Hansel & Gretel, Humperdinck
October 14, 2011 at 7PM
October 16, 2011 at 3PM
Hansel will be sung by mezzo-soprano Lauren McNeese. A graduate of the Ryan Opera Center, Ms. McNeese has performed with Chicago Lyric and Philadelphia Opera. Most recently Ms. McNeese was seen at the San Francisco Opera as Wellgunde and Rossweisse in the critically acclaimed production of Der Ring des Nibelungen directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Donald Runnicles.
Hansel will be sung by mezzo-soprano Lauren McNeese. A graduate of the Ryan Opera Center, Ms. McNeese has performed with Chicago Lyric and Philadelphia Opera. Most recently Ms. McNeese was seen at the San Francisco Opera as Wellgunde and Rossweisse in the critically acclaimed production of Der Ring des Nibelungen directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Donald Runnicles.During the fall of 2010 Ms. McNeese made her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as the mezzo soloist in the dramatic symphony Roméo et Juliette by Hector Berlioz conducted by Charles Dutroit.
The role of Gretel will be sung by soprano Audrey Luna whom Opera News says “has power and a blazing coloratura facility that most lyric sopranos can only dream of,” is fast emerging as one of the country’s brightest young artists.
She recently made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera singing the “Queen of the Night” in Mozart’s The Magic Flute”.
photo credit Oregon Music News
Baritone Darrell Babidge will sing the role of Father. Recent engagements include the title role of Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Salt Lake Symphony, the baritone solo in the Durufle Requiem with the Music in the Mountains Orchestra, the role of Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) for Opera at the Presidio in San Francisco, the role of John Hancock in 1776 for Utah Festival Opera and Falke in Die Fledermaus for Intermountain Opera.
Lisa van der Ploeg, who gave a spine-tingling performance as Azucena in our 2010 production of Il Trovatore, will return in the roles of Mother and Witch. A 2010 finalist in the Irene Dalis vocal competition, Lisa sings extensively around Northern California. She has also appeared with Utah Festival opera and was a Metropolitan Opera Auditions regional finalist three years in a row.
Julian Dawson (Conductor, Music Director) Maestro Dawson returns for his
eleventh production with Intermountain Opera Bozeman. Born in Dublin, Ireland,
Dawson was associate conductor if the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and
Scottish Opera. He was also coach and associate conductor at Glyndebourn Opera.
He moved to the U.S. in 1975 and was Director of Orchestras and Opera at Illinois State University. He also served as opera conductor at Brevard Music Center as well as principal coach for Chicago Opera Theatre. He recently spent five summers as conductor for the Oberlin in Italy program and is currently an adjunct member of the music faculty at Northwestern University. He has also enjoyed a career as a pianist and has appeared frequently in recitals and concerts in the U.S. and Europe.
Alan Fischer (Stage Director) was the director for our first American opera production– The Ballad of Baby Doe in 2009. A character tenor with over 50 roles in his repertoire, he has performed with San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, New Jersey State, Palm Beach operas and many others. A New York City native, he began his singing career at age six as a soloist with the Metropolitan and New York City Opera children’s choruses.He has taught and directed at the Master Opera Institute. Currently he is chair of vocal music at Governor’s School of the Arts in Virginia.
Photos by Bruce Jodar and Rufus Cone
