Hunter Opera Theater, National Opera Association & The American Opera Project present the NOA Eastern Regional Conference
and Earth Day Celebration
Hunter Opera Theater in collaboration with National Opera Association & The American Opera Project present masterclasses with Brandon McShaffrey and Miriam Charney followed by a concert reading of PRECIPICE, a new chamber opera by Susan Zeeman Rogers (Concept & Design), Rima Fand (Music) and Karen Fisher (Libretto).
Structuring Emotional Velocity through Movement and Improvisation
9:30 - 11:00 AM
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Structuring Emotional Velocity through Movement and Improvisation - with Director, Choreographer, and Professor Brandon McShaffrey. Using Michael Chekhov technique to work with inner and external movement to merge vocal and physical expression which will bring together the skill sets of the singing actor, composer, and director. Working pure emotional impulse on our feet, working with breath to analyze and interpret text and music, and finding depth in emotional possibilities in new and exciting ways that can easily be applied to all of your performance needs.
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Contemporary Opera: Study of Vocal Methods & Strategies
11:30 - 12:30 PM
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Contemporary Opera: Study of Vocal Methods & Strategies - with Assistant Conductor and Pianist Miriam Charney. The master class will explore how singers first approach an opera that is not only new to them, but also new to the world? How does one develop the musicianship skills needed to approach, study, learn quickly, interpret, and perform this music with confidence and enjoyment? How do we learn how to organize the material into a memorable whole?
Employing various vocal exercises and techniques, this participatory master class will explore the skills needed and then apply them to music new to the singers. Finally, we will discuss how to find arias which are personally comfortable, beautiful, and usable for auditions and performance, and learn how to distinguish between what's appropriate for each circumstance and what's best for the individual singer.
PRECIPICE
2:00 - 3:30 PM
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A concert reading of a new chamber opera by
Susan Zeeman Rogers (Concept & Design),
Rima Fand (Music)
and Karen Fisher (Libretto)
followed by a Q&A with Dr. Susan Gonzalez,
the creative team, and director Mallory Catlett
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ABOUT PRECIPICE
Ana finds freedom in the forest, but as a child of the 1950’s her wild spirit is crushed, and her voice is stolen by adults who disregard and punish her. Rather than marry a man who expects only beauty and docility, she finds her way to the precipice of her dream, and leaps. She wakes to find herself in a surreal wilderness in which she must fight to find her voice and power as a woman, and to create a world worth returning to.
Told as an object theatre/chamber opera, Precipice sets an intimate story against epic natural landscapes, created with hand-made paper dioramas and live feed video. This contemporary fairy tale has music by Rima Fand, libretto by Karen Fisher, design by Susan Zeeman Rogers and direction by Mallory Catlett. By drawing parallels between environmental and emotional damage, Precipice looks at how we are silenced and exiled, and at how we find our way back to connection, both with each other and the natural world.
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OUR CAST
Ana (8, 24 and 34 years old)
Alice Tolan-Mee, mezzo
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Ana's mother, Earth Spirit
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Ana's father
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Developer, Fiancée's father, Mother Tree
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Fiancée's mother, Spirit Voice
Berit Bassinger, soprano*
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Developer's wife, Spirit Voice
Lian Kelmann, soprano*
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Raven Child, Ana's daughter (8 years old)
Willow Macol, soprano*
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Fiancée
Joseph Stroppel, tenor*
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*indicates a current student at Hunter Opera Theater
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PRECIPICE HUNTER OPERA THEATER ENSEMBLE
Shani Baker, mezzo soprano
Duquingna, soprano
Marc Gross, baritone
Samantha Jones, soprano**
Anais Leal, soprano
Eric Li, baritone
Donna Paysepar, soprano
Dawn Ressy, mezzo soprano
Hannie Ricardo, mezzo soprano
Alejandra Rodriguez, mezzo soprano**
Maya Sequira, soprano**
James Worley, tenor
Yichen Xue, baritone**
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**indicates a cover role
PRECIPICE INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLE
Mila Henry, piano
Leah Asher, violin
Jasmine Goley, violin*
Tyran Ferone, cello*
Vitor Sampaio, mandolin*
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*indicates a current student at Hunter College
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ARTISTIC TEAM
Susan Zeeman Rogers, Creator & Designer
Rima Fand, Composer
Karen Fisher, Librettist
Susan Gonzalez, Artistic Director of Hunter Opera Theater
Mila Henry, Music Director
Lana Norris, Assistant Music Director & Coach
PRODUCTION TEAM
Charles Jarden, Interim General Director
Mila Henry, Artistic Director
Joel Kalow, General Manager
Takesha Meshé Kizart-Thomas, Head of Development & Greater Impact
Caitlin Mead, Grant Writer, Social Media, and Marketing
W. Wilson Jones, Resident Stage Manager
Rosamund Dyer, Administrative Assistant
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HUNTER OPERA THEATER at HUNTER COLLEGE
Susan Gonzalez, Director of Vocal Studies and Hunter Opera Theater
Corinne Schaefer, Production Manager
Jacob Sachs-Mishalanie, Tech Director & Sound Engineer
Eric Li, Stage Manager
Shani Baker, Administrative Coordinator
Karen Yamaguchi, Administrative Assistant
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Gordon Ostrowski, Regional Governor & Organizer for National Opera Association Eastern Conference
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AOP BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Anthony Roth Costanzo
Sarah Moulton Faux
J. David Jackson
Charles Jarden
W. Wilson Jones
Cassondra Joseph
Mark Kalow
Christina B. Murphy
Norman Ryan
Precipice is made possible in part from the Howard Gilman Foundation and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The commissioning of Rima Fand for Precipice was made possible by OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. The commissioning of Susan Zeeman Rogers for Precipice was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Precipice is currently in development with The American Opera Project. Participating organizations that have helped to develop Precipice are New Georges and Paper River, LLC.
Thank you to Precipice's many generous individual donors (as of 4/21/23), including those who donated $100 or more: AOP Board (In Honor of Mila Henry), Randi Benton, Rima Fand, Sarah Moulton Faux (In Honor of Mila Henry), Celine French, Helen Henry, Charles Jarden (In Honor of Mila Henry), Cassondra Joseph (In Honor of Mila Henry), Greg Papazian, Ben Provenzano, Martha Robb, Robert Rogers, Susan Zeeman Rogers, Gregory Schneiderman, Sara Valentine, and the additional generous donors listed here.
Reception
4:00 PM
The NOA Eastern Regional Conference and Earth Day Celebration was made possible by
Hunter Opera Theater, National Opera Association & The American Opera Project.
