions in New York each October for the following season’s productions. The artists are selected for their
outstanding talent and their personalities; they must fit into the Natchez lifestyle.
Each year since its inception the Festival has grown and become a major regional event. In 1998, the Festival was awarded
the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts for Arts in the Community. In 2001, Alcorn State University became a major
sponsor of the Natchez Opera Festival, Inc., thus creating a long-term relationship to transform the arts in southwest
Mississippi. In 2002 OperaNews recognized the Festival for artistic excellence. In 2003, Dr. David Blackburn was awarded the
Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in Opera and Music Education. Also in 2003, the Natchez Opera Festival, Inc.
changed the promotional name of the May festival to The Natchez Festival of Music, expanding musical offerings to a more
diverse audience. The Festival offers opera, Broadway, and jazz. As a result, the ticket sales have increased by 50%. The Festival
has a substantial cultural and economic impact on Natchez, southwest Mississippi and Louisiana.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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Calender of Performances
FRIDAY, MAY 2, 3:00 P.M.
$15, tour
The Towers; SYMPHONY OF GARDENS CONCERT
FRIDAY, MAY 2, 6:30 P.M.
$75-$100, $175/PAIR
Monmouth Plantation; MERRIMENT AT MONMOUTH PLANTATION: Cocktails, Dinner and Song
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 3:00 P.M.
$15,TOUR
The Cedars, Churchill, Mississippi; SYMPHONY OF GARDENS
CONCERT
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 8:00 P.M.
$25, children $5
Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center
An Evening of Musical Cabaret: The Truth About Love … And
the Usual Lies and G Train the Musical
MONDAY, MAY 12, 5:30 P.M.
$10
Eola Hotel
MUSIC ON MONDAYS: Weekly musical preview with songs, commentary, wine, cheese, and free ticket drawing
FRIDAY, MAY 16 & SATURDAY, MAY 17
$25, $40, $55
8:00p.m., Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center; Oklahoma!
SUNDAY, MAY 18, 4:00 P.M.
$20
Dunleith Plantation; Plantation Performance: Traditional parlor setting showcasing two festival artists
SUNDAY, MAY 4, 7:00 P.M.
FREE, donatations
St. Mary Minor Basilica
Alcorn State University Concert Choir Spirituals and Gospel
Extravaganza
MONDAY, MAY 19, 5:30 P.M.
$10
Eola Hotel
MUSIC ON MONDAYS: Weekly musical preview with songs, commentary, wine, cheese, and free ticket drawing
MONDAY, MAY 5, 5:30 P.M.
$10
Eola Hotel
MUSIC ON MONDAYS: Weekly musical preview with songs,
commentary, wine, cheese, and free ticket drawing
THURSDAY, MAY 22, 7:00 P.M.
FREE, donatations
Trinity Episcopal Church; DR. BERNARDO SCARAMBONE
PIANO CONCERT
TUESDAY, MAY 6, 7:00 P.M.,
$30
Dunleith Historic Inn
AN EVENING OF PIANO & SONG WITH BILL LEWIS
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SUNDAY, MAY 11, 4:00 P.M.
$20
Magnolia Hall; Plantation Peformance: Traditional parlor setting
showcasing two festival artists
THURSDAY, MAY 8, 7:00 P.M.
The Towers
An Evening of Broadway featuring Phantom of the Opera
FRIDAY, MAY 9, 8:00 P.M.
First Presbyterian Church; Night of Stars
$100
$20
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 8:00 P.M.
$25
Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center
Bluebeard’s Castle by Bartok and The Telephone by Menotti
FRIDAY, MAY 23, 8:00 P.M.
Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center
The Pfister Sisters and Band
$20, $30, $40
SATURDAY, MAY 24, 8:00 P.M.
$20
St. Mary Minor Basilica; Command Performance: Showcasing seven
leading artists performing their selections
SUNDAY, MAY 25, 6:00 P.M.
First Baptist Church; Sacred Music Performance
FREE, donations
MONDAY, MAY 26, 5:30 P.M.
$10
Eola Hotel
MUSIC ON MONDAYS: Weekly musical preview with songs, commentary, wine, cheese, and free ticket drawing
THURSDAY, MAY 29, 12 NOON
Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center
Cosí fan tutte, Cover Cast Performance
FREE
FRIDAY, MAY 30, 12 NOON
Memorial Park; Concert in the Park: Something for Everyone.
Bring your lunch and enjoy a great hour of music.
FREE
FRIDAY, MAY 30, 7:00 P.M.
$20 either one
Elms Court and Auburn; Plantation Peformances: Traditional parlor
setting showcasing four festival artists.
SATURDAY, MAY 31, 8:00 P.M.
$25, $40, $55
Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center
Cosí fan tutte; Mozart at his best. Comic, exciting, presenting the
full range of our artists’ incredible talents.
SATURDAY, MAY 31, after the performance
$25
The Elms; Closing Gala: Elegantly restored, The Elms provides a
new location for the closing gala, allowing patrons and artists to
share in a spectacular finale to our festival season.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Calender of Performances
Natchez Festival of Music
18TH SEASON, 2008
Opera, Broadway, Jazz
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
1
FRIDAY
2
SATURDAY
3
An Evening of
Musical Cabaret
8:00 p.m.
Preview of Educational
Outreach Program
5
4
Alcorn State
in Concert
7:00 p.m.
11
Magnolia Hall
Plantation
Performance
4:00 p.m.
18
Dunleith
Plantation
Performance
4:00 p.m.
25
Sacred
Concert
6:00 p.m.
6
Music on
Mondays
5:30 p.m.
12
7
An Evening of
Piano & Song
with Bill Lewis
7:00 p.m.
13
8
9
Evening of
Broadway
7:00 p.m.
14
15
10
Night of
Stars
8:00 p.m.
16
Concert in the
Park-12 noon
Music on
Mondays
5:30 p.m.
Bluebeard’s
Castle/The
Telephone
8:00 p.m.
17
Oklahoma!
8:00 p.m.
Oklahoma!
8:00 p.m.
19
20
21
Music on
Mondays
5:30 p.m.
26
Music on
Mondays
5:30 p.m.
22
Dr. Bernardo
Scarambone
Piano Concert
7:00 p.m.
27
28
29
23
The Pfister
Sisters
8:00 p.m.
30
Cover Cast
Performance
Cosí fan tutte
12 noon
Concert in the
Park - 12 noon
Plantation
Performances
Elms Court &
Auburn - 7 p.m.
24
Command
Performance
8:00 p.m.
31
Cosí fan tutte
8:00 p.m.
followed by
Closing Gala
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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2008Natchez Festival of Music
proudly
dedicates the eighteenth anniversary season
to
DR. ELMER GAUDET, JR.
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for his tireless dedication
to the future growth of the Festival.
Dr. Elmer Gaudet served as chairman of the Natchez Opera Festival, Inc.
from 1996-1998. He brought great vision and enthusiasm to the Board.
During his tenure the Festival achieved a new level of success.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Important Information Regarding the Festival
What are the Performances?
Important Information
What is a Plantation Performance?
These events feature the talents of two or more resident artists, usually
accompanied by piano. The songs and arias emphasize the range and interests
of the individual artists. The parlor provides an intimate setting, offering the
audience a listening experience that is personal and in close proximity to the
artists.
TELEPHONES: Emergency calls may be
received on our courtesy phone at 601-4427464. As a courtesy to other patrons, please
disconnect electronic paging devices and
TURN OFF CELLULAR TELEPHONES.
What is a Recital?
Far from the elementary school version, our recitals are feature events that
allow some of our master artists to shine. The setting might be a church or in
cabaret style in a venue smaller than the main auditorium. Recitals include A
Night of Stars, Command Peformance, and our Sacred Music Concert.
What is a Night of Stars?
This is an opportunity to hear seven outstanding artists who appear in major
roles in the first half of the Festival of Music as they sing a variety of their
favorite selections. This night gives the artists and audience a fabulous
opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of great music and is always an extremely
popular evening.
What is a Command Performance?
Again, seven of the most outstanding artists who have major roles in the second
half of the Festival of Music perform their favorite selections. This is always a
highlight of the entire season and is so popular that seating becomes an issue.
Get your tickets early for this special evening!
What are Young Artists Events?
We always have events that showcase the talents of our young artists, highly
talented and trained professionals who are just beginning to fill their resumés.
This year we will feature our young artists in the operas Bluebeard’s Castle and
The Telephone, as well as in our Educational Outreach Program. You will also
see them at our recitals and Plantation Performances, as well as in cover cast
performances of Oklahoma! and Cosí fan tutte.
What is a Showcase Event?
Showcase events give us the chance to bring in professionals in a variety of
different musical genres. For example, the Pfister Sisters will represent jazz at
its finest in their showcase program. Alcorn’s Concert Choir brings their
Spirituals and Gospel Extravaganza to our Festival. Nat Chandler and Christine
Marie Heath will present an evening of Broadway featuring Phantom of the
Opera. The Bunchmans add an Evening of Musical Cabaret; Dr. Bernardo
Scarambone provides a Piano Concert; and Bill Lewis will have an evening of
his piano, songs, and musical commentary.
FIRE NOTICE: The exit sign nearest the seat
you occupy is the shortest route out in the event
of fire or other emergency.
BEVERAGES: Beverage service is available in
the lobbies before performances and during
intermissions. Mississippi law prohibits the sale
of alcoholic beverages to minors.
LATECOMERS: Latecomers will be seated at
the discretion of theatre management during
appropriate pauses in the program. Margaret
Martin Performing Arts Center policy is to begin
performances at the advertised curtain time.
PERSONAL PROPERTY: Lost-and-found
inquiries may be directed to the administrative
offices at 601-442-7464.
PHOTOGRAPHS
AND
RECORDING:
Cameras and recording devices may not be
brought into the theatre without the consent of
the management. Please note that the recording
in any form of a live performance may be a
violation of federal copyright laws.
RESTROOMS: Restrooms are located on the
first floor and balcony.
SMOKING: The theatre is a smoke-free facility.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE:
One entrance to the Center is wheelchairaccessible. The entrance is into the main lobby
on the first floor (orchestra level), located on the
right side of the building.
What is a Main Stage Event?
This almost defines itself. Our Main Stage Events are our major productions,
which are performed in the Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center (which
has new cushy seats, by the way). We bring a Broadway show and a major opera
to the Center each year. This year we have possibly America’s most beloved
musical, Oklahoma! by Rogers and Hammerstein. Cosí fan tutte is Mozart at his
best and allows the artists to present the full range of their incredible talents
for our enjoyment.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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8
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
An Evening of Musical Cabaret
The Truth bout Love …
A
nd
The Usual Lies
JESSICA & MICHAEL BUNCHMAN
PRO GR AM TO BE SELECT ED FRO M:
Out of this World
Where, Oh Where
Love in the Dictionary
Celius Dougherty
Taylor the Latte Boy
Heisler/Goldrich
Avenue Q
There’s a Fine, Fine Line
Toothbrush Time
The Truth About Love … and the Usual Lies, is a
musical journey through the ups and downs of
love that features — among many — songs from
Avenue Q, Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, songs by
William Bolcom, and classics from the American
popular repertoire. “We wanted to tell a story
using songs from all genres, bring a little bit of the
formal recital repertoire onto a casual stage, then
couple it with a belter tune from a contemporary
musical.” The result is a musical journey about a
young woman’s discovery of love in all its quirky
variations, both through falling into it, and falling
out of it. “We each have an ideal of what love will
and should be. Along the way we learn the truths,
the lies, the pain, the humor, and the profundity
of the experience. That’s what we try to take the
audience thorugh, the re-experiencing of all of
that.”
0
Cole Porter
Lopez/Marx
William Bolcom
Amor
The Last Lousy Moments of Love
Cabaret
I Don’t Care Much
100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man Wonderful Town
Taylor’s Response
Always a Bridesmaid
Leonard Bernstein
Andrew Byne
I love you, you’re perfect, now change
What Good Would the Moon Be? Street Scene
Surabaya Johnny
Happy End
Te Vas de Mi
Heart, We Will Forget Him
Jimmy Roberts
Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Jose Maria Vitier
Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun Miss Liberty
The Man I Love
Kander/Ebb
Irving Berlin
Aaron Copland
George Gershwin
SPONSORED BY:
D IANA G LAZE
D UNLEITH P LANTATION
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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About the…
Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center
This beautiful building echoes with the sounds of music and memories
in its reincarnation from its earlier life as Natchez High School when it
was filled with the energy and bustle of generations of young people
working to be the best citizens possible. It was renamed in honor of Miss
Margaret Martin, long time educator and principal of the school, a
devotee of the arts, and a highly admired advocate of integrity, honor, and
excellence in every endeavor.
After an extensive period of neglect and disuse, the building became the
home of the Natchez Opera Festival, now the Natchez Festival of Music,
and took on its new life as Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center. The
Natchez Opera Festival worked to organize and obtain a large number of
grants to help restore the building, beginning with addressing such basic
needs as a new roof. Window panes have been replaced and the exterior
window frames painted.
The entire building has been thoroughly
cleaned.
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Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center and the Natchez Festival of Music have evolved together to create an
exceptional auditorium and venue for fine arts. The entire auditorium has been painted and acclimatized with
central air conditioning and heat, the floors have been redone, the aisles have been carpeted, drapes have been
hung on the windows and chandeliers from the ceiling, and the seats have been upholstered with padding and
cushions. The stage has been totally rebuilt and raised in order to provide an orchestra pit, and a new stage curtain
and a totally computerized state of the art
lighting system have been added. New in
2008, the Dress Circle (Balcony) will have
its own patron lounge across the hall from
the auditorium. Ongoing projects include
the renovation of bathroom facilities and
rehearsal rooms.
The Natchez Festival of Music shares
Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center
with the Natchez Ballet Academy and the
Natchez Art Association, with which it will
co-produce Always Patsy Cline to raise
funds for the art group to provide a summer arts program for children.
The Natchez Festival of Music continues to enhance this wonderful facility so that it will add to the enjoyment
and memories of a very special home for the finest in music and arts.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Festival Lifestyle Before & After Performances
WHERE TO DINE BEFORE
Pre-performance dining and late evening nightlife will no longer be the same, now that several
area restaurants and bars are offering special choices for festival patrons. On the evenings of
OKLAHOMA!, the Pfister Sisters, and Così Fan Tutte, Monmouth Plantation is offering
an elegant five-course dinner before the show for $30 per person.
Call 601-442-5852 for reservations.
ANOTHER RESTAURANT???
WHERE TO SOCIALIZE AND SNACK AFTER
Center City Bistro and Magnolia Grill will offer lite-fare menu choices
up to 30 minutes after these four main-stage events. Satisfy your desire to continue
an enjoyable evening with friends and performers.
SPECIAL PACKAGES
Lodging, dining and ticket discounts available when purchased in special packages.
Call Natchez Pilgrimage Tours at 1-800-647-6742 or 601-445-6103 for details about:
– special weekend packages offered by the Eola Hotel
– Sunday Night reduced price stay at Dunleith Historic Inn
– WHAT ELSE????
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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Alcorn State University Concert Choir
Spirituals & Gospel Extravaganza
TO U R I N G
C O N C E RT
CHOIR
DIRECTOR: Dr. David Blackburn
SOPRANOS
ORD E R OF PER F O R MANCE
Nicole Kendell
Janet Brown
Courtney Brown
Brittany Mitchell
Jessica Speech
Fabion Barnes
Victoria Brinkley
Shana Braxton
Ande´ Bushell
TENORS
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Edward Burkley
Charles Coleman
Del Harris
Leon Moore
Jermaine Jackson
Jeremy Jones
James Warren
Antonio Williams
Brandon Jackson
ACCOMPANIST: Mr. Tony Gordon
I’m Gonna Sing .....................................................................................................Arr. Moses Hogan
Gospel Mass.....................................................................................................................Robert Ray
Psalm for the Living ............................................................................................William Grant Still
Here’s One ..........................................................................................................William Grant Still
Holy Spirit Don’t Leave Me ................................................................................William Grant Still
Worthy to be Praised ..................................................................................................Byron J. Smith
Prayer of Jabez.......................................................................................................Donald Lawrence
OFFE RTORY
Deep River ..............................................................................................................................Hayes
Soloist: Dedra Edwards
Summertime ......................................................................................................................Gershwin
Soloist: Shana Braxton
ALTOS
Stephanie Peyton
Angela Davis
Sheena Alexander
Belynda Fortenberry
Nikendria Grimes
Dedra Edwards
Evelyn Stewart
Love Duet from Porgy and Bess .........................................................................................Gershwin
Soloists: Shana Braxton and Sam Hendricks
Ole Man River ...............................................................................................................Jerome Kern
Soloist: Sam Hendricks
Down by the Riverside ............................................................................................Arr. John Rutter
True Light .................................................................................................................Kieth Hampton
Joshua Fit the Battle ..............................................................................................Arr. Moses Hogan
BASS AND BARITONE
Elija Rock ..............................................................................................................Arr. Moses Hogan
Bernard McPherson
Jacob Lockhart
James Allen
Derrick Young
Derek Chism
James Matthew
Billy Williams
Matthew Pettigrew
Robert Guyton
Samuel Hendricks
Jeremy Williams
Allen Anderson
He Never Failed Me Yet...................................................................................................Robert Ray
Spiritual & Gospel Extravaganza
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is performed in memory of
SPONSORED BY:
A LCORN S TATE U NIVERSITY
RON S WITZER
J IM M C C LURE
MR.
Martha Mitchell
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
AND
M RS. J OHN P EARSON
Alcorn State University Concert Choir
About The Composers …
BYRON J. SMITH is a native of Los Angeles
and received his degrees from California State
University, Long Beach. He is an associate professor of music at Los Angeles Harbor College
where he specializes in commercial music,
teaching music industry courses such as "The
Business of Commercial Music", Song Writers
Workshop and Commercial choir, piano and
voice.
Byron freelances as music director, studio
musician, arranger and producer; working with
numerous artists. He has received rave reviews
for his music direction of both theatrical and live
productions. He is also the composer of the
musicals "Shades", "Black Pearls" and the award
winning musical, "Children of the Night" where
he won the NAACP Theater Image Award for
best original score and best music direction.
He is the resident orchestrator for numerous
community orchestras in southern California.
Byron is the owner of the Pro Pianist
Entertainment Group and Onyx Music
Publishing Co.; a musicians contracting organization which both performs and publishes outstanding music of African-American Composers
young and old.
His professional choir, The Spirit Chorale of
Los Angeles has toured the world and received
international acclaim for their choral excellence
and recently released their second CD project, "I
Surrender All."
Byron is the Music Coordinator, organist and
director of the Grant A.M.E. Church of Los
Angeles. He is a member of many performance
organizations including AFM, AFTRA, ASCAP,
SAG, and ACDA. He is also a member and
serves on the national board of directors of the
National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc.
KEITH HAMPTON - The second album:
after a singer’s debut, it’s the second project that
truly defines the artist. Skills are tested more
seriously on the sophomore release, because it’s
less about arriving than it is about staying in the
scene.
“Since I live in the ephemeral performance
space of the small-club singer-songwriter, my
first CD was about [the very act of] making sure
there was a permanent record of my work. It was
important to have a calling card: a tangible product with which to market my live show,” says
Keith Hampton, one of Boston’s quiet coffeehouse treasures.
But after that first recording the question
lingers: now what? And here's where the
thoughtful baritone you might have met on
COMING HOME: BOSTON SONG COLLECTIVE (Brave Records, 2005) makes a surprising—and very risky—choice: he’s kept his
second recording project raw, uncorrected and
deeply real.
“When anyone decides to put time and
money into a recording, it’s very tempting to
tighten things up, and try to put on your Sunday
best to impress. But these songs were demanding
their own kind of setting, and I began to feel
uncomfortable about the classic studio recording, let's-make-it-perfect mentality,” says
Hampton.
DONALD LAWRENCE studied at
Cincinnati Conservatory, where he earned a
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music. To his
credit, Donald's musicality has seen many incarnations, as vocal coach to the R&B group En
Vogue, musical director for Stephanie Mills,
songwriter for The Clark Sisters, and producer
for a host of artists including Peabo Bryson and
Kirk Franklin. Lawrence took on The Tri-City
Singers after a friend vacated his position as
musical director.
WILLIAM GRANT STILL (May 11, 1895 December 3, 1978) was an African-American
classical composer who wrote more than 150
compositions. He was the first African-American
to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have a symphony of his own (his
first symphony) performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a
major opera company, and the first to have an
opera performed on national television. He is
often referred to as "the dean" of AfricanAmerican composers.
William Grant Still was born in Woodville,
Mississippi. His parents were teachers and musicians. They were of mixed origin: AfricanAmerican, Native American, Spanish and Anglo
(Scots-Irish). His father died when William was
a few months old and his mother took him to
Little Rock, Arkansas where she taught high
school English. He grew up in Little Rock and
took violin lessons there.
Still married Verna Arvey, a journalist and
concert pianist, in 1939. They remained together until he died of heart failure in Los Angeles,
California in 1978.
DR. ROBERT RAY is a composer and conductor, and is currently professor of music and
coordinator of keyboard studies at the
University of Missouri St. Louis. He is also director of the University Community Chorus. He
was educated in the St. Louis public school system and studied at Northwestern University,
were he earned a B.M. degree. As a pianist, he
has performed as a soloist with the Seoul
Philharmonic and the Champaign-Urbana
Symphony. Additionally, he has served as
accompanist to Robert McFerrin and the late
William Warfield. In demand as an adjudicator,
clinician, and guest conductor, he leads the Saint
Louis Symphony Orchestra and their Saint
Louis Symphony IN UNISON® Chorus annually in A Gospel Christmas concert. In addition to
his Gospel Mass, he is composer of He Never
Failed Me Yet. Most recently he was commissioned by the Saint Louis Symphony to write a
new work, Psalms, and has just released his
Gospel Magnificat. All works are published by
Hal Leonard.
JOHN MILFORD RUTTER CBE (born
September 24, 1945) is an English composer,
choral conductor, editor, arranger and record
producer.
Born in London, he was educated at
Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John
Tavener. He then read music at Clare College,
Cambridge, where he was a member of the choir
and then director of music from 1975 to 1979.
In 1974, Rutter visited the United States at the
invitation of choral musician Melvin (Mel)
Olson and conducted the premiere of his cantata "Gloria" in Omaha, Nebraska, in the
Witherspoon Hall of Joslyn Art Museum. The
composition, commissioned by Olson's Voices of
Mel Olson chorale, has become a much-performed favorite over the years. (In the same concert, the Young People's Choir of the Midlands
performed Rutter's "Eight Childhood Lyrics" in
its US premiere performance.) In 1981 he
founded his own choir, the Cambridge Singers,
which he conducts and with which he has made
many recordings of sacred choral repertoire
(including his own works), particularly under his
own label Collegium Records. He still lives near
Cambridge, but frequently conducts other
choirs and orchestras around the world.
Rutter's compositions are chiefly choral, and
include Christmas carols, anthems and extended
works such as a Gloria, a Magnificat, and a
Requiem. Rutter's world premiere of his
Requiem Mass, as well as his authoritative version of Faure's, was with the Fox Valley Festival
Chorus, in Illinois, during his tenure with
Cambridge. In 2002 his setting of Psalm 150,
commissioned for the Queen's Golden Jubilee,
was performed at the thanksgiving service in St
Paul's Cathedral, London. He has also written an
opera for young people called Bang!
MOSES GEORGE HOGAN, born in New
Orleans, Louisiana on March 13, 1957, is a
pianist, conductor and arranger of international
renown. A graduate of the New Orleans Center
for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and Oberlin
Conservatory of Music in Ohio, he also studied
at New York’s Juilliard School of Music and
Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Mr.
Hogan’s many accomplishments as a concert
pianist included winning first place in the prestigious 28th annual Kosciuszko Foundation
Chopin Competition in New York. Hogan was
recently appointed Artist In Residence at Loyola
University in New Orleans. Hogan began his
exploration of the choral music idiom in 1980.
Hogan’s former New Orleans based Moses
Hogan Chorale received international acclaim.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
13
Alcorn State University Concert Choir
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The Touring Concert Choir at Alcorn State University consists of talented music majors in the vocal program who come
from a wide and varied background across America. They perform for special events at the University and present the
Festival of Christmas, an annual tradition at Saint Mary Minor Basilica in Natchez, Mississippi. They also open the Natchez
Festival of Music with a special concert in April. They have toured throughout the United States, and present a program
reflecting the entire gamut of Choral Music. They performed at Disney World in March, 2004, the 55th Presidential
Inauguration in Washington, DC, for President George W. Bush on January 20, 2005, at Carnegie Hall on March 20, 2006,
and in St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois in 2007, and Texas in 2008.
Biltmore House, Asheville, NC
2005 Presidential Inauguration
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Natchez Festival of Music - Requiem
Dr. David Blackburn
Alcorn State University
Alcorn State University
Alcorn State University is the second oldest state-supported institution of higher learning in the state of
Mississippi. With the “Morrill Land-Grant Act” of 1862 Alcorn became the oldest historically black land-grant
institution in the United States. It contains seven schools which offer programs leading to the associate,
baccalaureate, master’s and specialist degrees. Approximately 2,705 full-time undergraduates, 220 part-time
undergraduates, and 175 graduate students are enrolled.
Alcorn was founded on the site originally occupied by Oakland College, a school for white males. The
Presbyterian school closed its doors at the beginning of the Civil War so that its students might answer the call
to arms. Upon failing to reopen after the war, the college was sold to the state of Mississippi for the education of
her Negro citizens. The college was renamed Alcorn University on May 13, 1871 in honor of the late James L.
Alcorn, who was the governor of the state of Mississippi. Hiram R. Revels, the first African American elected to
the United States Senate, resigned his seat and became Alcorn’s first president.
To further its vision of a “communiversity,” the University is engaged in a number of projects to improve life
for its neighbors who also reside in Southwest Mississippi. Among these are the Farmers Market established in
collaboration with the City of Natchez, the Small Farm Research Center helping develop and market alternative
crops, and the Center for Rural Life and Economic Development helping economic development in five counties.
Not content to rest on its past successes, Alcorn State University has an array of new initiatives that will improve
both the University and this region of the state. These include Personal Finance Principles Seminars, the Institute
for the Study of Sports and Learning, the Center for Health and Nutrition, and the Cultural Arts Complex.
The Cultural Arts Complex will consist of several components to provide opportunities for cultural
expression and performances in Southwest Mississippi. On the main campus, an art gallery has already been
established on the ground floor of the historic Oakland Memorial Chapel. During the 2000-2001 academic year,
Arthur C. Rayford was the University’s artist-in-residence. During his tenure, he donated 40 of his original
paintings to the Alcorn State University Foundation. Additionally, another donor has given a unique Sam Gilliam
abstract print to the University’s collection. Student works and other works of art will be added to this collection.
Alcorn State University is working to increase the quality of cultural development of southwest Mississippi.
To this end Alcorn is collaborating with the Natchez Festival of Music to find mutually beneficial ways to enhance
the presentation of opera and other musical events. Through this collaboration Alcorn’s performing arts students
are being provided unique and enriching experiences which they otherwise would not be afforded while at the
same time enriching the lives of the citizens of the area with quality performances. In addition, Alcorn State
University, the city of Natchez, the city of Vidalia, and the surrounding communities are planning a new
performing arts center to enhance and increase opportunities for the performing arts.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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16
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
An Evening of Broadway
FEATURING
Phantom of the Opera
17
NAT CHANDLER
CHRISTINE HEATH
BILL LEWIS
Accompanist
T HURSDAY, M AY 8
7:00 PM
T HE TOWERS
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SPONSORED BY:
G INGER H YLAND
J AMES F ORDE
B UZZ H ARPER
L ES W IESINGER
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
Oklahoma!
18
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Curly
Nat Chandler
Christine Heath
Laurey
Laurey (Dancer)
Jennifer White
Will Parker
Corey Trahan
Ado-Annie
Tynan Davis
Jud Fry
Will Earl Spanheimer
Aunt Eller
Diane Fox
Ali Hakim
Victor Khodadad
Cord Elam
Pat Galloway
Ike Skidmore
Stanley Wilson
Gertie Cummings Elizabeth Kennedy
Andrew Carnes
John Dalton Frederick
Slim
Donald Groves
Fred
David Schnell
CHORUS
Bentley
Cummings
Dunbar
Frederick
Goodrich
Greene
Groves
Kennedy
Kim
Larimer
Lee
Lorini
Newton
Parr
Pettit
Rensi
Rivera
Ruggiero
Schnell
Wilson
COMPANY
COVER
Curly
David Schnell
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SPONSORED BY:
CONDUCTOR: Dr. David Blackburn
STAGE DIRECTOR: Bill Fabris
SCENIC DESIGNER: Kathryn Kawecki
COSTUMES: San-Jay’s of Natchez
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Nate Siebert
CHORUS MASTER: Michael Bunchman
STAGE MANAGER: Greg Ryan
PRODUCTION MANGER: Mo Stroemel
PAUL G REEN
AND
A SSOCIATES
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Kathryn Botsford
PROPS ARTISAN: Cory Johnson
CARPENTER/ELECTRICIAN: Cassandra Avsec
SENIC CHANGE ARTIST: Michelle Kokal
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
ORCHESTRA MANAGER: Stefka Ilieva
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Oklahoma!
Music by Richard Rogers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein
Based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs
Opening night April 1, 1943 at the St. James Theatre, New York
C AST OF CHARACTERS
Aunt Eller Murphy
Curly McClain
Laurey Williams
Ike Skidmore
Will Parker
Jud Fry
Ado Annie Carnes
Ali Hakim
(In order of appearance)
Gertie Cummings
Andrew Carnes
Cord Elam
Dream Laurey
Dream Curly
Dance Hall Girls
Chorus of Farmers, Cowmen
and their Daughters
TIME: Just after the turn of the century, 1906
PLACE: Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)
AC T 1
Overture
SCENE 1 - LAUREY’S FARMHOUSE
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.................................Curly
The Surrey with the Fringe on Top.............................Curly, Laurey and Aunt Eller
Kansas City.............................................................Will, Aunt Eller and the Boys
I Cain’t Say No!......................................................Ado Annie
Many a New Day....................................................Laurey and the Girls
It’s a Scandal! It’s a Outrage! ..................................Ali Hakim and the Boys
People Will Say We’re in Love ..................................Curly and Laurey
SCENE 2 - THE SMOKE HOUSE
Pore Jud is Daid.......................................................Curly and Jud
Lonely Room............................................................Jud
SCENE 3 - A GROVE ON LAUREY’S FARM
Out Of My Dreams .................................................Laurey and the Girls
Dream Sequence ......................................................Dream Laurey and Ensemble
AC T 2
SCENE 1 - THE SKIDMORE RANCH
The Farmer and the Cowman...................................Carnes, Aunt Eller, Curly, Will, Ado
Annie, and Ensemble
All ‘er Nothin’ .........................................................Ado Annie and Will
H i s t o r y a n d N o t e s f ro m t h e
D i re c t o r : Hard to believe that the state
of Oklahoma just celebrated it’s centennial! In 1942, The Theatre Guild had an idea
to make Lynn Riggs’ play Green Grow the
Lilacs into a musical. They contacted
Richard Rodgers who approached his partner Lorenz Hart, but the latter thought the
idea would make a dud of a musical. He
then turned to Oscar Hammerstein II; he
too initially said no. Rodgers even
approached Ira Gershwin but always knew
he wanted Hammerstein. After much convincing, the musical went into rehearsal
early in 1943 entitled Away We Go! While
the show played out of town several
changes were made including a new title.
Oklahoma! premiered on March 31, 1943
at New York’s St. James Theatre and the
opening was a triumph. It changed the
rules of musical theatre from the moment
the curtain rose. Where other shows were
a star vehicle, this was a vehicle for the
story and was cast with relatively
unknowns. The humor and fun were found
in the action of the story, not layered on
top of it. The songs and dances were created with the characters in mind and furthered the narrative, and not written for
their entertainment value alone.
Oklahoma! was unique in American
Musical Theatre in the way all the theatrical elements blended together in one cohesive artistic whole. And thus, the ultra-successful team of Rodgers and Hammerstein
was born.
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SCENE 2 - A GROVE ON LAUREY’S FARM
Reprise - People Will Say We’re in Love ....................Curly and Laurey
SPONSORED BY:
SCENE 3 - BACK AT LAUREY’S FARMHOUSE
Oklahoma! ..............................................................Curly, Laurey, Aunt Eller and Ensemble
Finale Ultimo...........................................................Entire Company
U NITED M ISSISSIPP BANK
DR.
AND
M RS. H UGH H ARRIS
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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20
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
An Evening of Jazz
The Pfister Sisters
HOLLEY BENDTSEN, DEBBIE DAVIS,
YVETTE VOEKLER
F RIDAY, M AY 23
8:00 PM
M ARGARET M ARTIN
P ERFORMING A RTS C ENTER
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SPONSORED BY:
C ONCORDIA BANK
RONALD M C G OWAN
M ARIO ROMANO
The Pfister Sisters (who are not really sisters, or Pfisters) began
performing in 1979 in New Orleans to revive and perform the music
of New Orleans' own Boswell Sisters, the originators of jazz vocal
harmony singing back in the early 1920's. Holley Bendtsen, Debbie
Davis and Yvette Voelker have included other styles and original compositions, but the Boswell Sisters material remains their specialty.
***************************
The Boswell Sisters
The Boswells - Martha, Vet and Connee - grew up on Camp
Street in New Orleans 90 years ago during the last days of Storyville.
After extensive classical training, they switched to jazz and recorded
their first sides as teens in 1925, a mere two years after Jelly Roll
Morton and other jazz greats waxed their first cuts. Their earliest
influences were Mamie Smith, Bessie Smith, Enrico Caruso and the
colossus of early jazz singing, Louis Armstrong. From Satchmo, they
learned how to phrase, attack certain notes, use dynamics and the like.
They also borrowed his habit of throwing out the melody altogether
and fashioning a simpler, more swinging line.
The sisters hit their stride around 1930, and soon became nationally known through radio and movie shorts. In 1936, they disbanded
when Martha and Vet each married. Connee continued for many
years as a solo act.
It's possible to think of the Boswells as a conduit between
Armstrong's innovations and white pop Americana like the Andrews
Sisters. In fact, they also influenced the black musicians of their day,
such as the Mills Brothers and a young Ella Fitzgerald, who was
unstinting in her praise of Connee Boswell as her main inspiration.
The sisters were pioneers in vocal harmony, using arrangements with
as many as four or five tempo changes - which somehow always
worked. They recorded rumba rhythms 15 years before Professor
Longhair, and might have been the first New Orleans musicians to
record with a clave beat. And they certainly had the Crescent City
penchant for pleasure at all costs: their music is out-and-out loony at
times, as though delighting themselves was as important as entertaining their listeners."
Reader's Digest, May 1998 In October of 1998, the Boswells were
named part of the first group of inductees into the new Vocal Group
Hall of Fame in Pennsylvania. Named as Pioneers of Musical Style, the
Sisters shared the honor with the Mills Brothers, The Five Blind Boys
of Mississippi, The Golden Gate Quartet, The Ravens, and The
Orioles. They were the only women and the only white persons so
honored.
Ella Fitzgerald, CBS news interview compilation On amateur night
at the Apollo in 1934, on a dare, a teenaged Ella Fitzgerald froze on
her turn in the spotlight. "The man said, 'Do something!' and so I
tried to sing like Miss Connie Boswell, and somebody in the audience
said, 'That little girl can sing!' and I won first prize!" (Ella Fitzgerald,
Lost Chords, Richard Sudhalter, Oxford University Press, 1999). "I
know that Connie Boswell was doing things that nobody else was
doing at the time. You don't have to take my word for it. Just check
the recordings made at the time and hear for yourself."
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
21
The Telephone
The TELEPHONE by Menotti
Menotti, Gian-Carlo,
1911–2007,was taught music
by his mother and composed
his first opera at 10. He studied at the Verdi Conservatory,
Milan, and the Curtis
Institute of Music,
Philadelphia, where he later
taught. Much of his life was spent in the United
States. Enormously successful in the mid-20th century as a composer of operas, he wrote his own librettos—all in English except Amelia al Ballo (Amelia
Goes to the Ball)—and usually directed his own productions. In 1946 his melodrama The Medium had
unprecedented success with Broadway audiences.
22
Menotti’s major works include The Old Maid and the
Thief (1939) and Amahl and the Night Visitors
(1951), the former written for radio broadcast, the
latter for television; The Telephone (1947); The Consul
(1950); The Saint of Bleecker Street (1954; Pulitzer
Prize); Maria Golovin (1958); Labyrinth (1963), a
short opera; Martin’s Lie (1964); and Tamu-Tamu
(1973). His 25 operas are celebrated for their powerful dramatic impact, use of language, and polytonality, although they are also frequently criticized for
their sentimentality and stylistic conservatism. He
also wrote numerous pieces of choral, instrumental,
and chamber music.
Menotti established the Festival of Two Worlds at
Spoleto, Italy, in 1958 and directed it for about 40
years. In 1977 he initiated the Spoleto Festival
U.S.A., in Charleston, S.C., heading that festival until
1993. That year he was appointed artistic director of
the Rome Opera, but after disputes with the opera
leadership he was dismissed in 1994.
DIRECTOR/ACCOMPANIST: Richard Nechamkin
LIGHTING: Nate Seibert
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Lucy
Jennifer Greene
Ben
Andrew Cummings
COVER: Lucy
Elizabeth Kennedy
The Telephone, or L’Amour à trois is an English-language comic
opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti who wrote both the
words and music. It was written for production by the Ballet
Society and was first presented on a double bill with Menotti’s
The Medium at the Heckscher Theater, New York City, February
18-20, 1947. The Broadway production took place on May 1,
1937, at the Ethel Barrymore Theater. The Metropolitan Opera
presented it once, on July 31, 1965.
SYNOPSIS
Ben, bearing a gift, comes to visit Lucy at her apartment; he wants
to propose to her before he leaves on a trip. Despite his attempts
to get her attention for sufficient time to ask his question, Lucy is
occupied with interminable conversations on the telephone.
Between her calls, when Lucy leaves the room, Ben even tries to
cut the telephone cord — unsuccessfully. Not wanting to miss his
train, Ben leaves without asking Lucy for her hand in marriage.
But Ben makes one last attempt; He calls Lucy from a telephone
booth outside on the street and makes his proposal. She consents,
and the two join in a romantic duet over the phone line, at the
end of which Lucy makes sure that Ben remembers her phone
number.
0
SPONSORED BY:
J OHN DAVIS
MR.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
AND
M RS. ROBERT H ALTOM
Bluebeard’s Castle
Bluebeard’s Castle by Bartok
DIRECTOR/ACCOMPANIST: Richard Nechamkin
LIGHTING: Nate Seibert
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Bluebeard
Alan Dunbar
Judith
Jessica Medoff Bunchman
The Bard
David Schnell
Bluebeard’s Castle is a fantasy, fairy tale opera in one act originally in
Hungarian, which was composed in 1911, with three revisions - 1912,
1918, and 1921.
It is the only opera of Bartok but not his only stage work. The symbolism
of the work, the atmosphere of which remains misty, suggests a warning
that a woman who seeks to possess a man’s mind too thoroughly, risks
losing him.
It is interesting that the richness of Bluebeard’s Castle has been accounted
to influences of different composers such as Wagner, especially in the
form of the Wagnerian colorfully scored melody for the orchestra, and
others like Richard Strauss, Liszt and Debussy, also informing us of
inventive features of this grim, gothic tale. From all these, the powerful
score combines with the rhythm of Hungary’s folk music, that Bartok is
much dedicated to, making the “tone poem” orchestration highly original,
and Bluebeard’s Castle becoming a masterful opera.
SYNOPSIS
A spoken Prologue tells us that the scene is as much within ourselves as
on the stage.
Bluebeard and his wife Judith enter through a small iron door. He asks
her whether she want to leave her family and follow him into such a
place. Judith loves Bluebeard. She is sure. She has left her family for him
and is not discouraged by Bluebeard’s dark and gloomy castle. He shuts
the door.
Judith notices the darkness and the dampness. She sees seven black doors.
She insists that the seven locked and bolted doors be thrown open. She
wants to bring in light and warmth. Bluebeard responds that it can never
be. Bluebeard gives her a key as they proceed to each door.
Behind the first door is Bluebeard’s torture chamber, the walls dripping
with blood. Bluebeard wonders why Judith wishes to pry into every
corner. “Because I love you,” she answers. He warns her to be careful.
The second key reveals the armory (trumpet solo), with blood on the
weapons.
The third key opens to the Treasury, where the blood is all over the
crown and robes.
The fourth key reveals a secret garden, with blood on the roots of the
flowers.
Behind the fifth door, she finds Bluebeard’s kingdom, and the clouds are
red with blood. Bluebeard asks her not to open the final two doors, but
Judith insists.
The sixth door conceals a flood of tears. Bluebeard passionately kisses
Judith and tells her not ask any more questions. Having guessed what is
behind the seventh door, Judith inquires about Bluebeard’s former wives.
The seventh door conceals Bluebeard’s former murdered wives. Judith is
locked in with the former wives.
Hungarian composer and pianist
Béla Bartók is best known for his
use of Hungarian folk music to
create a distinct individual style.
The folk music of Hungary was
central to the music of Bartók. He
was not the first composer to
make use of this music (we can
see it as far back as Haydn), but
he was one of the first to take it at
face value, and to exploit its
idiosyncrasies. More important, he integrated it fully into his
own style, so much so that one of his biographers talks
about Bartók’s music as “imaginary folk music”—music that
is wholly his own, yet of a piece with the folk music that
was its inspiration.
Bartók was born into a musical family and received pianistic
training from his mother. He was something of a prodigy,
and began composing at the age of ten. In 1898 he was
accepted at the prestigious Vienna Conservatory, but chose
instead to stay in Hungary at the Budapest Academy. His
early work was influenced greatly by Strauss and Liszt, but
his first major work, the symphonic Kossuth (1903), also
stands out for its telling of a nationalist story.
In 1904 Bartók began collecting folk music by recording
musicians on wax cylinders. This had a profound impact on
his compositional style, for in these pieces he found
elements that he began to incorporate into his own writing.
The melodies of these folk tunes, removed from the
traditional major/minor tonality of Western music, provided
new melodic and harmonic resources, and the powerful and
often asymmetrical rhythms (often freely mixing groupings
of twos and threes) became a hallmark of Bartók’s rhythmic
style.
In 1907 Bartók was appointed professor of piano at the
Budapest Academy and he continued his compositional
activity, creating works of greater complexity. By the early
1920s his music was verging on an atonal style. He gained
international success with a less challenging work, The
Wooden Prince (1917), and by the late 1920s his music
started to take on more of a neoclassical approach.
The crises leading up to World War II forced Bartók to flee
Hungary and settle in the United States. The move caused
both financial and personal difficulties, and failing health
heightened these. Nonetheless, in his final few years he
created a group of important pieces, including the Concerto
for Orchestra.
Bartók’s music is marked by its precision of execution. His
forms (especially in his later works) are intensely
symmetrical. Often they create an arch or palindrome
(ABACABA, for example). He also exploited different
sonorities and instrumental effects, including an antiphonal
orchestra in Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (1936).
His tonal language continued to be colored by his work with
folk music, and in some cases he made use of quarter tones.
Although Bartók wrote in all mediums, he may well be best
remembered for his six string quartets. These works, a
summation of his compositional style and development are
often viewed as the logical successors to those of Beethoven.
0
SPONSORED BY:
MR.
AND
MR.
M RS. ROBERT B ERTOLET
AND
M RS. J OHN D EAKLE
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
23
Natchez Festival of Music
B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S
ARTIST DIRECTOR
Dr. David Blackburn
Ex-Officio Board Member
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Sara Blackburn
Ex-Officio Board Member
BOARD MEMBERS
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Paris B. Winn, Chairman
Ronald McGowan, Vice Chairman
Diana Glaze, Secretary
Mary Jo McNerney, Treasurer
Jenny Branton
Michael Cates
Charlotte Copeland
Liz Dantone
Dr. Charles Davis
Camille Durkin
Dr. Jim Franklin
LLJuna Grennell-Weir
Libby Hollingsworth
Ginger Hyland
Sam Jones
Dr. Lawrence Konecky
Dr. Donzell Lee
Sheri Rabb
Polly Rosenblatt
Jim Sanders
Rena Jean Schmeig
Dr. Bernardo Scarambone
Edward Songy
EMINENT BOARD
Gwen Ball
John Bergeron
Robert Bertolet
Hedy Boelte
Merkel DuPuy
Dr. Elmer Gaudet, Jr.
Michael Gemmell
Reuben H. Harper
Dr. Donald Killelea
Jerold Krouse
Bazile Lanneau, Jr.
Lynn Leet
W. Irvin McDonald
Marie Perkins
Bette Pritchartt
Lani & Ron Riches
Ricky Smith
Ronald Switzer
H. Michael Tatum
Michael Worley
As the new board Chairman I would like to welcome you to the 18th season of the Natchez Festival
of Music. I am pleased to report that we are nearing
the end of the major debt (bank note) incurred in the
1998 and 1999 seasons as we moved into the old
Natchez High School and began its transformation
into the Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center.
This year we also will see our note on the stage lighting system totally paid off. Our accounts receivable
are current and we are well positioned for the start of
a great season.
PARIS WINN
Our Artistic Director, David Blackburn, has assemChairman
bled a wonderful group of voices to enthrall and mesNatchez Festival of Music
merize Festival goers in every venue we present this
year. We have added a few things this year to enhance our normal season
events. They include a piano concert by Bernardo Scarambone in historic
Trinity church. Bill Lewis, accompanist to one of “The Three Irish Tenors”,
will be back for a magical evening at Dunleith performing his favorite music
and songs. A glittering outdoor event featuring Phantom of the Opera and
other Broadway songs with the front gallery of The Towers serving as the
stage and seating on the crescent of the drive, what a backdrop for such an
evening! We also are introducing Monday’s at the Eola which will be an
informative “What’s Up for the week”. Each event will be discussed giving
information on each night as well as some music performed to highlight the
week’s productions.
Of course we will have the all the usual popular events: The Alcorn State
University Concert Choir, this year’s Broadway production, Oklahoma- The
Pfister Sisters headline our Jazz weekend and Mozart’s opera Cosi Fan Tutte
rounds out the month as the season’s main stage finale.
We are working hard on planning our 20th season in 2010! With the
recent improvements in 2007 and 2008 which include new stage curtain,
window treatments on our side windows, padded upholstered seats, not only
is the performance hall more beautiful but unquestionable more comfortable.
We continue this year with renovations currently underway on our Patron
Lounge opposite the Dress Circle area upstairs. We have undertaken a major
cleanup of the building, and anticipate refurbishing the restrooms this summer. For our 20th season we hope to be able to rebuild our stage, lowering it
to its original height and excavating to create a true orchestra pit. This will
not only enhance our Festival, but also The Natchez Ballet Academe and
other Arts groups that use our Performance Hall for their events.
Please remember the Natchez Festival of Music in all of your charitable
giving. We hope you will consider us for Honorariums, Memorials, Holiday
donations and Annual Appeals. We will also be setting up a Planned Giving
Program for those who wish to leave a lasting memorial. Should you have
something of value to donate such as furniture, building equipment, etc.
please call us as we may have needs for such items... Our goal for Margaret
Martin Performing Arts Center is to fully utilize the building by Arts organizations of Natchez.
Now sit back, consider how far we’ve come and share with us the possibilities of a bright future for your Festival.
Paris Winn
Chairman
0
PA S T C H A I R M E N
1991
1992-1995
1996-1998
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Ken Miller
Dr. David Steckler
Dr. Elmer Gaudet
1999-2002
2003-2007
2008
Dr. Don Killelea
Dr. Lawrence Konecky
Paris Winn
DR. DAVID S. BLACKBURN, Founding Artistic Director
Dr. David Blackburn begins his
18th season this May as Founding
Artistic Director of the Natchez
Festival of Music. The Festival has
received the Governor’s Award of
Excellence. It is also listed as one
of the Top Twenty Events in the
Southeastern United States, and
receives national acclaim because
of its high degree of excellence.
Before moving to Natchez in
1989, Dr. Blackburn had vocal studios in Philadelphia and
New York, and coached singers at the Curtis Institute of
Music and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Having taught voice for 43 years, he
continues to encourage and nurture young talent. Many of
his students have gone on to perform in major opera
houses around the world. Three of his students have been
selected as first place winners in the Metropolitan Opera
finals, and others are leading voice professors in major
universities in America.
He is asked to conduct vocal and choral clinics and
serve as judge in vocal competitions, such as head clinician
and judge for the Western region of the Metropolitan
Opera Auditions last year in Denver, Colorado. He is a
composer and has been published by Chorister’s Guild,
International. Three Songs of Praise for children’s voices
and handbells proved to be a best seller.
He has served as Head of the Graduate Voice Program
at Baylor University, Waco, Texas, Chairman of the
Division of Fine and Applied Arts and Chairman of the
Music Department at McMurry University, Abilene, Texas,
and Chairman of the Graduate Program of Church Music
at Scarritt College, Nashville, Tennessee. He has not only
been awarded the honor of full Professor, but has received
the rare honor of a Distinguished Professor’s Chair for
outstanding leadership and administration. Currently he is
Professor of Voice and Choral Music at Alcorn State
University. Dr. Blackburn was awarded the 2003
Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. The Alcorn
State University Concert Choir under his direction was
invited to perform at George W. Bush’s presidential
inauguration, January 2005. In February 2005, Dr.
Blackburn was awarded a certificate of recognition for
Black History month for being a role model and strong
advocate for the advancement of diversity at Alcorn State
University and in the community, which has positively
impacted the lives of students, faculty, and citizens of the
state of Mississippi. This award was given by the Board of
Trustees of State Institutions for Higher Learning. He was
presented with a resolution on the floor of the Mississippi
State Senate in March 2006, recognizing his
accomplishments.
He has a distinguished background in church music.
Before being called to Scarritt College to provide
The Company
leadership and to train persons for Music Ministry for the
United Methodist Church, he served as Minister of Music
in leading churches within the United Methodist Church.
Dr. Blackburn received a Bachelor of Music Degree
from Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey;
Master of Music from Indiana University, Bloomington,
Indiana; and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
Dr. Blackburn is married to Sara Pearson of Rosedale,
Mississippi. He has three sons, David, Britten, and Phillip
and three stepdaughters, Sara, Mary and Lucy. He is a
member of New Covenant Presbyterian.
SARA P. BLACKBURN, Program Director
Sara Blackburn returns for the
eighth year with the Natchez
Festival of Music as production
manager for 2008. She has been
an avid volunteer for many years,
having developed the Educational
Opera Program and continues to
serve as Chairman. Her vast
talents and creative ability is a
major asset to the organization
and growth of the Festival. She
works with her husband as audition coordinator and
manager of office personnel.
She brings a distinguished business background as
owner and buyer for The Heritage Collection, importer of
English antiques and fine furnishing, marketed throughout
the United States, Senior Interior Designer and Director
of Model Rooms with Bloomingdale’s, and Visual
Designer for Ethan Allen.
Sara Blackburn is a mother of three daughters, Sara,
Mary, and Lucy and the stepmother of three sons, David,
Britten, and Phillip. She is a member of New Covenant
Presbyterian Church.
MAXINE B. BRICE, Assistant Program Director
Maxine has been married to
Bruce Brice for 56 years and has
two children: son, Bruce Brice, Jr.
and daughter Sherri Herring; and
one grandchild. She has been a
member of the Natchez Garden
Club since 1970, and is also a
member of the First Baptist
Church of Natchez. She has
achieved a degree from the
National Association of Educators
(NAEOP); retired from Mississippi public schools with 23
years of service as an administrative assistant to the school
board office, taught at Beach Elementary in Pascagoula,
Mississippi for ten years; served as marketing director and
secretary to board of directors, Kent Plantation House,
Alexandria, LA; served as executive hostess at Rosalie,
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
25
The Company
owned by the Mississippi Daughters of the American
Revolution. Maxine has also received the Outstanding
Educator of the Year – Pascagoula Public Schools award.
She has served as past president for the Pascagoula
Association of Educators, was an officer in Mississippi
Association of Educators, past president of International
Paper Co. Supervisor Wives’ Club - Pascagoula, and past
president and membership chairman of Natchez Little
Theatre. She also served as director youth activities
(acting), at First Baptist Church Pascagoula. Maxine was
the executive secretary of the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Arts &
Science Center, served as interim director and manager of
Little Firehouse Arts & Science Center, Pine Bluff,
Arkansas.
26
BILL FABRIS, Stage Director
Bill Fabris is a regular with
Chautauqua Opera (since 1995),
he has directed H.M.S. Pinafore,
The Barber of Seville, The Mikado
and The Gondoliers. Equally at
home in the worlds of opera and
musical theater, Mr. Fabris recently
directed and choreographed Little
Shop of Horrors for Stage One in
Wichita, Kansas and Le nozze di
Figaro for Shreveport Opera.
Other Shreveport Opera productions include: Carousel
and My Fair Lady with Tony nominee Willy Falk. Mr.
Fabris has also been directing musicals and opera for
several summer festivals including Oklahoma!, The Wizard
of Oz and Kiss Me Kate for the Ashlawn-Highland
Summer Festival. Fiddler on the Roof for Mt. Gretna
Summer Theatre and for the Natchez Festival of Music:
The Magic Flute (2003), Tosca (2005), Fiddler on the Roof
and Die Fledermaus (2006), My Fair Lady and Falstaff
(2007) and is thrilled to be returning this May to direct
Oklahoma! and Così fan tutte.
Mr. Fabris’ work regulary appears on the stages of
opera companies through out the United States. For
OperaDelaware, he has directed Der fliegende Holländer,
Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci; for Mobile
Opera: The Tender Land, Rigoletto, H.M.S. Pinafore, The
Merry Widow and The Pirates of Penzance; for Opera
Colorado Artist Center: Romèo et Juliette; Eugene Opera:
Die Fledermaus and The Mikado; South Carolina Opera:
The Merry Widow, H.M.S. Pinafore, and The Mikado;
Opera Columbus: The Three Penny Opera; Opera Pacific:
La fille du regiment (with Richard Bonynge); Lyric Opera
of San Antonio: La Cenerentola and Don Pasquale;
Anchorage Opera: H.M.S. Pinafore and Don Pasquale;
Opera Carolina: Die Fledermaus and The Pirates of
Penzance and for Opera Boston: Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame
and Candide.
His New York credits include The Desert Song, The
Merry Widow and Countess Maritza. Since 1987, Mr.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Fabris has been director and choreographer for the New
York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. Highlights of his work
include the recent success of The Pirates of Penzance and
H.M.S. Pinafore at City Center. Off-Broadway, he directed
and choreographed the 20th anniversary production of
Boy Meets Boy.
Internationally, Bill Fabris directed A Little Sondheim
Music and The Music of Leonard Bernstein for Gran Teatre
del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain. He directed the European
tours of Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair and choreographed
the award-winning film Boot Camp, which was featured in
numerous international film festivals, including Sundance.
Upcoming productions include Aida with Cedar
Rapids Opera Theatre; Brigadoon – Shreveport Opera; Il
barbiere di Siviglia – Anchorage Opera and The Pirates of
Penzance with Indianapolis Opera.
RICHARD NECHAMKIN, Music Director
When Richard Nechamkin was
about five years old, his parents
asked whether he preferred tickets
for the Mets or the Met. It was a
tough decision for a kid who loved
both baseball and music, but he
chose the latter.
Today, Mr. Nechamkin is a
conductor, pianist, and vocal coach
with over 25 years of experience.
For the past eighteen years he has
been music director and conductor of New York Opera
Forum, an opera workshop he founded to give classically
trained singers the opportunity to learn and perform
operas uncut and in their original languages.
Throughout the 1980s, Mr. Nechamkin conducted the
Y Sinfonietta, a 45-piece orchestra based in Flushing, New
York. He programmed works by Stravinsky, Mozart,
Varese, Haydn, Schoenberg, Ligeti, Verdi, Puccini,
Schubert, Beethoven, Mascagni, Dvorak, and Wagner, and
presented four world premiers including Robert Rollin’s
Song of Deborah and the American premier of Jean
Français’ Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra. During that
time he also served as guest conductor of the Atlantic
Chamber Orchestra, a 25-piece ensemble consisting of
members of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Mr. Nechamkin’s extensive operatic experience
includes musical direction and conducting for Brooklyn
Music School Opera Workshop, New York Lyric Opera,
Opera-On-The-Go, Community Opera, New York Opera
Theatre and Ottocento Opera Company.
He has worked as repetiteur for New York City Opera,
Amato Opera, West Side Opera, New York Grand Opera,
Henry Street Settlement Opera Production Group and
Hudson Valley Opera. He has accompanied opera stars
Montserrat Caballé and Susanne Marsee, and has played
for the voice studios of Gabriella Tucci, Joshua Hechet,
Renata Scotto, Carol and Nico Castel, Gary Glaze,
Anthony Frissell, and Michael Trimbel, among others.
In July of 1999, Mr. Nechamkin had the honor of
accompanying a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s
Young Artist program, soprano Marjorie Elinor Dix, when
she sang at the memorial service for Lauren Bessette in
Greenwich, Connecticut.
Mr. Nechamkin has accompanied recitalists in the
United States (broadcast on National Public Radio),
Norway, Germany, and Hong Kong. He has arranged and
conducted several film scores, and has served as music
director for two off-off-Broadway productions.
Born and reared in New York City, Mr. Nechamkin was
already studying piano when his parents asked that fateful
question. He attended NYC’s High School of Music and
Art, continuing on to Manhattan School of Music where
he majored in viola, studying with Paul Zukovsky and
Lillian Fuchs. As a violist he participated in the
Philadelphia Orchestra’s School of Orchestral Studies in
Saratoga, New York and played in several other orchestras,
most notably under Christopher Keene and Eugene
Ormandy. After he earned his degree from MSM, Mr.
Nechamkin studied conducting privately with Pierre
Boulez, Sixten Ehrling, Anton Coppola, and Carl Topolow.
That small boy’s decision to wield a baton instead of a
bat proved to be the right one. Of course, he still roots for
the Mets, and on occasion the Yankees as well.
The Natchez Festival of Music is pleased to have
Richard Nechamkin returning for the 2008 season.
WILLIAM LEWIS, Guest Artist/Accompanist
William Lewis, acclaimed
pianist/accompanist, vocal coach,
arranger and performer has
enjoyed his professional career for
forty years. Mr. Lewis regularly
appears with Irish tenor Ronan
Tynan in his concerts and also
plays for Metropolitan Opera stars
Marcello Giordani and Victoria
Livengood. He has also appeared
with J. Patrick Raftery at Wolf
Trap and Miss Patti LaBelle at Ford’s Theatre. He has
performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Iceland, Brazil,
Germany, Sicily and throughout the British Isles.
Mr. Lewis has served as vocal coach for the Santa Fe
Opera, Lake George Opera Festival, Opera Omaha, Texas
Opera Theatre, Opera Music Theatre International
(OMTI) with Jerome Hines, Central City Opera House
Festival and Natchez Opera Festival. In 2007 he cofounded Opera Oggi of New York where he directed Suor
Angelica and Massenet’s Sapho.
As a teacher, Mr. Lewis has served on the faculties of
both the Boston and New England Conservatories and at
Rutgers University. He has taught Master Classes across
the U.S. and has a private studio in New York City.
As an arranger his work has been heard in concert
The Company
halls, theatres, and cabaret clubs across the worldincluding the high seas. His newest cabaret for J2Sp2k2
and his own solo cabaret have been warmly received.
On CD Mr. Lewis can be heard with Ronan Tynan,
Marcello Giordani, Victoria Livengood as well as many
others—ranging from opera to popular music. His own
CD entitled Songs for Martha is newly released and a
complete list of his discography will soon be available on
his new website.
KUMIKO SHIMIZU, Accompanist
Kumiko Shimizu is Assistant
Professor of Music/Accompanist at
Delta State University. She
completed her Doctor of Musical
Arts degree at the University of
Oregon, where she had been a
piano student of Victor Steinhardt
and studied accompanying and
opera coaching with Gregory
Mason. She was the rehearsal
pianist at Eugene Opera for five
years. She has played for productions of Aida, La Traviata,
Tosca, La Bohème, The Marriage of Figaro (including baso
continuo), La Cenerentola, Pagliacci, and Susannah, among
others. She toured with Lake George Opera in its
outreach program for elementary schools (performing for
more than 15,000 students!) and new program for junior
and high schools in 2003. In addition to the performances
with Lake George Opera in New York and Vermont, she
has toured with the Natchez Opera Festival/Natchez
Festival of Music in Mississippi and Louisiana, Opera
Idaho and Rimrock Opera in Montana and Wyoming for
their outreach concerts and/or educational programs. She
gave a lecture/recital on Japanese art songs at the Natchez
Festival of Music (2003). She has a master’s degree from
the University of Maine, where she performed frequently
as a chamber musician. She has studied with many
notable artists in master classes and workshops, including
Lorin Hollander, Robert McDonald, John Browning, and
Stephen Hough. She has served as rehearsal pianist for the
Oregon Bach Festival (for the conducting master classes,
2000) and the Oregon Festival of American Music (for My
Fair Lady, 2004). She has been the pianist for the North
Mississippi District Metropolitan Opera National Council
Auditions since 2006. She was selected to participate in
Songfest 2007 and received further instructions in vocal
accompanying and coaching from Graham Johnson and
Martin Katz. She enjoyed performing at the first
Electroacoustic Juke Join in November 2007. In January
and February 2008, she presented Japanese song recitals,
which were received very well. In teaching, her primary
interest is in piano accompanying and vocal coaching,
which led her to conduct a seminar for vocalists and
pianists at an undergraduate level in spring 2007. It was
one of her ongoing efforts to convey depth in learning
piano accompanying.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
27
The Company
28
MICHAEL BUNCHMAN, Assistant Musical
Director/Accompanist
Michael Bunchman holds a
Bachelor of Music from the
University of Colorado and a
Master of Music from the Peabody
Conservatory. His teachers have
included Marian Hahn, Joseph
Kalichstein, Antoinette Perry, and
Doris Pridonoff-Lehnert. Mr.
Bunchman performs regularly as a
soloist, chamber musician, and
vocal collaborative pianist. Recently, Mr. Bunchman has
performed with the Breckenridge Music Festival, the
National Repertory Orchestra, the Northeast Theatre
Company in Scranton, PA, New Mexico State University
concert series, the Music Conservatory of Westchester
concert series and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
concert series. He as appeared as a soloist with both the
Breckenridge Music Festival, with maestro Gerhardt
Zimmermann and the Nation Repertory Orchestra with
maestro Carl Topilow. As a vocal collaborative pianist,
Mr. Bunchman performs regularly with singers around
New York City, along with his wife, Soprano Jessica
Medoff Bunchman. This is Mr. Bunchman’s first season
with Natchez Music Festival. Mr. Bunchman currently
lives in New York City and is on the Faculty at the Music
Conservatory of Westchester.
MONICA HARTE, Educational Outreach Program Director
Monica Harte has performed
more than 25 coloratura roles in
the standard operatic repertoire
and 5 world premieres; and, has
sung numerous concerts
throughout North America and
Europe, all with great success. La
Nouvelle Republique & Centre
Presse described Ms. Harte as “an
unusually endearing performer”.
While the Reno Gazette Journal
said she “stopped the show with
her delightfully absurd portrayal of Olympia”.
She is the soprano soloist on the critically acclaimed
2007 CD release McLeer’s Requiem. Also, she is the
featured performer on the CD Songs from Another Place
singing music by George Brunner, Bern Herbolsheimer
and Morris Lang; and, Long Island Songs, music by Tom
Cipullo, Anne Phillips, Christian McLeer and George
Brunner, both scheduled for release in 2008 on Capstone
and MSR labels respectively.
Ms. Harte is the General Director (and co-founder) of
Remarkable Theater Brigade for the past 6 years, which
produces contemporary opera and concerts in NYC and
has produced and presented 25 world premiers for New
York audiences in that time.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
CHRISTIAN MCLEER, Composer/Director Educational
Outrach Program
Christian McLeer is currently in
his 6th season as Artistic Director
of Remarkable Theater Brigade,
which he co-founded with Monica
Harte and Dan Jeselsohn. They
are producing their 6th major
production, Glory Denied, an
opera by Tom Cipullo, at Jan Hus
Church in New York City June
5th & 7th. Christian is the artistin-residence for the National Chorale at PS70, IS71,
Brooklyn Tech HS and Fort Hamilton HS where he
teaches chorus. He is also in his second year as the
musical director for Jan Hus Church.
He is the sound engineer for the TV show Nova Rock,
currently being filmed and has just completed the original
score for the short independent film in between written
and produced by Gail Bell.
As a concert pianist, McLeer has performed at many
respected venues including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie
Hall, Steinway Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and the New
Orleans Astro Dome. Performing his own compositions
has won him special acclaim from publications such as
The New York Times, Newsday and OCS.
DONNA SCHAFFER, Accompanist
Donna Schaffer is an active
soprano and accomplished pianist.
Her operatic roles include: Musetta
in Puccini’s La Bohème with the
Opera Theatre of Connecticut,
Pamina in Mozart’s Die
Zauberflöte, Madame Silverpeal in
Mozart’s Impresario with Crystal
Opera, Rosina in Rossini’s Il
Barbiere de Seviglia with Opera
New England, Adina in Donizetti’s
L’Elisir d’Amore, Susannah in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro,
and Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel with New
York Opera Forum, and La Ciesca in Puccini’s Gianni
Schicchi, and the Shephard Boy in Puccini’s Tosca, and Ida
in Die Fledermaus with the Natchez Festival of Music in
Mississippi, Gianetta in L’Elisir d’Amore with Manhattan
Lyric Opera of New York for their tour in Boca Raton,
Florida.
Ms. Schaffer has appeared as soprano soloist with the
New York City Choral Society in Händel’s Messiah, the
Manchester Symphony and Chorale and the Northeast
Concert Choir in Beethoven’s Mass in C, and the
Middletown, Connecticut Chorale in Mozart’s Mass in C
minor.
She has made numerous recital appearances throughout
the country including an appearance for the International
Dickens Society, Rhode Island, and the American Women
Composer’s Society this past March in New York.
Equally at home in musical theatre and contemporary
music, Donna was most recently seen in Fiddler on the
Roof as well as performing with her band, Studio Seven, in
Florida. Upcoming performances include: Rutter’s
Magnificat and Händel’s Messiah with the Key West
Symphony and Chorale in December 2007. Ms. Schaffer
holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan
and a Master of Music from the University of Connecticut.
She is a student of Florence Milyko of New York City. She
has served on the faculty at the University of Connecticut,
the Ethel Walker School and the Young People’s Institute.
Currently Donna owns and operates Summit Studios, a
performing arts studio that serves over 700 clients per
week in Manchester, Connecticut.
It’s like music for your mouth!
Natchez Festival of Music
wishes to thank
MR. AND MRS.
JOHN DEAKLE
84 Homochitto Street, Natchez, Mississippi
800.433.2445 or 601.446.8500 • www.dunleith.com
The School of Business
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Natchez Campus
FOR ENROLLMENT INFORMATION CONTACT:
Syble Jone, 601.304.4309 or email: [email protected]
Alcorn State University
Graduate Business Programs
9 Campus Drive
Natchez, Mississippi 39120
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
29
The Technical Crew
The music begins, the curtain opens, and the show moves forward with changing sets, lighting that emphasizes the
action and sets the mood, appropriate props, and every detail which forms the ambiance and setting for the
performance. This magic, which is such an integral part of the production, is the result of the planning and talents of
the technical crew.
Again this year, Dr. Maurice (Mo) Stroemel, professor of theatre technology at the Penn State School of Theatre,
serves as Production Manager for the Natchez Festival of Music’s major productions. Along with Kathryn Botsford,
Assistant Production Manager/Technical Director, he has gathered an outstanding group to design, create, and construct
the sets and manage the technical aspects of the staging. He has been especially interested in the cooperative efforts
between Penn State School of Theatre, Alcorn State University, and the Natchez Festival of Music and has selected
outstanding young people whom he has trained, as well as fine professionals, to help put together the productions
staged at Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center.
In addition to Mo Stroemel and Kathryn Botsford, the technical crew consists of Kathryn Kawecki, Scenic Designer;
Greg Ryan, Stage Manager; Nate Siebert, Assistant Technical Director/Lighting Designer; Cory Johnson, Props Artisan;
Casey Avsec, Carpenter/Electrician; and Michelle Kokal, Scenic Change Artist.
In carrying out the technical aspects of the production in a flawless, professional manner, these talented members of
the technical crew add tremendously to the seamless enjoyment of the major productions of the Natchez Festival of
Music.
30
MAURICE STROEMEL, Production Manager
Mo Stroemel is a professor of
theatre technology at the Penn
State School of Theatre. He has
been the technical director for
over one hundred productions at
academic and professional theatres
around the country. He has also
worked in film and television
including feature films such as The
Pick Up Artist and The Lemon
Sisters, Trading Spaces (TLC),
Crime Scene University (Discovery Channel) and Penn
State’s public broadcast station, WPSX. He has worked
for such theatres as West Virginia Public Theatre, South
Jersey Regional Theatre, Mill Mountain Playhouse, and
Pennsylvania Centre Stage. He is also a musician and has
performed in Nashville, Philadelphia, New York, Atlantic
City, and London.
KATHRYN KAWECKI, Scene Designer
Kathryn Kawecki is happy to
design here at the Natchez Festival
of Music, where she was the scenic
artist last season. She is based out
of Boston, but designs for regional
theatres across the country.
Recent design credits include:
Hansel and Gretel (Boston Lyric
Opera); House of Yes (Apollinaire
Theatre, Boston); The Cherry
Orchard (NDSU, Fargo); The Glass
Menagerie (BETC, Boulder); Columbinus (Hangar Theatre,
Ithaca); The Audition (Augustine-Bridge Productions,
NYC). She received the 2007 USITT Young Designer
Award for Scene Design, and she earned her MFA in
design at North Carolina School of the Arts. Please visit
her website to see more of her work: www.kawecki18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
art.com. Thanks to her family for their support and
understanding. Thanks, also, to her Wife, Caroline, for
loving her through all the moves and changes.
KATHRYN A. BOTSFORD, Asst. Production Manager/
Technical Director
Kathryn A. Botsford is excited to
be returning to the Natchez
Festival of Music for her second
summer. Originally from upstate
New York, she spent the past year
as the Technical Director for the
John F. Kennedy Center’s national
tour of Katie Couric’s The Brand
New Kid. Kathryn has also been a
technical director in Minnesota for
the College of St. Benedict and St.
John’s University Theater Department, in Michigan for
the Hilberry Repertory Company and the Michigan Youth
Theatre, in South Dakota for the Black Hills Playhouse,
and in New York for Cortland Repertory Theatre. She
received her M.F.A. in Scenic Design and Technical
Direction from Wayne State University, in Detroit, MI.
NATHANIEL SIEBERT, Assistant Technical Director and
Lighting Designer
Nathaniel Siebert is recent
graduate from Penn State
University where he received a
B.F.A. degree in Technical Theatre:
Design & Technology and is
excited to be working for
Natchez’s Festival of Music this
summer. Nathaniel has several
credits at PSU through the
University Resident Theatre
Company that include Lighting
Designer for Pentecost, Mother Courage and Her
Children; Master Electrician for both Benefactors and
Snakebit; Properties Master for Parade; as well as
designing the lighting for School of Theatre’s The Wild
Party and the Master Electrician for Big Friendly Giant.
He was also the lighting designer for Pennsylvania Centre
Stage’s world premiere production of Out of Line, as well
as the School of Theatre’s original production of Out of
Line. During the fall of 2006, Nathaniel studied abroad
for a semester in Canterbury, England. He has also
worked as an electrician for First Night in downtown
Pittsburgh, PA during New Years 2007 & 2008 as well as
being the Art Department Assistant for the Discovery
Channel’s new show, Crime Scene University.
The Technical Crew
CORY JOHNSON, Scenic Artist
Cory Johnson is a Scenic Artist
fresh out of Wayne State’s BFA
program. She has built and
designed many shows and is
Properties artist for the festival
this year.
GREGORY RYAN, JR., Stage Manager
Gregory is a Senior BFA Stage
Manager at Penn State University
from Westfield, NJ. He is honored
to have the privilege of being the
Stage Manager for Natchez Opera
this summer. His Penn State
credits include Stage Manager for
Speaking in Tongues, and Assistant
Stage Manager for Parade,
Pentecost, and Push. A part from
Stage Management Gregory has
also served as the Assistant Master Electrician for Word
Up!. Last summer he worked as an Assistant Stage
Manager and Company Manager for the Pennsylvania
Centre Stage on Baby, Proof, and the world premiere of
Out of Line. Gregory is a proud member of Penn States
Student Chapter of USITT (United States Institute for
Theatre Technology) since fall of 2005 and a national
member of USITT since January of 2006.
31
MICHELLE KOKAL, Charge Artist
Michelle Kokal is a junior at Penn
State University in the Theatre
Design and Technology program
with an emphasis in Scenic Design
and Sound Design. Her Penn State
School of Theatre credits include
charge assistant for Mother
Courage, scenic designer for
Company, and lead sound for
Word Up!. Other credits include
charge assistant on the Penn State
Summer 2007 production of 1776 and follow spot for the
Pennsylvania Centre Stage production of Baby. Aside from
theatre technology, Michelle enjoys photography, singing,
and playing piano. She is sending lots of love back to
Pennsylvania for her family, friends, and amazing
boyfriend, and is very excited to be a part of this
experience!
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
Plantation Performances
Plantation Performances
ELDER HOSTEL PLANTATION PEFORMANCE
MAGNOLIA HALL
W EDNESDAY, M AY 7
32
C ARRIAGE H OUSE G ROUNDS OF S TANTON H ALL
( PRIVATE )
S UNDAY, M AY 11
Accompanist Richard Nechamkin
Accompanist Kumiko Shimizu
Jennifer Greene and Andrew Cummings
Elizabeth Kennedy and John Dalton Frederick
DUNLEITH PLANTATION
FRIDAY, MAY 30
ELMS COURT AND AUBURN
S UNDAY, M AY 18
Accompanist Kumiko Shimizu
Susan Ruggiero and Donald Groves
Accompanist Donna Schafer
Jessica Bunchman, Alan Dunbar, Emily Newton, Lucas Goodrich
Accompanist Kumiko Shimizu
Lisa Lockhart, Eui Jin Kim, Hilerie Rensi, Stanley Wilson
SPONSORED BY:
A NN E LIZABETH K AISER
M AGGIE , A BBY AND L AURA A NN B ROWN
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
N IGHT
Stars performing major roles in the
Festival’s productions present an
exciting evening of entertainment
featuring their personal favorite
Night of Stars
OF
S TARS
1 ST P RESBYTERIAN C HURCH
405 State Street
F RIDAY, M AY 9, 8:00
PM
musical selections. “Stars” is a unique
occasion to experience an artist’s performance intimately, granting the
ACCOMPANIST & DIRECTOR
Bill Lewis
patron a richer experience at the
actual performance when the artist is
on stage, in character, and in costume.
PERFORMERS
Jessica Bunchman
Stanley Wilson
Tynan Davis
Christine Heath
Will Earl Spanheimer
Corey Trahan
Emily Newton
Diane Fox
0
SPONSORED BY:
F IRST P RESBYTERIAN C HURCH
C ALLON P ETROLEUM C OMPANY
PARIS W INN
B EAU B UMGARDNER
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
33
Command Performance
Command Performance
S T. M ARY M INOR BASILICA
107 South Union Street
S ATURDAY, M AY 24, 8:00 P. M .
For a very special evening, Command
Performance features outstanding
artists participating in our 18th
season . These extremely talented
artists will display the full range of
ACCOMPANIST & DIRECTOR
Richard Nechamkin
their ability drawn from a wide and
varied background of seasoned
performances. If the past is any
PERFORMERS
Kim Bentley
Victor Khodadad
Sang Eun Lee
Lisa Lockhart
George Hogan
Emily Lorini
Eui Jin Kim
34
0
SPONSORED BY:
S T. M ARY M INOR BASILICA
F ATHER DAVID O’C ONNER
H EDY B OELTE
DR.
AND
M RS. D ONALD K ILLELEA
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
indication, this will be one of the
most exciting evenings of the entire
festival.
Festival Closing Gala
C LOSING G ALA
T HE E LMS
215 S. Pine St.
I MMEDIATELY
FOLLOWING
C OSI
FAN TUTTE
35
The Festival Closing Gala climaxes a month of
performances with elegance and charm. Be
impressed by the renovated historic antebellum
mansion, The Elms, while flowers and food
abound. It is a time when visitors and Natchez
residents socialize with the artists. The Closing
Gala is the fitting climax to our 18th season. It
follows the final opera performance and ends the
Festival.
0
SPONSORED BY:
T HE E LMS - E STHER C ARPENTER
T HE N ATCHEZ O PERA G UILD
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
Natchez Festival of Music Guild
BOARD
OF
DIRECTORS
President Diana Glaze
Vice-President Sharon Baughman
Secretary Claudette Songy
Treasurer H. Michael Tatum
BOARD MEMBERS
Maxine Brice
Lynda Doughty
Eleanor Fry
Margaret House
Pat Jonaitis
Julie Kendall
Dr. Donald Killelea
Bill McGehee
Miriam Ory
Cathy Walker
Pamela Wood
36
BODY
OF
As we began our preparation for our 18th Festival, we
were all once again experiencing the excitement of yet
another season of wonderful music from the popular genres of opera, Broadway and jazz. The love of this music,
the witness of such great talent, and the spirit of community all combine to create a month unique to any other.
As the hundreds of tasks begin to be addressed, the
logistics of presenting a successful season become daunting. Time and money become too scarce and anxieties
reach an all-time high. It is always amazing to me to witness how this community comes together to ensure that
we once again produce a Festival of which we can take pride.
This marvelous group of professionals – singers, accompanists, directors, and
crew alike – become so much a part of our lives as to feel like family. Each year we
look forward to the return of some of our Festival family, and also anticipate the
forging of new friendships and acquaintances. We are always flattered to know that
many feel they have come “home” to Natchez!
The monumental task of mounting a Festival such as ours could not be accomplished without the input from not only the Festival Board and the Guild Board,
but also from the generous contributions of money and time (two precious commodities!) from so many people in our city. Without the “Housing Angels” who so
generously share their homes, the hotels who so generously work with us to assist
in housing, and the people who donate their time to drive to and from the Baton
Rouge airport to retrieve our guests – including the invaluable assistance of Co-Lin!
– we would certainly have to abandon our mission. Without those who help to
maintain the building, provide food, flowers and other amenities, our guests would
not feel so welcome.
To all of you who assisted in this effort. I will most certainly remember your
generosity, and I give you my sincerest thanks.
Diana Glaze
President
Natchez Opera Guild
MEMBERS
Dr. & Mrs. David Ball
Sharon & Nelson Baughman
Dr. & Mrs. David Blackburn
Mr. & Mrs. John C. Bergeron
Dr. & Mrs. David Blackburn
Sonia & Charlie Blaney
Hedy Boelte
Maxine Brice
Beau Bumgardner
Candace & Peter Bundgard
Mr. & Mrs. Gary Caldwell
Chase Caldwell
Jewel Causey
Charlotte & Marlon Copeland
Dr. & Mrs. Charles R. Davis
Lynda Doughty
Dorothy & Frank Drouillard
Paula & Terry Estes
Jean Farrar
Phyllis & Clark Feiser
Eleanor & Ronald Fry
Liz Garrity
Elaine & Mike Gemmell
Dr. & Mrs. W. E. Godfrey II
Barbara & David Haigh
Claudia Hobdy
Nancy Hungerford
Sam Jones
Barbara & Hayden Kaiser
Ann Elizabeth Kaiser
Julie Kendall
Amy & Donald Killelea
Dr. & Mrs. Donald E. Killelea
Kathleen Mackey King
Kim King
Jeanie & Bazile Lanneau, Jr.
Judith & John Larson
Lisa Loftin
W. I. McDonald
Pam & Marvin McDonald
Dottie & Bill McGehee
Ronald McGowan
Mr. & Mrs. H.C. Miller III
Karen Moreau
Linda & Page Ogden
Miriam & Francis Ory
June & Bill Parker
Dorothy Perkins
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Shirley Petkovsek
Freda B. Piazza
George K. Piazza
Dottie Rainer
Helen Rayne
Camella & Bill Richardson
Teri & Walt Roddy
Mario Romano
Mr. & Mrs. Walter Sandel
Mary Estelle Sanguinetti
Rena Jean Schmieg
Nan F. Schuchs
Sharon Smitherman
Claudette & Ed Songy
Dotty Stubbs
Mr. & Mrs. George Tanner
H. Michael Tatum
Marcia & Mike Thompson
H. Edward Weidlich
Paris Winn
Pam & Gary Wood
Cyryl & Dan Yannitell
37
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
38
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Committees
BOARD COMMITTEES
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Charlotte Copeland, Chair
Camille Durkin
Jim Franklin
Dr. Larry Konecky
Ron McGowan
FUND RAISING COMMITTEES
Annual Appeal
Ginger Hyland, Co-chair
Ron McGowan, Co-chair
David S. Blackburn
Robert Haltom
Dr. Donald Killelea, M. D.
Bazile R. Lanneau, Jr.
Ron Riches
Michael Tatum
Paris B. Winn
PROGRAM
Sara Blackburn, Chair
PROGRAM AD SALES
Michael Cates, Chair
GRANT FUNDING
Dr. Larry Konecky, Chair
GENERAL COMMITTEE
Paris B Winn, Chair
Hedy Boelte
Jenny Branton
Charlotte Copeland
Dr. Donald Killelea, M. D.
Mary Jo McNerney
Michael Cates
Charlotte Copeland
Charles Davis
Jim Franklin
Ginger Hyland
Dr. Larry Konecky
Bazile R. Lanneau, Jr.
Ron McGowan
Ron Riches
Ed Songy
Pat Jonaitis
Paris B. Winn
BUILDING
Sharon Baughman, Co-chair
Jim Sanders, Co-chair
Sara Blackburn
Diana Glaze
Paris B. Winn
EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH
Sara Blackburn
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Mary Jo McNerney, Chair
Diana Glaze
Bazile R. Lanneau, Jr.
Ed Songy
Paris B. Winn
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Sara Blackburn
PLANNING
Paris B. Winn, Chair
Diana Glaze, Secretary &
Acting Vice-chair
Mary Jo McNerney, Treasurer
Dr. Larry Konecky, Immediate Past
Chair
Ed Songy
Donzell Lee
Dr. David S. Blackburn, Artistic Director
PUBLICITY
Liz Dantone, Co-chair
Sam Jones, Co-chair
Rena Jean Schmieg, Co-chair
Sara Blackburn
GUILD COMMITTEES
AMENITIES
Sharon Baughman, Chair
Barbara Haigh
HOUSING
Diana Glaze
TRANSPORTATION
Diana Glaze
FLOWERS
Julie Kendall
USHERS/TICKETS
Maxine Brice
FOOD
Pat Jonaitis
MARGARET MARTIN
Sharon Baughman
COOKBOOK SALES
Eleanor Fry
Housing Angels
Thank you, Housing Angels! To those whose names are listed, the Natchez Festival of
Music offers its deepest appreciation for providing a home away from home to our
artists. Without your generosity the 2008 season would not be possible.
Mrs. Gwen Ball
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Lessley
Mr. and Mrs. Vince Barbieri
Mr. and Mrs. Bill McGehee
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Barnes
Natchez Children’s Home
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cates
Natchez Eola Hotel
Comfort Suites Riverfront
Mrs. Rena Jean Schmieg
Days Inn
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Seibert
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Fry
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Shiells
Ms. Diana Glaze
Mrs. Helen Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Haigh
Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Smith
Hampton Inn
Mr. and Mrs. Terry Trovato
Mr. Reuben Harper
Dr. Neil Varnell
Ms. Ginger Hyland
Dr. Michael Wheelis
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Killelea
Ms. Kathy Wooten
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
39
Special Recognition
40
The Natchez Festival of Music Board of
Directors
Natchez Festival of Music Guild
Stan’s String Shop
T.G. McCary, Photographer
Natchez Newspapers, Inc.
Smith, Turner & Reeves
Bruce Kuehnle, Jr., Attorney
Switzer Hopkins & Mange
Charles Yarbrough – Natchez Ford Lincoln
Mercury
Natchez Convention Center
Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau
Walter Tipton
City of Natchez
Mayor Phillip West
Natchez Coca-Cola
Dr. John White
Caring for our artists
Mississippi Arts Commission
Natchez Chamber of Commerce
Concordia Lumber Company
Callon Petroleum Company
Peter Rinaldi
Housing Angels: All the people that so
graciously agreed to house artists for the
festival.
All the people that donated food for the artists’
breaks.
Festival of Christmas Reception: Father David
O’Connor, St. Mary Basilica, The Alcorn
State University Concert Choir, Mr. Tony
Gordon, accompanist; Mr. & Mrs. Bruce
Brice, Sr.
Festival of Christmas Silent Auction:
The Natchez Festival of Music would like to
thank everyone that provided items for the
auction. Special Thanks to St. Mary’s Basilica
for providing the venue for the concert and
the silent auciton.
Dr. David S. Blackburn, Jim Franklin, Sherrie
Sanders
Songs of the South: New Covenant
Presbyterian Church, Dr. David Blackburn,
director; Burnley Cook, accompanist; James
Allen, Shana Braxton, Edward Berkley,
Dedra Edwards, Gabrielle Richardson, Sam
Hendricks, Ginger Hyland
Dottie Stubbs
Bruce Brice, Sr.
Maxine Brice
Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Diane Williams
The Markets
Natchez Pilgrimage Tours
Classical Singer Magazine
Alcorn State University
Dee Ray - Elder Hostel Copiah-Lincoln
Community College
Together on Tuesdays - First Presbyterian
Church
Mr. & Mrs. William McGeehee
W. Irvin McDonald
Paul Dawes - City of Natchez
Natchez Public Works
Opera Bravo
Service Printers Inc. - Sheila L. Cline
Sandra Stokes
Mrs. Wesley Wooten
Mr. & Mrs. Kirk Bartley
Reuben (Buzz) Harper
Les Wisinger
Ginger Hyland
ARTISTS AMENITIES GIFT: B&K Bank,
Concordia Bank, Dairy Queen, Darby’s,
Byrne Insurance Agency, State Farm Terry
Estes, Ketco Advertising, Kimbrell’s Office
Supply, Lil’ Dagos Cafe, McDonalds
Meredith Travalto, Natchez Coffee
Company, Natchez Market, Natchz Visitors
Center, Sonic Drive In, UPS Store, Walmart
Sueprcenter, Turning Pages, Cover to Cover
Books, Pearl Street Pasta, Computer
Consultants, Go Mart, Chevron, Pig Out
Inn, Walgreens, Kaiser Insurance, Chevron B
Quick Food Mart, KMart, Natchez Best BarBQ
FALL FUND RAISER: Cory Trahan, Lisa
McCalmon, Julian Jones, Steven Bennett,
Marcus Madison, Tynan Davis, Kimberley
Bentley, Richard Nechamkin, Susan
Ruggiero, Victor Khodadad, Will Earl
Spanheimer, Bob & Bettina Barnes, Jerry and
Betty Jo Krouse, David & Gwen Ball, Rena
Jean Schmieg, Kathy Wooton, Terry
McCuan, Bill Hufler, Alcorn State
University, Wayne Bryant, Moreton”s
Flowerland
BRANDON HALL CONCERT: Hyperion
Knight, Jessica Medoff-Bunchman, Michael
Bunchman, Ned & Nancy Diefenthal,
Tommy & Sharla Welch, Pat Jonaitis,
Margaret House, Miriam Ory, Natchez
Opers Guild, Ginger Hyland, Ed Songy,
Camille Durkin
SPRING GALA: Christine Marie Heath,
Hilerie Klein Rensi, Lucas Goodrich, Stanley
Wilson, Shovik Mondle, David Shenton,
Bernardo Scarambone, Doug & Regina
Charboneau, William Box, Diana Glaze,
Natchez Opera Guild, Mary Jo McNerney,
Rena Jean Schmeig, Bill Huffler, Terry
McCuan, Kathy Wooton, Bobbie & Vance
Barbieri, Claudette & Ed Songy, Buzz
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Harper, Les Wisinger, Center City Bistro,
Lymdia Doughty, Miriam Ory
Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Boelte
B & K Bank
United Mississippi Bank
Taco Bell
Alcorn State University
Concordia Bank & Trust
The Natchez Democrat
The Natchez Eola Hotel
The Comfort Suites Vidalia
Hampton Inn
Monmouth Plantation - Lanie & Ron Riches
William Box Designs
Country Roads Magazine
Bluffs & Bayous Magazine
First Natchez Radio
Murrray Printing
Center City Bistro
Magnolia Grill
Dunleith
Concordia Lumber
Waste Management
Stines Lumber Co.
Sharon Baughman
Jim Sanders
Don & Katherine Killelea
Rena Jean Schmieg
Ron McGowan
Larry Konecky
Sam Jones
Liz Dantone
Charlotte Copeland
Michael Cates
Mary Jo McNerney
Diana Glaze
Maxine Brice
Julie Kendall
Beau Bumgardner
Paul Harrington
James Wesley Forde
Michael Tatum
Bazile Lanneau
Elmer Gaudet Jr.
Dr. Richard Jeansonne, MD
Cherry Sanders
Celebrating our Contributors
The list of contributors is a profile of those people who, through their gifts make the Natchez Festival of Music
possible. Their names appear in recognition of their commitment to excellence in the arts in Natchez, Mississippi.
BENEFACTOR – $5,000 and above
Alcorn State University
Mrs. Hedy Boelte
Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Dantone
Dr. & Mrs. John Deakle
Natchez Opera Guild
GUEST BENEFACTOR
$3,500-$4,999
Ginger Hyland
UNDERWRITER – $2,500-$3,499
Diana Glaze
Martocci Memorial
Foundation/Ronald McGowan
GUEST UNDERWRITER
$1,500-$2,499
Burk & Lisa Baker
Callon Petroleum Company
John Davis
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Haimson
Ann Elizabeth Kaiser
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Riches
Claudette & Edward Songy
Mr. & Mrs. George Tanner
Paris Winn & Beau Bumgardner
FOUNDER – $1,000-$1,499
Mr. Wayne Bryant
Mr. Bob Canon
Century 21 River Cities Realty
Dr. & Mrs. Charles Davis
Mr. & Mrs. Ricky Edgin
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Haltom
Reuben Harper & Les Weisinger
Dr. & Mrs. Donald E. Killelea
Gail Massey
Ronald McGowan
Ronald F. Switzer and Jim McClure
Dr. & Mrs. Clifford Tillman
Margaret M. Ward
GUEST FOUNDER – $750-$999
Pamela C. Wood, LLC
DRESS – $500-$749
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Blackmon
Dr. & Mrs. Charles D. Borum
Maggie, Abby & Laura Ann Brown
Mr. & Mrs. Pat Burns, Jr.
Dr. Walter Dawkins
Mr. & Mrs. Mike Gemmell
Hugh & Kitty Harris
Mr. & Mrs. Al Hollingsworth
Invest in Others
Mr. & Mrs. Rusty Jenkins
Jeanie & Bazile Lanneau, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Francis Ory
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Parker
Mr. & Mrs. John Pearson
Mr. John Pearson
Mrs. Katherine Pearson
Regions Bank
Mr. & Mrs. J. W. Seibert
Mr. & Mrs. J. M. Sessions III
SSS Foundation
ORCHESTRA – $250-$499
Atmos Energy
Dr. & Mrs. David Ball
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Barnes
Century Investment Group
Mr. Anthony J. Clesi, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Marlon Copeland
Mr. & Mrs. John Dale IV
Frank & Dorothy Drouillard
Duke Energy Foundation Matching
Gifts Program
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Furlow
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Henry
Mr. & Mrs Bazile Lanneau
Dorothy & William McGehee
Rotary Club
Mr. & Mrs. Bob Sasser
C. Tricon Sehrt & Herbert Holmes
Margee & Collins Wohner
LOGE – $100-$249
Mr. & Mrs. Nelson Baughman
Mr. Allen Bridgeforth
Leslie D. Bruning
Mrs. John S. Callon
Joan & Michael Davi
Mr. A. J. Ferguson
Dr. & Mrs. Jim Franklin
Gardenia Ladies of the Opera
Mr. & Mrs. C.H. Granning
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Henley
Mr. & Mrs. Hyde Jenkins
Mr. & Mrs. Hayden Kaiser
Mr. & Mrs. John Kendall
A. Rodger Kochek
Susan Meng
Mr. & Mrs. Albert Metcalfe
Mr. & Mrs. F. L. Passbach, Jr.
Arthur & Lyudmyla Person
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Punches
Robert McIntosh Farm
Dr. & Mrs. Bruce Scarborough
Rena Jean Schmieg
Ina Shirley
Stephens and Hobdy
The Markets
Teri & Barry Tillman
Dr. & Mrs. Ancel C. Tipton
Dr. Neil Varnell
Alfred J. Walker
Charles Wesley
MEMBER – $50-$99
Dr. and Mrs. William Calhoun
Prof. & Mrs. Robert C. Dunnell
Paula & Terry Estes
Mr. & Mrs. John Hudson
Charles Kuntz & Jacques Weaver
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Lehman
Ms. Cynthia Molyneux
Natchez Garden Club
Mr. Robert Pully
Mr. & Mrs. Eddie Walker
STUDENT – $25-$49
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Benoist
Mr. Jim C. Blough
Mrs. Eulalie Bull
Mr. Peter Buttross, Jr.
Betty Dossett
The Friday Bridge Club
Mr. Roger Malouf
Jeanne Peabody
Bill & Devereux Slatter
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
41
42
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Natchez Festival of Music
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Fo r Ti c ke t s :
(Gift Certificates available for one performance or entire season.)
By phone:
(601) 445-6103
(800) 647-6742
Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center
64 Homochitto Street
P.O. Box 2207
Natchez, MS 39121
601.442.7464
Please help bring this outstanding season to our community.
Natchez Festival of Music, P.O. Box 2207, Natchez, MS 39121
In person:
Natchez Visitors Center
Name: __________________________________________________
Natchez Pilgrimage Tours
640 S. Canal Street, Natchez, MS 39120 Address: ________________________________________________
Web sites:
www.natchezopera.com
_______________________________________________________
www.alcorn.edu/opera/index/html
Benefactor $5,000-plus
Dress $500-$749
Guest Benefactor $3,500-$4,999
Orchestra $250-$499
Underwriter $2,500-$3,499
Loge $100-$249
1. Memorial gifts are a lovely way to honor loved ones.
Guest Underwriter $1,500-$2,499
Member $50-$99
2. Donations in honor of friends and family make
Founder
$1,000-$1,499
Student $25-$49
wonderful gifts.
Guest Founder $750-$999
Remember:
43
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
Mainstage Artists
NAT CHANDLER
44
Nat Chandler is happy to return
to Natchez where he played
Ravenal in Show Boat and in a
tribute to Cole Porter called
Anything Goes! New York Times
theatre critic D.J.R. Bruckner
proclaimed, “Nat Chandler is a
find … he displays rich comic gifts
and he can use his fine operatic
voice to express any emotion he
wants to.” Nat Chandler is well known to theatre and
concert audiences around the country. On Broadway, he
was seen in the tile role of Sir Percival Blakeney in the
Tony nominated musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and
played many performances to great acclaim. Most recently
Nat played the role of district attorney Frederick
Katzmann in Anton Coppola’s new American opera Sacco
and Venzetti. He played the role of Roy Darwin in OffBroadway’s Counsellor at Law starring John Rubinstein
and toured nationally as Lancelot in Camelot starring
Robert Goulet. Mr. Chandler starred as Raoul in The
Phantom of the Opera directed by Harold Prince and
toured with Sarah Brightman in The Music of Andrew
Lloyd Webber. Other national tours include Sonheim’s Into
the Woods, and Mr. Chandler’s first professional job in
musical theatre, Lun Tha in The King and I starring Yul
Brynner. Other Off-Broadway venues include the
prestigious 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists series, City
Center Encores! Production of The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936
(cast recording on Sony records), and created the role of
Tony Toscanini in the fabled Tales of Tinseltown. Recently,
Mr. Chandler has performed the roles of Gaston in Beauty
and the Beast, Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Forum for which re received a Kevin
Kline nomination for Best Actor in a Musical, and a very
special Carousel in which he played Billy Bigelow with
Shirley Jones as Nettie Fowler, all to critical acclaim.
A South Carolina native, Nat has played leading roles
in a broad spectrum of American musicals and operetta
across the country, including A Little Night Music,
Carousel, Oklahoma!, South Pacific (with Howard Keel),
Cinderella, Cabaret, The Most Happy Fella, Show Boat,
Candide, Trouble in Tahiti, Desert Song, The Merry Widow
and Kismet in such famous theatres as Boston’s
Huntington, Colonial and Wang Center, St. Louis MUNY,
The Fox of Atlanta, Detroit and St. Louis, New Orleans’
Saenger Theatre, Sacremento CLO, Pittsburgh’s Heinz
Hall, Meyerson Symphony Hall of Dallas, The Jackie
Gleason of Miami Beach, The Kennedy Center in
Washington, DC, Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre,
Philadelphia’s Forrest and Walnut Street Theatres, and
many more.
Nat received two Barrymore Award nominations for
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Best Actor in a Musical for his performances as the
Phantom in the Kopit/Yestin Phantom!, and Lancelot in
Camelot at the Walnut Street Theatre. As a concert
performer, Nat has appeared as soloist with such
renowned American symphonies as The National at
Wolftrap, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Colorado
Springs, Tucson, Kansas City, Utah, Arizona, Oregon
Symphony and more.
CHRISTINE MARIE HEATH
Christine Marie Heath is
delighted to return to Natchez
singing the role of Laurey in
Oklahoma! In 2004, she was a
principle singer with the Natchez
Festival of Music as Magnolia in
Show Boat. She has sung with
several theatre companies such as
The New York Gilbert and
Sullivan Players at City Center,
Shreveport Opera, Sarasota Opera, Toledo Opera,
Ashlawn-Highland Opera Festival, and Ohio Light Opera.
Internationally, she has performed a concert series titled
On Broadway at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari Sardinia, a
revue called A Little Sondheim Music at La Gran Theatre
del Liceu in Barcelona, and the title role of Evita entirely
in German at The Musik Theater Chur in Swizterland.
Other performed roles include Kate in Kiss Me Kate,
Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Carrie in Carousel and
Annina in A Night in Venice, which was released on CD by
Newport Classics.
DIANE FOX
Ms. Fox made her international
operatic debut at the Bolshoi
Opera opposite the late
Metropolitan Opera legend,
Jerome Hines in his opera, I am
the Way. Other cast members of
this production included baritone,
Mark Delavan and tenor, Jing Ma
Fan of whom Ms. Fox later sang
again with, debuting her first
Eboli in Don Carlo with Mr. Hines’s Opera Music Theatre
International. This past March 22, 2008, Ms. Fox dazzled
audiences in Seoul, South Korea at the Seoul Arts Center
in the inaugural performance of the Korea W
Philharmonic Orchestra led by Maestro Nam Kim in the
aria “Acerba volutta” from Adriana Lecouvreur. In the
second half of the concert, Ms. Fox helped bring down the
house with a rousing Beethoven 9th Symphony. The fall
of 2006, Ms. Fox was honored to sing on the 5-year
anniversary of 9/11 for Trinity Church in Manhattan,
presenting spirituals, works of Mahler, Strauss and Dvorak.
First heard on the Trinity Church Noontime Concert
Series in 1994, it was an honor to return to Trinity
Church on the first anniversary of 9/11 where Ms. Fox
was greeted with a standing ovation for her contribution
of “With Hope and Healing” (9/11/02) a musical program
live telecast on NBC and also a live web cast, sharing the
stage with international pianist, Ruth Laredo.
Ms. Fox has won accolades from press, public and
colleagues for her extraordinary performances in widely
varied repertoire including Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans
(“A galvanic reading, ready to take on the most dramatic
roles in the repertoire” Newark Star-Ledger), Wagner’s
Wesendonck Lieder (“Convincing, both musically and
emotionally,” Marina Alexander, The Arcadian Chorale),
and Jerome Hines’ inspirational opera, I Am The Way, (“An
outstanding voice…a rare type, a singer-actress,” Hines).
Ms Fox’s varied operatic roles include the leading
ladies of Amneris (Aida), Eboli (Don Carlo), Azucena (Il
Trovatore), Santuzza, (Cavalleria Rusticana), Giulietta
(Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Laura (La Gioconda) Augusta
Tabor (The Ballad of Baby Doe), Mother (Amahl and the
Night Visitors) to the zany, character gals such as
Buttercup (HMS Pinafore), Lady Jane (Patience) the Witch
(Hansel und Gretel), Mama McCourt (The Ballad of Baby
Doe) Martha (Faust), alongside the serious supporting
roles of La Cieca (La Gioconda), Maddalena (Rigoletto),
and Mamma Lucia (Cavalleria Rusticana). Studied roles
include Brangaena (Tristan und Isolde), Fricka (Die
Walküre), Venus (Tannhaüser), Erda (Das Rheingold) and
Ulrica (Un Ballo in Maschera).
Ms. Fox has toured the United States with the New
York City Opera National Company and has also sung
with Sarasota Opera, Cleveland Opera, Ohio Light Opera,
New Jersey State Opera, Opera Music Theatre
International, Dicapo Opera, Ridge Light Opera, State
Repertory Opera of New Jersey, New Jersey Association of
Verismo Opera among others. She has been a guest artist
on WBAI’s Art Breaking and has recorded works of John
Corigliano and Ron Nelson for Golden Crest. Having a
great love for the works of Brahms, Ms. Fox has also been
heard in the Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes Op. 52a on
WKSU and has sung the Brahms Alto Rhapsody with
great acclaim. Diane Fox’s longtime relationship and
many recital performances with Music For All Seasons, Inc.
(over 100) have been featured on radio programs both in
Russia and the United States and also include
performances with members of the New Jersey Symphony
Orchestra. As an undergraduate, studying in Italy, she had
the rare honor of singing for Pope John Paul II in a private
performance in Fiesole, Italy. Ms. Fox, along with
accompanist, Thomas Osuga, recently were received with
a standing ovation and a chorus of bravas for their work
performing the Wagner Wesendonck Lieder, selections
from the Zigeuner Lieder of Brahms and songs of Kurt
Mainstage Artists
Weill for Manhattan’s historical Trinity Church’s Concerts
at One Series.
June 2006, Ms. Fox dazzled audiences with her
portrayal of Amneris for One World Symphony in New
York City. Recent engagements include performances of
the Beethoven 9th, April 2007 with the Greater
Newburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Upcoming performances include in December 2008, a
Gala Performance with the Korea W Philharmonic
Orchestra under the leadership of Maestro Nam Kim in
Seoul, South Korea.
COREY TRAHAN
With over 50 roles in his repertoire, Corey Trahan is an
active performer in opera, oratorio,
musical theater, operetta and
recital venues. Corey returns for
his second season with the
Natchez Festival of Music after
performing in last season’s My Fair
Lady and Chanticleer. For the
2007-1008 season, Corey will
have performed in productions of
Rossini’s Il Barbiere de Siviglia,
Puccini’s Tosca, Verdi’s La Traviata, a 2007 Holiday
Concert Tour, 2008 Valentine’s Concert Tour, and a
cabaret act at the Four Seasons in New York. Engagements
for 2006-07 included return visits to Louisiana to perform
with We Three Kings for a 2006 Holiday Concert Tour to
seven venues, guest vocalist for the Monroe Symphony
Orchestra’s Winter Pops Concert, a Hooray for Hollywood
concert tour, guest vocalist for the Twin City Ballet
Company’s presentation of Ballet Under The Stars, a
return to Des Moines Metro Opera for their 2007
summer season in productions of Carmen (Remendado)
and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Snout) and a debut
with Louisiana Lyric Opera in their inaugural season
productions of Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour) and
Pirates of Penzance (Samuel). His academic training
includes a Bachelor of Music from Louisiana State
University and the Master of Music degree from the
University of Houston, both in Voice Performance. Corey
is a current member of the American Guild of Music
Artists, Actor’s Equity Association and National
Association of Teachers of Singing and currently lives in
New York City.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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Mainstage Artists
TYNAN DAVIS
A versatile vocalist, Tynan Davis
frequently performs in operas,
musicals and with jazz ensembles.
Last summer, Ms. Davis made her
Natchez Festival debut in My Fair
Lady and Verdi’s Falstaff. Since
that time, she has sung Cherubino
in Le Nozze di Figaro with
Mendocino’s Opera Fresca, Wolf’s
Spanisches Lieder with organist
Nancy Granert at St. Xavier Cathedral in nearby
Alexandria, LA, and concerts with New York’s Goliard
Ensemble. Other credits include the First Witch in Dido
and Aeneas with the Bronx Opera and Maddalena in
Rigoletto, and Prince Orlovskey in Die Fledermaus with
New York City’s Amato Opera. Ms. Davis is a proud
Texan currently living in New York.
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WILL EARL SPANHEIMER
Bass-baritone Will Earl
Spanheimer came to classical
voice late in life. Having earned
degrees from Grand Canyon
University and Baylor University
he was appointed to a commission
in the US Navy. In 2004, after
being honorably discharged, he reentered academia earning a
Masters of Music in Opera/Music
Theatre Performance from Arizona State University and a
Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Recent
performances have included Opera Theatre Lucca, Frost
Opera Theatre, St. Petersburg Opera, St. Barths Music
Festival, Miami Beach Society, and Florida Grand Opera.
This year will see Will Earl performing roles in Bastien
und Bastienne, Oklahoma!, Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflote,
La Bohéme, Falstaff, La Fanciulla del West and Amahl and
the Night Visitors. Will Earl is currently a student of the
respected American baritone, David Malis in Miami,
Florida.
VICTOR KHODADAD
Tenor Victor Khodadad was born
in Shiraz, Iran of an Iranian father
and a Cuban mother, and shortly
after his birth the entire family
moved to the US. His mother, a
classically trained pianist and
conductor, provided a childhood
full of music and performing
opportunities.
In college he pursued classical
theatre training and in 1992 received a Master of Fine
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Arts in Acting from San Francisco’s American
Conservatory Theater. Following several years of work in
Los Angeles, including membership with the improv
group Los Angeles Theatresports, he moved to New York
to pursue his career in theatre. By 2000, Mr. Khodadad
had worked at Boston Center for the Arts, Hartford Stage
Company, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival,
Theatreworks/USA and Yale Repertory Theater. He was
also in the original New York International Fringe Festival
production of Urinetown! The musical. While the majority
of his efforts had been placed on getting work as an actor,
he would occasionally be cast in musicals.
After playing the role of Jesus in a production of Jesus
Christ Superstar at Swine Palace Productions, directed by
Barry Kyle, former Associate Director for the Royal
Shakespeare Company, the fusion of music and drama
prompted Mr. Khodadad to shift his focus and begin
formal vocal study with Jerome Pruett, Associate Professor
of Voice at The Hartt School, in April of 2001.
In the summer of 2001, he was cast as Ferrando and
Don Ottavio in concert readings in Italian for New York
Opera Productions. After a turn as a super in the Met’s
War and Peace he found himself, in the summer of 2002,
in the Resident Artist program at Natchez Festival of
Music and then traveling to Italy, via a talent scholarship,
to take part in the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium where
he studied Italian and voice with Master Teachers Enza
Ferrari and Bruno Rigacci. Recitals performed in New
York and New Haven helped raise the money for that trip.
Singing in the chorus of Connecticut Opera in the fall of
2002 brought him his first contact with a larger regional
house and encouraged him to continue his studies. This
paid off when, in the summer of 2003 he returned to
Natchez Festival of Music, alternately performing the roles
of Benvolio and Romèo in Romèo et Juliette, and then to
Hot Springs Music Festival, where he continued to gain
experience singing with orchestra by performing in their
production of The Magic Flute. The culmination of these
efforts was enough to get him accepted into the Graduate
Professional Diploma Program at The Hartt School of
Music where he could gain leading role operatic
experience and continue studying with Mr. Pruett.
In February 2004, playing the role of The Male Chorus
in Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia at The Hartt
School, conducted by Kyle Swann, Assistant Conductor
for Connecticut Opera, proved to be another turning
point for Mr. Khodadad. This was the beginning of a string
of performances including Testo in Il Combattimento di
Tancredi e Clorinda, Tamino in The Magic Flute sung in
German and conducted by the Met’s Steven Crawford,
Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and his professional
operatic debut singing the role of Lensky in Eugene Onegin
at Operat Theater of Connecticut which was the opera’s
premiere in that state. This production was presented in
English with full orchestra conducted by Doris LangKosloff.
Some recent performances include Alfredo in La
Traviata (Mississippi Opera, 2005), Rodolfo in La Bohème
(Commonwealth Opera, 2006), Romèo in Romèo et
Juliette (CT Lyric Opera, 2007) and Nanki-poo in The
Mikado (Hot Springs Music Festival, 2007). In January
2007, Mr. Khodadad sang as a soloist with the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra in a concert of Der Rosenkavalier
excerpts conducted by Donald Runnicles. In Octoer 2007,
he sang Don Carlo and Bishop of Puebla in Carla Lucero’s
new Spanish opera Juana which played to sold-out
audiences at Theater Artaud in San Francisco.
Engagements for 2008 include being in the Young Artist
Program at Opera Santa Barbara, where he will
understudy Nemorino in L’Elisir d’amore, and a return to
Commonwealth Opera, CT Lyric Opera and Natchez
Festival of Music as the Duke in Rigoletto, Alfred in Die
Fledermaus and Ferrando in Così fan tutte, respectively. As
time permits, Mr. Khodadad coaches privately with
legendary tenor Nicolai Gedda in Switzerland.
KIMBERLY BENTLEY
Proclaimed “… ravishing to the
ear” by the Raleigh News and
Observer and “… vocally
captivating” by Spectator
Magazine, Kimberly Bentley’s “rich
and mature” soprano is ideal for
the full-voiced leading ladies of
Verdi, Mozart, and Strauss.
Amongst her roles, Ms. Bentley has
performed Donna Elvira in Don
Giovanni, Musetta in La Bohème, Fiordiligi in Cosí fan
tutte, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, and the role of Amanda
Etheridge, which she created for the world premiere of
J.M. Scearce’s Kitty Hawk. Most recently, Ms. Bentley sang
the role of Waltraute in Die Walküre, created the role of
Countess Olivia for the world premiere of the opera
Twelfth Night and sang the role of Mother in Hansel und
Gretel with NC Symphony and Capital Opera Raleigh.
Equally comfortable on the recital and concert stage,
Kimberly Bentley has thrilled audiences up and down the
eastern seaboard with her “rousing, energetic [and] and
vibrant” interpretations. Her artistry has been acclaimed
many times in singing competitions, including The
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
(Northeastern Region), the National Association of
Teachers of Singing Artist Awards and the Liederkranz
Foundation competition. Ms. Bentley holds music degrees
from Valparaiso University and Meredith College where
she was a Fletcher Fellow, and a Professional Studies
diploma from Mannes College of Music in Manhattan.
Ms. Bentley’s upcoming performances include cabaret
Mainstage Artists
and recital performances this coming spring and concert
and recital appearances with the Natchez Festival of
Music in the summer of 2008.
SANG-EUN LEE
With a range of more than three
octaves, Ms. Sang-Eun Lee
specializes in high coloratura
soprano repertoire, as well as in
bel-canto style and early music. Ms.
Lee recently sang the Queen of
the Night in the Magic Flute with
International Vocal art Institute.
And she also sang Norina in Don
Pasquale with Maestro Will
Crutchfield in the Connecticut Grand Opera. She
performed the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Madam
Goldentrill in Impresario, and Gilda in Rigoletto with full
scholarship from the International Vocal Arts Institute in
Israel, France and Japan. She also performed Pamina in
Die Zauberflote and also sang Nannetta in Falstaff in the
cover cast performance at the Natchez Festival of Music.
Ms. Lee’s orchestral solo and oratorio performances
include Brahms’s German Requiem and Carl Orff’s
Carmina Burana with a Metropolitan Opera conductor
Paul Nadler.
Ms. Lee won the third prize in the Metropolitan Opera
National Council Auditions Eastern Region in 2007. She
also won several prizes from the National Opera
Association Competition, Olga Koussevitzky Competition
of the Musicians Club of New York, Connecticut Opera
Guild’s Young Artist Scholarship Competition, and the
Five Towns and Music Young Artist Competition.
Ms. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Seoul
National University, a master’s degree in music from
Mannes College of Music. She also completed one-year
professional studies course in Manhattan School of Music.
Scenes performed with the Mannes Opera under the
baton of Maestro Joseph Colaneri and Ted Taylor include
scenes of Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Madam
Goldentrill (Impresario), Najade (Ariadne auf Naxos),
Despina (Cosi fan Tutte), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia).
Her future contracts include Despina in Cosi fan Tutte,
with the Natchez Fesival of Music and Rossina in Il
Barbiere di Siviglia with the Opera Theater of Lakeland.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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Mainstage Artists
GEORGE HOGAN
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After growing up in Abilene,
Texas, Mr. Hogan made his
operatic debut at the young age of
nineteen for a PBS filming as
‘Theseus’ in A Midsummer Night’s
Dream with the Des Moines
Metro Opera Company. He has
performed with such well known
artists as Renee Fleming, Frederica
von Stade, Denise Graves, Thomas
Allen, Jerome Hines, Dolora Zajic, and many others.
Some of his awards include a Sullivan Career Grant
from the Sullivan Foundation, International Finalist in the
Luciano Pavarotti Competition, ‘First Prize’ Winner in the
New York City San Francisco Opera Auditions, a Grand
Finals Winner at the San Francisco Merola Opera
Program, the winner of the Arturo Giargiari Bel-Canto
Voice Competition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a four
year member of the Texas All State Choir, and Who’s
Who in American High Schools.
He has been heard in operatic roles with such Opera
Companies as (listed alphabetically) Austin Lyric Opera,
Baltimore Opera, Central City Opera, Connecticut Opera,
Connecticut Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Des Moines
Metro Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Indianapolis Opera,
Lyric Opera of Chicago, Mississippi Opera, Natchez
Opera Festival, Opera Colorado, Opera Memphis, Opera
Omaha, Opera Pacific, Opera Company of Philadelphia,
Orlando Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Sacramento Opera,
Toledo Opera, Utah Opera, Der Vlaamse Oper in
Antwerp, Belgium, Edmonton Opera in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada, L’Opera de Montreal in Montreal,
Quebec, Canada, and the Australian Opera in the famed
Australian Opera House in Sydney, Australia under the
baton of Sir Richard Bonynge.
Mr. Hogan has been heard in concerts at Alice Tully
Hall (New York), Town Hall (New York), and with the
Anchorage Symphony in Anchorage, Alaska, Eastern
Music Festival, Houston Symphony, Lincoln Symphony in
Lincoln, Nebraska, Opera Orchestra of New York City,
Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Concerto Soloists,
Philadelphia Singers, and the Washington Concert Opera.
Mr. Hogan has been heard live on broadcasts from Lincoln
Center, National Public Radio, and Public Broadcasting
System Television Specials. He is also on the EMI
recording label.
He began his vocal studies with Dr. David Blackburn
and continued studies with famed Metropolitan Opera
Bass, Giorgio Tozzi (Indiana University). He is currently
working with his long-time friend and voice teacher, Dr.
Michael Scarbrough.
Mr. Hogan holds degrees from Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary (MM), a BM from Trevecca
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Nazarene University (Nashville, Tennessee), and a
Performance Certificate in Operatic Performance from the
Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He has taught voice and opera theater at Oral Roberts
University, French and German Diction at Texas Christian
University, and has held private voice studios in New York
City, Tulsa, and Dallas/Fort Worth. George continues to
teach professional singers who now travel to Belton for
private lessons. He is the Resident Vocal Artist, Director
of Opera Activities, and Associate Professor of Voice at
the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, in Belton, Texas.
He continues to stay active as a performer as a recitalist,
and in opera, concert and oratorio.
THE PFISTER SISTERS
Holley Bendtsen was
born and raised in
Louisiana. She studied
piano, clarinet and
singing as a schoolgirl
and always had a natural
gift and preference for
harmony. She founded
The Pfister Sisters in
1979 and has enjoyed
singing with them ever since. Holley is also known as a
songwriter and a cofounder of New Orleans Songwriters’
Workshop. She has written several musical revues, among
them Rockin’ the Cradle of Jazz, A New Orleans Musical
History and All’s Well that’s Boswell, the biographical story
of the Boswell Sisters. As a teacher in the New Orleans
Public Schools since 1976, her favorite job was helping to
create the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts
(NOCCA) Middle School. She is currently teaching at
Lafayette Academy Charter School, one of the few public
schools to reopen after Hurricane Katrina.
The daughter of two opera singers, Debbie Davis was
born into a life of music. She began performing
professionally at the age of 3 and spent most of her
childhood performing in musical theater. She earned the
prestigious New Jersey Governors Award for Theater
while still in high school and went on to study at the
Manhattan School of Music in New York City. After
several years performing with rock and roll bands in New
Jersey, Debbie moved to New Orleans in 1997 to pursue a
career in jazz, joining the Pfister Sisters in 1999. She is
married to multi-instrumentalist, Matt Perrine (who
recently completed a tour with Swiss vocalist, Erika
Stucky), is the mother of 4 year old Benjamin and
(almost!) 1 year old Henry.
Yvette Voelker came to the Pfister Sisters by way of
church choirs and musical theater. She met Holley while
performing in an original music theatre project at the
Contemporary Art Center in New Orleans almost 28
years ago, and has been singing jazz vocal harmony ever
since. She has lately branched out into solo vocals,
fronting a stringed swing group “Rites of Swing” with preeminent New Orleans guitarist, John Rankin.
Amasa Miller has been hailed as “one of the most
sought after pianists in the city, and one of the freshest
contributors to the New Orleans tradition.” A New York
transplant, he got hooked on New Orleans music after
hearing the piano playing of Professor Longhair, Dr. John
and James Booker. In addition to playing and recording
with the Pfister Sisters for over 27 years, he has played
with Aaron Neville, Linda Ronstadt, Steven Stills and
Maria Muldaur, and recorded with Bob Dylan , Lil
Queenie, Peter Stampfel , Spider John Koerner and
Makoto Kubota of Japan. His musical influences are as
varied as his talents, from classical to pop, from
country/western to jazz and back to rock-and-roll, from
the piano playing of Abdullah Ibrahim to tango, klezmer
and Gypsy swing.
All of the Pfister Sisters are U.S. Citizens, and residents
of the Metropolitan New Orleans, Louisiana area.
MICHAEL BUNCHMAN
Michael Bunchman holds a Bachelor of Music from the
University of Colorado and a Master of Music from the
Mainstage Artists
Peabody Conservatory. His teachers have included Marian
Hahn, Joseph Kalichstein,
Antoinette Perry, and Doris
Pridonoff-Lehnert. Mr.
Bunchman performs regularly as a
soloist, chamber musician, and
vocal collaborative pianist.
Recently, Mr. Bunchman has
performed with the Breckenridge
Music Festival, the National
Repertory Orchestra, the
Northeast Theatre Company in Scranton, PA, New
Mexico State University concert series, the Music
Conservatory of Westchester concert series and the
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music concert series. He as
appeared as a soloist with both the Breckenridge Music
Festival, with maestro Gerhardt Zimmermann and the
Nation Repertory Orchestra with maestro Carl Topilow.
As a vocal collaborative pianist, Mr. Bunchman performs
regularly with singers around New York City, along with
his wife, Soprano Jessica Medoff Bunchman. This is Mr.
Bunchman’s first season with Natchez Music Festival. Mr.
Bunchman currently lives in New York City and is on the
Faculty at the Music Conservatory of Westchester.
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NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
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18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Proud Supporter
Natchez Festival of Music
18th Season
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129 Jefferson Davis Blvd.
Natchez, MS 39120
601·445·6200
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
Guest Artists
JENNIFER WHITE
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A native of Shreveport,
Louisiana, Jennifer most recently
played Luisa in The Fantasticks
with the Gilbert and Sullivan
Society of North Louisiana and
Louise in the Shreveport Opera’s
production of Carousel. Also, she
was the lead role in Centenary
College of Louisiana’s opera The
Child and the Enchanted Objects.
Acquiring most of her dance training from Theatre School
of Dance in Bossier City, LA, she is also a full member of
the Royal Academy of Dance based in London, England.
Currently she is studying for her final professional ballet
exam with the Royal Academy.
A sophomore at Centenary College, she is majoring in
Vocal Performance studying voice under the direction of
Susan Yankee. In 2007, she won first in both Classical and
Musical Theatre at the Northern Louisiana National
Association of Teachers of Singing competition and third
in the regional competition. Miss White plans to pursue
an artistic career in musical theatre. She would like to
thank her friends, family, and teachers for their support,
Bill Fabris and the Natchez Festival of Music for giving
her this opportunity, and most of all her Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ for his countless blessings.
PAT GALLOWAY
Pat Galloway is a resident of
Vidalia, Louisiana. He is married
to Cindy Walton Galloway and
they have two children, Jeffrey and
Shannon..
Pat graduated from Louisiana
Tech University and LSU Banking
School of the South. He is Senior
Vice President of Concordia Bank
& Trust Company. Pat is a
member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and the Knights
of Columbus. Pat is active in the community and is
treasurer of the Vidalia Lions Club and Concordia Parish
Ducks Unlimited. He serves on the board of the Adams
County Chapter of the American Red Cross and the
Concordia Parish Friends of the NRA. He is past
president of the Natchez Home Builders Association and
currently serves on the board.
Pat’s prior performance experience includes “Southern
Exposure” and “Crazy for You” at the Natchez Little
Theatre where he also served as a board member for three
years. His hobbies including collecting western Americana
and shooting guns of the Old West.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
BERNARDO SCARAMBONE
Dr. Bernardo Scarambone was
born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and
started his piano studies at early
age. After graduating from the
National School of Music in Rio de
Janeiro, Dr. Scarambone received
an scholarship to continue his
studies at Indiana University,
where he completed his Master’s
degree in 1999. The following year,
Dr. Scarambone started his Doctoral degree at the
University of Houston, receiving his degree in 2006. Dr.
Scarambone played in several concert halls in the US,
Brazil, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain, always with
great success of public and critic. In addition, he received
13 prizes in National and International piano
competitions, attended several International Music
Festivals and was part of the jury in many national and
international piano competitions. His passion for
contemporary music is reflected in his repertoire,
including several world premieres. Dr. Scarambone is
currently in the faculty of Alcorn State University.
TONY GORDON
A native of Natchez, Mississippi,
Tony received his Bachelor of
Music Degree in Piano
Performance from Southern
University in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, where he studied with
Frank E. White.
As a student, Mr. Gordon was a
consistent winner of the Tourgee
DeBose National Piano
competition at Southern University. Gordon has also
performed as guest artist for this competition. During his
undergraduate and graduate school years, he was also a
winner of several piano concerto competitions.
Tony completed graduate studies in piano performance
at the University of Southern Mississippi. His principle
professors were Dr. Harold Luce, Dr. Stanley Waldoff, and
Dr. Albert Glover.
Tony has cultivated his talents in jazz and church
music, which has been exhibited through his work as
keyboard player for jazz ensembles and as a recording
church musician. He has also recorded several gospel
albums with various gospel artists.
Currently, Tony is a piano instructor and accompanist
for the concert choir at Alcorn State University. He is also
a private studio teacher and minister of music for several
local churches in the Natchez area.
GEORGE BRUNNER
George Brunner is composer and
performer, researcher/writer,
recording engineer/producer and
teacher. His music has been
performed throughout the United
States, in Europe, Asia, and South
America. Mr. Brunner has been
composer-in-residence in 1996,
1998, and 2001 at EMS
(Electroacoustic Music Studios) in
Stockholm, Sweden and in 2001 also at Kungliga
Musikhögskolan in Stockholm (Royal College of Music in
Stockholm), Sweden. A few of George Brunner’s
accomplishments are as follows:
* Recorded Songs From Another Place with Monica
Harte, soprano and Nancy Merriam, bass for MSR
Classics label.
* Commissioned to write a percussion piece for Morris
Lang (plus ensemble). The Elixir of the Central Fire
for timpani soloist and 3 percussionists plus CD
playback had its first performance at The Helix in
Dublin, Ireland in June 2004 as part of the first
International Percussion Music Festival in Dublin.
* Composer-in-residence at the Institut International de
Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges (France) and
composed Within/Without, an Electroacoustic work
commissioned by the IMEB and designed for LE
CYBERNEPHONE, a 20-60 speaker, multidimensional sound diffusion system. The work was
premiered at Festival Synthese 2003 Bourges, France
at the Palais Jaques-Coeur.
In 2002 Mr. Brunner received a commission to create
an all electronic score for sixteen 45 minute radio
programs on Sound Poetry for the Radio/Radio program,
London, England; Martin Spinelli, producer. Brunner is
the Director of the Music Technology Program for the
Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College and is the
founder of the Brooklyn College Electroacoustic Music
Ensemble, which under his direction produces an annual
CD. He is also Artistic Director and founder of the
biannual International Electroacoustic Music Festival in
New York City and has for fifteen years, run the Emerging
Composer’s Concert, as part of his festival. Mr. Brunner
was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
ASU CHOIR
Guest Artists
The Touring Choir at Alcorn State University consists
of talented music majors in the vocal program that comes
from a wide and varied background across America. They
perform for special events at the University and present
the Festival of Christmas, an annual tradition at Saint Mary
Basilica in Natchez, Mississippi. They also open the
Natchez Festival of Music with a special concert in April.
They have toured throughout the United States, and
present a program reflecting the entire gamut of Choral
Music. They performed at Disney World in March 2004
and the 55th Presidential Inauguration in Washington,
DC, for President George W. Bush on January 20, 2005.
The choir also performed Vivaldi’s Gloria at Carnegie Hall
in March 2006, in Chicago, 2007 and in Texas, 2008.
53
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
HISTORIC OAK HILL
Voted Trip Advisors #1 B&B in Natchez
601.446.2500
www.historicoakhill.com
on a hill in the beautiful garden district!
54
D Delta Rentals
Delta Rentals, Inc.
601-442-6222
102 Hwy 61 South
Natchez, MS 39120
Tony Byrne
Rusty Marks
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Presbyterian Church
The W. Samuel
A real place for real people and a real God.
Downtown Natchez • 130 Homochitto Street
Perkins Family
R e v. D e n n i s F l a c h , P a s t o r
Worship Service 10:30
applauds the
Natchez Festival of Music
in its 18th season
55
Proud Supporter
Natchez Festival of Music
wishes to thank
COMFORT INN & SUITES
R I V E R F RO N T
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
Education Outreach Program
G Train the musical
By Christian McLeer
G Train is about 5 zany characters who get trapped on the subway train together. The train has stopped and the doors
are locked. These 5 people (a judge, a homeless man, a mom, a financial executive from Wall Street and a wannabe
rapper), who would never find themselves socializing together, have to figure out how to work with each other in order
to deal with this awkward situation.
56
Sara Blackburn
Christian McLeer
Monica Harte
Chairperson
Composer/Artistic
Director
Artistic Director
Cast of Characters
Donald Groves
Hilerie Rensi
Sable Rivera
David Schnell
Dan Pettit
Jim
Patricia
Mary
Mark
Steve
2008 Education Program
Sponsored by
is performed in memory of
MISSISSIPPI ARTS
COMMISSION
Tylertown, Mississippi
August 22, 1998 ~ December 11, 2004
NATCHEZ FORD LINCOLN
MERCURY
Emma Jean Standifer McDonald
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Education Outreach Program
Bringing the Magic of Opera to Children
The Natchez Festival of Music,
since its inception eighteen years ago,
has had music education as a big part
of its mission. Through the years we
have educated thousands of kindergarten – sixth grade students about
the joys and rewards of the arts.
There is always a good moral to the
story as well. The tradition continues
and Excitement and anticipation fill
Sara Blackburn
the air as the curtain rises each season.
Chairperson
This year the educational outreach
program is G Train The Musical. It is
our fortune to have the composer Christian McLeer and his
partner Monica Harte direct the show. They are outstanding
professional artists from New York. The cast of five are dedicated to reaching the children for whom they perform. They
are Donald Groves, bartitone from New Mexico now living
in New York; Sable Rivera, soprano, a native of New York;
Dan Pettit, baritone, from California now living in New York;
Hilerie Rensi, mezzo, from New York; and David Schnell,
tenor, from Las Vegas, Nevada, now living in New York.These
special artists work very hard to make an indelible mark on
this community. The Natchez Festival of Music continues to
improve the lives of children thoughout our area. This program is one of the most important investments we can make.
It has been my pleasure to serve as chairman of the
Educaltional Outreach Program for eight years. It is hard to
explain the joy that I have seen from year to year in the eyes
of our children. If you are able to donate to this worthy program, please do. If you would like to bring the magic of opera
to your school or community please contact me.
Sara Blackburn
Educational Outreach Program Chairman
57
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
58
Portraiture
need new
photo
by
T. G. McCary
1207 Main Street
Natchez, Mississippi 39120
601.446.5670
800.256.1207
www.tgmccary.com
Mallory, daughter of Bryan and Aubry Adair
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Proudly supports the
Natchez Festival of Music
Educational Outreach Program
59
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
Artists in Residence
60
ANDREW CUMMINGS
A native of Maine, baritone
Andrew Cummings has performed
on both concert and opera stages
throughout the US and Europe.
This spring, Andrew performed
the role of Giorgio Germont in
Verdi’s La Traviata with Regina
Opera Company in NYC. He joins
the Natchez Festival of Music as
Ben in The Telephone and cover for
Guglielmo in Così fan tutte directly from a guest
appearance in Bach’s St. John’s Passion with Shepherd
University in West Virginia. In June, Andrew will appear
at Symphony Space in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater
with Encompass New Opera Theater in two one-act
contemporary operas composed by Philip Hageman and
George Bernard Shaw.
Mr. Cummings’s operatice appearances include Tonio
in I Pagliacci with the Rockland Opera Society, the title
roles in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Mozart’s Le Nozze di
Figaro, as well as Belcore in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore
with the Martina Arroyou Foundation in New York City.
In addition, he has appeared as Truffaldin in Ariadne auf
Naxos with the Brevard Music Festival, Elder Ott in
Susannah with Lake George Opera, Speaker in The Magic
Flute with Opera Delaware, the title role in Falstaff with
American Singers Opera Project, Escamillo in Carmen
with Chestnut Hill Operalogue, Angelotti in Tosca with
Metro Lyric Opera of New Jersey, Ill Re in Aïda with
Opera Delaware, and Colline in La Bohéme with Glens
Falls Symphony Orchestra.
An avid performer of contemporary music Mr.
Cummings had been featured in the world premieres of
To One in Paradise by Benjamin C.S. Boyle with the
Bachanalia Orchestra at Merkin Hall in New York City;
and Gary Papach’s The Last Leaf with the North Czech
Philharmonic, in the Czech Republic. He has also been a
frequent guest concert and oratorio soloist throughout the
USA, including Brahm’s Ein Deutsches Requiem with the
University of Pennsylvania, Mozart’s Requiem with the
Camerata New York Orchestra, and Verdi’s Requiem with
the University of Pennsylvania and Shepherd University.
Some other works include Bach’s B-Minor Mass,
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Faure’s Requiem, Handel’s
Messiah, various Bach cantatas, and Haydn’s Creation.
Mr. Cummings received his music education from
Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. He currently
resides in New York City and studies voice with Arthur
Levy.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
ALAN DUNBAR
Bass-baritone Alan Dunbar, a
native of South Carolina, is a
versatile performer. From opera,
oratorio, and art song, to folk and
popular music, he has enjoyed
acclaim for his performances in
numerous styles and genres. Mr.
Dunbar did his undergraduate
study in music theory and
composition at St. Olaf College in
Northfield, MN. He is currently working on his doctorate
in vocal performance at Indiana University, where he
studies with Costanza Cuccaro. He debuted with the IU
Opera Theater in the 2004-2005 season as Alcindoro in
La Bohéme, and has appeared in ten other IU productions,
most recently as Dr. Jules Goddard in William Bolcom’s
newest opera, A Wedding. Other opera roles include
Leporello (Don Giovanni), Dulcamara (L’elisir d’Amore),
Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), and Prince Gremin in
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin with Opera Twin Cities.
From 1998 to 2004 Mr. Dunbar performed throughout
North America and Europe with the internationally
acclaimed male chamber vocal ensemble Cantus. Mr.
Dunbar’s next engagement will be at the Tanglewood
Music Festival, where he will perform the role of Zaretsky
in a concert performance of Eugene Onegin under the
baton of James Levine.
JOHN DALTON FREDERICK
John Dalton Frederick, baritone,
grew up in Longview, TX and is a
member of St. Andrew
Presbyterian church.
Mr. Frederick recently completed
an apprenticeship at Sarasota
Opera, where he was featured as a
cover and in scenes programs. He
was recently seen as Le Dancaire
(Carmen) with Sacramento Opera
and as Masetto (Don Giovanni) with Festival Opera.
Active as a concert soloist, he has performed as the bass
soloist in Handel’s Messiah in Tokyo under the baton of
Maestro Hiroshi Gungi, and more recently as the baritone
soloist in Durufle’s Requiem under the baton of Dr.
Thomas Davies with world-renowned organist Todd
Wilson. Upcoming engagements include Angelotti (Tosca)
with DuPage Opera Theatre in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and
Medelssohn’s Elijah in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Mr. Frederick holds a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal
Performance and Theater from Indiana University and a
Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music. While studying at
Indiana, he was awarded both the Mary Pickford-Rogers
Scholarship for the Performing Arts and the Music Dean’s
Award. While studying at SFCM, he was awarded
Department Honors for Outstanding Achievement in
Voice.
JENNIFER GREENE
Jennifer S. Greene (soprano) is
thrilled to return for her second
season with the Natchez Festival
of Music as Lucy in The Telephone.
Last season she covered the role of
Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady as
well as performing in numerous
concerts. Ms. Green’s other
performances this season include
the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella
with the New York City Opera Education Department
and numerous school performances of Gretel in Hansel
and Gretel with Fairytale Opera Theater, an outreach
company which she founded and through which she has
brought opera performances to over 2,000 inner city
elementary school students in New York City.
Ms. Greene’s operatic repertoire includes Lucia in
Lucia di Lammermoor, Baby Doe in The Ballad of Baby
Doe, and Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, which she performed
to rave reviews with New York’s Regina Opera Company.
Ms. Greene attended the International Vocal Arts Institute
where she prepared the role of Gilda in Rigoletto with
Metropolitan Opera Conductor Paul Nadler and also has
the special opportunity of coaching her Mozart roles
Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Kostanze (Die
Entfuhrung aus dem Serail) with world-renowned
conductor Julius Rudel. Other operatic performances
include Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince with the New
York City Opera Education Department School Tour,
Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with One World Symphony,
Bastienne in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne with the
Garden State Opera, Fanny in Rossini’s La Cambiale di
Matrimonio with Rockland Opera Society, Sister
Constance in Dialogues of the Carmelites with Intermezzo
Opera, and Miss Silverpeal in Mozart’s Impressario with
Intermezzo Opera. While a member of the Mannes Opera
Department, Ms. Greene performed numerous scenes
under the batons of Maestros Joseph Colaneri and Ted
Taylor including portions of: Marie (La Fille du Regiment),
Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro),
Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Zdenka (Arabella), Gilda
(Rigoletto), and Pousette (Manon).
Ms. Greene can be heard on the NAXOS American
Classics release entitled Left at the Fork in the Road in two
new works by composer Sean Hickey. She has also
performed numerous concerts as soloist with orchestras
throughout the New York area and in recitals at venues
including the Russian Consulate of New York, The
Artists in Residence
Spanish Institute, The Lake Placid Institute for the Arts
and Humanities, The Aspen Music Festival, and
throughout Italy with the Centro Studi Italiani Opera
Program.
Ms. Greene is a graduate of the Mannes College of
Music in New York City, where she was a scholarship
recipient and earned both Master and Bachelor of Music
degrees. She is a recipient of the Michael Sisca Opera
Award in New York and an Encouragement Award from
the Mario Lanza Foundation in Philadelphia, PA. She
resides in New York City where she is a student of Arthur
Levy.
ELIZABETH KENNEDY
Soprano Elizabeth Kennedy’s
voice has been described by the
Boston Herald as “possessing an
inner radiance and strength”
–Gewertz. The Boston Globe once
again commended her for the
portrayal of Pamina, as she
“unfurled her big creamy soprano
and showed suavity of line, lucid
diction and lovely soft high notes.
She has a real presence and command …” –Larson. A New
England regional finalist in the 2000 NATSAA
competition, Kennedy was also a prizewinner in the New
England regional finals of the Metropolitan Opera
National Council auditions and was a fellow at the
Tanglewood Music Center. Her recent credits include solo
appearances in Mozart’s Sunday Vespers, Haydn’s Lord
Nelson Mass, the roles of Giuletta in I Capuleti e I
Montecchi and Adele in Die Fledermaus with New York
Opera Forum, Pertilote in Chanticleer with last spring’s
Natchez Festival of Music, Butterfly’s Cousin in Madama
Butterfly with Boston Lyric Opera, Pamina in The Magic
Flute with Opera UnMet, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel
with Longwood Opera, the Foreign Princess in Rusalka
with Symphony ProMusica, and concert appearances with
the Gardner Museum’s Young Artist Showcase, the Boston
Chamber Ensemble, and the Lehman Colllege and
Community Orchestra. Kennedy is an avid performer of
Twentieth Century works and has appeared as a guest
soloist with New England Conservatory’s Contemporary
Ensemble and the NEC Composer Series, performing
works of Arthur Berger, Charles Ives and Robert di
Domenica. Kennedy is a freelance artist in New York City.
She is thrilled to be back for her second festival season in
Natchez!
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
61
Artists in Residence
EUI JIN KIM
EMILY NEWTON
Eui Jin Kim, bass, is a native of
Masan , South Korea. Mr. Kim is a
2007 New York district winner of
the Metropolitan Opera National
Council Auditions. In 2006, he
attended Tanglewood Music
Center where he performed Der
Pfleger des Orest in Elektra under
James Levine, and sang in The
Opera Gala Concert at Carnegie
Hall’s Weil Recital Hall in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Last
summer, Mr. Kim performed Four Villains in Les contes
d’Hoffmann with The Martina Arroyo Foundation in New
York. This summer he will perform Don Magnifico in La
Cenerentola at Aspen Opera Theater. Mr. Kim will be
covering the role of Ferrando in Trovatore and the role of
Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Virginia Opera in the
2008-2009 season. Other previous roles include Sarastro
in Die Zauberflöte, Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Talpa in Il
Tabarro, Colline in La bohème, Inquisitor in Don Carlo and
Brent Freeman in The Village Singer. Mr. Kim received a
Bachelor of Music from Yonsei University in Korea and a
Master of Music and a Professional Studies degree from
Manhattan School of Music.
Praised for her “full voice and
striking presence” Emily Newton,
soprano, is from Lake Jackson,
Texas. She has been seen on the
opera stage in such roles as
Fiordiligi, Donna Anna, Female
Chorus, Mimi, Beatrice di Tenda
and Zaunschlüpfer among others.
Also at home on the concert stage
she has performed excerpts of the
roles of Violetta and Marschallin, as well as soprano solos
in Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Debussy’s La Damoiselle
Èlue, Beethoven’s Mass in C and Ninth Symphony,
Brahm’s Requiem, Elijah, the Creation and Schubert’s
Mirjam’s Siegesgesang. She has twice advanced to the
Regional Finals of the Metropolitan Opera’s National
Council Auditions and recently was a semi-finalist in the
International Moniuszko Competition in Warsaw, Poland.
Upcoming engagements include the role of Nella in
Gianni Schicchi and Busoso’s Ghost and the cover of the
role of Violetta in La Traviata at Lake George Opera. Ms.
Newton currently resides in New York City and is a
student of Ruth Golden.
SEAN PARR
62
EMILY LORINI
A Pittsburgh native, Ms. Lorini
earned a BA in Communication
from Gove City College in
Pennsylvania and an MM in Vocal
Performance from Miami
University of Ohio. Past roles
include Dorabellea in Così fan
tutte, Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus,
the Old Lady in Candide, the
Baker’s Wife in Into The Woods,
Lily/Kate in Kiss Me, Kate, and Anita in West Side Story.
Recent performances include the Flower Maiden and
Cherubino cover in The Marriage of Figaro with Opera
Theater of Pittsburgh and Tebaldo in Don Carlo with
Undercroft Opera. In addition, she has sung with the
Music in a Great Space Concert Series and the Dalla
Camera Recital Series in Oxford, OH. Ms. Lorini holds
awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council
Auditions, the Orpheus Vocal Competition, the National
Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Lakes Region
Opera. She is delighted to be making her debut with the
Natchez Festival of Music.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Sean Parr, tenor, is in his third
year singing here in Natchez,
covering the role of Ferrando, and
is very happy to be back. Sean
earned a B.A. in Music and Math
from Dartmouth College and a
M.M. from Florida State
University. He is currently working
on his Ph.D. at Columbia
University where he is writing a
dissertation on nineteenth-century opera and coloratura.
Sean also directs the Collegium Musicum at Columbia,
recently conducting Mozart’s Solemn Vespers at St. Paul’s
Chapel. His recent opera roles include Riccardo in Verdi’s
Un Ballo in Maschera with the Richard Nechamkin and
the New York Opera Forum; Jaquino in Beethoven’s
Fidelio with the Brooklyn Repertory Opera; and Kaspar in
Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors with the Treasure
Choirs. In his past seasons at Natchez, Sean sang Sem in
Britten’s Noye’s Fludde and the Rabbi in Fiddler on the
Roof. He will be covering Rodolfo in La Bohème with the
Eastern Festival Opera and singing Belmonte in Die
Entführung aus dem Serail with New York Opera Forum
this summer.
DAVID SCHNELL
David Schnell grew up in Las
Vegas, singing on the “Strip” with
the Clark High School Concert
Choir, singing back-up for such
artists as Barry Manilow and the
Gatlin Brothers. He started
college as a voice major at UNR
and performed in many operas
with the Nevada Opera Chorus
under the direction of Ted Puffer.
David finished his B.M. in Vocal Performance at Clayton
College, just south of Atlanta, better known as the home
of Spivey Hall. While there, he played the roles of
Haman, in Brad Whitefield’s Orphan Queen, Robert
Oppenheimer in the world premier of Trinity: A Minstrel
Show at the 14th St. Playhouse, William in Thomas Arne’s
The May Pole, and Don Basilio and Don Curzio in
Mozart’s Marriage or Figarro and also performed in many
operas with the Atlanta Opera Chorus under the direction
of William Fred Scott. David crossed over to the music
theater world as Jinx in Forever Plaid while a graduate
student in NYU music theater program. Since then, he
has played the role in Chappaqua, NY, New Rochelle, NY,
and Rehoboth Beach, DE. In 2005, David had the
pleasure of singing opposite Judith Barnes in Anna
Demska’s world premier of The Singing Bridge at the
Stonington Opera House in Stonington, ME. Later that
year, David performed the role of Tinca in the Vertical
Repertory Players production of Verdi’s Il Tabarro and had
his Carnegie Hall debut under the baton of Robert Bass in
Schubert’s Mass in G minor. David has been performing
for the last year with the New York Opera Forum under
Richard Nechamkin, under whom he has performed the
roles of Poison and the Abbot in Adrianna Lecouvreur,
Nathaniel, Spalanzani, Cochenille, Frantz, Pittichinacio,
Andreas in The Tales of Hoffman and Don Ottavio in
Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Most recently, David was the
tenor soloist in the national tour, A Venetian Christmas,
with the Sigmund Romberg orchestra. In April, he
performed the roles of Delegate, British Soldier, and
Minstrel in Berstein’s, A White House Cantata, at the
Rose Theater in NYC with the Collegiate Chorale. In
June, David will alternate between the roles of Fenton and
Dr. Caius in the NY Opera Forum production of Falstaff.
In July, David will be traveling to Israel with the
Collegiate Chorale to perform many works sacred to the
Christian and Judaic traditions at the invitation of Zubin
Mehta. David currently sings in the Sanctuary Choir at
Marble Collegiate Church, where he met his wonderful
wife, Pam. They were lucky enough to go on an amazing
14 day tour of South Africa together with the Marble
Gospel Choir in the summer of 2007. On a personal
note, David would like to thank the Natchez Music
Artists in Residence
Festival and its supporters in the Natchez community for
inviting him back this year for a month of great music,
great hospitality, and amazing banana malts!
STANLEY WILSON
Stanley Wilson, tenor, has a
background in both classical music
and musical theatre. He has a
Master of Music from The Longy
School of Music in Cambridge,
MA in Opera Performance and is
currently studying with Deborah
Birnbaum of New York City.
Opera credits include Gastone in
La Traviata, Laurie in Little
Women, and Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxo, El
Rememdado in Carmen, Tamino in The Magic Flute,
Basilio and Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro, Mr.
Angel in The Impressario, Kaspar in Amahl and the Night
Visitors, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, the Witch in Hänsel
und Gretel, Tinca in Il Tabarro, and Gherardo in Gianni
Schicchi.
Stanley’s concert work includes performances of
Handel’s Israel in Egypt, Messiah, and Judas Maccabeaus,
Mozart’s Requiem, Great Mass in c minor, and Coronation
Mass, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Hadyn’s Mass in the Time of
War, Vivaldi’s Dixit Dominus, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy,
the premier of Gwyneth Walkers’ Come Life, Shaker Life,
Bach’s St. John Passion and Schubert’s Mass in B and Mass
in E flat as well as the Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio. He
has sung with the Boston Classical Orchestra, New
Bedford Symphony, the Salisbury Singers and Arcadia
Orchestra, the Concord Chorus and Orchestra, the
Manchester Chorale and Orchestra, the Master Singers of
Worcester, the Oratorio Choir of New Haven and the
Concert Singers of Greater Lynn.
Stanley has worked with the Provincetown Repertory
Theatre in their productions of The Trip to Bountiful and
Amphoragorey, which is an original musical based on the
drawings and stories of Edward Gorey. Some musical
theatre roles, which he has performed, include Eddie Ryan
in Funny Girl, the MC in Cabaret and Sasha in Fiddler on
the Roof. During the summer of 2006 he released his first
CD titled Stanley Wilson Sings Cole Porter. For the last six
years, Stanley has been teaching private lessons from his
home.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
63
Artists in Residence
DONALD GROVES
Donald Groves, tenor, is very
happy to be singing with the
Natchez Festival of Music for the
first time. Most recently Mr.
Groves performed the role of Filch
in Britten’s version of The Beggars
Opera conducted by Lorin Maazel
at the Chateauville Foundation in
Castleton, Virginia. In addition,
Mr. Groves has performed with
numerous opera companies including Ash Lawn Opera,
Opera Carolina, Chautauqua Opera, Sarasota Opera, Lyric
Opera Cleveland, El Paso Opera, and Manhattan Opera
Theater. Credits include Max Detweiler in The Sound of
Music, Camille in The Merry Widow, Le Docteur Miracle
in Le Docteur Miracle, Giusepe and Gaston in La Traviata,
Yamadori and Yakuside in Madama Butterfly, Don Ottavio
in Don Giovanni, and Raoul St. Brioche in The Merry
Widow. He received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal
Performance from University of Colorado and currently
lives in New York City. After leaving Natchez, Mr. Groves
will be performing with the Santa Fe Opera.
64
JESSICA MEDOFF BUNCHMAN
Jessica Medoff Bunchman is a
native of Las Cruces, NM. She
completed her Bachelor of Music
at the University of Colorado and
her Master of Music at the
University of Michigan. While in
Ann Arbor, Jessica sang the title
role in Suor Angelica and Donna
Elvira (Don Giovanni) with
Maestro Martin Katz. Other roles
in her operatic repertoire include Greta Fiorentino (Street
Scene), The Governess (Turn of the Screw),
Mother/Witch (Hansel and Gretel), Musetta (La
Bohème), Micaela (Carmen), Persephone (Orpheus
Returns), Pamina (The Magic Flute) and Judith
(Bluebeard’s Castle). As a 4 year member of the Aspen
Opera Theater Center, she has performed in many venues
and styles including an evening of Sondheim and the
Bernstein Gala under the direction of Maestro David
Zinnman. She joined Lake George Opera in the summer
of 2005 where she sang Micaela in Carmen and Ash Lawn
Opera in the summer of 2007 to sing Elsa (The Sound of
Music). Upcoming engagements include the Natchez
Festival of Music and the summer season with Opera New
Jersey. Jessica was the 2004 winner of the Harold Haugh
Light Opera Competition as well as winner of the
audience favorite award. She has also been a finalist in
the American Traditions Competition, the Denver Lyric
Opera Guild competition and the Rocky Mountain region
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions. Jessica recently
made her Carnegie Hall debut singing the soprano soloist
in the Fauré Requiem. Jessica is a frequent recitalist with
various companies including the Northeast Theater
Company in Pennsylvania, the Dona Ana Lyric Opera in
New Mexico and the National Repertory Orchestra and
the Breckenridge Music Festival in Breckenridge, CO.
LISA LOCKHART
Critically acclaimed soprano Lisa
Lockhart has thrilled opera and
concert audiences across the
United States and in Europe.
A lirico spinto with a lush, rich
sound and a particular affinity for
the heroines of Verdi and Puccini,
Ms. Lockhart appeared as the
leading heroines of Aïda, Tosca and
Gilda in “Three Act Threes”, a
performance of the third acts of Aïda, Tosca and Rigoletto
with Opera in the Heights in Houston, Texas. Prior to
that, Ms. Lockhart sang the title role of Aïda at Palm
Beach Opera (Florida) for their Family Opera Series.
Other appearances include Leonora in Il Trovatore with
Opera in the Heights and an “Opera in the Park” concert
with Annapolis Opera in Maryland. She has also been
traveling the world, singing in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess;
as Bess and Serena in Toronto, Lisbon, Portugal and the
U.S. with Living Arts, Inc., and as Serena in Edmonton,
Canada, Madrid, Spain, Hannover and Frankfurt, Germany
and Bologna, Italy with New York Harlem Productions.
The soprano’s other roles include Pocahontas’ Mother
in the world premiere of the opera Pocahontas, sponsored
by the Virginia Arts Festival, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus
with ConcertOPERA Philadelphia in PA and with the
Landon Symphonette in Bethesda, MD, the Countess in
Le Nozze di Figaro with the Opera Company of Brooklyn,
the International Opera Festival in Rome, Italy and the
Opera in the Chapel Series at Mount Vernon in
Washington D.C., Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the
Landon Symphonette, and Tigrana in Puccini’s Edgar with
DiCapo Opera Theatre in New York. Formerly a lyric
coloratura, Ms. Lockhart’s most notable role in that fach
was the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute at
Constitution Hall in Washington, D. C., under the baton
of the late conductor and comedian Victor Borge.
Ms. Lockhart is the 2006 2nd place winner of the
National Opera Association Vocal Competition, and has
previously been a winner of both the Paul Robeson and
Annapolis Opera Vocal Competitions. She has sung at the
White House and the French and German embassies, and
has appeared in concerts sponsored by Fieri International,
the Urban Philharmonic Society, Pacific Opera and many
others.
Following her time here as a soloist in several concerts
for the Natchez Festival of Music, Ms. Lockhart will reprise
the role of Serena in Porgy and Bess in St. Petersburg and
Moscow, Russia, Warsaw, Poland, Riga, Latvia and
Kuressaare, Estonia.
Ms. Lockhart is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory
of Music and is a long-time student of Dr. Elizabeth
Kirkpatrick Vrenios.
Proud Supporter
Natchez Festival of Music
NATCHEZ REALTY
Rena Jean Schmieg
&
Marsha Colson
congratulate
Natchez Festival of Music
on a
Fantastic 18th Season
wishes to thank
GLENN & BRIDGET GREEN
65
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Natchez, Mississippi 39120
(601) 442-8171
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
Natchez Festival of Music
wishes to thank
First Presbyterian Church
for their support.
405 State Street
Natchez, Mississippi 39120
601-442-2581
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18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
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TURNING PAGES
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NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
67
In Memoriam
68
e honor the memory of Dr. Lynn Palmer for her devotion and exceptional
generosity to The Natchez Festival of Music. Her commitment to
the Festival will inspire us for many years to come.
W
The Reaper And The Flowers
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
There is a Reaper whose name is Death,
And, with his sickle keen,
He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,
And the flowers that grow between.
“They shall all bloom in fields of light,
Transplanted by my care,
And saints, upon their garments white,
These sacred blossoms wear.''
“Shall I have nought that is fair?'' saith he;
“Have nought but the bearded grain?
Though the breath of these flowers is sweet to me,
I will give them all back again.''
And the mother gave, in tears and pain,
The flowers she most did love;
She knew she should find them all again
In the fields of light above.
He gazed at the flowers with tearful eyes,
He kissed their drooping leaves;
It was for the Lord of Paradise
He bound them in his sheaves.
O, not in cruelty, not in wrath,
The Reaper came that day;
'Twas an angel visited the green earth,
And took the flowers away.
“My Lord has need of these flowerets gay,''
The Reaper said, and smiled;
“Dear tokens of the earth are they,
Where he was once a child.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Sacred
The Company
Music
Sacred Music Concert
F IRST BAPTIST C HURCH
S UNDAY, M AY 25, 6:00 P. M .
WITH PERFORMANCES BY
GEORGE HOGAN
SANG EUN LEE
WILL EARL
SPANHEIMER
KUMIKO SHIMIZU
Accompanist
0
SPONSORED BY:
F IRST BAPTIST C HURCH
C ENTER 21 R IVER C ITIES R EALTY - M R .
AND
M RS. M ARLON C OPELAND
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
69
Stan’s String Shop
Whatever it Takes to Make Your Music Right
Stan Smith, Owner
148 Liberty Road • Natchez, MS 39120
Work: 601-445-9762 • Home: 601-442-4051
www.stansstringshop.com
Guitar Lessons, Repairs, Setup, Drums & PA’s
601-446-9560
501 Wall Street • Natchez, MS 39120
www.wm.com
Call Today for a Free Estimate
Proud Supporter
Natchez Festival of Music
wishes to thank
CHARLES & CAMILLE
KELLEY
70
Proud Supporter
Natchez Festival of Music
wishes to thank
JOHN & MARCIA
M C CULLOUGH
Proud Supporter
Natchez Festival of Music
wishes to thank
MR. & MRS.
JOHN BERGERON
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
1991
Seasons Past
Gala Operatic • Recital
Man of La Mancha • La Traviata
1992
Songs of the Rivers • The Marriage of Figaro
Madama Butterfly
1993
Grand Vienese Opera Ball
The Merry Widow • La Boheme
1994
Big River • Pagliacci • Carmen
1995
The Student Prince • Hansel & Gretal
You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown • Rigoletto
1996
The Pirates of Penzance • Die Fledermaus
The Fantastics • Tosca
1997
Gianni Schicchi • Gallantry •
She Loves Me • Faust
1998
Mikado • Camelot • Suzanna
The Boyfriend • Tales of Hoffman
1999
Carousel • Don Pasquale
Once Upon a Mattress • Don Giovanni
2000
The Barber of Seville • I Do, I Do
Man of La Mancha • La Traviata
2001
H.M.S. Pinafore • Carmen • La Boheme
150th Anniversary Concert of Jinny Lind
2002
The Merry Widow • Suor Angelica • Pagliacci
Songs of the Rivers • Madama Butterfly
2003
Romeo et Juliette • The Magic Flute • Rigoletto
An Evening with George & Ira Gershwin
2004
Showboat • The Impressario • Marcus Robert Trio
An Evening of Rodgers & Hammerstein • Turandot
2005
Porgy & Bess • Jim Collum Jazz Band
An Evening with Cole Porter • Gianni Schicchi • Tosca
2006
Treemonisha • Fiddler on the Roof • Il Tabarro
An Evening of Jazz: A Tribute to New Orlans
Little Red Riding Hood • Die Fledermaus
2007
Mozart’s Requiem • My Fair Lady • An Evening of Jazz
Noah’s Flood • Chanticleer • Falstaff
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
71
Young Artists
72
LUCAS GOODRICH
BROOKE LARIMER
Lucas Goodrich is a versatile
young tenor whose repertoire
encompasses opera, oratorio, art
song and musical theatre. In May
2007, Lucas graduated from the
University of Colorado with a
Master of Music degree in Voice
Performance and Pedagogy under
the guidance of Margaret Lattimore
and Curt Peterson. He holds a BM
in Voice Performance from Eastern Illinois University where
he studied with Jerry Daniels. While at CU, he was a
regular soloist with the Early Music Ensemble under the
direction of renowned harpsichordist Elizabeth Farr. Lucas
proudly served the University of Colorado as a teaching
assistant, and his thesis work includes a reference guide to
Italian song literature for the young singer. CU opera credits
include Tony in West Side Story, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte,
and Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia. Lucas has been a
soloist with the Arvada Center Chorale, Grace Chorale,
Boulder Messiah Chorale, and Eastern Symphony
Orchestra, performing concert works such as Handel’s
Messiah and Mozart’s Vespers. Upcoming plans include a
recital tour with soprano Gina Harvey. Lucas and Gina will
present educational recitals and give master classes on
Italian song literature. Lucas is a native of Arthur, Illinois
and currently resides in Boulder, Colorado. This is his first
appearance with the Natchez Festival of Music.
Young mezzo-soprano Brooke
Larimer, recently named a Finalist
Winner in the first annual Capital
Region Opera Idol Competition
sponsored by Lakes Region Opera
Company in Concord, NH, is
losing no time in making her
contribution to the Boston-area
music scene. Her 2007-2008 season
includes Third Lady (The Magic
Flute) with OperaTunity Performing Arts Center, the roles
of Crito and Apollo in the world premiere of Peter
McMurray’s A Rooster for Asclepius, produced by
OperaHuyb and Juventas! New Musi Ensemble, Phobia in
Barab’s Pizza con funghi with Boston Opera Collaborative
and the alto soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater on the Music
at St. Mary’s concert series produced by Boston College.
She finished the season at Natchez Festival of Music where
she has been contracted as a Young Artist. Looking ahead,
Ms. Larimer will kick off the 2008-2009 season with Lakes
Region Opera Company as La maestra dell novizie in
Puccini’s beloved Suor Angelica.
A recent graduate of The Boston Conservatory, Ms.
Larimer has recently been heard as mezzo soloist in the
world premier of Brandon Grimes’s Mass for a Dawning
Age with the Quincy Choral Society and as Sister Mathilde
and cover of Mother Marie (Dialogues of the Carmelites)
under the direction of Marc Astafan and baton of Michael
Strauss with Boston Opera Collaborative. Additional
performances include covers of Witch and Mother (Hansel
and Gretel), cover of Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas), Seconda
Contadina (Le nozze di Figaro) and Soprano Four and cover
of Beth (Little Women), with companies including Granite
State Opera, New Jersey Opera Theater Summer Institute,
Opera by the Bay, Boston Opera Project and many others.
Ms. Larimer graduated with her Masters Degree in Voice
Performance from The Boston Conservatory where she
performed excerpts from Carmen (Mercédes), Eugene
Onegin (Tatyana), and Orlando (Dorinda) and was a soloist
in Bernstein’s Mass. She earned her Bachelor of Music
degree at Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in
Nashville, TN, where she made her operatic debut as
Second Lady in The Magic Flute, covered the role of Mrs.
Ford (The Merry Wives of Windsor), and performed excerpts
from H.M.S. Pinafore (Josephine), and Pirates of Penzance
(Kate). A native Vermonter, Brooke currently lives in
Boston with her husband, Jeff, and fat orange cat, T.C.
SUNG-BAE KIM
Sung-Bae Kim (Tenor) is presently
pursuing a DMA at Rutgers
University. He sang the role of
Chanticleer from Chanticleer by S.
Barab and Hem from Noah’s Flood
by B. Britten in 2007 at the
Natchez Festival of Music. He
performed the role of Don Ramiro
with Delaware Valley Opera in NY,
Alfredo with Hudson Opera
Theater, Impresario from Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor
with New Jersey Opera Theater, Fenton, Count Almaviva,
Tamino, Tybalt, Monastatos, and Basilio. He earned BM and
MM degrees from Mannes College of Music and was
selected for the 2002 Operalia, and invited to 2002 Ash
Lawn Highland Opera Festival. In 2001, Mr. Kim won the
Associated Teachers League award in New York. His
teachers include W. Stephen Smith, Faith Esham, Brian
McIntosh, Arthur Levy, Martin Lies, Ted Taylor, Joseph
Colaneri, Susan Woodruff and Susan Caldwell.
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Young Artists
HILERIE KLEIN RENSI
SUSAN RUGGIERO
Hilerie Klein Rensi is a recent
graduate of the Resident Artist
Training Program with Tri-Cities
Opera. Some of her many
appearances include Dorabella in
Così fan tutte, Rosina in The Barber
of Seville, Mercedes in Carmen,
Suzuki in Madama Butterfly,
Maddalena in Rigoletto, Cherubino
in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dido in Dido
and Aeneas, Nicklausse in Les Countes D’Hoffman, Stephano
in Romèo et Juliette and The Mother in Amahl and the Night
Visitors. She has received numerous awards, has toured with
Tri-Cities Opera and Lake George Opera, and last summer
debuted in Aufsteig und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny at
Spoleto Festival USA. In June, she will return to Lake
George Opera as a Young Artist to perform Flora in La
Traviata.
Soprano Susan Ruggiero has been
described as having a voice that is
“stunning and pure” – State News,
East Lansing, Michigan, and the
Boston Globe noted her
performance at Tanglewood Music
Center’s 2005 Festival of
Contemporary Music saying: “It is
preposterous to speak of the
“potential” of youngsters like …
Susan Ruggiero-Mezzadri … they are already artists.”
Recently Ms. Ruggiero has appeared with Shreveport
Opera, Mississippi Opera, Opera South, Blue Lake Opera,
Wildwood Opera Theatre, and Kentucky Opera. She has
sung the roles of Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Frasquita in
Carmen, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Elizetta in Il
Matrimonio Segreto, Cupid in Orpheus and the Underworld,
Despina in Così fan tutte, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Siebel in
Faust, Musetta in La Bohème, Barbarina in Le Nozze di
Figaro, Little Red Riding Hood in Little Red Riding Hood,
Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Seamstress’s Son in The Happy
Prince, Mrs. Sem in Noye’s Fludde, High Priestess in Aida,
among others.
Ms. Ruggiero is the recipient of numerous awards and
honors. She is a Metropolitan Opera National Council
Auditions District Winner, First Place Award Winner in
Shreveport Opera’s Singer of the Year Competition, Third
Place Award Winner in Mobile Opera’s Scholarship
Competition, Third Place Award Winner in Mobile Opera’s
Scholarship Competition, Finalist in the Palm Beach Opera
Advanced Division Vocal Competition, the recipient of a
University of Michigan School of Music Fellowship, The
Joseph Frank Spada Award in the Connecticut Opera Guild
Young Artists’ Scholarship Competition, Tanglewood Vocal
Fellowship, Marie Mountain Clark Scholarship, the Budres
Foundation Award from Michigan State University School
of Music, and a teaching assistantship and doctoral
enhancement award from Louisiana State University.
In addition to numerous performances in the United
States as an opera singer and recitalist, Ms. Ruggiero has
performed in concert at the Universidade Federal do
Paraná, Escola de Música et Belas-Artes do Paraná, and the
City Public Library in Curitiba, Brazil. Ms. Ruggiero also
soloed with the PUCPR (Pontifical Catholic University of
Paranà) Orchestra performing Mendelssohn’s Salve Regina
for a nationally televised broadcast concert.
Upcoming performances include Celeste in Intimations
with the Louisiana Sinfonietta, Frasquita in Carmen with
Bar Harbor Opera Festival, and Despina (cover) in Così fan
tutte with the Natchez Festival of Music.
Ms. Ruggiero holds a double master’s degree in voice
and flute performance from the University of Michigan,
and she received her bachelors in music performance from
SABLE RIVERA
Sable Rivera, lyric coloratura
soprano, a New York City native, is
honored and thrilled to be
performing in her first regional
festival with the Natchez Festival of
Music. She is currently pursuing a
Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal
Performance at Hunter College,
where she studies voice with
soprano Susan Gonzalez and where
she has sung the roles of Miss Silverpeal in Mozart’s
Impressario and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. Before
attending Hunter, Sable performed in the chorus of the
Village Light Opera Group’s fall 2006 production of
Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore, directed by Ron Noll and
Bill Brooke. In the summer of 2006, she attended the
Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium in Italy, where she
performed in various recitals for which she received great
acclaim from Italian audiences. In Spoleto, she also studied
language and diction with Nico Castel and vocal technique
with Enza Ferrari. Before pursuing an operatic career, Sable
performed in various musical theatre roles such as Kim in
Bye, Bye, Birdie, Dorothy in The Wiz, and Anna in The King
and I, for which she was nominated for a Helen Hayes
Youth Theatre Award for Outstanding Solo Vocal
Performance. Also a dancer, she has performed with the
Signature Dance Company in Scarsdale, NY, and continues
to study dance at the Broadway Dance Center in New York
City. She was valedictorian of her high school’s class of
2005. Sable would like to thank her parents, Maria and
James, for their constant support and encouragement.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
73
Young Artists
Michigan State University. She is currently a doctoral
student at Louisiana State University and studies with tenor
Robert Grayson.
voice and natural comic gifts for this most comic of
Mozart’s roles.” Upcoming this summer, Dan will return to
New York Opera Studio to sing the title role in Eugene
Onegin.
DANIEL PETTIT
Daniel Pettit began his musical
studies in Maine, performing piano
and clarinet recitals through high
school. He received his degree in
music performance from the
University of So. Maine and began
singing professionally shortly
thereafter. He has been musical
director and performer in several
productions with companies
including Opera by the Bay, Longwood Opera, and Sterling
Community Theatre. After a successful summer program
with the New York Opera Studio, Dan decided to base out
of NYC where he has sung with companies such as New
Opera Studio, New York Opera Forum, and Regina Opera.
Recent performances include the Barone in La Traviata,
Marullo in Rigoletto, Masetto in Don Giovanni, and Rodrigo
in Don Carlo. A keen and clever comedian, Daniel has
enjoyed success as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and the
Telegram and Gazette wrote, “Pettit has a big, accurate
74
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Natchez Festival of Music is a member of:
Natchez Chamber of Commerce
The Natchez Festival of Music
is made possible in part by
a grant from the
National Endowment for the Arts
in partnership with the
Mississippi Arts Commission
HONORARIA
Honoraria & Memorials
MEMORIALS
Dr. David Blackburn
Maggie, Abby and Laura Ann Brown
Mrs. Dottie Biglane
Dr. and Mrs. William Calhoun
Mrs. Sara Blackburn
Mr. Ronald F. Switzer and
Mr. Jim McClure
Wesley Caldwell, Sr.
Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Killelea
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Haltom
Mr. Ronald F. Switzer and
Mr. Jim McClure
Mrs. Esmee Cuthbertson
Dr. and Mrs. William Calhoun
Charles and Mimi DuPre
Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Killelea
Mrs. Betty Kaiser
Maggie, Abby and Laura Ann Brown
Mrs. Dot Malik
The Friday Bridge Club
Dr. Donald E. Killelea
Gardenia Ladies of the Opera
Dr. Lynn Palmer
Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Killelea
Natchez Opera Festival Board of Directors
Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Killelea
Mr. Ronald F. Switzer and
Mr. Jim McClure
Mrs. Kathleen Mackey King
Maggie, Abby and Laura Ann Brown
Mrs. Kit Parker
Maggie, Abby and Laura Ann Brown
Dr. and Mrs. Clifford Tillman
Dr. and Mrs. William Calhoun
Mr. Jack Stubbs
Dr. and Mrs. William Calhoun
Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Walker
Mr. David Wisyanski
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Benoist
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Henley
Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Killelea
Natchez Opera Festival Board of Directors
75
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
Così fan tutte
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Fiordiligi
Kimberly Bentley
Tynan Davis
Dorabella
Guglielmo
Will Earl Spanheimer
Ferrando
Victor Khodadad
Despina
Sang Eun Lee
Don Alfonso
George Hogan
76
COVERS
Emily Newton
Emily Lorini
Andrew Cumming
Sean Parr
David Schnell
Susan Ruggiero
Eun Jin Kim
CHORUS
Cumming
Dunbar
Frederick
Goodrich
Greene
Groves
Kennedy
Kim
Kim
Larimer
Lorini
Newton
Parr
Pettit
Rensi
Rivera
Ruggiero
Schnell
Trahan
Wilson
COMPANY
CONDUCTOR: Dr. David Blackburn
STAGE DIRECTOR: Bill Fabris
SCENIC DESIGNER: Kathryn Kawecki
COSTUMES: Sanjays of Natchez
0
SPONSORED BY:
MR.
AND MRS.
MR.
AND
B RIAN DANTONE
M RS. DAVID S MITH
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Nate Siebert
CHORUS MASTER: Richard Nechamkin
STAGE MANAGER: Greg Ryan
PRODUCTION MANGER: Mo Stroemel
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Kathryn Botsford
PROPS ARTISAN: Cory Johnson
CARPENTER/ELECTRICIAN: Cassandra Avsec
SENIC CHANGE ARTIST: Michelle Kokal
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
ORCHESTRA MANAGER: Stefka Ilieva
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Così fan tutte
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte
First performed in Vienna, January 26, 1790
C AST OF CHARACTERS
(In order of appearance)
Fiordiligi
Dorabella
Despina, their maid
Ferrando, an officer, fiancé to Dorabella later disguised as Semronius
Guglielmo, an officer, fiancé to Fiordiligi later disguised as Tizio
Don Alfonso, a philsopher
Inn Keeper
Sergeant
Chorus of Servants and Villagers
AC T 1
SCENE 1 - A tavern in the Italian section of Mobile, Alabama; 1860’s
SCENE 2 - In the garden of the sister’s villa by the bay, late afternoon
SCENE 3 - The breakfast room in the villa, the next morning.
SCENE 4 - In the garden, that afternoon.
Intermission
AC T 2
SCENE 1 - A tavern in the Italian section of Mobile, Alabama; 1860’s
SCENE 2 - In the garden of the sister’s villa by the bay, late afternoon
SCENE 3 - The breakfast room in the villa, the next morning.
SCENE 4 - In the garden, that afternoon.
T H E WAG E R
While summering by the bay of Mobile,
Alabama, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, two sisters
from Ferrara, meet and become engaged to two
officers in the local regiment. These two young
men, Guglielmo and Ferrando, are so certain of
the constancy of their fiancés that they let
themselves be drawn into a wager with Don
Alfonzo. The cynical philosopher finds the naiveté
of his young protégés amusing.
In his opinion, no woman is ever true to her
word, especially in matters of love - they are
variable and not to be trusted. To test his theory,
Don Alfonzo convinces the disbelieving young
men to take part in a charade. They first will take
leave of their beloved ladies with the pretext of
being called off to battle. Then in disguise as
foreigners, they will return and woo each other’s
betrothed.
The young men are willing to agree to try
anything and everything to sway the constancy of
the two young ladies -- romance, threats, even
suicide -- for the harder they test the faithfulness
of Fiordiligi and Dorabella, the better proof they
will have of the ladies’ unswerving affections. For
his part in this charade, Don Alfonzo enlists the
help of Despina, the cleverest of the ladies’
maids, who is eager to prove to her mistresses
that variability is one of the delights of being a
woman.
NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
77
Dr. & Mrs.
W. F. Calhoun
salute the
2008
Natchez Festival
of Music
78
1 Elgin Plantation Road
Natchez, MS 39120
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Natchez Pilgrimage Tours
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18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Elgin Plantation Bed and Breakfast
Natchez, Mississippi
BLUFF TOP
A Natchez Bed & Breakfast
with breathtaking river views
Be a
Festival Guild Member
There are so many privileges of
membership when you join the
Natchez Festival of Music Guild
J. Neil Varnell, Owner
GUILD MEMBERSHIP
• Special Guild Membership ID Card
• Free Quarterly Newsletter
Mailed to your home or business
• Recognition of your donation in
our Annual Festival of Music Program
• Free Admission with Guild ID Card
to Songs of the South
$15-$30 value
• Free Admission with Guild ID Card
to Command Performance
$20-$40 value
205 Clifton Avenue
Natchez, MS 39120
1-800-211-6420 or 601-304-1002
www.blufftopnatchez.com
“…music for everyone,” Neil Varnell
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NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 18th Season
79
2007 Season Highlights
80
Photos courtesy of Dottie Stubbs
18th Season NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
The 2009 Season
Fantasticks
Fantasticks
Lord Nelson Mass
Night of Stars
A Little Night Music
Plantation Performance
The Old Maid and
The Thief
Bastien unt Bastienne
Best of Broadway
Plantation Peformance
Command Performance
Jazz
Jazz Brunch
Final Plantation Recitals
McBeth (Verdi)
Friday, May 1
Saturday, May 2
Sunday, May 3
Friday, May 8
Saturday, May 9
Sunday, May 10
Friday, May 15
Saturday, May 16
Sunday, May 17
Friday, May 22
Saturday, May 23
Sunday, May 24
Friday, May 29
Saturday, May 30