A TALL ORDER by Joh n Gree r THE CONFUSED CASTRATO by Michael McKa y LA CASATI by Br yce Kulak and Erin Shields Director – Sandra Resendes-Unger Music Director s – Deena Grier, Renate Rossol Scenic Designer – Sandra Resendes-Unger Co stume Desig ner – Robert Butler FRID AY, MARCH 2 – 7:30 PM / SA TUR DAY, MARCH 3 – 7:30 PM

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Winnipeg Foundation, Winnipeg Arts Council, Manito ba Ar ts Council Gail Asper Fa mily Foundation , Inc.

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D

IRECTOR’S N

OTES

Welcome everyone to Oper a Shorts Cabaret! Be prepared to enjoy a fun- fi lled evening of entertainment. This experience has been nothing short of exci ting and cha llenging. I am humbled to work with our amazing and talented cast, musi ci ans and company. The three operas are as dis tinct as three rides at a metaphorical amus ement park. First off we have the Funhouse, that is experienced in John Greer’s A Tall Order. This opéra bouffe will have you laughing as we indulge in the mind of SHE’s self con sciousness as SHE struggles to decide what to order on a first date. SHE procras tinates with each menu item eventually revealing what she reall y w ants! The organic process of getting to the comedic moments has had me truly l aughing out loud during r ehearsals. Secondly, we experience the Rollercoaster in Michael McKay’s The Co nfused C astra to. A classic Baroque style opera, with comedic elements ending in tragedy. This experien ce will take you on an whirlwind of emotions as the diva Elvira is disgus ted by the drunk Charles who wants her to per form in his completed magnum opus. But who will play the street urchin? Ah yes – Veneto, who is a c onfused castrato… about the role he plays both literally and figu ratively. Be prepared for the topsy turvey events that unfold in this opera and, much like a roll ercoaster, you will be entertain ed! Ending off the night we hop on the Ferris Wheel in La C as a ti w ritten by Bry ce Kulak and E rin Shields. This opera takes place at the height of World War II and will take you through the landscape of Luisa Casati’s life. The message is profound – tha t eter nal happiness is not disco vered through wealth, animals , and images of oneself (pay attention “s elfie” ers!). When, at the very top we may see beauty, but, unfor tunately, we all must come down and s ometimes good things come to an end. In closing, I want to thank the Lit tle Opera Company for giving me the opportunity to do what I truly love and for hel ping me to bring these scripts to life. This process has filled my soul! Special thanks to J essica Guspodarchuk for the paintings and to my neighbours for lending me your props! Deep tha nk you to my family and friends for their never- ending love and support. Finally, thank you to all of yo u for coming out this evening! Obrigada, Sandra Resendes-Unger

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A TALL O

RDER

CHAMBER OPER

A BY JOHN

GR

EER

SYN

OPSIS

A Tall Order finds a young couple on their second date. They have agreed to meet for dinner and as they prepare to order, HER various insecurities su ddenly get the better of her. Despite her wild, paranoid inner monologue and the imagined responses from her par tner, all ends well. (Woody’s is a fun, trendy Bohemian Boston restaurant mi dway between the New England Conservatory and Boston Conservatory very popular with students and young adult s in the area) .

CAST

SHE – Emily Diehl-Reader HE – Nelson Bettencourt Quartet Kira Fondse (soprano), Zoë Gotziaman (Mezzo -soprano), Marco Chenier (Tenor), Richie Diggs/Nicholas Borko wsky (Bass)

Instrumentalists Piano – Deena Grier

Percussion – Ca meron Denby

Lara Rae, Specia l Guest Emcee Lara Rae is a comedian, the co -founding Artistic Director of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and the opera reviewer for CBC Ma nitoba. She has done opera talks for Ma nitoba Opera and for McNally Robins on Community Classroom. Last season she was a perform er and emcee at WSO’s Second City’s Guide to the Orchestra. Unlike Maria Callas she loves the soun d of her own voice. She lives in Wolsley with her two rats Nin a and Frida.

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THE CONF

USED CASTRATO

CHAMBER OPE

R

A BY MICHAEL MCKAY

SYNO

PSIS

Charles, an English co mposer living in Rome, has just completed his la test opera—and in his mind, his masterpiece—and is celebrating with a drink. Char les’ new opera is about a charming street urchin who falls in love with a jaded princess a nd con vinces her to leave her burdensome life of luxury for a life of love and liber ty w ith him. Charles has specifically w ritten the opera with the Spanish diva Elvira in mind; she will play the role of the princess. The production has been cast, all except for one role—the street urchin , who must be played by a woman. While he ponder s who could play this important part, it da wns upon him—the rising star, the brilliant young actress Veneto, would be perfect! He sends his assis tant to hire her and bring her to immediately for a r ehearsal with Elvir a. While Charles is a way taking care of other business, Elvira arrives in Charles’ studio, and we discover that all is not well : she is not happy to be there, particularly disgusted by both Charles and his “terrible play”. Veneto soon arri ves and qu estions her on why she is so hateful : Charles is a volatile, chain-smoking, alcoholic slob, and he has blackmailed her into doing the production. Charles returns to the studio with music in hand, and gi ves Elvira and Veneto their par ts for a read-through of the scene where the urchin convinces the princess that his love will tri umph over her burdensome life of luxury. As the scene progresses, things go w rong quite quickly: Charles was expecting that a brilliant actress like Veneto would be able to play the role l ike an adorable and magnetic young man (picture Ed die Redmayne) ; however, Veneto ’s acting is beautifully styliz ed and feminine, and completely inappropriate for the role. Charles interr upts the r ehearsal to rage at Veneto over her acting and in the ensuing argument, it is revealed that Veneto is no t a woman but a castrato—a male who has been castrated before puberty to keep his high voice! What is “wo rse” is that Veneto has only ever played female r oles, with a finely-honed skill, but has abso lutely no idea how to act like a man. Fi nding himself unable to play his own biological sex leaves Veneto in a gender- based existential crisis. Charles is horrified, and feels his opera is now doomed to failure. He becomes so enra ged that he goes into convulsions and dies an epic de ath.

CAST

Elvira – Emily Diehl-Reader / Veneto – Zoë Gotziaman / Charles – Spencer D uncanson Piano – Deena Grier

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LA C

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SATI

CHAMBER OPER

A BY BRYCE KULAK / ERIN SHIELDS

SYNO

PSIS

The Marchesa Luisa Casati (1881–1957) was o ne of the most talked-about personali ties of the first half of the 20th century. A wealthy Italian aristocrat w ith the s ensibility of an audacious performance artist, La Casati com missioned portrai ts of herself by the most avant-garde ar tists of her time. In most of her portra its, she is wearing outrageous costumes and has seem ingly provoked each artist to his/her most extr eme artistic expression. By contrast, the first painting of her by Augustus John (1878–19 61) appears stripped of artifice and presents the viewer with a di rect, vulnerable, and unadorn ed portrayal of La Casati. This painting (The Marchesa Casati, 1 919, Art Gallery of Ontario) was the starting point fo r our collaborati on. We find the Marchesa Casati in her crumbling Venetian palace, surrounded by her animals: two cheetahs, a greyho und, a pa rrot, a boa constrictor… Welsh painter Augustus John, her friend and one -time lover, tries to convince Casati she must sel l everything and pay off her debts. She takes offence when he compares her to other vain aristocrats who commis sion portraits. Casati dis tracts John by summoning the memories of their first meeting, and subsequent artistic an d r omantic exchange. In their remin iscence, Luisa (the young Casati) arri ves at John’s apartment demanding to be painted. He agrees, on the condition she pose as she is, without her usual façade. John paints with pass ion. The memory fades; the older Casati lam ents that her paintings will be sold, and she will be alone. — Bry ce Kulak & E rin Shields

CAST

La Casati – Donnalynn Grills / John – Nelson Bettencourt / Luisa – Kira F ondse Piano – Renate Ross ol

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COMPOS

ERS BIOGRAPHIES

John Greer John is an active accompanist, vocal coach, arranger, composer a nd conductor and has been heard in these capacities thr oughout Canada and abroad, in recital and on various CBC broad casts. As a faculty member of the University of T oronto opera division Mr. Greer made his conducting debut in 1983. He has conducted numer ous operas there as well as works for Victoria’s Opera Piccola, Otta wa’s Opera Lyra, The Banff School of Fine Arts, the T oronto Gilbert & Sullivan Society and Mirvish Productions. Mr. Greer was Music Director of the Eastman Opera Theatre in Rochester, New York for five years and for two years was Music Dir ecto r of the Opera Studio at the University of Ma ryland. From 2003–10 he was Director and Chair of Opera Studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston and worked as Head Vocal Coach for the University of Kentucky voice and opera in Lexington , KY for three years. For ten seas ons his summers were occupied with his duties as Gener al Manager and Head of Music Staff for the Janiec Opera Workshop at the Br evard Music Center in North Carolina. Mr. Greer has also been on the music staff of Gli mmerglass and Chautauqua Opera co mpanies. Mr. Greer’s compositio ns include eleven song cy cles, vocal chamber music and numerous works based on Canadian folk song. He has w ritten two operas for the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus and a r evision and orchestrati on of the 1889 Canadian operetta Leo the Royal Cadet by O. F. Telgmann, commissioned by T oronto Operetta Theatre. Michael McKay Michael is a pianist and composer originally from Nova Scotia but no w based in Winnipeg. Winnipeg audiences will mostly know Michael as a choral composer, through performances of his works by Camerata Nova an d Winnipeg Singers (among others ); however, he has written in various style s and genres, with musical dramas holding the biggest fascination for him . His second score, The Tr iu mph o f Caffeina was performed by Little Opera Company in 2015. His fourth score, for the hit Toronto musical Clo uds was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore award in 1996.

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Bryce Kulak B r yce is a Toronto-based composer. Award -winning projects include stage works Nami Nam e rss on, Bears, and La Ca sati, and the movie-musical The Ma n T hat Got Away, in which Bryce also starred. The fi lm won the only monied prize for shorts at the Berlin International Fi lm Festival and went on to screen and win awards at festivals worldwide. As a performer, Bryc e has been seen across Canada for 25 years, including productions at Mirvis h (The Lo rd of the Rin gs), Marquis Entertainment (2 Pianos 4 Ha n ds), Theatre Aquarius (Bil ly Bisho p Goe s to War), The Citadel (Ol ive r!, The Music Man), and Theatre Calgary (Cam e lot). Bryce co-created and tours with Tom Allen’s chamber-musicals Boh emi a ns in Bro oklyn, The Judgm e nt o f Par is, From Weim ar to Vaud eville, and The Miss in g Pages. Most recently he was pianist, composer, and music consultant for the English world premiere of To T h e Light at Alberta Theatre Projects, and for A Chr is tmas Carol at Western Canada Theatre. As a young composer, Bryce was mentored by John Estaci o. He made his debut as a singer-songwriter with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and has sung with the orchestra of the Banff Centre and th e Kingston Symphony Orchestra. Br yce has played a series of sold-out cabarets at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre; highlights are on their podcast. His albums We lcom e, Tin Ca n Te l ephone, and The Ma n T hat Got Away are on iTunes. b r yc e kulak.c o m Erin Shields Erin is a Montreal -based playwright and actor. She won the 2011 Governor General’s Award for her play If We Were Bi rds, which premiered at Tarragon Theatre. Erin’s other Tarragon premieres include The Millennial Ma lcont e nt and Sol i ci t in g Tempt at ion. Erin’s version of Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea was part of The Shaw Festiva l’s 2015 season. Upcoming, Erin’s adaptation o f Par ad ise Los t will premiere at the Stratford Festival .

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Nelson Bettencourt, T enor Born in Winnipeg, Nelson received his bachelor of mus ic fro m the University of Manitoba and master of fine arts fro m The Bos ton Conservatory. He is an active member of the Winnipeg arts communi ty both as a performer and as an educato r. This spring Nelson can be seen in the Winnipeg S ymphony Orchestra / Rainbow Stage production of A Ch orus Li ne and he will be travelling to Edmonton to work on Mayfield theatres’ production of All Sh oo k Up. Select credits: Charlie Brown/Linus (MTYP), South Pacific/H arbison (WSO/Rainbow Stage), Les Misérables/ Lesgles (Rainbow Stage), Into the Woods/Jack (Di strict Theatre Collective), Rent/Mark (TBZ Production/Saskatchew an Express), The Velveteen Rabbit/ Boy (Little Opera Company), Spring A wakening/E rnst (Winnipeg Studio Theatre), Zanna Don’t/Za nna (Stage 16). Emily Diehl-Reader, S oprano Currently purs uing a Master of Music degree at the University of Manitoba, soprano Emily Diehl-Reader most recently appeared on s tage with the Manitoba Undergro und Opera in their productions of Suor Angelica and Ido meneo, as well as in their Opera 360° gala concert. Emily has also appeared on stage w ith Manitoba Opera, playing Second Lady in Turando t, First Bridesmaid in The M a rriage of Figa r o, and joining the chorus in Falsta f f and Fideli o. She performed the titular role of Emily Carr in the Manitoba prem iere of Jana Skarecky and Di Brandt’s contemporary opera Emily: The Way You Are. Spencer Duncanson, Ba rito ne Spencer comes to us from New York City where he bega n his musical training at Bro oklyn College. Since then he has studied voice with Robert Ir win, Orville Derraugh, Ted Puffer, Diane Berger, Sherry Zanoff and Judith Coen. He has spent a large part of his career teaching in the school system where he has trained so me wonderful choirs and has taught voice in his private studio and at MCMA. He has also appea red in concert and opera and founded The Little Opera Company. P resently he is conducting the Winnipeg Boys Choir and The Ready to Sing Choir at the Facu lty of Health and Science.

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Kira Fondse, S oprano Kira is delighted to be appearing with The Little Opera Co mpany in this eccentric role alongside such a wonderful cast and crew. A storyteller through music and theatr e, Kira seeks ways to speak out for those who se voices cannot be heard, through the shar ing of art, culture and stories with people in Canada and around the world. Past productions have included The Dream Catchers National T our (Charlottetown Festival Young Company), A Little Night Music (Dry Cold), Anne of Green Gabl es (Steinbach Arts Council), Spelli ng B ee (WST StudioWorks) and Strike! The Musical (Danny Schur). Kira is completing a bachelor degree in vocal performance at the University of Manitoba studying with Tracy Dahl. Zoë Gotziaman, Mezzo-soprano Zoë studies at the University of Ma nitoba, under the tutelage of Tracy Dahl. Zoë has performed with Manitoba Oper a, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Winnipeg, H alifax Summer Opera Festival, Opera NUOVA, University of Dalhousie, Opera York, COC, and CCOC. Recent ro les include Nancy in Albert Herri ng, and Angela in P a tience. Later this spring she will play Phoebe in The Yeo men of t he Gua r d with the G&S Society of Winnipeg. This is Zoë’s first production with LOC and she’s really looking for ward to it. Donnalynn Grills, Mezzo-soprano Some of Donna lynn’s favourite ro les with The Little Opera Company include Dinah in T r ouble i n Tahiti, the M other in Amahl and t he Night Vi sitor s, the 3rd Lady in Th e M agic Flute, Nan/the Race Car in The Velv eteen Rabbit and the Announcer in Gallan try. Equally at home in opera, oratorio and musical theatre, Donnalynn has had the privilege of per fo rming with the Winnipeg S ymphony Orchestra, Rainbow Stage, Dry Cold Productions, Manitoba Opera, Ma nitoba Theatre Centre, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Vancouver S ymphony, Canzona, Camerata Nova, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Winnipeg, The Winnipeg Singers and the Win nipeg Philharm onic Choir. When not rehears ing for one performance or another, Donnalynn can be found at the Desautels Faculty of Musi c at U of M as the program coordin ator for the Prep Studies Division .

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Sandra Resendes-Unger, Director Born and raised in Winnipeg by her immigrant parents fr om Sao Miguel, Azores, Sandra has loved the ar ts as long as she could remember. Her first endeavours of perfo rming were in the Portuguese comm unity singing at various festivals and, most recently starring in the role of Amalia: The Musical (Amalia jovem-Mar Salgado). For o ver 20 years, she has graced her voice in various venues across the city with her late group Ména ge, and currently with her duo Sa n Carlos (Jazzfest 2017-Combo Latino ). Singer by night, Sandra also teaches by day. Receiving a schola rship from the Manitoba Arts Counci l Sandra studied at the University of Win nipeg, majoring in Theater in Education (BEd-2003). U pon graduation she moved to Calgary and taught at a fine arts school . Her heart was in the Peg where she returned and completed her Post Bach in counselling and resour ce at the University of Manitoba. As a special education resource teacher Sa ndra enjoys using music and dance as a tool to connect with her students. Her biggest productions happen each night at home where her three gir ls creatively indulge in si nging, dancing, and acting! She is grateful for al l of the support from her fami ly and friends. Sandra is humbled and deeply appreciative of this opportun ity to work with the Little Opera Company. Deena Grier, Music Director Much in demand as both a vocal collabor ator and coach, Deena Grier’s work as a studio pianist, recitalist, and mu sic di rector continue to spread her reputation as a sensitive musician and skilled diction co ach. A recent graduate of Boston Con servatory with a Masters degree in Coll aborative Piano with Oper a Emphasis, Ms. Grier completed her studies under Maestro Andrew A ltenbach. Originally from Riverton, Manitoba, her graduate degree included work on The Cunni ng Little Vixen (Janáček), Die Za uberflöte (M ozart), The Rape of Lucretia (Britten), The Rake’s Pr ogres s (Stravinsky), and The Italian Girl (Rossini). The Italian Girl was Deena’s first foray into the orchestra pit as harpsichordist, and her wor k on the recitatives was described as “brilliant” by The Bo sto n In telligencer. Deena has performed with Boston C onservatory’s Children’ s Opera Outreach (Little Red R idi ng Hood, 2015–2016), Manitoba Underground Opera (Winnipeg, MB), University of Ma nitoba’s Opera & Musical Theatr e

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Ensembles (Winnipeg, MB), North End Music & P erforming Arts Center (Boston, MA), Boston Opera Co llaborative, and Opera in the Ozark s at Inspiration Point (Eureka Springs, AR). In July 2017, Ms. Gr ier once again joined Fraser Lyric Oper a Society (Prince George, BC) working at their week long Vocal Intensive w orkshop, and served as coach for Manitoba Underground’s August 2017 festival in productions of Ido meneo, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi. Renate Rossol, Music Director Renate holds a Master of Music (Collaborative Piano) a nd Bachelo r of Music (Performance and Music H istory) from the University of Manitoba, and an ARCT in Piano Per formance. She also studied at the Vienna Conservatory from 2012–2013. She made her m usic directing debut August 2015 with Secondary Characters Musical Theatre in Chilliwack, BC, for The Last Five Years. Renate served as appr entice music director for Dry Cold Productions’ A Little Night Music (Winnipeg, MB), vocal coach/répétiteur for Fraser Lyric Opera’s The Ba rber of Seville (2016, Prince George, BC), and répétiteur for Manitoba Under ground Opera’s productions of La C le menza di T ito (2014), and The M agic Flute (2016, Winnipeg, MB). She was very excited to be the repetiteur for the world premiere of Neil Weisensel ’s Merry Ch ri st mas Ste p hen Le ac ock in December 2016 with Lit tle Opera Company. Ms. Rossol apprenticed under Dr. Kinza Tyrell for Opera Kelowna’s La Bo hème summer 2017, and played for the company’s regional auditions in Calgary in September . Calgary Concert Opera engaged Ms. Rossol as a pianist and coach for their Autumn Operanox performance of ensemble excerpts als o in September 2017. She will be leading a week intensive coaching musical theatre and o per atic repertoire with Fraser Lyric Opera in March 2018. Ren ate is in demand as a recital part ner, collaborating with singers and instrumentalists across Canada and abroad. Locally, she is the music director at Stur geo n Creek United Church, and works as a vocal coach, coll aborative pianist, and adjudicator.

BOARD OF DI

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ECTORS

Robert Campbell: President Michael Dunbar: Past Presiden t Spencer Duncanson: Artistic Directo r Donnalynn Grills: Treasure r Debra Z o ër b: Director Odette Heyn: Director Renate Rossol: Director Eldene Spencer: Director Diane Berger: Director Emeritu s Don Larsen: Director Emeritu s

SPECIAL TH

ANKS TO

Special Thanks to: S t . James Anglican Church First Unitarian Churc h Heather Milne Jeff Francis Rachel Forrest George Duseigne Tim Ha rwood-Jones (piano tuner ) and Dina Ha rwood-Jones (fo r th e l oan of th e ha rpsich o rd)

CREDI

TS

Stage Director : Sandra Resendes-Unger Music Directors: Deena Gr ier/Renate Rossol Costume Design : Robert Butler Stage Manager : Robert Campbell Posters: Steve Adams Program: Mil es Linklater

Public Relations: He ather Milne Web master : Don Larsen Instrumentalists: Deena Grier – Pian o Renate Rossol – Piano Cameron Denby - Percuss ion

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LOC

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We are very grateful to our do nors for their contribution s as we could not do the work we do without their support.

Member ($1 – $29) Katherine Cobor Karolyn Ryback Friend ($30 – $149) Diane Berger Jan Horner Dr Kathryn and Dr Robert You ng Pat Milne Lois and Richard Watso n-Lyons Terumi Kuw ada and Ron Rothery A llan Whicker Paul and Doreen Br omley George Eldene Spencer Donnalynn Gr ills Carolyn Boyes Debra Zoë rb

Supporter ($150 – $499) Judith and Richard Panson Christina and Joseph P olimeni Robert Campbell Spencer D uncanson Dr Ken and Lorna Thor lakson Developer ($500 – $999) Heather Milne Patron ($1 000 +) Gail Asper Family Foundation The Winnipeg Arts Council The Winnipeg Founda tion The Manitoba Arts Counci l

ABOUT TH

E LITTLE OPERA COMPANY

The Little Opera Company is a not-for-profit charitable organization, whose missi on is the promotio n of opera and the promotion of the talented arti sts that contribute to the production of opera in Winnipeg. We have been producing operas, sho wcasing the significant talents of local si ngers and musicians since 1995 . Our purpose is as much about devel oping artists as it is about staging operatic works: developing emerging vocalis ts and instrumentalis ts, providing coaching and practical experience within the context of its pr oductions providing opportunities for artists and artisans to advance their skills in the design of costumes, sets and l ighting developing production person nel, by providing opportunities to as sist in productions The LOC offers a unique opportunity to e xperience chamber opera in English; oper a that engages individuals of diverse backgrounds. We are committed to selecting reperto ire that not only provides accessible entertainment for individuals who are new to the genre, but that which is engaging and refreshing for seasoned opera lovers. We a lso wish to offer educational forays into real ms of opera not frequently explored within our community. www.littleopera.ca