Madama Butterfly, Puccini
May 16th, 18th, 2012 at 7PM
May 20th, 2012 at 3PM
Willson School Auditorium
404 W Main
Bozeman MT 59715
Giacomo Puccini’s beautiful music and tragic tale of love and heartbreak is one of the most popular operas in America. With Cynthia Clayton in the title role and Levi Hernandez as Sharpless, this promises to be another spectacular IOB production. Get your tickets now for best seat selection. .
Cynthia Clayton (Cio-Cio San) – Soprano Cynthia Clayton has sung at opera houses around the nation. Her New York City Opera credits include the roles of both “Mimi” and “Musetta” in La Boheme, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, and the title role in Madama Butterfly. Her roles with Utah Opera, Dallas, Houston Grand, and San Diego Operas include the title role in Tosca, “Donna Anna” in Don Giovanni, and the title role in Janacek’s Jenufa. Previous engagements in Bozeman include last fall’s gala concert and the title role in Manon Lescaut in 2006.
Brian Jagde (Pinkerton) – Lyric tenor Brian Jagde made his American tenor debut singing Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème for Syracuse Opera. His European debut in the title role in Massenet’s Werther was followed by a portrayal of Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth in March of 2010 for Teatr Wielki Opera Poznan in Poland. Brian performed Pinkerton in Virginia Opera’s 2011 production of Madama Butterfly. He is currently scheduled to sing Rodolfo for a production of La bohème at Maestro Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, where he will cover Luigi and perform L’amante in their revival of Il Tabarro. In 2012 he will perform with the Minnesota Opera as Pinkerton, and make his Santa Fe Opera debut in productions of Tosca and Arabella.
Levi Hernandez (Sharpless) - Recently the El Paso native made his Houston Grand Opera debut as Sharpless in Madame Butterfly next to Ana Maria Martinez and Joseph Calleja; he also joined the rosters of San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in their productions of Puccini’s Trittico and Fanciulla del West. Last season marked his European debut in Komishe Oper Berlin of Pique Dame in the role of Tomski. Additionally he sang Sharpless in Madame Butterfly with Virginia Opera, Lake George Opera and Cedar Rapids Opera.
Layna Chianakas (Suzuki) – Mezzo-soprano, Layna Chianakas, has been hailed as “the type of singer that makes one remember why to go to the opera.” Her leading opera roles include Carmen in Carmen, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Angelina in La Cenerentola, Sesto in Giulio Cesare, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, The Woman in Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, and the title role in La Perichole. Most recently, she performed Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Dayton Opera and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Santa Barbara. Chianakas performed in the Intermountain Opera Bozeman’s 2010 fall gala concert, BRAVO!
Tyler Oliphant (Bonze) – Baritone, Oliphant is an accomplished performer on both the opera and concert stage. His opera roles include Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte, Papageno in The Magic Flute, and his favorite role as the title character in Verdi’s Falstaff. “ Italian critics praised his “rich, nuanced voice” and his perfect command of the language when he made his international debut as Falstaff under the baton of Joseph Rescigno with La Musica Lyrica of northern Italy.”
David Cody, is very active in the opera and concert scene of the intermountain west as a tenor soloist, musical director, stage director, and clinician. Mr. Cody has performed with the Helena Symphony, the Billings Symphony, the Bozeman Symphony, the Glacier Orchestra, the Great Falls Symphony, and the String Orchestra of the Rockies, as well as the Idaho Baroque Festival. At The University of Montana, David Cody teaches voice and lectures in Opera History and Musical Theatre History. He also co-directs the UM Opera Theater.
Frederick Frey (Il Commisario) Baritone, Frederick Frey, with his musicality, sensitivity and dramatic style has excited audiences throughout North America and Europe. He has performed grand opera such as Puccini’s Tosca with Thomas Conlin and David Bamberger, Strauss’ Elektra with Barry Busse and Christian Badea conducting and Otello with Pablo Elvira, Maria Spacagna and James King again with Maestro Christian Badea. He recently served on the voice faculty of New Jersey City University and The County College of Morris.
Margaret Kohler (Kate Pinkerton) Kohler is a native of Alaska. She earned her college tuition by fishing commercially for Crab and Halibut off the coast of Alaska’s Kodiak Island. She has sung with Opera Columbus, Toledo Opera, Opera Delaware, San Diego Opera (Young Artist Program), Utah Festival Opera and several Symphonies including the Columbus Symphony, San Diego Symphony and the New York Chamber Ensemble. She earned her Masters of Music at the Eastman School of Music and received both a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Arts at Oberlin Conservatory and College. In 2004 Ms. Kohler made her New York Recital Debut at Carnegie Hall.
BJ Otey, ( Yamadori) This is Baritone, BJ Otey’s, fourth production with Intermountain Opera since he moved here in 2008 to assume his duties as pastor of Springhill Presbyterian Church. Last Spring Otey was Fiorello in the Barber of Seville. He was in the chorus for La bohème, and was one of Horace Tabor’s cronies as well as a State Department dandy in The Ballad of Baby Doe, both in 2009. He sang Ben, the eager young man competing with a cell phone for the attentions of his lady love in Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Telephone at the Sweet Pea Festival and recently performed in the Bozeman’s Got Opera concert.
Ari Pelto (Conductor)
In May, IOB welcomes a guest conductor. With performances that have been called poetic, earthy, vigorous and highly individual, conductor Ari Pelto is increasingly in demand both as an operatic and symphonic conductor. Since his debut conducting Verdi’s La traviata, he has been engaged as a regular guest conductor at New York City Opera, leading the company in performances of Madama Butterfly, Carmen, and La bohème. Other recent engagements have included Boston Lyric Opera, Minnesota Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Utah Opera. Deeply committed to the future of opera in America, Maestro Pelto works regularly at some of the country’s most prestigious young artists’ programs including Wolf Trap, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Manhattan School of Music, and the Julliard School. He has also been engaged as a regular faculty member and conductor at the New National Theatre, Tokyo. He holds a degree in violin performance from Oberlin Conservatory, and has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral violinist in Europe, China, and throughout the United States.
Steven Daigle (Stage Director)
Daigle’s experience as a stage director encompasses a large range of repertory for the lyric theater stage including productions for the Ohio Light Opera Company, Eastman School of Music, Mercury Opera of Rochester, The Lyric of Atlanta, Oberlin Conservatory, South Georgia Opera, Columbia Theater Players, Kent State Opera Workshop and Operetta Foundation of Los Angeles. He directed Carmen (2008) and Il Trovatore (2010) for Intermountain Opera Bozeman.
Mr. Daigle presently is an Associate Professor and Head of Opera at the Eastman School of Music. In 2008 he was named chairman of the voice and opera department. He has served on the faculty at the Eastman School of Music since 1997. He is Artistic Director for the Ohio Light Opera. Previously he served on the faculty at Kent State University, Opera Theater Program at the Oberlin Conservatory and Oberlin in Italy program in Urbania, Italy.
Productions include collaborations and premieres with Pulitzer Prize winning composer Robert Ward, legendary Broadway composer Charles Strouse, American opera composer Carlisle Floyd, along with conductors Louis Lane, Robert Spano, and Evan Whallon. Articles and reviews of Daigle’s work have been published in Opera News, Opera London, Orpheus, American Record Guide, Gramophone, Fanfare, Classical Singer, and Opera Now.
