Juilliard Opera Presents Otto Nicolai's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" on February 14, 16, and 18, 2018

Conducted by Teddy Poll and Directed by John Giampietro

3 Performances: Wednesday, February 14, 2018 and Friday, February 16, 2018, at 7:30pm and Sunday, February 18, 2018, at 2pm in Juilliard’s Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater

NEW YORK ––Juilliard’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts presents Otto Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (The Merry Wives of Windsor), conducted by Teddy Poll and directed by faculty member John Giampietro, in February. Written in 1841 and premiered in Berlin in 1849, Nicolai’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor was an important contribution to early German romantic opera. The Singspiel will be sung in German, and librettist Salomon Hermann von Mosenthal’s German dialogue will be replaced by an English text newly arranged by Mr. Giampietro. The text is drawn from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. The production has been updated to take place in an English munitions factory in 1941.

Performances take place on Wednesday, February 14, 2018 and Friday, February 16, 2018, at 7:30pm, and Sunday, February 18, 2018, at 2pm in Juilliard’s Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater.

Extremely limited ticket availability. For details, visit juilliard.edu/calendar. 

The cast, in order of appearance, features: Alex Rosen (Sir John Falstaff); Christine Taylor Price (Frau Fluth/Alice Ford); Kady Evanyshyn (Frau Reich/Meg Page); John Chongyoon Noh (Fenton); Jessica Niles (Anna Reich/Anne Page); William Guanbo Su (Herr Reich/George Page); Matthew Pearce (Spärlich/Slender); Andrew Munn (Dr. Cajus/Dr. Caius); Brittany Hewitt (Mistress Quickly); Hubert Zapiór (Herr Fluth/Francis Ford); and Ryan Hurley (Prince Hal).

The opera will be accompanied by a small ensemble with pianists Chris Reynolds and Adam Rothenberg, violinist Cherry Choi Tung Yeung, and piccolo player Lisa Choi.

Scenic design is by Alexis Distler; costume design is by Audrey Nauman; and lighting design is by Kate Ashton.

This performance is part of Juilliard Opera, a program dedicated to the education and training of future generations of singers at Juilliard. Juilliard Opera is supported by the vision and generous lead funding of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture and its chairman, Dr. Haruhisa Handa.

Meet the Artists

Teddy Poll (Conductor)

Teddy Poll has conducted with the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Philadelphia, Bare Opera, and the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. This year he joins the music staff at San Francisco Opera as an assistant conductor. In 2017 Mr. Poll composed a string quartet commissioned for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and composed and conducted the score for the film Talent Night at Auschwitz: Bunk Five by Max Rifkind-Barron, which tells the story of a teenage prodigy who writes a musical about the Holocaust to overcome a profound trauma. He holds a BA from Columbia University and an MM from Mannes College, and was a Conducting Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music studying with Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

John Giampietro (Director)

John Giampietro is a theater and opera director, whose productions have been seen at Juilliard, the Ensemble Studio Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Urban Stages, Curtis Institute of Music, and Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, among others. He is a faculty member in the Vocal Arts department at Juilliard where he teaches acting. He is resident stage director for the Chautauqua Institution Festival of Music voice program, and an artist member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre and frequent director with the Obie Award-winning playwrights’ group, Youngblood. Mr. Giampietro’s writing includes a new version of Mozart’s The Impresario and a new English dialogue version of Die Zauberflöte. Upcoming are Hänsel und Gretel at Yale Opera and L’elisir d’amore at Chautauqua.

Kady Evanyshyn (Frau Reich)

Canadian mezzo-soprano Kady Evanyshyn has recently sung La Tasse Chinoise in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges with Emmanuel Villaume with the Juilliard Orchestra and Berio’s Folk Songs with Jeffrey Milarsky and AXIOM in Alice Tully Hall. In 2017 she sang Annio in La clemenza di Tito (Aspen Opera Center) and Celia in La fedeltà premiata (Juilliard Opera). Ms. Evanyshyn earned her bachelor’s degree from Juilliard, where she was the recipient of the John Erskine prize for exceptional scholastic and artistic achievement and is in the first year of her master’s degree here studying with Edith Wiens. She is supported by the Manitoba Arts Council, holds the George H. Gangwere Scholarship, Constance Goulandris Scholarship, Lilli Jank Scholarship in Vocal Arts, and is also supported by the Anna Schoen-René Fund.

Brittany Hewitt (Mistress Quickly)

Soprano Brittany Hewitt is from Jacksonville, Fla., and attended LaVilla Middle School of the Arts, Douglas Anderson High School of the Arts, and graduated from Dallas’ Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Ms. Hewitt has sung Mother in Hansel and Gretel, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Chrissy in Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Katisha in The Mikado. She interned for Dallas Symphony Orchestra and studied songwriting at the Recording Academy’s Grammy Camp Nashville. She is in the bachelor’s program at Juilliard, where she studies with Sanford Sylvan and is a Gluck Fellow and Juilliard Student Council vice president. She holds the Leona Gordon Lowin Memorial Scholarship in voice, Philo Higley Scholarships, and Madeline Elsemiller Scholarship in Voice.

Ryan Hurley (Prince Hal)

Tenor Ryan Hurley, a native of Huntington Woods, Mich., is in his second year at Juilliard studying with Edith Wiens. He made his Juilliard Opera debut earlier this season in the chorus for The Burning Fiery Furnace. Mr. Hurley has sung at Washington’s Kennedy Center, Miami’s New World Center, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. In 2015 he was selected as a finalist winner (classical voice) by the National YoungArts Foundation and participated in YoungArts week in Miami. Last summer he attended Classic Lyric Arts—La Lingua Della Lirica in Bologna, Italy. He holds the Anna Case Mackay Scholarship in Voice, Sabina and Samuel Taranow Scholarship in Voice, and Robert White Scholarship in Vocal Studies.

Andrew Munn (Dr. Cajus)

Bass Andrew Munn is a Graduate Diploma candidate in Vocal Arts at Juilliard studying with Sanford Sylvan. In 2017 he made his Alice Tully Hall debut with Juilliard Opera in Handel’s Agrippina conducted by Laurence Cummings and his Tanglewood Music Center debut in recitals curated by Stephanie Blythe and Dawn Upshaw. Other recent engagements include the bass soloist in Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle and he was a cast member of Protest! with Steven Blier and NYFOS, which is scheduled to be reprised next year. Mr. Munn grew up in State College, Pa., and began singing in his public high school music program. He holds the Michael L. Brunetti Memorial Scholarship in Voice, Marion and Robert Merrill Voice Scholarship, and Risë Stevens Scholarship.

Jessica Niles (Anna Reich)

Soprano Jessica Niles, a native of Virginia, is in her third year at Juilliard, where she studies with Marlena Malas. She has sung Julie in Carousel at Chautauqua where she was part of the Opera-Composer Collaborative Project. Ms. Niles sang in the ensembles of Juilliard’s productions of Katya Kabanova and La Sonnambula, in Chautauqua’s production of Die Zauberflöte, and the New York Lyric Opera Theatre’s production of Dido and Aeneas. She has won awards from the National Hal Leonard Art Song Competition, National YoungArts Foundation, Virginia Lions Club Bland Competition, Washington D.C. chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters, and the George London Foundation. She studied at Juilliard’s Pre-College Division and the Académie Internationale d’Eté de Nice. She holds the Mel Silverman Opera Scholarship, Irving Berlin Scholarship, and Edwina Eustis Scholarship.

John Chongyoon Noh (Fenton)

Tenor John Chongyoon Noh, from South Korea, is in the master’s program at Juilliard, where he studies with Robert C. White. He has sung Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, and Ferrando in Così fan tutte. Recent performances include Marilyn Horne’s The Song Continues Festival at Carnegie Hall, The Genius of Monteverdi with Juilliard415 led by William Christie at Peter Jay Sharp Theater, and a concert version of L’elisir d'amore at the Music Academy of the West. He has been awarded prizes in the 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (D.C), Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition, and Gerda Lissner Liederkranz and Russell C Wonderlic voice competitions, among others. He holds the Janet Southwick Norwood Scholarship and Lorraine Rita Grunin Scholarship.

Matthew Pearce (Spärlich)

Tenor Matthew Pearce from Union, Ky., is a first-year master’s student at Juilliard where he studies with Marlena Malas. In the summers of 2016 and 2017, he attended the Aspen Summer Music Festival and School where he sang Gastone in La Traviata and Le petit vieillard in L’enfant et les sortilèges. Prior to coming to Juilliard, Mr. Pearce attended the University of Kentucky where he studied under Everett McCorvey. While there he appeared in productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors (Kaspar), The Tales of Hoffmann (Nathanaël), and Ragtime (J.P. Morgan), among others. He also performed regularly as a featured soloist with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. He holds the George H. Gangwere Scholarship and Simon and Anna Fabian Scholarship.

Christine Taylor Price (Frau Fluth)

Soprano Christine Taylor Price earned her master’s degree at Juilliard and is in her second year of the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies program, studying with Edith Wiens. In 2017 she sang Serpetta in La finta giardiniera with Juilliard Opera, joined Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist, sang the Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw at Opera Columbus, and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro at Opera in Williamsburg. While at Juilliard she has appeared as the soloist in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia, and as a soloist in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2016 Ms. Price was a semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and made her Carnegie Hall debut in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. In 2015 she sang Lucien in The Ghosts of Versailles at Wolf Trap Opera. She holds the Alice Tully Scholarship, Dr. Gary Portadin Scholarship, and Hardesty and Beverley Peck Johnson Scholarship.

Alex Rosen (Sir John Falstaff)

Bass Alex Rosen, a native of La Cañada, Calif., is a second-year candidate for the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies at Juilliard, studying with Edith Wiens. In 2017 he was the bass soloist in the Mozart Requiem with the Juilliard Orchestra, and sang Dikoj in Katya Kabanova with Juilliard Opera. Upcoming is Thésée in Hippolyte et Aricie with Juilliard Opera in April, Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Cincinnati Opera, and Haydn’s Creation and Händel’s Acis and Galatea with Les Arts Florissants. Earlier this season he sang Handel’s Messiah with Portland Baroque Orchestra and Houston Symphony Orchestra. He holds the R. Maurice Boyd Scholarship for Vocal Studies, Philo Higley Scholarship, Hardesty and Beverley Peck Johnson Scholarship, and Risë Stevens Scholarship.

William Guanbo Su (Herr Reich)

Bass William Guanbo Su, from Beijing, China, is a first-year master’s student at Juilliard studying under Cynthia Hoffmann. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, has performed in solo recitals around Europe, Asia, and the U.S., and was the winner of NPR’s From the Top competition. Mr. Su pursued the integration of music and poetry in German Lieder while he trained at the Franz Schubert Institute in Vienna with master singers and coaches including Elly Ameling, Olaf Bar, Helmut Deutsch, Julius Drake, and Robert Holl. He recently won first prize at the Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition and had his Carnegie Hall Stern Hall solo debut in December. He holds the Phyllis Joan Hoyland Memorial Scholarship in Voice and Juilliard Scholarship.

Hubert Zapiόr (Herr Fluth)

Hubert Zapiór is a baritone from Brzesko, Poland, and an Artist Diploma in Opera Studies student at Juilliard studying with Edith Wiens. He graduated from Fryderyk Chopin University of Music and Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw. He has sung Lesbo in the Polish premiere of Handel’s Agrippina, the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, Prosdocimo in Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia at the Warsaw Chamber Opera and Servo in the Polish premiere of Sciarrino’s Luci mie traditrici. This season Mr. Zapiór made his debut at the Teatr Wielki—Polish National Opera as Papageno in the Barrie Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte. He holds the Hardesty and Beverley Peck Johnson Scholarship, Juilliard Opera Scholarship, and Caruso American Memorial Foundation Scholarship.

Kate Ashton (Lighting Designer)

Recent design for opera at Juilliard include The Burning Fiery Furnace, La fedeltà premiata, The Children’s Hour, Anatomy of Sound, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Armide, La sonnambula, L’incoronazione di Poppea, and the Juilliard Gala performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by John Giampietro. Her opera work elsewhere includes Aida (Aspen Music Festival), Nina O Sia La Pazza Per Amore (U.S. Premiere), Land of Smiles, and The Conspirators at Manhattan School of Music. Music: Tango Song and Dance at the Kennedy Center, Romeo and Juliet with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She has also designed Josephine and I (Public Theater), Death of a Salesman (BAM). She is resident dance lighting designer, Williams College and holds a BA from the College of William and Mary, an MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and is a proud member of United Scenic Artists. (kateashtonlighting.com)

Alexis Distler (Scenic Designer)

Recent credits include The Government Inspector (New World Stages and The Duke), Intimate Apparel (McCarter Theatre), The Piano Lesson (Hartford Stage), Nureyev’s Eyes (George Street Playhouse), Toast (The Public Theater), Three Sisters (Playmakers Theatre), and Il Turco in Italia and Le nozze di Figaro (Juilliard Opera). She won the Barrymore Award for In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play (The Wilma Theater) and holds an MFA from New York University. (alexisdistler.com)

Audrey Nauman (Costume Designer)

Recent credits include A Deal (Urban Stages), Senior Production 2017 (Juilliard Dance), La fedeltá premiata (Juilliard Vocal Arts), Mope (Ensemble Studio Theater/Youngblood), and 36th Marathon of One Act Plays (Ensemble Studio Theatre). Associate costume designer credits include Rags (Goodspeed Opera, des. Linda Cho), Groundhog Day and Ghost the Musical (Broadway, des. Rob Howell), In the Heights (2nd National Tour), Circus Smirkus (2016 and 2017 Big Top Tours, des. Julie Michael), and numerous productions at Juilliard as part of the Professional Apprentice Program (2013–14). She was wardrobe supervisor for Company XIV (2015–16 seasons) and is a native Floridian and an alumna of Florida State University.

About the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts at Juilliard

Brian Zeger, Artistic Director

One of America’s most prestigious programs for educating singers, Juilliard’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts offers young artists programs tailored to their talents and needs. From bachelor and master of music degrees to an advanced Artist Diploma in Opera Studies program, Juilliard provides frequent performance opportunities, featuring singers in its own recital halls, on Lincoln Center’s stages, and around New York City. Juilliard Opera has presented numerous premieres of new operas as well as works from the standard repertoire.

Juilliard graduates may be heard in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world; diverse alumni artists include well-known performers such as Leontyne Price, Renée Fleming, Risë Stevens, Tatiana Troyanos, Simon Estes, and Shirley Verrett. Recent alumni include Isabel Leonard, Susanna Phillips, Paul Appleby, Erin Morley, Sasha Cooke, and Julia Bullock.

Recognized as one of today’s leading collaborative pianists, Brian Zeger has performed with many of the world’s greatest singers in an extensive concert career that has taken him to the premiere concert halls throughout the United States and abroad. Recent recordings include Preludios – Spanish songs with Isabel Leonard, a recording of Strauss and Wagner lieder with Adrianne Pieczonka, Dear Theo: 3 Song Cycles by Ben Moore (Delos) with Paul Appleby, Susanna Phillips, and Brett Polegato, and All Who Wander, a recital disc with mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. For more information about Mr. Zeger’s activities, please visit his website, brianzeger.com.

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Program Listing:

Wednesday, February 14, 2018, 7:30pm

Friday, February 16, 2018, 7:30pm

Sunday, February 18, 2018m, 2pm

Juilliard’s Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater

 

Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (The Merry Wives of Windsor)

Composer: Otto Nicolai

Librettist: Salomon Hermann von Mosenthal

Based on Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor with new spoken dialogue arranged by John Giampietro from from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, and A Midsummer Night's Dream

Conductor: Teddy Poll

Director: John Giampietro

 

The Cast (in order of vocal appearance)

Sir John Falstaff: Alex Rosen

Frau Fluth (Alice Ford): Christine Taylor Price

Frau Reich (Meg Page): Kady Evanyshyn

Fenton: John Chongyoon Noh

Anna Reich (Anne Page): Jessica Niles

Herr Reich (George Page): William Guanbo Su

Spärlich (Slender): Matthew Pearce

Dr. Cajus (Dr. Caius): Andrew Munn

Mistress Quickly: Brittany Hewitt

Herr Fluth (Francis Ford): Hubert Zapiόr

Prince Hal: Ryan Hurley

 

Chamber ensemble:

Piano: Chris Reynolds, Adam Rothenberg

Violin: Cherry Choi Tung Yeung

Flute/Piccolo: Lisa Choi

 

Scenic Designer: Alexis Distler

Costume Designer: Audrey Nauman

Lighting Designer: Kate Ashton

 

Extremely limited ticket availability. For details, visit juilliard.edu/calendar.