Full press release - Manhattan School of Music

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 2August 15, 2013 – This season, Manhattan School of Music will present a season of Milestones, beginning withthe arrival of MSM’s ninth president, James Gandre. Musical milestones will include The Manhattan Schoolof Music Opera Theater, Dona D. Vaughn, Artistic Director, presenting The Mother of Us All by Virgil Thomsonand Gertrude Stein, and Haydn’s Orlando Paladino, as well as the MSM Senior Opera Theater performingFrancesco Cavalli’s La Doriclea. Thomas Hampson will join the MSM Symphony and Conductor GeorgeManahan to perform Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. Kent Tritle will lead the MSM Symphonic Chorus andChamber Choir with the MSM Symphony in Bach’s B Minor Mass as well as returning to the Borden stage withthe MSM Symphonic Chorus and Chamber Choir showcasing Stravinsky’s Mass and Honegger’s Le Roi David.The American Musical Theater Ensemble will present Moving Right Along: The World of Jeff Blumenkrantz,conceived and directed by Carolyn Marlow.MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSICOPERA THEATERThe Mother of Us AllMusic by Virgil Thomson; Libretto by Gertrude SteinConducted by Steven Osgood; Directed by Dona D. VaughnDecember 11, 13 and 15, 2013; Borden AuditoriumIn 1945, Virgil Thomson was offered a commission to write an opera as recipient of the Alice M. Ditson Fundat Columbia University. He selected as his librettist Gertrude Stein, with whom he had collaborated in 1934,creating Four Saints in Three Acts. This second opera, The Mother of Us All, relates the story ofSusan B. Anthony, leader of the woman’s suffrage movement, tracing her career from her initial struggles toher final victory. Gertrude Stein passed away on July 7, 1946 and this libretto would be her last completedwork. The opera contains 26 characters including a number of historic figures. In addition to Susan B. Anthony(1820 – 1906), John Adams, Anthony Comstock, Ulysses S. Grant, Daniel Webster, President AndrewJohnson, Thaddeus Stevens, Lillian Russell, and Constance Fletcher all make an appearance, as well asVirgil T. and Gertrude S. who serve as narrators. The Mother of Us All is a singer’s opera with the phrasing andrhythms composed to communicate Stein’s libretto. The orchestration sets the mood, employing a plethora ofhymn tunes, parlor songs, marches, waltzes and bugle calls.Otto Luening conducted the premiere of The Mother of Us All to favorable reviews on May 7, 1947, atColumbia University’s Branders Matthews Hall. Productions that have been staged since its debut somesixty-five years ago include the 1976 Santa Fe Opera production with sets and costumes designed by RobertIndiana, conducted by Raymond Leppard, that showcased two of MSM’s voice faculty – Mignon Dunn singingthe role of Susan B. Anthony, and Ashley Putnam in the role of Angel More. A production was staged in1998 by Glimmerglass Opera with MSM alumna Joanna Johnston singing the title role. In 2000, LaurenFlanigan, another Manhattan School graduate, revived the role of Susan B. Anthony in the New York City Operaproduction conducted by George Manahan (MSM’s Director of Orchestral Activities) joined by MSM alumni,Tara Venditti in the role of Indiana Elliot and Matthew Chellis as John Adams. In 2003, the opera opened theSan Francisco Opera’s 90th anniversary season.The Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater’s production of The Mother of Us All has been made possible bya grant from the Vigil Thomson Foundation, Ltd.

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 3Synopsis, by Maurice GrosserAct 1, Scene 1: Susan B. Anthony and her devoted companion Anne are shown at home. Anne is knitting; Susan B. ispasting clippings into a scrapbook. Gertrude S. and Virgil T. also appear as narrators.Act 1, Scene 2: A political meeting takes place, at which Webster Johnson, Adams, Grant, Comstock, and Stevens are allpresent. Jo the Loiterer and Chris the Citizen also appear, mocking the politician’s solemnity. Susan B. introduces herselfto the assembly, and she and Daniel Webster debate.Act 1, Scene 3: A public square in front of Susan B. Anthony’s house. Thaddeus Stevens argues with Andrew Johnson;there is a flowery love scene between John Adams and Constance Fletcher. Jenny Reefer begins waltzing with HermanAtlan, and everyone joins in the dance.Act 1, Scene 4: Susan B. Anthony meditates on the difficulties of her mission.Act 1, Scene 5: Jo the Loiterer and Indiana Elliot are to be married. John Adams courts Constance Fletcher, DanielWebster (who is to perform the ceremony) addresses Angel More in sentimental language. Indiana’s brother bursts in,wishing to prevent the marriage, and Susan B. explains what marriage means to women. General Grant calls for order,and Jo teases him for his pomposity. It seems that the wedding is all but forgotten, but finally Daniel Webster blesses thecouple and Susan B. foretells that all of their children, men and women, will have the vote.Act 2, Scene 1: Susan B.’s home. Susan B. is doing housework when she learns that she will be asked to address apolitical meeting. Jo the Loiterer complains that Indiana Elliot refuses to take his last name. When Susan B. is invited tospeak, she declines, then agrees, hesitates again, but finally goes off to the meeting.Act 2, Scene 2: The meeting has taken place and Susan B. returns home triumphantly. She has spoken so convincinglythat the politicians, now afraid of the women’s suffrage movement, have written the word “male” into the Constitution inorder to make it impossible for women to vote. Indiana Elliot has decided to take Jo’s last name, and he will take hers;they will become Jo Elliot and Indiana Loiterer. Everyone congratulates Susan B. for her leadership.Act 2, Scene 3 (Epilogue): Some years later, a statue of Susan B. Anthony is to be unveiled at the U.S. Capitol. Thecharacters gather for the ceremony, with Anne as guest of honor. Susan B. enters as a ghost, though Anne does not seeher. Constance Fletcher appears, now almost blind. Other characters talk about women’s suffrage, or burst in tipsily. Theceremony threatens to get out of hand. Suddenly, Virgil T. unveils the statue. The women lay wreaths at the base of thepedestal. All slowly depart. Alone, Susan B. Anthony (as the statue) sings of the struggles and lessons of her long life.Virgil Thomson, b. November 26, 1896 – d. September 30, 1989, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri beginning pianostudies at age 5. In the early 1920’s he attended Harvard University where he sang in the Harvard Glee Club and becameacquainted with Erik Satie’s piano music (which would become a lifelong passion) as well as Gertrude Stein’s early prosework Tender Buttons. From 1925 to 1940, he resided in Paris where he met James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, e.e.Cummings, Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso, Orson Welles, and Gertrude Stein, among others. He studiedwith Nadia Boulanger and published a book, The State of Music. He remained in Paris until the Nazi occupation. Aftermoving to New York, he worked as chief music critic of the New York Herald Tribune and as a conductor and composer fortheater and film. He was a mentor to composers such as Ned Rorem, Paul Bowles and Leonard Bernstein.Gertrude Stein, b. February 3, 1874 – d. July 27, 1946, was born in West Allegheny (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania and raisedin Oakland, California. In 1903, she moved to Paris where she lived and wrote until her death. Her home on the Left Bankwould become renowned as a gathering place for other expatriate American writers, artists, and others in the world of artsand letters. In 1933, she published a best-selling memoir titled, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. Best known as astrikingly original writer who experimented with literary conventions, Stein was also an American art collector.

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 4BIOSSteven Osgood, ConductorSteven Osgood is a sought after conductor throughout North America, having proven his expertise in repertoire rangingfrom the Baroque through this century’s most challenging scores. He conducted the world premieres of Tan Dun’s PeonyPavilion, Jonathan Sheffer’s Blood on the Dining Room Floor, Janice Hamer‘s Lost Childhood, Paula Kimper‘s Patienceand Sarah, Xenakis’s Oresteia, and Missy Mazzoli‘s Song from the Uproar. In November 2012, he made his debut withSarasota Opera leading the world premiere of Daron Hagen’s Little Nemo in Slumberland.Maestro Osgood is former Artistic Director of American Opera Projects where he created the company’s nationallyrecognized Composers and the Voice Workshop Series. Additionally, he led workshops of dozens of works in development,including Herschel Garfein’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tarik O’Regan’s Heart of Darkness, ConradCummings’ The Golden Gate, and Séance on a Wet Afternoon by Stephen Schwartz. Maestro Osgood joined the musicstaff of the Metropolitan Opera in 2006 as Assistant Conductor for the world premiere of Tan Dun’s The First Emperor, andadded productions of La Traviata, Nixon in China, and Phillip Glass’ Satyagraha in subsequent seasons. In recent seasonshe conducted productions with De Nederlands Opera, Ft. Worth Opera Festival, New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera,Opera Memphis, Edmonton Opera, Chautauqua Opera, and Juilliard Opera. Maestro Osgood has led concerts with the ICEEnsemble, Chautauqua Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Wintergreen Festival Orchestra. In 2012/13 heserved on the review board for Fort Worth Opera’s Frontiers program, which is designed to identify and introduce new,unpublished operatic compositions.Steven Osgood’s long relationship with Manhattan School of Music has included productions of Lukas Foss’ Griffelkin andLee Hoiby’s A Month in the Country and Summer and Smoke. Recordings of both Hoiby operas are available on AlbanyRecords.Dona D. Vaughn, Stage DirectorDona D. Vaughn, Artistic Director of Opera Programs at Manhattan School of Music, also serves as Artistic Director ofPORTopera, a summer festival in Portland, Maine. From 1998 to 2010 she was Stage Director/Acting Coach for TheMetropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. A graduate of Brevard College (voice) where shecurrently serves on the board of trustees, she received her BA in music (vocal performance) from Wesleyan (OutstandingAlumni Award), an MA in theater (directing) from Hunter College, and an honorary doctorate of music from the Universityof Southern Maine. She studied acting with Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen, and dance with Martha Graham. She beganher career as a performer in the original Broadway productions of Company, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Seesaw. She wasAssistant to Producer Kermit Bloomgarden for the Broadway productions of Equus and Hot l Baltimore, Associate Producerfor Pavel Kohout’s Poor Murderer and ABC Television’s All My Children, Dramaturge for the O’Neill Conference on Operaand Musical Theater, HB Playwright’s Unit, and the University of Kansas New Play Season, and Assistant Director for theoriginal production of Tennessee Williams’s Red Devil Battery Sign.Directing credits include New York City Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Wolf Trap, Palm Beach Opera, Ensemble StudioTheater, Lincoln Center Playwrights’ Festival, New York Repertory Company, Kennedy Center, Minerva Productions,Peterloon Festival, Heritage Theater (Calgary, Canada), DiVivreVoix (Vivonne, France), Florida Arts Festival, and manycolleges and universities across the country. She directed the premieres of Roberto Hazon’s L’Agenzia Matrimoniale, RobertSirota’s Holy Women, Francis Thorne’s Mario and the Magician, Ray Luc’s Drowne’s Wooden Image and The Bullfrog, NewYork premieres of Milton Granger’s Talk Opera and The Proposal, the Off-Broadway production of Murphy Guyer’s World ofMirth, and the European premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s The Flower and the Hawk. Formerly a member of the voice facultiesat SUNY-Plattsburgh and Marymount Manhattan College, she often conducts master classes across the U.S., Asia, andEurope, and serves as an adjudicator for vocal competitions including The Metropolitan Opera National Council, TheRichard Tucker Foundation, Denver Lyric Opera, Palm Beach Opera, The Jenson Foundation, The Opera Theatre of SaintLouis Artist-in-Training Program, and Premio Spiros Argiris International Competition (Italy). She has written for OperaNews and Italy’s Musicale!

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 7MSM SENIOR OPERA THEATERLa DoricleaMusic by Francesco Cavalli; Libretto by Giovanni FaustiniConducted by Jorge Parodi; Direction by Dona D. VaughnMarch 26 - 29, 2014 (Wednesday - Saturday at 7:30 p.m.); Ades Performance SpaceFrancesco Cavalli’s La Doriclea, with a libretto by Giovanni Faustini, is in three acts with a prologue. It was firstperformed in 1645 at the Tetro San Cassiano in Venice.Francesco Cavalli, b. 1602 in Crema, Lombardy – d. 1676 in Venice, was a student of Monteverdi. Hisreal name was Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni (Cavalli was the name of his patron, a Venetian nobleman). Aversatile musician, he was a singer, organist, and maestro di cappella at St. Mark’s in Venice. Cavalli is bestremembered as the composer of thirty-three operas. His first theatrical work or opera, Le nozze di Teti e diPeleo was composed in 1639 soon after the opening of Venice’s first public opera house. He called it an “operascenica”(“scenic work”) that was later shortened to “opera.” Cavalli is also credited with introducing the“bel canto” style of singing. In 1660 and 1662, he went to Paris for stagings of his operas, Xerxes and Ercoleamante. Following Monteverdi’s death, Cavalli became mid-seventeenth century Venice’s most influential operacomposer.BIOSJorge Parodi, Music Director/ConductorArgentinean conductor Jorge Parodi has worked as conductor, coach, or repetiteur at the Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), theBanff Centre (Canada), SIVAM (Mexico), Opera Tampa, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Connecticut Grand Opera, LakeGeorge Opera Festival, and New York University. He has collaborated with Tito Capobianco, Sherrill Milnes, Julius Rudel,and Rufus Wainwright and was assistant conductor to Maestro Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival in Virginia.As Music Director of the Senior Opera Theater at Manhattan School of Music, he has conducted productions to criticalacclaim. The New York Times praised the production of Schubert’s Die Verschworenen as “superbly performed” and saidof the U.S. premiere of Paisiello’s Nina, “the opera played beautifully, with graceful music throughout, sonorous chorusesand a radiant finale.” Also at Manhattan School of Music, he has led the Graduate Opera Scenes program and conductedhistorically informed performances of Cavalli’s La Calisto and Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea at the MSM SummerVoice Festival.Maestro Parodi was recently appointed Artistic Director of Opera Hispánica. Last season marked the company’s inauguralOpera Hispánica Festival, in which he performed with Eglise Gutiérrez and Isabel Leonard and conducted OH’s productionof Piazzola’s Maria de Buenos Aires at (le) poisson rouge.Mr. Parodi is Vocal Coach of the Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division and a faculty member of V.O.I.C.Experience, a vocalworkshop under the direction of Sherrill Milnes. He has been a long-time faculty member of the International Vocal ArtsInstitute, where he taught at the Nagano Opera Master Class (Japan) and the inaugural opera master class in conjunctionwith China National Opera (Beijing). He has offered master classes at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón(Buenos Aires) and the Escuela Superior de Canto (Madrid).A prizewinner at the Bienal de Arte of Buenos Aires, Mr. Parodi completed studies in conducting and piano performanceat the Conservatorio Nacional de Música of Buenos Aires. He holds a Master’s degree in accompanying and chambermusic from the University of Michigan as a full-scholarship student of Martin Katz. He participated in the recording of thecomplete edition of music for piano by Muzio Clementi with the German label Aurophon and is featured in recordings forAlbany Records and MSR Classics.

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 8ALSO OF NOTEOPERA SCENES“Love and Other Mistakes”Conducted by Marcello Cormio; Direction by Richard GammonNovember 22 and 24, 2013Manhattan School of Music presents its annual opera scenes program, “Love and Other Mistakes,” on Friday,November 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 24 at 2:30 p.m. Conducting will be Marcello Cormio anddirection will be by Richard Gammon.BIOSMarcello Cormio, ConductorA native of Italy, Marcello Cormio has appeared with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe, Bay View Festivaland at Indiana’s Jacobs School of Music, where he earned his Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting underthe tutelage of David Effron and Arthur Fagen. Mr. Cormio has led productions of Die Zauberflöte and Gounod’s Romèoet Juliette with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, where he serves as assistant conductor, chorus master, coachand rehearsal pianist For four years, he was on the staff of the Indiana University Opera Theatre and, in 2011 and 2012,served as music director of the Summer Opera Workshop at IU. In 2010, he was appointed first assistant conductor andcover conductor at Sarasota Opera. He served as conductor and music director of Italy’s Contemporary Music Ensemble“Makrokosmos” as well as collaborator to Thomas Pasatieri, conducting his “Symphony No. 1” on a tour. In 2006, Mr.Cormio was a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar, which brought him to the United States.Richard Gammon, Stage DirectorRichard Gammon is a Filipino-American stage director based in New York City. Productions include five one-act operas, Handof Bridge, Gallantry, Hin und zurück, La Divina, and Jake Heggie’s Again with the Wolf Trap Opera Studio (Directing Fellow2009); Much Ado About Nothing (Globe Players) for the 50th anniversary season of the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival;and the world premieres of two of Jorge Sosa’s operas, The Lake (Artsounds, Kansas City) and Tonatzín; as well as a stagingof Sosa’s electronic opera The Calling (Union Station, Kansas City). Richard has worked with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis,Michigan Opera Theatre, Fort Worth Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Virginia Opera, Opera North, Ash Lawn OperaFestival, PORTopera, and the National Asian Artists Project. He received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at theNew England Conservatory of Music and an Artist Diploma at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.THE ALAN M. AND JOAN TAUB ADES VOCAL COMPETITIONThursday, April 10, 2014, Ades Performance SpaceManhattan School of Music will be holding the Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Vocal Competition for a fifth yearon Thursday, April 10, 2014. This competition has been made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Ades to encourage andfoster the most promising and deserving young singers at MSM. The $20,000 first-place cash award, $10,000second-place cash award, and $5,000 third-place cash award are given to provide career-entry funding forgraduating singers of outstanding professional potential in opera who do not plan to pursue additional degree ordiploma programs for the next two years. In addition, they must be ready to launch a professional career. Thefunding may be used to support career advancement in any area including private instruction (vocal technique,coaching, diction, movement, acting, audition prep); physical conditioning; creation of a recording demo ordebut CD; accompanist’s fees; agent’s fees; professional travel; living expenses during professional internship;and wardrobe.

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 9Past recipients of the first-place award have included baritone Yungpeng Wang (2013); soprano Andrea Carroll(2012); baritone Joo Won Kang, mezzo-soprano Samantha Korbey and baritone Robert Mellon in a three-way tie(2011); and soprano Lori Guilbeau (2010). The judges for the 2013 Ades Vocal Competition includedF. Paul Driscoll, editor-in-chief of Opera News, and sopranos Diana Soviero and Lauren Flanigan.MASTER CLASSESSeptember 25, WednesdayLauren FlaniganGreenfield Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.October 23, WednesdayCraig RutenbergGreenfield Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.November 13, WednesdayDiana SovieroMiller Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.January 15, WednesdayMartin KatzMiller Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.January 22, WednesdayDwayne CroftGreenfield Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.March 19, WednesdayThomas HampsonThis master class, made possible with support by the A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation, will be streamed liveat www.dl.msmnyc.edu/liveGreenfield Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.April 16, WednesdayStephanie BlytheGreenfield Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC OPERA THEATERRecognized as one of the foremost opera training programs in the world, Manhattan School of Music’s OperaProgram attracts some of the most talented young singers from the United States and more than forty countries.Students in the program refine their technique and develop artistry under the guidance of a faculty of eminentartist-teachers while gaining exposure before New York City audiences through performances in opera scenes,community outreach programs, and two fully staged productions each year.The Manhattan School of Music Opera Program has a long and proud tradition of producing some of the finestoperatic artists in America and abroad. The School’s opera productions have been praised as a significantcontribution to operatic life in New York City, and many students have gone on to major careers. Among notablealumnae are sopranos Pamela Armstrong, Elaine Alvarez, Alexandra Deshorties, Lauren Flanigan, Olivia Gorra,Kathleen Kim, Catherine Malfitano, Tonna Miller, Laquita Mitchell, and Dawn Upshaw; mezzo-sopranos Kate

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 10Aldrich, Beth Clayton, Jennifer Dudley, Susan Graham, and Dolora Zajick; countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo;tenors Matthew Chellis and Brandon Jovanovich; and baritone Scott Altman. Opera conductors George Manahanand Israel Gursky, as well as Margaret Juntwait, the first woman announcer and voice of the Metropolitan Operabroadcast, are also graduates.The Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater has issued a vast discography including Lee Hoiby’s Summerand Smoke (world premiere recording, Steven Osgood, conductor, Albany Records, 2011); John Musto’s Laterthe Same Evening (world premiere recording, Michael Barrett, conductor, Albany Records, 2009); GustavHolst’s Savitri (Glen Barton Cortese, conductor, Phoenix USA Label, 2006); Lee Hoiby’s A Month in the Country(world premiere recording, Steven Osgood, conductor, Albany Records, 2005); Louis Spohr’s Beauty and theBeast (Christopher Larkin, conductor, Albany Records, 2005); Thomas Pasatieri’s The Seagull (world premiererecording, David Gilbert, conductor, Albany Records, 2003); Robert Ward’s Roman Fever (world premiererecording, David Gilbert, conductor, Albany Records, 2002); Scott Eyerly’s The House of Seven Gables (worldpremiere recording, David Gilbert, conductor, Albany Records, 2001); William Mayer’s A Death in the Family(world premiere recording, David Gilbert, conductor, Albany Records, 2000); Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble inTahiti (Glen Barton Cortese, conductor, Newport Classic, 1999); Gaetano Donizetti’s Il campanello di note(Christopher Larkin, conductor; Newport Classic, 1997); Daniel Catan’s Rappaccini’s Daughter (world premiererecording, Eduardo Diazmunoz, conductor, Newport Classic, 1997); Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring (DavidGilbert, conductor, VOX Classics, 1997); and Ned Rorem’s Miss Julie (David Gilbert, conductor, NewportClassic, 1995).* * * * *CHORAL MUSIC AT MSMMass in B MinorMusic by J.S. BachMSM Symphonic Chorus, Chamber Choir and MSM SymphonyConducted by Kent TritleWednesday, February 12, 2014; Borden AuditoriumOn Wednesday, February 12 the MSM Symphonic Chorus and Chamber Choir will be joined by the MSMSymphony, conducted by Kent Tritle, to perform J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor in the School’s Borden Auditorium.Bach’s B Minor Mass was completed in 1749, a year before his death, and was his last major composition tobe performed in totality during his lifetime. The B Minor Mass, a musical setting of the complete Latin Mass,received its first documented complete performance in 1859 in Leipzig. The first complete recording was madein 1929 with a large choir and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates.Bach’s Mass in B Minor is regarded by scholars as in the same category as The Art of Fugue. The renownedBach scholar Alberto Basso writes, “The Mass in B Minor is the consecration of a whole life: started in 1733for ‘diplomatic’ reasons, it was finished in the very last years of Bach’s life, when he had already gone blind.This monumental work is a synthesis of every stylistic and technical contribution the Cantor of Leipzig made tomusic. But it is also the most astounding spiritual encounter between the worlds of Catholic glorification andthe Lutheran cult of the cross.”

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 11Mass by Igor Stravinsky paired with Le Roi David by Arthur HoneggerMSM Symphonic Chorus and Chamber ChoirConducted by Kent TritleFriday, April 4, 2014; Borden AuditoriumA double-bill of Igor Stravinsky’s Mass paired with Arthur Honegger’s Le Roi David will be presented by the MSMSymphonic Chorus and Chamber Choir, accompanied by a chamber ensemble, performed under the baton ofKent Tritle on Friday, April 4, 2014, in Borden Auditorium.Stravinsky composed his Mass, a setting of the Roman Catholic Mass, between 1944 and 1948. During thistime, he also composed his Symphony, Ebony Concerto, Concerto in D and ballet Orpheus, setting aside thewriting of his Mass for several years. The first performance of Stravinsky’s Mass took place in Milan on October27, 1948, conducted by Ernest Ansermet, leading members of La Scala’s chorus and orchestra.Igor Stravinsky said to Robert Craft, “My Mass was partly provoked by some Masses of Mozart that I found in asecondhand store in Los Angeles in 1942 or 1943. As I played through these rococo-operatic sweets-of-sin, Iknew I had to write a Mass of my own, but a real one.”Arthur Honegger’s Le Roi David, composed in 1921 in Mézières, Switzerland, has been categorized as anoratorio or dramatic psalm, separated into twenty-seven movements. Its libretto is by René Morax and tells thebiblical story of King David’s life, beginning when he was a shepherd, to his conquests in battle with thePhilistines and rise to power, his lust for Bathsheba, his agony over his son’s death, his disobedience to God,and his own death. Its orchestration uses flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones, tubaand percussion playing different musical styles – from Gregorian chant to Baroque and jazz. In addition to thechorus, the work also requires soprano, alto, tenor and boy soprano soloists, a narrator and actress.Symphony No. 9 in D Minor by Ludwig van BeethovenMSM Symphonic Choir with the New York PhilharmonicConducted by Alan GilbertOctober 3 – 9, 2013; Avery Fisher HallThe MSM Symphonic Choir, directed by Kent Tritle, will be joining the New York Philharmonic in Avery FisherHall for performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor. The concerts will take placeThursday, October 3 (7:30 p.m.); Friday, October 4 (8:00 p.m.); Saturday, October 5 (8:00 p.m.);Tuesday, October 8 (7:30 p.m.); and Wednesday, October 9 (7:30 p.m.). Tickets are priced at $38 to $125.For information, call 212 875 5656.BIOSKent Tritle, ConductorKent Tritle is one of America’s leading choral conductors. Called “the brightest star in New York’s choral music world”by the New York Times, he is Director of Cathedral Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NewYork City. The 2013–14 season marks his seventh season as Music Director of Musica Sacra, the longest continuouslyperforming professional chorus in New York, and his ninth season as Music Director of the Oratorio Society of New York, theacclaimed 200-voice volunteer chorus.

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 12In addition, Mr. Tritle is Director of Choral Activities at Manhattan School of Music and a member of the graduate facultyof the Juilliard School. He is the host of the weekly radio show “The Choral Mix with Kent Tritle,” a weekly hour-longradio program on New York’s Classical 105.9 WQXR and www.wqxr.org devoted to the vibrant genre of choral music andthe breadth of activity in the choral community. An acclaimed organ virtuoso, he is also the organist of the New YorkPhilharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra.Highlights of Mr. Tritle’s 2012–13 season included performances of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Vaughan Williams’s Mass inG Minor, and Fauré’s Requiem as part of the Great Music in a Great Space series at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine;Britten’s War Requiem, in the composer’s centennial year, and the New York premiere of Moravec’s Blizzard Voices with theOratorio Society of New York; performances with Musica Sacra of Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy,and Magnificat settings from Monteverdi and Arvo Pärt; and concerts with the choral forces of the Manhattan School ofMusic, including performances of Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. In addition, he is the chorusdirector of the Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival, guiding three choruses from high schools across thecountry in Mozart’s Requiem.In more than 150 concerts presented by the Sacred Music in a Sacred Space series from 1989 to 2011, Mr. Tritleconducted the Choir and Orchestra of St. Ignatius Loyola in a broad repertoire of sacred works, earning praise for buildingthe choir and the concert series into one of the highlights of the New York concert scene. From 1996 to 2004, he wasMusic Director of the Emmy-nominated Dessoff Choirs.* * * * *The Manhattan School of Music Symphonic Chorus is primarily made up of freshmen and sophomores. TheSymphonic Chorus has performed Haydn’s Creation, Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem, Prokofiev’s AlexanderNevsky, Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert’s Mass in G, Poulenc’s Gloria under the baton of Philippe Entremont at theCathedral of St. John the Divine, and the premiere of David Briggs’s transcription for organ, and chorus, as wellas soloists of Mahler’s Second Symphony. Members of the Symphonic Chorus joined the New York City Opera inApril 2013 in a performance of Rossini’s Mosé in Egitto at City Center.The Manhattan School of Music Chamber Choir is the school’s premier choral ensemble. Led by Director of ChoralActivities Kent Tritle since 2008, the ensemble has been featured at the Kennedy Center for the PerformingArts in Washington, D.C., as part of the Conservatory Project, and has sung with the New York Philharmonicin performances of Walton’s Henry V, the Act I Finale of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Charles Ives’s SymphonyNo. 4. The Chamber Choir also appeared last season at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine performingMonteverdi’s Vespers of 1610.* * * * *

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 13THOMAS HAMPSON PERFORMS WITH MSM SYMPHONYDas Lied von der ErdeMusic by Gustav MahlerThomas Hampson, soloist; MSM SymphonyConducted by George ManahanSunday, February 23, 2014Thomas Hampson performs Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (“The Song of the Earth”) with the MSMSymphony conducted by George Manahan on Sunday, February 23, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. in Borden Auditorium.Das Lied von der Erde consists of six independent songs (or movements) and is scored for Tenor and Alto (orBaritone) Voice and Orchestra after Hans Bethge’s “Die chinesische Flöte” (“The Chinese Flute”) published in1907. It is his first complete “song-symphony” combining a complete song cycle and symphony orchestra. Thework was composed in 1908-09 following Mahler’s Eighth Symphony.Its first performance, conducted by Bruno Walter, took place on November 20, 1911 in the Tonhalle in Munich.Soloists included Sara Cahier and William Miller. Bruno Walter said of Das Lied von der Erde, it is “the mostpersonal utterance among Mahler’s creations, and perhaps in all music” and Leonard Bernstein hailed it on oneof his Young People’s concerts as “Mahler’s greatest work.”BIOSThomas HampsonThomas Hampson enjoys a singular international career as a recitalist, opera singer, and recording artist and maintains anactive interest in teaching, research, and technology. He has performed in all the world’s most important concert halls andopera houses with many renowned singers, pianists, conductors, and orchestras. Praised by the New York Times for his“ceaseless curiosity,” he is one of the most respected, innovative, and sought-after soloists performing today.Hampson has won worldwide recognition for his thoughtfully researched and creatively constructed programs that explorethe rich repertoire of song in a wide range of styles, languages, and periods. He is one of the most important interpreters ofGerman Romantic song, and with his celebrated “Song of America” project, a collaboration with the Library of Congress, hehas become the “ambassador of American song.” Through the Hampsong Foundation, founded in 2003, he employs the artof song to promote intercultural dialogue and understanding.In the 2012-13 season, Hampson took on the role of Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca (with conductor Frédéric Chaslin) at theSanta Fe Opera and returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago to sing the title role of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra (led by AndrewDavis), a role he also performed at London’s Royal Opera House (Antonio Pappano) and in concert at Vienna’sKonzerthaus (Nicola Luisotti) later in the season. Other operatic highlights included Scarpia in Tosca and Wolfram inWagner’s Tannhäuser at the Zurich Opera (Fabio Luisi/Marc Albrecht), Giorgio Germont in Verdi’s La traviata at Vienna StateOpera (Marco Armiliato), and his company debut as Iago in Verdi’s Otello at the Metropolitan Opera (Alain Altinoglu).With the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Kent Nagano, Hampson performed a selection of Ives songs at Germany’s BerlinMusikfest and the Ruhrtriennale International Festival. Other season highlights included Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erdewith the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Neeme Järvi), Strauss’s orchestral songs with the Pittsburgh Symphony (ManfredHoneck) and London Philharmonic (Vladimir Jurowski), and Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Indianapolis SymphonyOrchestra (Joana Carneiro). Collaborative projects included a European tour with the conductorless ensemble WienerVirtuosen—with whom he made a critically acclaimed recording of Des Knaben Wunderhorn in 2010—and concerts withthe Jupiter String Quartet in New York, Boston, and Davis, featuring a new commission from Mark Adamo and songs byHugo Wolf.

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 14Hampson created the role of Rick Rescorla in the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’s Heart of a Soldier,commemorating the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Other 2011-12 operatic engagements included role debutsas Iago in Otello and the title role in Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler, both at Zurich Opera, and his house debut as Verdi’sMacbeth at the Metropolitan Opera. Among other season highlights were concerts with the National Symphony Orchestraand Christoph Eschenbach, the Munich Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and GustavoDudamel, the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck and the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta. He performedrecitals in the U.S., Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria and was featured in CNN’s “Fusion Journeys” series, in amusical exchange with Ladysmith Black Mambazo in South Africa. The 2011–12 season also saw the debut of the “Songof America” radio series, co-produced by the Hampsong Foundation and the WFMT Radio Network of Chicago. Hosted byHampson, the series consists of 13 hour-long programs exploring the history of American culture through song. Hampsonholds honorary doctorates from Manhattan School of Music, Whitworth College, and the San Francisco Conservatory, and isan honorary member of London’s Royal Academy of Music. He carries the title of Kammersänger of the Vienna State Opera,was named a Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France, and was awarded the AustrianMedal of Honor in Arts and Sciences.George Manahan, ConductorIn his fourth season as Director of Orchestral Activities at Manhattan School of Music, George Manahan is currently in hisfourth season as Music Director of the American Composers Orchestra and was appointed last season as Portland Opera’sMusic Director. He continues his commitment to working with young people as guest conductor at the Curtis Institute ofMusic, as well as at MSM. He served as Music Director of the New York City Opera for fourteen seasons and was hailed forhis leadership of the orchestra. As Music Director of the Richmond Symphony (VA) for twelve years, he was honored fourtimes by ASCAP for his commitment to new music.Mr. Manahan’s guest appearances have included the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, aswell as the symphonies of Atlanta, San Francisco, Hollywood Bowl, and New Jersey, where he served as acting MusicDirector for four seasons. He is a regular guest with the Music Academy of the West and the Aspen Music Festival and hasalso appeared with the Opera Companies of Seattle, Chicago, Santa Fe, Portland, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, OperaNational du Paris, Teatro de Communale de Bologna, the Bergen Festival (Norway), the Casals Festival (Puerto Rico) andMinnesota Opera, where he was Principal Conductor. His many credits on television include productions of La Bohème,Lizzie Borden, and Tosca on PBS. Live from Lincoln Center’s telecast of New York City Opera’s production of MadameButterfly under his direction won a 2007 Emmy Award.On January 18, 2013, Mr. Manahan was awarded the 2012 Ditson Conductor’s Award for the advancement of Americanmusic, joining a list of such distinguished recipients as James Levine, Leonard Bernstein and Alan Gilbert. He hasbeen honored by the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) for his “career-long advocacy for Americancomposers and the music of our time.”George Manahan’s wide-ranging recording activities include the premiere recording of Steve Reich’s Tehillim for ECM;recordings of Edward Thomas’s Desire Under the Elms, which was nominated for a Grammy; Joe Jackson’s Will Power; andTobias Picker’s Emmeline. He has conducted numerous world premieres, including Charles Wuorinen’s Haroun and the Seaof Stories, David Lang’s Modern Painters, Hans Werner Henze’s The English Cat, and the New York premiere of RichardDanielpour’s Margaret Garner.Mr. Manahan received his formal musical training at Manhattan School of Music, studying conducting with Anton Coppolaand George Schick, and was appointed to the faculty of the school upon his graduation, at which time the Juilliard Schoolawarded him a fellowship as Assistant Conductor with the American Opera Center. Mr. Manahan was chosen as theExxon Arts Endowment Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony and he made his opera debut with the Santa Fe Opera,conducting the American premiere of Arnold Schoenberg’s Von Heute Auf Morgen.* * * * *

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 15MSM AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATER ENSEMBLEMoving Right Along: The World of Jeff BlumenkrantzConducted by Shane Shag; Conceived and Directed by Carolyn MarlowMay 13, 14, and 15, 2014The MSM Musical Theater Ensemble presents Moving Right Along: The World of Jeff Blumenkrantz, Tuesdaythrough Thursday, May 13–15, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. in the School’s Borden Auditorium. The revue, conceivedand directed by Carolyn Marlow and conducted by Shane Shag, will offer a retrospective of Jeff Blumenkrantz’sversatile career.Jeff Blumenkrantz, born in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1965, is a Tony Award nominated composer as well as anactor and lyricist. Blumenkrantz’s songwriting career began at Northwestern University when he was a studentthere. His acting credits include roles in such Broadway productions as Into the Woods (2002),The Threepenny Opera (1989), Damn Yankees (1994), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying(1995), and A Class Act (2001). He has also appeared in the television shows Will & Grace, 30 Rock,The Good Wife, Ugly Betty, Just Shoot Me! and Law & Order.In 2003, Jeff Blumenkrantz was nominated for a Tony Award for his work on Urban Cowboy, the musical. Hissong, “I Won’t Mind” is a staple in the repertoire of Audra McDonald and a song that she included on her CD,How Glory Goes. Mr. Blumenkrantz was also the creator and host of The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Podcast,a weekly podcast featuring interviews and performances of his songs by some of musical theater’s great talents.This project was succeeded in 2008 by the BMI Workshop Songbook Podcast, also hosted by Blumenkrantz,showcasing the eponymous songbook featuring the music of members of the BMI Songwriters’ Workshop.His one-act musicals, Woman with Pocketbook, written with Annie Kessler and Libby Saines, and Precious LittleJewel, written with Libby Saines, have been performed at regional theaters and have both won the Ten MinuteMusical Competition. In 2011, Jeff Blumenkrantz was honored with the Ebb Award for excellence in musicaltheater songwriting.Jeff Blumenkrantz is currently appearing in Murder For Two, the two-man murder-mystery musical comedy,directed by Scott Schwartz for Second Stage Uptown.Jeff Blumenkrantz will also be giving two master classes at Manhattan School of Music this coming year.Wednesday, November 6 , 4:00 p.m., Miller Recital Hall – ActingFriday, April 4, 12:00 p.m., Miller Recital Hall -- CompositionBIOSCarolyn Marlow, DirectorCarolyn Marlow received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in voice performance from Indiana University. She thencontinued her opera studies in the Young Artists program at the Curtis Institute of Music. She has been on the facultyof Manhattan School since 1990. Ms. Marlow has written, directed, and produced musical revues performed at MSM bythe students in her ensemble most years since 1992. Many of these revues have also been performed in other venues inand around New York, including Music for Montauk, the New York Botanical Gardens, the Cosmopolitan Club and others.She has taught at the Juilliard School, in the Professional Musical Theater Workshop with Paul Gemignani, and in heraudition workshop at Musical Theaterworks in New York. Her present role as teacher and director is supported by anextensive performing background. Operatically, she has performed leading roles with the Opera Company of Philadelphia,the Pennsylvania Opera Theater, and Fargo/Moorehead Opera. Ms. Marlow made her Broadway debut in the Hal Princeproduction of Sweeney Todd and was last seen on Broadway as Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods. On tour she has performed

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 16the role of the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd with Angela Lansbury, June Havoc, and Karen Morrow. She has performedmany other leading roles on national tours, off-Broadway and regionally.Shane Schag, ConductorOhio native Shane Schag has performed in recital both as soloist and ensemble performer throughout the United Statesand Europe, including a concerto performance with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra. He has won several awards andscholarships, including the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Memorial Award, given to “a musician who demonstrated outstandingprofessionalism in collaborative piano.” He has worked as a vocal coach for Centro Studi Italiani Opera Festival and as anassistant conductor for the Gotham Chamber Opera. In 2007, Mr. Schag made his debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill RecitalHall. Now he serves as staff pianist for Carnegie Hall’s Musical Explorers and Link Up concert series. He also serves as thestaff pianist for the Lotte Lenya Competition in Rochester, New York. Mr. Schag has appeared on PBS Sunday Arts in ashowcase for rising young opera singers. He has been the pianist and musical director for numerous recitals and cabaretacts, including Songs My Mother Never Taught Me by Deborah Karpel. Mr. Schag is a member of the recital coachingfaculty and resident musical director for the American Musical Theater Ensemble at Manhattan School of Music. Duringthe summer he is on the faculty of Operaworks in Los Angeles.Manhattan School of Music’s American Musical Theater Ensemble, founded in 1990, has become a vibrant partof the education and training offered at the School. The curriculum of the Ensemble is designed especially toprovide specialized training in all areas of musical theater performance. Led by Carolyn Marlow, artistic director,the program culminates in a professional production. Students also learn audition techniques; how to work withdirectors, managers, and agents; terminology and traditions of theater; résumé construction; and the building ofrepertoires.The performances presented by the American Musical Theater Ensemble are a valuable educational experiencefor the students. The second semester of the program is devoted to rehearsing for a final musical theaterproduction. Past shows include Into the Woods, The World Goes ‘Round (Kander and Ebb revue), A GrandNight for Singing (Rodgers and Hammerstein revue), Defying Gravity: The Magical World of Stephen Schwartz,September Songs: The Legacy of Kurt Weill, Godspell, and Ragtime. All these shows have included works bycomposers and lyricists who have made major contributions to the Broadway stage.This landmark program addresses the needs of contemporary musical theater performers in vocal performance,acting, audition techniques, dance, movement, and career management and offers musical theater performersthe only opportunity in New York City to receive partial training at the conservatory level for careers in musicaltheater. Many former members of the ensemble have gone on to perform on Broadway, off-Broadway, on nationaltours, and in film.* * * * *

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 17OPERA STUDIESDona D. Vaughn, Artistic DirectorGordon Ostrowski, Assistant Dean/Opera ProducerDaniel Benavent, Opera Studio Manager/Associate ProducerAnne Shikany, Assistant to the DirectorWilliam Tracy, Head Vocal CoachMiriam Charney, Mark Janas, June Murano-Murray, LeAnn Overton, Scott Rednour, andElizabeth Rodgers, Vocal CoachesJorge Parodi, Vocal Coach and Music Director of MSM Senior Opera TheaterVOICE FACULTYMaitland Peters, Chair; Edith Bers, Joan Caplan, Mignon Dunn, Hilda Harris, Cynthia Hoffmann,Marlena Kleinman Malas, Spiro Malas, Catherine Malfitano, Patricia Misslin, Mark Oswald,Joan Patenaude-Yarnell, Ashley Putnam, and Neil RosensheinRELATED VOICE STUDIESMarianne Barrett, German Diction (on leave 2013-2014)Miriam Charney, Director, Contemporary Opera Ensemble, British Vocal LiteraturePatrick Diamond, ActingJocelyn Dueck, German DictionBénédicte Jourdois, French DictionKathryn LaBouff, Assistant Department Chair/English DictionRhoda Levine, Advanced ActingCarolyn Marlow, Director, American Musical Theater Ensemble, ActingKenneth Merrill, German Vocal Literature and Advanced Vocal LiteratureGlenn Morton, Italian DictionThomas Muraco, Advanced Italian and French Diction, Opera Repertoire EnsembleFrancis Patrelle, Movement for SingersShane Schag, Music Director, American Musical Theater EnsembleGait Sirguey, French Vocal LiteraturePaul Sperry, American Vocal LiteratureCristina Stanescu, French Diction

MSM Opera and Vocal Highlights, Page 18TICKETSMain Stage Opera ProductionsThomson’s The Mother of Us All; Haydn’s Orlando Paladino$30; $15 for seniors and studentsMSM Senior Opera TheaterCavalli’s La Doriclea$12; $7 for seniors and studentsChoral concerts conducted by Kent TritleBach’s B Minor Mass; Double-bill of Stravinsky’s Mass and Honegger’s Le Roi David$20; $12 for seniors and studentsThomas Hampson and the MSM Symphony conducted by George ManahanMahler’s Das Lied von der Erde$20; $12 for seniors and studentsMSM American Musical TheaterMoving Right Along: The World of Jeff Blumenkrantz$20; $12 for seniors and studentsAll Master ClassesFREE and the public is invited to attendTRAVEL AND BOX OFFICE INFORMATIONManhattan School of Music is located at the northwest corner of 122nd Street and Broadway and is accessible bypublic transportation.By Bus: M5 – M4 – M104 – M60 – M11Several MTA bus lines stop within two blocks of Broadway and 122nd Street: the M5 arrives at Riverside Drive,the M4 and M104 arrive at Broadway, and the M60 and M11 arrive at Amsterdam Avenue.By Subway: The No. 1 train stops at 116th Street and Broadway and 125th Street and Broadway.By Metro North: From Harlem-125th Street station, access the M60 bus at 125th Street and Park Avenue.The entrance for ticketed concerts is at 132 Claremont Avenue (on Claremont Avenue). The Concert Entrancewill open one hour prior to ticketed events only. A handicap entrance is located on Claremont Avenue at 120Claremont Avenue. For all other events, please use the main entrance at 122nd Street and Broadway.The Manhattan School of Music Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., andone hour before curtain for ticketed events. For an up-to-date concert schedule, please call the Concert Line at917-493-4428. For a complete calendar of concerts and events, visit the Manhattan School of Music web site atwww.msmnyc.edu.* * * * *