MEET THE CAST OF THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO: SOPRANOS & MEZZO-SOPRANOS

Get to know the fabulous sopranos & mezzo-sopranos of The Marriage of Figaro, including a Metropolitan Opera star and two singers making their company debuts.

THE SOPRANOS

ROBIN STEITZ as Susanna

HOMETOWN: Washington, DC

ROLE CALL: A 2020 OD Young Artist and winner of the Buffalo/Toronto District 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Robin is quickly establishing herself as one of opera’s most exciting stars. After her OD debut was postponed in 2020 (she was slated to appear in the canceled Festival productions of The Coronation of Poppea and The Tales of Hoffmann), she returned in 2021 to wow audiences as a soloist in Shakespeare in Song and in 2022 as a featured artist in our Sunday Spotlight recital series. Her other recent engagements include Giulia in La scala di seta with Opera Southwest, Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Finger Lakes Opera, and Cricket in The Cricket Recovers with Tanglewood Music Center.

FUN FACT: “Before pursuing a professional career in voice, I had a couple different careers including high school calculus teacher and professional jumper/horse rider and trainer!”

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TONI MARIE PALMERTREE as Countess Almaviva

HOMETOWN: Fleetwood, PA

ROLE CALL: OD audiences will remember Toni Marie from her stunning performances in last spring’s Al Fresco Arias. A former Adler Fellow, she’s currently covering the role of Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly with The Metropolitan Opera, and next season she’ll cover the title role of the company’s much-anticipated production of Medea. Toni Marie’s other recent engagements include Liu in Turandot with San Francisco Opera and the title role in Luisa Miller with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Of her Luisa, the Chicago Daily Herald raved: “Palmertree sang with stunning clarity, her voice practically shimmering in its upper range, yet with formidable power even below middle C. Her range of emotional delivery was equally broad, capable of playing both the lion and the lamb.”

OFFSTAGE: “I love to roller skate and decorate cakes, although I've never tried to do both at the same time.”

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HANNAH VON RIESEN as Barbarina (OD debut)

HOMETOWN: Storm Lake, IA

ROLE CALL: Praised for her “bright, clear sound and alluring stage presence” (Opera News), Hannah’s recent engagements include Clorinde in Cendrillon with Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos with International School of the Voice, and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with Des Moines Metro Opera (Apprentice Scenes Program).

FUN FACT: Hannah has been featured on PBS for her creative music lessons for children about world music and opera. She also has an impressive collection of world instruments and teaches ukulele classes.

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THE MEZZO-SOPRANOS

CLAUDIA CHAPA as Marcellina

HOMETOWN: Laredo, TX

ROLE CALL: Celebrated for her “earthy, distinctive mezzo” (Opera News) and “arresting stage presence” (The Austin Chronicle), Claudia is an in-demand performer and concert curator specializing in Hispanic/Latinx programming. OD audiences will remember Claudia from her mesmerizing performances as a soloist in Opera Uncorked: Verdi, Verismo & Vino (2019) and Zita in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso's Ghost (2018). Other recent engagements include performer/co-curator of Entre Amigos with Fort Worth Opera, Josefina in El Milagro del Recuerdo with Arizona Opera, and Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Earlier this season, she was named the inaugural curator of Hispanic and Latinx programming for Austin Opera.

OFFSTAGE: Claudia is proud to collaborate with Austin Classical Guitar on the Lullaby Project, which pairs artists with pregnant women and new parents to create and perform personal lullabies to help strengthen the bond between parent and child, support maternal health, and aid childhood development.

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LAUREN COOK as Cherubino (OD debut)

HOMETOWN: Philadelphia, PA

ROLE CALL: Hailed for her commanding stage presence and “full bodied" and "nuanced" voice (Indie Opera and Boston Musical Intelligencer), Lauren recently earned raves as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro with Virginia Opera. Her other recent appearances include Antonia in Man of La Mancha and Camacho in Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding with Opera Saratoga, and Hannah After in As One with Painted Sky Opera. Next season, she’ll take on the role of the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos with Arizona Opera. 

OFFSTAGE: “I have been on several solo cross-country road trips, I'm a big fan of hiking, and I love to read.”

OPERA, PAPER, SCISSORS: 'Barber' from the page to the stage

Vibrant! Epic! And… environmentally friendly!

Costume design by Kathleen Doyle & set design by Jefferson Ridenour. Barber production photos by Britt Olsen-Ecker.

Figaro

Rosina

Count Almaviva

Dr. Bartolo

Berta

We’re over the moon to collaborate with Papermoon Opera Productions for our new production of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE.

We chatted with members of the Papermoon team to learn more about how they created glorious costumes and sets almost entirely out of paper and paired them with state-of-the-art projections and lighting. The result? A visual feast that’s as bold as Rossini’s brilliant score.

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE - Feb 25 & 27 at The Grand; Tickets & info

Interview by Julia Cooke, artistic and general director of Baltimore Concert Opera

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How did Papermoon Opera Productions start and why did you choose paper as your medium?

Fenlon Moon, Papermoon artistic director and co-creator: Jefferson Ridenour (Papermoon co-creator and scenic designer) and I started working with paper around 2015… because we were told that we had no money to make productions happen. We did a very intimate production of La bohème. He did charcoal drawings of the Paris skyline, a loft, and stove, and the painting that Marcello was working on, and we had this wonderful idea to continue to work [in paper] together. 

It’s an interesting medium, especially for something as joyful as The Barber of Seville. It gives us this childlike ability to play. I think the team at Papermoon has really embraced that, and it’s turned into something that is even more creative than working with wood and normal sets. 

Tell us more about your design process.

Fenlon: What happens most times is Jeff and I sit down and talk about 2 or 3 elements that we really want to punch up. For Barber, we’re calling it “nouveau commedia” because it’s commedia dell'arte with sort of an 80’s spin to it. The lights, projections, and costumes all come together. We have more flexibility working with these materials – you can inject these flat surfaces with so much texture and fun, and we get this playful, joyful production like it was just drawn today for the audience. That’s very much how commedia started. 

Kathleen Doyle, Papermoon costume designer: Working with paper is faster and it’s more direct. It’s kind of immediately satisfying because you see the craft person's or artist’s hand print on the costume immediately. In a funny way there’s less of a textural jump from the paper sketch to the paper costume… For example, instead of doing a hand cross-stitched hem on 8 yards of a brocade silk, we can use a pair of pinking shears and cut the skirt where it should be hemmed. Take Figaro’s vest – this is tyvek. It doesn’t fray and it is just as strong here  [touching the hem] as if we hemmed it. 

Fenlon: The underpinnings are cloth. His shirt is definitely cloth, but everything that goes on top is paper. It just has this incredible texture to it, like the tyvek paper that you’re familiar with from USPS mailer bags. 

Kathleen: In fact, we are using some of those express and priority mail envelopes! We literally take off the adhesive part and sew them together for yardage.

Fascinating! How do you sew paper?

Kathleen: [Laughs] I’ve had good luck with using a long, wide stitch and universal needles, although I break needles pretty often because they become dull. 

Fenlon, tell us more about your relationship with this opera. You know it well having done this role yourself years ago.

Fenlon: Yes, I got to sing Rosina several times. I did that role with Chuck Hudson directing. He had studied movement and mime with Marcel Marceau so it was a very physical comedy. I guess the biggest thrill for me was people actually laughing out loud, guffawing in the theater. That made me so happy. 

sET & PROP PHOTOS COURTESY OF Jefferson Ridenour, PAPERMOON OPERA PRODUCTIONS

I think that joy and laughter are just so important right now. Jeff and I designed this in the middle of the pandemic. We were also designing [Poulenc’s] La voix humaine, which is about a woman who kills herself, so we really needed this joyful, brilliant, vibrant thing to happen. We really had so much fun working together on it.

You keep saying “joyful” and this production really is! Can you tell us a little bit about the set?

Jefferson Ridenour, Papermoon co-creator and scenic designer: It’s actually really fascinating. For this production we explored some new materials that we haven’t used before. For example, the facades of the arch units and the false proscenium that you see are created with a fabric that’s made of 50% recycled plastics. That’s something that we haven’t tried before and it ended up being really cool. 

The way we’ve explored these mediums… It's almost like going back to being a kindergartner and playing with arts and crafts and paper and scissors. It’s using all of those things that we loved about being a kid and bringing them to an elevated level for the stage.  

That’s so fascinating, especially in terms of the environmental impact. Instead of throwing away a giant set, many pieces can be recycled and repurposed. It’s also probably easier to transport. 

Fenlon: I love to tell the story about how I fit the entire Carmen set that we did together in a Honda Fit. If that isn’t environmentally sound then I don’t know what is!

Finally, is there anything else you want to share about ‘Barber’?

Jefferson: I think what we’ve explored with this is really finding the joy in color and patterns – getting back to that childlike love and passion and bringing it to the stage… The music is so bubbly, and we just wanted to bring joy with this design, especially because of the last couple of years. When we started to design this during COVID, I needed color. I needed boldness. I needed joy, and that’s what this brought. 

That is exactly why we selected this piece. We could all use a laugh and some boisterous excitement, and we can see it in your design. Thank you so much!

The Barber of Seville is a co-production with Baltimore Concert Opera, in collaboration with Papermoon Opera Productions.

MEET THE CAST: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE

Get to know the extraordinary cast of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE (coming to The Grand Feb 25 & 27)!

FIGARO - Brian James Myer
OperaDelaware debut
Lauded by critics for his for “buttery baritone” (New York Times) and “flawless comic timing” (Opera Today), celebrated baritone Brian James Myer has performed with New York City Opera, Atlanta Opera, American Lyric Theater, and Knoxville Opera among others.

ROSINA - Mary Beth Nelson
OperaDelaware debut
A former Young Artist with the Glimmerglass Festival, mezzo-soprano Mary Beth Nelson was slated to star in our cancelled 2020 production of The Tales of Hoffmann, and we are thrilled to finally introduce her to OD audiences. Of a recent performance, Opera Today raved: "Nelson sang with virtuosic abandon… joyous flair and assured beauty of tone."

COUNT ALMAVIVA - Christopher Bozeka
OperaDelaware debut
Praised for his "velvety tone" (Opera Today) and “expressively captivating performances” (San Francisco Chronicle), tenor Christopher Bozeka has performed with Houston Grand Opera, Sarasota Opera, and most recently Wolf Trap Opera.

DR. BARTOLO - Tim Mix
An OD fan favorite, audiences will remember baritone Tim Mix from his tour-de-force performances as Joseph de Rocher in Dead Man Walking (2019) and Claudius in Amleto (2016). Earlier this season, Tim delighted patrons as Dr. Malatesta in our concert production of Don Pasquale.

BASILIO - Kevin Short
A regular at The Met (including the acclaimed 2019/20 production of Porgy and Bess), bass-baritone Kevin Short last thrilled OD audiences as a soloist in Opera Jukebox, a 75th-anniversary celebration. He has performed with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington Opera, Opéra Comique, Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, and Oper der Stadt Köln.

BERTA - Julia Laird
Soprano (and Wilmington, DE native) Julia Laird last delighted hometown audiences as a soloist in Pop-Up Opera and Drive-Through Arias. She's performed with Opera West, Piedmont Opera, and North Carolina Opera.

FIORELLO - Zachary Bryant
OperaDelaware debut
Baritone Zachary Bryant is pursuing his DMA at the University of Maryland and is an education outreach artist with our Barber co-production partner, Baltimore Concert Opera. His recent performance highlights include Sciarrone in Tosca with Annapolis Opera and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Prague Summer Nights Festival.

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#ROSSINIMINUTE

Rossini is famous (or infamous) for his rapid-fire patter. What better way to get to know our Barber cast than to have them answer rapid-fire questions posed by OD Music Director Maestro Anthony Barrese?

Meet our June Al Fresco Arias artists

Our popular outdoor concert series returns June 17 & 18 with an all-star cast.

• Emmy Award–winning soprano ADRIENNE DANRICH first thrilled OD patrons in 2015 with This Little Light of Mine, her program chronicling the ground-breaking careers of opera icons Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price. In 2019, she wowed Wilmington audiences again as Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking. She has performed, covered, and workshopped leading roles with Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center Theater, and appeared in the NBC broadcast of The Sound of Music, Live! Her latest creative endeavor, Music as the Message, is a multi-episode musical initiative produced by The American Opera Project in association with Opera on Tap NYC, for which she serves as executive producer, creator, host, and performer.
  

• Mezzo-soprano MARIE ENGLE makes her OD debut in Al Fresco Arias. An OD 2020 Young Artist, Marie was set to make her company debut as Nutrice in our canceled Festival production of The Coronation of Poppea, and we’re delighted to finally introduce her to patrons. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and Juilliard, she recently debuted as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Wichita Grand Opera (May 2021) and will appear as a soloist in the Marlboro Music Festival this July and August.
  

• Acclaimed tenor JESUS GARCIA won a Tony in 2003 for his performance as Rodolfo in Baz Lurhmann’s Broadway production of La bohème, and is currently earning raves as Rufus in Desert In, Boston Lyric Opera’s much buzzed about new streaming mini-series. Other notable appearances include Rodolfo in Opera Columbus’ May 2021 production of La bohème”, the title role of Faust with Savonlinna Opera Festival, Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Boston Lyric Opera, and Alfredo in La traviata with Nederlandse Reisopera. Later this season, he’ll join Opera Omaha as Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi.
  

• We’re thrilled to welcome back baritone ERIC MCKEEVER. Praised for his “power and brilliance” (Chicago Tribune) and dynamic stage presence, he last delighted OD audiences as a soloist in Who’s Afraid of Opera? (studio series, 2014). Since the start of the pandemic, Eric has appeared in several innovative productions including Experiments in Opera’s Aqua Net and Funyuns podcast opera, Opera on Tap’s digital version of La Cenerentola (singing the role of Dandini), and the little OPERA theatre of ny’s live-stream of Zemlinsky’s Eine florentinische Tragödie. He recently returned to live, in-person performance starring as Marcello in La bohème with Opera Columbus.
  

• Collaborating with our talented soloists is OD Head of Music Staff AURELIEN EULERT. Hailing from Alsace, France, Aurelien was named Head of Music Staff in 2019, and was instrumental in launching OD’s Young Artist Program. He had previously held the position of Chorus Master and Principal Pianist since 2017. Aurelien has been on the music staff of Charlottesville Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Roanoke, Palm Beach Opera, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, USC Thornton Opera, UCLA Alpert School of Music, Pacific Opera Project and the Los Angeles Opera Education department.

Meet the artists of Shakespeare in Song

Delaware Shakespeare’s Newton Buchanan, Annie Fang, James Kern & Emily Schuman star in Shakespeare in Song (May 20-23)!

Newton Buchanan (top left) is a Philadelphia-based Barrymore Award–nominated performer and theater producer. He is a founding member of New Light Theatre Company and a co-founder of the newly formed Black Theatre Alliance of Philadelphia. His acting credits include: Othello, Othello (New Light Theatre Co.); Capulet, Romeo and Juliet (Delaware Shakespeare); Mitchell, Cry It Out (Simpatico Theatre Co.); Turkey & Bullfrog, HONK! (Delaware Theatre Co.); Bassanio, The Merchant of Venice (Delaware Shakespeare); Dr . Madden, Next to Normal (New Light Theatre Co.); Pisanio, Cymbeline (Rev. Shakes); Mitch, A Streetcar Named Desire (Deep Blue Theatre); Lloyd Dallas, Noises Off (Curio Theatre Co.); Leroy/Herb, By The Way Meet Vera Stark (SST Co.); Film: “The Delaware Guy,” The Options in Delaware Video (ShortOrder Productions). Newton currently holds an Associate Artist position at Delaware Shakespeare, where he devises educational programming and performances.

Annie Fang (top right) is an actor, singer, and aspiring dumpling-pleating expert based in Philadelphia. While in-person theater has been on hold, Annie has worked virtually with companies including Cleveland Play House, Revolution Shakespeare, and 1812 Productions. Pre-pandemic, Annie made her professional debut in Man of God (InterAct Theatre), followed by SHIP (Azuka Theatre). Last fall, she worked with Delaware Shakespeare on Shakespeare in the Garden, and she's so excited to be back!

James Kern (bottom left): “Wow! First live performance since the pandemic and what an honor it is to be a part of this joint venture! I would like to thank [Delaware Shakespeare’s Producing Artistic Director] David Stradley for bringing me onto the project and the entire creative team for finding a way to make live theater LIVE again! As always it needs to be said that I am eternally grateful to my parents who have done everything in their power to support and make my greatest dreams come true. And to my loving wife who not only supports and balances me but inspires me daily with her beauty and brilliance.”

Emily Schuman (bottom right) is an associated artist with Delaware Shakespeare. She has been a part of the Community Tour productions of Merchant of Venice as a composer/live musician and performer, as well as Romeo and Juliet as the composer/live musician. Emily is also a freelance props designer, musician and since the pandemic hit, has begun working as a contact tracer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

ALSO: Meet our Shakespeare in Song soloists
Michelle Johnson (soprano)
Robin Steitz (soprano)
Peter Drackley (tenor)
Brian Major (baritone)