Theresienstadt Opera Project
Directed by: Omer Ben Seadia
Conducted by: Yael Front
Cast:
Brundibár
(presented in English)
Annika: Elise Hurwitz
Pepicek: Ben Eglian
Brundibár: Christopher Brandon Morales
Ice Man/Dog: Lauren McAllister
Baker/Sparrow: Sydney Gabbard
Milkman: Simon Barrad
Policeman: Jonathan Cooper
Cat: Alexandra Kassouf
Children’s chorus from the Northern Kentucky School of Music
Der Kaiser von Atlantis
(presented in German with English supertitles)
Der Kaiser: Simon Barrad
Der Lautsprecher: Christopher Brandon Morales
Ein Soldat/Harlekin: Shawn Mlynek
Bubikopf: Alexandra Kassouf
Der Tod: Jonathan Cooper
Der Trommler: Lauren McAllister
OMER BEN SEADIA, STAGE DIRECTOR
Emerging Israeli stage director, Omer Ben Seadia is a recent graduate of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with an Artist Diploma in Opera Directing. While at CCM, she directed numerous productions including Don Pasquale (Donizetti), Le Docteur Miracle (Bizet) and Saint John’s Passion (Bach). Ms. Ben Seadia also studied Theater Directing at Seminar Ha’Kibutzim School of Performing Arts in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Recently she completed the Merola Opera Program as the 2014 Apprentice Stage Director, directing the Merola Grand Finale on the main stage of the San Francisco Opera. Upcoming projects include Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri at Opera Santa Barbara, March 2015. Previous productions include Cincinnati Opera’s Let’s Cook up an Opera, Dayton Opera’s Surviving the Amazing Opera Race, The Golden Vanity (Cincinnati Boys Choir) as well as a stage adaptation of The Dresser (Seminar HaKibutzim theater). Ms. Ben Seadia has been on staff at The Israeli Opera, Cincinnati Opera, The International Vocal Arts Institute and will join the staff of Houston Grand Opera during the 2015 season.
SIMON BARRAD, DER KAISER
The versatility of Simon Barrad’s shimmering baritone voice has been heard in such diverse opera roles as Owen Wingrave with CCM Opera, Leporello (Don Giovanni), Lescaut (Manon), Count Almaviva and Antonio (Le nozze di Figaro), and in scenes as Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Richard Nixon (Nixon in China), Marcello (La Bohème), and Candide. Originally from Southern California, he has been featured in recitals and concerts across the western United States including Die schöne Müllerin (Schubert), Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Mahler), Carmina Burana (Orff), Ein deutsches Requiem (Brahms), and Duruflé’s Requiem. In Cincinnati, he has performed with numerous companies including Cincinnati Opera, Vocal Arts Ensemble, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, and as a cantorial soloist at Wise Temple. Mr. Barrad’s upcoming Cincinnati engagements include Robert Beaser’s Seven Deadly Sins with the CCM Philharmonia Orchestra, Guglielmo in the CCM Mainstage Opera production of Così fan tutte, and Les noces with CCM Ballet.
JONATHAN COOPER, DER TOD
Recent M.M. graduate from CCM in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jonathan F. Cooper (baritone) is an avid performer of early and sacred music. In Cincinnati, Jonathan sings regularly with groups such as the Catacoustic Consort, Collegium Cincinnati, Cincinnati Bach Ensemble, and VAE: Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble under Craig Hella Johnson. Especially drawn to the works of Bach, Jonathan was featured soloist for the inaugural Cincinnati Bach Festival, performing ten cantatas (arias and choruses, one-on-a-part) over four weekends. During the festival, Jonathan “demonstrated a dark, caressing voice” by joining Dwight Parry, principal oboist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in his recital, Dwight Parry and Friends for BWV 82 Ich habe genung. Jonathan is also a proud employee of the Episcopal Church, through which he serves as Program Assistant for Music, Youth & Family Ministries at St. Thomas, Terrace Park, Ohio.
ELISE HURWITZ, ANNIKA
Elise Hurwitz, soprano, is a senior at Saint Ursula Academy in Cincinnati. She has attended prestigious high school arts programs such as Brevard Music Center in the summer of 2014 and Interlochen Center for the Arts in the summers of 2012 and 2013. She was recently recognized as a national semi-finalist in the Classical Singer Competition in San Antonio, Texas, and has performed as a semi-finalist in the Cincinnati Overture Awards Competition for the past three years. Elise has also regularly performed lead and supporting roles with Cincinnati Children's Theater. She has studied voice for ten years, and will audition to study vocal performance at the university level this year. She is currently a piano student at the Cincinnati School of Music, and studies voice under Autumn West. Elise is thrilled to make her debut with Cincinnati Chamber Opera in her first full operatic role!
ALEXANDRA KASSOUF, BUBIKOPF
Currently based in Cincinnati, soprano Alexandra Kassouf has enjoyed performing with the Cincinnati Chamber Opera since their inaugural season. With them she has covered the role of Galatea (ACIS AND GALATEA) and choreographed a production of L'ORFEO for the Cincinnati Early Music Festival. Also in Cincinnati, she has been a soloist in Mendelssohn's ELIJAH, Handel's MESSIAH, and Michael Fiday's ...y el ave lucida. She covered Fiora (L'AMORE DEI TRE RE) last season with the Queen City Chamber Opera and performs regularly with the Ohio chapter of the Murder Mystery Co.
Ms. Kassouf has toured with Opera Columbus, performing an Improv Opera and the title role of LITTLE RED'S MOST UNUSUAL DAY. She will join Opera Columbus again this spring in collaboration with CATCO as Sophie in MASTERCLASS.
Last summer, Ms. Kassouf amused audiences with her gender-bending performance of two roles- the Police Sergeant and Edith- in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE at the historic Clayton Opera House in her home state of New York.
Ms. Kassouf earned a Master of Music at CCM and a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she also studied dance.
SHAWN MLYNEK, HARLEKIN/SOLDAT
Tenor Shawn Mlynek hails from Toledo, Ohio, and has received much esteem for the beauty and clarity of his instrument, as well as his strong stage presence.
Mlynek’s 2013-2014 brings debuts at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall (Tenor Soloist, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Distinguished Concerts International New York), as well as with the Dallas Chamber Symphony (Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings), Toronto’s ‘Nocturnes in the City’ concert series (Solo Recital), the Cincinnati Early Music Festival (Title Role, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo), Indianapolis Opera (Title role [cover], Albert Herring), and a return to Cincinnati Chamber Opera (Cecco, Il Mondo Della Luna). Past performances have included Acis in Handel’s Acis and Galatea, the Evangelist in a staged production of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Hermosa in Offenbach’s L’ile de Tulipatan, and a soloist in collaboration with the Goethe Institute’s Musik:Sprache der Welt recitals (Freiburg and Bonn, Germany)
Mlynek has been a participant in CCM: Making Mozart (Don Basilio, Le Nozze di Figaro, 2012) the solisti studio of CCM:Spoleto (2010, 2011), the Aspen Opera Theatre Centre (2009), AIMS in Graz opera studio (2008), and the Interlochen Arts Camp (2003, 2004) and will join the Utah Festival Opera in 2014 as a Festival artist. Mlynek has received an encouragement award from the Czech and Slovak International Competition (2013) as well as being named a national finalist in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition (2012) and a national semi-finalist in the Palm Beach Vocal Competition, Sarasota Artist Guild Competition, and the National Orpheus Competition (2010). He was a national winner in the Shirley Rabb Winston voice scholarship competition (2008). He holds a B.F.A from Carnegie Mellon University and a Masters degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).
YAEL FRONT, PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR
Yael Front, principal conductor for Cincinnati Chamber Opera, grew up in Beit Yitzchak, Israel in a musical family. She began playing the piano at age four. Her first professional experiences took place in the Moran Choir. Ms. Front continued her musical training at the Thelma Yellin High School for the Arts, graduating with honors in voice performance and theory. In 2011 Ms. Front received a Bachelors degree in orchestral conducting from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where she studied with Dr. Evgeny Tsirlin. There, she served as conductor of the Jerusalem Academy Wind Ensemble and assistant conductor for the Chamber Choir, Symphony Orchestra and opera production of her final year, Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel. That same year, she formed the Ramat Gan 'Gvanim' Children's Choir. In 2011, Ms. Front traveled to Siena, Italy, to participate in the 'Academia Musicale Chigiana Masterclasses in orchestral conducting. In masterclasses with Michail Jurowski and Lior Shambadal, Yael performed works by Bartok and Beethoven with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra the Berlin Sinfonietta, respectively. In 2012, Yael joined the 'Tedarim' project, a year-long contemporary music program for outstanding young musicians. Ms. Front is currently pursuing a Masters degree in orchestral conducting at the College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati with Professor Mark Gibson.
BEN EGLIAN, PEPICEK
Ben Eglian, baritone, is a senior at Highlands High School. He has always been fascinated by music's ability to offer the world a voice (literally and figuratively), that allows us to go beyond what we might say to someone when asked what we are feeling, and/or what we have experienced in the world. Music is something more; an ability capture a moment in a way that is so accurate and vibrant that we, as audience members and performers, are given the ability further understand ourselves, our emotions, and the world around us. Ben has been involved in music since a very young age, and is active on nearly all sides of the musical spectrum. He has made Kentucky All-State Choir three times, is a member of Highlands High School's Chamber Choir under the leadership of Jason McKee, and participates regularly in Highlands Theatre productions, both drama and musical theatre, under the direction of Jason Burgess. He is also the lead singer/songwriter and rhythm guitarist of a band called Break & Run, and enjoys playing solo acoustic guitar in his free time. His junior year, he was the winner of his high school's talent show for his solo acoustic performance. He plans to pursue musical career upon graduation from high school. This is the first operatic production he has ever been a part of, and he is elated to be working with a cast and creative team whose talents are simply astounding. He would like to give a big thank you to his amazing voice teacher Shawn Mlynek for not only encouraging him initially to audition for this production, but also encouraging him as a musician, singer, and as a person. He is thoroughly grateful to be a part of such a meaningful production.
SYDNEY GABBARD, BAKER/SPARROW AND BUBIKOPF COVER
With extraordinary vitality, soprano Sydney Gabbard infuses a fresh presence into the opera world, establishing herself as a young artist on the rise. Sydney is honored to be joining Cincinnati Chamber Opera as the Baker, Sparrow, and covering Bubikopf. Sydney recently relocated to Cincinnati after receiving her Masters of Music from the University of Tennessee. Sydney has performed the roles of Emily Webb in the Pacific Northwest debut of Ned Rorem’s Our Town, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Lucia in the The Rape of Lucretia, Despina, in Cosi fan tutte, and Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème. Sydney has been sought after for her concert and recital work. Performing with the Chattanooga Symphony, Sydney presented snippets of characters ranging from Gilda to Violetta. She will rejoin the Chattanooga Symphony as the Soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah in 2015. In the near future Ms. Gabbard will be performing the Soprano solos in Fauré's Requiem with a local chamber ensemble and a recital series.
LAUREN MCALLISTER, DER TROMMLER
Mezzo-Soprano Lauren McAllister recently graduated with her Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, in the studio of Karen Lykes. While at CCM, she played Marcellina in the Opera d'Arte production of Le Nozze di Figaro, covered the role of Lazuli (l'Etoile), and performed as the alto soloist in the staged production of the Bach St. John Passion. Lauren also performed in the CCM Chamber Choir's Monteverdi Project, a CET Arts televised program presenting selections from Monteverdi's secular and sacred works. Lauren received her Bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of music in Rochester, New York, where she studied with Dr. Robert McIver. She performed the roles of Aunt Emma (Hin und Zurück) and Rosine (Signor Deluso), was a finalist in the Jesse Kneisel Lieder Competition, received an Eastman Junior Jury Award, and won first place in the Syracuse Civic Morning Musicals Competition. Currently, Lauren performs in the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, and will soon be making her ROKCincy debut as Hansel (Hansel and Gretel). Lauren is excited to make her Cincinnati Chamber Opera debut this season!
CHRISTOPHER BRANDON MORALES, DER LAUTSPRECHER
Christopher Brandon Morales returns to Cincinnati Chamber Opera for his third engagement with the ensemble. He is a recent graduate of UC's College-Conservatory of Music's MM Voice program, and a graduate of Texas State University-San Marcos. Morales has recently performed many companies in Ohio including Cincinnati Opera, NANO Works, and Queen City Chamber Opera, and was also the featured baritone soloist in Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra's performance of Vaughan William's Dona Nobis Pacem. Not only an active performer in the Ohio area, Morales has performed throughout the country with companies such as San Antonio Opera Piccola, Opera Saratoga and Utah Festival Opera. He will soon be joining Dayton Opera in Mozart's Die zauberflöte, and Portland Opera's Opera to Go in their tour of Rossini's The Barber of Seville. Originally from San Antonio, TX, Morales currently resides in Cincinnati, OH.
